Cate Raff

A hint of fall in the air this morning

2011-08-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Pretty shadows in Sweden

Last night I got to celebrate my birthday (picnic!) with dearly beloved Greenville friends (and family). I do have some of the coolest, smartest, sweetest, warmest, most inspiring friends in the world. So thankful for them, the outdoors, picnic food (Euro style), and lovely lighting. It felt SO GOOD outside last night! A little warm, humid--like one of the last summer nights of the year.

Karin, Simeon, the kids and me

I got to go to Sweden and Norway the week before I said "Adios" to Europa. I had some lovely friends in Sweden who I actually met in South Africa way back: Karin (Swedish) and Simeon (English). Karin is finishing up her training in the ministry and Simeon is an English teacher, and now state-paid stay-at-home dad (I love Sweden!). I got to see them in England a couple years ago when I was living in Spain--Karin was pregnant then with Bruno. And now they have a new addition to the family, Ophelia (affectionately called "Little O"). It was so nice being with a real family with little kids for a few days. :) Lots of bike rides, long walks in the forest with the kids (which Hannah had always told me about--right outside of Uppsala), walks around the adorable, cool town of Uppsala, a dreamy visit to the Carl Linnaeus botanical gardens, berry picking in Karin's garden, delicious Swedish cuisine, and plenty of long, good conversations with one of the coolest couples I know. Stockholm with Erik was really great, too! So many Urban Outfitters models in that city! :) Loved it.

fjord country... wow.

Norway was--ah--breathtaking! My Aunt Tricia, who, with my Uncle Doug, has traveled the world, has always said it was her favorite country. So, while I was in Sweden, I had to stop over and see these fjords I'd been hearing about. I took a train from Uppsala to Ostersund, hung out there a couple hours (really nice little town with a lake), then trained over to Trondheim (lovely pilgrimage cathedral--I like towns with pilgrim sites, by the way. Good people, cool feel to the town). Spent a couple hours there--got to see "almost" midnight sun (was heading south but it was pretty light out at 11:30)! Took an 11-ish-hour bus down to Bergen that left at 10:30 that night. That was the most beautiful bus ride I've ever been on! I woke up at around 4 in the morning, exhausted after so much travel, and was stunned to consciousness by the lush, green, ginormous mountain view out my window--little waterfalls trickling down. Oh my goodness. The fjords from Bergen (Bergen!!) to Oslo were just breathtaking, too. Norway's definitely on my "to see again soon" list. I was on my way to Norway when the bombing/shooting happened--really shocking. There was a vigil in Bergen and I went to a memorial service for the victims of the shooting in Oslo. Really sobering.

enchanting Bergen

Spain was SUPER hard to say goodbye to... :(

There was a hint of fall in the air this morning. Hurricane Irene is bringing some of the most amazing clouds to Greenville lately. Hard not to think of being on one of them these days. :)

Photos :)

2011-06-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

me, Barbara, and my favorite dog at the farm, who reminds me of Charlotte--a sweetheart!

The farm I'm at now, in Polan, a pueblo outside of Toledo. Cooling off in the shade of a fig tree.

my Senegalese friend and horseback riding instructor at the farm

Scenes from the farm:

Lovely tile buildings in Porto, Portugal:

New friends in Santiago de Compostela

Ellen + Cate reunite at last in Prague!

the charming city of Prague, filled with antique shops, vintage clothing stores and cozy cafes. Now featuring Ellen Kelly!!

St. John's Day/Summer Solstice celebrations in Madrid. Write down a wish, throw it in the fire, then jump over it!

hiking in Granada with Edu and Cala

Oysters, etc.

2011-06-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Carla and me at the beach

view from Carla's apartment at night

Since I last wrote I got to spend a couple days in a little beach town outside Malaga with my old friend Carla, who went to church with me, Biz and Tim in Madrid. She was a member of our delightful outdoor and indoor picnic club--and has shared in some of my favorite memories from that era. Last time I saw her in Madrid, three years ago, she wanted to become a nurse and learn English. Well, she has become a nurse and has been learning English at a little academy in Torremolinos. And she's going to learn a ton more when she comes to visit me in SC. Or when we take our tour of Latin America together next summer... Depending on if either of us will actually have the time or funds to do that. ;) Anyway, I'm so proud of that girl.

Lovely Ronda

While visiting Torremolinos, I finally got to side-trip to Ronda, a white-hill town I'd read about in Rick Steve's guide and wanted to see three years ago. I invited along a sweet little Romanian man who, along with me, was the only visitor at Carla's church the night before. He's been coming to Torremolinos for twenty-seven years and has been half-heartedly trying to sell his apartment there since his wife died last year. He made me kind of sad. Has one son in Germany who he' not that close to (sons! I've noticed from working at the nursing home that daughters generally take much better care of their parents than sons do, with a few outstanding exceptions). Ronda was beautiful--I was impressed with its "New Bridge" that spanned across this green gorge. Really nice panoramas.

And the last week and a half I've been in Utopia: an olive farm three miles away from Orgiva, a pueblo of 6,000 people and at least five organic grocery stores. :) It's a well-touristed hippie town in the heart of the Alpujarra--a region of the Sierra Nevadas. I love the farmer there, Raquel. She's an amazinnnnng cook, has good taste (simple, bright, pleasant decorating), is learning the accordion, and is into medicinal plants. She makes her own face oils, soaps, and toothpaste. My kind of girl! Plus, she's a very patient Spanish teacher. I had my own little caravan there the first week (which I loved) then moved up to Raquel's stucco house when two lovely, kickass 20-year-old girls came to WWOOF with me (from CA/WA). One is studying directing/acting in San Fran and New Orleans and the other history/poli sic at Warren Wilson in Asheville, where Hannah and I used to frequent for their contra dance scene! It is a small world.

view from my little caravan at the farm

Speaking of, I ran into another South Carolinian in an ice cream line in Nerja about a month ago then ran into her again last weekend on a street in Granada, where she's studying abroad! So we had to hang out the next day--went on a hike then out for tapas. I love college kids. Their idealism inspires me--dreams of making bank working in Alaska for a summer or singing on a cruise ship, seeing South America on a shoestring, learning three more languages after mastering Spanish, falling head over heels for someone, making recordings on Garage Band, and someday working for Doctors Without Borders, after getting a free nursing degree from the University of Portland. Being in college is like living in a library: you're surrounded by so many people with good ideas, connections, and resources--these ideas are constantly circulating. I don't think we lose that "early twenties" idealism because the world screws us over--I think we lose it from years of good intentions that aren't followed through with. Maybe that feels like the world screwing us over. :) The world is still our oyster, friends.

Bastante Guisantes (so many peas! Yum!)

2011-05-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

I kind of feel like I've been living the charmed life lately here on the Mediterranean. Southern Spain is really, really beautiful--I love the warm climate. I've been biking to closeby whitewashed pueblos and to Nerja a few times, picking avocados, strawberries, lemons (my new favorite smell--fresh lemons off the tree!), nisporos (never seen them in the US), and green beans, weeding/thinning out rows of carrots, wearing a genuine sombrero!, and speaking a lot of Spanish to the really nice family here (Laura, Jose Luis and their 4-year-old Abril and 8-month-old Dario). I have my own little "camper" down the hill from their stucco, tile-roofed house. I don't mind the camper at all--but running water, electricity, and wi-fi would make it better. :) I'm seriously thinking of getting myself a little camper first thing when I get home.

I've had lots of time on my hands to read ("Mountains Beyond Mountains" = AMAZING book--Thanks, Tricia and Doug!) and listen to some fun music and podcasts (thanks, Joel, for your splendid iTunes library!). Traveling alone is kind of... not for everyone. I've had a lot of time to think about the things and people who have made me who I am--I feel like I'm getting to know myself better, which is funny: you'd think I'd know myself really well after 26 years of living with myself. :) It would be nice to have a travel buddy. But this weekend I'm visiting Carla, a Bolivian friend I went to church with in Madrid and who now lives in Malaga. We're hopefully going to check out Ronda together, a whitewashed hill town Rick Steves (!!heart!!) is all over.

Since reading "Mountains Beyond Mountains," I've fallen in love with Haiti a little. The book's about Dr. Paul Farmer, a SAINT who has a heart to give quality medical care to the poorest people in the world--he has treated thousands of people with TB and AIDS--seriously saved thousands of lives. He co-founded a nonprofit called Partners in Health that I'd love to work with someday, if I ever make it through 7-8 years of med school + residency. :) The book talks a lot about Haiti's deplorable agricultural problems (apparently the country's topsoil is washing away due to lack of trees holding it in place--seems like an easy enough problem to fix, no? bamboo? more trees?). From conversations with my wise, commonsensical, organic farming bff Hannah, I've been persuaded that (sustainable) agriculture is a good place to start if you want to see a healthy, prosperous, developing community. Sounds reasonable. Thinking about that lately.

Some of my favorite/most thought-provoking quotes from the book: "What I don't like about Marxist literature is what I don't like about academic pursuits--and isn't that what Marxism is, now? In general, the arrogance, the petty infighting, the dishonesty, the desire for self-promotion, the orthodoxy. I can't stand the orthodoxy, and I'll be that's one reason that science did not flourish in the former Soviet Union." -PF

"I was taken with the idea that in an ostensibly godless world that worshiped money and power or, more seductively, a sense of personal efficacy and advancement, like at Duke and Harvard, there was still a place to look for God, and that was in the suffering of the poor. You want to talk crucifixion? I'll show you crucifixion, you bastards." -PF

"'Medical Education does not exist to provide students with a way of making a living, but to ensure the health of the community.' 'The physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social problems should largely be solved by them.'" -Rudolf Virchow, one of Farmer's medical heroes

"As we entered the city proper (Paris), that great dove-colored epicurean city, he murmered something about how much could be done in Haiti if only he could get his hands on the money that the first world spent on pet grooming." -T. Kidder

Makes me feel a BIT guilty for hanging out in paradise right now (ok--hopefully I'll use these skills to help people someday, yeah?). BTW, Farmer thinks guilt is a valuable sentiment--it's a motivator for the rich to help the poor. Agree?

Spain So Far

2011-04-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

near the piso I'm staying at

I love how many sweet old people there are in this city! Seriously awesome.

on the way to a farm an hour from Madrid in a town called Villa del Prado. One of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a while.

Springtime in Holland!

another reason to love Madrid: dulces. Been wanting to order Meringues but, between the two, still just can't say no to Napolitanas. Neither could the cashier that day.

La Teteria de mi Abuela--one of Biz and my favorite places in Madrid! I got to go here last night with a new Couchsurfing friend--so great.

It's been so nice to be following spring around the world this year--I got in a few warm walking evenings in Greenville before I left, and Madrid's spring was at its peak when I arrived, then I got to see spring in its glory in the Netherlands for about a week (Kuekenhof gardens: stunning. MILLIONS of tulips and other flowers). Now I'm back in Madrid, heading to Malaga/Nerja tomorrow for some Mediterranean organic farming adventures with WWOOF. I'm super excited, though, I have to say, there are a lot of appeals to staying in Madrid (which I was thinking about doing for a little while). The last week I've been staying with a friend I met in my TEFL course here about 3.5 years ago (already been that long?? No way!). She's stayed in Madrid and is now teaching English, writing, and starting a website where artists can sell their work with her husband Alberto, who she met here. (They are AWESOME--Laura's a UGA gal and kind of reminds me of my BFF Ellen, another UGA grad--very full of life, exciting new ideas, and interesting things to discuss.) I wonder what my life would be like if I'd decided to stay here for the past three years. It's good to be back.

Madrid is even more breathtakingly gorgeous than I'd remembered. The first day back, I would climb the stairs out of these metro stops and, even on the more "boring" streets, just be compelled to take photo after photo (on my super low-res iPod touch). There's so much cool art stuff going on in Madrid: the Prado, of course, and the Caixa Forum, which has a new free art exhibition every month or two. And a new place, La Tabacalera, which is a huge abandoned old tobacco factory-turned coffee shop / music venue / workshop space (offering about a hundred free workshops open to everyone, from French to Photoshop to Flamenco). Every Tuesday night at 7:30 the music venue becomes a drawing workshop. Models sit on stage with funky props around them and a couple dozen artists can do their work and meet other artists. There's a library in one of the rooms, a "clothing swap" in another, and a couple gardens anyone can take part in outside. It seems like a great place to meet people, too. Oh, and there are some cool nonprofits I've heard about in Madrid that would be so neat to get involved in if I were staying around.

Anyway, this city's got it going onnnnn. But I remember living here, and every time I would leave the city, I felt so refreshed--to breathe clean air, walk in the mountains, or even the streets of a smaller town. So, knock on wood, I'll be at this farm near Nerja for a couple weeks, then probably exploring a little bit of Asturias or Galicia, which I've never been to but of which I have heard nothing but marvelous, green, bagpipey, hard cidery things. Don't know how much internet communication I'll be able to do in the next couple weeks, but I'll try to update.

Megabus, etc

2011-01-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

Snow Day!!

(written yesterday--not able to publish till today)

Right now I'm sitting on the Megabus across the aisle from Kyle and Elizabeth, heading to D.C. from Charlotte. It's been too long since I've written. Eliz and I will be staying with dear, dear friends Justin and Erin in D.C.. This will be the second time seeing them this month after almost two years (!) having flown by without a reunion. We'll also hopefully see my cousin Marlie in NYC, whom I haven't seen since her sister Sarah's wedding two and a half years ago.

I think I woke up the other day, suddenly conscious of the fact that it's been four years since I was a senior in college. This time four years ago I was running a lot, listening to Guster and the Shins, taking night photos in black and white, pulling almost all-nighters finishing papers the morning they were due. That was an emotional semester. I thought the decisions leading up to and during college--where to go, what to study, which professors and classes to choose, where/if to study abroad--were the most important ones I would make in my life, but I've seen that the few years after graduating have been laden with as or more weighty decisions.

I've been thinking a lot about more travels this year. Having a hard time narrowing down which countries I'd be interested in living in and what to do there, if I'd be able to go at all (volunteering with a medical group = attractive, but can be expensive...); I've definitely thought about Nicaragua again (I felt like I left my heart there when I was coming back) or another C. American place (ummmm, Alice is going to be in Costa Rica this spring! It'd be so fun to be near her), Chile's been calling me for a while now; Argentina, Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador also sound amazing. Europe is also attractive, for a few reasons. A Holland visit would be quite lekker this year. French-speaking countries are appealing to me these days, too--why not? India--I've wanted to go there for a long time, but I think it'll be a little while longer till that comes to pass.

It's been a really lovely winter so far: dinner parties, new friends, trips to Asheville, Columbia, and Ohio, some stellar conversations, bike rides and broccoli nabbing, my first white Christmas, time with my family, fireside reading sessions, and getting snowed in. (By the way, I love that there are still little piles of snow in various street corners of Greenville--little molecules of snow trying to protect each other from the warm rain and air.)

Nicaragua

2010-11-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Some of the girls at the orphanage. All total sweethearts, each with a different, very gripping story.

I am confounded by how quickly time flies in this laid-back, "Raff-time," "pick you up at ten-ISH," country. Really, the last week--I don't know where it went. Which is probably why I'm only now getting around to writing about my incredible time in the bonito, amable, complicado country of Nicaragua.

The orphanage I'm helping out at houses around 40 kids--actually, many of whom are not orphans. A lot of the kids here have families or extended families who may not have the parenting skills or the money to provide for their kids, so the orphanage takes care of them/feeds them during the week and some of the kids go home on the weekends.

I LOVE these children. Most of them have already gone through more heartache than all of us put together--but they are so joyful. So thankful to be taken care of. One girl here is 17 and grew up on the streets of the dangerous capital, Managua. She never got to go to school, but now she can read and write. She loves singing praise songs and talking on the swing set. Another thirteen-year-old boy's parents were murdered by robbers when he was ten. He plays piano and guitar (beautifully--naturally very talented); I almost cried when he played me and my roommate a song he wrote about how God is his father. Two girls and their little brother (11, 7, and 3) lost their mother soon after the youngest was born. Their dad works around the orphanage and their aunts live close-by, but they can't afford to take care of the kids. They are incredibly smart little girls--the top of their classes--and the younger one loves insects and knows everything about the local bugs: how they smell, which ones are poisonous. Every time I see her she has a new pet spider in her hand! Those girls are actually good at everything: sports, drawing, dancing, and being adorable. Gosh--so many stories--childhood is such a sweet time of life. One of the most ridiculously charming boys here, in the point at you and wink at you while he's walking by kind of way, which is especially precious from a five-year-old, started crying during the final fight scene in the animated movie "How to Tame Your Dragon" and used my hand to wipe his tears. A seven-year-old, very rambunctious boy was moping around all night because he missed his mom. The only thing that could lighten his mood was playing Bear vs. Wolf with him. I'm usually the bear, and he makes a pretty ferocious wolf--he loves howling.

I am learning a ton of Spanish here! Really, understanding almost everything and being able to communicate with most people here. My Spanish is way better than it was in Spain--not sure what happened in the last two years. :) I like the Nica accent--even though they don't use "tu" for the second person singular; they use "vos" (not like Spain's "vosotros"--it's totally different). I loooove the people here--incredibly laid-back, generous, helpful, not pushy, and with hearts of gold. Yesterday a guy who visits the orphanage regularly with some people from his church in Managua took his whole day off to drive me and my roommate to Mombacho volcano. When that one was closed--it was no big deal to him; he drove us to another volcano thirty minutes away.

Anyway, there's a lot more to say, but I can't hog the internet forever. :) Some more photos:

Michaela and I visiting some girls at an orphanage about 5 km from ours. They loved picking flowers for us and taking photos with us!

Three sisters playing in the community where our orphanage is located. The balloons were from a fiesta celebrating Colombus Day earlier that afternoon.

Spaghetti, a fried plantain, and the staple rice and beans. Not bad!

Granada, Nicaragua--about an hour and a half away. One of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited.

Really great weekend

2010-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

our limo ride! totally set the tone for the rest of that wonderful evening :)

eating CREPES in the Paris casino

Sisters No Misters trip to LAS VEGAS! Our farthest, most exciting trip thus far. Thank you, Aunt Tricia, for sponsoring our trip! And Aunt Kate, for letting us stay in your timeshare! We had a blast visiting Paris, Venice, seeing Cirque du Soleil, riding in a limo (Aunt Kate! thanks!), shopping, eating, etc.

communion before the wedding ceremony at Daniel's house

My bestie best friend Hannah just got married last weekend, too! It was a beautiful ceremony at an old Swedish Lutheran church in their small town in MN, officiated by Hannah and Daniel's dads, who are both pastors. Reception was also lovely--twinkle lights and zillions of Hannah's own cut flowers transformed their American Legion hall into a contra-dancer's paradise.

Cate y el dia terrible, horrible, espantoso, horroroso

2010-10-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today was great, actually--but tonight was a little rough! I met up with Maggie Brown and my sister Jessica to talk about the logistics of bike riding from Canada to Mexico next summer (!! anyone else interested in coming?). At 5:45 I realized I was already supposed to be somewhere. Searching through my purse, I discovered I didn't have my keys. Went back inside--they were nowhere. Dangit. Must have left them in my car. Opened my car door with Jessica's last wire hanger and apparently left my purse on top of the car. Drove off. Realized in the car my purse wasn't there. Did I leave it at Jess's house? Tried calling her but my phone died on me before she had the chance to pick up!! You are kidding me.

Got in touch with Jessica. No purse there. Combed Main and Augusta Streets--trash cans, bushes--everything. No luck. :( Ordered a new debit card. Need to go to the DMV to get a new license tomorrow.

And I had just put a good chunk of cash in my wallet earlier today--which I never do!

Anyway, on the bright side, I got to catch up with some great people today. I'm going to Nicaragua in a week, for a month, to learn some Spanish and hang out with some orphans! My friend Logan worked at this orphanage outside of Managua (the capital) a few years back and hooked me up with the director, who told me to come on over! I am super excited! Just came up with my packing list today, including the book in the photo. And hopefully a debit card. :)

Qualitative, not quantitative.

2010-09-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

birthday party picnic at rock quarry garden

in Asheville with Leah and Carrie. We may or may not have made an Urban Outfitters detour immediately preceding the taking of this photo. :)

at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Ash-vegas before seeing Mates of State

Events from the last couple of weeks:
-I turned 26. I can now check the "26 to 30" bracket when subscribing for things like Table 301 newsletters. Dangit. :)
-Took the MCAT, again, on Thursday. Ah, what a relief to have that behind me!! I definitely worked hard for whatever score I will find I earned in six week's time.
-Have been going to some pretty killa weddings: Katie and Eric last weekend, and Catherine and Lyle this weekend.
-I'm looking into going to Nicaragua, or somewhere in Latin America, this fall... Maybe in October, even for just a few (or several) weeks. I had just been thinking about how neat it would be to help out in an orphanage (probably after seeing Alex's story on "This Emotional Life") (on Netflix watch instantly), when I met a girl at (two of my favorite people) Catherine and Lyle's wedding this weekend who worked at an orphanage in Nicaragua last summer, through an organization called Orphan Network. Nothing's set in stone yet. We'll just see where this late October brings me.
-In the meanwhile, I plan on working at the nursing home still (and/or anywhere else? It's hard to get a new job for only six weeks), go to yoga with Anna/Jessica/Eliz/Carrie/Haley weekly (call me!), :) do an interview with VCOM's early decision panel Sept. 16 (!!), go to VEGAS with the sisters, and see my best friend Hannah get married to a kind-hearted Minnesotan.
-I want to do more artwork this year. Ummm... hold me to that! I'm thinking about creating some silhouettes. Gotta love them. I'd also like to get into med school this year, go hiking waaaay more, read a lot, and learn muchissimo mas de Espanol. Oh, and I want to use the pasta maker I just got for my birthday. Viva la cucina italiana!

Notice I'm speaking using qualitative terms, not quantitative. After 26 years, I know myself better than to do otherwise. :)

Kreisler's plays Kreisler

2010-07-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

Liebesleid ("Love's Sorrow")--isn't this piece named appropriately? So moving.

Love Poem

2010-06-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

When we are in love, we love the grass,
And the barns, and the lightpoles,
And the small main streets abandoned all night.
-Robert Bly

Some of my (new) favorite things

2010-06-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

An 1862 map of South America--I won it in a daily map giveaway through http://www.rare-maps.com/contest.cfm. You should enter! You'll probably win a map at some point before the year's up.

Blue suitcases = great storage and decoration. Inspired by Elizabeth May and Soule Mama :)

My new Canon Rebel--YAY!!!

Got to bring the new camera on a trip to PA last week to meet my new niece Natalie and see her not as new sister Olivia. We love both of them soooo much! (Also, got to see my wonderful Grandpa in Ohio the next few days.)

Anna and me with the cuties

My Mom

2010-05-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

This will be kind of the third post in my series of "influential people in my life," started about a year ago after Father's Day. What better time to write this than a week after Mother's Day, right?? :)

Some of the many things I admire about my mom:

1) She has the most beautiful smile in the world. She really does--I think the word "beaming" best describes the way my mom shares her joy with the world.
2) She is one of the warmest, friendliest people I know, never neglecting the opportunity to strike up a conversation with someone new.
3) She likes to look out for the little guy/is not a respecter of persons. Whether it was taking us to visit the shut-in as kids or telling us to be friends with girls who don't have too many friends at school, she's always tried to teach her daughters to be kind to people who might need a little more "looking out for" than the average Jane.
4) Mom is very perceptive about people. This probably stems from her not being a respecter of persons and the wisdom she has gained over the years. All my sisters and I have noticed over the years that she's usually right about people, but we appreciate that she's not quick to judge.
5) She's one of the most thoughtful people I know, too--always dropping off care packages or little notes for people at the post office.
6) She has born into this world and raised six daughters. Nuff said.
7) She is the BEST when you are sick. She gets Gatorade, medicine, blankets, sometimes little presents, and just checks up on you in this quiet, very caring, unselfish way. It's almost worth it getting sick because she is such a great nurse.
8) She's really good with words: she always knows what to say to encourage people or make them feel great. She also has a stunning vocabulary and likes to pull out a "pusillanimous" every once in a while, which makes us all laugh.
9) She's what you'd call a "woman of faith"--like my friend Haley, you do know what's important to Mom soon after knowing her. And, she's a fighter--she doesn't give up when hard times come, which they do.
10) She has a sensitive heart. She believes in the Spirit's leading and she often examines her own heart--such an important attribute if you want to grow.

Fun facts about Mom:
1) She married my dad when she was 21 and he was 33, immediately becoming a caretaker of two teenage boys.
2) When she was little, she wanted to be a nun, and then the first "Saint Sheila." I think this explains a lot of her current, seriously, saintliness.
3) In my family, we have inherited our lack of punctuality from her, not my dad...
4) She's got a fantastic eye for interior decorating.
5) She has a lovely singing voice--a hidden talent she should share with the world!

Inspiration

2010-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share a couple stories of people who've been inspiring me lately:

1) A little English woman who came to the nursing home a few days ago. Marqueea and I had to figure out how to assemble her jigsaw-puzzle-like back brace before she could get out of bed that day, and she didn't want to waste any more time IN THAT BED! This 80-year-old woman (who looks about 65) had gotten a stress fracture in her vertebrae, a broken rib, and a badly bruised shoulder from hiking the week before. Hiking has been a favorite pastime for the last 30 years, and before that she and her husband were avid cyclers, biking around the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium (which I really want to do now!). Oh, and in the last two years she has hiked to Machu Picchu and spent a month in Costa Rica studying the local flora and fauna (another two things I definitely want to do at some point). She's been taking Spanish classes the past couple years (cool, huh?), but says she confuses the language with the French she learned in high school. This lady ROCKS. I'm sure she'll be back on the trail in no time.

2) My good friend Haley. We did dinner a few nights ago. Not only is she a beautiful and delightful person, but she is also one of the sweetest, godliest, most humble people I know. I am always a little taken aback, in a really good way, when I hear her telling one of her prayer stories--how she was praying that God would help her love people on the way to the clinic that day, like she does every day, and listen to what God had to teach her about love. I appreciate her openness, unjadedness, and honesty. I love that she would rather talk about how to love like Jesus than debate theology. She is one of those rare people who, when you get to know her just a little bit, you know what she's all about--following Him more nearly. Very cool girl. If you haven't met her yet, you should go out of your way to do so ASAP.

A week in Minnesota

2010-04-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hannah watering her flowers in the greenhouse: lilacs, lupines, statice, dahlias--all to be bouquets at this summer's market.

Last week I got to visit my dear organic-farming best friend Hannah, her beautiful, great-with-child sister Rebecca and dexterous brother-in-law Joe, in the rolling country of southeast Minnesota, about a half hour from Rochester. About thirty minutes after pulling up to the farm in Hannah's red '91 Tercel, I milked my very first cow, Frieda. :) Milking a cow is HARD, I learned. Hannah's about four times as fast as I am, but I think if I milked twice a day like she does, in a couple months, I could get the hang of it.

Hannah milking Frieda

tenacious Frieda

Hannah and I got to have lots of espresso-talks, just like old times, transplant baby flowers in the greenhouse, make butter from Frieda's milk (isn't that awesome??), check the maple trees for sap (which is actually just water--not sticky, like you think of it. And it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of delicious maple syrup!), feed her chickens, cook really good food, eat really good food, speculate about the new baby, and get to know her boyfriend and other friends a little. Such a delightful week.

Oh yeah, did I mention we watched Season 4 of LOST every night? Just like last time Hannah and I saw Becca and Joe at their farm in NY! :)

Back home, with Danny at the pool the day I got back, to be followed by a delicious shrimp and mushroom pasta he made me!

Norovirus

2010-03-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

I've had to miss work at the nursing home the last two days due to infection with the highly contagious Norovirus--the illness that struck over 400 of 1800 passengers on a Celebrity cruise ship late last month. It's been going around the nursing home the last week or so. It's HORRIBLE--I hope you never get it!! Really, two nights ago was the worst night I think I've ever experienced. And, guess what: alcohol doesn't kill it. And you can get it from contact with just ten of the virus particles. Oh, and you won't become immune to it just because you've had it before. It's bad!

In other news, I had an interview with the Medical College of Virginia / Virginia Commonwealth University last month--I felt like it went well! It was really great to get to catch up with one of my best friends from middle school, Sheinei, who's in grad school up there. She, Danny and I grabbed Thai food the night before my interview and she gave me a pep talk (which Danny told her to do while I was in the bathroom :)--sneaky!).

My Aunt Kate is visiting from NM. She and my parents are at the beach right now--I'm supposed to join them, with a few sisters--hopefully I'll be well enough to go in the morning.

The last several months

2010-01-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't written in so long! I've actually started a few blogs and then just haven't finished them. These days there seems to always be something else hanging over my head (that's commanding more of my attention than my blog)... right now it's secondary applications for med schools. And working at a nursing home--which I love! But here are a few photographic highlights since JULY!

One of my New Years Resolutions is to blog more, which shouldn't be too hard at the rate I'm going right now! :)

Danny telling me to study for the MCAT, Cate! Probably 90% of the first months of our relationship were spent in a coffee shop studying.

Elizabeth and I playing tennis this summer. Have to say, we're both pretty bad... but I'm worse!

The day we watched the National Parks documentary premier on PBS, Danny and I went hiking in Pisgah. Lovely fall day.

Leah and I went camping with her church--such fun.

Haley and me going "wild" at the Greenville Zoo.

Elizabeth, Ellen and I in NYC--we got to stay with the lovely Erika Grace Powell. Trip of the year :).

Biz and Tim got married in Memphis December! What a party!! Hannah and I were honored to be in the wedding.

You Are the Blood

2009-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded this beautiful song from the Castanets (Sufjan has a much longer version that's also good). Hope you like it.

You are the blood
Flowing through my fingers
All through the soil
Up in those trees

You are electricity
And you are light
You are sound itself
And you are flight

Nothing Gold Can Stay

2009-06-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Just thinking about this Frost poem--thought I'd share it:

Nature's first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

My Dad

2009-06-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

I've thought about starting a series of posts on people who have had a tremendous influence in my life (and/or people who I just plain adore) for a while now. What better time to start than (a few hours after) Father's Day, and with my dear daddy?

This will soon turn into a brag fest. Sorry!

Here are a few things I appreciate about my dad:
1) He's one of the wisest, godliest, kindest people I know.
2) I can talk to him about everything under the sun: theology, music history, linguistics, philosophy, travel, faith crises, psychology, art, medical stuff, literature, and boys--haha. I think he's the most learned person I know, and just easy to talk to. Good combo.
3) He might be the most generous person I know, but doesn't let his left hand know what his right hand is giving.
4) He adores my mom. They have weekly date nights, which is pretty sweet.
5) All my friends say they come to parties at my house to see me, but I know they're actually coming to talk to my dad, because he's so cool. I'm ok with that. I would probably do the same thing in their situation.
6) He's really hard-working: he spends time studying/writing/practicing an instrument every night after work. It's inspiring.
7) He can be hammy--like in big groups of people, just act silly, cracking corny jokes, etc. ;)
8) He makes a killer scavenger hunt, and always has--rhyming riddles and everything.
9) He's a lifelong learner--right now he's listening to a course on the French Revolution from the "Great Courses" series and reading a book on modern art, and taking piano lessons. A true Renaissance man.
10) He knows what's really important: the heart.

Fun facts about my dad:
1) So far, his descendants are 2 sons, 6 daughters and 1 grandson, 2 granddaughters, and 2 granddogs.
2) He's lived on a hippie farm.
3) He's a P.P. (published poet) :)
4) He played lute in the wedding of the owner of Best Buy's daughter, back in the 70s.
5) He brews beer for fun, with George Koontz.

Three things

2009-05-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

I ran into my old RUF intern last week at the Greek Festival--Catherine, I forget her last name. We stopped each other to say hi but didn't really get the chance to catch up on each others lives. The last time I'd seen her she was engaged and getting married in the next few months. I was coming out of my first real breakup when we had lunch together a couple times my junior year at Clemson. I'll never forget afternoon at Moe's when she revealed to me the three things Steven Speaks, our campus minister, had told her were necessary to make a relationship work: repentance, forgiveness, and love of other people. Three years later, I'm pretty sure that wisdom is true. Maybe you could condense the three into two: humility and love. But the repentance/forgiveness aspect of a relationship is so beautiful--the constant change and growth, the perpetual emergence of something good, the graciousness it takes both to accept criticism and forgive your debtor, even when it is your best friend.

Boa Sorte/Good Luck

2009-03-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

VANESSA DA MATA & BEN HARPER "Boa Sorte (Good Luck)"
Uploaded by Discograph

I heard this song driving through Portugal last year and fell in love with it. Singing are Vanessa da Mata, from Brazil, and our own Ben Harper. Hope you like it!

Cate the Hobo

2009-03-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

My "home away from home"

spring is here!

my favorites

Today I decided I wanted to study for my two tests tomorrow OUTSIDE, because, for the first time in five days, it wasn't raining in Greenville, SC! The only problem was that it was too cold and windy to lie on my belly in the sun. So, partly inspired by watching others' outdoorsiness in the Banff Mountain Film Festival over the weekend, I decided to set up my little tent I got for my 17th dream-come-true surprise campout birthday party, and study outside. And, I immediately became the hobo of the Raff household, with my parents coming by saying "knock, knock." I think I'm ok with the fact that I'm still a fifth grader at heart!

I might sleep outside in it tonight!

Isn't it ironic

2009-02-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

This article just amazes me. Mick Jagger's ex-wife is being sued for not rewarding the Austrian man who found and returned her platinum ring, worth $254,000, last year. Irony #1) Bianca Jagger is a human rights activist but too stingy to give the guy a tip. Irony #2) She's a human rights activist but owns a ring that costs more than the it would to feed Ethiopia, or for America to fund Doctors Without Borders in Honduras. Irony #3) As a compromise to not giving the Austrian his fair share, she offered to donate the majority of the five percent expected of her to Amnesty International. But she'll keep the ring for herself. And #4) She makes me feel really good about myself. :)

The Confession

2009-02-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

I just read an article in the Washington Post about a woman's deathbed murder confession. She killed two girls she worked with at an ice cream shop in Virginia in 1967, when she was 19, because they teased her about her sexuality. There's a picture of one victim's mother now, probably about 85 years old, with a scrapbook of news clippings and pictures dealing with her daughter's case. A lifetime of grieving.

William Thomas was a 24-year-old teacher at the time and the main suspect for the murder. After 42 years of beatings and ostracism, he's been given a new life.

This part made me cry:

"A jury would find him not guilty, but the indictment would not go away until two months ago. Before then, it would show up during job interviews and on loan applications. It also meant he couldn't leave the country.

"He said his daughter called him at a motel in Pennsylvania while he was away on business to tell him about the confession.

"'I shook so hard and cried so hard,' said Thomas, now 65. 'I've never had something weaken me like that. I prayed. Then I just started making a list of things I could do. I can now go to Canada. I can now go to Mexico. I can now go to Europe.'"

Can you imagine?

CNAs are where it's at

2009-02-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

I just finished up a CNA (certified nurse's assistant) class this week, so now I can work at a nursing home or hospital doing the really dirty work no one else wants to do! I don't mind it so much. Two weeks of clinicals have made me dispassionate about... doing some of the things we have to do. Which I won't go into right now.

But, Tuesday night we had graduation for my class of four. My parents came, which was really cute--bringing sugar cookies, nonetheless. Before graduation we had to take a final exam. We've had little quizzes all semester with similar multiple-choice questions as the final, and I often find myself giggling as I pencil in my answers--because some of the answer choices are so darn audacious! Here are a couple of the questions that I thought I'd share with you (pretend you're me and you have to choose correctly for your final exam!):

1. The single most important thing a nursing assistant can do to prevent the spread of disease is to:
a)carry dirty linen close to his uniform
b)never change his gloves
c)remove his gloves before cleaning spills
d) wash his hands

2. Which of the following is NOT an example of abuse or neglect?
a) assisting a resident to make a complaint
b) not answering a resident's call light
c) leaving the resident in a soiled bed
d) threatening to hit a resident

3. Residents have all of the following rights except:
a) the right to refuse treatment
b) the right to voice complaints
c) the right to make personal choices such as what to wear and how to spend their time
d) the right to be abused by nursing assistants if they're being combative

4. A nursing assistant can show she is listening carefully to a resident by:
a) looking away when a resident talks
b) changing the subject often
c) rolling her eyes when a resident says something she doesn't agree with
d) responding to the resident when it's appropriate

5. What is the proper way for a nursing assistant to help care for a diabetic resident?
a) the nursing assistant should clip the resident's toenails
b) the nursing assistant should make sure that the resident eats all he is served
c) the nursing assistant should encourage the resident not to exercise or have any activity
d) the nursing assistant should make sure the resident goes barefoot

My parents and I had a good laugh over all of these. :)

In other news: I got to have a little Spain reunion with Biz, Tim and Ginny last weekend in Birmingham, AL! My only regret was that the 26 hours I was there went by too quickly. But I did deeply appreciate the time spent with dear friends.

Freeganism and Straw Bale Houses

2009-01-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

This interview with a freegan, someone who dumpster-dives for his subsistence, is fascinating! This line was especially interesting: "The Whole Foods dumpster in La Jolla is a good example of this [dumpsters being locked up]—its trash is securely locked tight. I think it's ironic that a green company perpetuates this green façade in the front of the store and a different stance in its back alley." (Thanks, Richard.)

my straw bale dream home :)

I've also been thinking a lot about the possibility of someday building a straw bale house. I got the idea from Hannah's organic farming sister and brother-in-law a couple years ago. They're supposed to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Maybe I'll just end up in a grass hut in Africa, where it'd be warm in the summer and warm in the non-existent winter--close enough. :)

The last few weeks

2008-12-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Between studying for the GRE (I'm taking it Monday!), visiting Grandpa in OH, and finishing the semester at Greenville Tech with a bang :), I've been listening to Stella's jingle bell collar, admiring the winter night sky, taking a night run with Ellen, watching biographies on Bill Gates and Confucius, visiting Jacqueline/going to the Nutcracker in Atlanta, and hardly being able to wait to see Hannah again! Thanksgiving this year was lovely--all the sisters together, plus a few "adopted" family members (ie: international kids from Greenville Tech plus Layla). I'm looking forward to the third week of Advent, starting tomorrow, and wishing I'd made myself an advent calendar with little chocolates and a Bible verse for every day of the season. Maybe next year.

Some pictures:

My new, short bangs
our front yard
Thanksgiving
Grandma and Grandpa receiving communion

Neatorama

2008-12-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

I LOVE stuff like this! The 25 Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe

Waking from a 19-year coma to find communism over in Poland

2008-11-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

I've just been thinking about this guy lately:

YouTube video

BBC article

And, I love his quote: "What amazes me today is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and never stop moaning," said Mr Grzebski."I've got nothing to complain about."

Patch Adams

2008-11-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

I just watched the movie "Patch Adams" for the first time--really cool story. Here's some good advice from the real Patch Adams (my favorites: #3, #5, #8, #9):

Patch's 10 Everyday Actions to Help Heal Society

1. Pick up all the trash in an area in your hometown; be its guardian. Tell others about it.
2. Be friendly to everyone at all times; experiment outrageously.
3. Offer a shoulder or foot rub in any environment.
4. Always speak up for justice, no matter how much it costs.
5. Go once a week on a "house call" to a nursing home to cheer people up as a friend.
6. Turn off your TV and become interesting. Perform yourself.
7. Consider being silly in public. Sing out loud. Wear funny stuff.
8. Find ways to need a whole lot less money; share beyond belief.
9. Have potlucks frequently, with neighbors, co-workers, strangers. Work toward living in extended families.
10. Take your vacations in your own hometown and spend the money working on projects there that help build community.

Obama and McCain on Global Poverty

2008-10-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Click here to compare their views.

Wheat Field With Ravens

2008-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

My dad just found out he won second place in a poetry contest hosted by the South Carolina Writers Workshop. Congratulations, Dad!

Here it is:

Wheat Field With Ravens

The path from left,
brown and green, is his,
Vincent's path, dipping forward,
then back, up the middle, a field
of yellow wheat cut in two.
The storm about to fall
dark above the bright wheat,
lit, not by sun,
but by Vincent, a year
before the end. Vincent's
light, with ravens suddenly
starting, as if hearing
the single pistol shot followed
in six months by another,
younger brother Theo's,
leaving canvases scattered,
all but one unsold,
and us as heirs.

JC Raff
6-6-08/6-21-08

Sleep deprivation

2008-10-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

I read this last night studying in my psychology textbook:

"Evidence suggests that sleep deprivation contributes to a large proportion of transportation accidents and mishaps in the workplace... In recent years, a number of major ecological disasters, such as the nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and the running aground of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker, have been blamed in part of lapses in judgment and attention resulting from sleep deprivation."

This BBC article lists the Challenger Space Shuttle among the disasters.

I got about 3 hours of sleep last night... :(

On a happier note, we also read about the macaque monkeys in my psychology book--unbelievable!

10 minutes

2008-09-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

I just opened a dark chocolate almond Dove Promise with a little "fortune" inside. It said: "Steal 5 minutes for yourself today."

"The first thing I'll do with my five minutes," I thought to myself, "is eat another dark chocolate almond Dove Promise."

And guess what this fortune said:

"Steal 5 minutes for yourself today."

So now I have a nice 10 minutes stolen all for myself.

I'm going to go read some Confucius. :)

Wedding at Gramma's House

2008-09-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend the whole family, brothers-in-laws included, caravaned up to Maryland for our cousin Sarah's east coast wedding reception. Sarah's always dreamed of getting married at our gramma's house--an early 19th century big, white farmhouse with as much character as one of Dorothea Lange's migrants' faces. We drove in the dark to get there--honked our horn along the windy road named after my ancestors--more out of respect for the past than the fear of oncoming traffic. Stepping out of the car I smelled, really for the first time, the outside of Gramma's house. It was a combination of fresh, green leaves and the musky house--only Gramma's yard. My aunt Leila's done a beautiful job restoring the house--but it still retains its muskiness, and immediately floods my family's minds with memories. Sarah made sure to fill the top drawer of the dining room bureau with York peppermint patties and assorted Hershey's bars--she knew we'd have to check at some point.

What we all mostly remember about Gramma's house is rummaging--hours and hours spent trying out the old typewriter upstairs, inspecting 1940s LIFE magazines, discovering photos of Dad growing up, or Granddad in his army days, my sisters and I admiring ourselves in oversized flapper dresses, sometimes finding real treasures and asking Gramma if we could keep them. I didn't realize till we visited her gravestone than Gramma died 10 years ago. I think time is catching up with me, now that I'm a 24-year-old. Most people want to live longer but don't mind that they weren't born a few years earlier, but I'm a little dissappointed I don't have as many memories with my Gramma as some of my sisters and cousins do.

I'm reading "The Wisdom of Confucius" these days :) (that's so trendy, I know). Listen to this:

"The superior man, while his parents are alive, reverently nourishes them; and, when they are dead, reverently sacrifices to them. His thought to the end of his life is how not to disgrace them. The saying that a superior man mourns all his life for his parents has reference to the day of their death. That he does not do his ordinary work on that day does not mean that it would be unpropitious to do so; it means that on that day his thoughts are occupied with them, and he does not dare to occupy himself, as on other days, with his private and personal affairs."

It seems very human to revere the dead--to still respect them. Your ancestors you never knew--to listen to their stories and stand amazed that their genes still live in you. To carefully place new flowers on their grave and bless them still.

Home/school

2008-09-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I should update to say I'm HOME! It's so nice getting to hang out with my parents, Alice, Leah, Jessica, sometimes Anna, Seth, Ellen, and Rebekah whenever I want to! Well, the honeymoon stage ended quickly, though: Alice and I have already had a few little tiffs about sharing the car again. I miss public transportation! I do miss Madrid and, gosh, I think it was pretty unreal I lived there for a year. What a cool city. I miss my friends there and Sunday afternoons in parks. I miss not having homework hanging over my head on weekends: I've just started classes (some PA school pre-reqs) at Greenville Tech. I need to work, too--maybe at a hospital to get some medical experience. We'll see.

The farm in Italy with Hannah was really fun, even though it was maybe a little cult-y? The people were some of the nicest ever. And, gosh, I miss Hannah! I can't even begin to describe how much fun we have together, talking about everything under the sun while baking under the sun.

More later. Maybe some pictures? No promises soon, though.

I hqte foreign keyboqrds11

2008-07-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

"Moments to cherish" from the last 3 weeks of traveling with my amazing sisters:

-Hiking in the heart of the Swiss Alps (the most beautiful place I've been, I think). We hiked from Gimmewald (a remote town full of Rick Steves disciples) to the top of Mt. Stilthorn, a mile in elevation change, in 3.5 hours, Alice and me IN OUR CROCS! We are so proud of ourselves, accomplishing the impossible, to the shock of our naysayers. We're still sore.

-Arriving in Venice--the whole city really does look just like the pictures, with canals and old, colorful buildings! I couldn't take enough pictures!

-The Sistine Chapel. Mama mia. St. Peter's Basilica, too. Oh, and David.

-Seeing THE GERARD SISTERS (from our high school!) randomly in the Munich train station! That made our trip.

-Riding bikes all over the Netherlands with our unbelievable hostess Marleen; touring a cheese farm with her; eating a Dutch dinner with her and Mirjam from my church in Madrid.

-Alice and me embarrassing Jessica by breaking out in song, dancing to street music, just being our silly selves all over the continent.

-Reading Crime and Punishment on the train. Dostoevsky's a genius!

-Hanging out with JS in Paris today. Eating ham and cheese crepes for lunch!

-Meeting really great people everywhere we go. We probably won't stay in touch with most of them, even, but they've been influential in some way.

-Telling the people in our Mountain Hostel hot tub we hadn't showered in 3 days... oops.

-Oh, goodness! Gelato!

-Just being with my family--I LOVE them!

(written a couple days ago)

2008-07-04T06:51:00.002-07:00

School's been out for about a week and, after a short trip to England to visit dear friends Simeon and Karin, Mom and Dad are here in Spain! We stayed in San Sebastian (in the heart of Basque country) in Northern Spain, day-tripping across the French border once. Now we're in Barcelona, gawking over Gaudi's architecture all over the city. Highlights of the trip thus far: the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (get an audioguide for modern art museums--you'll be thankful later!); bad googlemaps directions leading us up a narrow mountain road in pitch dark to our hotel in San Sebastian; a great Vietnamese restaurant along the river in S. Sebastian; being overwhelmed with beauty driving into Barcelona--the most artistic city I've ever seen; Spain winning EUROCUP last night!!! the streets were full of rowdy young Spaniards singing "Ole, ole, ole, ole," and touting their country's flag; walking down Ramblas today by myself--as much as I love being around my parents 24/7, I do need a little alone time, sometimes. :)

_____________________________________

Since I wrote this Alice and Jessica have arrived! We're in Salamanca right now, staying up late chatting, breakfasting, shopping, and planning the next leg of our trip together. I think Mom and Dad are enjoying having their ears chatted off by us :). We wish they could join us on the rest of our Euro adventures together.

Stolen journal

2008-06-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Madrid's never had a big problem with hard crime, but right now, at least, it certainly has its share of soft crime--pick-pocketing on the metro, mostly. I've been keeping my wallet inside a zipped smaller purse which has lain at the bottom of my larger red purse, underneath a pile of books, notebooks, and sometimes my journal, which I like to write in going from place to place. Any pick-pocketer would have to be brilliant to get to my wallet, I thought. Maybe I was proud of myself for taking such uncharacteristic precautions. That is until last Sunday when I got robbed--of my entire purse. I met up with Biz, Tim and Helena (my new Swedish friend) for coffee at Starbucks. Helena and I had found the perfect table for the four of us--downstairs with four cushy chairs, right before the crowd hit. At some point before splitting a cheesecake and frappuccino with Elena I must have set my purse down on the floor next to my chair. I didn't realize it was missing till 30 minutes of laughter and good conversation. I am now missing a lot of freshly-withdrawn money, my five-year-old camera (with great pictures on it! but I can get those from other people) and my journal that I've kept for the past YEAR. My JOURNAL! I've kept a journal almost since I could write, and now there's a whole very important year MISSING! Oh, I am so sad. Can you imagine losing much more valuable than your camera and your journal? I was strangely comforted to hear of a woman who'd lost a $10,000 ring her dying husband had given to her before he passed away. She'd taken it off her finger to keep in safe in her purse. Yeah, that would probably be worse than this.

I filed a police report, but haven't heard any word, yet. Sometimes they find purses in garbage cans a month after the event. I shouldn't get my hopes up. But, really, well--any words of encouragement, consolation, false hope, straight-up lies? would probably be appreciated. :( :)

Drew said something about all this that made me thankful for friends like him: that journaling does something that is a lot more than the end result of a journal. All wasn't wasted. (thanks, buddy.)

Other than that, our dear friend Tim left this afternoon to go home. We'll miss him and his easy-goingness and good conversationalness (esp. Biz!). And his straight-up kindness: he helped me search for my purse in the garbage cans of Madrid. In vain, but, it was still so nice.

I've been taking evening walks--after I finish au-pairing but before it gets dark (around 10 pm these days). Tonight I walked to a place with a view of the mountains, which made my heart happy.

I started reading "A Severe Mercy" the other week (it was in my purse when it got stolen) and it got me thinking about L'Abri for next semester... I'm really leaning towards going there now. Maybe in Boston? :) Seth's thinking about it, too, which would be so nice, just to be in the same place, reading and discussing the same things. I'll keep you posted. And I'll keep you posted on the purse situation.

Un beso!

Home

2008-05-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a holiday so I went HOME for the week! Well, I'd originally planned on changing my April 30 British Airways flight to a later date, but it was going to cost me almost as much as it would to buy a new ticket, so I just used the flight and bought another round-trip ticket here. All the sisters were reunited for the first time since Christmas at Anna's 30th birthday party. The party was definitely the highlight of the trip. As was hanging out with Ellen, bagel-shop-breakfasting with Dad, late-night-talking with Mom, and planning EuroTrip '08 with Jessica and Alice, those fun girls. :) Got any ideas of where we should go? I've heard Nice, Cinque Terra and a sweet mountain town in Switzerland are must-sees. Any tips would be appreciated.

I flew back to Madrid out of Boston so I got to spend a couple days seeing Seth, my good friend Lindsay from Yellowstone, Colleen, John, and, of course, Irene. Seth and I did dinner with Colleen, John and Irene (I keep thinking about that tiramisu) and Irene and Lindsay came to a concert Seth played in at his dorm. Seth and I introduced some of his friends to genuine cheese grits (really cheesy) the morning I left, so I'd say the trip was a success, overall. :) Yeah, it was just a lot of fun seeing everyone. I'm so happy at home. It was hard coming back here, but I'm ok now. :)

Actually, I'm nerdily excited right now. Besides having a holiday tomorrow (San Isidro's Day) and having a really nice weekend hanging out with Biz and friends, I just downloaded a bunch of FREE applications from Apple that I never knew existed (F-R-E-E!): a flash card program (iFlash), a memorize the world's countries/locations/capitals application (World of Where), a Spanish-English dictionary, a Spanish verbs quiz application (it's fun to play), and, most bizarre of all, this is actually really bizarre, a sleep recorder application. It's called Dream Recorder. And it's kind of creepy. :) I used it last night and woke up to its "dawn" effect this morning, then went back to sleep and woke up to my real alarm 45 minutes later. But, I just left my MacBook open all night and my camera took pictures of me every 10 minutes with the program's night vision technology (you can set it to take pictures every 2 minutes, or a video of the whole night). The program recorded every time I moved last night and if I made any noises--it recorded me talking in my sleep! That was the creepiest part. At 3:42 last night I said something that sounded kind of like French, but definitely wasn't. I waited to come to school to hear the rest of what I said--a dark room on a rainy morning was just too much. Too creepy. You should download it. It gives you this neat little graph of your movements and sounds and snores from the previous night, and the times they occurred. And, I didn't get to use this part of it last night, but it has an alarm that wakes you up when you're supposedly the best-rested. Isn't that amazing? I'll probably use it tonight and tell you how I feel in the morning. :)

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/home_learning/index4.html

(scroll down to the bottom hit download! btw, it's only a 30-day trial, I think.)

More later, alligator.

Old friends

2008-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Mr. O'Hearn, my Uncle Bobby and my Grandma, Phyllis Catherine McNulty Droney (sent from Carolyn Nadeau)

I've heard the names Rose and Colin Nadeau throughout my life. They were some of my maternal grandparents' closest friends, and their five children grew up with my mom's family of five children. My aunt told me a while ago that one of the Nadeau daughters and her family are actually living in Madrid this year and I should get together with them. So, yesterday it finally worked out for me to meet Carolyn Nadeau and her husband and four children. They had me over to their flat for lunch (spaghetti with meatballs--reminded me of Grandma's recipe), then Carolyn and I talked over cafe con leche. I thought it was interesting how comfortable they were for me to be around--warm, like my family, a little bit eclectic, maybe, like my family, slightly scattered, perhaps (even the way their kitchen was organized reminded me more of my family than most families I meet). I felt at home. :)

Anyway, I also thought it was really cool that in meeting Carolyn, we were sort of honoring the really strong, almost family-like friendship than ran in our blood. Her having me over reminded me of this: "'Don't be afraid,' David said to [Mephibosheth], 'for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan... and you will always eat at my table.'" I love the idea that friendship can make you as close as family to someone--I have a few "sisters" in addition to my five wonderful ones (and brothers, too :)). And someday I hope my grandchildren show kindness to my their grandchildren, if they have the chance to.

Seth's visit

2008-04-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Notre Dame

inside

Seth and Ellen's visits overlapped by a day, and 24 hours after Ellen flew back to Atlanta, Seth and I flew to Paris for of our first time. We stayed with a friend of mine from Yellowstone, JS, and his hospitable family about thirty minutes from the city center. We were exhausted from sleep deprivation when we arrived (our flight left at 5:45 that morning, and we'd pulled an all-nighter the night before) so we slept on the shuttle that took us from Beauvais (the Ryanair airport... more about it later) to the city center. JS and his mom greeted us at their metro stop, where the drove us to their house. We probably took a nap immediately upon our arrival, and then headed to Notre Dame for the Easter mass that evening. JS told us about the history of the cathedral and some of the governmental buildings around it. The church was filled with thousands of tourists like ourselves--it wasn't the somber, reverent experience I was anticipating. But the church was breathtaking, and thinking something so magnificent being built in the 12th-14th centuries is just mind boggling. After our visit to the cathedral, JS walked us along the Seine and showed us around the Latin Quarter, right near Notre Dame. We ran into some random guys who wanted to trade us a little Eiffel Tower figurine for whatever we had that was more valuable than that, so Seth and I gave them our chap-sticks in exchange (I think we got the better end of the deal).

dinner with JS and family

JS's mom made us all an amazing French meal that night, complete with French wine, cheese and a little raspberry tart. She's my favorite. :) And then she made us breakfast the next day before Seth and I headed off to the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. It was cold and rainy that day, so Seth and I invested in an 8-euro umbrella with "Paris" written all over it. I think he's going to give it to his Nanny as a souvenir--don't tell her we already used it!

Seth and me at Eiffel Tower

Right next to the Eiffel Tower lookout point was a churros stand (long pieces of fried dough, this time covered in sugar, not dipped in chocolate). So, of course, we had to split a container of some FRESH ones--they were better than the ones in Madrid, I have to say (though I missed the chocolate).

Kate, Seth and Gen at the Pantheon

Kate and Gen, two of Seth's friends from school, were visiting Paris at the same time as us, so Seth, JS and I got together with them the next day. We hung around the Latin Quarter a little then went to Montmartre that evening (it's the hilltop of Paris). The Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur was really beautiful--such interesting mosaics on the ceiling (one of a very serious, cold-looking Trinity). We all split dinner dishes at this cool restaurant Gen had heard about in Montmartre. We met some friendly guys from a band at the next table over who invited us to their concert, and Gen, Kate, JS and another new friend actually went to it after Seth and I came back to Madrid! I love new acquaintances!

Montmartre view

Sacre Coeur

hilly Montmartre at dusk

The next day Seth and I thought we had PLENTY of time to catch our 8:00 flight back to Madrid that night. So we went to the Musee d'Orsay (with Kate and Gen), the Louvre, to McDonald's for McFlurries, then took the Metro to the airport shuttle station.

Van Gogh's Bedroom

our McDonald's splurge...

Upon arriving, we were informed that we were supposed to be there 3 hours before our flight (not 2 1/2 hours...). We got to the airport, knowing we could have made our flight, but the airport workers wouldn't let us on. So, we missed our flight and had to buy new tickets for the next flight 12 hours later. We went to a little grocery store inside the airport and stocked up on food for our night in the airport, got settled down on some chairs and around 10 an airport attendant came by to tell us that the airport CLOSES DOWN at 10:30! We didn't have any money to get a hostel, and we didn't want to risk missing our flight again, so we and about 20 other young people stayed outside the airport in the freezing cold rain that night. We were covered from the rain by an awning, but it was still miserable. The most miserable night of my life, maybe. We befriended some Italian kids and a Chinese guy and watched "When Harry Met Sally" on my laptop for the first two hours outside. We thought--this isn't so horrible. This might be a fun night. Then it really started to get freezing. We put on all the clothes we had but still couldn't get warm. The Italian kids and I started a FIRE in an CIGARETTE URN with Paris pamphlets we'd gathered beforehand in the airport. The bliss was momentary. When the airport doors finally opened at 5:55, Seth and I booked it to the Ladies' bathroom, turned on the hand driers and thawed for about 20 minutes--our plan from about 1:00 that morning. Then we checked in, wiped the Beauvais airport dust from our feet and slept through the entire flight to Madrid.

us with our new friends, still ignorantly blissful

It was a good learning experience. We now know a little bit what it feels like to be homeless, how easy it is to make friends with people in the same extreme situations, and to be treated "inhumanely"--what if we weren't young, healthy twenty-somethings? Well, we'd probably have money to afford a hostel. But what if we didn't? We also thought about the desire some people on the streets have to commit petty crimes. We did start a fire in a cigarette urn. But we also contemplated somehow breaking into the airport, or hiding behind one of the food vendor's registers before we had to leave the airport. I wouldn't want to relive that night for any amount of money (well, maybe SOME amounts of money), but I'm pretty sure we'll laugh about it someday.

Ellen's visit

2008-04-08T05:21:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in so long! There's just been too much to write about, I think. Ellen came for Semana Santa and, with Biz, we conquered the South of Spain (Granada first, and then Sevilla). To get to Granada we took a five-hour bus together, passing a beautiful, dry and rocky range of mountains about an hour before arriving at our destination. From the Granada, we could still see the mountains in the distance, but now we could tell they were snow-capped. There's not much in nature that makes my heart soar (you know the rush-feeling I'm talking about?) as much as snow-capped mountains. Seriously. There are a lot of beautiful things in nature, but you just throw some snow-capped mountains in the background, and you've got a breathtaking scene.

Ellen and me at San Nicholas Viewpoint

Highlights of our first day there: wandering Granada's labrynthine streets searching for the San Nicholas Viewpoint (where Bill Clinton took his family in 1997) (beautiful view of the Alhambra, the city, and the mountains) and looking for some caves we read about where Gypsies still live (and some hippies, too)! We found the caves but were scared off by mangy, barking dogs and the fact that these were people's houses, still lived-in, not yet historical artifacts. How would we like it if tourists came to peek in our homes? We decided to turn back around. But not before I snapped a couple pictures. :)

A modern cave-dwelling

That night we accidentally ran across a procession on our way to a bar. We were stunned by the seriousness and stillness of the people watching the two-ton floats being carried down Granada's narrow streets. The floats' main centerpieces are statues taken from specific churches in the neighborhood. Some of the statues are from the fifteenth century, and some are newer. I thought of all the eyes that have seen and adored these exact statues being carried down the street (on people's backs) every year for the past several centuries. I've never experienced anything like it.

from Alhambra vista

The next day we met up with our new friends Tim and Jeff to go to the Alhambra (Tim goes to church with Biz and me, and Jeff is his friend visiting from Canada). Since all the online tickets were sold out already, we (just the girls--the guys were still driving in from Malaga) had to wake up at the crack of dawn to wait in line for tickets--which is never fun anyway, but especially when you're on vacation. We spent most of the rest of the day wandering through the palaces and gardens, admiring the incredibly detailed handiwork--mostly Arabic poetry--carved into every square inch of ceilings or walls in every building the fortress. I followed Rick Steves' advice and tried to picture it back in the height of its glory--with colored walls, functioning fountains and maybe some snake charmers and hookahs attracting the young and old royal Moors.

with my trusty Rick Steves guide at the Alhambra

Alhambra wall detail

friends at Alhambra viewpoint

That evening, the group of us bought some bread, cheese and wine (and cider for me, of course) and relaxed on the terrace on top of our hostel. We got up there around dusk and watched the city turn to lights. An American guy and a Norwegian girl that Ellen had met the previous night came up to join us, and then a couple more girls from England decided our party looked like nice and sat down, too. It was freezing cold, so Tim fetched us blankets and we huddled up together on the couches, laughing and telling stories for hours. Afterwards we went to a little nearby hookah bar then returned to our hostel, dreaming of Arabic poetry.

Sevilla's skies clearing up

Ellen, Biz and I took the next day's bus to Sevilla, the world's Semana Santa destination (it's processions are the best). Sadly, it started raining right after we got there and the processions for the night were cancelled. We all sat in a cafe and wondered what we should do next--our bus to Madrid wasn't leaving till 1:00 that night, and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop. We decided to take a taxi to the bus station to lock up our bags and wait inside for our bus. After being there about ten minutes, the sky started clearing up and we were off to walk along the river, taking silly pictures and singing along to Biz's iPod on the way. The day couldn't have turned out lovelier, with sunbeams streaming through once storm clouds and changing the color of the river every few minutes. Biz and I miss our dear Ellen now--her vibrant personality, and her effervescent laugh.

Semana Santa

2008-03-11T05:44:00.001-07:00

All teachers are pretty ready for a break around this time of year. And, fortunately, next week is Semana Santa, aka "Holy Week." I think Easter is my favorite holiday (I love Thanksgiving, too), and the week before Easter is always thrilling. I loved going to the Maundy Thursday services at DCF the past two years--experiencing my first footwashing services and being prayed over by leaders in the church. You can't feel anything less than humble gratitude when someone prays for you out of a sincere and loving heart. My grandpa prays for me every day, which I value more than almost anything. And I know I have other friends and family members who pray for me often, too. I appreciate those prayers. Anyway, I also love Good Friday and the heaviness of of the holiday. The fact that there are "heavy," very serious holidays is so unique (Maundy Thursday's another one--Ash Wednesday, too). Ellen K. is coming to visit for Semana Santa (!) and we're going to be in the heart of the world's Holy Week celebrations: Spain. But we're also going to experience some of Southern Spain (Granada and Sevilla), which is the heart of the heart of Semana Santa. We're HOPING to see the Alhambra in Granada, and some of the processions in Sevilla (a dozen men carrying medieval, two-ton statues of Christ and the Virgin through the city's narrow streets; they've been practicing all year). I'll tell you how everything goes.

Then, the day before Ellen leaves :(, Seth comes :)! We're going to PARIS--a first-time experience for both of us. I have a friend (Jean-Sebastian--such a great French name!) whose family we'll stay with at least a night or two, and two of Seth's good friends from school are going to be in the city at the same time as us! So we'll have more travel buddies! Yay! We found great ticket prices on Ryanair (only 55 euros for two round-trip tickets!). Hopefully we won't spend any more money than we have to in Paris, because I don't think our Euros will go as far there as they would in Spain...

Speaking of money, read this Peter Singer article--it's pretty earth-shaking.

http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1972----.htm

And it definitely makes me feel guilty for wanting to travel. What do you think of that?

Presidential Nominees' stances on fighting global poverty

2008-02-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

(click title)

These are from the ONE campaign's website. You could only compare three at a time, so I picked the most popular.

Music to my ears

2008-02-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

Sounds I've been paying attention to lately, that I like:

-the "twinkling" noise when I turn on the flourescent lights in my classroom
-shoe taps on a sidewalk
-the squeak of guitar strings
-echoes in a lonely metro corridor
-spoken English :)

The trees are starting to bloom in Madrid. We had a few beautiful, warm days last week and they mistook them for spring, which shouldn't be here for another month. Last night, after going to a flamenco show (with all male dancers--we'd paid to see the polka-dot dresses!), I spent the night at a Sarah's place and took a slightly longer way to get to her house so I could pass this one cherry tree in full bloom. At night. Wet roads. By a streetlight. It reminds me of last spring--my apartment in Clemson had a Bradford pear tree outside that looked like heaven at night, illuminated by a streetlight. I love the feeling of early spring. Combined with the feeling of the air after it rains? You can't get much more refreshing than that. :)

Early spring and early fall--Biz and I were talking about them the other day. They have so many memories connected with them. There's a real feeling of "change" in the air that you associate with those previous feelings of change--that you felt at the same time a year ago, or two. It's like smelling perfume--oh, that's how I felt when I wore that scent. Spring is my favorite season, when it's spring.

Valentime's

2008-02-19T06:24:00.000-08:00

I love how little kids say "Happy Valentime's Day!" I think I used to say that, too. For Valentime's Day last week, Biz had a party at her house with real pink and white Valentine's m and m's straight from America, brownies (the really gooey kind--amazing), and confetti cake (straight from America, too)! We ate the cake still warm from the oven. It was wonderful. Sarah, Biz, Ginny, Alejandra I celebrated our loves being far, far away (or nonexistent) till the wee hours of the morning. The chocolate made Seth's absence a little more bearable. But, yeah, it was still tragic :).

I woke up the next morning feeling awful--I'm not sure if it was from all the sugar the night before or lack of sleep, or STREP THROAT, but I had to skip teaching Friday and did find out I had strep throat. I was so thankful for an "aupair dad" who could take me to the hospital and translate my symptoms for me. :) Yeah, I'm so glad to be living with this family, for more reasons than that, but--I would have been lost figuring out the Spanish health system without them. Days like Friday, feeling horrible in a foreign country, make me want nothing more than to be home with my mommy taking care of me. She's such a great caregiver. And my daddy. I was spoiled, being raised by good caregivers.

DEAD-dead computer :(

2008-02-08T04:26:00.000-08:00

I THINK my computer is in the process of really, really dying. The other night I was Skyping with Seth and suddenly I started hearing this whirring sound on the top left side of the keyboard. Then my computer started going really slowly and I got a message I'd never seen before that said I needed to turn off it off immediately. So I turned it off and turned it on again a couple minutes later and got this blinking question mark/finder icon on a folder icon and it wouldn't turn on. A few hours later I could turn it on again, but when I tried to get on Skype I started getting the same whirring sound, and I had to turn it off because it wasn't responding to anything. The next day when I turned it on, all I got was the apple icon, but it wouldn't take me to my desktop. I took it to a mac store yesterday and they said the battery's having problems (because I dropped my computer a while back, right on the battery-charging hole, and now it's bent and the charger has a hard time staying in). It would cost 150 euros to get that fixed (!), so I'm not going to right now. If you're a mac person, tell me what to do! :(

Other than that huge event, I'm really enjoying living with my family! They're so nice, I'm improving in my Spanish (poco a poco), and I'm learning more about the Spanish culture! Hannah's a genius.

I miss being in SC! Jennie is in the process of moving to DC and I wish I'd been able to come to her going-away Mardi-Gras party :). Michael and Gracen just got engaged--that's pretty awesome :). I miss Clemson in the Spring. It's the most beautiful place in the world then. The Botanical Gardens... gosh.

Exciting news: Seth's coming to visit again--for his spring break in March. Sisters--I can't wait to see you in July! (or May?)

Two funny stories

2008-01-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

#1

Last weekend my sweet Dutch friend Mirjam and I got together at this trendy little bar in a section of town called La Latina. The name of the bar is "Delic." I was introduced to Delic by my buen amiga Hanah, who just left Madrid to return to her homeland, Korea.

The two times I'd been to Delic before the place was almost as crowded as a street in Valencia for La Tomatina: I think, the world's largest mosh-pit. So, when you go to Delic, you're supposed to order the carrot cake. A slice of it probably weighs two pounds. It has the lightest, sweetest cream cheese icing ever, and then it's drizzled with chocolate that's hardened and decorated with real rose petals.

Mirjam and I ordered one slice and two hot teas. We were at the front of the bar but we wanted to find a place to sit in the back, but I knew we'd have to take two trips with all the stuff we had to carry back there. So I pioneered through the crowd of people to the back of the bar, smiling to people who asked me if I was drinking tea (which I had to carry above my head because it's so crowded) and trying my best not to spill my little pot of it on them. I found the perfect table for us and told the waiter I was claiming it for two (it almost got snatched on my second time coming to the back). Then I had to, embarrassedly, squeeze myself back through the crowd of the same boisterous people again, smiling at comments about tea, to fetch Mirjam.

On my way back the second time, she was carrying her hot tea and I was carrying the beautiful carrot cake. Again, we had to carry it high above people's heads. One of the guys who'd commented about the tea earlier noticed the cake and said, "Feilz Cumpleanos!" Then he led THE WHOLE BAR in singing Feliz Cumpleanos to Mirjam and me, as we wrestled our way to our quiet(er) little table in the back of the bar.

#2

Today my second-graders were doing a project about clothing. Their task was to color and cut out an outfit for their own paper doll. Later they'd have to describe what their paper doll was wearing. We don't have too many resources at my school, so my friend Megan drew the paper dolls herself, and all the kids see it and laugh--it's pretty ugly. :) Well, it's also bald. They get to cut out hair for it. So, I was just trying to make conversation with the non-native English teacher in the classroom (her name's Susannah; she's from Madrid) and I pointed at one of the kid's dolls and said, "They're so ugly, aren't they? It doesn't matter how cute the outfits are, the doll is still ugly," laughing as I said it. Then she laughed with me and said, "Yes, he is very ugly, but, well, he is a very good student." I explained that I was talking about the doll and I would never say that about a student and we both died laughing. Oh, the joys of living in a foreign land. :)

2 weeks

2008-01-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's been less than two weeks since I've been back. It feels more like a couple months--I feel pretty much completely readjusted to being in a country where I don't understand the conversations around me anymore. :( Which sounds sad, but it's ok. Well, the family I'm living with right now is great--they're so sweet and smart and family-oriented. They remind me a little of my aunts and uncles, and the Wikes, who I babysat back home. The mom and dad traveled the world together before they had kids. They have pictures around their house from India, South America, and Africa, where they observed gorillas together on one of these amazing, expensive (I'm sure) tours. Someday I'M going to observe gorillas in Zambia. They all play memory-improving games together. They're that kind of family. I read stories to them in English every night at dinner. Cute. Oh, and the kids go to a school where they don't use books at all--instead, they draw pictures every day and make their own books. It's a really cool idea.

Last night Carmen asked me if I would think about staying with them till June, was really nice of her. I'm not sure if I will or not, though--it would be so great to live with them, but I'm thinking of some of the things on my "list" (the one Hannah and I made together) that I wouldn't be able to do so easily living and working with a family: taking advantage of free city events, traveling, getting involved in some kind of ministry, etc. There wouldn't be quite as much time for those things. So, I'm thinking/praying about it. I am learning Spanish better here than I was before, which is a priority, but still, I'm speaking in English to the kids all the time. So, yeah--there's a lot to think about. We'll see what happens next :). Oh, it is so nice living with a family, though. Humans are social beings--we need community so much.

Brand new start

2008-01-19T03:31:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Spain! I got back Monday and started work Tuesday, with a whole new schedule this semester. The other American girl and I are teaching our own classes in a big, colorful classroom called "Wonderland." Now, instead of working five half-days, I'm working two full days and one half day and get Monday and Tuesday off, which will be really great. I also just (as in, 10 minutes ago) moved into a new house with a family! I've been looking into living with a family for a long time so I can practice my Spanish more, but had a hard time finding anything. A lot of university placement programs are really expensive, and I didn't want to pay too much, but I was starting to get desperate. Hannah recommended I post a profile on an aupair website called greataupair.com, and I immediately started getting calls and emails. Now I'm a "temporary aupair" for a family with an 8 year-old boy and 6 year-old twin girls. They're all really cute. I'm going to Speak mostly in English with the kids but in Spanish with the parents and the grandma, who comes over to help a lot. My schedule (with school) isn't exactly what they're looking for, but I can still help out in the afternoons.

So, I'm really excited!

I had a really rough, homesick week back, but there ARE a lot of things to look forward to being back. It was good to see some friends over the week--Biz, Melissa, Chris, Sarah. It's also exciting to have my "Spring Renewals" I made with Hannah--go to the library! take advantage of living in a big city by going to museums, concerts, etc., learn Spanish!

Anyway, more later... I'm going to play with my girls: Claudia and Patricia. Alejandro is at a basketball game. :)

chocolate for breakfast

2007-12-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

classy couple
classier couple
sisters

I think I've eaten chocolate for breakfast every day the past week, because I'm HOME! And it's Christmas! I've also been catching up with friends a lot, hanging out with my grandpa, Seth, my family, etc., which has been just wonderful. Highlights of the week: seeing Seth and my dad at the airport! Dad is doing really well, by the way. He looks and acts just like himself. Oh, I love my dad! Jennie's two parties the first two nights after I came home, and getting to see my sisters and Ellen at them (the second night was a "tacky Christmas sweater party"--great fun). My grandpa coming into town--he's the best grandpa in the world, seriously. Dinner with Seth, his mom and the Shalom House ladies Tuesday night--seeing them exchanging Christmas gifts was so exciting. Sister night at the Melting Pot Wednesday night! We have so much fun together. Gosh. Seeing Rebekah and meeting my new fairy godson, Jonas, on Thursday. He is adorable--one of those babies with long eyelashes. Pretty boy. Getting to catch up with my dear friend Hannah, back from Sweden for Christmas. Catching up with / facebook-stalking people with my dear friend Ellen last night! Hanging out with Seth in general. Finding out I don't have mono! But I'm still taking my strep medication... or, I'm supposed to be. I always forget to.

Tongight Amy E.'s flying into Greenville from Chicago! She's back for Christmas. I've missed her this year. She'll spend the night here then go to Ashville in the morning.

the fastest update ever

2007-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

1. I'm home!
2. I think I might have mono. I DO have strep!
3. It's Christmastime!
4. I went to Portugal last weekend--it was awesome!
5. I'll have to tell you about some other little daytrips I've taken in the last few weeks.
6. I love my family and friends! :) It's so great to be back.
7. Call me--I'm back for a whole month!

Sola picturas

2007-11-17T17:51:00.001-08:00

Seth and me in Toledo

Cathedral in Toledo

helado... mmm...

the girl across us on the train

from the train to Marrakech

Market in Marrakech

Fruit stand

Woman and fruit stand

Right before a scary man ran out of his corner and grabbed Seth

Dried fruit stand

Seth, me being the popular kid, and a story (for the very dedicated only)

2007-11-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

Seth's visit to Madrid was phenomenal. I can't believe I haven't told you about it yet! The first night he was here we went to the San Gines Chocolateria for some chocolate con churros with friends (chocolate: a mug of dark, pudding-like warm chocolate; churros: long, skinny, crunchy on the outside but doughy on the inside pieces of heaven). He fell in love with Spain immediately. We went to Toledo the first weekend he was here, which we both agree is much nicer than Madrid. Even when you get lost in its labrynthine streets--more like alleyways. We got there late Friday night and walked to a hostel that's actually a 14th century Moorish castle, but sadly, it was booked. We ended up walking about twenty minutes in the dark and finally came to an obscure alleyway with our much cooler hostel (we need to remind ourselves of this) in a house that smelled like cats, owned by a sweet elderly couple. It was incredibly cheap, and pretty central, so we were happy campers. The weekend was spent getting lost, eating ice cream and marzipan, gawking at architechture, and watching the sunset and the city light up.

The next weekend I took off school for us to go to Morocco! Seth and I visited this cool girl Rebecca (one of Jennie's friends--and mine, now, too!) who's teaching English in Casablanca. The first night we went to this really fancy restaurant with Rebecca and Chris (her boyfriend who moved from CA to Casablanca to be with her). The food was amazing--I had lamb with apricots, dates and almonds in this kind of sweet sauce. We talked about what a contradictory culture Morocco is: faithfully praying to Mecca five times a day, but a high percent of men cheating on their wives. It made waking up to the call to prayer at five the next morning a beyond eerie experience. We went to Marrakech our second day, which is south of Casablanca. It's famous for its market: a huge, open-air plaza filled with snake charmers, henna artists, dried fruit stands, horse-drawn carriages, and lots of European tourists trying not to get completely ripped off.

Seth and I got to our hostel from the train station on a RICKETY horse-drawn carriage, which we shared with an amiable black man. It turned out he was a member of the French parliament and he was in Morocco for a week studying its economy with members of parliament from other European countries. He told us that 45% of Moroccans live on under $2 a day and pursuaded our coachman not to rip us off to bad because "They're students! They're students! (You ought to be ashamed of yourself.)" At first he had wanted to pay for us altogether, but we wouldn't let him. I like French people. :) Seth and I walked around the market our first night there, quickly realizing that the best way to resist being harrassed by people trying to sell you their products (food, a monkey show, sweet leather slippers) was to just avoid all eye contact. You have to keep walking constantly or you'll be antagonized by another merchant. It can get exhausting. Rick Steves describes the people as "oppressively friendly." Right on, Rick. Seth and I were watching a beautiful older woman painting henna on some younger women's hands. We planned on coming back the next night to get henna tattoos ourselves, but when the woman finished with her clients she approached us and started painting a flower on my hand. "Just a little one"--a demonstration, she made it seem. The flower kept getting bigger and bigger until a vine spread over my whole hand. I had told her I couldn't pay tonight--I didn't have any money. She said, "No problem, no problem," and kept painting. When she finished she said, "That's twenty durham." Seth and I were shocked--she had seemed so nice--so maternal and sincere. I grabbed Seth's hand and we booked it to another stand, appalled at what had just occurred, without paying. My friend Mike didn't get so lucky--he ended up paying 100 durham for henna art in Marrakech. What a rip off. We loved Marrakech, though. It was just so non-Western. So foreign. Not many Americans experience such a completely different culture--and whole mentality.

Back in Spain Seth and I enjoyed long talks, picnics in Retiro Park, going out with my friends, celebrating Halloween at Biz's place, eating amazing Galician food at Seth's new favorite restaurant :), having a surprise two days off from school--I didn't have my schedule yet, and none of the teachers told me we had a holiday. It's too bad, because we would have gone to Granada that weekend if we'd known I had that much time off. But staying around Madrid was amazing, too.

I love living in this city. The night Seth left, my friend Melissa and I were sitting on a park bench when a garrulous (hehe--new GRE word) old gentleman approached us and told us he was 100 years old. He told us that he'd fought in the war (the Spanish Civil War) and showed us a battle scar on his head where he'd been shot with a bullet. I think it just nicked his head, way back 70 years ago--in a war most people have forgotten. I saw him later talking to some other strangers--three 30s-ish men on a bench. I loved his uninhibitedness. I'm reading a phenomenal book right now: Anne Lamott's "Traveling Mercies." In one part of the book she talks about seeing a movie about gypsies--the young and the old women dance in the movie. The young ones dance because they're beautiful and the old ones because they're uninhibited, but what about the middle-aged ones? "Coming out of the movie that night, I realized that I want what the crones have: time for all those long deep breaths, time to watch more closely, time to learn to enjoy what I've always been afraid of--the sag and the invisibility, the ease of understanding that life is not about doing." The invisibility is what I've been thinking about lately--someday I'll be old an invisible. That might be nice. Now I'm kind of a self-conscious people-pleaser, a lot of the time. Self-conscious: like, feeling awkward speaking Spanish with my roommates, or other people, or just socializing in general. Feeling very visible, like my mistakes are very visible, and that people even care about my mistakes. It was cool thinking about how uninhibited that 100 year old man must have felt. Unembarrassed--he had nothing to lose talking to people I'd be intimidated talking to.

If I felt how I do with the students I teach with everyone, I'd be so much smoother. I am so popular at school. The little little ones, with their wet, snotty faces, love me. They grab onto my legs, five at a time, and I walk them around the classroom. The older kids (12-16 year olds) love practicing their English with me--but they feel self-conscious, too! And they shouldn't! Yesterday I talked about American food with my older kids and showed them Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video on YouTube, then Weird Al's parody "Eat It." They ate it up (haha--get it?). Then some of them practiced their English with me after class--I think my Spanish is better than their English, but they communicated fine.

Tonight I'm having a girls-only potluck here. I bought my plane ticket to come home for Christmas--thanks to a gift from my very generous grandpa. Gosh, I love that man. I can't wait to be home. I wish I were going to be home for Thanksgiving, which my family's celebrating right about now--early this year because Dad's having surgery Tuesday. Pray for him, if you think of it.

Quick Update

2007-10-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

Seth and I had a lovely week touring Madrid and Toledo, teaching my classes, getting confectioneries from a convent where we couldn't see the nuns (just as exciting as I'd thought it would be!), meeting my friends, taking videos (yay!), having good conversations, saving turtles, noticing details, etc. We're heading off to Casablanca tomorrow to visit one of Jennie's friends Rebecca! We'll also be spending time in Marrakech, which is supposed to be touristy, but offers more of an "authentic" Moroccan experience. We will post pictures soon!

Hiking

2007-10-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today's a holiday in Spain so my friend Ginny and I got up bright and early (8:45! :) ) to go hiking again in Cercedilla (an hour and a half train-ride above Madrid). We felt so liberated from the confines of concrete as we ate our fresh bocadillos (sandwiches) on the trail. The weather couldn't have been better. Ah! I need to get out of Madrid more often than I'm doing right now! Anyway, it was a lovely day, with lovely conversation.

On Monday I start my new job with a bilingual charter school called Artica. There are so, so many benefits to working at this school: the teachers own and run it, and care for it like it's their own baby, I'll be in ONE place for four to five hours straight instead of an hour at a time, I'll have insurance (whew), and I'll be learning a lot of Spanish, hopefully! Wednesday Seth comes!!! I'm pretty excited about being his tour-guide, and just seeing him, of course! We bought our tickets to Morocco for the second weekend he's here and we're planning a trip to Granada before he leaves (using CouchSurfing.com--this site could revolutionize my world). Goodness, I can't wait.

More soon!

Sweater Weather

2007-10-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Taking photos while waiting in line 2.5 hours at La Noche en Blanco. We were about 10 minutes from getting a theater tour when they closed the line down!

Chris and Melissa at La Noche en Blanco

a corner near a convent where they sell cheap confectionaries. You aren't allowed to see the sisters, so you have to give your money / receive your treats via a Lazy Susan! Seth and I are going here.

on my walking tour of Madrid

a cathedral

Today is the epitome of a "sweater weather" day. Well, it's cold and it's rainy outside. A real "sweater weather" day shouldn't have rain, I guess. But, it's not too bad inside my apartment. I have a couple candles burning and I'm listening to Sufjan Stevens' "Songs for Christmas"--which always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside :). I'm missing home a little. By the way, I think it takes living abroad the second time to really appreciate home and the US. Maybe it was the perpetual beautiful weather, but I wasn't that homesick in South Africa. I've been homesick here even when the sky is crystal-clear.

Do you want to hear about the mail I've been receiving lately? I just got a care package with JEANS, CANDY, napkins :), birthday balloons, a Clemson cup, a shirt, an address book, etc. from my family! It is great to travel. And it's great to have a month-and-a-half extended birthday! I've also received the sweetest letters from Seth--always arriving on just the right days. Seth will be here 2 weeks from today!! I'm so, so excited about seeing the world with him: Morocco, Paris (maybe), Granada, and Madrid, of course :). The other day I went on a walking tour of Madrid with my Rick Steves' guide in hand. Basically, Seth's visit is going to be sweet if we do half of what Rick says to do. I'll update in a few weeks. Oh, also, the Wikes sent me a paper cutout of a boy named "Flat Stanley" to travel with me for the week and share adventures with me (it was for a project Miles was doing for school). So I've intentionally had some extra-cool adventures this week: like visiting the Prado Museum (HUGE) and the Reina Sofia Museum (most famous for Picasso's "Guerrnica"). The art museums here are free every week! So, I definitely need to take advantage of living in a big city and going to them. Y'know?

Classes are going pretty well. Tomorrow I'm going in for an interview with a company that a few of my friends are working with. I'd be working with a day school, working from 9-2 instead of working at night like I am now. But I would have to accept a contract to work till the end of June if I worked at this school--which I wasn't necessarily planning on (I'd planned on staying only till maybe the beginning or end of May--1-2 more months?). There are a lot of benefits of working with the school, though--so, pray for me as I make this pretty big decision in the next few days.

Party + bangs = a very good evening

2007-09-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

The view from my apartment--sweet

Me and my new bangs--and my room

Last night I had a little "going away party" for everyone to say "adios" to our TEFL course (which I'm so happy is finished! I'll have so much free time now!). I was pleasantly surprised that most of the class decided to come :). I've been cleaning up from it all day, actually--a true sign of a successful party (just kidding).

Well, I'd been thinking, for a while now, about getting bangs: about how much cooler I would become if I had them. I'll never be as cool as Ellen K., but maybe if I get bangs like hers, I thought, I could come close. So last night I decided to ask my dear friend Melissa if she would cut them for me (she herself has marvelous bangs). And she did: there in the bathroom at the height of the party. It was a great night. Now I've accomplished step 2 in becoming a hip, happenin' European woman: getting bangs. Step 1 was getting pointy shoes. I think step 3 is getting a mullet, so I don't think I'll ever really reach Western Europe's standards of enlightenment.

Too bad.

Tonight I, and the whole city of Madrid, are celebrating a fiesta called La Noche en Blanco--basically the one night a year during which museums and shops are open all night. So, I'll be visiting the Prado at about 2 in the morning. Isn't that exciting? I hope that churros restaurant is open... Maybe a kebab wouldn't be so bad, either.

I'm a godmother!

2007-09-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Two of my dearest friends, John and Rebekah, just had their first baby in Prague (congratulations)! And I asked Rebekah before the baby was born if I could be the fairy godmother--so now that little Jonas is born, it's official: I'm a fairy godmother. :) Isn't that exciting?

The goings-on in Madrid: I've been here for almost two months, will be finished with my TEFL course tomorrow, have been teaching 2 sets of siblings for two weeks now, and am poor :(. No, I'm surviving. But--one thing that was kind of misleading of Canterbury: we (the students) were all under the impression that our 400 euro reimbursement for our TEFL course would be given to us upon completion of the course (or, at the beginning of the course) (PS--TEFL=Teaching English as a Foreign Language). Actually, we won't be reimbursed until our 40-hour teaching "internship" is completed, which could take up to twelve weeks after the start of the TEFL course. Hmm... a little shady. Since Canterbury also pays pretty poorly, compared to other schools, a lot of us teachers are looking into working for other companies in addition to working for Canterbury. It is nice to be able to use Canterbury's resources: printer, computers, a library full of teaching materials, etc. Plus, they host really fun events every month for teachers to meet each other, which sets it apart from other schools.

Anyway, I'm glad Biz and I decided to take the TEFL class this month instead of in August. We've met some great people: Melissa, Sarah, Sara, Robin, etc.

Muchos Besos para todo!

La Tomatina/Flamenco

2007-09-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last week was exhausting--I'm so glad it's over, honestly! Biz and I had TEFL class from 9:30-3:00 every day, and afterwards had to go to Spanish class from 3:30-8:00. Except for Wednesday--about 25 of us teachers went to a huge (1 million people) festival called "La Tomatina"--the biggest tomato fight in the world. It's hosted in a small coastal town called Valencia. The group split up and my friend Elise and I tried to stay together amidst the crowd of sweaty people packed in the streets like sardines. Really--you could almost have lifted your feet off the ground and still have been standing. Tomato trucks would slowly cruise through the crowds of people and locals in the trucks would chuck tomatoes at eager tourists. Some of my friends ended up in tomatoes up to their shins, but I guess I was in a low-level tomato area (which is now a little disappointing). Anyway, after tomatoes, we all went to swim in the Mediterranean, which was lovely, though it smelled strongly of fish. It was such a hot day, though, and the water was cool and refreshing.

Yesterday Biz's friend Maria came in from the Netherlands, so we all went out to see a Flamenco show (along with one other girl, Ginny). It was really beautiful. The hand motions reminded me a little of hula dancing--very graceful and story-like. And the music definitely has an Arabic influence--the vocals are all over the place--kind of chant-like. So beautiful. At the end some of the guitarists/vocalists got up to dance, too--I love multi-talented artists!

Tonight we showed Maria what tapas (little plates of food that come with your drinks) and churros (fried doughnuts dipped in melted chocolate) are. Now she's an official Spain lover, like the rest of us. :)

I visited an Anglican church this morning. I liked it--it reminded me of one I visited in South Africa. But, I met a girl there who's been here a year and still hasn't learned Spanish! That SCARES me! I wouldn't consider that a complete waste of a year, but... why only hang out with English-speakers when you travel? That makes me want to go back to my friendly Spanish church. We'll see.

The next three weeks we have TEFL class from 9:30-3:00 four days a week. That's exciting! I can get some sleep! Tomorrow I have to give a practice lesson (20 minutes long) which will be video taped and critiqued. How nerve-wracking. :(

Exciting news

2007-08-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

I'm such a nerd--I get so excited about things like this. But you would, too! I decided to go on a quest for free internet in my apartment complex, and at the moment am on the fourth floor using someone else's wi-fi. That's how desperate I was. Biz's roommates are coming back home this weekend, so I won't be able to depend on her apartment for much longer! Of course, I'll still visit Biz all the time, I'm pretty sure. Well, this will work until I figure out something else--like, going in with neighbors and using their internet? Or finding the owners of one wireless network my apartment gets everywhere and paying them to use their internet. We'll see.

Biz and I had our first day of TEFL class today--it flew by a lot more quickly than we were expecting. But it was from 9:30-3, and our Spanish class was from 3:30-8 (only for one week). Yuck. We (Ben, Biz and I) were all so exhausted afterwards. We looked like zombies walking down the street. I was craving thai chicken and rice with peanut sauce, which I think means I needed protein, or something. How weird. I made rice and mixed in some salsa, garlic, and fresh lime juice, with pinto beans and grilled green peppers on top. I embellished on a recipe I found online, and it was delish! I'm excited about cooking!

Wednesday all classes have been cancelled for "La Tomatina"--a city-wide (plus half a million tourists) tomato fight in Valencia. After we've become drenched in tomato pulp, we'll all jump into the ocean and wash off. I'll update soon :) with pictures, hopefully!

Birthday!

2007-08-23T02:28:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I celebrated my birthday for the first time in a foreign country! It was delightful, actually. The night before my roommates and I had gone out to a Chinese place for dinner and scrumptious desserts. When we got back it was already 12:15 so they sang "Cumplianos Feliz" for me and lit a candle for me to blow out. They're so sweet. Oh, and my one roommate's name is Bea (as in Beatrice), not Bear, or whatever I said earlier :).

I came to Biz's the morning of my birthday to check my email (she has internet and I don't!) to find a pot of beautiful lantern-like flowers for me from Seth--he had gotten Biz to go out and buy them for me. I love when people scheme behind my back to do sweet things... Biz and I went to class then went out with some people for the best kebabs in the world (for only 3 Euros) and sangrias. Mmmmm...

It's been a month since I've been here--I can't believe it's been that long, but in some ways it feels like it's been a year already. Biz and I noted that we can suddenly understand some of the dialogue on Spanish TV--that's really remarkable! At first I was completely lost--now I understand some of what people are saying. I need to be much more bold about speaking Spanish with people. Sometimes it's just easier to speak in English. And some people would prefer to speak in English with me. But, like my teacher said, if they want to speak in English, they can go to the US. I need to speak Spanish here.

I miss y'all back home! Hopefully I can come home for Christmas? We'll see.

Address

2007-08-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

I just (re)posted my address on facebook, so if you want it and aren't my facebook friend, email me :).

I looooooove mail!

Graduation

2007-08-15T14:15:00.001-07:00

So, as of today I'm an "official" college graduate :)! Yay! I graduated in August instead of May because I'd originally thought about taking more classes at Clemson this semester (maybe PA school prerequisites?), but around spring break decided I wanted to be in Europe this year--graduating in May would have meant I'd be paying a steep late fee. Anyway, now I'm a true grown-up, I guess. I'm still thinking of PA school, or some kind of grad (or more undergrad) work. Family counseling, perhaps? Teaching, if I like it? History? Psychology? Art? Still just as many varied ideas as I had in high school--why haven't I narrowed it down by now? :) What do you think I should do next?

This afternoon Biz and I went to the most delightful part of Madrid we've experienced yet--a place called Retiro Park. It's a huge public park with miles and miles of walking trails, well-groomed gardens, fountains, waterfalls, statues, and woods. And a big "pond" you can take a row-boat on. We strolled around a couple hours, eating sweet popcorn and corn nuts we'd bought there, then found a grassy place to read. Biz lent me a book called "In the Name of Jesus" by Henri Nouwen. It's short and really thoughtful so far--Nouwen left a life at Harvard to become a chaplain at a home for mentally handicapped men. It's a book about Christian leadership. I think it's one I'll have to read over and over again.

Right now Biz and I are watching "Lost" and agreeing how awful it is to see it dubbed--no Southern accent on Sawyer? Kate with that voice? Mmm mmm (shaking my head).

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2007-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

at a fountain in Madrid (and see below for new photos!)

I remember, as a seventh-grader, being spellbound by David Bowie's lyrics while surfing Encarta during computer class: "Time may change me, but I can't change time."

Now I think they sound a little cheezy--but they still ring true. The emptying of the nest happened too fast, I think all the sisters agree. Alice is the only little bird left at home :). And here I am, living in a foreign country (it was bound to happen someday), waiting for time to change me.

I moved into my new apartment two days ago. I love it so far--the view of Madrid from the 11th floor is really stunning, especially at sunset (which happens around 9:30 here). One of my flatmates (Bierd? I don't know how to spell it, actually) lived in London three years and speaks English with a South African accent because all her friends there were South African--I love it! The other one (Laura) probably speaks English as well as I speak Spanish--which isn't saying much AT ALL! So, I think it's a good Spanish-learning situation--I can practice Spanish with Laura (well, with both of them) and Bierd can translate for us if need be. The only drawback to my living situation is that there's NO INTERNET! Which is NOT COOL! And, also, no landline phone (which would allow me to call home for much cheaper than my cell phone)! Maybe I'll work out some wi-fi deal with the neighbors--I could pay them 10 Euros a month to use their wi-fi? Something will work out. It's got to.

This morning Biz and I visited the friendliest church we've ever been to. The sweetest teenage girls were coming up to us introducing themselves during the service and spoke with us in Spanish for an hour afterwards. We were so impressed at how kind they were, and we definitely want to visit again. Most of the people at the church were South American--South Americans, by the way, are so friendly. That's what we learned today :). No, Spanish people are, too. But South Americans are exceptional.

I think I'm going to go take a siesta. Hasta luego!

a late night in Madrid

2007-08-09T17:39:00.000-07:00

It's 2:40 am here, and I'm surfing the internet, which means I'm facebook stalking people, actually. No, I'm writing a letter, and facebook stalking people :). You don't know if you've been stalked--but, honestly, you probably haven't been. Don't worry.

I've been in this city for two weeks--over two weeks, actually! And tomorrow I'll finally move into my new apartment (what a relief that will be! No more living out of suitcases!). I want to blog now because we actually don't have internet in my new place (but Laura--my new roomie--said the neighbors have it, so that should help us out!). I've been living with Biz in her flatmate's bedroom (fortunately, her flatmate is gone for the month--many Europeans take off the whole month of August for vacation). Her other flatmate, Alejandra, just left today to visit her boyfriend in some cool-sounding coastal town. And I move into my apartment tomorrow. It's in a commercial area of the city called Cuatro Caminos (Four Streets) and it's on the 11th floor! I fell in love with the view and, out of the probably ten apartments I visited, this one was my favorite (despite the lack of internet and landline phone). Alejandra found the ad for it posted on a Spanish website and told me that two girls were looking for a roommate who was at least 26. That intimidated me, but I wrote down their number anyway. On Sunday I was scheduling an "apartment viewing" appointment with someone for 9:30 the next night when the minutes on my phone card ran out. I called back that number and the person who answered hung up on me, so I decided to give the girls looking for an older roommate a try. I met them at 9:30 Monday night, loved the place (oh, I will post pictures of the view, etc.), loved the girls, and added my name to their list of prospective roommates whom they would call on Tuesday. The next day I was planning on them not calling me, and was about to confirm a room with someone else, actually, when Laura, in her slow, patient Spanish, told me they wanted me to move in this Friday. SWEET. I hope it's a good Spanish-learning, friendship-making situation.

I do wish that Biz and I could room together, but it was so hard finding two rooms available in the same flat--especially when we don't know the language here. We will be visiting each other a lot--don't worry. We'll see each other most days this semester, too. If no more of our Spanish classes get canceled, that is! In the last week and a half, two classes have already been canceled. But today we had class at the pool to make up for it ;). No, we'll make up our lessons next week, I believe (but, it's too bad because I was thinking of taking a long weekend trip to Grenada or somewhere cool next weekend) (but there will be plenty of time for weekend trips in the coming year).

I am so glad Biz and I chose to come to Spain. The weather is hot, the sights are mesmerizing, the culture is diverse (each state is like a different country, they say), Madrid is pretty cheap to live in--especially compared with other capitals in Europe. You can buy a pair of jeans here for 9 Euros (on sale) as opposed to 100 elsewhere :). And Madrid's Metro system is one of the best, and cheapest, in the world. The people are so nice here, too. Especially the South American immigrants (like Biz's roommate--so hospitable and sweet). I really love that it's a cheap city--I mean, even with the Euro, it's a very doable city to live in.

Here are some of my goals for the year: learn Spanish, build relationships with Spanish-speaking people, try my hand at teaching, see as much as possible in Europe, save enough money to visit Drew in China next summer (or sometime!), make friends with my roommates, start to understand the Spanish culture, take good pictures, find a church with people I can fellowship and minister with, become a more giving person in general. The last goal is recent--lately I have been thinking about giving my time to people--I don't think "quality time" has necessarily been one of my top "love languages" (look it up! so interesting!) in the past several years, or ever. I'm often rushed, very last-minute (you know this already, most likely). But I do think it's one of the most meaningful ways to show you care for someone--giving them your precious time. Doing something cheap, but special--like talking with a friend over for tea at your apartment. Or volunteering at a nursing home. I just finished "A New Kind of Christian" by McLaren (read it, please!) and was struck/stricken? struck (my grammar's getting bad!) by an idea in it, among others: "Generosity [is] one of the most important spiritual disciplines [and] greed [is] one of the soul's worst poisons." Ooh--I hate the idea of my soul being poisoned! That's so--frightening. I do think the Christian concept that this world is not our home and storing up treasure here is ultimately vain is really important. Revolutionary--at least to our nature as humans.

Dude, it's getting late, so I better go to bed. But I'll be in touch (oh, that's another one of my goals--to be in touch with all of you dearly loved ones).

Love, love, love,
Your Cate

Apartment

2007-08-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Gooood news! I found an apartment that I like, and my roommates picked me as their roommate out of a list of people. So, that's exciting! I move in Friday.

More later! I'm going out with Biz and her AWESOME Colombian roommate tonight. :) Yay! Espana!!

A week in Spain

2007-08-02T04:36:00.001-07:00

Toledo at night

It honestly feels like I've been here for a year already. Or, at least a month. I'm a bit homesick today :(. I want my mommy! Just kidding--that's always how traveling is at the beginning. Then it starts flying by.

Biz and I are really tired of forking out money to hostels, so tonight will hopefully be our last night at Residencia La Luna. We're looking at two apartments tonight then making a decision about who will take which one among all the ones we've seen. I'm going to miss Biz--we usually talk for a good while every night, but I'm sure we'll still do slumber parties or something when we're apart. I bought the second season of "The Office" before I left, so we'll definitely have Office marathons, or something fun. And potlucks with the other English teachers--we've already planned on those :).

I'm just growing up right before my very eyes. Moving to Spain and living with Spanish people? This is exciting--but scary, honestly.

Yesterday Biz, this guy Ben and I had our first Spanish class--it was GREAT! All immersion, but slow and understandable! I'm hoping to keep taking Spanish classes after this month. Hopefully by next month we'll know not to order pig brains on the tapas menu... Of all the selections, that's what Biz decided to point to in Toledo over the weekend. I don't recommend them--the texture... is unbearable.

But, Toledo was awesome! It's a really historic town with a diverse background. There's a lot of amazing Muslim architecture, plus gorgeous cathedrals and Jewish mosques. The streets are narrow and labrynth-like. A lot of people say it looks like the Middle East. I loved it. I want to go back for the world's only Visigoth mass in Mozarabic--doesn't that sound intriguing? It used to be the Visigoth capital, then it was the Spanish capital. It's also been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. I'll take you there when you come visit! ;)

I miss you guys! :( I hope to post pictures soon, but I need to invest in a power converter before I can charge my computer, which is a lot of Euros! Also, I'll post my address as soon as I know it so I can start getting REAL MAIL! Yay! hehehe

Twenty-four hours in Madrid

2007-07-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

at Jessica's the night before I left

Greetings from Madrid! Biz arrived here yesterday morning and I came later on in the afternoon and met her at our hostel. I came later than her because #1 my flight arrived later than hers and #2 they left one of my bags in London! Fortunately I have backup clothes! It was supposed to arrive last night, then this morning,but... I haven´t seen it yet.

Biz was definitely a sight for sore eyes! The plane ride was long, and "plane sleep" just isn´t the same as sleeping in a real bed. And seeing another American was refreshing--especially my friend ;). I had a long layover in Chicago, which allowed me to call people and say my last goodbyes. That was nice. I looked out of the plane on the flight from Chicago to London a couple times (window seats rock) and saw a beautiful waxing gibbous moon over misty clouds far below. It was enchanting. Flying into Spain was similar--foggy mountains by the beach in the morning, and, closer to Madrid, Olive orchards and houses with tile roofs. Madrid had a dusky pink cloud above it from the plane , which was charming from a distance, not so charming to be in it. It´s so dry here! I took the Metro from the airport to my hostel, because it was $35 cheaper, and had to carry my one sixty-eight-pound bag plus a backpack full of books all the way to my hostel, up stairs and everything. I asked a police if he knew where my hostel street was and he didn´t, so he asked another man who happened to speak great English (which is very rare here, unlike most of Europe), who ended up walking me all the way to the hostel and helping me with my bags! What a great first impression of the city! But, by the time I got there, my throat was just parched--you know the feeling. It´s just so hot and dry here. I´m becoming thankful for my humid roots in the South. ;)

I really think I´m going to love it here. We had orientation today and got to meet some of the other people in the program--a few really cool girls. Biz and I are probably two of the younger people teaching, but they´re all around 22-27, probably. I feel much more comfortable with Canterbury now that I´ve been to the first day of orientation. It seems like they treat their employees well, though we´ll probably be pretty busy with classes for the next several months. Most of the classes are offered from 5:30-9:30 at night. By the way, Biz and I are seriously considering taking a Spanish class for the month before we enroll in the TEFL course. We want to be able to eat (we tried to order at a restaurant last night and were brought surprise dishes--fish, octopus, and rice soup and a mystery meat...)!

We´re staying in our hostel till tomorrow night--then we need to have or be finding an apartment. We would prefer to share an apartment with Spanish people so we can practice our skills (or, acquire skills?). There are some sweet parts of Madrid we wouldn´t mind living near, too--the Plaza Mayor or near the city center would be nice. Canterbury´s been pretty helpful, just by letting us use their internet! We don´t have to wait in line at the hostel for the single computer :).

My impression of Spanish people so far: they´re less intimidating and more casual than I was expecting. A lot of people have dark features, but some of them don´t at all. My mom´s Black Irish--she has dark hair, light skin, and light eyes--from Spaniards settling in Ireland hundreds of years ago. A lot of people have that look. There are also a lot of South Americans who have moved to Spain, and I´ve noticed several Asians here, too--speaking Spanish, which always throws me off guard. It´s awesome--hopefully I´ll be speaking Español by the end of this :). I see a lot of thin younger people, but not all of them are super hip, like I was expecting. They dress European :), but they look pretty middle class. Our orientation leader, John, was telling us that when the Euro came to Spain, prices for everyday goods went up 60% but salaries never increased. I don´t know how or why that happened. But that also means that if we´d come here six years ago, the US Dollar would have had a GREAT exchange rate. It´s ok--we´ll be paid in Euros and get used to the price difference. Esta bien.

Necessary Update

2007-07-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know where the summer has gone, but it's already Monday the 23rd of July and I'm leaving for the adventure of a lifetime this Wednesday morning! And I haven't written in ages! Shall I start now and go backwards? Last night I had a going-away party at my house. It was just lovely catching up with friends I hadn't seen in months. Conveniently, it was a pot-luck and all my friends are great cooks, so we had plenty of goodies to much on. Have you tried Michael C's mom's Oreo pie? I LOVE it. Or Leigh H's pita bread and hummus... delicioso! (my favorite Spanish word at this point.) Jessica M. mentioned how strange it was that a lot of the people I usually have over for parties were missing: Michael G. in New Hampshire for the summer, Heather B. in China, etc. There were some refreshing new faces there, and I love it when my friends meet and befriend each other. Ellen is especially good at that! If you haven't met Ellen yet, you should! Seth and Jared, accompanied by my dad on the violin, closed out the party serenading us with James Taylor and Jump Little Children covers--I think they play them better than the originals. Anyway, last night was bittersweet--saying goodbye is always sad. But I do know that I'm going to look back fondly on the next year with Biz for the rest of my life. And that's exciting.

The past week has been spent saying goodbye to dear friend near and far: Drew, Amy, Justin and Erin in Clemson, Anna and Jason in Columbia, and Joy in Atlanta. Hannah came to Edisto Island with my family last weekend (which feels like aeons ago). At the end of June we had our Sisters-No-Misters vacation in Orlando--the farthest we've gone thus far! Oh, it was such a blast. Highlights included Downtown Disney at night, hanging out by the pool, and the amazing land of Epcot. It's really cool, if you haven't been. Epcot/Disney hires hundreds of students from around the world to work in the different "countries" represented. Each country has a couple buildings dedicated to it--like a restaurant and a shop with products you could actually buy in that country. My favorites were Morocco and Norway--two countries I hope to visit in the next year. There were no Spain or Sweden, two other countries I hope to get to know in the next few months :).

Things I've been thinking about lately: life's brevity, transcendent truth, human nature, how I want to garden like Hannah, characteristics I admire in people: humility, transparency, vulnerability, security (aka, my friend Joy who I just saw). The ability (or inability?) for people to change. I think ability. But it ain't easy. I want to be an early bird someday. Right now I'm a late-night owl, and I don't think Spain's going to help with that. I think it's so interesting when people realize they don't want to be where they are now in 20 years and suddenly change (I was just talking about that with Seth), and it's interesting that people become more moderate as they get older (ie: the sixties). I've also been thinking about something my great aunt Edy said--when she was a girl, she thought her step-sister was a little on the weird side, but now they're best friends. I think about the girls I know I just don't "jive" with. Maybe I'm intimidated because they're too cool for me so I don't feel in my element around them. But someday we'll all be old people, wearing dentures and high pants, and the playing field will be levelled out--and we'll be friends. That's good to think about if I'm ever intimidated by someone.

Now I've got to pack!

Shelley

2007-06-25T19:00:00.001-07:00

This is by Galway Kinnell--my dad showed it to us over Thanksgiving and I've been thinking about it ever since.

Shelley

When I was twenty the one true
free spirit I had heard of was Shelley,
Shelley who wrote tracts advocating
atheism, free love, the emancipation
of women, and the abolition of wealth and class,
a lively version of Plato's Symposium,
lyrics on the bliss and brevity
of romantic love, and complex
poems on love's difficulties, Shelley
who, I learned later--perhaps
almost too late--remarried Harriet,
then pregnant with their second child,
and a few months later ran off with Mary,
already pregnant with their first, bringing
along Mary's stepsister Claire,
who very likely also became his lover,

and in this malaise a trois, which Shelley
said would be a "paradise of exiles,"
they made their life, along with spectres
of Harriet, who drowned herself in the Serpentine,
and Mary's half sister Fanny, who, fixated
on Shelley, killed herself, and with the spirits
of adored but neglected children
conceived almost incidentally
in the pursuit of Eros--Harriet's
Ianthe and Charles, denied to Shelley
and sent out to foster parents, Mary's
Clara, dead at one, her Willmouse, dead at three,
Elena, the baby in Naples, almost surely
Shelley's own, whom he "adopted" but then
left behind, dead at one and a half,
and Allegra, Claire's daughter by Byron,
whom Byron packed off to the convent
at Bagnacavallo at four, dead at five--

and in those days, before I knew
any of this, I thought I followed Shelley,
who thought he was following radiant desire.

Leah and Reagan's nuptials

2007-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Leah and Reagan running to the moped

photo shoot with Leah and Reagan

I'll start with this past weekend's BIG even and go backwards: Leah and Reagan were married last Saturday, June 2. They are now in Hawaii on an island-hopping cruise. The wedding was "the most beautiful indoor wedding I've ever experienced," said Jennie, a bridesmaid and sister to the bride. Jennie also said that Anna, another sister, had the most beautiful summer wedding and Jessica, sister number 3, had the most beautiful fall wedding she has been to. Someday Alice will have the most beautiful winter wedding, Jennie will have the most beautiful spring wedding, I will have the most beautiful, and only, destination wedding Jennie has been to--if Dad isn't broke by then, that is.

tired little princesses

The bride stunned the celebrants as she proceeded down the long aisle of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, SC. I, personally, did not cry, unlike most people in the church (brides are breathtaking--aren't they?). I did, however, tear up at the rehearsal the previous night. The groomsmen wore a Reagan-esque combination of striped green ties and patterned shirts with navy blazers. Bridesmaids wore olive green strapless dresses that belled under at the knees. They brought to mind an era when women vacuumed their houses in pearls: the fifties. But Leah really stole the show--I mean, she looked smashing! From head: Jessica's veil (the "something borrowed") to toe: pink high heels. Yes, she pulled them off splendidly.

spoiled little princesses

The reception was at the church and was catered by Linda Abrams, who is also, I have heard, a phenomenal history teacher. I wish I could have had her for a class (preferably her class on Napoleon). The family of the bride is still eating leftovers like spinach artichoke dip, brie & apricot delights, and wedding cake (would you like a piece? Come to our house and we'll give you a generous one!). The immediate family of the bride and groom enjoyed mingling with their most amazing extended family, who came in from MA, NM, OH, FL, PA, etc. Little Olivia, the bride's two year-old niece, was especially popular with the family. The family also enjoyed catching up with old friends from high school and beyond. The self-serve candy bar (table to fill your own bag of candy) was a big hit with the guests with special appearances from Runts, m&ms, Reese's and Skittles (Reagan's favorite). Pictures of the nuptials and rehearsal dinner are to come.

Dad with his granddaughter Olivia

all the cousins but Leah and Kayla

OK--other than that, I started working with an interior decorator part-time on Tuesday. I'm mostly just running errands for her--taking her kids to the pool, organizing stuff in her office, finding fabrics that she has to return to a fabric library (they have those! Isn't that cool?). Well, it's really tragic, but I got to work this morning and there were a ton of cars parked in front of the house and some of her friends sitting outside to tell me that Cindy's ex-husband had just passed away this morning from a heart attack. They had two children, a boy, 10, and a girl, 14. It was really shocking. Everyone was/is mostly concerned for the children. I'm really thankful they have a great support group around them--really, a lot of people praying for them and trying to comfort them. It hit me as someone who's just met this family how strange it is that life just goes on for other people who don't know them. People are having road rage a street away from them. I felt like the whole world should stop and mourn their loss with them. Be kind.

Jared and me on the Boston metro

A couple weeks ago I took a road trip to Boston to visit my friend Seth (and see the relatives!). Other than rain the whole week, Jared (my road trip buddy) and I thought the trip was quite nice. We learned a good bit about Boston traffic, which is horrendous. I'd never tried to navigate the roads there before! Use the Metro system, if you can! And, go on a sunny week! I got to see my dear friend Emily, who is now back in Yellowstone. I talked to her and Lindsay the other day and mourned that I'm not there this summer--but I honestly think very good things are in store for me here and now. Joy, another Yellowstone friend, and I made a pact to do some cool expedition together in three years (when she's out of dental school)--either biking across the country or hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Hold me to it!

I'm learning Spanish right now! I'm getting excited about teaching in Madrid for the next year. Who knows how I'll grow and change? That's an exciting thought. Pray for me. I leave at the end of July with Biz! Adios!

VA Tech victims' profiles

2007-06-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

(click title)

I just read these, with tears. Gosh. All such wonderful people.

Packing up

2007-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today I'm packing my stuff up, then I'll paint my room back from "Chinese Lantern" orange to white. I feel nostalgic going through all my old stuff—all the way back to Yellowstone days—and thinking of how much I’ve changed in the last year. I feel like I’ve grown exponentially with each year of college, so this year maybe the most. There was South Africa—that grew me more than anything else could, though. I didn’t think I’d miss college till I saw a lot of college students in Chicago last week—I think I’ll miss the college culture. It’s such a fun time, and big learning time—of course. Today's graduation--I'm not graduating till August, technically (so, I'm not walking, because I'll be out of the country), but I'm ALL DONE!

Chicago at dusk

Update on Chicago: the Greyhound bus was an eye-opening experience. Kind of depressing, actually. I wanted to adopt the dysfunctional families I saw—a mom leaving her boyfriend of seven years, with whom she’s had four children, two of whom are with their grandpa—leaving him because he hit her, arguing with him on the phone but assuring him she still loves him. I felt so sorry for her sweet little girl Chastity, whose first birthday is May 19th, and whose dad will miss the celebration. I’m so afraid she’ll turn out sad, like her mom. Anyway, I wanted to adopt the mom as a friend and teach her to read with her kids, take them to the zoo, learn how to swim, go to summer camp—all the things I took for granted as a kid. Teach her to get a good job. Anyway—depressing. Sorry! But, I’d recommend the Greyhound experience. It was fine. I felt safe—especially once I stopped being self-conscious. I slept and read most of my trip, and talked to some pretty interesting people.

The Ba'hai temple in Chicago--beautiful

Chicago was amazing—such a clean, friendly, smart city. Seriously, people seemed smarter than average ☺. There are a lot of good colleges around, so maybe that’s why. And Oprah lives there—I’m sure that has something to do with it. Kind of kidding—but I do love Oprah. Highlights: hearing the Dalai Lama speak (such a down-to-earth PERSON! And such a great laugh!), an acoustic concert with Ben Gibbard and David Bazan, eating Ethiopian food (which you must try before you die! Add that to your list immediately), going to the Art Institute (awesome), visiting the Ba'hai temple, deep-dish pizza, Chinatown (where I lost my favorite green sweater that I wear every day… so sad!), wind (I love wind!), Lake Michigan, eating well, shopping. Johnna was an exceptional hostess. Did you know that to become an Illinois state resident, all you have to do is have an address in the state? Then you can get in-state college/grad school tuition. Sounds like a plan to me ☺.

Dinner with Ashley, Biz and Hannah

Hannah, Biz, Erik and I tried to go strawberry picking in Anderson yesterday, but the strawberry farm closed early because there are no berries left due to a frost in April! We were so disappointed. So we went to downtown Anderson and had strawberry smoothies instead. Biz’s parents took us to dinner in Greenville last night. It’s official, by the way, that Biz and I are moving to Madrid in the fall! We’ll both be teaching there till June of 2008. I’m so excited. Biz is so fun, and we’ve both studied abroad in South Africa and have friends scattered across Europe whom we plan to visit. I’m excited about a new chapter in life. And the tomato festival in Madrid. Yay! Come visit me! And teach me Spanish if you know it!!

PS--today's my dad's birthday! He recently won FIRST PLACE (out of 900 entries) in the Emrys Journal for a poem he wrote called "Apple Picking." We're so proud.

My Penultimate Exam Ever

2007-04-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to use the word "penultimate"--but you probably already know that. I did just have my second to last exam--it was in Chemistry! And, I really hope I did ok on it. I have had the best classes this semester--my chemistry teacher is amazing. I never thought I would say this, but I truly enjoy chemistry (you can quote me--in a really nerdy voice). Not quite as much as biology, but, it's cool!

Want to know what else is cool? I'm going to CHICAGO this week, after my "ultimate" philosophy exam tomorrow. I'm actually not leaving till Thursday. You know that Greyhound ticket I bought last summer to take me to Yellowstone that Dad ended up buying me a plane ticket instead of? Well, I have to use it by June 1, and I thought next week would be the perfect time to use it. I'm visiting Jessica's friend Johnna there--just stopping and getting out in Chicago instead of going on the way to Yellowstone--then coming back home. Let me just read you the email Johnna sent me today, and you can get excited along with me! (you won't believe it!) Don't the words "Windy City" just sound magical? :) Wow! I'm in such a good mood today--and I pulled an all-nighter last night! I'm going to Chicago!

The email from Johnna:
So Friday I have the potential of going to see Benjamin Gibbard (lead singer from Death Cab) and David Bazzen (Pedro the Lion), would this be something of interest or no? We could go either to the late show so you could nap first, or the earlier one and just crash soon after it let out. If you're not into the idea, we can crotch it and do something totally different. So, Saturday I was thinking we could do a little architectural tour, focusing primarily on Frank Lloyd Wright's home, studio, and houses around. Those are mostly in the burbs so we'll be spending some time in the car. I was thinking it would be cool to go to a show while you're here. Wicked is the ever popular choice, though I was thinking about Blueman Group. Being the tight wad that I am, I am proposing we usher and get free seats, just a thought. Sunday is the Dalai Lama which will occupy the majority of the day and will get you downtown to Millennium Park, a big attraction. We can cruise Michigan Ave and State St. after though most of the shops close up early on Sundays. Monday I will most likely be working, so I will send you via the train to museums. There's a really good exhibit at the Art Institute right now so that will be good. Then I can't remember what day you're leaving then, either Tues or Wed., either way we can keep you hopping... We have it all here in Chicago. I am a real foodie, my focus would be cheap, ethnic, hole-in-the-wall locales but I can branch out depending on your taste.

Um, isn't this going to be fun? YES.

Last class

2007-04-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in my last class as an undergraduate. It's Philosophy 102, Logic. We're talking about W. K. Clifford's "The Ethics of Belief." Stegall is one of my favorite professors here. I'll miss college, a bit. I'll miss learning as much as I am right now. But, dang, I'm excited about the next chapter in my life. Teaching in Madrid or Prague? :) I'll keep you posted.

The Rape of Nanjing

2007-04-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone should read this--though it is really disturbing. Note, especially, the line by one soldier: "I thought then, it's been only one month since I left home... and 30 days later I was killing people without remorse."

Click the title to read article.

Toothpaste you can eat!

2007-03-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

This week Hannah and I are visiting her sister and brother-in-law on their organic farm in Beacon, New York, about an hour north of NYC in the Hudson River Valley. This has probably been one of my favorite single weeks ever. Hannah and I started spring break out right by attending her roommate Colleen's wedding, which was fantastic. Hannah's dad married Colleen and Dan with a simple ceremony in a field of tall grass. Their reception was at a barn nearby where Colleen and Dan served their guests pig pickin's and the most amazing dill potato salad. We danced to a bluegrass band till 11:00 that night. Hannah and I hit the road the next morning, making great time to Fredericksburg, VA, where we spent the night with the son of the family Hannah's boyfriend is living with this year (his name's Erik and he's studying abroad from Sweden year). Fredericksburg is a cute little historic town. Nice little shops and sweet Southern smiles. We went to church the next morning, where we met the Elliotts, the lovely family Erik is staying with. Janka Elliott is originally from Holland, and I loved hearing her beautiful Dutch accent! It brought back so many memories of my great Dutch friends in South Africa. Hearing Erik's Swedish accent is also fun. Being around these people is pushing me towards going to Europe next year rather than taking more classes. But we'll see :). Anyway, the three Elliott children (who are about my age) all speak Dutch and English, and ein bisschen Deutsch, perhaps? It's fun talking in German again.

We left for NY Monday morning with Erik coming along to join us for his spring break. The very first meal Becca made might clue you in on our week: vegetable soup with carrots, kale, potatoes, onion, collards, cauliflower, turnips and parsnip straight from their garden. In other words, it's been the best week food-wise I've ever experienced. We got a nice snowfall Monday night. Tuesday we helped out in the greenhouse, seeding and labelling flats of pepper plants. We had to trek through the snow to get to the greenhouse, but inside it was 90 degrees. I took off my coat and sweater and got a little sunburned in my tank top. Hannah and I decided everyone needs a greenhouse in the winter. It just feels great to go to a place that feels like summer all year round :). We took work breaks by stepping out into the snow, me in my crocs. We had the most perfect picnic lunch in the greenhouse: french bread, fresh cheeses, homemade hummus, pickled green beans and garlic Becca pickled over the summer, apples, and plenty of other delights. I feel like a changed person--like I need to evangelize the world about organic eating. Oh, and Becca's pretty big into fermenting, so I tried a black tea drink that she fermented with a mushroom on top of it (the mushroom wasn't still on top of it when I drank it). And I tried ginger ale she made herself. I'm inspired. It's so interesting how much Becca and Joe's lives revolve around food. They talk about food a lot because they are always working with it. I think that's wonderful--that seems really normal.

Wednesday we had a wonderful, but very different from Tuesday, day in the city. Becca, Hannah, Erik and I took a train into Grand Central Station (it was Hannah's and my first train experience in the US). We shopped in Chinatown and had lunch in Little Italy--some produce we'd bought at a farmer's market on 14th St. We shopped in Brooklyn (this second-hand store in Brooklyn--Beacon's Closet--was a lot of fun). We met up with Erik's cousin for coffee in Williamsburg, this really artsy section of town where my friends Rob and Sarah also live (too bad I couldn't meet up with them!). Anyway, the rest of our trip has been oh so relaxing, and we head back tomorrow (sad, but true!). I haven't had time to think about spring break ending and school re-starting. I have so much work to do. :) But, this was definitely a deserved break. I just love the way Becca and Joe interact with each other--so affectionately, but down-to-earthy. I was thinking, farmers are kind of the epitome of "down-to-earth" people. Non-pretentious, non-condescending, very respectful and gracious. They do things so carefully, too--as in, caring for the earth, saving things that could be reused. They're responsible in a way I haven't seen much of. They're also looking for an intern to work with them this summer, so... I don't have summer plans yet. NY would be pretty sweet :). Que sera, sera.

Alice and Rumi

2007-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

Something interesting I forgot to mention last week was that I met my language partner for the first time the week before. Her name is Fereshte and she's a medical doctor for Iran. She's beautiful and pleasant. Hannah and I went to pick her up at her house and she served us chocolate milk on a platter--very hospitable. Hannah and Erin had their Indian language partners over (all of whom speak perfect English--they've been taught it in school since they were five) and I had Fereshte over for chili one Tuesday night. We had a lovely time together. Fereshte told me to look up the poetry of Rumi and I did--it's delightful! Here's a favorite:

I wrote a poem that made my love angry
At me, or at the measure of my verse.
"Tell me then," I said, "What should I write?"
"Tell me", said she, "What poem could contain me?"

And another:

The face she shows me is a little sour,
Though sugar has never tasted sweeter.
Sugar would be bored by its own sweetness
If it ever came to know that sour flavor.

http://www.iranian.com/Arts/rumi.html Check this out for more

Exciting news! Alice is back from Australia/India! We had a family party for her Monday night. It was so nice having all the sisters together again for the first time in half a year. With plans for Leah's wedding, that might be happening more often (I hope so!). Some of my favorite memories of growing up with five sisters are when all of us end up in someone's room, gathered together around and on someone's bed, talking about all sorts of things--the family, each other, guys, etc. That happened the other night. I wish I'd tape recorded it--lots of laughs going on. Those moments are priceless :). Alice drove me back to school Tuesday morning and it was great having one-on-one time with her in the car for an hour. She's grown up so much! She's not my baby sister anymore! She loved Indian and Australia, and California, where she's been for the past week or so. And, when I say she took me back to school, I'm implying that I'll no longer have a car at Clemson, which kind of makes me sad. But my bike still works. It'll be fun, just kind of limiting :).

Today Rebekah and John leave for Prague, Czech Republic. I'm going to miss those kids! I didn't mention this already, but I think the word's out by now: they're having a baby! In September! I'm praying about moving to Prague to teach English with them next year or going ahead and getting PA school pre-requesites out of the way this fall, then traveling in the Spring. Whatever I decide to do in the next six months--it's weird--will definitely put me in a different place in the next twenty years. I mean, the next few months could determine the rest of my life. That's scary, but kind of exciting! I've always liked open-endedness: having multiple options, then deciding something at the last minute. Maybe it's time to not do that? :) To just decide the fate of my life? Pray for me, if you're reading this.

Other really exciting things have been happening lately: good stories to tell at my next story party. You should come.

This one's for Anna :)

2007-03-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Because I know Anna's one of my faithful few who actually check this. I'm so flattered by her.

So, nothing unusually exciting has happened in my life recently. I've been kind of sick (will accept flowers and or chocolate--though my mom and Gatorade were what I craved last week). I'm figuring out how to balance school and friends, and one way I've discovered to do that is (this is the ultimate nerd thing to do) by having STUDY PARTIES! Last night Hannah, Erin, and Erin's sister Ashley and I all sat around our living room drinking tea and writing papers, taking an occasional long facebook break throughout. Ha--tell you the truth, writing this now is a study break for me. I have a make-up paper to write! My professor was kind enough to extend my deadline!

I realize I need to utulize my weekends better for doing homework. I think what got me off track in the first place was going to a party a few weekends ago and not getting any homework done that weekend! Then pulling all nighters and getting sick trying to catch up. Now I'm doing makeup work! :( So, if I'm caught up on schoolwork, I can have fun during the week. If not, I'm staying in. Oh, but it's always more complicated than that. I usually get things done, somehow--whether I see friends that night or not. Sometimes, the less time I have, the more productive I am. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, right? BY THE WAY--I have a good friend who goes to Harvard and HE says that (I almost feel bad posting this!) the school has a stipend for students to throw parties there, so they can increase student life! Clemson would NEVER have that problem, I'm [proud?] to say :). But, seriously--can you believe that? I think he's going to go for it the next time he throws a story party--one where people sit around and tell life stories. (Doesn't that sound fun?)

Home

2007-02-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Ellen and me, after a deep conversation

I didn't realize how much I missed home till last weekend, hanging out with my family. (Oh--that's called homesickness! I thought I didn't get that!) I've seen the fam here and there--at church, a trip to the beach--but hadn't spent a solid weekend with them at our house for much too long. This weekend was much needed. :)

Ellen and I hung out with a couple friends till the wee hours of Saturday morning, watching a movie and later, Ellen and me talking about things only girls can talk about with each other. She's an encouraging friend. When I got home, to my delight, Mom was up doing some cleaning in our spare room downstairs. So, of course, we stayed up and chatted a good half-hour (this was... really late at night). She was surprised I was home :). It's always nice when you are a pleasant surprise for someone, and they are for you, too.

I decided to stay again Sunday night, after a lovely day at church and lunch with Ellen, Jennie and friends. I also hung out with Leah and Reagan and their friends that night. Reagan and his family were staying at Embassy Suites. The Embassy Suites hot tub was so relaxing! Ah--it brought back Yellowstone memoires--soaking in the hot springs there is something I could literally do forever. I have thought about the Boiling River many a time this year, during the most stressful periods of school.

This week was a bit stressful, actually--last week, too. That's why the weekend was so needed. Emotionally, this week was rough. Tuesday a girl at Clemson got hit by the CAT bus (Clemson Area Transit) and I saw her on my way to swing dance class, just as the ambulances were pulling up. I thought she was surely dead. I couldn't stop thinking of her all day; I definitely didn't want to dance just then. It was raining all day, too, and started thunderstorming later. I remember thinking, "Where's the sun? I know it's there--but I need it now." It's good to know the sun's there. It was a beautiful Wednesday (Valentine's Day). That girl is alive, too. She's in serious condition--she was almost paralyzed. But she's ok. She'll live.

Maggie and me (doesn't that sound like a song title?) ps--check out her shirt :)

Last night Maggie (our RUF intern) had a bunch of RUF girls over for a Valentine's party. We smashed a pinata shaped like a heart, filled with candy and feminine products! hahaha. Oh, Maggie's so creative. It was fun. My roommate Amanda had some of her friends over for dinner and strawberries dipped in chocolate--hot, delectable chocolate. It was delightful.

I've been pulling way too many late/all nighters the past few weeks. I don't have class till pretty late (11, 12, and 2!), but, I need to go to bed early and wake up early. I've always wanted to be one of those people who does that--don't know when it'll happen :).

die Schwestern!

I'm going home for Jessica's birthday this weekend! Here's what I love about home: old memories in boxes from childhood and high school, the security of not having to worry about food or money--seriously, this is a big one, staying up late with my sisters (Leah AND Jessica are home now! and Joel, of course) (and Jen and I hang out a lot, too), talking to my mommy--I LOVE my mom!, getting wise advice from Dad, having adults around. I miss that. I feel so, so secure at home. And I feel so de-stressed. My family is a particularly low-stress family, which helps matters. I love seeing my mom's Valentines sprawled across the dining room table. I know she's been going to the PO all week. I love seeing my friends at home--they are some of the best in the world. But I didn't get to see many of them last weekend because they didn't know I was coming :(. Sorry, guys. I like school, too. Everyone loves Clemson. But there's something so special, so warm, so comfortable about home. Ha--I think I want to live with my parents the rest of my life ;).

Derrida

2007-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

I've thought this about Derrida and other literary theorists for a while, but didn't know someone said this about Socrates.

Meno: "Socrates, I used to hear before ever I met you that you do nothing but perplex yourself and other people. And now, it seems you are bewitching me--and dragging me and binding me completely with your spells, so that I have become saturated with perplexity. And if you will allow me to speak facetiously, you seem to me to resemble to a striking degree, both in appearance and in other respects, the flat electric ray that lives in the sea. For it numbs anyone who comes in contact with it, and you seem to have done something of the sort to me. For in truth, I feel a numbness both in my mind and on my lips, and I do not know what answer to make to you." (Plato's Meno 80 A)

It's funny--parts of it could be used in a love speech, too :).

Here's a thought.

2007-01-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

(click title)

My class schedule

2007-01-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Is very much up in the air right now--as it almost always is at the beginning of the school year. I'm signed up for three classes so far, and on the wait list for four. I'm hoping to get into most of the ones I've requested, but Tuesday's the last add day. I feel like more of a humanities major than an English major. There are SO MANY books I haven't read--I'm ashamed to name them off. And I'd often rather take history or art classes than English classes. Not that I've taken that many history classes.

So, I have a couple of post-graduation ideas: probably grad school, but waiting at least semester first (and I'm not sure what to study yet--art education, journalism? go to seminary?). I feel like I should get another degree before studying something like art! So one thought is to work at a folk school (ie: the John C. Campbell Folk School--Hannah introduced me to it) as an RA and get to take classes for free, building my art portfolio. I could do this for a year or six months. Another idea is to go to Sweden and enroll in free classes as an undergraduate. AnOTHER more random idea is to teach English in Prague with Rebekah and John for six months--not building any kind of portfolio, but just feeling out teaching as a career. Here's another thought: working on organic farms all over Europe this summer, recieving free housing at each village I work in. That'd be sweet--plus, farming is a wonderful skill to have for an aspiring missionary in a third-world country. Oh--my "main" idea is to study at L'Abri next fall. I've been reading through Hannah's journals a little bit and growing in excitement over how much she learned there. Our plan is to type up every page of her journal and make a book of the things she learned there. Oh, one more really random idea is to become a nurse :). Africa needs AIDS workers...

Hm--what do you see me doing in 15 years?

This is pretty random, but awesome: Last night my friend Amy and I made dinner and YOGURT together! It was so exciting :). We just "almost" boiled milk and powdered milk mixed together, then stirred in 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and put our concoction in her yogurt maker to incubate over night. We woke up this morning and stirred in sweetened strawberries. It was so fresh and amazing. You can also make yogurt by putting the ingredients in a warm oven for four hours. Isn't that neat? I'm SUCH a NERD!

Road Trip!

2007-01-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Us at the "Gateway to the North," which is now in a parking lot :)

Amy and I officially decided to go ahead with the trip four days before we departed for North Bay, Ontario. I love last-minute decisions—they’re so final. You have to follow through with them. We’d wavered on whether or not to go to Canada and decided not to after a couple friends who were thinking of joining couldn’t come on the day we wanted to leave. But, after Christmas, I wondered what I’d be doing for the rest of the break. Sleeping in, hanging out with friends, an occasional productive day due to an early breakfast date. It didn’t sound incredibly appealing. So, I called Amy up and asked what her New Year’s plans were. She didn’t have any, like me. How about going to Canada? She got her mom to let us use her Suburu Outback (my favorite car now) and we headed up to Buffalo New Year’s Eve. We spent the night with Emily, a friend I met in Yellowstone, then drove through Toronto and up to North Bay New Year’s morning. The highways were quiet and we found ourselves driving 25 mph and taking pictures of a surreal, dying but beautiful Buffalo on the right with Lake Erie on our left.

Four-wheeling with Ian

We were pretty ecstatic when we crossed the Canadian border, except for the rude border crossing lady who said we couldn’t get our passports stamped. Oh well—so much for a great first impression of Canada. The drive from Toronto was beautiful. The word “bucolic” came to mind—one of those SAT prep words lodged in my subconscious. The opportunity to use it doesn’t arise every day. Amy and I were both a little nervous as we waited for Ian to meet us in the doughnut shop parking lot (BY THE WAY, North Bay has the highest per capita doughnut shops in the world!). It had been a year and a half since I last saw him. I wondered if we’d get along like we had in South Africa, when we were the outsiders in a foreign place. I also wondered what his parents thought of two girls driving seventeen hours to see their son. We weren’t trying to sabotage his relationship with Kristina by any means! Being an outsider can be nerve-racking, but our fears were assuaged when we met his warm, funny family, who welcomed us with open arms.

Amy and me lying on the glass floor of the CN Tower

To make a long story short, Ian did and excellent job introducing us to Canadian culture. I tried a whistle dog (a hot dog split in half with bacon and cheese—not bad!), Amy and I both tried a poutine (french fries drenched in gravy with cheese curds on top—super unhealthy, but delicious), bought some clothes at Roots (kind of an outdoorsey Gap in Canada), cross-country skied, played ice-hockey, “snow-shoed” (ha—just long enough to take a picture, and in only two inches of snow), four-wheeled in the snow, hung out in Ian’s hot tub, ate Canadian chocolate bars, went to “the Moose,” a bar in North Bay packed out on a Wednesday night, and stayed up late hanging out with Ian. We drove Ian to Toronto on the fourth and took the subway into town to go up the CN tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the world. (We also met some pretty creepy characters on the subway, but that’s another story.) Walking on the glass floor of the tower and seeing the tiny play city below us was definitely unnerving. We got dinner and said our goodbyes to Ian, who would stay with his grandma in Toronto before flying out the next day.

The girls at Niagra

Amy and I spent the next two nights back in Buffalo with Emily and company. Our other Yellowstone friend Lindsay got a one-way ticket to Buffalo just to see us, so we had a lovely time remembering our days from the summer, wishing Pete and Joy were there to join us. We hit up Niagra Falls, walked from the American side to the Canadian side, which I agree is prettier, and got our passports stamped on the way over! That lady at the border was lying to us! Amy and I were delighted.

We left Buffalo at 6:30 the next morning, dropping Lindsay off in Baltimore and finishing off the trip with just the Amy and me. We started a cheesy Tom Clancy novel after Baltimore but stopped early to listen to Cake and fun Memphis mixes. Amy and I each ended up spending $100 for the whole trip, plus money for food here and there. Surprisingly, a very doable trip! Even for poor college students. If you haven’t taken a road trip, do it. Call me—I’ll probably come along.

Ian and me on the subway

Lumpy and Two-Step

2006-12-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

Those are Joel and Jessica's trail names--they're officially finished hiking all 2,170 miles of the Appalachian Trail (they finished the Sunday before my exams, actually). We had a party for them tonight here at home. Yeah, they're pretty much my heroes. Next they want to bike across America. Just kidding, but Jessica's mentioned it. I think I'll tag along :).

Tomorrow morning I'm setting off for Canada with my good friend Amy. We're visiting Ian, a friend I met in South Africa, for about three days, as well as Emily from Yellowstone in Buffalo, NY! I'm pumped--especially since this is a VERY last-minute trip and it all just came together, as everything usually does (isn't it amazing how that happens?) :). Knock on wood.

I spent last night near Athens, GA with my good friend Ellen and her friend Martha partying it up at an 80s prom! Seriously--we looked amazing :). Ellen and I have glasses and wore our hair in side-ponytails so we pretty much looked like twins. She wore an authentic black 80s dress and I wore a less authentic white one. I'll post pix later. We spent today meandering about the COOL town of Athens, thrift-store and botique shopping, coffee drinking, and trying to avoid the rain with Martha's dad's huge umbrella. Athens seems like a fun college town. Everyone I saw looked like my closer friends from Clemson: artsy-ish, scarf-donning, intelligent, English or graphic design majors. Athens has its sororities and fraternities, too, I've heard. And football fans. It's funny hearing Ellen's artsy guy friends talk about the UGA football game tonight. Why shouldn't artsy people like football? It's good to be well-rounded, right?

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was delighful as usual. The only regret for everyone is that Alice was missing, and that we weren't on the Beach in Australia to hang out with her! We did our usual name-drawing on Thanksgiving and exchanged sister gifts Christmas Eve. I made photo albums for all the sisters for Christmas day. The took forever, so I hope they like them! :) Most of my gifts were hand-made or photographs this year... sorry--I'm broke.

It's wonderful having Grandpa here--he stays about two or three weeks every year. There's always laughter in his presence--actually, I can say that for the whole Droney family.

I've been sleeping in till at least 10:30 every morning... pretty much. Except for yesterday because I had a breakfast date (aren't breakfast dates fantastic? You HAVE to wake up early and get your day started. If I'm not meeting someone, I'll go ahead and sleep in. Call me and set up a breakfast date with me, now!). I say I'm still recuperating from this year's record high of all-nighters. I think I pulled one every other week--but you'd think I'd have recovered by now.

Other than sleeping in, I've been catching up with friends I haven't seen in ages: like Joy from Yellowstone! I saw her in Atlanta last week with her fiancee and his family, and our friend Ben from Asheville. And I saw Hannah, too! She got back from L'Abri the other week. I met her adorable Swedish boyfriend and went contra dancing with her family, whom I'm adopting as my own :). They don't know that yet. Also, Gideon (Alice's friend) came by two nights ago with Alice on the other end of his cell phone! We got to talk to her for a good while and catch up with Gideon, who's hoping to become and army ranger. That boy is HARD-CORE. He told us stories from his training that kind of opened up another world for me. I love when that happens--but the military is serious business; I love being exposed to a "new world," but a lot of his stories would be considered horrific to us (ie: non-military people). About a month ago I meant to blog about my new appreciation for the military after watching the opening clip of "Saving Private Ryan" in history class (US history 1919-1945) and reading "A Democracy at War"--a new favorite. Watch "Saving Private Ryan" and realize that the invasion of Normandy was pretty accurately depicted. Seasickness from a torrential storm. People dying before they'd even reached land. I have to say, WWII wasn't morally ambiguous. A point the book we read brought up was that if Nazi Germany had won the war, we'd be in the Dark Ages for a thousand years. The Holocaust would have continued. Normandy saved us. I am so deeply appreciative for our veterans.

Read up on the GI Bill, too and thank the American Legion your grandpa went to college (mine did because of it, anyway). That's a fascinating, indebting story. I'll tell you about it later, when you're older ;).

Christmas Break

2006-12-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

Half of my senior year is GONE. Oh, it's been such a good one--especially the past couple weeks. I kind of enjoy exam week: no classes, wake up kinda late, study, do last coffees of the year with friends, Christmas parties, etc. I think I did ok on exams, and hopefully on my art portfolio (because I pulled an all-nighter last night working on it) (probably shouldn't have gone snowboarding Wednesday!). Snowboarding--such fun! I went with Matt Cody, who's pretty good, and two other people. I probably wouldn't have carved or tried jumps if Matt hadn't made me. I definitely wouldn't have tried the jumps, actually :). It's so helpful snowboarding with people who are better than you.

Actually, it's helpful doing anything with people who are better than you at whatever you're doing. I remember studying 24 hours for my Western Civ. final with my roomie Kat last year and both of us acing it :). I probably wouldn't have studied that much on my own; I might have given up and taken a "B" in the class. But Kat's an excellent student and pushed me to "meet my potential." I wish I'd learned about study buddies earlier.

It sounds so cheezy, but do you know what a difference it makes when someone "believes in you"? I guess I'm a bit of a people pleaser, but if someone assumes I can do something great, I'll work harder to try to impress them and prove them right. But, did you know something most millionaires have in common? A "B-" college average, and someone who belittled them who they wanted to prove wrong.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

We came up with Thanksgiving haikus after dinner this year, a sporadic Raff Thanksgiving tradition. Haikus should technically consist of three lines, the first line having five syllables, the second having seven and the third five. Here are a couple I wrote:

Remember the time
we got pizza in the car
on Thanksgiving day?

(We were on our way to Grandma's house in MD, late at night, and stopped at a gas station for a few of those freezer pizzas. We microwaved them and feasted in the car.)

She thought he was a
guru. Everything has changed.
Now he drinks and smokes.

(ha--that's about my parents. Mom was talking about how she thought Dad was a "guru," with that long hair and a beard. She still hates when Dad gets a haircut! It's fun writing haikus while people are talking.)

Our first Thanksgiving
without our baby Alice.
It isn't the same.

(Actually, it was our first Thanksgiving missing any of the sisters! It was sad!)

Here's a "minute" poem I wrote--we talked about feminism for a LONG time after Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, a minute poem has a total of sixty syllables. The first line of the first stanza has eight, then four for the next three lines. That's repeated thrice. And the rhyme scheme is AABB CCDD EEFF. My dad'd doing all these awesome poetry workshops and he taught us this form:

She was made to complete him.
The fruit eaten
opened her eyes
to become wise.

Created complete already,
she'd never see
the blessings of
the curse of love.

She would give to her children all,
and since the Fall
she's strived against
Adam, incensed.

PS--very much inspired by my Milton class, and my lit. theory class.

Here's something Dad learned in one of his poetry workshops. Most people are strongest writers in one of the following areas: narrative (story), structure (form), music (sound/rhythm) or imagination (images). If you're strength lies in either narrative or structure, you should try to incorporate either music or imagination in your poem for a complete poem, and vice-versa. I thought that was interesting. Dad's written some beautiful poetry, and Mom has, as well. She always has had a way with words.

Here's a... fun? depressing? tragic? poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word!
Give back my books and take my kiss instead.
Was it my enemy or my friend I heard,
"What a big book for such a little head!"
Come, I will show you now my newest hat,
And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink!
Oh, I shall love you still, and all of that.
I never again shall tell you what I think.
I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;
You will not catch me reading any more:
I shall be called a wife to pattern by;
And some day when you knock and push the door,
Some sane day, not too bright and not too stormy,
I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.

Ouch!

Clemson-USC game tomorrow. We win every year, so we better tomorrow.

What?

2006-11-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

(click title)

Sudan accepts UN help

2006-11-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

Finally! (click title)

The War in Uganda

2006-11-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

(click the title)

This is a pretty big deal.

Procrastinating

2006-11-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

I always want to blog when I have a big project coming up soon... Monday my first value drawing is due--we've been working on line drawings up to this point. So, of course, I'd rather go to the football game, take a nap, practice guitar, read a book on the art of travel, and blog than work on my impending project. Does that mean I don't love art? I think I love the final product, most of the time, but the process of getting to it can be excruciating. Does that mean I shouldn't pursue art as a career? I've been thinking about art education. I've also been thinking of a summer internship with Food for the Hungry, L'Abri, six months as a "host" at a trade school taking classes for free, and teaching in Prague for six months with Rebekah and John! So many options--so many different ways life could take me, especially depending on who I happen to meet at each place who could lead me to my next destination. I recently decided to try to do as much cheap/free living as possible in the next, say, four years. For example, that trade school--I can stay on the campus and take classes for free if I'm a "host" there--kind of like an RA. If I wanted to get a masters in America, I could be a Resident Director and practically go to the school for free, at some universities. And, I need to research this (a LOT) but my study abroad advisor told me that Swedish universities are FREE for getting your masters, if you already have an undergrad degree. So, Sweden would be pretty awesome. And most of the master's programs are in English :).

There are so many amazing causes/ministries I could pour my life into. Like Food for the Hungry, or rebuilding New Orleans (I don't know how long that will take--I think a while). I went down to New Orleans with Campus Crusade over the fall break. Fellowshipped with some pretty incredible people. It was definitely hard work, and honestly, a little depressing. The elderly woman who owned the house we were working on actually passed away in the flood. She had been picked up by boaters when they heard her screaming in her house, but had a heart attack as she was mounting on a bridge. Oh, that was so sad. And the house itself seemed unsalvagable. We gutted it out (insurance can't cover tearing down houses, which is necessary for rebuilding them). When we got to the wood layer of the floor and walls, we noticed the wood was either termite-infested or burned (I don't know how). I felt like it should have been bulldozed, but if they rebuilt it, it could be really nice. It seemed like it would take more effort that it was worth. Thoughts running through my mind as we pulled her stuff out of her house: Why does she have so much STUFF? I want to live, like Paul in "Through Painted Deserts," with only the clothes on my back (Oh, I read that book when I was there--recommend it, though some of Miller's ideas are weird or incomplete to me.) Another thought, digging through this woman's stuff: this is her whole life--and we're throwing most of it away. What did it mean? She's gone now and this stuff doesn't matter. In sixty years, I don't want to say I've wasted my life. I'm already, possibly, a quarter through it. Maybe more. I hate ending on a morbid note--we won the football game today! Some people live for that--the "weekend." Waiting in line to get into the club, where you can't hear yourself speak or think. Watching them tigers beat them gamecocks. I think there's gotta be more. I could go on--having fun is good. God wants us to enjoy life. But there are more ways to enjoy than hating the week and living for the weekend. I guess that means I should enjoy the process of art projects more, too.

For good or for awesome

2006-11-01T15:44:00.000-08:00

I went to another lovely wedding last weekend--for one of my residents last semester, Justin, and his new wife Erin. They're beautiful people. And, I noticed everyone invited to the wedding was also beautiful! :) Ha--I especially mean the middle aged people. Both of their sets of parents were so nice-looking! Um, anyway...

I didn't do anything for Halloween yesterday. Well, I wore my mom's old hippie shirt to class, but that's all. I've been a little sick yesterday and today. I just read a REALLY interesting NY Times article on how women's Halloween costumes have gotten skankier, just in the last few years, which is surprising since you'd think with the feminist movement they'd be getting more androgynous. It's kind of interesting how feminism and conservatism could be like-minded on a lot of issues. Or, at least, appear to be (maybe having different motivations). Feminism is definitely appealing to me more and more these days. I don't really mean the feminism that says that women are better than men, but the kind that recognizes we're equal--not exactly the same, but equally valuable as people. Women can think, too. I'm pretty sure I didn't always recognize/appreciate that.

Eleanor Roosevelt: I'm reading a bio on her for history, and, what a fascinating first lady. She's the only first lady I know of who published her disagreements with her husband! She was a pretty special woman, I'd say.

Christians for peace

2006-10-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Click the title--I thought this was interesting...

Love

2006-10-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who knows how to love people. He goes far out of his way to share grace with the needy, even if they never see it. I find myself absorbed in what I'm doing, unwilling to drive forty-five minutes to help a friend, much less five hours; or to stop and walk with a friend who might need to talk. Being hospitable to Chinese exchange students. Well, I thought of him when I read this the other week: "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. . . . Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom 12: 9-21)

The wedding

2006-10-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

reunion
a rose among thorns

Rebekah and John's wedding this past weekend was worshipful and beautiful. I love fall weddings (by the way, with weddings, I think October is becoming the new June). What a perfect day--the sky as clear as a bell. Rebekah looked stunning--I mean, stunning--in her cream antique lace gown. The bridesmaids didn't look so bad, either, I must say. It was just nice to see people I haven't seen in a while: Michael, Heather, Michael, Jessica, Sarah, Gracen, etc. The song "Old Friends" feels appropriate here.

This was the first friend's wedding I've ever been a bridesmaid in. The wedding party arrived at 10 am for the 4:00 ceremony, which was early, but good (ha, for me). Michael and Phil got to take a lot of "fun" pictures with us since we had some spare time. Photo shoots are always exciting. And, of course, Sarah and I had our own little photo shoot off to the side as Rebekah was having her solo portraits done. We are such nerds.

Oh--I wish I were in Italy/Switzerland right now! I got an email from my dear friend Hannah last week and, read this--does this not make you want to hop on a plane and head for L'Abri?

Hello friends and family,
I haven't been as diligent with the emailing as i hoped i would be, but here i am with free internet and 20 minutes on my hand, so here it goes! Life at L'Abri in Switzerland has been really, really wonderful. It's cold there....i get to put on sweaters and scarves nearly every day, and the leaves are turning brilliant colors. My studying is getting more and more enjoyable as i get a feel for what i want to learn. It's a very productive and cozy way to study to fix a cup of tea, wrap yourself in a wool blanket, and settle into a comfy chair with a good book. Community life (with 34 housemates) is going well. I love all the people there, each so different, and there is always something crazy and fun going on. (or quiet and relaxing....our new favorite evening activity is where someone reads aloud from a children's book and we all sit around and knit:)
Our fall break began thursday, so i am currently writing from Florence, Italy. WOW!! i can't believe i'm here. My friend Sara, who i met at L'Abri, and i took off for Cinque Terra, Italy on wednesday afternoon. It's like, one minute you're in the alps, and a few hours later on the coast of the Mediterranean. Cinque Terra, for those who haven't heard of it, is a string of 5 small fishing villages set in the cliffs, and there are beautiful hiking trails to connect the towns. I was in HEAVEN admiring everyone's terraced gardens full of basil, tomatoes, lemon trees, and olive trees. The climate is so mild there so the growing season has huge potential. We ate pesto and fresh, fresh seafood, and had great red wine!! we stayed last night in a beautiful, quaint room at the top of one of those classic, tall, brightly colored buildings that are scattered all over. We even got to hang some laundry to dry outside our window like the locals!! (it was pretty exciting, but we know we're dorky) Actually, this morning some American tourists took my picture when i was leaning out our window. They must have thought i was a local. :) Yesterday we did a lot of hiking and even swam in the ocean!! It was so beautiful...greenish blue, clear, and very salty.
Today we took a train to Florence and are getting to stay for free with some of Sara's friends from college. Tomorrow we'll visit the market and then i'll head to Tuscany to poke around before flying to Ireland for a few days!! i feel so very blessed to be able to see and experience all that i am. I wish i knew some Italian...the older people don't know any English...or perhaps they don't want to stoop to that level. :)
Ok, i think it's time for dinner. I just wanted to catch you all up on my life a bit. Sorry for the impersonal nature of the mass email. Time and opportunity are scarcities!!
love you all,
Hannah