Toothpaste you can eat!

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

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 :)

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?)