Pilgrimage May 16, 2009

Last weekend, I went on a spiritual pilgrimage to a small cabin in Virginia. This is a list of things that I saw on my pilgrimage…

~beautiful countryside

~hundreds of thousands of dead ladybugs

~a tiny mouse

~lots of cows

~a hissing snapper turtle

~an amazing drive up to Pilot Mountain

Things that I heard on my pilgrimage:

~a baby cow chasing it’s mother

~country music

~two old friends talking about playing baseball together as kids

Things I smelled on my pilgrimage:

~cow poop

~mothballs

~fresh air

~gasoline

Upon arrival to the cabin, Erik and I spent about two hours cleaning the house and getting the water turned on. There were dead ladybugs on every surface. I enjoyed cleaning this house out.

During the evening, I began having breathing difficulties (I’m asthmatic). I knew that I would only be able to spend one evening in this place… I found this unfortunate. I really did enjoy my solitude.

Although my time at the cabin was very short… I found that I was able to get the answers to the questions that I hadn’t spoken aloud. I was pleased to know that I had God with me, and that she was really listening.

Many thanks to Erik for the use of the cabin.

5 Quick Takes May 6, 2009

I have had so much going on in my head lately that I don’t even really know where to start.

1) I have started a new blog about all things Guatemala related. You can check it out at HERE.

2) I have purchased my ticket to Guatemala City for mid-June. This is super exciting.

3) I am going on a solo retreat this weekend to a friend’s cabin in Virginia. I desperately need to get away from everything to collect my thoughts.

4) I am consumed with the goal of quitting my job. I think that my last day will be the best day ever.

5) I’m spending lots of time with my niece… and loving every second of it.

5 Quick Takes April 20, 2009

I don’t want to be accused of stealing anyone’s ideas… so, props to Elaine for the idea of the quick take!

1) I got to go out of town last weekend to Asheville to be with two of my oldest friends. It was the highlight of my year so far.

2) I attended a fund-raising gala for Lemonade International last Tuesday. In this, I had a chance to chat with Bill Cummings (founder of the organization). We are meeting this week for coffee to discuss my possibly going down to Guatemala for a period of time to help out.

3) I started this diet last week and I have already lost 10.5lbs. Yay!!

4) With my 10lb. weightloss, my favorite jeans once again fit me.

5) I was invited to go up to Providence with Craig to see a show. During this trip I will be able to swing through Middletown for the day. It will be really great to see some old friends.

Doors vs. Windows March 29, 2009

When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. ~Unknown

It’s been a year since I decided that I want to leave the country. One year. In this last year, I have sold, purged, or given nearly everything that I own to charity/whomever. I have made some new friends, and been distanced from old ones. I have come to terms with a part of myself that I had neglected for years. I am content.

 

I don’t have my placement with Oasis yet. This is not to say that I won’t have a placement. The only definite thing so far is that I won’t be placed where I had hoped… and that’s okay.

 

For the first time in a while, God and I have been having a conversation. We are deciding my next move. Where will I go? Will the work be what I thought I wanted when I started this whole thing? How long will I be gone? What about friends and family? What about money? Do I want to return to the States eventually?

 

Here is a short list of the things that God has put in front of me in the last week and a half:

1) India (potential alternate placement)

2) San Francisco~ a great class for aspiring abolitionists

3) Thailand

4) Guatemala

5) Africa

6) Multiple trips right in a row for different purposes

7) Consideration of timing

8) Worry about housing

9) Wondering if putting all of this off for another year is the smartest thing to do

10) Fund-raising difficulties

 

Tonight I am babysitting for the cutest baby alive (props to the McVey’s for having the cutest baby alive). My friend purged from a 2700 sq. ft. house to a loft in downtown Durham, NC. From where I am sitting right now, I am looking out the window at a street sign for left turns only. I can hear the rain hitting the roof. Other than the hum of the refrigerator and my fingers hitting the keyboard, it’s just quiet.

The Sold Project March 19, 2009

Setback March 18, 2009

The good people at Oasis India are making progress at their facility at Purnata Bhavan. This amazing center houses and rehabilitates victims of trafficking. Women and children rescued from brothels are also placed at this center.

I was fairly warned that Purnata Bhavan would be making an attempt to employ Indian volunteers at the center. However, I was hoping to be the exception to this… but I am not. I am happy to report that the center is making its move toward becoming run by local Indians. This is a huge step for Oasis.

However… this leaves me hanging a bit. I am now wondering what I will be doing with myself in September. This is incredibly frustrating. Madelaine, from Oasis, has suggested some other organizations for me to look into. She has also said that she will be checking with other placements in Bangladesh. So… we will see.

Waste Not… March 17, 2009

The patriarch of our commune is very “waste conscious”. Basically, he walks around and wonders what we are wasting and how it can go unwasted. We recycle. We save every container to use for storage or whatever.

Last week, my mom came to visit. She made it known that she was not, in fact, here to see me, but to visit my sister and my niece. Thanks, Mom.

On her last night in Raleigh, my brother decided that he wanted to eat at Golden Corral. I am not a fan of the Golden Corral. The fact that the word “corral” is in the name of a restaurant is disturbing enough (we won’t get into my dislike for “Dress Barn”).

While sitting to dinner with my family, I watched waiters and waitresses clean up half-eaten plates of food, only to find the the patron was returning to the table with another plate of something else that he may or may not finish. So much food is wasted. I watched entire plats of food get thrown into the trash before the dishes were returned to the kitchen for washing. This bothered me. This still bothers me. I keep thinking (and estimating) how many people could benefit from all of the food that we throw away everyday. How many people can benefit from the stuff that accrues in every home? We have so much, yet we actually need so little of it.

I have been trying to figure out the best ways to not waste anything. I have been critical of those who are wasteful, including myself. I have begun purging again… trying to find new homes for things that I have not used in the months that I have been at the commune. I am pledging to only buy what is absolutely needed for the rest of  my time here. I know that I need a new laptop, but I only need a functional one… nothing fancy. I also pledge to get rid of at least one thing every week that I don’t use. I’m hoping to donate something to a shelter or a family in need. I want my stuff to be useful to someone else… because it’s just sucking up space in my life.

I’m antsy, and ready to head to India.

Plague February 21, 2009

Over the past three days, nearly every member of the commune has come down with this nasty intestinal virus. While my intestine was not the biggest part of my illness, I was hit with the worst migraine that I have ever had and felt like I had been hit by a bus, followed by another bus.

All of this sickness got me thinking about how a family member of the commune has repeatedly joked with me about getting dysentery when I go overseas.

dys-en-ter-y:(noun) Pathology. an infectious disease marked by inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the bowels, with diarrhea that becomes mucous and hemorrhagic.

Yeah, there was some dysentery in the commune this weekend… fortunately, not by me.

With this, I started digging around to see what other illnesses I should worry about in my travels:

ma-lar-i-a: (noun) Pathology. any of a group of diseases, usually intermittent or remittent, characterized by attacks of chills, fever, and sweating: formerly supposed to be due to swamp exhalations but now known to be caused by a parasitic protozoan, which is transferred to the human bloodstream by a mosquito of the genus Anopheles and which occupies and destroys red blood cells.

chol-er-a: (noun) Pathology. an acute, infectious disease, endemic in India and China and occasionally epidemic elsewhere, characterized by profuse diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, etc.

yellow fever: (noun) an acute, often fatal, infectious febrile disease of warm climates, caused by an RNA virus transmitted by a mosquito, esp. Aedes aegypti, and characterized by liver damage and jaundice.

meningococcal meningitis: (noun) a life-threatening infection of the fluid and tissues surrounding the brain, caused by a bacterium known as Neisseria meningitides. The infection is spread person-to-person by exposure to secretions from the nose or throat.

This is all kind of scary, as I think that I fear illness, so far from home, more than anything else. I know that I will be surrounded by a support system. I know that healthcare will be available. I am not worried about this. I’m not the best sick person. I’m a big baby when I’m sick. I call mom. I depend on others to help take care of me. Just one more thing to deal with.

Limbo February 17, 2009

Today I had several email exchanges with Madelaine, from Oasis UK. I had originally emailed Madelaine to ask about how to go about starting my fund raising process. However, we are at a slight stand-still right now because I have not been assigned a placement yet.

There is no position available working with children right now in India, so Madelaine has advised me to hang tight and wait. She is currently checking out a position in Bangladesh.

Madelaine also advised me that she found my blog today. This is especially funny to me since I wrote about my interview a few weeks ago. I was flattered to be told that I remind Madelaine of her American friends. I look forward to meeting her.

Bombay Life Center February 13, 2009

My friend, Michelle, sent me this video that shows the kids who benefit from the Bombay Life Center. Check it out!!

http://www.vimeo.com/1955876