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.