Just sending a little holiday greeting to all of you on my first Christmas morning in Tacna! I hope all of you are enjoying this time with family and friends and holiday cheer. It's been a busy time around here lately with the school year ending this week, outgoing volunteers going home, family and friends of 2nd year volunteers visiting for Christmas, and new volunteers (that's me!) moving into the JV house last Sunday. Lots of transitions, lots of excitement, but always surrounded by lots of great people so I'm still feeling very grateful to be here.
My housemates' families have been so wonderful about inviting me to all of their dinners and celebrations this past week. It's been great getting to know them, and it reminds me a lot of all the times parents came to visit Holy Cross and adopted me into their families because I was far away from home. The other night we all shared a really special meal with one of our neighbors, Mary, a longtime friend and 2nd mother to the JVs. She prepared probably the best empanadas I've ever tasted first of all, but throughout the entire meal was explaining to all the families how much she loves their children, how wonderful she thinks they are, and that they are always welcome in her house, like another member of the family. She said all of this in Spanish that we then translated for the parents, but she spoke so expressively and with so much emotion that it almost didn't seem necessary to translate. It was really beautiful to see them communicating through the language barrier, using just their hands and facial expressions. Mary also talked about the succession of volunteers that she's been close with over the years (especially the women) and how that chain will never be broken because new JVs come and overlap with old ones, right away being invited into all the friendships that already exist. That's a pretty special feeling for me to know that even though she and I just met, there's already a strong foundation of confianza (trust) and friendship between us just based on the relationships she's had with my compañeras who have come before me.
That was just one of many moments this past week that made me so excited to have my own family here a year from now, sharing with them this amazing community and the people that have welcomed me into it.
As far as my first Peruvian Christmas goes...yesterday was a pretty low-key day, but we did some holiday baking and then I got to visit this house that sets up 8 or 9 ridiculously elaborate nacimientos (Nativity scenes) that each represent a different region of Peru. They must have had thousands of little figurines set up, ranging from traditional Peruvian dancers to enormously oversized (and white) baby Jesuses to stuffed monkeys in the jungle nacimiento. They were cool to see though, and an interesting portrayal of Peru's diverse people and traditions.
Last night we all went to Christmas Eve mass at our chapel in Habitat. Cara and I were on choir duty again so we sang Ave Maria for probably the 5th or 6th time since I've been here, as well as a Spanish version of the Silent Night/Night of Silence arrangement that both of us sang in college. That was always one of my favorite songs we sang at Holy Cross, so it was really cool to teach it to our kids here and see such a beautiful result last night. Cara's dad was nice enough to record it for me so I'll try to put that video on here soon. After mass we participated in a really nice tradition of delivering Christmas food baskets to 4 of the poorest families in Habitat. Fr Fred led the way in his car, followed by Carlos and his guitar, all of us and our families, and any other neighbors/students who wanted to come. We sang villancicos (Christmas carols) at each door as we delivered the baskets (Feliz Navidad made several appearances) and all the families were very grateful for the gesture.
After that we all parted ways and spent the rest of Christmas Eve with our host families. The tradition in Peru is to gather with family late at night and countdown to midnight (New Years Eve style) at which time everyone toasts to baby Jesus with champagne, fireworks go off like crazy, and baby Jesus is finally placed in the nacimiento. We did all of this at my host mom's sister's house, followed by a quick amigo secreto (secret santa) gift exchange, then hurried back to their house so we could finally eat. By the time we got back, reheated the turkey, and set the table it was well after 1am...even my year in Spain did not prepare me for a full on turkey dinner that late at night! But it was fun and delicious all the same, and they kindly excused me from the table around 2:30 as I was falling asleep in my chair.
Now it's Christmas morning and I am the first one awake, just like when I was little. I'll probably have breakfast here with my host family and then head back to my new home in Habitat to relax for the rest of the day. Mom's Christmas package included a box of candy canes, Christmas cookie cutters, and our old Muppet Family Christmas video (I specifically requested the vhs that we taped from tv probably 15 years ago, complete with awesome early 90s commercials) so I think candy, baking, and muppets are all in my future for today and I am very happy about that.
I'm wishing all of you the very best today and for the new year, and know that I'll be thinking of you all day and sending lots of holiday cheer from Tacna to wherever you are. Feliz Navidad a todos...a very Merry Christmas to all!!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Fotos, Por Fin!
Here is some photo evidence of my life thus far in Tacna. This first one is of my community mates and me after our dance at Dia Familiar last Sunday (which came out very well by the way). I was the only JV who danced as a woman because we were lacking hombres (the 2 girls not in the picture also did the guy part), and yes those braids are fake. Many more to come of course, so stay tuned!
We just returned from a 3 day beach adventure which was lovely. Saturday was a field trip with the first year students from secondary so we spent all day playing games and swimming with them then camped on the beach. It was fun, but camping with 28 13 year olds equals not a lot of sleep. Then Sunday was paseo a la playa for all Miguel Pro teachers and families so the beach was full of our students and coworkers. After that the 5 of us JVs went to a beach house nearby to have our first retreat as a community. It was just one day but it was really nice to spend that time together just the 5 of us and start to talk about some of the issues we'll be facing together this year. We're all a little tired and sunburned now but it was definitely nice to see the ocean and do some reflecting on our time here so far and the year ahead.
Last week we had a really nice mass in the cathedral to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Jesuits in Tacna. All the local Jesuits came, plus the bishop of Tacna and the cardinal, who also happens to be a Jesuit. I've been helping out with the choir at Miguel Pro and our kids sang at the mass so I had a lot of fun working with them that night. AND my community mate Cara and I got to sing Ave Maria in front of a cathedral full of people, cardinal and all! The music director asked us if we knew it in Latin about a week before the mass because the kids were singing it in Spanish, and we kinda said yeah, I mean most Catholics can at least hum it. So I looked up all the words online, listened to Pavarotti sing it about 12 times on youtube, then we sang it, without having practiced even once! It came out really well and we got tons of compliments on the music that night, but I just couldn't help laughing at how last minute the whole thing was, especially for such a big mass like that. No rehearsal, no sheet music, no problem! Only in Peru...
Tomorrow I'm making my teaching debut as I take over Chelsea's 2nd grade class in primary and Cara's 2nd/3rd year advanced English class in secondary (the equivalent of our 8th/9th grades). We just have 2 weeks of school left before Christmas/summer vacation so this is our chance to get some test runs in before we have to do it for real and by ourselves in March. It looks like I'll be teaching both of those groups of kids next year, along with preschool (3, 4, and 5 year olds!!) and either a first year or 4th/5th year mixed class in secondary. I've observed almost every teacher in the school by now, interacted with lots of students, and helped out in both of these classes last week so I'm feeling ready to go and am really excited to see how I do in front of a classroom. And of course Chelsea and Cara will still be there if I need an assist. So wish me luck, and let me know if you can think of a way to make prepositions of movement any less boring than they sound. Enjoy the photos!
Profesora Maureen
Carlos (the choir director and my dance partner), Cara and me on Dia Familiar.
The view from my bedroom window at my host family's house. Hello desert!
Seamus, Cara and me at our welcome to Tacna lunch
The primary building at Miguel Pro
The sign with which Seamus and I were welcomed upon our arrival at the Tacna airport.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tenemos Tanto Para Estar Agradecidos
Translation: we have much to be thankful for.
This was one of the songs that Cara, Christa and I sang at our Thanksgiving mass last night at Miguel Pro and I found it very appropriate for both the time of year and what I've been feeling my first couple weeks here. The mass (and turkey dinner!) were held in the teacher's lounge at school with maybe 30 people present, and for the homily Fr Fred had us all go around in a circle and say what we were thankful for. I guess that's a pretty typical pre-Thanksgiving dinner tradition, but for whatever reason those moments of sharing in each other's gratitude really touched me, and made me feel so fortunate to be here and a part of this community. Many of the teachers expressed their love for this Miguel Pro family, and I can already tell it's going to be a really wonderful place for me to work. I've hardly been here 2 weeks and so many of these teachers have already taken me under their wings and done so much to make me feel welcome here, from giving me teaching advice to helping me with dance steps to dubbing me with new nicknames (the 3rd grade teacher has taken to calling me Blue Eyes, and sings this song called Ojos Azules whenever she sees me). Apparently they dont see blue eyes very often down here.
My community mates have also been so helpful, showing us around Tacna and explaining all the ins and outs of life here, introducing us to all of their friends and inviting us to various lunch parties and get togethers, and doing all they can to make us feel comfortable and at home. I'm really looking forward to moving into our house next month and finally starting real community life.
And of course living with a host family has been wonderful, always having someone to take care of me and little sisters to hang out with. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my host family, and having them as a constant source of support and friendship throughout my 2 years in Tacna.
So indeed I have much to be thankful for, between all the communities that I just left (but carry with me wherever I go!) and this new very special one that I am just joining. For all of this, and all that is to come, gracias Señor! Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!!
And now I'll leave you with a few interesting tidbits on Peruvian customs I've learned so far:
1. No bus is ever too full for more passengers, even if they're toting several oversized grocery bags, gas tanks, or multiple small children. Also, there aren't really any bus stops here. You have to flag them down when you want to get on, and yell baja, baja if you want to get off. Always keeps you on your toes.
2. Watch out for cars, they don't stop! And not just the yellow ones either. I've had several near death experiences walking around downtown Tacna because I assumed being in a crosswalk gave me the right of way but apparently they don't teach that rule in drivers ed down here, if they even have drivers ed...
3. Toilet paper cannot be flushed down the toilet, and tap water must be boiled before drinking.
4. When you live in the desert, sometimes the water gets turned off during the day to conserve. That means no showers, no hand-washing, no toilet flushing, and you better have saved up some drinking water from the day before.
5. If you ride in the trunk of the colectivos (like taxis, but they pick up more people until they're full) you only have to pay 50 cents instead of 1 sol!
6. Almost every Peruvian school begins each week with lunes cívico, during which all the students line up outside by grade, some marching happens, and then everyone sings both the school song and the Peruvian national anthem.
7. Simpático means attractive in Peru, not nice...that led to some confusion in a conversation I had last week.
8. The only milk I've seen here has been evaporated which means I don't drink it unless it's mixed with Nescafe...which is the only coffee we have. Hint hint if anyone wants to send me Christmas presents....
9. This was the case in Spain as well, but never show up on time for anything! You'll end up waiting at least half an hour for things to get started.
10. When people invite you over they expect you to eat, and potentially to stay the entire day. This one I really like, as it really shows the value Peruvians place on family, friends, and spending time with the people you love. I can't tell you how many times I've already heard the phrase Sírvete, estás en tu casa (literally: serve yourself, you're at home). We've enjoyed many wonderful meals with many wonderful people over the past 2 weeks, and I know there are many more to come.
Ciao amigos, y cuídense mucho! And hopefully by the time I write next I will have memorized the Peruvian national anthem.
This was one of the songs that Cara, Christa and I sang at our Thanksgiving mass last night at Miguel Pro and I found it very appropriate for both the time of year and what I've been feeling my first couple weeks here. The mass (and turkey dinner!) were held in the teacher's lounge at school with maybe 30 people present, and for the homily Fr Fred had us all go around in a circle and say what we were thankful for. I guess that's a pretty typical pre-Thanksgiving dinner tradition, but for whatever reason those moments of sharing in each other's gratitude really touched me, and made me feel so fortunate to be here and a part of this community. Many of the teachers expressed their love for this Miguel Pro family, and I can already tell it's going to be a really wonderful place for me to work. I've hardly been here 2 weeks and so many of these teachers have already taken me under their wings and done so much to make me feel welcome here, from giving me teaching advice to helping me with dance steps to dubbing me with new nicknames (the 3rd grade teacher has taken to calling me Blue Eyes, and sings this song called Ojos Azules whenever she sees me). Apparently they dont see blue eyes very often down here.
My community mates have also been so helpful, showing us around Tacna and explaining all the ins and outs of life here, introducing us to all of their friends and inviting us to various lunch parties and get togethers, and doing all they can to make us feel comfortable and at home. I'm really looking forward to moving into our house next month and finally starting real community life.
And of course living with a host family has been wonderful, always having someone to take care of me and little sisters to hang out with. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my host family, and having them as a constant source of support and friendship throughout my 2 years in Tacna.
So indeed I have much to be thankful for, between all the communities that I just left (but carry with me wherever I go!) and this new very special one that I am just joining. For all of this, and all that is to come, gracias Señor! Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!!
And now I'll leave you with a few interesting tidbits on Peruvian customs I've learned so far:
1. No bus is ever too full for more passengers, even if they're toting several oversized grocery bags, gas tanks, or multiple small children. Also, there aren't really any bus stops here. You have to flag them down when you want to get on, and yell baja, baja if you want to get off. Always keeps you on your toes.
2. Watch out for cars, they don't stop! And not just the yellow ones either. I've had several near death experiences walking around downtown Tacna because I assumed being in a crosswalk gave me the right of way but apparently they don't teach that rule in drivers ed down here, if they even have drivers ed...
3. Toilet paper cannot be flushed down the toilet, and tap water must be boiled before drinking.
4. When you live in the desert, sometimes the water gets turned off during the day to conserve. That means no showers, no hand-washing, no toilet flushing, and you better have saved up some drinking water from the day before.
5. If you ride in the trunk of the colectivos (like taxis, but they pick up more people until they're full) you only have to pay 50 cents instead of 1 sol!
6. Almost every Peruvian school begins each week with lunes cívico, during which all the students line up outside by grade, some marching happens, and then everyone sings both the school song and the Peruvian national anthem.
7. Simpático means attractive in Peru, not nice...that led to some confusion in a conversation I had last week.
8. The only milk I've seen here has been evaporated which means I don't drink it unless it's mixed with Nescafe...which is the only coffee we have. Hint hint if anyone wants to send me Christmas presents....
9. This was the case in Spain as well, but never show up on time for anything! You'll end up waiting at least half an hour for things to get started.
10. When people invite you over they expect you to eat, and potentially to stay the entire day. This one I really like, as it really shows the value Peruvians place on family, friends, and spending time with the people you love. I can't tell you how many times I've already heard the phrase Sírvete, estás en tu casa (literally: serve yourself, you're at home). We've enjoyed many wonderful meals with many wonderful people over the past 2 weeks, and I know there are many more to come.
Ciao amigos, y cuídense mucho! And hopefully by the time I write next I will have memorized the Peruvian national anthem.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Here I am!
Well today marks my first full week in Tacna so I thought it was about time for a little update. Things are going very well so far, just lots of new people and information and things to take in so its been a tad overwhelming, but poco a poco I'm adjusting (sidenote-i forget how to use spanish keyboards so for now I'll mostly be ignoring punctuation. sorry).
We made it here without any problems last Friday, and all of our community mates plus our incountry coordinator Fr Dolan and the legendary Fr Fred were all at the airport to greet us. Fr Fred is now celebrating 50 YEARS in Tacna, and he is responsible for both the Cristo Rey and Miguel Pro schools where all of us JVs teach, as well as the entire Habitat community where we live. Hes a pretty amazing man, so Ill try to do more justice to his life and work in another post.
Our house is small but very comfortable, and its just down the street from Miguel Pro so Ill have an easy commute to work. Weve already spent a lot of time at the school this week, getting to know some of the teachers and students, learning more about its history and how it runs, as well as observing classes. Its late spring right now in Peru so classes will be finishing up in about 3 weeks, just in time for Christmas and summer vacation (thats gonna be weird!). The observations have been really helpful, giving me lots of ideas on how teachers here deal with their students and classroom management and things like that. Half of me feels so ready to just jump in and start, but the other half is still terrified of getting up in front of a classroom and teaching (in Spanish nonetheless). In any case Im grateful for this time to get acclimated, improve my spanish, and mentally prepare before I actually have to teach.
Last night I met my host family that Ill be living with starting on Monday until about the 20th of December. They have 3 daughters, 14, 15 and a 20 year old who lives in Lima so I should feel right at home. They were all super nice and I had a lot of fun talking with them last night, so Im excited to start that part of my immersion here. This weekend several of us will be joining a group of 35 Miguel Pro high schoolers on their campamento, kind of like an overnight retreat/field trip in a nearby town called Atarata. Im looking forward to seeing a new place as well as getting to know some of these students before we go on Mes de Mision with them in January (Ill write about that later...)
What else...the city of Tacna is actually much bigger than I was expecting, very bustling with lots of markets and open plazas-you can find anything there that youd need. We live about a 15 minute bus ride from the city center.
Oh something else weve been working on is our dance for the big Dia Familiar at Miguel Pro a week from Sunday. Its an all day affair where all the students perform different traditional dances from all over Peru, and the teachers have to do one as well. Were doing a dance called a Huayno and weve had 2 rehearsals so far, so I think Im getting it down. I am definitely not a dancer, but that may change by the time I leave this place because dancing is such a huge part of Peruvian life and culture. We went to a birthday party on Saturday and danced, ate at a restaurant on Sunday and danced whenever we werent eating, and attended a students quincinera last weekend and danced pretty much the entire time. I wish I were more graceful but Im trying to learn a few steps.
Well I think thats all for now, Im off to observe a primary class, but Ill try to update again soon. Happy Friday everyone! Lots of love and besos from Tacna,
Mo
We made it here without any problems last Friday, and all of our community mates plus our incountry coordinator Fr Dolan and the legendary Fr Fred were all at the airport to greet us. Fr Fred is now celebrating 50 YEARS in Tacna, and he is responsible for both the Cristo Rey and Miguel Pro schools where all of us JVs teach, as well as the entire Habitat community where we live. Hes a pretty amazing man, so Ill try to do more justice to his life and work in another post.
Our house is small but very comfortable, and its just down the street from Miguel Pro so Ill have an easy commute to work. Weve already spent a lot of time at the school this week, getting to know some of the teachers and students, learning more about its history and how it runs, as well as observing classes. Its late spring right now in Peru so classes will be finishing up in about 3 weeks, just in time for Christmas and summer vacation (thats gonna be weird!). The observations have been really helpful, giving me lots of ideas on how teachers here deal with their students and classroom management and things like that. Half of me feels so ready to just jump in and start, but the other half is still terrified of getting up in front of a classroom and teaching (in Spanish nonetheless). In any case Im grateful for this time to get acclimated, improve my spanish, and mentally prepare before I actually have to teach.
Last night I met my host family that Ill be living with starting on Monday until about the 20th of December. They have 3 daughters, 14, 15 and a 20 year old who lives in Lima so I should feel right at home. They were all super nice and I had a lot of fun talking with them last night, so Im excited to start that part of my immersion here. This weekend several of us will be joining a group of 35 Miguel Pro high schoolers on their campamento, kind of like an overnight retreat/field trip in a nearby town called Atarata. Im looking forward to seeing a new place as well as getting to know some of these students before we go on Mes de Mision with them in January (Ill write about that later...)
What else...the city of Tacna is actually much bigger than I was expecting, very bustling with lots of markets and open plazas-you can find anything there that youd need. We live about a 15 minute bus ride from the city center.
Oh something else weve been working on is our dance for the big Dia Familiar at Miguel Pro a week from Sunday. Its an all day affair where all the students perform different traditional dances from all over Peru, and the teachers have to do one as well. Were doing a dance called a Huayno and weve had 2 rehearsals so far, so I think Im getting it down. I am definitely not a dancer, but that may change by the time I leave this place because dancing is such a huge part of Peruvian life and culture. We went to a birthday party on Saturday and danced, ate at a restaurant on Sunday and danced whenever we werent eating, and attended a students quincinera last weekend and danced pretty much the entire time. I wish I were more graceful but Im trying to learn a few steps.
Well I think thats all for now, Im off to observe a primary class, but Ill try to update again soon. Happy Friday everyone! Lots of love and besos from Tacna,
Mo
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Heart Don't Fail Me Now...
A little shoutout to all my fellow Anastasia fans (ahem Allie, Emma, and Jeana :)
Well I'm off! Literally out the door right now. I currently have over 20 voicemails saved on my phone from the last several days and I am so so sorry I just couldn't return them all. But know that I appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and birthday wishes from the bottom of my heart and I will be thinking of all of you as I take off this afternoon.
Please stay in touch and I will talk to you all from Peru!!
Lots of love,
Mo
Well I'm off! Literally out the door right now. I currently have over 20 voicemails saved on my phone from the last several days and I am so so sorry I just couldn't return them all. But know that I appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and birthday wishes from the bottom of my heart and I will be thinking of all of you as I take off this afternoon.
Please stay in touch and I will talk to you all from Peru!!
Lots of love,
Mo
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Life Ain't a Track Meet, It's a Marathon
Isn't that the truth. Here are a few pictures from the Portland Marathon for those who are interested:
Post-race family shot
Collecting all my free stuff (they give you roses because Portland is the Rose City)
Mile 19ish-Kate jumped in to run with me!
Post-race family shot
Collecting all my free stuff (they give you roses because Portland is the Rose City)
Mile 19ish-Kate jumped in to run with me! Approaching the finish line.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Final Countdown
"And if you never stop when you wave goodbye
You just might find if you give it time
You will wave hello again
You just might wave hello again."
-John Mayer "Wheel"
I HATE goodbyes. You all should know that by now. But unfortunately these next 11 days are going to be full of them. Today marked the beginning of the end for me as I said goodbye to 7 of my friends from Holy Cross who came from all over the country to spend the weekend with me in Seattle. I played tour guide most of the time they were here since most had never been here before, but the weekend culminated in a celebration of all things fall last night. Over 20 people gathered in my house to share a full blown Thanksgiving dinner (since I'll be missing the real one) and since it also happened to be Halloween we spent the evening in costume as well. Although the tryptophan knocked us all out pretty early, it was still so much fun to celebrate with family and friends last night, and to be surrounded by so many great people all weekend. I am reminded time and time again of how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life. These past few days have been full of those reminders as friends traveled from near and far to come visit me and spend one last weekend together before I take off. It was especially cool because I already said goodbye to most of these people after graduation thinking I wouldn't see them again before I left. Just goes to show you never know when you might cross paths with someone again!
It's hard for me to believe that I won't be seeing any of you for a pretty long time. I know that we'll keep in touch and that you'll all still be here when I come back, but I also know that I won't be able to have as much contact with you as I would like. I take comfort in the fact that I have felt similarly before every big transition in my life, and each one has turned into an even more life-giving and meaningful experience full of new and wonderful people, so I have high hopes about my upcoming experience with JVI. But no matter how excited I am or how right this feels, it's still hard for me to say goodbye. My mind will be racing this week about all the things I still have to buy/pack/finish before I leave, but above all of that I'll be thinking of all of you and how much our shared experiences have shaped me over the years. If I don't get a chance to see or call you in the next twelve days know that I'm thinking about you nonetheless, and I'll try to write you a letter the first chance I get.
In the meantime, the countdown to November 12th is on, at which point I'll stop waving goodbye and start waving hello to my new home in Tacna.
You just might find if you give it time
You will wave hello again
You just might wave hello again."
-John Mayer "Wheel"
I HATE goodbyes. You all should know that by now. But unfortunately these next 11 days are going to be full of them. Today marked the beginning of the end for me as I said goodbye to 7 of my friends from Holy Cross who came from all over the country to spend the weekend with me in Seattle. I played tour guide most of the time they were here since most had never been here before, but the weekend culminated in a celebration of all things fall last night. Over 20 people gathered in my house to share a full blown Thanksgiving dinner (since I'll be missing the real one) and since it also happened to be Halloween we spent the evening in costume as well. Although the tryptophan knocked us all out pretty early, it was still so much fun to celebrate with family and friends last night, and to be surrounded by so many great people all weekend. I am reminded time and time again of how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life. These past few days have been full of those reminders as friends traveled from near and far to come visit me and spend one last weekend together before I take off. It was especially cool because I already said goodbye to most of these people after graduation thinking I wouldn't see them again before I left. Just goes to show you never know when you might cross paths with someone again!
It's hard for me to believe that I won't be seeing any of you for a pretty long time. I know that we'll keep in touch and that you'll all still be here when I come back, but I also know that I won't be able to have as much contact with you as I would like. I take comfort in the fact that I have felt similarly before every big transition in my life, and each one has turned into an even more life-giving and meaningful experience full of new and wonderful people, so I have high hopes about my upcoming experience with JVI. But no matter how excited I am or how right this feels, it's still hard for me to say goodbye. My mind will be racing this week about all the things I still have to buy/pack/finish before I leave, but above all of that I'll be thinking of all of you and how much our shared experiences have shaped me over the years. If I don't get a chance to see or call you in the next twelve days know that I'm thinking about you nonetheless, and I'll try to write you a letter the first chance I get.
In the meantime, the countdown to November 12th is on, at which point I'll stop waving goodbye and start waving hello to my new home in Tacna.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
If You're Out There...
....sing along with me, and read my blog! If you don't get that reference, please listen to this song. It's one of my all-time favorites and it will change your life.
So now that I have an official departure date (November 12th!!) and it's officially less than one month away (?!) I figured it was about time for me to get blogging. Now you can all be a part of the rollercoaster of extreme emotions I'm about to ride for the next few weeks, and maybe those of you who have already been through it can help me stay sane. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to get to Peru and finally start this new chapter of my life. I have been waiting for months, living vicariously through fellow JV's pictures and blogs, and slowly marking off the days until November. I haven't spent this much time at home since before college, so while it has been wonderful, I'm beginning to feel like it's time for me to go. And once I finish everything that I'm doing right now, I think I'll be ready.
These extra few months at home have truly been a blessing though, filled with family, friends, beautiful fall weather, and many unexpected gifts. Never in my life have I felt so relaxed, so at peace, yet still so excited for the adventures that await me just around the corner. And because I didn't get a job for this in-between time I've been able to do some pretty cool stuff! Just to recap...since my graduation from Holy Cross on May 22nd I have:
-driven across the country with Emma, Jeana, and Henrietta, covering 15 states and over 5,000 miles in 2 weeks
-spent two amazing weeks at John Carroll University for JVI orientation, meeting so many incredible new JV's, former JV's, and staff members who have already impacted my life in ways I never could have imagined
-helped coach the Seattle Prep girls cross-country team (the team I ran on for 4 years in high school) which has been so much fun and allowed me to reconnect with/meet a lot of wonderful people
-run my first marathon in Portland! no words can describe how amazing that was
And those are just the highlights! So like I said, many unexpected gifts have come out of these experiences and I am just feeling so incredibly blessed to be exactly where I am right now, soaking up all that is wonderful and life-giving about home and preparing myself for this next big adventure.
Oh and before I close this inaugural post, I wanted to briefly explain the title of my blog. It comes from a poem by Spanish poet Antonio Machado from his collection Campos de Castilla. I wrote my final paper for my Spanish poetry class on this poem right before I left Spain, and the words have stuck with me ever since:
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.
If you don't speak Spanish I'm so sorry because my very rough translation does not do this poem justice, and it's just not nearly as pretty in English, but I'll do my best:
Wanderer, your footsteps are
the way, and nothing more;
Wanderer there is no way,
the way is made by walking.
By walking one makes the way,
and looking behind
one sees the path that never
will be traveled again.
Wanderer there is no way,
only trails upon the sea.
I've always loved those lines, "Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar" because they speak to my wandering spirit. I've never known exactly which path to follow in my life, I've just known I needed to go somewhere. My wanderings from Seattle to Worcester to Kenya to Spain to everywhere in between have opened my eyes to a world that's so much bigger than the one I grew up in, and I trust that my wanderings in Peru will teach me, challenge me, and change me even more. Like Machado says, there is no set way we have to live our lives, we just have to live them!
So this is me living mine, haciendo mi propio camino (making my own way). I have no idea where these next two years will lead me, but I'm sure my camino will be an interesting one, and I can't wait to see where it goes!
Until next time,
la caminante
(the wanderer)
So now that I have an official departure date (November 12th!!) and it's officially less than one month away (?!) I figured it was about time for me to get blogging. Now you can all be a part of the rollercoaster of extreme emotions I'm about to ride for the next few weeks, and maybe those of you who have already been through it can help me stay sane. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to get to Peru and finally start this new chapter of my life. I have been waiting for months, living vicariously through fellow JV's pictures and blogs, and slowly marking off the days until November. I haven't spent this much time at home since before college, so while it has been wonderful, I'm beginning to feel like it's time for me to go. And once I finish everything that I'm doing right now, I think I'll be ready.
These extra few months at home have truly been a blessing though, filled with family, friends, beautiful fall weather, and many unexpected gifts. Never in my life have I felt so relaxed, so at peace, yet still so excited for the adventures that await me just around the corner. And because I didn't get a job for this in-between time I've been able to do some pretty cool stuff! Just to recap...since my graduation from Holy Cross on May 22nd I have:
-driven across the country with Emma, Jeana, and Henrietta, covering 15 states and over 5,000 miles in 2 weeks
-spent two amazing weeks at John Carroll University for JVI orientation, meeting so many incredible new JV's, former JV's, and staff members who have already impacted my life in ways I never could have imagined
-helped coach the Seattle Prep girls cross-country team (the team I ran on for 4 years in high school) which has been so much fun and allowed me to reconnect with/meet a lot of wonderful people
-run my first marathon in Portland! no words can describe how amazing that was
And those are just the highlights! So like I said, many unexpected gifts have come out of these experiences and I am just feeling so incredibly blessed to be exactly where I am right now, soaking up all that is wonderful and life-giving about home and preparing myself for this next big adventure.
Oh and before I close this inaugural post, I wanted to briefly explain the title of my blog. It comes from a poem by Spanish poet Antonio Machado from his collection Campos de Castilla. I wrote my final paper for my Spanish poetry class on this poem right before I left Spain, and the words have stuck with me ever since:
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.
If you don't speak Spanish I'm so sorry because my very rough translation does not do this poem justice, and it's just not nearly as pretty in English, but I'll do my best:
Wanderer, your footsteps are
the way, and nothing more;
Wanderer there is no way,
the way is made by walking.
By walking one makes the way,
and looking behind
one sees the path that never
will be traveled again.
Wanderer there is no way,
only trails upon the sea.
I've always loved those lines, "Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar" because they speak to my wandering spirit. I've never known exactly which path to follow in my life, I've just known I needed to go somewhere. My wanderings from Seattle to Worcester to Kenya to Spain to everywhere in between have opened my eyes to a world that's so much bigger than the one I grew up in, and I trust that my wanderings in Peru will teach me, challenge me, and change me even more. Like Machado says, there is no set way we have to live our lives, we just have to live them!
So this is me living mine, haciendo mi propio camino (making my own way). I have no idea where these next two years will lead me, but I'm sure my camino will be an interesting one, and I can't wait to see where it goes!
Until next time,
la caminante
(the wanderer)
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