Be Thankful.

November 19^th- 25^th:

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.
-Arthur Rubinstein

What am I thankful for?

My family. We have gone through a battlefield of tears and other life adversity but because of love and faith we stand together today, holding hands and never letting go. Life without family is nothing to me.

My better half. You help me to experience really living, really going down the path of adventure and I hope our adventure never ends. Even though we are miles and miles away I still feel your love each day I wake up with the sun. We have a connection I used to not believe in. I am thankful for the north woods and because I caught your eye that day.

My friends. For my childhood friends, high school friends, Peace Corps friends, and all every other friend who I have crossed life paths with. The greatest thing about meeting a new person is you can learn so much if you only give the moment enough time to unravel into greatness. I am thankful I love meeting new people.

I am thankful to have crossed the line into my second year of Peace Corps service.

Because I now understand the beauty in change.

For tuna, wheat bread, bananas, local vegetables, and water because without you I am not sure how I would survive here.

For my French press. I can’t survive without coffee either. I found my morning love again.

For the quotes, “Even though we don’t got money, I am so in love with you honey.” This is mine and Joey’s song. It is constantly playing in my head as a reminder that love is more life changing than money will ever be.

Lastly, I am thankful to be alive. I am thankful for every breath I take. I am thankful that I allowed my true spirit to sore, to take on a world challenge, to extend my other hand, to experience something I would not understand unless I got the opportunity to live in it. 

Just when I thought I could not be more amazed? I am more amazed. Emerson, he is a born leader and coach although I was not completely sure he truly believed it. Last week, I was walked home from the market and saw him. He joined me. He started asking me about college and if I thought it was possible for him to continue playing Ultimate Frisbee in college. I looked at him, almost screamed but I caught myself, and in a loud voice said, “Absolutely!” He is my leader of the pack. Other students are creating a school newspaper right now and one of the articles is about Frisbee. They called Emerson into the room. He answered every question with enthusiasm and accurateness. I was amazed that he really read every sentence in the Frisbee handbook I had printed off for him. Now, mastering something is the first sign of a great teacher. No wonder his athletes are improving and mastering the sport at full speed. Watching them play you would never know they were beginners. Although, I wrestle with the thought of calling them beginners anymore. This week at Sports Club I watched them go through these new running and throwing drills. Before, they would use drills that I taught them in the first weeks. I had never seen the drills before though, these were new ones. I have not had time to ask him where they came from but that is not really critical in understand that this students of mine is an amazing one. He believes in himself, I know it now.

I am thankful that I found something to commit my time to here that benefits my students and community while simultaneously holding passion power in my life.

The interesting thing about now is that I am living one of the greatest years of my life all over again. I get to experience things that sent me down the spiral of awe all over again, the festivals, the bike rides, the sunsets, the laughs, the school celebrations, the seasonal fruits, and beyond. So far, to my amazement and somewhat disbelief I think the second time around has been better. What happens when something that you did not think could get any better does? It proves that in life, anything is possible. I have been reflecting a lot because I am comparing certain events of today to last year. The events have not changed much, but I have. I can speak Tagalog more confidently, I feel more alive because I exercise again, I have built friendships with last year’s strangers, I have old friends and new friends, I feel more comfortable, I feel more at home. I think these feelings are a result of the success of fully integrating me in a place that it extremely different from where I was born. 

Write your heart out!

November 12^th- 18^th:

I want to begin this post with a challenge for anyone who reads this. I want you to get a piece of paper and a pen. Yes, only one piece of paper. Then, write and send a letter to someone. An old friend, a teacher, a neighbor, a relative, someone who comes to mind that may need a surprise, someone who you miss, someone who you want to reconnect with, anyone… just do it! I am writing about this challenge because my Aunt Marlyn frequently writes me letters. I get one every few months. Every day that I get a letter is amazing in more than one way. Her letters spark a smile that lasts longer than an ordinary smile. Her letters bring tears to my eyes every single time. Her letters make me realize the magic in taking the time to write a special note. I should mention that my Aunt’s letters are typed, but on a type writer. Her mistakes cannot be erased, her words cannot be spell checked so it is pretty much the same as using pen on paper. And seeing the font of a type writer reminds me of my childhood so that’s pretty amazing too. However, the most delightful thing about reading her letters is I find out what really matters to her. On a single page, space is clearly limited, one has to choose words carefully, choose ideas carefully, and choose moments to share carefully. This makes each sentence even more exceptional. So, get your piece of paper and pen and write something. Send something special through the air and feel your heart beat faster as you wait for the reply. We all know this world could use a little more magic. Some may say writing is not magical, but I think it is. Make some magic people.

@School: This week my school community was introduced to 18 student teachers! The student teachers are all assigned a cooperating teacher and they will observe and practice teaching until March. This is their final step on the path towards being a teacher. Last year we did not have any in English; however, this year there are FOUR. I recently did a training with all four of them so it is neat to be reconnected and have the opportunity to spend more time with them. My counterpart and I have been assigned two who will work side by side with us the rest of the school year. Joanne, one of the student teachers is my age and I am really looking forward to getting to know her more and hopefully doing a lot of projects with her help. We just created a new display in our classroom: “Every Child is an Artist” – Pablo Picasso. We tacked up tons of student artwork. It was really cool to work with someone who shares equal excitement as I do in regards to making students feel powerful and proud. Sometimes when I look into my crowd of students it frustrates me to see their eyes wandering. But, when I see them gazing at their piece of work or the work of another student, it just lifts up my energy and touches my soul. Frustration does not even cross my mind.

            Also, the other day I walked into my Principal’s office and she was putting a mess of dentist supplies in the cabinet. Of course I was curious so I had to ask why. She told me that there will be a dentist coming to the school soon. Any student that wants to have a tooth pulled can on that day. It was one of those moments where I wished I had been more aware of my reaction because I probably looked scared. Then I thought about it and I do not even know where the dentist office is on this island. I think there is one but I could be wrong. The do not have the tools or medicines to properly fill cavities so when the tooth rots, they just pull it. When they have no teeth, they get dentures.

@my house: We have three new puppies. When I moved in there were 5 dogs. Two died. Now we have SIX. They are all really cute. Whenever I walk I feel like I am going to step on them. I love that they follow me around. When I am washing my clothes they try and hop into the basin. This is both annoying and totally comical. I do have a favorite one. His name is Coco Martin. Joe told me that I have to give me lots of attention to he can become the leader of the pack. I hope he grows faster and stronger than the others. Right now he is the smallest and cutest little ball of fur. Sometimes I want to sneak him into my room and cuddle but then I remember that I am allergic. I just give him extra attention during my free time outside.

Last week I also started doing P90X. I am addicted already. I never thought I would be so excited about working out in shorts and a tank top. There is a big open space in the extra room at my house which gives me plenty of space for activities. I also came down with a cold last week. I convinced myself to stop exercising for one day but then the next I convinced myself that I was ready to rumble again. Well, as you may have guessed it actually made my sickness reach a more severe level as I diagnosed myself with bronchitis. I got antibiotics and decided to take more than ones days rest. Being sick is really hard without a big comfy bed, a bath tub and chicken noodle soup. I try so hard to pretend that I am not sick when I start to feel the phlegm but realize now that maybe I should not do this.

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my site mate, the marvelous Shea Johnson. We went on this 5 hour hike to the center of the Philippines with three jeeps full of students and teachers from her community. The sky was bright blue all day. Every step of the way created a new and exciting view. From the top we scoped out some white beaches and small islands that I did not know existed so near to me but will soon explore them to a greater degree and from a closer perspective. We danced down the mountain and picked up plastic along the way. We shared stories, life goals, ideas, and lots more for the whole adventure. I am truly going to miss you but I am thankful that you have been here with me for the past 16 or something months. You are an inspiration, a risk taker, a brave soul, a marvel, a great dancer, and I can’t wait to see you in the states! Rock on girl. Never forget the dolphins… Miracles are real. 

When one gets sidetracked from life...

November 5^th- 11^th:

“It is good to get sidetracked from life.” Those are the words that best express why I have not written in a month. Honestly, I have been procrastinating sitting down to write this with fear of being overwhelmed by my own thoughts. But then, I have never really been one to be afraid of a challenge, so here I am, ready to write. However, now that I am sitting here, prepared to type and type and type some more I am having trouble pinpointing where to start.

How am I feeling these days? I am feeling great. Lately, a lot of my mind energy is focused on home. How excited I am to see and hug the people in my life that I miss so much. The rest of my brain power is going to developing a way to help my sports club become sustainable and my new found project of developing an Awareness Club to help educate teachers and students in my community of things in life that really need to be widely known facts. Topics like teen pregnancy, human trafficking, bullying, domestic abuse, suicide. These things are never talked about and it is mind boggling to me. Karen has some contacts in the states that have given us some great resources which will serve as our starting block as we jump into this race to be aware. I have also been talking to a Peace Corps staff member who has been helping me get my hands on some materials that are going to be useful in the months to come. Yes, this will take months.

Where have I been? My weeks away from site started at MST (Mid- Service Training). Yes, we have now officially crossed over the half way mark and into the world of second year of service, the place where we talk a lot about our projects and gossip about miscellaneous nonsense instead of about each other’s sites. The most effective MST talk for me was one about volunteerism at site. I realized that I was already doing things that can classify as volunteerism; I just did not know what to call it! How cool. So, now I have the manual and hope to use it to help my students in sports club realize that they are doing more than merely exercising their mind and body. My students who are leaders and teaching others about sports and encouraging them to join are actually practicing ideals that fall under volunteerism. I have known for awhile now deep down in my soul that I have a great group of youth that I am working with. Before I go off on a tangent about that let me stick to the “Where have I been?” After MST, we all went to Manila for our medical- dental and physical. I thought that I was going to escape out of the dental office without having them tell me I need to floss more but then… at the last second, “Oh, and please try and floss more!” Seriously?!?! I almost made it! I floss every day. I thank everyone around me for that. The site of decaying teeth has lead me into the life of regular flossing. But, apparently I still need to floss more. After medical and dental I met up with Karen, Pam, Ed, and some other volunteers and we went to Howzat for two nights. Howzat is a sports bar near Manila. I felt with every particle in my body that I was in America. We were slamming beers during the all you can drink hours and eating cheese sticks, burgers, and nachos. Howzat was the beginning of the “I am spending way too much money” journey that consumed my life for the week to follow. More on this in the photo section of this post. After Howzat I went to Lipa with Karen for a few days. This is when we started our talk about the awareness club and started to gather information. Then, it was off to Puerto Galera, Mindoro! We were ready to enjoy beach, sun, beers, friends and everything that comes along with that great combination of awesomeness. The first night we were bound to stay with another volunteer but miscommunication of some sort put us on the wrong boat. We got dropped off in the sand a few hours away from where we were supposed to be. NOT the worst place to get dropped off at. It was already dark to we changed plans and met up the Ben, the volunteer, the next day for an all day excursion under the blistering sun. The beers started early and ended early, I think we were all in bed by 7pm. We spent a few days enjoying delicious homelike food, laughing, and swimming. The whole time I was in awe about the fact that I had only met these people one year ago, and one the day prior, yet somehow they are like family to me.

How did I feel once I was back at site? I felt like I need to detox. It is hard to write out every detail here displaying exactly why I felt this way. At site, I eat relatively healthy because I really have no alternative, I exercise, and I drink lots of water. During my sidetrack, I ate really good food but probably a little heavy in the cheese and fat category, I did not exercise as much, and I drank lots of beer. There is a splurge if there ever was one. Good thing my mother taught me how to not diet. I love the fact that I enjoy living a healthy lifestyle; however, when moments come into my life that drive me to eat unhealthy and live without restrictions it feels good to not feel bad about it. I did just start doing P90X again. Triple whoa, my body immediately felt better. Now, if only I have some recovery drink mixture, one thing on my list of to get when I am back in the land that has everything. In other news, seeing the students and teachers and neighbors at my site was great. Those kinds of smiles are really magical. Especially from the people who thought I had gone home forever and then they realized I was just on vacation. We have two new puppies at my house too. Just more chaos. I may live on a farm. Oh, we also had a consolidation drill for Peace Corps. It is a drill that ensures that all volunteers are accounted for and safe. We would use our consolidation point in an emergency situation. I got home Sunday night, and had to pack up an overnight bag again on Monday to head to the consolidation point. We had to stay overnight together- Catherine, shea, and myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the hot shower and night of wi-fi once last time. Now, I am back into the way of life where internet happens only once a week. Today, I was completely overwhelmed again, my mind was racing, and I really felt like I was going to fly out of my seat and I was not even drinking coffee.

So, cheers to normalcy again and detox! Enjoy the photos, xoxoxo.

My first sailing race. It was neat to see the race boats blowing by after they turned around at half way pt. The journey was pretty intense. A 3 hour adventure with lots of beer breaks. Every time the crew jibbed or attacked or whatever else, a beer was the reward. 

The moment when I thought to myself, "I am so lucky." I found myself thanking my family and friends who supported my crazy but heartfelt decision to join Peace Corps. The sole reason why I am where I am today. 

With the captain and other crew members. Dale, the captain is from Australia so we had lots to talk about straight away. They are sailing around Marinduque soon so I hope to catch up with them for part of their trip. Another crew member was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the '70s! We really enjoyed sharing stories and it was great to have a good listening here, someone who understands without explanation. Volunteers are really all connected in such a special way. 

Some more new friends that I met at the hostel after the sailing race. I had to stay an extra night (no complaints about that). It really felt good to  be on my own and simply enjoy the beauty that lies in meeting new people. Some would say it is strange that we can connect and take jager bombs all within on only hour of meeting each other... I say it is awesome. Bong, the one at the far left, invited me to sail with him again Dec. 8th! I can't wait. 

I would me lost in this part of the world without these two! 

Detox. 

Beach. This is the beach we did not really intend on going to. OOPS! We happily excepted the wrong turn.  

I <3 YOU!

Howzat. The sports bar we started at, open 24 hours with great food and drink. I took a lot of pictures of the food but I figured I would save those for my own keeping. I will definitely go back!

I took this picture yesterday. My mother sent me this awesome book about seasons of the north. I brought it to school because we are studying poety and a lot of the poems are about seasons. The pictures really helped me to teach my students about why poets write about the wonders of a changing season. After living in summer for their whole life, it is hard to imagine the changes so I really enjoyed showing them. More books are on a boat heading to my school AND  I can't wait. After seeing their eyes grow big and the questions spill out over ONE book, I am not sure how I will handle the fabulous happenings that will soon come from having like MORE THAN ONE book.