week 10

it's been a while. i've been busy. 


i am now midway through my 10th week of law school. it is still quite bizarre to me that i am here. midterms turned out well, but finals are already looming. ack! 


trying to find a balance between schoolwork and rest is difficult. i love being so close to st. augustine, but it feels really far away most days. 


i am thankful for little lifelines. quick chats with brittany. notes on my car from amy. a message from allison checking in. and i am going to hug kim in less than a month! these things are sustaining through the hours and hours of reading and thinking and listening and writing that i do each week for classes. 


so that's me. sorry if i tend to be a little overwhelmed and even a bit negative nellie if you ask me how i am. law school is crazy town, and this is the part i just need to get through. ask me on december 10. i will have only good things to say.

Brain Break: Reggie Watts

So I am a fan of the brain break. I am 100% positive I will be taking them often now that I am in law school and spend a lot of my day reading very tedious and complicated court cases.

Which brings me to Reggie Watts. I first saw him on Conan, and was blown away. He is hard to describe, but I guess you could call him a comedic performer. Anyway, he incorporates jokes, music, anecdotes, accents, and so much more into his act. Apparently a lot of it is improvised as well. But really, he is worth watching just for the hair and sweaters.



To fully appreciate his variety, you need to watch a few of his performances. The elements are usually the same, but he is all over the place as far as content goes. Here's another Conan performance (OH MY GOSH THE SWEATER IN THIS ONE IS INCREDIBLE):



Not only is he funny, but he has actual musical talent. The way that performers are able to loop and play their instruments and vocals always mesmerizes me. Andrew Bird does it a lot too, and I love it.

This one is really different. His monologue at the beginning cracks me up. And the music is great!



He does have the tendency to get a little *colorful* at times, and the video below is an example of that. But it made me LAUGH OUT LOUD when I first heard it! Don't play if there are tiny ears around...



Thank you, Reggie Watts, for giving me a little moment of rest between reading for Contracts and Torts. :)

A Long Overdue Update...

So, last time we spoke (although hopefully I have actually spoken to you between now and then), I was freaking out about where to go to law school. Long story short, I am now sitting in my apartment in Jacksonville after having worked most of the day to prepare for my first week of classes at Florida Coastal. Decision made and executed!

I ultimately decided to wait until FCSL's deadline, and if I hadn't heard from FSU by then, I would just commit. And it was the right decision, because I still haven't heard from FSU. (I might still, since they don't start classes until the end of the month, but too bad so sad for them, because they missed out on me!)

I definitely am confident in my decision. I spoke to Brittany not long after I made the leap, and was able to finally articulate what I have been thinking- I know that law school is expensive. But I also know that God calls us to sometimes make sacrifices to follow him, and I feel like the sacrifice I am being called to make is financial. Yeah, I am taking on some debt. But it takes school to go into the fields I am praying about, and school takes money. Plus, since it all belongs to him anyway, it isn't so much my debt as the re-allocation of resources. ;)

So I am ecstatic to be back in North Florida and have never been more excited to go to church in the morning. Yay Coquina! And it does my heart good to be back with my favorite family, the Sivyers. Classes start Monday, and I am feeling ready to begin. I know that it is going to be CRAZY, I have been told over and over that I will have no life and will be stressed out and frustrated, but I know that there is a larger purpose.

I was thinking last night about the women's prison in Haiti, and was overwhelmed by the fact that most of those women are probably still in that filthy, rat-infested place. (For the post I wrote right after I visited, click here.) So much has changed for me in the past year, but nothing has changed for them. I will never forget what it felt like for me, a rich white girl who has had every opportunity in the world, to stand in that place. I know now that it was a point of no return for me. I could not walk out of the gate the same. The way I was living my life was no longer enough. Teaching is incredible, and I am so thankful to have so many caring, wonderful people in my life who are called to it, but I think that God brought me to that prison to push me out of my "comfort zone" and into something a bit more dangerous. I almost feel like I am carrying some little piece of their burden, and I certainly don't mean to sound trite, as nothing I have ever or will ever experience is even close to what they are. So not burden, maybe it is more responsibility, that I will take the ridiculous blessings life has afforded me and spread them around.

This is definitely rambly and a bit stream of consciousness. But I think it is the best I can do at the moment, as I have spent all day reading legalese about Property and Contracts and Torts, and my brain is a little more than scrambled. :)

So pictures. These are mostly for my mom, who with my dad were ONCE AGAIN AMAZINGLY GRACIOUS ENOUGH to help me move. 8 moves in 8 years is a lot to ask! Unfortunately they had to head back up to Tennessee before my place was truly settled, and I know that she wants to know that I have a little home here. But I figured maybe others would like to see them too. That way you know what to expect when you all come visit me. :)



Here's my living room. I have a lovely view of a retention pond, and yes, there are already pretzel M&Ms on the coffee table. I am allowed one bag a month. And they will be savored.



The view into my little kitchen. Notice my best friend altar? :)



Here is my amazing couch I got for a steal! And all the roommates I have had will recognize my artwork. What can I say? I love Cary Grant!



My place is a one bedroom, with plenty of space for just me. Never fear, this is not the only bookshelf.



Why yes, this is the shelf that both (a) cost more than anything else in my apartment and (b) will CONSUME MY LIFE for the next few months!



My little bathroom. You can see in the mirror my lovely Patty Springfield art on the wall. Love indeed!



A close-up because she is that amazing. :)



And here's my room. My lamp looks like it is exploding. I promise it isn't. It matches the one on the other side, just a bit bigger.



Alternate view



One of my FREE! pieces of furniture received through the blessing of Amy Lane's connections! Amy and I knew each other in high school, and I seem to be following her through life. She attended Flagler before me, was a member at one of the founding Coquina churches, and just finished her first year at FCSL. She has already been a HUGE help and encouragement, and I am so thankful!

So yesterday Brittany brought the boys up to my place to do some swimming. I quickly learned what knick-knacks were in Ezra's reach to prepare for next time. :)



What a sweet face!



Gabe really was happy and great 99% of the morning, but a skinned knee and not wanting to come in resulted in this very sad face.



It turns out the trick to keeping kids from destroying the room is putting Yo Gabba Gabba on tv. Yep, I am going to totally be that bad aunt that lets them watch tv. :)

There you go. I am here, I am maybe ready, and don't be surprised if I continue to be a very spotty blogger.

I also owe lots of people on my subscriber list phone calls. I promise, I haven't forgotten you! :)

so here's the situation.

:: i have been praying about and working towards law school for the fall.
:: i was accepted into florida coastal, but it is SUPER EXPENSIVE.
:: my housing option that would make that somewhat affordable has fallen through.
:: i have been put on a wait list for fsu, and will find out if i am in anywhere from monday to august 24 (5 days before classes start!)
:: i have to put a nonrefundable $400 deposit for my spot at florida coastal down by june 15.

so there you go. i am trying not to freak out, but not doing a very good job at it. would you mind praying for me? i am feeling the need for clarity, wisdom, and peace, and finding those things very hard to find.

BLARG.

2011 Fruit of the Summer!

If you happened to be lucky enough to attend this year's Fruit of the Summer Reveal Celebration, you enjoyed your first taste of what promises to be a delicious season- the Summer of the Peach! Peach Bellini's were a great way to kick it off. (For those who would like to re-live the moment, you too can enjoy Peach Bellini's simply by mixing champagne and Peach nectar. Thanks, Judith!)

The whole point of picking a Fruit of the Summer is to enjoy and learn how to integrate the particular fruit into your life. So be sure to try a few new recipes, and use it as a great excuse to spend more time with friends. Please, if you come across something great, do share! I will be trying out new dishes and posting them on the blog, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I have been enjoying Chobani Peach Greek Yogurt that I picked up at Publix before leaving St. Augustine (Sadly, the closest Publix to me is Chattanooga, which is 2.5 hours away). If you have never tried Greek Yogurt, pick some up. IT IS AMAZING. Not as sweet, quite a bit thicker, and containing WAY more protein than regular yogurt, Greek Yogurt has become my breakfast staple. I can barely eat the regular kind now! I like to mix in a little Bare Naked granola for some crunch. :)

How have you been enjoying the peach?

Good News!

I have been accepted to law school! I have been applying to schools all over the place, and have been anxiously awaiting word. I didn't get in to a couple of places, but it was ok because they were random schools that I applied to just because there were no fees.

Honestly, even though I wasn't sad about these particular schools, I kind of started freaking out. What if I didn't get in anywhere? I had no Plan B. I just knew that I couldn't stay here another year, both because I didn't want to lose my Florida state residency and because working 7 days a week and not having a church community is KILLING me.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to apply to Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. I hadn't really thought about it because they do not have the dual degree programs that I want. I ultimately decided to because the first year at the state schools I looked at I would just take law courses anyway, and it is easier to transfer into state programs than to get in initially. I figured it would be a good "insurance" policy, if I got in, that is.

Well, I did! And I was offered a substantial scholarship as well. I am still waiting to hear from FSU, but at least I know now that even if FSU turns me down for this year, I have a spot in law school! And better yet, it is a law school very close to many of my favorite people!

I am really excited, but also really overwhelmed. I am about to commit to a path that is, frankly, pretty scary. But I definitely feel called to this, and am eager to begin.

Meanwhile, I will be in St. Augustine next weekend! I arrive late Thursday night and will leave Monday morning. Yay! I CANNOT WAIT to hug every one of those Sivyers (even you, Steve!) and to worship with my Coquina family. Rumor has it that Judith is planning a soiree, and the 2011 Fruit of the Summer just may be revealed...

My burst of creativity for the year

So, we all know that I am not very artistic. I tend to be the idea person, and I surround myself with people who can actually make it happen. There is just some disconnect between my head and my hands, much to my dismay. So when something I have an idea about actually come to fruition by my own efforts, I get pretty excited about it. Thus, I present to you: MY BULLETIN BOARD.

This is even more funny than usual because one of my biggest fears about the year I taught third grade was having to put up bulletin boards! Luckily, I had the amazing Brittany and Emily to help me out then, but here at the Boys and Girls Club, I am on my own. We meet in a church, so what I do to the walls is a bit limited. I only have one small actual bulletin board that is attached to the wall with hooks, so I have created a couple of "fake" ones, just the paper attached to the wall with tape. The illusion is remarkable. ;)

I had one giant wall that was screaming for something, but I just couldn't figure out what. The staff and I had training in Knoxville last month at a club, and one of the rooms had a couple of clocks on the wall showing what time it is in other major cities, and I thought, "Hey, I could do that even better!" So here is what I came up with:

I know it is a bit blurry, but you can see the idea. I put up two maps, one U.S. and one World, and then lined the clocks along the top. I have to say, I am pretty proud of my title:

:)

The times I have are L.A., Chicago, New York, London, Baghdad, Beijing, and Sydney. When the kids first came in and saw it, their minds were totally blown. "What do you mean it is night in China? That is ridiculous!" said one first grader.

So there you go. My artistic zenith for the year.

Meanwhile, I sent of my first completed application to George Mason University in Arlington last week. Eeep!




And yes, the ticking clocks do DRIVE ME CRAZY. When I am in here alone working, I have to crank music up so I don't hear them. :)

I am a big 'ol nerd.

And I am ok with it.

One of the ways my nerdiness manifests itself is through listening to podcasts. And I listen to a LOT of podcasts. I love it! I've got some British humor (The Bugle and The Ricky Gervais Podcast), some politics (NPR: It's All Politics and Meet the Press), some economics (Freakonomics and NPR: Planet Money), some culture (Relevant Podcast and NPR: All Songs Considered), some religion (Tony Campolo Podcast and On Being with Krista Tippett [Relevant fits here too]), and even some general miscellany (Stuff You Should Know, This American Life, WNYC's Radiolab, and The Moth). I even listen to debates (Intelligence Squared UK and Intelligence Squared US)! And they are all amazing!

(Before you worry that I spend all of my time glued to my iPod, I pick and choose episodes of a few of these. I do have a life. Unfortunately.)

So today I was listening to On Being with Krista Tippett (formerly Speaking of Faith, for all of my fellow NPR nerds out there) and she was conducting an interview with Civil Rights leader Dr. Vincent Harding. The title of the show was "Civility, History, and Hope", which immediately intrigued me because this is something that I have been really concerned about in this current political climate. It is really sad to me to see people who claim to be followers of Christ who are so vitriolic and spew such hatred for our elected leaders. I get not being happy with what is happening. I get wanting someone to not hold an office. I get even passionately opposing someone's views. But what I do not get is the rage and the personal attacks against individuals, specifically the President. I am living at the moment in a bastion of conservatism, so I hear a lot of flat out crazy and mean things. Stuff I would never ever allow a kid in my classroom to say about another kid, so why should we be saying it about the President? Last time I read through the red letters in the Bible, Jesus never bashed the authorities (who he KNEW WERE GOING TO KILL HIM) or compared anyone to Hitler. If you are so mad about it, pray pray pray for him, not just at him. It is amazing how God softens your heart when you pray for someone.

Wow, did not mean to go on a rant there. Sorry!

Anyway, this episode was great. If you have some free time, or need something to listen to while you drive, this is a worthy download. Dr. Harding talks a lot about the importance of story and encouraging youth to seek out the wisdom of elders, all in the goal of creating the "beloved community" that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke so often of. You can get it on iTunes, or at http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/civility-history-hope/ . There were a couple of specific things that really stood out to me:

:: We are absolutely amateurs at this matter of building a democratic nation made up of many, many peoples, of many kinds, from many connections and convictions and from many experiences. And to know how, after all the pain that we have caused each other, to carry on democratic conversation that in a sense invites us to hear each other's best arguments and best contributions so that we can then figure out how do we put these things together to create a more perfect union.

:: [On comparing the political climate of the 1960's and today] My sense is that, in the '60s, there was probably a larger kind of canopy of hope that we could see and we could identify and that people could name and focus on. Now we are in particular spots, locations, sometimes seemingly isolated, but I feel that there are points, focal situations, where that is still available and where people are operating from that.

So I think that it is not simply the matter of hope or no hope. I have a feeling that one of the deeper transformations that's going on now is that for the white community of America, there is this uncertainty growing about its own role, its own control, its own capacity to name the realities, that it has moved into a realm of uncertainty that it did not allow itself to face before.

And I think that that's the place that we are in and that's even more the reason why we've got to figure out what was King talking about when he was seeing the possibility of a beloved community and recognized that maybe for some of us that cannot come until some of us realize that we must give up what we thought was only ours in the building of a beloved nation. Can there be a beloved nation? Why don't we try and see?

Mmmm. Especially that last paragraph. "We must give up what we thought was only ours in the building of a beloved nation."

This struck me as being about so much more than race, and so much more than just a renewing of civility in America. This is Kingdom work. I am encouraged to know many Christians who are doing this with their lives, and hope and pray pray pray that more will join.

(This post serves both as a pondering point and as a recommendation for several new podcasts. Happy listening!)

Drum Roll Please...

So... I got my score! I got a 158, which for this test was in the 75th percentile. I am not terribly pleased, but I am not terribly upset either. Let me break it down:

Good: The 75th percentile is the cut-off for a lot of scholarships, and it certainly is not a shabby score. I have already received emails from several schools who think I may be a good fit with my score, my GPA, and my demographic info. So that's good. Also, a 158 means that at FSU, I won't have to take the GRE, which is HUGE. And for someone who has been out of school for 4 years and hasn't taken a standardized test in longer than that, not too shabby.

Bad: This score doesn't really set me apart from others. I was really hoping to break 160. I probably won't get into UF with this score, which is the school closest to St. Augustine. :(

So, a mixed bag. More good than bad though, so I am ok with it. Now I am working on my essays and finishing up my applications. More to come later...

*Sniff, sniff*

So, I am sick. Is anyone surprised? I didn't go to work today, since supervising kids is pretty much the worst thing to do when one isn't feeling 100%. My Mom is also feeling under the weather, more so than me- she was diagnosed with bronchitis this morning. Dad is in Memphis working, so she and I are taking the opportunity to be lazy and mopey. It is pretty nice.

Things have been pretty busy at both of my jobs lately. I have been averaging 45 kids in my room daily for homework at Club, so my classroom management skills have been exercised thoroughly! Friday and Saturday we have all day training in Knoxville with Clubs from Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina, so hopefully I will pick up some good tips. I really really love the staff I work with. They have been so thoughtful and willing to jump in wherever needed. This is a HUGE BLESSING. I was actually thinking the other day about how I am living what I thought was my "worst case scenario" after coming back from Haiti, and it really could be way way worse.

Bath and Body Works is. I mean, again, it could be way worse, but I am looking forward to being done with it. It's retail, and I am just not a fan. Again, I work with some pretty great girls there as well, so that makes it easier.

As a little plug, the new candles are AMAZING. Way better than Yankee Candles! My new favorite is the Caribbean Salsa:

What a good little corporate shill I am. :)

I get my LSAT score on Monday. Yipes! I am pretty nervous about it. During the test, I thought I did pretty well, and found it easier than most of my preparation material. But of course, that could be a sign that I did really well or a sign that I totally bombed it. We will all find out on Monday. Meanwhile, I am working on finishing up my applications. I am just ready for it all to be done and decided, but I never was great at being patient.

Sad news- I thought I was going to get to come to FL for a few days in May, but I misunderstood the meaning of "The Boys and Girls Club Summer Shut-down." Apparently, that just means that we will have no kids, and that we will be working that whole week. So, just kidding. I am not sure when I will get to come, but you can bet that it will be not very long after Titus Sivyer makes his appearance. :) I am very very excited that I will get to take a couple of days off to celebrate my best buddy Kim's wedding in May, but she has not gotten the memo that she should live in Florida, so the blessed event will take me to Mississippi.

I guess that's all. This isn't very eloquently worded or exciting, but I did want to give a little update. Let me just say that I LOVE HEARING FROM PEOPLE.

HINT, HINT.

*Sniff*

EEP! And a Review.

So, I take the LSAT tomorrow morning. EEP! Please pray for me, as I am unusually nervous. I think I will do alright, but there really isn't a second chance.

Also, I read a book recently that I think more people should read. Here are the details:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Author: Rebecca Skloot

Summary from Amazon.com:

From a single, abbreviated life grew a seemingly immortal line of cells that made some of the most crucial innovations in modern science possible. And from that same life, and those cells, Rebecca Skloot has fashioned in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks a fascinating and moving story of medicine and family, of how life is sustained in laboratories and in memory. Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five in Baltimore, a poor African American migrant from the tobacco farms of Virginia, who died from a cruelly aggressive cancer at the age of 30 in 1951. A sample of her cancerous tissue, taken without her knowledge or consent, as was the custom then, turned out to provide one of the holy grails of mid-century biology: human cells that could survive--even thrive--in the lab. Known as HeLa cells, their stunning potency gave scientists a building block for countless breakthroughs, beginning with the cure for polio. Meanwhile, Henrietta's family continued to live in poverty and frequently poor health, and their discovery decades later of her unknowing contribution--and her cells' strange survival--left them full of pride, anger, and suspicion. For a decade, Skloot doggedly but compassionately gathered the threads of these stories, slowly gaining the trust of the family while helping them learn the truth about Henrietta, and with their aid she tells a rich and haunting story that asks the questions, Who owns our bodies? And who carries our memories?

My Thoughts:

I know that is a long summary, but this book deserves it. It has been on several top book lists, and I found it on the NPR website. This book is INCREDIBLE. I found myself shocked and horrified and laughing all in the span of a few pages. Don't be intimidated by the Science speech- Skloot writes in a clear, descriptive prose that is beautiful and heartbreaking. I even cried towards the end! Skloot touches on issues of poverty, education, and racial justice. More than being about the HeLa cells, this is a book about a family, and ultimately about the very nature of humanity. Relevant Magazine's review sums it up.

In short, you should all read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks! You will not be disappointed! :)

In the year 2000...

(For those in the know, the title is a reference to one of my favorite Conan skits. Youtube it. Hilarious.)

Onward and upward we go. First, some background.

So most of you probably know that for a while, I was hoping/ planning on getting my Master's in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. I visited, took a prereq Economics class, and was making the plans to move. Through my cousins, I got a job interview with Campus Crusade, and my plan was to move, work for the year, and then start school this fall. I was super pumped!

Well, I didn't get the job. And the whole thing was more than a little shady. And all of my desire to go to MN just vanished. I once again found myself floundering.

Right about this time, the Sivyers were in Nashville for Steve's sister's wedding, so I went over and hung out a couple of days. (As an aside, let me just say that it was GLORIOUS. I can't express in words how desperately I miss them!) At one point, Steve was asking me what was happening with school and he said "What exactly is your goal with all of this? What are you wanting to do?"

That, my friends, is the question of the year. Because... I am not quite sure. I do know that I want to work somewhere in the public service/ non-profit world. I do know that I am really interested specifically in how the church interacts with social justice issues, along with secular institutions. I do know that when I have worked in these areas (Brussels, Port-au-Prince), I have been encouraged and passionate and felt that my strengths are an asset. I also know that I am keenly aware and interested in slavery/ human trafficking. There's gotta be a career in all that jumble, right?

So then Steve said, "Why don't you go to law school?"

HELLO!!! How had I not thought of this before? For anyone wanting to go into any kind of public service job, law is a great general degree. Steve is a man of many opinions and suggestions, some of which are crazy :), but this one hit the head right on the mark. I started researching and found several programs where I could, in 4 years instead of 5, get a law degree as well as a Master's in areas like Public Administration, International Relations, etc, which would be of use since I am wanting to work with international organizations.

So I am taking the LSAT on Saturday. Yipes! I have been studying, and feel ok about it, but STILL. It is only offered 4 times a year, so if I don't do well on this one, I won't be able to start in the fall. NO PRESSURE, SARAH.

I am looking specifically at three schools. In no particular order:

1)

2)

3)

These are not set in stone, however. I get emails from law schools all over daily, and I have been checking them out. So we will see!!

Please pray for me as I move through this process. I am super nervous about it, and my default when I get that way is to be stagnant and do nothing, which really doesn't help anything. I am eager to see where I end up this fall!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot express in words how much the clip below means to me.



I am pretty sure I held my breath the first time I watched it. And maybe even peed a little. IT IS JUST SO GOOD.

:D

Favorites

So, I know that as an educator, I am not supposed to have favorites. But I can't help it. And I know all you teachers/people who works with kids feel the same way.

Well, these are my favs. They are twins that just turned 6 yesterday. For privacy's sake, I can't say their names. But when I asked Little Lady how being 6 felt different, she said "It is really different! I feel like I am 8!" And Little Guy has the cutest, squeakiest voice I have ever heard. Plus, apparently to Little Lady, he "has a ridiculous wink." It is true.

Ridiculously precious, that is.

:)

LOVE.

The Ghost of Life Presently

So, my present. This is actually a good day to write this because I am slightly annoyed about today.

When I first came up to Tennessee, I spent a couple of weeks in mourning in bed. I had no desire to do anything. And then I had to pay bills and was left with $25 in the bank. So I got it together and started applying for jobs.

A couple of weeks later, I was hired as a seasonal associate at Bath and Body Works. Not my ideal choice, since I haven't had the greatest experience with retail, but it was a paycheck. I guess I did ok because I have been asked to stay on as a core associate. This store is one of the busiest in the nation and they hired 100 extra people for Christmas, and only 10 get to stay, so I am pretty glad. It really is an alright place to be. Its funny, almost all of the employees are very precious and sweet and Emily-like, which is not me. As a tip, the new Bali Mango lotion is AMAZING. :)

A couple of weeks after that, I got two job offers to choose from. The first was a partial-year secretarial position in the human resources department at Dollywood. The office staff was super nice and loved hearing about Haiti. Then, I was offered a position as the Education Director at the Boys and Girls Club in a neighboring town. I went back and forth, but ultimately decided to stick with what I know and take the job at the Club. I am very glad I did.

I am slightly annoyed with it today, however. When school is closed, we are open full days. And there have been LOTS of inclement weather days. Everyone says winter isn't usually like this, but I don't believe it. IT IS MISERABLE. This morning, I got a call from my boss telling me that school was closed. IT IS NOT EVEN SNOWING AT ALL. IT IS SUNNY OUTSIDE. Blerg. Winter break this year lasted 21 days with all the cancellations, so we had lots of long days.

Working at the Club has been interesting. Definitely a different demographic than my private school kids. :) The last Ed Director was an older guy who let the kids pretty much do whatever they wanted, which is not me. So I have had some issues with kids resisting my authority. But I've managed to win almost all of them over. Every day with each age group, I do a read-aloud (its funny, the kids always groan when I pull out the book, but by the end of the first page they are HOOKED) and some kind of educational activity. I also have my room open for the first couple of hours for homework help and computer skills time. So for all who accuse the Club of just being babysitting, it isn't. I am really growing to appreciate this organization. It is a bit overwhelming to know that I spend more time with these kids each day than their parents, and I don't take that responsibility lightly.

Between the two jobs, I usually work 7 days a week. It is pretty exhausting, but its good. I feel blessed that I was able to relatively quickly find good sources of income.

The only catch is that I don't really have any friends. I genuinely like the people I work with, but haven't really spent any time with anyone outside of work. Angie Shaffer is here, but with our schedules we rarely see each other. So I spend my time hanging out with the folks and the dogs. Which is ok. I am trying to look at this time as a time of quiet and peace for my soul.

Next post: to the future!

Happy Birthday Kristen Wilkinson!

So my dear dear friend Kristen and I were texting back and forth the other day and I was telling her that my life has had many twists and turns since we were last together and that I needed to fill her in with a looooooong chat. Her response was "or a fork in the road blog update... just sayin!"

And she is right. I never even did my last Haiti post. And things have changed. BIG TIME. So for all my friends, and especially as a belated birthday gift to Kristen, I am going to resume blogging. There will be a couple of action packed posts, but mostly my day-to-day life here is pretty quiet. I am doing a LOT of reading and movie-watching, so expect reviews and thoughts.

Although I feel a bit pretentious thinking that my opinions count for anything. But there ya go.

So this first post will be my last batch of pictures from Haiti.

Now that the focus in Haiti has switched from Distaster Relief to a permanent Rebuild project, the house got a makeover. The room that I stayed in with Kim the first go-round once had 4 bunkbeds and was very cramped. My last couple of weeks I moved back in, but this was my bed, and it was glorious!



Sarah and I went to work making signs for all of the doors. I am particularly proud of this one:



This is the upstairs landing of the Florida house:



Looking down into the entryway:





Ah the office. Where I spent MOST of my time.



Here's the outside of the CMBH offices/Florida House.





My last day I took my favorite guys, Dasy and Miguelson, to Dominos. I cannot tell you how much I miss these guys. They are so full of care and joy and earnestness and love. *Sob!*



They are not very good at taking pictures. :)



This just cracks me up. Dominos. In Port-au-Prince. It was delicious- a nice taste of home. It was also VERY EXPENSIVE.



Haitians love their painted murals...





These next few were taken while we were driving back from Dominos. The restaurant is in a wealthy section of the city, up on the hill. So on the long drive home we passed through several residential areas.





Kim and I noticed this street name the first time we were here, and no one could explain it to us. "Avenue John Brown" tends to stand out in a Creole-speaking area. So I put on my nerd cap and solved the mystery. From PBS:

John Brown was a man of action -- a man who would not be deterred from his mission of abolishing slavery. On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan to arm slaves with the weapons he and his men seized from the arsenal was thwarted, however, by local farmers, militiamen, and Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Within 36 hours of the attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured.

So yeah, Harpers Ferry. I've heard of that. ;) Well, apparently his efforts made him a hero in Port-au-Prince, who also underwent their own rebellion against slavery. So they named a main thoroughfare after him and also put all of the flags at half-mast when he was hanged for treason.



Haiti does have a few American-style grocery stores, even though they are cost-prohibitive for the vast majority of Haitians. But they allowed me to get my Diet Coke fix! Sarah and I went to one and found these unusual cakes:

"Happy Birth"



"Mon Dieu" (My God)



"I missed you Honey"



A lot of people asked me about a typical meal. So I took a picture. Our breakfast and dinner each day were prepared by the house staff at CMBH. The ladies spend literally all day either cooking or doing dishes, since everything is done without the help of any kind of electronic device! Our breakfasts were almost always eggs with onions and chicken boullion, and although it is pretty good for the first couple of days, I quickly grew tired of it. It got to where I couldn't even smell the eggs without feeling queasy! There was also lunch meat and cheese and fruit. I knew it would be a great day when I came downstairs to the smell of oatmeal!

Dinner was a variation of the photo below. Rice and beans, a meat, rolls, a couple of vegetables. Almost all of it was delicious. Some of it was mysterious...



My last morning I went around and got lots of pictures with all the people I love.







Ah, this is Fennel (sp?), my favorite security guard. He speaks English quite fluently, so we chatted lots about his family and his life. He called me his "Pwincess" (he did have some trouble with the letter 'r', as did most of the Haitians). One day he came with us to go get lunch, and let me tell ya, I have never heard a man squeal with delight like he did when he found out. :) He has a deep booming voice, and if I didn't know his big soft heart, would be the most terrifying man I have ever seen. When we took this picture, he said that he had to put on his sunglasses so that my friends wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.



So that's Haiti. I certainly could not have predicted that I would spend 3 months of 2010 there, but I am SO THANKFUL for the experience. I always have way more trouble readjusting back to normal life when I return from a missions trip, and this was no exception. And this time was even weirder since I came back to such chaos. I am not sure when the doors will open again for me to return, but I hope and pray that it is soon.

More on the interim between returning from Haiti and the present moment SOON AND VERY SOON.