Saturday, July 5, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Summer Lovin', havin' a blast!
Of all the summers I can remember, two have stood out as the best ever: the summer after freshman year of high school and the summer after freshman year of college. Granted, Stephen took me to the Dominican Republic the summer after 11th grade, but Nick had also broken up with me weeks before so that put a damper on my summer.
But these two summers...they were something special. Summer '02 was the "Golden Summer": living at the pool day and night, Dan coaching, the Powells and co. lifeguarding, still being excited about first kisses and new boyfriends, living at the Plummers, having no responsibilities, snorting sugar to freak out Dan, water polo, beaver, and team breakfasts. It was absolutely wonderful.
Summer '06 was equally amazing, despite having to take summer school and balance (for a time) two jobs. Potbelly, I will always proclaim, has forever changed me. Life revolved around "the line", "the back" and "the floor". My best friends that summer and the guy I was seeing were all my coworkers. I wanted to go to work every day, and on my days off I was almost inevitably there helping close so we could leave to play pool earlier. And now, a year and a half later, that spark hasn't died. I saw Colin yesterday after a year of virtual silence, and it was like the last year hadn't happened (minus our intense excitement at seeing each other). Without a missed step it was back to cruising around in his Ford Element, laughing about our friends, and sharing hopes and dreams for the future. He really is an incredibly guy (no longer that 18 yr old boy I dated!) and it was easy to remember why we were so head-over-heels 2 years ago. I wish him all the best in the world.
Here's to hoping that the second half of summer '08 will be just as enchanting. Que viva nicaraguita, y que viva Potbelly!
But these two summers...they were something special. Summer '02 was the "Golden Summer": living at the pool day and night, Dan coaching, the Powells and co. lifeguarding, still being excited about first kisses and new boyfriends, living at the Plummers, having no responsibilities, snorting sugar to freak out Dan, water polo, beaver, and team breakfasts. It was absolutely wonderful.
Summer '06 was equally amazing, despite having to take summer school and balance (for a time) two jobs. Potbelly, I will always proclaim, has forever changed me. Life revolved around "the line", "the back" and "the floor". My best friends that summer and the guy I was seeing were all my coworkers. I wanted to go to work every day, and on my days off I was almost inevitably there helping close so we could leave to play pool earlier. And now, a year and a half later, that spark hasn't died. I saw Colin yesterday after a year of virtual silence, and it was like the last year hadn't happened (minus our intense excitement at seeing each other). Without a missed step it was back to cruising around in his Ford Element, laughing about our friends, and sharing hopes and dreams for the future. He really is an incredibly guy (no longer that 18 yr old boy I dated!) and it was easy to remember why we were so head-over-heels 2 years ago. I wish him all the best in the world.
Here's to hoping that the second half of summer '08 will be just as enchanting. Que viva nicaraguita, y que viva Potbelly!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Cuenta Regresiva!
Or countdown, for my English-speaking readers. 11 days until I arrive in Augusto Sandino Airport in smelly, dirty, hot and beautiful Managua. I absolutely cannot wait, although not having my SIT crew to lean on is going to be jarring and draining at first (with whom will I esnuglear and yell obscenities?). Buuut the Manna crew looks more and more awesome each day and I'm excited for the year ahead. We're going to do amazing things, I just know it.
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"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
I'll never love perfectly, but every year I love you better than I did the year before.
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"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
I'll never love perfectly, but every year I love you better than I did the year before.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
xkcd says it all
To be honest, one of the things I love about discussing Nicaragua with older people is that so many of them tell me, "If I could do it over again, I would do exactly what you're doing." It might still be because I'm a doe-eyed young 21 year old, but I want my life to be as exciting and interesting and fast-paced for as long as possible. Two comics that perfectly sum up what I want my life and career to look like to the world:
http://xkcd.com/308 and http://xkcd.com/59
I might not be traveling the world or starting a new Partners In Health, but I never want to seriously doubt the worth of my work or feel like I'm wasting my life. Ever. However, I would like to be very active and sometimes on the move, so starting a family could be a little tricky...especially if my future husband leads a similarly semi-nomadic life. But I guess these sort of things work out.
Hot off the presses: Nicaragua is officially poorer than Haiti. Great, thanks for nothing Daniel Ortega. The next time one of my Sandinista boys gives me their propaganda mierda I am going to verbally smack them. Dios.
But hey, only one month and three days more :o)
http://xkcd.com/308 and http://xkcd.com/59
I might not be traveling the world or starting a new Partners In Health, but I never want to seriously doubt the worth of my work or feel like I'm wasting my life. Ever. However, I would like to be very active and sometimes on the move, so starting a family could be a little tricky...especially if my future husband leads a similarly semi-nomadic life. But I guess these sort of things work out.
Hot off the presses: Nicaragua is officially poorer than Haiti. Great, thanks for nothing Daniel Ortega. The next time one of my Sandinista boys gives me their propaganda mierda I am going to verbally smack them. Dios.
But hey, only one month and three days more :o)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Working downtown
....is a lot of fun. I secured a 9-5 (really a 9-whenever i go home between 5:30 and 6:30) in downtown and in my favoritest part of the city. My coworkers are great, the pay is great, and while the work is so-so it's temp work so what can you expect. Overall I'm having a great time, earning a couple months' pay for Nicaragua, and making some fun and very entertaining acquaintances. I work at a place that hires court reporters and processes transcripts for very important cases. Today I was especially happy because instead of being wedded to a computer and mind-numbingly importing/editing/processing transcripts, I got to do all that but also go to bind, put together packages, and joke around with the guys in the production room. I spent the day being productive while quoting Princess Bride and Spaceballs and listening to the guys quote every other comedic movie I know from Holy Grail to Employee of the Month.
Of course, I'd like to be in a different sort of business if/when I move back to the D.C. area, but it's reassuring to know that there are fun people everywhere. It's also gotten me vaguely interested in law school again. Maybe.
New resolutions for this last month in the States:
1. Eat healthy again like last summer.
2. Exercise in the morning before work. Honestly, it's the only time I'll do it since I'm not taking lunches anymore to exercise.
3. Be 90% packed for Nicaragua a week before I leave.
4. Go to sleep by 11 pm every week night.
Ready.....go.
Of course, I'd like to be in a different sort of business if/when I move back to the D.C. area, but it's reassuring to know that there are fun people everywhere. It's also gotten me vaguely interested in law school again. Maybe.
New resolutions for this last month in the States:
1. Eat healthy again like last summer.
2. Exercise in the morning before work. Honestly, it's the only time I'll do it since I'm not taking lunches anymore to exercise.
3. Be 90% packed for Nicaragua a week before I leave.
4. Go to sleep by 11 pm every week night.
Ready.....go.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Es un ciclo
Let's be honest, I was facebook stalking today (like every day in a college student's life). I was doing some study abroad stalkage and am currently giggling over how the cycle continues, how it will continue, and how THANK GOD I'm over the initial shock and impact of life in and away from the infamous Maximo. What does this mean? It means the little chickabees who just got back from Nica are crying over how they're not there anymore. Just like we were, obviously. And oh how much the U.S. sucks, etc etc. Five months later here I am: still in touch with los necios chavalos, my closest SITers from the trip, and occasionally spamming our fearless leader with email. But as a wise gringa explained to me, Nicaragua is much more than from the panederia to Jicarito, or even the various places we went. We lived in a bubble, no matter how much we spiced it up.
When I was there, I fell in love with something beyond MT's laughter, or Luis's stupid songs, or even weekly dances at Chaman/Ache/Marcelo's/wherever. It was something better than riding in the back of a pickup truck for 45 minutes through the mountains, better than star gazing at the dock in Orinoco, better than stolen kisses in the darkness courtesy of Union Fenosa. And that, my friends, is why I'm going back. To find out why I'm in love.
Si pequeña es la Patria, uno grande la sueña. - Ruben Dario
When I was there, I fell in love with something beyond MT's laughter, or Luis's stupid songs, or even weekly dances at Chaman/Ache/Marcelo's/wherever. It was something better than riding in the back of a pickup truck for 45 minutes through the mountains, better than star gazing at the dock in Orinoco, better than stolen kisses in the darkness courtesy of Union Fenosa. And that, my friends, is why I'm going back. To find out why I'm in love.
Si pequeña es la Patria, uno grande la sueña. - Ruben Dario
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
brainstorming
Okay troops, I know you're out there, so let's start brainstorming fundraising ideas I can execute in the next month and a half:
- personal fundraising, which I've already spammed some of you with
- tapping friends for corporate sponsoring (note to self: contact the H brothers)
- arranging a neighborhood poker tourney - I was inspired when I won at Texas hold'em at Steve's last night. I've NEVER won big before! It's a sign.
- working with Alex for $$$ from her foundation - if I can swing it for personal funding, I won't need to do anymore fundraising for my own behalf. However, even if it can only go to general funding for MPI that's still fantastic.
If you can think of anything else, please leave suggestions/sugerencias. Gracias!
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On a completely unrelated note, words that send a shiver down my spine whenever the nica boys say them: tranquila, mujer, la china/chinita, la + any female's first name, entonces, and whenever they sing that stupid song about exorcising demons from my body.
I'm in love with an entire country. Como sucedio eso?
- personal fundraising, which I've already spammed some of you with
- tapping friends for corporate sponsoring (note to self: contact the H brothers)
- arranging a neighborhood poker tourney - I was inspired when I won at Texas hold'em at Steve's last night. I've NEVER won big before! It's a sign.
- working with Alex for $$$ from her foundation - if I can swing it for personal funding, I won't need to do anymore fundraising for my own behalf. However, even if it can only go to general funding for MPI that's still fantastic.
If you can think of anything else, please leave suggestions/sugerencias. Gracias!
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On a completely unrelated note, words that send a shiver down my spine whenever the nica boys say them: tranquila, mujer, la china/chinita, la + any female's first name, entonces, and whenever they sing that stupid song about exorcising demons from my body.
I'm in love with an entire country. Como sucedio eso?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Lazy days
I'm a little more calm now, sorry about the blow up. Some random thoughts:
- Talked to the infamous Kate D today. I miss her oodles.
- Also gchatted with Luis all day today. He's ridiculous.
- I need to make a lot of appts before I leave, which should happen like...now.
- Need to make a poster about Manna Project.
- Need to clean room.
- Need to fundraise.
Also, finished up at Emory with a cumulative 3.756. Not amazing for a fairly easy Humanities degree, but not too shabby either. Needless to say, that's getting rounded up to a 3.8 in me head.
- Talked to the infamous Kate D today. I miss her oodles.
- Also gchatted with Luis all day today. He's ridiculous.
- I need to make a lot of appts before I leave, which should happen like...now.
- Need to make a poster about Manna Project.
- Need to clean room.
- Need to fundraise.
Also, finished up at Emory with a cumulative 3.756. Not amazing for a fairly easy Humanities degree, but not too shabby either. Needless to say, that's getting rounded up to a 3.8 in me head.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Rant
Changed my mind...my kids will grow up in the plains of Africa if it means they don't end up like the spoiled, rude, self-entitled brats that live in my town. Dios mio.
People may rag on Emory-ites for being rich and obnoxious, but while I was there I surrounded myself with intelligent, interesting, and caring young adults from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. At least there's diversity. Come to think of it, same thing goes for my high school.
Maybe I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt, but when you don't greet someone when you're in their home and leave your used glasses all over their house, I don't care if you're the fucking king of Siam or Juanito from La Chureca. Have a little courtesy.
And no, I do not want to buy you alcohol. You don't even know my name, and I don't really care if I learn yours either.
People may rag on Emory-ites for being rich and obnoxious, but while I was there I surrounded myself with intelligent, interesting, and caring young adults from a range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. At least there's diversity. Come to think of it, same thing goes for my high school.
Maybe I'm not giving them the benefit of the doubt, but when you don't greet someone when you're in their home and leave your used glasses all over their house, I don't care if you're the fucking king of Siam or Juanito from La Chureca. Have a little courtesy.
And no, I do not want to buy you alcohol. You don't even know my name, and I don't really care if I learn yours either.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
differences
When I was in nica last semester, I kept on marveling on how "real" everything felt. Somehow the dirt and the crowds and the animals and the smells and the trash (yes, even the trash) made me feel more alive. When I came home, the first thing I noticed was how sterile everything seemed. Everything is clean and orderly and has its place. Recycling in the blue bin and trash in the green bin. The other day I was walking between the DUC and Cox, and realized that something was off. It took me a minute to realize that the paths hadn't been swept in the past day or so and leaves had fallen on the brick. How sad is it that details like that catch my attention?
But of course, that's all a matter of opinion. Life here in [the pretty side of] MoCo is just as real as when we walked by stray dogs, trash heaps and piropo-ing men to get to class, or the pulperia, or to Luis's house to spend hours doing nothing. And as fun as all that was, and as fun and crazy as I'm sure Team Nica '09 is going to be, I'm pretty sure I'm going to raise my family in the United States.
For his keynote address, Bernie Marcus repeated how lucky we were to be living in the United States. The girl beside me snorted, "He's a Republican, huh." But instead of agreeing with her, I instead found myself agreeing with him. He's right, you know. That's why my family moved back. That's why we have thousands (millions) of undocumented immigrants entering the States yearly. The only reason I would permanently move to a less developed country (say, back to the PI) is if I were offered an amazing job or if there were family-related reasons. That's pretty much it.
I called Fitness First today. It would be $130 for a 2-month student membership. Not only is that not great to begin with, but it's also 23% of a month's expenses with Manna. Not okay. I could eat for a month with that money. *sigh* Guess it's back to running the surrounding neighborhoods!
But of course, that's all a matter of opinion. Life here in [the pretty side of] MoCo is just as real as when we walked by stray dogs, trash heaps and piropo-ing men to get to class, or the pulperia, or to Luis's house to spend hours doing nothing. And as fun as all that was, and as fun and crazy as I'm sure Team Nica '09 is going to be, I'm pretty sure I'm going to raise my family in the United States.
For his keynote address, Bernie Marcus repeated how lucky we were to be living in the United States. The girl beside me snorted, "He's a Republican, huh." But instead of agreeing with her, I instead found myself agreeing with him. He's right, you know. That's why my family moved back. That's why we have thousands (millions) of undocumented immigrants entering the States yearly. The only reason I would permanently move to a less developed country (say, back to the PI) is if I were offered an amazing job or if there were family-related reasons. That's pretty much it.
I called Fitness First today. It would be $130 for a 2-month student membership. Not only is that not great to begin with, but it's also 23% of a month's expenses with Manna. Not okay. I could eat for a month with that money. *sigh* Guess it's back to running the surrounding neighborhoods!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
My references
Why Admissions should hire me when I apply for a job (after
- David N, junior in high school
Thanks buddy :o) On another note, about 60 hours until commencement stuff starts. Crazy!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Recap
My apologies for my awful lack of posts over the last month. Ever since I killed my keyboard I’ve been doing most of my computer stuff in the library, and I always feel guilty when I’m not doing school work. However, I’ve decided that I’m going to suck it up and write something lengthy on my malfunctioning keyboard (be proud).
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind – everything I do is bittersweet: last undergrad classes ever, last Wonderful Wednesday, last chapter, last No Strings Attached concert, last trips to various venues in Atlanta (well, at least for the time being)…and every time I see people I have to remind myself that it might be the last time we’ll see each other ever. How depressing.
Almost needless to say, I haven’t been exercising or eating very healthily because of all the craziness happening. When I’m having fun I tend to not be healthy…whoops.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
No greater love than this
He is Risen. Glory Alleluia.
Thank you Lord for my family, friends, acquaintances, professors, classmates, enemies, comfortable lifestyle, infinite opportunities, and the ability to worship you freely.
Thank you for everything. Me completas. Me llenas. Me amas. Te adoro.
Thank you Lord for my family, friends, acquaintances, professors, classmates, enemies, comfortable lifestyle, infinite opportunities, and the ability to worship you freely.
Thank you for everything. Me completas. Me llenas. Me amas. Te adoro.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Motivation
Ran the entire half marathon on Sunday. It was way more fun than I thought, actually, and now I'm really into running again. Don't think I'll hit the 100 mile mark by April 14 though, but that's okay. More just needed the motivation again.
On another note, I am completely and totally apathetic about schoolwork again, to the point where just none of it gets done. This was one thing 2nd semester senior year of high school, where I was already accepted into Emory. It's quite another when your GPA and relationships with your professors potentially affects your life track. Meh.
Off to be productive!
On another note, I am completely and totally apathetic about schoolwork again, to the point where just none of it gets done. This was one thing 2nd semester senior year of high school, where I was already accepted into Emory. It's quite another when your GPA and relationships with your professors potentially affects your life track. Meh.
Off to be productive!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sometimes I run, sometimes I hide
And yes, the title really is from that Britney song back in the day. Only this time it means that my days have descended into eating the many awful but delicious baked goods and chocolates that have accumulated in our apartment instead of keeping up the exercise and eating regime I wanted to. Also, not writing down what I ate every day didn't keep me accountable and getting caught up in a bunch of random extra-curriculars didn't help either. Now that things have died down a bit, hopefully exercising and eating will get back on track and a couple pounds will drop off before the school year (and college!) end forever...especially, you know, the ones that creeped back this past week and a half. The real trick will now be to figure out how to stay on track in spite of distractions and stress, because that's going to happen at least once a month from here on out.
Current goals (tracked on mapmyrun.com):
100 miles from March 14 to April 14: currently at 15/100.
This Saturday I'm running/walking the half marathon, which brings me to about 28.2 miles. If I run about 4 miles a day the rest of the time, that comes out to 92.2 miles total (64+28.2)...only 8.8 miles short of the goal. We could still make the 100!
10 lbs lost by April 26: currently at 0/10.
Originally it was 10 lbs lost by April 14, but 10 lbs in 2.5 weeks is silly because it will probably all just come back immediately. I had actually lost a couple over Spring Break, but the past 2 weeks have not been good to me. 5 lbs by my birthday would be nice though, or maybe even 5 lbs by formal (April 11). My weight is reaching a very unhealthy level, and thanks to gaining tons of self esteem in Nicaragua - no joke! - my main motivation to lose weight is for health reasons, not aesthetic ones.
New goal:
Pray and reflect for at least 20 minutes every day
Had lunch with Paola today, which was fun, thought-provoking, inspiring and humbling. As Celine said at WW today, "don't you just wanna sit next to her so you can soak up her awesomeness?" Or something to that effect. Friends like her make me strive to be a better person, and it always floors me whenever she says that I make her happy or am beautiful because to me she's already so...well...awesome. And it's mind boggling to know that God loves us all the same anyway. Today she told me, "It's great that you're honest about how much you've sinned and the mistakes you've made, but you have to realize that Jesus would have loved you just the same whether you were perfect or sinned a lot more." UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
Random note: my deepest, most heartfelt cries to Jesus are now in Spanish. Does that say something? Father Tim used to pray in Portuguese and didn't know what he was saying...hehe...
Exercise: none, went running on Monday though with Brittany
Food: english muffin + peanut butter, Doc Cheys, freshens fro yo, half a banana-nut muffin (small, from the apt), spinach salad+chicken, 1 curry chicken breast and 1/4 rice, some homemade fried rice, 1 tagalong, and chocolate here and there. Waaaaaaay too much junk food. Too much. Ugh.
Confession: if another overweight friend of mine loses a significant amount of weight before I do I will actually cry.
On a happier note, I'm back to the old procrastination ways just in time for the big research papers and assignments. For some reason this makes me happy. I like doing school work under pressure; it's how I've operated since 10th grade!
And finally: GOT A DOOLEY'S WEEK SHIRT! YAY!
Current goals (tracked on mapmyrun.com):
100 miles from March 14 to April 14: currently at 15/100.
This Saturday I'm running/walking the half marathon, which brings me to about 28.2 miles. If I run about 4 miles a day the rest of the time, that comes out to 92.2 miles total (64+28.2)...only 8.8 miles short of the goal. We could still make the 100!
10 lbs lost by April 26: currently at 0/10.
Originally it was 10 lbs lost by April 14, but 10 lbs in 2.5 weeks is silly because it will probably all just come back immediately. I had actually lost a couple over Spring Break, but the past 2 weeks have not been good to me. 5 lbs by my birthday would be nice though, or maybe even 5 lbs by formal (April 11). My weight is reaching a very unhealthy level, and thanks to gaining tons of self esteem in Nicaragua - no joke! - my main motivation to lose weight is for health reasons, not aesthetic ones.
New goal:
Pray and reflect for at least 20 minutes every day
Had lunch with Paola today, which was fun, thought-provoking, inspiring and humbling. As Celine said at WW today, "don't you just wanna sit next to her so you can soak up her awesomeness?" Or something to that effect. Friends like her make me strive to be a better person, and it always floors me whenever she says that I make her happy or am beautiful because to me she's already so...well...awesome. And it's mind boggling to know that God loves us all the same anyway. Today she told me, "It's great that you're honest about how much you've sinned and the mistakes you've made, but you have to realize that Jesus would have loved you just the same whether you were perfect or sinned a lot more." UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
Random note: my deepest, most heartfelt cries to Jesus are now in Spanish. Does that say something? Father Tim used to pray in Portuguese and didn't know what he was saying...hehe...
Exercise: none, went running on Monday though with Brittany
Food: english muffin + peanut butter, Doc Cheys, freshens fro yo, half a banana-nut muffin (small, from the apt), spinach salad+chicken, 1 curry chicken breast and 1/4 rice, some homemade fried rice, 1 tagalong, and chocolate here and there. Waaaaaaay too much junk food. Too much. Ugh.
Confession: if another overweight friend of mine loses a significant amount of weight before I do I will actually cry.
On a happier note, I'm back to the old procrastination ways just in time for the big research papers and assignments. For some reason this makes me happy. I like doing school work under pressure; it's how I've operated since 10th grade!
And finally: GOT A DOOLEY'S WEEK SHIRT! YAY!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Spring Break MoCo Style
So the 9.5 hour car ride became a 12 hour adventure due to an accident on 85N, but the company was good and our road trip music was excellent so the trip was actually much more enjoyable than it could have been otherwise. With all said and done, Matt and I got home around midnight on Friday night.
Break has been pretty tranquilo/chill right now, and I've been having a lot of fun spending time doing "home-y" things, like hanging out in Bethesda, Rio, and the ROC. Also going outlet shopping in Potomac Mills, which is really in VA, but still a home-y activity nonetheless. More importantly, it's been wonderful seeing certain people again, especially my family and the bestests.
Today, for instance, I spent most of the day with Nick running errands in Rockville and at Montgomery Mall (and running! woo!). Then this evening, I went with Stephen to a pub in Bethesda for trivia night with his brother, brother's girlfriend, and their friends. Random fun coincidence: one of the friends is Nicaraguan and is from the Altamira area! Que casualidad :-) Anyway, I love spending time with Steve and his family because it always reminds me that when all is said and done, MoCo is where I want to be. Atlanta has been fun, Nicaragua will be the adventure of a lifetime, but I want to grow old in Montgomery County.
I know it's not perfect and it won't be easy affording the cost of living. I might not even live here initially when I first start a family and we get on our feet. Buuuut, with a lot of hard work and a boost from the Big Man Upstairs, I hope to be sending my kids to school at RM or one of the Ws and meeting Jess, Stephen, and Morgan (who knows where Lori will be) for coffee at least once a week. Jess and Mo will probably be on competing schools' PTSA Boards. Stephen will probably be heading a Boy Scout troupe. I'll probably be a career mom like my own and complacently do the random parent things you have to do but never really get involved in drama. Yea, that would be wonderful. I'm kind of getting choked up just picturing the situation. God, I love home so much...but I know that Nicaragua is still the best thing for me right now. Marrying a Nicaraguan could severely narrow the chances of having this MoCo fantasy come true, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...I mean heck, one of the women at trivia today was from Altamira!
Food for today: ugh, bad. but delicious, and of course all of it was eaten because I was with friends. This is still a weakness I need to work on.
Exercise: 2.8 miles outside today with Nick. Not fantastic, but it's something.
That's all for tonight.
Break has been pretty tranquilo/chill right now, and I've been having a lot of fun spending time doing "home-y" things, like hanging out in Bethesda, Rio, and the ROC. Also going outlet shopping in Potomac Mills, which is really in VA, but still a home-y activity nonetheless. More importantly, it's been wonderful seeing certain people again, especially my family and the bestests.
Today, for instance, I spent most of the day with Nick running errands in Rockville and at Montgomery Mall (and running! woo!). Then this evening, I went with Stephen to a pub in Bethesda for trivia night with his brother, brother's girlfriend, and their friends. Random fun coincidence: one of the friends is Nicaraguan and is from the Altamira area! Que casualidad :-) Anyway, I love spending time with Steve and his family because it always reminds me that when all is said and done, MoCo is where I want to be. Atlanta has been fun, Nicaragua will be the adventure of a lifetime, but I want to grow old in Montgomery County.
I know it's not perfect and it won't be easy affording the cost of living. I might not even live here initially when I first start a family and we get on our feet. Buuuut, with a lot of hard work and a boost from the Big Man Upstairs, I hope to be sending my kids to school at RM or one of the Ws and meeting Jess, Stephen, and Morgan (who knows where Lori will be) for coffee at least once a week. Jess and Mo will probably be on competing schools' PTSA Boards. Stephen will probably be heading a Boy Scout troupe. I'll probably be a career mom like my own and complacently do the random parent things you have to do but never really get involved in drama. Yea, that would be wonderful. I'm kind of getting choked up just picturing the situation. God, I love home so much...but I know that Nicaragua is still the best thing for me right now. Marrying a Nicaraguan could severely narrow the chances of having this MoCo fantasy come true, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...I mean heck, one of the women at trivia today was from Altamira!
Food for today: ugh, bad. but delicious, and of course all of it was eaten because I was with friends. This is still a weakness I need to work on.
Exercise: 2.8 miles outside today with Nick. Not fantastic, but it's something.
That's all for tonight.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Spring Break, T-8 hours
Today was fun and event-filled, which made up for the fact that I broke my eating healthy streak and didn't get to exercise. Everyone was out and about today because the weather was gorgeous...it's days like today that make me love Emory and almost wish that I weren't graduating. After classes and an interesting lecture at the CDC, I spent about an hour hanging out on the quad with various people and happily passing time doing nothing. If Nicaragua plans hadn't materialized, I would have been very tempted to stay here another year, find a job or internship within Emory, and take classes by the credit hour just for fun, just so I didn't have to leave. But lucky for me I guess that I'm ready to leave this limbo-paradise and do what's really calling me.
On that note, today I went to a lecture in the CDC presented by Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, the President of the Public Health Foundation of India. He's a well-connected and highly-acclaimed Public Health figure, and it was almost overwhelming being the CDC and in the presence of such important people. I started thinking to myself, "Wow, I never would have thought that I would be sitting here 5 years ago..." and then realized, "Wow, I didn't even know what Global Health was five years ago..." It was an energizing and inspirational experience, and I hope that one day I'll be back at the CDC but as an MPH, PhD or visiting Fellow.
As I mentioned, today was kind of a disaster health-wise beyond me walking back to the quad from the CDC, but it's okay because we went to the Brick Store for dinner and Cafe Intermezzo for late night dessert and drinks. Yea....I'm going to miss Atlanta's restaurant scene, especially in comparison with what I know Managua has to offer. You win some you lose some, I guess.
Okay, off to finish packing and writing my Spanish composition. Home in less than 20 hours!
On that note, today I went to a lecture in the CDC presented by Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, the President of the Public Health Foundation of India. He's a well-connected and highly-acclaimed Public Health figure, and it was almost overwhelming being the CDC and in the presence of such important people. I started thinking to myself, "Wow, I never would have thought that I would be sitting here 5 years ago..." and then realized, "Wow, I didn't even know what Global Health was five years ago..." It was an energizing and inspirational experience, and I hope that one day I'll be back at the CDC but as an MPH, PhD or visiting Fellow.
As I mentioned, today was kind of a disaster health-wise beyond me walking back to the quad from the CDC, but it's okay because we went to the Brick Store for dinner and Cafe Intermezzo for late night dessert and drinks. Yea....I'm going to miss Atlanta's restaurant scene, especially in comparison with what I know Managua has to offer. You win some you lose some, I guess.
Okay, off to finish packing and writing my Spanish composition. Home in less than 20 hours!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Un Dia Tranquilo
Today was a wonderful, lazy day. I woke up late, made a delicious brunch, got some errands done, exercised, saw Jean, made a delicious dinner, then went to volunteer. I'm dead tired though, probably a combination of working out + volunteering with toddlers. But errands were fun today, because I bought all my graduation regalia and claimed my "You know you're desperate when getting lucky means finding a good parking space" mug from the Miracle Marathon silent auction. Volunteering was also a lot of fun because we really made headway with the kids and they were soooo well-behaved today.
Working out was productive: I managed to knock out 4 miles on the treadmill and do some quad strengthening on the Arctrainer. Overall, according to the machines at least, I burned about 630 calories. Only downside is that I desperately need new sneakers because these ones are giving me blisters. My meals ended up pretty decent, too:
Brunch: spinach salad; 2 egg omelette with tomato, green pepper, onion and spinach (200); kielbasa (300); 2 pieces of baguette (100); passion iced tea made by the roomie = 600-700
Dinner: one chicken wing basted with olive oil and lemon pepper (290); about 1 cup rice (245 cals); oriental seasoned vegetables (45) = 580
Snacks: carrots and lite ranch; grapes; small bagel w/ PB and lite cream cheese = 300ish
Total: about 1580! Doing better, which is always good. What's going to suck is going home, but it just means I need to use our treadmill downstairs more.
The one thing that's been on my mind, especially after talking to Ryan last night, is la Maximo (term used to refer to our friends in Nica as well as the colonia itself). I think I'm finally coming out of my stupor over the whole experience and am realizing that no, Maximo is not the end all be all of Nicaragua. I also realized how much I hated the gossip, because you get sucked into it so easily and you love to join in but it ultimately just causes trouble - which, of course, is what it does everywhere. But still...whether it be that it was more noticeable in an unfamiliar environment, or people are less subtle about it there, or what have you, but it seemed particularly poisonous and alluring in Maximo. In fact, if you have some free time go read Life is Hard by Roger Lancaster, because the entire book is written about Maximo (under a pseudonym) and he dedicates at least one chapter to gossip. In the end this realization is encouraging, because now I know for sure that I'm going back for Nicaragua, not for Maximo.
"Si la patria es pequeña, uno grande la sueña." - Ruben Dario
Lots of other stuff bouncing around in my mind, but I'm officially beat. Buenas noches.
Working out was productive: I managed to knock out 4 miles on the treadmill and do some quad strengthening on the Arctrainer. Overall, according to the machines at least, I burned about 630 calories. Only downside is that I desperately need new sneakers because these ones are giving me blisters. My meals ended up pretty decent, too:
Brunch: spinach salad; 2 egg omelette with tomato, green pepper, onion and spinach (200); kielbasa (300); 2 pieces of baguette (100); passion iced tea made by the roomie = 600-700
Dinner: one chicken wing basted with olive oil and lemon pepper (290); about 1 cup rice (245 cals); oriental seasoned vegetables (45) = 580
Snacks: carrots and lite ranch; grapes; small bagel w/ PB and lite cream cheese = 300ish
Total: about 1580! Doing better, which is always good. What's going to suck is going home, but it just means I need to use our treadmill downstairs more.
The one thing that's been on my mind, especially after talking to Ryan last night, is la Maximo (term used to refer to our friends in Nica as well as the colonia itself). I think I'm finally coming out of my stupor over the whole experience and am realizing that no, Maximo is not the end all be all of Nicaragua. I also realized how much I hated the gossip, because you get sucked into it so easily and you love to join in but it ultimately just causes trouble - which, of course, is what it does everywhere. But still...whether it be that it was more noticeable in an unfamiliar environment, or people are less subtle about it there, or what have you, but it seemed particularly poisonous and alluring in Maximo. In fact, if you have some free time go read Life is Hard by Roger Lancaster, because the entire book is written about Maximo (under a pseudonym) and he dedicates at least one chapter to gossip. In the end this realization is encouraging, because now I know for sure that I'm going back for Nicaragua, not for Maximo.
"Si la patria es pequeña, uno grande la sueña." - Ruben Dario
Lots of other stuff bouncing around in my mind, but I'm officially beat. Buenas noches.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Beginning
Back in high school and the beginning of college, I had one of those angsty, drama-filled online journals. I deleted it because it was an unhealthy way to vent my emotions and since then have matured leaps and bounds spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. Now that college is coming to an end - and quite a bit earlier than I originally anticipated - I figured why not start up a new blog again at this rather important juncture in my life. Facebook stalking Jeannie might have also played a part in inspiring this blog, but sshhh. Anyway, big things to think about right now:
With every day that passes I'm more and more sure that Global Health is exactly what I want to do with my life. I'm still not sure in what capacity I'll ultimately be dealing with the issue - it's either MPH, MBA or PhD - but it almost doesn't matter to me as long as I'm working in development. It's challenging, it's discouraging, it's dirty and it's probably not going to be eliminated within my lifetime, but there's something indescribable pulling me towards this cause. I love being a young idealist.
I've decided to also keep track of my food and exercise regime on here to be somewhat accountable for what I'm doing and to see where my weaknesses are. You can pretty much ignore these parts of the entry if you'd like.
Until next time.
- Graduating college! In 2 months and 1 week there will be a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies in my possession.
- Living in Nicaragua! I'll be working with Manna Project International and immersing myself in several of their awesome initiatives being carried out in three main locations in or right around Managua. Stay tuned for either a separate travel blog or this one morphing into a Manna propaganda machine.
- Getting back in shape! Really it's a premeditated measure because I'll get fat and lazy back in Nica (although I'll have a wicked tan 24/7)
- Getting back into spiritual shape! More prayer time is needed with the Big Man upstairs.
With every day that passes I'm more and more sure that Global Health is exactly what I want to do with my life. I'm still not sure in what capacity I'll ultimately be dealing with the issue - it's either MPH, MBA or PhD - but it almost doesn't matter to me as long as I'm working in development. It's challenging, it's discouraging, it's dirty and it's probably not going to be eliminated within my lifetime, but there's something indescribable pulling me towards this cause. I love being a young idealist.
I've decided to also keep track of my food and exercise regime on here to be somewhat accountable for what I'm doing and to see where my weaknesses are. You can pretty much ignore these parts of the entry if you'd like.
- Food: 2 mini-bagels w/ lite cream cheese and strawberry jam (abt 340 total); 1 OJ and pack of pretzels (abt 440 total); 1 chicken leg, spinach salad, 2 small slices baguette (abt 300 total); 1 tall iced caramel latte (abt 220 calories); 1 4-piece chicken fingers w/ fries and honey mustard (abt 700 calories) = abt 2000 calories <== 500 calories off target. Home-cooked meals FTW!
- Exercise: none! uuugh. Was busy from 10 am until 10 pm tonight. Will make it up tomorrow.
Until next time.
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