As My Adventure Unfolds

The End

2012-02-07T00:30:00.001-04:00

I've decided to end this blog to begin a new one.

My new blog is asmyadventureunfolds.blogspot.com

If you followed this blog please continue to follow me over here and see where life takes me next.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and adventures.

Highlights

2012-02-05T19:08:00.000-04:00

My friend Jillian gave me tasks to do each day of my first week back home. It was actaully a good way to get semi-readjusted and it was fun to have to do something everyday.

It was a good first week home.

Went to Target and bought a new hat an feather earrings

Ate In N Out...delicious!

Saw The Descendants

Andrea had a welcome home dinner for me and I got to see all the little ones

little Reggie is walking & oh so cute!

Had sushi with Andrea, Yoho, and Reggie

Best friends since 1991, it's good to be with Andrea again!

Mexican food night!

I splurged and got a new iPhone 4S & I love it!

Sunday afternoon at Little Cottonwood Canyon

Snowshoeing

It was a beautiful day!

Video of snowshoeing, it's a little shaky

New Beginnings

2012-02-03T01:16:00.000-04:00

The end of my Peace Corps experience marks the end of a huge chapter in my life. It’s not only the end of my journey in Guyana but I feel like it’s the end of my young adult life {my adolescence in a sense}. I came to Peace Corps unsure of who I really was. Unsure of what I really wanted in life. I came to Peace Corps to figure out my life…to find myself. And I have.

Now that it's over and I'm looking back on the whole experience I feel extremely grateful. I had my share of ups and downs and there were times when I questioned if being in Guyana was worth it. But now I can definitely say it was worth it and I would do the whole thing over again if I had to. I met amazing people and I grew. I gained a whole new perspective on life and that is something I’ll be forever grateful for.

Being home has been good but a little weird. And I say weird because I have felt so many different emotions like happy, overwhelmed, scared, excited, sad, loved, lonely, jealous, guilty, and subdued. I can't help but feel that since I'm home I have to have a plan. I have to jump into something, anything. I have to be doing something. When these thoughts/feeling come into my mind I welcome them and feel them but I don't allow them to stick around too long...I just keep telling myself it's okay to feel these things and it's okay to take a little time before jumping into something. I know things will happen when the time is right....

I'm pretty excited for new beginnings and the next chapter in my life.

Videos & I Hope

2012-01-30T12:48:00.002-04:00

I am excited to finally share a few videos.

This first video is the boat ride/wetlands tour we took during our Close of Service conference.

The second video is of the nursery school kids singing on my last day with them.

And this third video is my last minibus adventure. While we were sitting waiting for the bus to fill a guy started harassing Becky and asked her some pretty personal questions so Princess being the 'hold nothing back' gal that she is chimed in...I love Princess!

I hope you were able to get a little glimpse of life in Guyana.

...........................................

My friend Jillian is amazing and I'm sharing a poem she wrote because it's lovely and it speaks true to how I feel about my time in Guyana.

I hope by Jillian Johnson
Oh Guyana. I hope I loved you enough.
I hope I turned up in the days that the sun was high and warm and worked hard under your heat and sweated enough.
I hope I taught you something.
I know you taught me something. Or two.
I hope the day ended feeling better than it started.
I hope the next day starts better than it ended.
I hope I tried for you enough.
I hope you felt the fast beats of my heart and the tears of my eyes.
I hope you know that I tried my best.
I hope you know that I loved your children like my own.
I hope you know that many of times they were.
I hope you see a difference because of what I did or did not do.
I know that I will be different, because of what I did and did not do.
I hope you show your beauty to others, like you have shown me.
I hope others will see your beauty that is truly here to see.
I hope you know that you brought some of my favorite people of life together: In my heart and in your country.
I hope you feel the feelings I have for you in every breath that I have left to take.
I hope you know that at times it felt like it was forever, but that quickly slipped to lost when I was awake.
I hope you know that I woke up with you, dreamt of you, slept with you.
I hope you know that I broke for you, struggled for you, fought for you.
I hope you know that I loved for you, for everything and everyone you generously gave to me.
I hope you know that I cared for you and will continue you to do so daily.
Oh Guyana, I hope I loved you enough.

In My Final Hours

2012-01-28T18:31:00.002-04:00

Somehow time got away from me and up until the last moment I was still saying goodbye to people, packing, finishing documents for Peace Corps, and hanging out with good friends, whom I’m going to miss so much.

Thursday night I stayed at Princess’ for the final time and Friday I signed, dotted my I’s, crossed my T’s, and said farewell to Peace Corps. Then Becky, Princess, and I headed to the Linden bus park for the FINAL time and I said, “hallelujah” to my last minibus ride!! Friday night we had a little dinner, which was perfect, just my style. It meant so much to me that Mrs. Gibbons and Dawn come over and brought some channa and macaroni and cheese. We reminisced over memories and talked about all the crazy, good times we’ve shared in Guyana, even the memory of ‘flat bird’ (what a nurse called me in the first month at the health center) was brought up. My eyes were teary all night. After dinner Becky and Princess treated me to ice cream and we got caught in the rain, but it was actually kind of nice. We continued packing and by 2:30am I felt like I wanted to close my eyes and try to sleep for an hour so the 3 of us laid in my bed (my last time under the mosquito net!) but my mind was just racing and my heart was feeling very anxious. At 3:30am I got up, made some coffee, ate a bagel, and then Becky woke up and we talked some more. Around 4:45 a sleepy Tim and Chelsea came down stairs to see me off with hugs and tears. They are going to be the last ones standing in Linden and I’m so proud of them, I will truly miss them, we have been through a lot together.

Rastaman James picked us up at 5am, Becky and Princess came to airport with me, which was so sweet of them. It was a very rainy morning and my last drive down the Linden highway was a bit scary, we hydroplaned a lot, but we made it to the airport safely and in time. My bags were a tad over the allotted weight so we had to move some things around, I was glad I had Princess and Becky there to help me, the airport can be stressful. I hugged Becky and Princess goodbye, again with tears in my eyes and then I was on my own departing Guyana.

Seeing as I hadn’t slept I was tired and once I boarded the plan I closed my eyes and after a few minutes I heard someone say, “Sosebee”, I opened my eyes and there was a ground personnel asking me to please come with him that I had to look at my bag. It was still raining and there were a few employees gathered around my bag they called me over and a man came over and told me he was checking my bag for narcotics. He pretty much ripped open every single thing I had wrapped up and then proceeded to interrogate me, asking me how long I’ve been in Guyana, what I was doing there, who I worked for, and if I had my supervisor’s number. I told him I was a Peace Corps volunteer and told him the name of our country director and then he said, “Oh, I know who is” and said my bag was okay and let me re-board the plane. It was so weird and it really bothered me and of course I cried once more when I returned to my seat. I have had the worst luck at Cheddi Jagan International Airport and boy am I glad to not deal with that airport any longer.

And now, I’m sitting in JFK waiting for my flight to Salt Lake City….

It’s definitely been an emotional roller-coaster ride for me the last few days…I just can’t believe I’m finished and now I’m a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
I can’t believe I’m back home and it’s time to embark on a brand new adventure…readjusting to this American life and figuring out what my next step is going to be…it’s definitely an exciting time in my life and I’m ready for whatever life has in store for me next.

Saying goodbye only allows us to say hello again!

Oh, Miss Jillian!

LAST MINIBUS RIDE!!!!

Man, way to go out with a bang, I mean messy hair!

A dear lady made me a goodbye heart cake

My farewell gang--love them!

Mrs. Gibbons and Dawn

I have to thank God for watching over me and keeping me safe over the past 2 years, especially on all those minibus rides!

I’ll be writing and reflecting more about my time in Guyana and the whole experience once I get some sleep.

Saying Goodbye

2012-01-25T16:21:00.001-04:00

It’s crazy to think that another new group of volunteers are embarking on this adventure come the 1st of February. Although, I won’t be in Guyana to greet them or get to know them I can’t help but think how they must be feeling right now…how I felt 2 years ago, packing my bags and venturing out on an unknown, foreign experience. It’s interesting to compare my thoughts and feelings as I was leaving home and arriving in Guyana to now, leaving Guyana and returning home. The thoughts and feelings are very similar--scared, uncertain, excited, nervous, sad, hopeful, and knowing this change is good for me.
Honestly, I never thought I would be this emotional when the time came to head home, after all I’m returning to once a familiar land…I’m returning to my friends and family. But it’s hard and I’m sad to leave Guyana, I’m sad to say goodbye to the amazing people I’ve met here. Guyana has become a part of me, it became my home and I’m truly going to miss it.

I have come so far in 2 years and I’m so excited that a new group of people are leaving the comforts of their lives behind for a little while to experience a new, great, different, adventurous, crazy, beautiful roller-coast ride that is Peace Corps Guyana.

It doesn’t feel real that on Saturday I am leaving Guyana and heading home…it’s just so crazy that my time here is ending. Where did 2 years go?
I am so grateful for this experience and for all the friendships I’ve made along the way. I know this experience was exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I will never forget my time in Guyana; it’s truly a beautiful country.

There are so many people to say goodbye to...neighbors, nurses, teachers, market vendors and shop keepers, taxi drivers, boat drivers, patients, the laundry guy, and everyday people I pass on the road. It's been hard saying goodbye.
Yesterday was my last day at the hospital kitchen and today was my last day over the river, at the health center and schools. I have become a part of a community and I'm really going to miss everyone who's been so kind, welcoming, and friendly towards me. I'm sad I didn't get to say goodbye to a few people over the river today but I hope they know how much I enjoyed getting to know them.

It's been hard saying goodbye to the kids, the students who have touched my heart. At the nursery school the headmistress had them sing me songs and give me hugs and kisses, it was so cute. My heart goes out the kids in Christianburg and I'm so blessed I got to spend time with them.

The goodbyes are only going to get harder in the next 2 days...

...but it won't be hard saying goodbye to this guy!

My Last Weekend In Linden

2012-01-22T17:45:00.000-04:00

My last weekend in Linden was good...a few girls from GUY23 and Becky came to spend the weekend. We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon down by the creek not too far from our house (I don't know why we haven't been swimming there all along) and it was a lot of fun. There was a rope tied to a tree so we could swing into the water.

Becky's first time ever on a rope swing

Cowabunga

We just stayed in the water while it rained

Then we spent the evening at Barrow's, our favorite restaurant. Chelsea, being the amazing person and friend that she is arranged for them to prepare cookup rice and plantain chips (the only things I wanted before leaving Guyana). I'm truly so grateful for everything her and Tim have done for me...they have been like family and I'm really going to miss them.

The night was full of dancing and laughter...it was a great last Saturday night in the place I've called home for the past 21 months. I am so blessed to have met such great people in Guyana and I'm so thankful for this whole experience. Guyana and Peace Corps are going to be a part of me for the rest of my life.

The group

Can't wait to hangout with them stateside!

Becky and I were making up new dance moves...this one was hailing a taxi

Right now my heart is full of love and appreciation for everything and everybody here.

I just can't believe it's all ending in 5 days...it's a very weird, bittersweet feeling.

And this week is going to be very emotional for me.

Words of Encouragement

2012-01-19T14:31:00.002-04:00

Why am I feeling nervous?

Unplanned

2012-01-15T09:13:00.001-04:00

I feel like everything is up in the air...I really have no definite plan for life after Peace Corps.

I have ideas, dreams, and goals but a direct plan? Nope, and I feel like I should just throw a dart at a map...

I'm just overjoyed at the thought that I can do whatever I want to do with my life. And I'm okay with not having a plan right now in my life. Maybe it's a good thing, because really plans don't usually go as planned.

Everything is wide open.

And that is very exciting.

I do want to take a little time to decompress and settle back into everything.

I want to reconnect with friends and family.

And I want to travel within the States.

So, right now my life is unplanned and I couldn't be happier.

Things To Remember...

2012-01-12T11:54:00.003-04:00

Things I wish to remember about my time in Guyana...
The talks and advice shared with Mrs. Gibbons
Enjoying my morning walks along the river on the way to the health center…just alone with my thoughts and the beauty of the morning sky
The beauty of the jungle
The birds singing early in the mornings and the melody of frogs and bugs at night
The taste of plantain chips and cookup rice
The friendships I created with the girls at the hospital kitchen
Those moments on the minibus when my heart was full of love and appreciation for this experience
Group meal nights with Tim, Chelsea and Tony
The random crazy nights out on the town in Linden
The “what the heck” moments where I could look at Chelsea or Tony and we’d be thinking the exact same thing
Morning walks/workouts with Chelsea
Girl’s weekends spent at Princess’ where we’d stay in our jammies all day and watch Lifetime movies
Total randomness
The freedom
Lying in my hammock
Traveling around Guyana
Witnessing the awe and shock on the faces of the people who visited me
Baking and cooking with Becky
The kids and how sweet they are
Being called “teacher Sara”
Living simply

Things I want to remember about myself while in Guyana...
(attributes to carry home with me)
Go with the flow…things don’t always go as planned and that’s okay
Be patient…‘just now’ things will happen
Be open to new things
Budget money
Compassion for others
Confidence
Independence
Able to deal with diversity
Push myself…it’s good to be pushed out of comfort zones
Less sensitive to bluntness and people being critical
Learned about the power of prayer and I want to continue/enhance on my spiritual journey
I am me…I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not
Value great friendships
Sense of self
Volunteerism
Only I have the power to make myself happy
Be aware of the beauty in my surroundings
I enjoy cooking
Always be grateful

A New Year

2012-01-08T08:29:00.000-04:00

I rang in the New Year with good friends & a lot of fun!

It was one the best New Years I've had in a long time.

I'm very excited it's 2012...I have so many dreams!

23 Months & Close of Service

2012-01-07T18:34:00.000-04:00

This is my final month in Guyana. It’s surreal and I’m feeling a bit anxious. I just can’t believe it is all ending and that in 3 weeks my life for the past 23 months will be different. It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling.

This past week was our Close of Service conference; we ended where we stared at Splashmin’s Resort and that was a little weird…we were all remembering the first couple of days in Guyana and how awkward it was getting to know one another and trying to understand what was going on. And now it’s time to say goodbye.

The conference was good and informative. We learned about all the forms and documents we have complete in order to close out our service and just like the long process it took to get into Peace Corps leaving is similar. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed but I know I’ll get it all done…it’s just going to make these last 3 weeks fly by.

The thing I enjoyed about COS was reflecting on every thing I’ve accomplished during my service and the life skills I’ve acquired/enhanced.

We talked about re-adjusting to life back home and they shared with us the 4 components of re-entry
1) Loss
2) Change in expectations
3) Change in employment
4) Cross cultural adaptation (change in values and time)
I think these are going to be very true.

Guy22 and PCGY staff

Yesterday we returned back to Georgetown and to the PC office. It was a very emotional day and I felt very anxious because I had to say goodbye to many volunteers who I won’t be seeing before I leave Guyana. It was especially difficult to say goodbye to Heather and Kellen.

They are seriously such good, giving, genuine, fun people and I’m going to miss them so much. I’m grateful for their friendship and I know I’ll be seeing them in the States.

I know the next 3 weeks are going to be full of emotion.

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T09:05:00.001-04:00

I’m so incredibly excited for this New Year.

It’s going to be a good year…I can just feel it!

I’m so excited to complete my Peace Corps service.

I'm looking forward to returning home.

And I’m thrilled to see what 2012 has in store for me.

My Goals:

1. Start school

2. Become fit

3. Road trip the east coast

4. Visit Amie in MI

5. Visit North Carolina

6. Visit Becky, Princess, Heather and the Tibbs'

7. Do 30 days of eating raw foods

8. Buy a professional camera and learn about photography

9. Have my own apartment

10. Enjoy going on dates

11. Take a ballet class

12. Go on a random, spontaneous trip

13. Grow my hair super long

14. Go to Laughlin and Jet Ski with family and friends over the summer

15. Cook a new meal every day for one month

16. Go camping

17. Go to a concert

18. Go to Disneyland in December

19. Grow spiritually

20. Spend lots of time with my family

Happy New Year!!

Good-bye 2011

2011-12-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

2011 was one heck of a year and I’m welcoming 2012 wholeheartedly.
But before I do I want to reflect on this past year…

2011 was an interesting, eye opening, and life-changing year.
One I’ll never forget.

It was…good, hard, trying, sad, fun, and adventurous.
It was filled with love and full of some heartache.

I learned a lot.
I did a lot.

I grew.
I changed.

I saw the worst in myself.
I saw the best in myself.

I'm grateful for everything I experienced this year and for all the people who were a part of my 2011.

Post that reflect 2011:
What It’s All About
One Year Ago
Lights. Camera. Action.
The Long Journey Home
Shell beach
Kato
Why Now?
Tobago
22 Months + Lessons Learned

Favorite photos of 2011:

Celebrated one year in Peace Corps

Alter Ego party

St. Patrick's Day

Being home and seeing my cousins

I loved meeting baby Reggie

My 25th birthday with good friends

Attended my first Indian wedding and ate curry out of a leaf

Shell Beach-- most amazing thing I've ever done.

Flew to Kato and hiked a waterfall

Spent 7 days in Tobago with awesome friends

Ate amazing shark sandwiches

Celebrated our 2nd Thanksgiving in Linden

Christmas

2011-12-31T13:42:00.001-04:00

It sure didn't feel like Christmas but it was a good day spent with good friends. Becky and I baked a lot of cookies and made homemade pumpkin cinnamon bread and eggnog. We watched Elf and Home Alone. And early Christmas morning Becky and I went to church. Most of the day we were welcomed to spend time with Guyanese families, which was nice. Then at night we had our little gift exchange.

Christmas morning gathered around the tree

For breakfast we had our pumpkin cinnamon bread and sparkling cider

On Christmas Eve we were wildly surprised by the presence of Heather Claus....

Heather Claus enjoying homemade eggnog

Who doesn't love mustaches?

We all had to tell Heather Claus what we wanted for Christmas

On Christmas Eve two kids came by Becky's with a monkey. Becky took the monkey and let it climb all over her then she put the monkey on me, which was creepy...hence the face.

All in all, it was a good last Christmas in Guyana

Becky's handmade Nativity

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

2011-12-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it's been 2 years since I was home for Christmas...it's hard for me not being with my family at this time of year.

But luckily, this year I'm spending the holiday with some good friends in Region 3.

I'm headed to Becky's house for some cookie baking, Christmas music listening, crafting and laughter. I'm sure it's going to be a very random Christmas but it will be one I'll never forget.

I hope all my friends and family enjoy this special time of year.

I'm missing you all!

Babies

2011-12-20T19:02:00.001-04:00

I had the opportunity to help Chelsea with her Food for Healthy Babies program. She had the idea to develop a program for at risk (malnourished, under wight, or who may be HIV positive) babies. Basically, it's an educational feeding program focusing on introducing solid foods to babies. We developed lessons on feeding baby with a cup and spoon, doing food demonstrations on making porridge, fresh fruit juice, homemade baby food (which they had never seen before), and baking healthy snacks (focusing on the importance of feeding baby with wholesome foods instead of packaged snacks), and parenting with love (making meal time fun for baby). Overall, although we ran into some errors, the program was successful and we enjoyed the time we got to spend with cute babies and friendly mothers.

I just love these little ones!

Changes are a-Comin'

2011-12-16T16:06:00.001-04:00

As I am beginning to wrap up my Peace Corps service...I've been working on my Description of Service (DOS), summing up everything I've done since arriving in Guyana, and it has been a little overwhelming remembering everything and finding the right, concise wording. But it's also been a good time to reflect on my life over the past 22 months.

However, all of this thought about my time as a volunteer also has me thinking about the changes that are going to happen so soon. And I'll admit, as much as I am looking forward to returning home, I'm getting a little nervous...what's my plan?

And while I'm going back to old comforts I'm a little scared to leave the safety of Peace Corps.

But truthfully, I'm so excited for the changes that await me. I can feel it in my bones that the change my life is about to encounter is going to be so amazingly awesome.

I feel confident that I have gained the strength I need to start the next chapter of my life and I'm just so ready to take this new breath of life.

From the Heart

2011-12-12T14:33:00.001-04:00

My heart feels heavy with unspoken words. It's healing and still full of emotion.
Although, I feel strength radiating from within me there are words I need to share...

It was a good dream, great even.

You and me and the thought of forever.

I believed it to be true because I wanted you. 

I wanted us.

It has been a hard but refreshing realization 

to know life doesn’t always work out like we hoped it would. 

But I have faith there is a bigger plan for both of us.  

I need you to know I’m grateful for the time we spent together, 

for everything you taught me. 

You showed me what it means to love another person

and for that I’ll always carry you in my heart.  

I believe you are my soul mate because you awoke my soul. 

You cracked my heart open allowing new light to come in. 

Thank you.

I forgive you

and wish you happiness.

The Alphabet To Live By

2011-12-11T11:55:00.002-04:00

I stumbled across this and love it! I think we all need to live life by following the ABC's. How cool would it be if little kids grew up learning the alphabet and rules to live by this way?

A: authenticity - be real, be yourself, speak your truth.

B: beauty - is everywhere, we need to open our hearts and our minds to find it!

C: compassion - take the time to care for others, ask how someone is and listen.

D: daring - be brave, take risks and have adventures!

E: extraordinary - think outside of the ordinary, go above and beyond mediocre!

F: funny - be funny, see the funny, laugh at yourself, don't take things too seriously.

G: generosity - be generous with your time, your love and your abilities.

H: happy - keep it simple, tune into what gives you butterflies and you will know happy.

I: intuition - listen closely, sit in silence, don't talk too much and you will truly hear.

J: joy - feel the joy in each and every moment, joy is in everyone, learn to release it.

K: kindness - the simple act of kindness has the power to change lives.

L: love - use the word often, you cannot have too much love, the more the merrier!

M: memories - our most precious gift from one generation to another, share them often.

N: nice - be nice, always, expect nothing in return, feel the inner and outer glow.

O: organised - it really does make life easier, make some lists and

break goals down into pieces.

P: passion - discover your passion and follow it, don't do anything without your passion.

Q: quiet - meditate, remove yourself from the noise of life for at least a few minutes a day.

R: reflect - don't dwell in the past, simply reflect with an open mind and be gentle on yourself.

S: self care - do at least one thing a day that nurtures YOU.

T: thoughtful - consider others and what you can do to make them feel loved.

U: unique - look for the thing or the person who stands out from the trend.

V: vivid - life is filled with color, and color improves our mood, live in full color!

W: wonder - always look at life through the eyes of a child, see everything as a miracle.

X: xtra - develop a career that is true to your passion and always do that little

bit xtra every day.

Y: youthful - the feeling of youthfulness need never fade, hold it tightly in your heart and never let go.

Z: zany - be a little silly, don't be afraid to be different.

Happy Sunday!

{Love} Incubus

2011-12-10T14:14:00.000-04:00

I have waited

dined on ashes

swung from chandeliers

and climbed Everest,

and none of it's gotten me

close to this.

I've waited all my life

if not now, when will I...

We've been good

even a blast

but don't you feel like

something's missing here?

Don't you dear?

I've waited all my life

If not now, when will I

stand up and face the bright light?

Don't hide your eyes...

It's time.

No umbrellas

no sunglasses

hell and hallelujah everyday.

I've waited all my life

if not now, when will I

stand up and face the bright light?

Don't hide your eyes...

It's time.

Incubus

22 Months + Lessons Learned

2011-12-07T13:25:00.008-04:00

I have learned a lot in the 22 months I have been in Guyana. I've not only learned about another part of the world, culture, and way of living but I've learned a lot about life and myself. I'm just so grateful for this experience, it has truly been life changing.

The important lessons I've learned along the way...
You can only have expectations for yourself and no one else.
Everyone has their own opinions.
Take the time to get to know people.
People will surprise you.
Be happy with who you are, always.
It’s okay to be alone.
It’s okay to cry and to be upset but you have to find a way to eventually let it go.
It’s okay to tell people no.
Failure is a part of life but don't get discouraged.
It’s important to stick up for yourself.
People don’t always see eye to eye, and that’s okay.
We don’t live in a perfect world. It can be cruel and unfair.
Allow yourself to feel emotions.
Express yourself in any way you can.
Be open to new things and new ideas.
Don’t turn your back on people.
Be comfortable in your own skin.
Laugh at yourself.
Laugh at something everyday.
Be polite.
Say you’re sorry.
Don’t hold grudges.
You create your own happiness.
Always tell the people you love that you love them.
Be grateful.
Don’t go to bed mad.
Write it down.
Forgive others. Forgive yourself.
Find something beautiful in every surrounding.
Sing and dance even if people are going to laugh.
Family is important.
Know good things are coming your way every day.
Know yourself.
Accept yourself.
Follow your intuition.
It’s okay to plan for the future but live in the moment.
Turn to God.
I am much stronger than I ever believed.
I am who I am.

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by

every experience in which you really stop to look

fear in the face. You must do the thing which you

think you cannot do.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

December 5th.

2011-12-05T15:45:00.001-04:00

Happy December!

I can't believe Christmas is only 20 days away...it sure doesn't feel like Christmas around here. But I'm hoping all of you back home are getting ready and excited for this special time of year. I must admit I'm craving everything Christmas right now...family, eggnog, fresh baked cookies, Christmas lights, decorating the tree, listening to Christmas music, shopping and wrapping presents, hot chocolate, and cold weather {maybe even some snow}.

Last week, during the election period nothing happened except it took the government 3 days to announce the new presidency and we stayed home all week. Let's just say a lot of sitting around took place, but that's okay.

With only a few weeks left in Guyana I'm looking forward to...
A night of baking goodies with friends.
Spending Christmas in region 3 with Becky and Princess.
Celebrating the arrival of 2012!
COS conference.
Packing and cleaning.
Home!

Today

2011-11-28T14:42:00.001-04:00

Today is Guyana’s Presidential Election and Peace Corps has been preparing us for this day for awhile now. They have enforced that we stay in our houses today and tomorrow and possibly the rest of the week depending on how things go. We have stocked up on food and what not and have a bag packed just in case we have to evacuate. These are just precautions Peace Corps has put in order. So far today has been pretty quiet but I think tomorrow, once the decision has been made things might get a little heated (just my foresight in Linden). But I'm praying things go peacefully and soundly.

In the meantime, while we are instructed to stay home for a few days I’ve been enjoying being lazy. I’ve been listening to music and pinning items in Pinterest. I’m working on filling out a Peace Corps questionnaire and watching Gossip Girl. I’d like to start going through things in my house and thinking about what I want to take back home with me…it’s crazy how much I’ve accumulated since being in Guyana. And it’s crazy that come this time in January I’ll be home…

Please keep Guyana in your thoughts.

Second Thanksgiving in Linden

2011-11-26T10:05:00.003-04:00

We celebrated our 2nd Thanksgiving in Linden with Chelsea's mom and brother and our friends. We had 12 people in total take part in our feast and we had a great day all gathered together...there was a lot of cooking, gaffing, laughing, drinking of wine, and thankfulness going on. As much as I missed being home with my family I was so thankful to be surrounded by my friends in Guyana. I'm seriously so grateful for the people I've met here. As we went around the table sharing our gratitude Chelsea and I got a little teary eyed because we have so much to be grateful for and this whole experience has been life changing and it is sad to know it's coming to an end soon. But I have faith the friends I've made in Peace Corps will be a part of my life for a long time.

Our house got painted!

Turkey cooking in a BBQ...ingenious. So grateful for turkey!

Chelsea's mom decorated our tree for Thanksgiving. It was our gratitude tree, everyone wrote what they were grateful for.

Chels, Becky, me, Princess, & Cassie

Becky celebrated Thanksgiving with us last year too!

Brother Tim

So much yummy food...it was amazing!

Yay for Chelsea's mom and bro!

Grateful For...

2011-11-21T16:15:00.000-04:00

Life.

I am so grateful for my life. I'm grateful for the people in my life. I'm grateful for all the experiences and opportunities I've been given. I'm grateful for the lessons I've learned along the way. I'm grateful for all the adventures. I'm grateful for my health. I'm grateful for love, laughter, joy, and happiness.

I'm just so excited for life!

Rockstone

2011-11-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

Chelsea's mom and brother are here visiting for Thanksgiving and today I spent the day with them, our friend Carissa and our neighbor Lisa. We went to Rockstone, an Amerindian village about 45 minutes away from Linden. Chelsea wanted her mom and brother to experience another part of Guyana...a boat ride on the river through the jungle. And that's just what we did. Chelsea arranged our transportation on a mini-bus and a boat man to take us for a tour on the Essequibo river. This part of the river is different than other parts of the river I've seen because it has rapids and rock formations all throughout the river. It was neat to see another part of this beautiful country.

This weekend in Rockstone is the famous fish festival but while we were there not much was going on, they were still setting things up. I guess Sunday is the busy, crazy day of the festival. But to participate in the fish festival festivities I ate curry fish and rice.
It was my first experience eating a whole fish...scales, bones, and head.

Thank goodness the eyes were removed.

I am so grateful for Tim and Chelsea and Chelsea's mom, for letting me be a part of their visit in Guyana!

Advanced COS

2011-11-16T19:15:00.002-04:00

After much consideration and discussion with Peace Corps Guyana staff I decided to apply for an advanced Close of Service (COS) date. I spoke with my Country Director and found out volunteers may apply for an advanced COS up to 90 days before their actual COS date and still be treated as a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. However, the approval wouldn’t be up to him, it would have to be approved by the South America desk.

So I took the leap of faith. I had to write a letter as to why I was requesting an early COS and I had to have my supervisor at the health center write a letter saying she agreed that my projects are complete and she was giving me permission to submit my request.

The reasons vary as to why I decided to try and complete my Peace Corps service early. I do no feel like I am quitting or failing because I am completing my Close of Service (our COS conference is the first week in January). I am so grateful for the support of my Counterpart, Project Manager and Country Director because my request for an advanced COS date has been approved and I’ll be home by the end of January!

Wow, I kind of can’t believe it. The request was sent yesterday and I found out today that my advanced COS date has officially been approved. I was not expecting that quick of a response and I can’t believe I have 2 months left in Guyana. It’s crazy to think about. And I’ll admit I have mixed emotions. As much as I am excited to think about life back home I am a little scared. But I am super excited…I’m anxious, happy, sad, nervous, unsure, surprised, excited, happy, sad, excited.

I knew this adventure would eventually end and all my fellow PCVs would go their separate ways but wow, it’s really coming to an end and I’ll be leaving my friends and life in Guyana so soon.
Deep down I know this decision and step is right for me. It’s time to move on.
But right now it’s time to really enjoy my last moments in Guyana.

Grateful For...

2011-11-15T19:41:00.000-04:00

I am so grateful for my family. I am blessed to have such a fun, beautiful, crazy, caring, loving, supportive family.

There is nothing like family.

I got this picture today from my cousin and I think it's awesome!

My cousin Holly's wedding. It was a great day!

I am so grateful for...

Dad & Berna, Mom & Dan, Amie, all my aunts, uncles, and cousins, Grammary & Poppy Steve, Grandma & Papa.

21 Months

2011-11-07T09:39:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's November. This year has been flying by. And I can't believe in 8 weeks we'll be at our Close of Service conference!

Life in Guyana has been streaming along. The roosters still crow, the buses still speed by, it's still really hot and humid and I pretty much eat the same thing every day.

I've been doing the Be Safe! Program twice a week at the nursery school and I've been working with 10 students from the primary school teaching phonics, reading, and spelling. Work at the health center is so slow. I still see patients every Wednesday for Infant and Child Clinic and I'm there for the monthly Elderly Club meetings. But other than that I don't do much at the health center these days. We have a new Medex (head of the health center) so it's been a little weird lately. I miss the old Medex, we got a long well and worked together.

Chelsea is starting a new program at her health center called Food for Healthy Babies and I'm excited to help out with that. Her mom and brother are coming to visit next week and will be here for Thanksgiving. So we'll be having a similar Thanksgiving to last year just with her family. I'm looking forward to meeting them.

I can't believe it's the holiday season already. I'm trying not to think too much about it because I wish I was home. I don't know what my plans are yet for Christmas but I'm sure we'll do something fun. And then it's the new year, which is exciting!

My plans for after Peace Corps change daily. We'll see where the wind blows....maybe it's good that I don't have a plan.

Time is passing quickly.

Today is Berna's birthday and I wish her a very happy birthday!!

I miss and love everyone.

Happy November

5 Girls in Tobago

2011-11-04T15:25:00.002-04:00

We started off our vacation by making hand painted T-shirts to wear for our arrival in Tobago. None of us had ever made our own T-shirt before, it felt very spring breakish and they turned out so cute. Since our flight left at 5:30am and we had to leave Princess’s house at 2:30am we thought it best to stay up all night.

We arrived in Trinidad at 6:30am. We heard that a Subway was in the airport and we were so excited when we saw the green and yellow sign. Subway for breakfast was so good! Our flight for Tobago wasn’t until 12:30 but luckily we were able to get on an earlier flight, we were only in the air for 15 minutes and we arrived at our hotel at 10am. Our room wasn’t ready yet so we sat on the back porch of the restaurant, which was attached to the hotel and over looked the bay. We were pretty tired and just wanted to settle into our room and lay out on the beach. But tour guides kept coming up to us and asking if we wanted to book a tour, we told them we were only interested in going snorkeling. One guy came with all his brochures and Princess told him we didn’t have that much money. He ended up making us a deal, he would take us snorkeling and since it was a holiday he invited us to join him and his crew for a cook out dinner on the beach and than swimming at Nylon Pool (a sand bar out in the ocean). We talked it over and even though we were all tired we decided to do it, it would be a good experience to see what the locals do for fun.
When we got on the boat we were a little skeptical but we knew it would be okay. We went snorkeling, the water wasn’t so clear but it was still fun. Then we headed to the beach. We got a few looks from people but for the most part everyone was friendly and welcoming. They were grilling up fresh fish and let us eat it straight from the grill. Then they made duck curry and dumplings, I liked it, the curry was different than the curry in Guyana. Once the sun went down they packed up and we headed back out on the ocean. Nylon Pool was neat because we were in the middle of the ocean and the water came up to our thighs. The local people on the boat were having dance party, which was pretty funny to watch but I think we all thought, “Oh my, how do we get in these situations?” it was a little crazy. At this point we had been up for 40 hours and were beat. Once we got to the room we all passed out.

Grilled fish and duck curry

We stayed at Miller’s Guest Hour and our room had 3 sets of bunk beds and a kitchen, it was just what we needed and it was nice to be able to cook most of our own meals.

Miller's Guest House

We rented a car for the day and drove around half of the island. It was beautiful and reminded me of Hawaii. The road was narrow and windy. I was excited to try and drive on the left hand side of the road but I waited until the road was not so narrow and curvy. It was weird and I didn’t feel that comfortable with it but I’m glad that I can now say I’ve driven on the opposite side of the road.

We named our car Pepper Ann

Weird to drive on the wrong side of the road

For Princess’s birthday we ended up eating at an Italian restaurant close to the Guest House. The food was amazing, probably the best Italian food I have ever had. The chef, who’s originally from Southern Italy came out to talk to us and gave us free appetizers. We were in food heaven!

During the day we’d pack a lunch and head down to the beach. The beach was pretty isolated and the water was so nice. In the evenings we sat outside, ate dinner, played cards and talked.

On Sunday night food and craft venders were out on the road. It was neat to walk around and look at the local crafts. For dinner we ate shark sandwiches, they were so good.

Monday was Halloween and we spent the day paddle boarding, reading and napping. At night we dressed up as the Spice Girls, making do with what we had and ate at the Italian restaurant again. People actually guessed that we were trying to be the Spice Girls.

We Left Tobago early Tuesday morning and instead of taking a plane back to Trinidad we took a 2 hour ferry ride. We were all impressed with how big and nice the ferry was. Then we had about 8 hours to kill in Trinidad since our flight back to Guyana wasn’t until 8:30pm. We decided to spend our time in a mall because Leighton and Heather really wanted McDonalds. Trinidad was really nice, very developed and modern. Becky and I walked around the mall a little and then ventured out to see what else we could find. We found a supermarket that was just like home and we were impressed by all the big buildings and apartments near the mall. It took us 2 hours to get to the airport because the traffic was really bad. Once at the airport we got Subway again, did a little souvenir shopping, and sadly boarded the plane back to Guyana.

I’m so grateful I got to spend 6 days with good friends on an island in the sun!

Leighton, Me, Becky, Princess, & Heather

Tobago-Preview

2011-11-02T18:55:00.001-04:00

There’s just something about an island in the sun that speaks to my heart. I don’t think people understand how much I love islands and blue water. Tobago was amazing! Princess, Becky, Heather, Leighton and I spent 6 days exploring and soaking up another part of the Caribbean. We swam in the emerald colored ocean, ate delicious food, snorkeled, paddle boarded, rented a car, took an epic amount of photos, and laughed until our bellies ached. We had a great adventure together!
This is just a preview into our trip. There is so much to write about and so many pictures to share.
More of Tobago coming soon!

Becky & Princess bought us these amazing beach hats

Buccoo Bay

view from outside our hotel door

on the boat to go snorkeling

driving around on the left hand side of the road for Princess's birthday

we were swimming and this passed right by us

another part of the island

we took a few photo shoots!

Inspiration

2011-10-19T13:45:00.001-04:00

Life...

2011-10-17T18:03:00.000-04:00

I took the online orientation for College of the Canyons today and as I was going through it I couldn’t help but think, “I can’t believe I am going back to school. Wow, this is weird. Here I go back to studying, writing papers, and being a broke student”. But I kept reminding myself that this is something I want to do, this is for my career, this is for my life.

Looking at my life it’s been full of adventure. I've taken risks and I’ve done what I’ve wanted to in life. So why am I feeling afraid? Why am I scared to start over? I shouldn’t be afraid…I can do anything after doing Peace Corps. I took a huge leap by moving and leaving the life I knew behind and it’s turned out well. I know whatever I choose to do in life I’ll be okay.

Yes, I’m scared for the unknown but I’m also very lucky because I get to live my life. I get to decide where I want my life to go. I get to create a life for myself. And that is something I’m very excited for.

You're A Firework

2011-10-15T07:22:00.006-04:00

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky
-Katy Perry

The Desert Will Always Be Home

2011-10-09T11:42:00.001-04:00

The moment I walked out of the airport and into the warm Arizona desert air I knew I was home. Well, not really home since I was in Arizona and wouldn’t be in California for a few days but in my heart I knew I was where I belonged, in the desert.
I guess I just realized I am a desert rat at heart.

There’s just something about the dry heat and flat, brown, Joshua Tree covered land that speaks to me. And there’s nothing better than a warm, comforting desert evening, in fact that’s probably the best thing about Lancaster.

My short, week-long trip home (in Arizona and California) was great! It was so easier the second time around coming home and settling into the life I love and miss.
I’m so grateful I got to spend time with my family in Arizona. It was so good to see and hug Poppy Steve and Grammary. My first night there Grammary made a wonderful dinner of spaghetti with meatballs. I seriously don’t remember the last time I ate spaghetti with meatballs, it was so good and she also made a homemade apple cake and chocolate brownies!! The next night we had family dinner again and I swam a little in the pool. It was a relaxing 2 days. I didn’t want to leave.

I got to meet the newest member of the AZ family, Leon

Poppy Steve

Grammary

In that week-long trip I think I saw more family than I’ve seen in years, which was pretty neat. Grandma Sonia, Greg, Tory, Kassandra and her boys met me for an evening in Arizona and we got to all Skype with mom and Amie. Then I flew to Burbank where dad and Berna picked me up, it was so good to see them! And we went straight from the airport to a Mexican restaurant and then for the remaining days I continued to eat Mexican food and cookies!

I was able to see Papa, Cola, Dana and Barbara all in one night. The next day I drove down to Northridge to see Zach and the next night we celebrated his birthday at his parent’s house with his family. Then the next morning him and I were on a plane headed back to Guyana. It was so good to see everyone!!

I loved being home and I can’t wait to return to where my heart belongs, in the desert.

20 Months

2011-10-07T11:17:00.002-04:00

Today I have been in Guyana for 20 months and the end is near!
Sometimes it still feels like I can’t believe I’m here, that I am doing this. But having Zach here was a reminder to myself that I’ve come along way in these 20 months; that I’ve learned how to live and survive on my own in Guyana. One of the funniest moments with Zach here was when an Indo-Guyanese man was talking to him and he yelled for me to translate. Later Zach said, “He was not speaking English”. Zach also learned that you just say “O.K.” a lot.

It’s interesting to look back on these 20 months and it’s interesting to notice changes within myself. In the beginning months I felt myself grow and change in a way I had never felt before. I felt like I was really changing. This didn’t happen the instant I arrived in Guyana, in fact, I remember in training feeling like I lost myself, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted in life. But as time passed I was able to recognize myself again and figure out my life.

But now here I am with a few months remaining and I’m feeling a little lost again. Have I really changed? Or did I feel like I was changing just because I changed my environment? Do people really change? I like to believe people can change if they really want to. But I think I need to stop focusing on change and focus more on acceptance, acceptance for myself, acceptance for other people, and acceptance for the way things are.

With these few months remaining I can’t help to feel anxious and scared but also very excited. I feel anxious, scared, and excited for the unknown life that awaits me when I return home. I’m nervous but excited to start school again. I’m excited to get an apartment but scared and worried about money and responsibility. I’m excited but also terrified of finding a job. And I'm anxious to end things here. But more than anything I am excited for the next chapter in my life!

Today I applied to College of the Canyons and hope to start in the spring. When I was home in September I drove to COC and talked briefly with an adviser, she told me I have to take a biology class before I can start on my prerequisites to the nursing program, so a prereq. to the prereqs. By starting school in Spring 2012 I hope I can apply to the nursing program in Spring 2013 and start in Fall 2013. I hope that’s how it works out.

I’ve started working again at the nursery school and primary school and it feels so good to have something to do. I’m grateful for the kids who touch my heart here.

And on October 26th 4 of my friends and I are going to Tobago! Can’t wait to be on another tropical island!

Zach In The Jungle

2011-10-02T16:53:00.002-04:00

I am so grateful Zach got to spend a week with me in Guyana. It means so much that he was able to be a part of my life here….he’s now lived Peace Corps life in the jungle.

It was really nice traveling to Guyana together. I planned my trip home so that I could travel back with him and I think it worked out well. Plus, traveling with someone is way better than traveling alone. Fortunately, everything was smooth sailing and we arrived to the humid jungle and welcoming friends last Sunday morning.

On the red-eye to Guyana

He made it!

Friends who welcomed us

I loved seeing the awe in his eyes as he took everything in while looking out the mini-bus window. I’m glad I was there to experience his first trip out of the U.S.
I also loved the shocked looks that appeared upon his face when the mini-buses would speed into the on-coming traffic lane and dodge back into the right lane just to pass a slower moving vehicle. Priceless.

Of course our week flew by but we had a wonderful time together! And I think he really enjoyed his time in Guyana....
We went to the Linden market multiple times. We went hiking through the backyard of Linden. I took him to the health center, schools and hospital kitchen to meet all the people I work with. We watched school sports on the big sports field. We went out to eat so he could taste local dishes. I cooked us a lot of rice and beans. We had two group meals with other PCVs. He helped me with the laundry. We went to Georgetown a few times (he really got a feel for the craziness that goes on and he seemed to like it). He got to see Giftland and LOVED all the pirated movies. We went to Kaieteur Falls, which was amazing! We played pool one night and he got to see the nightlife of Linden. We got ice cream a couple of times and watched movies at night. He also got his lift on at the gym, which was a plus. We stayed two nights with Princess so he got to see another volunteer’s site. We went to GuyExpo, (kind of like a county fair) there were so many people there-- it was overwhelming for the both of us. And then this morning I saw him off at the airport, I was sad to see him go.

Hiking the backyard of Linden

Hanging his laundry

The kids loved him

Kaieteur

It was a beautiful sun-shiny day. Simply amazing!

Yup, that's us sitting on the ledge

Enjoying fresh coconut water

Ice cream

19 Months

2011-09-07T06:54:00.004-04:00

I’m glad another month is finished but I can’t believe it’s already September. Only 3 months until the end of 2011, crazy!

Last Friday morning I woke up to my eyes being half way swollen shut. I’ve been having issues with my eyelids for a while now; they have been red, puffy and dry. And it was getting worse. I was planning on going to see the nurse soon but when I could barley open my eyes Friday I knew I needed to go right a way. I contacted PC and the doctor told me to come in as soon as possible so I got on a bus around noon and made it to the office 2 hours later. She told me I really shouldn’t wear my contacts here anymore and gave me antibiotic eye drops.

Since I arrived in town mid afternoon I didn’t feel like heading straight back to Linden so I called Becky to see what her plans were for the weekend. Our weekend turned into a spontaneous girl’s weekend. Her, Princess, and their friend Shaleeny met me in town and we went to the Amerindian Heritage Expo. It was neat to see Amerindian crafts and Princess and I split a delicious grilled chicken cheeseburger.

I was planning on heading back to Linden Saturday morning but Princess ended up talking Becky and I into staying another night. And I’m glad we did. We made cards, read magazines, made some good food, worked out a little, watched TV and movies, painted our toenails, cut Becky’s hair (she now has bangs!) and talked about Tobago! It was a fun weekend.

Now, I’m looking forward to next Friday!!

Things I’m grateful for this month:
Feeling like myself again
School starting back up
Becky and Princess
Working out
Going on a mini-cation home
Rain

Things I miss right now:
Cooler weather
Health food
Family
Snuggling on the couch
Hot chocolate
Feeling pretty. I’ve pretty much stopped wearing makeup. My favorite hairdo is a messy ponytail. And now I’m stuck wearing glasses. Oh well, makes getting ready a cinch.

Cheers to September!

It Was That Awesome!

2011-09-06T13:23:00.002-04:00

More pictures of Kato...

Flying into Kato I got to be co-pilot. It was pretty cool!

Love these girls!

The waterfall felt like a massage

Trying not to tumble down this hill

Black & White just adds to the beauty

My Life List

2011-09-01T07:32:00.002-04:00

When I woke up this morning the first thing that popped into my head was, it's September!! I'm so excited for this month!

Today I want to share my life list. I wrote a list of things I want to do in my lifetime. The goal is to have 100 things but I thought it would be fun to do half of my list now and the other half one year from now.
**My Life List {one hundred things}:
1. Become a registered nurse and work in labor and delivery
2. Get married in the Wayfarers Chapel
3. Go on a weeklong detoxifying retreat with my mom
4. Do 30 days of eating only raw foods again
5. Cook a new, different meal every day for at least one month
6. Learn how to sew
7. Sew an apron
8. Make a T-shirt quilt
9. Visit all 50 states
10. Become a mommy {2-3 babies}
11. Own seadoos
12. Write my life story
13. Be able to see my abs
14. Get a massage every month for a year
15. Road trip along the east coast and west coast
16. Go back to Alaska, see the northern lights
17. Live in Hawaii
18. Go wine tasting
19. Live close to the beach in California
20. Be a stay-at-home-mom for one year
21. Become really fit and strong
22. Grow my hair to the middle of my back (or longer)
23. Vacation in Ireland
24. Vacation in Greece
25. Take an unplanned, spontaneous trip, where you have to buy everything once you get there.
26. Own a home
27. Make my own baby food
28. Refurbish a piece of furniture and paint it a bright color
29. Paint the outside of my front door a bright teal, aqua color
30. Make homemade ice cream
31. Have something published
32. Make homemade bread
33. Do WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
34. Get my foot tattoo redone and made into a sea turtle
35. Go to a drive in movie
36. Take an adult ballet and tap class
37. Run a ½ marathon
38. Get a nice, professional camera, learn about photography and take lots of pictures
39. Use my own pictures for wall art
40. Open up my own health food store/bakery (this is kind of a lofty dream but I think it would be awesome, maybe much later in life)
41. Become a person who practices yoga regularly
42. Become a little more fashionable i.e. wear high hills and accessorize more
43. Become an expert at budgeting
44. See Incubus play in a small, more personal venue
45. Write a message in a bottle and send it out to sea
46. Sail on a boat to Catalina Island and spend the night on the boat in the harbor
47. Go backpacking in the mountains
48. Host Thanksgiving dinner and cook the turkey all by myself
49. Go to Walt Disney World
50. Write in a journal every day for one year
51. Host a fun dinner party
52. Send a random person $100 in the mail
53. Take a girl’s vacation with my sister
54. Have a vacation home
55. Spend a week in New York City and see a Broadway show

Other 45 goals & dreams to come one year from today.

Kato

2011-08-30T14:28:00.004-04:00

Spending 4 days in a remote Amerindian village, surrounded by the rainforest, hanging out with good friends and enjoying some peace and quiet was exactly what I needed. Becky and I flew (in a small 6-seater plane) to Kato last Wednesday to visit Heather and Kellen and we are so glad we did.
I fell in love with their site, although I don’t know if I could live like they do for 2 years...they are both amazing. They are pretty isolated out in the rainforest with no running water, electricity or indoor bathroom. But they are surrounded by such natural beauty.

It was just so nice to relax and talk with fun friends.

On Thursday we hiked about an hour and a half (one way) to a vegetable farm. They don’t get many fruits and vegetable at their site so it was interesting to see what they have to do if they want any vegetables. The scenery was amazing as we walked under the rainforest canopy. On the way back we had to climb a huge hill, us girls were huffing and puffing and Kellen just waited patiently for us at the top. It was pretty funny. After that hike we were so hot and sweaty so we decided to hike to a waterfall about 20 minutes away from their house. Becky and I kept saying how it looked like a resort back home and Heather just kept laughing at us. We took advantage of the waterfall to wash our hair and shave our legs; we also washed some of our clothes.

Since they don’t have electricity we ate dinner before it got dark and then spent the rest of the evenings with our headlamps on talking and laughing and eating dessert.

On Friday we packed a little picnic and went back to the waterfall to layout and swim. Than that afternoon we went to their resource center (which is their project) to watch Bug’s Life and color with some kids.

Saturday we went for another long hike to larger waterfall and it was incredible. It was just an amazing feeling to know we were in the middle of nowhere and seeing something so unbelievable.

Sunday morning we left, I didn’t want to leave. We ended up having to stop in Mahdia for 5 hours. Mahdia is a gold mining town and luckily enough a volunteer lives there so we called him up and he was able to show us around. It was good to see but I’m glad I don’t live there. Then we made it back to reality and to the blazing hot Guyana sun.
Kato is at least 10 degrees cooler and at night we actually got a little cold, it was so nice!

I wish Kato wasn’t so far away and so expensive to get to because I would love to go back. But I’m grateful I got to spend 4 days there and see Heather and Kellen’s site!

Kato

{bird's eye view}

We were so excited!

{The yellow building is their house and the bigger building behind it is their resource center}

The vegetable farm

The waterfall closer to their house. I wish I had a waterfall I could hike to....

The larger waterfall, which we hiked down. It was neat but a little scary because it was so slippery.

Beautiful

We had a S'mores night. They were so good!

{Headlamps shinning & Kellen being a creeper in the background}

7 Years Ago

2011-08-21T19:34:00.001-04:00

It’s hard to believe 7 years ago today my older cousin, Brittany passed away.
She was 25 years old.

I remember that day like it was not that long ago. My mom and I were in San Diego attending Andrea’s sister’s wedding and when we got to our hotel room that night I had a lot of missed calls from my dad. My phone rang and it was another cousin who told me that Brittany was in a car accident and had passed away. My mom and I were both in shock. I laid awake that night thinking about all the times I spent with Brittany and how much I looked up to her. She was beautiful and full of life.

I grew up with my cousins. Almost every weekend, birthday party, and holiday we were together, playing outside or at park, having picnics and sleepovers. We were close. However, as we got older we drifted apart but my cousins have always been my cousins…my family. And knowing one of us is gone is still weird.

As I think of Brittany today I also think of her mom, dad, brother, and daughter.
I think how they must be feeling today and how life has been unfair to them but yet; they have also been so blessed because Brittany touched their hearts.

And as I think about my own life, seeing as I’m 25 now. I think there’s still SO much I want to do and accomplish in my life. I think about how important my family is to me and how I wish so badly we could all be together, always. I think about how life is too short and how we all need to live life to the fullest. I think about all the people I love and miss and how I can’t wait to hug everyone again and tell them I love them. And I think about the importance of happiness, laughter, smiles, and love.

Why Now?

2011-08-20T12:18:00.000-04:00

I feel like I am in such a dark place right now…and I don’t understand why. I mean I have 7.5 months left in Peace Corps why is it now, after 18.5 months of already serving, living, and adjusting to life of a Peace Corps volunteer…and living in Guyana am I feeling this way? I want to know why, why now? Why am I unhappy? Why don’t I feel like myself? Why can’t I dig deep and find happiness here? Why can’t I pull myself up one more time? I’ve been low before and I’ve pulled myself up, so why am I struggling now? Why do I feel like I am failing?

All of these whys have been running in my head for days. I’ve been trying to change my thoughts and outlooks. I’ve been trying to concentrate on the now…being here. I’ve told myself, “You signed up for this, you have to finish.” I’ve reminded myself home will still be there when I return. But nothing has given me a piece of mind.

There have been a few moments where I’ve felt a surge of strength rush through me but it hasn’t stuck around fully...yet.

I was looking online trying to see if I’m the only PCV who’s ever felt this way (I know I’m not alone) and I came across this post from a girl who served in Tonga:

“You shouldn’t not quit for the sake of not quitting, you have to find some sliver of happiness in what you’re doing, otherwise you’re not doing anyone else a favor by ‘sticking it out’ ”.

I know everyone has their reasons for leaving Peace Corps early and it’s so nice to know the option to leave is available. It just boggles my mind that I’m feeling this way NOW…so close to the end…but yet I feel it’s still so far.

I debated posting this post because some people can be critical and I hate the fact that I’m coming off as weak, whiny, and unhappy. But again, this blog is a collection of my thoughts and my experiences. I know every volunteer is different and every experience is different, just like every body and every life is different.

This is just how I am feeling now and what I am going through at this moment in my adventure.

Spring Cleaning

2011-08-18T12:24:00.005-04:00

In August? It's Guyana, the seasons don't change and it's been incredibly hot lately.

Today I woke up at 5:30, got out of bed at 6, ate my daily helping with oatmeal with peanut butter, scrubbed and hung 2 loads of laundry and deep cleaned my house. All by 11am.

I don't remember the last time I deep cleaned my house, sure I sweep every few days and throw bleach in the shower occasionally but I don't remember the last time I mopped or cleaned under my bed.
The thing is, my house is gross and it doesn't matter how much I clean it's still going to look dirty because the house is falling apart, even though it was totally rebuilt last year, right before we moved in. So my solution for over a year now has been to ignore it. Yes, I see the grossness everyday and yes it bothers me but there's nothing I can do about.

I thought by cleaning my house today it would make me feel better and it has now that I'm finished and sitting in a semi-clean smelling house. But as I was in the midst of my cleaning session I kept thinking how this house (living with mold, ants, laminate flooring that moves and cracking walls) is just another reason why I want to go home.

I also decided to take some lovely photos to share with you so you can see what I'm talking about.

In my bedroom. I started sweeping behind the door and tons of ants starting crawling out from the floor.

This is rotting, moldy wood in my kitchen.

And you can see the laminate flooring, which has moved from the wood, exposing gross, sandy cement.

And this is mold coming up from under the kitchen sink

Gross right?

I am happy I cleaned, it needed it. And I'm happy I cleaned my fan it was so full of dust, hair, and bugs.

P.S. duct tape is my new best friend as it has been used so much around my house.

Things To Be Excited For

2011-08-17T14:42:00.005-04:00

1.Visiting Heather and Kellen in Kato, Region 8. Excited to see their site and another part of Guyana. (August 24-28)

2. Going home for a week in September to see family in Arizona and California
(September 17th-24th)

{I leave Guyana on September 16th and fly to Barbados, where I stay for 15 hours, excited to sit on the beach}

3. Zach spending a week in Guyana. We are flying back together on September 24th and he'll be here until October 2nd.

4. Spending 7 days on the island of Tobago. Excited to see another Caribbean island and spending time with Heather, Becky, Princess, and Leighton. (October 26th-November 1st)

5. Helping out with Chelsea's project, Food for Healthy Babies.

6. Close of Service (COS) conference {knowing the date to leave Guyana!}
(~~hopefully this will take place the first week of December~~).
Updated 8/18: just found out the dates are January 2-5, 2012.

7. Applying to COC for prerequisite classes so I can start nursing school.

8. And one day, having a little puppy as cute as this lil' guy!

...

2011-08-11T18:42:00.004-04:00

I’m kinda lost for words. Where do I start?

For about 2 weeks now my mind and heart have been screaming at me to go home.
To give up on Peace Corps. To quit and return home to the life I miss.

You know that feeling of wanting something so badly it actually hurts? That’s where I’ve been and that’s what I’m trying to overcome but it’s so hard.

I feel I’ve always been a pretty patient person.
I’ve been waiting wholeheartedly…keeping faith that things will happen when the time is right.
But a strong force swept through me, saying, “I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m sick of waiting. And I want the next step”.

But it’s not that easy.

Because...
I have to be a little more patient.
I have to be stronger.
I have to keep having faith.

I have to stay grounded a little while longer in Guyana.
I have to push through.
I have to enjoy and endear the end of this crazy roller-coaster ride.

I’m truly hoping this is the last low point I’ll experience during my Peace Corps experience.

I am eternally grateful for the love and support from my friends and family. I’m grateful for the friendship Chelsea and I share. And I’m grateful for Zach, even though I didn’t want to hear the words I know he is right, I should stay.

“When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians

I read this scripture everyday.

18 Months

2011-08-07T14:11:00.001-04:00

Wow, it’s hard to believe I’ve been in Guyana for a year and a half. That’s a long time. I don’t want to ramble about everything I’ve done up to this point, or how I’ve made a difference, or how much I’ve grown personally. I want to focus more on how I am feeling at this point in my service. And in all honesty, I’ve been having a hard time lately.

I’ve been feeling like giving up. I feel terrible admitting it but it’s the truth, I’m just feeling over everything here. When this thought first entered my mind I told myself, it’s not okay to be feeling this way. You can’t be thinking like this because you have 8 months to finish.
Yes, I’ve felt this way before but this time the urge is different, it’s much stronger and it’s weighing very heavy on my mind. There are a number of factors playing into this notion of mine…everything from things I have no control over, like loud music and riding in mini buses to being tired of the heat and feeling unhealthy to the big factors of feeling like I’m not doing anything productive and missing home a lot.

Luckily, I’m coming home next month for a few days to see some family and I’m hoping that will give me the strength to push through my final months of service. But as of right now I’m not certain if I’m going to stay in Guyana or come home early.

On a more positive note I've done a lot over the last few weeks and here are some pictures to prove it...

What We Wore

Chelsea and I modeled what we wore for August's episode of Health Watch

Saw a baby goat

Walked the Demarara bridge

Laughed, smiled, and played with kids

I spent 3 days helping my friend Jillian with her Special Needs Summer Camp

Miss Jillian, she is an amazing person, with such a big heart full of love and kindness

She is an inspiration to be around

Becky helping kids brush their teeth

Celebrated Becky's 25th birthday with sub-sandwiches

A new place, like Subway opened in Georgetown, a taste of home!

Went to my first Indian wedding

Bride & Groom during the ceremony

Ate 7 Curry with my hand out of a leaf

Becky & I are headed to Kato in 2 weeks to see our friends Heather and Kellen in their remote, Amerindian village. Excited!

Day 30

2011-08-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

A quality you admire/consider a strength in yourself.

A quality I admire/consider a strength in myself....moving, leaving behind the life I knew and my comfort. Adapting to a new culture, different way of living, and new environment. Letting go of my comfort zone and pushing through struggles, challenges, and frustrations over the last 18 months.

Living in Guyana.

Day 29

2011-08-05T06:18:00.000-04:00

Your go-to pick-me-up.

This ranges from lots of different activities:

Talking with friends and family

Cooking

Eating ice cream

Going for a walk

Listening to music

Shopping

Reading

Going for a drive

Hiking

Vacation

Day 28

2011-08-04T07:04:00.003-04:00

Your favorite scenic picture.

I couldn't just pick one favorite scenic picture because I have too many!

So, I chose one from every season + one I absolutely love.

I hope to get these photos printed and mounted one day

Spring Time Utah 2009

Fall Utah 2009

Winter {so peaceful} Utah 2010

Utah is a beautiful state

Summer Time Barbados 2010

I love palm tress and I love this photo I took in California

December 2008

Day 27

2011-08-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

The most romantic movie & song of all time.

Movie: The Notebook

Song: The Way You Look Tonight

Day 26

2011-08-02T15:02:00.000-04:00

Your favorite childhood game.

I loved playing Old Maid, Go Fish and Yahtzee as a kid.

I remember this one time my dad and I were playing Old Maid in our camper and we were so caught up in the game we forgot to pick little Amie up from school. Poor Aim!

Day 25

2011-08-01T07:59:00.001-04:00

Your most peaceful place to be.

I find it so peaceful to be on the water.

Whenever I'm riding a sea doo or sitting in a boat this sense of calmness washes over me.
I especially love being on the water early in the morning, when everything is still.

Day 24

2011-07-31T10:44:00.000-04:00

Your favorite summer activity.

Sea dooing!!!

I love packing up for the lake/river and riding around for hours on the sea doos. It's so much fun and very peaceful. Sea dooing has been a part of our summers for over 13 years now. I still remember those early days when dad would ride with Amie and Berna would ride me, all of us laughing and smiling down the river. Then I got to learn how to drive and my favorite trick was doing doughnuts in the water, trying to spray people. I have so many great memories of summer days spent on the water riding sea doos. I can't wait to ride a sea doo again!!

Day 23

2011-07-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

Your most exciting sports experience to date.

In 2008 Zach and I went to a Lakers vs. Jazz game in Salt Lake. It was awesome to be at a live game and seeing the players up close. It was pretty funny to be cheering on the rivaling team. The Jazz fans were talking a lot of smack but fortunately the Lakers beat them. It was a lot of fun and I hope to see another game sometime, hopefully at the Staples Center.

Day 22

2011-07-29T09:10:00.000-04:00

The vacation of your dreams.

Ireland.

But before that I really want to take a road trip along the east coast.

And of course I’d love any vacation by the beach.

Day 21

2011-07-28T12:30:00.002-04:00

Your idea of the perfect retirement.

I just want to be comfortable in my retirement. I want to be near my family. I want to live by the beach and travel.

I do think it would be amazing to have a little yacht {a yacht sounds so fancy, maybe a sail boat is better} and cruise around or live on an island in the sun…

Day 20

2011-07-27T12:21:00.002-04:00

Music you never get tired of no matter how much it's played.

I love Incubus and I never get tired of listening to their songs. I’ve seen them 3 times in concert and I’m so sad I’m missing them on tour this year.

“When she woke in the morning
She knew that her life had passed her by
And she called out a warning, warning
Don’t ever let life pass you by"

Day 19

2011-07-26T10:19:00.002-04:00

Your top 10 bucket list items.

1. Have my own little family
2. Become a registered nurse and work in labor and delivery
3. Own sea doos
4. Do WWOOF in Hawaii and work on a macadamia nut farm
5. Take an unplanned, spontaneous trip
6. See the beaches of Chili
7. Vacation in Ireland
8. Visit all 50 states
9. Vacation in Greece
10. Vacation in Australia

Day 18

2011-07-25T09:59:00.000-04:00

Your favorite part of the Christmas holiday.

I love Christmas. I love everything about it! It’s truly a wonderful time of year. I don’t think I can just pick one favorite thing.
I love the first day of December it feels like everything changes. Christmas music begins, Christmas decorations are hung and it’s okay bake tons of cookies.
I love finding the perfect gifts (even if they are small or handmade) and wrapping presents.
I love Christmas trees and Christmas lights.
I love going to a Christmas play or a holiday musical concert
I love being together with family.
And I absolutely love Christmas morning, waking up and knowing its Christmas. There’s something magical about it. I love having a big breakfast and being gathered around the tree with the people I love.

Day 17

2011-07-24T08:37:00.000-04:00

The best quality your mother passed on to you.

I think the best quality my mom passed on to me has to be her loving and giving heart.
My mom has a huge heart full of love for life, herself and for others. And the older I get the more I see that I’m just like her {not a bad thing}. She’s always taught me to do the right thing, stay positive and love wholeheartedly. She continues to inspire me every day.

I also love that I have her lips!

Guyana 2010

Day 16

2011-07-23T07:37:00.001-04:00

Your most prized material possession.

Right now, my laptop computer. I'm very fortunate to have the internet at my house and that I'm able to communicate so frequently with my friends & family back home.
My computer holds all my photos, music, and documents, it's my lifeline.

Day 15

2011-07-22T07:26:00.000-04:00

A pet peeve ~~you could kill over.~~

Other people's feet touching me.

Dirty dishes left in the sink.

Day 14

2011-07-21T07:35:00.001-04:00

A favorite amusement park you've been to.

Disneyland!!!

Family trip May 2009

on Indiana Jones

I love it! Can't wait to go again!

Day 13

2011-07-20T13:25:00.001-04:00

Your favorite outfit that makes you feel good.

I'm definitely a t-shirt, jeans, and flip flops kind of girl and I feel good about that.

But there's just something about wearing a dress that makes me feel even better!

I love this dress. Yes, I know my arms are long.

Day 12

2011-07-19T06:54:00.001-04:00

A simple pleasure in life you could never live without.

The first thing that came to mind was ice cream! Ice cream is the cherry on top of life.

i love sprinkles

But then I thought, "what simple life pleasure could I really never live without?" and the beach came to my mind. I don't think I could live without smelling the fresh sea breeze and seeing the blue, sparkling ocean. I can't wait for the day I live near the beach, it's going to happen!

beautiful Barbados

Day 11

2011-07-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

Something you feel you've improved in yourself and you're proud of.

Over the past 17 months I can honestly say there has been a lot that I've improved in myself and that I'm proud of. Joining the Peace Corps has been the best thing I could have done for myself. It has pushed me to my personal limits. I've learned so much about myself and about life, which I am forever grateful for. I've learned patience and how to go with the flow. I've learned how to budget and make do with what I have. But the most important improvements I've made within myself have been growing stronger with who I am, being happy with myself, and being more self confident.
I'm so proud of myself for taking this huge leap with my life and believing I could do it.

Day 10

2011-07-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

Your favorite winter activity.

After spending 3 winters in Utah I can definitely say I'm not crazy about living where it snows. Although, there is something magical about waking up to the first snow fall of the season.
But my favorite winter time activity is driving around looking at Christmas lights. Of course this activity would not be complete without hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate!! In fact, drinking lots of hot chocolate and driving around looking at lights are my favorite winter activities and wearing flannel pajamas. So I have 3 favorite winter activities.

Day 9 & Goals

2011-07-16T12:25:00.002-04:00

Your biggest fear.

If you know me you know I strongly dislike and kinda fear mice. This fear started a few years ago when mice were living in our garage and I could hear them at night biting and scratching at the wall. I would imagine them getting through the wall and attacking me, ugh just the thought gives me chills. A few times I had to call Papa over to either set a trap or throw away a dead mouse. I couldn't even look at one, and I hated going into the garage.

Since being in Guyana I've not only seen mice but also huge rats. If I see one I have to turn my head immediately. Thank God I have not had any in my house (knock on wood). But I do think seeing these rodents more frequently has helped me a little to over come this fear. Even though I still squirm and shriek when I see them.

Funny story... we were at the pool in Linden one afternoon (the only time we've been). My feet were in the water and to the right I saw a mouse scurry along the side. I didn't want to make a big deal of it so I just turned my head. When all of a sudden I looked at the water and the mouse was swimming. I screamed and to my surprise the life guard dove in, grabbed the mouse by the tail and flung it out. We all laughed and cheered.

****************************************************************************************************
Lately I've been all about setting goals for myself. This past week I had two goals: to wear clothes I don't wear a lot and to cook dinner every night. I successfully achieved both goals!
Here are 3 pictures of the lower half of my outfits. More pictures coming soon, Chelsea and I have big fashion plans!

Content

2011-07-15T11:14:00.004-04:00

I'm feeling really content with everything right now. And it's a pretty amazing feeling. This past week I've faced frustrations just like any other week but I've noticed that these "frustrations", or things that should be frustrating me really haven't phased me at all. It's so remarkable to realize that I'm not letting things to get me anymore.

This week we've had handymans around pouring cement and installing a second water tank (finally!). So we have had no running water for 2 going on 3 days now, meaning we've been filling buckets of water from the stand pipe outside to bathe with, wash our dishes, do our laundry, and flush the toilet. When running water is taken away from you you really see how many times a day you go to turn the faucet on.
Anyways, not having running water use to drive me crazy. It was hard to do dishes and it sucked having to bathe by pouring water on myself from a bucket. But this week I've managed just fine with the bucket system and it really hasn't bugged me like it did months ago.

Also this week I was told we'd be going on a health outreach trip, which I was actually looking forward to. Medex told me to be at the health center at 8:00am. Now, I knew we wouldn't be leaving that early but I did as she said and arrived at the health center at 8:15. Was I surprised to find the place locked? No. So I sat outside and waited for a half hour until a nurse came with the key to open the doors. Medex didn't arrive until 10:30 and said we weren't going on the trip. I just said, "okay" and I was content with that.

A few other "frustrations" this week have been:
An elderly man weeding our yard with a cutlass all week (I just feel for him)
Our yard getting full of water and turning muddy
Guys breaking up our cement walkway when delivering sand
Not being able to clean my house
Biting ants
Money. I don't have much but I'm not worried about it
Boredom
Despite all these "frustrations" I'm grateful for feeling content in my life and I hope this feeling lasts for a long time.

Day 8

2011-07-15T10:20:00.002-04:00

The best advice your dad ever gave you.

My dad has always told me, "life is too short" and he's always encouraged me to do the things that make me happy. Dad loves to have fun and that has definitely rubbed off on me.
I remember so many weekends spent at the park, playing on the slides and swings, throwing the football around, and going on the nature trail. He also use to love taking us swimming and for picnics along creeks. Then all our fun turned into summer days spent out on the lake/river riding sea doos.

If there's one thing I've learned from dad it's been to truly enjoy life.
When I told him I was thinking about joining the Peace Corps, which he was not too keen about at first he said, "do it if it will make you happy". And I knew he really meant it. No matter what he has been supportive of my decisions and I know he is proud of me.

And I will continue living my life to the fullest, thanks to my dad!

Day 7

2011-07-14T15:34:00.001-04:00

A deceased person you admire.

My cousin Brittany passed away 7 years ago and she continues to be someone I admire. She was so beautiful, talented, smart, courageous, loving, kind, and funny. She was a mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend.

I have a lot of good memories of her and wish she was still with us today.

Day 6

2011-07-13T07:35:00.001-04:00

Create your life soundtrack.

This was fun. Some of the songs tell a little about my life while others take me back to a certain time in my life.

Sara- Starship
Love Song- 311
Island in the Sun- Weezer
I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack
Forever Young- Youth Group
Miss You- Incubus
Life is a Highway- Rascal Flatts
Spice Up Your Life- Spice Girls (flashback to Park View days)
Yeah- Usher feat. Lil Jon (takes me back to 2004)
Toes- Zac Brown Band
I Like It, I Love It- Tim McGraw
Enchanted- Taylor Swift
Carrying Your Love With Me- George Straight
Futures- Jimmy Eat World
Stellar- Incubus
All You Need Is Love- The Beatles
3 Little Birds- Bob Marley
Better Together- Jack Johnson
Rollercoaster of Love- Red Hot Chili Peppers
California- Phantom Plant
Home- Michael Buble
The Story So Far- New Found Glory
My Girl- Temptations (I loved the movie when I was little)
The Scientist- Cold Play
Beach in Hawaii-Ziggy Marley
Cuddle Fuddle- Passion Pit (such a fun song)
Louder Than Ever- Cold War Kids

I can’t decide which song speaks true to my time in Guyana, it just might have to be, “Every Day Ah Drinkin Meh Rum” it was the popular song when we first got in country and every time I hear it I’m taken right back to those beginning months in Guyana.

Day 5

2011-07-12T13:34:00.001-04:00

Your most dreaded house chore.

Sine being in Guyana my most dreaded house chore is hand washing laundry.
I didn't know how good I had it with a washing machine and dryer until having to wash my own laundry by hand. I will never complain about doing laundry when I return home.
Although I can't complain too much because I'm blessed to live down the road from a laundromat. And I'll admit I have gotten lazy with my washing, I'd rather spend $1000 ($5 US) a week than soaking, scrubbing, and hanging it out to dry myself, plus it comes back nicely folded and smelling good.

But at least once a week I do a small load of hand washing.

Clothes hanging out to dry in the pouring rain.

Day 4

2011-07-11T13:55:00.002-04:00

Your favorite person to be around.

This one is hard. There are lots of people I love to be around. But I think for this post I'm going to say my favorite person to be around is Baby Reggie! And I wish I could be around him a lot more.

There's just something about being around a baby that makes everything right in the world.
The few days I got to spend with him back in April were priceless. Although there were a few moments that made me feel like I am missing out on a lot while living in Guyana, like holding him in my arms, getting little kisses, seeing his huge grin, playing baby games, and listening to his adorable laugh.
He truly is such a good baby and a joy to be around. I'm looking forward to the many more moments I get to spend with this little guy!

April 2011

Day 3

2011-07-10T07:09:00.003-04:00

A regret you have from/about high school.

High school was a lot of fun and I can't believe it's been 7 years since I graduated. My friends and I were always up to something fun. Oh, I miss those days and my old friends!

A regret I have about high school is not staying on the dance team all 4 years. I did dance team my freshman year and although it was a lot of fun and I made lots of friends it was much different than dance team in Junior High School and I decided I didn't want to continue being a part of it. So my sophomore year I didn't try out or do anything extracurricular that year. But I missed dance team. So my junior year I tried out and made the team again. I was excited and it was much different from my freshman year. I don't really remember why I didn't want to do it my senior year, but I didn't. I was 16 the last time I danced. Looking back I wish I would have danced all through out high school.
There are still times I miss dancing, maybe one day I'll get back into it.

Lancaster High Dance Team 2003

my hair was so short

Andrea and I on the last day of high school

Day 2

2011-07-09T07:49:00.003-04:00

~~15 things you adore about your spouse.~~

Since I don't have a spouse I'm changing this to

15 things I love/miss about my sister.

1. I love that she is my sister & friend
2. I miss living with her
3. I love how goofy we are around each other
4. I miss talking to her everyday
5. I love how smart and beautiful she is
6. I miss going to the lake with her
7. I love her laugh
8. I miss baking cookies together
9. I love her sense of style
10. I miss getting ready to go out at night together
11. I love that she loves the Dallas Cowboys as much as dad does
12. I miss her telling me like it is
13. I love that she calls me "little sissy" when she's really my little sissy
14. I just really miss her
15. I love the bond that we share

Day 1

2011-07-08T15:47:00.011-04:00

A favorite childhood memory with your siblings.

I loved growing up with Amie and we share so many childhood memories it's hard to just pick one. But I think my favorite memories were when we were really little and we'd load up dad's camper and go camping on the weekends. We loved getting to choose our cereals from those little travel packs in the mornings.

Amie and I each had our favorite Disney movie, mine being the Little Mermaid and her 's being 101 Dalmatians. We had everything Little Mermaid and 101 Dalmatians...clothing, bedding, hair goodies, socks and little suit cases. One weekend we went beach camping and of course we got to pack our Disney suit cases. It turned out Amie left her fully packed suit case at home and we were too far to turn around for it so mom took her to K-Mart to buy her new clothes for the weekend. I remember thinking it was so funny and she was sad she didn't get to wear her 101 Dalmatians bathing suit that weekend.

I'm pretty sure this picture was taken that particular weekend so many years ago.

7.8.11

2011-07-08T08:26:00.005-04:00

Today is little Reggie's 1st birthday!! I can't believe he is now a year old, craziness! Happy birthday to Reggie! Ange, I wish I could be there to celebrate but I'll for sure be there when he turns 2! Love you both!

While I was looking at Andrea's very cute blog (they have been busy this summer) I came across this and thought it would be fun to do for myself.

30 Day Challenge:

1- A favorite childhood memory with your siblings.

2- 15 things you adore about your spouse.

3- A regret you have from/about high school.

4- Your favorite person to be around.

5- Your most dreaded house chore.

6- Create your life soundtrack.

7- A deceased person you admire.

8- The best advice your dad ever gave you.

9- Your biggest fear.

10- Your favorite winter activity.

11- Something you feel you've improved in yourself and you're proud of.

12- A simple pleasure in life you could never live without.

13- Your favorite outfit that makes you feel good.

14- A favorite amusement park you've been to.

15- A pet peeve you could kill over.

16- Your most prized material possession.

17- The best quality your mother passed on to you.

18- Your favorite part of the Christmas holiday.

19- Your top 10 bucket list items.

20- Music you never get tired of no matter how much it's played.

21- Your idea of the perfect retirement.

22- The vacation of your dreams.

23- Your most exciting sports experience to date.

24- Your favorite summer activity.

25- Your most peaceful place to be.

26- Your favorite childhood game.

27- The most romantic movie & song of all time.

28- Your favorite scenic picture.

29- Your go-to pick-me-up.

30- A quality you admire/consider a strength in yourself.

17 Months

2011-07-07T09:44:00.002-04:00

This month was full of moments where I truly felt blessed to be in Guyana and to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. It's been amazing experiencing things I never imagined, like setting trails and hiking the outskirts of Linden and taking a 6 hour boat ride (one way) to see endangered sea turtles.

As we were making our way to Shell Beach we passed through Essequibo and I stopped to see my host family, who I haven't seen since I left their house last March. It was really good to see them and spend a little time catching up. My host mom made dinner and it was so good, I forgot how good of a cook she is. I got to meet their daughter who was away when I was there, she is very pretty and sweet, and I hardly recognized their son, he's gotten so tall. It's crazy how time flies. I hope to see them again before I leave.

As it is now summer, things, work wise have slowed down. But I have a few little projects I hope to accomplish before September.

In my 9 months remaining it's my goal to read the 11 books left on my shelf.

Looking forward to see what the month of July has in store!

Shell Beach

2011-07-05T12:59:00.007-04:00

I feel like words can’t describe this past weekend. It was one of those adventures where I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be a part of; it was truly a once of a lifetime experience.

Shell Beach is located in the far northwest corner of Guyana, in Region 1 and is home to 4 types of sea turtles, the endangered Leatherbacks being one of them. Years ago men would hunt and kill sea turtles but for 23 years now Shell Beach has been working to protect sea turtles, as they are part of a non-governmental conservation program protecting and tracking these sea turtles.
The village it self is very small with 150 residents but during the months of May-September this village is all about sea turtles. There’s a group of men who work patrolling the beach at night looking for sea turtles who come ashore to lay their eggs.
It was incredible to see the work they do.

11 of us went for the 4th of July weekend and it was so much fun! We left Linden Friday afternoon and made it to Charity (Region 2) where we stayed the night. We left from Charity Saturday morning around 10am and sat on a boat for 6 hours going on the Pomeroon River, out on the Atlantic Ocean, and through the rain forest. The ride itself was an adventure, as we twisted the turned through 99 turns.

At one point I really had to pee but we were on the river in the middle of nowhere. The boat driver said I could pee off the back of the boat so I made my way to the back and told everyone not to look. As I was squatting I fell into the water, it was pretty funny. Then I had to wrap up in a tarp for the rest of the way because it was cold. Good times!

We arrived at Shell Beach around 5:30pm, unloaded the boat, settled into camp, ate some food and prepared ourselves for the mosquitoes. Once the sun went down swarms of mosquitoes came out, I’d never seen anything like it. They bit through our clothes and bit everywhere it was pretty intense.

That night the guys were setting free a few baby turtles. They were so cute and it was awesome to see. They told us about 1 out of 1,000 baby turtles survive…I hope those little fellows are okay.

Then we walked the beach in the dark for about 4 hours looking and hoping to see a turtle. Unfortunately we didn’t see one. But it was awesome to walk along the beach in complete darkness, listening to the waves crash among the shore and seeing silhouettes of coconut tress.

We got a few hours of sleep and spent Sunday lying around the beach. The water was pretty nice, not to muddy and there were actual waves but there were these little fish that bit so I didn’t stay in the water too long. It was just so relaxing being at the beach.

Come sun down we prepared to set out again; luckily it was windy, which kept the mosquitoes away for a little while.

We walked for about 2 hours without seeing a turtle but we just knew we were going to see one. We took a little break from walking and sat for about 30 minutes when the men spotted a turtle! She was hanging out in the waves and we could barely make her out. She took her time coming out of the water but when she did and we finally got to a shine a light on her it was amazing to see this beautiful creature in the wilderness. It seriously felt like we were a part of National Geographic.
She dug a hole with her back fins to lay her eggs. When she laid them the guys had to remove and bury in a safer spot because she laid them too close to shore. Once she finished laying her eggs she buried the hole and made her way back to the ocean. The whole process took awhile but it was simply incredible to witness.

Monday we left Shell Beach around 8:30am and made it back to Linden just before 9pm. It was such a long travel day. We took 2 boats and 3 buses. We were all sun burnt and itchy with mosquito bites. But we all experienced a priceless, once in a lifetime adventure.

I wish everyone could experience Shell Beach!

Coconut Oil

2011-06-30T16:50:00.002-04:00

Oh my gosh, I learned how to make coconut oil and I'm so excited!
The other day Medex and I were talking and she said she wasn't going to cook with oil anymore because it's bad. Somehow we got on the topic of coconut oil and that turned into making our own. Mrs. Gibbons (the cleaning lady), who's become one of my favorite people here said she would show us. So today I went to the health center to learn how to make coconut oil. It was so cool. Of course I forgot to bring my camera but next week I'm going to make my own and I'll post it on Hobbit Food.
Last night Mrs. Gibbons grated 4 coconuts, blended the small chunks of coconut meat and squeezed all the coconut milk out. She let the coconut milk set in the fridge over night and carried it to the health center today. All the fat from the milk floated to the top, it looked like custard and then she fried up the milk fat in a pan and eventually all the oil came out and we got coconut oil. It was pretty neat and now I have a small amount of coconut oil to cook with!
I told Medex a jar of coconut oil in the States runs anywhere from $15-$30 but here I can get it for free! I can't wait to try and make my own next week.
It's moments like today where I think how cool it really is I'm here!

A Hashing Weekend

2011-06-27T16:22:00.002-04:00

After 2 weeks of exploring Linden's backyard, getting scraped by bushes and having very muddy/sandy sneakers we had an amazing weekend hosting the Hash House Harriers at our site! Again, Hash House Harriers is a "running" group in search of finding the Hare (the person who set the trail or in our case just finding the trail). It's a lot fun and we've made a lot of friends since taking part in this activity, not to mention how it's given us something to do on the weekends.

So Tim, Chelsea, Tony, our new friend Belinda, and myself spent our afternoons looking for the perfect trails and I think everyone agreed it was pretty epic. People had a lot fun, I mean we took them through the old aluminum plant, through the back roads, they had to run down a huge sand pit, they went through people's yards, they had to duck under branches and walk through muddy swappiness, and then the next day they got to climb hill after hill, who wouldn't have a good time?
However, after 3 days of hiking I'm pretty beat. My feet and legs hurt and my arms and legs are a bit red. But seriously it was a lot of fun!

We set our first trail Friday afternoon, when I say set I mean we walked the trail and dropped piles of shredded paper (their clues) on the ground. It took us 4 hours to do this because part of the fun are the false trails (trails that end up being dead ends and they have to start over to find the true/right trail). So it took awhile for the 4 of us to plan the trail. While we were out Friday afternoon it rained on us for most of the time. We were soaked and had to walk through a lot of mud, we just couldn't think about what we were actually walking through. Then early Saturday morning we went out to set the second trail, which took place on Sunday. Then Saturday afternoon we did the first trail with everyone, it was so nice, we had about 2.5 hours before it got dark so it was cooler and shady. After we finished with the trail we all hung out and ate dinner at a park near the river, which was really nice. Then Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast and conquered the second trail, it was good but SO HOT, no shade.

All in all, it was a great weekend and I hope we host another Hash soon!

Saturday morning, setting the second trail, this hill was pretty steep.

Saturday afternoon, Hashers starting the first trail

Running down the huge sand pit. I ran ahead to capture everyone coming down the hill, the looks on their faces was pretty priceless

Running through someone's yard

Ducking under branches

Headed to the muddy swamp

Oh yeah, they also had to cross a rickety bridge

In the aluminum plant

Where we relaxed

The 4 Linden Hares

Sunday morning, trail #2, everyone climbing that big hill

Coming down a canyon

Fun, fun, fun

We have been having a lot of adventures lately...and this coming weekend we are headed to Region 1, Shell Beach to see big sea turtles. It's going to be an awesome trip, I can't wait!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

A very happy father's day to my dad!!!

Dad, thanks for being my dad and for all your love and support! Wish I was there to give you a hug!

Love you!

I can't wait to go to the lake with you next year!!

Happy father's day to all those fathers out there!

A Dream but Soon to be Reality

2011-06-16T09:21:00.001-04:00

For the last few nights I’ve had anxiety dreams about returning home and working. In my dreams I’ve begun working at the hotel again but I keep messing up, I’m late to work, and I don’t know what I’m suppose to do. I wake up feeling stressed out for a minute before realizing it was just a dream.

I guess I can say I’ve had work, after Peace Corps on my mind. The realization of having to find a job is settling in and to be completely honest I have no idea what I want to do. My plan is to start school (prerequisites for nursing) in the fall 2012 and hopefully apply to the nursing program in spring 2013. But work will come before school. In the beginning of my Peace Corps experience I thought I would never have to work retail again but I’m starting to see that that might not be the best option. Once in school I’m going to need a job that is flexible and I’ll probably work part time. However, over the summer I’d like to work as much as possible and save money. So I just might have to look into jobs I thought would stay apart of my past like, waitressing, working at a hotel or health food store.

So, I’m asking you if you have any suggestions?

I know I have 9 ½ months until I have to really worry about finding a job but I’d like to at least have something in mind, to ease my mind and hopefully keep anxiety dreams at bay.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking so much about this stuff, as Chelsea said, “we have to keep our heads in the game”. There is still a lot to finish and accomplish before I return home and find another job. And in the mean time I get to enjoy the simplicity of life a little longer.

The Outskirts Of Linden

2011-06-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

For the past 3 afternoons we have been exploring the outskirts of Linden looking for trails for the next hash run. I was blown away by the natural beauty that lies in Linden's backyard. These pictures don't do justest for how serene this place is.

Trail off the Linden Highway

The back side of the old Aluminum Plant

Some savanna & jungle

The blazing sun in the evening over the savanna

When we came upon this spot I instantly thought of Disneyland (I want to go!)

The Demarara River

Sand hills at sunset

This run, that will take place on the 18th is going to be amazing! And I'm sure I'll have more pictures to put up.

"The Hardest Job You'll Ever Love"

2011-06-10T14:35:00.002-04:00

After being in Guyana for 16 months I think I have a pretty good grasps on life here and the order of operations. However, this week has been rough. It started out really good and I was enjoying being busy. But by the end of this morning my patience grew really thin.
Life here is hard. And sometimes it’s so hard to see because there are so many things that tug at my heart but very little I can actually do. I can’t change the education or health care system. I can’t build someone a house. And I can’t be in 5 different places at once.
I’ve gotten accustom to the ‘just now’ mentality. I’ve accepted the fact that teachers don’t always teach like they’re suppose to. And I’ve tried my very best to be a good volunteer and put myself out there. But right now I’m feeling sad and frustrated about situations I’ve faced over the past week.

It all started with trying to meet with the Regional Health Officer (RHO) who oversees everything health related in Region 10. She is a busy lady and it’s sometimes hard to meet with her. Tony, Amy and myself want to start a diabetic program in Linden but we need her support and approval before we can start. We went on Tuesday afternoon to see if we could meet with her, she was not there. Her secretary told us to come back the next morning at 10am. So we all took the morning off to meet with her. When we got there her secretary said, “she is not here, I told you to come at 10am on Thursday”. The 3 of us looked at each other and then said, “Oh, okay. Thanks.” We knew she told us 'tomorrow' but oh well, we didn’t really expect her to be there. So Tony called the office Thursday morning to make sure RHO would be there and he was told she would be in after lunch, around 1o’clock time. So the 3 of us headed to the office once again and were told she was not in, but we could check back Friday or Monday.
Ahh, this kind of thing is so frustrating to me. They knew she was out of Linden for the week. Why couldn’t they have just told us, “RHO is out in Kwakwani until Thursday”? But people rarely say things like that because they don’t want you to know they are out of town so instead they give you the run around.
So we’ll she if she is there on Monday.

Then this morning it was one thing after the other (I know God is testing me). I reached the health center around 8:45 but the doors were still looked so instead of waiting outside for who knows how long I went to the nursery school. Before I got to the health center I saw one of the nursery school teachers on the road. She said she was coming back “just now” so I knew her class would be left unattended. When I went to the class they were playing and arguing with each other. They all gave me a hug and then immediately began fighting over who was going to sit next to me in the reading circle. Usually they scram to get their chairs in a circle, which ends up being a clump of chairs and them pushing each other. So today I lined them up against the wall and made a nice circle with their chairs. I told them if they wanted me to read they had to obey and sit nicely in the circle, which they did. After reading a story I taught them how to play Simon Says, they had fun with it. Next, one of the other teachers came to me and said, “Today is Share and Tell so have the students share the toy they brought and then they have to write in their books ‘today is Friday’ and draw a picture of a toy”. So after Share and Tell I passed out their books and looked for pencils. I had 9 students and only found 4 sharpened pencils. When I asked the other teachers if they had a pencil sharpener they said no.
It’s stuff like this that really gets to me. How is there no pencil sharpener in the school? I guess I should always walk with a pencil sharpener from now on.

I had to be at the health center at 10am for a meeting with Medex and this guy in charge of a youth club that I’ve been giving health talks to on Saturdays. After we were finished discussing youth club items he told Medex he didn’t get to eat dinner last night and woke up with a headache, blurred vision, and numbness in this hands. He asked her if he could have his blood pressure checked, she told him it was just his diet and that he needs to make sure he eats regularly. Then she told me to go and talk to him. We left her office and I went ahead and had his blood pressure checked it was high, 150/120. I went and told Medex and she said, “Oh wow!” She wasn’t even going to have his pressure checked after he told her his symptoms!

Also this morning the mother and the very malnourished baby from this post came in. It was good to see the little guy. He put on a little weight but is still so tiny. She seems to be feeding him better but his skin and head were full of scabs and bumps, it turns out he has scabies. And the onesie he was wearing was dirty and gross. I feel so sad for this baby.
It’s situations like this one that are the hardest because there’s very little I can do.

I know life is hard everywhere, not just here. But seeing these types of situations on a regular basis can be depressing and I can't tell you how many times the phrase, "what the heck?" runs through my mind.
But I guess that's why I'm here, to witness this type of life/ living and to give and help in anyway I can even when I'm really frustrated with the system, people, life.

So the Peace Corps slogan is true, this is the hardest job I'll ever love.

16 Months

2011-06-07T14:23:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe I've been in Guyana for 16 months. Time really has gone by fast and I'm truly on the downward slope. It's weird to think back to the beginning of my service, the first few months in this strange land. My friend Heather was here visiting, which was a lot of fun and we talked a lot about training, how far we've come, our struggles, and what we have planned for the remaining months. It's so nice to have people to talk to about this stuff and to know I haven't been alone on this journey.

It's so crazy to look back on training, the first 2 months in Guyana. I came here not knowing anyone or what I was really getting myself into. I struggled with feeling like I belonged and finding the strength to come out of my turtle shell but like with most things it just took time. The beginning (just like everything new in life) was hard but I found by believing in myself it wasn't impossible.

I've learned so much about myself and so much about life from being here; I'm so grateful for this experience.
But the thing I'm most grateful for are the friends I've made along the way. I can't imagine my life now without them and I know these friendships are going to last for a long time!

2011-06-07T08:09:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my grandma!!

Time

2011-06-04T14:21:00.001-04:00

I have 10 months remaining. And in these 10 months I have fun, exciting things to look forward to and a lot I’d still like to accomplish in my final months of service. So why am I wishing time would speed up? Yes, I miss home and yes I want to start the next chapter in my life but I need to stop thinking ahead so much. I have to stop daydreaming about life when I’m finished with Peace Corps.

These next 10 months aren’t just about fun adventures and work plans. They’re more than that; they’re the last 10 months I get to be with my friends regularly. They’re the last 10 months I get to hang in my hammock every afternoon. They’re the last 10 months of island time. And I have to soak up every bit of these last 10 months.

I know life back home will be there when I return, I’m not missing out on too much but come April 2012 my Peace Corps experience will be over so I better make the most of it.

Life In A Developing Country

2011-05-31T17:00:00.001-04:00

When I take a moment to stop and think about life here it hits me hard. I know I’m living and serving in a developing country but sometimes I forget about it or I’ve just come to accept life here and don’t think twice about things that I once would have freaked out about, like no running water in the health center or all the ants that line the floor in Medex’s office.

I see things that I’ve gotten so accustom to like a woman in her mid 40’s with missing teeth and super bad breath. Or a mom with her daughter who needs medicine for a rash on her foot because she plays in the mud barefoot. And a woman who gets de-worming treatment for her family of 7.

But there are still things I see that take a little more getting use to like, a diabetic patient who has a gaping hole on the bottom of her foot, which has re-opened more than once. And as Medex held a flash light on the wound I could see bone, it was gross but I could handle it (I see this as a success if I’m going to go to nursing school).

But there’s still so much more to the every day life here. Some of it annoys me, some of it tugs at my heart and some of it makes me laugh, which is why I continue to stay.

Like, men who stop me on the road. Yes, I find this frustrating most of the time because they always ask for my number but I’ve come to realized that they are just curious, they want to know what I’m doing here and where I’m from, hence all the questions. So it’s now my goal to stop being annoyed by this and rather share a bit of new information with a Curious George.

But sometimes when I share something about my life I can’t help to feel sad. I was showing one of my co-workers pictures from my trip home and she kept asking where pictures where taken and she loved the picture of the Bellagio fountain. I realized she has no idea what Vegas is like, nor will she ever see it. It’s crazy because many people have no concept of what life is like in the US and no matter how hard I try to explain things they just don’t understand. Sure there are many people who do travel and who have been to the US but for those who have never left Guyana, or a village for that matter it makes me sad because I am so privileged.

I find working in the hospital kitchen so funny, I mean when else am I going to work in a kitchen? Never. I really do enjoy my time there and the friendships I’ve formed with the ladies. I love that I help make bread and that I chop green onions. I love that I have to wear a hair net and apron and I love that a long steel rod is used to stir a huge pot of rice. I find it so funny how many flies come into the baker’s corner and how she tries to shoo them out with a towel.

When I stop to think about life here in Guyana I’m happy to be apart of it and I know this experience is something I’ll never forget.

Princess Hotel, MST, Tobago

2011-05-27T12:23:00.004-04:00

I have great friends here who celebrated my birthday with me at the Princess Hotel! We had dinner (everyone got burgers) and then we went to the casino. The Princess Hotel is pretty fancy and it's the only casino in Guyana. In order to get into the casino we had to have our passports because rumor has it local Guyanese can't get in, which makes no sense to me but that's another story. The casino was pretty nice, better than I was expecting and we had a lot of fun. They had machines that played in US money or Guyanese money. I played on $1000 ($5 US) the whole night so I think I did well because I didn't lose.

The girls

Heather, Chelsea, Becky, Me, Princess, Tim, Tony & Kellen

Thanks everyone, it was so fun!

Heather made me this awesome beanie!!

From there we all stayed at Princess' house because on Sunday we checked into a hotel in Georgetown for our 3 day Mid-Service Training (MST). It was good to be with the remaining 25 Guy22ers, talk about our successes and challenges over the first year, grant writing, safety and security for the upcoming months and life after Peace Corps. It's crazy to think we only have one more conference left! Close of service which is about 6 months away. Time is really flying!

Sunday afternoon we participated in another Hash House Harriers run around Georgetown and it was so fun! We looked like idiots running through the streets of town but that's okay. This run was different from the first run we did in Linden. It was more challenging in the fact that we weren't on one trail. Heather and I had a lot of fun walking/running together.

Exciting news!! Myself and these 4 girls are going to Tobago in October!! We booked our flight and room (hostel, which only holds 5 people so we booked the whole hostel) this week and we can't wait to lounge on the beach!
Our flight and room for 6 nights came out to $300, which is cheap. Luckily it's pretty inexpensive and convenient to get to a Caribbean island! It's going to be so much fun!
Tobago is a small island next to Trinidad. So we fly into Trinidad and then take a ferry to Tobago. I hear Tobago is amazing, can't wait!

I can't believe June is just around the corner!

Birthday Dinner

2011-05-20T17:41:00.000-04:00

I had a great birthday dinner!
Tony made pizza (3 different types, all my favorites) and Tim made tortellini with pesto and Alfredo sauce. My new friends Tka and Amy also came and brought spaghetti and home made cupcakes.

It was yummy

Thanks everyone

Tka & Amy

My 25th Year

2011-05-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I was dreading turning 25, but now, today I embrace it. After all it’s just a number and I definitely don’t feel like I’m 25. I may have wanted all this life stuff checked off by the time I hit the big 2,5 but life doesn’t work out like that. And to be completely honest I’m sick of worrying about it. Things will happen when they happen. Life is about living in the moment and I’m happy in this moment. I’m happy with my life, all 25 years of it!

Here’s a flashback to the last 5 years. :)

2006: 20, moved to Utah

2007: 21, celebrated in Vegas

2008: 22, with my sister in Lancaster

2009: 23, celebrated in Moab, UT

2010: 24, first year in Guyana with great new friends

I feel like this year is the start of a new chapter in my life and I’m so excited about it!
I know I haven’t always made the best decisions and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. And I still have a lot of growing to do but I just want to thank my friends and family who continue to stick by my side. You are all the best and I don’t know where I’d be without you.

Thank you for the love and support.
Here's to being 25!

A Good Weekend

2011-05-16T14:45:00.001-04:00

This weekend was a lot of fun! It was good to be with friends and get to know some of the new volunteers. We explored a new part of Linden, went to the pool, and ended up playing pool.
We met up with a group (The Hash House Harriers) and went on a run/walk following clues as to stay on the trail. It was good to do something different and meet new people. After the run/walk there was a BBQ at the pool, which was also a lot of fun.

I'm feeling like my old self here again, which I'm so grateful for. It was pretty hard to come back and get into the swing of things after being home. I wasn't expecting to face culture shock when I came back but it hit me hard.

Now I'm excited for the start to the end of this adventure!

Walking into the jungle

Old abandoned building

Sand hills in the background

Haha

Clues for the trail

First time at the pool, just put my feet in, don't trust the water...

Family

2011-05-15T12:35:00.002-04:00

It was so good to see my family!!! I love you guys so much!!

Ange & Reggie

Mom & me at the tulip festival

My dad

My colorful cousins & aunts

Mom & her girls

My sissy & cousins

Dad & his girls

Cousin Holly, simply beautiful

Berna & dad with their girls

Dad, Uncle Jim, Berna, Aunt Tery, Aunt Linda, Aunt Diane

My cousin Dana

15 Months

2011-05-10T01:15:00.000-04:00

I've kept true to the number of months I've been in Guyana but this month's post is 2 days over due. Saturday May 7th marked my 15th month in the Peace Corps but I was HOME in Lancaster on Saturday and much too busy to post.
Saturday I was running around town seeing people and enjoying my last day with dad and Berna. Being home for my 15th month was awesome!

But now it's time to go back to Guyana, which I have very mixed emotions about. I loved every moment being home and spending time with friends and family, it went by way too fast. But I must admit there were moments I missed Guyana, I miss the heat (shocking). I miss my skirts. I miss the minimal amount of time it takes to get ready. I miss the simplicity to life. And of course I miss my friends. I'm so grateful I'll be returning to my PC family.

Thank you everyone who made my time home so memorable! And thank you for all the support!
See you again in 11 months!!

Reggie

2011-04-29T16:23:00.000-04:00

I think I got a small glimpse into how a mother loves a child. When I met Reggie I instantly felt a love I've never felt before. It was pure and I just couldn't get enough of him. He is such a happy, good baby. He loves to smile and laugh and play. I'm so happy I finally got to hold him!

Andrea is beautiful and a wonderful mother! It was so good to spend time with my best friend. I really miss her. She is blessed with a great husband and a perfect baby boy.

Can't wait to see him again!

The LONG Journey Home

2011-04-29T13:33:00.003-04:00

Wednesday April 20th 2011 marks the longest, most frustrating day of my life…
With not much sleep from the night before, I awoke at 4:00am and at 4:30 my friend Megan (ironically, she was also going home to visit) and I got in a taxi from Princess’ house to the airport. Our flight was scheduled at 7:57am to JFK. We were full of nerves and excitement! 8 volunteers from GUY 21 were also on the flight as they were heading home for good. My thinking prior to the flight, “everything will be okay because there’s 10 of us volunteers”. Boy was I WONG! Either Guyana didn’t want the 21ers to leave or Guyana really has it out for me.

4:30am

We boarded the plane and settled into our seats. We were ready! When a man, who was asked to move his seat twice grabbed a flight attendant on the shoulder and the flight attendant started freaking out saying, “sir, do not touch me or you will be kicked off the plane”. After that we were ready…but we sat without moving for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes until finally we heard over the PA, “sorry for the delay, we are having difficulties closing the back door”. What the heck?

After waiting over an hour on the door situation the captain announced, “we’ve fixed the door but we’ve now seemed to encounter a warning up in the cock pit. We hope to have it taken care of in no time”. By this time I heard a lot of laughing (coming for us PCVs, we should have expected this) and shucksing form the Guyanese. For me personally, I was praying to get home. One flight attendant kept saying, “they are trying their best to fix the problem but we might have to cancel the flight” Now, keep in mind Guyana is a small country and planes don’t come in every few hours or even every day. And the next flight would have been Friday morning.

After 3 hours of sitting and waiting on the plane, which people knew they were going to miss their connecting flights but my flight to SLC wasn’t until 8pm so I wasn’t too worried, yet. The captain again announced that they knew what the problem was but it would require us to fly at a lower altitude. The lady sitting next to me started yelling, “let us off the plane then”, the flight attendant told her the captain couldn’t hear her but she would go tell him. Then 2 guys came saying, “we can escort you off the plane” this made her madder. She kept saying it wasn’t safe to fly with a plane that couldn’t fix a problem in a timely manner.
Next the captain said everyone needed to disembark the aircraft and 50 people needed to voluntarily stay behind and take the flight on Friday. By this point tears started building up and I said, “I just want to go home”. Once off the plane I was so frustrated I just didn’t understand why this was happening? Why is EVERYTHNG so difficult here? We waited off the plane for 45 minutes then it was okay to re-board.

So we settled back into our seats with 50 less passengers when all of a sudden an elderly lady started roaming the aisle looking for her brown bag. The lady sitting in front of me said she had Alzheimer but the flight attendant said she had to be seated before we could leave. She wasn’t cooperating so her and the woman in front of me got off the plane.
By this point it was 12:15 and luckily we were in the air by 1:00pm due to arrive in JFK at 7:00, leaving me an hour to make my connecting flight.
But unfortunately, we didn’t reach the gate until 7:30pm and I knew there was no way I was making my connecting flight.
Once through immigration there were a few Delta employees waiting for us with re-scheduled flights for the next morning, which was very nice. Out of the 10 of us volunteers 2 made their connecting flights that night while the rest of us stayed in a hotel, courtesy of Delta.
After we collected all of our bags we made the trek to the tram and once outside we were pleasantly welcomed by the cold. Before this point it didn’t really click that I was “home”, it was so weird to look around and see so many different people.

We finally got to the hotel at 10pm. Meg and I shared a room and it was so nice! As I was taking a very hot shower I thought to myself, “what am I doing with my life?”
Meg and I got some food (a Caesar salad), also courtesy of Delta and called it a night.

10:00pm JFK

What seemed like 5 minutes of sleep at 3:50am I awoke to my alarm, time to get up and tackle the second leg of my journey home. I did run into 2 minor situations (not being able to print my boarding pass at the kiosk and having to discard my 2 bottles of rum at security) but that was nothing compared to the day before. Once at the gate Meg, Mica (a 21er), and I enjoyed some Starbucks and talked about how weird it was to be thrown back into the fast pace of life. I was intrigued by the iPads stations every few feet on the tables and by a large group of materialistic teenagers.

Mica & Meg & an iPad

Thankfully that flight was smooth sailing and I arrived in SLC just after 10am on Thursday April 21st. It was so good to see mom, Dan, and Isaiah waiting for me!
I couldn’t believe the ordeal to get home but it’s been so good being home and being with friends and family. And it was all worth it to finally meet baby Reggie! The moment I held him in my arms my heart filled with so much love and joy!

I just love him!