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EmilyInAfrica
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Name: Emily
Birthday: 1/26/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: I am a total bibliophile, I love reading books and buying books. I also love music - all kinds. Other interests include travelling and chillaxing with friends, social activism and world awareness, dancing (!) and karaoke(!). And probably my favorite thing is a good conversation.
Expertise: German chocolate...Lindt is the best, followed by the Ritter Sport. And I think that I qualify as an "expert" bridesmaid by now...anyone in need of bridesmaid consulation??
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
4/25/2005
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| Ahh, I have moved to Portland.
It is nice to leave Yakima. I enjoyed my drive to Portland. It was a gorgeous day and I was jamming to the new RAY LAMONTAGNE (perfect driving music). The one thing about Yakima is that it will always be there to return to. And I know that things won't change beyond recognition. I guess that gives me a certain comfort which makes leaving easy and returning nice too. I like moving. I like adventure and the thrill of discovery (although the waiting can be aggravating.)
I had a job interview yesterday. This was not your ordinary interview though, I broke down after getting rejected from all 12 of the other jobs that I applied for and went to a placement agency. I guess it went well because they called today with to set me up with an interview on Tuesday with a good salary offer too! We'll see how well it goes, and most importantly if it is a good fit.
I am also thinking about going to grad school this fall... these are the years of golden opportunity. And I realize that if I don't do it now I probably never will. And while this pauper likes the "good salary" offer, I don't want to get too comfortable so that grad school doesn't materialize. I feel like this is going to be a year of excitement...
That is why I love New Years the thrill of discovery. I made (in my opinion) a rockin' mix CD to herald in the new year
Good Times Everyone!
Cheers**
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| Lately I have found myself listening to National Public Radio more often than not. This is happening for the first time in my life, and I can only explain it as a desire for more substance than my local country and hip-hop stations can offer. In the Yakima valley good radio stations are in short supply. This could all be one reason for my new found love of NPR, another I guess would be the current drought of intellectual stimulation that I am facing. Whatever the reason, I love that there is a least some medium that allows for some deeper thoughts and the occasional deeper conversation with other like-minded individuals. Last week as I was driving to the mall...I noticed a beat-up chevy with this bumper sticker emblazoned across its rusty bumper "Respect Women: Women are Sacred." That statement was followed by the Native American logo for the great spirit - a circle divided into for sections with a cross symbol represented inside. http://www.worldpeacevillage.org/wpv_main.htm What really struck me was the gentleness of that statement, but aren't all people sacred simply because they are made in the image of God? And if one believes that, why do I not see more bumper stickers on the backs of the same cars that proudly flaunt the Jesus fish? Just some thoughts. I am moving to Portland, Oregon in January of this year. I am excited for what that might hold in store. Recently I have been learning more and more that "life is not a destionation, it is a journey." How true. | | |
| I don't know what I want to do with my life anymore. I thought
that this year would really inform me about what direction I wanted to
go into concerning development. But now I think that i just want
to get a job at the mall.
I am here for 2 more weeks.... should be fun.
Emot-o-meter is off the charts... too much to consider: immense relief,
happiness, anxiety, sadness, confusion... its too complicated for
words....
I hope everyone else is doing well, though
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| These days it seems like there has been way too much swirling around in my mind, and not enough outlets, and not enough opportunities for meaningful conversation... There have been many times when I have thought that counseling would be good. But the truth is that people often will agree that people who have enough close friends don't really need counseling. People who go to counseling often just need someone to talk to....
As I sit here typing I reflect that I have about 6 weeks left here. My mother is arriving soon for a visit - and I realize that there is so much to share in so little time. I wonder what it will be like to see her again after being away from her for longer than ever. Still, I know that a lot of things won't have changed.
The scary thought though, is trying to come back to North America after getting acclimated to life in Africa. No one that I know will really understand what I have gone through. The extreme ups and downs of life. I have more grey hairs now. I read that when Henry Morton Stanley re-emerged from his harrowing adventures in the newly discovered mainland Africa his hair had completely turned white. I have learned a lot about life, loneliness being a powerful force, but a difficult one to overcome. I guess its just another step on the journey.
There are so many emotions to sort through, as much as I have come to accept how it is here, to adjust my expectations, and how glad I am that I seem to have reached some sort of "homeostasis" - I still really miss the comfort of a known routine. And the understanding of cultural mores.
Although things haven't gone as I wished they would, this has been such a valuable experience anyway. I think maybe it was important for an idealistic person like me to get a taste of how un-idealistic things can really be in cross-cultural development work. It is really exhausting at times. I have such a fundamentally deeper appreciation for all the people-both Christian people and non-Christian people- who are working for the "Kingdom of God on earth", which to me means the common good...
God Bless all the Missionaries, Amen | | |
| I guess that I really need to apologize for hosting the worlds worst maintained blog... I don't know but the fact that it has been over 4 months since I last posted anything makes me wonder why I started this in the first place... sorry
But with that out of the way, let me tell you about my run-in with the Snake!
(as an aside... one of my worst fears before coming here was encountering a snake mostly because I only know about rattlesnakes, and here I wasn't sure which snakes are poisonous or not - in truth most of them are - and then I just pictured myself dying somewhere in the bush from a snake bite or having to have my leg amputated... some snakes can spit venom with amazing accuracy at a distance of 3 metres or more!!!!)
so yesterday on a "wildlife walk" with some colleagues and their children we were loudly tromping through the bush and seeing no wildlife other than flies sort of forgot that we did still need to be alert. We noticed some strange rocks that actually were petrified wood. So we stopped to look at this interesting formation, and I went over to test its strength by kicking the rock and then noticed that not more than 6 inches away from my foot was a large yellow snake with black diamonds on its back. Clearly only minutes before the snake had been sunning itself in the exact spot where I was kicking. For those of you who don't know, it is generally a good idea to not provoke snakes, and kicking right near them is a good way to provoke them... oops.
Beside myself in horror I did however retain my sanity and quickly stepped backwards loudly whispering to the others that there was a large snake there. We all jumped away and as I was nearly shaking the snake calmly slithered into the bush... Eish! And that was the extent of our wildlife viewing. all in all it was a fun day.
So the moral of the story is that everyone should come to Africa, it is fun here. And you get to do and see things that you would never do at home and then tell cool stories like this one to your friends.
In other news, Fortunately or Unfortunately I have reached the double digit count-down of days left in Zambia. | | |
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