Lesson number one from tri training came on day one: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS bring conditioner when swimming at the gym pool. It looked like my cat had used my head as a ball of string. Not good.

Happy Easter.

Another successful easter.

In other news. Sawyer killed a bird.

My cat killed two mice. He is 20 pounds and spends 23 hours a day sleeping and the other hour eating. I'm not sure how he managed to kill 2 mice. He actually eats his food, then eats the dogs food. He is pretty spectacular.

We believe, but cannot prove, that he is able to catch mice by luring them in while appearing to be dead. He then pounces. If he doesn't get them on the first pounce, it's over. He gets winded easily.

Went and saw Battlefield LA today. It was awesome.

Somehow, it reminded me of being in Israel and under fire. I seriously will never forget that. I remember driving back north to pick up our gear from the hotel. We were driving towards missiles. We weren't even wearing helmets. who does that? I was pretty freaked out. I was looking up in the sky to see if i could see them coming at us. About an hour before a missile had hit about 300 yards from our hotel.

Later, we went to Ceserea Phillipi to escape the onslaught from Hezbollah. I would wake up in the middle of the night hearing the military choppers circling the city, waiting to warn us of attacks. The loud noise would send me into a panic. the missiles that had hit near us had given me an acute fear of loud explosion like noises.

I know it wasn't that big of deal, but running down those stairs after the BOOM, running for my life to a bomb shelter, that was probably one of the scariest moments of my life. THe hotel shook with the force. Most American civilians don't get bombed. And I got bombed by a janky ass missile shot off a bbq in the back of some Lebenese pick up truck. but still....

I will always hate CNN for their coverage of that event. They blamed Israel. BS. B freaking S. Just cause Hezbollah aim blows and Israel can hit what they aim at. Hezbollah shot at me. They shot at civilians. They shot first. Hezbollah hides behind children. That's why there was casualities...they count on you being angry because kids die, so they hide behind them. they hide their weapons in schools. don't buy the lies.

I love life. I love the stars. I wish the real world was more like a fantasy novel. If it were, I would be a kender because I'm not afraid of anything and I love shiny objects. I try to be awake because Henry David Thoreau says that to be awake is to be alive. He says the mass of men live in quiet desperation. I have a hippy van and a dog named charley. I love my Thomas and believe in God. I'm very smart, and I know a lot of things, but the only real knowledge I've gained is that I am not wise.

I am naive. I believe that people are good and i always think people tell the truth. I am an easy target for salesmen, but i don't care. i'd rather be gullible than cynical. I believe in Karma but i don't think bad things happen to people JUST because they are bad. I mean, look at poor Job. I haven't figured out the algorithm yet, but karma definitely plays a role in the universe's justice system.

I lead a charmed life. I have received great love, witnessed of true sublime beauty, and felt a deep compassion for the suffering of humanity.

I hate holier than thou people more than pagans. I don't like smooshy apples. I want to believe in reincarnation for two reasons. 1. i think it would make the universe more fair, 2. i have too many things i want to do in life to complete in one lifetime.

When I was little i wanted to be a hobo. I wanted a stick with a little bundle wrapped in a handkerchief. I wanted to ride the trains and find work on farms with the seasons. I still think that would be a good life, but I think i'd have to live in the 1920's or 30's for it to work out.

I think God is beautiful and mysterious. I don't like when people try and subjugate God to reason and science, as if God must defend himself to our tiny world, like a human trying to explain his existence to an ant. Describing God, creation, and redemption is more poetry than physics, more art than equation. Sometimes I am afraid because there is so much I don't know.

I can't comprehend eternity. I can't even really think about it. It is more than I can bear. So i don't think about heaven or hell or what will happen to me when I die. I can't. I love God not because of eternity, but because I am humbled and and awe-struck that God allows me to know him in the terribly brief moment that is my life. I find it a great act of mercy that he even lets me try to worship.

I love Thomas because he is authentic. I love thomas because i am more myself with him than i am when i'm alone.

i don't need to be important, but i yearn to live fully, or as Thoreau says, "deliberately." I've seen true poverty and real sickness. I've seen a child die and a people suffer because they lived on the wrong continent. I've talked to AIDS patients who were abandoned by their families, I've danced with the oppressed, and I've lived in a hut. i've been to funerals of those who could not take the strain of another day. I've walked the halls of dirty, decrepit desolate hospitals. I've held mal-nurished children who cried for human touch. I've seen evil, twisted, horrible things. But, i'm an optimist and an idealist. In all the terribleness i've found beauty and joy in the enduring spirit of people all over the world.

Through natural disaster, war, oppression, famine, disease we live and we do the craziest thing of all, we bring little people into the world. Little people who will see the same awfulness and experience terrible heart ache. We must procreate because we believe there is something greater to life than suffering. that's cool.

I told my dad today: "i think i'd be happier if i didn't know so much."

so much to say, so little time to write. 4% left on the old battery and i'm too lazy to go get the power cord. I need to write more....but i can' t now, so i will simply copy and paste something i wrote a long time ago and let it lurk.

“Quien es el otro?” my Spanish professor asked her small Pepperdine classroom our first morning of Latin American History in my last semester of my senior year. My nervous companions and I glanced at each other, wondering what she could possibly mean by “the other” and who would be brave enough to answer first. I, too nervous to voice my opinion in a language I still felt clumsy in, answered to myself silently: “everyone different from me.” I was embarrassed and ashamed that my answer was so stark, awkward, and ugly. I thought myself well educated in other cultures, I volunteered in schools with a high Hispanic population, I worked in hospitals in poor rural areas of Honduras, I lived in Italy, and I taught English in Brasil, how is it that I could still harbor such a thought. Just a few weeks earlier while building a house in San Felipe, Mexico I met a woman my same age, and we talked in broken Spanish and English, she told me of her three children and the trials of beginning a family at 14. She marveled at my stories of the university. And as I left a few days later, we hugged, and instead of seeing a poor uneducated girl, I saw a strong woman, holding and laughing with her youngest daughter; she had lived a life much different from mine, but not any less fulfilling or valuable. She had much to learn from me, but I knew that the real lesson that weekend was for me. As I sat in that classroom, I began to realize that no matter how many times I had accepted and loved and learned about new cultures, living in them, breathing them and becoming part of them, it is nearly impossible to lose your sense of fear that different is threatening. How do I overcome that? Everyday it must be done. Everyday when I feel that fear creep in, whether it is in my urban diverse city of Portland or while walking the halls of the malnutrition wards of Honduras, I stop myself; I remember the surprising similarities all of humanity has, and, then, I silently celebrate the differences. It is in that moment, a seemingly small and insignificant moment, that I conquer the fear of “the other,” and rejoice in the love of “the different.”

I think I should continue on this vein soon....seeing as i've now actually lived and breathed what it is like to be the other in a far away land full of strange people and strange customs with strange food.

gypsy on

I finished my 21k trail run in Bend today! Thomas and I headed to Bend after work on friday and set up camp at Tumalo State Park that night. We had a great time and a awesome campsite right on the deschutes.

Playing around bend was a lot of fun, but I was nervous for Sunday's race. Finally i was on the start line. It was tough race in high altitude and a 1000 ft incline. I ran as hard as i could and almost died crossing the dang finishing line. I asked myself a lot why in the world I was doing this...but all in all i'm glad i did. The trail was beautiful.

My competition was steep the two winners of the race were elite athletes, all americans, etc. Serious business. Everyone at the race was crazy fit and serious runners, i felt way outta my league. I pretty much was outta my league, i finished 143 with a 2:01:15 time. Last in my division of 8 :) Don't feel too bad though, it was a national competition full of runners who have been running with elite competition their whole lives. i'm just glad i finished. :)

On the other hand, i think i'll be running 10k's for a year or so....these half marathons are just toooooo long!

Gypsy on

Thomas and I spent the weekend unpacking boxes. I've been unpacking boxes for a month now, and it never seems to end. We made good progress, but there are still boxes left. ugh. Thomas also finished up my desk project for me. He did a great job painting and it is very cute. Only one more painting project left!

School starts tomorrow as well, and I'm sorta prepared. I still have work to do. I'll be going in early tomorrow to try and sort things out in my head before we get started. I only will see my students for about 15 minutes each period though, so that takes some pressure off. We don't REALLY get going until Wednesday. Phew! I think I'm just going to do a quick get-to-know you thing and an intro. I hate get-to-know yous, and I'm trying to find one that doesn't totally suck.

I'm so glad it is September, fall is just around the corner! Pretty soon I'll be putting up my Halloween decorations! Yippee!

Anyway, that's life for now. Not to exciting to tell, but exciting to live :) Hope all is well.

Gypsy On.

Things that go through the minds of 25-35 year olds:

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can

think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell

my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves

me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you

realize you're wrong.

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're

going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to

be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the

direction from which you came, you have to first do something like

check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to

yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're

crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know"

feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose

not to be friends with?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't

work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically

fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all

know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards

or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and

suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first

saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually

becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting

90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's

laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little

bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the

only one who really, really gets it.

-How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than

take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear

your computer history if you die.

-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to

finish a text.

- LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

- Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron

test is absolutely petrifying.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart",

all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod

and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up

to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in'

examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete

idiot.. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and

said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

-What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

- While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and

instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I

know how to get out of my neighborhood.

- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the

person died.

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the

shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty,

and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

- Bad decisions make good stories

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their

profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got

the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if

I do!

- Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring

would probably just be completely invisible.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go

around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly

nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be

a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work

when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything

productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't

want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are

going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me

if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I

swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people

watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will

they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't

watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and

leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?

Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and

goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone

and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not

seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she

hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light

internet stalking.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,

then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising

speed for pedophiles...

- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers,

but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still

not know what time it is.

-It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to

answer when they call.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and

the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they

drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or

Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

-The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw

they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words,

someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think

about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people

eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by

myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard

before dinner.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to

have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and

sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-That's enough, Nickelback.

- A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the

spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

- Was learning cursive really necessary?

- I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to

be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an

overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys

in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey -

but I'd bet my a$s everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3

feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

-My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day " Dad what would

happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

New teacher training started wednesday. complete waste of time, case you were wondering.

someone tell me when Ted Kennedy became legendary....he's a drunk misogynist. I don't approve.

gypsy on.

I was thoroughly amused by the posters popping up in LA depicting Obama as Heath Ledger's Joker character from the Dark Knight. Regardless of whether I concurred with the poster creator's accusation of evil and socialism, I just thought it was a cool piece of political commentary crossed with art. Then I saw on Drudge today that some LA official is calling it "dangerous and mean spirited." Matt Drudge in his conservative glory then posted a link to a Vanity Fair piece from this time last year where "W" is depicted as the SAME character. Good job Matt, it is now my firm belief that no matter who the president is, someone in the media should hate them, just for the sake of a counter argument

Comments on the Vanity Fair piece included:

Great stuff from the talented Friedman (as always). As "agents of chaos" go, W's right up there with the best of 'em.Brilliant and profound.Poor Joker, he doesn't deserve this. Bush isn't good enough to wear his faceInterstingly, there are a few pages of new comments (probably people directed to the page by Drudge) making fairly asainine comments towards liberals and Obama. I'm so glad i don't toe a party line.

In fact, this year i've sunk into a sad rut of almost apathy. I've come to the firm belief that politicians are full of shit, and there isn't anyone of them that are worth a nickal. All the same, we must do the best with what we've got; my eternal optimism will keep me in the voting booths.

gypsy on

Launching back into the political arena, let's start with health care. Let's lay out why health care as is sucks:

1. Half of the bankruptcies filed in America are due to health care costs. Are you freaking kidding me? You have cancer and are dying and now you are bankrupt. Insult to injury, literally.

2. Our emergency rooms are stretched beyond capacity because people without health care have only one option when they are sick....ER's CANNOT turn you away.

3. The federal government, by 2015 will be spending 20% of its budget financing health care and there are still millions of people uninsured. The money the gov. spends on health care goes to Medicare, Medicaid, and subsidizing employer-sponsored health care. We, in fact, spend a larger percentage of our GDP on health care than any other industrialized country! Yet, somehow, one-sixth of Americans are uninsured.

4. The lack of preventative medicine, physicals, annual exams, checkups when problems BEGIN to arise, etc, cause people who are uninsured to only seek medical care when their conditions become full blown = $ The percentage of adults who receive recommended preventative care and screening tests according to guidelines for their age and sex is only 49%.

5. Rising cost of premiums due to administrative costs caused by our multi-payer system (31% of all costs), costly "defensive medicine"(expensive tests doctors run just to be sure they don't miss anything because they are scared of malpractice suits= 10% of health care costs), and a shift from non-profit to for-profit hosptials.

ugly ugly ugly. (I'm pretty sure most of this stuff is correct, but because the internet is a vast web of lies, do correct me if something is amiss.)

There is no question health care needs reform. None.

HOWEVER, i pretty much HATE Obama's idea. ya hate. it's a strong word, but i hate it. I saw Sicko, i was convinced for like 12 seconds...then i did some thinking, some research, and some listening. Here it is:

TIFFANY'S PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION, er strike that, HEALTH CARE REFORM AND ALONGSIDE THAT, WHY OBAMA'S PLAN SUCKS

ok actually i don't have a plan. i'm too lazy to come up with an actual plan. Oh, the things i could accomplish for world peace and prosperity if i'd only apply myself. I do have some ideas though, and maybe someone reading this will go ahead and get off their butt and make a plan. I, on the other hand, can only muster enough energy to rant and rave without even paying regard to proper punctuation.

The problem with health care is we have no freaking clue how much a heart transplant costs, how much a liver biopsy is, or the cost of an x-ray. Oh I comparison shop the hell outta soda, I can't tell you how many times i've looked at Ralphs' for coke and said "5.99 for a 12-pack?!?!?!? I can get that for 3 at Albertsons." When was the last time any of us shopped around for doctors? We don't even ASK how much a service will cost most of the time. It reminds me of little kids playing pretend bakery: Q: "How much for a loaf of bread mister baker" A: "1000 dollars please" ;;child hands over a wad of imaginary money;; There is NO accountability whatsoever because we, speaking to those of us with insurance, don't care how much it costs cause we don't pay it!

Let's let some good ol' free market capitalism run rampant for once! OOO no not in health care, that'd be evil! Wrong, case in point....Lasik. Lasik used to cost an arm and a leg and it was "scary" cause lasers in your eye in 1995 were less than credible. Now look! Lasik is cheap, quick, and virtually risk free. Why? cause your insurance doesn't cover it and free market ruled. Companies found ways to do it cheaper and faster to turn a buck...and it worked, again, like it always does.

Next problem, insurance covers everything. How stupid is that???? I believe it was good ol' John Stosel that pointed this problem out. What if we gave everybody grocery insurance. Oh it sure would be lovely beacuse then everyone could have food....but the vast majority of americans would just get straight crap. We'd buy food we didn't need, let food rot in our fridge, and once again, stop checking prices...which, in turn would raise the cost of groceries. It's bad economics, and i didn't even take that class.

On top of that, Obama's plan wants all the rich people to pay for my health care. This entitlement garbage makes me sick. If you want to raise taxes for your crappy socialized medicine make everyone pay. Flat tax the bitch. No matter what you make, everyone pays 4% surtax or whatever. At least make it LOOK like you aren't a jealous rapacious parasite. Now we can go to the doctor and let rich people pay the bill...now I REALLY don't need to do a price check.

Don't get me wrong no one....NO ONE...should go bankrupt because of chemo, transplants, or ongoing prescriptions for chronic health conditions. That's just mean. I'm all for covering the "big stuff" (for the love of all that is holy don't make me defend that statement. I don't know how to define big stuff, like i said toooooo lazy to make a plan.) But little Suzy and hypochondriac Phil need to stop going to the doctor everytime their snot looks a little yellow. It's a flippin cold, have some soup and quit whining for antibiotics, you just raised my premium 10 bucks jack ass.

I think Stosel got in right in his health care special...health savings accounts. Look them up here. I think the benefit is fairly obvious. It addresses all the above problems. It lowers premiums because you have high deductible plans, it makes doctors and hospitals accountable to prices, and, GOD FORBID, allows free market to inch it's way into the health care business, asking docs and hospitals to do it better for cheaper. Sounds like the ticket to me.

Ya ya ya, i didn't cover everything, buy i'm tired of talking about this. Maybe i'm tired because of thyroid problem. I'll call my doctor, it only costs me 40 bucks for him to run a whole battery of tests....i'm covered.

Original message: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

in no particular order:

1) 1984 -- George Orwell

2) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance -- Robert M. Pirsig

3) East of Eden -- John Steinbeck

4) Cry, the Beloved Country -- Alan Paton

5) Joanna Baille's Plays on the Passions

6) The Humanism of Existentialism (okay that's an essay, but still) --Jean Paul Sartre

7) Shame of the Nation -- Jonathon Kozol

8) Harry Potter (i'm not proud of it) -- JK Rowling

9) The Republic -- Plato

10) Fear and Trembling -- Kierkegaard

11) Ines of my Soul -- Isabel Allende

12) On Walden -- Henry David Thoreau

13) The Divine Comedy -- Dante

14) Summa Theologica (not the whole thing.....just the parts i read) -- Thomas Aquinas

15) Antigone -- Jean Anouilh

Hi everyone! It's only been a million years, I know. I'm sorry! Let me catch you up....

I moved back to California and didn't get a job cause california is broke. SOOOOOOOOOOO Thomas moved in with his mom and I moved in with my parents because: A) Living with your parents makes you a rockstar if you are older than 25 and B) We need to pay off some debt and C) We don't want to move somewhere when I don't have a job (OR DIDN'T....ooooooo cliffhanger, keep reading....)

So here we are living with our gracious parental units who are putting up with our sloven ways again. I moved to Oregon (ahh i miss thomas) and started working at the ol' law firm again. BUT a little ray of sunshine happened upon me last week and I was offered a job at Hillsboro High School! WOO FREAKIN HOO! I'm extremely excited beacuse this means i don't have to live with my parents anymore, not that that is embarrassing...it's totally cool.... Anyway, things are in the works, Thomas will hopefully be up here soon taking classes at PCC and training people. But the ETA on that is still out.

Moral of the story, if you live in Portland and you know me....i live here now, will you be my friend.

PS Have I mentioned I'm engaged? YAY!

If you haven't heard I'm back in America! I left Mali because the university went on strike AGAIN and it doesn't look like they are even going to finish the year. So, I was tired of tooling around africa with no purpose wasting taxpayer money....so i'm back in Cali.

it's good to be home :) Now....to find a job....

Gypsy On!

Ya i was. sorry. it happens.

everything will be fine no matter what. i was being negative....

if school never starts and i go home then YAY i get to be with my family and thomas.

if school starts and i get to stay then YAY i get to teach in Africa.

good lord. somebody give me some paxil. what i really needed was a stiff drink!

loves!

gypsy on.

All i got is a bit of gray tune. not all hope is lost. school could begin anytime. but sometimes the world just turns gray.

Week 3 of strike begins next week. I've been here what? 7months and a couple weeks, check the turtle at the top. I've worked at the job I came to do for 4 weeks. 4.

My heart feels torn in two. Do i stay and hope? Or do i go home to people I love and (possibly) a job in a school that really needs me?

I know i'm worth more than what i'm doing here. i know that thomas is more important than sitting around waiting for a jacked up education system to MAYBE right itself so i can do something. but letting go of a dream and tossing aside a passion that led you to leave all you knew and loved is probably the most difficult thing i've ever been faced with.

ya pride is some of it. quitting, ugh. giving up? these are not words i am used to uttering. i've never quit anything...i've never given up half way through. but it seems that all the available evidence says to abandon ship.

i guess i know what it's like to be the captain of a doomed ship, to lead a labor of love, and as it sinks you just can't bring yourself to leave. you can't pull your feet from the deck because part of your soul lays within the very wood and steel that make up the boat.

so. i'm waiting. i'm waiting because i can't tear myself away, because i sacrificed so much with such high hopes. it hasn't been a complete failure; i've had some brilliant shining moments, but thats probably why this is so hard. i want more than anything to lay this down and run to thomas and my family and a new job but it takes time to complete the messy, incomplete, and impossible job of extracting your soul from your passion.

so family, thomas....patience please. i just need to make sure it's lost. i need to stay a while just in case she rights herself

Had as lovely as a valentines as possible. Moms sent a nice package of goodies and gifts (thanks). Thomas and I talked on skype and AIM and watched a movie "together" - Prince Caspian. It was pretty good, i was entertained.

Normally on Valentines Thomas and I would have cooked a grand meal and rented a movie. Ya i know, SOOO exciting. But the thing is it's a lot cheaper than going out and to a movie. For 10 bucks get a nice bottle of wine/champagne from Trader Joes, make a delicous chicken or pasta dish and snuggle up for a night on the couch. Heaven if you ask me. Especially because i LOVE to cook. Ice cream would of course be included, sugar cookies, brownies, and some sort of delicious pancake breakfast earlier in the morning.

In order to make myself feel better at being mostly alone on Valentines, I made a spectacular dinner of pesto parmesan chicken with spaghetti. It truly was the best thing i've had in months (thanks to John Richard for the pesto parmesan crackers).

Still waiting for news on the strike....slowly losing patience. Let's just say now isn't a good time to send mail, as by the time it reaches Mali there may be no recipient on the others side.......

gypsy on.

the strike was supposed to be over today.....not so much. now they are saying classes will be back on next week. sigh. all my feelings of usefulness are beginning to dwindle.

in all honesty, however, if i were a student i would strike too. Here is the situation:

The government has restricted professors to 10 hours of overtime. Generally speaking professor work 30 to 40 hours of overtime. So that is 20-30 hours of classes that dont' have teachers. This translates to classroom full of students that don't have professors. This is also why the freshmen haven't started school.

It's a bad situation caused by the fact there are 6000 students in the English FLASH program and not even near enough teachers. I sure hope this clears up soon, though.

Gypsy On

Well we had 4 weeks of class. That's a lot of work for Malians.....so the students went on strike. It is supposed to end and classes resume on thursday....we'll seeeee.

The GREAT news is that we bought Thomas' ticket today. I'm literally dancing around my room.

Momma sent me some valentine's candy and goodies. thanks mom. new valentine socks and undies. i have an unnatural obsession with holiday socks and undies. i just really enjoy the festive britches....makes me feel celebratory to have hearts/candycanes/pumpkins/four leaf clovers/etc. on my dereier. i can't spell in french...obviously. i can speak it, barely, but i can't spell. when i learned it here in Mali they only taught us orally, so we can't write in french at all. it's like being illiterate, kinda weird. Also included in said package was the prettiest apron i've ever owned. i dont' think i want to wear it in this country and ruin it!

Have i mentioned people carry goats on their motorcycles in the city? it's funny.

Racism is alive and well in Mali. For instance Malians insist that only people from the ivory coast and ghana steal things, never Malians. They also make white people pay more for everything. In addition they love yelling out peoples races as a way of getting their attention examples: Hey Chinese guy (to any and all asians no matter what their nationality is), Hey White person, usually followed by "give me money," sooooo whenever i hear tubob i say "oui farofin" which means "What black person?" can you imagine saying any of that in the US? like hey mexican come here. or hey black person where are you going? Joining the peace corps made me racist hahahaha.

Other ways the peace corps has made me a degenerate:

1. i litter now without any qualms. there is no garbage service in mali, so you just throw your trash in the gutter.

2. i have little to no sympathy for most beggers. i know ME who gives money away like it's going out of style. i walk past people 100x a day who ask me for money. i had to stop paying attention. now just old blind people get money.

3. i throw rocks at roosters. they are loud and they wake me up. it's not a deal where i live now, but in sanankoroba i had no qualms about heaving objects at roosters/donkeys/goats

4. i lie. i tell malians i'm going to work all the time when really i'm not. i just don't want to have to figure out how to say wherever my real destination is in French or bambara. work is easy to say and remember

5. i may have, unwittingly, encouraged revolution in my Friday night class at the catholic center. We were discussing foreign aid and it's affect on Africa and Mali. Many of my students feel foreign aid makes it difficult for African nations to achieve independence and it actually increases their dependence. they spoke of corruption, laziness, and the need for a stronger government. the word revolution was used more than once......i let it slide with no comment since i'm not supposed to insight war as a volunteer.

Gypsy on

I was only going to link you to this post by the internetmonk.com, but i knew some people would be too lazy to click on it and read it. So i copied and pasted....this brings out everything that is wrong with the cultural war Christians tend to wage. The monk and i don't always agree, but this stuff is brilliant. The emphasis in italics is added by me. www.internetmonk.com

How are you going to fight that fight? February 7th, 2009 by iMonk Trevin Wax and many, many other blogs have reported the story of the death of a baby born alive during an abortion procedure in Florida. Trevin calls this the pinnacle of wickedness, and no rational, morally sensitive person would disagree. But we don’t live in a rational or morally coherent age. In the very same week, the President said, at the National Prayer Breakfast, that no one believes in a God who approves of the death of the innocent. Plenty of commentators have pointed out the irony of that statement as well. But I’m increasingly frustrated by my fellow Christians on this issue. Let me tell you why. 1) There are massive amounts of talk. Constant, never ending talk on radio, blogs and television. But it’s not persuasive talk. It’s the speech of moral outrage, and that is appropriate at times. But it is not the talk of cultural change, mind-changing or policy change. It is the kind of talk that convinces the already convinced, but which makes the unconvinced feel cornered and yelled at. 2) There is an increasing undertone of of “anything goes” in the rhetoric of many Christians. Certainly, this issue will bring about a lot of emotion and strong feelings. But does “anything go?” Can you say anything and do anything without regard for boundaries and restraint? What’s our ethical responsibility when we respond? 3) The endless escalation of this issue will result in violence, either verbal or physical. Unstable people, angered by outrageous acts that inflame their emotions over their reason, will perpetuate a cycle of violence. Christians bear responsibility, in my view, to find a way to focus without creating the beginnings of a cycle of vengeance and revenge in the minds of those for whom violence is justified in this cause. 4) The civil rights struggle should be a great teacher for Christians who are pro-life, but I see little evidence of it. Dr. King and others had a sophisticated response to a deeply ingrained culture of hate: they out-loved, out-risked, and out-suffered them. Yes, there was rhetoric. Yes, there were speeches. But the civil rights struggle was a personal struggle won by people putting themselves on the line and saying “we will quietly, stubbornly, lovingly, sacrificially defeat this evil.” I don’t see leaders emulating or imitating this model. It’s just more and more and more outrage, and little conversion. 5) The Amish school tragedy has haunted many Christians. Are we prepared to respond to moral outrage and violence with greater love and greater forgiveness? Do we even have it in us? If such an act had happened in Christian schools, would there have been angry mobs outside the jails demanding a violent revenge? The lessons in the pro-life struggle are obvious: can we love those who perpetuate this evil? I can take you to blogs right now that will say we should not love them and that we have no responsibility to love them. Our response, according to these discernabloggers, should be hate and retaliation in the name of protecting the innocent. 6) Do we want a fight, or do we want to save lives? Do we want a fight, or do we want to persuade? Do we want a fight, or do we want to humble ourselves as a Christian community and admit how many of those abortions are our daughters? How many are of women living within shouting distance of our churches? 7) Is there a consistent pro-life response among American Christians? Are we outraged by children starving in Africa? Are we outraged by the innocents suffering in war? Are we outraged by child soldiers and the trafficking in sex slaves? Are we outraged by child abuse, sexual abuse and preventable disease? Are we willing to think in terms beyond the clear, outrageously evil stories such as the throw-a-way baby in Florida to see the pro-life issues all around us? 8] Is there a response to the pro-life cause that pays the bills? Writes legislation that makes slow, compromising progress? Is there a response that creates alternatives for women likely to seek abortion? Is there a willingness to risk family embarrassment to deal with our daughters’ pregnancies in ways other than a quick procedure? Can Christians, pastors, churches and ministries make a response that is practical, on the ground and real world, or is the main appeal here the opportunity to be outraged, angry and to keep on shouting? My students and fellow adult Christians are almost universally pro-life. Some may have marched or answered phones in a crisis pregnancy clinic. I don’t know. Most of what I see is a lot of anger. Shocking pictures. An almost visceral, emotional ranting to release frustration, but little actual engagement or even understanding of the issue beyond what they emotionally hate. I want to see more. I want a deeper, more effective response. I don’t want to just be angry. I want to see the problem addressed, minds changed, dialogue happen, truth told and people loved. I want to see progress by slow compromise if that is all we can get for now. I want to see Christians consistently applying the pro-life position to all of life. The scripture says that the anger of man doesn’t create the righteousness of God. The way of love is far more difficult, but it is not optional for the follower of Jesus.

a bit of an update:

School is going along fine. i'm really enjoying teaching there. some of my classes have yet to start due to a problem registering freshmen....there are always problems in mali! But the classes i am teaching are a lot of fun and the job on the whole is quite fulfilling. YAY! i was so worried school would start and i'd still feel bored or useless, so it is a relief that i love my job so much.

british studies class is studying the norman conquest and continuing to read beowulf. it's interesting because my students are constantly asking me why the anglo saxons fought the kelts, why the normans invaded england, why tribes fought each other. i feel like in america i wouldn't get these questions. we americans know why people fight, they fight for land, power, money etc. malians seem to be a bit baffled why someone would start a war.

my conversation class is talking about a different important global issue each week. i'm not sure what to have them discuss this saturday, but i'm sure i'll come up with something interesting before then. last week we talked about Barak Obama. my students, predictably, are in love with barak. they hate the wars in iraq and afghanistan, and they feel like america is targeting islam in those wars. they are also quite concerned about america's financial situation because they know that america's economy directly affects the world economy. we also discussed foregin aid. i think it would be interesting to have a debate on whether or not foreign aid helps or hurts developing countries. there is a lot of evidence to suggest it simply creates a dependency..... if you have any good topic ideas please let me know. this class is open to anything, we merely talk for 2 hours on whatever subject strikes me as interesting!

I am also working at a catholic youth center once a week teaching a two hour english conversation class to 15 students. most of them are young adults and older people. this is even more fun than the university because the students are so excited to learn and i have time to talk with each of them individually, unlike my 100 students per class at the university. Last week we had a rather rousing discussion on the problems that are facing Mali. They brought up poverty, bad governance, unemployment, education, the rebels in the north, and many more. bright group of folks. i look forward to hearing their opinion on several issues.

hot season is here. well, not here, but it is certainly coming. the cool mornings are no longer that cool and the days are back in the 100's. i miss 80 degrees days and 60 degree mornings already. but the good news is mango season is here! i love mangos! it's the one redeeming quality of hot season.

still counting down days til europe!

gypsy on

Danielle tagged me and I'm sucker so.....

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I still have a baby tooth.

2. I have to limit my peanut butter intake (i only eat natural btw) because i have a tendency to eat an entire jar with a spoon in a matter of days

3. I hate when people run their windshield wipers too fast.

4. I've never done a single illegal drug. I took my DARE pledge very seriously.

5. I like holiday themed socks and underwear A LOT

6. I can't spell. The only reason I don't have documents chock full of misspellings is because i read a lot and when i misspell something it just "looks wrong" and then i can figure it out.

7. I applied to NYU as a microbiology major and Pepperdine as an English major (ya i applied to two schools and thats it.) I ended up with the degree I have today because my parents thought NYU was really far away and I was happy to go to a school on the beach.

8. I don't like donuts, ranch dressing, mayonaise, or sour cream

9. Seriously this is only number 9? when i get married i only want a wedding band, no diamond, emerald, or anything else

10. I get scared easily. Scary movies scare me, i get scared in the car when my arm is out the window cause i imagine the car flipping over and then i'll only have one arm, I imagine falling off my bike and into the Niger when i cross the bridges, i think about planes crashing as soon as i get on one.....i think the root of all this fear is an extremely over active imagination. I deal though, and it generally doesn't affect me unless i'm sleeping in a house by myself....then i have nights when i can't sleep because along with the imagination comes a lot of dreams, some scary.

11. I really love disneyland/disneyworld. I know i shouldn't, but they make me really happy. I hate the "princess" thing and girls should not want to be flippin snow white they should want to be astronauts but there is nothing like main street holding hands with thomas. the place really is magic

12. speaking of holding hands, i love farmer's markets. holding hands and fruit go together.

13. I don't believe God has a "plan for my life" uh oh, i just scared my mom and made several people uncomfortable...sorry! hehe

14. I love traveling. not the kind where you go for a week and be a tourist, the kind where you are "in it" and live the culture. whether it's mali, italy, honduras, wyoming, maine, DC, mexico...etc. i don't just want to visit i want to live there....

15. I really really really wish i believed in reincarnation. i wanna be reincarnated.

16. I listen to This American Life every week ( i can podcast it)

17. Peace Corps is by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

18. If i won the lottery i would go to school and get like 30 Bachelors degrees. Probaby a couple masters and MAYBE a PhD....mostly i like broad spectrum education though.

19. I don't like my belly button touched. I don't even touch it. Isn't that weird?

20. I "know" (i use the term loosely) seven languages. English, Spanish, Italian, Portugease, French, Hebrew, Bambara. Again....i use the word know, but it's more like I'm FAMILIAR with seven languages

21. I'm really ridiculously in love with thomas.

22. My favorite UFC fighter is George St. Pierre.

23. I love to cook and i love wearing aprons.

24. I love the zoo but i have inner conflict because i dont' think they should exist....going to the zoo is one of my vices.

25. I love to read philosophy, LOVE. Like nerdy would-rather-read-philosophy-than-go-party kind of love.

If you have a blog and you read this consider yourself tagged since i'm pretty sure less than 25 people read this lol

66 Days til I meet my Mom, Dad, and Thomas in AMSTERDAM! WOOT! ya you heard it here first i'm actually going to see that handsome man i call mine AND my awesome parents. I'm so excited!

Classes are going well, except there are still no freshmen. But all the same my British Studies class is plowing through the material. The major problem i'm running into is that they refuse to ask questions when they don't understand. I will say

"do you know what an ox is?"

"okay if you don't know a word in the text be sure and ask. An ox is similar to a cow"

I get suspicious here and say - "Do you know what a cow is?"

"I don't know the word in french, but in bambara it is Misi"

First they don't ask when they don't understand originally, then they don't ask when they don't understand the answer....it's an uphill battle. But it's still a lot of fun, and I'm really enjoying my time with my students.

The kittens are getting big and soon at least one will be leaving the house :( I've got to call the vet and get their shots and get Phoebe fixed and maybe Gizmo (i want to keep her....) They are a lot of fun and have a grand time playing in my room every morning and evening.

Hope you are all well, go eat something good and American today and dedicate it to me :)

Gypsy on!

SCHOOLS IN! Woot!

It's been a ROUGH couple months. I was feeling really really useless over here. But school has finally started, and I'm so excited.

Classes began on Monday, but my first class met Wednesday. Usually I will have about 135 students per class (I have 5 classes). I was a little depressed when half my classes didn't show up and the other half only had about 15 people in them each. BUT...apparently this is fairly normal for the first week and I expect attendance to be up next week.

I have 3 American Studies classes, 1 British Studies class, and 1 Conversation class.

My American Studies classes will begin with exploration and end around Western Expansion. We will look at history through the lense of literature...or so is my plan.

British Studies is still kind of in the air. We were originally told to begin with the middle ages-renaissance....but that may have been a mistake, still waiting to hear. In the meantime my class has not read Beowulf, so we'll begin there.

Conversation is a wide open class. I can talk about anything at all. I may use this venue to get students talking about civil rights, women's rights, religion and government, and development.

I really hope we don't strike anytime soon......but I've already heard there are some problems on the horizon........we'll wait and see :)

In the meantime, i'm lesson planning!

Gypsy On!

I've got the most serious craving ever for Marrakesh in Portland.

When I get home I'm making a beeline for this.

ya ya i'm teaching, i'll tell you about it tomorrow when my first week is "officially" over ;)

gypsy on

Can you stinking believe it? I start teaching this week. Classes start tomorrow and my first class is wednesday. I teach wed-sat, American Studies, British Lit, and Conversation.

Holy smokes i better write a lesson plan!!!!!!!!!!!

;) wish me luck.

ps if you have 2500 lying around looking for something to do....thomas needs a ticket to africa. it's not a noble cause, but it would make me very happy...wait in princess bride true love is the most noble cause of all. ;) hehe...for real though 2500 dollars to come to this hole? lame. we're working on it...

Thomas is training on the web now. It's pretty cool...he has me on a program too. It's super affordable and he's an amazing trainer....not just cause i love him, he helped me lose 10% of my body fat BEFORE we even dated. Check it out here

The cats are getting huge! So cute. New Years Pics here

New Years was fun...for New Years. It's one of my least favorite holidays of the year. It ends the holiday "season" and it's so anti-climactic. But it was as good as I could ask for. I went with my pilot friends to their boss' house for good south african sausage (to die for) and champagne. We lit some fireworks and just had a nice relaxing evening.

In other news, Thomas sent me the BEST PACKAGE EVER! Okay sorry to everyone else that sent me one, I'm fairly biased being I'm in love with him, but still it was great. I got whipped honey, my favorite cookies, jelly beans, gummy bears, and the BEST CD EVER. It's a movie cd of his trip to portland and a few of my favorite people starred. I got to see Andrew running around the pumpkin patch, my mom laughing with thomas, and my dad wondering about with goats. Not to mention my Nathan and Kristi's beautiful shining happy faces :)

It really made my day. My month, actually...possibly even more than that. Thanks sweetheart, love you.

In other news, school might actually start. They've started registering students and I was told that perhaps in 2 weeks we'd actually begin. I'm translating that to within the month. I'm really hoping. I love climbing, playing sports, cooking and hanging out with my friends....but life seems to lack much meaning lately. Could really use a purpose.

Gypsy on!

Hey everyone!  Happy Halloween and Halloween Gift all around (if you don't get that you probably don't have Oakie roots).  

Halloween in Mali is mostly uneventful.  I made pumpkin pie and then went with my military friends to the American School to help run a haunted house.  I got to scare little kids and make them cry and wet their pants.  All in all a good night.  

I'm really starting to feel at home here in Mali.  I've been spending a lot of time outdoors: running, walking, going to the market, walking to work, etc.  On these walks I almost always stopped by random malians who just want to chat.

Malians are so hospitable and nice.  The other day on my way home from work I was stopped by a group of malians i frequently walk/run past and asked to sit and chat for awhile.  So we talked in Bambara, French, and some English and just passed the time together.  They even bought me a coke.  It's so crazy how generous people are here.  The butcher at the market likes for me to come sit behind his counter with him and he teaches me new bambara words.  He also gives me free meat.  So sweet considering Malians automatically think all white people are rich.  he's basically giving to me out of his poverty, knowing i'm rich....so refreshing.

I've been working at the Catholic Relief Services office, helping their staff learn english so they can advance their careers....it's been a lot of fun.  I've gotten to know a bunch of malians pretty well and learned more bambara and french a long the way.

Walking the streets of Bamako is becoming pretty normal, and I really like life here.  If I didn't miss ya'll so much I'd be perfectly content!

Gypsy on!

I just finished reading Every Living Thing by James Herriot.  He's the British vet that writes about his experiences working with animals.

Such a heartwarming book.  I love reading about the cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs, etc. and the relationship the animals have with other animals, their babies, and their humans.  

It's pretty amazing how attached we can become to our furry friends.  I'm already pretty attached to my little Phoebe.  She's so sweet tempered and loves to cuddle, which is nice since I don't have Thomas around!  And it's funny how much I miss my little (well huge) Sawyer (he's in good hands with Thomas, but i still miss that fat cat).  

Anyway, pick up a book by Herriot and you'll not be sorry.  I've read a couple (I think this is my second time reading this book, but I was so young the first time I hardly remembered it) and they are all great.  

And give your own little shaggy, hairy friends an extra treat today cause there's nothing like the unconditional love and trust of a devoted animal.

UPDATE (and a completely different subject):  I don't care who you are voting for come November, Orson Scott Card got it right (and I loved his books when i was a kid) The Press Sucks.  Don't be taken in.  

The internet monk has a really interesting post here.

Linda sent me sugar cookies (among other glorious goodies).  They are delicious and prove that baked goods can make the trans-continental and trans-atlantic journey.  Thanks John and Linda :)

mmmmmmm

Ode to AutumnBy John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulnessClose bosom-friend of the maturing sun;Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shellsWith a sweet kernal; to set budding more,And still more, later flowers for the bees,Until they think warm days will never cease;For Summer has o'erbrimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may findThee sitting careless on a granary floor,Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hookSpares the next swath and all its twined flowers:And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep Steady thy laden head across a brook;Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the song of Spring?  Ay, where are they?Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, --While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying dayAnd touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mournAmong the river-sallows, borne aloftOr sinking as the light wind lives or dies;And full-grown lambs bleat from hilly bourn;Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble softThe redbreast whistles from garden-croft;And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

I could write a lovely analysis of this, telling you why this poem is a masterpiece.  But I find the simple beauty of the poem enough.

Mom, Dad, Nathan, Kristi, Andrew, and Thomas all went to the pumpkin patch today.  Luckys.  First pic below is an old pic of me at the patch, and the one after is it is one of my favorite halloween pictures of all time.  Miss you guys!  Hope you ate a frito pie for me (sans the sour cream)! mmmmm fritos.

collective shame...i don't want collective shame

but what about collective shame over what's happening in iraq or not happening in burma or not happening in the sudan or georgia or china

i really like obama.  he's cool.  he's smart and eloquent.  he's like a mac and mccain is like a pc.  unfortunately i can't vote like i pick computers.  coolness doesn't count for much when you run for president.

so i'm trying to be an informed voter.  but the more informed i get the harder it is to make a decision. being moderate is harder than it looks.

i don't like war.  i don't like partial birth abortion.  i do think gay people should be allowed to get married.  i don't like the death penalty.  i do think health care needs reform.  i don't like universal health care because i think it is haphazard and shoddy at best.  i don't think people should die because they don't have adequate insurance.  i think our environment needs cleaning up.  i think we need to do something about the economy.  i don't think it's fair that rich people have to pay a higher percentage of taxes than everyone else.  i like the welfare system. i  think the welfare system needs reform.  i think peace corps needs more money.  i pretty much think palin is a retard.  i don't really like biden either.  i think mccain is a national hero.  i don't like bush.  i'm mostly quaker pacifist.  i do believe the soldiers i've talked to who say we are doing good things in iraq.  i'm glad saddam isn't in power.  i hate the patriot act.  i think jeremiah wright is a racist and his church needs to reevaluate their focus.  i don't like that obama sat under wright's tutelage for 20 years and then coped out when he was called to the floor for it.  i understand the history of oppression that produced jeremiah wright and the "black" church and i can't, in good conscience, condemn obama, wright, or his church for their views.  i think this country needs a morale booster.  i don't even understand the economy but i know it needs serious help.  i think countries that oppress their people (ie china, burma, sudan, etc.) need to be sanctioned without regard to if they have or do not have oil supply we want or trade "opportunities."  i'm afraid of abminijhad (sp).  i like israel.  i think hamas has a martyr complex.  i was bombed by hezbollah.  i'm a feminist.  and so much more inner conflict i can't even dredge up right now.

the world is topsy turvy these days.  i still don't know who to vote for.  sometimes i'm glad my vote won't really count in california, since it's rather blue.  but i can't get rid of the nagging feeling that i need to make a decision because it's an important character builder and to just cop out with a "my vote doesn't matter anyway" seems so irresponsible.

somebody give me a reason to make a stand.

yes i realize i didn't use any capitals. i didn't feel like it.

i really love buying warm watermelon slices for the equivalent of a dime and eating it as i meander through dirt roads passing goats and shaking hands with small children

I just received the "Best of San Francisco Box."  It is divine.  Thanks John :)

Phoebe killed a bird today, it was gruesome, I still love her.  She also ate a cockroach, which although was disgusting and made me almost retch, I'm very pleased that she is taking it upon herself to rid Mali of pests.

Can i just say i love eric clapton.  My Father's Eyes is awesome.

(thanks to Thomas for showing this to me) Prince is unreal during his solo:  George Harrison Tribute

Nothing like a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy African morning to aleve October homesickness.  I'd kill to go to Disneyland and look at the Halloween decorations holding hands with Thomas (see pictures below).

Good news: mom sent me It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Halloween decorations, and plenty of boxes of goodness to keep me baking throughout the month.  I'll be fine.  

There is always Halloween 2010, sweety.  We'll go decorate those outrageously expensive Spider Cookies at Woody's Halloween Round up, then we'll go on Tower of Terror....muhahahahahaha!  

Feel free to join us in 2010 everyone else.  Mark I just KNOW you want to take Jackie!  Andrew will be just the right age, Kristi ;)  Mom and Dad, by then you'll be ancient and probably senile, but Thomas and I will push you around in your wheelchairs and Nathan will change your diapers.  Mark is in charge of wiping the drool.  hehehehe.  Miss everyone!

I have a few pictures to share :)

This one is of cute little Phoebe snuggled up on the end of the bed while I was sick. 

I was invited to go out on a friend's boat on Sunday.  WAY FUN!  

On the boat, I'm obviously very happy about boating on the Niger.

After boating, a few of us went to lunch.  While eating, there was a torrential downpour which turned the street into a mini river.  Mike is not happy about fording the street to the car.

Wolverine carving his pumpkin last year.  I miss this

Disneyland at Halloween Times last year.  Thomas looks a lot like Elvis in this picture....

Gypsy on

I got a bit sick again.  Nothing major, I think it's just a spot of the flu.  Aches, fatigue, upset stomach, etc.  Nothing a day in bed couldn't fix.  Feeling much better today.  

I've started pod casting Imago Dei's sermons each week.  This month Rick started an indepth study of 1 Corinthians.  I highly recommend you tune in.  When I started attending Imago he was doing the same sort of study with Romans, quite possibly the best series I've ever heard.  Rick takes each verse and unpacks it.  Literally each one.  He's guessing it will take a year to finish the series.  A YEAR!  That dude is committed, and so is that congregation.  Short attention spans need not apply.  I've listened to the first two sermons so far, and although they aren't stellar, if you read the first 15 verses of the book, well...he's not got a ton to work with.  Can't wait til he gets to the nitty gritty, these first few weeks are just set ups for the rest of the book.  If you are interested click HERE.  

I also added a few links over there on the side bar of people I find interesting.  I've been reading most of them for quite some time now and find them thought provoking.  Highly recommend Internet Monk and Bitch PhD.  I like opposites.

Other than my stomach, things in Mali are quiet.  I baked some box carmelita bars today that tasted like heaven...thanks mom and Betty Crocker.  I've started working with an NGO called CRS, Catholic Relief Services, they do all sorts of things in Mali like Malaria prevention, and health care, etc.  I'm simply showing up twice a week to sit with their Malian employees and help them practice their English by discussing whatever topic is interesting for the day...American elections, Islam, whatever.  To advance in their professional lives, they need English...I'm happy to oblige.

Peace Corps finally gave us our bikes.  They had been stuck in customs for quite some time, but they are worth the wait.  Brand new Trek bikes!  I've already started using mine to get around.   Don't worry I wear a helmet, Peace Corps will kick me out if I don't.   

Gypsy on!

***EDIT*** I'm making marinara sauce now.  When I can't leave the house (well the bathroom) I get cagey.  Being cagey makes me cook.  I've never made marinara sauce...we'll see how it goes.  

So i woke up this morning dreading the errands i needed to run.  I had to go to the market and buy some ground beef, and, although this sounds like no big deal, in Mali...EVERYTHING is a big deal.  Or at least it seems like it is when there is a 12 foot language barrier to deal with.  

So anyway, I leave my house and gear up for the million times I'm going to have to greet someone, ask how their family is, how they are, how there night was, and more.  In the two blocks from my house to the market I probably greet about 30 people.  Then, once I get to the market, I have to deal with people asking me what I'm looking for, why I don't buy their tomatos, and whether or not I'm married.  

At first, I hate greeting, but usually by the 3rd person I like it.  Everyone is so nice, and even though I don't know what they are saying, I seem to do a little better each day.  Also, I noticed today that EVERYONE I saw knew me by name and wanted to talk with me.  It was crazy.  I called into a tailor's workshop by name to greet the tailors.  I don't know how they know my name, but they did.  I finally get to the market and go to the meat seller I bought meat from last time.  I asked him if he had meat without bones I could grind, but he didn't.  Then another guy came running up and told me to follow him.  He took me to another meat seller who DID have the meat I needed and he helped me buy it and take it to the grinder.  Grinding takes a few minutes, so while I'm standing there all the men are teasing me because my last name is Traore and they are Djiarras.  We joke around and I accuse them of eating beans and tell them they are bad people.  (this is all very normal in Mali and is a good way to make friends...i know it's weird.)  Anyway, so my meat is being ground and the guy who helped me find the meat and grind it tells me that he and I are going to get married and I'm going to take him back to America.  I readily agreed.  (Don't worrry Thomas this is another way of joking around in Mali). 

My meat is finished, and as I leave the market two girls i buy vegetables from call me from across the market to come talk to them.  So I do, and again it's mostly me not understanding anything they say, but I entertain them, so I guess it wasn't a total loss.  

Finally I'm almost out of the main market area when my "fiance" comes running up to me.  He asks me what day I'm going to return for him.  I told him that when he had more money I would come.  (Again this is a fairly standard joke). 

Okay, so that was fun.  And I'm already wondering why I dreaded leaving the house.  Then as I make my way back home I stop to talk with the older woman who sells peanuts on our corner.  She was one of the first people in the neighborhood that I talked with when I moved in.  She is very sweet and I try and talk to her everytime I pass.  Well today she gestures at her peanuts and says something to me....I figure she wants me to buy some.  So I ask her in bambara how much they are...but she says something and gestures like I should just take them.  

SHE GAVE THEM TO ME FOR FREE!  I know that doesn't seem like a big deal....but to me it was.  She gave me free peanuts!  how sweet is that?  She gave the rich white girl free peanuts!  I will now buy peanuts from her everytime I pass to the market.  

I feel loved.  My neighbors rock.  Even people in the scary market are nice to me.  Life is good.

Gypsy on!

A myseterious white boy cat is hanging around the house trying to get into bed with my little Phoebe.  Maybe I should go get her fixed or get her on birth control (ya they have it for cats).  Mali needs Bob Barker.

Speaking of animals...I love animals.  Phoebe eats ground beef, rice, and eggs for pete's sake.  That's better than I eat!  Sawyer (my cat back in Ameriki that thomas has) is the fattest cat I've ever seen.  He lives like a king.  I love dogs, our dog used to get her own happy meal at McDonalds (which led to some medical problems, but that was totally accidental).  I even think animals we eat should be treated nicely until they are butchered for my table.  And, although I absolutely LOVE the zoo, I am theoretically against its existence.

Anyway, clearly I am an animal lover.  However, I am also of the firm belief that people matter more.  As I walked down the dirt road today I noticed a sign pointing me in the direction of an organization name something along the lines of Animal Rights Abroad.  It wasn't that exactly, and I cant' manage to remember the name right now, but you get the idea.  Then I looked around me...open sewers, malnutrition, destitute poverty, malaria, HIV/AIDS, THE THIRD POOREST FREAKING COUNTRY IN THE WORLD....and we are wasting someone's money, be it government or private, on protecting the animals of Mali.  

Now I"m not talking about the hippos that are chilling out in the south or the gators in the north, that I could at least understand....that's the environment and what not.  But no, this sign had a picture of a cow.  A COW!  Okay I know the sheep here have it bad, I mean they live in the sewers more or less, the dogs are kicked (I hate that), the donkey's are whipped and forced to carry HUGE loads, the cows eat out of the landfill, etc etc.  I just don't see how anyone could justify donating money to Mali for animals.  I mean 85% of the population here is illiterate!  Something like 1 in 5 kids die before they are 5 years old! Maybe we should address the bigger problems here before we start saving the goats from being mistreated.

Argh.  People are nutty.

This

Today was a great day.  Ramadan ended today, so that means everyone gets to eat during the day.  Think of this holiday on par with the American Thanksgiving in terms of eating.  

I was bummed this morning because I was pretty sure i was going to miss out on all the fun since I don't have any really good Malian friends yet.  HOWEVER, my friend Racy called me around noon, to ask if I wanted to go with her and her friends to celebrate.  Of course I said yes, and they picked me up minutes later and whisked us away to a beautiful house outside Bamako proper.  

Her Malian friends made us DELICIOUS food, and we just sat and talked all day.  It was so fun and I had the best lamb ever!  I love Mali!  

Before I left for the fete, I organized the Halloween decorations my mom sent me (thanks momma) and started looking online for ideas for halloween crafts I could do to add to my decorating prowess.  (We all know how crappy i am at art, and how I got S- in grade school in neatness, but still, I try).  Anyway, I raided my med kit for gauze pads (sorry PCMO's) and made little ghosts from them, and I'm in the process of constructing gravestones to put outside in the yard (my yard is walled, so Malians won't know, otherwise I think I'd be labeled a witch or something).  I also found a recipe for salt dough, which you can mold into ghosts....but one needs a mircowave....I think i'm going to try and use the one at the Peace Corps Bureau to make some ghosts....muahahahahahahaha!

Anyway, tomorrow is the first, so I'm going to get up early and run to the grocery store to get a loaf pan, then i'll attempt to make some pumpkin bread from a mix my mom sent me while I decorate with my meager, but festive, decorations.  Long Live Halloween!

Gypsy on!

I've been absolutely terrible at updating this lately.  My mother has reminded me of this.  

So I did get a new cat.  Her name is Phoebe, like I said.  She was given to me (shots included) by the administrative officer of Peace Corps Mali.  Her cat had kittens awhile back and she still had three to get rid of.  Although I do love cats just for being cats, I especially am enjoying them in Mali because they keep bugs and mice away!  Phoebe is very affectionate and likes to nuzzle under my hands and arms to get pet.  She's a sweetheart.

Living in Bamako has been good as of yet.  Most of my days are, admittedly, slow.  I don't have a lot to do yet since school doesn't start until December.  I have been trying to find projects that can fill the time between now and then, and supplement my schedule once I start teaching.  I've also been running and working out most days and just "yalayala-ing" around my neighborhood (yalayala means wander around).  I've met most of my neighbors, and they're very nice and we exchange greetings several times a day.  I can't wait to start my Bambara tutoring so I can actually talk to them.  I'm actually going to schedule with my tutor later today, so hopefully I can get going on that!  Also, I've been hanging out with the Ex-Pat community.  I play football on Sundays, basketball on Tuesdays/thursdays, and soccer or softball on Saturdays.  They're all really nice and, because they actually make good money here, are willing to feed me occasionally!

I've also been enjoying being able to cook for myself.  I've learned the joys of eggplant.  I've never in my life cooked eggplant, but now it's a staple to almost everything I make.  I've made a simple ratatouille several times which is cheap, filling, nutritious, and delicious.  As we speak I'm munching on a eggplant pizza I made with some pita bread (available here due to the large Lebanese population), hummus (which I got from a can but then added garlic, lemon, paprika, and olive oil to), and stir-fried garlic and eggplant.  It's fabulous.  I think I'm going to try and make some fried eggplant either tonight or tomorrow to eat with the left over hummus.  I used to get fried eggplant from the falafel (which, by the way, I've also made here) guy at the farmers market near my house.  I really liked it, so I'm going to give it a go.

I've also located a bakery that makes whole wheat bread!  Yay!  Peanut Butter and Jelly is my usual post run snack :)  yay america.  Sometimes I couple it with some koolaid people have sent me.  SOOO GOOD!  The produce quality in Mali is pretty good, it's just limited to what can grow here and the seasons.  For example, mangos are delicious but we only have them for 4 months or so.  Green beans only come around for a few months too.  I should be able to do just fine for myself, and, on top of that, I'll learn how to cook some new foods since my old fall backs from home just aren't feasible here.  

Cheese is really hard to get, for example, because it is so expensive here.  A kilo (2.2 pounds) of cheddar cheese is about 35 dollars.  Emmentaller is the cheapest cheese by far, but even that is about 20 bucks for kilo.  

I'm really telling all of you this so that you can send me recipe ideas :)  So here's an idea of what I can get:

PotatosEggplantOnionOkra (LOTS AND LOTS OF OKRA...Any good recipes?)CarrotsCucumberTomatosFlourEggsCorn FlourSugarBaking SodaYeastGreen PeppersPastaPitaSoy SauceGreek OlivesMost spicesMANY asian and middle eastern sauces/condimentsRiceCornOlive oilGreen beansWatermelonorangesApplesCanned and dry white/red beansLentilsCanned corn, peas, tuna, tomatoesTomato pasteAnd most meats are available....really good meat is expensive though, I should be buying meat in the market (think 3rd world....) but i can get good ground beef and good cuts in the white people stores.  The market meat is not BAD, it's just hit and miss in quality.  Chicken is available, but chickens here are scrawny and there isn't a lot of meat on them and I've never seen boneless skinless chicken breast....Okay everyone...send me your best recipe.  Either by email or just post a comment.  JR i expect something good.  I'm in a country of savages, help me out here ;)  

Money is a bit of an issue...for example I can't go buy like 40 spices for a dish.  I have the salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic, oregano, cinnamon and basil.  I can buy some others, just don't give me a giant list. 

I think I'll attempt to make some cornmeal soon.  I haven't been able to find it here, and i've got enough time on my hands to try making my own pioneer styles.  After that I can make corn pone and fritters or something :)  (After reading Cold Mountain I've been craving something corn-like...maybe some corn mush)

Anyway, nothing exciting I know, but such is life for the next couple months.  

Gypsy on