Upcoming Events

This is happening October 14-15. When you are there, be sure to check out this while munching on these yummies. And, subscribe to this and do some shopping here. I will be heading to this booth, because I am eager to learn more about this and I do not believe in any of this nonsense.

Chilean Instruments

Here is our collection of instruments from South America:


The ceramic jugs are drums based on the African udu, the wooden pods shake, the cylinder with holes is a flute-like ocarina, and the 10-string ukelele/guitar is a charango that Aaron is learning to make sing!

Means for Dreams

This is a SHOUT-OUT to a wonderful organization.
Means for Dreams is a DC teacher's dream-come true! Check out my most recent fully-funded proposal!

Keeping Track

Here is my list of visited countries. I have only ventured to 12 countries, 5% of the world. Only 5% is unacceptable and motivating. What country should be next? (Aaron and I each possess $400 worth of travel vouchers from this generous airline.)

create your own visited country map

Happy Happy New Year

It really is the small things that count. It is the people who force me to talk, the ones who take the time to be different, and the ones who go against the grain seeking change who truly motivate and change me. I have been having a rough time at work (thus in life) lately, for many reasons. But, the other day I decided to remove myself from my seemingly all-consuming inner-turmoil.

To begin this release-inducing process, I first noticed that others around me had been holding me up, atop their strong, beautiful shoulders with delicate and precise care for far too long. Then, as I metro-ed home alone I read my favorite teaching magazine. This caused needed and rejuvenating thoughts of why I teach high school where I do. Anyway, as I exited the metro station, there was tall, mesmerizing man singing and playing a guitar while perched atop the concrete wall. Below his dangling legs was a handmade sign that read: Music for Peace! Typically I walk faster than everyone to get home, but this day I stood and allowed myself to be mesmerized by this man's gesture and music. He noticed me (thankfully), and smiled mid-song. This smile delighted me so much that I smiled back, uncontrollably yet noticably. I noticed because it had been too long since I had smiled uncontrollably. So, we smiled, he sang and I mouthed, "thanks" and turned to head home.

No joke, as I turned my head to proceed over the Calvert St. bridge there was a car's bumper sticker right in my face that read: Peace on Earth!Peace on Earth! That same uncontrollable smile popped up and I strolled slowly home (still smiling, but now with conscious control). My job has not changed nor has the stress it brings been lifted, but my attitude has and that is the small thing that has made such a difference.

THANKS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to my beautifully strong shouldered friends! I would have no reason to smile or keep trying if it weren't for you!

New Mayor for DC

DC has (basically) elected Fenty. My two cents (whatever that may be worth): I strongly approve!

Ranting and Raving

I have nothing to write about, I don't want to share, and I surely don't want anyone to listen to me anymore...I am struggling these days to make sense, to gain control, to smile, to see my friends, to do my jobs, to love my dog... Whew! there is much-too-much complaining emminating from my fingertips onto this innocent keyboard.
So, in order to gain control, let's gain positive perspective:

PRO's:
1. I get to hold Aaron's hand everyday after school (work)
2. I get a cold lick from Keba's strangely spotted tongue daily as I cross my portico
3. I had coffee with Anna and Emily (AND, we escaped school early today to get this done!)
4. I work with some incredible teachers (who are also my great friends and lifelines)
5. My brother's birthday is today and he is a ball-full of fun lately
6. I saw my mom, sister, grandmom, and all of my aunts this weekend
7. I now know all of my new students' names
8. I am teaching a great teen read to my scholars at Chavez: Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper
9. I shall run tomorrow
10. AP and I are starting Yoga three days/week
Ok...this is therapeutic...

I could actually go on and on...11, 12, 13, 14...
But, suddenly there is no need. I just smurked (like a smile), re-read the PRO's and a needed surge of long-awaited contentness overcame. I needed that surge and smile-like smurk. This is why I started this ridiculous blog-- To have a forum (other than Aaron's exhausted ears) to sort through my fleeting thoughts. Now, I will floss, brush and swallow more water as I contemplate the sleep that will easily induce my weary (now happier and smurky) mind.
11. Good sleep and smiles
The above PRO's list goes on and on...

Sudoku anyone?

Scroll on down and waste some minutes playing some Sudoku. At least here you can actually get the satisfication of the answers (or cheat, if that's your style). This is not intended to imply that I am an avid Sudoku-er, but I did enjoy this Japanese mind tease on a recent long plane ride. Have a whirl and let me know how you are feeling after few minutes of this brow-furrowing fun!

You go Google

There is good news in the world. Read on to see what Google has been doing to help the world. Interestingly enough, my school (work) has switched to a Google hosted email system...and, talk about great! This new system has us communicating worlds better than previous years, and the provider is like-minded. Smiles indeed...it really is the small things.

Give a little

Support my aunt and uncle's quest to do good for the March of Dimes.

9/11

Never, ever forget.

Never, ever.

Adams Morgan Day Festival...

was today. This annual festival has flourished since I have called this neck of the woods my hood. This is the 28th consecutive year, and it was well-worth the shoulder bumping, toe jamming, and massive amount of styrofoam waste (well, no, it was not worth the latter).

Where is he?

Rumor has it that "the one-and-only" has returned to the States. Was it really you on my voicemail? Can this be true?

Oh wait...do you still speak English?

Talk about...

impressive. This makes me eager to age.

Memories

South Sister:

My friend Jessica just shared some photos from her recent hike up to the top of South Sister. This area of Oregon is our old stomping ground, and hiking these exact hills was a daily activity. In fact, this particular mountain holds magical sisterly memories for me...My sister moved to Oregon when we lived there. So, I was surrounded my boyfriend, sister, one of my best high school friends, a friend from college, new friends from Oregon and the most incredible landscape. This just took me back to a warm-and-fuzzy place. Many thanks Jess!

Rhythmic?

How seriously should I take the word rhythm? Supposedly the human body longs for rhythmic patterns in food, exercise, breathing, sleep and many other bodily functions (What about sex? I am not sure…). But how literally should I take this longing? This has always been the essence of my existence: A weekly schedule of “practice” (be it track, softball, swim team, soccer—it depended on the season). But, change is good, right? Maybe spontaneity and surprise makes one more joyful and relaxed? Or, maybe even my love partnership should be based on a contrived schedule of “nights when we…”? I have battled with this concept every minute since I returned home, for my life has shifted to a rigid routine of agenda-ful ways for me to spend most waking hours.

Over the summer this was not true, in fact as we traveled in South America there were many days when we woke and decided to hike and see the sun (and that took us until the sun decided to call it a night), but there is no time to chase the sun now. In fact, there are not enough hours for me to even cross off more than one agenda-item. I find that my list jumps along the calendar as each day passes (figuratively for I refuse to own/use an agenda). So, back to the topic at hand…should I make each day of the week a “make-my-body-more-rhythmic” day? Meaning, should Monday night be yoga night, Tuesday be morning run and long walk, Wednesday be morning run and yoga, Thursday evening be peaceful run with Anna and Emily, Friday be THE DAY OF REST, Saturday be morning bike ride, Sunday be long run and then hit repeat.

Oh, and this is just the schedule I would use to organize my exercise rhythm. What about my personal rhythm? I could have Monday be yoga with Aaron and Jaime night, Tuesday be a long walk with as many peeps as possible, Wednesday night be just me time at yoga, Thursday evening with my life-long running partners with long slow meal afterwards (this is already confirmed for the duration of the school year), Friday will be when I make dates with my friend-circles, and then the weekend will include varied exercise times plus more than two days worth of desired activities.

Oh, but hold up one more time... We didn’t remember the fact that I am a teacher, thus I work about 15-20 hours a week at home (after the school day ends). So now, should we go back through the schedule again to add to the daily lists…no need, right? My inner conflict is obvious: What does one do when there is just too much to do everyday? I am battling with the letting go of my free spirit, giving the freedom up for days full of a basically unattainable schedule of events? Yet, I feel disappointment and regret when I do not accomplish all of the “things” that flutter around my mind constantly. Maybe I will start with a regular sleep schedule, for sleep really is the only needed body-rhythm…well, I should say, sleep is an all-too powerful rhythm at this point in time, for me…maybe we can get together between 2-4 am on Thursday morning, are you free then?
ZZ ZZZ Z Z Z Z z z z z z z z z z z!

Two Days Ago versus Today

The human body is an amazing invention. Not only did my body wake up on a different continent two days ago, but I was also in a TOTALLY different mindset back then. However, in a mere 48 hours, I have been able to morph back into my American life just as easily as I left it all behind two months ago. We woke in Lima, Peru on Sunday morning and headed to the airport at about 8am. Then, the adventure of inter-continental travel commenced and we flew from Lima to San Jose, Costa Rica, to Guatamala City then to the final destination of home-sweet-home. We landed, and after a tedious two-hour progression through Immigration, Customs, and the agony of waiting for international luggage to make its way around that circle-thingy, we finally were dropped off at the front of our apartment building.

We both stood in front of our building only able to stare, noticing how little has changed, commenting on the subtle changes we quickly saw, and sighing deeply as we remembered that we had to wake in 3 hours to start our teaching year! So, we held hands, walked up to our third floor pad and thankful were greeted by Mark, our wonderful neighbor. Thankfully we was wide-awake and even eager to hear some of our stories. There is nothing better than a warm welcome home!

But, back to reality. We have started working and I am still feeling the sting from this slap on the face. New students have started their Orientation, I taught one day, now I am working with my colleagues to complete a daunting but thoroughly interesting and needed task of curriculum design. The school year commences on Aug. 30th.

School starts, what!...ahhhh! This slap just crept back up and smacked me again. But, I am eager and ready for the year to start. Dealing with the anxiety and prep needed to get to that point can get into a bubble and fly, fly away!

Salar de Uyuni Bolivia

This natural hot spring was the beginning of our four day trek to Uyuni, Bolivia from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. As you can tell from this picture, I was in awe of the mineral bath and the scenery. During this trek we peaked at just about 5000 meters above sea level and climbed 3000 meters in a matter of hours. The altitude change was hard on me (more so than for Aaron), but the landscape and seeing the largest salt flat (Salar de Uyuni) in the world was worth a little agony. We have many amazing photos, but here in the desert of San Pedro it is as it should be...few high speed connections with cyber space. We head south to Santiago in a couple of days. I will upload the amazingness of our four-day trek when we return to the modern world.

Bueno Tarde

¡No worries...we wore helmets all day, just not for the photo opportunities!

Today was a wonderful day in Mendoza, Argentina (we have been here for two days and will leave tomorrow for northern Chile). We rented bikes and cycled through the vineyards and olive tree farms of the arid land of Mendoza. We pedaled for a total of 40 km today in the sunshine and my gringa-ness is shining through my newly-sun-kissed skin. Biking and tasting varietals of wine made for a tired (yet very content) couple. So, tonight (now) we are hanging with the family and friends of our hostel (photos of this wonderful place and family soon) ordering food in and watching a movie. Mendoza is full of smiling people, incredible sunshine, some of the best wine in the world and bike trails...once again, enough to make a girl want to relocate!

¡Los Animales de Peninsula Valdes!

I wish I had the poetic words needed to describe our days on the Peninsula Valdes, but my feeble mind does not allow for such eloquence. These photos capture a mere glimpse of the amazingness living in this area of Patagonia. There are a few more photos on the Flickr site, and many many more still on our camera (when time permits I will upload all of them).
I was rendered speechless for hours when we docked the boat this day. This sensitive area has touched our hearts, for the people living here are serious about caring for the world, preserving its wonder, and educating the public about the animals living near their homes. We spent two nights in Puerto Madryn in an hostel run by three young women who take the whales and the sea seriously. They hooked us up with their friend for the boat ride pictured here. Then we ran away from the world and stayed right in Puerto Piramides for the next two nights. This town´s population of people is near 250 and the population of whales is near 600...the people are very proud of this ratio. We rented a small apartment where, at nightfall, we could hear the whales exhale and stare into the Southern Cross constellation. Need I say more?