In Nairobi day 5

I smell so terrible! But that's a good thing because here it means that I've been outside in the dirt all day running around with kids :) This morning we left bright and early for Ruiru to visit the New Life School. It's about an hour and a half from our Nairobi apartment across beautiful farmlands and up and down gorgeous hills full of trees and streams. (I got some really pretty video of this). When we got to the school we kept hearing the common phrase "mazoongoo" which means white people. They were thrilled to see us and we were equally thrilled to see them. They are beautiful children! This home is for older kids 3-10ish that New Life and Amani support.



We were greeted by Anne, the school director who couldn't wait to show off the beautiful school. We learned about the children's education and how it supports the surrounding farming community. The kids all get green uniform sweaters and white polos so no one knows whether kids are from New Life Homes or from a better off family, all the kids are equal. They come into the school speaking their mother tongues but eventually all learn Swahili and English by the age of 3. The school also offers community sowing and beading classes for local women and older kids who are able to learn a trade.

We played with the kids and ran around the field together. Again, they loved our cameras and were stoked to see themselves on my video camera (I turned around my monitor so they could see themselves) . I got great interview footage of Anne talking about the Amani/New Life and School connection, and how the school has benefited the kids and community. I also interviewed Katie who talked about how she felt about her experience with the kids.

Next, we ventured another 1.5 hour van ride across bumpy terrain to Kazuri where the Amani Beads are made which supports 70% of New Life Foundation (which includes 6 homes and a few schools). This was when everything came full circle. At Kazuri, we were taken on a tour of the facilities including an interview of a man who had worked there for 5 years.
Kazuri takes in single/widowed woman gives them insurance and medical care, a great paying job, transportation, and lunch.

The process of Amani Beads includes:
- Taking mud and water pressing it for a few hours
- Then forming it into small bricks
- Which become soft clay
- Now they are shaped into various shapes for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pottery, or whatever the order calls for
- Then they are fire burned
- Next they are painted, designed, and glazed
- Finally they are strung into jewelry

The jewelry that is sold in this store are made from 1st beads, meaning they don't have chips or scratches. But Amani takes the 2nds for free and we use these to made our jewelry at the various chapters. The jewelry we make all over the country is then sold to support Amani and New Life Homes.

Its amazing to see how everything comes full circle. I interviewed Drew about how he felt about this and he thought it was crazy cool to see the whole process come full circle. But also how Amani and New Life impacts not only the kids but also the community.

For dinner we checked out a close by Ethiopian Restaurant… sooooo delicious!
We chose a variety platter with veggie meat options. It's served on a pancake thingy that you use to tear apart and grab at the various food piles. Since I can't do the whole wheat thing I ordered potatoes and a fork :)


Amazing and full day! Tomorrow, lots of work with psycho-social reports to be done!

In Nairobi day 4

We decided to be tourists today! We forgot to ask directions to a church we wanted to attend so we decided not to risk venturing out and instead we stayed in for our own mini-church service. With the travel guitar I bought the other day, we played a few worship songs and Drew led us in a thought about how we can learn from the kids we serve.

Matthew 19:13-15
The Little Children and Jesus

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

After some good African coffee we can then ventured to the market and braved the venders. It was actually really awesome. Drew, Katie, and I had our own little adventure within the market. We spoke Spanish the whole time! This turned out to be an excellent idea and I highly recommend. We spoke in Spanish amongst ourselves then turned to the venders and spoke in broken English.

This was fantastic:
1) the vendors loved how we weren't American
2) They were enthralled by us speaking Spanish and wanted to learn words
3) They gave us cheaper prices than the rest of our group (we had show and tell at the apartment and we got everything at a better price!)
4) No one was pulling at my sleeve, nor did I have everyone at near by stands yelling at me because we spoke in broken English

I've been going through video footage, and the group has been doing work with photos and identifying the children at the Ark.

In Nairobi day 3

Today was a day to summarize and review all the work that we will do. So much preparation and perfection is needed because most everyone else will be here for 2 months and they will be working on the case adoption files everyday at their separate homes.

We will be using an Amani Interns google document which have folders and files on it. There's a folder for each of the homes. For example, there's an "Archives-Kisumu" folder and a "Current-Kisumu" folder. In the current folders there sub folders for babies, toddlers, and crawlers. We will create a document for each of the babies which will ultimately be about 20 to 25 pages.

This will include:
- any basic information (name, dob, current home, etc)
- a case summary (how, where, and by whom, and in what condition the baby was found, police and hospital report),
- Personality Assessment (cognitive, social, emotional development, motor skills, and interests,
- Photographs
- Archived documents (scanned hand written or any other hard copies)
- a table of contents

We also went to another Home, called the Ark, which is where older children (4-10 years old) stay. They were so much fun because we could talk with them and have conversations with them. We played futbol, jump rope, we drew pictures and played games, and some of the kids took our cameras and wanted to take pictures. They pretty much wore us out. They were so much fun to talk to and interview them on camera! We were there almost all afternoon and had to run home before it started raining since we all had cameras. I loved getting to play with the older kids, the toddlers and crawlers will now seem low key!

At the apartment, my cooking crew made Pad Thai for dinner which was very scrumptious!
We then looked over our pictures and told stories of our other travels around the world.

Ps I got a travel guitar for really cheap and have been playing all night too :D
Yay meaningful Kenya souvenirs!

Now we're going to Sporcle before bed, we're playing the "name all the countries in the world quiz" I love this group!
Kwaheri!

in Nairobi_ day 2

Today was great! We went to the Home at 9 and divided into 3 groups, the toddlers, crawlers, and babies. I was with the toddlers again, and knowing each of their names and a little of their personalities it was fun to play. They particularly enjoyed the slide this morning!
We fed them "momo" (snack) today of bananas and mangos. And then washed them and put them down for a nap. Their nap time is our lunch time.

After we came back and had a meeting with Rhoda, who is the New Life Home's Social Worker. She went through the adoption process again and filled in the blanks from orientation weekend. Basically the same info but more practicality now that we know the Home and kids. There are local adoptions and international adoptions. The locals are able to come and volunteer and pick out a kid. The Internationals come knowing which one they will take home. The international parents fill out an application and request a gender and age group. New Life then sends them adoption files of all the kids fitting these ranges. This is a fairly new law, less than a year old, so there are still a lot of thinks still to be worked out. And our work will also help with this process. The work we do will also help the babies get adopted faster.

Each baby has to be brought to court with his or her adoption files and argued that they are ready for adoption. The Kenyan Adoption Board decides yes or no, if no they say what else needs to be done. This process can take a week, a month, or a year. There's a lady who visits her soon to be son every day, but she has been in the process for the past 2 years. Effciency is crucial since New Life is almost always at bed capacity. The faster the turn over the more kids can come. When New Life has to turn away kids, they're sent to other orphanages. But New Life (I hope I don't offend anyone here who has worked with other Kenya Homes) but New Life is seen as the standard in the eyes of the government and very well respected among the people. They do things right, everything from medical care to good schooling and lots of love. But other orphanages have had problems and sketchy situations where they will secretly sell babies for not good reasons. So we want our records straight, clean, clear, and accessible so no bad accusations can be made against New Life.

Tonight and this weekend we will be talking about how to exactly right up these adoption files. Drew Rothenberg will be talking about how we should be filling out the Psyco-Social Reports and I'll be talking about the basic techniques for photographs such as the rule of thirds and when and when not to use a flash.

After the meeting with Rhoda we talked a little about what we'd be doing in the future. Each home will have a scanner and we'll scan the hard copies of police reports and medical reports and so on. On top of these scans, the psycho-social reports, and our photographs, we will be putting each child's report on an online password protected data base that can be accessed from any of the Kenya New Life homes and Amani in the US.

So basically the people here are amazing. I don't know how they get everything done without all the volunteers they have! Cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard-work, bathing, and playing with the kids is a ton of work! But here in Nairobi there are several volunteers from the University who have to meet service hour requirements. We talked to a few regular and local volunteers who have graduated but can't find jobs. They continued to explain, that of course when a Kenyan can't find work they give back to their community. Dang, like just imagine what the world would be like if everyone had that perspective on life.

My team is fantastic. A few of us make dinners together. Last night we made rice, curry spinach with walnuts. And tonight we made rice (for me) and pasta with tomato sauce eggs and broccoli. Since we haven't started the reports yet, we spend our free time playing cards, watching world cup, reading, napping, and talking about everything :) this is the way to live; in community, sharing everything, giving, and learning and growing together <3

I already want to stay for a few more weeks… hehe

Film wise I got interviews set up and basic questions written out. We'll be able to start shooting and photographing on Tuesday!

Nairobi_ day 1

Karibu! Welcome! We're here!
After a 6 hour flight to London and 8 hours to Nairobi, we finally landed around midnight to an empty air port wanting to go home as much as the workers. We took a bumpy ride to our apartment, which is awesome. We're split up into 2 different suites each equipped with a full kitchen, living room, 3 bed rooms, and 2 bath rooms. It's a gated community with a guard out front and feels very safe. We're a 3 minute walk to New Life Homes and a 10 minute walk down dirt roads to Yaya, our local mall/super market.

We woke up this morning and took a trip to Yaya to grab groceries and fresh fruit and veggies, fix cells phones, grab coffee, and get wireless internet cards. It's taken a while to get internet working but now that we have it I can post more regularly.

After grabbing groceries and other essentials we came back for some down time to unpack, make lunch, then walk the 3 minutes to New Life Homes, which happens to be on the same road as the place we're staying. We took a tour of the facilities which are divided into 3 separate ages (babies, crawlers, and toddlers). Then we grabbed aprons, picked and age group, and started playing. We did everything with them. We played inside, outside, fed them, then they took a bath and we clothed them, and put them to bed. It was amazing to see how independent and mature the kids were. They are on a strict routine and the repetition of times and activities lets the kids move around a lot on their own. They knew that after cleaning up their toys outside it was time to eat so they went and sat in their specific chairs for dinner. After getting a bath they knew they would be dressed so the toddlers (who I worked with) waddled over to the play room to get their onezies and sweaters. They are very social, outgoing and smiley, although they are not as talkative yet since they don’t know weather to speak English or Swahili yet. But they're all beautiful in their own unique ways, each with a shining and different personality from the others.

At this Nairobi home there are 41 children and lots of volunteers. It will be different at the other 6 homes because they aren't in big cities and they aren't near university which require service hours. Tomorrow we have a meeting with Rhoda, who's the New Life Home's social worker. She is the one who puts together the adoption files that we will be helping to compile and transfer electronically. She will tell us everything we'll need to do, so I expect after lunch we'll get rolling on work, then our daily routine will set in.

I can't film or photograph yet, I must be culturally respectful which requires me getting to know the staff, children, and other regular volunteers better. Plus, getting into a routine will help make filming more efficient as I will know who's best to interview and the best times of day to film. I have a general plan of action. At orientation I wrote a bunch of notes, outlines, and specific interview questions.

Overall, It was a fantastic first day!I'm exhausted from the 36 hours of traveling and 7 hour time change but I can't wait to see what the next few weeks have for us! :D

orientation

An incredible amount happened at orientation yesterday and today!
Basically, the people are incredible, and the work we will be doing is seriously going to make a huge impact on these kids lives.

The people:
12 beautiful people from all over; most of us are from UNC chapel hill, one from NC State, 2 from Emory, and 1 from Messiah University. We took a personality test and compared answers. This was to help us get to know each other better but also learn how we could best work with each other. I am a "Reformer: principles, idealistic, ethically conscientious, a crusader, teacher, striving to improve things but afraid to make a mistake as reformers are perfectionists. Wise, discerning, realistic, noble, and morally heroic." The test is called an Enneagram if you want to check it out! http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/dis_sample_36.asp
We got lots of time to talk and bond and goof around. I'm so excited to be living and working with these people over the next month! :D

How Kenyan Adoption Works:
1) A good Samaritan finds an abandoned baby and takes the baby a Hospital or District Children's office
2) New Life Home's is notified and we go pick the baby up
3) Then, we must go to the police station and get the baby an ID number and birth certificate
4) The baby is taken care of at New Life Homes
5) During the baby's stay at New Life Homes, an Adoption Packet is put together containing name, DOB, police reports, psycho-social, developmental timeline, case summary, medical records, etc…
6) The Adoption Files are then presented to a Kenyan Adoption Case Committee who then either approves, rejects, or defers the case. They meet twice a month.

As of right now, most of these Adoption packets are hand written. One of our many tasks in Kenya will be to introduce the 7 homes to lap tops and electronic files. This makes the process more efficient and less margin for error. The most common reason for deferral or rejection is due to a missing file.

This will make the entire process a billion times more efficient!

More work:
We will also be putting together Baby Booklets.
1) Each baby will have several pictures of him/herself
2) Information including first word and other developmental firsts, where the baby was born, and a personality summary
3) This book will be a way for potential parents to know the baby's better but also is a sentimental gift that they will be able to treasure forever.

so soon!

I leave for orientation tomorrow!
Today was a day to organize, sort, and start packing for the month ahead.
I had a pleasant surprise from Kelsey Dupere and her dad today; I'll miss all my Fever Lacrosse girls!
3 weeks away will be enough time to see and enjoy Kenya while building relationships with the people we meet, but it is also 3 weeks away from the team and my family. So, all in all it will be a perfect amount of time.

o the wonderful cross - swahili

i'm learning swahili by playing worship songs :)

1
C f c
Niwonapo Mti bora
C f c g
Kristo aliponifia,
C f c
Kwangu pato ni hasara
C g c
Kiburi nakichukia.
2
Na nisijivune, Bwana,
Ila kwa mauti yako;
Upuzi sitaki tena,
Ni chini ya damu yako

3
Tangu kichwa hata nyayo.
Zamwagwa pendo na hamu
Ndako pweke hamu hiyo,
Pendo zako zimetimu.

4
Vitu vyote vya dunia
Si sadaka ya kutosha;
Pendo zako zaniwia
Nafsi, mali, na maisha.

getting ready!

On Sunday I'll be heading to Winston-Salem for our team orientation meeting at the Amani Headquarters. There, I will be able to meet everyone I will be working/living/traveling/eating/doing everything with for the next month or so. I'm so stoked! I can't wait to meet everyone and find out who they are and why they want to come to Kenya and what's their backgrounds and such. I love meeting people and this will make our plane rides a little more easy going since we will all have already met.

At orientation we'll discuss Kenyan culture, tendencies, weather, transportation information, the cities we'll be visiting, safety precautions, a little Swahili, and other basic info. We will also receive a detailed itinerary of the trip (which I will do my best to post online)

We'll team bond for a bit then return Monday to say last goodbyes and pack last minute things then we'll take off Tuesday!

I'm not worried about anything particular, however I do wonder about the food situation. As a gluten-intolerant Vegetarian the Kenyan menu might be a little limited. So I think it might be rice and beans for me for a month; cheap is good too!

Today, Mama Memory and I ran around grabbing snacks, donation items, and I checked out my video camera so I'm ready to go :)

i guess i should probably pack soon....

guitar

anyone have a travel guityar or a 3/4 guitar or a ukulele i can borrow or have for the trip?

Guatemala documentary

Go to this website and on the left hand column is a documentary i made in higschool called a Ripple in Guatemala. It's about 20 minutes and its about The Memory Project where Broughton's IB art program recieved photos of kids living in a Guatemalan orphanage. The artists then created portraits of the kids. We flew down and handed the portraits to the kids themselves! its about how money isn't everything and how one act of kindness can spark something bigger... a ripple if you will...

http://broughton.wcpss.net/wcap/webcast.htm

amani

As a Media Production major I looked for an applicable and hands on internship that also combined my love for people and service.

I have the amazing opportunity to go to Kenya and work with New Life Homes and the Amani Children’s Foundation who rescue and care for abandoned infants in Kenya. These non-profit organizations are dedicated to raising awareness of the 13 million African orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS but they also respond to providing children’s spiritual, educational, medical and health welfare through their 7 different orphanages around Kenya. Through the work of nurses, physicians, social workers, caretakers, and volunteers, over 1,000 babies have been rescued and most have been adopted by Kenyan families.

I will be in Kenya from June 15th-July 4th working to:
- Prepare web-ready pictures and narrative reports on each child as well as on the home as whole
- Help update, run, maintain websites
- Consult with social workers, directors, and the rest of the public relations staff to implement a new strategy on how to make Amani and New Life’s names, goals, and children known to the Kenyan community and out of country families and organizations
- Create several short documentaries highlighting a child’s story, an intern’s experience, and the homes’ purposes

so i guess we'll see what more i can do when im there, im hoping to sleep as little as possible!

I'm so STOKED! :D

countdown

t-minus 12 days till kenya!
i leave the 15th: please continue to keep my group and the children we will work with in your thoughts and prayers :)

summer

its summer time again so i guess ill start posting :)
future adventures around kenya for a few weeks this summer!
lots of filming and photography to come

we move with God on this earth

(8/27)
Heat and warmth or a cool breeze
Power, fiery electricity
Peace, a weight lifted
The welling up and overflowing of words
Healing touch opens ears to the truth
Our God is alive. He moves inside of us form the depest place He rests and reigns
Tap into the gifts sealed within us
Ignite.

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it
Those who are of the Lord shall inherit the earth
Claim your inheritance and live in the authority of the king as I am His and He is mine
So, also, we will walk in the promises
And rule over the things of the world
Because He that is in us is greater than He that is in the world.

Welcome to the divine encounters where the supernatural is more than reality but is part of the everyday life we live.
On this earth there are miracles. On this earth we know God and know his manifestations.
We walk in his presence, rooted in love
We need God and will work for his glory on the earth he has given us and blessed us with and use the gifts he has blessed us with to bring hope and joy to the world.

hands and feet

Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands
Strong, you protect
Open, you accept
Gentle, you comfort
Healing, you mend
Precise, you mold

I have surrendered control
I fall at your feet
You run towards me
You are rooted; an unmovable mountain
You guide and lead me
You stand on Holy ground
You walk on water

In the confusion and chaos
You're still able
I am established with you and in you
You will rescue me and make me whole
I see the holes in your hands, I wash your feet
May I too go with healing hands
And usher your brilliance into the darkness
With the man of God you have blessed me with
Hand in hand we venture forth
Unknowing but trusting
May our hands and feet not be of our own, bur Yours

mas amor

(written 7/31/09)
Love is God.
Life doesn't become real until you start living.
Life includes the pain and hurt, in fact, that's when reality sets in.
One can hear all the wisdom in the world but that doesn't mean he will listen and follow that advise. Mistakes must be made and trials experienced.
Life is experience.
But death is Fear.
We fear truly stepping out, trusting, experience, because we're afraid to fail. So, We stick to our routines, religions, checklists and all that is familiar. We remain inside our bubbles and never look to the horizon. If you're kept in a cage your muscles will adapt and be conditioned to remain in that small, confined space. The same with our minds, heart and soul.
Expand, look and live further than the things that are in our control. Be rid of expectatoins, definitions, and fear. When we remember the joy of our imagination and dreams we also remember the carefree nature and ability to have faith when we were children.
Life is full of Love.
The only sin is not to Love.
So lets not die.

God is Love

How can I serve you?
You are always with me, you are always in my thoughts
I am so thankful for you and you're healing touch
I can give you my past and you gently take care of my vulnerability and nakedness
I believe every word you say is true and trust your every move
You take my hands and lead me to peace
How you have saved my life and changed me forever and always
To say, to feel, to know and believe that I love you comes so naturally
Thank you for comforting me and knowing my every fiber
For you always respond with love
I am lost and miserable without you
I am comfortable around you, im myself, I love to giggle and laugh with you, to walk and spend every moment with you. I want only to be with you, my light
How incredible it is to hear your voice
I long to be in your arms again

Faithfulness, never once have you forsaken me
Just one, there is no one else for me or for you
Balance between praise and silence, speaking and listening, serving and being served, trust and independence and reliance
Walking in that confidence
Infinite wisdom and never ending joy
You know my ever weakness and yet you build me in love and patience
We co labor and cry and dream and honor and love
You are beautiful beyond comparison

I get to fight next to you, to know you're always there
Together we explore and traverse, unafraid because you're always holding my hand in purity
We flame the fire together and share in drinking from the eternal well
I truly trust, and am honored to bring heaven to earth with you
I cherish every single moment at your side
What a joy to give all that I am as we praise and serve
We build each other up, work with a single mind, united
We are one, there's no "I" only "we"

Love, its meaning is so heavy and yet so freeing at the same time.
Love is such a powerful word to me, it takes my all to understand, and yet, its so simple
Whether the love be of a father, a teacher, a friend, a close lover, it’s a choice to be vulnerable and receive it.
Love is home, with whomever, wherever, however
Love knows no boundaries , perfect
Love, it spills out of you, overflows and touches other
Like a garment of praise, you wear Love and all its comforts and refuge
More than an emotion or feeling, Love is a knowing, so unshakeable
Love, becomes who you are
Because God is Love

quote

Americans have separated themselves from the natural world. During the past eighty years we have been 'advancing' so fast that we are as infants trying to run. We would be wise to slow down and learn more about primitive (first) values. Today more than ever we need to understand and live by harmony and balance with nature, for truly, man separate from nature is a fantasy.

-Eustace Conway

greenleaf intro

this is part of my internship with Greenleaf Vineyard Church in Chapel Hill, NC
this is a rough draft version of the introduction video im supposed to create for the home page of our church website http://www.greenleafvineyard.com/t/about/

the calling

Its born through a revolution
A bravery like fire
Live alone or die together
The fight with a cause
For a passion that burns inside
And flows outwards
Alive
When will the world wake up
Wipe the ignorance off our eyes
The grenades of deception and division
We must advance with unity
Stand and realize who Love is
Because we can
Redeemed
Our captain

Night reveals more dark
Uncovering and bare
From the shadows one inquires our significance
We question
The merit of that which we rage against
Cycle of sleep and wandering
It will drown the light
Break free
Drums of routine echo and overtake
Some fall
Assault finds our backs
In the quiet
Because everyone is still sleeping

Arise and remember
March in agreement and hear the commands
The Rock trains hands for war and fingers for battle
Look to the high ground
Take position, there is a plan
A fortified wall of bronze
Don't lose heart
With faith there's joy
They will fight against you but will not overcome
Rescue and Light
Shining
The war has been won
But the battle has just begun

community

If there's anything I've learned over the past few months is the importance of community.

Whether working through the giftings or working through a tough situation in one's life, the emphasis should be on working together. In my stubbornness, I neglected people's offers for help. I didn't want to cast my burdens onto their already busy and heavy backs. But iron sharpens iron.

When I am at a prayer meeting, I can feel how much more power there is with people. If we were meant to do things on our own, God would have only created Adam. Yet, there lacked a completeness with just one individual. Communion between the people closest to me has been so incredibly important over the past few months. In the animal world, packs rely on each other to be fed, for protection, and direction.

We are the body of Christ, each uniquely working together. However, I am still trying to find the balance between too much dependence and a necessary/healthy supporting net of brothers and sisters. Because in the end, the most crucial communion is that with our Creator.

Nat'l Champs

A helicopter whirred overhead.

Firemen shuffled from foot to foot against the wind. Police quietly gathered on street corners.

Then the noise downtown began to grow, from the sporadic cheer to a steady, rising roar.

And when the buzzer blared 700 miles away, Franklin Street was buried by thousands of Carolina blue-clad fans, screaming, dancing and burning the clothes off their backs.

The crowd of more than 45,000 materialized in a matter of minutes after North Carolina’s 89-72 win against Michigan State to claim the 2009 NCAA title.

Fans poured from the doors of bars and restaurants. Waves of students sprinted downtown from their dorms and the Smith Center.

Together we became a tangled mass of bodies, hoisting each other onto their shoulders, spraying beer across the crowds, climbing street lights, hanging off trees and shouting into the mass below.

It was beautiful. Me, Paulina, the Suite Mates, Drew, Ryan, Kevin, Gregor, Burcu, Morgan, Kirmit, and thousands of our closest friends became an Ameba that took over Franklin, started fires, and shouted till 3 am when we were cleared from the streets.

Who knows, we may never see another mens basketball title during our time here at the Thrill. So, soak it all in. Why not, jump over a fire or two; crowd surf, climb a tree or telephone pole. Live. Even better, live it up with the people you love.

That's what the night was all about. Celebrating with you're closest friends...(and if you weren't close at the beginning of the night, after being smashed into each other in the mob, you will be closer by the end of the night) But just coming together, cheering, screaming, then sprinting to Franklin and talking about the night after is the memory that i will have. National title is sweet, but being with my family and closest friends was even sweeter.

a word

Come come to bring together my people who have lost focus come to bring together my people who have lost sight and have gone blind who are blinded by the deceiver of my love for them.

Now now is the time to be confident in your words and actions it begins

A time of healing time of rejuvenation and a final revival

Bestow the majesty and power of your captain

Align the church to be in agreement with my will

Discern pray resurrect

go. act. serve. love. shine.

God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give


Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

scientific method vs Belief

In Psychology, we’ve been taught that the Scientific Method is The Way, the only way to know and obtain knowledge. In the scientific world it is accepted as the only true system of processes to explain a question or data. However, what is true? How do we know what is true, as the scientific method hasn’t always been around…

To know what truth is, one must first define truth. Truth manifests itself from sincerity, integrity, or faith, resulting to a fact or what one considers reality. There are an abundance of theories by philosophers who have their own take on the definition. Some state that truth is defined by society, or through historical power struggles, or logic that if one thing is true than a similar claim is also. Yet, it is among the endless list of theories, made by many of the world’s great thinkers, which lays a simple solution: that truth is just that, personal. There are countless ideas and limitless ways of knowing because every human is an individual and unique. No two lives are the same and no experience is exactly alike. Truth is based from logic, belief, or a combination of the two, and since everyone thinks in his or her own distinctive way thus produces diverse answers to the question of truth.

Logical thinkers appeal to the sciences where answers are formulative and derived from a precise beginning and would prefer to stay within the black and white box. Those who base truth out of belief go off of emotion and are unable to label why a certain event led them to the answer. Naturally, belief and logic will cross over and affect each other. However, it is quite impossible to logic one in believing or vice versa. Complicated webs form and entangle thinkers and frustrate scholars who seek only to share their findings and better their academic community. This is probably why the scientific method was created. It’s the Esperanto, the common language for scientists. It’s a formula that anyone anywhere can understand and implement, but also it’s a way to place boundaries and define expansive ideas.

Overall, no, the scientific method is not the only technique for investigating occurrences and is not the only way of knowing. We individually have our own method in which we find truth, whether by your heart or your head.

life's just one big game slash party

i, caroline, have learned two things in the past few days.
1) games, are awesome.
2) laura's grandmother officially parties harder than i do.

okay, so at school i never play games. but here...its my life. i play croquet, volleyball, solitaire/carioca/canasta (card games), and the beacon of them all, compatability. so compatability is this game that isn't made anymore. every person gets this pile of cards with certain pictures on them. as you move around the board you draw cards with topics on them (future, for example), and you choose which pictures represent them (perhaps the baby, the married couple, the skyscraper). then you see if your partner picked the same ones, or you try to choose the ones your partner would choose. its a fantastic game because you really get to know the people you are playing with, how they perceive things, what they're about, etc. but its more than that...its really competitive. you have you know your partner better than the opposing team members know each other. you don't know if you should put down what you think or what you think your partner would think!

but i don't understand why i get so into games! i think maybe, thanks to school, i have this craving for mental stimulation. and maybe its not the exercise of schoolwork, maybe i am inherently wired for mental exercise, maybe we all are-- designed to think about things, to challenge ourselves and to learn things. there's like this insatiable craving for exploration and adventure.

and this element of life...the competitive nature...the adventurous spirit...can truly connect people across oceans and continents. last night laura and i visited some of her grandmother's friends, who are chilean. their kids were about our age, a little younger, and don't speak much english. and i don't speak spanish. so i'm thinking like...how is this going to work? and then we go into the girl's room and she has pictionary! and we seriously had the best time. it was the americans vs. the chileans of course...a showdown of epic proportions. team english and equipo espanol! i think game play reveals certain universal elements of humanity. there's the vigorous circling of what you've drawn when it makes perfect sense to you, its so obvious! and time's running out and your partner just can't make out what you're drawing and they're like why do you keep circling that i don't understand! and there's the emotional release of energy when time has run out and they tell you the thing they were drawing that was so obvious that you were supposed to get right away but missed! and then there's the uncontrollable spouts of laughter when you see how someone's pitiful attempt to communicate something that just failed..quite miserably. then there's the unfortunate pang of misery that comes with finding out you have to draw the picture with your eyes closed, or with your left hand...or worse, you have to draw two pictures in the same amount of time!

i just love it, essentially. i love the way i get so worked up and think that my personal value is actually at stake. i love the way that in the same few minutes you can totally resent someone for their success but then rejoice with them after they've won-- because we're really all just friends anyway. the time lapse of mere seconds reveals the transience of all the game-associated emotions.

okay number 2, laura's grandmother, tatita carmen, is seriously a party animal! on new years we all went out to eat at aleli, a restaurant with an insane view of the lake, so that we could also see the fireworks at midnight. we sat down at about 10:30 and i had reached delirium at about 11:30, because, as i'm learning, i'm really not much of a night owl. so the balloons that rained down on us at midnight naturally transformed into volleyballs- the left side of the table vs. the right side of the table. the background elevator music naturally turned into an insane heartsong of my dance-party minded being! the party hats became bird beaks...unicorn horns...horns in general. the issue of whether or not my hair still looked okay and if i was going to have to excuse myself to the restroom to go fix it...really didn't matter anymore. also there was this toddler named matheus sitting next to us who mistook laura's dad as his own father and he really enjoyed coming to visit us so that was absolutely hilarious. and, in the midst of all this , our eyes gazed to the entrance of the restaurant because this one waiter had just faceplanted into the glass door! this was at roughly 12:04 am. what a way to start the year off!

okay so its like 1am and i haven't been to bed this late since i was studying for exams, and the meal is finishing up, and i'm like okay great, bed is near. au contraire. the escobar family was only just beginning! a dance party fell upon us! here i am, eyes drooping, leaning up against the wall and laura is salsa dancing with tatita, and the rest of our 9-person party. next thing you know is 2:30 am and i'm partying with 4 baby boomers and 2 retirees. so we got back to the house at 3am. 3 am people, i honestly don't think i've ever stayed out that late. so yes, we welcomed the new year with hearty celebration.

and we've all spent the past few days recovering...not. its january first and laura and i are settled in front of spiderman 2. its 11:15 and my eyes are drooping. meanwhile laura's grandparents are out at a party. role reversal i didn't even see coming! and last night we were visiting until 1:30 am. i just can't keep up! i'm like yawning my way through the end of pictionary and there's lively conversation in the other room!

right so, note to self, get out more.

Fuel

You don't have to understand it, just accept it. These words have rung so true in my (Laura's) cluttered brain. A person can accept the fact that food nourishes one body; one doesn't have to know exactly how food breaks down and little enzymes carry the vitamins to nourish us. Unless you are a food scientists, or just really like Wikipedia, one won't be able to easily comprehend the complicated and detailed journey food takes to ultimately be used as fuel for our bodies. The same for Christianity. I don't have to understand why Jesus loves me, just accept His love. Move past the details and focus on the outcome, the fact that He does and will love. We were created to only run on one thing; God. He's the only thing that will ever satisfy, and the only thing we need. We were designed only to be fueled by Him, He that is Love.

Kilometer 25

Bienvenidos a kilometer 25, Puerto Varas aka el sur del mundo. This is where Lala and I (being Carolina, yes emphasis on that last letter) are being kept for the next two weeks. ideally these posts started last week, when we actually arrived, but we were being adventurous piratas and didn't find time for it. anyways, we still love you a lot and want to let you know what we've been up to.

first week summary: eat, fish, eat, ride horses, eat, sleep, eat, explore the rainforest in the backyard, eat, go to the lago, learn how to say "i want a cookie" (yo quiero una galleta) in spanish, eat again, yes really we're just so hungry all the time, especially when its grown in the backyard!

then one day we woke up and decided we really wanted to go to easter island, which is this crazy volcanic island in the middle of the pacific ocean that was just beckoning a visit. apparently they heard about our crazy escapades in puerto varas. essentially, somewhere between 4th century AD and 17th century AD, a bunch of tribes (7) from either polynesia or present-day chile arrived in easter island and somehow managed to carve huge 10 meter statues (maois) from a rock quarry in the middle of the island and transport them to the coasts. these actions were the catalyst for easter island's thriving and only industry, tourism. they also provided plenty of opportunities for exciting pictures. the local language is rapa nui, but everyone speaks spanish. this is where my french came in handy.



right so, we toured around the sites of the various maois, and became friends with about 8 italians. what? it just so happened that in our tour group were four different italian couples who didn't know each other previously. they were really fun and outgoing and we sort of became a family after only two days together.

i think that lala and i were more impressed by the landscape than the actual maois. the juxtaposition of high and low elevation, volcanic rock protruding from the cool ocean water...it was really just ridiculous. there were three volcanoes that originally formed the island and all have since become craters. gradually these craters collected rainfall so they are essentially lakes, with vegetation growing in them. we'll post a picture of it for you. its one of the most unique and incredible things we've ever seen. so i think those sites alone were worth the trip.

the interesting thing is that easter island is actually in the same time zone as new york (and, by extension, raleigh) but it is so incredibly far away, and in a completely different season. (yes, i hereby admit that i got sunburned during my winter break. and lala's is actually peeling, for the first time in her life. i'm thoroughly enjoying the pseudo-snowflakes of skin that keep falling down on me)

now we're back in puerto varas again. which means fantastic food from the backyard! we were welcomed home with an asada (like a roast out) with lamb on a spicket. laura, being vegetarian, thoroughly enjoyed the meal. as did i. no really, that meal was out of control. the next day i decided we should take it easy so i went canopying in the morning and then laura and i embarked on a kayak journey on the lake. but here is the problem. you see, i was paddling and it was great and everything but then i decided that i just wasn't going fast enough. and i was a little confused until i remembered the golden rule of, well life, really: when in doubt, use physics! you get the max amount of force at 90 degrees right so i had to put the paddle in the water at a 90 degree angle! but then there was another problem. its called current. and we were being pushed all kinds of crazy ways so i pulled out that dandy r x f = T equation, and adjusted the radius arms of each side of the paddle so that i would end up going straight. it was really just glorious. the only thing not glorious was the friends that were swarming around my head and haunting my path the entire time...taliban.



yes there are actually terrorists in chile. they are these huge horsefly-like beasts of an animal who come out for 21 days in the summer and wreak havoc on all that is good and right and just in the world. they are immune to all forms of bug spray and really seem to want to be bffls (best friends for life) with lala and me. some people call them 'talbanos' but i think this underestimates the sheer ferocity of their existence and the extent to which they have jeopardized our great american freedoms. but, as you all know, la la and i are both americans, which means...we win. every time. the key is not being intimidated, or ignorant of their ways. you have to understand the enemy before you can defeat him. his language "bzzzz," his mannerisms, his religion and way of life. for some, such understanding might actually lead to peace, but the taliban are just so evil and so opposed to our lifestyles that...they must die. so the first day, i admit, i was intimidated. but then laura schooled me in their ways. they are really slow, especially the old ones (what else is new). so you let them land on you, then you think about every cruel thing they've ever done to you as your hand comes flying down upon them in a gigantic BAM of a slap as they fall to the ground. but the story does not end here. see in every form of darkness there is always a light to be found. yes, we have found something good, even in this definition of all that is evil. you simply tear their heads off, squeeze out their bellies from what remains of their body, and enjoy the sweetest honey snack that has ever, ever, ever, been created! so i no longer see the taliban as my enemy, but as a tasty snack! you know how sometimes during a fight people will say "bite me" or "i could eat you for breakfast"? yes, i actually mean these things. so essentially laura and i have been victorious. and we eat the enemy rather than succumb to his illusive power. by the way i have never in my life even attempted to touch a bug. and now i am snacking on them. its so disgusting yet incredibly awesome all at the same time and i only wish we could all expand our limited horizons a little bit.

The Aleatorios

This is my Costa Rican Family. From left to right: Burcu, Morgan, Nate, Drew, and me.

We’ve lived together, prayed, laughed, cried, told life stories and shared faiths. We come from different places, and are at different places in our own individual lives. We each are unique, having personal quarks and isms, having different tastes and ideas. None the less, our random lives have brought us together. Our random personalities merge too perfectly. Our random struggles, dreams, fears, and hopes bind us strongly and wonderfully. We all take life as it comes; all trusting and praising God.

Our little random family has a last name; we are The Aleatorios or The Randoms. We embrace our eccentricity and distinctiveness. We will continue to love and pray for each other even as the miles between us grow. God brought us together for a reason, and although we’re not sure what that is at the moment, we’re forever grateful that He did. These four, my best friends, will always be a blessing in my life.