Home is where the heart is.
Today marks my 14th day back in California. My heart is in my body, I feel fairly comfortable and “at home” in my skin. What am I talking about.
All work and no play makes days sad and gray.
Some fine folks have been hiring me to do things. Last week my brother-in-law's high school friend had me run errands for him, my aunt had me wrap Christmas presents, on Wednesday I did some house cleaning (and am doing some more tomorrow), and the mother of all odd-jobs...Grandpa Vern is paying me to type up a book of his poetry. I've also been able to spend plenty of time sitting around so don't worry my days aren't gray (just cold) and you can still have me do stuff for you.
When God shuts a door He opens a window.
On my last night in Nicaragua Lori and I wanted to go to the circus. Unfortunately, we got there late and they had already locked the doors. After standing outside pouting and looking and the miniature ponies for a few minuets we gave up and went to the fair. But lo and behold East Bay Regional Data had extra tickets to their company Christmas party and invited me (since I've worked there at least 30 hours this year). And guess where the party was. Cirque du Soleil. I was like a dream come true. I mean my only W in college was in tumbling so am impressed by a cart wheel, but they things they did were beyond amazing.
“There exist only three beings worthy of respect: the priest, the soldier, the poet. To know, to kill, to create.” -Charles Bauderlaire
Yes that is a stupid quote, but it is a nice transition into the topic of poetry. We had our 3rd annual Christmas Eve poetry contest this year. I got second place to my brother Joel. At least we didn't let Eric win again. For ridiculousness Grandpa Vern should have won with his drunk driving poem, but then he would have ended up with a plaque with a picture of himself. Definitely the poets in our family are not worthy of respect.
If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are planing on having a fantastic new year. I think I'm going to Huntington Beach on Tuesday for a few days so let me know if you're in that area.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Supplemental post regarding Joy's future
You: Why are you staying there?
Me: I get to have a maid, and a few other reasons.
For the majority of my past year here in Nicaragua, I have seen this December marking the end of my stay. As much as I love the school I was working at and Nicaragua in general, teaching lower elementary English is not something I particularly enjoy or feel gifted in. At the end of August during a lunch with my boss, he mentioned a possibility of a starting a new preschool that I could potentially direct. Although this is not what I'll be doing, my reaction to the suggestion caught me a little off guard; I wasn't kicking and screaming. I think that God used this conversation to open my eyes and heart to continuing my stay here.
Fast forward now to October. One night I was at Coffee with my friend Lori and she asked me if I had considered coming back to Nicaragua for 2008. I told her that I was not opposed to the idea if God provided a way for me to stay here. I knew that if I wanted to stay I could easily fill my time but wanted it to be clearly His leading- not me trying to manipulate things on my own. Basically I wanted Him to plop something in my lap; He did.
You: OK, get to the point.
Me: Hum...where to start...
Hallie and Kathy August are a missionary couple that moved to Nicaragua in 2002 and started, with Amanda Gutierez, El Saltero. El Saltero is a community center and sports complex that aims to serve two barrios: Cedro Galan and Chiquilistaga. Currently the complex is basketball courts, a baseball field, soccer field, volleyball court, 2000 square-foot ranchon (covered, open-air multi purpose room with kitchen), computer lab, and library.
The complex is used for neighborhood Nicaraguan sports teams to practice and compete on and for kids to play at. It also can be reserved for churches to use for day retreats and is currently used to host a weekly youth group.
One area in the August's vision that is still seriously lacking is the education center. They have buildings for a computer lab and library but do not have the manpower to get these to be fully functioning. The computer lab is equipped with computers and was opened for a few hours a day but the lady that was supervising it no longer is able to so the lab is locked up. The library is a whole other story. There is a room and some boxes of books but a lot needs to be done before it can be opened to the community. In steps Joy. Hello, I was an Organizational Studies major (like that matters), love books, and have read The Book on the Bookshelf. So yeah put those three things together and I am in totally over my head again. But, add the grace of God and it's in the bag.
You: So what will you be doing?
Me: I'm getting there.
The Augusts are hoping to be able to open one of the few community lending libraries in the country. My main project will be organizing the books on to the shelves with room for expansion and setting up a system for people to take books home. My hope in this is not to become a life long Nicaraguan librarian but to create a clearly defined, yet flexible, system that later can be run by locals. Since this isn't something I've done before I don't know how long it will take. Right now I am estimating ten months because that would take me up to next Christmas and that seems like a good time to go home to the states.
This project will be what I am mostly working on when I return to Nicaragua, but there are some other things too. Along with this property, the Augusts have a pre-school and feeding center that I am invited to serve in as my schedule permits. Also on the property there are dorms for short term teams to stay at and I may be helping with that, especially as they will be helping me. Unrelatedly, I will be part-time, co-teaching a domestic-arts class at the NCA (where my roommates teach). The class is twelve juniors and seniors and I am excited to be able to be able to pass on my sewing, baking, personal budgeting, and event planning skills to them. Oh, and I hope to still help out with my current boss Matthew, either at the school one day a week or with his other projects. I know this may seem like a lot but most of it is open for flexibility as my schedule permits and God guides.
You: So what does that make you?
Me: Joy
As I am anticipating this change in my life, there is little that is known. I know that God loves me and that His desire is for me is that “the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in [me] (2 Thess. 1:120),” wherever I am living. I am not considering myself a missionary, because I don't know what that means or what you think that means. I will be serving Nicaraguans and building relationships with them and, much like I would be doing if I were in the States, aiming at making the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in the sight of the Lord (Psalm 19:14). So pretty much, yes, this is me living in another country, being me, whatever that entails.
I also know that things cost money and besides a few possible tutoring jobs, I won't be raking in the dough here. So these next two months of life in the States (December 15-Mid February), I will be working to earn enough money to support myself while I am in Nicaragua (this should not be impossible as living in Nicaragua isn’t too expensive and I’m cheap!). Since two months isn’t enough time to go out and get a real job, I am offering you a once in a lifetime (at least for now) opportunity to hire me to work for you. I'm not sure what you need done but I've assembled a list of possibilities (and have excellent references if you need them). If you live out side of Northern California I am willing to travel if it is reasonable Top three reasons to hire me: the job gets done, you get to see me, it's tax deductible.
For the Home:
-Cooking
-Cleaning
-Sewing buttons
-Child care (if really that is the only option)
-Old people care
-Driving
-Shopping/Returning Christmas gifts
-Organizing
-Striping wallpaper
-Washing cars
-Putting up (for procrastinators) or taking down Christmas decorations
-Redoing your address book (that's what I'm doing for my mom)
-Sending out your family updates (you could either send me pertinent information or I can make stuff up)
-Pulling weeds
-Reading
For the Office:
-Cleaning storage closets
-Filing
-Paper clipping
-Stuffing envelopes
-Making secret shopper calls (thank you WAMU)
-Basic computer stuff: Burning CD's, Word, Excel, MySpace
-Counting trees (That's what I did last Christmas for my brother-in-law)
For Homeless and Officeless people
-Drinking Coffee
-Walking (you know, like a walk-a-thon)
-Talking on the phone
-Painting nails
-Writing love poems
-Hanging out
-Pretty much whatever you can think of
Thank you for taking the time to read this, let me know how I can help you in the next few months.
Me: I get to have a maid, and a few other reasons.
For the majority of my past year here in Nicaragua, I have seen this December marking the end of my stay. As much as I love the school I was working at and Nicaragua in general, teaching lower elementary English is not something I particularly enjoy or feel gifted in. At the end of August during a lunch with my boss, he mentioned a possibility of a starting a new preschool that I could potentially direct. Although this is not what I'll be doing, my reaction to the suggestion caught me a little off guard; I wasn't kicking and screaming. I think that God used this conversation to open my eyes and heart to continuing my stay here.
Fast forward now to October. One night I was at Coffee with my friend Lori and she asked me if I had considered coming back to Nicaragua for 2008. I told her that I was not opposed to the idea if God provided a way for me to stay here. I knew that if I wanted to stay I could easily fill my time but wanted it to be clearly His leading- not me trying to manipulate things on my own. Basically I wanted Him to plop something in my lap; He did.
You: OK, get to the point.
Me: Hum...where to start...
Hallie and Kathy August are a missionary couple that moved to Nicaragua in 2002 and started, with Amanda Gutierez, El Saltero. El Saltero is a community center and sports complex that aims to serve two barrios: Cedro Galan and Chiquilistaga. Currently the complex is basketball courts, a baseball field, soccer field, volleyball court, 2000 square-foot ranchon (covered, open-air multi purpose room with kitchen), computer lab, and library.
The complex is used for neighborhood Nicaraguan sports teams to practice and compete on and for kids to play at. It also can be reserved for churches to use for day retreats and is currently used to host a weekly youth group.
One area in the August's vision that is still seriously lacking is the education center. They have buildings for a computer lab and library but do not have the manpower to get these to be fully functioning. The computer lab is equipped with computers and was opened for a few hours a day but the lady that was supervising it no longer is able to so the lab is locked up. The library is a whole other story. There is a room and some boxes of books but a lot needs to be done before it can be opened to the community. In steps Joy. Hello, I was an Organizational Studies major (like that matters), love books, and have read The Book on the Bookshelf. So yeah put those three things together and I am in totally over my head again. But, add the grace of God and it's in the bag.
You: So what will you be doing?
Me: I'm getting there.
The Augusts are hoping to be able to open one of the few community lending libraries in the country. My main project will be organizing the books on to the shelves with room for expansion and setting up a system for people to take books home. My hope in this is not to become a life long Nicaraguan librarian but to create a clearly defined, yet flexible, system that later can be run by locals. Since this isn't something I've done before I don't know how long it will take. Right now I am estimating ten months because that would take me up to next Christmas and that seems like a good time to go home to the states.
This project will be what I am mostly working on when I return to Nicaragua, but there are some other things too. Along with this property, the Augusts have a pre-school and feeding center that I am invited to serve in as my schedule permits. Also on the property there are dorms for short term teams to stay at and I may be helping with that, especially as they will be helping me. Unrelatedly, I will be part-time, co-teaching a domestic-arts class at the NCA (where my roommates teach). The class is twelve juniors and seniors and I am excited to be able to be able to pass on my sewing, baking, personal budgeting, and event planning skills to them. Oh, and I hope to still help out with my current boss Matthew, either at the school one day a week or with his other projects. I know this may seem like a lot but most of it is open for flexibility as my schedule permits and God guides.
You: So what does that make you?
Me: Joy
As I am anticipating this change in my life, there is little that is known. I know that God loves me and that His desire is for me is that “the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in [me] (2 Thess. 1:120),” wherever I am living. I am not considering myself a missionary, because I don't know what that means or what you think that means. I will be serving Nicaraguans and building relationships with them and, much like I would be doing if I were in the States, aiming at making the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in the sight of the Lord (Psalm 19:14). So pretty much, yes, this is me living in another country, being me, whatever that entails.
I also know that things cost money and besides a few possible tutoring jobs, I won't be raking in the dough here. So these next two months of life in the States (December 15-Mid February), I will be working to earn enough money to support myself while I am in Nicaragua (this should not be impossible as living in Nicaragua isn’t too expensive and I’m cheap!). Since two months isn’t enough time to go out and get a real job, I am offering you a once in a lifetime (at least for now) opportunity to hire me to work for you. I'm not sure what you need done but I've assembled a list of possibilities (and have excellent references if you need them). If you live out side of Northern California I am willing to travel if it is reasonable Top three reasons to hire me: the job gets done, you get to see me, it's tax deductible.
For the Home:
-Cooking
-Cleaning
-Sewing buttons
-Child care (if really that is the only option)
-Old people care
-Driving
-Shopping/Returning Christmas gifts
-Organizing
-Striping wallpaper
-Washing cars
-Putting up (for procrastinators) or taking down Christmas decorations
-Redoing your address book (that's what I'm doing for my mom)
-Sending out your family updates (you could either send me pertinent information or I can make stuff up)
-Pulling weeds
-Reading
For the Office:
-Cleaning storage closets
-Filing
-Paper clipping
-Stuffing envelopes
-Making secret shopper calls (thank you WAMU)
-Basic computer stuff: Burning CD's, Word, Excel, MySpace
-Counting trees (That's what I did last Christmas for my brother-in-law)
For Homeless and Officeless people
-Drinking Coffee
-Walking (you know, like a walk-a-thon)
-Talking on the phone
-Painting nails
-Writing love poems
-Hanging out
-Pretty much whatever you can think of
Thank you for taking the time to read this, let me know how I can help you in the next few months.
Monday, December 10, 2007
the electricity is on but my bedroom light died
Hello and merry almost Christmas. A lot has happened here since my last update but I think I can mostly break this one up into three main themes: Christmas, Corn Islands, and Conclusion.
Christmas:
Although December is one of the nicest months here weather wise I can still get away with wearing all the same clothes as in other months, I just sweat less in them. But don't worry shorts and tank-tops don't damper my Christmas spirit.
+Last Friday night I went to a Christmas kick-off BBQ. I thought, it being Christmas themed, I should dress festively. I guess no one else got that memo. Here is a picture of me with my friends Lori and Tomas.
+On Sunday people came over to our apartment, and those surrounding, for a cookie making party. It's a tradition to make plates of treats and then take them with us caroling to missionaries that live near by. I really like Christmas carols. Maybe because you can't listen to them all year long they're extra special. Anyways it was lots of fun, sorry you live too far away to reap the benefits.
+I think tomorrow night I am going to a Christmas concert and that might be the last Advent activity until I get back to the States.
Corn Islands:
Don't worry it hasn't been all Christmas and no fun. From last Sunday to Wednesday I went with my friends Lori and Liz to the Corn Islands off of Nicaragua's East coast. My boss, Matthew, generously donated money towards it as a little end of the year gift for Liz and me. I think getting paid in special gifts is even more exciting than getting paid in money.
+The Corn Islands consist of Big Corn and Little Corn and are in the RAAS region of Nicaragua. RAAS is basically the South Eastern quarter of Nicaragua, and is independently governed. The people are Caribbean and speak Native English which is totally cool to hear but really difficult to understand. I want my children to speak it.
+Early last Sunday morning we took a flight on a 12 passenger plane from Managua to Big Corn. Here is a picture of us looking bright and cheery on the plane.
Christmas:
Although December is one of the nicest months here weather wise I can still get away with wearing all the same clothes as in other months, I just sweat less in them. But don't worry shorts and tank-tops don't damper my Christmas spirit.
+Last Friday night I went to a Christmas kick-off BBQ. I thought, it being Christmas themed, I should dress festively. I guess no one else got that memo. Here is a picture of me with my friends Lori and Tomas.
+After the BBQ Lori and I met with some friends to go see Cascanueces (a.k.a. The Nutcracker) put on by the Nicaraguan Cultural Organization. Over all it was very good, just a few dances were completely off.
+After the Nutcracker (yeah it was a busy night) we decided to walk to the old cathedral where the city's Christmas tree is. We knew that something was going on downtown but figured it would have been over by that time. Yeah it wasn't. All of the sudden we were is a mass of people listening to a speech by our lovely president Ortega. Really we were probably 100 yards away from him just out in the open with fireworks going off. Perfect location for an assassination (if I was into that kind of stuff).
+On Saturday I went with a youth group's service team to a local orphanage for a Christmas party. We mostly hung out with the older kids (4-8), sang songs, read books, colored pictures, and decoated Christmas cookies. I held this one kid until he fell asleep. What can I say, I have a calming effect on kids. When he woke up I proceeded to feed him frosting, I think most of his teeth had been recently pulled so the cookies were a little tough. I also tried to interact with the babies, but I really didn't know how so mostly I petted them while they sat in their cribs. Much like a petting zoo.
+Not only does December mark Christmas for Nicaragua but also Purisima. Purisima is when Mary's conception is celebrated, which makes a sense since we know that her birthday is in September. It all falls into the "too much information" category if you ask me. So all the first week at 6pm, 9pm, and midnight there are firecrackers going off. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are the official days so they are even more exciting. On Friday night people (not just little kids) go door to door and sing to Mary for gifts. I guess the gifts aren't just candy either but can be pretty nice depending on your neighborhood. Some NCA teachers had bought fireworks and on Saturday night we went to a basketball court and watched boys light things on fire. The girls got sparklers.
+On Friday night I went to Lori's house to hang out. They had a lot of extra Christmas lights so Lori thought decorating each other with them was a good idea. I electrocuted myself. But the pain was minimal and now you get this great picture.
+After the Nutcracker (yeah it was a busy night) we decided to walk to the old cathedral where the city's Christmas tree is. We knew that something was going on downtown but figured it would have been over by that time. Yeah it wasn't. All of the sudden we were is a mass of people listening to a speech by our lovely president Ortega. Really we were probably 100 yards away from him just out in the open with fireworks going off. Perfect location for an assassination (if I was into that kind of stuff).
+On Saturday I went with a youth group's service team to a local orphanage for a Christmas party. We mostly hung out with the older kids (4-8), sang songs, read books, colored pictures, and decoated Christmas cookies. I held this one kid until he fell asleep. What can I say, I have a calming effect on kids. When he woke up I proceeded to feed him frosting, I think most of his teeth had been recently pulled so the cookies were a little tough. I also tried to interact with the babies, but I really didn't know how so mostly I petted them while they sat in their cribs. Much like a petting zoo.
+Not only does December mark Christmas for Nicaragua but also Purisima. Purisima is when Mary's conception is celebrated, which makes a sense since we know that her birthday is in September. It all falls into the "too much information" category if you ask me. So all the first week at 6pm, 9pm, and midnight there are firecrackers going off. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are the official days so they are even more exciting. On Friday night people (not just little kids) go door to door and sing to Mary for gifts. I guess the gifts aren't just candy either but can be pretty nice depending on your neighborhood. Some NCA teachers had bought fireworks and on Saturday night we went to a basketball court and watched boys light things on fire. The girls got sparklers.
+On Friday night I went to Lori's house to hang out. They had a lot of extra Christmas lights so Lori thought decorating each other with them was a good idea. I electrocuted myself. But the pain was minimal and now you get this great picture.
+On Sunday people came over to our apartment, and those surrounding, for a cookie making party. It's a tradition to make plates of treats and then take them with us caroling to missionaries that live near by. I really like Christmas carols. Maybe because you can't listen to them all year long they're extra special. Anyways it was lots of fun, sorry you live too far away to reap the benefits.
+I think tomorrow night I am going to a Christmas concert and that might be the last Advent activity until I get back to the States.
Corn Islands:
Don't worry it hasn't been all Christmas and no fun. From last Sunday to Wednesday I went with my friends Lori and Liz to the Corn Islands off of Nicaragua's East coast. My boss, Matthew, generously donated money towards it as a little end of the year gift for Liz and me. I think getting paid in special gifts is even more exciting than getting paid in money.
+The Corn Islands consist of Big Corn and Little Corn and are in the RAAS region of Nicaragua. RAAS is basically the South Eastern quarter of Nicaragua, and is independently governed. The people are Caribbean and speak Native English which is totally cool to hear but really difficult to understand. I want my children to speak it.
+Early last Sunday morning we took a flight on a 12 passenger plane from Managua to Big Corn. Here is a picture of us looking bright and cheery on the plane.
+ As soon as we got to Big Corn we took a taxi to the docks so we could get on a boat to Little Corn. The boat ride was like riding Splash Mountain for 40 minuets and only paying $6 -- I like Splash Mountain. I also like the fact that it was December and we had the skies blue and the warm sun bright.
+People say that Little Corn is the better of the two islands because on Big Corn there is nothing to do. This statement is pretty funny because on Little Corn there is really nothing to do. We stayed in Casa Iguana a set of cabanas that I highly recommend. Because there were three of us we upgraded to the cabanas with the "outdoor, but private showers." Who needs indoor showers when you have a deck with hammocks on it overlooking the Caribbean.
+People say that Little Corn is the better of the two islands because on Big Corn there is nothing to do. This statement is pretty funny because on Little Corn there is really nothing to do. We stayed in Casa Iguana a set of cabanas that I highly recommend. Because there were three of us we upgraded to the cabanas with the "outdoor, but private showers." Who needs indoor showers when you have a deck with hammocks on it overlooking the Caribbean.
+So Sunday we spent laying on the beach, playing with local kids in the ocean, reading (I brought The DaVinci Code which I got made fun of for, because I guess everyone besides me has already read it), and napping. Pretty much the ideal day if you ask me.
+After a leisurely Monday morning (to make up for the busy Sunday) we went snorkeling. First we just swam out to the reef with one of the guys that works at the hotel and then in the afternoon we went out in a boat with divers. It was beautiful and I don't know what else to say about it except when we went out from the boat somehow we lost the reef. So for a while we just swam around looking at the sand until we went back to the boat and asked the driver to help us find it again. Yup, and did this happen once? No, twice.
+A cool thing about the little island is that you can walk around barefoot. This comes in handy when you only bring one pair of shoes and the dog steals one of them. After a day without it I asked the maintenance men if they had seen a sandal and they suspiciously knew just where to look.
+On the island you can also have Jimmy (who lives just past the pink house) walk around with you to find fresh loaves of coconut bread sold in different houses depending on the time of day. Note on that: don't expect the ladies that sell bread out of their homes to have 88 Cordobas of change on them.
+Tuesday we went back to the big island. It was another fun boat ride, this time in the rain. Don't ask who the guy is, he's classy that's all I have to say.
+After a leisurely Monday morning (to make up for the busy Sunday) we went snorkeling. First we just swam out to the reef with one of the guys that works at the hotel and then in the afternoon we went out in a boat with divers. It was beautiful and I don't know what else to say about it except when we went out from the boat somehow we lost the reef. So for a while we just swam around looking at the sand until we went back to the boat and asked the driver to help us find it again. Yup, and did this happen once? No, twice.
+A cool thing about the little island is that you can walk around barefoot. This comes in handy when you only bring one pair of shoes and the dog steals one of them. After a day without it I asked the maintenance men if they had seen a sandal and they suspiciously knew just where to look.
+On the island you can also have Jimmy (who lives just past the pink house) walk around with you to find fresh loaves of coconut bread sold in different houses depending on the time of day. Note on that: don't expect the ladies that sell bread out of their homes to have 88 Cordobas of change on them.
+Tuesday we went back to the big island. It was another fun boat ride, this time in the rain. Don't ask who the guy is, he's classy that's all I have to say.
+Our first day on Big Corn the rain continued but our hotel had indoor hot showers with water pressure, air conditioning, room service, and cable. All it really lacked was electricity but even that was only for an hour. So yes, what did we do: Took hot showers, turned on the air conditioning, watched Fa La La La Lifetime Christmas movies and had the restaurant bring us up lobster and pizza.
+By Wednesday morning the weather completely cleared up so, after breakfast on the beach, we were able to lay around swimming and reading for a few hours. As soon as we went inside to pack up it started raining again, obviously because the island was grieving the loss of us. At 2:30 we went back to the airport, where you have to be weighed before getting on the plane, and ate cup-o-noodles.
+Our plane back was much bigger. Bigger means louder and that drinks get served. It wasn't big enough to hire fancy stewardesses to serve those drinks so I ended up with coke all over me, twice.
Conclusion:
+It has been a very full few weeks but pretty amazing over all.
+I am really ready to come back to the States on Saturday and hope to see a lot of you soon.
+Plans are being made for me to return to Nicaragua in February 2008. I am really excited to talk to you about what I'll be doing (because it's completely different) and hopefully soon I'll be able to pull my thoughts and plans all together to share in an official way, maybe later this week. Until then, I welcome questions. Thank you so much for your prayers about this decision making process, God once again proved to be exceedingly faithful.
+By Wednesday morning the weather completely cleared up so, after breakfast on the beach, we were able to lay around swimming and reading for a few hours. As soon as we went inside to pack up it started raining again, obviously because the island was grieving the loss of us. At 2:30 we went back to the airport, where you have to be weighed before getting on the plane, and ate cup-o-noodles.
+Our plane back was much bigger. Bigger means louder and that drinks get served. It wasn't big enough to hire fancy stewardesses to serve those drinks so I ended up with coke all over me, twice.
Conclusion:
+It has been a very full few weeks but pretty amazing over all.
+I am really ready to come back to the States on Saturday and hope to see a lot of you soon.
+Plans are being made for me to return to Nicaragua in February 2008. I am really excited to talk to you about what I'll be doing (because it's completely different) and hopefully soon I'll be able to pull my thoughts and plans all together to share in an official way, maybe later this week. Until then, I welcome questions. Thank you so much for your prayers about this decision making process, God once again proved to be exceedingly faithful.
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