Pin Feathers

moonlight winter walk.

2012-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

"Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova. Ma per fortuna é una notte di luna, e qui la luna l’abbiamo vicina." - La Boheme

Photo from: http://www.pagephotography1964.com/view/sidebar

Why I love thrifting

2011-12-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here are two of my favorite thrift store shoe finds from this year. I love leather. It's especially fun when it's one of a kind. The only downfall is that it's sad to watch the shoes wear out and know I can't get more of them!

Fashion Inspiration

2011-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

I love everything about these outfits- dark hair, high waisted pants, leather bag. Inspiration from Amelia Earhardt via Fromme-toyou.tumblr.com

The finished illustration

2011-11-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

My finished illustration for the cover of the children's book "The Phoenix" to be printed this fall.

My most current design project...

2011-11-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've never been hired to do an illustration before. And I wasn't really in this case either. But I was hired to design 4 children's book covers- of books written by children. Here is one work in progress. I'm trying to figure out how to best add color to it in photoshop. I like the hand-drawn look but want it to be professional as well. Thoughts?

Marc Johns illustrations

2011-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered Marc Johns and his illustrations when I was looking up mustache art.
I love his series of drawings "What birds do when we aren't looking." Check out his amazing blog of his work.

http://www.marcjohns.com/blog/2011/10/what-birds-do-when-we-arent-looking.html#

Recent design projects

2011-10-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent website that I was hired to update.
I designed the logo and worked with web developers at Ekklesia.com for the layout.

Falling

2011-10-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

The dusky colors of fall and spring always capture me. Slightly desaturated but still intense.

This past weekend I read "The Secret Garden." It may have been the second time, but it was amazing nonetheless. I love children's novels. Ignore the fact that they say "Ages 9 and up" on the back, they're amazing. Anyway, the books focuses on how creating a garden transformed the children's lives. I can definitely relate, as just a few hours out on the farm today was healing, calming and hopeful.

Portland

2011-10-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm usually disappointed by talked-up places when I finally see them in real life. But Portland has been an exception. It's funny to think that I have been against traveling within the US and then this summer took me to Phoenix and Portland. The states have proven to me that domestic travel does have it's thrills.

Portland is a fun mix of creativity, random nooks and transplanted people. Nearly everyone I've crossed paths with is here from somewhere else. Many have just moved here. That has made it a pretty approachable city for me. People are really friendly and kind. The fashion sense is quirky and individualized, so it's not intimidating. It seems that most people are trying to establish themselves- so it's like the first week of college- everyone meeting each other and open to new friendships.

Visited McMenamins Kennedy School last night for dinner and drinks. I loved the whimsical air of the school converted to restaurant, theater, pool and community center. I stopped in to several more of the McMenamins locations and all of them carry elements of a child's fairy tale. I love children's books and young adult novels (Newberry award winners) so I was in love with the McMenamins settings right away. I quickly found out the couple I went out shared similar tastes- and we talked about The Fall, Pan's Labyrinth, The Brothers Grimm and other stories.

I stopped in a bunch of little craft boutiques and picked up some letterpress cards at Powell's bookstore. The hostel I'm staying is a great old victorian home (bottom left picture in collage). So I will leave here tomorrow with plenty of inspiration- and hoping that I can come back, maybe to live!

Some recent craftings

2011-09-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for artsy friends (Ginger) or I would never be sewing at all. Didn't know these flag streamers were called "bunting" but they are! It's kind of an English thing. They do make good baby gifts.

Recently

2011-09-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

I love fall and all of it's flavors. When I found plumbs for only 20 cents a pound, I bought a bunch and then realized I had never cooked with them. So I experimented with a few recipes and came up with this combo: Blueberry + plumb tart. It was amazing (I was told!).

haha.

2011-09-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

Greeting Card Failures

2011-09-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

These types of cards are the reason that the greeting card section of thrift stores is my absolute favorite to browse.

I'm sure the "new wife" loves being reminded that she's not really a part of the family, just attempt #2.

Also, I think it's pretty obvious that using the saying "Here's hoping" is not a wise choice in a card about a second marriage.

The writer of this card has either run out of all creativity, or has an awesome sense of sarcasm about the messages in greeting cards.

Just wanted to make sure the recipient knew that thinking of you is not terrible, but not really that awesome either.

Not sure if the people on the cover are two women, or a man with a really overgrown mullet. Either way, it doesn't matter because "it's your day" so you can do whatever the heck you want.

More to come as I find them. Unfortunately I failed to buy the Baby Announcement greeting card set that said:

Front: "Before - we talked of love. Now - words are nothing."

Inside: "Thank you, Lord for giving our love life..."

All I have to say about that card is... wow, wow, wow. I don't know about you, but the message I'm gathering from this card is "we are really enjoying the sex life that God has given us and we want everyone to know that it's fruitful." WAY too much information. There definitely should have been a comma after "love" on the inside of the card.

Recent Craftings

2011-08-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Who says altered and re-purposed embroidered string pictures can't be stylish? The words say: "This land was made for you and me." A not-so-slight commentary on American history. I'm enjoying this new trial of sarcastic/ironic crafting. See the bottom for a shot of the whole picture.

* I do have to note, that I did not make the original picture. I picked it up at a thrift store. I just did the handy alterations :)

2011-06-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

The house of sticks collapses

2011-06-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I am reaching my limit for living out of a suitcase. Each day I wake up and rustle through my pile of wrinkled clothes for something half-way decent to wear. Although, why do I care what I look like? I could wear anything I guess.

My bed is nestled between boxes. I cleared a small path so I can squeeze through to reach it. That's what happens when you insulate your attic, and lose all storage space, while simultaneously having two grown children move all of their belongings back into your house.

The surest path to insanity is disorganization. So although I no longer need to pay $2.95 for this 8oz latte to give me internet access, I am now paying $2.95 for this latte to give me a little sanity. Sanity in the form of a clean open space where I can walk without tripping.

And today is even blustery and rainy. Though as I was sitting at a red light, nice and crabby, I watched a woman biking through the rain with her grocery bags in tow. She flashed me a kind smile as I backed my car up to let her pass. Now if she is smiling, how can I complain?

"For these light and momentary trials are achieving for us a glory that far outweighs them all." 2 Corinthians 4:17

An Open Day Becomes a List

2011-06-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a medium latte, which I believe has 2 shots of espresso. Well, those very shots are still coursing through the synapses of my brain and keeping me from sleep. As my mind was racing crazily it thought through many ideas and impressed one upon me. Writing a novel.

I have already begun the first chapter and I'm quite excited. I will, perhaps, tell you more about the concept after I have let it percolate a little bit more. For now you'll have to wait in suspense. Thank you Erik for being a sort of "creative-muse" and helping me to even consider the idea of writing.

Now at exactly 5:19am I'm still jazzed with energy and I've finished eating a handful of strawberries and a piece of peanut buttered bread. Hopefully that will dull the effects of the delayed but swift strike of caffeine.

On to list writing. I have several ideas of things I would like to do to take advantage of my no-end-in-sight free days. I will list them here in the hopes of nameless accountability. Since I'm really not sure that anyone reads this, and in all reality I'm quite okay with that.

1. Writing the novel. The premise of the story line is just too good to pass up. It will of course be a young adult novel in the style of Elizabeth George Speare my absolute favorite. (Bronze Bow, The Sign of the Beaver, The Witch of Blackbird Pond).

2. Reupholstering 2 chairs. We have two mid-century arm chairs in our basement that are currently covered in a horrid pea green velvet. My mom and I are going to take on this adventure together. She, having taken an actual upholstery course, will be my tutor. Then I will hopefully reap the rewards of the labor by having two new chairs for my imaginary new apartment.

3. Sewing. Now I hope that reupholstering two chairs will fulfill my sewing requirement? Otherwise I must put to use the lovely, generous graduation/birthday gifts I was given of a seamstress dressmaker's dummy and the beautiful stainless steel sewing scissors. I have a 1940s tie-necked blouse in mind.

4. Blog/website. This has been a goal for quite awhile. First of all I must register my domain name, which I hope hasn't been stolen by someone who doesn't even appreciate it's wittiness. I can't share the name here in case you might steal it.

5. Cello. I want to relearn to play the violin but first pick up the cello. I may literally only pick it up a few times. But I want to see how hard it is. The deeper, richer tones of cello draw me in more than the violin.

6. Finding a job. Haha! I guess I should add that too this list. But since I am in a delusional, half-sleep state I am only making a list of creative, romantic, the-world-is-all-about-indulging-my-whims things to do. Finding a job! Who needs one? Well, all of us who are not independently wealthy I guess.

I'm hoping I have convinced my brain that it wants sleep now. Maybe, brain? Maybe? If not I will stare at my ceiling a bit longer. What do you think of my list?

The Adventure of Open Time

2011-06-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

What do you do with an open day?

When faced with endless activity, I look to an end point somewhere up ahead where I steal a moment of rest. Until that point I hold my breath. I keep holding it to the point where my mind starts spinning and spiraling into itself. My lungs start to expand and contract to simulate breathing, but I kept my mouth shut so that no air can enter. I hold it until I start to bend over because of the heaving and blackness slides over my sight. Just at the last second I fling my mouth open and gasp for breath. How close was I that time?

Weekends were my gasp of breath between days, and sometimes weeks, of insane activity. I would wake up in the morning and quickly review what I had to get done. I'd realize there was no chance of a break until I returned to the bed where I was now making that list. Another day of gulping down food while sitting at my desk multi-tasking.

A brain without oxygen starts to slow down. It's a very subtle process. You feel tired a lot. You realize that your brain is like a hand or leg that's fallen asleep. You touch it and prod it and feel nothing, only a lump of flesh. It takes longer than normal to process simple information. Things like names and simple facts make you stop to jump start your memory. After you do this for long enough you start to feel like you are choking. If you don't get oxygen soon, then everything will go black.

But open days rush in with too much oxygen too quickly. You start to hyperventilate and your lungs overwork themselves bringing in too much air.

Now my brain is shutting down because of too much open time. It's in a coma of free-time. Too protect itself it's hibernating in apathy. I have to slow down, start moving more slowly. Let my lungs start to relax so they are no longer pumping in so much oxygen. Too much oxygen is poisonous. I need to let it seep in so my mind can learn to function on its new diet.

Wandering

2011-06-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

I push down with all of my weight to compact everything together and stuff everything in as tightly as possible. My week is the suitcase holding together too many events, too much of life. It spills out the sides sometimes through tears or a misplaced sentence. I wish for rest, but the next moment I'm thankful for it. At least the constant barrage keeps me from processing things like leaving.

I just left Madison yesterday. I might go back. Not sure yet.
My dad said that since I was a hall director, he knew I could handle it. But when the call that wakes you comes from your grandmother yelling for help, rather than a duty phone, it's very different. My grandpa keeps saying how he wants to live until the end of his life in his own house. But now that's not possible. I hope they at least medicate him to the point that he doesn't know what's happening. As I was searching through the neighborhood to find him in the middle of the night, I was so angry. Why did he have to get to this point? Why is life so painful, with only small punctuations of happiness and cheer? I think even in the most happy of moments life leaves a bitter aftertaste.

At least life is the most of hell I will ever have to taste.

"¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:14-16

Highly Educated and Unemployed

2011-06-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

I paid my $2.58 for my internet access in the form of an iced-passion-tea-lemonade from Starbucks. I'm already out of my element in two ways. First, I'm typing this entry on a PC and clearly not in the inner circle in this coffee shop (and likely city) of all Apple users. I do salute them, I will have one in a few weeks. Second, I'm at Starbucks. When I'm in a new city my first priority is generally finding a nice local coffee shop. I did try. I found one with great screen printed posters in the entry, but it closes at 8pm. I will go there tomorrow for my daily internet fix.

Hmmm... Madison. I know I'm in a pretty good neighborhood since Trader Joe's is less than 2 miles away. I've spotted some interesting places to set about exploring. There's a Macha Tea House (Maki come visit!). Of course I'm one block from the endless bike trail that winds from east to west. But since I don't yet have my bike, I will have to endure the glares from haughty bikers who suspect I hate the environment as I drive my car. I've also been thrown back in to a hot bed of politics. Nearly every other house has a "Impeach Walker" sign up, or if you are really committed you put those signs in your car window or wear them on your body. I must confess though that the sight of kayaks strapped to cars does warm my heart. There are lakes and forests less than a mile from my Nakoma neighborhood.

In an earlier entry I posted pictures of my grandparent's house (that's where I am). I love everything about it. Just yesterday I was whipping up an angel food cake with my grandmother's 60 year old handmixer. Bliss...
I also already met Roberta, the neighbor across the street. She and I are set to have wine sometime this week. What a lovely lady. She has her PhD in education and works as a school administrator, so I can't wait to pick her brain. She also has a fascinating house and garden. Apparently her house used to be the Madison zoo keeper's house before it was moved to it's current neighborhood. Her gardens are so amazing she should be featured in "Better Homes and Gardens." I will post pictures later.

Sue told me a few days ago that I am never still and always moving. "Fastforward" has been my speed for the last 3 years. So, being jobless, and homeless, is causing me to slow down a bit. So far I've slept a lot. But to fend off apathy, I will be getting back into job and life searching this very evening. Hence why I'm here.

a family of five

2011-01-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite little knick-knack sets in my apartment is my family of five. My mum found them at a garage sale, and I wish I could find out more about them. I tried to research anything about wooden figurines and couldn't find anything about them. I imagine they were figurines for a dollhouse or something like that. If you know something let me know...please!

Margot, Ward, and little Edith. Grandfather Ira and Grammie Julia

How to make a man's flannel shirt into a women's shirt dress

2011-01-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

After cutting along the dotted lines you should be
left with 4 pieces of crescent shaped fabric.

You will need to gather or bunch the edge of the cut out fabric pieces to create ruffles.

You will sew the gathered edge of the fabric pieces down
along the edge of the button line and collar. If you would
like you should sew two layers of ruffles on each side to use
the 4 cut out pieces and add more interest to the shirt.

You will create the collar into a "band collar" by folding it
in half either toward the outside or inside and sewing it down.

Things to consider when making the shirt-dress:

finished product!

It would be good to surge the outside edges of the ruffles to keep them from fraying after being washed.
On one shirt I attempted to simply sew under the outside edges of the ruffles but it made the fabric too thick and the ruffles would not lie flat.

you need one. mug trees

2011-01-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

It's taken me quite awhile to get this picture up. This is my favorite present I received for Christmas, and I have looked at it and talked about it everyday since. I think everyone should get a mug tree! They're pretty easy to find at thrift stores, and if you don't like the wood, paint it! Upcoming this week, a few more things from around my apartment and some of my recent thrift store findings.

Recyle and Re-wear

2011-01-02T23:16:00.000-08:00

Here is my most recent project! I created this shirt dress out of an old, men's flannel shirt that I picked up at the thrift store. The ruffles around the neck were created from the excess fabric I cut off from the sides. So, if you want to make one yourself, make sure you get a men's shirt at least two-sizes larger than what you normally wear in women's clothing.

Thanks to the beautiful model (ahhem! Renata) for making it look all the better :)

Writing debut for the Washington Post blog: Campus Overload?

2011-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is true! Though I wasn't expecting it! One of my supervisors on campus asked me to contribute some thoughts for a Washington Post website entry on the "Campus Overload" blog. The article titled "Home for the holidays: Parents and students live together once again"gives tips to parents on what they should expect from their returning first-year college students.

Apparently she like what I emailed her so my 4 points are (embarrassingly) included verbatim at the end of the article under "Things to expect from returning first year students." I expect some thoughts from the students themselves who might not agree!

Read the Article Here: "Home for the Holidays: Parents and student live together once again"

Recent craftings

2010-12-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

Here is my updated bird purse. I created a design and screen printed it onto fabric to creat a lined coin purse.

My favorite place in Wisconsin

2010-12-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

I have always loved my grandparents house in Madison, WI, but just recently I have been able to realize much more about how amazing it is. I wish I could live in this house someday. Sigh...
You know those places where you instantly feel calm and relaxed and at home? I have never gotten a better night's sleep than in the old twin beds (where my dad slept as a kid!) with the amazingly soft sheets. The bedspreads are patchwork quilts, the ceilings are slanted, the wallpaper has an amazing design... there are children's books from the 1950s, I could go on and on!

Here are a few glimpses of why it is so amazing...

A Fond Find

2010-09-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I feel inspired to sort, fold and hang the piles of clothing on my floor. That leads to a spontaneous dress-up session and then I end up with new combinations. This is my most recent and now favorite mix-and-match combo. I think it has a bit of a 30s flavor.

The 20th Year of SLI Comes to a Close

2010-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

All of the student checked out today and headed home. There were many hugs, pictures and tears. In a way, I feel like I have lived a whole year through the three week long Summer Language Insitute (SLI). I have seen students arrive, gotten to know them and now checked them out of the hall. Enough has happened in these three weeks for a full year of processing.

As the students were checking out, all of them said they had such an amazing time they wished they could stay. During the closing ceremony for the whole program- the residence life staff got a standing ovation. That is a moment I will hold near my heart, because I don't think I will ever see that in the states! Ruslan, from Russia, even said that he got to the point where he no longer said "let's go back to the dormitory" but instead said "let's go home."

Earlier this evening all of the SLI staff, including the teachers, spiritual life staff and student life staff (in all over 30 people) gathered for a final dinner. This year was SLI's 20th year of existence. In fact SLI, was the precursor to LCC university opening. At the dinner they had a teacher and a student attend from the very first SLI. The woman who had been a student told about her amazing experience, and with tears, told about her 16 year old son attending this year. She said her son told her he wished he could always be enrolled in a school like this.

I haven't even begun to truly process all I have learned here. But what stands out most are the relationships. I feel I have met families who will stand out in mind as leaders and rolemodels for years to come, even as I was asked to be a leader and role model for the students.

I will write more soon. Tonight I have a graduate class from 2am-5am and tomorrow from 5pm-12am. After that I fly to Edinburough on Sunday and Dublin on Monday.

The end of Week 2 in Lietuva

2010-07-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have less than 10 days left here!

This week has been great. Last night I had girl's sleep over with Emma (10) and Eva and Lana (twin 3yr olds). It was SO fun. We watched the Emperor's New Groove and ate popcorn and drank juice. We only had a few mishaps througout the night like juice spilling on the floor, and falling out of bed etc. I definitely have to hang out with kids more often at home! They definitely find joy in the much smaller details of life.

Tonight we had a talent show for the Summer Language Institute (SLI) students. I was blown away by the talent of these (mostly) high schoolers. We had piano, voice solos, guitar, ballet, modern dance, photography! Wow!

Klaipeda is also currently having a Folk Festival. They have booths of traditional hand crafts and traditional dances and music. Today I watched a Bulgarian dance group complete with wooden clogs. I am hearing and seeing many accordians here! I love them. Now I have an interest in learning to play one. That with the fiddle could be quite a party.

I'm also quite smitten with a handmade brass ring I got at the folk festival so I'm including a picture of it. I just made a third album of Lietuva pictures... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=35598063&l=17b31628c4&id=185002172

Hedgehog Hunting!

2010-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, hedgehogs run wild and free here in Lithuania. That is all but one hedgehog that we captured last night!

Emma and I decided to hedgehog hunt after we pet a hedgehog in the wild last week. We found out that they are pretty docile creatures and safe to pick up so we set out on a quest to capture one. We searched throughout the long grass in the nearby neighborhoods where we had initially found one. After 45minutes with no luck, we headed home. Then out of nowhere James appeared! He told us he had spotted one across the nearby school field. He grabbed a towel from us rolled under a fence and sprinted back with a hedgehog in his arms.

Emma and I had pre-named this hedgehog "Sonic." We only kept "Sonic" for two hours since some of the students were concerned that he might have babies. During the time Sonic became more relaxed and opened up out of his tight prickly ball and walked around. He became so comfortable with us that he even decided to snack on James' finger a few times.

Week one of classes: done.

2010-07-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying it here! Have I said that yet?

The students are really enthusiastic. Jake and I are getting spoiled by how easy it is to plan and throw an event and have great attendance. Here are the programs and attendance so far (for all of you in Res Life).

Trip to Beach: 50-60
Movie night: 30-40
Tea and Games: 50 students
Coffee Trip to Downtown: 15
Ultimate Frisbee: 20
Barbeque: 150
Trip to Palanga on Sunday: 40 signed up

It was really fun to play ultimate frisbee with the students because none of them have ever heard of the game or ever played it. I let them know that learning it now is a great way to prepare for a study abroad semester in the U.S. We definitely have some all-stars here who were made for the game.

Yesterday I noticed a girl in the crowd who had amazing fashion style, so I had to go up and talk to her. Turns out her entire outfit was vintage from her grandmother. She also loves thrifting, so we bonded instantly. (photo to come later). I must compliment Lithuania on their thrift stores; good job! They have tons of them and their prices are unbelievably low. They have 3 lita days- where everything is only 3 lita or one American dollar. Definitely got some deals there.

In other random news, I got to pet a wild hedgehog the other night. Apparently they live around these parts. I saw one in a yard the other night, so decided to take a chance and pet it. I then later found out, they are safe to capture- so I will be hedgehog hunting this coming week sometime. Also, an interesting fact about Lithuania is that amber is their national gemstone. This area of the world is where the majority of amber comes from. And you can find it on the beach as it washes up from the sea. So today on my 10 mile hike we found tons of amber pieces along the beach!

There is lots of other news but little space and time. There are "praise the Lords" so if you would like to hear those you can send me an email, since I don't want to publish information about students. Also, I am enjoying getting emails from you all so keep sending em!

Love, Kaitlyn

The students have arrived!

2010-07-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

I realized I failed to explain the reason I am in Lithuania and what I am actually doing!

I am at LCC University which is a 4 year liberal arts university that is one of only two universities in English in the whole country. During the summer the university hosts a 3 week long summer language institute (SLI) for high school aged up to adult students (the vast majority of the students are high schoolers). The staff at SLI is made up of north american teachers and staff who are in Lithuania for one month. That's where I come in! I am part of the Student Life staff and act as a summer hall director. It is the same type of job that I do in the U.S.

SLI is an intense language institute where students take 6 hours of classes each day and have homework. So my job starts when the students are out of class. On Sunday we had two activities- we took students to the beach and had a movie night. We had between 50-60 students walk with us to the beach (see the picture above of us walking through the woods to get there) and about 35 come to the movie night. Yesterday we had a Tea and Games night (which will be every Monday and Wednesday night) and today we are walking with a group of students downtown to go to Max Cafe to get coffee! I have been very impressed by the students so far. They are very outgoing and even came up to me and asked me tell them about why I had come! That would never happen in the states.

The majority of students who come to SLI are from Lithuania, but we also have students from Latvia, Poland, Russia and Belarus. So when we had our opening meeting for the hall we had to have three separate meetings- one in English, one in Russian and one in Lithuanian. We would've had another one in Polish, but we didn't have anyone to give that one! All of the RAs I am working with are at least tri-lingual. And Max speaks 5 languages (Arabic, Lithuanian, Russian, English and Spanish). So they are amazing resources!

I was a bit discouraged by trying to pronounce the students names. Here are a few examples of first names: Vytautas, Aistė, Girstene, Lyudmyla, Mindaugas. But the most common females names are a bit easier: Kristina, Anastasia and Anna. I felt a lot better after I realized that the students themselves cannot pronounce each other's names! Some of the students aren't even able to speak to one another because they do not share a common language!

Since LCC is a Christian university, there is a spiritual life aspect to the Summer Language Institute (SLI). The students who attend are not signing up for a Christian camp, and many are not Christians. Because of this, there is no preaching in the classrooms. But there are optional "Journey Groups" (which are discussion groups based on spiritual topics) and Bible studies. The focus for the staff is to build friendships with the students so that opportunities for talking about Jesus Christ can come up naturally.

One thing that has been really neat for me, and a good challenge is the amount of religious diversity there is amongst the Christian staff. What I mean by this is there are people from Catholic, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Baptist, Evangelical, Lutheran, Non-denominational and Charismatic churches here. During training we were challenged to look at the things we have in common between or denominations instead of our differences. It has been good for me, since I have never gotten to work with this type of group. It has stretched my thinking about the "body of Christ" and what it means to live in community. I have also been thinking a lot about religious elitism- where one person/denomination thinks they have a corner on the truth- like the pharisees in the Bible. Not that there isn't truth, because there is. It is the Bible. But I want to make sure I don't present myself as the one who knows everything- but instead ask more questions and learn and journey with people. This is something I haven't done before, and makes me uncomfortable- but I think it is a great learning opportunity.

If you would like to see more pictures check out this facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2154446&id=185002172&l=86c788efcf

Interesting differences in Lithuania

2010-06-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! It does not get dark in Lithuania until around 10:30pm! It's pretty confusing when its still really bright out and you look at your watch and its already 10pm!

Also, going out to eat here is super cheap! We went to a really nice restaurant today and I had a baked chicken breast with french fries, along with a separate order of soup for $4.40. I'm going to be so spoiled here since going out to eat is nearly cheaper than buying food at the store and making it.

Discovered that the Baltic Sea (and the beach) is only a short 30min walk from campus today! I will definitely be going there again. Just not to the nude beach area just up the shore.

Lithuania Arrival!

2010-06-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

If you haven't gone through security yet at an airport, it is not the best place to sleep.
Sitting in the Liverpool airport en route to Lithuania, I decided against sleeping in the airport after I observed a crazy man walking a round and ranting things at passerbys. I kept myself awake for 6 hours overnight and then arrived in Lithuania at 11am on Sunday.

I needed to take a small mini-bus 2 hours from Kaunus to Klaipeda (where LCC International is located). The landscape in Lithuania is beautiful and a lot like the countryside in Wisconsin or Iowa (more hills if you're comparing). There are thickly wooded forests and acres and acres of farmland with few towns.

I had my first introduction to the culture after three men sat around me in the bus and then wanted me to drink with them while we rode. They did not speak English but understood my refusal. Apparently in Lithuania it is legal to drink in a vehicle as well as walk around with open containers. We then had to make two stops on the way so the increasingly intoxicated men could pee. Toward the end of the two hours I was afraid I might be puked on, since one of the guys was leaning over with his head in his hands looking ill.

I arrived at a shopping mall in Lithuania and was picked up by Steve and Diane (the director and his wife) and Jake and Lisa (the other Hall Director and his wife) and James who will also be working at the school.
We had a great lunch in the mall and I learned that it is almost cheaper to eat out than cooking at home! Meals are very cheap so I am going to eat out a lot here! I also asked Steve and Diane if "they had known James for awhile?" after a couple stories they told. I had missed the fact that he is their son!

I got settled into my apartment last night. I have included several pictures of my apartment, the campus, my office and the view from my office (with the pond in it). The campus is only three buildings since the enrollment at the university is 650 students. So it feels a bit like a small high school with residence halls. I also learned that in Lithuania culture students respect and understand authority, but do not have as much respect for women in authority roles. So that will be a challenge this summer.

Klaipeda is a city of about 200,000 people. It is located on a port and cruise ships stop here to visit. I got to walk around the city for a bit today and many of the streets are cobblestones and there is a section of town called "Old Town" with many original buildings. The city was founded by Germans and was once part of Prussia. There are also many traces of Soviet rule. The apartments surrounding the campus all have a similar design and many look dingy and run down on the outside buy are nice on the inside. I will take and then upload some pictures soon! There is a beach 40min away by foot and a penninsula that you can take a ferry to reach. I already love the city and plan to explore a lot (plus I saw a thrift store).

Nothing is in English here, and very few people speak English or only speak a few words. So it is culture shock! Thank goodness I get to explore with Jake and Lisa (the other RDs) who are really nice. The faculty (English teachers) arrive tonight, and the students arrive on Saturday. So, more to come!

Ireland: Part 1

2010-06-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

The start of my Summer 2010 traveling is Ireland for 2.5 days.
Currently I'm sitting in a really lovely hostel in Wicklow Town, County Wicklow (http://www.wicklowtownhostel.ie/). Since I am in Ireland less than 3 days, I wanted to get out of Dublin which I heard repeatedly is not the greatest place to visit. Just my brief stop there to catch a train proved that I wanted to get away from there!

So, I looked up hostels and tried to find a nice, remote, small city. Why? I wanted to get a feel of true Ireland and the people. Well... I did find just that...Rathdrum village, County Wicklow! My first clue that I was in a remote place was that when I got off the train (with my rolling luggage!!) there was no one around. No taxis, nothing. I felt very self-counscious because I had rolling luggage. I felt the need to tell anyone I interacted with why I had rolling luggage instead of a backpack. (if you would like the explanation, I will happily explain as well!). In order to find the hostel, I had to stop at a police station and ask random passerbys several times as well as drag my luggage for about a mile.

When I finally got to the hostel, there was no one there. I saw a man walking around in the kitchen and I motioned to him to let me in. He opened the door and told me that he wasn't supposed to talk to anyone about the hostel, and strictly warned me not to tell the hostel workers he had talked to me. I found this odd. I had to cross the street and go through a small gate to a personal home in order to find someone who worked there. I wasn't sure it was the right house and felt extra scared when I saw a sign warning of a dog. (since I was inside the gated yard). I finally got situated in the hostel and decided to find out what to do for the rest of the day. I thought I might go to Glendalough or go for a hike. Basically I discovered there was nothing to do in the city, and there was no one at the hostel except for the strang person I met at the door and one other strange man. (So, I felt very safe! hah). It seemed that both of the guys were at the hostel were basically living there temporarily. (they gave vague answers as to how long they were staying and what they were doing).

The woman at the tourist info center told me that a group of locals went talking every Thursday at 7pm. Yah! So, I decided to join that group and it was wonderful. I would say the average age of the group was probably in their 40s- 50s. The leader of group, Tom, (who was in his 70s) let me know they do 23 different hikes durring the summer. We drove into the mountains and hiked for 2.5 hours. There were amazing views! (disclaimer: I decided to take my point and shoot on this trip instead of my SLR, so do not expect amazing photos since I hate the quality of photos my point and shoot takes). The best part about the hike was getting to talk to all of the locals- who were very friendly and caring.

The downside of the hike was that I had invited Keith (the strange man from the hostel) who told me at the beginning of the hike that he thought it would be fun if we pretented to be a couple. I ignored this idea. He then proceeded to want to take multiple pictures with me along the hike. This made the locals think we were together. When I got back to the city after the hike, a car full of Irish women drove up and let me know they had just realized I wasn't with the Keith. They warned me to be very careful and gave me their home phone numbers if I need anything. This was kind of them but also made me feel worried about sleeping in the hostel with only the two other strange men for company. Thankfully I had a separate locking room.

After sleeping successfully and safely, taking a shower and destroying my hairdryer (which I forgot to turn to 250 voltage) I decided to get the heck out of Rathdrum. I headed by bus to Wicklow Town which is where I am currently. I am a beautiful hostel owned by a family who opened it less than a month ago. It is night and day different than Rathdrum. I was greeted when I arrived by the owner who made me a pot of tea. I got to meet her family and learned that the hostel used to be their family home. I quickly met the other guest of the hostel, Sharon, who invited me to hike. So I went on a 3.5 hour hike after just arriving! Whew...

Today I am relaxing leisurely in Wicklow which is so cute. Full of small shops and cafes. It is a port town and there are not too many tourists. There's not a ton to do, but it is quite relaxing. (plus I love the hostel and family!). I highly recommend everyone to stay at this hostel.

Tonight I'm flying to Liverpool, spending the night in the airport and then flying ot Kaunus, Lithuania at 6am. I will write more from Lithuania!

Heading North

2010-03-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

Heading north means the vacation is ending. Each gas station we stop at proves that as we open the car door and realize that sandals are no longer proper attire.

Quick recap. We went to "Southern Nights" which is like a southern version of Glee. We were the youngest people there by at least 40 years. All of the other attendees arrived by tour buses and were led by group leaders carrying flags on tall poles. I was incredulous at first but actually loved it. Show choir is a secret love of mine.

We spent our last day in Savannah (Thursday) by walking around taking pictures of the houses to prove we had been there. Mom did overhear a conversation that the hostel may be closing. Anyone out there interested in buying it and hiring some Coopers to help run it and renovate it?

Today as we were leaving the hostel Anne-Marie and I were chatting about how it would be nice to get a picture of "Brian" to add to this blog. I was in the middle of suggesting that we might secretly get a paparazzi style picture of him when we heard "hello ladies!" There was Brian looking down at us from the top of the front steps. Creepy. He has a very eerie knack of always being around and showing up out of thin air. We hope he didn't hear what we were saying, but we DID happen to catch him in the background of one of our pictures which I will upload later.

I will be back in Des Moines on Sunday, so unless something unbelievable happens, I won't be writing any more travel blog. Upcoming entries will be back to my crafting. :)

Of peach paint

2010-03-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

In an effort to feel what the weather is most often like in Savannah, I took a run. I now feel like I am in a cloud of humidity and 110 degree weather. This is only my second attempt at running since November. Whenver I am on vacation with my family we must go out running. For the majority of my family members this is an enjoyable experience. For me, it is a reminder that my appearance of athleticism is only that, appearance.

Yesterday has provided me with a bakers dozen of possible stories to tell. Currently I am without my co-conspirators to narrow down the choices.

We finally managed to do a truly relaxing thing on our vacation; go to the beach. When I conjure up visions of vacation in my mind, they often involve a lot of reading and sitting in one place. I am what some people think of as a lazy traveler. To me what is most appealing is to enjoy absorbing my surroundings. I am fine going overseas for a week and staying in the same city. There is nothing more stressful than rushing about from place to place gather glimpses that won't sink in my memory. My memory is similar to a cup of tea, it needs to be steeped slowly in its surroundings.

Tybee Island is similar to all vacation beaches I have ever visited; dirty, dingy and drab. However (if anyone from Savannah is reading this post, hold on a moment), once you arrive at the ocean its unbelievably beautiful. I love the vast expanse of blue, the soft sand, breeze and sun glazing your skin (in my case searing it). I think it is the concept of limited choices of things to do on the beach is great! It makes me feel less guilty for spending the day reading. The only bit of dirt that marred the landscape was the disgusting 30 year old men who decided to set up shop right beside us and spend their time swearing loudly and bragging about throwing people through glass tables. In silent protest we moved our chairs down the beach.

Well, I am limited on time currently. So I will have to tell you about "Southern Nights" at the historic Savannah theater another time. I'm sure that all of you (1-2 people who may happen to read this) are disappointed. But more to come!

Nancy (Deborah) Drew and the Case of the Missing Key

2010-03-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Traveling with our mom is always an adventure.
One of her more notorious traits is her penchant for losing keys. She goes through this routine at least 5 times a day. (Interjection, mom would like to note that she does not actually lose her keys, so that I should phrase it that she is "good at thinking she has lost her keys"). Tonight for example we had all piled out of the car to visit our cousin Anna. Mom had been driving. We came back to the car and found all of the car doors locked. Mom went quickly into fight or flight mode (this also happens when her cell phone rings). What this involves is 1) eyes dart open wildly 2) her body stiffens 3) hands shoot out and then she franticly pats all of her pockets and rehearses all of the places she might have used or had her keys in the past 24 hours. At this point Anne-Marie and myself once again admonish a potential set location that her keys should always be stored. We look forward to this happening again tomorrow.

We've decided to add "nervous" to the list of adjectives describing our current land lord.

Mom set on a pot of water for an evening cup of tea and left it unattended for about 30seconds to run to the bathroom. Instantly there was a rap on the door. "Brian" warned us that the fire department had visited the establishment in the past for such offenses. Apologies were exchanged.

What we were most curious about was what he was doing in our building which is unattached from the main house where he lives. An eerie feeling of "Big Brother" keeps us on our toes now. Mom has noted that "lurking" should be added to the list of adjectives.

I sign off until tomorrow's noteworthy occurrences.

On the Road again: Southern Sunshine

2010-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in one of the parlors of the "Savannah Pensione" after an afternoon of purusing shops and cobblestoned streets. Its spring break season so there are a lot college students around the city for the annual ultimate frisbee tournaments. That is what brought me to Georgia for the first time several years ago. This year our location was chosen by driving distance. Anything under twenty hours is feasible in the Cooper family. Just pop in a book on tape (this year it is "Johnny Tremain") and let the hum of the highway miles lull you to sleep on your shift off from being the driver.

Now I must interject some news on the weather, as is customary in all travel entries. It is sunny here but cool and crisp overall. Spring is just nudging the winter out of its way. There is a cool breeze that lifts your skirt, which leggings keep from being a disasterous occurence. The sun squares along would be enough to keep me in this city. They peek through the tree branches dripping with moss.

Today we visited the Savannah College of Art and Design, where our cousin Anna works. I have a nerdy love of college campuses so was eager to see the layout of the art school. But there is no true campus. Instead a series of buildings scattered througout the city. The buidlings are all individually lovely, but I still love having acres of building surrounding private green lawns and squares. The "shopSCAD" was inspiring. Apparently students and alumni from the school create works to sell at this little shop. It's not high-brow art, but instead hand crafted works like fabric picture frames, purses, shirts, and all kinds of ingenious small pieces. I was encouraged to find that some of the things I make (and have shown on my blog) would fit in well there.

I must say more about the hostel we are staying at. As I have started to travel more, I have discovered that the "staying" in as important as traveling." Now in other countries, hostels are a cheaper option. In the states they are often individually cheaper but if you're with a group are as expensive. You do get access to a kitchen though.

The Savannah Pensione is the only hostel in Savannah. It's a beautiful old house built in 1884. You can see the picture I included. We are staying in the carriage house in the back. All the floors are wood and there are massive windows everyone where with staircases and porches. It doesn't take much to imagine southern belles in massive dresses waltzing about. The building is in an overall state of disrepair. It has lent us to much imagining about how we would transform the building. Oh how I would love to get an old house to fix up!

The owner of the house is a mysterious man. My sister and I have decided that we would use the words demure, reticent and listless to describe him. However these words seems a bit overboard when you find his name is simply Brian. Unless it is Walther Brian Kensington III. We each made up stories about why he seems so sad. My story involved him being the lower middle child of a family of 10, forced to withdraw into himself by a verbally abusive stressed out mother. Anne-Marie's story invovled the disappointing end of a high profile career that left him in a CIA witness protection program. Either way it is quite adventurous.

Well, enough writing for now. Tonight we dine. Tomorrow we go to the beach. Sometime this week we put the cherry on the top by visiting local thrifting establishments. It shall be grand!

More to come...

A new simplicty

2010-02-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

In college I made some bracelet cuffs by piecing random pieces of fabric together and fastening them with interesting buttons. I tried to resurrect this project last Thurday night but I couldn't seem to get something that looked decent. But I discovered a scrap of beautiful vintage fabric in my hodge-podge of fabric left overs and created this bracelet instead. Its a new twist on my old project because its nice and simple but I think still quite fun.

The Button

2010-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

I forgot, until recently, that I had made a series of ceramic buttons in college. You have to be creative in order to use them, because it's pretty hard to make really thin ceramic discs that won't snap. These buttons are pretty thick. But I was quite happy to discover how Alexander is using his buttons! Yah! (thanks for posting this picture A.B.). They definitely work best with flannel.

and the greatest of these is Love...

2010-02-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

Some would say that one of the greatest ways to show love is through food. As Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday, second only to Christmas, I decided to plan a brunch with my good friend Kate.

A glimpse of the table and room decorations. The red candles and owls were already present and perfect. Added a handmade garland of hearts. Garnished the table with platters of food and mini-cheesecake tarts.

Place settings: hand-drawn name placards in red vellum envelopes

Home-made blueberry muffins made by Kate, with hand-picked blueberries. A bowl full of sweetheart cherries for a little tangy sweetness.

My favorite feathered friends

2010-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

My most recent project and my first step back into sewing in over a year.

A glorious morning

2010-02-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

A perfectly ripe pear with oatmeal covered in honey, raisins and walnuts in a handmade clay bowl. What could be better?

The Brown leather bag

2010-02-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

After many weeks of searching for a brown leather messenger bag, I was finally successful! And it was definitely worth the price. Can beat my favorite Appleton thrift store. Check out my attempts at product photography below.

Costa Rica 2009!

2009-07-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

My love for Central and South America was once again renewed by my recent trip to Costa Rica. Even though I had a brief visit to England in March, there is nothing like a Spanish speaking country. When can I move there????

I traveled with my mom and sister for 12 days in Costa Rica. We did it the cheap way, staying only in hostels and cooking most of our own food. It was my mom's first time really out of the country (she had crossed the border into Mexico in the past). Since we had such a short time we only visited 3 areas: Montezuma, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio. Since we only visited places starting with "M" we will move onto "P" on our next visit.

Montezuma
6 1/2hours east of San Jose by bus and ferry is the Guanacaste peninsula where Montezuma is located. Montezuma is pure beach... the jungle runs right up to the coast and we stayed in a hostel that walked out to the beach. We hiked to waterfalls, did some snorkeling and met great friends: Pablo and Yusuf. Montezuma has not quite been "discovered" yet, so it is far less busy than other popular beaches in Costa Rica.

Monteverde
Monteverde is about 3-4hours north of San Jose by bus. We heard this was a nice place to visit because it is in the mountains and you can visit the Cloud Forrest. However it was not our favorite spot. Everything was VERY expensive and we had to pay $20 to even go hiking on our own. We met nice people in our hostel and caught the Costa Rica versus Mexico soccer game at a local bar. But after only a day and a half we decided to head on out of there.

Manuel Antonio

Located 3hours south of San Jose on the Pacific coast. Another beach city! We decided to go to Manuel Antonio because we wanted to see some animals that we had missed up to that point in our travels. We were not disappointed! We stayed right outside the national park at a hostel, and saw two types of monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crabs, a crocodile, massive grasshoppers and a large rodent looking animal called an agouti. The beaches were also gorgeous! We met another girl, Hilde, traveling with her mother. They were from the Netherlands. This worked perfectly for Anne-Marie and me because we could hang out with Hilde and the moms could hang out together as well.

Manuel Antonio was my favorite spot, because we met great friends and got to know the locals as well. We went out dancing three nights in a row and got to see traditional dances, and learn how to salsa. I also got to visit a local emergency room, which is always exciting in a third world country! ;)

Will I go back to Costa Rica? Definitely.

It is far more touristy than Peru (and Peru still ranks #1 in my book) but it has it's own beauty and fun that I didn't experience in South America. I didn't spend any time at the beach last summer, since it is winter in Peru. So, Costa Rica was a nice change. Costa Ricans overall are very beautiful people. I couldn't complain about all the nice looking guys on the beach ;) Much easier to meet people there as well. The Spanish is harder to understand because they slur there words more and use Spain pronunciations. Also the prices probably rank in the highest that you will find in central/south America (besides Chile and Argentina). The average prices we paid for hostels was $7-$12/per person per night. Food prices were comparative to the U.S. at about $5 for a lunch. If you want to do it cheap, plan on cooking your own food at your hostel.

I'm sad to be home. Living life on the road is always an adventure. I think my mom and sister finally understand why I want to move down to a Spanish speaking country some day!

Pictures!

2009-03-18T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded several albums of London pictures if you'd like to peruse them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112073&id=185002172&l=0df0a26786

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112069&id=185002172&l=b6732ca83c

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112067&id=185002172&l=d80b8f23f9

Rewind and Play

2009-03-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I had my last day of savoring the sights of London.
I didn't have much of an agenda. I got up and went to Central London for coffee with Lizzy, another friend that I met in Peru. Lizzy is British and is studying at Uni in London. We had a nice chat about the differences between British and American universities. Lizzy explained to me that courses of study like Classics, History and Philosophy are well recognized as rigorous courses of study in Britain. Because of this, students with these majors can get jobs in various fields after graduation. I took mental note of this major difference from the US. If someone got a philosophy degree here, I'm sure they'd be looking for work.

Speaking with Lizzy and visiting Pauline on Brick Lane caused me to have a sharp pang of sadness, since I'm no longer in an artistic atmosphere. Being surrounded by people who think of life from different angles and perspectives, is truly refreshing. Its inspiring to be in that community, and is something I hope to get back to some day. I had that sort of community in the art program at Point...

Tuesday afternoon, I dashed back to Brick Lane and ended up on Petticoat Lane where they sell wholesale fabrics. It was an exciting find. Tuesday night was fairly low key, had some red wine with my flatmates; Munya, Daniel, Jenna and Mariah. It felt like a little family. I need roommates.

Today I got up at 6:30am and left on the tube at 7:30am to arrive at Heathrow at 9am for my 11am flight. Another empty Bowing 757 flight from LHR to ORD. I didnt mind. I got to stretch out and sleep. However the flight was delayed arriving in Chicago, and I had flashback of missing my connecting flight coming back from Peru. I dashed through lines and made it through customs, in time to jump on my plane. My luggage, however, was not so lucky. Welcome home.

a meandering Monday

2009-03-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Maria and I decided to part ways. For the morning.

In fact this was quite alright, because I love exploring on my own. If you know me at all, you will find that I explore things at a slow pace. Take shopping for example. When I shop (which is a rare occasion unless thrifting), I must have the full potential of a piece of clothing develop in my mind before I'll buy it. Similar with exploring a new city. I like to taste the atmosphere, get a feel for the vibe of the crowds.

So instead of taking Maria with me, I took Erik. In the form of a lovely soundtrack that is. I popped in my headphones, and set off for an amazing photo adventure to the tunes of Eriks songs (which he will never give me the names of! hint, hint!). I took the best London pictures I've taken so far.

Wandered around the Tower of London and enjoyed the random samplings of people. I hate scenic photography. Give me people anyday. However I haven't quite gotten over the fear or blatantly shooting pictures of strangers. So I will often pick something "scenic" in the background and shoot the interesting passerbys in the foreground instead. Muahaha...

Well, I did get to take some purposeful portraits, because Maria agreed to be my subject matter at the end of the day. We met up and strolled around a park. After getting back to Wood Green we lounged away some time at a Sheesha Bar (similar to Hookah Bar) at I got to eat my fav dish: Tabouleh!!!

A Lovely Sunday

2009-03-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ahh... lazy Sundays! Sometimes its hard to be lazy as a tourist, especially when time is so short. So I've been battling the guilt to see every monument, building and historic site and instead enjoy myself by sleeping in and leisurely seeing sites.

Sunday was an exciting day because I was able to meet up with two friends who I met last summer in Peru. Emma, the Project Manager of the site I volunteered at, from New York and Pauline a fellow volunteer from Paris. Pauline is studying film in London and Emma is working on setting up a non-profit volunteer group for disaster relief (European Disaster Volunteers: edvolunters.org).

We met up at the Brick Lane market. This was by far my favorite part of London! Extremely artsy, with new designers and artists selling their work, as well as vintage shops gallore and street vendors selling second-hand clothes. The crowd was fairly young, and VERY fashionable. A bit intimidating, but great for a clandestine photo. This market was a lot different than Portobello Road, because here everything was unique, and often handmade.

I did find that I have one thing on London in a big way: THRIFT STORES! In London they sell vintage clothes for exorbitant prices! I'll keep my 50cent purses and dresses, thank you very much.

Stopped by Pauline's flat, which is in a lovely location on Brick Rd. I swear if I could only live in a place like that... there would be no end to constant artistic inspiration! The three of us ended our evening together with a glass of white wine, and then a dinner of curry up the road.

Friday/Saturday

2009-03-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Wow... time goes quickly when you're traveling, because everything is new!

What did I do Friday? Hmm... well Jenna (Maria's roommate who is also from Finland) and I tried to get into a Catholic Mass at St. Paul's Cathedral so that we wouldn't have to pay to take a tour. We figured they couldnt charge us to worship God, we were right! However we were also too late getting in... After that we went off to Kensington Palace, which is the royal palace that was used before Buckingham came into vogue. Got to see some of Princess Diana's dresses (she used to live there) and then some far more historic rooms that were used by Queen Anne and Queen Victoria in the 18th-19th centuries. It was actually a really great tour for a museum!

Kensington Palace is located in Hyde Park, so after the museum we wandered around the gardens and to the central pond, which is filled with swans. It made for some sweet photo shoots!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Friday- today- My first day to actually hang out with Maria because she has been working. She and I got up and had a late brunch and then took the tube to Notting Hill so we could go to Portabello Market. Its on the top 10 list of things to do in London. It was fun! VERY crowded with tourists. Its fun to see so many different types of people because they all have unique and crazy fashions. I took a lot of covert pictures of people, though I think a few of them suspected.

Notting Hill is located in an interesting neighborhood that is very colorful, enhanced by the fact that there is a lot of government housing (like projects) in a very touristy area. Its good that in London the low income housing is mixed in with normal housing, so there aren't terrible parts of town (I'm sure there are, I just haven't found them yet).

It's interesting- here they sell second hand/vintage clothes in the market so its very popular. I like it that they value interesting fashion, but I enjoy having it an undiscovered market in the U.S. so that I can continue to get cool things at St. Vinnies that no one else can ever find!!!

After leaving Notting Hill, Maria showed me to her favorite store "Primark" which is known for very low cost fashion clothes. It was a madhouse! I felt like I was in a livestock barn- people pushing, grabbing clothes, trying on clothes in the open in front of mirrors. The place was absolutely packed. With good reason, the average cost of clothing there is £5.

Now I'm resting my legs... probably will go back to Central London (zone 1) tonight with Maria and her friends.

First FULL day in London!

2009-03-12T17:17:00.001-07:00

Today was my first day of exploring London. Yesterday I ended up spending the entire day inside sleeping and waiting for my luggage-which didnt arrive until 10pm. It was quite frusterating. Did go out for a drink at a local neighborhood pub and see the end of a football match though!

I explored a bunch of neighborhoods in central London. I spent the morning on my own, road the tube to Oxford Circus and roamed about until meeting up with Maria at lunch. The Undeground system is unbelievable simple to navigte, which is great for me and my challenged directional skills. I actually had a lady ask me how to put money on her Oyster Card (tube card), even though it was my first time doing it as well!

Quick run down on some of the places I saw today: Maria and I took a quick run around the SOHO neighborhood, which is where her architectual firm is located. Lots of cute shops, many dodgy ones as well. After lunch I went around on my own for a bit in China town and saw part of the National Portrait Gallery (all of the museums are free). After that I met up with Maria's housemate, Daniel, a native Brit. Together we went and saw Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Downing Street (where the primeminister works) and Trafalgar Square. After that we crossed the Thames (which I embarassingly found out is pronounced "Tems"), and saw the Eye of London (ferris wheel), along with a quick stop in the Tate Modern (modern art museum) and a walk over the Millenium Bridge with a view of St Paul's cathedral.

Whew! I saw a lot today, but it was mostly just a quick overview. I didn't stop in to any of the famous buildings, just got to see their outsides. I now feel more comfortable getting around in London. I found that many famous sites are quite close in cenral London.

Some things that struck me about the Brits- 1) everyone looks very grim and wears a lot of black. 2) there is an air of formality and pride that everyone seems to have which is exaggerated by their accents. 3) people are not very warm, and you do not talk with strangers. However, as Daniel explained to me, Brits are very polite and will warm up to you once you get to know them. I still miss the midwest with its bubbly outgoing friendliness!

I've found many funny signs, such as yield signs which say "Give Way", intersections marked "Look Left/Right" which is helpful for their backwards driving, and a construction sign that said "rubble ahead."

I must say I do appreciate their coffee here! All of the good coffee here is made by French Press, so I am absolutely adoring that aspect. Daniel took me to a historic coffee shop and then we stopped by the cutest neighborhood (Neal's Yard in Covent Gardens-see picture) where I passed by a celebrity, Greg Kinnear(see picture), whom some of you may know as the boyfriend in "Baby Momma" or "You've Got Mail" or the dad in "Little Miss Sunshine."

Well, my legs are telling me that was way too much fun for one day. And if you're still reading you probably think the same! Until tomorrow!

Where in the world is Kaitlyn now? ENGLAND!

2009-03-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I've written on this blog and that is because I haven't been traveling! My job at Drake is amazing, but now we're on spring break so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity and traveling in England. I've been long overdue for a visit to my friend Maria in London, so here I am!

As I type I am sitting in a library using free internet in London. My trip has started out quiet adventurously... as I was boarding the plane I realized I didn't have a phone number or complete address for Maria, just knew the underground station we were supposed to meet at!
So, after getting off my flight at Heathrow airport in London, I got on the Underground on Picadilly line to Wood Green. I waited and never saw Maria... because she was trying to call me on my cell phone which wasn't working here :) Started brainstormin plan B- I saw a sign for a library, which in my mind always means help! So went and grabbed a coffee while I waited for an hour and a half for the library to open. Good thing by luggage was delayed so I didn't have to carry around my 40lb rolling bag! I just hope my clothes arrive this afternoon like they're supposed to.

Now, I have arrived at Maria's apartment. It was a bit like a secret mission getting here... after I got to the library, I was able to chat with Maria online and she let me know the house keys were under the first trash can in front of the house. Can't wait for more fun to come...after I take a nap!

Am I Dreaming?

2008-10-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

I often ask myself, how am I getting paid to do something I like so much? It is an amazing experience when you find that striving to improve in your job, is simultaneously strengthening your character and the areas you wanted to work on anyways!

A little glimpse into my job... on a daily basis I meet with student leaders, help them problem solve and plan programs. I also deal with a lot of conflict resolution and conduct meetings with students. This sounds like it would be terrible, but it's actually a chance to find out why students do what they do?

Tonight I just got done with our campus wide RA meeting with the RAs from every hall. We brainstormed programming ideas for a quad program that would encompass all four First Year Halls. Some of the crazy ideas them came up with were: 1) Cafe/Open Mike night 2) Sticker Wars (try to put stickers on the opposing halls RAs, whoever has the least wins) 3) Hall Christmas Caroling 4)Sundaes on Sunday 5) Hall Wide Clue (go from hall to hall collecting clues)

On a personal note, my students voted me "Advisor of the Month" for August. It was quite flattering and humbling at the same time. Means I've started out well, but I have to finish strong! I was also just accepted into the Masters of Counseling program here at Drake. So I will start taking classes in that next semester.

Life is good! God is good!

A Roadtrip adventure!

2008-09-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

I had my first weekend off here at Drake since I moved here in the end of July!
It's not that I work weekends, it's just that I'm only allowed one travel weekend a month. So... I decided to head down to Kansas City and visit the International House of Prayer with my cousin Renata!

It was an amazing place to visit! They have something called "The Prayer Room" which is open 24hrs/day for people to pray and intercede for others. One of the first times I've been awed by God's presence in quite awhile.

Anyways... on my home, my car was just about to pass it's 200,000 mile birthday. Suddenly my lights starting going dim and the gauges were all freaking out! I pulled over on the side of I-35 and my car batter was completely dead! Need a new alternator. I was 65miles south of Des Moines... but thankfully I have great friends here already who were willing to come pick me up:) love you guys! I was out in the boonies, so I got to spend a good half hour with the county sheriff hearing some of his battle glory stories. The sheriff dropped me off at a nearby Casino until my friends picked me up and we listed to Enrique Inglesia's "Do you know" song all the way home!

Loving Life in Iowa!

2008-09-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Well someone recently told me (uuhumm Ginger!) that they still check this lovely blog. So I am updating it for you guys!

So I've been here in Des Moines for 5 weeks now, and I LOVE it! Seriously I wonder on a daily basis how I can get paid for doing something I like so much.

I never have a regular schedule here. When I get up I spend time in my office, (which is in front of my apartment) and meet with students and my RAs for weekly meetings. I help take care of paperwork, and plan programs and run around trying to get to know the 250 students in my hall!
For example this past Sunday I set up a three hour ultimate program and go to know a bunch of my residents through playing frisbee.

Outside my job I started going to a really sweet church in downtown Des Moines, called, uniquely enough "The Downtown Church." It's mostly young people 20s-30s. There are about 200-300 people on a weekly basis and we meet on Saturday nights in a building that used to be a bar!
Through the church I've started goign to a smaller bible study and made some great girl friends through that.

I'm also taking some classes here at Drake... I take Spanish during the week to keep up on the language skills for next summer and the future. Then I am also taking 4 grad credits in a program called Adult Learning and Organizational Performance, which ties in very nicely with my job. I get to learn things that I put to use right away.

So yeah life is good! I have been missing home lately though. I think it's because I've come to the realization that I can't just pop home for a weekend. I am planning on being back in Appleton the first weekend in October, so let me know if you want to hang out!

Kaitlyn

Next step in the journey- DES MOINES, IA

2008-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

Okay... so for those of you who didn't know, my traveling didn't stop once I got back to the states. 2 weeks after I got back to Appleton, I packed up and moved to Des Moines, IA. Why on earth would you move there? (you might ask) Well... I am starting a new job here as a Hall Director at Drake University.

As a Hall Director I live in one of the student residence halls on campus, and oversee 230 students in my building. I take care of all the paperwork for the hall, maintenance requests, giving out info to students, handling emergency situations, training and supervising the RA staff and putting on hall programming. It's an exciting job with little down time and few hours sitting at a desk! woohooo! Plus I get to work with students for my full time job, which I will love!

Check out pictures of my hall director apartment... (copy and paste the link in your server)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091607&l=013a8&id=185002172

Noticing that I'm back

2008-07-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

The transition back home hasn't been that difficult so far. But I have noticed that some things that seemed normal before now seem extravagant. I realized, wow! I have a really nice house! Even though my house would be considered small by American standards it is at least twice the size of a nice upper-middle class house in Peru.
Today, I was out looking for a tv for my apartment, and realized how the whole time I was in Peru I rarely had a tv or any technology that I use daily here in the U.S. and guess what... I was completely happy without it. Made me reconsider if I really need a $100 cell phone just so I can play my MP3s on it?

I'm home!

2008-07-18T02:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm now back in the states and it's crazy to see how different it is here than Peru. I also have just realized that I didn't post at all from my last 10 days in Peru, and those were some adventurous times~ So don't you worry... I will update the blog on the last 10 days, as well as my thoughts on transitioning back home!

But now I need some sleep... I missed my connecting flight and had to wait 11hrs in the airport and haven't slept for over 36hrs!

Call me if you want to hang out this week, I no longer have a cell, so you'll have to call me at home #920-730-3952.

Celebrating in the Presence of Enemies

2008-07-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

I have never celebrated the fourth of July WITH the British. We attempted to do so on Friday night but apparently they are still bitter.

Here in Pisco I am working with a volunteer group of around 50 people from different countries around the world ranging in age from 18-38. The US holds the record for most volunteers here, with the Brits coming in at second place.

Plans were made for a 4th of July celebration. We were almost successful in getting donations for fireworks from the aformentioned enemies until they realized the reason for the celebration. Our freedom... from them!

Anyways, so we had the 4th here in Peru complete with frieworks. Nothing out of the normal. I've never been so patriotic on the 4th, we sang the anthem, proud to be an american and many other songs. Midway through the celbration we were pelted with eggs. We looked up to find true Redcoats, firing ammo at us while playing their British national anthem. They were literally wearing red parkas!

Fortunately we were able to yet again defeat the British. Mostly by default because their bad aim caused them to only hit local Peruvians and their cars.

Oooooo, freedom is sweet.

Manchu Picchu and back to Pisco

2008-07-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, been awhile since I've posted on here. My last few days have flown by. On Monday John and I started our journey towards Manchu Picchu and stayed overnight in Aguas Calientes, a terrible city that only exists for tourism. On Tuesday morning we got up at 530am and started our hike towards MP at 615. It took over an hour of strenuous hiking just to get to MP, then as soon as we got there we ran to Huanupicchu another hike peak, that only allows 400 ppl in a day.

Anyways... I am needing to get back to life at the moment, so I'll have to type more later.

Now I'm hanging out in Pisco volunteering for a few days or a week or so, we'll decided as we go. Yesterday and today I hand mixed cement and helped pour columns for a school we're building here. Its quite a fun group and environment here!

Last days in Cusco

2008-06-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I´m ending my time in Cusco. I was happy to move on but now that I´m leaving it´s a bit sad. Even in two and half weeks in a place you get attached. I was starting to have my own group of friends here and feel more comfortable with Spanish.

I met a local friend here, Saul, who works in a small store near where I live. He is 24 also and studying tourism. Yesterday he accompanied Herly, John and I too some nearby ruins and got to practice being a tour guide for us!

Yesterday I also had to say goodbye to my host family here, which was sad. They said I will always have a home here with them in Cusco, so that is so nice! What amazing people.

Well, today I start the journey towards Manchu Picchu and then we´ll see it tomorrow. Looks like Wednesday night I´ll be taking the 16hr bus back to Pisco and then John and I will be traveling north.

John arrived here!

2008-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

I picked up John today at the Cusco airport! It was so excited to see a familiar face!

I spent the day showing him around ¨my¨ city. Tomorrow we´re headed to church with Herly and Monday we head off to Manchu Piccu.

It will be sad to leave behind Cusco on Wednesday, but exciting to get back to traveling too!

thoughts on traveling

2008-06-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks Missy for letting me know you like the blog! I´ll keep posting for you ,)
And at this moment, John is on his way to Peru! I´ll pick him up tomorrow at the airport.

I´m nearing the end of my time in Cusco. I just had my last Spanish class this morning. Amigos Spanish school has been great. Everything was a review, but the push to practice Spanish was so good. i feel i am capable of one day speaking Spanish with some fluency.

School was also a great way to meet other travelers... most of the time I hung out with Kelley (from Canada) and Lizzy (from England)- and it was reassuring to always have a group to go back to. Meeting other travelers is my favorite part of traveling, and I would venture to say THE reason that I travel. It´s great to get other´s perspectives and be inspired by their crazy stories.

I met one girl from England, who had done all sorts of crazy things, she had owned her own clothing store, but was now traveling around south america for nearly a year. She could also breath fire! Another woman, who is a teacher here at the school owned her own successful pottery shop in Australia, but decided she needed to travel, and maybe live abroad so she moved to Peru to teach Enligsh for a year!

I think after this trip, I will probably end up doing something crazy in the future like moving abroad. After talking to travelers, it doesn´t seem like the crazy risk I thought it would be.
Why wait to live your life until after you retire, when you can live it now?

On Uprisings, Stonings and good Coffee...

2008-06-24T17:22:00.001-07:00

So, I am in Cusco in the busyiest and most touristy time of the year. Bummer.
There has a been a parade nearly every day since I´ve been here, and dancing and everything like that. By now i´m sick of it all because it means there are loads of people every where and that ¨gringo prices¨rise dramatically. (for example the first day I was here I could get a taxi for s/2 and now I can only get one for s/2.50 or 3).

Today was the most important day of this festival season, ¨Inti Rami.¨ This is an Incan festival where a huge parade starts at the plaza and makes its way to the Incan ruins near the city called, ¨Sacsaywaman¨(pronounced Sexy Woman, really). So my whole class attended it today. It was a bit much for me, too many people. We did see all the dancers and that, but when we got to Sacsaywaman, we couldn´t really see the performance, because you have to sit in the crowd or pay $80 to get a seat in the stadium.

Nevertheless, interesting things DID happen for us. We were sitting amongst the crowd when a stir began to rise. We were wondering why on earth people were getting so agitated and shouting? Turns out some people were trying to get through a police baracade to stand in the off-limit ruins where you could see the event more clearly. Apparently this area had been open the previous year, but the government made it off-limits this year. This first attempt was put down by the police, one by using their club! Again the crowd started to pump themselves up for second attempt at breaking through the lines... this time the crowd was very excited and everyone started rushing towards the rope... because there were so many people the police couldn´t keep them back and everyone broke through to stand in the ruins. Our teacher said we might as well join, so I participated in an uprising of the people! (my first, maybe not last).

Our new location didn´t really give us a better view, and we started to get pelted by rocks. (the people in the back wanted the people in the front to sit down, so that thought a good solution was to throw rocks at them. Apparently they can´t throw very well because we kept getting hit even though we weren´t in the front).

We left early, opting for something I greatly prefer... coffee! I had my FIRST GOOD CUP OF PERUVIAN COFFEE !!! this day must be recorded in history for me. I haven´t had a good cup of coffee in a month. So everything ended brilliantly!

Monday in Cusco

2008-06-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

So yes quick note on some random things here...
1st, I´m sorry but I won´t be sending anyone postcards, because they cost nearly $3 each to send, far more expensive than the average souvenir here!

a note on food... I´ve been eating a lot of rice and bread. Also they have such an abundance of fresh fruit here that I get to have a glass of fresh juice every morning... literally just cut up the fruit throw it in the blender and drink it: Amazing!
Its weird for me because they leave all of their condiments, and cheese out on the counter and never refriderate them. so I go to the cupboard for the cheese and butter which is just left out!

The food overall is amazing though. You can go to an average restaurant and purchase the ¨menu ¨which is a set number of courses for about 5 soles, which is around $2. Usually you get a nice salad and then a soup and lastly a main course. Main courses usually entail rice, with some sort of meat and vegetables and of course potatoes! The other day I ate some really amazing trout too.

Well, I´m taking a short break before lunch here at my house, and then i´m off to explore a nearby market where i can buy movies for s/3.50 which is around $1.

Ciao, Cuidate!
Kata, Kaitlyn, Katalina, Kait (whichever you prefer)

Cusco and the land of the tourists

2008-06-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hola,
He estado en Cusco por siete dias! Tengo clases de espanol aqui por dos semanas. Es un ciudad muy bonita pero hay mucha touristas aqui.

Anyways... enough with the spanish, that was just to show that my Spanish is improving! After not having practiced spanish at all for three years, it has been refreshing that it´s coming back to me here. I feel confident that I can communicate nearly any idea I have in Spanish, often with incorrect grammar, but communicating none the less! I am practicing all the time with my family, people on the streets, taxi drivers etc.

So yes, Cusco. I have been here for 7 days now. At first it was a big change coming from traveling to staying in one place for 17 days. I must admit when I first arrived here I wanted to leave as soon as possible. My first host family was pretty far from the plaza, and I really need to be around lots of people and events (like I had been for the first two weeks in Peru). It was way to tranquil at first, so I am now living with a new family. They are located really close to the plaza, and they have crazy amounts of energy. Each morning my host mom, Estela, comes bursting into my bedroom with a glass of juice, telling me ¨time to get up,¨(though she says it in Spanish). Besides Estela, I also have a host brother, Salvador, who is 13 and a host dad Fernando. They are really lovely people.

So my schedule here in Cusco, is Spanish classes from 8am-12pm and then back home for lunch, and then spending the rest of the day wandering around Cusco. Cusco is a VERY touristy city. It is the most expensive city in Peru that I have been in yet. And it makes sense because tourism is their main industry and I´m here during the busyiest week of the year. There are tons of small shops, I would compare the atmosphere to State Street in Madison, multiplied times 100. There is a very artsy neighborhood called ¨San Blas¨which I hope to stay in for a few days after my host stay which ends on the 29th.

Traveling ¨alone¨was also a bit of an adjustment for me. I much prefer to travel with someone. But David is still in Cusco volunteering. But I have made new friends in language school and usually hang out with them (all are girls except for one). So far we´ve gone to a local fair to hear ¨Grupo 5¨(the most popular Cumbia band in Peru), gone out for coffee several times, visited local cafes and tomorrow hopefully will visit some nearby Inca ruins.

My friend from college, Herly, is also home in Cusco visiting his family. Today we went to Chinchero to see some Inca ruins. It was awesome to get to go with a local! There was far less ¨ripping off the gringo¨when I´m with a local.

More to come! TELL ME! what are you up to this summer?

Check out pictures!

2008-06-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

New Pictures! Check out a full album at...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086947&id=185002172&saved

My times in Pisco volunteering!

2008-06-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! It´s been a week since I´ve last written on my blog and so much has happened since then!
I´m not sure you guys like reading my book-length entries (let me know!) so I´ll try to keep this short.

I arrived in Pisco last Wednesday and stayed there through Saturday evening. Even in only 4 days it was amazing how much volunteer work I could do. You really just jump right in at Burners. The first two days I cleared rubble out of works sites for a school and a house. Imagine moving rocks by hand in a wheel barrow. Something that would take a machine 10minutes, takes 10volunteers two days. On day three I got to cheer on some local children in a soccer tournament, and our very own burners team. In the afternoon I met the family who David is raising money to build a house for. It is unbelievable the living conditions they are in. 2 adults and 4 children in a tent smaller than the average living room. No running water and no bathrooms! On Saturday I worked to help pour a concrete foundation for a bathroom that will serve about a hundred families in a refugee-like camp.

A little info about Burners... they are an NGO started by Americans. On any given day there are 40-55 volunteers from all over the world staying in the dorms in Pisco and volunteering at various work sites throughout the city. It was an AMAZING time. The work is hard, but the people are amazing and there is always something fun to do at night as well. Everynight they have Intercambios with local children, so they can practice their English. There are also dance classes going and everyone there has some random talent, like fire-dancing, and fire-breathing! Quite the experience. I hope to go back there after I leave Cusco.

I´m in Cusco now... quite the change from the busy schedule I have had! More about that later!

Id love to hear from you!

Tuesday I think?

2008-06-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, Ive been very frusterated by the terrible computers here! (so pictures will be very slow in coming!)

Ive overcome my travelers illness...had the whole fever, diahrea thing that everyone gets here.
I did the brunt of that in Arequipa, when I started to get a bit better david and I headed to Cabanconde which is located near Colca Canyon. Colca is the second deepest canyone in the world. The first day we made a few scenic day hikes, then yesterday we did a full day hike down to the bottom of the canyon. The mountains surrounding the canyon are all very dry and rocky.
It is the winter season right now, so not much is green.

at the bottom of the canyon is an unexpected oasis, with green grass, palm trees and swimming pools. We relaxed there for a bit with a few friendly Brits. On the way up we opted to ride mules, instead of hours of terrible hiking in the hot sun. So, it was an enjoyable hike in the end instead of taxing (just what I needed).

Cabanaconde... what a cool little village. All the women there wear their traditional moutnain clothing which is hand embroidered and very colorful. It was such a dusty little town, everything is made out of stone and brick, men are riding their horses through town and herding sheep in the streets. Sunny by day, deadly cold by night (because its winter). Stayed in a hostel for $3 a night.

Tonight, all night bus ride to volunteer for 4 days then I have to take another 24hrs back to Cusco by bus. It will be a lot of bus this upcoming week. So think of me while youre sleeping in a fully lying down position in your bed!

Still sick!

2008-06-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still sick. But it is a typical sickness of travelers (I´m sure you can guess what that means) and at least I don´t have a terrible fever anymore. David had the exact same symptoms as I have a few weeks ago, so I´m not too worried.

I´m heading up to a higher altitude today (in Coca Canyon) so I´m hoping not to add alitude sickness to the list!

Let me know you you are!

Out of the jungle and into the desert

2008-06-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

So Peru has every type of landscape imaginable. After leaving the jungle town of La Merced, I headed south with David and Jonty to Huacachina which is a desert oasis 3 hrs south of Lima. It´s crazy, the dunes are so massive and completely surround this small jungle area smack in the middle of it. It was also my first time staying in a really touristy youth hostel. There were people there from all over the world, some that I met were from Israel, Poland and Norway. It´s common for people to travel alone down here and then just meet up with other travelers they encounter along the way! The youth hostel seemed more like a resort, there were hammocks and a nice swimming pool in the middle. I´ll upload pictures soon!

Now I´m even farther south in Arequipa which is a city located between several volcanoes and mountain ranges. The city is designed in a colonial spanish style and is really beautiful with cobble stoned streets! David and took a three hour tour of the city via taxi and saw some great views. I also got the chance to hold a Perigrin falcon on my arm! It was a VERY exciting moment for me (because as you know I love birds).

In other news, I´ve fallen a bit ill today, with fever like symptoms, so I hope I´m not getting the flu or a negative reaction to something!

Photos below

2008-06-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

The three photos I uploaded below are from:
a: the bus ride back to Lima (in a mountain village)
b: Me, Areceli and Sebastian
c: La Merced

Back in Lima

2008-06-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent my last day in La Merced by visiting two local waterfalls. Apparently the area of La Merced used to have terrible guerilla warfare and terrorism in the ´80s but is now very safe. On our way back from the waterfalls we were on a dirt road in a small open air motorcycle/passenger thing (I´ll get a picture of it for you all). It was very dark and the vehicle had no lights, my friend Areceli was getting very nervous about being held up and robbed. Our driver said it had only happened a few times. Luckily we passed through with no incident but it was interesting to be with a local who was terrified of the area!

David and I made the 8 hr bus ride back to Lima today. Now we´re staying with his brother in Lima. Tomorro we head south to Arequipa.

A couple interesting notes on prices here in South America, spending 4 nights in a hotel in La Merced only cost about $33! Also, you can get a huge meal here for about $2-$3. Everyone takes cambies (like a taxi) and buses everywhere. The cost is cheap but depends on the length of the ride. You must decide a price before riding, because otherwise the driver will change it. It´s interesting how prices change here. There are no set prices on anything so what was 2 soles one day maybe 3 soles the next! And the price is inflated for foreigners.

Well, I´m hoping to upload some pictures- check the blog and facebook!

Kata

Another day in the jungle!

2008-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I will be able to post pictures soon but I am always forgetting my camera cord!

Anyways I am in day 3 in La Merced. I am spending all of my time here with a family that DAvid and Jonty are friends with. It is nice to have an instant connection as soon as you come to a city. Areselli is 33 years old and has a 4 year old named Sebastian. She owns a stand in the central market selling indigenous crafts. Today the four of us went hiking in the jungle to see a waterfall in the area! Que bonita! However, it was only a small one, tomorrow we are hiking to see an even larger waterfall.

I discovered that there is an Alliance church right around the corner from where I am staying! Pretty exciting. Hopefully I will be able to go to a service there tomorrow.

Anyways, besides that I am really working at Spanish. It has been quite the wake up call. I defintely know very little Spanish. I am usually able to understand the general idea of most conversations, but the second someone talks directly to me I get nervous and seem to forget everything I know. It is amazing though to be studying something that you can step outside your door and use moments later. It is definitely a better way to learn!}

I miss you all would love to A: have you here (its not that expensive to come) or B: hear from you!

Con amor, Katalina or Kata (as they call me here)

La Selva de Peru

2008-05-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Ahora soy en la selva de Peru. Y tambien estoy practicando mi español!

On Thursday David and I boarded a bus for an 8 hour trip east to the high jungle of Peru. We were headed to La Merced (= God's mercy), which is a small village town where Jonty used to lived. It was an amazing bus ride through the mountains, with amazing panoramic views. My only concern was getting altitude sickness along the way, which is something I have encountered every other time I´ve been in the mountains. So before going I head some "colca tea" which is made from colca leaves (the same plant cocaine is made from). Now don't worry I'm not becoming a druggy, this tea is very common in Peru and very legal! I also took some other medicines and made it along the entire route without illness! Thank goodness the last part of the trip was made in the darkness so I couldnt see the huge drop offs on the winding road we were on.

It seems it festival time in La Merced because since Ive been here there has been a band playing literally the entire time. (Ive now been here a day and a half). The same people in the band playing the same song over and over and over! That has been the only downfall of this city. Besides that the scenery is gorgeous. We climbed to a high point to see the whole city which is situated along a stream in a valley surrounded by mountain peaks on every side. We also visited a botanical garden and tried cacao (which is what chocolate is made from) and I saw a tree where coffee beans grow!

Well, my time at the internet cafe is up! I will post more tomorrow with pictures!

2nd Post from Day 1

2008-05-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all... thanks for responding on my blog. I´m still figuring out how this whole thing works!
Since I wrote on my blog earlier today much has happened! David, Jonty and I explored Lima all day... we went to La Plaza de Armas (which is what the town center is called in every town here), La Inglesia San Francisco and saw the catacombs there, then went on a bus ride up the tallest hill in Lima to an overlook of the entire city, visited a park of 13 fountains with laser shows and ended up in Miraflores for an outdoor photography exhibit and to eat some falafel.
Tomorrow David and I are heading 8 hours east to a small town called La Merced which is in the jungle. David and Jonty have several friends there so it should be quite enjoyable. I think we will be there around 3 days. I´ll keep you posted!

2008-05-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

i´m here in Peru! it was quite the journey! The first person I met in the airport was a girl from Minnesota who was traveling to Peru and has been living and teaching English in Cusco, which is where I will be for three weeks. What a blessing!
My intial flight from chicago to florida was delayed 2.5hrs and we were initially told we would miss our connecting flight to Peru. Thank goodness that didn´t happen... so we were finally allowed to leave the airport. After taking off the guy in the seat right next to me puked EVERYWHERE... at least a garbage bag full of puke! Apparently Spirit airlines are the lowest of budget airlines because I had to do more than the flight attendants did to clean up the puke. I was told they didn´t have any disinfectant spray or towels, only very small hand wipes for cleaning up the mess!

On my flight to Peru I met and talked with a business man named Oscar from Lima. It was a good first step for me in dusting off my age-old Spanish skills. He was patient with my many mistakes and we were about the same level of language proficiency (he in English me in Spanish).

David and Jonty were there to meet me at the airport! Yah! now i´m at a hostel in Lima for a few days with the two of them doing some exploring. David is intent that I will be able to get around on my own in Peru, so he sent me out to buy water this morning on my own. I was successful! Actually it´s so easy to meet and talk with people here. Everyone is so friendly. I find that I am able to understand what people say to me in Spanish, if not able to respond perfectly. It is so amazing being here! I already feel that this is the environment I´m meant to live in!

I´d love to hear from you!

Why Peru?

2008-05-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

You may wonder why I am heading to Peru this summer? Well, I can't say that I had a clearly defined list of reasons when I first booked my ticket. I also cannot say that I had any real idea of what I would be doing when I first signed up for my 7 week adventure.

I have always wanted to live overseas. But at this point in my life I don't have a clear direction as to why I would be living overseas. So, instead of making that leap I chose the more conservative route of taking a full-time job that allows me to have my summers off. These summers off will be dedicated to traveling, learning about the world and perhaps getting more of a vision as to what the future may entail.

Having been to Asia last summer, South America was top of my list of places to see. However, beyond sight-seeing, going to Peru is in essence a "vision trip" for me. I found that I love working with international students from my time working in Baldwin Hall. I also found I enjoyed teaching English from my time in Japan. My time in Peru will be devoted to learning about a third-world setting and visiting and volunteering at different non-profit organizations. It is also important for me to reignite my interest in studying Spanish.

The Lord put a passion in my heart for traveling, serving and learning about other cultures. Someday I will be living overseas, perhaps I will find out more about that by seeing Peru! !

Why do I have a blog?

2008-05-22T15:31:00.001-07:00

Well, I decided to start this blog so that if you're curious about what I'm up to in Peru, you can follow along! At this moment, I'm finishing up buying things for Peru like a digital camera, backpack and various miscellaneous items. I will be flying out from Chicago on Tuesday, May 27th at 1:30pm!