Practicing my violin 1 & 1/2 - 2 hours/day doesn't leave much time for blogging, but I am loving it! Today I got past where I was after six months of lessons with my violin teacher. I still have to go back and clean things up, but I'm feeling great on this new adventure!
Jetty has finally gotten used to me playing. She still gets anxious when I go above middle C, but she's not being as forceful in her attempts to distract me.
I can feel the day coming when I won't be able to Google my questions and will need a live teacher again. Not really looking forward to that day. Nobody can replace my first teacher, Mr. Meyers.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Last Days in NY
Okay, so NY was great. After the reunion I moved into a room at my BFF's parent's hotel. They let me stay there for free, which was super nice.
I got to spend time with my friend Andrea, who is going through a rough time in her life, but handling everything with grace. She drove over an hour to see me in the midst of her crazy life and we had a good time letting loose together.
I was also invited by a family I've never met before to have dinner and discuss what I am doing in Honduras. They have served short term missions here, so it was nice to be their connection to Honduras and to eat stuffed shells!
I got to have two days of quality time with my friend Kelly and her family. Her kids absolutely freaked me out. I saw her oldest daughter before she was walking. Now they are in college! One of her daughters looks and acts just like Kelly. It's like being with Kelly when Kelly was that age. Only her daughter is less shy than Kelly. The other daughter is more serious and focused. She is going on to law school! Kelly's son is hilarious. He kept coming up with these funny one liners and we would all look at eachother and laugh. At one point he said, "I hope I have old friends who visit me when I'm old. I think I'll need a laugh by that point." I guess he thinks his mother and I are old. And we laugh a lot. He was super well mannered and sweet. Being around them made me wish I could see them more often.
Kelly and I went on some adventures. Her eldest plays in the local professional band, so we went to see them play at the local nursing home where Kelly's Mom has to live now. Kelly's Mom has lost a lot of her memory and her father is 89 years old. He still runs his own store and climbs trees to sit in tree stands for deer hunting. He's in great shape. But they realized the best thing for her mom is professional care. I felt sad for Kelly's Dad. He is doing everything within his power to make the most of his life but I can't imagine how he feels being alone in the home where he raised his family.
It was good to see Kelly's father. I also got to see my high school swim coach. She was also my boss when I lifeguarded in the summers during high school. She is the person who taught me how to swim the butterfly. I was so happy to be able to tell her that I taught three people in Honduras how to fly and a hundred more how to swim.
Kelly and I also went to get my favorite ice cream in the world. Honduras has horrible cake and horrible ice cream. Desserts are not a big thing here. Probably because they are not very good. I had a chocolate/vanilla twist at Mercers which I am still dreaming about.
Afterward we went to the pools, which is a spot on the river where nice swimming holes formed in the rocks. It was my favorite hang out in high school. Kelly said she hasn't been there since we were young, even though it's close to her house. I think it was as good for her as it was for me, to get out and see some of the fun things there are to do in our little village.
We stayed up late talking, just like teenagers, only this time her kids joined us. Kelly has a wonderful life with her kids and a successful dancing school, but I think she enjoyed a little change of pace while I was in town.
I also got to spend time with my friend Tim. He was the one who took the time and spent a bunch of money to fix up a car for me to drive while I was in New York. He seemed to enjoy fixing up the car, but I know he had other things that he could have used that money for. The good news is, he just got called to go back to work after being laid off for a long time. So he was free to hang out with me while I was in town and now he'll be busy working again. He and I had a great time together. We went to the reunion stuff, to the firemen's field days, and he ate dinner with me whenever I was free. He and his father also drove all of the way to the airport to pick up the car when I was done, so that I wouldn't have to go 3 hours out of my way on the day I flew out. I am very appreciative of all Tim did for me to make my trip a good one. He is a good friend.
After seeing everything and everyone I could, I headed off to Syracuse. The only person I missed was one lady, Linda. But I couldn't get in contact with her. In Syracuse I met up with my old boss from college and we went to surprise one of our friends who is a musician. Turned out the owner of the venue where our friend was playing is also an old friend, so it was like a big reunion.
Jack had also received my violin in the mail. He took it to a friend of his and asked them to see if it needed any work. They said it was in great shape. They just polished it up and sent it along to me. He also got me a music stand which fit in my luggage perfectly. I was super grateful that he took the time to do that and put the violin into my hands.
From there I went to Ithaca, where my college roommate's father was being honored at Cornell University. They planted a lot of rare trees in his memory and dedicated them in his name. My college roommate lives in London. We haven't seen eachother since the day she was married 20 years ago. It was nice to spend a little time getting to know her husband and meet her children for the first time. I was honored to be invited to the dedication.
Jack and I planned to spend more time together Saturday evening, but he was sick, so I ended up hanging out with my friend Jamie, the musician. I was eager to hear him play his original music, as he had been doing a Bruce Springsteen tribute the night before. Unfortunately, a huge storm rolled in and he was playing outside, so I got to hear two songs before we packed up all of his equipment and left. We did go out for a very nice dinner and he introduced me to a good friend of his who is now a generous supporter. I miss nice dinners like that when I'm in Honduras. It was delicious.
The next morning I drove to Saratoga Springs where I spent the last 48 hours with my high school friend Ingrid. We talked about high school and were surprised at how much we had going on in our lives that, although we were good friends, we never shared with anyone. I thought that was kind of sad. We could have trusted one another, but for some reason we each kept our personal struggles to ourselves.
First I caught her up on the past 28 years of my life. Then she caught me up on the past 28 years of hers. We had two really nice dinners at her house. I've never enjoyed beef stroganoff as much as I enjoyed hers. We had plans to sit out on her deck, but we never got around to it. I guess that gives me a good excuse to go back!
It was so nice to see everyone and to realize that the people who were special in my life are still special. Time has passed, but we still connected like when we were kids. I did a lot of messed up things as a teen, but I did one thing well. I chose good friends. I loved being with every one of them.
The fundraising did not go as I hoped. But investing my time in reestablishing relationships was extremely healing for me. I think it also made people more genuinely interested in what I am doing and why I am in Honduras. A lot of people I saw in NY are following me more closely on Facebook. They also responded well to my newsletter. If they donate now it will come from the heart because they sincerely care about my mission and the people I am serving. I think that was God's plan all along.
I never thought I'd say this, but I hope to get back to New York soon. Besides horrible airline experiences, it was one of my best times in the US to date.
I got to spend time with my friend Andrea, who is going through a rough time in her life, but handling everything with grace. She drove over an hour to see me in the midst of her crazy life and we had a good time letting loose together.
I was also invited by a family I've never met before to have dinner and discuss what I am doing in Honduras. They have served short term missions here, so it was nice to be their connection to Honduras and to eat stuffed shells!
I got to have two days of quality time with my friend Kelly and her family. Her kids absolutely freaked me out. I saw her oldest daughter before she was walking. Now they are in college! One of her daughters looks and acts just like Kelly. It's like being with Kelly when Kelly was that age. Only her daughter is less shy than Kelly. The other daughter is more serious and focused. She is going on to law school! Kelly's son is hilarious. He kept coming up with these funny one liners and we would all look at eachother and laugh. At one point he said, "I hope I have old friends who visit me when I'm old. I think I'll need a laugh by that point." I guess he thinks his mother and I are old. And we laugh a lot. He was super well mannered and sweet. Being around them made me wish I could see them more often.
Kelly and I went on some adventures. Her eldest plays in the local professional band, so we went to see them play at the local nursing home where Kelly's Mom has to live now. Kelly's Mom has lost a lot of her memory and her father is 89 years old. He still runs his own store and climbs trees to sit in tree stands for deer hunting. He's in great shape. But they realized the best thing for her mom is professional care. I felt sad for Kelly's Dad. He is doing everything within his power to make the most of his life but I can't imagine how he feels being alone in the home where he raised his family.
It was good to see Kelly's father. I also got to see my high school swim coach. She was also my boss when I lifeguarded in the summers during high school. She is the person who taught me how to swim the butterfly. I was so happy to be able to tell her that I taught three people in Honduras how to fly and a hundred more how to swim.
Kelly and I also went to get my favorite ice cream in the world. Honduras has horrible cake and horrible ice cream. Desserts are not a big thing here. Probably because they are not very good. I had a chocolate/vanilla twist at Mercers which I am still dreaming about.
 |
| I'm holding Kelly's cone while she takes the picture. |
Afterward we went to the pools, which is a spot on the river where nice swimming holes formed in the rocks. It was my favorite hang out in high school. Kelly said she hasn't been there since we were young, even though it's close to her house. I think it was as good for her as it was for me, to get out and see some of the fun things there are to do in our little village.
We stayed up late talking, just like teenagers, only this time her kids joined us. Kelly has a wonderful life with her kids and a successful dancing school, but I think she enjoyed a little change of pace while I was in town.
I also got to spend time with my friend Tim. He was the one who took the time and spent a bunch of money to fix up a car for me to drive while I was in New York. He seemed to enjoy fixing up the car, but I know he had other things that he could have used that money for. The good news is, he just got called to go back to work after being laid off for a long time. So he was free to hang out with me while I was in town and now he'll be busy working again. He and I had a great time together. We went to the reunion stuff, to the firemen's field days, and he ate dinner with me whenever I was free. He and his father also drove all of the way to the airport to pick up the car when I was done, so that I wouldn't have to go 3 hours out of my way on the day I flew out. I am very appreciative of all Tim did for me to make my trip a good one. He is a good friend.
After seeing everything and everyone I could, I headed off to Syracuse. The only person I missed was one lady, Linda. But I couldn't get in contact with her. In Syracuse I met up with my old boss from college and we went to surprise one of our friends who is a musician. Turned out the owner of the venue where our friend was playing is also an old friend, so it was like a big reunion.
Jack had also received my violin in the mail. He took it to a friend of his and asked them to see if it needed any work. They said it was in great shape. They just polished it up and sent it along to me. He also got me a music stand which fit in my luggage perfectly. I was super grateful that he took the time to do that and put the violin into my hands.
From there I went to Ithaca, where my college roommate's father was being honored at Cornell University. They planted a lot of rare trees in his memory and dedicated them in his name. My college roommate lives in London. We haven't seen eachother since the day she was married 20 years ago. It was nice to spend a little time getting to know her husband and meet her children for the first time. I was honored to be invited to the dedication.
Jack and I planned to spend more time together Saturday evening, but he was sick, so I ended up hanging out with my friend Jamie, the musician. I was eager to hear him play his original music, as he had been doing a Bruce Springsteen tribute the night before. Unfortunately, a huge storm rolled in and he was playing outside, so I got to hear two songs before we packed up all of his equipment and left. We did go out for a very nice dinner and he introduced me to a good friend of his who is now a generous supporter. I miss nice dinners like that when I'm in Honduras. It was delicious.
The next morning I drove to Saratoga Springs where I spent the last 48 hours with my high school friend Ingrid. We talked about high school and were surprised at how much we had going on in our lives that, although we were good friends, we never shared with anyone. I thought that was kind of sad. We could have trusted one another, but for some reason we each kept our personal struggles to ourselves.
First I caught her up on the past 28 years of my life. Then she caught me up on the past 28 years of hers. We had two really nice dinners at her house. I've never enjoyed beef stroganoff as much as I enjoyed hers. We had plans to sit out on her deck, but we never got around to it. I guess that gives me a good excuse to go back!
It was so nice to see everyone and to realize that the people who were special in my life are still special. Time has passed, but we still connected like when we were kids. I did a lot of messed up things as a teen, but I did one thing well. I chose good friends. I loved being with every one of them.
The fundraising did not go as I hoped. But investing my time in reestablishing relationships was extremely healing for me. I think it also made people more genuinely interested in what I am doing and why I am in Honduras. A lot of people I saw in NY are following me more closely on Facebook. They also responded well to my newsletter. If they donate now it will come from the heart because they sincerely care about my mission and the people I am serving. I think that was God's plan all along.
I never thought I'd say this, but I hope to get back to New York soon. Besides horrible airline experiences, it was one of my best times in the US to date.
Breasts, Babies and Bookshelves
Two things have been on my mind lately, before I finish writing about the trip to NY.
First, at the literacy class two weeks ago one of my students mentioned that she has a lump in her breast. I can't remember how it came up. She said it hurts when she sleeps on her back and if she wears a bra. She went to the doctor once and he told her she needs treatment. (I didn't understand exactly what treatment, but I don't think she did either.) She can't afford to go back to the doctor now. That situation has been weighing heavy on my heart.
In this culture, the people cover their legs more than in the US, but they are not shy about covering from the waist up. Men stand on the street with their shirt pulled up as if they are airing out their bellies. Usually it's the men with the biggest bellies who roll the bottom of their shirt up to their chest and stand there with their bellies hanging out. It is a strange thing to get used to. Women nurse openly in public and nobody pays any attention. They also generally wear more low cut blouses.
So, I wasn't surprised when my student told me to feel her lump. It's actually the second time I've been asked to feel a lump in someone's breast. This one was pretty big and it didn't feel round.
That same day she showed me a picture she had drawn with colored pencils I gave them before I went to NY. The picture was a baby boy, curled up in a ball, inside of something blue. I knew immediately what it was. A baby inside of a mother's stomach. She showed me the drawing and said, "This is my boy. They took him away and nobody took a picture of him. I never got to name him, but he was a boy."
My heart ached. I know she and her husband have been trying to have a baby for years. I didn't know that she had ever gotten pregnant. I have seen the photos she talked about. It's hard to see a photo of a dead baby, even though you know it was taken with love for a mother who needed that picture to remember her child. My student really wanted a picture of her baby. So there, among the pages of her homework, she drew her son. I should have told her he was beautiful.
The other thing that's been on my mind is much more pleasant. A friend of a friend has a ministry sending books to kids in Central America. My friend put us in contact with when I published something on Facebook about wanting to start a library for my club of 25 kids. The lady sent us 65 books! Two more friends mailed books to NY for me to pick up while I was there. We now have 73 books to start our library.
Laura has been going nuts because she knows the books are not mine and will not be in my house for long. Fany is reading until her voice is hoarse. They read 18 books in two days. Then they started Charlotte's Web, which slowed their pace a little. But Laura decided that "the life of that poor pig is too sad". It made her cry the first night. She prefers to read happier things.
Yesterday I did something sort of manipulative. I'm not sure I needed to be manipulative, but I didn't dare chance it.
I've been eyeing a locked bookcase in the room where our club meets. It is full of wonderful books, but all of them are in English. The US Embassy sponsors an English class which meets in the same space as our club. The bookcase and the books belong to them. My coworker is responsible for the English classes. He works part time with me and part time with the US Embassy.
Yesterday I approached him and asked how their youth camp had gone to start the conversation. I was interested in the youth camp, but I admit I had ulterior motives. When he finished telling me about the camp I said that I had some books, and since I know that he handles all of the books I wondered if he may have any ideas as to how I should manage these books.
He said he only lends books to parents. The parents come because the kids need the books to do their homework. But my books are mostly fiction. I couldn't imagine parents coming in to borrow fictional books. I said I would have to figure out a way to lend them directly to the kids. He said that when he was a child they had a library and kids left their student ID when they borrowed a book. He suggested that I do the same.
He said the kids will love books in Spanish. They really need them to do their homework, he said. I didn't know how to break it to him that I wanted to bring in a bunch of fiction. I said there are some nonfiction books about Christianity and animals, but my intention in building the library was for kids to be able to read for pleasure. I said I want them to get so lost in a story that they can forget all of the chaos around them. He was taken aback, but I could tell he liked the idea. He warned me that reading for fun is unheard of in this culture. He said I will have to educate the kids and change their way of thinking, because they are brought up to see books as tools they use for school. I said I am looking forward to taking on that challenge. I know reading won't be for everyone, but if even a few want to read they will now have access to books. He seemed very pleased.
Then I asked if he had any ideas about where I might store the books. He said there are many duplicates in his bookcase. I told him I had noticed that and thought maybe if we put some of the duplicates behind one another, we could fit more books in the bookcase. He said sure! It will be a time consuming task, but his books need organizing anyway. I suggested alphabetically by author so he could keep track of his inventory. He said he knew that some libraries do that. So I agreed to organize his books and he agreed to let me have space in his locked book shelves! Win-Win!! We now have books and a locked bookshelf in the club!
First, at the literacy class two weeks ago one of my students mentioned that she has a lump in her breast. I can't remember how it came up. She said it hurts when she sleeps on her back and if she wears a bra. She went to the doctor once and he told her she needs treatment. (I didn't understand exactly what treatment, but I don't think she did either.) She can't afford to go back to the doctor now. That situation has been weighing heavy on my heart.
In this culture, the people cover their legs more than in the US, but they are not shy about covering from the waist up. Men stand on the street with their shirt pulled up as if they are airing out their bellies. Usually it's the men with the biggest bellies who roll the bottom of their shirt up to their chest and stand there with their bellies hanging out. It is a strange thing to get used to. Women nurse openly in public and nobody pays any attention. They also generally wear more low cut blouses.
So, I wasn't surprised when my student told me to feel her lump. It's actually the second time I've been asked to feel a lump in someone's breast. This one was pretty big and it didn't feel round.
That same day she showed me a picture she had drawn with colored pencils I gave them before I went to NY. The picture was a baby boy, curled up in a ball, inside of something blue. I knew immediately what it was. A baby inside of a mother's stomach. She showed me the drawing and said, "This is my boy. They took him away and nobody took a picture of him. I never got to name him, but he was a boy."
My heart ached. I know she and her husband have been trying to have a baby for years. I didn't know that she had ever gotten pregnant. I have seen the photos she talked about. It's hard to see a photo of a dead baby, even though you know it was taken with love for a mother who needed that picture to remember her child. My student really wanted a picture of her baby. So there, among the pages of her homework, she drew her son. I should have told her he was beautiful.
The other thing that's been on my mind is much more pleasant. A friend of a friend has a ministry sending books to kids in Central America. My friend put us in contact with when I published something on Facebook about wanting to start a library for my club of 25 kids. The lady sent us 65 books! Two more friends mailed books to NY for me to pick up while I was there. We now have 73 books to start our library.
Laura has been going nuts because she knows the books are not mine and will not be in my house for long. Fany is reading until her voice is hoarse. They read 18 books in two days. Then they started Charlotte's Web, which slowed their pace a little. But Laura decided that "the life of that poor pig is too sad". It made her cry the first night. She prefers to read happier things.
Yesterday I did something sort of manipulative. I'm not sure I needed to be manipulative, but I didn't dare chance it.
I've been eyeing a locked bookcase in the room where our club meets. It is full of wonderful books, but all of them are in English. The US Embassy sponsors an English class which meets in the same space as our club. The bookcase and the books belong to them. My coworker is responsible for the English classes. He works part time with me and part time with the US Embassy.
Yesterday I approached him and asked how their youth camp had gone to start the conversation. I was interested in the youth camp, but I admit I had ulterior motives. When he finished telling me about the camp I said that I had some books, and since I know that he handles all of the books I wondered if he may have any ideas as to how I should manage these books.
He said he only lends books to parents. The parents come because the kids need the books to do their homework. But my books are mostly fiction. I couldn't imagine parents coming in to borrow fictional books. I said I would have to figure out a way to lend them directly to the kids. He said that when he was a child they had a library and kids left their student ID when they borrowed a book. He suggested that I do the same.
He said the kids will love books in Spanish. They really need them to do their homework, he said. I didn't know how to break it to him that I wanted to bring in a bunch of fiction. I said there are some nonfiction books about Christianity and animals, but my intention in building the library was for kids to be able to read for pleasure. I said I want them to get so lost in a story that they can forget all of the chaos around them. He was taken aback, but I could tell he liked the idea. He warned me that reading for fun is unheard of in this culture. He said I will have to educate the kids and change their way of thinking, because they are brought up to see books as tools they use for school. I said I am looking forward to taking on that challenge. I know reading won't be for everyone, but if even a few want to read they will now have access to books. He seemed very pleased.
Then I asked if he had any ideas about where I might store the books. He said there are many duplicates in his bookcase. I told him I had noticed that and thought maybe if we put some of the duplicates behind one another, we could fit more books in the bookcase. He said sure! It will be a time consuming task, but his books need organizing anyway. I suggested alphabetically by author so he could keep track of his inventory. He said he knew that some libraries do that. So I agreed to organize his books and he agreed to let me have space in his locked book shelves! Win-Win!! We now have books and a locked bookshelf in the club!
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