rachel changes

decision day

2011-04-15T02:23:00.009-04:00

Today is, appropriately, April 15, a day is pretty much always associated with heightened stress levels (tax day, oh-shit-yesterday-was-mom's-birthday day). It's also the deadline for accepting offers from graduate schools. Read: the day that you can't put off deciding which grad school you want to go to--or even if you want to go to grad school at all--any longer. By now I'm a little too familiar with this date and its ridiculously looming "end-all, be-all" aura of certainty. Last year, April 15th found me adjusting to the idea of living in pretty much the only city in existence in which i could never imagine myself functioning happily or healthily. (Lo and behold.) And this year, i'm preparing to move across the country again--third time's the charm--because I accepted an offer of admission & financial package from Arizona State's Women and Gender Studies PhD Program.

Shockingly enough, it was a fucking hard decision.

Since I moved, I've been in this lovely state of flux, reinventing myself and figuring out my own desires and maintaining my own well being. I applied to grad schools pretty halfheartedly--I needed a distraction (albeit a very expensive one), and it worked. I was in such a tumult, though, I didn't expect to get in anywhere, and I started collecting reasons not to go to grad school, ways to disassociate myself with the thing entirely. I took trips around the country, visiting friends & family doing a million other awesome things besides going to school. I partied my ass off and decided I deserved to take advantage of my youth, not lock myself in at 23 to the competitive hellhole that is academia. Going to grad school was someone else's plan, now I could recognize that and decide what I really wanted to do with my life--and where I wanted to do it--for myself. Besides, the activist in me always sort of wondered how I could ever actually take down the patriarchy as an academic--don't you have to get your hands dirty and work with real people to get shit done, not just talk to white kids whose parents pay for them to go to college and hope for the trickle down? Anyway, I interviewed for internships, applied for jobs, and did some serious research about which awesome city I was going to move to. I got excited about the opportunities that were opening up for me as grad school became a lesser and lesser option in my head. I even came up with a legitimate Plan B that I was ready to swing into, full-force. right when I'm getting ready to do just that, of course, grad school came a' knockin'.

ASU offered to put me up so I went and took a look around, ended up feeling right at home--talking to grad students & professors, going to classes. Many students were already published, and I spoke to many faculty members doing research that aligned with mine pretty precisely. Not to mention the campus was gorgeous--and summertime for basically 11 months out of the year is particularly convincing, especially to someone with a somewhat intrusive case of seasonal affective disorder. There was even a large demographic that traveled exclusively by scooter! Very reassuring. they offered me a good amount of money (tuition/insurance/stipend), the chance to work a smaller program where I would get uber attention (and further research/funding opportunities) from a dedicated WGS core faculty, and the reassurance that not only would I get to do what I want to as a grad student there, but that the work I've already been doing is interesting, important, and necessary. As a part of the School of Social Transformation, not only does the PhD program have security in the conglomeration (from getting cut--a real possibility for programs that some don't consider "real" disciplines) and is on the good side of the higher-ups (who support the school-based reorganization), it also brings to the forefront my worries about academia remaining far too removed from the issues of oppression we're trying to alleviate. It didn't feel like an ivory tower out there, it felt like a place I could get my hands dirty. I was really struck by the passion of everyone there--students, faculty, staff--who really loved and believed in the program. It reminded me a lot of CofC WGS--an amazing, transformative, close-knit community of scholars and activists basically kicking ass and taking names. Small but mighty--and getting shit done.

So I said: I'm in.

And now, April 15 feels different. It still has its stresses, as moving across the country to a new place by yourself inevitably will. But I'm resting easy knowing that not only do I have a plan, but that plan is to do something with my life that I am 100% qualified for and totally enamored with. It's all happening. And I did it.

negativity busting

2010-09-29T23:37:00.004-04:00

I had a wonderful summer--rent-free, responsibility-free, and basically carefree. It was a great way to ease into post-graduate lifestyle. However, I then very abruptly jumped into what I've taken to calling "my new life," which includes things like: deciding which of my books are important enough to carry across the country with me, studying for yet another a standardized test, buying very, very expensive plane tickets home for Christmas, learning how to budget vacation days, living in an apartment building with neighbors whose ceilings are our floors, being a pedestrian and public transit user in a city made for cars, the list could go on forever. Mainly, with the sudden influx of responsibility that comes with having a "real job" (well, sort of--more on that later) and various adjustments, I've recently found myself sometimes treading, sometimes drowning, in much more negativity than I'm used to.

This tells me a number of things. That I had a really amazing past few years that I pretty much thoroughly enjoyed--at least enough to consider myself "optimistic" throughout the majority of them. That adjusting to new places is pretty hard, but attempting to be a grownup in the process is way harder. But most importantly, that I will now welcome any and all sources of positivity-boosting, no matter how big or small.

Which brings me to the point of my little, sad-excuse-for-a-much-needed-life-update-post: Marcell the Shell with Shoes On. I'm sure this is not new to anyone (except maybe you, Mom) because it's been out a while. I'm sure everyone has seen and loved it. But I love it because when I first came across poor little Marshell--I apparently needed to be reminded of the power of laughter in boosting my mood. Who would have thought I would ever forget that?! And now whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, this video will undoubtedly cheer me up and keep me in perspective. Marcell/Jenny Slate's genius, I love you. Thank you for keeping me sane.

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

houseplant anxiety

2010-04-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's a control thing. Maybe it's just that I like to watch things grow, and I don't know what to do when they don't. Maybe it's my lack of actual knowledge about the subject. Maybe it's my natural, instinctive, urge to nurture. Maybe I'm just getting used to a new hobby. No, it's definitely a control thing.

My houseplants.

The backstory: My mom's house is full of plants. My grandma's house is full of plants. They are both gardeners. Excellent gardeners, might I add, who keep SUPERB houses and whose houseplants are always green, full, and thriving. So when I was at home for Christmas, enticed by green thumb I thought would be inherent in my blood, I collected a bunch of cuttings from my mom and my grandmother. Then, when I got home, I planted them in my new Ikea pots bought especially for the occasion, and assumed in a matter of weeks I would have plants just those found in my home and peeking out from the tops of bookshelves and bedside tables on pretty much every Apartment Therapy home tour I've seen.

But that's not what happened.

Well, I don't actually know what happened, but there were no full, thriving plants to be found in my home. There were sad and brown, and what little leaves they had were in tatters--and I'd like to think that wasn't all because of Starlee eating them--I did at least attempt to move them out of her reach. Anyway, I immediately assumed failure. Which didn't sit well.

I could think about absolutely nothing else. I started obsessively worrying about the condition of my houseplants. Researching on the internet, adjusting their placement around the house, asking people for advice, calling and texting my mom--sometimes more than once a day. I spent literally hours wondering if I should water them more, water them less, fertilize? Constantly agonizing--what was I doing wrong?

As it turns out, I wasn't doing anything wrong. What I was doing really, really well was exerting every single ounce of energy I had lying around to taking control. Of something. Anything, really. Because this is the most out of control I've been, over huge life/future things...soon, no more school, no job, no idea where I'll be living for the next few years at least, while Kaylee is off all over the country visiting schools making the biggest decision of her life thus far. And there I was grasping at straws, desperately trying to make my silly plants just grow--that's all I wanted. Because that's all I could do. Until she visited everywhere, and we talked, weighed options, and made a decision together, all I could really justify worrying about were my plants.

Now, I'm starting to regain control. I brought my plants to my grandma's house for a little TLC over Easter weekend, and things are actually looking much better. They are green, leafy, and (on the road to) flourishing. I got lots of helpful advice from all the plant-growers in my family. And, I now know where I'm going to be living next year. (Well, what city, at least). I still can't really believe how my anxiety manifested itself, but at least it wasn't too unhealthy. And it's getting better now--I probably spend less than an hour a day worrying about my plants! Because they look awesome now. Just like my future.

tattoos

2010-04-07T22:59:00.005-04:00

This was my submission for CofC NOW's Look Book, our activism project compiling people's stories about their bodies. Available soon at a (yet to be determined) location near you!

I got my first one when I was eighteen, and it literally shocked my mother into silence. She stopped speaking to me for several days. Not all reactions have been quite as strong since then. They usually garner some concerned looks, a variety of complements, frequent questions—what does that one mean?

Each one tells a story. There’s the lotus on my back that I got in my hometown, surrounded by women who love me, to represent the rebirth I felt when I came out. The equal sign on my wrist from Seattle, with new friends. The radish from Portland, Oregon, reminding me that change should be radical, always beginning at the roots. And of course, the fateful four-leaf clover on my foot that may once have expressed teenage rebellion but now reminds me how lucky I am to have the countless good things in my life I do—including a concerned mother and a family that cares about me as much as mine does.

They represent what is important to me—important enough to permanently attach to myself—and they let me speak my mind without ever having to open my mouth. My tattoos represent me taking a stand about what goes on my body. No one can decide that but me.
Most days I love them. I’m glad they’re there, showcasing my ideals to the world even when I don’t feel like talking. More than anything, I like that they show everyone I have the ability to make my own, life-changing decisions for myself. Yep, I did it, I don’t regret it, and I’m not looking back.

Occasionally the thought passes my mind that maybe getting these tattoos was a bit of a rash decision—what about when I get old and saggy? But thoughts like that are fleeting and always overshadowed by the fact that I made that rash decision myself. It’s empowering.
In a world that’s constantly trying to make me feel like I am utterly incapable of that, that I’m better off with other people making my decisions for me—about my body, who I should love, what I should say, how I should act—it’s a reminder that I need. My tattoos are my autonomy, evidenced right there on my body—for me.

Photo credit to Wesley Laudeman, photog extraordinare.

what i saw in oregon (before i got pneumonia)

2010-03-12T20:26:00.002-05:00

moving

2010-02-24T01:19:00.008-05:00

My most recent Etsy purchase is evidence of me attempting to take the fast-approaching New Stage Of My Life head-on. I'll soon(er than I'd like) be moving away from my house, my school, my friends... most likely very, very far away from all of them. I'm contemplating new cultures and communities, and trying to decide how much I really need to care about changes in climate, cost of living, and (stereotypical) general disposition of the people I'll be interacting with on a daily basis.

I think because I'm not going to this new place with a particular purpose already laid out for me--no job, spot in a grad school, geographical calling--I'm thinking about the nuts and bolts stuff a lot more. What's will transportation be like? Is there an activist community? How will we arrange our furniture in our new place? Will we even be able to find a new place we like? Where do the gay people hang out? Is there an Ikea nearby? Will I be able to ride my bike? Do yoga (affordably) anywhere? Will the move make Starlee go crazy? Am I still capable of "making friends"? Theses are things I think about, often with about a million others, in rapid succession, while I attempt to fall asleep at night.

To give an idea of just how little I can actually compare the places I could possibly be living next year, here are the places that have offered Kaylee admission and $$:

University of Arizona (Tucson)
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)
UNC Chapel Hill
Syracuse University (NY)
University of Washington (Seattle)
UCLA

University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT)

But wherever I end up, I know that there will be at least one person who loves me there, and I'll have a book full of the rest of them only a letter, phone call, or email away. That's a nice feeling.

i heart activism

2010-02-24T01:02:00.004-05:00

Welcome to another edition of: I thought of blogging about this week(s) ago when it was actually relevant, but just now getting around to doing it and so it's a little outdated but maybe I can still make it worth something. How long ago? Think Superbowl. Maaaybe there are a few of you out there who still haven't seen these...

First, watch this:

Gross, vom, ack.

Then, watch this:

Yay! Take that.

I like this combo because a) it shows the relentless exploitation of gender stereotypes for capitalist gain, and b) how even that can be co-opted by activists. To make a pretty awesome statement, I might add. The turnaround on this was practically immediate--I think the response was posted the day after the ad aired (during the Superbowl) and the message is pretty obvious. I've been thinking a lot lately about what makes good activism, since I find myself surrounded by it--tons of different kinds of it--and those are two things that I think are totally necessary: timeliness and accessibility. So, mackenziefegan, you hit the nail right on the head as far as I'm concerned.

wtf, whole foods

2010-02-03T17:33:00.005-05:00

So I'm a few days behind on this, but I just found out that Whole Foods is starting this awesome new incentive program for their employees where lower BMI = bigger discount. You can read about it here. What. The. Fuck. I am beyond grossed out, and and angry, for the thousandth time, at Whole Foods and everywhere else that encourages "healthiness" being judged by weight.

However this one awful thing does remind me of one awesome thing that CofC NOW is doing this year. We are venturing in to body image issue land and creating the Look Book, a book of stories and artwork from CofC and Charleston community members dealing with their bodies--in whatever way speaks to them. We're basing the idea on another school, which printed a book featuring people's stories of their triumphs and struggles with their bodies next to photographs of them, many nude, being totally comfortable in their own skin.

We figured this would be an awesome way to give an aesthetically pleasing fuck you to all the people/institutions who constantly tell us we need to look a certain way to be beautiful. Not to mention some reassurance for everyone out there who told us, as we tried to get them to just say one thing that they loved about their body for NOW's celebration of Love Your Body Day, that they hated their bodies. And for all those people who never say anything at all.

Art, activism...and of course there's gonna be a party. We're going to start looking for submissions soon after the Vagina Monologues are over, so keep your eyes peeled!

miranda july love.

2010-01-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

The Hallway from The Hallway on Vimeo.

power of positivity

2010-01-13T10:58:00.004-05:00

With all of the uncertainty that is permeating my life as of late, now that my somewhat unplanned Future is so quickly approaching, I am deeming this year the year of positive thinking. This way, as I apply for graduation, finish my last semester of college, agonize over white dresses, and ponder the possibilities of, you know, The Rest of My Life, I can at least stay in control of something, even if it is just my thoughts. And I'm kicking off this resolution, if you will, with this awesome Etsy print from the small object.

Doesn't hurt to have a reminder, right? Especially when it's so aesthetically appealing. Attitude is everything!

desk dreams

2010-01-08T21:27:00.014-05:00

So, it's freezing cold here in Mississippi. And Jackson is, for all intents and purposes, a pretty boring place. (No offense Jackson, but I have seen a lot and haven't really been that impressed. Not that it's really your fault. Although those bellydancers at the Mediterranean place we went for dinner tonight were quite interesting.) But, being in the archives has been infinitely cool to say the least, and it's got me thinking about research. Research=lots of desk work. And in my currently design-obsessed mind, I've been dreaming about desk spaces that are functional, beautiful, would make hours sitting at a desk aesthetically pleasing.

I love, love, love the cool colors in this one.

Ooh, enclave..

This is just nice and lived in. Can't go wrong with natural light.

Real life inspiration: Eudora Welty's desk that I saw when I visited her house yesterday! Lovely view, huge windows, beautiful typewriter. It's actually in her bedroom, which goes against all those rules about keeping work away from where you sleep, and makes me feel better about me having my desk in my room. Clearly there will also be Pulitzers in my future.

southern gothic

2010-01-04T16:37:00.005-05:00

Wednesday I leave on a research trip to Jackson, MS, to go to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to study some of Eudora Welty's letters. She's a Southern writer I really love, and I'm pretty excited about studying her more. Yesterday, I read this lovely review of folk singer Caroline Herring, who I also love, and who is also from Mississippi. The review talks about how her songs tell "Gothic tales of the Modern South," so I thought of Welty's stories, which are among the best of the Southern Gothic. And then I read that Herring's album is called Golden Apples of the Sun, alluding to (uninteresting) a Yeats poem and the myth of Atalanta, as well as (interesting!) one of Welty's most popular short story series, The Golden Apples. Love those Southern connections! Perhaps I will listen to Caroline Herring while I read Eudora Welty on the (10 hour, eek) drive to their homeland.

this semester from my cell phone

2009-12-09T15:35:00.006-05:00

I pretty much never remember that I have a camera in my cell phone. As a result, I have a pretty random assortment of photos in there at any given time, based on not only what I think is photo-worthy but the rare occasion when I remember that I can take pictures with my phone! Shocking modern technology. To illustrate, here is a photo essay of this past semester via my cell phone.

Spent a lot of time here, doing this..

Being jealous of people like Dustin and kitty, doing this.

Hung out with these ladies a lot.

Kitty got a sweater for my birthday!

The sappiest moment of my semester: Kaylee decorated our wall with post its of reasons why I am great and she loves me and things like that. (An extensive apology for something she was obviously in very big trouble for..)

And finally, merry Christmas from kitty, who loves to lounge near our Charleston-inspired Christmas tree.

The end. A lovely fall semester, indeed!

cultural narratives

2009-12-09T14:47:00.012-05:00

This post on Feministing reminded me what I've been doing for the past several months--identifying cultural narratives and the problems they cause for real people. Cultural narratives are basically just the "stories" a culture tells about particular stereotypes, making it seem like they are really just "how people are." I've been doing it for the catfight in my bachelor's essay--in a nutshell, the proliferation of images of catfights (which are problematic unto themselves) creates a limited framework to view women's competition. The narrative gets mapped onto real people, fueling widespread beliefs like: put a bunch of girls together, and all you'll get is drama drama drama! Women are horrible to each other! And the like. I think the victim-blaming shit in this article is a similar situation.

Studies like this one only exist because there is a cultural narrative of women lying about being raped or sexually assaulted. The excerpt cited on the post pretty much sums it up:

A study of more than 200 students revealed many wrongly blamed the effects of a 'bad night out' on date-rape drugs, when they had just drunk excessively.

In a world that valued women and their autonomy, what would prompt this study? They can't possibly have been drugged, they just drink too much! And they're sluts, so of course they're going to have a 'bad night out'! Which means what, exactly, by the way?

Okay, maybe I editorialized a bit too much there. But it really is just crazy. And its studies like this, reported in mainstream media outlets, where people will likely just read headlines and file it in the "info why women themselves can be blamed for all instances of women's sexual assault," furthering this victim-blaming narrative. AND this article takes it even further, pathologizing young women who drink! As Mr. Man Researcher writes, "Young women appear to be displacing their anxieties about the consequences of consuming what is in the bottle on to rumours of what could be put there by someone else." Come on, the use of date rape drugs is just a rumor?

Maybe my next research project should be about victim blaming. Also, I second Leigh's thoughts about consent. And sorry for the proliferation of fancy words, I'm still in bachelor's essay mode.

blog fantasies

2009-11-19T22:27:00.005-05:00

I feel overwhelmed by my without-a-theme blog. I mean, technically, the theme is me (hence the "rachel" part of the title). But that encompasses so many blogging possibilities that I find myself avoiding choosing, and therefore never writing on this thing. So, I decided, I need a theme for my blog.

If I could, I would have a blog with a different subject for each day of the week. Like, gay stuff on Mondays, feminist stuff on Tuesdays, maybe the arts on Friday nights? And a day for crafts. Saturdays could even be brunch-themed. I could even get way more creative than that.

Or maybe I could do a blog about weddings. Gay weddings, in particular, and the ability for "weddings" to keep heteronormative/gender roles so firmly cemented in our cultural consciousness.

Hell, I could fill a whole blog just writing about heteronormativity.

Or a blog about the South. It's quirks, how it's still so different from "the North," what it's like to be a woman/gay/an activist here. How privilege works in the South. I'm fascinated by North-South dichotomies in the U.S.

Oh, and birth order! I would love to do a blog about birth order.

As I write these fantasy blog ideas, I realize that the reason I have a non-thematic blog is so that I can write about anything I want. And look, I have ideas! I can blog! Clearly, this is a very self-serving post. But for those of you who aren't me, think about it as foreshadowing.

Some day I will do these things. Perhaps all of these things. And many other things. Actual things. On my blog. Maybe not while I'm writing my bachelor's essay. Or while I'm supposed to be writing about a billion other papers that I am clearly avoiding right now. But maybe, just maybe, whenever I successfully integrate actual time management skills into my lifestyle, I will be able to maintain my dream (un-themed) blog. Stay tuned.

2009-08-02T18:22:00.003-04:00

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."

This is one of my most favorite Sylvia Plath passages, appropriately both depressing and contemplative. Perfect for introspective Sunday evenings. I really wish I had brought my copy of The Bell Jar to NYC. I'm missing my Plath almost as my kitty cat.

homesick?

2009-07-29T22:36:00.006-04:00

I never get homesick. Never. I used to pride myself on this fact. My mom would brag to her friends that her kids were never home, and that we never needed to be comforted while we were away. We (my sisters and I) were gone so much that she even began to feel like we didn't want to be around, that we might not have any feelings for our home at all. We used to dream up elaborate vacations to go on, adventures we would have, and as we got older, took advantage of the ability to make some of them realities. I've spent every summer away from home as far back as I can remember, usually by myself. I have very vivid memories of seeing girls even at just week-long sleep away camps needing to be comforted by counselors, their heads rubbed and reassured, "Don't worry, you'll be home soon." And I thought, what's the deal? You spend pretty much all your time at home anyway, why wouldn't you be dying to spend time away? What possibly could there be to miss at home?

But those memories are coming back to me, and find myself kind of wishing I had a counselor of my own these days to rub my head and encourage me to, "Keep going strong! Because the comforts of home are not that far away!" I decided to spend a grand summer away in New York City, working for an incredible organization that aligns perfectly with my ideologies, and I did not think for one second that I would be anything but totally happy in a new environment, with all new people, doing a completely different kind of job than I've ever had before. Seven weeks later, I'm starting to feel the wear.

I shooed away my first homesick thoughts, writing them off as weak, not fulfilling my adventure to the absolute fullest. But, in the spirit of being a person who thinks emotions are very important messages to the self and should be respected, no matter how ridiculously out of place or goofy they may feel at a given time, I gave up and went with it for a while. And yes, I realized, I WAS capable of feeling homesick (shocking), and maybe this wasn't a bad thing.

Thinking about, okay, missing home, has made me realize just how much I value it. Just like when I spent all my time hating Atlanta while I lived there, all I had to do was move away to really appreciate it. Having a similar realization about Charleston has actually been really beneficial, because I hadn't been considering it a real home. But now, away from it, not only do I consider it home, but I'm actually sick for it. And these thoughts have allowed me to meditate on the good of Charleston--the proximity to my friends, the bike navigability, the beautiful springtime, farmer's market, the beach, the relationships I've been able to develop with professors, Art Walks, my jobs, happy hour at Vickery's--while thinking less of just how quickly I can't wait to get out of there. So maybe homesickness isn't a bad thing after all, if it makes you remember all these great things about where you live. I'm definitely not going to stop going on adventures anytime soon, but maybe I won't be so hard on my home next time I'm around there. I mean, if it's worth missing, it can't be that bad, right?

CofC NOW

2009-05-06T17:10:00.002-04:00

This year our chapter of the National Organization for Women has been particularly active, doing lots of fun, activist things. And we got mentioned on the national NOW website! Pretty cool. The picture is from the (wildly successful) Vagina Monologues benefit concert & art show at Andolini's that we put on during V-Day Week back in February. I'm proud!

offerings to Flora

2009-05-01T14:22:00.010-04:00

Happy May Day & International Workers' Day!

I actually was not aware that these two observations went together, but consequently both holidays are applicable to my life these days. First, workers rights have been on my mind a lot lately, because Kaylee has gotten really involved with the campaign to unionize the Charleston Sanitation Workers. She has worked tirelessly (chances are if you've been on campus in the past two weeks, you've seen her) to collect signatures on a petition to provide them with a way to protect their health and safety on the job--an increasingly difficult task in a right-to-work state like South Carolina. But she, and a small group of other really devoted people are trying anyway. Sign the petition on line and help them out, in honor of International Workers' Day!

As for the May Day that I'm more familiar with, the one that marks the beginning of the spring-y months and the end of the winter half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it's an occasion for planting new things and watching them grow! I'm a big fan of the idea of spring as a time for rebirth and new life, and particularly the physical manifestation of this concept in, what else? Planting a new garden!

After my first plants took some pretty bad hits (moving across town, getting lost and/or drowned in the horrible flooding at our new house, a.k.a. the epicenter of Charleston's poor drainage system) I decided I'd give it another go. And May Day seems quite a perfect day to chart my progress.

I love having fresh herbs, and my original herb garden at the Spring St. house did pretty well, until the rats feasted on beloved potted delicacies. Now here's the new herb garden:

There's lemon basil, mint, cilantro, Sicilian oregano, and a big rosemary bush that managed to survive all the tragedies. (Don't mind the underwear hanging to dry in the background; we had to do a little hand-washing of the essentials because not having a washer/dryer is taking a toll on our clean laundry situation.)

We're also trying to grow some veggies this year from seeds, and check out this progress:

Before: these are squash & cucumber seeds and barely-visible okra sprouts.

And after: sprouts going gangbusters after just a few days!
Okra!
Cucumbers!
Even little squash! (Those have been more stubborn.)

Welcome to my back porch, May. Spring is such a lovely time of year, and I'm glad it's finally here after all those teases of winter right up until the last minute.

The Story of Stuff

2009-04-15T18:52:00.003-04:00

One of the most eye-opening presetations I saw at this year's SEWSA conference was this short film called "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. It's less than 20 minutes long, but still one of the most effective demonstrations of the "underside" of our (really incredibly horrendous) production and consumption patterns. It's easy to understand, and it makes it pretty clear where, in the process of [extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal] of our TONS of STUFF, public intervetion is necessary and actually possible. Click on that link at it will take you to the film. Check it out.. it will make even that little bit of consumer therapy seem really, really not worth it.

blog hiatus

2009-04-11T12:45:00.008-04:00

Well, I hope everyone had a great Women's History Month! I can finally look out my window and see green leaves and sun instead of clouds, and bike riding is now less torturous and more sunshiney. I know haven't posted anything on here in quite a long while, but this time I'm not begging for sympathies. It was totally legit! Since my last post I have:

changed my graduation plans
landed a kick ass internship in New York for the summer
successfully presented at SEWSA
cut off and donated all my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths
scored a nanny job for next semester for quite possibly the cutest baby of all time
decided on a topic for my bachelor's essay
got a second interview for another job for next year
saw Ghostland Observatory live
gotten and successfully taken care of my very first pet for almost three months

As for some follow-up details: I will be spending the summer working as a (paid!) dean at the Sadie Nash Leadership Institute, an organization that works with young women ages 14-18 to basically equip them to become feminist leaders. The more I learned about them, and throughout the process of applying and interviewing, the more I realized how great the concept really was. They'll take classes like "Looks-ism," "The Zine Project," "Filmmaking to Make a Difference," and "Power, Identity and Privilege," meet with awesome women leaders from their communities, and participate in really cool workshops about activism and social justice. And the whole time they'll be guided by succesful female role models. I am really excited--not to mention, summer in the city! (Logistics, like what we're doing about rent on the house here in Chas, will be worked out at a later date.)

Also, here is our cat, Starlee (yes, named after Starlee Kine, one of my absolute favorite producers on This American Life--just look at all those awesome episodes she's contributed to!), my first pet and definite favorite so far.

She used to be so, so little, and I got to learn that kittens are perhaps the cutest little things until they get a little bigger and they realize how to climb things. (That time period is quite fleeting.)

Now she is so much bigger, at least three or four times that size, and after less than three months! I love her a ridiculous amount despite the fact that being responsible for another living creature is very nervewracking sometimes.

Once I get past these next few weeks' worth of research papers, presentations, and final projects, I will stop being so self-centered, I promise. Here is a treat to leave you with in the meantime. Imagine this plus a killer light show going on behind him, and you can see what our Ghostland experience was like in Athens. What a great show.

the flu

2009-03-01T15:46:00.005-05:00

This is the last year I don't get a flu shot. I hate shots more than many, many things in the world. It's not like a fear, more of just a general avoid-them-at-all-times tendency. Especially one that could possibly get me a little bit sick now, but for the greater good of me not getting sick later, which probably won't even happen anyway, but just in case. But this year, after having to endure that terrible flu test (and a strep test, that was a throwback), missing four days of classes and literally being confined to my bed for at least two of those days, and feeling the worst I have in a long, long while for the better part of a week, I am making an oath to get a flu shot from now on. I even had to cancel the first part of my spring break trip--of course I had to get deathly ill the week before spring break--but luckily I'll still be able to meet up with my friends in Boston at the end of the week.

Modern medicine, you might have won this time, but don't think this means I'm signing up for regular checkups any time soon.

the joys of activism

2009-02-18T18:13:00.003-05:00

Tonight, I'm going to a letter writing party put on by C of C's chapter of NOW and our new local Planned Parenthood. We're writing letters to SC legislators in protest of the Mandatory 24-Hour Bill that is currently being debated (Bill H.3245). It would make it required that there be a 24 hour delay if a woman receives an ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy. And, obviously, is completely ridiculous. It's medically unnecessary, forces women to make yet another dreaded trip to the clinic they wouldn't have to otherwise, and, like every other abortion restriction on the books, assumes women don't know how to make their own decisions regarding their bodies. So, if you live in South Carolina, protest this bullshit!

And speaking of activism, we found out the numbers for the Vagina Monologues and I'm not going to say anything yet, but we are making a VERY large donation to this year's beneficiary, PAR. So, that's super exciting, and we're going out tonight to celebrate! Nothing like some well-earned drinks for some successful fundraising. Yay vaginas!

obama baked goods

2009-02-17T21:49:00.004-05:00

After reading this story on NPR.com, I starting thinking about the charm of one's face being put on baked goods--especially beyond the typical face-cake. Way better than Sasha and Malia beanie babies, if you ask me. Not to mention a great way to get a sap-free Valentine's Day sugar rush. I hope one day my face is worthy enough to be reproduced entirely of cupcakes. Or at least on a cookie. We Americans are just so creative when it comes to food!

back to regular life

2009-02-16T23:25:00.002-05:00

Now that the Vagina Monologues are over--after months of planning, a week of events, three mornings of tabling, a true test of my ability to handle stress in the pre-show preparations, and two wildly successful shows performed this weekend, if I do say so myself--I feel like I can finally get back to everything that was put on the back burner in favor of V-Day business. For the past few weeks, pretty much everything I normally do/could be doing was conveniently replaced with a myriad of activities (ordering T-shirts or chocolate vagina lollipops, hanging posters, designing programs, organizing volunteers, etc., etc.--the list could seriously go on so far you would get ridiculously bored). So now I can:

---get caught up on quite a bit of schoolwork that wasn't ignored per say, just put on reserve in the back of my mind.

---start planning for SEWSA, which Kaylee and I got a paper accepted into called, "Heather has Two Mommies and Other Children's Books: Queer(y)ing the Natural Family Unit." This will be my first time presenting at an academic conference, and I'm really excited to say the least. A couple of other major pluses: the conference is being held at Appalachian State in Boone, NC, this year's theme is "Ecology of Feminism and Feminism of Ecology," which among other things means delicious gourmet all-natural food, and our good friend Taylor will be there!

---plan our spring break trip! Some friends and I decided to venture to Boston (never been) and New York City (can't wait to go back) over the break, and really, there's nothing better than a good road trip, even if it is up north in the first week of March (chilly).

---get into some actual work on determining my Bachelor's Essay topic. Some (very general) ideas I'm exploring are: intersectionality in various forms of women's writing, feminist blogging/some sort of exploration of feminism on the internet, violence & sexuality (a la Jane Sexes it Up), or postfeminism in some form. Clearly I have a lot of narrowing to do, but I finally feel ready to dig in.

---get ready for my mom's visit to Charleston this weekend! I don't often get to play tour guide to Charleston visitors, but I really like doing it. I'm looking forward to taking my mom to some of my favorite spots here, and maybe even trying out a few I've been waiting for an occasion for.

And I hope everyone managed to have a lovely Valentine's Day weekend! Kaylee and I had brunch Saturday at The Glass Onion in West Ashley, and I would highly recommend it--they use all local and organic ingredients to put a new spin on southern comfort food with oh-my-goodness, really incredible results. Definitely going back there.

Here's my favorite thing right now. Three cheers for the return of Lily Allen--finally!!

change. no, but really.

2009-01-26T18:41:00.004-05:00

So Obama, who is hastily in the process of closing Guantanamo Bay, also just revoked the Global Gag Rule! I didn't even know this rule existed until I went to D.C. with WGS a while back and met with some organizations that were actually affected by it--and politicians who didn't seem to give a shit about the ridiculous rule, which says any organization receiving U.S. family-planning funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development can't offer abortions or abortion counseling.

Despite it being somewhat old news to the rest of the world with regular access to the internet in their homes, that was super exciting for me to read on Feministing. As was this statement released last Thursday:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release January 22, 2009

Statement of President Obama on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.

While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.

THE WHITE HOUSE, January 22, 2009.

Also, we had quite an interesting abortion dicussion/debate in what is quickly becoming the best class I have taken in college, "Grrrls Gone Wild: Third Wave Feminism." Here's an interesting ACLU video that a smart girl made reference to from last year's Roe v. Wade anniversary.

back in the game

2009-01-19T17:55:00.004-05:00

In an effort to take at least no longer than a month between blog entries, here I am with stream of consciousness and a state of the union of sorts.

In between missing my friends who are currently scattered throughout the country and world, wishing my new apartment had central heat, and trying to spearhead a successful 2009 production of the Vagina Monologues, I've started my second to last semester to college. It's weird saying that, but at the same time it feels right. I met with Alison on Friday to talk bachelor's essay topics, and although it was intimidating of course, it felt good to finally be scratching the surface of this huge undertaking that I've been warned about since applying to the Honors College. Luckily I was reassured that no, I shouldn't have a topic, plan, or really any sort of indication of what I want to write about like I originally thought.

In other news, I am sick of being regarded as a "lady" everywhere I go. It seems like so many people lately have awkwardly referred to Kaylee and I as "ladies"--obviously for lack of a better word to mask their discomfort in encountering a real, live same sex couple in the painfully heterosexual south. Being in New York over New Year's was really a breath of fresh air as far as not having to be reminded practically every second spent in public of the pervasive heteronormativity of the world we inhabit. Charleston is great and all, but living here is really putting into perspective how much the geographical location of wherever I end up next really matters to me--if for no other reason than I don't want to feel weird anymore. San Francisco, anyone?

And finally, a very happy MLK and pre-Inauguration Day to all. Both very exciting, because 1) there was a parade today in our neighborhood, which is by far my favorite way to celebrate any holiday, and 2) tomorrow Barack Obama can officially save the world! Well, I mean, probably. Say hi to him for me, Leigh and Sophia!

i'm going to miss my best friend.

2008-12-20T00:09:00.020-05:00

so, it's holiday time, and for the past eh, four days or so, i've been grossly ill. i haven't been able to kiss anyone, share beverages, or, tragically, make the rounds to say goodbye upon leaving charleston. this is a particular travesty this year, because miss leigh dekle will be leaving me for a prestigious washington, d.c. internship for the entirety of next semester, and while i could not be more happy for her, i am going to miss her ungodly amounts. so, in a weak attempt to make up for my lack of a goodbye, i am going to begin mourning her absence now (in true leigh fashion, i'd like to think) with a celebration in her honor.

i call it: why i love leigh. (besides the fact that she's lovely.)

here exists the first documented picture of leigh and i. as you can tell, we are classy, cute, and lovely people flock to us to be our friends. those are just some of the reasons i love leigh.

i love leigh because she lived in rutledge freshman year and she still managed to become my friend. though she was elusive to us then, she stuck around, and i admired her for doing so. and, all the days when she did show up on our buist hallways were joyful with her appearance!

i also love leigh because she makes a really great beach-going partner. and check out that hot bod! she's a good one to have around.

i also love leigh because she always has something smart to say. we pretty much agree on everything, so obviously all her ideas are right. okay, kidding, but really, she does have really good ideas. and so do i. and we talk about them really, really well.

i love leigh because i am sure we are going to write a book together someday. and it's going to be good.

i love leigh because she is a great traveling partner. she is also a women's and gender studies minor, which i would venture to say, both brought us closer together, and now we can both say we are practicing cultured feminists. look at us being cultured feminists here--all the way in d.c.!
that's us in chinatown. and did you notice our hip fashions? that's another reason why i love leigh. she is, hands-down, the most fashionable person i know. but she is fashionable in an interesting way. colorful. fun to look at. not lame at all. here are some of my favorite leigh outfits. she uses pink so well.

leigh is also a great costumer, which i admire in a friend. she has worn the pink wig, the medusa snakes, the sequins...with utmost creativity, and danced in them so well, to boot. that's another reason why i love leigh. she is definitely my favorite dance partner. she is always dancing, which is a most pleasant aspect of her disposition, and despite her usual lovable clumsiness and general unawareness of her body, she dances with such grace!

i love leigh because she has a great boyfriend, and she cares so much about him, and they are cute to watch together. (they also like to indulge in bruegger's together, so it makes me feel less guilty about doing that with my significant other.)

i love leigh because she watches 60 minutes. and she got me to watch 60 minutes. and now we watch 60 minutes together. also one day we spent an entire saturday afternoon (or was it sunday?) watching romantic comedies, including sleepless in seattle, instead of doing our homework. leigh is great to do things with besides doing homework.

i love leigh because she knows ALL of the political pundits, on msnbc, cnn, AND fox news. she is incredibly politically informed, and i think she would make a good pundit herself, although she is far too sophisticated and fashionable to be one.

and finally, i love leigh because she never judges me for indulging in the sweets. not only that, but they are an integral part of our friendship. and she just gets so excited about them!

exhibits (a and b). pure cake excitement.

so, dear leigh, i am going to miss you a lot while you are away, changing the world and honing your networking skills and increasing your political knowledge. i could go on and on about how great you are, but i'll save the shmoozing for when i next see you in january, when we can properly mourn the loss of each other's presences for the next few months. over cake.

the triumphant arrival of fall

2008-10-21T23:11:00.003-04:00

It's been far too many days since my last post, but I must say my absence has been well spent.

Fall is here, and that means many wonderful things. Namely, the month of October, which is going very well so far if I might say. Here are some highlights.

--I took a great trip back to Marietta for fall break and visited my family, got to see my sister in her two-time National Champion high school marching band (yeah, I went to Lassiter. Our band is kind of a big deal.), and had delicious homemade food. I also spent a lovely day with my mom, who took the day off of work to do many exciting things like get my hair cut, stock me up on bulk groceries at B.J.'s (always a special trip into Americana), take me to the eye doctor, and plant flowers with me (which made the journey all the way back to Charleston and are now making my porch look absolutely beautiful).

--But before that, I stopped in Athens for an exciting adventure of catch-up with my high school friends, most of whom go to UGA and like football now. We dressed up like Mario Kart characters for a party, went to see Rocky Horror, ate delicious food (thematic of my vacations), watched football, and I even got to go out on the town with some lovely ladies.

--Kaylee came home and she brought me lots of presents from Central America!

--Then she took me to the pumpkin patch and October was officially underway. The pumpkin patch holds a special place in my heart both because it reminds me of fabulous birthday parties I had (because my birthday is so close to Halloween--man, this month really is incredible) and went to at our local patch as a youth, and it is absolutely chock-full of my favorite fall things: pumpkins (duh), scarecrows, hayrides, crisp, sunny weather, and farm animals. Oh, and, on this particular trip, Jay Clifford (not performing, just sighted). Legare Farms on John's Island certainly wasn't any Burt's, but I guess I'll just have to save that for my next trip to north Georgia. And hey, pumpkins are always better than no pumpkins. We carved them tonight and now they are sitting on our mantel in hopes that they do not rot before October 31st.

And, last but not least:

--I will be 21 on Friday.

I promise my next post will be less self-indulgent and more worldly and politically aware.

Ketner v. Brown, round 2

2008-10-09T11:35:00.003-04:00

Linda Ketner faced Henry Brown again last night in a debate at the local news station in Myrtle Beach. I thought she did a great job, but watch it for yourself here.

There's also an article about the debate in the Post & Courier today. Check that out here, and then you can vote in the poll to see who won the debate. If you want to see a real shit show, click show comments at the bottom of the article and see just how intelligent and informed the loudmouthed portion of the SC-1 constituent base really is. I'm always amazed at the sheer audacity of people protected by an anonymous internet identity.

self-centered Americans: dangerously typical

2008-10-08T15:44:00.003-04:00

This article, about a woman who was raped in plain sight of workers at a subway platform in New York in 2005 who is now suing the shit out of MTA (via Feministing), reminds me a lot of the story a few months back about the woman who died in a hospital waiting room while patients, nurses, and doctors stood by.

Obviously, this sickens me, but it makes me wonder on a more serious level just how far the culture of self-centered ignorance (oh, it's not about me, so I'm not going to bother with it) has gone in American society? Are we so concerned with only ourselves that even watching a woman getting raped, will not prompt a shout of "Hey!" or "Stop!" or even a phone call to proper authorities, god forbid, if confrontation really isn't your cup of tea? There is a "difference between minding your own business" (which has become quite the mantra between American strangers, never mind how this idea applies to every aspect of the lives of celebrities and controversial figures) and just doing what is right.

I realize that having a sort of moral compass in today's society has been taken over with implications from the religious right, not to mention how loaded the term "morality" is right now. And the sense of what may or may not make a "good person"--whatever that might mean--is equally loaded. But do you really have to be moral to say hey, that woman on the floor that has been having seizures for the past 45 minutes in the waiting room might not be doing too well, maybe I should tell someone, or hey, that chick looks like she is getting raped, what's up with that?

I also understand that there are a ton of other factors involved with both of these specific scenarios (and I recognize these are just two extremes of many, many such incidents), such as the state of the American healthcare system, that makes it so that someone would have to sit in a waiting room for 24+ hours before recieving care. And victim blaming when it comes to women who are raped. And deep seated racism and sexism when it comes to both of these situations. But really, what I'm really wondering, is what has to happen for people to get their heads out of their asses? When will we stop reassuring ourselves that, if we don't do anything, "someone else will" or, even better, "if no one else is doing anything, why should I?" Or, the particularly entitled American response, "that's not part of my job."

Of course lawsuits are great, after the fact. Suing someone for essentially just being irresponsible to a fellow human does not prevent rape or change the fact that people die without anyone taking a second glance. And I know it's idealistic to think that people should help other people; that's certainly not all there is to it. But people are getting raped and dying and there is something that can be done--in this case, something that anyone could have done without any training, just a voice.

gratuitous charleston weather post

2008-10-06T19:22:00.000-04:00

Today was one of those days that makes me 1)- very happy to live in Charleston, and 2)- even happier that it is now October, the month of all months, in my opinion. It means "fall" is finally here, which, in Charleston, means "crisp" temperatures in the upper seventies and sunny skies without a cloud in sight.

Despite it being Monday, trash day (always makes for an unpleasant bike ride to school...really, the whole city has to put their trash out on one day?), and still not my birthday yet (that would be October 24, start your countdown engines), I was still able to enjoy a little self reflection and a lovely view on my porch this afternoon.

my favorite skirt!

2008-10-06T00:07:00.000-04:00

This morning Leigh brought home the October issue of skirt! and I had a lovely time perusing it. I was very excited to see Ms. Linda Ketner gracing the mag's fine pages (see? I told you all the hip people in Charleston know and love her.) and I loved the F-word centerfold.

I love skirt!, and not just because I interned there this summer--though I could go on and on about what a great experience that was. The magazine continues to impress me with every issue because it makes feminism digestible. Even more--it makes it fashionable and fabulous. I have yet to see a magazine that caters better to its readership. They are women--the mostly white, upper-middle-class, often Conservative women of Charleston--great women, but women who care about looking good while they're making as much money as the man sitting next to them. They don't want to be looked down upon for being stay-at-home moms. They are feminists, but would probably never admit it until they picked up an issue of skirt! and saw women just like them all over the pages and read essays that actually appealed to them and saw that it is okay to lust after shoes and still think that the existence of the glass ceiling blows.

I'll admit that I'm usually more of a fan of the dirtier, hairy armpits, loud, Bitch magazine feminism that isn't afraid to get in your face about the misogyny of Judd Apatow, but I like skirt!, too. I'm more for the "brava, brava" and "it's a shame" moments that note triumphs and setbacks for women around the world rather than most of the product pages, but I can honestly say I enjoy it. And I enjoyed every second I worked in the all-female office, surrounded by successful ladies who made it their business to be fabulous feminists. And that's pretty damn impressive for a magazine to appeal to the biggest shoe fanatic and the biggest advocate for reproductive rights at the same time. And--even more--it says hey, why not be both? Women are women. And that's a hugely important message to be sending to people who think that there isn't really a need for feminism in the world right now.

In other news, this crazy lady that has been cavorting all over Central America for the past month and a half is coming home next week... and hopefully she left those socks in Guatemala.

good news, bad news

2008-10-02T10:16:00.000-04:00

As predicted, Linda did an amazing job in the debate last night. She had to put up with a lot of condescension and accusations from Henry Brown, but she definitely solidified her place as the fresh face--and fresh ideas--that SC-1 needs right now. ETV has the debate online if you weren't watching last night at a very enthusiastic watch party like I was.

As far as the bad news, Leigh's post yesterday of yet another crappy interview with an uninformed Sarah Palin speaks for itself. Yes, I am frightened for the future of this country if she finds her way anywhere near the White House, but I am very confident Biden is going to put her in her place tonight at the VP debate.

change the world: put great women in office

2008-10-01T14:10:00.000-04:00

Earlier this semester, a nice young man on campus asked me if I'd like more information on Linda Ketner, a woman who is running for Congress in South Carolina's District 1. "Of course!" was my response, naturally. Not only was I already huge fan of Linda (like most hip, politically aware District 1 folks), I found out this summer that I had been selected as a Ketner Women's Leadership Scholar for activist work in women's and LGBT rights. So of course I would support her--how could I not, knowing that she was actually supporting issues that I worked so hard to get out there, and that I still think need to be represented even more with what's going on today. I signed up for the mailing list, agreed to volunteer, and ended up getting an internship with Ketner for Congress. I'm quickly finding out what a great decision that was; it feels great playing a role in electing an incredible woman to office--who will actually do stuff!

I don't really think that anything can be done in Washington without the right people in office, and, looking at current demographics of political officeholders nationwide, the right people aren't there. Lots of old, white men cannot possibly represent the diversity of the United States accurately, and case in point is Linda's opponent, Republican incumbent Henry Brown. Calling himself a "Republican workhorse," Brown actually has a rating of 7 (out of 100) for Congressional effectiveness, and his attendance record is frighteningly low. He's been in Congress since 2000, and, looking at his voting record on everything from the war to environmental issues (not to mention the 20 acres of national forest land that he burned, and followed up with a four-year fight with federal employees that cost the government $100,000), it is clearly time for a change.

And Linda is ready to bring it. Not only is she a dynamic woman who I can see making waves in Congress (she's already made huge ones just getting her name out in Charleston and throughout District 1), she has amazing plans for the economy, education in South Carolina, and alternative energy, just to start. If you look at her issues pages on her website, you'll probably get just as pumped as I am and want to get her all the way to D.C.

But don't take my word for it--watch her tonight! She's debating (and will most likely kick the ass of) Henry Brown tonight at 7pm on ETV for people in South Carolina, or online at myetv.org, or on C-SPAN.

Watch her, and you'll get what I'm talking about. And, come on, would I really waste my time working for someone who isn't worth it?

still changing

2008-09-28T21:06:00.001-04:00

So, summer has come and gone, and now that fall has arrived, changes are underfoot. The most important, of course, being the regular blog presence that Leigh and I will now be holding ourselves to. As roommates, we will be able to keep ourselves in check on getting our ideas out into the world. And, honestly, we talk about great things, so if our posts are even half as interesting as our day-to-day conversations, you will no doubt be entertained--and even informed (on our better days).

Here's to many great days of blogging ahead!

Back in the U.S.

2007-12-24T06:08:00.000-05:00

Despite snow and winds in Chicago, I managed to make it to Atlanta safely and without delay last night. I had about enough energy to eat dinner and promptly went to bed around 7:30pm.

A debriefing is definitely in order. Stay tuned for more pictures and some last thoughts on Vietnam...

For now, happy holidays to everyone, and enjoy your time off!

Another appearance by Sophia (From Dec. 19)

2007-12-24T06:07:00.001-05:00

December 19, 2007

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

It’s Sophia again. I thought I would make another guest appearance on Rachel’s Blog before we leave Hue. The Hoang Long Hotel here in Hue has become our home in Viet Nam and it will be sad to leave. I will especially miss the sound of the children going to the school next door in the morning. I will not miss the fact that they go to school at 6am and seem to always have recess when we actually have time for a nap!

Reflecting on our time here in Hue is a daunting task. We have experienced so much. After our first experience with the villages on the 16^th I was left feeling overwhelmed. The amount of need we witnessed coupled with the frustrating limits the government was placing on our work made it easy to feel useless. But now that we have been back to the villages on two other occasions and have been to the orphanage two more times I am filled with hope. Don’t misunderstand me; the need is still there. And I am not saying in the last three days we have successfully solved all the problems in Hue. The hope I feel comes from seeing the lives of those we have touched and envisioning the possibilities of further serving the people of Viet Nam.

Today we gave rice, noodles, eggs and milk to 20 families. After waiting for the delivery truck to arrive we started our assembly line. It was so much more chaotic today because we drew lots of attention from school children and local villagers. After distributing the goods we split into two groups and visited the homes of the families we gave aid to. I thought it would be another day of sadness but today I looked passed the suffering and saw the people. I think we often place people into neat little boxes that make sense to us. I had placed the villagers into the victim box. Victims of the flood, victims of their government, victims of society. But they are so much more. They are mothers and fathers. They laugh they cry. They have inside jokes and enjoy beauty. The people in the village also play a role in their own cycle of poverty. We asked if many of the families if their children were in school and usually the answer was no. From what we have learned they don’t value education and fail to fight for a better future for the children. We heard from a woman who although she couldn’t feed her one child, had a child with a stranger because she wanted a son. This knowledge may seem depressing in itself but there is another way of looking at it. Mother nature and the system of government are hard to change. Showing the importance of education and family planning is a much more attainable goal. If we can provide food, shelter and an opportunity to make money then the Vietnamese will have more time and resources to devote to bettering their children’s futures. The mothers we meet today are not victims; they are fighters. I am hopeful that things can change.

Even more encouraging is the story of the Duc Son orphanage. In just three visits I have come to love Duc Son. There are so many things to say about the children and nuns of the orphanage. I think what strikes me the most is the amount of joy and love inside the walls of Duc Son. Even though these 198 children each have there own sad story they are filled with such happiness. The nuns at the orphanage truly love each child unconditionally. They hug them, kiss them, toss them in the air, and fix their hair in pretty pig tails. They provide a loving home to those developmentally disabled children who have been ostracized from society. The orphanage desperately needs a new location. When the rainy season comes, flooding devastates them. The orphanage has acquired land on higher ground and volunteer labor. All they need is the money for the building and Think About the Children wants to focus their energy on raising the needed funds. There is hope in this new building. The Duc Son can be a safe dry place with the resources to give the children the opportunities they deserve. In turn the children will be inspired to effect change in their community. Saying goodbye to Duc Son today was hard, but I know that I will be working to support them from the states.

Lead with your heart.

2007-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

We traveled from Hue to Hoi An yesterday by bus. It was said to say goodbye to such a great city. We met so many great people and learned so much. It took about three hours to get here. On the way we passed through Da Nang, the third largest city in Vietnam, and it was crazy. There were so many cars everywhere; it was really weird to see, especially compared to the motorbike and bicycle-clogged roads of Hue (and now Hoi An as well, which is even smaller). We got to see so much of the Vietnamese mountains and countryside along the way. It was so beautiful...everything is lush and green, but the shacks along the roadside remind us of just what country we are in.

Only two other girls and I decided to go on to Hoi An yesterday. The rest of the group went on a tour of the DMZ. I couldn't stand the thought of 13 hours on a bus (not when I have to get on a plane for another 16+ hours in just a few days!). And especially when there is so much to do in Hoi An. Sophia went on the DMZ tour, though, so she'll probably have lots to say about that when she gets back--miss history major has been looking forward to that trip ever since we found out we were going to Vietnam! I can't wait to hear her talk about it.

Yesterday we explored Hoi An by bike as soon as we got here. It was absolutely wonderful to be back on a bike again! I really miss riding my bike. Although the motorbikes were tempting to rent instead...but Hoi An is smaller and bikes are just easier to deal with here. This city is a lot more touristy, because it is right by the beach. Sometimes I see more white people than Vietnamese. There are a lot of resorts by the beach, some of which look very pricey. Hoi An is also a city known for its shopping. In particular, you can get any article of clothing, even shoes, made exactly to fit your body. They have some really beautiful stuff here. But the shops are EVERYWHERE! Every time we walk somewhere we are bombarded with "you stop in my store please? You buy something?" At least the people are friendly.

This morning I did yoga as the sun rose over the roof of our hotel. Eva, one of the C of C grads who is staying over here for a while working with Think About the Children, studied in Bali and is an accomplished yoga practicer--she showed me a few positions. It was the most wonderful way I could ever imagine waking up on what turned out to be an incredibly gorgeous day. We ate breakfast across the street (fresh mango with sweet yogurt...delicious) and then went for a little walk through just a few shops. But around noon we hopped back on our bikes and headed for the beach. We swam in the South China Sea, and it was so awesome! The water was perfect, and there were these incredible mountains just a little ways out on the horizon in the ocean. That's where all the resorts are, and now I can see why.

We stopped at a little outdoor cafe on the river on the way home. The sunset over the river could not have been more gorgeous. When we got back to the hotel, we decided to eat dinner at a restaraunt near the market that supports Blue Dragon, a charity that Think About the Children works closely with. Blue Dragon also supports the education and rehabilitation of Vietnamese children, specifically those who have been trafficked. I had Vietnamese eggplant, and it was probably the best meal I've had yet (which is saying a lot...I've had a ton of good stuff--we can hardly stop eating around here!).

The other girls should be getting back a little bit later tonight; they have a long bus ride from Hue still to go after their tour. Then tomorrow we'll take a bus to Da Nang, where we'll fly out of to go to Ho Chi Minh City. I can't believe it's already time to go. If I'm not at the airport on the 23rd, don't be surprised--I've just had a little change of plans and decided to move to Vietnam.

Hope everyone back home is doing well!

Dec. 18 - more aid to villages

2007-12-18T03:50:00.000-05:00

Today we woke up early and went outside of the city again. We had planned to visit three different villages over the next three days delivering food and supplies ourselves, but the government of course had different ideas. Another eye-opening thing about being here is witnessing a different kind of government in action. They want to help their people, but if it is coming from anywhere other than their own country, they are very wary. And understandably so. But it is this thoroughness in checking out everything that comes into the country that has made a lot of our plans different than what we thought they would be. Rather than delivering the food ourselves, we had to have the food delivered to a government building and the people from the villages who would be receiving the food had to come there on their own. Then, while the government officials stood by, we handed out food to the 20 families that had been approved to receive. Families that had anywhere from 4 to 7 children got 3 packages of cheese, 2 boxes of powdered milk, 1 dozen eggs, and a kilo of rice. That food will feed most of them for over a month. It's great that we provided them with those supplies, but it makes me wonder what will happen once we leave? They get a lot of charity, and of course they make some money for themselves, but I wish there was a way we could help provide them with something more sustainable, so that it's not just us handing them food whenever we come to help them.

After the government oversaw us handing out the food to the families, we then got on the bus and went to the villages to visit a few of the families who received aid. (The villagers, however, had to strap the bags of rice and supplies to their bikes and motorcycles and carry them back to their homes themselves. Doesn't make much sense, but we have to comply with the government or else we can't provide any help at all.) We drove many more kilometers away from the city and eventually split into two groups and were directed around a tiny village where we saw how the families we had given food to actually lived.

Just like in the other areas, children were running around everywhere and so curious about us. When they looked at me with their hopeful little faces, it was hard not to pick them up right there and take them all with me. I wish I could give every one of them the life that they deserve. Even their parents wish the same thing; on more than one occasion parents have offered their children for us to take them to the U.S. In this village, we were actually invited into the houses, even though half of our group could barely fit into a living space that usually holds up to 10 people. For some of the families, their entire house was the size of my bedroom at home. And the kitchen is outside, with one water pump for the whole village. I hope that some of the pictures can be passed along. I don't like taking pictures myself in the villages. There are so many of us who have cameras, I feel like it is overwhelming to the people there. Also, I can't focus on talking to the people there if I'm worrying about taking pictures of everything. Especially in these small towns, being able to talk to the people is an incredible experience. Through the translator provided to us by the government, we were able to hear the stories of 6 different families. I wouldn't give up that opportunity for anything.

When we returned from the villages, we had some time to ourselves, which is pretty much a luxury around here. We are always are doing so much in all of our days, it is hard enough to even relax for a second. And my mind is always going a mile a minute with every new place I visit or thing I see. I am in constant amazement here of just how different things are here. And really, the poverty here is how the majority of the world lives on a day-to-day basis. That is something I am still trying to grasp entirely.

We're off to eat dinner at another Vietnamese restaurant. Last night we went to a traditional family style Vietnamese place. We had to bring our translator along just to read the menu! It's great being able to try so many new things, but every time I sit down to eat, I think about the children at the orphanage and the poor people of the villages that we've seen and talked to. They aren't really that far away from us as we stay in Hue. And even when I go back to America, I know they won't be far from my mind.

I hope everyone is doing well at home. It's weird to think that Christmas is in just a few days. That is probably the last thing on my mind here. I can't believe we only have a few more days in Hue. I already miss it. On the 20th we'll be heading to another city, Hoi An, to stay for a night, and then we'll fly back to Ho Chi Minh City for another night before we fly back home. We'll be visiting another orphanage and a few more villages along the way. Hopefully I'll be home on the 23rd if we don't get stuck in the Chicago airport they day before Christmas Eve.

Dec. 17 - villages outside Hue

2007-12-18T03:17:00.000-05:00

I have been amazed by the poverty here ever since stepping off the plane. I knew (of course) coming to Vietnam would be eye-opening in itself, because I haven't really ever in my middle class suburban white lifestyle been exposed to real poverty. But going to the villages yesterday...it was like nothing I expected. It's difficult for me to describe the way that these people live.

Yesterday we left in the morning and headed out away from Hue to the villages south of the city. Not that Hue isn't already quite poor, but driving farther out was like slowly entering into a different world. As we left the city, the buildings became fewer and fewer and the flood damage was really evident. The roads weren't paved, and animals were everywhere. Water buffalo, cows, and mangy dogs ran all over the place. We were driving along the river, and the water is so disgusting. It would take ages of filtration before that water would be good for anything, really. There is trash everywhere in Vietnam, especially farther out in the country. It is very dirty, and there is a distinct smell here that only gets stronger the farther out you go. There is even trash in the trees along the river, from where the flooding made the river rise. You can really see how hard these people were hit by the typhoons. And it happens to them every year. Even though they know it will happen, they are still so poor there isn't anything they can do to prepare. They simply go to a shelter when the worst rains and flooding are upon them and wait, while the water washes their homes away. When the flooding is over, they rebuild their shacks for another few months before it happens again. Natural conditions like flooding are just one of many reasons why these people remain in such destitution year after year.

After driving past miles of countryside, we finally arrived near the villages along the South China Sea where Think About the Children has donated supplies to recently. We couldn't bring anything with us (the government is rather unreceptive to foreign aid, as I think Sophia mentioned before. It it understandable in a communist country, but it is a little frustrating when we have the resources to help but there are so many hoops for us get through before we can actually help the people) but we still got to see the people and where they lived. We also got to talk to them about what they needed, so that even after we leave, Think About the Children can better provide them with supplies.

After walking along the beach which, like everywhere else, was absolutely covered in trash (shoes, plastic, cardboard...everything you can imagine but mounds and mounds of it), we came upon a group of primitive boats, which was where the village was. As soon as we walked up, we were surrounded by people who recognized Liz as the girl who had given them supplies before. They look so dignified, these people. The women look wise beyond their years and speak to us with only their children in mind. When we asked them what they needed, they said everything, and meant it. They told us they would rather send their children to school than feed themselves. Everyone here seems hungry for education. It makes me want to never take my schooling for granted ever again. I have gotten to go to school for so much longer compared to most Vietnamese. School over here is no longer compulsory after the age of 9, but out in the remote villages, some children can only dream of going to school that long. Most of the parents have never been to school, either.

The children wore clothes that were tattered but clean, and most had shoes on their feet. But every single one was smiling, from the moment we arrived to the moment we had to say goodbye. They would smile for photos, play peek-a-boo, and they are so curious. Many of them have never seen white people before, and they just want to touch you. They like to run and play and laugh. Families are very close. The parents are all very hardworking and just want the best for their children. Seeing these things has really reminded me of what human beings all have in common. Beyond our material possessions, we are not really all that different, as cliche as it sounds. So I know these people are capable of so much, if they can just be given a chance. And really, it takes so little for any one of us to help them. It would only take about $9,000 to build a school here, Dr. Murray said. Our American money can go so far in a country like this one.

After we left the villages south of Hue, we went to the grocery store to buy more supplies for the children of the Duc Son orphanage. We went there on the way home, and were again greeting with so many happy little faces. I have never seen such beautiful children. If I come home with a Vietnamese baby, don't be surprised. It was hard enough for me to put one down in time for another one to come running into my arms. The orphanage is run by Buddhist women who are the most selfless people I have ever seen. They have such kind faces and are so thankful every time we walk in the door. They don't speak much English, but everything they want to say is written all over their faces. They give up every semblance of a normal life to provide for these children. And the children are truly all they care about. Their devotion is really promising to me. It restores my faith in humankind, that someone could be so selfless.

It was hard to leave the children that day, but knowing that we can go back (and with more food and toys to bring them) makes it a little bit better. I can already tell that those children are going to stay with me. Just another reason it is going to be very difficult for me to say goodbye to Vietnam.

Dec. 16...on the river in Hue.

2007-12-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

After the events of the 15^th, and yesterday, and every day that we’ve been here, it’s hard to imagine that we could possibly do anything else in this country. As Sophia told you so eloquently yesterday, we were risk takers, to say the least! I wish everyone could fully understand the road conditions here in Vietnam, so you would know just what a big deal it was that I drove my very own motorbike, with Sophia on the back, on the streets of Hue and the countryside of Vietnam. Me, who can barely get a hold of herself enough to drive a car in the U.S. without completely losing her mind, was the first member of our group to hop up and learn how to drive a Vietnamese motorbike! This country makes me do crazy things.

Catching up on days…Sophia wrote about the 15^th, but as far as the 16^th goes (That’s yesterday, I think? I can hardly keep up with days anymore.) it was pleasantly laid back. So far, it almost seems like the days slow down in Vietnam, but that’s a good thing. That way, we are able to cram about a week’s worth of activities into one very full day. We have all been waking up very early, but doing so much throughout the day that by the time 8:00pm rolls around, we’re getting tired like grandmas! Last night, we went out to a place called Why Not? after dinner ,and we got home at 10:30…a really late night for us!

After yesterday, Sophia and I really wanted to sleep in. We wanted some physical and emotional rest after the motorbike rides, talking to Vietnamese students, and visiting the orphanage of Saturday, Sunday we totally slept in until about 9:30. We got a croissant for breakfast at the little bakery next door to our hotel. (I think Sophia mentioned the French and European influence of the food already…definitely a plus here. Not that the food isn’t great! The amazing food here would be a whole other blog entry in itself.) Then we went for a little walk through Hue near our hotel, which is an interesting area. We are a couple blocks away from the Imperial Hotel, which is a luxury hotel where the lowest priced rooms are $250 a night, right in the middle of the very poor area of Hue, most of which is so far below the American “poverty line” it is hard to even describe.

We sat outside the Imperial Hotel, where we discovered there is free wireless if you have your own laptop, and went on the internet. It’s really a precious commodity because we do so much during the day; it’s hard to find time to record it all. It’s difficult enough (for me at least) to sort everything that I’ve seen out in my own head.

After that, we went to lunch (where I’ve had the best fruit smoothie of my whole life…mango lemon, so delicious) and then walked to the Huang River for a “dragon boat” ride. We met more Vietnamese students there (who were so excited to see us, as usual. They are so curious about us and love talking to us; it’s really encouraging. We’ve gotten all of their email addresses and I feel like I’ve made at least 10 new friends. And, as Sophia told me, that’s world peace right there!) and then we hopped on a boat that was one level and had, what else, but a dragon on the front. We traveled up the Huang River with the students and had a chance to ask them a lot of questions about their life in Vietnam. It’s so interesting hearing what they have to say, and hearing what they want to ask us!

We rode on the boat, seeing a lot of Hue that you can’t see from walking on the road. There is a lot of poverty up the river. People fish and live out of their boats. We took the boat to an amazing Pagoda outside of the city. Buddhist monks live there from really young ages, studying and devoting their lives to their religion. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I have been in my whole life. All of the places we have been have really interesting stories. There is a lot of Chinese influence to all of the architecture and culture. It’s actually really interesting…the Vietnamese are incredibly nationalistic (hence why the government is very suspicious of a group of 17 Americans going into the smaller villages, even if it is just to provide relief) but much of their culture, language, everything, comes from elsewhere, from other countries’ influences.

Once we rode back on the boat, we had a quick drink at a café by the river, then walked to another amazing vegetarian restaurant in downtown Hue for dinner. I have had so much great food here! A lot of great tofu…they cook it so much better here than in the U.S. We went out afterward with Liz, then went to bed to get ready for another exciting day in Hue!

Hopefully I’ll have more time later to write about what we saw today. We went to some villages that Think About the Children has provided supplies to. It was very difficult to see the utter poverty that these people live in. It makes me want to help in any way that I can. I can already tell it is going to be very hard to leave here. There is just so much left to do.

Hope you all are doing well; hopefully I’ll write more later!

Sophia makes a guest appearance...Dec. 15 in Hue!

2007-12-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, this is Sophia making a guest appearance on Rachel’s blog. I would like to apologize in advance because I am not an English major. I am afraid I cannot offer the lovely prose Rachel brings to the blog. This blog is about our activities on December 15, 2007. It was one of the fullest days of my life.

Ruth 1:16 …Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my god.

Today I have been thinking a lot about the story of Ruth. When she went with Naomi to Bethlehem, she was leaving the only home she ever knew. Leaving her country, her people, her culture and religion. I’m sure Ruth went through some culture shock as she promised to go with Naomi to the land of her people. Rachel and I have also wandered to a new place. I don’t think we could have gone much further from home than Viet Nam. Not only are we far away in miles, but also we are distant in culture, religion, food, and language. Just as Ruth promised to go where Naomi went and stay where she stayed and live like her people, so, too, have Rachel and I vowed to experience the life of the Vietnamese. After all, this isn’t just a Christmas vacation, it is a learning experience and today I think we learned more than any book could ever tell of the Vietnamese.

We started the day bright and early at 7:30am. Although that is early for us, it is nothing for students in Viet Nam. Our room here is right next to a school. Every morning, even Saturday and Sunday, we hear the students come to school laughing and chatting with their friends at 6am. Even the Vietnamese university students all start their classes at 7am! After taking a cold shower (there isn’t any hot water in our room…our hotel choice is also part of our charity here) we headed to Mr. Cu’s Mandarin Café for breakfast. There is still a heavy French influence here, especially in the restaurants, so we had crepes and croissants for breakfast. Mr. Cu is a good friend of Dr. Murray, our trip leader and the founder of Think About the Children) so he gave us his famous walking tour of Hue pamphlet. We had until 12 to meet for lunch so we thought we would give it a go. I was proud of our group of girls for navigating (all by ourselves!) their way over the Huang River bridge to the Citadel (nothing like the Citadel in Charleston) and the Imperial City. We did deviate a little from Mr. Cu’s tour. Some of the instructions were lost in translation. While lost we got to see a little better how the Vietnamese people live their lives. We saw a schoolyard of children playing games. They were very happy to let us take their picture! We saw people cooking, cleaning, fishing, and running their shops. In Viet Nam a lot of life goes on in the streets. Everyone camps out in from of his or her shops or homes. It is hard to describe what we saw because there really is nothing like it in America. Eventually we found our way to the Imperial City. It was built in the 19^th century to house the royal family. Viet Nam has a very long history; however, most of the visible history is from the very recent past. I think the humid weather and influx of invaders and war has caused many historical structures to be lost. The Citadel was a large military building designed by the French. It kind of looked like a black four-tiered cake with a giant Vietnamese flag on top.

After lunch our Vietnamese university students arrived to do a little sight seeing in the country and go with us to the Duc Son orphanage. [We have gotten the opportunity to meet with several university students from the English Club at the university in Hue. The teacher who leads the club is a good friend of Liz, the American contact here in Viet Nam for Think About the Children, and he works very closely with the organization. The students have come along with us on most of our travels.] Getting to know the students has been one of the most rewarding components of this trip. If you have ever learned a foreign language think back on what you learned first. Usually you learn how to ask someone’s name, their age, what they like to do, etc. That is the type of question we received from the students. Their English was very good, but it is very draining to communicate for long periods of time with them.

After our walking tour, we ate lunch at a great vegetarian restaurant across the bridge in Hue. Some of the students met us there after lunch. We all wanted to go see the tomb of the last emperor of Viet Nam before visiting the orphanage but there weren’t enough Vietnamese drivers to take us there. But Rachel and I channeled Ruth and said your transportation will be our transportation. Rachel, Emily, Paul, and I all offered to drive a motorbike. The CDC specifically wrote that foreigners should not drive themselves in Viet Nam but hey, how hard can it be. Sure, there are no traffic laws, and we have no idea where we are going, but whatever. It was soooo much fun. We had a thirty-minute training session in the parking lot of the restaurant. Despite the language barrier, Rachel and I became fast experts on the bikes. Once we got out of the city, the view was breathtaking. There were mountains and expansive rice patties. We saw water buffalo and someone in our group saw and elephant. Vi, one of the university students, gave us a tour of the pagoda way out in the country that we came to after our motorbike ride. It was one of the most peaceful places I have ever seen. The only stress came as we biked back into the city in the middle of rush hour. But Rachel and I never got separated from our group because the 11 white students on the back of bikes really stood out of the crowd!

After dinner we went to the orphanage. We brought a ton of food and supplies to give to the orphanage and, of course, ourselves to play with the children. When we got there, the students sang us songs including Happy Birthday, Row Row Row Your Boat, and You Are My Sunshine. They asked us to sing them a song, so we busted out Jingle Bells. The children were so precious and well behaved. The Buddhist nuns need only ring their bells or tap a child on the shoulder and they got right in line. The nun explained to us that they took in children whose parents died in accidents or who were abandoned because of disabilities. People will leave children at the gate and ring the bell. The students can stay there as long as they like. Many remain there and help raise the children. They were so thankful for all the supplies. After the song singing, the children were given time to run wild with us. There were at least 100 kids in the large open room and they all wanted to be hugged, tickled, and chased. I learned some new hand clapping games and a balancing game where three people hold hands and you put one foot into the middle and hop around til you fall down. We got to see the nursery and hold some of the babies. I held one baby who was only 7 days old! By the time we sat down to share some fruit together we were all exhausted and sweaty.

The government canceled our work in the North for the next two days. Apparently we are not to be trusted. I guess they think we might stir up the villagers. Instead of painting and repairing roofs as planned, we are going to spend more time with the Vietnamese students and give more aid to the Duc Son orphanage. We are going to go to the market and pick out special gifts for the children. I know that they will be happy to see us again and I know that I will not be happy to leave them!

photos from Ho Chi Minh City!

2007-12-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

I managed to get the pictures I've taken so far onto my computer. And a picture is worth a thousand words, right? So maybe this will give you a better idea of just what I've seen so far in Vietnam.

Sophia and I in the airport in Hong Kong! We were so excited to be in Asia...and, as you can see, the flight made us a little crazy.

Here is the group of us the first night out in Ho Chi Minh City. We were so happy to finally be on the ground in our country of destination! This was a little way away from our hotel in the "backpackers alley." We saw more white tourists that night than Vietnamese!

Coffee at breakfast our first morning in Ho Chi Minh. This is my favorite part of Vietnam so far...I've had it every day we've been here!

A few shots of the market we went to in Ho Chi Minh. Talk about sensory overload!

I wish I had more time to put everything up here and talk about everything we did yesterday, but I'm to take a Dragon Boat ride on the rive here in Hue! Hopefully tonight I'll be able to be on internet for longer and I can tell you all about it.

Dec. 14

2007-12-15T22:32:00.000-05:00

This post is actually from the day before yesterday, but we're just now finding access to the internet, so it's a little delayed. I wrote and saved it to post now. Enjoy the happenings of December 14! Yesterday was too crazy...I don't know when I'll find time to write about everything I did. It was incredible! Hope you all are doing well!

Wow. I did not know it was humanly possible to do so many things, see so many sights, meet so many people…in just one day! After the market and the insanity that is HCMC, we flew on a small plane to Hue, which was a different experience to say the least. Even though there were screaming children behind us and a crying baby next to us, Sophia and I managed to enjoy our flight, which only took about 45 minutes. Flying in over Hue, we could already tell this was going to be an entirely different Vietnam than what we’d just seen in HCMC. That turned out to be mostly true, with the landscape around Hue all green with mountains in the distance. I had almost forgotten how nice it was to see mountains after being at sea level in Charleston for so long! We also saw a lot of flood damage, still, on the way in from the air. Even though the rainy season is over, it still rains a little bit each night, and there is still evidence of the floods that damaged the area a little while ago.

The Hue international airport was tiny. Seriously—one baggage carousel, probably about two gates, maybe. We got off the plane on the tarmac and took a bus over to the entrance in the actual airport building. There, Liz was waiting for us. She is a College of Charleston graduate who studied abroad a few years ago with Dr. Murray, who is leading our trip and has led a few other trips in the past. Liz now works for Dr. Murray’s organization (called Think About the Children) and lives in Vietnam full time. It was great to finally see another familiar face after two days of nothing but airports and Ho Chi Minh City.

We took a van from the Hue airport into the city, which was about 15 or 20 minutes away. On the way in, we passed some absolutely beautiful landscapes. They were punctuated by areas of poverty, reminding us again of the nature of the country we are in. Beautiful, but struggling. Getting closer and closer to the city, you could see traffic picking up, and fewer homes that looked desolate. It was odd, there were people in the country near the airport, but it seemed almost abandoned or something. Once we got to the city, though, I could see why Dr. Murray suggested Charleston as a comparison. The two cities are about the same size, and there is lots of history to be had in both areas.

We checked into our hotel (another small but okay room, this time with two beds, a little bit softer than the other hotel, but this room has neither air conditioning nor hot water as of now!) It is much nicer in Hue than in HCMC as far as the weather is concerned. Here it is in the 70s and not too sunny. There is a breeze because we are right by a river. Overall, I like Hue a lot better than HCMC, not only because the weather is nicer, but it’s also less chaotic and not so much sensory overload everywhere you turn. Traffic is still crazy, but not as bad. Tomorrow starts a new law that everyone riding a motorcycle will have to wear a helmet in all of Vietnam! It’s all anyone can talk about here.

After we got settled into our hotel, we walked a few blocks to a small restaurant across the street from them Imperial Hotel, the very nice tourist destination in Hue that goes for about $250 a night. We met up with the rest of Dr. Murray’s family here, as well as students from a local university’s English Club. It was great meeting Vietnamese students! They were all as excited to talk to us as we were to talk to them, even though we could only say the basics, really. They were all studying Environmental Studies at the University here in Hue. They were all about 20 years old, and we al turned out to actually have some things in common! It reminded me of what it might be like if Sophia and I ever went to Germany and attempted to talk to students there. The basics, a lot of hand motions, and a lot of patience. That’s all it takes to make a new friend in anyone you meet in a foreign country, I’m convinced of it!

After we ate at the restaurant all of us Americans jumped onto the backs of the Vietnamese students’ motorcycles for a quick ride to a café by the river a little way away. It was definitely the coolest part of the trip so far! Traveling by motorcycle is definitely the preferred method of travel, and it’s so much fun! It makes me want to learn to ride my own! If it wasn’t for the crazy traffic in the cities, I would rent a motorcycle in a heartbeat and take it everywhere.

The ride was nice and we ended up at a cute little café on the river where I got to drink more amazing coffee. I hope I can bring back a special Vietnamese coffee maker; I’m never going to be able to drink regular coffee again! Though we were all pretty tired at this point (I still can’t believe we did all of this in one day), so we decided to head back.

We don’t really have a set schedule over here, it’s more of an experience-everything-you-can type of plan. Which is okay by me! This is turning out to be even more of an adventure than I thought it would be—I don’t even really know where we are going or what we’re going to be doing tomorrow, but I know it’s going to be amazing, just like everything else in Vietnam has been so far. Whether it’s talking to students from Hue or just walking the streets of HCMC looking for an ATM, every little thing is such an experience in a place that is so un-Western. It’s incredible how different things can be. Every few minutes I discover something new and that is exactly how I would want to spend any trip I go on!

Can’t wait to see what we end up doing tomorrow! And don’t worry, I’m taking my malaria pills and not drinking any of the water. I haven’t had anything stolen from me in the cities, and no one has gotten hurt. All healthy and safe so far. Have a great weekend, everyone!

"I've never seen intestine before!"

2007-12-13T23:37:00.000-05:00

Day 2 in Vietnam...shopping!

We woke up early this morning and had breakfast at a small restaurant next door to our hotel. I had the most amazing cup of coffee I've ever had in my life. It had its own miniature coffee maker on top: the grounds were in a small container on top of the mug with a little bit of water...thus making the coffee also the STRONGEST I've ever had in my life! I had a banana pancake for breakfast...two huge crepes with unbelievably fresh bananas in between. Quite an amazing first Vietnamese meal, I would say.

Walking to the market after breakfast was an experience in itself. Hopefully I can get some pictures up, because there is really no way to explain the streets...motorcycles going every which way, crossing the street is quite an event! Dr. Murray said there are about 10 million people here in Ho Chi Minh City, and I totally believe it. Everyone here dresses nearly head-to-toe covered up, even though it feels like it's about 90 degrees outside. People try to sell you things a lot, but if you say no, they don't bother you any more. They seem to be very hardworking, but I saw a lot of smiling faces, too.

The walk to the market was short, and we saw a lot of Vietnamese architecture on the way. It is dirty here, like you would expect for any big city, but there are some really pleasant park areas, where we saw a bunch of Asian school children taking their morning break. We didn't get hit by any vans or motorcycles and arrived at the market at about 9:30am. There were already stalls everywhere selling everything you can imagine. It was incredible...clothes, shoes, hats, souveniers, live fish, all kinds of eggs, meats (intestines and pig ears...I had to look away :) but the most incredible looking food I have ever seen. I can't wait to try these huges fruits covered in spikes that I see everywhere! Some of the girls even got pedicures right there in the market--for only $2! The goods here are incredibly cheap. And I got some haggling practice inAs far as the shopping goes, I won't divulge too much here, but let's just saw Sophia and I have our Christmas shopping all done. :)

Right now it's about noon and we're waiting for our bus to take us to the airport so that we can fly to Hue. I've seen so much Vietnamese culture already...its amazing how a few hours can bring so many new sights, as cliched as that sounds. I love the city, but I can't wait to get out and see the countryside. Seeing the schoolchildren today made me really excited to visit the orphanage.

Can't wait to tell you more...hope everyone is doing well!

Greetings from Vietnam!

2007-12-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,

Right now I'm sitting in a very warm hotel lobby in the incredible city of Ho Chi Minh City!

Really, it's pretty crazy that we actually got here. We found out our first flight (which was supposed to take us to D.C. so we could get to LAX) was canceled around midnight before we were supposed to leave at 3:30am. Luckily, we have a savvy leader named Becca who worked everything out with minimal damage. We changed flights and had to take Delta to Atlanta instead of United to D.C., but we got everything worked out by the time we got to LAX, and our luggage was waiting for us in Ho Chi Minh City when we got here to boot!

I've never felt so drained of energy when the plane landed in Ho Chi Minh City. After about 26 hours total travel time, the meaning of jet lag makes total sense to me. But as soon as we picked up our bags and headed to our van to take on the streets of Vietnam, I had forgotten all of that!

Ho Chi Minh City is full of life, and there are people everywhere you turn. Everything is done on the streets...socializing, selling goods of all sorts (some of which smell not exactly delectable, but talk to me tomorrow after I go to the market and I'm sure I'll have much more to say about that)! People go everywhere on motorcycles and bikes, and traffic laws are really JUST a suggestion. Our van drove on the wrong side of the road at least five times before the 30 minute trip to our hotel was through!

Myself and the girls on the trip (there are 11 of us, total) all held up really well on the flights over, and of course were ready for a reward, even though it was about 1 in the morning here when we arrived! We took in a little Ho Chi Minh City nightlife, and even ran into a group of students who were sitting next to us on the plane from LAX to Ho CHi Minh City that went to school in Utah!

Our hotel room (my friend Sophia and I are sharing) is not all that great, but it has air conditioning and bottled water, two essentials that we've learned even in only being in Vietnam for a few hours! Tomorrow, after visiting the market and some other sites in Ho Chi Minh CIty, we will fly to Hue, a smaller city, where we'll meet up with some Vietnamese students, visit an orphanage, and do some other cool things. I can't wait!

10 more days!

2007-12-02T16:29:00.000-05:00

Hello all,

Today is December 2, and it is a chilly 73 degrees here in Charleston. (Nothing says it's almost Christmas like short sleeves and flip flops!) Among the Christmas parades and parties, and not to mention finals, I'm also getting ready for my trip to Vietnam!

On December 12 I'll be reporting to a parking lot for my ride to the airport at the lovely hour of 3:30am in order to make my 6am flight. Then I'll be in the air to Washington, D.C., to L.A., to Ho Chi Minh City. On the 13th, I'll fly to another smaller city called Hue from there, and traveling in to even smaller villages in the Quang Tri Province after that.

I am so exited about this trip, and I'm even more excited to share everything with you guys here! Hopefully all of my friends and family can read my blog while I'm away and be firsthand witnesses to my first of what are sure to be many attempts to change the world! :)