glass zip lock bag

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/unzipped-glass-zipper-bag

isnt this cute??

Grown men wear teddy bears

A few weeks back, Lindsey and I were riding up Liberty (a relatively busy street lined with businesses) and a man stars to ride up alongside us on his bicycle...a full grown man...with a stuffed teddy bear backpack on. Seriously.

My New Fav Song

Pumpkin Hunting

As some of you know, one of my favorite flavors is pumpkin. Ever since I discovered the Pumpkin Spice Latte on the menu a few years back at Starbucks, I've relished the fall season and the pumpkin flavored treats that come along with it (As if Fall wasn't already my favorite season!!). SO, this year I have a mission.

I am going to find the BEST Pumpkin Beer around. Im looking for Pumpkin Pie in a bottle...and thats what I will find!

So far:
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale-- Tastes more like your standard Fall Ale than pumpkin. Not it.

Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat-- Tastes like more of a cinnamon spice beer. Not bad, but not it.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale--Thicker, rich pumpkin flavor! Like it!

Saranac Pumpkin Ale-- Another "fall ale" flavor...not enough pumpkin!

And the search continues...

Flat tire, split pants and dropped phone.

Yesterday when I was driving to work, I ran through one of many notorious Pittsburgh Pot Holes and blew a tire. :/ I then proceeded to change the tire, alone, in the rain. After taking the car to get a new tire and signing a $220 bill for ONE tire, I now understand the finesse needed to drive in this city and NOT have this happen again.

Needless to say I will be much more grandmotherly in my bobbing and weaving through traffic from this point on.

On that not, what I will NOT be more grandmotherly about is the intensity in my complaint about the fact that apparently the size tire that my Mazda 3 uses, no other car uses?? Which is why it is ridiculously expensive. I've always loved my little blue zoom zoom but suddenly I'm asking myself...WHY!?

It didn't help that this very same day I split a hole in the crotch of my pants when squatting down to pick up an infant...the saddest part being there was no one there to laugh at me!

I also dropped my new phone on the cement (thankfully I invested in one of those frou-frou phone covers which performed magnificently!

OH and for those of you that were present during the bachelorette cooler spill, I have news. After sopping up the water out of my trunk with hotel towels (which are now mine!) I thought it was resolved. However, when changing my tire I also discovered that there was about 4 to 5 inches of water INSIDE the spare tire compartment itself. Andddd the fabric thingy underneath the tire was sopping wet with cooler water...as it had been for ummmm 4 weeks now? Gross. Maybe THATS why it smelled :/

La Gourmandine

In planning a weekend for my Mom to come down and visit, I asked friends where I should take her to eat. They suggested a bunch of places here in Pittsburgh, including "La Gourmandine" in Lawrenceville.

They proceeded to bring up a "yelp.com" user review that had me in hysterical laughter.

Tell me you don't want to be stuffing your face with delicious treats from THIS bakery right this second after reading the review?....



The husband and wife owners of La Gourmandine were born and raised in France. They studied in Paris, and the entire city of Pittsburgh is VERY fortunate that they have opened a bakery here. It is the very best French bakery I've ever been to outside of France. Everything I've ever tasted here has been phenomenal. Everything. Everything! If you haven't been here - you must go TODAY. When you go here for the first time, you will feel sad and angry at yourself that you've lived in this city and haven't been here before. You will dream about their bread and croissants. You will find yourself sitting in your office in the middle of the day having naughty thoughts about the pain au chocolat that will cause you to blush and feel lightheaded. You will develop an addiction that will eventually lead to finding yourself driving through the snow- and ice- covered streets of Lawrenceville in the middle of February at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning - unbathed and anxious that you will arrive to find your favorite pastry sold-out by the time you arrive. You will buy an extra loaf of bread for the trip home - tearing huge hunks of crusty, nutty, chewy baguette and stuffing them into your mouth at red lights. You will get irritated when you arrive at an intersection and the light is green. The front of your coat will be covered in bread crumbs and you will not care. Your jaw will ache a little and you will not care. You will arrive home and run RUN to your kitchen to grind your best coffee, and you will patiently wait to brew a perfect carafe of French-press while you steel yourself to have the fortitude to not even LOOK at the boxes of pastries you've bought. You will even prove to yourself that you are mentally strong - by leaving your coffee sit for a few minutes to cool to the perfect sipping temperature. Then - then you will feel an immense wave of self-satisfaction with yourself, your mental resolve, and your good fortune. You will eat your pastries and drink your perfect coffee and your eyes will roll into the back of your head and your heart will leap with happiness. You will sit back and you will realize that your life is wonderful and you will allow yourself to be happy. Purely happy.

Change the World

Today my yogi tea said:
Your decisions will change the world.

:) I like the sounds of that.

Lumosity

I play a lot of games online but none of them really make me feel like I'm doing much for cognition. I've looked all over for fun games you can play on the computer that you dont feel like are stupid, repetitive or like a sample SAT test. So today I was doing some spanish practice and this came up...Ive only played a few games but so far its fun! And apparently its good for my brain!

http://www.lumosity.com

Settling In

When I first moved down here, I have to be honest, I wasn’t crazy about Pittsburgh. I’ve visited friends here quite often but never really felt like it was somewhere I’d want to move. I’ve actually had my heart set on Seattle and still have it in my head to move there at some point in my life.

Anyways, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I am headed. Do I want to go back to C.A. and teach English? Yes. But is that realistic? Right now, no. Not financially. Not to mention, I’ve been unemployed for a year now which leaves quite a gap in my resume. At some point I have to start being practical about getting a stable job with benefits and saving some money. I need to make sure I’ll be able to do the things I want to in the future and in order to do that, I need to be making wise decisions now.
So, where does that leave me? I’m not 100% sure but I’ve made some adjustments in my plan for the next couple years. I need to go to grad school. In order to work in this field in the capacity that I’m dreaming about, I need my Masters. Pitts right down the street so I’m leaning towards that. Also, financially speaking, attending a grad school in-state is much gentler on the purse strings.

My best friend is also looking to buy a house in the next 6 months or so. If and when she does, I can move in there. By staying in the same place for a few years I’ll allow myself the opportunity to make some connections and fluff up my resume a bit more. Then, in 3 years when I have my masters, I’ll be in a position to move wherever I want for work and I’ll be a hundred times more marketable at that time.

I have no roots anywhere but Erie…just footprints all over the world. I’ve conceded to the fact that in this economy, where I can’t just get the first job I apply for…or the 100th (or so it seems)…maybe it’s time for me to set down some roots.
But, Pittsburgh? So many people I know love Pittsburgh. I have been so busy (literally sometimes working 60-70 hours a week) that when I do get a day off, I want to just sleep all day and watch TV. The other day I went downtown and found myself FURIOUSLY driving around for no less than 25 minutes, I kid you not, trying to find a parking garage within 10 blocks of my destination that didn’t say “FULL”. I was more than annoyed and questioned what the hell I was doing living in a city.

After finally parking, I found myself walking through the streets feeling excited. It’s a big city without being too overwhelming and the mix of people here is refreshing. I felt surprisingly moved by the city vibe and started to think maybe this could work out for me?

They'll Make You Weep

A couple nights ago I went with my friend Leah to see The Weepies play at the Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh. I had never been to the venue before and was pleasantly surprised when I got there. It’s rather small, which makes for an intimate set up. There were probably 300 people at the show.

The Weepies, if you don’t know, are an incredible married couple and each one plays no less than 3 instruments. They both have these soothing lullaby voices and some pretty weepy lyrics that have a tendency to pull at your heart strings. Its perfect music for drinking wine alone on a rooftop deck watching as storm rolls in.

The moving thing about this show was that it was acoustic and the duo sounded BETTER than they do on CD’S. Amazing. However, you find yourself standing in this room full of couples in love cuddling, watching this couple on stage just woo the audience and it makes you feel both full and very lonely at the same time. The world around you is in love and you’re watching it all play out…alone.

One of their songs sums it up perfectly… “They’re in love, where am I.”

Mommy look at the Monster!

I love this story and found myself thinking about it a lot this summer when the kids at camp would say funny things. A couple years ago when I was working at Head Start full time, I had to go to the Zoo with a class and help supervise. My group came upon the giraffe exhibit where there was a young mom with her 2 young kids observing the mother giraffe. The little girl looks up at the huge giraffe towering above her and yells excitedly, “Mommy look at the monster!!”
Haha I nearly died trying to suppress my laughter. Then I thought about it. I suppose when your about 4 years old and beneath it looking up, it does probably resemble a monster. 

This would be a good whooping stick.

I’ll set the scene: Summer Camp. Sitting in the back of a Cheese Bus with 24 rowdy kids with mental health diagnoses and behavior problems. Mid summer (hot as hell) and on our way to a field trip that would suck the energy out of even the most energetic of counselors.

I hear a repeated thumping noise. I look over my shoulder to see one of my kids wacking his hand with his balled up lunch sack. He then calmly, but with enthusiasm says, “This would be a good whooping stick.”

Police and Sword Fights

On my way home from work this morning I hear on the radio some news that made me chuckle.

It went something like this...
Police in Lafayette County were called to the scene when a sword fighttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifht broke out between two men in one of their residences.

Um, are we serious with this? A SWORD fight??

This obviously reminds me of the warped-zone I grew up in called Erie PA where twice now a full on medieval sword fight was happening on 8th street in Frontier Park. A group of adult males dressed in full medieval costumes...flags and everything.

So in this dangerous world of knights and sword fights, one should always know How to win a Sword Fight. See link:

More funny things

Literally, I watched this like 14 times and laughed equally as hard each time.

Things to make you laugh

75 hour work weeks

Since having moved to Pittsburgh, life has been hectic. Unfortunately I drained my savings traveling and have had to really work my ass off to get out from under that debt. I have been sending out application after application in hopes of securing a full time job in the near future. This job market feels impossible. Im either too qualified for a job or under qualified. Having only a masters in Psychology and getting a job feels impossible right now. But I still keep filling out those damn applications...i'm starting to see them in my sleep!

I was able to go back to Turtle Creek and work with the Summer Treatment Program that I worked with 2 years ago. It was an entirely different experience than it was 2 years ago but still very worthwhile.

The rest of the time (when i'm not job hunting), I've been babysitting for 5 other families night and day. Overnights with 1 month olds, late night with a strippers children, day time with a working mom and weekends for parents trying to catch a minute to themselves.

Literally some of these weeks have been 75 hour weeks. Insanity.

Im in the process of working my ass off, re-learning how to live on my own and pay my bills, and figuring out what's next for me.

When I know, you'll know :)

You're never stuck - an aha moment with Kathryn from Erie

Awhile back I got an email saying someone from Mutual of Omaha's AHA MOMENT campaign found my blog and thought I might have an "interesting story to tell." So I got invited to come to the trailor when they stopped in Erie to tell my story. Here it is :)

Gypsy Girl

Gypsy Girl
Traveling the World
Pack on her Back
Ignoring the Requests
to Make this Time Her Last.

;)

Calling all writer friends!

Calling all writer friends!

I have had it in my head that I want to write a children's book...well, not write it, illustrate it. Given my shotty writing capabilities, I just can't seem to write a childrens story. Thats what I was hoping to recruit some help from other writers.

I need some basic stories or outlines just so I can start getting some illustrations down, develop a style and build up a portfolio...

If anyone writes children's books or writes in general and would like to have a go at writing children's books, I could use some help!

OR if you know anyone that writes that might be interested, that would help too.

Thank you!

Getting Back

You may wonder, 'How can I leave it all behind if I am just coming back to it? How can I make a new beginning if I simply return to the old?' The answer lies in the return. You will not come back to the 'same old thing.' What you return to has changed because you have changed. Your perceptions will be altered. You will not incorporate into the same body, status, or world you left behind. The river has been flowing while you were gone. Now it does not look like the same river.


I flew out of Guatemala on May 13th and I feel like I've had little time to regroup since I've been home. I flew straight to DC for a Bachelorette party, spent the following week entertaining a friend who was in town, and then the day he flew out, moved to Pittsburgh. I had no job, just an apartment and a best friend there. It became my mission the first week to find a job to pay the bills...which was hard to do!! Jobs, especially in social services (that pay more than 20000 a year) are hard to come by in this economy. Having been essentially "on vacation" for the better part of a year, this transition into regular, American life has been very stressful.

I worked for 2 years and lived at home to save up for my Guatemala/Honduras trip. I spent literally every penny I had down there. Having to dive full force into worrying about money was a lot to handle.

Not to mention life is completely different here. The things I got used to in honduras/guatemala are not here. Life is just different and without having firsthand experienced it, its hard to explain the difficulty in now coming back to life in America and feeling unsettled.

It seems silly, I know, but I was gone for nearly 9 months...longer than ever before so im feeling all out of sorts and im not sure quite how to get regrounded here. However the question in my mind is do I want to get resettled here?

At this point in my life the only thing I have keeping me in one place is a car. I'm 25 years old and have all the freedom in the world to pick up and go again. Part of me wants to leave again...go back to Central America and finish learning spanish, teach english, and live another good 6 months to a year down there.

But then another part of me wants to set up roots...find a job here in the states that I love and work my way up the ladder...save money, invest, buy a house, get a dog...do all the "adult things" that as a 25 year old, I should be doing.

But then I also know, if I don't take on these adventures now, i'll be knee deep in a job I love and won't want to leave. If I leave then, i'll have to work my way up all over again.

All of this is battling in my head everyday and it makes it hard to know which direction to head in next.

Gangster Club Takeover

If you are unfamiliar with my blog, or my life, you should know before reading this blog that my landlord in Honduras was a gangster. Not self-proclaimed, however he wasn't fooling anyone.

So the story goes...

The landlord was building a beach-front dance club and invited us to go to the grand opening. My 3 other roommates were out of town so it was just me and Cherry, my 50 something year old fellow volunteer. So we figured what the hell lets check it out.

We rode to the club with Landlord and wife who was dolled like the stereotypical latino trophy wife. We had some drinks, ate some free food, watched some "shows" which consisted of 5 scantily clad El Salvadoran women shaking their bon bons. And they were paid a hefty sum to do so. The locals were lovin it. Let me tell you that Tela is not a big tourist destination but with this club (which upstairs will be a strip club and casino when its finished) is supposed to revolutionize Tela (Or so my landlord hopes).

After a couple hours we find ourselves sitting at a booth with Landlord and his wife watching everyone dance. Landlord makes a joke and sets his best friend, his gun, in Cherry's lap saying "Here, hold this." She of course is like ummmm no thanks...and thank god because not 3 minutes later we realize the place is swarming with police officers. At least 12 of them, blocking the exits and wearing bulletproof vests and ski masks. SKI MASKS. The DJ stopped and the lights went on. They corralled everyone out onto the dance floor and separated the women from men. All I could picture was them shooting up the place and mass assassinating everyone right then and there. I was freakin out.

Knowing what I know about my landlord and Honduran culture, I could only imagine what exactly they were here in search of. They proceed to grope the hell out of everyone, lifting up t-shirts looking for tattoos, and pointing a gun at you all the while. They asked you for your papers and those without ID were sent to the other side of the room to line up. After it was all over they made them stand arms length apart, put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, and then they walked them all out into a big van. They all went to the police station...including my landlord for his gun possession apparently.

Cherry and I couldn't WAIT to get the hell out of there. Unfortunately because of all the chaos it was impossible to get a cab so we went back into the club to wait for a short while thinking we'd get out of there in no time. How could we go back to drinking and dancing after all that!? Well we couldn't, but everyone else in the place did. They carried on til about 230am as if nothing was wrong. They even brought out the strippers to do a little pole dance for the brave souls still partying it up inside.

We got in a cab at our first opportunity and hauled ass out of there.

Needless to say, that is the last time I ever said yes when my landlord asked me to go anywhere. (and I didn't even take the garbage out without having my ID on me).

Thing I learned in Honduras

1. Baleadas are delicious. (GOOGLE it.)

2. It's ok to drive 100 miles an hour on windy roads without your seat belt and with a load full of people in the bed of the truck...some of them standing up.

3. Hitch hiking is always an option.

4. If you call your fat girlfriend "Gorda", it's a term of endearment.

5. There is no such thing as a "Brewery" and offering a Honduran a flavored beer with likely turn their worlds upside down.

6. You should carry an unregistered gun, in addition to your registered gun, you know, in case you have to kill anyone...

7. Do not go to club openings if you know a gangster owns the place. And if you do go, make sure you have your ID (story to come later).

8. Do not get in the shower without checking for roaches and jumping spiders.

9. When living on the coast, anything you put on no matter how "light" the fabric may seem, is going to make you sweat. Profusely. And its likely, all day long.

10. Don't find it weird when your driver/passenger rolls down the window and nonchalantly tosses out any garbage they might have.

Can I buy your baby?

I can't provide the background for this story but I needed to share this...

A man in Honduras offered me twenty thousand dollars to have his baby. I knew him for 2 days and he was completely serious. (I know this because he proceeded to ask me like 5 more times in the week that I spent with him).

What do you think I should name it?

Adios Central America, Hello Nation's Capital!

After an interesting week in Honduras before I left, I bopped back over to Guate City to say goodbye to Dennis and his family. They were so kind as to host me in their house for 3 weeks. Not knowing when, if ever, I'll be back, I was glad I got to say goodbye.

I flew out of Guate City and into Washington, D.C. to celebrate my high school friend Allison's bachelorette party. Thursday night my favorite rooommate Jihane picked me up at the airport and gave me the VIP treatment. I slept in an amazingly comfortable bed for the first time in months, ate delicious food prepared by chef Jihane herself and had a hot, clean shower. That, and I got to catch up with a friend I hadn't seen in years. Ahh, how enjoyable.

Friday Allison's sister and the MOH, Sarah, picked me up from the Subway and the party began! All the other girls arrived Friday night and we piled on the couch and sang Disney Classics. (This is starting to be a recurring theme in my life..?!) Saturday we went to a food/wine festival at the National Harbor. We each sampled like 10000 wines and when we were sufficiently tipsy we hauled ourselves back to the SWANKY ASS hotel room that the MOH scored. Nicest hotel room i've seen in all of my 25 years...seriously. We stuffed our faces with delicious American appetizers and then headed out to the bar. This is when it got interesting...(not that eating weenie gummies and rapping to TLC Waterfalls is not interesting.)

We went to this bar with live music and danced around like idiots while sucking down some fiercely strong rum and cokes. But when we all wanted to really DANCE that took us in another direction. Outside the bar we see this huge hotel and the top floor is glowing with what could be nothing other than club lights! We somehow recruited some guy to take us there because it was a "guests only" club...so ONE dude and TWELVE finely dressed ladies go strolling up to the top floor where we find it, the club! The night culminates in a dance off, a man "making it rain" with crinkled dollar bills and an overdose of Jersey Turn-piking out of the least likely candidate. I ended the night walking home in my socks. I'd say it was a success.

Now in all seriousness, Allison is getting married. This is the first wedding of my close friends and the first wedding I've ever been in. I still feel like I'm 15 years old...how can my friends be getting married!?

Estoy Enamorada

"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.”

In the small town of Tela, Honduras there is a large piece of property where 133 of the most incredible children live. Every last one of them is not adoptable. I was fortunate enough to spend 2 months with them. This is what I learned.

S.O.S Children's Village International was founded my Herman Gmeiner in 1949. It is a social development organization that operates in 132 countries. The focus is on long-term, family based care for children who are no longer able to live with their biological families. http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Pages/default.aspx




In Tela, the 133 children, ages 3-19, live in 14 different houses on a large complex.
Each house has 8-10 kids and a "Madre" and blood siblings are kept together. They have chores, refer to one another as"brother and sister", and go about their daily routines like any other family. My time in Tela was the first experience I had ever had with such a unique system, but I found it absolutely amazing.

I became connected to the SOS village through a nonprofit organization in the states called Honduras Children. While I was there, there were 4 other volunteers: 3 Americans and a Canadian. When we first arrived it was chaotic. The previous batch of volunteers had been leading a summer program while the kids were out of school. When we arrived, the children had just returned back to school which meant the volunteer program was transitioning as well, which had never been done. H.C. only starting working with the S.O.S. back in November or 2010 so the kinks have not yet been ironed out. In addition, the Village had a new Director and some other changes to staffing. All these changes meant we were pretty much starting from scratch to make a schedule and choose what our focus would be during the academic year program. This turned out to be quite difficult. All the kids go to different schools and there are 3 time slots during the day for class sessions: 7am-12, 1pm-5pm and 5pm-9pm. Anytime you plan an activity you have to work around this class schedule, as well as around meal times, chores, extracurriculars, etc.


We decided on a schedule after a few tweaks that allowed us 5-6 hours at the village everyday. In the mornings we ran a one hour Preschool program for the kids ages 3-6. We read stories, counted, practiced identifying letters, numbers and their names, played some gross motor games and introduced small manipulatives. After the morning sessions we would go to a classroom where we'd set up "stations". There would be 3-4 activities for the kids to choose from. Some days 2 kids would come, other days 20. This of course made planning difficult. We went home for lunch break and then came back to run an afternoon session similar to the mornings. Then from 330-5/6 we would go over to the field/court and do large group activities and play outside with the kids. During our time there I did a bit of everything. We taught English, math games (sudoku!), did arts and crafts, taught them new board games and card games, etc.




Another highlight of my time there was learning Honduran culture. Being around the kids all day, who didn't speak English, became an excellent way to learn Spanish. I value every minute I spent with the kids there. It was a perfect juxtaposition of difficult and wonderful. I will carry with me in my memories a few extra special people and experiences from my time there and I would like to share them here.

Ingrid:

Ingrid is 18 years old and is blind. She has a walking stick and goes twice a week in a bus to a bigger city nearly 2 hours away to study Braille. When I first started there we would spend several hours in a classroom playing games with the kids. We would bring educational activities to supplement what the kids were learning in school. Ingrid would walk her younger siblings over, or wander by on her own, but would rarely come in. She usually observed whatever it was we were doing from afar, and then left. I watched the way she interacted with the other kids. She'd ask a lot of questions but the kids wouldn't give her sufficient answers. She never got involved in any of the activities because they were all seemingly "sight required".

One day I invited her in and spent some time explaining all the games to her. She wanted to know what everything was: what color, how does it work, what's it called. So I picked up the toys one by one, put them in her hands and explained them to her. She was enthralled. She started coming to the classroom regularly and would call my name from the doorway to see if I was there. I started bringing more tactile things for her benefit and she loved it. Finaly I decided since she was so curious to play these games yet no one was showing her how because she was blind, that I was going to teach her. I started small-- just letting her touch the games and things that we were using that she couldn't. Then I started by explaining to her the rules and modified the games so she could play. By the time I left, she and I were doing puzzles together. I'd hand her a piece and say "this point, in this space" and she would put them together. We played card games, math games, did puzzles, colored...she'd yell for me when kids were playing new games and ask me what they were playing. Then she'd say "Quiero apprender... Ensename!" "Teach me, I want to play." :)

I love these kids and many of them I'll remember til the day I die. But when I went to say bye to Ingrid it really tugged at me. I could only imagine how quickly she would learn if someone sustained interactions like this with her. In leaving, I can only hope that the future volunteers will love and nurture her as much as I was able to.

Maria:
When I first arrived we went around to the houses to talk to the Madres about what our role as volunteers could be. One Madre mentioned that she had a girl in her house that was really behind in school due to learning disabilities. Any reinforcement we could provide would be really useful. I was elated. This had been my job for 2 years while working with Head Start and I was anxious to get started with Maria.



Maria is 10 and was assigned division and multiplication problems for homework. The problem is she cannot consistently identify numbers. In addition, she can't identify most letters consistently and she cannot read. I was baffled at how she could possibly expect to experience any success in school. So, Maria and I started working just a half hour together every day, however we quickly extended the time slot to an hour. Maria and I mostly worked on number recognition and basic addition problems. Because of her dyslexia and other learning disabilities it was a tremendous amount of repetition and very slow improvement. Unfortunately I only had 4 weeks with her. However, when I left another volunteer was able to continue the work with Maria.

I felt like the work I did with Maria was the most important thing I did while at the Village. It was where I felt the most success as a volunteer. I think there are many children in Honduras, especially in the Village, that are not up to par with American educational standards. This is because of perpetual strikes, unqualified teachers and little emphasis on the importance of education. I was in Honduras for 5 weeks before the kids, who were supposed to have been in school all along, attended a day of school. That's five weeks of school that they will not make up. And that's only THIS strike. There are sure to be more. The teachers work assuming the government will pay them for the months of work they're owed. The government doesn't pay so the teachers stop working until the government pays. Because of this, the kids are missing a great deal of education. Having volunteers to work one on one with the kids who have really fallen behind in the village is a tremendous contribution and I pray that the organization continues to seek out and help these children. It is in my mind where volunteers have the potential to make the most impact in the SOS Community.


Fernando and Miguel:
I did some minor artistic posters for the classroom and one day while I was out working with Maria, one of the kids, Miguel noticed them and asked who did them. He then tracked me down and told me he wanted to learn to do that. So I started with just showing him bubble letters and simple designs with markers. He loved it! Then he asked what else I could teach him. So for the last two weeks after my obligations were done for the day, I sat with Miguel and taught him how to draw. I taught him about the different grades of pencils and we focused on how to draw faces. He took my sketch book one night with an assignment: draw one face. He came back the next day with 3 really well done pieces! He told me they dont have art class in school and there was supposed to be a community art class that never came to be. I was so disappointed to know that I had a talent that I could really pass on to this kid and I didnt realize it until my last 2 weeks there. So much potential! I take for granted having art class because I always did. But these kids don't and for those with talent, theres no one to teach them! I remember my art classes and learning how to use new materials is really difficult without some guidance.

After seeing what I did with Miguel, another teenager, Fernando, wanted to learn too. So we started with faces. Teaching him he techniques for soft edges, shading, the shape of faces and features...it was a lot of fun for me and I think he really enjoyed the one on one time. It was incredibly difficult trying to teach them art skills with a limited spanish vocabulary on the topic. After one day of borrowing my sketchbook, Fernando used his own money and bought himself a sketch book and pencils. He came to find me as soon as he got back with a huge grin on his face. We spent about an hour that day practicing drawing bodies in motion.

At the end of the week, when my time there came to an end, the Madres organized a lunch to say goodbye. Fernando's mom really surprised me by getting teary eyed and telling me that they felt so lucky to have me. She said the kids will remember me forever for what i've meant to them, especially to Fernando and the passion for art I helped nurture in him. I held back tears as it hit me how important my role as a volunteer was for these children. It reassured me that i needed to find a way back here to these kids.

So that's it. Estoy enamorada. With a village of children in Honduras. :)






I need to go back. There is just so much more to do there. My goal at this point is to do some research into the feasibility of starting a non-profit for the Village. If anyone knows anything about the process or knows anyone who might help me gather information, please contact me. If you'd like more information about how you might help the SOS, I can help with that too.

Tela, Honduras

I've spent the last 8 weeks living in a volunteer house in Tela, Honduras and volunteering at the SOS Children's Village there.

These past 8 weeks have been intense in every definition of the word. I've had daily trials with my living situation and it's been a challenge to remain tranquila day after day...a challenge that some days I have not won. I have had to share my living space with 4 roommates and that hasn't always been easy. At the village i've had to meet 133 new people and to learn their names (i'm still learning...). I've had to find a way to communicate with 133 eager children in a language that I have not yet mastered. There have been so many components to this experience that have tested the composition of my character. Many of these trials will remain personal yet some of them I would like to share.

Unfortunately I don't have a computer with me and I have not had the time to sit and compose anything that adequately expresses just how important this experience has been. But I will. I promise. Once I get home and have some time to reflect on the experience I will let you all in on the magic of the SOS Village. I have a feeling I will be connected to this place, these people, for quite some time. And with that, I have a feeling you'll all be hearing about them in the future.

Cuturally appropriate snot rockets

People in Honduras don't use tissues generally. Instead, they shoot snot rockets. And it's socially appropriate. Imagine my disgust.

Not only that but they look at you like you have 45 heads when you take out a tissue...or a bandaid for that matter.

Hmm...

My New Roommate

This is going to be a fun little game...

Open Google.
Type in "Plaster Bag Worms"
Leave the room to get a barf bag.
Return with supplies and continue surfing the internet...

Those darling little guys are my new roommates! We sweep about 100 off the walls of the house every day.

My Lord is a Gangster

Every morning around 7am, if its not the drills and hammering dragging me out of my slumber, its the neighbor parrot squaking at an alarming volume. His two favorite words, "Dina" (the landladys name) and Nico (the dogs name). The one word it should learn how to yell, "Gangster." Why? Because i'm starting to wonder if my landlord is one.

A little bit about my living situation....
The house we are living in is about 5 minutes down a dirt road from the SOS village where we work 4 days a week, 6 hours a day. The landlord is in construction and actually lived in the states working for 10 years or so. He has a huge corner lot where he's build his own house, and in the last three years this 2 story volunteer house. When I walked in I was surprised at how big and new it all one. Everything is new. Its an open construction and thinly furnished but a LOT nicer than some of the rat holes i've been sleeping in since i started this trip in September. I was pumped for this whole experience and this awesome house and english speaking landlords! woo!...However, after having been here for four weeks now, i've learned quite a bit...and I think you'll all want to hear this.

One of the first questions i was asked by my landlord upon arriving here was "Do you smoke." After barely getting the answer out I got a lesson on the quality of weed here in Honduras. Shortly thereafter I learned why he'd know. The whole 2nd floor of this place is under construction and there is one room in the back of the house with access to the porch that is always locked. This is to secure his stash of marijuana plants that his wife hauls out into the sun in the morning, and into the bedroom at night.

Now he is in the process of doing this house and one of his promises was to give our one roommate a room all to herself. Shes paid more to have an upstairs room for the duration of her stay. She's now been here 4 weeks and still doesnt have the room. Why? Because the landlords priority is in finishing the club he's building in the center because if he doesn't get it done for Semana Santa, "he'll be killed". This may explain why he carries his gun, affectionately dubbed "Juana" in his waistband most of the time. Im guessing he knows how to use it given he has three bullet scars on his body and says "We run Tela." Who "we" is, we have yet to figure out. Now one of my favorite features of this club he is building (and responsible for running for the first 3 months..probably until the gangster boss gets out of jail) are the outside showers that will be used as showers for tourists coming off the beach..but also for wet t-shirt contests..and for the strippers to wash off after a hard nights work. "But the shower heads will be lower than standard so they dont get their hair wet. We dont want them lookin like drowned rats." Add an F word, or 6 to that sentence and it'll sound just like my landlord. (Yes, i know i swear like a trucker but he takes the prize by far!) And its also pretty interesting hearing him answer the question:

Me: "What are you going to do with all the extra bedrooms upstairs?"
Landlord: Well I was going to rent them out to college kids down the road but i've had some people wanting me to use them to "store the girls there when theyre not working".

To make this all the more hilarious, the man has 7 dogs on his property and his wife is a former beauty pageant contestant. I smell gangster!


(A brief explanation for the title...My roommate Theresa sent an email home explaining our situation and accidentally wrote "My Lord is a Gangster" rather than "my LANDlord is a gangster...and almost sent it to her brother in law who is quite religious and would have been seriously offended.)

The spill.

This lovely tale starts back in Guatemala when a friend from traveling decided she was no longer backpacking but rather joining a group of boys bicycling to South America. She needed to lighten her load so she generously added to mine. She gave me some kind of organic face product that comes in a black jar and looks something like iodine....I hadnt touched the stuff until about 4 weeks later when out of boredom in Honduras I figured if find out what kinda job it'd do for my skin.

A month later: The house that we are renting, as volunteers, is on the property of our landlords Roy and Dina. In the last two years they have built this house from the ground up. Unfortunately, because Roy has a lot of other construction projects going on, they have yet to completely finish everything.

Last week he had some guys working day in and day out. One of them was in charge of the plumbing and apparently did a shotty job. This was deduced at 5am when we were woken up by Roy yelling about a flood outside. Water was gushing from the floor above us and had left some pretty substantial spots on the drywall ceiling right above my bed. So Roy assessed the damage and told us he'd have the guys come in and replace the ceiling the next day. So I took all my stuff out of the room and put it in the hallway closet to avoid having drywall debris all over it.

So now I get dressed in the hallway out of a giant closet. Which isnt a problem except for another side effect of living in a construction zone. The light in the room doesnt stay on. You push it, walk away, get about 5 paces and it goes off. So you do this about 5 or 10 times and you might get lucky and itll stay on.

One morning I encountered this situation and didnt have the patience to keep trying the light. So I thought, screw it. Ill just get dressed in the dark. Well my fumbly hands came in contact with the not fully sealed bottle of brown liquid face stuff which then went tumbling, open, onto the shelf below me...on top of my roommates clothes. Lovely. I freak out and while she is still sleeping haul the 3 pieces of stained clothing into the kitchen to start scrubbing..and planning what the hell to tell her when she realizes what i've done.

She wasnt too visibly upset and i managed to scrub it out of the clothes that I saw stains on. Well then she starts investigating her clothing piles and realizing its on FAR MORE than just the 3 shirts I initally saw the stains on! There are spots on at least ten items of clothing. Jesus Christ!

So I feel horrible. This particular roommate has up to this point been very generous with her personal items. We have internet here but i dont have a computer so shes let me use hers on many occasions. So i'm freaking out but im relieved when i managed to get at least those 3 shirts clean for now. I go and hang them out on the line which is dirty so taking special care, I wipe the line to avoid getting the now clean shirts dirty again. Clip them into place to avoid the Honduran winds blowing them away... and retire for the night proud of my monumental save after such an embarrassing accident.

Until the next day when the roommate 1 (owner of the ruined clothes) goes out for awhile and my other roommate goes out to take some of her stuff off the line. I figure I should go check roommate 1's clothes. While were out there Roommate 2 says "whats this?" and goes to pick up what looks like an old dishrag off the ground. This thing had its ass kicked by one of Roy and Dinas big dogs, Rex. I mean he really had a ball with this dish rag...or so I thought... until I realized it was one of Roommate1's shirts that blew off the line!!

So now ive stained half her working wardrobe for her 4 month stay here AND i've thrown one to the dogs. So..what do you think, worst roommate ever?

Sitting in Traffic

I was staying in the city for a few weeks with Dennis and we ended up borrowing his moms like 15 year old BMW to go to the beach a couple hours away. The drive down was uneventful. The drive home was a real trip!

We left mid-day on sunday and it was HOT. Like, make you cranky, want to strip down in public hot. And there is no such thing as air conditioner in this car. It was so hot that we ended up pulling over, turning around, and driving up to a random lady on the street with a hose and asking her to hose us down. Thankfully, she did.

So at some point the temperature gage was going a little crazy, we assumed so because of the heat. So we pulled over, poured some water in the engine at a gas station, ate some nachos and hopped back in to finish the drive home.

Not two minutes later, the gage goes all the way up and lights up. Great. So we pull over again and sit in the car for an hour ana half waiting for it to regroup. Thankfully, it was still daytime and we had some vodka in the car ;)

So after that we get going again and the gage is STILL going crazy. So we pull over again. Were starting to think this trip is never going to end. Some random highway worker has to come rescue us with some more water and its dark before we actually get on the road.

Thankfully we did end up getting home in one piece and in enough time that I could pack up my bags as I was heading out the next morning. Im not sure whats going on here but every time I hang out in the city, something ridiculous happens to me...

Fruity

Just so you're all well aware how awesome life is here...
My roommates in san pedro and I went to the market to buy groceries. Its an outdoor market where you can haggle at all the stalls for whatever you want to buy. We bought a watermelon, cantelope, two pineapples, a papaya, 3 mangos, 14 bananas...for the equivalent of about 4 or 5 USD.
Color me happy :)

My Calling

The main factor that separates me from my friends here is the opportunities I was given as a first world citizen, and I believe it is my responsibility to work so that these opportunities are available to all.

I am waiting to hear from UW to know if I got into graduate school and I will know by April first. I understand that applying to just one school was risky on my end...so I am in the market for a backup plan.

After Costa Rica a friend suggested we teach English abroad after getting TEFL certified. The idea sounded cool..but I wasnt completely sold. When I was studying spanish in San Pedro a few weeks ago, I spent an hour after class teaching English to my Spanish teachers. It was one of the highlights of my experience in San Pedro. So now while I am in limbo between traveling and going home to either go to school or get a job, I find myself entertaining the idea of moving abroad for a year and teaching English. I dont doubt that id be good at it...

Hm, lets see where this road takes me. Stay in guatemala? Somewhere new like Puerto Rico? Or maybe back to my first love, Turkey?

Half the Sky

¨...few factors that CAN affect our happiness levels in a sustained way. One is a connection to something larger...a greater cause or a humanitarian purpose. Traditionally, this was what brought people to churches or other religious institutions, but any movement or humanitarian initiative can provide a sense of purpose that boosts ones happiness quotient. We are neurologically constructed so that we gain huge personal dividends from altruism.¨

Recently I read the book Half The Sky and it is a recommened read, especially for other women my age who care at all about the greater good. The book researches the role of woman throughout the world and details problems women encounter like maternal health, genital mutilation, honor killings, abuse, sex trafficking and general lack of purpose in many places in the world. Each woman has a story that proves that being born into an awful life doesnt necessarily mean you will be unproductive in the world forever. It stresses the significance of education in the lives of women and children and how the result of this education can be a greater world economy with a more productive workforce, less disease and illness, population control, etc.

Its a really powerful book and it introduces several inspiring women who have risen from terribly grim life situations to become powerful, productive women in society. Many of these women now run international aid organizations as well as highly effective community organizations.

It left me feeling like I have so many options in the world. I can do whatever I want to do with my life. I have traveled quite a bit and opened myself up to letting the world change me. Next I think ill need to start changing the world :)

Didnt you bring your helmet?

The walk to school takes me down a long, straight, cement street that goes past numerous shops and stores and one particularly shady looking ¨house¨ that from what I can tell, doubles as a bar. Why do I think that? Well..let me tell you...

Walking to school the other day there were very few people on the street ahead of me. It was practically deserted for at least 300 steps. All of a sudden I hear a door whip open and out falls an old man, dirty khaki pants, green button up shirt and a cowboy hat. Literally FALLS like a board into the street like something out of the movies! It looked hilarious because he fell literally like a two by four if you just let it fall. Good thing he was so drunk because otherwise he would have been in some kinda pain!

He lay there for about 10 seconds...rolled over...and sat up. I guess all is well in drunkie land after all.

Unavoidable church attendance

I had been complaining the last two weeks about the love affair my host family was having with God. I had been the elusive heathen that they weren´t able to convince to attend their church ceremonies. Feeling like a badass, I moved into the apartments that our school runs for students. Thinking I was so slick and would not have to hear any more ¨God is the Word¨ lectures (yes that really happened) I went to bed so content in my new house.

Until Wednesday morning...

At the strike of 756AM I was aggressively awoken by a religious song being played somewhere way too close to my eardrums and well above speaker blowing volumes. In a haze, I fumbled with the lock and stumbled into the hallway. I glanced up and down the street trying to pinpoint the location of this eardrum damaging drivel. Unsuccessful, I retreated to my room, first making eye contact with the lady that lives below us. I gave her a look that said nothing other than ¨jeez! this is uncalled for and TERRIBLE!¨ It was about 9 seconds later when I realized just beneath my room was a oversized speaker set up in front of about 25 plastic chairs arranged in preparation for some type of religious ceremony....and SHE was throwing the party!

This service continued for two whole hours. There were periods of time where literally twenty minutes lapsed and the same woman was still screaming some God praising tune into the microphone. Twenty minutes of a church song!? A SINGLE song!? Then for a short while they all said different prayers aloud and the lady with the mic wailed into it...she was really moved by the presence of god at their ceremony.

So it looks like due to my participation I am no longer a heathen. Is that how it works?

Good news: my spanish teacher told me its part of a program where every wed the women of the church get together at a DIFFERENT house and pray together. Each family does it ONCE a year.

Phew.

Some religious ceremony??

Warning...religious people may not appreciate this joke.


Im recounting my terrible nights sleep to my dad and saying....

[10:30:47 a.m.] Kat Fischer: k so last night i think i had the worst nights sleep imaginable. there were FIREWORKS at 430 am
[10:31:06 a.m.] Kat Fischer: dogs barking..a whole neighborhood of them like a badly coordinated chior practice
[10:31:16 a.m.] Kat Fischer: and what sounded like a pig being slaughtered sometime areound 5am
[10:31:17 a.m.] Robert Fischer Jr: some religious celebration coming up


pigs, fireworks and dogs....some religious celebration coming up??

The life I thought I wanted..

Growing up in America you either learn directly through your family, or indirectly through society that to be successful you must go to school, get married, have kids. End of story. I learned this lesson too and up until a few years ago, I probably would have followed the same path. To the disdain of my parental units, I discovered traveling and have been running in the opposite direction of this prediscussed lifestyle.

I want kids. In the distant future. And I actually want lots of them. I want marriage and a house as well. The trick to all of this being I couldnt pick a city in the world i´d be content to stay in for the rest of my life, or even for a long period of time..nor could I pick someone I´d be content being with forever.

Im 24 years old. Some people would say these types of thoughts are totally irrational and others, many of the my close friends, would say I am where I am supposed to be.

Last night I found myself at the dinner table with my host mom discussing birthdays. Turns out hers is in a few weeks on which she´ll be celebrating her 23rd birthday. She has three kids..the oldest is 8. Shes been a mom since she was 14 and has been maintaining a home for just as long. Now she takes care of 3 kids, her husband, her house, all the cooking, and now two Americans who are living in her home. Ill reiterate the fact that she is only 22.

Ill stick with my life as a professional wanderer (sorry mom).

Invasion of the Amoebas

After weeks of bodily explosions my spanish teacher finally convinced me it was a good idea to go to the Dr. Fantastically, it was a free clinic that also provides free medicine! I went in for an exam and she was convinced I have amoebas in my stomach!!! That would explain the chronic fatigue, fever, and other bodily problems that I will not elaborate on for the last like 3 weeks. SO, I got 5 days of free meds and should be amoeba free by then! While I do not thank Guatemala for my aboebas in the first place, I do find free clinics to be one more reason to love Guatemala! Is it ok if I stay here forever?

Vida Sin Musica

True to form, within a few days of being out of the country I was robbed...again. This is like the 2nd time in two months...getting a little ridiculous here. Unfortunately THIS time I actually lost something I am really pissed about not having, my music player!!! How is one to be abroad for 4 months without ANY music. Do you have a clue what this does to any bus ride I ever have to take. I do. It makes it seem about 14 hours longer, on average! And the hour or less a day I spend at an internet cafe listening to music on YouTube is not cutting it either....although at this point in my life I am eternally grateful to that technology.

The last two days the people next door have been playing music so I have gotten a little music relief...or I would have, had they not been playing Danza Kuduro on repeat for at least an hour yesterday only to resume the track at 8am this morning. Sigh...music player, where have you gone!!!

Lunch Menu< food poisoning

Yesterday I spent the better portion of my day with the porcelin goddess thanks to a lovely batch of food bourne illness that I contracted god knows how. So today when the family asked if id like to climb the mountain and cut down coffee beans with them, I could not have been any more unenthusiastic about it. Instead I spent the day in my bathing suit sunning myself of the rooftop terrace and feeling like i was wearing far too little clothing to be appropriate for Guatemalan society. It was fabulous.

Rosa, my host mom, around say 9am, told me that she would leave lunch on the table for me and whenever I was hungry I could eat. With a still queasy stomach I made my way downstairs to find a plate of food set out. Cucumbers, avacados and tortillas which I was excited about...and some slab of cold meat that looked like it was taken off the head of a pig. Now on a normal day when I am healthy, I would be leery about consuming cold pig meat that had been sitting out for 3 plus hours....but after having a days worth of bodily functions gone awry, the last thing I was putting in my mouth was that meat! Bleh!

people in hostels

I was staying in Antigua for like 4 days to kill time before heading to the lake to go to Spanish school. The hostel I was in was not my favorite...amazing breakfast but DARK and not cozy whatsoever. So I switched, thankfully to enjoy my last day here.

I got to the hostel yesterday and therefore had dibs on the beds. There are 6 beds in the room, none of them bunks. So I, intelligently, took the bed by the window thinking I'd get the breeze and the most light, right? Right. But what I hadnt factored in was everyone in the room thinking climbing across my stuff and my bed to open/shut the window was appropriate....nor did I consider the possibility that someone would actually climb across my bed/stuff to lay their towel on the window ledge. Ugh. People in hostels sometimes, my goodness...

Grams rules to live by

January 22nd is the birthday of my favorite person in the world...my Gram Vitelli. I think all her grandchildren agree that without her our childhoods would have been a lot different.

A few rules to life we have learned thanks to Gram:

10. When COPS comes on, its quiet time...wherever you are.
9. Cream cheese balls covered in m&ms are a staple for any party or gathering...no matter how big or small
8. LayZ BOy chairs are the only appropriate forms of furniture...if possible, stock arm compartment with Yanni CDs.
7. When something breaks, dont use duck tape. Use underwear bands. Always.
6. Confusion over pick up time of ones grandmother signifies nothing other than she is a piece of meat.
5. The strings in chicken wings ARE actually rubber bands.
4. Blankets should be used for making big, big piles and couches should be used to jump off of onto said pile of blankets.
3. Long sleeves were invented to stuff tissues into when you are not using them.
2. Sun light is the best shampoo money can buy.
1. There is nothing in the world a day at the beach and an order of Saras curly fries with cheese wont fix.

And a bonus rule...
-A wooden spoon can send anyone running to the back room.


Happy Birthday LEV. Thinking of you and missing you always. <3

A Dummy in search of an Irish Pub

Last time I was in Antigua Whitney and I had some delicious food at a popular Irish Pub called Reilleys. Naturally upon arriving in Antigua I was jonesing for a hearty vegetable sandwich from Reilleys. Now Antigua is difficult to navigate even with superior map reading skills so I figured i spend a good hour or two walking around before I actually found the place. Little did I Know, that hour would turn into several added up over the course of 3 days...and still no veggie sandwich.

Finally a genius idea: google it dummy! SO I did. And found out it had recently moved. I felt like much less of an idiot at this point knowing of course I couldnt find it, it had moved!! This phase of elation didnt last long when I then realized the new Reilleys was literally 3 doors down from the hostel I had been staying at for 3 days now. But to my great satisfaction I did finally get that veggie sandwich and it was just as delicious as I remember it.

True Life: I draw portraits

There is a really cool street here in Antigua where it is common on the weekends for artists to set up and try to sell jewelry or paintings or something. Frequently they are foreigners trying to make a little cash...

Today I went in search of a bookstore and instead found the most hysterical thing ever. These are the moments in traveling where it sucks being alone because laughing out loud like a crazy is totally inappropriate...however much you may like to.

There is a man with his "art" set up. He has a cardboard sign and hand written it says "PORTRAITS" and has a small example of his work. I love a good portrait and I love seeing artwork so I got excited. But I was severely confused when what I saw was a "portrait" drawn in pen of what appeared to be Emily Rose before her exorcism in the style of this fantastic artist whose work is displayed below...





The only thing that could have made this better is if it had been drawn on looseleaf. Tell me you would have a hard time not laughing at that!?

Warning: Idiot Move Ahead

So I have traveled quite a bit and heard plenty horror stories of lost stolen passports. I get the importance of always knowing where it is. So I found myself completely at a loss for words when I got off the airplane in Guatemala City, got to the car and realized I did not have it anymore.

I went through customs and as I was leaving put my passport in the outside pocket of my bag...a VERY stupid move and a move I have never made before ever. I have no idea what possessed me to do it then. So we walk like 3 minutes to the car, go to put my bags in the trunk and I am like let me just check to make sure I have my passport. Sure enough, MISSING.

Thankfully someone had already found it and taken it to the front desk type area and I was able to get it back with no hassle. Jesus... what a way to start this trip!

late, as usual

Its now 10pm, I am leaving Erie at 3pm tomorrow and rather than sayyy PACKING, which I have yet to do... I am blogging. What is wrong with me!?

Door smashing

Im sitting here watching a particularly amusing episode of dog the bounty hunger and after watching a too tan ponytailed gorilla man wearing leather studded attire kick a door in I a am left wondering...
Is it really that easy to kick a door in??

P.O.A.

Tomorrow I am headed down to Pittsburgh with my parents and taking a flight to Boston where I will stay overnight. Last time I met some pretty interesting characters staying overnight there so this could get interesting! Early Tuesday morning I have a flight to Guatemala and I should arrive around noon.

I made a friend in Antigua last time I was in Guatemala who lives in the city and is going out of his way for me. He's picking me up at the airport and is going to show me around the city! Last time I was in Guatemala City I only saw the embassy and a few other areas through the car window so I am excited to see what it's like.

After I get tired of the city or feel like it is time to move on I am headed back to Lago Atitlan which is like 4 hours West of Guate City. It is the cheapest place I could find to take Spanish school and its fantastically beautiful there so thats where I am headed.

http://www.casarosario.com/

If I like it there and I am learning a lot then I will stay 4-6 weeks before HOPEFULLY having some friends come visit. After that I am headed to Honduras to work with HondurasChildren where I will be volunteering in an Orphanage.

http://www.honduraschildren.org/

If all goes well I will be home mid-May. :)

'Cuz i'm a gypsy

While in Belize I went and got my tarot cards read and you pick two large cards which are your major "themes" for your life in the next year. Oddly enough I got the wind and a gypsy :)

Maybe there's something to it when my mom calls me a gypsy.

Thus, the theme song to my life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNBOL44VhA4&feature=fvst

and for good measure, in spanish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ymOPmDCKk&feature=related

Gringo Nightmare

While channel surfing today I got stuck on an "Imprisoned Abroad" program and couldn't stop watching. The story was about Eric Volz, a 20 something Californian who had moved down to San Jaun Del Sur, Nicaragua to start a bilingual publication. He spoke fluent spanish and began dating a gorgeous local girl and they had a relationship that the locals detested. He received a lot of hate mail and she was threatened several times as well by locals. Anyways, he ends up moving to Managua, they break up, she calls him one night sounding really stressed and tells him they can never see each other again. The next day her body is found in San Juan Del Sur in her clothing story in the middle of town.

Eric gets blamed for it despite overwhelming evidence in favor of his innocence (cell phone call from Managua, car rental slip in Managua which is over 2 hours away, proof of a business phone conference at the time of her murder, etc). He ends up spending nearly a year in an infamous jail in Managua that houses violent criminals under the worst conditions.

It took interference from an ex CIA official in his case to get him released eventually and acquitted of charges.

I found this story incredible and scary at the same time. Traveling the world you always see how harsh living situations are for some people and how corrupt governments and police are but this is all so insane to me. I used to love the movie Brokedown Palace and if youve ever seen it, this story is so similar! Eric has a book about the details that I would love to read. When I do, ill write.
Doing some research I came across a couple really interesting link...

http://www.friendsofericvolz.com/home/?currentPage=2
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22589336

After reading all of this I came across a post regarding Erics anger at the US for supporting Nicaragua by filming this seasons SURVIVOR not only IN nicaragua, but in san juan del sur...the same city Eric was arrested in.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-volz/why-did-jeff-probst-of-su_b_716568.html

Now there have been serious accusations against the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, in regards to his human rights violations and his intense anti-american sentiment. Ortega was in power in the 80s and came back into power a few years ago.

In doing this research I also learned about another similar case happening in Iran currently. Three hikers wandered across the border and were arrested for illegal entry and espionage. One has been released and two remain in jail. They have been there for over 500 days.

http://freethehikers.org/

Yogi Tea

One of the simplest pleasures in my day is opening up a bag of Yogi Tea and enlightening myself with their spiritual wisdom.

Cup number one of the morning read:
"When ego is lost, limit is lost. You become infinite, kind, beautiful."

Today's second cup came with this little gem:
"Always be pure, simple and honest." :)

If you dont drink tea to have your Yogi morning of your own, go here http://www.yogiproducts.com/ and find your own inspiration.

Why We Travel

"The ideal travel book," Christopher Isherwood once said, "should be perhaps a little like a crime story in which you're in search of something." And it's the best kind of something, I would add, if it's one that you can never quite find.
I remember, in fact, after my first trips to Southeast Asia, more than a decade ago, how I would come back to my apartment in New York, and lie in my bed, kept up by something more than jet lag, playing back, in my memory, over and over, all that I had experienced, and paging wistfully though my photographs and reading and re-reading my diaries, as if to extract some mystery from them. Anyone witnessing this strange scene would have drawn the right conclusion: I was in love.
For if every true love affair can feel like a journey to a foreign country, where you can't quite speak the language, and you don't know where you're going, and you're pulled ever deeper into the inviting darkness, every trip to a foreign country can be a love affair, where you're left puzzling over who you are and whom you've fallen in love with. All the great travel books are love stories, by some reckoning -- from the Odyssey and the Aeneid to the Divine Comedy and the New Testament -- and all good trips are, like love, about being carried out of yourself and deposited in the midst of terror and wonder."

The year in review

2010 has been a year of epic proportions in so many ways. Lets review...

Jan -- Everyone makes stupid new years resolutions that last about a day and in buying a membership to a gym I feared for a minute that that was going to be me this year. However, I succeeded in going to the gym at least three times a week with one of my friends/coworkers and I actually enjoyed it. I kept it up until I left in September :)

February--My dad got sick which made for an emotional February.

Mar- I officially bought my tickets to go to Guatemala in September. I've had it in my head that i'd like to travel again for quite awhile now and learning Spanish had been on my bucket list for nearly my entire life (thanks, Selena). So here we go!

April--As per usual, my birthday is always the highlight. There is something just so very badass about having so many of my friends come to Erie to celebrate with me. Another amazing bday!!! The highlight was getting another tattoo, doing a autism walk at the beach with my cousin, going to dinner with my family and raging with tons of my favorite people! (sorry for slinging myself over the back seat, slipping off and running the wrong way into the rainy night...!)

May--Spent a week in Denver with my family to celebrate my brothers graduation and then spent a week in California with my SAS friends. I have no words for how awesome May was. Hell of a May! :)

June-I made a hobby of riding my bike around asbury park (usually with my friend Leah) and that was one of the highlights of my summer. I also started babysitting for a family in June which turned out to be both challenging and really fun. The little one was 3 and turning 4 and not yet potty trained so that became my project...which I succeeded at :)

July-- Spend July 4th at the farm with friends, beers, beach, sparklers and the lake. Oh and like 45 cheeseburgers.

August-- I checked another one off my bucket list for the summer and slept in a tent in my backyard for a few nights. and the highlight of my WHOLE summer...the John Mayer concert :)

Sept--Whitney and I went to guatemala! We spent the month there, met some amazing people, saw some of the most beautiful things i've ever seen and I officially fell in love with the place! It sure didn't take long. I was really nervous to go after reading all the reports about how dangerous it is and how "at risk" I was going to be. But it's been incredible. Definitely one of my favorite places on earth...so far.

Oct- Traveled around Belize and Honduras. In belize we went snorkeling and spent a week on a ridiculously tranquil and beautiful island.

Nov-- My friend left me sola in costa rica and I started traveling all by myself for the first time ever. I lived with a family in costa rica for the month and made some great friends in my roommates and other volunteers. Spent 4 weeks volunteering at an orphanage and laying some groundwork for my future as i'd like to work in international adoption. I also learned a little spanish while i was there.

December! - I've never REALLY traveled totally solo...until now. In early December I left Costa Rica and crossed the border into Panama by myself. I cried. I was so nervous and the first night was the worst. But real quick I made some friends, saw some sights (the panama canal was amazing!) and made it home in time to celebrate christmas with my family. The best part was that I had a flight home and only a handful of people knew, NOT including my parents...who nearly shit themselves when I walked in the front door saying "Anyone home". Imagine their surprise when I was supposed to be skyping them from Panama.

Jan 11th..where to next?!

Well, the plan had been to return to Guatemala on Jan 11th, stay in Guate City with a friend for a few days and then head North to Coban. I had been here for a few days before and the owner of a hostel there asked me to come back and work for him. I had room/board covered, too. He was also going to look into helping me with spanish school. Truly, it sounded ideal. Maybe it was too good to be true because
THIS hit the news while I have been home for the holidays.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-20/world/guatemala.siege_1_drug-gang-guatemalan-government-carlos-castresana?_s=PM:WORLD
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12056388
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2010/12/28/mexican-cartel-threatens-kill-civilians-guatemala/

Basically, there is a extremely violent drug cartel known as Los Zetas that runs the Mexican drug trade. In the last year or so they have taken control of the Guatemalan border and have set up areas of control in Guatemalan cities. The government apparently called a state of seige in efforts to expel the Zetas from the region. Unfortunately, this state of seige is focused in Alta Verapaz, mainly Coban...the city I was headed to.

The most recent article I read stated that Zetas overtook 3 radio stations in Coban and threated war on civilians if the government did not stop its counterattacks. Unbelievable.

SOOO with that knowledge, there went my plan. At this point I AM headed to Guatemala city with intentions of staying in southern guatemala for a few weeks. At that point, I hopefully will have secured a volunteer placement near there or in Honduras. I have been spending the majority of my time the last few days researching my options. The problem is I have pretty much blown my savings the last time around and whatever I do needs to be kept amazingly cheap. But most importantly, I need to be safe.

culture shock

Culture Shock. It was inevitable. I found myself starting sentences in Spanish and translating everything I said in Spanish before realizing people speak English here. I have had a phone for like 10 hours and I already hate it. Im not much of a phone person while I live in America so leaving the country is always so nice. So needless to say I hating the texting, ringing and all that real quick. The BEST thing..having clean clothes. The worst thing..having so many clothes!! It was so frustrating to get dressed because I was overwhelmed by my options. Not to mention I hated the way the beans and rice diet supplemented by various other carbs/starches changed my ass. So life back in America has been..well, I dont have the appropriate word.

I have LOVED the time with my friends. I have missed them all while I have been away! I really hope some of them can come visit me when I head back in Jan :)

Home, again

My last two weeks in Central America I flew solo and it was both scary and amazing. I got from the Osa Peninsula, across the border, and several hours north to Bocas Del Toro, an island off the coast of Panama. This included several busses, taxis, ferries...etc and I did at all alone!!

Once I got to Panama I made some friends who I ended up spending my last two weeks with. People on the road are all pretty friendly. Everyone is in the same boat and a lot of travelers are also solo. I would have preferred having a close friend of mine to share the experience with but traveling solo also had its perks.

But alas, it was time to execute the best surprise in Fischer Family History!

I had purchased a flight home around thanksgiving time. I didnt want to go home yet but I also didnt want to miss the holidays. I had been telling my family and friends for months that I probably wouldnt make it home for the holidays. I didnt know if i could afford it and I didnt want them getting their hopes up. One day I found a HUGE discount on flights so I made the purchase and kept it a secret! I flew home on Dec 7th and had my bff megan pick me up. I stayed with her for a few days enjoying some decompression time. I ate a lot of buffalo chicken, watched endless hours of television, stayed in my PJS all day and finally enjoyed a hot shower!! (In all of Costa Rica I probably had 4 hot showers) On Friday Megan drove me up to Erie.

I had set up a Skype Date with my parents so that I knew they would be home. I told them I was "heading north" and would have access to video skype so to be ready. I walked in the front door and said "anybody home?" My mom turned around, SCREAMED, did this weird squat and then cried. My dad had ran out to do an errand so I went upstairs and on Megans phone called my mom on skype. So when he came on the front door we were skyping and he just jumped in the convo. I said "Hey hold on this computer is doing something weird..let me call you back" I creeped down the stairs and heard megan saying "Ugh i just want to talk to her why is this messing up!" And I turned the corner and said "You can talk to me!" My dad stared at me...turned and looked at my mom...stared at me.." Finally I said, hi dad!! and it registered to him that I was actually there!

They had NO clue! And they were very happy that I made it home for the holidays!
The best part was I then got to surprise my friend Lindsey at her art show and I dropped into my old job and surprised the crap out of my old friends and coworkers...all of whom had nooo clue i was coming home either! Id say that surprise was quite the success!

So now I have 4 weeks at home to eat all the hot sauce I can, spend every minute enjoying my comfy bed, a hot shower and all my friends and family!!