When I was a child, I steadfastly avoided bananas and nearly all things acrobatic. Through conscious choice, I've learned to retrain myself to accept both of these. Our own power over our actions and lives is amazing sometimes, especially when it manifests itself in such astonishingly simple ways.
There were many foods I refused to eat when I was young - my staples included chicken nuggets and macaroni with homemade cheese sauce - but bananas were far and away the most vehemently refused. Well into college, I avoided bananas at all costs. I did not like the smell or texture and knew the taste wouldn't please the palate either. After slowly introducing peppers and mushrooms into my life through constant inclusion on my plate, I decided it was time for the banana. Africa, after all, is well-known for bananas and plantains; it's also advised to avoid fruits that you can't peel yourself while traveling or living there. Bananas it was.
I started small, adhering to the same theory I did with the other foods: (re)introducing a food works well when it's done as for children, 10 to 12 times in small amounts. I began with half a banana in my oatmeal. I didn't like that bowl of oatmeal much, but I survived. The second time around, it wasn't quite so bad. Next came a banana chocolate-chip muffin from Whole Foods. Surprisingly delicious. Tonight, I'm on to trial 4 (and 5, 6, ...): homemade banana chocolate-chip muffins. This feeds into a second theory to which I subscribe: people (children) tend to respond well to foods they helped prepare. I have hope that I'll be a banana-lover within months. It'll be good for me.
Acrobatics were another area in which my childhood involvement was underwhelming. Reasons included my sister's monopoly of all things dance-related and the fact that I once got a nosebleed doing somersaults during gymnastics class at the Y. As my swim career was already taking me to championship meets, I put aside cartwheels and focused on my backstroke.
Today, I headed to Sunday-morning yoga at the Y - what a brilliant concept - where we were focusing on twists this week. Late in the class, as she regularly does, our instructor encouraged us to take some time for headstands. Comfortable at the preparation level from last week's class, I decided to take things one step further. I kicked my legs up once, twice, and suddenly I was upside-down! My feet safely supported by the giant mirror that runs the length of the room, I took a moment to reflect on this occasion. I hadn't felt ready to hang out upside-down in a handstand even moment before I was there, but challenges often take the form of things that make us slightly nervous. Challenges for some may include a 5K or tofu. Marathons and Morningstar are easy for me to face, but I find challenges in the occasional food and in yoga class. As I move forward in life, I'll do so with the knowledge that each of us has the power to achieve any height if we take a deep breath, kick our legs up, and accept the challenge.
More another day - I'm off to enjoy a muffin.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Map Fun Time
Sometimes we find fun things online. Here's a map highlighting the countries to which I have traveled or will very soon travel. Australia, it turns out, is much bigger than the Netherlands. Who knew?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Where in the World is...?
When we were little, Carmen Sandiego was never easy to find. She could be at Mount Rushmore; she might have stolen the Lincoln Memorial off the National Mall; she probably wasn't in Yosemite, but it was hard to say for sure. It took some persistence and dedication to find her.
I never thought I'd be as hard to keep track of as Carmen Sandiego. After all, I always know where I am so how difficult could I be to find? Pretty difficult, apparently, if we track by the number of texts I've received over the past month reading, "Where ARE you?" or "Are you still in the US?" Inspired by a recent post on my Facebook wall, I'm chronicling my recent and upcoming epic adventures so you'll never again have to wonder whether I'm in the States (at least not for the next six months).
Recent travels:
Israel: I went to Israel in December with Melissa, my former NCCC team leader. We got to spend nearly two weeks with my three adorable nieces, who are now 4, 2 1/2, and 1. Aderet is learning to write (in Hebrew before English), Nava speaks mostly coherently and with a great deal of enthusiasm, and Dina is entirely mobile and loves surreptitiously snacking on crayons. My sister continues to be herself, which is always a good thing.
Jordan: During our trip to Israel, Melissa and I took a day trip to Jordan to see Petra. This was mostly motivated by our discovery that Petra was on the BBC's list of 50 places to see before you die. Also, it's ancient and I love old stuff. We had an amazing time and got a great, if all-too-brief, insight into another culture.
London: My mom and aunt decided to go to London for New Year's and I was the lucky beneficiary as their travel companion. We saw three West End shows (London's equivalent of Broadway), including a fantastic musical production of Legally Blonde. We enjoyed wandering through the Globe Theater and taking a day trip to Stonehenge.
Upcoming travels:
Ghana: I depart for Ghana on March 12th and start my program orientation one month from today. I'll be spending four weeks there volunteering at an orphanage, followed by an additional few days to experience the culture outside of my volunteer placement. Why Ghana? Its reputation is as a warm, safe, friendly nation and the volunteer program through which I'm traveling is very highly reviewed. People who've been there absolutely love it and I know the children will be amazing. I'm looking forward to this trip a lot.
Barcelona (and perhaps France): I'll fly from Ghana to Barcelona for two weeks there, including ten days with my mom. I've never been to Barcelona but southern Spain is beautiful and I hear amazing things. I look forward to fun workouts on the beach and enjoying springtime in Europe. Somehow, I'll get from there to Rome.
Italy: After my dad taught himself Italian, he decided it'd be good to go to Italy for some language immersion. We'll be spending a week each in Florence and Rome (both of which I love - I'm looking forward to revisiting the Roman forum and Michelangelo's David) and two weeks biking through Tuscany. I consider this the best possible type of bike training for my upcoming triathlons (whenever those may be). I expect sunshine and gorgeous hill towns steeped in centuries of history and culture.
And the USA...
I'll be here until mid-March and will return a week into June. At that point, my sister will visit along with her husband and all three children. They'll be here for about a week, which should be amazing. I'll also be visiting DC this summer to see some certain special friends. After that, I plan to settle down in New England for another fantastic year of service in AmeriCorps.
See, that wasn't too complicated? Right?? As always, the best way to reach me will be via email and I'll try to share world-travels adventures on here at some point. I'm optimistic for pretty pictures.
I never thought I'd be as hard to keep track of as Carmen Sandiego. After all, I always know where I am so how difficult could I be to find? Pretty difficult, apparently, if we track by the number of texts I've received over the past month reading, "Where ARE you?" or "Are you still in the US?" Inspired by a recent post on my Facebook wall, I'm chronicling my recent and upcoming epic adventures so you'll never again have to wonder whether I'm in the States (at least not for the next six months).
Recent travels:
Israel: I went to Israel in December with Melissa, my former NCCC team leader. We got to spend nearly two weeks with my three adorable nieces, who are now 4, 2 1/2, and 1. Aderet is learning to write (in Hebrew before English), Nava speaks mostly coherently and with a great deal of enthusiasm, and Dina is entirely mobile and loves surreptitiously snacking on crayons. My sister continues to be herself, which is always a good thing.
Jordan: During our trip to Israel, Melissa and I took a day trip to Jordan to see Petra. This was mostly motivated by our discovery that Petra was on the BBC's list of 50 places to see before you die. Also, it's ancient and I love old stuff. We had an amazing time and got a great, if all-too-brief, insight into another culture.
London: My mom and aunt decided to go to London for New Year's and I was the lucky beneficiary as their travel companion. We saw three West End shows (London's equivalent of Broadway), including a fantastic musical production of Legally Blonde. We enjoyed wandering through the Globe Theater and taking a day trip to Stonehenge.
Upcoming travels:
Ghana: I depart for Ghana on March 12th and start my program orientation one month from today. I'll be spending four weeks there volunteering at an orphanage, followed by an additional few days to experience the culture outside of my volunteer placement. Why Ghana? Its reputation is as a warm, safe, friendly nation and the volunteer program through which I'm traveling is very highly reviewed. People who've been there absolutely love it and I know the children will be amazing. I'm looking forward to this trip a lot.
Barcelona (and perhaps France): I'll fly from Ghana to Barcelona for two weeks there, including ten days with my mom. I've never been to Barcelona but southern Spain is beautiful and I hear amazing things. I look forward to fun workouts on the beach and enjoying springtime in Europe. Somehow, I'll get from there to Rome.
Italy: After my dad taught himself Italian, he decided it'd be good to go to Italy for some language immersion. We'll be spending a week each in Florence and Rome (both of which I love - I'm looking forward to revisiting the Roman forum and Michelangelo's David) and two weeks biking through Tuscany. I consider this the best possible type of bike training for my upcoming triathlons (whenever those may be). I expect sunshine and gorgeous hill towns steeped in centuries of history and culture.
And the USA...
I'll be here until mid-March and will return a week into June. At that point, my sister will visit along with her husband and all three children. They'll be here for about a week, which should be amazing. I'll also be visiting DC this summer to see some certain special friends. After that, I plan to settle down in New England for another fantastic year of service in AmeriCorps.
See, that wasn't too complicated? Right?? As always, the best way to reach me will be via email and I'll try to share world-travels adventures on here at some point. I'm optimistic for pretty pictures.
Our Generation
[Note: This is the full text of my speech at the NCCC Perry Point Class XVI graduation. It shares a lot about what service is to me and our generation's impact on the world through service and life.]
Most of us knew by the age of five what we wanted to be when we grew up. We wanted to be farmers or firefighters, architects or ambassadors. I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer.
None of us, when we were five years old, planned to be National Service Members in AmeriCorps. But here we are. We’re not in the ballet or the Olympics, but we are fighting fires and building homes. We’re traveling the Atlantic and Gulf regions in service to America. In doing so, we’re leading our generation in National Service.
Our generation was defined for us before most of us even knew what a generation was. When we were young, we were Generation Y, that amorphous group following Generation X. Later, we became the technology generation, growing up on cell phones and iPods. We got a reputation: we were the generation that had forgotten how to connect, had become so immersed in online culture that we were losing the skills of real interaction. We spoke a language older generations didn’t understand, introducing JK and LOL into their vernacular. They expressed fears that we might never leave our Nintendos and X-boxes long enough to make a difference in the world.
This year, Class XVI, we have made a difference.
As we’ve served together over the past ten months, I’ve loved seeing and reading about you in action. Let me tell you: you are amazing. Let me tell you, from serving with you this year, a few more things I’ve learned about you as a member of our wonderful class.
You are strong.
You’ve lifted boxes, lugged lumber, and succeeded when people asked, “Really, are you sure you can get that with just two of you?”
You’re patient.
You’ve survived ten months of living with ten other people, ten months of messy kitchens, twenty-hour van trips, and epic battles over radio stations.
You’re bold.
You’ve climbed on roofs, crawled under houses, and overcome poison ivy. At least once this year, you feared doing something and yet, knowing it was the best thing to do, took action and got it done.
You are professional.
In all you’ve done, you’ve carried yourself with poise and strength and repped the A to the max.
Above all else, you are compassionate.
You’ve given the past year of your life to service, taken ten months for others, to mulch trees and dig ditches, create trails and pick up pinecones. You’ve built many houses – given people a home – and gutted out others in the wake of disaster. You’ve talked to neighbors down the street and volunteers on the site, met non-profit staff and the President of the United States. You’ve bettered lives and strengthened communities.
Our generation has been told that we’re too busy connecting online to connect in person. We IM and text, we’re told, in place of real conversation.
This has been a year of real conversations. This year, we’ve talked and listened. This year, we’ve put aside the comforts of a settled home to travel with ten strangers – now ten friends – and share our lives. We’ve served in communities from Florida to Maine and conversed with “the locals” about everything from mosquitoes to mathematics in grocery stores, sanctuaries, and swamps. We’ve traded our cell phones for shovels and sandpaper and taken action for the members of communities across our nation. In doing so, we’ve helped define our generation.
We are the leaders of tomorrow.
We are the next farmers and firefighters, architects and ambassadors. Our generation, armed with our cell phones and iPods, will shape the next decades of this nation. Now we have, from this year, new tools to carry into the future: hammers, shovels, and our interactions with citizens across this country which we will use to shape our communities and our nation.
My challenge to you, Class XVI, is to define our generation within your community as one engaged in service to the world around us. Shovel the snow from a neighbor’s sidewalk when you do your own; help out at your local food bank over the holidays; serve with a friend or with your team at a reunion; volunteer for a day or a week or a month both next year and every year thereafter.
Commit to continuing the legacy of service.
Together we have the power to raise roofs and stomp out stereotypes, build homes and strengthen communities.
Together, Class XVI, we will get things done.
A Brief Close-Out
Before moving on to the next phase of my life (epic adventures!), I think it'd be good to create some sort of bloggy closure to my NCCC experience. Perhaps someday I'll post more of my adventures in that particular year of my life, but quite possibly not. All in all, I learned a ton and had some amazing experiences. I'll end the year with some simple highlights and challenges (a brief reflection exercise of the SLI variety, we could call it).
High: My house. 1103 was, from day one, family. We still stay in touch and those strong, beautiful NTrips were a defining part of my year, keeping me sane with their 5 AM yoga and morning coffee chats.
Challenge: The team. I get along with pretty much everybody, but I quickly found that they don't always get along with each other. I relearned how crucial honesty is and enjoyed our third-round commune with nature. The fourth-round commune with horror movies was less enjoyable.
High: Tennessee. I may spend years of my life forgetting Nashville, but the homeowners were amazing, my team was incredibly hard-working in spite of all the obstacles thrown our way, and the church families were some of the most caring and compassionate I've ever met. In the end, we did good things.
Challenge: New Orleans. I had been excited to go, but that lasted about 24 hours once we reached the city itself. A highlight of my time there was a note-passing conversation with Melissa during a forum on the city's rebuilding in which we discussed how much better-prepared the Netherlands are for flooding than is New Orleans. That would be step one for me; the ability to withstand a 70-year flood is simply not enough in that region. Even 100 years? We can do better.
High: The Point. It very much became home. I loved it.
Challenge: Acknowledging the green-gray divide. Color-coding uniforms to create status divides is a very tricky matter that was never once openly discussed during any training or other formal event.
High: Being an STL. I learned that my love of paperwork, organization, and meetings is actually applicable to real-world jobs. I even figured out what some of those jobs might be. Also, notes were passed via a certain potted plant in the forum. Good times.
Challenge: People leaving the program. Given the physical and emotional toll this single year takes on an individual, it's no wonder that about 10% of the class never makes it to graduation. It's sad, though, to see teammates and fellow program members leave to go off and regain their personal glow elsewhere. I like that our generation is able to keep in touch easily in spite of their departure from the immediate proximity.
High: Speaking at graduation. This competes vigorously for the title of 'Highlight of the Year'. I loved the message of my speech and was thrilled to be able to share it with the Corps, our campus staff, and visiting families. I loved pacing around by the river at all hours of the day, addressing an imaginary audience in the rain, and successfully recalling every word on the day of graduation as a result. I'm happy that other people seemed to like it too, including the father who noted that he saw me turning pages even though I didn't glance down at my paper once. (I did keep on the correct page just in case.) This was a great end to an amazing term of service. I truly believe our generation has the power to achieve all that I set out in that speech.
High: My house. 1103 was, from day one, family. We still stay in touch and those strong, beautiful NTrips were a defining part of my year, keeping me sane with their 5 AM yoga and morning coffee chats.
Challenge: The team. I get along with pretty much everybody, but I quickly found that they don't always get along with each other. I relearned how crucial honesty is and enjoyed our third-round commune with nature. The fourth-round commune with horror movies was less enjoyable.
High: Tennessee. I may spend years of my life forgetting Nashville, but the homeowners were amazing, my team was incredibly hard-working in spite of all the obstacles thrown our way, and the church families were some of the most caring and compassionate I've ever met. In the end, we did good things.
Challenge: New Orleans. I had been excited to go, but that lasted about 24 hours once we reached the city itself. A highlight of my time there was a note-passing conversation with Melissa during a forum on the city's rebuilding in which we discussed how much better-prepared the Netherlands are for flooding than is New Orleans. That would be step one for me; the ability to withstand a 70-year flood is simply not enough in that region. Even 100 years? We can do better.
High: The Point. It very much became home. I loved it.
Challenge: Acknowledging the green-gray divide. Color-coding uniforms to create status divides is a very tricky matter that was never once openly discussed during any training or other formal event.
High: Being an STL. I learned that my love of paperwork, organization, and meetings is actually applicable to real-world jobs. I even figured out what some of those jobs might be. Also, notes were passed via a certain potted plant in the forum. Good times.
Challenge: People leaving the program. Given the physical and emotional toll this single year takes on an individual, it's no wonder that about 10% of the class never makes it to graduation. It's sad, though, to see teammates and fellow program members leave to go off and regain their personal glow elsewhere. I like that our generation is able to keep in touch easily in spite of their departure from the immediate proximity.
High: Speaking at graduation. This competes vigorously for the title of 'Highlight of the Year'. I loved the message of my speech and was thrilled to be able to share it with the Corps, our campus staff, and visiting families. I loved pacing around by the river at all hours of the day, addressing an imaginary audience in the rain, and successfully recalling every word on the day of graduation as a result. I'm happy that other people seemed to like it too, including the father who noted that he saw me turning pages even though I didn't glance down at my paper once. (I did keep on the correct page just in case.) This was a great end to an amazing term of service. I truly believe our generation has the power to achieve all that I set out in that speech.
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