There are SO many things I wish to do this Valentines Day weekend, not just because Valentines Day is on Monday, but because there is so much wonderful stuff going on! Here is my to-do list:
- attend my first weekend rehearsal of Into the Woods, since Jungle Book just closed on Sunday.
- go to the Black and White ball wearing my favorite dress! (prom 2008, for those of you who know what I'm talking about)
- go to see Camelot. sigh... this sadly may not happen...
- go to see Dracula. This also may not happen, but I am dying to see this ballet, so I may just buy a single ticket and head out there myself.
- sing in the HCC Chamber Choir Festival on Sunday at 3.
- deliver singing valentines on Monday with fellow fabulous HCCers
Clearly, the Arts are my life. I didn't realize how much so until I formulated this list. If only I could do nothing but sing and dance and perform all the time...
Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dancing. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Addicted?
Ok, I'm dying here. I haven't West Coast Swing-danced for two days now, and Tuesday feels absolutely forever away!!! How did this happen to me?? Barely two months ago I was just a normal girl, finishing up fall semester and learning how to swing dance. Now, I'm a full-blown addict. Check it out:
Criteria for Addiction
* Symptoms have persisted for at least a month or have occurred repeatedly over a longer period of time.
Check. It's been two months since West Coast entered my life.
* Taking the drug more often or in larger amounts than intended.
Check. I dance at least twice a week, and I want to dance way more.
* Unsuccessful attempts to quit; persistent desire, craving.
Check. Never tried to quit (why would I??), but the desires and cravings are indeed persistent.
* Excessive time spent in drug seeking.
Hmm... not sure if this one applies? I already know when/where to get my fix... so I don't really seek it out anymore.
* Feeling intoxicated at inappropriate times, or feeling withdrawal symptoms from a drug at such times.
Check. Definitely felt withdrawal symptoms at inappropriate times. Like in class.
* Giving up other things for it.
Check, check and CHECK! Like money, for instance. And time. Evenings and evenings of time...
* Continued use, despite knowledge of harm to oneself and others.
This clearly does not apply. What harm could a little dancing do?
* Marked tolerance in which the amount needed to satisfy increases at first before leveling off.
Check! Two hours of dance is not enough for me anymore.
* Characteristic withdrawal symptoms for particular drugs.
I'm not sure which withdrawal symptoms are characteristic for West Coast Swing.
* Taking the drug to relieve or avoid withdrawal.
Does it count that I sometimes try to West Coast BY MYSELF because I want to go dancing so bad?
Ok, I realize that I'm probably not ACTUALLY addicted to swing dancing, and that this post could be offensive to someone who's actually struggled with addiction. I was just trying to illustrate my feelings in a clever way. Don't judge. Just take me dancing.
Monday, January 10, 2011
She Wolf
Overall, I am happier than I have been since the end of September. I still have ups and downs, but the downs are far less frequent and less painful. I attribute this turnaround to a variety of things, most important of which are:
- a wonderful and relaxing Christmas break with my family, who love me no matter how much of a bitch I am and always accept me for me. :)
- new plans for the future, which I may or may not disclose to you sometime in the next few months.
- frequent dancing and plans to dance much more in the coming weeks!
- participation in my first non-high-school show: The Jungle Book at the Gemini Children's Theater in Homewood, in which I play Mother Wolf and the Monkey Queen. Loads of fun, good experience for my desired career path, and motivation to do more theater this semester. (also inspiration for the title of this blog. though i do always listen to that song while i'm getting ready in the morning. :D) and I am getting paid! it just doesn't get any better, does it?
- a newly realistic, humble attitude toward my faith. we all make mistakes. i still love God. but i'm still figuring stuff out, too, and i can't be perfect all the time. no one can.
Oh, so serious! But really, I am having a great time. I love studying music, looking for performance opportunities (and finding them!) and having the self-confidence to be the person I've always wanted to be. Hopefully I'll be writing more now that I'm not so depressed all the time. :)
***
If you have some kids you wanna bring to the Gemini, or you just wanna come see me yourself, the shows are every weekend this month and the first weekend of February. Tickets are $9.50 each and the shows are Saturdays and Sundays at 1 and 3:30pm for a total of 4 shows/weekend. I do not recommend coming if you are over the age of 8, since it is most definitely children's theater, but so many people have asked me about it, I thought I would post the info. That being said, if you are under 8 years old, it is a raucously good time and I highly recommend coming!!
***
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Africa: I Miss It
"When I think of home, I think of a place where there's love overflowing.
I wish I was home, I wish I was back there with the things I've been knowing..."
I've said it before and I'll say it again; Africa feels like home to me. I miss it so SO much; it is killing me that I am not there right now. If someone offered me a one-way ticket to Ghana today, I would take it.
I have been home for about two and a half months now. That must be how long it takes for me to register homesickness, cuz I'm really feelin' it now.
Here is what I miss most:
- the simple, unshakable faith of the people there
- the smiles
- the children (oh, my heart!!!)
- the drums and the dancing
- my mission team
Here is what I still don't miss:
- rice and red sauce
- latrines
- exhaust fumes
What I wouldn't give for the chance to go back to Dafor and visit the little school they have there, to hear the kids yell "Sistah Jen!" as they pull on my arms and clothes. How I would love to hoist a headpan of cement onto my headcloth and work to finish that church! What a joy it would be to to hear another of Fada's homilies, so penetrating and life-giving because of their deep simplicity! How I miss those old ladies who tried to teach us Ewe and laughed at us every morning after Mass, those Mamas who were quite obviously the backbones of the village community, and those workmen who spoke to us in squeaky voices. Hahaha and the finger snapping handshakes... I miss those.
I must go back to Africa. I don't know when or how, but I must. I have already been away from home for too long.
I wish I was home, I wish I was back there with the things I've been knowing..."
I've said it before and I'll say it again; Africa feels like home to me. I miss it so SO much; it is killing me that I am not there right now. If someone offered me a one-way ticket to Ghana today, I would take it.
I have been home for about two and a half months now. That must be how long it takes for me to register homesickness, cuz I'm really feelin' it now.
Here is what I miss most:
- the simple, unshakable faith of the people there
- the smiles
- the children (oh, my heart!!!)
- the drums and the dancing
- my mission team
Here is what I still don't miss:
- rice and red sauce
- latrines
- exhaust fumes
What I wouldn't give for the chance to go back to Dafor and visit the little school they have there, to hear the kids yell "Sistah Jen!" as they pull on my arms and clothes. How I would love to hoist a headpan of cement onto my headcloth and work to finish that church! What a joy it would be to to hear another of Fada's homilies, so penetrating and life-giving because of their deep simplicity! How I miss those old ladies who tried to teach us Ewe and laughed at us every morning after Mass, those Mamas who were quite obviously the backbones of the village community, and those workmen who spoke to us in squeaky voices. Hahaha and the finger snapping handshakes... I miss those.
I must go back to Africa. I don't know when or how, but I must. I have already been away from home for too long.
Recent Adventures
In the past few days I've had some little adventures which I would like to share.
Cockroach
On Thursday, I was working in the costume shop, which is in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning. Not the nice ground floor that most people think is the basement, with the coffee shop and the computer labs, but the real basement, where there are no windows or doors to the outside except the loading dock. The costume shop, as I have mentioned before, is in the very center of this floor. Just some background info.
Anyway, I was working in the shop when I noticed a rather large cockroach on its back a few feet away from me. It was struggling to right itself unsuccessfully, its flailing legs grabbing nothing but air and dust bunnies. The rest of the shop was busy with a fitting, so I said nothing. I figured it couldn't go anywhere while it was stuck on its back like that, anyway.
Later in the day, I noticed a stink bug crawling on my boss's notebook. She had said that there were a lot of these little brown bugs on the stuff she had bought at a thrift store just this morning, so I wasn't surprised to see it but I thought I should at least let her know, since the fitting was now over. She freaked out a little bit, decreed that it needed to be killed, and went to get the bug spray. Since she couldn't find the spray and she didn't want the stink bug to get away, she grabbed what appeared to be the next best thing: tacky spray, a kind of spray glue in an aerosol can. She went to town on that little bug, spraying it from all angles with this sticky spray. While she was at it, I thought I'd inform her of the cockroach that was still on its back under a clothing rack. She freaked out a little more and then sprayed it, too. Sometime during the spraying, it managed to flip over, but it couldn't exactly move, because it was now glued to the floor. Actually, both bugs were now glued to place where she sprayed them, and neither was dead. I guess tacky spray isn't toxic after all.
We were now faced with the dilemma of finishing the job in the least messy way possible. My boss got rid of the stinkbug by throwing away the page of her notebook it was glued to, and a fellow workstudy and I were left to dispose of the cockroach. Ah, how to proceed?
After considering several methods (and poking the cockroach with a piece of paper for a while), here is what we did:
a) He folded up a paper towel, laid it on top of the glued-down cockroach, and stepped on it repeatedly. It crunched.
b) He lifted the paper towel, much to everyone's disgust.
c) He wiped away what wasn't stuck to the floor with another paper towel.
d) I doused the stuck-to-the-floor remains with adhesive remover.
e) We waited one minute.
f) He wiped up what he could with more paper towels.
g) I doused it again. (There were still antennae and legs stuck to the floor.)
h) We waited another minute.
i) He wiped up the remainder of that poor unfortunate cockroach. What a way to go.
This sequence, of course, does not include the abundance of screaming and general causing-of-a-scene that went on in addition to these steps. What did you expect? We're all theatre people.
Blues Dancing
Later that night, I went to CMU's Chicken Swing, which as I have mentioned in the past is an excellent way to get my dancing fix, especially because by Thursday night, I need to dance. We learned blues dancing, which is kind of a looser form of tango with a bit of swing mixed in. Maybe. I don't really know the proper definition or the roots of the dance, but I know that it's pretty darn fun. No, "fun" isn't really the right word for it, because it's not as fast-paced and exhilarating as some other forms of dance. It seems like it would be good for late at night, when you're getting a little tired but want to keep dancing.
Here are the things I really like about blues dancing:
- It's pretty simple to learn. There's no basic step, really, just the pulse of the music and keeping with that. And keeping with your lead, obviously, if you're a follow.
- The follow has a bit more freedom in this dance. In most partner dances, it's completely about listening to the lead and following what he wants you to do, but in this there is a bit more leeway. Of course, you maintain a connection and stay with him in general, but if you want to get the hips going or stylize a little bit, it's all fair game.
- The hold is so close! I prefer this; I think it's easier to maintain the connection and to feel the lead. Nope, I have no qualms about getting very close to a perfect stranger. Is that weird? Well either way, I very much enjoyed getting close to my dance partners last night.
Vitamins
I know that I should take vitamins. I learned that while I was in Africa. But even here in the States, where my diet consists of much more than rice and red sauce, I really should be supplementing it in some way. But I hate those huge pills... so I usually don't. Thus, gummy vitamins. I decided that that was the solution to this dilemma. But I haven't done anything about it yet. I decided this about 3 months ago...
So, last night I returned from dancing, and my housemate had been shopping. And she bought... drum roll please... DISNEY PRINCESSES GUMMY VITAMINS!!!!!!!! I am so happy about this. One of my career goals is to be a Disney Princess, so I think it's a good idea to take princess vitamins. You know. ;)
Cockroach
On Thursday, I was working in the costume shop, which is in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning. Not the nice ground floor that most people think is the basement, with the coffee shop and the computer labs, but the real basement, where there are no windows or doors to the outside except the loading dock. The costume shop, as I have mentioned before, is in the very center of this floor. Just some background info.
Anyway, I was working in the shop when I noticed a rather large cockroach on its back a few feet away from me. It was struggling to right itself unsuccessfully, its flailing legs grabbing nothing but air and dust bunnies. The rest of the shop was busy with a fitting, so I said nothing. I figured it couldn't go anywhere while it was stuck on its back like that, anyway.
Later in the day, I noticed a stink bug crawling on my boss's notebook. She had said that there were a lot of these little brown bugs on the stuff she had bought at a thrift store just this morning, so I wasn't surprised to see it but I thought I should at least let her know, since the fitting was now over. She freaked out a little bit, decreed that it needed to be killed, and went to get the bug spray. Since she couldn't find the spray and she didn't want the stink bug to get away, she grabbed what appeared to be the next best thing: tacky spray, a kind of spray glue in an aerosol can. She went to town on that little bug, spraying it from all angles with this sticky spray. While she was at it, I thought I'd inform her of the cockroach that was still on its back under a clothing rack. She freaked out a little more and then sprayed it, too. Sometime during the spraying, it managed to flip over, but it couldn't exactly move, because it was now glued to the floor. Actually, both bugs were now glued to place where she sprayed them, and neither was dead. I guess tacky spray isn't toxic after all.
We were now faced with the dilemma of finishing the job in the least messy way possible. My boss got rid of the stinkbug by throwing away the page of her notebook it was glued to, and a fellow workstudy and I were left to dispose of the cockroach. Ah, how to proceed?
After considering several methods (and poking the cockroach with a piece of paper for a while), here is what we did:
a) He folded up a paper towel, laid it on top of the glued-down cockroach, and stepped on it repeatedly. It crunched.
b) He lifted the paper towel, much to everyone's disgust.
c) He wiped away what wasn't stuck to the floor with another paper towel.
d) I doused the stuck-to-the-floor remains with adhesive remover.
e) We waited one minute.
f) He wiped up what he could with more paper towels.
g) I doused it again. (There were still antennae and legs stuck to the floor.)
h) We waited another minute.
i) He wiped up the remainder of that poor unfortunate cockroach. What a way to go.
This sequence, of course, does not include the abundance of screaming and general causing-of-a-scene that went on in addition to these steps. What did you expect? We're all theatre people.
Blues Dancing
Later that night, I went to CMU's Chicken Swing, which as I have mentioned in the past is an excellent way to get my dancing fix, especially because by Thursday night, I need to dance. We learned blues dancing, which is kind of a looser form of tango with a bit of swing mixed in. Maybe. I don't really know the proper definition or the roots of the dance, but I know that it's pretty darn fun. No, "fun" isn't really the right word for it, because it's not as fast-paced and exhilarating as some other forms of dance. It seems like it would be good for late at night, when you're getting a little tired but want to keep dancing.
Here are the things I really like about blues dancing:
- It's pretty simple to learn. There's no basic step, really, just the pulse of the music and keeping with that. And keeping with your lead, obviously, if you're a follow.
- The follow has a bit more freedom in this dance. In most partner dances, it's completely about listening to the lead and following what he wants you to do, but in this there is a bit more leeway. Of course, you maintain a connection and stay with him in general, but if you want to get the hips going or stylize a little bit, it's all fair game.
- The hold is so close! I prefer this; I think it's easier to maintain the connection and to feel the lead. Nope, I have no qualms about getting very close to a perfect stranger. Is that weird? Well either way, I very much enjoyed getting close to my dance partners last night.
Vitamins
I know that I should take vitamins. I learned that while I was in Africa. But even here in the States, where my diet consists of much more than rice and red sauce, I really should be supplementing it in some way. But I hate those huge pills... so I usually don't. Thus, gummy vitamins. I decided that that was the solution to this dilemma. But I haven't done anything about it yet. I decided this about 3 months ago...
So, last night I returned from dancing, and my housemate had been shopping. And she bought... drum roll please... DISNEY PRINCESSES GUMMY VITAMINS!!!!!!!! I am so happy about this. One of my career goals is to be a Disney Princess, so I think it's a good idea to take princess vitamins. You know. ;)
Puppies
On Friday a friend of mine and I went to a house in the neighborhood around Mercy Hospital to look at some 2-month-old pit bull puppies. I was answering an ad in the Pitt News, so I had no idea who these people were or where their house was. Everyone I told about this said it sounded sketch, but I was determined. I called my wonderful daddy and told him the exact address where we'd be and that I would call him when we were done.
Everything turned out fine, of course. The breeders were really nice people who answered all my silly questions about their puppies and their other pets and training and on and on. And the puppies were absolutely adorable. I got right on the floor and played with them for most of our visit, so by the time we left my hands and arms looked like I had been mauled by a very small tiger. Totally worth it.
Smiling
Friday morning, I ran into a friend of mine on my way to my 11am class, and as usual, I smiled at her. But this time, it was real. I've gotten pretty good at faking it, and lately I've had plenty of opportunities to do so. I don't think I've genuinely smiled, as an expression of joy that I felt in my heart, for almost a month. But I am smiling for real again. I'm glad. I was getting so tired of pretending to be happy.
New Phone
Good ol' Dad renewed our contract with Sprint, so I got a sweet awesome Samsung Seek absolutely free!!! I was hesitant to graduate to a qwerty keyboard and touchscreen after two years with my standard flip phone, but I am adjusting very quickly and I like it a whole lot. It has a blue ribbon of color running around the outside, and the inside when you slide it open is also blue. I like to think that Mary has her mantle wrapped around my little phone. Maybe that's silly. I don't care. :)
There are more, but those are the best ones. More to come, perhaps.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Surviving
I know I haven't posted in a long time. It's actually because I haven't had anything positive to say. My life has been... difficult lately, and a lot of mornings it's all I can do to pull myself out of bed to face another day. I wish I could go into details and pour my heart out to you, readers, but it would just be so inappropriate. Just please, keep me in your prayers.
Here are some things that are keeping me going:
- my family. They are the best. Really. I don't know what I would do without them. My mom and older sisters have been calling me with great frequency just to ask how I'm doing. I have two wonderful brothers who are just amazing young men. And that little sister of mine. She's such a sass, and I taught her everything she knows. And she's getting so grown up and so beautiful! But most especially, I am grateful for the gift of my father right now. What a good man he is. He has been so faithful to our family, so loving, so hardworking, so generous. And when a girl's heart is lying in pieces around her, sometimes a hug from her daddy is just the thing to make it a little better...
- my faith. Ya, it had to be said. God and I are... maybe not as tight as we used to be. But we still talk. Honestly, it's Mamma Mary who's pulling me through this time. And I know that she's very close to her Son/Husband/Father. It's great how God is all three to her, isn't it? So as long as I stay wrapped in her mantle... I think I'll be ok.
- music. Yes, this also makes me cry a lot. But more often it brings a sweet release of all the tensions and stresses of my life. My favorite is to go into St. Paul's when no one else is there and just revel in the sound of my voice reverberating through the glorious space above my head. It's like... releasing pieces of my soul. My favorite right now is Bach's Ave Maria in the key of G major. (I know that because after I finished singing I whipped out my tuning fork, which I always have with me now, and found what key I was in just by listening to A 440 and doing the math. Hells yes, I am a music major now!!! Also I just found out that that's the key it was originally published in. It's a sign.) Today when I was singing there two people walked in and knelt down to pray in the middle of a song. I wasn't sure what to do so... I finished the song. Then I left feeling kind of embarrassed. Usually I only let God hear me when I'm singing like that.
- my bird. Sure, she bites me when I try to touch her, but every morning, she sings along to my alarm clock, and sometimes it's quite nice to wake up to birdsong.
- dancing! I went to Chicken Swing at CMU last Thursday night and did some lindy hoppin'. It was so lovely to forget about everything for a few hours and just dance. I am also a regular attendee of the Panther Tango Club, which I love. I think tango is my favorite kind of dance. It's so passionate and tender. Also the endorphines from these two excursions kept me in an "up" mood for several days. The only drug I can afford...
Now I'd like to talk a little bit about school. I have apparently stopped caring about it. I haven't done homework in over a week. Except for a little composition project. Hells yes. I am a music major now. ;) Anywho, this lack of caring about classes is especially unfortunate because my good side pleaded with my professors on Friday for extensions on all the papers and homeworks I haven't turned in, while the bad me doesn't give a damn and is blogging right now instead of working on her long-overdue homework. And I'm honestly feeling pretty sleepy (not from wine this time) so I think I'm going to go to bed and try to wake up early to finish it. If I care tomorrow. Which is a tossup at this point.
Ooo it's thundering. How wonderful. I do love a good storm.
Here are some things that are keeping me going:
- my family. They are the best. Really. I don't know what I would do without them. My mom and older sisters have been calling me with great frequency just to ask how I'm doing. I have two wonderful brothers who are just amazing young men. And that little sister of mine. She's such a sass, and I taught her everything she knows. And she's getting so grown up and so beautiful! But most especially, I am grateful for the gift of my father right now. What a good man he is. He has been so faithful to our family, so loving, so hardworking, so generous. And when a girl's heart is lying in pieces around her, sometimes a hug from her daddy is just the thing to make it a little better...
- my faith. Ya, it had to be said. God and I are... maybe not as tight as we used to be. But we still talk. Honestly, it's Mamma Mary who's pulling me through this time. And I know that she's very close to her Son/Husband/Father. It's great how God is all three to her, isn't it? So as long as I stay wrapped in her mantle... I think I'll be ok.
- music. Yes, this also makes me cry a lot. But more often it brings a sweet release of all the tensions and stresses of my life. My favorite is to go into St. Paul's when no one else is there and just revel in the sound of my voice reverberating through the glorious space above my head. It's like... releasing pieces of my soul. My favorite right now is Bach's Ave Maria in the key of G major. (I know that because after I finished singing I whipped out my tuning fork, which I always have with me now, and found what key I was in just by listening to A 440 and doing the math. Hells yes, I am a music major now!!! Also I just found out that that's the key it was originally published in. It's a sign.) Today when I was singing there two people walked in and knelt down to pray in the middle of a song. I wasn't sure what to do so... I finished the song. Then I left feeling kind of embarrassed. Usually I only let God hear me when I'm singing like that.
- my bird. Sure, she bites me when I try to touch her, but every morning, she sings along to my alarm clock, and sometimes it's quite nice to wake up to birdsong.
- dancing! I went to Chicken Swing at CMU last Thursday night and did some lindy hoppin'. It was so lovely to forget about everything for a few hours and just dance. I am also a regular attendee of the Panther Tango Club, which I love. I think tango is my favorite kind of dance. It's so passionate and tender. Also the endorphines from these two excursions kept me in an "up" mood for several days. The only drug I can afford...
Now I'd like to talk a little bit about school. I have apparently stopped caring about it. I haven't done homework in over a week. Except for a little composition project. Hells yes. I am a music major now. ;) Anywho, this lack of caring about classes is especially unfortunate because my good side pleaded with my professors on Friday for extensions on all the papers and homeworks I haven't turned in, while the bad me doesn't give a damn and is blogging right now instead of working on her long-overdue homework. And I'm honestly feeling pretty sleepy (not from wine this time) so I think I'm going to go to bed and try to wake up early to finish it. If I care tomorrow. Which is a tossup at this point.
Ooo it's thundering. How wonderful. I do love a good storm.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Some Lists
Here's what I hate:
- when there are smudge marks on the windows of public transportation vehicles from the person/people before you resting their greasy head/s on the window.
- when the teacher leaves bits of chalk marking/dry erase marker while erasing the board.
- when a book I really like gets wet and its pages dry crinkled, never to be the same again.
- when I walk away from a conversation and realize that I talked about myself the entire time.
- head colds
Here's what I love:
- the Eucharist
- singing, especially really high notes
- dancing!
- the circle of fifths
- Africa, especially beautiful, wonderful Ghana
Here is what I secretly love (but again, not so secret anymore):
- surprising people, especially by saying/doing ridiculous/unexpected things
- lacy underthings
- giving myself pep talks in the morning as I get ready
- twilight (don't judge! They were highly entertaining.)
- watching exorbitant amounts of online tv
- when there are smudge marks on the windows of public transportation vehicles from the person/people before you resting their greasy head/s on the window.
- when the teacher leaves bits of chalk marking/dry erase marker while erasing the board.
- when a book I really like gets wet and its pages dry crinkled, never to be the same again.
- when I walk away from a conversation and realize that I talked about myself the entire time.
- head colds
Here's what I love:
- the Eucharist
- singing, especially really high notes
- dancing!
- the circle of fifths
- Africa, especially beautiful, wonderful Ghana
Here is what I secretly hate (but not so secret anymore)
- listening for too long
- green peppers
- answering the phone
- when people are judgmental in either direction
- being expected to socialize/mingle with a large group of people
Here is what I secretly love (but again, not so secret anymore):
- surprising people, especially by saying/doing ridiculous/unexpected things
- lacy underthings
- giving myself pep talks in the morning as I get ready
- twilight (don't judge! They were highly entertaining.)
- watching exorbitant amounts of online tv
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Africa: My Return
Well, I've been back at home for a little over a week now. I've been trying to think of something meaningful to say about returning to the US of A, but nothing has come to mind. I loved my time in Ghana and I'm sure it's changed me in many ways. I just haven't seen the effects of those changes yet.
Here are the things that I miss the most about Ghana:
- the drums and the dancing at Mass
- the good hearts of the people of Dafor
- Fada's homilies
- the music playing almost constantly
- the children flocking around
- the beauty of the landscape
- the animals, esp. the cute baby ones
- carrying stuff on my head
- the outdoor showers
- the foam mattresses
- not being self-conscious about the way I look (or smell hahaha)
- laughing through meals with the mission team
- the mission team in general
And now, before I get too depressed about being back in the States, here are a few things that I really missed about this place:
- my makeup, clothes, and shoes, esp. the heels
- the food, esp. the variety and quantity of food
- my family, talking to my sisters about everything
- singing as much as I want to
- personal independence in general
- air conditioning
- good hospitals
I hope I get to go back. I don't know when or how, but I know that I want to go back. Ghana felt like home to me, and I don't think I'll ever be perfectly happy in the US or Ghana ever again, now that pieces of my heart are in both places.
Here are the things that I miss the most about Ghana:
- the drums and the dancing at Mass
- the good hearts of the people of Dafor
- Fada's homilies
- the music playing almost constantly
- the children flocking around
- the beauty of the landscape
- the animals, esp. the cute baby ones
- carrying stuff on my head
- the outdoor showers
- the foam mattresses
- not being self-conscious about the way I look (or smell hahaha)
- laughing through meals with the mission team
- the mission team in general
And now, before I get too depressed about being back in the States, here are a few things that I really missed about this place:
- my makeup, clothes, and shoes, esp. the heels
- the food, esp. the variety and quantity of food
- my family, talking to my sisters about everything
- singing as much as I want to
- personal independence in general
- air conditioning
- good hospitals
I hope I get to go back. I don't know when or how, but I know that I want to go back. Ghana felt like home to me, and I don't think I'll ever be perfectly happy in the US or Ghana ever again, now that pieces of my heart are in both places.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Happy List
Lately, I've been noticing that a lot of things are making me smile and even laugh as I prepare to leave for Ghana. Here are a few:
- the Eucharist - I mean, seriously, what would a happy list be without the source of our happiness??
- the smell of tanning oil - mmmm, summer... and... banana popsicles?*
- trying on leather jackets in the store while my little sister reminds me again that I don't own a motorcycle
- the way my hair looks when it curls just right, like it did today (sigh, why am i soooo vaaaain...)
- headbands with flowers on them (i just bought a bunch! :D)
- getting packages in the mail (even if it's just boring stuff for Africa, like hand sanitizer)
- teaching my little sister how to walk in heels**
- dancing along to the radio while I pack
- hanging out in my bikini after sunbathing
- the pink lace that I use as a bookmark for my copy of "The Imitation of Christ"
- gold toenail polish
- getting to know St. Therese as I read Story of a Soul***
- looking up the weather forecast for Ghana, clicking on "10 day" and realizing that I'm going to be there during some of that weather!!! gah, it's so crazy. I can't even think about it or I might explode.
And now, since a few of these have touched on topics I've been meaning to write about for some time now, I will elaborate in these blogs within a blog:
* Adventures in Tanning
I have never laid in the sun for the sole purpose of getting tan before. It always just happened after a day at the pool or a week of camping or whatever. So when I started, I had a bit of a time figuring out what to do. I've been meaning to chronicle them here so that those of you who have never tanned but thought about it could learn from my mistakes and those of you who are experienced tanners could laugh at me.
The first day, I went outside and tried to lay on my back for half an hour without moving. I never realized what a fidgety person I am until I attempted this stunt. I barely made it through the half hour without jumping up and running around. Then I had to lay on my stomach for half an hour. Torture. And on top of that, I set up my towel right next to a giant ant hill, which explains the numerous ants crawling on me while I lay there. I'm not really creeped out by bugs, but it was super annoying. I said a rosary and a chaplet of Divine Mercy and offered everything up for the mission.
The next day, I managed to get my little sister to lay out with me (in a different spot) so I wouldn't get so incredibly bored. But it was still hot and uncomfortable. We didn't make it the whole hour. And I didn't look tan at all, because I only had lain out around 3pm and 4pm to avoid the hottest part of the day, which I had always been taught to do to avoid sunburn.
On Sunday, though, I went out at 1pm. It was so incredibly hot, I was watching the sweat bead up on my arms and roll off. By then, though, I had figured out that it was better to do 3 10-minute sessions on each side so as to avoid the torture of laying still for so long. So in between the first four and last two sessions of the hour, I ran inside to get a popsicle. Oh man, frozen juice has never tasted so good. And I got super tan. Yaay!
Since then, I've used the 6 10- minute session format almost every day, and my tan is deepening nicely. I have even grown to enjoy my time sunbathing, and I've been able to relax enough to doze sleepily in the sun. The weather has been so nice and breezy the past few days, too. And I've said a lot of rosaries. When I'm done with my hour for the day, I step inside and lay on the couch to watch TV for a little while in my bikini, enjoying the way my skin feels all warm from the sun and smells so delicious from the tanning oil. Sigh. This may be a new summer tradition for me. Maybe.
** 5 Golden Rules for Walking in Heels
1. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet as much as possible. Putting weight on the heel causes wobbling, slipping, and heal breakage.
2. Pick your feet up to at least ankle height during your stride. This will help you avoid what I like to call "heel farts," when your heel scrapes loudly and embarrassingly against the surface on which you are walking, a dead giveaway that you are dragging your feet.
3. Walk as though you are walking a parking lot line, one foot in front of the other. There's no need to cross over dramatically, but keeping your footsteps close to lined up will give your hips a lovely, natural swing as you walk.
4. Confidence! Keep your chin and eyes up, shoulders slightly back and lengthen your neck. Imagine stretching the muscles under your ears that connect your head to your shoulders. And smile a bit, like you know a secret. Here's the secret: you are amazing!! Look at you in those heels! ;D
5. Use all your muscles, especially your abs, glutes, and calves to steady yourself.
Oh, and here's a bonus tip: keep your walk heel-toe, heel-toe or else you're stride will show that you're inexperienced in heels. But remember rule #1. The "heel" of heel-toe should be the briefest touch until your toe comes firmly down to push off again.
If you are walking in heels for the first time (like my sister was) it's probably best to start with wedges and work your way to a smaller and higher heel. But as I also told her, if you practice walking around on your tiptoes, those muscles that you need for walking in heels will strengthen and you'll be ready for anything!
*** My Confirmation Saint
I've always had a special connection to St. Therese, since I was a very little girl. I just always knew that she'd be my confirmation saint. It really was as though she chose me rather than the other way around. When I was little, I loved her child-like faith and the novena asking her for roses. That tangible sign from heaven was so encouraging for me when I was young, and still is. Back then I used to say that novena all the time for every little thing.
As I grew up, though, I fell away from her, especially as I grew in my faith and discovered other amazing saints. Whenever I would tell people that she was my confirmation saint, they would always ask if I'd read The Story of a Soul, but of course I hadn't because I had written it off as too dense for me.
In Peoria in the spring of '09, I had a long talk with one of the nuns, during which she exclaimed, "It is so easy to tell that St. Therese is your confirmation saint; everything you are saying sounds just like her!" And then she asked if I had read Story of a Soul, which I still hadn't, but now I was legitimately curious about it.
It wasn't until the spring of this year, when I was in Peoria again for spring break that I bought the book for myself. We were visiting the museum of Bishop Fulton Sheen (who is a native of Peoria; who knew?) and I was wandering through the gift shop when the glossy little book caught my eye. I don't know why I hesitated before I bought it, but eventually I did.
I started reading it when I got home, and was immediately struck by how similar St. Therese and I are! Her stories of her childhood in the beginning of the book were just so inexplicably familiar, and I identified with her so deeply. I took a break from the book for a few weeks during finals etc., but I picked it up again fairly recently and was again surprised by how alike we are. We could be sisters, really! I don't mean to elevate myself by identifying with such a great saint; I just mean that her way of thinking and mine are very similar, that her natural reactions to things are often the same as mine, though in her great holiness she usually overcomes these. I understand her perfectly, and I love her so dearly, more than I ever have. How blessed I am to have such a wonderful person chose me as her little sister of sorts!
I think it no coincidence that I have rediscovered her during preparations for my trip to Africa; she is the patron saint of missionaries! Although she never left the Carmel, she spiritually adopted many missionaries and dreamed of being able to spread our Lord's love to people the world over. So, St. Therese, pray for me and my fellow missionaries! I am starting to get majorly freaked out about this whole thing.
Ok, that is all. This post makes me seem really worldly, materialistic, and vain... I guess I am. :p Maybe my trip to Ghana will cure me of those unfortunate personality traits. Part of me hopes so and part of me... just really likes pretty things!! If I ever met myself, I don't know if I would like me very much. I might hate me. I might be seriously concerned for my soul. Or I might get along with myself very well, because we were delighted by all the same things. hahaha
- the Eucharist - I mean, seriously, what would a happy list be without the source of our happiness??
- the smell of tanning oil - mmmm, summer... and... banana popsicles?*
- trying on leather jackets in the store while my little sister reminds me again that I don't own a motorcycle
- the way my hair looks when it curls just right, like it did today (sigh, why am i soooo vaaaain...)
- headbands with flowers on them (i just bought a bunch! :D)
- getting packages in the mail (even if it's just boring stuff for Africa, like hand sanitizer)
- teaching my little sister how to walk in heels**
- dancing along to the radio while I pack
- hanging out in my bikini after sunbathing
- the pink lace that I use as a bookmark for my copy of "The Imitation of Christ"
- gold toenail polish
- getting to know St. Therese as I read Story of a Soul***
- looking up the weather forecast for Ghana, clicking on "10 day" and realizing that I'm going to be there during some of that weather!!! gah, it's so crazy. I can't even think about it or I might explode.
And now, since a few of these have touched on topics I've been meaning to write about for some time now, I will elaborate in these blogs within a blog:
* Adventures in Tanning
I have never laid in the sun for the sole purpose of getting tan before. It always just happened after a day at the pool or a week of camping or whatever. So when I started, I had a bit of a time figuring out what to do. I've been meaning to chronicle them here so that those of you who have never tanned but thought about it could learn from my mistakes and those of you who are experienced tanners could laugh at me.
The first day, I went outside and tried to lay on my back for half an hour without moving. I never realized what a fidgety person I am until I attempted this stunt. I barely made it through the half hour without jumping up and running around. Then I had to lay on my stomach for half an hour. Torture. And on top of that, I set up my towel right next to a giant ant hill, which explains the numerous ants crawling on me while I lay there. I'm not really creeped out by bugs, but it was super annoying. I said a rosary and a chaplet of Divine Mercy and offered everything up for the mission.
The next day, I managed to get my little sister to lay out with me (in a different spot) so I wouldn't get so incredibly bored. But it was still hot and uncomfortable. We didn't make it the whole hour. And I didn't look tan at all, because I only had lain out around 3pm and 4pm to avoid the hottest part of the day, which I had always been taught to do to avoid sunburn.
On Sunday, though, I went out at 1pm. It was so incredibly hot, I was watching the sweat bead up on my arms and roll off. By then, though, I had figured out that it was better to do 3 10-minute sessions on each side so as to avoid the torture of laying still for so long. So in between the first four and last two sessions of the hour, I ran inside to get a popsicle. Oh man, frozen juice has never tasted so good. And I got super tan. Yaay!
Since then, I've used the 6 10- minute session format almost every day, and my tan is deepening nicely. I have even grown to enjoy my time sunbathing, and I've been able to relax enough to doze sleepily in the sun. The weather has been so nice and breezy the past few days, too. And I've said a lot of rosaries. When I'm done with my hour for the day, I step inside and lay on the couch to watch TV for a little while in my bikini, enjoying the way my skin feels all warm from the sun and smells so delicious from the tanning oil. Sigh. This may be a new summer tradition for me. Maybe.
** 5 Golden Rules for Walking in Heels
1. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet as much as possible. Putting weight on the heel causes wobbling, slipping, and heal breakage.
2. Pick your feet up to at least ankle height during your stride. This will help you avoid what I like to call "heel farts," when your heel scrapes loudly and embarrassingly against the surface on which you are walking, a dead giveaway that you are dragging your feet.
3. Walk as though you are walking a parking lot line, one foot in front of the other. There's no need to cross over dramatically, but keeping your footsteps close to lined up will give your hips a lovely, natural swing as you walk.
4. Confidence! Keep your chin and eyes up, shoulders slightly back and lengthen your neck. Imagine stretching the muscles under your ears that connect your head to your shoulders. And smile a bit, like you know a secret. Here's the secret: you are amazing!! Look at you in those heels! ;D
5. Use all your muscles, especially your abs, glutes, and calves to steady yourself.
Oh, and here's a bonus tip: keep your walk heel-toe, heel-toe or else you're stride will show that you're inexperienced in heels. But remember rule #1. The "heel" of heel-toe should be the briefest touch until your toe comes firmly down to push off again.
If you are walking in heels for the first time (like my sister was) it's probably best to start with wedges and work your way to a smaller and higher heel. But as I also told her, if you practice walking around on your tiptoes, those muscles that you need for walking in heels will strengthen and you'll be ready for anything!
*** My Confirmation Saint
I've always had a special connection to St. Therese, since I was a very little girl. I just always knew that she'd be my confirmation saint. It really was as though she chose me rather than the other way around. When I was little, I loved her child-like faith and the novena asking her for roses. That tangible sign from heaven was so encouraging for me when I was young, and still is. Back then I used to say that novena all the time for every little thing.
As I grew up, though, I fell away from her, especially as I grew in my faith and discovered other amazing saints. Whenever I would tell people that she was my confirmation saint, they would always ask if I'd read The Story of a Soul, but of course I hadn't because I had written it off as too dense for me.
In Peoria in the spring of '09, I had a long talk with one of the nuns, during which she exclaimed, "It is so easy to tell that St. Therese is your confirmation saint; everything you are saying sounds just like her!" And then she asked if I had read Story of a Soul, which I still hadn't, but now I was legitimately curious about it.
It wasn't until the spring of this year, when I was in Peoria again for spring break that I bought the book for myself. We were visiting the museum of Bishop Fulton Sheen (who is a native of Peoria; who knew?) and I was wandering through the gift shop when the glossy little book caught my eye. I don't know why I hesitated before I bought it, but eventually I did.
I started reading it when I got home, and was immediately struck by how similar St. Therese and I are! Her stories of her childhood in the beginning of the book were just so inexplicably familiar, and I identified with her so deeply. I took a break from the book for a few weeks during finals etc., but I picked it up again fairly recently and was again surprised by how alike we are. We could be sisters, really! I don't mean to elevate myself by identifying with such a great saint; I just mean that her way of thinking and mine are very similar, that her natural reactions to things are often the same as mine, though in her great holiness she usually overcomes these. I understand her perfectly, and I love her so dearly, more than I ever have. How blessed I am to have such a wonderful person chose me as her little sister of sorts!
I think it no coincidence that I have rediscovered her during preparations for my trip to Africa; she is the patron saint of missionaries! Although she never left the Carmel, she spiritually adopted many missionaries and dreamed of being able to spread our Lord's love to people the world over. So, St. Therese, pray for me and my fellow missionaries! I am starting to get majorly freaked out about this whole thing.
Ok, that is all. This post makes me seem really worldly, materialistic, and vain... I guess I am. :p Maybe my trip to Ghana will cure me of those unfortunate personality traits. Part of me hopes so and part of me... just really likes pretty things!! If I ever met myself, I don't know if I would like me very much. I might hate me. I might be seriously concerned for my soul. Or I might get along with myself very well, because we were delighted by all the same things. hahaha
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