Deep Breath. Here I go...!

me, CPM

2011-12-19T12:12:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to say too that I passed my boards and am now officially a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). So that is very exciting for me; it's what I've been indirectly and directly working toward since early 2006 when I wrote the grant to go to Bali, Indonesia to study prenatal and perinatal customs, and saw my first birth.Now, unfortunately that doesn't mean I can legally

Happy Winter Solstice

2011-12-17T10:00:00.010-06:00

Well I'm 18weeks almost (4 1/2 months) and next week we are leaving our Austin lives to be Northerners. I am on a mission to eat as many tamales as possible before then. I think I've already had my fill of breakfast tacos and huevos rancheros by now, but I'll probably slide in another set of each before we leave Friday morning.I just worked my last shift at YogaYoga, the best yoga studio ever,

13wks

2011-11-16T10:26:00.001-06:00

Well. I've had a hard time cajoling myself to update: yet again daunted by the sheer density of the past several weeks. That and I've had to feel things out and see how they're going to go before writing about them publicly.I hated Kansas City. I was driving all over the place, which in a way was interesting, because I learned the streets of a city that I have spent so much time in, but never

Kansas City

2011-09-25T11:37:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update to say that I am in Kansas City now: finally (temporarily) employed! :) I've taken an 12wk contract nursing job, which is at a big medical center. I'll be working rotating nights and days (ugh) on labor and delivery. The good news is, that I get to live with my Aunt Mary and be close to a bunch of my cousins and Aunt Jan/fam and my grandparents. I'll be here until

#$%$%&*(@$

2011-09-07T03:02:00.009-05:00

I was just about to write an entry about how having a tonsillectomy and breaking up with your loved one a day apart is not as good of an idea as it may seem (or was I just being optimistic)... sure you can validate try to put to sleep your shitty feelings with narcotics and eat all the coconut milk ice cream you want, but in the end I hypothesize you end up feeling more depressed.... last night (

2011-09-02T18:13:00.002-05:00

Looking back 2 years, ago I cannot believe all that has transpired and where I am again—basically back in the same place I was. While these adjectives may sound negative, I don’t mean them to be—it’s all a matter of perspective: jobless, homeless, single, completely unsure of what the (even near) future holds... Hahaha. 2 years ago I was in Peru and had gotten a job just before leaving, so

check check check

2011-08-29T12:14:00.005-05:00

Spent some days in Iowa City where I took my midwifery skills exam and saw some good old friends.Returned yesterday afternoon from a trip to Chicago to see my dear friend Rachel Ann #2, who is headed to the Peace Corps in Morocco soon. As well, I got to have some heart to hearts with dear friends and put my life into better perspective, which has been hard to get recently, being so transient and

pics of the midwest

2011-08-22T15:21:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention too that we went to a huge prairie reserve east of Des Moines, which has buffalo and Elk at times and a really great prairie learning center. We went once at dawn and once at night to see it under the full moon! largest pumpkin at the fair (and me in my overalls) Justin and his too sweet corn The famous butter cow Prairie lovin'

Midwestern style

2011-08-21T10:26:00.005-05:00

We've had a jam-packed visit here in the midwest...not yet including getting my tonsils out unfortunately. We thought that we'd be able to get them out quickly from the conversation I'd had with a receptionist here while in San Antonio, but of course things are always more complicated than that... so we've had quite a time of it making the best of the beautiful green Midwest. From the beginning

Ioway

2011-08-08T23:17:00.002-05:00

Here I am in green green Iowa. We had two full long days of driving and camped at Arrowhead State Park in Oklahoma along the incredibly huge Lake Eufala. We stopped into Kansas City for lunch with Aunt Jan and Grandma and Grandpa O and then pressed on to Des Moines to catch my brother, Ted who was in town for the evening. We are tired! But so glad to be here. We went for a walk tonight and

menos Peru

2011-08-01T17:30:00.004-05:00

Well, after the two rounds of antibiotics, I wound up sick again. It's been really frustrating, because I have been careful about what I eat and my activities and sleep. After a trip up to Austin to check out houses, I came back with swollen pus-covered tonsils again, so instead of going to the MD for another round of antibiotics, I went to the Chinese Medicine doc. He gave me some intense

more on Texas

2011-07-25T11:59:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been an interesting time here... I got really sick with a throat infection and actually took myself to the ol' western medical doctor (that is the pharmaceutical dr, not the wild west doc, however cool that would have been...). He was very impressed with my beefy, pus-filled throat and gave me a shot of the same antibiotic we used to treat gnorrhea in Haiti, but 4 times the dose, and

Some pictures

2011-07-19T19:40:00.003-05:00

Tlaxcala town center, outside of Mexico CityCopper CanyonSaguaros in the Sonoran DesertMe and Pancho Villa at his house in ChihuahuaEconomic class on the beautiful Pacific ocean-Chihuahua train

.... .... texas

2011-07-12T23:59:00.001-05:00

Phew. I am TIRED.I can't be sure how many days we spent in Arizona. We were in Pheonix for a bit, then Tucson over night--just long enough to check out the revolution book store/cafe, go to a yoga class, and crash at a couchsurfers' place, who we never actually met, since she was out late and we left early. Couchsurfing is amazing like that though--she left her key and told us where to look for

Ay Chihuahua!

2011-06-24T08:56:00.002-05:00

These updates are getting a little ridiculous...too much to write so that I'm basically bullet -pointing what could be whole short stories.....anyway....We took the train from Los Mochis to Creel, which was a beautiful day-long adventure. Taking the Chihuahua-Pacific railway was in fact probably my favorite thing of the entire Guatemala/Mexico adventure. It was a 10 hour journey through canyons

Mexico City, Vallarta, and Los Mochis!

2011-06-16T12:38:00.003-05:00

As I have come to love to say: ¨I simply couldn´t be bothered¨ (a phrase stolen from Brittish travelers) to write in Mexico City... I was having way too much fun/was too tired. We truly did not want to leave the great capital city of Mexico. The wonderful metro system, the cheap street food, the abounding museums and parks and interesting streets to stroll, and our amazing hosts kept us more than

Oaxaca

2011-06-05T16:44:00.004-05:00

Well we adored San Cristóbal. I didn´t want to leave, but we knew we´d love every town in Mexico, and had better move on. We drank a lot of yummy Chiapan coffee and walked all over the lovely colonial town. We cooked our own breakfasts at our hostel from fun things we bought at the market and ate as much street food as we could...later in Oaxaca we ate even more :)Next we went to Chiapa de

Mexicomo?

2011-05-30T21:32:00.002-05:00

I have somehow landed myself already in Mexico. We intended to spend a lot more time traveling around Guatemala, but neither of us could help it when we heard that we could jump on an 11 hr bus from Antigua to San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico. It was a long day, but here we are! We are both so excited. Ahhh I loved Guatemala, but I am exuding with love and joy for Mexico. We hardly slept the

quick update

2011-05-24T20:27:00.002-05:00

I can´t stand sitting in an internet cafe getting bitten by mosquitoes while my Quetzales tick away, so this will be a brief update :)Justin and I spent a couple nice days in Xela as well as hiked up the the highest point in Central America: Tajumulco Volcano, from which we could see Mexico. It was a 2 day journey that involved several buses and a couple days of hiking and a cold night in a tent

en Guate!

2011-05-20T10:48:00.002-05:00

Here I am in Guatemala. I spent the first night in a hostel where I met a lot of new friends. The next day we all visited a non-profit that works with the families who pick through Central America´s largest garbage dump (located in Guatemala City) for things to re-sell. The organization gets kids out of the work and into school, helps them get access to showers and 2-3 meals a day, teaches them

food and other delights

2011-05-17T22:03:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been a whirlwind trip to be "home." First of course was New York City for 4 days, which was simply wonderful. Vegetarian dim sum, Indian food, lots of walking and subway riding, vegan cupcakes, and some new passport pages! I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to shower--and how unnecessary it seems at times--I mean I'm not even filthy! Same with washing my clothes :) What luxury we

NYC

2011-05-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

Omg I love New York so much! I feel like a little school girl! Coming here after Haiti was one of the best decisions I could have made. At first I was so anxious to get back and lounge at my parents’ house, thinking, ugh, I should have just come for a day and 2 nights to do my class and then left instead of staying a few extra days…. ha! yeah right! From the minute I’ve gotten here, I’ve been

Ready to leave!

2011-05-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

In truth I've been ready to leave for a long time...In truth I've never hated a place so much and been so ready to leave...And really, I've never actually hated a place, and never been able to understand when people said that they hated a place...so maybe this was the universe's little gift to me to help me understand and empathize with people who have been in a place they can't jive with. Of

Happy May Day/International Workers' Day/Beltane!!

2011-05-01T16:06:00.005-05:00

Today, I'm a little more removed from the above holidays, and more aware of it being the celebration for Jacmel's patron saint...all night and all day there has been loud music, cars and motos going by at absurd speeds (I always expect to hear a crash, but only have a couple times in 3 months), and lots of business in the streets. I slept in this morning and spent the day lounging and knowing (

happy birthday easter bunny!

2011-04-24T19:51:00.004-05:00

In the last few weeks I have been so blessed to first have Jan and Betty-Anne, midwives from Canada and then Kristen and Dave, my sister and brother-in-law, here with me. All of them have provided with me new eyes for which to see Haiti, and thus new energy to power through and actually enjoy my final weeks here...thank goddess, as Jan would say.Kristen and Dave were here for 6 days, which flew!

zombies

2011-04-07T20:18:00.004-05:00

Tonight "someone" called Ninotte's phone. Marianne answered it for her as she was on the way to the bathroom. All she heard on the other side was someone moaning, so she ran and gave it to Ninotte, who heard the same and hung up. If the situation described happened to me, I'd probably 1st assume that someone was playing a practical joke or prank calling me, and then 2nd think: oh! I hope that

And the winner is...

2011-04-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

Michel Martelly! Haiti has a new president....and I learned about it hours before the rest of Jacmel on the NY Times website, haha. People were freaking out this morning because apparently US Marine planes were flying all around Port-au-Prince and everyone thought that for whatever reason, the US would try to instate the other candidate, because Michel Martelly wants to do things like kick out

48hrs in Haiti

2011-04-02T17:28:00.002-05:00

I was planning to write about a crazy 24hr time period here, as it seemed to be wrapping up...and then I got swept up in more madness, so now to tell the tale of 48hrs here in Haiti (a week after the fact, as I am just now recovering): I awoke minutes before Ninotte called me to the dome because a baby had a slow heart beat and they were worried they might need help when the baby was born. The

ewww

2011-03-29T18:47:00.004-05:00

I used to abhor the use of cleaning chemicals and bleach (for reasons of personal health and environmental health)... I've always just used vinegar, grapefruit seed extract, or some kind of naturally prepared product. I don't even like to swim in pools... So when I got here I'd wear gloves to touch almost anything in the clinic including the bottle of bleach water that we clean things with, as I

respire

2011-03-24T21:30:00.004-05:00

I was awoken this morning by the cook running into my room yelling: Acouchmant; Melinda! (birth! and the name of the other midwife!) I took that to mean that Melinda needed me, so I ran out of bed in my short pirate shorts and tank top...never expecting that it would by my costume for the rest of the day. I arrived to the dome and no one was there....very odd... I heard noises from the

Positivity --> more positivity!

2011-03-23T20:07:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to be really positive recently after a period of some darkness and supreme self-pity/hating of Haiti. It has been made much easier by staying in the clinic/house compound and not being bothered by the hell-ish streets, and also has come out of meditating regularly. Making time for some yoga and exercises (looking for excuses to walk upstairs to the clinic, etc) has also been

You know what I really appreciate about Haiti?

2011-03-22T21:47:00.002-05:00

Well, when I was 16 I spent a month in Germany with my German class and was delighted to find that they find chocolate and bread to be a suitable breakfast...not until now have I found another culture that agrees with this principle... chocolate + bread (made from cassava) = amazing!! especially when the chocolate is dairy free and made with fresh grated coconut and the cassava bread has Haitian

A bad story with a good ending...

2011-03-19T20:42:00.004-05:00

The other day, Melinda saw a girl in the market whom she’d recognized from our street. Aside from being filthy, she had bruising over her eye and a large gash on her face. Melinda asked her who did that to her and prodded her about her living situation. It turned out that she was “given” to a family because her family couldn't afford to take care of her. That family basically turned her into

Happy St. Patrick's Day...I couldn't feel farther from it here

2011-03-17T09:41:00.005-05:00

Funny T-shirts I’ve seen or Reasons to smile in Haiti: “Kiss me I’m Irish” on a huge Dominican man...this was actually a month ago, before St Patrick's A tight white muscle tank with silver writing saying “bootyliscious” on a big bellied Haitian dude “Too much rock for one hand” depicting the devil horns hand, worn by one of the clinic workersMy personal favorite: “Glam. Titty and Hip” “Not

3 dudes straddling each other on a moto = really not so tough

2011-03-13T20:05:00.007-05:00

I am endlessly annoyed with the stupid, misogynistic men here. Always cat-calling and making kissing sounds, yelling BLAN!, leering, or otherwise being barbarians... I've tried to think of what I can do when such things occur, specifically when guys make kissing sounds my way. I just don't understand what they possibly think could come of such behavior...that I would run over and kiss them?

a tribute to spiders

2011-03-12T13:43:00.004-06:00

We had a fairly hilarious, fairly disheartening MTV Real World moment in the MHI house today. We were all hanging around since it was pouring rain and there was nowhere to go, nothing to do—motos don’t go in the rain, and anyway it was Saturday. Someone spied a spider and everyone freaked out (Glenda, Ninotte, Melinda, Marianne, Ena, Tata).... I pointed out calmly that it isn’t poisonous and

Carnival pictures

2011-03-06T20:39:00.004-06:00

Night: Large semis, loaded with too many speakers and with a band atop...keyboard, guitar, dancers, etc...preceeded by a dancing crowdand followed by a dancing crowdAfternoon Mardi Gras:hey, what's that monkey doing??Costumes and Masks and SUN

Carnival and itching

2011-03-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

Well Carnival has come and gone. Lots of really loud music, people in the streets, and in the morning: really beautiful painted masks and costumes. I got to see the supposed future president of Haiti--Michel Martelly --speak, which was very interesting. Someone like him would never have a chance as a political figure in the US (or would he?), but as someone here said to me, "Haiti is a crazy

strangest birthday ever

2011-02-25T23:59:00.001-06:00

Well, it didn't go exactly as I laid out earlier (admittedly the blog entry was written last night and was supposed to be a positive affirmation/manifestation for me to get well and have a night out for my bday). Yeahhh, well I feel better than yesterday, but alas was still making frequent runs to the bathroom today. There was a point in the afternoon where I felt truly pitiful--lying in bed,

Happy birthday to me!

2011-02-25T10:30:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to treat me to something for my birthday, please consider making a donation of whatever size to Mother Health International (the clinic where I'm volunteering). We've got rent made for March, but are still trying to pull together money to pay the staff (translators, cleaners, etc) for the month. For my birthday tonight, we are heading to Jacmel's one and only Mexican/Italian/

2 weeks here

2011-02-21T09:07:00.003-06:00

The full moon passed without any babies being born...we are all staring up at the sky with anticipation...all we need is a breeze and babies will start dropping like crazy. My legs are persistently itchy and covered with bites. The other day we got into one of the stored suitcases, which had some soap and vitamins etc, to find that a rat had taken up residency. The Rat had actually chewed

fording a river by motorcycle....

2011-02-20T15:50:00.003-06:00

Remember as a child playing Oregon Trail how fording a river by oxen was a fairly precarious option that often ended in the death of a few of your clan? Today I had the most terrifying moto ride of my life. We were heading up to a waterfall in the mountains, across the river from Jacmel. As we approached the river with people bathing and washing clothes in it, I wondered, where is the bridge?

koman ou ye? byen byen

2011-02-18T15:20:00.000-06:00

I like to imagine some of the things happening here going down in the American clinic setting... a goat walking into the clinic, for example. Or the parents forgetting their baby's name entirely at a postnatal visit. (Often the baby is named by a family member or member of the church, so I guess it's not too uncommon to not quite remember what the babe's given name is.) One day I had to give a

1 week here

2011-02-13T11:44:00.006-06:00

Sunday, we were awoken around 5:30am by what sounded like a street cleaner scraping the streets without a brush--only a large piece of metal--in reality it was probably someone dragging a bunch of rebar behind them. We lazily got up eventually and hit the street to try to find a church out of curiosity. We never found one, but enjoying wandering and seeing all the people dressed in their Sunday

Jacmel

2011-02-12T16:04:00.007-06:00

So much has happened in 6 weeks—packing up and leaving Santa Fe, visiting Denver, Lawrence, Kansas City, Des Moines, Iowa City, Chicago, the vipassana meditation retreat outside Dallas, San Antonio, the Dominican Republic, and finally here….Jacmel, Haiti… In between there has been a couple near breakups, a lot of friend/family time, so much good food, blizzard conditions, Caribbean sun burns, 3

in Haiti

2011-02-09T19:08:00.003-06:00

Just a quick note to say that Justin and I have made it safe and sound to Jacmel, Haiti. It is about as dirty and chaotic as I thought it would be, but the clinic is pretty great. Of course there is a lot of need and lack (to say the least), so all I'm going to say right now is that if you'd like to donate to a very worthy cause, pretty please donate to Mother Health International. They are

End of Year Update

2010-12-27T05:50:00.009-06:00

Too much going on to write = now too much to write about.Well, it's my last week in New Mexico for awhile. I have LOVED being here more than I could have fathomed. I thought I was just coming here to be a labor and delivery nurse and to hopefully meet some midwives, but of course that was just the lure I needed to get me here, since I never would have personally conjured up the real reasons I

Mother Health International Clinic Wishlist

2010-12-13T02:58:00.003-06:00

As you may have heard, I am quitting my job the end of the year, and going to Haiti to volunteer at a clinic called Mother Health International for an indefinite period of time (at least 3 months). If you are interesting in helping out, the following items are things that the clinic has asked for, and I can bring them with me if you give them to me in person or send them to my parents' home

Happy Autumn Equinox!

2010-09-22T23:59:00.001-05:00

full moon equinoxhands like branches reach for rainand feet root in dirtTonight my roommates and I took off our clothes on our front porch and ran around in the rain under the full moon. Happy equinox! It was the second time in a couple weeks that we've delighted in the joy of water in the high desert--the last time by swimming in the Pecos river. Ahhhhhh it was so. so. nice.Life has been

home

2010-08-20T05:26:00.006-05:00

I'm back home in New Mexico after quite the journey. I left Iquitos for Lima on Sunday. On Tuesday night I went out with my lovely clown friends--went for sushi and ceviche (or both at the same time) and dancing, and then packed and went to the airport at 3am. Flight at 6am to Miami. Stuck on the runway in Miami due to Airforce 1 landing. Missed my connection in Dallas. Stayed a night there.

Cositas

2010-08-15T16:32:00.004-05:00

Little bits:On my last day of the Belen Project, I went out with a vet from Lima and a couple other curious clowns to help vaccinate dogs for parasites and mange. Next year she is hoping to come back and spay-neuter them, which would be faaaabulous. No more stray, mangy, sad looking, skinny, mean dogs roaming the streets! In the afternoon we had a massive parade of clowns and of the children´s

iquitos iquitos iquitos, iquitos de mi corazon!

2010-08-13T22:59:00.005-05:00

Well, I haven´t really updated since I´ve been here as I´ve been so tired/busy/enjoying things too much to sit in a sweaty internet cafe. The other morning just before I woke up, I was apparently was so tired that I slept through a small earthquake...nothing was disturbed in the tiny temblor, but you´d think I´d at least awaken for it. Too much clowning, too many meetings, too many late nights

clowning in iquitos

2010-08-07T13:58:00.003-05:00

oh my, it´s only the 4th day and I am exhuasted. Day 2 was a clown parade through the shit and trash filled streets of Belen. Day 2 we started with the dance, music, and art workshops, house painting, and clowning. So far we have been to an orphanage, market, a home for pregnant teen-agers and their babies, a home for children with HIV, an adult mental institution, and a couple other places

somos piratas (pirates)

2010-08-04T09:29:00.007-05:00

Finally our pathetic little shipwrecked souls boarded the boat: Edwaudo III on the 31st. The image of us being on a deserted island was further dramaticized by the villagers yelling ¨viene una lancha! viene una lancha!¨ (a boat is coming!) when they saw the approaching boat in order to tip off the ladies and kids who run onto the boats to sell their various food items--fried fish, crackers, cake,

Laguninos somos!

2010-08-03T11:19:00.006-05:00

I have officially arrived in Iquitos after quite an interesting journey. I am busy with clowning activities and helping out with bits of organization--you wouldn´t imagine how long it takes to print a document and then make copies of it...Segundo and I finally got on the boat on the 29th of July at 7 am and arrived to a jungle community about 9 hours down the river called Lagunas. We decided we

somos yurimaguinos

2010-07-28T19:31:00.003-05:00

We tried to leave today by boat: lugging our stuff to the port and being harrassed by a bunch of men who grabbed our stuff and offered (in yelling voices) to take us to their boat. They were all trying to get us to take their boat, but in the end, none of the boats left today because there were neither enough passengers, cargo, nor workers because today is Peru´s independence day....so we sat,

no hay problemas

2010-07-27T19:05:00.002-05:00

I´m slowly making my way into the real jungle. Tarapoto didn´t do it for me...My skin was simply was not sticky enough and there were not enough bananas and things on sticks to eat. :) Now I´m in Yurimaguas which was a moderately pleasant (despite feeling a little nauseas from the curves) 3 hour collectivo ride from Tarapoto through lush mountainous jungle. I met up with my friend, Segundo, who

ojo: i just double updated, so look for 2 new posts below or under the july tab

2010-07-26T16:00:00.001-05:00

beso

welcome to the jungle OR meditations on impermanence

2010-07-26T15:12:00.007-05:00

I left Leyebamba at 7:30am yesterday and arrived in Tarapoto at 2am this morning after a combi (small van) to Yerba Buena, a collectivo van to Chachapoyas, a collectivo taxi to Pedro Ruiz and a bus to Tarapoto which had many long stops due to road work. The adventure was jam-packed with events and observations, which for simplicity purposes I will list below. The journey according the km should

Leyme'ohmygod´bamba

2010-07-24T19:58:00.004-05:00

I am in my favorite place in the world. I came here and immediately felt at home, but at the same time find myself almost in tears at the strangness of the beauty here. The air is so fresh it cuts into you and makes you breathe deeply, stopping to smell the herbs and flowers and sunshine on the dirt path. And the all encompassing green in the hills which surround the pueblo is dizzying....you

en Peru

2010-07-22T09:59:00.010-05:00

al fin, he llegado! I am so happy to be back in Peru. It was a long journey to get here to Chachapoyas--left home at 9am on the 18th, flew from Albuquerque to Dallas to Miami to Lima, arriving after some delays at 6am the 19th. Then had a nap, ate one of those amazing Peruvian salads drenched in lime juice and some ceviche (I cannot resist the Peruvian ceviche), and boarded what was supposed to

a Peru de nuevo

2010-07-16T22:30:00.009-05:00

I'm heading back to Peru on Sunday, with a totally different mindset then in the two years past. This year I have a job that I have to return to, a boyfriend that I get to return to :), I'm only going for a month, and though I feel like a I have a good handle on Peru--I know the streets of Iquitos, Miraflores, and a couple other of the towns I'll be checking back in on, I've taken almost every

2010-06-26T10:45:00.005-05:00

Last night I stood out in the pouring rain in my socks and ate a plum and looked up at the sky, and got completely soaked. Yum.I just returned from a trip to Colorado with Justin, which involved a cold night of camping in Questa, a meet-the-extended-family occasion, which went very well, and a lot of great walks and talks in my sister's new neighborhood (which used to be mobster and moon-shine

rounding it out

2010-06-08T06:12:00.012-05:00

June? What? That means we're halfway through 2010.That means I've worked at the hospital and lived in Santa Fe for 8 full months now. That means I'm going back to Peru next month...and that the Mayan calendar ends in a year and a half...and that more than anything: time is going really F'ng fast, and so I better be focusing on my priorities before I find myself too deep in something other

Recent adventures (or a more obvious title)

2010-05-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

I have completely lost all routine and balance in my life...but it sure has been packed full of fun!I am on my 3rd night working after nearly 2 weeks away from my unit. Last week I shadowed in the Albuquerque neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), to get some experience handling premies and really sick babies, so that in the case that we have on up in Espanola, I can be more prepared to care for

Family is a bag of boiled eggs...

2010-03-16T23:24:00.011-05:00

No really, my mom left a pre-packaged bag of peeled hard boiled eggs in my fridge when she left. I can't put my finger on why it's so weird....but a zip-topped, vacuum sealed bag of prepared eggs is just not right.Furthermore...what the hell is up with the sudden urge to have a baby in my belly and start making and eating cookies all the time that comes from hanging out with my family? OH God.

happy birthday to me!

2010-02-25T23:59:00.002-06:00

me in a tree, ahhhhhI'm not shy! I love birthdays, and today is mine!!! (and my friend Daniela's, and Meher Baba's: Indian Mystic who believed in the unifying power of love....)Today was basically the best day ever. I woke up in a sun-filled room. Ate some rice (my favorite comfort food, and I have to admit, I've been battling a cold, so despite that, it was still the best day ever and it

Golden February

2010-02-17T17:09:00.004-06:00

It's the month of my golden birthday, and I am living it up!25 on the 25th.I just returned from the 9th annual International Salsa Congress in Chicago (amazing). And I’m leaving Friday—using up all my PTO—and going to Oakland for a yoga workshop, to visit my brother and some good friends, and to dance one night at the salsa-rueda congress which is coincidentally happening the weekend I arrive and

Fast forward

2010-01-23T07:42:00.010-06:00

I feel like I've been living in fast-forward. As if working in a hospital wasn't enough like jumping into a vortex, working nights has completely added a new element of perpetual motion and general strangeness to my life. Ten days went by without me even noticing...my clothes and books and mail lay in the same exact places, my friends haven't been contacted, I may or may not have experienced

Happy 2010!

2010-01-09T06:33:00.009-06:00

I've been meaning to check back in for awhile, but overwhelmed with work and travel, and not wanting to sit at the computer, I have been uninspired to do so...until now!It all started with an 8am post-shift craving for a bean tostada and a fountain drink after three nights of working the graveyard (which means leaving home around 6:20pm and arriving home around 8:15am). I spent all 3 nights

Homies

2009-10-22T13:34:00.008-05:00

Remember the little homie figures that were sort of cult popular in the late 90's/early 2000s? You know:Well I have recently learned that these characters were created in Espanola based on the people who live there...I am somehow not surprised, and very amused. Espanola is the town I work in about 25 miles north of Santa Fe. It's the heroin capital of the country. It is also the low-rider

Home

2009-10-13T10:18:00.006-05:00

Well my job was supposed to start last week, but so goes the slow-paced, easy-going culture here, and so they didn't have all the paper work in order for me to start. It might have frustrated me if I hadn't just spent 2 months in South America and 3 months on the Tex-Mex border. So I was unsurprised by their incredible disorganization despite being a large hospital system, and instead was happy

Hello frito pie, chili, and adobe at 7,000ft

2009-10-03T02:45:00.007-05:00

Just a quick update to say that I have moved to Santa Fe. I drove out Weds through Denver--stopped to see my sister--and arrived Thursday evening via a lovely yellow aspen filled drive. The purples, yellows, and reds were just amazing. I am so lucky to have been able to drive during the changing of the seasons. Yum.I'm working on settling into my new place on the east side of Santa Fe, very

Autumn in America

2009-09-20T00:21:00.002-05:00

I have left the land of instant coffee, internet cafes, abundant noxious chemicals and rip-off scams, and non-potable water and have entered the land of hot showers, soymilk, suburbs, expensive produce, and people not quite so impressed by my communication skillz. The good juices are already missed.I'm currently in Iowa, preparing for my move to New Mexico, and I am really really excited for the

Last push

2009-09-15T10:25:00.004-05:00

getting ready to try it outFor my last weekend in Peru I wanted to meet a friend in Chincha, the center of Afro-Peruvian music, because it was a place I really wanted to visit last year and never got a chance to. From Paracas I took a collectivo to Pisco, and from there a bus to Chincha. I walked around the market, enjoyed my favorite activity in Peru: drinking juice at one of the fruit stalls,

Paracas

2009-09-11T16:52:00.005-05:00

I have officially left the land of crazy Spanish, yummy empanadas and pastel de choclo, healthy stray dogs, and high prices, and am back in the land of Pisco, scam-artists, street food, and crappy computers. I am currently enjoying Paracas/El Chaco/Pisco (Peru), which is a desert/ocean preserve on the edge of a small town outside of a larger town (in corresponding order). After a flight and a 16

Semillitas (little seeds)

2009-09-07T10:36:00.018-05:00

Colca Cañon: (end of August) I made a 3 day trek of Colca Canyon with 2 German girls and a pair of Auzzies. Don´t be too impressed by the 3 days...you cover the same ground as the 2 day trek but in 3 days, which I was definitely glad of, as it afforded plenty of time to relax and enjoy the journey as well as the destinations. Colca Cañon is supposedly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, but I don´

Santiago

2009-09-02T09:48:00.003-05:00

My new favorite fruit: ChirimoyaI am in Santiago after a 6 hour bus ride from Areqpuipa to Tacna, half hour taxi from Tacna to Arica, and a 32 hour bus ride from Arica. It really wasn´t as bad as one might think--I paid the extra for the delux bus, which basically just meant that I could recline my chair more and have more leg room, and as a result I did manage to sleep much of the trip. I

Colca to Santiago

2009-08-27T21:17:00.004-05:00

Clothes drying on a line in a vilage in Colca Cañon Yummy colorsChurch in the cañon, open only once a year during festivalI returned yesterday from a 3 day trek to Colca Cañon and I´m leaving tomorrow for the long (35hour or so) journey to Santiago, Chile. More later...love, Rachel

Reflections

2009-08-22T19:42:00.007-05:00

Welp I know I´m backpacking again because I´m using citronela bug spray as ¨perfume,¨ guarding plastic silverware and napkins like it´s the depression, and finding myself sleeping on 15 hour buses and sunken-in beds. And it feels great!Before I knew it, the clowning trip (and more than a month in Peru) have passed! This year I found Iquitos/Belen easier. I was familiar with the town, knew some

Lima

2009-08-19T17:31:00.007-05:00

I´m in Lima now, passing time beautifully in a hostel in Miraflores and attending a conference called Art as a Bridge to Health and Development. It´s put on by the Pan-American Health Organization, a branch of the WHO, so it´s a very cool thing to be a part of...and even cooler that it involves clowns!I will be here until Friday and then I am taking an overnight bus to Arequipa with a couple

Our work in Iquitos/Belen

2009-08-18T11:36:00.005-05:00

Follow the link to see a documentary about our awesome work in Iquitos/Belen:Gesundheit/ Bola Roja en Belen 2009It´s in Spanish but there will be English subtitles to follow...

Clowneando

2009-08-13T20:53:00.009-05:00

Clowning with my beautiesWell, I´ve been here for almost 10 days in Iquitos. I´ve clowned at a children´s shelter, a respite center for special needs kids, a mental institution, and a market-place. Tomorrow I am going to a prison, which should be interesting. I have also been painting houses in lower Belen, a town that floods during the rainy season and the people travel by canoe and live in the

Iquitos

2009-08-06T14:16:00.001-05:00

I made it to Iquitos and am with Patch and the group officially...clowning around in this crazy jungle city, painting houses, teaching dance classes, and eating a mountain of jungle fruit ;)Pictures and more to come...

i don´t believe in germs, i don´t believe in germs, i don´t believe in germs....

2009-08-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

I attended a dance class recently that made me wonder if perhaps the people of the jungle evolved with additional ligaments and small muscle groups. The way these people can shake it is beyond the imagination of my poor body...and I´m no stranger to shakin` it. The class was at a gym so it was intended to be a workout, and that it was. The tiny yet muscular Peruvian man--and I ask you, how do you

Pucallpa Pics

2009-07-29T18:58:00.004-05:00

The kitchen, where all the magic happens The port: more bananas than I have ever seen My adventure to the doctor (that'd be him)

Mas Aventuras

2009-07-26T12:56:00.006-05:00

As my family well knows- I cannot go on a trip without incurring a serious infection (eg Dengue Fever) or a serious natural disaster (like a rogue wave or an avalanche). I wasn't about to disappoint with this trip, but I wasn't expecting it to come so early. I suspected with my luck that perhaps something could come of my ayahuasca experience (see part 2), but thankfully that was not the

Pucallpa

2009-07-23T17:58:00.007-05:00

Bueno, I made it safe and sound to Pucallpa yesterday at 5am. My friend and his dad picked me up from the airport. I then crashed until about 10am and awoke in a pool of sweat. It must be 190% humidity here. After taking a shower (from which I never quite dried) we feasted on ceviche. It was a version I´d never had before, which I didnt think was possible as I have partaken in a whole lot of

The whacky wonderful world

2009-07-20T23:04:00.004-05:00

EmployedI got a call from Presbyterian Hospital in Espanola, NM on Friday around 11am that they were interested in interviewing me. Now, with a non-refundable nor changable for <$250 plane ticket to Peru leaving Tuesday, it didn't leave much room to wiggle. To complicate matters I had promised my friend Alexis, who is getting married while I'm in Peru, that I'd come visit her before I left. So

Boston family va-cay

2009-07-13T14:31:00.010-05:00

Mark and Rachel historical reenactmentI'm here in Boston on an old school family vacation. Complete with historical sites, walking tours, family dinners, angry car rides, and my mom twisting her ankle. Are we having fun yet? Mark and I got some classic pictures of my baseball capped dad walking down the street with a map fully unfurled, nearly running into

2009-07-08T08:55:00.003-05:00

Notes from my zillions of beautiful hours in the car:Austin, TX = yumDallas, TX = a cluster#$%@106 degrees in Texas = hard to stay cool while driving. I actually sunburned through the window.Green green and glorious Oklahoma. Who knew?Boggy State Park = a lovely place to re-energize.I ate an entire papaya and a cucumber along the way (and near the end, a lot of tootsie-roll pops).I'm so glad I

7 days

2009-06-29T10:58:00.010-05:00

My weeks seem to be overwhelmed with an abundance of strange and wonderful things. Please forgive my recent habit of writing lists for updates instead of prose. Tuesday:I convince myself that I have an infection and need antibiotics since I'll shortly be boarding a plane to a land of no healthcare access (which to an uninsured individual means no access to Mexico..). I make a trip just across the

A Day in the Life of Danica and Rachel

2009-06-21T12:14:00.006-05:00