Hey you all
Sorry that the month has been so disappointing in terms of posting here, but as I'm still in the US I felt like it was a bit anti-climactic.
In the last month, I've enjoyed a road trip to our nation's capitol - highlights being a tour of our national monuments given by one well-educated canadian friend, a certain high profile political friend in a communist t-shirt, one hilarious party combining many gay guys, many straight guys, a few questioning guys and some girls, mini MBTI talks, spying on my brothers classroom (and being told that I'm WAY better looking than mr. foran) and ofcourse quality time with some of the most wonderful people in the world. thank you all - you know who you are. Stopping in NYC and surveying the cheapest restaurants of new york city was amazing. Sadly too brief with all of you all. A lovely long chat with Deena. And of course holing up in a little closet apartment and shutting the door on the world for just a few moments, thank you for giving me the time to do that - unplanned as it was.
I've also partaken in a trip up to rural Machias - highlights including truck stop coffee and pie and good conversation, the bad little falls, the amazing BIG beehive, quality time in front of a big fire with my roommate, and talking land with wes grover.
Finally - I made my way out to Denver and hopped on a greyhound 19 hours to Bozeman, MT. We should all take greyhounds for long periods of time more often. I dont know which was more amusing - the self-proclaimed red-neck women from texas (who'd been on the bus for three days already and were going to seattle); the black transvestite in a blond wig who left the bus stop to allegedly buy a gun to shoot her boyfriend in the balls and was subsequently searched by the police before she could get back on; or the moment when the "tribe" from the bus from salt lake joined our "tribe" in Galette, WY and there was a bit of a "power struggle" for the back of the bus. There was also the touching moment of a young, unassuming woman returning home for the first time in 18 mos after having been in jail for stealing a minivan. It really did make me tear up.
My time in Bozeman becomes a blur - spent MUCH needed quality time with katie - as we are so often two ships passing in the night headed to various corners of the world. we discovered the merits of sledding on frisbees down icy trails, and I have the ring of bruises on my butt to prove it. I'll try to download some of the photos from that day on to this page. see above. Good food - and thanks to laura and addie.
And then to the Traveling School I came - this amazing community of women, teachers present and past - all very present in the life of the school who have found it to be so critical in their own lives that they stick around for it. I'm blown away and bowled over by the competency and experience and joy and excitement in all of this. I'm scared and overwhelmed to take on this trip and I worry about teaching for the first time and being responsible for the safety, security, well-being and good time of 11 15-18 year old girls. I'm amazed by my co-teachers, and a bit shy, I have to admit. I never knew I could be so excited about teaching science. I'm gasping for breath at the idea of my classroom being the Amazon forest floor.
Our girls come tomorrow. I'm in a hotel in Orlando, catching up for a few moments with the world before the big push comes. We have one night of orientation in Orlando and in 48 hours we'll be in Quito, Ecuador. And I'm tempted to say that then the real adventure begins - but in writing all of this down I guess it already has. Thank you all of you who gave me a bed in the last month, and who put up with my vagrancy.
Oh, and happy birthday little brother!
The following is a proverb I found on our director's refrigerator. Its a good one for me to repeat to myself, and I hope it will mean something to you too:
Look to this day for it is life.
In its brief course lie all the realities and truths of existence,
the joy of growth,
the glory of action,
the splendor of beauty…
Today, well lived,
makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day...” – Ancient Sanskrit Proverb
More soon from here - and hope to hear from all of you!
Love,
Heather
