NYC!

I still am blown away by how I can travel through multiple states in less than 2 hours. My roommate and I cruised up to New York for the weekend. Not a big deal for the people on this coast, but super fun for us Cali kids since NYC is usually quite a trek. We drove up to Princeton, NJ, then took the train into the city. Our goals for the weekend: to see Lady Liberty, Ground Zero, and have as much fun possible while spending the least amount possible. And we did a pretty decent job. We walked A TON and managed to cram in a mess o' stuff. I really shouldn't spend too much time on teh details since I'm drowning in hw, but I'll post some pics. Highlights include FREE Staten Island Ferry and seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, the building falling down on us, comedy clubs, empanadas, cheesecake, Ellen's, waiting in line for the lottery to get Wicked tickets and not winning, massive Puerto Rican day crowds, walking the entire length of Manhattan, trying to crawl inside the 9, cruising Central Park, and being reminded that I am so not a metropolitan city girl. Happy to visit and happy to come back to my quiet apartment in the suburbs.

Random fact

Villanova still has an anti-brothel law in effect, which prohibits more than 3 single women from living together in the same house. So basically, college girls get the shaft since they can't have a house with more than 3 girls and Villanova rent is $$. Not only does this weird law exist, it's actually enforced and girls get evicted when their rich, uptight neighbors want to get college students out of the town. Crazy.

Relentless Thoughts

Sometimes I'm really bummed that I have to call myself a Christian. It's not that I'm bummed to BE a Christian, quite the contrary, but all the negative associations that go along with that word break my heart. It kills me that the adjectives that many associate with Christian are judgemental, ethnocentric, egotistical, and condemning. Man, have we screwed things up. Whatever happened to living lives of unending, relentless compassion, love and grace? I know that there are Christians living out that life, but it seems the majority of us appear as judgemental hypocrites to the rest of the world, especially if you claim to be a *gasp* evangelical or fundamentalist Christian, which I do. Last night I had a discussion with my roommate about how I feel called to live and it set my mind turning on how often I fall short of what it is I claim is my goal. I want to live in the image of Christ. It seems so simple and straightforward, but if I'm going to be fully and completely honest, to REALLY live like Christ scares me. I can handle it to a point, to love my neighbor, to serve others with my gifts, talents, and blessings, that's within reason, but once we start getting into the big sacrifices, well I'm freaked out. Can I really give up all this world has to offer? Now, I believe that we are called to be a part of this world, so I'm not suggesting thatI go move into some convent somewhere and convert to a monastic lifestyle. But at the same time, I wonder how much, in good conscience, I can live a life of luxury. When I was in South America I actually found myself envious of the poor there because there weren't so many obstacles between them and God. They couldn't afford the worldly distractions we pad our lives with. And so often lately I find myself questioning a lot of things about our society... so I turn to Scripture...and it only gets worse. I find I am unable to even argue for any sort of materialism. We can try and rationalize that we give to the poor, that God wants us to be happy, yadda, yadda, but at the end of the day I just keep thinking that Jesus didn't go out and work in a soup kitchen for a bit, then go back to a nice cozy place to sleep at night. Should we all be taking a vow of poverty? I don't know, but a life of excess just doesn't seem to fit. I'm pretty confident that Jesus wouldn't have driven an Audi, worked 80 hours a week to climb the corporate ladder, or spend money on exotic vacations purely for self-pleasure...the guy gave everything he had away, down to his very life and birthright for those who despised him...he probably wouldn't even save for his retirement. So I'm not looking to tell anyone how to live here, these are just the thoughts that seem to persist in my mind as of late. And they are thoughts that both excite and scare me. To what extreme do we go? How do live for God and love this world as completely as he did? It's also got me thinking a lot about war, and my ideas on that might be changing. Guess I'll save that for another blog. Feel free to tell me what you guys think here and if you've been chewing on any of these ideas, let me know and maybe we can chat.

Getting the full experience

One of the things I love about moving to a new place is just the novelty of everything. It's amazing how much more you do when you feel like a tourist than when you've lived in a place for what seems like forever. Things that are new and exciting just have so much more appeal than those which seem commonplace. The history of this area blows my mind. For those who've grown up here, it's standard, but coming from Cali, where the only historic place anywhere closeby is an old mill, I kinda dig it. It's funny, today felt like a day that best fit the sterotypes I had about the EC before I got here. I went to church at a new place this morning and everyone was in suits and skirts and much more formal than I'm used to. I feel like I have to preface this by saying the church I've been going to so far is not at all like that and reminds me a ton of the one I went toward the end of my time at Cal Poly. And I'm not opposed to traditional-style churches it just felt so "East Coast-y," without that laid back Cali feel. After church I defintiely went the wrong direction and this got to drive the total expanse of Philadelphia before heading back home. Grabbed some lunch with the roommate, then we headed out to Valley Forge for a bike ride. Yeah, you can do that here. Go to amazing historical sites that are just down the road and ride your bike around. We had a great ride and I even got a cute guy to put some air in my tires since I forgot to bring my bike pump out here :) It was great because it seemed like there were hotties everywhere we went today. Niiice. After the park we stopped by Rita's for some water ice, more accurately pronounced "whatur ice" by these Philadelphians. They were shocked here to figure out I'd never had it, but it's basically an italian ice/fruit freeze kinda thing...pretty yummy and great after a bike ride. My roommate then gave me the "behind the scenes" tour of Villanova, complete with crypts, ghost stories, rooftops, and wonderful secret spots. We finished the day off with a nice dinner and some chillin at home. All in all a wonderful Sunday. I got to experience the sights, tastes, and general feeling of Pennsylvania, minus the nasty humidity, which seems to have retreated at least for a few days (THANK GOD!!). So what should my next adventure be? Well, NYC is on the slate for next weekend...

Love, Pain, and Healing

Today I had my midterm and a lab practical for a class I started on Tuesday. Afterward a friend and I decided to go see a movie to decompress and allow ourselves to just veg and just not think for a bit. Well, turned out no movies were playing at 11am on a Friday, so we went to grab some lunch, then came back to the theater afterward. We saw the new movie "The Breakup" with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn and got quite a different movie than we were expecting. If you're looking for a lighthearted romantic comedy, look elsewhere. It told the story of a breakup as they often occur, where we get mean, do things to try to ilicit some desired reaction and end up with something completely different than what we were hoping for, or I guess what we thought we were hoping for. It was honestly, one of those movies that was kinda painful to watch. Well, at least I think it is if you've ever been in love. The teenage girls in front of me just thought it was "cute."
But anyway, it got me thinking is there anything out there that hurts more than losing love? Maybe living a life that is totally devoid of love? I don't think so because if you are never loved, it would probably be less painful since you are not living in full realization of what you don't have. That's what makes it so hard when someone leaves...you know what you're missing, what you have lost. And it doesn't matter what way they leave, where they go, or how it happens, it wrenches us. I broke up with my ex almost a year ago, or more accurately, he fell out of love with me. It's funny how even when things got too painful the way they were to continue to be together, I didn't want to let go because I replayed the wonderful parts in my head. But the fact of the matter was, I had already lost him and being with him and not with him, was exceedingly more painful that to just admit what we both already knew. The split conveniently happened at the same time I graduated from college, moved away from all of my friends, was jobless, and wondering what to do with my life. And I spend a period of time convincing myself that our break-up was only temporary. I honestly think it was the only way I could cope with it. But time passed and I allowed myself to take in what had really happened. I let myself realize that things would never be the same and it really was over. And I let myself start to heal. I can't help but smile when I think about all the times I talked myself into believing I was over him. I sort of had this philosophy that I just began living my life like I was happy and didn't miss him one day it wouldn't be pretending anymore. And it did work that way. I was happy. Instead of mouring the loss of my old life, I began to thank God for my new one. The new friends, new place, new job I had been given made it easier for me to move on. But when I encountered little things that reminded me of him, it would send me spiraling. Like when you're little and you climb up the slide, (you know the kind that spiral up) and just when you start getting close to the top, some other kid slides down and takes you back to the bottom with him. And every time I got closer to the top, someone or something would remind me of him and I'd be back to wishing he would just love me again and I could have him back.
And then I went to South America. Where it seemed my life became a living reminder. I was in his world and there was nowhere I could hide from the memories. But the amazing thing was, somewhere amid the children that needed me and the love that comes from those who are committed to Christ's work, I found my healing. Everywhere I went I saw scenes, heard songs, ate food, and felt climate that brought him to mind. But it no longer hurt. I wasn't angry. I didn't question why. I could smile at the memories and I no longer wanted him back. In short, God gave me healing and I got over him. For real! It wasn't almost or temporary, or when I was happy and loved. I could be lonely and isolated, reminded of the good, or of the pain, and still be ok knowing we'll never be together.
My life is good. I don't know what or who my future will bring, but I know that I experienced real love once and because of it I can't settle for anything less. On the flip side, I can see how people let themselves close up. Why they choose promiscuity or isolation over intimacy. Losing love hurts. But healing can happen. And I know I will always choose love. Praise God for that.

Summer is Here

Are you ever just totally amazed at the way God works in your life? I am on a regular basis. I moved across the country less than two weeks ago and have already had the chance to meet some amazing people. My second day of class, I sat down next to Melanie. She is a Christian and has been living and teaching in Nairobi, Kenya for the last four years. After graduation, her dream is to go back there are work as a medical missionary. I am inspired! For those of you who don't know, I am so stoked about the idea of medical missions. I've been thinking lately about working as a traveling nurse so I could have the money and flexibility to do actually swing it. At this point, I'll just wait for God to lead. Regardless, we are having some great conversations and she's proven to be one of those people it is just really fun to talk to. All that to say, I HAVE A FRIEND!! Today I went with her to visit her family in the Poconos (the mountains just north of here). The day matched the summer weather that seems to have arrived here just in time to make all the weekend vacationers happy, us included. In other words, it's stinkin hot here, but it was great since we got to hang out on a lake. We went to a brunch with her insanley huge family (her dad have 9 brothers and sisters and they all have a mess o kids), then went back to their lake house where we prepared for lazy afternoon. I forgot my swimsuit at her house so I got to wear a bright teal early 90's classic because the idea of sitting on the shore while the others swam across the lake was worse than being seen in something so hot ;). And I did swim across the lake...twice! After chillin on the shore for awhile, we went back to the house and practiced taking blood pressures on the tons of people that make up her family. Awesome practice since there's a mess of them of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Tomorrow we start our examination and assessment course and the midterm is Friday (including head to toe assessments and vitals), so we figure we need all the practice we can get! All in all it was a great day. I'm happy. And I have so much reading to do....

Neighborhoods

I am a country girl at heart. I grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and I think hills, trees, and windy roads will forever feel like home. But I'm living in suburbia now and I have to say there is a part of me that love the little things that come along with a real neighborhood. Little boys running their paper routes, ice cream trucks, grandmothers gardening, and kids riding their bikes out in front of my car. I know they're probably everyday happenings for most of the people here, but they are the details that I love about my new place. I'm getting in the habit of going for a walk in the evening just because I love it so much :) With the tree-lined streets and brick houses, parks, and streams that fill this place, I feel like I'm on the set of a movie or something, because it just seems a bit too family-oriented and peaceful to be reality. I'm sure my feelings will be very different when the humidity comes on full force, but for now, I'll just enjoy the moment...

Kallie, Villanova Nursing Student

That's right, it is now official! Started classes today and I must say, I'm quite excited. I'm totally appreciating that I spent the last year working in the hospital because it seems like everyone is already freakin out about clinicals and I feeling anxious to get back in a hospital! Of course there is tons to be learned, but it's nice to start feeling relatively calm and prepared for the next 14 months. Our professors are great so far and the students seem nice as well. There are about 40 of us that will be in all the same classes, so I'm sure I'll be getting to know them VERY well whether I want to or not! Ok, it's late, and I gotta get up for Day 2 tomorrow, so this rather lame post will end here.

Burnin' Down the House

Today was an eventful day. I found a great church, got a bed, and tried to burn my house down...twice. I think some sort of fire or near fire accident is obligatory when moving into a new place ( I must say my sister managed to have a much more dramatic experience than I, but I guess that's good since she's married to a firefighter and I'm not). For me it all started when my roommate and I decided to make tortilla de patatas and bruschetta for dinner. We both spend some time studying abroad in Spain a few years back (not together) and she asked me if I knew how to make tortilla (note: Spanish tortilla is kinda like a glorifed onion and potato omelet). "Sure," I said, "I can totally make it for you." So we went to the store to pick up potatoes and some other things we both wanted to buy. I think we were gone for about 40 minutes or so. Yeah, um, but before we left we had put some water on our gas range to boil because some tea sounded nice, so we came home to find it still on! Ah! Luckily nothing happened except that the water had boiled almost completely away, so tea wasn't really an option unless we wanted to start over. Ok, so onto the the REAL almost fire incident. We began making the tortilla, chopping up tomato and garlic for the bruschetta, and I stuck some bread in the oven to toast. I put it on broil, but the oven didn't seem to be getting very hot and the bread wasn't toasting. After checking a few times...yeah...I TOTALLY forgot about it. I was more focused on the fact that it seemed like the tortilla was taking forever to cook. Then the smoke alarm starting going off and you'd think this would have reminded me about my bread, but no, I thought, "Oh no, the tortilla is burning!" So we flipped it over, and it really didn't look burned so we were a bit puzzled. Then we noticed the smoke starting to pour out of the range...and I realized it wasn't from the stove, but from the oven! I threw open the oven door and smoke billows out, burning our eyes and turning the whole apartment hazy. I throw the pan into the sink and turn on the water and at this point my roommate and I lose it laughing. We run to the windows, find the fan, and furiously wave our towels in the air, gasping for breath since we're totally cracking up. And of course I'm feeling totally humbled since my confidence in my cooking ability has been shattered by the fact that I can't even toast bread. We ended up making more toast (and set my cell phone timer just in case we could possibly forget) and dinner was actually pretty good. In the end, we decided the whole thing was a great bonding experience "The night we tried to turn down the house...twice." Yeah that and that we should probably get a toaster.

Road Trip Pics

Is it time for some pictures already? They were promised in Peru and yet still I have posted nothing LAME! Ok, so here we go....

Shall begin with the road trip? Ok.

First stop, Battle Mountain. What is there to do there? Well, not a ton as it turned out, but it was at this site that we left our car for the first time since departing Reno for random photo action on the side of the freeway. (if my mom reads this, there wasn't a lot of cars and we were totally off the road so don't worry). More importantly this is where we named our road trip mascot.

CAPTAIN BASE CAMP.

True Story: Captain Base Camp is actually a painted green army guy given to me by a friend before my freshman year of high school. G=For the past 9 years of my life he's been hanging out in my desk at my parents house. When I was packing to leave, Jessica decided he should probably come along. He definitily played a crucial role in telling us where to go during the long trip cross-country.

After stopping in Salt Lake for the night for the night we made our way down to Arches Natl. Park which was awesome. This is one of our more normal pics...we took polaroids of us holding up rocks and arches...sweeeet.

In Grand Junction Bert and Merce took us up to the top of this canyon on their property where we ate lamb, grilled potatoes and veggies, made on a campfire. I don't think words can really describe just how cool it was.

In Fort Collins we stopped at New Belgium, the brewery that makes Fat Tire, my current favorite beer. It was great! We scored free postcards (they even mail them for you), free beer, free keychains, and found great company in the many college students that frequent the place. Highly recommended.

Well, Nebraska wasn't the most thrilling part of our drive, but I had the best T-Bone steak EVER at this place.

In Chicago we hit up Ed Debevic's for lunch, where we had the best time being treated like crap. Their gimmick is horrible rude service. Who knew it could be so much fun. I just liked this sign they had at the exit. :)

We ran into a walking Reese's peanut butter cup walking around the city, and OF COURSE had to take a picture!!!

In Pittsburgh I mostly hung out inside with this little guy, my brother's roommate's new golden retriever puppy....totally adorable. Ok, so if you want to see more pics, feel free to check out my album at http://photos.yahoo.com/supertallkallie

A Creature of Habit

Most of the time I don't really think of my life as being ruled by routine. I'm always changing places, changing activities, making new friends, reuniting with old ones, working weird hours, etc. and lately I don't feel like I have any semblance of routine in my day to day activity at all. But really I do. And the fact of the matter is, I find comfort in the little routines that offer some level of normalcy to my ever-changing life.
Today I decided to go hit up some garage sales to try and get a few things we're lacking here in the apartment. In typical Kallie fashion I had some trouble convincing myself to get up an at'em and slept in later than planned. Thus, I decided to just throw some clothes on and head out and shower and eat something when I got back home. My trip was a success. I go to check out some more of the neighborhood, found some great buys and got back to the apartment around 11. And it's been a relaxing, chill kinda day, but my routine that I didn't even know existed is admittedly a bit off. I had breakfast at 11, then read one of my nursing textbooks until I decided it was time to take a shower (I love legitimate procrastination). It was the shower that really got me thinking about this whole routine thing. I know I have a shower routine because whenever I change up the order, I usually forget something. Today, I got distracted by the way the water tempertaure was scalding hot and failing to adjust and forgot to wash my hair. Do other people do this? I wouldn't say it happens very often, but when it does I can blame it on the changing up of the routine. Luckily I'm hanging around the house this afternoon, so I just hopped back in when I realized and again appreciated the loveliness of my exceptionally tall showerhead. But mostly I got to thinking about the little habits, patterns, and orders that bring an impulsive, feet first girl comfort in new circumstances...like the fact that I first wash my hair, then my face, etc....

Settling In

Well, the intial anxiety I experienced when realizing how many little details I had to figure out before school starts on Monday has subsided and I'm feeling quite relaxed and happy here in my new home. As it is, I've gotten a lot accomplished and all the urgent things have been taken care of. My room is still devoid of any furniture, and as my roommate says, looks like the room of a very small person since nothing is more than a foot and a half off the ground. A bit ironic since I have about a foot on her :) It will soon be changing however since I managed to find a great bed for a great price that I'll be picking up later this weekend thanks to craigslist and a nice couple that doesn't want to lug all their furniture to their new home in Phoenix.
It's been nice to have some time to explore the neighborhood and get some bearings. I think I spent at least half of my driving time getting lost, but as a result I've discovered the location of grocery stores, the post office, Target, parks, schools, rich neighborhoods, shady mcgrady neighborhoods, etc... and am starting to get my bearings. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't since knowing which direction I want to go and actually going there seem completely different in this land of curvy streets with names that mysteriously change on you. It seems more often than not there are 3-5 ways to get anyplace here, the trick is figuring out which way will have the least amount of traffic and no tolls! Still, the trips I've made into Philly make me realize how glad I am to be living exactly where I am- close enough to visit whenever, go downtown for dinner, etc, but able to come back to my sweet, safe, quiet home with abundant parking and kids playing outside.
Whoever said East Coasters are cold has apparently not been to this area. When I went running the other day, just about every person I came across greeted me with a smile, a wave, or a hello, and the people at school and around town have been equally friendly. It's a great feeling to realize more and more each day that I picked the right place. As far as school, I'm sort of wondering just exactly I have gotten myself into since I realized I'll be taking a semester's worth of full-time study in 6 weeks instead of 15, but I guess I'll figure than out soon enough. For now I'm trying to organize my life and enjoy my last few days of freedom.

The End of the Road

I made it! I'm writing this post from inside my new home here in beautiful Pennsylvania. And it really is beautiful. Despite the rain, I enjoyed my drive from Pittsburgh thanks to the gorgeous scenery. Nothing like spending miles and miles on 80 going through those plain states to make you appreciate lush green trees and rolling hills. The rain cleared about halfway through my drive and thankfully I got to move my stuff from car to house with clear skies. So a bit about my new place. For those of you who don't know, I found it online and just met my new roommate the same time I got handed my keys (ok, so we talked and emailed a bit). As it is, everything is working out splendidly. The apartment is located in a suburb of Philly, and I'm seriously enjoying the east coastyness of the area. Tree-lined streets, brick houses, and township added to the end of the city names :) Everyday for those from here, but simply delightful to a California girl! My apartment is clean, small, but not too small, and has great carpet. That seems like a weird thing to say, but I'm really stoked about the fact that we a)have carpet and b) it's actually clean enough for me to lay on without concern...especially since at the moment my room is totally devoid of furniture. That's one of those details I'll get to work on tomorrow. Oh, the to do list is long! But I'm a happy girl. Gnight.

The Home Stretch

I officially made it into Pennsylvania last night, or more accurately early this morning. I'm hanging out in Pittsburgh at my brother's place and the fact that I'm actually moving and not just on another vacation has begun to hit home. Jess and I had a great time in Chicago yesterday with my cousin-of-sorts Julia (all these seconds and once-removed just confuse me). We went to Ed Debevic's for lunch, which is this hilarious diner where the wait staff is totally rude to the point of hilarity, on purpose of course. They also dance on the bar and make a great chocolate malt. Now Jessica is on a plane back to CA and I'm beginning to get the itch to get going on to my new home myself. I'll head out tomorrow and plan on exploring the area around my new place a bit since my roommate will be at work until the evening and the drive is only about 6 hours. It's been a pretty low-key day, but I've been enjoying it since I know once the craziness starts, it's just gonna keep on going!

Road Trippin'

It's about time I put up another post already! So I was home for a whirlwind week and now I'm transversing the country with Jessica having an amazingly good time. Don't want to rub it in and say you wish you were here, but the reality is, you probably wish you were. We are currently in Libertyville, IL and in the six days since we left the only meal we actually paid for were sub sandwiches in Fort Collins...SCORE! Shall we recap with priceless gems from each state? Ok, here we go!!...

California- alright, let's be honest, not much happened between Shingle Springs and Reno, but that's a good thing since my track record of trips through Tahoe with Jessica is less than stellar. (think snow and closed roads)

Nevada- talk about a proper send off, the DAD hooked us up with dinner on Monday, hot breakfast on Tuesday and lunches big enough to last for DAYS. The state's scenery was lacking, but Battle Mountain was awesome. What We Learned: If you are a town worth any consequence in Nevada, your name had better be on the side of a mountain.

Utah- land of Mormons and dragon slayers, mountains and amazing arches. Watch out for the manholes and the missionaries...kidding...kind of.....um, Arches Natl park was super cool and gets our endorsement. We should also note, it was the first place we had to actually pay for something other than gas.

Colorado- beyond description...Colorado was very good to us :) In Grand Junction we met mom's super fun friends Merce and Bert, ate a gourmet dinner on the side of a cliff, played with dogs, and had pretty much the best granola ever (which we can now make ourselves!). From there we headed to Fort Collins, through pretty much the most gorgeous scenery ever (the first that really competed with our beloved CA). In Fort Collins we had lunch with a friend from Portland and hit up New Belgium Brewery for some free sampling and a true taste of the college vibe.

Wyoming- The cheapest gas we'll probably see the entire trip at $2.58/gal. And we learned that Sonic really does exist. Yup, that's about it

Nebraska-If you love museums and quantity means more to you than quality, this is the state for you. One at EVERY exit. One contained a miniature version of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Best part, some couple spent 12 years carving those figurines. Wow. Unfortunately, I didn't get to ride any REAL buffalo, only fake ones. Hands down best steak I've ever had. Lots of wonderful tall Sealocks we were happy to meet!

Iowa- Kinda a jumble with Nebraska since like the illegal immigrants we did a lot of border hopping. Not a lot here, though we did play some rousing games of interstate bingo....bonus if find a Corvette (we never did). and OHMYGOSH! we got FREE ice cream at a gas station just for asking for it (props to my good buddy Jessica)

Illinois-Well, we only just got here, but I think we've already spend more money on stupid tolls than on anything else we've yet to purchase....and there's not even bridges after them! Oh well, guess we can't complain since our trip has pretty much been charmed the whole way through. We're now at my great uncle and aunt's house (both great in the my grandma's brother sense and in the great people sense), which is sort of castle-like :) Tomorrow we spend the day in Chicago before continuing on our journey.

Other random facts: Polaroids enhance any road trip. My front bumper is a bug graveyard. Jessica is the squeegy (sp?) master. Tubewiches are the best, but you will get weird looks if you make them in the car (peanut butter tube, jelly tube, bread, nuf said). Cats love lasers. Dutch ovens make great dessert. I'm not tall as you think I am. Just ask Greg. Driving through Nebraska is as boring as they say it is. You can combine a gas station with anything you want: pizza place, donut shop, restaurant, dry cleaners, etc...

I think about it. We've taken some great pics which we'll sure to share in the future. Hasta pasta!

Hogar dulce hogar

Home sweet home.
After a few flight delays and a bit of panicking by the parents (who were told by the airline I never got on the plane in Lima), I made it home safe and sound yesterday afternoon. I was met by Wally, my dad, and a wonderful ice-filled glass of diet pepsi (thanks dad!).
So guess what? Right before I left Peru, or maybe I should say as I was leaving I met a Peruvian not just my height, but taller! Yay, someone my height does exist there! He was sitting next to me in the emergency exit row. He was also late 20's, good-looking , and a Berkeley graduate...pleasant flight company :) Still is proved to be a bit of a tortuous flight since it was my second night of red eye travel and I'm the crappiest plane/bus sleeper ever. But after a wonderful night's sleep in the best bed ever (mine), I'm quite a happy Kallie. I'm feeling the reverse culture shock some, but trying to take it in stride as much as possible. It's hard to see people with so much that are still so unsatisfied and hold on so tight to their money, or spend it on useless stuff. Makes me realize that money holds us more than we hold it and while it can be used for good, it can also inhibit people from really figuring out what's important....but on a lighter note, I'm loving that I keep seeing people as tall as me! yay for proper nutrition! Ok I have a to do list about a mile long, so I better get going. If you want to see me, I'm in CA for a week, gimme a call! Ciao

What goes around comes around...YES!

So remember how I missed my flight in LA helping la pobrecita peruanita who didn't speak any English? Well, I'm now spending my last day here in Peru with my friend Sandra who also missed the flight. Got into Lima early this morning after taking an overnight bus, and her and her mom came to pick me up. After a nap, a wonderful breakfast and a shower we're about to head out and explore. She has a whole schedule planned out, packing in as much as we can before I leave tonight. Gotta love the unexpected blessings that come from what at the time seemed like a problem!
I had a wonderful last day in Trujillo yesterday. It was a bit sad, but mostly awesome because I had the opportunity to bless a lot of people. What is not a big deal to us, can be really expensive for the locals here, so it was cool to be able to help some of my closest friends get what they need. And I'm understanding more and more what it means to "be grateful you can give because you have been given much." For dinner last night, I made pizza with the kids in the home. None of them had ever had it before and I thought it should be corrected! It was great fun and most of them loved it. The power went out before we finished but thankfully the oven was gas and we were able to finish before it got dark...they kids didn't mind because it meant they got to eat the ice cream I gorught first. Ok, I gotta go because I don't want to spend my last day in front of a computer! Hasta pronto!

Swallowing my pride

I think I'm pretty much humbled on a daily basis here, and the cool thing is, every time I can let go of a bit more of my pride. I once heard someone say that "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." And I really couldn't agree more. Since the moment I stepped off the plane, impressing people has never really been an option. I stumble through what I want to say because of my lack of vocabulary, I pronounce things wrong, and I blend in about as well as a red wine does on a white t-shirt. And it's been great. Since I generally assume I'm going to make a fool of myself, there's not really a lot standing in the way of whatever it is I want to do. Now I'm not a total people pleaser or anything, but I would say I generally, like most, want people to like me. I'm not shy, but at times I avoid situations were the likelihood of embarassment is high. And it's not like I quit altogther caring what anyone thinks, but more that my mind tends to be less on myself lately and more on what I want to be doing for God and for the people around me. I thought I'd include some of my recent lessons in humility for your dining pleasure:

A couple days ago I had a preschooler help me with my pronunciation. Vicki is 5 and apparently wasn't satisfied with the way I was pronouncing my "errre" when I said "rojo". First she made me repeat after here several times. Still unhappy with my progress, she went to her backpack, pulled out her markers, and took out a nice pink one. She demanded, "Abre tu boca" (open your mouth) and placed her marker across my mouth. I was then instructed to close my mouth and repeat after her again. After a few tries I apparently got it down well enough that we could go play. :)

We were at church one day and the band started to play, "Open the Eyes of My Heart," a worship song we sing in the US that is also sung in Spanish. I sang the words in English and since then all of the kids have been asking me to sing it, write it down for them, etc. Well, one day my friend Elisa was there when I was singing it for them and asked me if I would come sing at her sing at her church with her. Now I love to sing, and was in choir in jr high and high school, but I'm not one to do solos. Together, I figured I could swallow my pride a bit and handle it. So I went with to church with her last night to sing....and before we left she decided it would be better for me to sing it alone since that way we wouldn't have to worry about matching up or anything....oh, and there's no band I would be singing a capella. Whew...what have I gotten myself into? I admittedly was a bit nervous, but it turned out great. I reminded myself I was singing for God and not people and wasn't freaked out at all. That, and it turned out her church was teeny tiny, like 20 people. It was a great experience. The pastor asked if anyone had anything special to share and as it turned out I wasn't the only one to go up and sing...and those that followed me were definitely not Whitney Houston's. Many were singing out of tune and clapping off beat, but it was evident they were raising their most joyful noise to the Lord and the truth of it is, it was beautiful. These simple people are an incredible reminder of what it is all about. They come without a fancy sound system, or even a guitar for that matter to unabashedly sing praise to our Father. Sweet.

The weight of reality

Do you ever feel like you've had just a little too much reality? Seen a little too much? I'm kinda there today. While I am not one to shut out pain and suffering in this world, there is definitely some truth in the saying, "Ignorance is Bliss." I went to the house of one of my best friends here last night and it was both a heart warming and heart breaking experience. I feel like I'm always saying that here. That it's wonderful and horrible at the same time, but it's the truth. You know the story in the Bible of the woman who gave her two coins to the offering and it was a much bigger sacrifice than the extravagant gifts of the rich? That's what these people are like. They have little, but share all. Last night got me more than most because I saw that poverty here is not found only among the uneducated and/or the lazy. My friend is an incredibly hard worker that has a college education...and has lived for the past year without light or running water, in a neighborhood where you pretty much can't own anything valuable, or it will surely be stolen. If someone hears your radio or TV, they're as good as gone....but it's not a big issue, because those things aren't really affordable anyway. We went to the house of her family (which has lights and water) and they shared all of their best with me and were happy to have me in their home...their first foreign visitor! And though is was hard to see her circumstances, I was honored at the chance to literally break bread with my friend and her family...but now I want to take her home with me!

I've won the nickname Blancanieves here (Snow White) because most have never seen anyone as white as me. It's sort of the opposite of the US in regards to color. No one is trying to get a tan and they think white is beautiful, that we look like dolls :) Ok, I'll bask in my whiteness for a bit. On the other hand, I think the fact that I shave my legs to them is a bit wierd. I was cracking up when one of the kids was actually afraid when my legs were a bit prickly. :)

The days are dwindling...

Hard to believe I only have a few days left here. The truth is, I'm a bit sad to leave. I have no regrets about how I've spent my time here; I've honestly packed in about as much as I could! But I've realized in doing so I quickly became part of a family and a mission here. Originally, I thought there was no way I could live in Peru for an extended period of time, but with every day that goes by it feels more and more like home...yeah, that and I found Huanchaco. If I were to live in La Libertad (this region of Peru), that's were I would be! About a 10 or 15 minute drive from Trujillo is this beautiful little beach town that won my heart :) It's a combination of tropical paradise and my familiar Pacific, that had me thinking about SLO bunches. I went on Sunday with Marina and Aida (who knew I could have so much fun hanging out with 11 and 12 year olds?!). We strolled, shopped, snacked, and fished off the pier. It was wonderful! Quite a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Yesterday and today it's been back to work, which I was also glad to do. Having spent the end of last week in the comedores and the weekend doing workshops and playing, I was missing my kids in the home! On top of that, I been working on translating the Nuevos Pasos video into English. Though I'm not the fastest in the world, I've definitely enjoyed the opportunity and it's nice to see that my Spanish is decent enough to do something like that! We're pretty excited to have the video in English because we can now share Nuevos Pasos with English speaking countries and, God willing, gain more support for all the work that is going on down here. Yay! It's always cool when you get a glimpse at how God is using you. :)