#28 Visit a new country: Peru! Completed April 2007

#28 is connected to #16, my previous post. It was one of those "kill two birds" moments, though no fowl were fouled in the process. =) As someone who loves travel, I figured listing "visit a new country" would encourage me to see even more of the world, but it was somewhat of a "gimme" because I would have done it anyway! My opportunity to travel to Peru - a new country and new continent - came when I volunteered again to help lead a spring break mission trip with the FPC Youth in the spring of 2007. It was my third spring break trip (I had previously been to Romania in 2005 and Kenya in 2006). In the spring of 2008, I got to return to Peru - so I've been to the same "new" country twice!

One major highlight of my 2007 trip to Peru was my accomplishment of "international humor". When we went to the beach to meet the Peruvian youth group, our students wanted to know what we were going to do there. When we told them we'd have a bonfire, one girl asked if we'd have s'mores. I said, "Yes, but here they call them s'mas-es". Get it? (mas = more in Spanish) Get it? Get it? Well, SOME people thought it was funny! I'm not typically good at telling jokes, so I'll continue to bask in that witty moment for a while. I think I can live off that one for at least another year. =)

The following are pictures of the other highlights of my trips in 2007 and 2008.

2007:
The 2007 Peru Team!

We spent a few days at the orphanage in Lima playing with the kids there and delivering supplies. We had a language barrier, of course, but kids are kids in any country =)

Giving out Bibles









On the beach (see the previous post!)

At the Incan ruins on our "day off"

The church in the shanty town

Vacation Bible School at the church in Pachacutec, a shanty town outside of Lima.

The group outside our Hotel Yeyas.








2008:
With girls in Pisco, the town devastated by an earthquake last year

Adorable boys in Pisco

Liz and a llama!









The same church in Pachacutec a year later. They have built walls! It was great to see the growth over the past year.

My group for the language class we held each night at Agraria University

With some of the girls from the class









The 2008 Peru team at a different set of ruins in Lima.

#16: Watch a sunset on a west-coast beach: Peru coast. Completed April 2007

In the spring of 2007, I went on a short-term mission trip to Peru. Along with three other adults, I helped lead a group of high school juniors and seniors during their spring break. I fell in love with the people of Peru, the culture, and the food. Of course, I love traveling anywhere new, but there was something special about the people in Lima. Another unexpected plus was the realization that I had just completed travel on my 4th continent!



The trip was a week of serving in orphanages, a prison, a shanty town, and the streets of Lima. Most nights, we held conversation seminars with college students who were learning English. One day, we took a trip to the beach to meet with a Peruvian youth group at their beach retreat. We were advised not to get in the water because it was contaminated by a chicken farm down the road, but it was still a pretty beach.

This is a picture of me "holding" the setting sun.





I put "watch a sunset on a west-coast beach" on my list because I have been to the west coast of America only once (a trip to San Francisco) and I didn't think about watching a sunset there. My multiple trips to east coast beaches have afforded me the opportunity to see sunrises over the ocean, so I figured that sunsets would be just as beautiful. As you can see from my pictures, I was right! =)



That night, we had a bonfire on the beach and sang worship songs - some in Spanish, some in English. I loved worshiping with people from another country who love God just like I do - even if I can't understand a word they say (beyond "Hola!" and "Gracias!") =)

This is a picture of my feet by the fire. I love fires. Don't worry, I'm not a pyromaniac, but I certainly enjoy watching flames flicker in the darkness. There is something peacefully hypnotizing about watching a fire. I hear it's cheap therapy. =)

#19: Go to Boston in the Fall: Completed 10/31-11/2/08

There is something thrilling about traveling. I get a serious high from packing my bags and getting on a plane to visit a new location. Each new journey brings a new experience, but there are some certainties involved in travel, too. For instance, it doesn't matter which line I get in to go through security, I am destined to get stuck behind the people who has never traveled on a plane before IN THEIR LIVES. This species of traveler is fascinating to me. It doesn't matter how many signs point out the "3 oz liquids" rule or the "take off your shoes" advice or the "if you're wearing jewelry and a belt buckle and you're carrying $6 in change in your pockets you're GONNA SET OFF THE METAL DETECTOR" advisory, these people will ignore them all. Then I have to wait behind them as they repeatedly walk up to the detector and return to drop something else in a bin when it beeps at them. Meanwhile, I had my shoes, jacket, and purse in a bin within 2.4 seconds and am trying my best to put on my patient face (you know - the one I use with students who STILL don't get it after I've explained it in a variety of ways, even resorting to interpretive dance). And you can't tell these people by looking at them. Some folks appear well-seasoned, but that facade quickly disappears when the gruff security agent barks at them for the second time. By the third harsh command, they dissolve into a melted pile of matching luggage and excessive metal. This experience happened to me again on the way to Boston. Nevertheless, I ended up making it through security (eventually) and continued on my exciting journey!

I was SO EXCITED that I got to go to Boston this weekend. There was debate about whether my trip was inspired by the Veggie Tales song or from the advice from folks who say New England is the most beautiful during the fall. Let's say it was a combination of the two. =)

I traveled to Boston to meet my friend Patty. We were college friends who met our freshman year in a Bible study in our dorm and we've stayed in touch ever since. The purpose of the trip was twofold: catch up with an old friend and watch the Tigers play!

We stayed in a great hotel in Brookline (a lovely section of Boston) and traveled into the city to see the sights. For time's sake, I'll just give the highlights:

Friday night 10/31/08:
When I arrived in Boston, I figured out the T to get to the hotel and then I walked around Brookline to get familiar with the area. I bought three books at a used bookstore. I'm such a nerd. =)

Patty arrived and we went into town. We walked around the Fanueil Hall/ Quincy Market area and finally found a place to eat.

Lobster Special! 1 1/4 lb lobster for $12.99!! It was DE-LISH. Then the waiter, dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow, gave us light-up devil horns since it was Halloween. It is not often that I am served lobster by a pirate while wearing devil horns. ;+)

After dinner, we walked to the North End and ate dessert at Mike's Pastry. Of COURSE I got the Boston Cream Pie!

After more walking around, we met up with my college pal Eric and his fiancee, Angileigh, who were also in town for the game. I always enjoy spending time with Clemson fans. =)




Saturday 11/1/08:
Patty and I decided to wake up early so we could get started on the Freedom Trail. The following list is the sites in the order we saw them as we walked along the trail. The sites in bold font are the posted pictures from the Freedom Trail:








- Boston Common
- Robert Gould Shaw / 54th Massachusetts Memorial (not officially part of the trail, but I was so excited to see it - I love the movie Glory!)
- State House





- Granary Burying Ground & Park Street Church
- King's Chapel & Burying Ground









- First Public School site
- Old South Meeting House
- Old Corner Bookstore
- Boston Massacre Site








- Old State House
- Faneuil Hall
- Paul Revere House
- Old North Church
- Copp's Hill Burying Ground

The tour of the first part of Freedom Trail included a LOT of walking and some delightful consumption of Boston Chowda at Quincy Market =)




Clemson Tigers V. Boston College Eagles. My grandfather got me tickets to the game, so we had awesome seats in the 4th row in the endzone. It was an ugly game and it seemed that the Tigers weren't going to pull it off, but they did! It was exciting to win (27-21) and the team went crazy afterward. They ran over to the stands where we stood cheering and started tossing up their armbands, headbands - I think I even saw a sock flying. ;+)




Sunday 11/2/08:
Breakfast with my cousin Brianna and her boyfriend Bob at a tiny Creperie in Brookline. YUM. I think I need to live where there is a Creperie - or start my own!






I finished the Freedom Trail! Patty and I walked across the bridge to the Bunker Hill Monument and climbed the 294 stairs. I felt each one of them! I was grateful that they were marked at every 50 so I could keep up with how far I had gone. The views from the top were worth the 294 stairs. Did I mention there were 294 of them??





Then we walked on to the USS Constitution. Sadly, we were on a time constraint by this point and I didn't have time to wait for the next available tour, so I only got to walk up the plank to peek at the top of the deck - and I had to sweet-talk the Navy guard into that much! I still haven't set foot on Old Ironsides - but I have now seen the inspiration for the poem!







The return trip was via ferry - a nice way to travel! And then I was off to the airport for my flight home.


So that was it! I will need to go back because I didn't get to see half of what I wanted. On my list for the return trip is Cambridge, Harvard, the first public library, Concord, Walden Pond, and so much more!

Maybe I'll add those items to my "40 before 40" list!

#18: Do something that makes me feel like an adult: Buying my first home! Completed 11/29/07

My blog posts from the fall of 2007 (particularly 11/29) describe the event that ushered me into adulthood. In addition to the tidbits of grown-up life I experienced through the process, I gained at least one other really useful piece of knowledge from the home-buying experience:

IKEA bookcases were designed by the devil to make people swear more. Determined to do some "handiwork" on my own, I decided to assemble two large sets of shelves I had recently purchased at the design-on-a-dime mecca known as IKEA. I've always fancied myself something of an analytical genius. You know - someone who could test into the CIA and become a spy simply based on my ability to put together a jigsaw puzzle. Unfortunately, my prowess at solving puzzles did not translate well to the shelf-building process. I am very good at reading and following directions, but when the devil has interceded in the design process there is not much hope for even the most literate and analytical person. After a smashed thumb and a few audible expletives, I finally managed to get the shelves assembled. The result is worth the pain and frustration I endured, but I hope one day I will be able to purchase a piece of furniture without the evil words on the box: Assembly Required.

#5: Visit a New State: Oklahoma! Completed June 2007

In June of 2007, I traveled with the FPC Jr Hi Youth Group on their Road Rules trip. Each year since 2004, I have gone on Road Rules as an adviser and helped lead a team. In 2007, I lead the ORANGE team as we journeyed to Oklahoma! Ohhhhhh-klahoma! I had never been to Oklahoma, so I was able to cross that off my list.

This is the whole group with all the team colors represented (but orange is still the best). This is actually a picture of the group in Nashville on the way home, but it was the only group picture I had. =)


The purpose of Road Rules is to take middle school students from our church to locations around the USA to teach them about service and how to show people God's love by meeting their practical needs. We started in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. We volunteered at the Creek Nation Festival, worked in nursing homes, cleaned up homeless shelters, and actually got to see a local rodeo!


This is a picture of the Creek Nation Festival Parade.



Ashley (one of the youth directors) and I enjoyed the rodeo because it was a brief moment during which we didn't have to keep the kids occupied. We were around them 24 hours a day for 6 straight days... I think you can see the lack of sleep on our faces. =)

On the way home from Oklahoma, we stopped in St. Louis, MO and Nashville, TN where we did similar forms of volunteering: painting shelters, sorting clothes at the Salvation Army, and more. I think Road Rules is an excellent way to show middle school kids from this area that not everyone lives like they do, and it is our responsibility as Christians to help others.



The entire trip is made into a "competition" between teams and there are ways to earn points in challenges throughout the week. If you know me, you know I'm competitive when it comes to games (but not sports - that requires too much coordination!), so I was delighted (read: fiercely proud) when my Orange Team won the competition at the end of the week! I attribute at least part of it to the amazing songs I made up for my team. I will leave you with one of those:
Orange Team!
Dreaming 'bout orange team!
They are not red, not yellow -
but in between. =)

30 things to do before I turn 30

It has been almost a year since my last post. I could attribute the lapse to a lack of time to squander online, but we all know that I make time for other activities so that excuse won't hold. I could say that I've had nothing interesting to write about, but that also isn't true. If I'm honest with myself, the real reason I have neglected my blog is that my Oxford blog got such great response from friends and family that I was overwhelmed by the pressure. I felt the need to write my follow-up blogs so impressively that I was stymied. Essentially, it's all about my pride.

Nevertheless, here I am again and I am determined to continue writing. Really, I've missed typing words, highlighting them, deleting, and starting over. As a genuine literary nerd, I truly enjoy the writing process. All the drafting, editing, and revising makes my world go 'round. So here I am... at a new phase in my blog.

My return to the blogging world was sparked by a conversation I had recently about my list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. I created the list in the summer of 2006 as a way to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and I have now accomplished fourteen of the goals. Unfortunately, I have only until February of 2010 to finish the other 16. I have decided to blog about my list - the ones I have already accomplished and the ones I still need to master. I'll try to catch up on the ones I've already done, and I'll continue to post as I check another one off my list.

Let's start with the official list. This idea was inspired by my pal Eric who also created his list in 2006 and told me about it. He and I met in the honors dorm our freshman year at Clemson. We were the only English majors in a sea of engineers, so you could say our friendship was destined by the fate that rules the pages of all great literature. When he told me about his idea, I was intrigued and immediately began drafting my own list. I made a few versions that summer but finally decided on the final draft. Here you go:


30 things to do before I turn 30
created summer 2006
~in no particular order~

1. Become proficient in another language
2. Earn another degree or certificate
3. Read through the entire Bible
4. Take a Latin or Swing dance class
5. Visit a new* state
6. Do something outside my comfort zone
7. Win something
8. Knit / crochet something other than a scarf
9. Complete a top-level Sudoku puzzle
10. Perform something for an audience
11. Face a fear
12. Learn to drive a stick-shift
13. Go on a date
14. Publish something
15. Design and plant a garden
16. Watch a sunset on a west-coast beach
17. Visit a new* museum
18. Do something that makes me feel like an adult
19. Go to Boston in the fall
20. Learn to play all of "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano
    
21. Jump off of something high
22. Learn to play another instrument
23. Play my french horn again
24. Go somewhere "out west"
25. Visit with an old friend
26. Watch a storm from a porch
27. Ride a bicycle somewhere interesting
28. Visit a new* country
29. Hike a new* trail
30. Cook a gourmet meal

* new = new to me

So there it is... quite a list! 14 down, 5 in progress, 11 remaining. The ones in bold font are the ones I've already done. Those in italics are works in progress. The rest are looming over my head (and staring at me each day from the list on my refrigerator door).

I welcome your comments about my list or your suggestions on how to accomplish my remaining goals. The only words I don't want to read are those reminding me how soon I'll be 30! I don't have a lot of time to get all these done. Help! =)