This is an aimless blog that gives voices to small joys, quirky happenstances, everyday occurrences, and occasional pesterings as the author navigates her life paths as an educator, transplanted Wyomingite, traveler, and curiosity seeker.
That's right. Snow renewal, not removal! I am reveling in the recent changes of weather around here. As school's close, people forget how to drive, and locals complain about defrosting their cars, I feel rejuvenated by the backdrop of white and new way of looking at my neighborhood (it looks so clean!).
Ironically, I began to cover a unit on weather with my students on the first day of snowfall this week, and my students and I discovered a Marcel Proust quotation embedded in our unit:
"A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves."
Many of my students from Saudi Arabia and the UAE were seeing snow for the first time in their lives and the novelty of the experience was not lost on them at all. I have seen snow my whole life, and I still have chewed on this phrase over the last two days. It is a brilliant way to think about our relationship to weather. (You may remember the gloomier days of dark postings from the Nordic.) What a little bit of sunshine or snow or rain or wind does to change our surroundings from murky to bright, from sublime to treacherous, or from peaceful to agitated. After all, weather shapes our ways of life and our cultures; why would it have any less profound effect on us?
As a person who checks the weather forecast (can I bike to work today or not?) before she even hits snooze in the morning, I can say that the weather shapes my daily life in a very concrete way. These last few snowy days, although not exactly ideal biking weather, have been ideal for crisp, cool re-examination of my surroundings.
Yes, thankfully, winter even comes to Washington for a moment or two now and then.
There is not a better word to describe these last months than this simple and entertaining toy. It is as if I have been a yo yo controlled by the flick of a wrist. Up and down around and out up and in and loop-de-floop walk the dog and around the world... God has taken me on a wild and fabulous ride and it is a story worth telling.
I guess that speaks a bit to the reason why I like to keep this blog. My time in Europe has once again passed, and I'm a bit more settled, so this is not really a travel log. I am not sure it ever really was, actually. I can't say that I am enamored with the idea of publishing the details of my life to the world, so the purpose of this blog is not to gossip. Instead, I have stories that I am bursting to share. I am convinced that we all have stories to tell. I suppose that "there's something way down deep that's eternal about every human being" (Our Town, Thornton Wilder). All of us have stories, and I just want to throw a few of my happenings into the fray. It makes my world seem smaller when I know that I am reaching out to share those stories with those who are precious to me in the many places they call home.
So, let me share a few of my yo yo tricks and adventures from the past couple of months:
Yo Yo Trick: Walk the Dog And walk the dog I did. Home for the first Christmas in over four years, I had a fabulous visit back to Wyoming to see family and the family dog, Skip. Although the wind chill kept us indoors, we were warm and full (of cookies, lefse, turkey, stuffing... mmmm!) and in great company. Pinochle, Settlers, 31, cribbage, and time with the whole family made it just the best White Christmas to be home for.
Yo Yo Trick: Time Warp I greeted 2009 back in Washington and rung in the new year resolved that it was going to be spectacular. So far, I have not been disappointed. From the very beginning when I showed up at a New Year's Eve party to find that the friend who invited me was stuck in transit from Michigan and Uli and I were the strangers at a party full of friendly faces, the new year was an adventure.
Yo Yo Trick: Around the World Visiting from Nordic Estonia, Uli gave me the best present so far in 2009. We've decided to make our global friendship and romance a bit sweeter and have announced our engagement. We are really excited to celebrate this summer with family and friends in Wyoming!
Yo Yo Trick: Reach for the Moon Just after the new year, I snagged some tickets for the revival of West Side Story being done for one month at the National Theater before moving to Broadway. The performance was great in many ways: fabulous dancing scenes, good music, and, a new take on the show, bilingual songs in both English and Spanish. The Argentinian woman playing Maria was spectacular!
Yo Yo Trick: Spirit Bomb Things in my story were going smoothly until I encountered this yo yo trick. Commuting into work by bike (yes, by bike in January) on a crisp sunny day, I was ready to tackle a new semester. After a day of meeting our new students and helping with orientation, I headed out to find a broken U lock in place of my set of snazzy wheels. Indeed, what a bomb. My cool new blue bike from last summer did not last long (even with my excellent dual locking system) under the trusty hand of professional bike thieves. Alas!
Yo Yo Trick: Boingy Boingy Every down has to bounce up though, right? I solved my security issues by purchasing a Dahon folding bike, and I could not be more thrilled with the ride (see demonstration, below). I can now take my bike indoors to store in my office or apartment without worry of bike snatchers!
Yo Yo Trick: Hop the Fence Last weekend, I did just that and hopped down to Colonial Williamsburg for the weekend to meet up with some friends from Farmville. We toured the city, hit a museum, saw a concert celebrating the glass armonica (an instrument invented by Franklin to emulate the sound of playing water glasses!) and caught up over several games, bottles of wine, and cheeses. The friends we met up with are friends from our time in Estonia, and it always surprises me how much of the world really is just beyond our back door. Friendships that can be picked back up easily in new places and times are really precious.
Yo Yo Trick Ferris Wheel Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this year felt almost as exciting as an amusement park ride. Under the direction of the very soulful and inspiring Reverend Nolan, I joined with 170 other voices to be part of the "Let Freedom Ring" choir organized every spring by Georgetown University and the Kennedy Center. This year's program included Nuttin' but Stringz and other artists. The highlight was our choir's soloist -- Ms. Aretha Franklin! The entire performance was stunning from the rocking string players (wow!) to the saxophonist to the energy of the choir for our solo number "Turn You Round" to Aretha's gorgeous voice. The rememberence of Dr. King along with the excitement for the day to follow and the history about to be made was a good warm up for Inauguration Day. (You can watch our performance on The Kennedy Center Millenium Stage).
Yo Yo Trick: Regeneration Just before Christmas I found out that I had been selected through a lottery system to carry the Slovak Flag along with the National Returned Peace Corps Association in the Inauguration Parade!!! I spent January 20 in the middle of it all and in the fascinating company of global and polyglot citizens. We represented the 138 countries and over 200,000 volunteers who have served with the organization since its founding in 1960. Our day was a long one as we met at 7am to clear security and make our way to the Mall and did not finish until almost 8pm that night. The weather was downright chilly but the whole event made me want to alternatively glow and cry. The two biggest highlights were 1) coming into the Mall area by bus around 11am and seeing the crowds extend beyond the Washington Monument and 2) passing by the reviewing stand and seeing the Obamas and Bidens up close. I felt star-struck and enthusiastic about the entire day (and I have a commemorative scarf to treasure!). Indeed, I do hope that we can, Mr. President.
Here's a YouTube video of the folks I spent the day with saying hello in the language of their country of service put together by Peace Corps Connect. I'm in the first ten or so..
Yo Yo Trick: Stop and Go Today, I am yo-yoing back to reality a bit. My better half left me to return to his duties in Estonia, and in these quiet moments I am mulling over this new year and what stories it contains for all of us in the months ahead.
Happy New Year to all of you near and far!
***Disclaimer: the author of this blog has not played with a yo yo for ages, nor can she accomplish the feats of aforementioned tricks. :)
This year it came on a road trip with a car filled with Christmas tunes and two good friends as we headed down to Colonial Williamsburg for a day of exploration. We've committed to exploring the area in and around the DC area one site and one month at a time, and this was our second trip to a recreated colonial town about two and a half hours southeast from Washington.
The entire recreation is a fabulous reminder of all of those names and places from U.S. history class in high school and their importance and relevance to today. You enter history in Williamsburg and you get to explore it with guides dressed in costume telling you about life in the colonies. Sure, it's a touristy gimmick, but it is also fabulous. I, for one, bought a year-long pass, so if anyone would like to go again, I am definitely game.
In addition to the usual tour, we took a special Christmas decoration tour (note the numerous pictures of wreaths in the slideshow), saw Santa Claus, and caught a fifteen-minute production of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. It was a fantastic day with great company. To top it all off, we hit a skiff of snow coming back into the city! Indeed, Christmas time is here.
I saw a really remarkable film the other night that was here as part of an EU film festival. Admittedly I went not because I knew anything about the film but because it was from Slovakia and about a castle a stone's throw from Stara Tura where I lived for over two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I wanted to reconnect with some Slovak friends here in the area and reminisce a bit -- my expectations were not high. However, I was surprised with a really remarkable film and a discussion afterward with the director, Juraj Jakubisko, and his wife.
Bathory -- see the homepage for the trailer and more information -- was a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. Edgy, insightful, provocative. The film managed to call to question this woman's character and the life she might have lived, a very different story than those I heard when I visited Cachtice Hrad back in the day.
To beat it all, I managed to snag a film poster autographed by Jakubisko as I left the cinema. My final recommendation: go see it if you are able (and the language of the film is English, disappointing for me who had hoped to fill my ears with a couple of hours of Slovak, but perhaps an enticement for those skeptical of long foreign films in strange languages).
This morning was an invigorating start to my weekend. I got up bright and early (with the birds, as my father would say) to join 25,000 other participants from the VA, DC, and MD area for a fund-raising walk on the Mall for the homeless. Sponsored by Fanny Mae (irony here?), the Help the Homeless Walkathon raises money for DC's estimated 12,000 homeless. I grumbled to get out of bed this morning, dressed in multiple warm layers of clothing, and hoofed it to catch the Metro, all before a civil hour on a Saturday. The temperature was just about freezing at 28F (-2C). A chilly but cloudless and sunny morning -- we could see our breath as we waited on the National Mall to register and gather. Toes and fingers slowly became sore and numb from the cool air. It felt good to get moving, even if we only walked 5K (app. 3 miles).
Tons of people were in good spirits -- we had groups singing, cheerleaders, a percussion ensemble, jugglers, and a marching band to cheer us on. All said and done with at the end of the event around 10:30 a.m., I grabbed the complementary water, rubbed together my frozen digits, and headed back to the Metro to my cozy home for a hot cup of coffee and a rest. I can't help but wonder... how does it feel when you don't have a heat, hot water, a bed, or a home? I cannot even begin to imagine. I thank God for all the big and small blessings in my life -- and I must keep reminding myself that they are only mine to share with others.
I am soooo jazzed! Tonight, I went to rehearsal for the Let Freedom Ring Choir, a project choir that is organized for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration here in DC in January. When I signed up for this event -- open to all Georgetown students, staff, faculty, and community members -- I wasn't sure how serious the choir would be or how balanced its representation would be. I was welcomed and pleasantly surprised at our first meeting. The singing was FUN and very accessible. There were a good number of students but also staff and faculty. The choir is very multi-age, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-talented. King would have been proud of the composition of such a musical group celebrating his life, I think.
We are singing a number of tunes, but the one we rehearsed was written by the choir director, Rev. Nolan Williams, Jr. His attitude was creative and inspiring. I think we all felt like a community that wanted to sing for him and for each other. His leadership style was fantastic (I will have to do some observation in future rehearsals, but I was wholly fascinated by his friendly yet down-to-business way of approaching our rehearsal). He is an inspiring community leader in his own right, I have no doubt.
We will be practicing the entire week before the holiday, but the culminating event takes place in the Kennedy Center with a top-secret guest artist and Nuttin' But Strings. I imagine that one very inspirational presidential elect might also be present at the event as inauguration day follows MLK day this year. And, donned in my choir robe, I'll get a first-hand experience of the whole thing. Stands my hair on end with excitement!
Stand by for my debut at the Kennedy Center on January 19. I think we do get some complementary tickets and there is some floor space in my studio, so let me know if you'll be around and would like to join in the festivities over that weekend.
I drove about 3 hours down to Virginia Beach last weekend to visit a friend from my time in Romania who has relocated to the U.S. to teach in our K-12 system for 3 years. An incredibly brave and commendable adventure, no doubt. But my friend Ela is one of the most up-beat and good-hearted people I know. Funny thing is, I never imagined meeting her here in the U.S., and I never imagined living on the same coast. Life is so incredible sometimes -- it puts people in our paths that we would never expect. Isn't that cool? Anyway, Ela and her lovely husband met me in Virginia Beach to catch up on the last years and see some sites. We took in colonial Jamestowne and Williamsburg and refreshed our memory of American history. In the meantime, we remembered our friendship and had a great time admiring fall scenery, exploring replicas of the ships that sailed here from the Old World, sword fighting with colonists, talking with indigenous people, and eating copious amounts of cheesy "colonized" pizza.
This is a shameless catch-up post, my current ramblings, and just a general torrent of the nuttiness that churns around in my head night and day. Here it is!
The best part of October? Oktoberfest, of course! A successful scavenger hunt that some friends and I did in August won us free tickets to the German Embassy black tie affair here in DC a couple of weeks ago. Yes, you read it right: "black tie." A hilarious juxtaposition of formality and tradition, we had ladies and gents dressed to impress side by side with a slide show of beer guzzling Germans in Munich, picnic tables and benches, polka music, and traditionally dressed dancers.
We could taste beers from diffeent parts of Germany and eat some delectable wurst, fleischsalat, and sauerkraut. Mmm. Upon entry, we were handed our beer steins (large mugs) and proceed tasting beer and enjoying the evening. We even got in some group dancing with instructions! Fun, memorable, and probably more than a bit different from the happenings in Munich each fall. Prost!
The second most memorable thing about October besides debt crises, stock market crashes, intensive election campaigning, and Oktoberfest? Halloween, of course! I forgot how much fun this holiday is. Although it seems like every country I've lived in has tried half-heartedly to import the holiday, I think Halloween is best celebrated where it belongs. I think that my feelings about Halloween when I was abroad could best be described as careful enthusiasm. Among colleagues and friends upset that the commercial American holidays were taking root and replacing local festivities, I downplayed how much I love Halloween. Here, I was shocked at the amount of attention the holiday receives (because it is the first of the many commercial winter holidays?). Walking into Target, I couldn't believe all of the candy, accessories, cards, decor, and gear. Wowsers -- since when was Halloween a time when you had to buy lots of stuff? I resisted needless purchased and did what all good haunts do for the holidays, I rummaged through my closet for "junk." Problem is that I don't have much junk (yet) as a newly relocated Washingtonian. I cobbled something together as a fortune teller and headed out with Tarot cards in hand to join in the celebration with a fun group of friends. Boo!
November has just begun, but that does not mean that I don't have commentary. The leaves are in full color -- gorgeous hues of red, orange, and yellow! I cannot remember such a beautiful fall with so many different shades. The landscape is so different here with so many more deciduous trees than in my home state of Wyoming. I'm enjoying observations of squirrels skittering around and the gentle fall temperature (and light) changes. We've had some spectacular days. Yesterday, I joined forces with a couple of other local adventurers to get out of the city and enjoy the day. We headed out about 90 miles to Luray Caverns. Although the caves were crowded with other opportunistic fall travelers, they were still full of spectacular stalagmites and curtains and other formations. Of note was a reflection pond in which you could see the ceiling perfectly mirrored (I've tried to capture it in my pictures, below) and an organ that strikes hollow stalagmites of different sizes to create a tone. Fantastic! Afterwards, we enjoyed a sunny Saturday drive through Shenandoah National Park, a fresh apple stand, and a wine tasting en route. Fabulous drive, great weather, and outstanding company -- what a great way to enter November!
What other Novemberings? These days, I'm thinking about some of the following topics (but will wait to elaborate for another day):
those candycorn-like pumpkin candies and how some people think they are really disgusting but I really enjoy them and will be sad to finish them up.
holiday season -- my favorite time of the year... Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. What surprises are in store?
voting and how much I am ready to see a result from such an exciting (and long) campaign cycle. By the way, I voted absentee last week and almost cried (cheesy, I know). Although I had to wait in line for over an hour, people kept pouring in. Young people, old people, pretty people, professional people, a woman in her bathrobe (?)... this is an exciting year for change and I have my fingers sorely crossed for a successful future path for our nation's politics. Another cool feature of voting here in Arlington was that we had nifty touch-screen voting machines that made it easy and super quick. Now, if only they had had a few more to make those lines shorter.
shopping. I don't move overseas with sweaters. They are too bulky and heavy. This means that when the weather changes (and it is), I need some new things to keep me warm. I wish I could say that I enjoyed driving in traffic to search for overpriced parking in a teeny place and then fight congested malls in search of the perfect fall/winter wear was my idea of a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's not. It's just not. And I've still got goosebumps just thinking about the necessary trip.
biking is such a great way to blow off some steam about things like shopping (or at least it is a great way to avoid shopping). I had such a therapeutic ride today down the Potomac towards Mt. Vernon. I really should push my helmet-clad self out the door a bit more often and a bit more readily. The morning biking commute is still great, by the way.
exotic vegetables and fruits that I bought at a newly-discovered international foods market last week are making trips to my refrigerator more fun. Persimmons, papaya, mango, pomegranate, eggplant, Thai okra, sweet potatoes, fresh noodles. Yum. That said, I should go fix up a bit for dinner.
Guten apetit! (Did I mention ... ich lerne Deutch jetz!)
Say what you will about whether or not Columbus really discovered anything at all. I'm just thankful that I got a three-day weekend out of his sailing in 1492. It was a lovely excuse to cruise out of town by bicycle on a gorgeous weekend.
