Christmas in Latacunga

I ran away this Christmas.

...but instead of running away from home, I believe I ran to it this time...(or at least the closest thing to it.)

Turns out we have a little time off for Christmas, and that combined with our days off equals a good opportunity to go back to Latacunga to see my kiddos.  Myself and a friend braved public transit from Quito on Christmas Day this year and I found myself thinking a lot on the bus.  Thoughts like, "Is this good for the kids? Am I wasting money? Should I have stayed with the bigger group this holiday?"

But upon opening the door and walking in I was nearly tackled with hugs before I could finish saying "Feliz Navidad". Then I knew that we made the right choice.  So glad to be in the middle of nowhere loving on the kids that touched my heart so much these past couple weeks.  We played with the kiddos for a bit then called a taxi to take us to the nearest Christmas dinner, which turned out to be a chicken leg and rice. Then we opened gifts, chatted for hours, and slept.

This morning after feeding them I read them some books in Spanish (slowly with a bit of an accent...sometimes its just too morning for that sort of thing...haha) and I returned to the apartment to eat breakfast and work on my FAFSA for gradschool.  This is the time in which I discovered that goofy Caroline left half of her charger in Quito.  I am currently typing on a borrowed Ipad that I only kinda know how to use since I did the speech therapy language program on it for our non-vocal kiddos...but maybe I can use it tonight if I can sort that out.

Perhaps being in the countryside without technology this weekend is a blessing in disguise... But I sure would love to get some to-dos done too!  We will play it by ear.

We return to Quito on Sunday and continue our ministry there until heading to Africa on the 6th by way of Washington DC and my brother's homemade cookies. Yay!

Amazonian Advenures

So we took a little trip to the Amazon for our days off!

Eating something Random our Guide pulled off a tree.

We started out in Banos and did a day trip excursion into the Rainforest.  We first visited an animal refuge for injured animals to be rehabbed and returned to the forest.  Then after visiting a community of Kichwan people we ate a traditional Ecuadorian lunch and headed off on a hike through the Amazon Rainforest.

We ate, rubbed, chewed, and snorted many medicinal plants (I didn't snort though...not about that...haha but some people have better sinuses now).  And our goal was to make it to a waterfall!  However many dangers stood in the way.  At one point I wandered a couple feet away from our guide and ended up knee deep in quicksand.  Two teammates had to pull me out from behind.

Our paint after visiting the Kichwa. (we blew dart guns!!!!)

Then as we neared the waterfall the already thin path narrowed more on a ledge.  I was trying my best to keep up with the guide and I stepped a little to close to the edge.  Dirt crumbled beneath my feet as the ground gave way beneath me.  My right leg hung useless over the ledge as my left leg anchored to what was left of the path.  My arms held me up having the path at chest level now.  I let out a little scream and our guide doubled back to rescue me.  Once he pulled me back up we both stared at the gaping hole in the path and the subsequent fall.  Breathless I said, that's a long way to fall.  And he responded with, "It's only 3 meters." Um..that's 10 feet father than I would like to fall.

Fish Pedicures!

Once at the waterfall we swam under it, through it and around it until we could swim anymore...and we hiked back out to meet our net adventure.  The last thing we did, in the pouring rain of the Amazon was to hop into wooden canoes and head down a tributary of the Amazon river.  After every set of rapids we hit, our guide would have to scoop water out of the bottom of the boat with an old plastic bottle.

The following day I knew I needed to rest since we had work the next day.  So a friend and I had a girls' day!  We soaked in Banos' famous hot springs and then got a full body massage, facial, and fish pedicure (where the little fishies eat the dead skin off your feet).  We shopped for local made jewelry from the Tagua seed and then had lunch.  We ended our week-long quest for yarn at the best yarn store we have found in all of South America and then headed home on an early bus.  Such a restful day after such an adventure!

A Video to Say Thanks

Since we have decent internet this week, I decided to make a video to thank all the AWESOME people who I have been blessed to know these past couple months.  Thank you all!

“Love, like everything else in life, should be a discovery, an adventure, and like most adventures, you don’t know you’re having one until you’re right in the middle of it.” 
― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

The Day I Was An Illegal Immigrant

Soooo....You know those times when you are sitting at a bus station in Peru close to the border, and you just got off of a 21 hour bus ride.  And your brain doesn't seem to function right?

Well that is the state our minds were in when we agreed to pay the equivalent of $2 a person to these random bus station guys to take us to the next town across the border into Ecuador in mini-vans.  We thought that everything was kosher up until they blew through customs and immigration on some back road to drop us off at another shady bus station in Ecuador.  Upon their departure, and our subsequent confusion, we realized that our bus buddies didn't have passports...so that's why they took the back road.  We however had no intention of staying in-country illegally, and thus began the search for the border...

I didn't really search.  I sat on my pack eating the last Oreos I had from civilization (you know the chocolate ones with chocolate inside.)  Our fearless leaders found us a bus that would take us to customs...a legit one this time.  And we hopped on with all our gear.  Well only half could fit on so the other half...me included, accidentally commandeered a regular city transport to the border.  The bus driver made us apologize and thank the patrons on board for the route change.

Once to the border we legally "exited" Peru on paper, and legally entered Ecuador.  But for an hour and a half, I was an illegal immigrant, with my Oreos and an apple I smuggled in on my journey.

Once that was all sorted we took a supposed-to-be 12 hour bus ride to Quito, the capital.  But, the crazies who were driving got us there in 10 hours.  I recall taking turns so fast that people and luggage fell, and I recall almost going into a ditch on the wrong side of the road.  However, I am safely in Quito.

So far, I accompanied some of our guys to breakfast, to a large lookout over the city, and to two markets, a park, and the cheapest burgers I had in forever (here's to not getting sick off of street food!)  Our debrief starts tomorrow bright and early so I believe I will take it easy for now.

Placement for Ecuador

I just got my placement for next month, and though I don't remember all the details,,, (you know the important ones like city names), I do remember the ones that affect me the most.  So, here it is!

• We start off in Quito for Debrief but leave for the countryside on the 4th of Dec.
• In the country we are in a town that starts with an L but I don't remember it.  About 25 hours south of Quito.
• We are living and working at an Orphanage for special needs kids.
• We will have access to a full kitchen, washer/dryer, and hot showers!  (IMPORTANT DETAILS RIGHT!?!?!)  I really don't know what to do with myself, I am so excited.
• Midway through the month, we head back to Quito and stay at a branch of the same orphanage there to work until just after Christmas.

And there you have it!  More info to come surely. :-)

Google Docs?

I am in no way tech savy...but I think I just made a Google Docs PDF of my current position as a missionary and shared it here.  We will find out if the link works.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8yfRJBvA8GRSTFVVmFFMndOLVU/view?usp=sharing


If not, I screen shotted it below and it's probably too small to read.

Todos Para Cristo

This is just  a short clip from the Todos Para Christo Youth Retreat here at our church in Huanuco.  More info to come soon once I get organized now that I have my little PC repaired...yay!

(Ps.  Don't forget to Check Out My New Fundraiser at carolineritchey.theworldrace.org and possibly win a handcrafted good from Peru/Ecuador)

The Misadventures of Caroline in Peru

First of all, Lima is quite a city, and I think I love it quite a bit.  It is very modern and international.
  So here are a mix of stories that I will share with you from my two days here.

First of all, we went to a Peruvian Chinese restaurant with a couple of our guys expecting to enjoy a new culinary experience.  And we got it!  The man didn't speak English or Spanish.  Only Chinese so I was limited to hello, thank you, and apple.  Which I said none of because I was being shy.  Through guessing off the menu, one of our boys almost ate chicken lung fried rice.  Luckily the man brought us out a little lung before frying it up, just to double check.

After my fried rice, mixed meat, and pineapple, we met Gloria and her husband at a Duleria.  That is a bakeshop. We talked for a good hour, prayed for her, ate really good snacks, and she joked a lot with us about cooking for our missionary boyfriends.  Later the next day it turns out that she was asking other foreigners if  "Carolina" was coming back.

The next morning I had a little chat with the Lord about what it means to grow.  Growth is sacrificing comfort and control to become what you can become.  And I have to stop acting like a victim just because I am uncomfortable.

For lunch I met up with my friend Alice, who said she would eat anywhere with me given that it wasn't seafood.  She wanted an authentic little place off of the main street.  I remembered one that my team and I passed coming back from the coastline yesterday so I walked her about 20 mins away from the main town to a restaurant called "Restuarante Rusticana".  Which turned out to be a seafood place.  OOPPPSSS!  She was a good sport though and we went in for Ceviche and Lobster Fried Rice.  But, the lobster fried rice ended up being a soup with something that looked like tripe floating in it.  We couldn't stop laughing at our position of helplessness in ordering.  And we enjoyed a drink made of dark rice that smelled like potpourri and tasted like a fruit.  (PS the floating tripe like thing was an egg and we named the dish "no se que es eso pero no es queso" even though it tasted like Velveeta cheese and there had to have been lobster in it somewhere.)

After our leadership training today, we had some laundry shop mix ups where I ended up with a bag of someone else's laundry and then I headed off to a Korean Restaurant with a teammate.  I would have never expected anything like this past few days after our long seclusion in the jungle...but here you have it.  :-)  I am so blessed!

Thankful for the Random Things

I have been spending a good deal of my free time reading the book, “One Thousand Gifts”.  It is a book about how thankfulness may be the key to living a fulfilling life.  And in the book, the author writes down all the random things she is thankful for, until she gets to the number 1000.

I myself am on day three of my own thankfulness challenge, and being only at item number37, I can already see a shift in my perspective.  I am very pleased with this, so I will share some little things, serious and goofy, that made my heart smile this week.

•  A thunderstorm came upon us quickly and halted all cobble laying efforts. So a group of us decided to play volleyball with our host instead. (We won…haha, so church league volleyball definitely paid off!)  
•   Quiet time one morning lead me to a revelation in Romans 8.  “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  This gave me assurance that God has already given us the best, so how can I expect Him to give any less now.
•    After hitching a ride with our ministry host to Coroico, we had one task to do as payment.  Dispose of the seven bags of nasty bathroom garbage that shared a truck bed with us the way there.  In my broken Spanish, I thought our host told us to put them up the hill in a truck.  But he really said in the brick dumpster up the hill.  So after we left the garbage in some random man’s truck, our stunned host approached us embarrassed, “Just go to the plaza now…don’t change it, maybe he will come back and be surprised!” OH NO!  We had one job! HA HAHA!
•   Hand Washed sheets on the line, butterflies on my tent, and movie night with popcorn also make me smile. 

Counting the blessings with thanksgiving sure make the heated/swollen bug bitten appendages, wet/sleepless nights, rice and beans for every meal, “where is that smell coming from?” moments, soreness and all MUCH MORE ENDURABLE.  Bring all things to the Lord in Prayer and Petition, WITH THANKSGIVING!  Thank you Lord!

Not so Restful Days of Rest

The View From Our Hostel

I am typing at a Hostel here in La Paz, Bolivia.  We are in a time called 'Debrief' which is a time to rest before our next ministry.  We get about 4 of these this year.  We have meetings and sessions, but also some freetime.  So in my freetime I chose not to rest, but to have an adventure!  Of course...haha.

I set out with two friends to climb a mountian.  The elevation at the peak was approx 17,000 ft and we could feel it with every step.  A British lady in our hiking group gave us some coca leaves for the altitude (its the leaf of the cocaine plant).  We´d chew and rest them in the side of the mouth which helped a lot for the headaches.  I made a little video at the peak which I will eventually put on my mission blog at http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org if it ever decides to load.

After that we were scheduled to go to a valley to see the ecosystem differences due to the elevation, but the bus broke down a block from our hostel, and with the headaches we all had, it was better to take it easy that afternoon.  So we left the group.  Which was a good thing, because God redeemed that afternoon.

I was given the chance to walk the markets here in La Paz with two ladies that I am blessed to have gotten to know a little better.  We had coffee at a little coffee shop and got to see some parades in the street.  Overall, a very good day of rest in which I did no rest at all.  HA HA!

Our Group´s Shady Coca Leaf Dealings

Making a Snow Angel in the Andes...CHECK!

LLAMASSSS!!

Our Broken Bus in the Hail.  The End!

 

Video Blog Haiti

We have a 16 hour layover in the Miami Airport so I decided to make a video.  I am not good at resting...haha.  Pardon the Quality...it isn't my good camera.

Source Matelas

This morning (Tuesday) we went to the village of Source Matelas (pronounced Sus Matla).  We met with the contact at the former location of their children’s camp.  Children’s camp is the equivalent of a VBS that meets once a week; they play games, have story time, and get to meet in safe atmosphere.

Now I say it was the former location of their children’s camp because after a strong windstorm a good deal of the structure was damaged.  They no longer held the camp there for fear of the roof falling on the 150+ kids who meet there every Wednesday.  What we saw was a couple broken support posts, what remained of a shredded palm leaf roof, and some rickety benches.  At this time the contact told us about the situation and asked us what we could do to help.  We offered to come back to repair what we could knowing it would be a temporary solution…but we also would put in the suggestion that a more permanent structure be placed on Mission of Hope’s project list.

Our ministry time in the village of Source Matelas consisted of the typical wandering around talking and praying for the people who want it.  But I didn’t participate this time in building relationships with the adults.  This was because a pair of kids had me wrapped around their fingers.  Everywhere our group went to minister, these two would follow holding my hand.  And no matter what was happening, they would quietly play with me a little distance away from ministry.  I felt like they were my ministry today.

Little Jenai especially would chat with me the whole time in Creole and even try to get me to sing…which sometimes happened.  At one point we came to the village’s what source; a spring that our contact told us would be clean if not for the runoff from the farms in the mountains.  In this spring I saw people bathing, doing laundry, and filling water jugs.  Jenai got in beside a man washing his shoes.  She scooped the water in her hands and drank.  All I could do was pray for her little belly not to get upset.

At this moment, I thought about it.  Being an Environmental Science teacher, I always talked about runoff and how it affected nature.  Because we treat the water so much in America, our pollution hurts us a lot less.  We try to save the environment for the environment’s sake.  BUT HERE: runoff kills people.  The way they treat the earth comes right back at them…and I didn’t know how to interpret this.  I guess I still am processing a little.

After lunch at the compound we went back to the children’s camp location with tools and many laborers.  We were able to patch the roof, build a couple new support beams, and even get a couple benches build/fixed.  We were told that the camp would meet tomorrow for the first time in a while in our newly repaired location.  I am overjoyed.  We were invited back there for the occasion.

3 Cords

“A cord of 3 strands is not easily broken” ~Ecclesiastes 4:12

Mission of Hope (MOH) was here before the earthquake.  They had an ambulance donated to them from Canada just before it occurred.  Oddly enough, at the time the director kept declining an ambulance saying, “we have no need, this is just a clinic”.  But the Canadian kept pushing, and telling him that God was telling him to send it.  The director finally relented and said if you ship it, we will take it.  THANK GOD the Canadian had the resources to send it.  The quake struck on the 12 of January 2010 and the MOH ambulance was one of the only two ambulances to make it to Port-Au-Prince.

A plastic hoop barn was set up here on campus for the surgeries since the little clinic couldn’t handle all of the patients.  And this was a birth place of 3 Cords.  There were so many amputations that had to occur because of the conditions here at the time of the emergency.  And some women went around to the amputees as they recovered to give them hair pieces as gifts.  They loved the hair pieces so much that they wanted to make them as well.  It spread from there, everyone wanted a hair piece!

Today 3 Cords is selling even more, the original hair pieces in addition to pins, purses, and the like.  The proceeds in turn go to MOH’s prosthetic ministry.  I was blessed enough to tour the workshop and meet NoNo who makes the limbs.  (It is truly an art and I hope to be able to work with him in there one day for ministry).  All the amputees that come to NoNo not only have a custom made limb for them and maintenance on the limb every 6 months, but also it is completely free through the sale of 3 Cords products.

Another brilliant thing that Mission of Hope does is to keep labor local.  The schools, the clinic, 3 Cords, the feeding centers, everything is run by locals.  This is a completely sustainable ministry that not only provides jobs in a land ravaged by unemployment, but also teaches Haitian laborers to stand on their own instead of becoming dependent on a foreign mission program.  With that said, some ladies on our squad went shopping for our 3 Cords hair pieces to support this good cause.  My particular piece was made by a lady named Beatrice and I am hoping to go down to the sew shop to meet her one day that I am here.  For more information see www.3cordshaiti.com

Flying and Feelings

To be honest, I have been struggling with numbness for the past few weeks.  I would say it started as I ended my job in NC.  And I have so wanted to be excited for this trip.  I wanted to be sad to say goodbye to family.  But instead just a bunch of numbness.  I thought at first it was just me being busy with work/the accident/leaving NC/seeing family/packing etc.  And these things too up too much time so that I didn’t get the chance to be excited.  But it didn’t go away with the circumstances.

During our last bit of training before Launching out, I was in prayer during worship service and I felt like God was saying that my excitement for this coming adventure would come as I shifted my mindset to one of thankfulness.  In an attempt to do this practically, I started to make a list of 100 things I am thankful for.  I was sure that by the time I hit 100, I would feel again.  But alas, 2 days of compiling and I didn’t feel.

After a night on the floor at the Atlanta airport, I found myself on a plane to Miami for a layover.  When we were above the clouds, they spread like a sea below us.  Then, the sun slowly made its way over this cloud horizon and set it ablaze like a molten landscape.  I thanked God for that…and I FELT!  Not for long, but it was good.  I felt that God had such good things in store for us.  The second time I felt today was as we were landing in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.  As we approached the runway we passed over little shacks with rusted roofs and tent cities.  It hit me…this is not something I have done before.  This isn’t some teach-abroad, or study-abroad, or pleasure trip, or even a short term mission.  This is an opportunity to be invited into the homes and lives of people to make a difference for the Kingdom.  It both terrified me and honored me.

Here in Haiti, we are working with a wonderful ministry that is completely sustainable.  These people provide aid to Haitians and teach to step up and run the ministry.  Subsequently, the people do not become dependent on the ministry but instead are able to live out the best life possible.  We begin ministry tomorrow.

Tonight we attended a worship service that the locals led.  And though I didn’t understand much but I sure felt the spirit.  I lifted a hand and sang out:

Ozana Ozana
Anyo a imole
Ozana Ozana
Jezi mouri I’ leve anko

Hosana Hosana
The lamb that was slain
Hosana Hosana
Jesus died and rose again

I found that worshiping with believers from around the world with a language and cultural barrier is POWERFUL!  And we got to meet the church members and chat in a mix of Creole, Broken French, and English.  A storm rolled in and lightning painted the sky.  I thought about all the to-dos that should be done today…but that would have to wait as I spent the cool evening laying on the roof of our dorm, listening to the thunder mix with the sound of praise music on the guitar.  I think I got a glimpse of the Kingdom tonight.  Amen!

If you want to read about our first day of ministry please visit my personal blog at http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/

Training Again and Goodbyes

I am in Atlanta doing a few more days of Training for my Mission.  We leave on Tuesday for Haiti.  I'm working on a few things that I want to get sorted before we leave in hopes of being a better teammate/person.  I could go into that, but that might be a bit too deep right now since I am still mentally processing a lot.  In short its about thankfulness, joy, excitement, judgment, connection, and quietness.  I guess I will let you know when the breakthroughs happen.

Until then, here are some photos I took while saying goodbye to family around the States.

Daddy took Chewy and Me out on the Boat to Smith Island.

And of course we ate Seafood on the Island.  YUM CRAB!

Kyle took me to the Mountains of Western Maryland.

My Brother Kyle following the tracks in Cumberland.

The Quest for Squeaky Cheese

This is the story of the quest for the mysterious squeaky cheese (aka. squeeky cheese...at least aka to me...)

A long time ago, when I was still a zoo-keeper here in the mountains of NC (which wasn't really a long time ago seeings how my last day was like 2 days ago), I was told of something called, "Ashe County Squeaky Cheese".  I was told over lunch one day that this said cheese would squeak as you chewed it.  What is this nonsense!?!?  Cheese that squeaks!

Ever since that moment, whenever a visitor came and asked, "what should we do?", I would throw out a few suggestions, "Linville Falls, Linville Caverns, Boone, a coffee shop in Spruce Pine, Hiking..." then I would throw out there hopefully, "Or we could find the mysterious Ashe county squeaky cheese."  Most people didn't go for that last option, and I thought I would never solve the mystery.

Towards my last day of work, I found in a littered magazine a coupon for Ashe County Cheeses.  "That's it!", I thought.  "If anyone has a clue to finding the mysterious squeaky cheese, they do!"

My mother came down from Ohio to get me all packed up and moved out of my apt.  I normally would have done it myself but without a car, the 10 hr drive home would have been even longer to walk especially with my futon.  :-P

The best part of mama's visit is that we gave ourselves one free day to enjoy.  And she agreed to spend it with me and my coupon in search of the mysterious Squeaky Cheese!  We headed to Ashe County which is full of lush green rolling hills and cattle only to find ourselves staring three giant metal cows in the face in front of a factory on Main Street.  They had a viewing room where we could watch the cheese being made and a short informational video.  BUT alas, no sign or mention of squeaky cheese. (they did mention a cheddar that was aged for 5 years though. Keep in mind that extra sharp cheddar only has to be aged for 15 months...so this stuff is SHARP!)

We made our way over to the store to use the coupon and found that they had free samples.  After some cheddar and bleu cheese I decided that perhaps I had my leg pulled. (Figuratively)  You see, most people in Avery County didn't know about the cheese and the person who told me about it knew that I was a foreigner/northerner.  It would be too easy to convince me of something as ridiculous as the cheese that squeaks when you eat it.  Perhaps I was duped, hoodwinked, or hornswoggled into believing them.

Mom opened a sample labeled "Cheese Curds" and offered me a toothpick full.  As I placed it in my mouth, mom got really excited.  "IT SQUEAKS!", she exclaimed.  And at that moment I bit down to the loudest squeak session since the middle school gym full of sneakers.  WE FOUND IT!  The mysterious Ashe County Squeaky Cheese wasn't a cheese at all!  It was cheese curds!  Who would have known?  I helped myself to much more of them and allowed the chorus of squeaks to fill my head like an angelic choir.

We later ate at a place called Black Jack Bar and Restaurant because it claimed to have the best burgers in town, which it did.  And we then tried out that 5 yr old cheddar mama bought.  I swear I tasted it before my tongue hit it.  It was like the air around it was already flavored.  And I will leave you with a quote from Mama about that one, "Its so sharp I need to swallow band-aids for my stomach!" BWA HA HA!

Advice Not Afffirmation

I came under the realization after training camp that I feign confidence while seeking affirmation.  I so want to be told that I am doing the right thing (because I am so often unsure if I am or not), that I keep throwing it out there until someone agrees with it.  But is it not much more effective to just be honest and ask for advice if I am uncertain?  This is something I hope to work on while I am on the field.  Also perhaps, I need to work on being more confident in my decisions in the first place.  BUT, such is life.

I am packing everything up over the next couple days, and saying my awkward goodbyes to everyone here in the mountains.  I have arranged to visit family for a few days, and then I am off to Haiti probably the 8th or 9th of Sept.  Depending on the time I have over the next few days, I may not write again until Haiti.  But then again, I may.  {Uncertain much? :-) Exceedingly and Always.}

Anyway, my amazing mother has offered to drive the 9.5 hrs here to pick me up since my car is in pieces.  She is coming on Saturday.  That is 3 days away!  It is weird how fast time flies.  I feel like I just moved here.  And imagine what a month will feel like as it passes in Haiti, and Bolivia, and Thailand.  Next thing you know, I will be back in America in GradSchool.  SLOW DOWN LIFE!

More information on the mission work I will be doing in Haiti can be found on my mission blog at http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-placement-for-haiti

Almost Normal - The World Goes On As You Sleep

If you didn't know it already, I was in a car wreck.  I did it all by me one-sy and the details can be found here.  I have found that over a week, your outlook changes a lot.  First, my world was rocked!  Nothing would be the same ever again.  Then, I was forced to rest my sore little body and I discovered that the world goes on around you as you sleep.  I have never been good at rest, so I then decided it was time to be almost normal again.  I have to say almost normal because I still tire so easily.  Buying peanut butter at the store one morning wore me plum out and I had to take a nap.  (ridiculous huh?  I need a power bar or something right?)

Anyway, I am slowly coming back into this world, the world that continues to rush by me as I rest.  I go back to work on Monday (light duty) and I realize that I have only two weeks left before I resign and begin to pack my bags for Mission work.  Life is full of surprises, but perhaps it is about time that I learn to rest.  Perhaps this accident is a good thing.  And perhaps it will help me end well here in the mountains of NC.

A Hammock Like Me

On my first adventure abroad, I visited Honduras for a short term mission trip.  I worked at a feeding clinic in a small village and spent my free day shopping in Valle de Los Angeles (Valley of the Angels).  One of the acquisitions of the day was a hand woven hammock.

I have kept that thing indoors for about four and a half years.  I hung it for two years in my dorm at school, and the rest of the time it was just waiting for the day when I had a home instead of an apartment.  This year I was able to hang it outside "permanently" for the first time.  And it was good!

Happy Hammock

One day when I returned from work, I found my happy little hammock in pieces.  It looked as if a pack of wild dogs or a piece of industrial farm equipment had attacked it.  Not sure which one is more likely in this part of the wood.  Anyway, I knew that hanging a handcrafted hammock in the elements was a risk, but I thought that it was worth it to have a hammock that does its job instead of a hidden art piece.

I took it down, placed it in a bag, and said that I would get to fixing it when 1). I had more time and 2). when I wasn't so emotionally frustrated by the potential loss of my very first souvenir.  That day came about three weeks later.

Hammock Scars (AKA...Caroline Tied Knots!)

Yesterday after work, I sat in the sun for 3 hours to repair it.  In that time, I did a lot of thinking and I was visited by the sweetest sounding little hummingbirds who enjoyed my feeder.  I am thankful for the time that I spent fixing it even though it wore me out.

And here is the revelation I got:

That little hammock is like me!  It was beautifully made with love, and it spent a good while protected from the hard things in life.  But while it was "safe", it was not doing its job.  When it was placed in a position to serve, it served well.  One day it got hurt, but someone spent a lot of time to lovingly piece it back together.  And though it has scars, it has stories to tell.  It will continue to do its job, and it will continue to be a happy little hammock.

SAME GOES FOR ME!  I thank all those who lovingly spent time with me after moments of trial and hurt.  It is because of you that I can serve well!  And my scars will be a testimony to the world that we can't stay in a place of safety and still expect to live out our lives to the fullest.  In all honesty, its in the moments when I find myself broken that I can truly see the love that goes into me.  *smiles*

Blessed to See the Hummingbirds Come to Drink

A Video from Training Camp

This is just a short video from World Race Training Camp for those who like the video blogs.  (hrumph hmm...ELIZA!)  *cough cough*

To read more about training camp: http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/

Biltmore on a Budget

Because we are part of the Southern Highland Attractions, employees of the mountain can get into other attractions for free or discount, and of course we return the favor to other SHA members.  This afforded me the opportunity to go to Biltmore House and Gardens with my mother who came to visit me for a week.  I never thought I would go because of the price, but believe it or not, I was able thanks to my current circumstances.

Mommy and I eating our lunch on the lawn.

Once we arrived we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the lawn (a good budget saver since the food there is expensive), and it makes you feel like you own the place for a moment.  :-)  That evening we used a gift card to go to dinner nearby.  Other than food, our complementary tickets were all inclusive.  So for the whole day we didn't spend over $20 for the two of us.  YAY!  Here are a couple photos for you all:

The view from the Italian Gardens

Note the little bee that Photo-bombed this one!

The Next Season!

The next season is going to be so good!  I can't wait to change the world and to grow as a person in the process!  I am so thankful for then and for the now.  I am in a good place.

The Keeper's Dilema

I have these "bi-polar" moments in my current job.  An incredible low, followed by a polar opposite high.

On Friday I was ready to blog a list of things that I don't think the world knows about zoo keepers.  The lows really (here's just a smattering):

• Always having wet (and subsequently stinky) feet-Whether you are cleaning a pond, or spraying out a den your shoes are soaked!  You come in the next morning and just put on wet work boots.  Your skin starts to peel a little and you find yourself going barefoot at all times on your days off just to dry them.
• Dealing with the Public-The job is hard enough without having the public give you their two-cents-worth and preconceived ideas about conservation and downright misinformation about the status of particular animals.  "No sir, I am afraid if you saw a black panther in your backyard, then one of you is on the wrong continent." 
• Being tired-ALL THE TIME!-This is a physically draining job with very little to no downtime.  You spend the morning hauling buckets of food, then buckets of poop, spraying out ponds, dens, and your shoes, and weed-eating or hauling brush.  I wore a skirt to the community garden yesterday, and in addition to being told that I had the whitest legs ever, I was displaying a wide variety of bruises.
• Struggling with the Pros/Cons-I find myself at one of the best facilities I have ever worked in as far as commercial animal care.  All of our critters are there because they are deemed non-releasable and would die in the wild on their own.  We are doing a good thing by housing quite a few rescues as well.  We are also doing a good thing by educating the public.  But, there are some Cons of having our animals in captivity that are associated with certain others we work with and/or our animal acquisition.  Nothing illegal, just something I don't 100% agree with morally.  BUT, I will never agree with a place 100% so I work here thinking of all the good we are doing.  Mentally straining process over the long run though. 

Trust me there is more...but that isn't the focus of this post.  What I want to focus on is how I can go from such complainant-able lows, to the high's that blow your mind.  The answer is the unexpected moments that bring on those sudden surges of gratitude.  An attitude of gratitude makes all the difference.

My most resent moment was one that occurred after work one day.  I was just about to head home when two of my co-workers were about to go socialize our young otter.  (She is alone until the two babies move in once they are old enough.  So she needs a little socialization until then.)  They invited me along for this.  One co-worker ended up in the pool with her, while I stuck my feet in.  She swam around us like a crazy wiggly fish, and would jump up into our arms out of playfulness.  And I was overcome by gratitude.  Thank you Lord for giving me the now, even when it is hard.

Co-Worker's last day.  Saying goodbye.

Her fur was crazy soft on the toes underwater.

Sorry about the smell dear...those feet are ALWAYS wet!

Caroline's Advice for Expats

I don’t claim to be an expert, but after living a year in South Korea, and quite a bit of time in the Mountains of North Carolina (just as foreign to me), I thought I would write a blog to help those who may not quite feel as though they fit in where they are.

1. First things first, it’s okay to not fit in.  You are not from this place, and that is okay.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you are in the wrong because you are not native to the area.  Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for being different.  Even if you look similar, speak the language, and have been there a while, that doesn’t mean you have to conform to the culture of the place you are living. (i.e. An Brit living in Australia shouldn’t be expected to be Australian just because he can look the part)  Which brings me to point two…
   
   
2. Be proud of your heritage.  There is no shame in being from another place.  Embrace who you are and enjoy that it gives you a different perspective.  You can be as much a teacher to the people around as they are to you.  They may not understand your culture, but you are an ambassador to them whether you want to be or not.  Take the opportunity to share about it.
   
   
3. BUT, respect the culture around you. As good as it is to be proud of where you are from, don’t forget that you are in a different place.  Be yourself, but make the effort to respect those around you.  Even though you may get tired of it, living in another culture is a daily effort.  You have to make choices many times a day to do things in a way contrary to what you are used to.  You make every attempt to know what is acceptable in the culture you are living in.  Your job as an ambassador is to not offend those you are meeting in a new place.
   
   
4. There is a difference in friends and acquaintances.  You need to stress point 3 with acquaintances.  You may feel like you are being “fake” by living out customs or taking on personality traits that are different from how you were raised, or how you feel like behaving.  But, it was your choice to live where you are living.  And it is only polite to those around you to respect their culture.  (If you struggle with this, use role reversal.  Thing how awkward you would feel if a foreigner forced their culture on you in a social setting: i.e. an elderly Asian woman starts smacking you on public transit in your hometown and telling you how to dress…it happens.)  However, with friends, you can stress point 2.  Friends already know you, and they will be a lot more comfortable with you and your customs.  They may even be interested in learning more about your culture.  Friends tend to see the good in the way you live differently from them and can even learn from it…while acquaintances tend to see differences as too odd, not understandable…or even a threat.
   
   
5. Take a break! Living in another culture as stated in point 3 is A LOT of work.  Your mind has to work harder than everyone else’s.  You have to interpret situations in many more steps than the locals do.  A person in their own culture can just react to outside stimulus with a reflexive or conditioned response that is acceptable in their culture.  You cannot however.  You have to receive the stimulus, and interpret it (because it can be different than any stimulus you are used to receiving), then as you begin to react in your mind you have to slow it down and think about it.  “Is this acceptable here?  How will this be interpreted?”  Then you deliberately change your reaction into a calculated response that is acceptable in the culture.  This has to happen in just seconds or else you are left mopping up a mess you made, which takes even more effort.  Since all this is unavoidable, my advice is to take a break!  Even if you are an extrovert and love to be around people, take time to get in a position that frees you from thinking.  This will help you not to get burnt out and bitter with the place you are living.  (In South Korea, going to English movies in the Cinema was my break.  It afforded me the chance to not think or respond.)
   
   
6. Don’t play the blame game.  If you are feeling down, do not blame the place you are living in.  Your emotions come from within, and though they are sometimes in response to external situations, you can truly choose how you respond to things.  If you feel a certain way, question why that is.  (i.e. “I am tired and sick of putting in effort to live here!”  Now analyze that, taking the current location out of the equation.  “I am tired.  I think I just need rest.  And I am sick of putting so much effort into the now because I am truly afraid that I am not building meaningful relationships.  Perhaps I need to strengthen those I have instead of focusing on feeling alone.”
   
   
7. Remember why you are there!  Assuming you chose to live in your current location, are those reasons still valid?  Give this time.  Don’t make decisions based on the way you are feeling at any one particular time.
   
   
8. Count the joys.  When dark days come and you are feeling low.  List off, type up, or somehow count the things you like about the culture you are living in.  Believe it or not, you will be bringing some of these things home when you go back.  (i.e. I love that people are so kind here.  I love that it is safe to walk the streets at night.  I love that we can eat dinner at midnight.  I love that I am close to the beach and the mountains.  I love that they have great public transit.)
   
   
9. Know when it is time to go home. Whether it is just for a visit or to stay, you need to know when it is good to go back to where you came from (or on to where you are called next).  It can be healing to spend time back in the place you are from.  But….
   
   
10. Be ready not to fit into your own culture anymore.  As I said in point 8, you will be bringing back home with you expectations and a different way of thinking.  You will forever compare cultures, and you will perhaps even seem foreign to those you know back home.  You see travel changes you, it opens your mind, and now you have brought back to your little piece of the world the ideas from another little piece of the world.  Embrace that, but once again follow the advice from point 4.  You might be an ambassador to “your own people”.
    

Whatever happens friends, know that you are not alone.  Though the sacrifices of an expat are great, so are the rewards.  Be proud that you chose to know more than your little corner of the world and enjoy sharing this existence with the people who make it so varied and amazing!

Life in the Passenger Seat

This title of course is metaphorical since I drove my own car...but you get the idea.  I didn't take the lead on this last trip.  I am a super planner, so it was a novel idea (laced with laziness/exhaustion) that lead to the adventures of my weekend with friends. 

My dear friend Eliza is very "go-with-the-flow" and I am "CRAZY PLANNER LADY" so when I told her, "I am coming for one day and one night...you figure out what we are doing..." she probably thought that I had been abducted by aliens and replaced with someone much more chill.

But she came through :-) and had fun! (as did I)

After far too long on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a dirt road, and the middle of nowhere, I met Eliza at a geyser built as a civil war monument.  Andrew's geyser is off the beaten path....FAR OFF!  But it was a restful place to sit and chat with my dear friend that I haven't seen in a year.

We then went back on the Parkway to see a garden that God planted on the top of a mountain in the middle of a cloud.  And it was good.  This was followed by lunch on the porch of the cutest restaurant and tea on the floor cushions of a very culture tea house.  OH....that tea house was good!  Eliza....seriously I need those photos!  :-)

Anyway, I got to play with my camera a bit at the park so here are the results:

FYI about this video.  I didn't really almost die (just had to say that because my mom might actually watch it.)  I simply drove a little too fast on a gravel road and the car didn't go where I wanted it too.  And no butterflies were harmed in the making of this video either! :-)

Faithfulness

So...just a quick story.

On payday this week I did some math.  Paycheck - rent - gas money - insurance - tithe - savings - internet/phone = $4 Hmmm....I don't like that.  Then I thought about where I could skimp on spending, I didn't even plan to buy groceries out of this paycheck, so perhaps the savings.  Then, it was brought to my attention that perhaps I should skip paying tithe this check.  I mean, I am going into full-time missions in September, and I surely have given enough offerings in the past.  But...that didn't settle well with me.

I wanted to give God my first-fruits and not my dregs.  So as soon as I saw the automatic deposit go in my account, I sent in my tithe.  I didn't want to be tempted to spend it elsewhere.

This morning as I called the car repair place (not in the budget), I was discouraged.  I felt lack, but God was working behind the scenes.  I walked down to the post-office which seems to be the rainy day people collection center.  Half of my small country town was in that little double-wide trailer chitchatting and catching up.  One of the ladies that I love to talk with there greeted me and handed me something secretively.  She explained that she often gets these "epiphanies" and that last night when she laid down, she felt led to give this to me.  I slipped it into my pocket, thanked her and chatted about making chicken pie, and the weather, and the garden, then headed home.

When I got home, I pulled it out of my pocket, and it was basically the same amount of money I just sent in for tithe.  I was blown away, God provides, and I don't know why I still get surprised by it.  But, I wanted to share about his uncanny faithfulness!

The "Failed" Fast

Just to preface this post.  I don't really know what I am doing sometimes, nor do I know why things happen.  And its okay to not always have the answers.

So today was the 5th day of what I thought would be a 10 day fast.  I was attempting the Daniel fast with some members of my mission team.  In this fast you have vegetables and water just as Daniel did in first chapter of the book of Daniel.  He was in exile in Babylon and didn't want to eat of the king's food because the Babylonian meats were sacrificed to their idols. He was blessed to find that his provision came not from the King but from God.

But as of this morning I found myself weak, tired, and stressed out beyond belief.  I called my mother, because that is what I do when I am ready to admit that I don't have everything together.  And we both agreed that I should end my fast because it was hurting more than helping.

I wanted to continue fasting until the end of the 10 days though, and since I needed to get the focus off of me (of my weakness, my tiredness, my failure) I chose to complete the last 5 days by fasting music.  Now, I know that doesn't sound like a big sacrifice that will teach me faithfulness and humility and turn my eyes on Him while bringing His kingdom to earth. BUT, if you think about it.  I live alone and I fill the awkward silence with music at all times.  In the car it is always music that drowns out my thoughts and makes my spirit light.

So now, without that music drowning out my thoughts, how much better to hear that still, small, voice of the Lord?  How much better to process what has just happened with this "failed" first fast?

And to be honest, I don't see the fast as a failure.  I know that good will come of it (if it hasn't come already) and I know that I may never see it or know it.  You see, when something doesn't go the way I want it to, I analyze it until I see the reason.  Perhaps, I am not supposed to know the reason behind everything.  Perhaps as I sit in silence for the next five days, God will choose not to show me why things went the way they did. And perhaps, I will be okay with not having it all together all the time.

Whatever happens I just hold fast to God is good and He has the answers...and that is good enough for me.  :-)

Blog connection: The Sowed Seeds

Hiking Video

Just a Short Video about my Hiking with Steward Fluffel....

How to Garden when you Can't...

I could also call this blog post, "Gardening Saves your Sanity" because it does.  I would go crazy if I couldn't put my hands down into the cool soil and tend for something precious to grow.

I live in an apartment, so I realistically cannot garden.  Landlords don't tend to smile when they find that you have torn up the beautifully manicured lawn to plant "stuff in the dirt".  But as I said, I NEED THIS!

So I must thank my mother for being persistent about finding a community garden in the area.  I was able to secure a raised bed at the garden at the last minute for which I am thankful!  Also, we have a large section of potatoes that we planted as a community.  This part is beautiful because nothing builds bonds between strangers like back-breaking work.

Also, the garden offers classes.  In our last class, we were able to make bag gardens for our homes.  NOW this is something anyone can do, so I must share it.  You can do this even if you rent!  So without further ado:

HOW TO GARDEN WHEN YOU CAN'T:

The garden bag-

1. Purchase a bag of soil-less media, any type will do.
2. Place the bag where you will have your "garden".  
3. Poke holes in the bottom of the bag.
4. Then slice a large square out of the top of the bag.
5. In the now large patch of dirt, feel free to plant approximately 6 or 7 plants keeping them a hands width apart.
6. VOILA!  A GARDEN IN A BAG.  Repeat as desired to have all your delicious goodness at home!

My little Garden Bag

With my greens for salads.  Onion Bulbs in the bottom right.

That Awkward Moment…

You know that awkward moment when you have to admit that your big brother was actually right about something?  Well, we won’t tell him about it, but he was right!

If you have ever seen the animated movie “Open Season”, you would have been introduced to a woman park ranger who absolutely loves her bear.  She lives in the mountains and takes care of him; food, medicine, exercise, toys, the works.  When my brother and I watched the movie, he turned to me and said, “That’s gonna be you one day…”

Photo Source: http://www.cineclub.de/images/2006/11/jagdfieber-3.jpg

“Na uh!” was my response simply because I didn’t want to agree with him…haha.  And realistically, what is the likelihood that I would ever take care of bears…

As I was giving my enrichment to the bears today, I leaned over the fence and called them by name.  As they came out they were begging for the goodies in my hand.  And it hit me….HE WAS RIGHT!  BAHHH!

I also got pounced by the cougar today which was precious.  Due to OSHA regulations (and plain old common sense) there is always a barrier between the animal and the keeper.  My back was to the cougar fence and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  Aspen our male was stalking me.  He was low to the ground playfully creeping forward.  Then he paused, did that twitchy back leg thing cats do before they jump, and then BANG the ambush predator sprang forward and hit the ground right behind me.  I pretended to be surprised and then he rubbed up against the fence and purred.  My heart melted!  Cougars are a lot like house cats (plus fangs and the ability to run 45 miles per hour…) so they are playful on those rare occasions that they aren’t being lazy.  They are also the largest cat that can purr.

Overall, I am happy.  Yes, I am sore and tired at the end of each day.  Yes, the mountains are far from all my friends and family.  And yes, it can be quiet and lonesome.  But, God is showing me piece by piece the importance of being here.  And I am happy because I know he has this.

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On one last note, my mosquito net came in the mail today so that only leaves the backpack and the immunizations to get for the mission (the sleeping mat came in yesterday).  I scheduled my appointment to get shot… L at the health department in the nearest town of relevant size.  While I am out that way next week, I will try to find a store that sells hiking packs and kill two birds with one stone.  (Or cut two onions with one knife as I would say to my friend Alesha)  Your kind thoughts and prayers would be appreciated as I keep prepping for this.

(To read about me finding a church home here in the mountains: http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/)