Scrumptious Gumption

"You are not alone."

"Sorry?" I said quizzically as I removed my right ear bud and glanced up at the old man.

"You are not alone," he said matter-of-factly.

I quickly realized that he was not making an existential statement but rather referring to the Air Force sweater I had just slipped on over my black t-shirt.  I noticed his Air Force cap and my cheeks began to redden. 

"Oh, um, I'm not actually in the Air For--" 

"You're going to have to speak up!" he said.

"Oh, right. Err, I was just saying, I'm not actually in the Air Force.  I just work with kids on bases over the summers."

"I bet you didn't know I am 93-years-old," he spouted out, completely changing the subject.  "And I just love it." 

I laughed and the tension eased.

By his tone, I could tell this would not be a short conversation, so I took out both ear buds and paused my latest Netflix episode of 30 Rock.  He continued in his non sequitur manner regaling tales of life on a South Dakota pig farm, daring dramas of rescues as a US Air Force pilot, his summit of Mount Kilaminjaro (at age 65, no less) and the ins and outs of his most recent endeavor, tai chi lessons.

I didn't get a lot of time to share back to him, but it's just as well, I suppose.  He's lived 93 years and I, only 22.  That means he has lived over four times longer than I have, so naturally, he should have at least four times as much to say.  That's how I see it anyway.

We talked for a good 30 minutes before an official-sounding voice came over the loud speaker and started calling for military personnel and passengers with babies to board US Airways Flight 1731.  The old man paused and reached into his pocket for a crumpled boarding pass.  

"Where's your seat?" he looked up and asked me.

"18-C," I answered glancing down at the ticket in my lap.

"Well, how 'bout that!  I'm 18-D!  Isn't that something!" he smiled and shook his head. "I tell you what... If you live a good life, good things come to you!"

I felt as if the joy received from hearing that statement might bubble up and start spilling out my ears.  To some, traveling alone can be an utterly uncomfortable, mundane and confusing time.  But, my random jaunts across the country, engaging with complete strangers, seems to suit me perfectly.  Few things fill me with such a sense of love as intently listening to the words of a stranger who is eager to share.  

As the old man and I stood in line to board, I suddenly realized that I didn't even know his name.  

I stuck out my right hand and said, "Hi.  My name is Audrey.  What's yours?"

"You can call me Ted.  Ted Gourley.  It's nice to meet you."  I smiled and he grin wryly as the airline attendant took our tickets.  I waited for him as he thanked her genuinely, and we walked down the loading ramp together.  

The stories kept flowing as we sat on the runway, braced for take-off, and ordered apple juice once the plane reached cruising altitude.  With each story, Ted got more animated and revealed more and more of his amazing story.  

He spoke of his wife with the most beautiful honesty and candidness.  They were childhood sweethearts and he courted her for seven years before getting married at age 22.  

"She was never the adventuresome type like me, but we sort of balance each other out," he sighed.  "My adventures have slowed down the past seven years though.  She got Alzheimer's, and most of my energy went into caring for my bride.  She died seven months ago."  

The corners of my mouth turned down and my eyes saddened, but he quickly snapped at me, "There's nothing wrong with that at all!  We were married for 71 years, and that's all we could dream of!"  

I smiled.  "You're right.  That's so incredible.  What an honor," I replied.  

That is the perspective of a man with far more life behind him than in front of him.  (But then, who's to say we all haven't already lived most of our days?)  He lives such a life of gratitude and it permeates his very being.  You don't see that much these days.

Our conversation faded with the altitude as the plane began to descend.  Our eyes drifted out the window to the patchwork of fields and country homes transitioning into a smattering of baseball fields, swimming pools and parking lots.  Skyscrapers towered in the distance.

As the plane's wheels brushed the runway at Chicago-O'Hare, Ted suddenly turned to me and leaned across the aisle from seat 18-D.  In his softest whisper he looked me in the eye and said, "Time and age is an illusion between you and I," and just like that, settled back into his seat.

Water filled my eyes.  Here is someone that actually gets it.  He has lived an extraordinary life, but most importantly, he knows greater things are yet to come--in this life and beyond.  

As the other passengers started to gather their things, Ted scrawled his address into the first page of my new journal.   He had me promise to write to him about my upcoming trip to Rapid City, South Dakota, and my adventures beyond.  He, in turn, promised to add me into his biography.  

As I waved goodbye to my new friend and we turned to go our separate ways in the busy airport terminal, I couldn't help but smile and shake my head as I thought about how much God's hands are all over my life.  

This is what I want: to surrender more and more of my life, my schedule and plans, and my expectations to His will and cherish whatever comes my way.  I want to be earnestly grateful for my life lived and my life to come, but most importantly for where I am right now.

I am 22-years-old, and I just love it.

Coffeehouse Chat and the Start of Camps

On Saturday I woke up for the last time at my hostel, ate a breakfast of nutella/almond butter/trail mix burritos and kissed the resident pugs goodbye.  I decided to explore the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, which proved to be much less exciting than I had planned and took up much less time, so I ended up camping out at a nearby coffee house until my internet stopped working. 

While debating buying some lavendar mate', a baristo named Ryan started chatting me up and gave me a free lavendar white chocolate mate' latte.  SWEET!  It was so good.  I finished my drink and decided it was a good time to start walknig to the airport before the sun went down.  As I was paying for my mate' (and sweet Argentinian straw!) one of Ryan's friends walked in and offered to give me a ride to the airport.  He seemed normal enough, so I agreed. (Sorry family.  I know, not entirely on-par to stranger-danger, but the potential ride was still 6 hours off and I had plenty of time to bail if any red flags went up.)  I ended up chatting with the friend (Jace) for the next 5ish hours at the coffee shop.  He works on "the slope" for "the devil" aka for BP.  We talked a lot about life and I was able to share my art journal and Bible with him.  It was sweet because he kept writing down things that I said and I think we both learned a lot from the conversation.

Anyway, around 9pm I got to the airport to wait for Kristen (my co-worker) to land so we could drive to our air base.  Our hotel is pretty standard for airbases and I  enjoyed the stale butter mints on my pillow that I got so used to this summer.

Sunday was tricky.  Usually we get in contact with out Point of Contact early on Sunday morning to prepare our materials and see our camp facilities, but our POC wasn't returning any of our calls or emails.  It wasn't until 5pm that we were informed that our POC was in Japan.  That explains a lot.  We finally got to see our facilities, but learned that half of our camp materials were never mail from DIHQ.  Good thing we are good at improvisation!

Monday started without a hitch, and Kristen and I were set up for camp 15 minutes before the kids were to show up.  Ironically, this was the exact time that our new POC told us that we could no longer use the two rooms were had been allocated for camp.  Whoops.  We ended up moving to the gym and finished set up just in time for the arrival of the first campers.

Camp Day 1 went great after that, and Kristen and I finished our day by going to the World Ice Art Sculpture Garden.  It was incredible!!!!  We went after dark, so all of the ice sculptures were lit up with different colors and palced through out winding wooded paths.  There will be pictures to come soon!
Today was camp Day 2, and it started out BRILLIANTLY.  The kids were really on the ball, well behaved and coming up with wonderful solutions to the challenges.  After lunch was a different story.  It appeared as if the appeal of video games and snow cones won out in the minds of our campers, and their focus was definitely elsewhere.

I worked out the issues of the day at the air base rock wall, and although it was only 20 feet tall, entirely plastic and I looked like an idiot wearing a helmet, it really helped me ground myself and prepare for work tomorrow.

So, that's where I am.  Over half way through my trip to Alaska, slightly exhausted, but gaining all kinds of new experiences and loving it.

Hidden Talents

As it turns out, the first two days of my Spring Break have  revealed/confirmed some pretty nifty talents I might not have otherwise discovered.

List of New Talents:
1. Not sleeping
2. Sleeping anywhere
3. Taking/making opportunities
4. Attracting/befriending crazy people
5. Endurance
6. Making people laugh

Explanation:

1.  My Spring Break started after classes on Wednesday.  I went to Canvas as usual at 6pm, then hung out with friends afterwards late into the night.  I didn't get to sleep until 3am and woke up at 4am to set out on my journey.  Considering I was running on one hour of sleep, I did pretty well for myself, getting to the airport and onto my plane without a hitch. I even made sure the excessive amount of miles I would be flying could go to my Frequent Flyer account. No sleep required.

2.  But, once I got on my first plane, I became a sleep warrior.  Even though I sat in the center seat for two flights, I balled up and dreamed my way across the country.  Neither height nor depth, nor any other creature in all creation can keep me from sleeping when I set my mind to it.

3.  In between my 2nd and 3rd flight of the day (Indy->Dallas; Dallas->Seattle; Seattle->Fairbanks) I had a six-hour layover, so I decided to grab a taxi and explore Seattle.  I decided that in order to say that I have actually visited Seattle, I would have to leave the airport, and I am so glad that I did.  A nice man at the currency exchange booth advised that I visit Pike's Place Market (the one where they throw fish).  It was so cool.  I felt like I was on the Travel Channel.  I loved to wander through the booths tasting samples, admiring musicians and people-watching.  I settled on an Alaskan cod roll for lunch and placed myself near a big window where I could watch the rain and waves roll into the bay.

4. I then ran into a man named Mauel on the street.  He wasn't quite on his A-game, but we had a fun chat and even sang a little "Victory in Jesus" for the heck of it.  Here's Manuel:

I kept walking and this funny old man's hat blew off, so I helped him chase it down.

Finally, I waved goodbye to Seattle and headed off to Fairbanks.  I again slept for most of the flight and awoke just in time to see the Northern Lights from my plane window as we landed in Fairbanks.  The final leg of my journey was to find my hostel, which proved to be rather difficult for my newbie taxi driver... eventually we found it (after pulling over for me to read the map in the glove box), and I settled into bed, sharing a room with a mom (Rebecca) and her son (Roan) from Anchorage.


5. In the morning, I had few plans of what I wanted to do, so I started with breakfast.  Fairbanks has 6 bus routes, so I thought that would be my best bet to get around, but the schedules were inaccurate, and I was impatient, so I just ended up walking.  I did get to chat up the Mogolian team for the World Ice Sculptor's Competition, so that was cool.  I spent a good deal of time eating almond butter, Nutella and gorp burritos at SafeWay, then purused shops downtown and finished with stopping by the Fairbanks Curling Club (awesome) and the World Ice Sculptor's Garden.  All in all, I walked over 12 miles today in sub-freezing weather.  It was truly a test of endurance.

6. I finally made it back to the hostel just as the last light was leaving the sky.  Two other hostel guests were chilling in the living room, so after a hot shower, I went down to say hello and cook some ramen.  Their names were Rie, a woman from Japan, and Joe, a deceivingly sweet Alaskan man.  As I ate, we watched Tom Cruise make a fool of himself in The Last Samari.  Joe, Rie and I had a few good laughs as we made fun of Tom Cruise, and I was once again encouraged how similar the inhabitants of this planet really are.  It's so cliche', but the fact that a rough and tough Alaskan man, a gorgeous Japanese young woman and a quirky Indiana girl can just sit down together and have a laugh makes the world seem a little bit smaller and more kind.

Tomorrow I am planning to take a hike through Creamer's Game Refuge and assuming I don't get mauled by a wild animal, I will probably spend the rest of the day exploring the University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus and hanging at coffee shops and used book stores.  I also pick up Kristen from the airport tomorrow, and we head to Eielson Air Force Base.  I am so unbelievably tired, so I am going to bed now.

I love you all.  Live your dreams. ha

Audrey

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!

So, I figure it's time to get back in the blog game...  I wish I could have finished the 60 Days Challenge, but my computer broke, school started back up and I was sick for literally 7 weeks straight.  boo.  Perhaps I will finish the second half another time.  It was a great exercise and encouragement.

Anyway, I am halfway through my last semester of college and couldn't be more excited to see where life takes me from here.  I am looking at a few options right now including teaching nature education (much like Ben has done) in California, teaching English in South Korea, or sticking around Bloomington for one more year, working and enjoying the amazing community.  My plan right now is to work for a couple (few?) years making money, gaining interesting life experience and teaching experience, and then pursuing a teaching certificate through a Transition to Teaching Program.  TTP allows people with any college degree to earn a teaching certificate or teaching master's degree in 3 semesters (one being student teaching.)  Also, since i am in no rush, waiting will allow me to save up money, figure things out and not go into debt paying for school.

I realized after working with Destination ImagiNation Air Force Camps last summer how much I love teaching, especially in the experiential realm.  It's funny because my freshman year here at IU I almost switched my major to education, but decided that I would like the journalism classes better and by majoring in journalism and then pursuing teaching later if I so chose, I would have more job options.  This looks like the case, but we shall see.

On Thursday morning I leave for Fairbanks, Alaska, to lead another creative problem-solving camp for Air Force kids.  I AM SO EXCITED!  I think Americans in general have a strange fascination with Alaska, so when you add in my thirst for adventure and love of nature, well, you can imagine my excitement.  I am going a couple days early so I can be sure to have some time to explore.  It is always unclear what kind of access civilian contractors will have getting on and off base, and I would absolutely die if I didn't get to do some exploring in Alaska.

I will be staying at Billie's Bed and Breakfast (aka a backpacker's hostel: http://www.alaskahostel.com/).  Billie seems to be a wonderful older woman and has run the hostel for the past 20 years (Alaska's oldest hostel!)  She also raises pugs, so that should be interesting!  I read on the Official City of Fairbanks Website that March is a great time to see the northern lights, so I am also pumped about seeing that and taking sweet pictures.

That's all for now, but check back for Alaska and travel updates soon!!!!

60 Days of Beauty: Day 17: Don't be a pig

So, my brother-in-law thought the perfect Christmas Break activity would be hunting feral pigs on the Texas countryside... Although the alternative of shopping for winter boots for Grandma Opal sounded like fun, I decided to join the men on their wild excursion.  Turned out the vast majority of the day was not so wild and entailed me curled up in the fetal position asleep on the floor of multiple hunting stands.  But, the day livened up when we called in locals Jeremy and Garrett along with their 7 lucky hunting dogs (best Speicher family pizza night movie ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmNeIdjqgs).
As the story goes, we followed the dogs around as the scoured every last inch of the woods, and when they got to the last little section, blam-o!  The dogs found a pig, brutality (involving my dad, a knife and the repeated hollering of the phrase "coldpig" at the dogs) followed and we hauled the pig back for processing.
What could possibly be beautiful about that situation???  That is what I have been sitting here trying to think of for a good few days and here's what I came up with:
Growing up on a farm, my parents taught us kids how important it is to respect the lives that animals sacrifice for us to eat.  Nothing quite wakes you up to that reality as seeing an animal be hunted and killed.  I had to hold back tears as the dogs tore into the pig's legs.  I wasn't disgusted by the blood; I was just sad to see the pig in such fear.  True, Disney has taught me to personify the feelings of animals, but Simba and Nemo aside, a pig is still a creature designed to show humans a piece of God's character in whatever abstract way may apply.  It is cool to be able to appreciate what God has made, recognize it as so, and treat it with respect and an appropriate reverence for its sacredness.  That reminder is pretty beautiful.

I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food. -Bruce, Finding Nemo

60 Days of Beauty: Day 15: Words of Affirmation

Yesterday was my dad's 53rd birthday and also the day of his going away party after nearly 20 years as a St Joe ER doc.  I started off a little wary of going to the party considering I would be the only person under 30 and a bit self conscious of my vagabond life plans not measuring up to the expectations of a room full of medical field-types.  But, I decided to go anyway because 1) I had already bought a dress for the occasion, 2) I never turn down a meal at the Corndance, and 3) I would be supporting my dad in the process.
The party started off a bit awkward.  Forced, choppy conversations and empty introductions began to set the tone for the evening.  Beside that, my dress wouldn't stop sticking to my tights, I had a huge zit on my face, and I was dizzily hungry.  But, I figured I would suck it up and use the situation to work on my polite chit-chat skills, which paid off.  I ended up talking to the lady beside me (very possibly the next youngest in the room) about environmental education and camping for a while and a retired doctor about photography and Africa after that.  It was actually a lot of fun. 
My favorite and the most beautiful part of the evening, though, came when my dad gave his goodbye speech.  For those of you that don't know Dr. Bruce Wayne Speicher, I would compare my dad to a giant grizzly bear.  He is a large, usually quiet man with strength in both his gentleness and power.  His hugs are the absolute best because you are completely engulfed and protected, but he also somehow has the power to scare the goobles out of you when he is mad.  As he delivered his speech, his gentleness radiated through the room.  He spoke of how proud he was of the work he had accomplish while working at St Joe, how he treasures the friendships he made despite disagreements among the staff, and most importantly, how he couldn't have done any of it without the love and support of his wife, my mom.
It was so sweet and heartfelt and really made me so proud to have the parents I have.  The Speichers are not known for having impeccable communication skills, humility or showing of affection, but when we do, it is from the deepest, most sacred place of the heart.  It was really good to see and a great reminder of what is important about a family and relationships.  If only for a few choice moments, I am very. very glad that I went to that party and was able to recognize its beauty.

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” -St Francis de Sales

60 Days of Beauty: Days 8-14: Finals Week and Recovery

So, I am very aware that I severely slacked over the past week.  I did however continue to meditate on what I found beautiful each day even if I did not write it down here, so I will give you the highlights.  I would write more, but I would rather start anew and give today's actual writing its due.

December 13: Day 8: The Silver Lining!
I booked my flight for Colorado Springs this day!  I can't wait to be surrounded by mountains, hang out with old and new friends and introduce more kids to creative problem-solving with a Destination ImagiNation camp at the US Air Force Academy!!!

December 14: Day 9: Brain to the Grindstone
 God granted me the wonderful ability to memorize completely meaningless things--title, artist, date and history of 45 Renaissance art pieces, for example--in a very short amount of time.  On Tuesday I used this ability to kill my test for the next day.  Our culture celebrates talents such as athleticism and vocal skills.... I celebrate my memory.  Whew!

December 15: Day 10: theFinal theCanvas
As I have mentioned before, my main facet of church I attend is a laid-back, yet ruthlessly challenging bible study/conversation-based group called theCanvas.  Wednesday was our last meeting of the semester, and it was just really nice.  I've mentioned this before, but Canvas isn't kitschy; it isn't churchy; it isn't a free coffee break between studying.  It is hard to define apart from the stories that are made there.  Stories like atheists feeling welcome to sit at round tables, a leader admitting he learns as much from us as we do from him and inspiration being born before our eyes.  And, I only have one more semester to pour into it.

December 16: Day 11: Free at Last

The semester is over and I feel THIS GOOD!!!!


December 17: Day 12: Food for Thought
I am very thankful that I grew up with a basic knowledge of what constitutes good food and what constitutes bad food.  I lived on an organic farm for most of my life and many of my beliefs about food are deeply rooted.  I watched the movie Food, Inc. on Friday, which exposes the nastiness of the American food industry.  I am proud to say that although the statistics given were startling, I did not feel myself scared into changing everything about my diet.  Usually when people all of a sudden jolt themselves into a different lifestyle, it causes them to crash back to their old way of living just as hard.  I am taking a couple things into deeper consideration, but not in an unhealthy way.  I already make choices to eat more healthy and local, organic foods, but now I will try little by little to see what else I can do and what practices I can sustain.

this picture severely creeps me out.

December 18: Day 13: Growing Up
After seriously almost falling asleep driving from Bloomington to Bourbon, I jumped right back in the car to drive to South Bend and meet my Aunt and cousins for dinner at the Corndance Tavern. (Eat there it will change your life.)  Then we went to an art supply store and TJ Maxx to let my cousins pick out their Christmas gifts from my parents.  It was really nice to be able to relate more to my aunt now that I am getting older and to relate more to my cousins now that they are getting older.  It is interesting how that works... Like with many relationships, we seem to all be trying to play catch-up, but all along, without us knowing it, through investment we are growing closer all the time.

December 19: Day 14: JEANNA!
This day I got to hang out with the wonderful Jeanna Sell.  We have been best friends since fourth grade and she one of the first people I felt comfortable being completely goofy and weird around.  We watched Despicable Me together and it was like we were back in fourth grade.  It was wonderful and hilarious--both the movie and our friendship.

circa forever ago

Less-Wild Lovers: Standing at the Crossroads of Desire-By Brent Cutis

Copyright © 1997 Mars Hill Review 8 (Summer 1997): 9-23.

In all of our hearts lies a longing for a Sacred Romance. It will not go away in spite of our efforts over the years to anesthetize or ignore its song, or attach it to a single person or endeavor. It is a Romance couched in mystery and set deeply within us. It cannot be categorized into propositional truths or fully known any more than studying the anatomy of a corpse would help us know the person who once inhabited it.
Philosophers call this Romance, this heart yearning set within us, the longing for transcendence—the desire to be part of something out of the ordinary that is good. Transcendence is what we experience in a small but powerful way when our city’s football team wins the big game against tremendous odds. The deepest part of our heart longs to be bound together in some heroic purpose with others of like mind and spirit.
Art, literature, and music have all portrayed and explored the Romance, or its loss, in myriad scenes, images, sounds, and characters that nonetheless speak to us out of the same story. The universality of the story is the reason Shakespeare’s plays, even though they speak to us from a pastoral setting in England across four hundred years of time, speak so eloquently and faithfully that they are still performed on stages from Tokyo to New York City.
Someone or something has romanced us from the beginning with creekside singers and pastel sunsets, with the austere majesty of snowcapped mountains and the poignant flames of autumn colors telling us of something—or someone—leaving, with a promise to return. These things can, in an unguarded moment, bring us to our knees with longing for this something or someone who is lost; someone or something only our heart recognizes. It is as if someone has left us with a haunting in our inner-heart stories that will not go away; nor will it allow itself to be captured and ordered. The Romance comes and goes as it wills. And so we are haunted by it.
If this poignant longing were the only deep experience of our soul, then we should not lose heart. Though we may not have satisfaction yet, we would search for it all our lives. There are enough hints and clues and "tantalizing glimpses" to keep us searching, our heart ever open and alive to the quest. But there is another message that comes to all of us in varying shades and intensities, even in our early years. It often seems to come out of nowhere and for no discernible reason that we can fathom. It is dark, powerful, and full of dread. I think of it as the Message of the Arrows.
There are only two things that pierce the human heart, wrote Simone Weil. One is beauty. The other is affliction. And while we wish there were only beauty in the world, each of us has known enough pain to raise serious doubts about the universe we live in. From very early in life we know another message, warning us that the Romance has an enemy.
The psalmist speaks of this enemy and tells us we need not fear it:

He [God] will save you from the fowler’s snare
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day. (Psalm 91:3-5)

Yet we cannot deny that the Arrows have struck us all, sometimes arriving in a hail of projectiles that blocked out the sun, and other times descending in more subtle flight that only let us know we were wounded years later, when the wound festered and broke.

This summer:12: The Final Chapter

Hello!

I am sitting in the Oklahoma City airport waiting for my flight home.  ahhhh... What a glorious feeling.  This has by far been the most challenging summer of my life.  But, just like I told the campers every week, it is in adversity that the largest potential for growth is found.  I learned so, so much, but first let's look back on what happened this summer, shall we? :)

May 16-19
Training-Cherry Hill, NJ

I had an incredible time hanging out with 11 hilarious, creative DI alumni and realized that even though I haven't been a DI participant for 7 years, I've still got the spark.  Destination ImagiNation was huge in helping me discover my passions at a young age and really developing a hunger for life.  Training made me wonder if I have a future in experiential education or even at Destination ImagiNation.  It was on the Wednesday of this week that I discovered I was selected to go on the Asia Tour with Charles.  I knew it was going to be a very significant time in my life, but had no clue what to expect beyond that.

May 20-22
Last Goodbyes-Bloomington, IN

I had 3 days to cram full with adventure, laughs, rock climbing and Redbox.  I got next to no sleep, but had an incredible time with my friends Javan, Broderick and of course Colleen.  We made a last second decision to go caving the night before I left for Globals, and tunneled deep into the ground laughing and singing Disney songs the whole way. :)

May 23-30
DI Global Finals-Knoxville, TN

16-hour work days could only be this fun at Global Finals!  I don't think I have stood up so much in my life!  I seriously thought my feet might just fall off or explode.  It was a good taste of what was to come in the summer and the amount of work it takes to keep a program like DI running.  This week, my new friend Charlie and I destroyed the town and hit up every dance party we could find. (If we could find one, we made one ourselves!)
This week also presented the harsh reality that I wouldn't be able to get in contact with friends and family at the drop of a hat like I am used to.  I had a friend hundreds of miles away in crisis and had to do my best to be there for her despite lack of sleep, crazy schedule and distance.

May 31-June 11
Waiting-Bloomington and Bourbon, IN

The next two weeks were spent painstakingly waiting to leave for my tour.  The first week was spent in Bloomington, avoiding cleaning the apartment, calling friends and rock climbing.  The highlight of this time was definitely taking a last paddle around Lake Monroe for a day with my friend Rachel.  We were able to just talk about life, eat our favorite healthy hippy foods, and take in the beauty of nature.  So lovely.
The second week was spent in Bourbon where I got to hang with my awesome parents and take a night out with my long lost friend Ben.  If not moderately awkward (haha), it was a wonderful time to see how far I have come since attending old Triton High.

June 12-19
Grand Forks AFB-Grand Forks, ND

This was my first taste of being on the road and Air Force life.  Charles and I didn't quite know what we were doing and ended up working 15-hour days all week.  We were both second guessing what we got ourselves into.  It all ended up being worth it though to see the incredible growth in our campers over only 7 days.

June 19-26
Minot AFB-Minot, ND

A new base.  A VERY different base.  The week before our POC was very present for every aspect of the camp.  At this base we sort of met our POC a couple times.  haha  This camp attendance was also compulsory and proved to be extremely challenging for most of the week.  Again, amazing growth was seen in most of the kids and the Youth Center Staff got a lot from our training.  Nearing the end of this week, I was getting so restless to get to Japan.  My hotel room smelled like smoke and the most appealing form of entertainment in town was a bingo hall.  Needless to say, I will not be moving to North Dakota any time soon!

June 27-July 4
"Free" Week-Minot, ND; Trans-Pacific; Fussa City, Japan
Now came our break week, which Charles and I have renamed "Hell Week."  It resembled nothing of a break.  We spent the first couple days of our week dodging tornadoes in North Dakota.  Then at 5 am Monday morning, we started out on our sickeningly long travels to Japan.  I actually loved the plane ride over there.  The guy next to me was really nice and helpful answering my questions, talking about life in Japan and giving me helpful hints.  ANA also has wonderful in-flight meals and adorable flight attendants.
Once we got to Japan we realized that we had lost another whole day on our way over.  Break week was already half-way over already.  Grand.  Charles got sick, and our next couple days were a fog of fighting off jet lag.  We did manage to spend a day wandering around Fussa City and a day navigating the Japan Rail Line to hang out in Electric City, Tokyo.  I was surprised how similar everything was to the US.  I expected to have a lot more "wonder" as I walked around, but no matter where you go, commercialism is commercialism.  Even the shrine we found had vending machines inside it's gates.  I also realized that the language barrier didn't really bother me.  It was even kind of fun.  What a world.

July 4-11
Misawa AFB-Misawa, Japan

We flew in through dense fog that barely lifted for the entire week.  Our POC met us at the gate, and we sleepily settled into our air conditioning-free hotel.  The whole base seemed to have an aversion to AC, but I didn't mind since the fog kept us cool enough.  Our POC was so nice and took us all around the area.  Misawa is located in the northern countryside of Japan and was my favorite place to visit.  Within an hour or two of driving, you could go coastal, flatwater or whitewater kayaking, surfing, swimming, rock climbing, bouldering, deep water soloing, hiking, rafting, snowboarding, cycling or just cruising around marveling at the vast array of local farms.  The people's faces were just incredible.  I wanted to just meet them and take their picture.  This was when I decided that I needed to take "Audrey Adventure Time" everyday to make sure I wasn't missing out on all that Japan had to offer.  My favorite experience of the summer occurred here as peddled to the ocean in the rain and danced on a black sand beach in the fog.  Wonderful.

July 11-18
Yakota AFB, Fussa City, Japan

Enter Patrina.  The nicest woman and POC ever.  She was so helpful and took Charles and I out to dinner several times.  She even celebrated her birthday with us!  What sticks out most about Yakota, though, is that it was here I realized how little effort so many of the Air Force people take to explore their new home.  Virtually everyone we talked to said that they don't really leave the base for much, if ever.  It makes me so sad to think about people choosing to just be content living their lives in a literal bubble.  The world has so much to offer, and endless opportunities are at your doorstep!  I know it is hard for military families that are constantly changing locations to be motivated to plant their roots, but I never want to be at a point where I am so content.
On a final note, I met one of my two favorite campers at Yakota.  His name was Jacob, and started out as the most rambunctious of the bunch... but he had spunk.  He ended up being such a great camper, and I teared up a little bit when I hugged him goodbye. 

July 18-25
Osan AFB, Outer-Seoul, South Korea

This was when I got sick.  Call it stress, call it weariness, I felt bad.  I was really tired all the time and nearly lost my voice.  I still made time to explore the city a bit though, since I knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime.  The streets were dirty and packed with little shops where you could barter over prices.  it was fun, and I felt like a really world explorer as I wandered through the tiny winding streets as shoppers buzzed around me.  My camera batteries died, and I had already lost the charger, so this is where my pictures stopped.
Our POC was incredible here as well.  Her name is Miss Lee, a tiny, feisty Thai woman with a hunger for living life.  She is around 60-years-old, a cancer survivor, skydiving enthusiast, and proud mother.  Basically I want to be her when I grow up!  When I visit Thailand (notice, WHEN) I am going to stay with her family.

July 24-July 31
Kadena AFB-Okinawa, Japan

Welcome to a beautiful tropical paradise!  What a wonderful place.  It again reminded me of an American resort town, but was a lot of fun.  I was unable to get an unescorted base pass here, but was determined to explore the island, so one evening I set out on my rental bike, rode along the sea wall, listened to beautiful street music, ate my favorite meal of the summer at a shack along the road and found my way back in the dark by light of my headlamp strapped to my handle bars.  I met Charles a sweaty mess at the gate after he had enjoyed a relaxing evening on base.  haha  I figured that I ended up riding 17-miles that night and loved every second of it.
All I wish could have been different was that I could have bouldered on this island off of a beach and gone snorkeling.  I love the ocean and was pretty sad that I didn't get to take advantage of it while staying in a beach town.
The last night was fun, though, as Charles and I spent the evening with our POC's daughters at an American-style boardwalk shopping center.  Charles got to participate in a street performer's act, and although he almost hit him in the head with a flaming baton, it was a good time.  I also got a close-up look at the MASSIVE Okinawan bats as they fed in the trees on the board walk.  I am surprised to hear myself say that they were actually pretty adorable!

July 31-August 7
Trans-Pacific; Tinker AFB-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

July 31st was the longest day of my life... literally.  On the bus ride to the Tokyo airport I asked Charles when we were supposed to get to LAX, and he said, "two hours ago today."  Since we gained time on the way back, we saw two sunsets from planes and still arrived on the same day.  Craziness.  Life got unexpectedly more chill as we returned to the States and Oklahoma City treated us well.  Charles and I saw two movies (Salt and Inception), visitied a waterpark (where my swimsuit broke!), and had a wonderful camp.
My other favorite camper was met here.  Her name was Haley, and she was the sweetest, most graceful girl I have met.  I would love to have a daughter like her when I get older.  After our last day of camp, Charles and I got to go on the infamous Dolphin Slide that the kids had been raving about all week.  It is a 30-foot-high inflatable waterslide/fun machine.  This was probably my favorite camp of the summer.

August 7-14
Vance AFB-Enid, Oklahoma

Another great camp and great time.  We had our first group of teens, which made things more interesting and our brightest group of elementary-level campers.  I was SOOOO thankful to have a room with a kitchen in it and cooked most of my own meals.  Charles and I also realized that we are bowling naturals and took total advantage of the 75 cent shoe rentals and $1 games.

What I learned:

I learned that I am fiercely independent.
I learned that just watching families laugh together can bring tears of joy to my eyes.
I learned a new dimension of culture shock.  
I learned how essential serving through volunteerism is to my well-being.
I learned how intensely I love my family and friends.
I learned a new level of endurance.
I learned that I want to see more of the world.
I learned how important sleep, healthy food and exercise really are.
I learned that I don't mind hot weather.
I learned that I really enjoy riding bike.
I learned ways to empower kids to think for themselves.
I learned drawing is good processing outlet for me.
I learned that my hunger for adventure is not equally share with others, even with people choosing to live in adventurous places.

Whew.  This was a summer I will remember for the rest of my life, and I don't think it will be especially the good things or especially the bad things that I remember most.  I will remember how much I learned about myself and others and the world and how that has affected the rest of my life.

Excerpt: East of Eden, Timshel, תִּמְשָׁל

By John Steinbeck

“Do you remember when you read us the sixteen verses of the fourth chapter of Genesis and we argued about them?”

“I do indeed. And that’s a long time ago.”

“Ten years nearly,” said Lee. “Well, the story bit deeply into me and I went into it word for word. The more I thought about the story, the more profound it became to me. Then I compared the translations we have—and they were fairly close. There was only one place that bothered me. The King James version says this—it is when Jehovah has asked Cain why he is angry. Jehovah says, ‘If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.’ It was the ‘thou shalt’ that struck me, because it was a promise that Cain would conquer sin.”

Samuel nodded. “And his children didn’t do it entirely,” he said.

Lee sipped his coffee. “Then I got a copy of the American Standard Bible. It was very new then. And it was different in this passage. It says, ‘Do thou rule over him.’ Now this is very different. This is not a promise, it is an order. And I began to stew about it. I wondered what the original word of the original writer had been that these very different translations could be made.”

Samuel put his palms down on the table and leaned forward and the old young light came into his eyes. “Lee,” he said, “don’t tell me you studied Hebrew!”

Lee said, “I’m going to tell you. And it’s a fairly long story. Will you have a touch of ng-ka-py?”

“You mean the drink that tastes of good rotten apples?”

“Yes. I can talk better with it.”

“Maybe I can listen better,” said Samuel.

While Lee went to the kitchen Samuel asked, “Adam, did you know about this?”

“No,” said Adam. “He didn’t tell me. Maybe I wasn’t listening.”

Lee came back with his stone bottle and three little porcelain cups so thin and delicate that the light shone through them. “Dlinkee Chinee fashion,” he said and poured the almost black liquor. “There’s a lot of wormwood in this. It’s quite a drink,” he said. “Has about the same effect as absinthe if you drink enough of it.”

Samuel sipped the drink. “I want to know why you were so interested,” he said.

“Well, it seemed to me that the man who could conceive this great story would know exactly what he wanted to say and there would be no confusion in his statement.”

“You say ‘the man.’ Do you then not think this is a divine book written by the inky finger of God?”

“I think the mind that could think this story was a curiously divine mind. We have had a few such minds in China too.”

“I just wanted to know,” said Samuel. “You’re not a Presbyterian after all.”

“I told you I was getting more Chinese. Well, to go on, I went to San Francisco to the headquarters of our family association. Do you know about them? Our great families have centers where any member can get help or give it. The Lee family is very large. It takes care of its own.”

“I have heard of them,” said Samuel.

“You mean Chinee hatchet man fightee Tong war over slave girl?”

“I guess so.”

“It’s a little different from that, really,” said Lee. “I went there because in our family there are a number of ancient reverend gentlemen who are great scholars. They are thinkers in exactness. A man may spend many years pondering a sentence of the scholar you call Confucius. I thought there might be experts in meaning who could advise me.

“They are fine old men. They smoke their two pipes of opium in the afternoon and it rests and sharpens them, and they sit through the night and their minds are wonderful. I guess no other people have been able to use opium well.”

Lee dampened his tongue in the black brew. “I respectfully submitted my problem to one of these sages, read him the story, and told him what I understood from it. The next night four of them met and called me in. We discussed the story all night long.”

Lee laughed. “I guess it’s funny,” he said. “I know I wouldn’t dare tell it to many people. Can you imagine four old gentlemen, the youngest is over ninety now, taking on the study of Hebrew? They engaged a learned rabbi. They took to the study as though they were children. Exercise books, grammar, vocabulary, simple sentences. You should see Hebrew written in Chinese ink with a brush! The right to left didn’t bother them as much as it would you, since we write up to down. Oh, they were perfectionists! They went to the root of the matter.”

“And you?” said Samuel.

“I went along with them, marveling at the beauty of their proud clean brains. I began to love my race, and for the first time I wanted to be Chinese. Every two weeks I went to a meeting with them, and in my room here I covered pages with writing. I bought every known Hebrew dictionary. But the old gentlemen were always ahead of me. It wasn’t long before they were ahead of our rabbi; he brought a colleague in. Mr. Hamilton, you should have sat through some of those nights of argument and discussion. The questions, the inspection, oh, the lovely thinking—the beautiful thinking.

“After two years we felt that we could approach your sixteen verses of the fourth chapter of Genesis. My old gentlemen felt that these words were very important too—‘Thou shalt’ and ‘Do thou.’ And this was the gold from our mining: ‘Thou mayest.’ ‘Thou mayest rule over sin.’ The old gentlemen smiled and nodded and felt the years were well spent. It brought them out of their Chinese shells too, and right now they are studying Greek.”

Samuel said, “It’s a fantastic story. And I’ve tried to follow and maybe I’ve missed somewhere. Why is this word so important?”

Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?”

“Yes, I see. I do see. But you do not believe this is divine law. Why do you feel its importance?”

“Ah!” said Lee. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time. I even anticipated your questions and I am well prepared. Any writing which has influenced the thinking and the lives of innumerable people is important. Now, there are many millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, ‘Do thou,’ and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in ‘Thou shalt.’ Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But ‘Thou mayest’! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.” Lee’s voice was a chant of triumph.

Adam said, “Do you believe that, Lee?”

“Yes, I do. Yes, I do. It is easy out of laziness, out of weakness, to throw oneself into the lap of deity, saying, ‘I couldn’t help it; the way was set.’ But think of the glory of the choice! That makes a man a man. A cat has no choice, a bee must make honey. There’s no godliness there. And do you know, those old gentlemen who were sliding gently down to death are too interested to die now?”

Adam said, “Do you mean these Chinese men believe the Old Testament?”

Lee said, “These old men believe a true story, and they know a true story when they hear it. They are critics of truth. They know that these sixteen verses are a history of humankind in any age or culture or race. They do not believe a man writes fifteen and three-quarter verses of truth and tells a lie with one verb. Confucius tells men how they should live to have good and successful lives. But this—this is a ladder to climb to the stars.” Lee’s eyes shone. “You can never lose that. It cuts the feet from under weakness and cowardliness and laziness.”

Adam said, “I don’t see how you could cook and raise the boys and take care of me and still do all this.”

“Neither do I,” said Lee. “But I take my two pipes in the afternoon, no more and no less, like the elders. And I feel that I am a man. And I feel that a man is a very important thing—maybe more important than a star. This is not theology. I have no bent toward gods. But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed— because ‘Thou mayest.’”

This summer:11: TOO MUCH AWESOME STUUUUFFFFF!!!!!

Hi Everyone!

FYI, I am a bit behind on my blogging because I am doing TOO MUCH AWESOME STUUUUFFFFF!!!!!
I promise I will update on what I have been up to in detail, but for now this will have to suffice. In the past two and a half weeks:

*A TON of good food has been eaten.
*Lots of bike miles have been logged.
*One dress and several gifts have been bartered for.
*One book (East of Eden) has been keeping me captivated past my bedtime.
*Three incredible POCs have been befriended.
*One rock island has been planned to be explored, climbed and jumped off of. :)
*100+ kids have been introduced to the wonderful world of Destination ImagiNation!!!!!
*I met the first camper that I actually miss.
*I have been nearly attacked by bats with 2-3 foot wingspans.
*I did some major "edgework" by sticking my (extremely ticklish) feet in a pool of tiny carp (I hate fish) to have them nibble dead skin cells off my feet.
*I danced in a bar to a cover band with a tiny woman from Guam.
*I rode through charming streets along the painted sea wall and saw stray cats, hippy musicians, kids playing soccer in the street, dogs on the roof, cute old men and gorgeous clouds on the horizon.

I like Japan. :)

I will be back in the States and accepting phone calls next week!
I love and miss you all!!!

Aud(rey)

This summer:10: Ahhhhdventure :)

FINALLY I got to get my adventure on. :)
People kept warning us that Misawa might be boring since it's so far away from anything. But I guess it's the country girl in me, because I absolutely loved it.





Picture mainland Japan as a banana.
Misawa is at the top of the stem.


Saturday: We flew in from Tokyo on the most nauseating plane ride of my life. Luckily no barf bag was needed, but man was I glad to touch ground. When we landed it was already pretty dark and the sea fog had rolled in, so after a tour of the base, Charles and I hit the sack.
Sunday: Sunday was pretty chill. There were some 4th of July festivities around base, but all in all, that day was pretty chill. I was hoping to watch the fireworks at the beach, but alas, the elusive sea fog spoiled those plans, and the fireworks were rescheduled.
Monday: We didn't have camp on Monday because of the holiday, so we spent the afternoon prepping for the rest of the week. After that, our POC Lynn invited Charles and I to dinner in a town an hour away, and of course we obliged. The drive ended up being 2 hours (!!!) but through the most gorgeous countryside. I loved to watch the breath-taking mountains, coastline, farms and faces pass by the window. Dinner was fun, and it was cool to watch the base's fireworks from the highway on our way home.
Tuesday: Camp began. I also decided to rent a bike this day. BEST DECISION YET. This was the first time I was able to get a pass that would grant me the ability to travel on and off the base by myself. HEAVEN. This was the first time I have felt like I was able to actually explore and be free.

When I saw this sign, it all clicked:
I realized just how important it is for me to have this kind of freedom. I was going nuts being stuck on the base or right on the side of Charles or our POC. It was so wonderful to just ride around Misawa and do my thing. I need balance between my job and my me-time. This makes me so much more like myself and much less like angry monster Audrey. whew! Luckily, Charles and I were able to talk about this and both decided "Audrey's Solo Exploration Time" is a good idea to allow each day. Bring it on!





Wednesday: This day Lynn and her husband John took Charles and I to a shrine where we were able to walk around and take pictures. It was really beautiful and quiet--much better than the temple in Tokyo we went to before that was so commercialized. Then we went to the super market, laughed at the funny English translation on tshirts, and had the most tasty dessert of all--crepe cones. Observe the creamy deliciousness complimented by kiwi, strawberry and banana:


















After the supermarket we went to the SUPER market... That's right, we went to the fish market. It was seriously a piece from my perfect day. We just walked through the market, and I tried SO MANY crazy foods. Every stand had multiple sample bowls where you would take the chopsticks and drop the bizarre food into your other hand before eating it. I ate squid ink pastries, tons of dried fish, dried fish skin chips, several types of salmon eggs, chewy tentacles and much, much more. haha It was so awesome. The vendors kept laughing at me because I was so excited to try everything. One woman that spoke English told Charles that I could travel anywhere with the enthusiasm I had eating that food.
The funniest thing was after eating so much fish, I wanted something sweet to wash the taste out of my mouth, so I bought what looked like a fruit roll-up. Yeeeaaah... It turned out to be a squid roll-up. So nasty, but I ended up eating the whole thing so that I didn't have to smell it in the car anymore. haha Why on earth would they put squid candy next to the gum at the register?!? Silly Japan.
Thursday: This was our Family Camp day. It was so perfect! Honestly, this was the Family Camp I look forward to having in Heaven. It just went so well. We sent our RSVP invitations at the beginning of the week, and ended up having a great turn out. The night was full of non-stop laughter, and even the Lieutenant Colonel cracked a smile. :) It really makes me look forward to our future Family Camps now that we have a seemingly successful formula.
Friday: We finished up camp and staff training then headed to the Oirase Gorge. I was really hoping to get a little bouldering (rock climbing) in, but alas, my climbing shoes stayed in by bag. It was alright though, because we got to see some really cool waterfalls and mountain sights. I was surprised how much the forest looked like the woods in southern Indiana and Kentucky. The ridges were a little steeper, but for the most part it was a good reminder of home. :)
On the way home from the gorge, we stopped at a Two Turtles. This is one of those conveyor belt sushi restaurants that you see in the movies. It was so, so fun. I would just see some funky-looking thing roll by, and I could grab it and eat it! haha As usually, you get some stinkers and some gems, but the experience always wins out over the flavors. :)
Saturday: This morning we had to leave at 9am to catch our plane, but I was determined to visit the ocean. So, I woke up at 6am, hoped on my rental bike, and rode through the rain on my search for the sea. A girl at the youth center told me all I had to do was drive out the gate and keep going. I rode and rode and rode for half an hour and still didn't reach the ocean. It was still such an amazing ride though. I passed by tiny farm houses with chickens clucking from their barns; I passed a secluded shrine tucked in a patch of tree; ...I also passed a man peeing in the street. ha It's socially acceptable for a man to just go for it right in the street, which I found rather shocking, but mildly hilarious at the same time.
I was about to turn around and head back when I thought I heard waves crashing over the sound of rain! YAYAYAYAYA! I made it to the ocean, but I had to keep searching to find an access point that wasn't covered with threatening looking signs. Eventually I found one that at least looked like no one would be able to see me going back to the beach. I remembered hearing how expensive it is to own a gun in Japan, so I figured I would chance it and take that path. I walked though what looked like a Christmas tree farm and wound up on a beautiful dark sand beach. It was stunning. I took a few minutes to run around on the beach and sing and laugh and twirl in the rain. Then I realized some people were watching me, so I gave them a wave then high tailed it out of there. :)
The perfect end to a great week.

Well, that was last week! Keep it here for updates on this week at Yakota Air Base back in Fussa City!

This summer:9: The Strange Happenings of Week 3

Monday/Tuesday: Lots and lots and lots of flying. Refer to previous post for details.

Wednesday: Charles was sick, and I did not have access back onto the base without him as my escort, so I decided to explore within the base gates on my own. My travels were short-lived due to my jet lag sleepiness, but I did manage to explore the huge Community Center which included the Commissary (grocery store), BX (K-Mart), several gift shops, fast food restaurants, antique stores and my favorite, the 100 yen store. I bought myself some sushi and pink ginger ale for lunch and some fruit, rice, milk and honey for breakfast.
BTW the milk here in Japan is heavenly. I kept looking for the secret ingredient that makes it taste so strangely wonderful, but alas, it was listed as only including milk. It has a sort of creamy nutty flavor, so maybe the cows eat a strict diet of cashews. ha

Thursday: Charles was still a little on edge health-wise so we decided it would be best to stick around Fussa City (just outside the base gates) for the day. Fussa (population 60,000) is an hour train ride from downtown Tokyo, but is still considered part of the city. It comprises mostly of little day-to-day shops, restaurants and apartments. There are random little gardens spattering the city, which I was told have belonged to families for many generations as the city has been built up around them.
Much of the day was spent searching for the allusive temple we saw on the train station map but to no avail. A very nice woman with a name something like Ayuku and her friend Akiku (or something like that) actually gave us a ride to a shrine in the middle of the city, but it was kinda nasty. I did really love walking around the mausoleum-style cemetery there though. Many of the graves had ornate gravestones with tea cup offerings set upon them (one had a beer can. ha) as well as a bowl full of burning or burnt incense.
We also had our first Japanese restaurant experience, which was an experience indeed. I had a super delicious fried fish/veggie/rice/miso soup/weird stuff meal, and Charles had beef stew with mashed potatoes. The beef was actually just beef fat, so needless to say, I made the more appeasing choice. haha It was at the restaurant that I also got my first look at a bidet. haha hilarious. The Japanese love these things. Some are complete with "Powerful Deodorant" buttons, fake flushing sounds (to muffle spraying sound) and temperature controls! I haven't used the spraying features yet, but don't think it won't happen sometime in the next month! The bathroom also had a toilet seat cleaner dispenser, rice paper for oily faces, mouthwash, mini toilet paper packets, and a myriad of other complementaries that I can't recall. Yeah, the bathrooms here are great.
Fussa City showed us our first mega arcade too. Charles and I had an epic photobooth session, and we found out I am a natural at first person shooter arcade games. I then spilled half a Nalgene of water and 3/4 of an ice cream cone on the floor (which I cleaned up with massive wads of toilet paper from the, again spectacular, bathroom), and we decided it was time to move on.
Just when we were about to give up on our search for the temple and our feet were about to give out on us, we spotted some kids venturing out into the Tama River to have some fun. Considering it was about 5 million degrees Celsius, we though, "what the hay?" and decided to join them. How refreshing! The water felt so good on our feet, and the kids were of course adorable. Then they started to jump off a ledge into the water, which looked like way too much fun to pass up. Charles made the decision to jump first considering he had packed extra clothes, and these things always seem to be easier for guys to pull off. But, my adventurous spirit wouldn't let me stand by the wayside, and despite wearing light colored shorts (I just decided to wrap my jacket around my waist for the rest of the day) I took the plunge. This was a good way to end the journey.
From there, Charles and I walked back to the base, grabbed some dinner from the Commissary, watched GI Joe and went to bed exhausted.
I am very glad for the experience that I had that first real day in Japan, but I know that I did not make the most of it. A lot of the time I was wishing that the experiences I was having would be more like my high expectations I had envisioned, and that cheapened the experiences that I did have. I will learn from this in the future.

Friday: The day we braved the train. I think we both built up the complexity of riding the train much more than it was worth. Since most of the train stations are connected to downtown Tokyo, they incorporated both English and Japanese, which was a huge relief. Once we figured out the color system (our map was black and white), it was a big help too.
We took the train to the neighborhood Akihabara aka Electric City. This is the comic book/anime/nerd capital of the world. There are tons of arcades and pachinko palaces, computer stores and maid cafes. Our first stop, though, was a temple just outside of this area of town. Once again, my expectations were challenged when we entered the temple gates. I was hoping for a very serene atmosphere where I could just be still, but I realized this wasn't going to happen when I saw the vending machines, Tom Hank's Big inspired fortune machines and a gift shop. Yes, there were people paying their respects to the statues, but I found all the crap along with it interesting but a big turn off. I guess you get that a lot of places you go though. I mean, most churches I go to have a doughnut and coffee bar, which many people would find disgraceful. To each is own, I guess.
My favorite part of Friday was definitely dinner. We went to a famous "maid cafe" in Akihabara, which is a modern play on the Geisha. Sickly cute girls dressed in maid outfits serve you over-priced, mediocre food while occasionally singing, dancing and having you pay to play games for discounts and prizes. I asked our maid what she recommended and got the dish called "Cheep cheep cheep rice". It included a main dish of seasoned rice with an over-easy omelet that the maid drew a ketchup anime bunny on. Then there was a dollop of potato salad and a couple pieces of iceberg lettuce. haha hilarious and mildly gross, but totally worth the experience.
Charles didn't realize the extent of the "Japan runs mainly on cash" rule and spent most of the dinner running around town looking for an ATM that took Master Card. Meanwhile I had a ball with the maid and watching the creepy dudes that actually believed the maids liked them and didn't just want their money. Unfortunately, they didn't allow photographs (you could buy one for 700 yen), so you will just have to imagine the ridiculousness. :) It was called @home-cafe

Saturday: This was travel day. Since we have 500 million pounds of luggage we had to take the circuitous route to the airport. Instead of being about to pay 1200 yen to ride the train from Fussa City to Haneda Airport in time for our flight, we had to ride a shuttle first to Narita Airport and the Haneda, which took 4 1/2 hours and cost 8000 yen. Then we had to wait in the airport for 4 more hours for our plane. Oh well. I got the chance to eat a bizarre bento box and a sort of Japanese flan. I also got to use a "Japanese style" toilet, which basically means peeing into a hole in the floor while a sensor beside you makes fake flushing noises. (again to muffle the sounds. haha)
The plane ride nearly made me vomit, but we made it to Misawa unscathed. Our rooms don't have internet or air conditioning, but it is alright. Charles says that that is the biggest culture shock he has experienced so far. ;)

Okay, I am off to discover the base's Fourth of July activities. I think I am going to go to the beach tonight for fireworks, so I'm sure there will be pictures and stories to come!

The Internet is too slow here, so you'll have to wait for pictures until next week. Check facebook if you're interested!

SAYONARA!

This summer:8: Big Fish and Brainwriting Reflection Week 3

I wouldn't say that I have many favorites. I like a lot of things... a lot. But, picking just one and sticking with it just isn't my style. Where this trend dissolves, though, is in the category of movies. My favorite movie of all time has to be Big Fish. I am constantly finding ways to relate this movie to my life. Much of the film comprises of the tall tale memories of Edward Bloom's life. Bloom's life was one big fish story. He grew up the "biggest thing" his town had ever seen; he was the smartest, the best athlete, the most ambitious and so on. He was a goldfish in a tiny bowl that longed for the sea, a place more suited for his size.

"It occurred to me then, that perhaps the reason for my growth was that I was intended for
larger things. After all, a giant man can't have an ordinary-sized life."

He decided to leave his town, ready for the adventure of a lifetime. But, on his first adventure (taking a scary, mysterious short cut instead of the wide, long road with his friend Karl, an actual giant) he managed to get lost, be attacked by giant spiders, and end up in the Utopian town of Spectre.
Upon being greeted at the town's entrance, the mayor looked at his list and told Bloom that he wasn't scheduled to arrive in Spectre for many more years, but they were glad to have him anyway. Now in Spectre there are no streets or sidewalks, just a pristine bed of grass perfect for dancing, so there is no need for shoes. In fact, all residents of Spectre throw their shoes over a power line at the entrance to the town because there is no point in wearing them because no one ever leaves Spectre--no one except Edward Bloom. He decided that Spectre would be the perfect place to settle down... eventually. But he was only at the beginning of his adventure and had so much more to explore and discover. He fought back out of the treacherous path shoeless and eventually made it back to Karl on the main road.

Karl: "Friend, what happened to your shoes?"
Young Ed Bloom: [Looking down at his feet] "They kinda got ahead of me."

This past week, I think I let my shoes get ahead of me.

I have such great expectations for my life and the travel and adventures that I am going to experience. I have detailed pictures mapped out in my mind of me concurring the world, one big fish story at a time... but there are still seasons to life. Not every ambition and every goal is meant to be met now.
This week, my expectations did not match up with reality, and this left me feeling wrongly disappointed and incomplete. It wasn't fair of me to expect to be wandering the streets of Japan, eyes filled with wonder, following every impulse that tickled my spirit. It wasn't fair for me to long to be sleeping in hostels, befriending the locals, and not having a care when the last time I changed my clothes was. (I know to many this sounds strange, but to me it sounds magical :) )

Why? Because this trip is not just about me. I am traveling with another person with quite different expectations and desires for a week in Japan and with a completely different worldview and set of values. It isn't fair for me to selfishly disregard his experience and place my own before his. That's not how life should work.

Would I prefer to take on the roll of a rouge world traveler for a week in another country? Heck yes; without a doubt.
Is my time for that now? Perhaps not.
Will I get my chance eventually? Lord willing, yes.

Right now is the time for me to be introduced to my first foreign travel experience. It is a chance for me to slowly get oriented so I am better prepared for my future, more adventurous travel; travel where I am not staying at a secure Air Force base hotel complete with armed guards; travel where I do not have an itinerary and my direction is decided by the roll of a die; travel where I am responsible for me and not the desires of anyone else.

Needless to say, this week was very difficult for me. I felt very restricted and did not feel at all like I expected to feel. Jet lag sure didn't help my emotions either.

And that's okay.

What have I learned this week?

1) Take things as they come with an open mind. I need to do a better job at just lightening up when reality doesn't line up with my expectations. I am a big fish that sets my expectations extremely high. Sometimes life has different plans and wants me to wait for the right time for my big dreams to come true.

2) Be nice and embrace teachable moments. I admit that I got rather short with Charles this week because I felt like the two of our expectations for the week didn't match up. He was experiencing a lot of things for the first time--things that I have learned to take for granted--and it frustrated me to have to wait for him to have those experiences. That was selfish and unfair. Truth is that there are things that I have to learn from him and things that I can eagerly teach him.

3) Application, application, application. If I don't apply what I have learned from this difficult week, the rest of my trip in Japan will just keep getting harder, and I will eventually breakdown. If I do enter the rest of this trip with a fresh step and new attitude, the only way it can go is up.

So, I am going to choose to keep my feet in my shoes and my head on my shoulders. I am going to embrace the pace that this trip presents and look at everything as a learning experience for the future that may be applied to my life beyond this summer.


Above is this week's Brainwriting (an activitiy we usually do with the kids to reflect on things learned over the week). The picture on the right is an illustration of the grand expectations that I set for myself--cliff jumping in an exotic location complete with bonsai tree and sunny skies. The picture in the middle illustrates a rather cool experience Charles and I had where we were able to swim in the Tama River with some local youth. It wasn't exactly how I would have liked it to be, but it was still fresh and new. The picture on the left illustrates where I let my mind go after being poisoned by my unrealistic and unfair expectations. I might as well have been standing in a puddle in the rain with the sour attitude I had. The shoes and footprints at the bottom show how I let my shoes get ahead of me.
I have learned a lot, and am going to make the most of the rest of my summer.

This summer:7: Feeling Lucky

I am currently in Japan for my time off. I just had a lovely night's sleep in my hotel on the Yokota AFB where I will be for the next 3 nights. My room is wonderful. I am so thankful to have a full kitchen!!! I probably won't do much cooking this week, but when I come back here in 2 weeks to lead Yokota's DI camp, it will revolutionize my eating. I am thrilled. No kidding, I have been researching ways to cook with a clothes iron. I am so used to being able to cook my own food, that I was going crazy always eating out or eating prepackaged meals.
The view from my room makes me so excited. MOUNTAINS!!!! I have been on mountain withdraw, ohhhh, for my entire life, I think. I am gonna go work out and if Charles is still sleeping, go find my way over to the bases' Outdoor Rec building and try to get the low down on cool stuff to do in the area. :)

The plane ride was a breeze. I thought it was going to be torturous, but I had a blast. I was in the very back seat, so it was quiet and I had extra space behind me to put my stuff. Every other row other than First Class had 3 seats in it except for mine! Also, there was a wonderful Japanese man that sat next to me and let me have the window seat. I spent a lot of time just looking out the window. Our path took us across the great lakes, western Canada, Alaska and the Pacific Ocean. Alaska and BC were BREATHE-TAKING from the air, and the clouds were incredible.

Other than looking out the window I read part of East of Eden (love it), read parts of my Lonely Planet Japan book, watched movies (part of Rain Man, most of A Beautiful Mind, slept during Chicago, the beginning of Mama Mia and Nine-dumb and dumb-, and the old classic The Holiday), played Tetris, slept (I didn't sleep the night before in prep), ate tasty Japanese plane food and most importantly, talked to the sweet man next to me.
His name was something like Tokonunoati. He has 2 kids and gave me a bunch of tips on Japan. Charles keeps laughing at me because I make friends everywhere we go. haha After every flight, my seat partner is always waving at me from across the airport, and Charles is like, "whaaaaa?" hilarious.

Okay, keep it tuned here for more adventures!

This summer:6: Brainwriting Week 2

So, at the end of each week of camp, we have each of the campers draw a picture representing what the week has meant to them, what they have learned, what they have liked about it....
I thought I would do the same. I lost my picture from the first week, but here is mine from this week.
I definitely feel like I am on the opposite side of the world as everyone I know. For a while I was feeling pretty lonely and couldn't shake it. It is really hard living on the road and only knowing one person (and not very well, at that.) Charles and I can get along alright and run a good camp, but it is kind of like an arranged marriage. You spend most of your time with this one person, but you don't have much say in the matter. Charles and I are having fun, but we both definitely need time apart after working together all day. It's funny... we find ways everyday that we are similar and ways that we are completely different. It is a very good learning experience, and I am looking forward to the rest of the summer, no doubt.
Anyway, I had an epiphany in the shower the other day (the best place to think.) I realized how much I rely on the friendships and relationships that I have. Many of my spiritual conversations are with friends and family, much of my fellowship is at church, my exercise is usually with friends, my confessions are to friends, my adventuring is with friends, my movie watching, my studying, my eating, my dancing... everything other than sleeping and time alone with God is usually done with people whom I love and love me.
On one side, it is somewhat stunting that once on my own, I feel lost, but on the other side, it is helping me really, really appreciate the relationships I do have in my life. And, now that I realize the reason for my lull this summer, I can work on strengthening my solitary relationship with God and become a more well-rounded person--building up a more complete set of armor and avoiding hazardous handicaps.
That is why I drew myself saying the verse I quote daily. I also know that even though my friends and family feel like they are on the other side of the world (and soon will be), I know that they are still in full support of me and praying for me.
That is an awesome realization.
Almost enough to make a girl feel on top of the world.

This summer:5: Aint Life Grand?

So today Charles and I made the 3 hour drive to Minot, North Dakota. We talked about life, love and whether or not Jell-o is made with horse hoofs. We were eagerly anticipating our arrival to the infamous Grand International Inn, which boasts to having Minot's largest swimming pool, not to mention being recently "Renamed, Remodeled, Redecorated & Refurbished" according to the website.
We arrived in the parking lot--shared with a used car lot--and immediately realized it might not be as "grand" as the website made it off to be...

haha

It's not that it is a bad place to stay, but just sort of funny and ironic... lots of potential for stories... yeah. There are so many funny things about this place, starting with the one, tiny window not unlike a prison cell. Then there's the bathroom layout (the toilet is wedged diagonally underneath the counter), the decorations (straight out of the Twilight Zone), and the mirror conveniently placed BEHIND the TV. Good one guys. I was able to cover up the smell of smoke by dousing the room in Downey Wrinkle Releaser, so that was a nice discovery. Possibly the favorite feature of the room is the smattering of paper napkins with the following inscription:



















So bizarre. Windshields? Thanks?
Also tonight, I witnessed one of the most stunning thing I have ever seen. I was watching a movie from my bed and I noticed through the cell window that the sky was a strange cotton candy pink, so I stood up and peeked outside. there was the most beautiful rainbow stretching across the entire city. A full, double, sunset rainbow. I nearly collapsed. And since the (not so) Grand International sits on the only hill in Minot, I had the most perfect view.