vagabondtramp

Over The Hump

2012-02-06T10:41:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow, on February 7th 2012 it will be 5 months until our seniors graduate high school and move on to the next stage of their lives. In 5 months I will be finished with my volunteer time here in Mexico. These next 5 months will involve as much dedication to these kids as I can possibly muster. I am so excited for what these next few months will bring and for the future of our kids and for my own.

Work Weekend

2012-01-29T19:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, a group of girls and I had a movie date.

Popcorn with salsa and Anne of Green Gables.

Because this is one of my all time favorite movies,

I was excited to share it with the girls but also nervous that it would be too old fashioned for them. Thankfully, they all loved it.

So this weekend was filled with hours of Anne of Green Gables in Spanish

and many lovely kindred spirits.

The Holiday Season

2012-01-18T14:46:00.001-06:00

These past few weeks have really flown by.

Christmas here in Mexico was both hectic and magical. Somany piñatas and so much candy. Not having to worry about gifts but making sureto spend quality time with my kids and with my dear friends Whitney, Wesleighand Monica as they spent their days here in Mexico.

Then came my visit to the US whichwas filled with so many beautiful faces. I was welcomed home by everyone andoverjoyed to spend time with my loved ones. Laughing and good food were two ofthe most important aspects of my trip. I am thankful to have so many people inso many places who love me.

Next came my vacation in Mexico with Jon. Jon and I firstspent some time at NPH so that he could meet my kids and see what I do. Hisfavorite dinner at NPH was the same as mine. Lentils.

Taxco was where we found ourselves next. Taxco is by farone of the most romantic cities I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.Cobble stone roads that curve up the steep hill the city is built on surroundedby classic homes and ancient cathedrals. We ate pizza on a roof top balconyover looking the city and then road a tram to the top of the hill to overlookthe surrounding areas. Our hotel was less than ideal as you can see in thepicture. We made up for the first hotel with our second in Mexico City. Thenext few photos will give you a good idea of the comparison of the two hotels.Due to a confusion on our part, we had less time to explore in Mexico City. Butwe ate amazing tacos and walked around seeing the sights close to the citycenter.

Cuernavaca

Taxco

Mexico City

Being able to share what I do each day with Jon was sovery meaningful to me. I am thankful to have a partner who cares so much aboutwhat matters most to me.

Getting back into the swing of things is proving to bedifficult but all of the hugs I receive each day from all of these wonderfulkids sure doesn’t hurt.

Getting ready for Christmas

2011-12-24T10:46:00.001-06:00

Whitney playing soccer with our girls

Our girls, kicking ass at soccer.

Kids eating their Christmas treats

Kids playing volleyball.

Boys soccer.

And even more soccer.

Spending time with friends.

And family.

Whitney's Despedida

2011-12-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

Our kids are the best

2011-12-09T12:34:00.001-06:00

Last week, Whitney and I took kids from the leadership group and from the women's empowerment group to volunteer at a nursing home. The days leading up to the outing our kids made Christmas cards to give out to all of the people we met and spent time with. During our visit that afternoon we sang Christmas carols, not well at all but the elderly folks didn't seem to notice so that was nice. We served hot coco and pastries. Some of our girls painted the nails of the women there or did their hair. All of these things were sweet and thoughtful, but the thing that struck me the most was watching our kids just sit and listen to these elderly individuals. Or help them walk outside around the little garden. Being able to these kids interact in this way was very meaningful because I know that it wasn't only the people we were serving who got something out of this experience. I know that the experience was meaningful to our kids as well. I hope to plan more volunteer and community service type activities very soon.

Christmas cards and sentiments written by my kids

2011-12-09T12:06:00.001-06:00

In English class our kids had the assignment of making a Christmas card for someone. Obviously the main point was to write the message in English. Most of the kids worked extremely hard to make a very creative and well thought out holiday card for a friend. I found the cards to be quite sweet and I wanted to share a few of them with you.

"Perhaps the best Christmas decoration is a great smile"

"Although I do not like this date, I wish you the best on Christmas"

"If you do not know what to give your loved ones at Christmas, give them away"

"Happy Christmas to you and baby"

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but your good girl"

And my finally my favorite.

"I hope you have a Merry Christmas. You are a wonderful person and a great friend. You can count on me for anything. You can always trust me."

And might I add that this last sentiment was written by an 18 year old boy to his friend.
Anyway, as I have said time and time again, these kids can always make me smile.

Feliz Navidad!!!

Things that make my heart smile

2011-12-03T00:04:00.001-06:00

Now. Normally, a cute kitten on it's own is not something that would easily make me smile.

But this kitten is different. I think the difference is that there is a sweet teenage girl who is watching over this particular kitten. This is the kind if thing that makes my heart smile.

This week has been.... full.

Full of busyness.

Full of laughter.

Full of more busyness.

Full of tears.

Both joyful and otherwise.

The thought that kept coming to me throughout the week was only that, giving to others is the answer.

Giving and sharing is what makes hearts grow the way they should.

Sharing our time, our words, our hugs and sometimes our resources is what makes hearts smile.

Art class for kinder!

2011-12-01T22:57:00.001-06:00

This is why we volunteer.

2011-11-29T14:33:00.001-06:00

Thankfulness.

2011-11-24T16:40:00.001-06:00

Today I give thanks for all of the wonderful people in my life.

My lovely family back home.

New family and friends here in Mexico made up of volunteers, co-workers and all of the beautiful children.

My dear friends who are scattered across the states and the world.

And of course my fantastic partner.

I am thankful for the part all of you have played in my life thus far.

Hanging clothes out to dry.

2011-11-24T06:28:00.001-06:00

Strip soccer

2011-11-21T22:15:00.001-06:00

Now.

I realize that the idea of teenage girls playing strip soccer must sound completely crazy.

However. It's not quite as weird as it seems. First off. Boys were sent to bed early so it was ONLY girls. And. The girls wore so many layers of clothes that the stripping wasn't scandalous at all. A few girls ended up with no shoes but that's not the end of the world because these girls are champs and they can play soccer in pretty much anything.

Long weekend

2011-11-21T22:01:00.001-06:00

Three day weekends are always fun times. Among other things, this long weekend included at least 15 hours of card games. And an art project in the sun. Whitney and I helped a few girls make their own headbands out of old T-shirts. It turned out to be a fun activity and by the end, we all needed a rest.

As I stated. Long weekends are good times.

As the weekend comes to an end I am feeling completely exhausted and full of warm feelings in my heart.

More from Day of the Dead

2011-11-13T19:24:00.001-06:00

Goodwill and peace to all.

2011-11-12T22:06:00.001-06:00

Dîa de los Muertos and Halloween

2011-11-10T14:53:00.000-06:00

Casino Night

2011-11-08T21:47:00.000-06:00

Tasting new things.

2011-11-04T23:47:00.004-06:00

Eating a grasshopper.

Xochicalco

2011-11-04T23:30:00.004-06:00

Lovely city on a hillside, Taxco.

2011-11-04T05:44:00.000-06:00

Taxco, Mexico

2011-11-04T00:21:00.000-06:00

There is no way that I could have captured the beauty and the magic of this city. It reminded me of Prague in that way. More pictures to come.

A smiling heart

2011-10-24T07:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a truly wonderful day. I will give you a quick peak into why I absolutely love being here with these kids.

My day began with Whitney and I inventing oreo pancakes. After a late breakfast we laid on a blanket in the sun with a few girls. We stayed here on the lawn for perhaps two hours, just talking, reading, playing the guitar and singing together. After our lounge time in the sun, Whitney and I squeezed into a car with ELEVEN other girls. I won't tell you how many seat belts this car had. We went to a smaller NPH house in town to use their pool and play games. There wasn't much sun near the pool so most people didn't swim. We played cards and ate popcorn with salsa for the first hour or so and then a few of us decided to swim. When I say that we decided to swim, what I mean is that Whitney got pushed in the pool by a few girls. Then I tried to persuade some girls to jump in with me which concluded in me getting pushed in as well. After a while I got a few girls in the pool. There were countless moments in the day when I was filled with such joy that I could hardly contain it. These kids can make my heart smile without even trying.

More cute kids

2011-10-24T06:19:00.001-05:00

Learning

2011-10-22T00:40:00.000-05:00

Today I had an hour long Spanish class with some teachers atthe high school. What was the lesson today? Swear words. The whole experiencewas odd to say the least. Discussing swear words in two different languages with my co-workers whom I greatly respect. This might seem strange toyou, even inappropriate. But there was a purpose. I swear there was. Many of the kids here swear and saydisrespectful things and generally I can figure out when they are being rude tome but not always. So the teachers at the school thought it would be helpfulfor me to know when they kids are using bad words with me. I found the topic ofthis lesson to be quite thoughtful.

And my educationcontinues….

Chicas ponderosas seems to be really taking off. This week our group began working on a video. Our video will be primarily about self-esteem and growing to love and accept ourselves. Each girl made a sign, on which they write one thing that they like about themselves. Or perhaps something that they don’t like but that they want to accept. For example, my sign says “me encantan mis ojos pequenos” This means, that I love my little eyes. This was important for me because I have always been self conscious about how small my eyes are. Especially when I smile. Sometimes they even appear to be closed. Everyone’s sign is different.

“I like my personality because I am a little bit crazy.”

“I like my smile”

“I have a beautiful heart”

Those are a few examples.

This project has been really special to work on with the kids because some of them clearly have difficulty coming up with an example. It's really rewarding to see the growth in them.

Day trip with first semester girls

2011-10-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Chicas Poderosas

2011-10-14T05:34:00.000-05:00

Today was the fourth week of the young women's empowerment group that Whitney and I have been organizing. It's going well, we have tons of ideas and the girls seem to have a really great time. Spending time with this amazing young girls is what I look forward to all week long.

New friends coming to town

2011-10-11T07:46:00.001-05:00

This weekend a donor from Mexico city came to NPH with new furniture for our library. The donor and his family spent a huge part of the day here with us just playing soccer and basketball with the kids. All of the kids had a great time and our library looks fantastic!

You will have to forgive my lateness.

2011-10-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

About a week ago I traveled to the state of Puebla with a few other volunteers. Puebla is a beautiful city fully of lovely colors and lots to see.

Getting my hair did and making new friends.

2011-09-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

This is my new friend who you may have seen pictured in a recent post. This little girl with a hair cut similar to the cartoon character Dora the explorer decided to use a small stick to "fix" my hair.

A picnic in the park

2011-09-30T11:34:00.001-05:00

Feeding the ducks

Spending time with friends.

Art in the park

Eating rice popsicles and reading magazines in the shade.

Driving bike-cars

Playing cards

Mangos in bags for snacks.

Resting.

Cute kids

2011-09-23T16:16:00.001-05:00

Getting the food ready for feeding time.

Feeding the goats.

Making friends with the goats.

Excited kids.

One of my favorites. Later in the day she and I had a race. I won't tell you who won.

So silly.

Playing on a merry-go-round.

Silly.

Even more silliness.

Kids wanting to tie my shoes.

Mexico City with Becca

2011-09-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

My office space

2011-09-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

Sharing is caring

2011-09-21T05:53:00.000-05:00

Everyone should look at my roommate Bailey's blog!

Bailey's Big Adventure

VIVA MEXICO!

2011-09-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Students performing traditional Dances in honor of September 15th, Mexico's independence day.

Different kind of week

2011-09-16T07:49:00.000-05:00

This particular week has been a bit different than most. Firstly because tomorrow is the independence day of Mexico. So much of this week has been dedicated to getting prepared for the celebrations and festivities.

The other big thing that is happening this week is that one of the kids here has been enrolled in a one year program in the US is leaving this Friday. I can tell that he is pretty nervous so the other volunteers and I have been trying to help him get through it. Tonight we are taking him out for tacos. Coincidentally he is going to Seattle!

This is the going away dinner we had for Emir before his big trip to the US.

Perhaps because of the upcoming holiday, everyone seems very distracted from their school work and whatnot. Today. One of the kids with pretty good English came into the library to talk to Whitney and I and this was the conversation that we had.

Boy- I will dance for you if you take me for tacos.
Whitney- What? No. This is not a negotiation.
Boy- Why not?
Whitney- Why would we take you out for tacos.
Boy- Because.... I was reading a lot..... (a long pause) When I was a child....

Whitney and I both laugh. Many of our conversations are like this whether they are in English or Spanish.

Part of the Independence day preparation involved painting empty egg shells and then filling the shells with confetti and flour. Later at the dance these eggs will be smashed on people's heads.

Blowing up tons and tons of balloons was a part of the prep for the celebrations.

Falling in love

2011-09-11T22:22:00.002-05:00

I fall more in love with these kids everyday.

I love it when I hear someone yell "Meghan Fox!!" as I walk by.

At first I hoped my nickname would be forgotten but now it has grown on me and I find it quite amusing.

I love these kids.

You say it's your Birthday

2011-09-11T16:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday:
Friday was my roommate Bailey's 23rd Birthday.
Dinner at our favorite taco place down the street and a raspberry tart made by Erika.

Today:

Breakfast.

Chores.

Help some kids in the Library.

Lunch.

Free time. (Movies, Sports, Computer time, Naps)

Get ready for the bonfire.

Yoga break.

Dinner time.

Bonfire and a snack of popcorn and juice.

Games and Karaoke.

Put girls to bed.

Bed time.

Tomorrow:

Breakfast.

Mass.

Art project with the girls.

Homework and study time.

Work weekends are long.

Elote

2011-09-05T22:26:00.000-05:00

One of the girls at dinner tonight asked me how I eat my corn on the cob back home. I told her with butter, salt, pepper and sometimes chili pepper. She says "Mantaquilla?!?!" Mantaquilla is butter.

Tonight at dinner we had corn on the cob which in Mexico is called "elote" rather than butter here in Mexico we smear the corn with mayonnaise and sprinkle it with cheese. Sometimes chili pepper. Everyone was extremely excited for this meal while Bailey and I cautiously tasted this favorite treat.

It was much better than we had anticipated.

Dear Mom and Dad

2011-09-02T22:13:00.002-05:00

I would first like to express my deepest thanks for all that you have done for me throughout my life thus far. You are more than I ever could have hoped for.

More specifically I would like to thank you for the name you have bestowed upon me. My middle name being Renee. However, I wish that when you chose my name 24 years ago, you would have known that someday years down the road I would be a volunteer in Mexico working with teenagers who think the fact that I have a boys middle name is quite humorous.

Yours affectionately,
Meghan Renee

The weather

2011-08-30T00:13:00.000-05:00

As I may have mentioned previously, it is currently the rainy season here in Cuernavaca. Today my afternoon run with some of the kid from NPH was even more enjoyable than usual because of the fresh, crisp air and only a few sprinkles. The weather made me feel at home. Not only was the weather perfect for my run, I had a lovely companion as well. One of the first year high school girls who I recently became closer with when she gifted me a stuffed poodle even though I strongly protested. Since the gift giving situation a few nights ago, we have spent more time together than we had in the past. We get along well, and she seems interested in things I have to say. Or rather the things that I try to say. She is also very patient when I practice Spanish. I have decided that my new friend is a kindred spirit. One of those people that you immediately feel comfortable with. It's funny how the smallest things can turn your day around.

Tochas

2011-08-24T23:52:00.000-05:00

If you look up the word "tochas" in a Spanish English dictionary, you won't actually find anything. However, this word is very commonly used by the pequenos here at NPH. This word translates to "joking". I hear kids yell "TOCHAS!!!" as they play a trick on their friend. I hear this word multiple times a day and it always makes me smile.

I realize that perhaps I haven't made it totally clear what a normal day might look like for me here in Mexico. Each day is a bit different but I will give you all a quick outline of what I experienced today.

8:30- Head down to the office
9:00- Drive to Miacatlan. (I don't drive, I get a ride)
10:00ish- Arrive at Miacatlan and begin taking photographs of various products with children.
(Keep in mind that Miaca is very hot and always sunny so walking around taking pictures is a little tiring after a while)
2:00- Get on the bus back to Cuernavaca
3:00ish- Arrive in Cuernavaca for lunch
4:00- Open up the library for the kids to study. (During library time we help kids with their homework and also work on alphabetizing the books)
6:45- Life Teen. A weekly youth group.
8:00-Serve dinner and spend time with the kids
9:00- Kids go into the dorms and we spend time with them until we go up to bed.
10:00- Home for the evening.

This is what most Wednesdays will look like for me.
Other days will be different depending on if I'm in the office or the high school as well as the various afternoon activities.

Tonight we held Life Teen up on the roof and it was a beautiful event.

Buenos Noches!

Teenage girls and night time storms

2011-08-22T22:51:00.000-05:00

The bell rings after dinner at 9 tonight and everyone heads to their dorm rooms. Almost as soon as we walk into the dorm a storm hits and the power goes out. Tons of teenage girls are screaming in the dark while attempting to rescue their drying clothes from the rain. Whitney and I continued to help the girls with their homework by both candle and cell phone light. I love my evenings with the kids.

Something old and something new

2011-08-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a place can remind you so much of places you have been before and at the same time feel so foreign. Sunday was more relaxing than our big adventure on Saturday. We went down town to relax, get some coffee and get a bit of shopping done. An outdoor market selling books reminded me of Italy. Afterward coffee at a cafe across the street from the cathedral made me think of France. The sights and the smells make me nostalgic yet eager to see and experience more.

The cafe where we sat.

Wesleigh, my beautiful Bellingham friend.

Pomegranates for sale.

Coffee.

Treats.

Hibiscus ice tea.

Dessert coffee.

Bubbles in our drinks.

Seattle friends.

Bailey is the sweetest, she got this bottle for me to use for a vase on my work desk!

She is the best.

A lovely summer day filled with sweets and treats.

More from the streets of Tepoztlan

2011-08-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Colors of the streets.

Homemade bath oils.

More colors.

Jam.

Strawberry. Banana. And. Apple.

Ice cream.

Art on the buildings.

Allie was trying out my camera.

Wesleigh's new dress.

Best dressed couple thus far.

More colors.

Churches.

Even more colors.

Cactus and graffiti.

Tepoztlan

2011-08-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

A day trip to a vey quaint little town and a hike up to the ruins of a historic city called Tepozteco.

Spending some time out in the sun with some lovely ladies was exactly what I wanted on my descanso weekend.

A big week

2011-08-14T02:04:00.001-05:00

As some of you may know, my roommates and I have recently adopted a baby bunny. Finding a name for our new pet has proved to be quite difficult. So far we have come up with either "Peter Paul and Nellie" (in honor of the two Dutch people who left Mexico yesterday after spending about a month with the kids helping to put in a play. We are considering naming the bunny after them to help us to remember their generosity. Some of us, I won't name any names, but some of the roommates aren't too keen on giving one bunny three names. So the other names that have seemed to stick for the last 24 hours or so are "Pepe" or "B-Money". I will keep you all up to date on the naming of the rabbit and if you have any suggestions, feel free to shoot them my way.

I'm sure that by now, my secret is out regarding my dislike for pets. So perhaps it was a bit of a surprise to you that I have assisted in adopting this small creature that seems to poop every few seconds. Another necessary fact you might find helpful for this tale to make a bit more sense is the fact that although I am eating meat here in Mexico, I am truly a vegetarian at heart and I would not wish an animal to die in vain. Here is the story of how we adopted this new friend.

Peter Paul and Nellie, two individuals from Holland, recently helped us put on a theater productions with some of the kids who were interested in participating. The play was about....well... I'm not totally sure what it was about since I'm still struggling with my Spanish. But, the actors and actresses did a great job and seemed to have a great deal of fun. They worked so hard to not only memorize their lines but also to help in creating an entire set with very few materials. Many of the pequenos who were not acting in the play got involved by helping with the set. I went in a few times to see what they were up to and found tons of kids listening to loud pop music and painting various structures for the set. I ended up creating a tree for the set with one of the girls. The tools that were used to create this amazing set were extremely simple which was totally impressive to me. Lots of recycled cardboard, paint an glue. Almost everything in the play was created by the kids and it turned out completely amazing.

The day prior to the performance my roommate Whitney heard a rumor that a certain scene in the play involved killing a bunny and what was worse was that they had got a real bunny for the purpose of this scene. We were horrified. Whitney, Bailey and I were extremely stressed about this news and were determined to stop it. We were debating all day what we could do to change this situation. Later we find out that either they decided not to kill the rabbit or that they were just playing a horrible trick on us. Relieved to hear this news we all put the thought out of our mind. Only a few hours before the play is about to begin we are informed that there is no one to take care of the bunny. There is no plan for the bunny after the play is finished.

Being volunteers here at NPH our room and board is taking care of but we don't make much extra money so the idea of paying to feed a rabbit is a little bit difficult for us to consider. An employee here at NPH, Erika who is also a vegetarian decides that she could help us pay for the bunny if we take care of it. So there you have it. We have adopted a baby bunny and our friend Erika is the "Madrena" which is what we call a godmother here at NPH. All of the pequenos have a madrena who contributes monthly to their cost of living here. So we now have an adopted bunny and a sponsor to help us support our new orphan.

Thank you for being with us on this episode of vagabond-train-tramp as we told the story of how an adorable, baby bunny came into the life of a cold hearted girl named Meghan.

In case anyone was interested in donating....

2011-08-09T22:18:00.000-05:00

Part of my job is to keep a fundraising website up to date and current with the needs of our homes here in Mexico. For the past few weeks I have been sending out thank you letters along with pictures of the products that we purchased with their donations. But today made some updates on the website and because I am so proud of my work I would like to share it with all of you.

First of all, the site is called My Good Shop

I like it because it makes donations fun and easy. It feels like you aren't just giving money to an organization that needs it. You are becoming a part of these kids lives by knowing exactly where you money will be going and who it will be helping.

Feel free to continue checking it out as I make changes throughout the year!

(Girls Dorm on the NPH campus)

Summa Summa Time

2011-08-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Bonfires and Mallows.

It feels like summer time.

Magic. Soccer in the rain is magic to me.

2011-08-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

If you were surprised to read the title of this blog post, you are not the only one. I was surprised when the thought came into my head. I'm not much of a sports person and although I'm not too much of a girly-girl, being a member of the swim team and a cheerleader in high school are good examples of how little I enjoy sports that use a ball. This is why I was so surprised when I recently realized that I adore soccer here in Mexico. Now, don't get too excited because I've only played twice and I was pretty much terrible so I'm not on my way to a new career or anything. However, watching these kids enjoy this sport in the poring down rain could bring a smile to anyones face. And joining in on the fun might even make you laugh, even if the laughter is directed at yourself.

The Memory Project

2011-07-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

Ben Schumaker arrived here in Cuernavaca on Thursday evening. Ben runs a nonprofit called The Memory Project. The website is www.thememoryproject.org and here is a quote about his organization.

"The Memory Project is a unique initiative in which art students create portraits (drawings, paintings, graphic design, etc) for children and teens around the world who have been orphaned, neglected, or disadvantaged.

To do this, the artists receive photos of kids waiting for portraits and then work from those photos to create the portraits. Next, we deliver the portraits to the kids as special gifts, and we also take photos of them holding the portraits.

The goal of the project is to inspire caring, global friendship, and a positive sense of self."

Bits and pieces of my job

2011-07-22T21:38:00.001-05:00

One piece of my job is that I work in the department entitled projects. Updating a website called www.mygoodshop.org will be one of my main focuses for projects. Basically I will figure out what is needed in the two houses here in Mexico and then update the website so that people in other countries can "purchase" items for us. Then once a person donates the money to us so that we can buy whatever product they purchased, it is my job to take pictures to send to the donors to prove that we did in fact spend their money on the things they wanted us to.

In Miacatlan we have a small garden and farm. Currently on the farm we have some pollitos (baby chicks). I believe that is what they are called. Although I have received mixed reviews when I use that word. Anyway, recently on the website we were asking people to help us buy chicken feed so for the thank you pictures I will be sending to the donors I took the following pictures to prove that we do in fact have cute little chicks and that we are feeding them.

I know what you are thinking. I have the funnest job in the world. Taking pictures of adorable children and baby chicks. Yes, you are right. Parts of my job are very fun. However, you have no idea how difficult and time consuming it was to get just a few girls to come do a quick photo shoot with me. NPH is like a well oiled machine that you have to figure out how to jump into. If not. You get left behind. This organization has been around for over 50 years so parts of it can be very structured. In the summer there are activities going on almost constantly so it was difficult to pull a few kids aside for a 15 minute break. With the help of a few volunteers who speak better Spanish than I, the task was completed eventually.

And here is the end result of my photo shoot day.

Mi nueva casa

2011-07-21T21:05:00.001-05:00

The room I share with Bailey. We considered using matching blankets on our beds so we would match but we decided that was too much too soon for our friendship.

I brought my Nikki Mcclure art to help decorate.

Clothing.

Living room area. Kitchen is on the other side of the archway.

View of the sunrise from my living room.

And this my loves, is where I will be living for the next year.

"We are home"

2011-07-20T00:26:00.000-05:00

We eat all of our meals in what we call the comedor. The comedor is basically a cafeteria but I believe the word translates to dinning room. NPh has a very low food budget because most of the food is produced by us or else donated. Yesterday in Miacatlan I saw where the fruits and Vegetables are grown as well as where the animals are kept before slaughtering. The foods we eat are pretty basic and plain. Some meals are better than others, but it's all eatable. Lots of beans, rice and tortillas. Sometimes a meat that is difficult to identify and often the donated fruits and veggies are clearly what could not be sold in the stores. Tonight though. Tonight was pretty darn good. It was cold and rainy tonight so the hot meal was just what Bailey and I needed. This might not sound very exciting but I will share with you what we ate. A rice pilaf sort of thing, so rice with some spices and veggies in it. Coupled with lentils, which we have not had the privilege of consuming so far. And all of this topped with what we thought at first were french fries but they turned out to be sort of like potato chips that were in the shape of french fries. Very strange I know but quite delicious. And after Bailey's first bite she said "Yuuuuum. We are home".

?Donde es Meghan?

2011-07-19T22:30:00.001-05:00

I realize that it might be a bit late for this as I have already been out of the U.S. for over two weeks now, but I thought I would give you all an idea of where I am in case you didn't know. I am living in the town of Cuernavaca which is south of Mexico City. And the other orphanage where I will be traveling to for work every few weeks and where many of the other volunteers will be working is in a town called Miacatlan. You can see on the second map that Miacatlan is south west of Cuernavaca.

I hope this gives everyone more of an idea of where I am going to be spending my time over this next year.

The start of something new

2011-07-17T17:37:00.000-05:00

Alli, a fellow volunteer, is celebrating her 22nd Birthday today. As I stated in my last post, this weekend is our descanso weekend so we did some exploring as well as some eating and celebrating.

This. Was perhaps the best burrito of my life. Vegetarian and only 35 pasos.

I am tempted by these churros each and everyday.

Breakfast food for dinner in honor of Alli's Birthday.

After dinner the group went dancing. For some very strange reason I assumed that the bars and clubs closed at two in the morning as they do in the States. Wrong. All of a sudden it was three A.M. and the dance floor was just as packed as when we had arrived. I realize that I might get a lot of shit for this, however, I was shocked last night at just how much of an old soul I am. Have I been aging at a more rapid rate than other people in their twenties? I seem to remember only a few years ago being able to dance all night long, and as much as I honestly adore dancing, staying out till four or five in the morning is something that I will not be able to do again for a long time.

First descanso

2011-07-17T16:55:00.000-05:00

The Spanish word descanso translates to rest. Descanso is what we call our free weekends. And this weekend is the first free weekend as volunteers here at NPH. It is also the last weekend that the 6 new volunteers will have together because in the future we will be split into two groups and getting our descanso every other weekend.

To take advantage of our free time we did a bit of exploring.

Jardin Borda

Catedral de Cuernavaca

I will not.

2011-07-16T19:38:00.000-05:00

I will not lie and I will not exaggerate.

Tonight I was caught in the biggest rain storm of my life. Here in Cuernavaca it is the rainy season so it has been raining really hard in the evenings and during the night. Sometimes thunder and lightening. But tonight. Tonight was different. I honestly thought I might not make it home. I was on the ruta (bus) with Wesleigh, a fellow volunteer from the Seattle area, and we could not see out the windows to see when our ruta stop was. And when we finally figured out where to get off the ruta we had to jump across a river of rapidly flowing water. We then had to walk only a block and a half home, unfortunately it was through fast moving water that went to the middle of our calves.

As I was trekking through this rain storm I kept picturing myself falling due to the current and being whisked quickly down the river road.

Speaking of rivers and roads.

There is a lovely song that I highly recommend called rivers and roads and I thought of it today during my adventure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8yLwuDi2mA

The prom I never had

2011-07-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

Recently I listened to an episode of This American Life with many different stories and each of them about prom. The first was a story of a group of kids who had a tornado hit their town while they were in prom. The others were stories reminding us of how important the prom may or may not have been to us at the time. Looking back on my prom I can't help but think of how much money I must have spent on that evening. And not only that but how much money our student body must have spent on it. And in all honesty, I'm not sure that I had that great of a time. This past weekend I was able to attend a prom like after graduation party here at NPH.

Everything about it was lovely. The thing that struck me the most was that as far our standards go in the U.S. for a prom, the decorations were fairly simple. Here at NPH it's not like there is a huge amount of money flying around so spending money on extravagant things like prom decorations is not the biggest concern. But I can say without hesitation that the kids seemed to have more fun than I did at my own prom. Every single person spent the evening dancing for hours in the hot heat.

I was also so thankful that we as the volunteers were included in their celebration. The kids never failed to make us feel welcome in their circles of movement. This year prom was filled with dancing, laughter and sincere excitement that you cannot buy.

Here are the volunteers and I taking modeling tips from Natascha for our prom photos.

Graduation weekend

2011-07-10T00:42:00.000-05:00

Our first weekend here in at NPH is a big one. The graduation weekend. Friday we went to Miacatlan for the graduation for the kids leaving kindergarden, elementary school and middle school. The majority of the ceremony is the same as it would be in the states but the unique part is that all of the graduating classes perform a dance for the audience before they get their diplomas. Yes, even the kinders. Cute. Very cute.

What struck me most about these graduations was actually that many of the kid's god parents, or sponsors, flew in for the graduation. I found it quite touching that so many people have such personal relationships with the kids that they sponsor.

Saturday was the high school graduation followed by a dance where the other volunteers and I danced the night away with the kids. They were filled with such joy that it would have been difficult not to have a good time at this function.

Here are a few pictures of Miacatlan and the graduations.

!Felicidades!

Some faces to the names.

2011-07-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

As I stated in my last entry. There are two locations that are relatively close to one another here in Mexico. One in Cuernavaca and the other in Miacatlan. Bailey and I will be staying here in Cuernavaca where our language school is and the rest of the new volunteers will be working in Miacatlan. Although we will not all be working together on a daily basis we are getting quite close. I feel that we have created a small family and I want you all to know a bit about them.

Oh and perhaps you might like a back story regarding these photos. Natascha who I will talk about later, bought us all these little chocolate eggs. They look like a cadbury egg. But inside is a toy. Her generosity mixed with our childlike curiosity created an immense amount of entertainment. But hey, I guess since we will be making about 2 US dollars a day we will need to find new ways to entertain ourselves.

First. Bailey. I have mentioned her before. Fellow Seattlite but went to school in Portland. Studied Biology and minored in Spanish. A vegetarian and perhaps the most interesting sense of humor I have ever witnessed. She can make me laugh almost hourly.

Second is Natascha. Natascha is from Switzerland and is going to be the physical therapist at the orphanage. As far as I know, Natascha knows German, Spanish, English and perhaps some French. There could be more but either way I am impressed as I am struggling to learn only my second language. Today we learned that Natascha was once a runway model and even trained by J.Alexander of America's next top model (also pictured below)

Next is Becca. Becca was a Spanish major and is from Boston. Boston, I would like to add is one of the cities in the world to where I am most called to be one day. Becca is so excited to see the children at Miacatlan and her enthusiasm is intoxicating. A fun fact about Becca is that she loves to read Broadway world, which I can only assume is like a news website about what is happening in the world of theater.

Alli. What is there to say? I already adore this girl. She is cute and spunky and was a kindergarden teacher. Just like Becca she is full of enthusiasm and excitement to play games and sing songs with the kids. Perhaps they will do some real work as well. She hates vegetables but she loves to dance so I think I'll let the vegetable thing slide.

And last, but certainly not least. The only male in our group right now. Sean DeWolf. Sean is PreMed and from The SanFran Bay Area and is going to work in the health clinic in Miacatlan. Sean has a sarcastic sense of humor that always keeps us on our toes. He is also helping me a lot with my Spanish which is very kind of him.

And that is our little group of new volunteers here at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos!

24 hours down and 8,736 to go.

2011-07-05T00:32:00.001-05:00

I am happy to report that I turned 24 on the 1st of July. Yay for finally being in my mid-twenties. Then on the 2nd I went to the wedding of my dear friends Carrie Pope and Dave Smith. The wedding was lovely but sadly I had to leave sooner than I wanted due to the fact that I needed to finish my packing. Later that night I was exchanging tearful goodbyes with my friends and flying to my new home.

I met Bailey, a fellow volunteer on the plane from Seattle and we are getting along very well so far. We have a lot in common and she is very sweet.

Once we arrive in Mexico City we still have to travel to Cuernavaca. Thankfully we were picked up by the volunteer coordinator. I am not totally sure how long the car ride was because I slept the whole way to the orphanage. After a small amount of settling in we went out for tacos which were AMAZING. Bailey is a vegetarian so it is nice for us to have each other. I am gathering that she is thankful that I understand her way of thinking. But as some of you may know, I have been practicing being carnivorous for the last few months, and let me tell you, slow cooked pork tacos are fantastic. Holy Hannah. I am in heaven with this food.

For the next two weeks I will be in language school in the morning and then orientations in the afternoon. I am feeling optimistic and excited about improving my Spanish but at the same time I am a bit embarrassed because my classmate is a 15 year old boy who is kicking my butt. His name is Ben and we have a strange relationship. At first I felt that he was very proud to be better (only slightly) at Spanish and that he was talking down to me a bit. But then once he found out that we had similar taste in music I think he fell in love with me. He says he will play me some music on his guitar sometime. I'm just hoping he shares his Spanish work book with me so that I do not have to buy one.

The NPH orphanages in this area are separated by age. I will be in Cuernavaca but the other location is Miacatlan. Miacatlan has the younger kids and where I am is the older kids, the high school age. At first I was disappointed not to be around the young kids at least a little bit, but now I am getting used to it and I think I will enjoy this location. It is a much bigger city so more to do and see. Also. I hear the cook at my location is a bit better than the other so that is music to my ears. Today my lunch was scrambled eggs with some veggies in them along with beans and toast and then TONS of fruit and then you can put salsa on the eggs and beans. And to drink is a like a fruit water. I think they pureed some cantaloupe and then mixed it with water. Muy interestante!

Thus far I have enjoyed every second of this experience. Of course I get nervous and fear that I will not be qualified enough or that my Spanish will never improve to where it needs to be. But the other volunteers are so supportive and encouraging. I have faith that this will be a good move for me and that it will be a transforming experience.

Pictures to come!

Mid twenties. Here I come.

2011-07-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

A lovely Seattle day for a Birthday adventure.

Farmers market on a boat.

It was a surprise to me as well.

Salad buffet.

Girls in the kitchen.

Glorious food.

Blood orange infused olive oil mixed with Cucumber melon balsamic vinegar.

Check.

Fancy cocktails made by Molly Anne.

Check.

Chocolate Stout cake.

Trust me. It's amazing.

Girlfriends.

Volunteer Park Cafe.

Only good things happen here.

Our Chicken friends.

My little fairy named July. A gift made by baby Sam at fairy art day camp.

Snack time.

Lime and cilantro cookie, I believe.

Adding changes to our Birthday fun list.

Post cards are for lovers.

My Birthday gift of sound.

Monica's mind is blown.

Sunbathing.

Writing postcards to our loves and to strangers.

Hand pies for Lunch.

A dramatic afternoon nap.

Three reasons to end the day with Molly Moons ice cream.

1. It was my Birthday.

2. Becca got a shot. (see snoop dog bandage below)

And

3. Becca would argue that EVERYDAY is a Molly Moons day.

"Boy, you got my heartbeat runnin away"

2011-05-31T18:21:00.000-05:00

Not being a vegetarian 101

2011-05-31T18:10:00.000-05:00

More on the streets

2011-05-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

Seoul

Looking out over the city of Seoul

2011-05-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

You know Namsan Tower?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N8c1t1QTDI

Just getting some work done at school

2011-05-22T23:13:00.001-05:00

on the streets in Seoul

2011-05-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Gyeongbung Palace, Seoul SoKo

2011-05-19T02:13:00.001-05:00

Yongin, SoKo

2011-05-18T02:18:00.000-05:00

On my daily walks around Yongin.

fried food and lumberjack shows

2010-09-01T01:55:00.000-05:00

An Alaskan experience
The Alaska State Fair
Started the day with popcorn

Ended it with Cotton Candy

Carmel apples in the middle

Fried Cheese Curds for lunch

Block of cheese fries for second lunch

Beers

Wine bars and JC

Wine and friends

Lavender Champagne

WELCOME TO THE LUMBERJACK SHOW!

Log rolling competition

Tree climbing? I'm not sure what it's actually called...

I'm not sure what to say about this one...

Moose love

Iverson and Dowling

2010-08-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

Love is love

Magic in the sky

The bride isn't running away, just running

The bride and her ladies

Corrie and Nathan; Brides maid and Marriage officiant

Sometimes even the small ones wish to be tall

It's a look of love

The whole party

The boys

The glow

Till death do us part

Getting ready for the toss

Prom style photo shoot

New sisters at prom

Reception fun
Val in the flowers
Me with some champagne
Jill the DJ
First dance

Love is love

views from my daily bike rides

2010-08-11T00:47:00.000-05:00

Denali

2010-08-11T00:35:00.001-05:00

Pizza in Talkeetna on the way to Denali

Salmon, spinach, garlic, tomatoes and capers.
All things that belong on pizza.

All done and completely full.

View from the lodge.

Mt. Mickinley; the highest point in North America.