sometimes things break

i made a short video of some of the "fails" of our year here in Ostrava.  you have to go to this website to view it though:

http://www.vimeo.com/5328977

just a glimpse

at all the fun the ESIers have had this past year in the Czech Republic  

http://www.vimeo.com/5230482

Monster's in lockets

Today, I would like to go to my grandma's house.  

We would play poker and go fish, and eat the best corn on the cob in the world.  She would wear one of her glamorous blouses and some of her costume jewelry because its fun.

  

She would sip her Manhattan during cocktail hour, and kindly watch me do whatever unimpressive act I'd begged attention for.   

She would sit by my bed and scratch my back, promising not to leave until she was absolutely certain I was fully asleep.  However, never wanting to actually fall asleep, I'd ask her, for the millionth time, who was in her locket.  And, for the millionth time, she would tell me MONSTERS!  I would open the locket for proof and instead find me and my brother, smiling with teeth too big for our round faces.  

Some days, I think about my grandma again and truly miss her.  And wonder what it would be like to sit and have a Manhattan with her now.  I'd tell her I graduated high school and college, since it was always important to her.  I'd tell her all about my travels, and because she always told me to spend my money on memories, not items, I think she would just get it.  I'd tell her that no one has been able to perfectly replicate her cookies, bread or chicken and probably never will.  And i'd tell her how proud of my mom she would be if she could see him with mike now.  

I'd want to know everything....her old stories about the war, and the golf course, and dancing.  I would want to know her thoughts and opinions and advice...  yup. today i want to go to my grandma's house. 

Invisible for now

Years ago, in the states, the Invisible Children documentary toured all around and I was able to see it. There was a global night commute arranged that involved the whole nation. Each city planned their out route, and on the same night, everyone walked miles to some open area where we all slept for the night, and then walked back in the morning, as a demonstration for what the children in Uganda had to do every night. It was to bring government attention to the issue and try to get them involved in helping Uganda find peace. 
The video continued to tour around, outside of the US since then and we were able to have them send us the video along with the script so that we could get czech subtitles and the okay to show it in our town. . 

 

INVISIBLE CHILDREN: THE RESCUE!

And OSTRAVA is trying to be a part of the change :)

Background info:

For 23 years, the government of Uganda and a rebel group called the Lords Resistance Army, led by 

a man named Joseph Kony, has engaged in Africa’s longest war. In recent years, peace was seem- 

ingly within reach, largely due to the Juba Peace Talks that began in July 2006. However, despite a 

ceasefire signed between the LRA and Ugandan government, efforts toward peace through the Juba 

Peace Talks were stalled on several occasions by Kony’s refusal to sign the final peace agreement. 

Kony’s absence at the peace agreement signing on November 29, 2008 proved his promises to be 

futile and ultimately disabled the peace talks. Furthermore, the ICC has obtained evidence that Kony 

used the ceasefire during the peace talks to regroup, regain strength and resume child abductions. 

Joseph Kony is the world’s first individual indicted by the International Criminal Court for crimes 

against humanity. 

Since September 2008, hostility in the Orientale province in DR Congo and Western Equatoria in 

South Sudan has reached a feverish pitch. In apparent desperation and a renewed will to spread 

terror to DR Congo, the LRA murdered over six hundred and abducted more than one hundred and 

sixty children to fight amongst its ranks. More than 104,000 Congolese have been displaced since 

Christmas in attempts to escape the LRA forces. A civil war, originally contained within Uganda’s 

borders, has now evolved into a widespread regional crisis. Invisible Children, in concert with other 

policy organizations including Resolve Uganda, The Enough Project, Human Rights Watch and Am- 

nesty International, now believes an international effort to apprehend Kony and rescue his child sol- 

diers is the most viable way to end the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today.  

The Rescue Event Summary 

On April 25th, 2009 the international community will unite to deliver the innocent from Kony’s reign 

and ensure he is brought to justice. Thousands of participants will gather in 100 cities across the 

world to symbolically abduct themselves to free the abducted. 

We were abducted

 on April 25th at 3pm and

 marched in a single file line, on foot, 

to city hall (“LRA Camp”) while carrying any supplies needed for the night 

on our backs.  

Once we arrived at the LRA Camp, we set up our “camp” and waited to be “rescued." - meaning we wanted a politician, famous person, or the media to show up, acknowledge the situation in Uganda, and choose to be a part of the change.  (the first photo at the top is Laura's and its of us sleeping)

While at the "LRA camp," we painted signs and pictures, sang songs, wrote letters to politicians and chose to believe in hope and peace to come in Uganda.



It was so great to be a part of this in Ostrava.  

It is often hard for people to look at injustices that seem beyond repair... and this issue does seem way beyond peace. But i truly love that normal people found the story and cared enough about it to do something and to alter their world. Invisible Children has become a global movement, and it was started by some kids.  It is inspiring. And Im grateful this story has found me again in my life because it has reminded me what it feels like to care about something and reconfirmed my love/fascination/passion for children.   

Oh birthday...It's you again

Every year I increasingly hate my birthday.  This year included.  I have grown an extreme and unhealthy hatred of growing older and have managed to become bitter about it at the age of 24…which, I know, I know, is not that old.  I began to worry about myself…

I believe I have been mourning the loss of childhood and dwelling in all that is over and impossible for me.  Why am I the only one that misses high school and college?  (And, I’ve never wanted to be an adult because I’ve seen so many that are too responsible and practical for dreams and too jaded and tired for passion and I’m afraid of becoming that.) I am not happy for my friends that are getting married or starting careers.  To be honest, I don’t understand them, and am almost mad at them for leaving me…for growing up.  I’m not ready.  And their choices are only further highlighting the fact that I am alone in this thought.  I am mad at them because they are confirming that I am the crazy one. And I am.  I am, most definitely, stuck in an in-between of sorts. 

Even admitting this is fairly embarrassing to me because it reveals a contradiction I am sitting in.  I truly believe that each phase of life has something crazy beautiful and wonderfully unique to experience and celebrate.  My grandma loved life more than anyone I’ve ever known and I always wanted to be just like her, embracing all of it.  But, I’m clearly not like her.  I think I might be ready to fight to be though. 

And I think it might be easier when I have an actual career direction to work towards or a love to believe in.  I need something, anything, that exists in the next phase of life to come and help me want to move towards it.  Yet currently, all I see what has ended with no where to go.  So until I do… I guess I must change the things I can control:  Don’t go to places where I’ll be the old, out of place one and feel weird.  Don’t watch teen

 shows and try to relate to them or reminisce through them.  Attempt environments that are age-appropriate and motivating.  Change my attitude.  Decide to be happy for those around me that are embracing the next phase.  Move on. 

Whether I like it or not, I am getting older. Every day I am.  I might not ever be as pretty or bright eyed as I once was.  But the things I lose will be replaced with new and difference beautiful attributes about growing up.  As least I hope.  And in all honesty, I know that I am currently, terribly sad about my birthday.  I can’t claim to have felt any change in my attitude yet.  But as least I am claiming and understanding why I am so sad about it and hopefully that will exist as my first step in changing my outlook and choosing growing up instead of just growing old. 

(But just to be sure… I still don’t ever want to be a typical adult.  I hope my “adult” still looks like me…believing in dreams and change, creativity and a bit of madness.)

Words i love

I recently read a Paulo Coehlo book called "Like the Flowing River."  There were a few times that he seemed to have quoted my own thoughts, only more eloquently of course.  Some are about love and these are my favorites:

"I can only conclude that worse than hunger or thirst, worse than being unemployed, unhappy in love or defeated and in despair, far worse than any or all of those things, is feeling that no one, absolutely no one, cares about us."

“In order to attain our objectives, we need other people. It is necessary, therefore, not only to observe the world, but to imagine ourselves into the skins of other people, and to learn how to follow their thoughts.  This applies to both love and war.”

“Love creates bridges where it would seem they were impossible.”

“It’s a shame that people see only the differences that separate them. If you were to look with more love, you would mainly see what we have in common, then half the world’s problems would be solved.” 

I also must agree with this travel thought:

"Traveling was the best way of learning….Don’t compare. You are not traveling in order to prove that you have a better life than other people.  Your aim is to find out how other people live, what they can teach you, how they deal with reality and with the extraordinary.  A journey is an adventure – experience the freedom of looking for something – quite what, you don’t know, but which, if you find it, will, you can be sure, change your life."   

Yup.  Agreed.

Venice...again!

My parents came in town to visit!  Super exciting for me after being away from them for almost 8 months straight.  I couldnt wait to see how they would react to the european environment and was excited to see them absorb my "normal" life there.  But it started off with us going to Venice for a 4 day wedding.  Jody and Jennifer (people i have always heard about from my parents but never actually met)  had a magical destination wedding.  They got married in the catacombs of st marks basilica.  NUTS!  It was crazy beautiful and for four days i ate 17 course meals with drinks to match each round and talked with some of the most kind and interesting i have met in  a while.  Everyone had such adventures and stories to tell and it was incredibly nice to speak english in a fast pace with wit and banter.  Ok so here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures from the long weekend...

While in Venice we got to go to a glassblowing factory/museum.  I love the ambiance of this room.. and this chandelier is aaaamazing.
Not a postcard... its real life.
My mom and me, just taking a walk in europe.
cute cute cute
The view from our fabulous room in our fabulous hotel for a fabulous destination wedding.

Apparently my parents dance just as much as I do... thats where that came from.  It was fun to listen to their insane questions and unrealistic advice.  But that can wait for a different blog for when they came to my ostrava life!