It's November?

I am overdue for a blog update as Paul has been doing pretty much all of them since we came back from Guyana.  Honestly, I didn't feel like there was much to talk about.  We were living with my parents for the first few months, moved to work at a camp for the summer, and are now living in Seattle.  I guess that's where I'll pick up.

We moved to Seattle in September for Paul's graduate school.  I never thought I'd like living in city but Seattle is amazing!  We can walk to the grocery store, a library, the post office, breakfast, lunch, dinner - you name it.  It is fall and I know that by the weather and not just by a calendar.  I now have a job working as a nanny for an absolutely amazing family.  They have four wonderful children and I'm so thankful I found them (and they found me).  They were worth the wait in my search for the right family to work with, and though the hours are long I always wake up ready to go to work and excited for my day.  No complaints.

Not only have we been horrible at updating the blog, but I think we've taken about 10 pictures since we came back 9 months ago.  I'll post a few so at least you know we really are alive.

We went to a pumpkin patch with some friends from Paul's school.  It was so good to get outside and pick pumpkins, go on a hay ride, and do something cliche for fall.  I've missed my favorite season.

Paul met a guy at school that also surfs.  They are now friends as though they've known one another for years.  They took Sa'sa to the beach a few weeks ago.  

Maybe I'll get some pictures from the summer at camp up here soon.  Maybe.  Just maybe.

Is how you play a symptom of who you are?

Recently I sat down with a professor during his office hours, or "studio hours" as he likes to refer it. I came in with a specific question regarding the cannon of scripture, but the conversation eventually turned into us just getting to know each other. Asking about family, where we are from, that sort of thing.

 At one point when I was sharing my story of working in churches, feeling sort of lost, and living in Monkey Mountain he asked me a question that caught me off guard.
 "Do you enjoy extreme sports?"
"Well, ya. I surf, skate, snowboard, just learned how to wake board this summer. I love to travel and do active things. I guess I never really thought about it. Its just something I do. A part of who I am." I replied.

The question felt so random, yet so right that it has me really thinking. Is what we choose to do a result of who we are? Or is who we are a result of what we choose to do?

Our life stories scream of who we are and who we are is defined by the stories we have lived. The joy, pain, triumph, success and tragedy have all shaped us into who we are. The way we interact with people, view the world and even play can all be defined by what we have experienced.

I think I used to be in the camp that what we do defines who we are. You know, you like to read therefore you should go into academia, or you like to argue so you should become a trial lawyer. But the more I learn about my life story I think that who I am defines, or should define, what I choose to do. I surf because I enjoy being active in nature and the solitude. I don't craft or dance ballet because I love nature, I get out and live it.

What do you think?

To Be Told

Graduate school is difficult. Not only is it demanding of my time, money and mind, but it asks much of me emotionally.

So far I am at the stage where all my preconceived notions about the being of God and the bible are being challenged and its scary. Not scary because I have never asked these questions of my faith, but because I worry if these bedrocks I have held are faulty then what I will have to stand on.

Someone asked me earlier this week how I felt about school so far and I told them that I felt, "like I have been treading water, but i'm slowly going under. I am tired, so I sink, but then I find a hidden source of energy to catch a quick breath, only to sink again."

 Questions are good. They lead to answers and not just half-assed, well-rehearsed answers but true ownership of what I have faith in. A good story requires struggles and challenges. We shall see where this new step in our adventure takes us.

I'm taking a great class right now, called "Faith, Hope and Love," where we examine the concepts of Faith (that the past is true), Love (for the church and all of humanity in the present) and Hope (for the future).  It is taught by a brilliant psychologist Dan Allender who has us reading a book he wrote called To Be Told. In his book we are asked to analyze our story from the joys and triumphs, to the painful tragedies, all of which shape us into who we are and who God is calling us to be.

 A major component of our story is the people, you, we choose to live in community with. Outside of our spouses and parents we know each other best. So, with Dr. Allender's suggestions, I (Paul) ask a favor of all of you. What do you know about me? How would you describe me to others? What do you see as my strengths and weaknesses? I ask this, not as a complete narcissist but as someone who wishes to learn more about himself so that he can better his story for the glory of God, oh, and for class.

New Address

Friends and Family,
Alyssa and I just moved to this sweet basement apartment north of the city. It has everything we need and nothing we don't, except maybe the T.V. mounted on the wall. We have a yard for gardening space and so the dog can run, plus the rent is way cheaper than our expected price. It means we have a new address, so if you want it send us an e-mail and we will give it to you.

6 Months Back

As of 11pm tonight Alyssa and I will have officially been back from Guyana 6 months. It has been a crazy 6 months with lots of change and major life decisions being made. We weekly reflect on our time in Guyana and often talk about it as if we just left last month.
While we get updates on the happenings in Monkey Mountain and other Peace Corps communities and miss it terribly, we are still glad we made the decision to return. Discussions of living overseas again have crept back into our lives, however, for the time being we are locked in for the next 2 years with graduate school.

Going Back to School

Alyssa and I having both been talking about going back to school ever since we came back from Guyana. Alyssa feels like she needs a few years of professional teaching experience before she goes back so it looks like it will be my turn first. 

As of Wednesday of last week I am officially attending Mars Hill Graduate School, soon to be The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. I'm going to be getting a degree in Christian Studies with an emphasis in global and social partnerships.  Here is the school's description for my program:

 "The Global and Social Partnership Track trains students in developing a mutual relationship with the world based on humility, curiosity, and context while advocating on behalf of God, humanity, and creation. Students learn to engage their local community with a global perspective, marked by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while mindful of the shift toward a post colonial context."

Sounds sweet, huh?

I just registered for the fall yesterday and I will be taking some really sweet classes like the Intro to Hermeneutical Task: the Art of Reading Beyond Page, Faith, Hope and Love: ultimate relationship concerns and Interpersonal Foundations. As Alyssa said after the first time we visited the campus, "this place is made for you."

I still have no idea what I will use this degree for, but living overseas is coming into our conversations more and more frequently. As for now we have faith that this is where we need to be for this season of our lives. 

Pray for direction!

Road Trip to California!

Early May, Paul and I loaded up the car and drove down to San Diego.  Our visit was multifaceted. We drove down to see good friends, see Paul’s sister graduate from college, and spend some time with family (part of which was in Hawaii!).

We left from the Seattle area with the destination of San Diego.  It may have taken us three days to get down there, but we were so amazed by how beautiful it was.  Washington is completely different from Oregon, which is completely different from Northern California, which is completely different from Southern California (oh my goodness).  We’d done the drive once before, only in reverse, and a good part of it was at night so we weren’t able to see as much.  This time was all day driving. 

We tried to get a picture of us in the car.  This turned out better than the rest.

 Long trips require entertainment.  We didn't bring any, so I became the entertainment.

This is Sa'sa's favorite spot in the car.  Please notice Paul's sunglasses.

We used cruise control most of the way, but much to our dismay found ourselves back in six lane traffic mid-California.  Ugh.  I do not miss Southern California driving at all.  I went from a steady flow of traffic to absolute craziness.  I had to have Paul turn off the music and turn up the AC just so I could concentrate.  Yuck. 

Sa’sa was awesome.  One advantage to her being on the smaller side is her portability.  She slept most of the time in the back with the cooler, and we made sure to run her every few hours at a rest stop.  She’s a trooper.  I kind of love her.  

From this to this.....

Failure x 2

So, I failed to follow through.  Like I said before, our life for the first three months after Peace Corps was a bit mundane.  As you can tell from the next few photos, much of what we did revolved around cold weather and dogs. 

Paul's parents and sister did come to visit as well.  Strangely enough, we spent three months with my family and don't have a single picture to prove it.  

The first three months back were trying, to say the least.  We are incredibly overstimulated as North Americans, surrounded by constant noise in every sense of the word.  We still question why we are back in the United States, especially earlier than expected.  We loved our time in the village and talk about it every day without fail.  I don't think that was the last time Paul and I will live overseas immersed in a different culture, but for now we are here and enjoying time with family, friends, and the comfort of warm showers.

Failure

It's been my turn to update the blog for awhile now.  Seeing as how we are both unemployed and living with my parents, there was little blog-worthy to talk about.  Our life was rather boring and I'm sure you wouldn't find anything we would have posted interesting.  I'm not exaggerating.

That has changed.  May has been nothing short of wonderful.  I pinkie promise to update the blog (with photos this time) before the week is out.  Don't give up on us!

Love Alyssa

Things That We Appreciate and Miss (now that we are home)

We apologize that it has been such a long time between posts. I decided that it would be a good idea to share with all of you some of the things that we appreciate about the U.S.A. now that we are home and some of the things that we miss from Monkey Mountain. I (Paul) have been attempting to add one item to this list every day as a way of readjusting to life back in the states. Check it out:

Things I Appreciate

-Good, cold beer

-Health care (trust me, we are not socialists)

-Instant communication
-The cold in general

-Good infrastructure (cities, businesses, etc.)

-Proper community development

-Christian community

-Food choices (Bread, fruits and veggies everyday, orange chicken)

-The quiet

-personal space

-Ice cream

-Cold rain

-Democracy

-Friends

-Family

-Choices, choices, choices!

-Healthy dog

-Fire places

-Reliable transportation

-Customer service

-Veterinary care

-Blue water

Things I Miss

-Focus on the family

-The village life

-Some people in the village

-Freedom

-Nature

-Warmth

-Lisa and Marlon (Our neighbors)

-Stillness/ sound of silence

-Heat

-Hikes

-Bathing in waterfalls

-Nature sounds

-Owning our own house

-Hammock time

-Not being forced to spend money

-Exotic animals

-The sun

-Simplicity!!!

Bringing Sa'sa Home

Paul, Sa'sa and I are home now, safe and sound, and have been for a little over three weeks now.  Crazy story though - the one in the middle almost didn't make it.  

Sa'sa has strangely become the center of our world.  It's a frightening glance as to what we may be like with children of our own.  In preparation for bringing her home we did all matters of research possible.  She was used to planes, having flown on several while in a cardboard box (see below)

 We made sure her shots were up to date, the kennel was exactly the correct dimensions with the right specifications.  We double checked with Delta to make sure she was booked on the flight.  We double checked the fee to get her home - $200 (US, not Guyanese - sigh).

The one thing we didn't do was make sure our credit card hadn't expired.  It had...in January.  Declined. So we tried the debit card.  Also declined, this time due to a shortage of funds in the account.  I had phone numbers for Peace Corps staff and volunteers, only no cellphone.  The payphone in the airport required a phone card, sold outside the building.  I ran to the shop only to find a rather unhelpful man that would only laugh, shake his head, and say, "I don't have those."  Grr.  Disaster.  Tears.

After almost bursting into the sobbing type of tears in front of a security guard, a man with a heart of gold let me use his cellphone.  :)  I called a volunteer, still thank goodness at home, and had her transfer funds from our savings to checking account.  She's pretty amazing.  We ran the card, again, only the same answer - declined.  More tears thinking about my dog forever being a Guyanese dog.

\

So now I'm crying, sitting in front of the kennel with my sweet, helpless Sa'sa in it when a little girl, sweet as can be, comes over asking questions.  "Is this your dog?  What's her name?  Is she nice?  Why are you crying?"  Awfulness.  Serious awfulness.  I'm crying through the answers.  Finally though, a very kind airline employee helped Paul call the debit card company who confirmed there was enough money in our account.  Card still declined and I'm shaking thinking about leaving my dog in Guyana.  A few more swipes of the card and it magically went through.  :)

With just enough time, we ran Sa'sa through security, ran ourselves through security, and grabbed some snacks for the flight.  As we walked to the plane I asked a guy in a fluorescent jacket if a puppy made it aboard.  He said she had.  Success.

Paul and I have slowly adjusted from life in the South American jungle to the rainy (and sometimes snowy) woods of Washington.  Well, we're working on it.  Sa'sa, on the other hand, is doing just fine.

From One Rain Forest to Another

As many of you know Alyssa and I recently left Peace Corps Guyana.

Don't worry everything is fine. My leg was not bitten off by a Jaguar, and no Alyssa is not pregnant, sorry Mom.

After experiencing a year of Peace Corps, we decided that coming home is what was best for us. While there are many factors that contributed to this difficult decision, the isolation, lack of village support and things going back home left us overwhelmed and feeling disconnected.

A few weeks ago we moved into the Alyssa's parent's house in Washington State and have hunkered down to attempt to resocialize. Fortunately, we are surrounded by beautiful forests (see photos) and we have not just been thrown back into city life. We have ventured out a few times only to realize that we have to re-learn to drive a car on the right side and walk into a grocery store without our eyes completely popping out of our skulls, but today we were able to walk into a coffee shop and order a drink. Success!

Our plan from here is to spend a few months processing the last year of our life and then to focus on getting jobs and finding a place to live. Alyssa has, of course, decided to get an upper grade teaching position and to go back to school to get her masters in reading, while I have decided to re-pursue junior high ministry at a local church and go to seminary. The prospects seem slim right now, but we are confident that God will provide.

We would love to talk to all of you and share more of our story, but as you can imagine we are a bit overwhelmed. If you want to chat send us an e-mail and we can set up a time to skype or something. 

Thank you all for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for our sanity, direction and discernment in these next stages of our life.


As always, this blog will document our life adventures, so please keep following us.

A statement that requires no explanation

Sunrises and Sunsets

 Our favorite time of day here is the evening when the sun starts to go down and the village begins to quiet for the night.  We make dinner, do dishes, bathe, put the chickens in the coop, and play with the puppy.  The next two hours are spent under the mosquito net, reading or writing, sometimes just listening to the frogs and crickets outside if the village shop’s generator kicks off early enough.

It’s beautiful.  It’s simple.

And it all begins the next day with the sunrise.

Smoothing Our Walls

A few months ago, after enduring the company of numerous centipedes, spiders, and a scorpion, we decided it was time to smooth our walls.  Smoothing our walls is a big process.  The walls are constructed of pure mud which cracks over time, leaving lots of room for critters and crawlers.  To smooth the walls flat, a mixture of sand and mud is placed over top and smoothed over.  We asked for help and were amazed with the help that came!  We had so many people in our house, working all day long, helping us with the walls.  Someone brought local drink, and I cooked up some beans and rice.  The day ended with us feeling both exhausted and loved. :)

Barbados!

Paul and I aren't generally Barbados vacation people.  We usually prefer something with adventure and hiking.  However, after almost one year in the Peace Corps, we were ready for something a little plush and relaxing.  We had the chance, after Christmas, to take a vacation with Paul's best friend Nate and his wife Emily!  It was amazing, to say the least.  They're great people and we had so much fun together.  The perfect couple to spend a week with!

The beaches were so beautiful!  The water was crystal clear and the sand was littered with shells.

Seriously, there were a lot of shells.

Paul was able to get a couple of hours in surfing too.  

I know that I grew up watching the sun set over the ocean, but it was breathtaking anyways.  We caught the sunset every night that we could, and even on the cloudiest day, it did not disappoint us.

The one tourist type thing that we did was take a lunch cruise on a catamaran that took us to two different snorkeling locations.  We swam with sea turtles, plenty of fish, and explored sunken ships.  After the snorkeling, we had lunch, then sailed along the west coast of the island back to port.

It is incredibly difficult to get a picture of two people underwater.  Trying to fit into the frame of a camera held by someone also underwater led to some funny photos.

Look guys!  It's a turtle!

"Hi Mr. Turtle!"

This turtle bit Paul's foot!  Thankfully it was more like a nibble than an actual bite!

I love you!

Paul was brave enough to swim through some of the dark ships.  I swam through one and scraped up my leg.  Go figure.  

We had such a wonderful time!  Words can't even express it.  We enjoyed delicious food, I read three books, we swam in clean water, and spent some much needed time together.