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Monday, 06 August 2007

  • I am now back at home... yes, I have left the garden of eden and returned to small town Iowa. Hawaii was wonderful and exotic and I could learn things there. The redeeming part of being back: being reunited with family and Abhi. One time I suggested to Abhi that he and I try and take some region of the world or country at a time and learn all about it. We love cultural stuff. Maybe we will do this someday when we get bored, but for now we are not bored.

    I have many things to do now that I am back... I am at the beginning stages of preparing to go to Mission Year at the beginning of September. This basically means that I am starting to think about what I need to get done before going. There's a lot.

    I realize that I really dislike computers. When I can I run away from them and avoid e-mailing and doing such things that require my attention (until now I had been offline for 3 days, which is basically a record for me). My attention really needs some help. While I was in Hawaii the idea of yoga crossed my mind. Not sure if I'll actually carry through with it, but I was also inspired to exercise a bit. We'll see...

    I just wanna save a bit of what I wrote back in Hawaii when I still had a couple weeks left:
    "I'm living with 2 roommates this summer: Jessica and Ari[e]. They are lots of fun and we hang out a lot... we get along extremely well. Most nights we just sit around and talk or make fun of each other or write words using various household items such as peanut butter, teddy grahams, and pineapple."

    I'm missing my Hawaii friends a bit. But I'm also learning some things about love and the purpose of life. Profound, I know. ;)

    Currently Reading
    Theirs Is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America
    By Robert D. Lupton
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Sunday, 22 July 2007

  • Today (yesterday, technically), I moved out of my apartment. I can't believe it, as time has gone by so quickly. I leave on Thursday already! Now until then I am just hanging out, hoping to catch a few more rays of sun out on the beach so people don't think I was in isolation all this time, and then... saying bye-bye to Hawaii - at least for now! I will absolutely come back here sometime... not just for a visit, but at least a few weeks for sure. I'd like to come here for our honeymoon if we're able.

    I love the ocean and its beaches and am so spoiled that I'll never be able to adjust to lakes again... I went snorkeling today - only for the fifth time though I think. I will hopefully go tomorrow (Sunday) and again on Monday.

    I hadn't thought about whether I've changed or not as a person... until the other day when someone mentioned something about it. Guess I have, really... I've survived over 6 weeks "on my own." I wonder if, when I go home I'll think, "oh... I guess I'll have to do the dishes later..." or if I'll just immediately re-adjust to having a dishwasher and the dishes being done for me. Hmm...

Saturday, 30 June 2007

Thursday, 14 June 2007

  • Hawaii

    Here I am in Hilo, Hawaii. It's a college town, home to one branch of the University of Hawaii. Here I am working with a professor on research regarding "meta-emotion" and it seems that after these first 2 or 3 weeks I will branch out and have the chance to hopefully also learn some things about her research on religion and neuroscience. I am interested in any and all of these areas.

    For now I am not up to much... mainly sitting around, sleeping, hanging out with a philosopher from the UK, attending a class on Emotion -- taught by the main prof I'm working with... and I went for a five mile hike yesterday over fields of lava to see lava that's currently flowing into the Pacific ocean red and hot! :) It was fun... tiring, but fun, and I'm surprised at how very un-sore I actually feel!

    So far I've only been to the beach twice -- only once to actually swim. I've only visited Hapuna beach, but that's apparently the nicest beach here on the big island, so I've seen it all! :) I really enjoyed the beach, as it was my first time swimming in the ocean! Saltwater in my nose... eyes... fortunately very little in my mouth! :) I'm excited to go back -- hopefully sometime this weekend



    Shlomo should get facebook. Just that mention should be enough to get him to go do it NOW! ;)

Sunday, 03 June 2007

  • Hello! I don't even remember what I said last time I posted... I'm done with my philosophy paper. I'm just chilling, getting ready to leave for Hawaii on Friday! Ah! I leave for Hawaii on Friday at 6 a.m.!!!! Wow. I have yet to pack really... and I need to also finish filling out my application for Mission Year. I'm 90% sure I will do Mission Year next year... hopefully in Chicago so I can be relatively close to home. Yeah, that's news to you Shlomo, isn't it. :)

    Today is 9 months...  Going on 9 years...

    may07 184  may07 172

    Well, I have to work tonight. I've been working a lot throughout May... I spend the night with a 92 year old lady to help her get up if she needs to during the night, etc. It's cool... very rewarding. She's a very nice lady. Very good cognitively and she's got a great sense of humor, too. :) This week I also help my dad with his Neuroscience camp. Yeah... going to camp to learn about neuroscience. Hopefully I can remember all those wonderful things I learned when I took his neuroscience course last spring!

    I'm having fun adding all kinds of ridiculous "applications" on facebook. Fun times...

    Currently Reading
    In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership
    By Henri J. Nouwen
    see related