Hello faithful blog readers!
It has been a while, hasn't it? I guess that is a symptom of being settled in. Let me try to give you some updates.
In the time between the last post and this one I hit that point of settled in mediocrity. It was just like after the first week of school when you stop wearing perfectly color coordinated outfits, and re-reading your class notes, and switch into 'just doing what you need to' mode. My clothes started getting a little dirtier, the floor of my cabin really needed to be swept, and the dishes that I have fought so valiantly against, finally started to pile up in the sink. Fortunately, with a weekend and some added motivation from good strides in my research project, I have mostly turned that around.
Throughout the internship I have been researching and devising a research project. It has been a challenge to come up with something original, but I think I have done it. I'm not going to tell you about it now though, because I want to show it to you all when it is finished! Then you can assess it with minimal preconceived notions.
Currently, I have to say I am very motivated about the research project, very much enjoying my friends here, and also very excited to be coming home in less than two weeks! It's been good hard work and learning hear in Hawaii, and I really have been met with a lot of blessings. I can't be grateful enough for the people who have been willing to give me rides (even with these gas prices) and the friends that I have gotten to play Bubble talk at 2 am in Denny's with. What more can you want really?
At the same time, I am so excited to see my family, my friends, Boston, and all my familiar things. I'm lucky to have this time to be at home, and just really enjoy all of that.
As for Benin, I am getting more excited about it every day. Leaving is going to be really difficult, and I know transitioning to life in Benin will be challenging. But the closer I get to it, the more excited I am to get to meet the other volunteers, carve out a life for myself in West Africa, and find creative ways to love on people. I think I have been spending a lot of time trying to be aware and prepared for the challenges of the transition. That is important, but I think I can stand to spend some time envisioning all the things that could go so amazingly well. I look forward to sharing all of that with you.
Ok, gotta get back to work. Thanks for reading (and for all the supportive messages!!)
-Lauren
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Halfway through!
Hello blog readers!
As of today, I have officially been in Hawaii for 5 weeks. Pretty crazy, huh? Let's do some general overviews of how things are going:
Events:
Two weekends ago was the Annual Grow Hawaiian festival. It was hosted at the Amy Greenwell Botanical Garden. Many traditional crafts like paper making, poi pounding, and gourd carving were displayed. Organizations focused on sustainable Hawaiian agriculture were also invited. I got to help out by taking water around to the different presenter/venders, and in exchange I got a free lunch! I also got a flower lei, which was really lovely.
This past weekend Craig (who runs the farm) and Ngaire (his wife) went to a festival on the other side of the island and stayed there for two nights, so I held down the fort here at the farm. I thought it would be lonely, but I actually really enjoyed taking care of Lei lei and Bijoux (the dog and cat), doing a little cleaning, and skyping while I cooked. I did also get to travel off of the farm a bit. More on that next. Enjoying my time alone made me realize how much I worry about Craig and Ngaire liking me. When they came back, I was more relaxed and ready to joke around a little. It was a good way to get perspective.
In other news, I have made some friends from church, which is really wonderful. On Saturday I was able to catch a ride (so grateful) and get some much-missed Starbucks, and watch Inception. It was really great to get to hang out a bit, and to have found some really friendly people. So that is a plus.
On that note, here's an update on the challenges and difficult things:
Five weeks in, food is still an interesting challenge. Up until this past weekend I felt constantly hungry. I would have two bowls of stir fry with quinoa and still be just as hungry as when I started. It was a little vexing. I went food shopping on Friday and indulged in a box of brownie mix. When I was licking the batter off the spoon after the brownies were in the oven, I finally didn't feel hungry any more. So /cravings/ have been a big part of my life. Since I realized that, I have been less inclined to worry about if I have enough food, or what snacks I could eat if dinner isn't filling. I haven't been as hungry since Friday.
I do sometimes feel lonely. I definitely miss my friends and family from home. But getting in some social time here, and the wonder that is the internet have done a lot to help that.
I am sometimes discouraged by how long the work seems to take me, but it seems like Craig is happy with my progress, and I am getting more familiar with more jobs. So that helps a lot.
Good things:
I am feeling more settled in here. It might sound strange 5 weeks in, but I am finally starting to have a sense of what needs to be done next and what that means. I am getting stronger, and my research project is rolling. I am even doing a pretty decent job of keeping my cabin, kitchen, and tools clean. I can tell the rest of the time is going to go by fast. It does feel like I just got here in a lot of ways!
Cooking has been a great thing. I am really enjoying mixing it up and incorporating foods from around me in my meals. Since the above mentioned brownies I have also been on a baking kick. Today for breakfast I had a piece of peanutbutter toast and a toasted tortilla with passion fruit butter (the Hawaii intern crepe). For lunch I had left over shepherd's pie, with ground beef carrot, chaya (a leafy green) and aerial yams (very similar to potatoes). For dinner I had some avocado and a banana scone.
That's life in Hawaii for now. I am really enjoying it, and every once in a while I am climbing through the vines and volcanic rock and have to stop and think "this is really my life". Of course, I am also missing my friends, my junk food, my Boston. Counting the days till I see all of that again.
Thanks for reading!
-Lauren
As of today, I have officially been in Hawaii for 5 weeks. Pretty crazy, huh? Let's do some general overviews of how things are going:
Events:
Two weekends ago was the Annual Grow Hawaiian festival. It was hosted at the Amy Greenwell Botanical Garden. Many traditional crafts like paper making, poi pounding, and gourd carving were displayed. Organizations focused on sustainable Hawaiian agriculture were also invited. I got to help out by taking water around to the different presenter/venders, and in exchange I got a free lunch! I also got a flower lei, which was really lovely.
This past weekend Craig (who runs the farm) and Ngaire (his wife) went to a festival on the other side of the island and stayed there for two nights, so I held down the fort here at the farm. I thought it would be lonely, but I actually really enjoyed taking care of Lei lei and Bijoux (the dog and cat), doing a little cleaning, and skyping while I cooked. I did also get to travel off of the farm a bit. More on that next. Enjoying my time alone made me realize how much I worry about Craig and Ngaire liking me. When they came back, I was more relaxed and ready to joke around a little. It was a good way to get perspective.
In other news, I have made some friends from church, which is really wonderful. On Saturday I was able to catch a ride (so grateful) and get some much-missed Starbucks, and watch Inception. It was really great to get to hang out a bit, and to have found some really friendly people. So that is a plus.
On that note, here's an update on the challenges and difficult things:
Five weeks in, food is still an interesting challenge. Up until this past weekend I felt constantly hungry. I would have two bowls of stir fry with quinoa and still be just as hungry as when I started. It was a little vexing. I went food shopping on Friday and indulged in a box of brownie mix. When I was licking the batter off the spoon after the brownies were in the oven, I finally didn't feel hungry any more. So /cravings/ have been a big part of my life. Since I realized that, I have been less inclined to worry about if I have enough food, or what snacks I could eat if dinner isn't filling. I haven't been as hungry since Friday.
I do sometimes feel lonely. I definitely miss my friends and family from home. But getting in some social time here, and the wonder that is the internet have done a lot to help that.
I am sometimes discouraged by how long the work seems to take me, but it seems like Craig is happy with my progress, and I am getting more familiar with more jobs. So that helps a lot.
Good things:
I am feeling more settled in here. It might sound strange 5 weeks in, but I am finally starting to have a sense of what needs to be done next and what that means. I am getting stronger, and my research project is rolling. I am even doing a pretty decent job of keeping my cabin, kitchen, and tools clean. I can tell the rest of the time is going to go by fast. It does feel like I just got here in a lot of ways!
Cooking has been a great thing. I am really enjoying mixing it up and incorporating foods from around me in my meals. Since the above mentioned brownies I have also been on a baking kick. Today for breakfast I had a piece of peanutbutter toast and a toasted tortilla with passion fruit butter (the Hawaii intern crepe). For lunch I had left over shepherd's pie, with ground beef carrot, chaya (a leafy green) and aerial yams (very similar to potatoes). For dinner I had some avocado and a banana scone.
That's life in Hawaii for now. I am really enjoying it, and every once in a while I am climbing through the vines and volcanic rock and have to stop and think "this is really my life". Of course, I am also missing my friends, my junk food, my Boston. Counting the days till I see all of that again.
Thanks for reading!
-Lauren
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