I confess, I am the laziest blogger on the face of the earth. It has been months since the last time I posted anything on here, and not only have I not felt guilty, I have an excuse: It’s not that I haven’t written blog entries to put on here, it’s that after writing them, and being ready to put them up, I have decided that what I have written is too personal, too much for me to share with everyone. Basically, I have used the “I rather keep it private” excuse. Well, no more.
The reason for the change? Mostly, there are many things happening in my life and I just don’t have the time, or energy, to write individual letters and emails for every person I know and wants to know what I’ve been up to. So, I promise to update this blog one per week, so I can spend less time writing personal emails and letters, and more time stalking all of you on facebook!
Here is what has taken place in the past few months, in a nutshell:
-Spent 6 months in Madagascar doing my international internship. It was amazing. I fell in love with this country. The culture is great, the work is great, and exploring the country itself, and getting to know the people was humbling and completely amazing. Madagascar will forever remain one of my favorite places on earth, and I hope I can go back again; if not for work, at least to visit the friends I have made.
-I finished grad school, and got my MSW! This happened while I was still in Madagascar, and that was fine by me because I HATE graduation ceremonies and did not want to attend (sorry to all my friends from school, please don’t send hate mail, I missed having been able to see all of you, but not having to sweat my ass off in that heat, while my afro got bigger and bigger in the 100% humidity). I hope I never, EVER have to go back to school. I love reading and learning, but don’t like being told what I should read or learn.
-I got accepted to do a one year fellowship with the same international NGO I interned with in Madagascar. I was so excited to get this fellowship, and even more excited by the placement they gave me: Timor Leste, one of the youngest countries in the world, and supposedly a place where I could once again practice my Portuguese.
-I left Madagascar at the end of June, 2010, and went home to visit my family. My nieces turned 8-yrs-old this year (WOW, that makes me feel old!), but I discovered that they still enjoy being read to, just as I’ve done since they were babies. I also saw my nephew, who is now almost 2. He is super cute, and friendly, and really enjoys speaking through sounds: “Tita, broom broom, PAM, ayayay!” = “Auntie, the car crashes and it hurts (that is him explaining the reason he shouldn’t run into the road because a car can hit and hurt him). Seeing family is always great, and I enjoy spending time with my parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins (one of the benefits of being Latina is that family is never far away!).
-While I was in the States I also took a trip to Boston and saw many of my friends. Had all-you-can-eat sushi (so good… but I felt sick after!); had all-you-can-eat Indian food (was able to control myself); went to the Harpoon Brewery where I got tipsy on free, delicious beer while listening to a couple of dudes talk about the company’s history. I saw my Dominican twin, Judi; got to hang out with the party crowd; and of course, my Spanish and wine crowd, where we always spend time cooking, playing guitar, singing, and sipping on wine. Thank you all for making my visit so good!
-I moved to Timor Leste in August (after a one-week orientation in Baltimore) to begin my fellowship. I loved the place since the day I arrived. Great work and co-workers, and met great friends, most of whom also happened to all be UN police officers (it’s always good to be protected!). Timor has a long history of foreign occupation, political instability, and serious community strife; but in spite of all of that they are very hopeful, and eager to show their full potential, especially the youth. I loved traveling between the capital city of Dili to the mountains and Baucau; working and living there were a great and rewarding experience: I worked hard, danced like I hadn’t in a long time, spoke more Spanish than I had all year, fell in lust, learned how to drive a stick shift and drive on the left, and so much more! This will also be one of my favorite places ever!
-In early October I was asked to leave my work and life in Timor Leste and move to Pakistan to help with the relief efforts from the massive flooding that covered many parts of the country in mid August. I jumped at the opportunity right away, knowing what I was giving up and getting myself into. I left beautiful Timor Leste on October 25th, 2010, and after a couple of layovers (in Bali and Bangkok), landed in Islamabad on October 27th. I didn’t linger in Islamabad, though. My final destination is where I am today: Sukkur, Pakistan, in Sindh province (southeastern Pakistan). I’ve been here for over a month now.
This posting is getting too long. There is a lot to tell. Next time I will talk a bit more about my experiences in Timor Leste and Pakistan.
