I am flying from JFK in New York to Johannesburg via United Airlines flight 9186, leaving New York at 11:35am on Wednesday and touching down at 2:55am (EST) on Thursday. Then I'll be taking flight 144 on South African Air from Johannesburg to Maputo, leaving at 7:50am (EST)and arriving arriving at 8:55am (EST)on Thursday, Oct. 1st.
I'll be in Maputo for 3 days and then on Sunday, Oct 4th I'll go to Namaacha to do my pre-service training for 10 weeks. I'll make sure to do a blog post when I get to Maputo just to let you all know I got there safely.
One Love,
Michael
Monday, September 28, 2009
A Letter from the Peace Corps to My Friends and Family
Check out this link (opens to a new tab) to read the Word document from the Peace Corps staff.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Less Than 1 week!
Wow! My departure date is next Tuesday. The first time I said that last sentence was on Wednesday while I was leaving a message on Ronak's cell phone. I hadn't seen him much since he started dental school and I was reminding him about my going away party on Friday night. I started choking up with tears and couldn't even really finish a complete thought before I had to end the message and hang up the phone. I was on my way to Carmen's place to hang out with Carmen and Ricky and, even though I tried to compose myself before going in, they had to comfort me for several minutes before I fully calmed down.
Since my trip had been delayed in June only a week before my originally scheduled trip to Mauritania, I always felt that my September 29th departure date for Mozambique was more of a goal than a firm date. I remember reading about the upcoming Mozambique elections in October of this year and had dreams about my trip being delayed again indefinitely while the political climate settled. Here I am, however, only a few days away from leaving and all of a sudden everything has become a lot more "real" very quickly.
Looking back at this summer, I honestly can't remember a funner, more fulfilling period of my life. I was able to spend time with friends from high school and college, hang out with my family, exercise, volunteer, work, and even travel up to Appalachia twice. Most recently, my second to last weekend in Gainesville before Peace Corps was capped off by a Saturday full of tailgating with friends and family before the UF-UT football game and then a family outing to Rainbow Springs, with everyone, including our dog Jewels, making the trip.
I was also able to sneak in a trip to the Tea River with the fam and Ricky
I'd like to thank everyone for being a part of my adventures this summer and if I don't get a chance to say goodbye to you before I leave, know that I love you and hope your next two years are awesome!
One Love,
Michael
Since my trip had been delayed in June only a week before my originally scheduled trip to Mauritania, I always felt that my September 29th departure date for Mozambique was more of a goal than a firm date. I remember reading about the upcoming Mozambique elections in October of this year and had dreams about my trip being delayed again indefinitely while the political climate settled. Here I am, however, only a few days away from leaving and all of a sudden everything has become a lot more "real" very quickly.
Looking back at this summer, I honestly can't remember a funner, more fulfilling period of my life. I was able to spend time with friends from high school and college, hang out with my family, exercise, volunteer, work, and even travel up to Appalachia twice. Most recently, my second to last weekend in Gainesville before Peace Corps was capped off by a Saturday full of tailgating with friends and family before the UF-UT football game and then a family outing to Rainbow Springs, with everyone, including our dog Jewels, making the trip.
I was also able to sneak in a trip to the Tea River with the fam and Ricky
I'd like to thank everyone for being a part of my adventures this summer and if I don't get a chance to say goodbye to you before I leave, know that I love you and hope your next two years are awesome!
One Love,
Michael
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
1 Month and Counting
Today is the 1 month mark before my journey to Mozambique with the Peace Corps starts. I haven't heard from them yet about scheduling my flight though, so hopefully everything will come together smoothly in the next few weeks and my trip won't be delayed again...
The past month has flown by in two shakes of a lambs tail. Ricky, Ronak and Carmen have all come back from their extended trips abroad and we've all been getting fat going out to dinner/ice cream celebrating their return and the end of the summer ("we" implying "I"). With school starting back up this week everyone has been getting accustomed to their new schedules and trying to readjust to the workload after a summer of no classes... fun!
For the past several weeks my dad, my mom, Billy and I have been going across North Central Florida exploring various springs and isolated spots along the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers. One of our favorites spots is a track of land on the Santa Fe river in Gilcrist County that my Great Grandmother sold to the state in the 90's in order to keep it preserved after she passed away. The last time we visited that spot I spent nearly 30 minutes running along the limestone shore of the river following a determined river otter who was bent on swimming upstream. After walking for a while and admiring the otter, I jumped in the river, swam out to the middle and let the river carry me back to where my family was waiting for me. While drifting along the river I gazed upstream at the undeveloped land which was encompassed by the preserved land that the state bought from my great grandmother and was almost moved to tears by the serenity and peacefulness of it all. I'm so glad that places like this are still plentiful and so easily accessible!
While my mom cruised with my sister down to Nassau one week and while she was getting her classroom ready for the start of school another week, my dad, Billy, and I had the chance to go and visit several county/state parks, including: Rum Island, Manatee Springs, Rainbow Springs, and Troy Springs. Manatee was one of my favorites because a manatee and its baby actually swam into the spring head from the Suwannee River, came right up to us and let me get close enough to reach out and touch it as it swam by. So cool!
As you can see from the panoramic photo below, however, Manatee Springs is definitely a destination worth visiting whether or not there is a manatee present. Although we didn't appreciate it at the time, you are allowed to swim directly on top of the spring's large water boil and dive as far down as you can before getting pushed back up by the literally millions of gallons of water being forced out from the ground.
Another picturesque park we visited was Rainbow springs (pictured below) where you can swim in ridiculously clear water (horizontal visibility of ~200ft) and walk around the park's famous gardens that were built when the state park was privately own and run as an amusement park during the first half of the 1900s.
This past week was both my mom's and Billy's birthdays and to celebrate we went down to Orlando to visit Disney. Jack, my mom, Billy, and I all rode down from Gainesville, while my brother drove over separately from New Smyrna (in my old jeep which is working well for him!... even though there is still no AC). We met up at Disney marketplace and all crammed into my mom's car and meandered through the backroads to the Magic Kingdom parking lot (escaping having to pay for parking). Disney was awesome!... as usual... I hadn't been in at least 2-3 years and it was sweet going with Billy and getting the "Billy pass" which allows our group to skip all the lines. We rode on all the classic rides (including the carousel of progress, much to Billy chagrin) and a few that I wasn't familiar with (philharmonic orchestra - which is a 3D theater adventure - SO COOL!). One of the best things about going with Billy is the fact that he loves the BIG rides. I think that we rode on Thunder Mountain railroad and Splash mountain like 4 or 5 times (see picture below) and we would have done the same with Space Mountain if it wasn't closed for renovations...
The past month has been AWESOME! It went by fast, but it was so memorable and makes me sad thinking about what I'll be missing while I'm gone for 2 years. I can't imagine how different my life would be now if I had left for Mauritania in June. I really appreciate everyone who has made this summer memorable and for all of those who make me excited about coming back home after my trip. Also, I'd like to thank you all who have taken the time to read this long blog post. Take care!
The past month has flown by in two shakes of a lambs tail. Ricky, Ronak and Carmen have all come back from their extended trips abroad and we've all been getting fat going out to dinner/ice cream celebrating their return and the end of the summer ("we" implying "I"). With school starting back up this week everyone has been getting accustomed to their new schedules and trying to readjust to the workload after a summer of no classes... fun!
For the past several weeks my dad, my mom, Billy and I have been going across North Central Florida exploring various springs and isolated spots along the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers. One of our favorites spots is a track of land on the Santa Fe river in Gilcrist County that my Great Grandmother sold to the state in the 90's in order to keep it preserved after she passed away. The last time we visited that spot I spent nearly 30 minutes running along the limestone shore of the river following a determined river otter who was bent on swimming upstream. After walking for a while and admiring the otter, I jumped in the river, swam out to the middle and let the river carry me back to where my family was waiting for me. While drifting along the river I gazed upstream at the undeveloped land which was encompassed by the preserved land that the state bought from my great grandmother and was almost moved to tears by the serenity and peacefulness of it all. I'm so glad that places like this are still plentiful and so easily accessible!
While my mom cruised with my sister down to Nassau one week and while she was getting her classroom ready for the start of school another week, my dad, Billy, and I had the chance to go and visit several county/state parks, including: Rum Island, Manatee Springs, Rainbow Springs, and Troy Springs. Manatee was one of my favorites because a manatee and its baby actually swam into the spring head from the Suwannee River, came right up to us and let me get close enough to reach out and touch it as it swam by. So cool!
As you can see from the panoramic photo below, however, Manatee Springs is definitely a destination worth visiting whether or not there is a manatee present. Although we didn't appreciate it at the time, you are allowed to swim directly on top of the spring's large water boil and dive as far down as you can before getting pushed back up by the literally millions of gallons of water being forced out from the ground.
Another picturesque park we visited was Rainbow springs (pictured below) where you can swim in ridiculously clear water (horizontal visibility of ~200ft) and walk around the park's famous gardens that were built when the state park was privately own and run as an amusement park during the first half of the 1900s.
This past week was both my mom's and Billy's birthdays and to celebrate we went down to Orlando to visit Disney. Jack, my mom, Billy, and I all rode down from Gainesville, while my brother drove over separately from New Smyrna (in my old jeep which is working well for him!... even though there is still no AC). We met up at Disney marketplace and all crammed into my mom's car and meandered through the backroads to the Magic Kingdom parking lot (escaping having to pay for parking). Disney was awesome!... as usual... I hadn't been in at least 2-3 years and it was sweet going with Billy and getting the "Billy pass" which allows our group to skip all the lines. We rode on all the classic rides (including the carousel of progress, much to Billy chagrin) and a few that I wasn't familiar with (philharmonic orchestra - which is a 3D theater adventure - SO COOL!). One of the best things about going with Billy is the fact that he loves the BIG rides. I think that we rode on Thunder Mountain railroad and Splash mountain like 4 or 5 times (see picture below) and we would have done the same with Space Mountain if it wasn't closed for renovations...
The past month has been AWESOME! It went by fast, but it was so memorable and makes me sad thinking about what I'll be missing while I'm gone for 2 years. I can't imagine how different my life would be now if I had left for Mauritania in June. I really appreciate everyone who has made this summer memorable and for all of those who make me excited about coming back home after my trip. Also, I'd like to thank you all who have taken the time to read this long blog post. Take care!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Start the Countdown, ASP, the Urgency of Now, and more
Yesterday marked the 2 month period before I leave for Mozambique. On that note, I can actually start thinking forward in terms of leaving the country and my countdown to departure for the Peace Corps can officially begin... again!
Things are shaping up pretty well for the departure too. This past week, Bryan was able to sell his car and now he has my car, so that's one thing less for me to worry about. This week I'm moving back into my Dad's house from the apartment downtown so things are sure to get pretty cramped with everyone living under 1 roof now... That said, it was a huge blessing to be given 2 months of free rent in Otto's room so I didn't have to be sleeping in such cramped conditions for the entire summer and it was really fun to be able to spend more time with Ricky and Serge. Thank you sooooo much Otto! I really appreciate it! We miss you here in Gainesville!
As I type this Ricky, Ronak, Carmen are all out of town so I'm pretty much just chilling around Gainesville working for Streetlight in the evenings without much else to do during the days. I just got back from spending the past week at ASP so the empty feeling of doing "nothing" is heightened because of how busy I stayed for the past week. I have been filling my mornings with guitar playing, reading news and I've even gone and done stadiums twice already since I got back from ASP.
Speaking of ASP, I'm going to spend the next few paragraphs talking about my experience this year... so hold on tight!
Like I mentioned above, I just got back from serving a week with the Appalachia Service Project through Trinity UMC in Dickenson County, Virginia. The trip was pretty sweet! This year Trinity sent about 55 volunteers and the group was then divided into works crews of 7 individuals with a few "floaters" who helped out where needed. My work crew was filled out by our team captain Charlotte, a recent high school graduate, the adults Allan and Anne (aka Mama Koon), and three youth, Jonathan, Ilan, and Chloe. This ASP trip was the first for Ilan, Chloe and Allan and I hope it was memorable for them. They did a great job and I hope that they were able to see and experience some things that will help them grow spiritually and emotionally like ASP has done with me.
The ASP staff in Dickenson County was really fun and cool to meet/get to know over the week while volunteering. I hope they enjoyed our presence as much as we enjoyed theirs (they honestly were some of the friendliest staff members we'd had the privilege of interacting with in the past several years). I believe that a lot of that comes back to the leadership of Mitch who was the center director in Dickenson. I have known Mitch for 2 years now dating back to his first summer on staff in 2007 and it was great to see him again! He is someone who has a very warm, welcoming, and yet calming personality and reaches out to others with God's love constantly. A great person to know and love for sure.
Going on ASP this summer was a very different experience for me because of the important distinction between Spring and Summer ASP, with youth leadership being a centerpiece during the Summer program. I was surprised to see some youth (not the youth on my team) complaining about others not having a good attitude, yet my team must have been very blessed because under the leadership of Charlotte everyone was able to stay positive, upbeat, and work hard for the whole week. Each one of us were able to contribute our personalities to balance out the group and make the week relatively stress free for everyone.
That said, I think that as the week was ending we were feeling the pinch of time because we knew there was plenty more to get done and at times we were getting caught up in construction too much. I know several times I lost focus on talking with Ms. Betty or her son Robert (the family members whose house we were working on) so I could focus solely on the construction. Likewise, we had to coach up Allan, a professional contractor, about the differences between the ASP construction site and a professional construction site back at home (markedly different with volunteer labor).
Coming back home from ASP is always tough. For a week you are surrounded by motivated, passionate individuals who are dedicated to making a difference in the world. Driving home and falling asleep in a comfortable bed on Saturday night far removed from the persisting needs of Appalachia is hard to reason. Looking ahead to my experience with the Peace Corps I know I will witness many more inequities and when I come home for medical school the feeling I have now will likely only be magnified.
In the meantime though, I've been thinking about my purpose for the next two months - what I hope to accomplish, what I need to get done. Thinking about this it seemed like a godsend that during Sunday's church service David Allen borrowed from a MLK speech and preached about "The Urgency of Now." Even though I have plans of service for the next two years starting in September and ultimately for the rest of my life, maybe it's time to get back involved with the here and now and try to eliminate that empty feeling I'm having right now.
So what am I going to do in the upcoming months? It's always a battle for me and I don't know exactly. Spending enough time learning and being a student so I can be well prepared for the future seems almost always in conflict with spending enough time being a doer so I am not constantly living in the future without accomplishing anything now. I reason that I need to spend a good chunk of time studying Portuguese and learning about Mozambique... but I want to do something more in the next two months. Any thoughts you guys?
I'll keep you all posted about my plans as I make them :-)
One Love,
Michael
Things are shaping up pretty well for the departure too. This past week, Bryan was able to sell his car and now he has my car, so that's one thing less for me to worry about. This week I'm moving back into my Dad's house from the apartment downtown so things are sure to get pretty cramped with everyone living under 1 roof now... That said, it was a huge blessing to be given 2 months of free rent in Otto's room so I didn't have to be sleeping in such cramped conditions for the entire summer and it was really fun to be able to spend more time with Ricky and Serge. Thank you sooooo much Otto! I really appreciate it! We miss you here in Gainesville!
As I type this Ricky, Ronak, Carmen are all out of town so I'm pretty much just chilling around Gainesville working for Streetlight in the evenings without much else to do during the days. I just got back from spending the past week at ASP so the empty feeling of doing "nothing" is heightened because of how busy I stayed for the past week. I have been filling my mornings with guitar playing, reading news and I've even gone and done stadiums twice already since I got back from ASP.
Speaking of ASP, I'm going to spend the next few paragraphs talking about my experience this year... so hold on tight!
Like I mentioned above, I just got back from serving a week with the Appalachia Service Project through Trinity UMC in Dickenson County, Virginia. The trip was pretty sweet! This year Trinity sent about 55 volunteers and the group was then divided into works crews of 7 individuals with a few "floaters" who helped out where needed. My work crew was filled out by our team captain Charlotte, a recent high school graduate, the adults Allan and Anne (aka Mama Koon), and three youth, Jonathan, Ilan, and Chloe. This ASP trip was the first for Ilan, Chloe and Allan and I hope it was memorable for them. They did a great job and I hope that they were able to see and experience some things that will help them grow spiritually and emotionally like ASP has done with me.
The ASP staff in Dickenson County was really fun and cool to meet/get to know over the week while volunteering. I hope they enjoyed our presence as much as we enjoyed theirs (they honestly were some of the friendliest staff members we'd had the privilege of interacting with in the past several years). I believe that a lot of that comes back to the leadership of Mitch who was the center director in Dickenson. I have known Mitch for 2 years now dating back to his first summer on staff in 2007 and it was great to see him again! He is someone who has a very warm, welcoming, and yet calming personality and reaches out to others with God's love constantly. A great person to know and love for sure.
Going on ASP this summer was a very different experience for me because of the important distinction between Spring and Summer ASP, with youth leadership being a centerpiece during the Summer program. I was surprised to see some youth (not the youth on my team) complaining about others not having a good attitude, yet my team must have been very blessed because under the leadership of Charlotte everyone was able to stay positive, upbeat, and work hard for the whole week. Each one of us were able to contribute our personalities to balance out the group and make the week relatively stress free for everyone.
That said, I think that as the week was ending we were feeling the pinch of time because we knew there was plenty more to get done and at times we were getting caught up in construction too much. I know several times I lost focus on talking with Ms. Betty or her son Robert (the family members whose house we were working on) so I could focus solely on the construction. Likewise, we had to coach up Allan, a professional contractor, about the differences between the ASP construction site and a professional construction site back at home (markedly different with volunteer labor).
Coming back home from ASP is always tough. For a week you are surrounded by motivated, passionate individuals who are dedicated to making a difference in the world. Driving home and falling asleep in a comfortable bed on Saturday night far removed from the persisting needs of Appalachia is hard to reason. Looking ahead to my experience with the Peace Corps I know I will witness many more inequities and when I come home for medical school the feeling I have now will likely only be magnified.
In the meantime though, I've been thinking about my purpose for the next two months - what I hope to accomplish, what I need to get done. Thinking about this it seemed like a godsend that during Sunday's church service David Allen borrowed from a MLK speech and preached about "The Urgency of Now." Even though I have plans of service for the next two years starting in September and ultimately for the rest of my life, maybe it's time to get back involved with the here and now and try to eliminate that empty feeling I'm having right now.
So what am I going to do in the upcoming months? It's always a battle for me and I don't know exactly. Spending enough time learning and being a student so I can be well prepared for the future seems almost always in conflict with spending enough time being a doer so I am not constantly living in the future without accomplishing anything now. I reason that I need to spend a good chunk of time studying Portuguese and learning about Mozambique... but I want to do something more in the next two months. Any thoughts you guys?
I'll keep you all posted about my plans as I make them :-)
One Love,
Michael
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