Questions For My Answers

My Story

2011-11-03T07:03:00.000-04:00

While I was in Mexico with Midtown, the 25 of us all took turns sharing our story of how God has rescued us and how He continues working in our lives. I had never shared it orally with a group of people before, but it was something that I prayed about and I knew I needed to do it. After all, I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am/was, as it only gives me an opportunity to show how amazing God is and how He has always been there, shaping me to be more like Him. So, here is more or less what I shared with them. I hope as you read that you can get a glimpse of what God has done in my life, and what He can do for you. And yes, it's long. But that's par for the course for me.

So, I grew up with Christian parents who each came from Christian families. My parents both worked in the church, and as such, I was always at church. We went to First Baptist Church in Honea Path, a small town in Upstate South Carolina. As such, we knew everybody, and everybody knew us.

When I was a child, I heard all that I was told about Jesus and sin, and I knew that becoming a Christian was something that I needed to do. I'm not sure if I really, honestly desired it...but I knew I should. I prayed in my bed one night, asking God if I could be a Christian. I repeated that prayer for several nights, making sure God heard me, so that I would be sure to have become a Christian. (Oh, the inner workings of a child's mind. :P For those of y'all who haven't grown up around Christianity, asking multiple times is completely superfluous.)

So, I mean, I guess you could say I've been a Christian since then. I was eight or nine. My father baptized my brother and me on Christmas Day, 1994, when I was nine. But making a public profession of faith and being baptized are only the beginning. Yes, I could have died then and known that I was going to heaven...but I am, in fact, still alive. God's still working on me, shaping me more like Him. So, my story continues.

My biggest struggle (and I know I'm not alone in this) is my pride. I always strive to be the best. I have to at least look good on the outside. No mistakes. People need to know who I am. Growing up a minister's kid in a small town, I had to be perfect. I was top of my class. There was no stumbling for me. (Please note that all of this was my own doing. My parents NEVER pushed me to be like this. It's just always something I've subjected myself to.)

I mean, imagine how devastated I was when I got stopped for speeding coming home from work when I was a senior in high school. I just knew my parents would disown me (even though they had always told me that no matter what, they'd still love me...this brain of mine can be fairly convincing sometimes). I never told my mother, and I only told my father because I needed to see if he thought I should go to court or just pay the ticket. You know how I told him? I left a note in his mailbox for him to find later and call me. (My parents were divorced by this point and he was living in the next town over.)

But no matter how hard I played the part of the perfect little Christian boy, I always had my struggles under the surface. My pride always got in the way of actually admitting to those struggles, though. I was always "fine." Nothing wrong. I hadn't yet discovered the liberating feeling that confession brings. Let me describe a little bit of what was going on in my mind.

I'm pretty sure all that little boys want to do is grow up to be men. Unfortunately, somehow I had convinced myself that the whole idea of being a man was strictly limited to what was on the outside, the physical self. A man was someone who could have a five o'clock shadow, had big pecs, and had a nice tan. Well, if you don't know me, I'm pasty white, I finally shaved my entire face my last day of being a freshman in college, and I have the boniest shoulders ever. I was always the youngest person in my grade, and I was a late bloomer at that. So, I was discouraged when I started seeing body/facial hair on other guys at my high school and compared it to my body.

My observing other guys' bodies led to a curiosity of the male image, and it eventually manifested itself in lust. My mom had gotten a computer for us at home (this was probably about 1998 or 1999...I remember we were one of the first people around to have Windows 98!). I soon discovered pornography. As a slight computer nerd, I knew all the tricks to make sure nobody found out. I'm not sure if I always only looked at the all-male sites, but that turned out to be my addiction. I later discovered masturbation, and before I knew it, I was drowning in a heap of sexual sin.

I fought--alone--throughout high school and college. Remember my overarching battle with pride? There was no way I would've confessed any of this to anyone. I convinced myself that I was alone, that nobody else could possibly be dealing with this. I mean, once I got into college, I heard of other people who maybe had struggled with pornography...but never homosexuality. During this whole time, I knew I still had God with me, but this was just the thorn in my side that I solely dealt with privately...wondering why in the world He 1) put it there and 2) wouldn't take it out.

I started wondering what God's point of view on my whole situation was. I knew from the Bible that confession was good, but I just couldn't bring myself to doing that. I read Every Man's Battle, which was good...but it still dealt with men who were struggling with lust for women. But what about me? Was there hope for me? I was involved in a reality TV message board at the time, and I did bring myself to confess to one of the Christians on there (as it was about as anonymous as it could be)...but his response sent me further into despair, as it basically said, "Whoa...that's pretty bizarre...this sort of stuff could only be cured with some serious prayer and fasting and intense counseling," among other things. Not the loving response I wanted. (And besides, that involved my actually doing something about it. I wanted a pill to take or something.)

This was about the time that more people in popular culture were coming out as gay, and several denominations of Christian churches were deciding that openly gay men could serve in the church. I desperately tried searching the Scriptures to see what was there... Should I give in? Is it okay? Should I still fight though I keep failing? Am I destined for hell because I struggle with this? I would try anything to try and keep myself from failing again, including keeping a written log of when I stumbled in the hopes that that would motivate me to not do things. (I later decided that that was a dumb idea, and so I stopped.)

Growing up in a Christian household and being constantly surrounded by God's truth at church, though, ultimately helped to protect me. In my darkest moments, I somehow never forgot that God was there with me, and that my giving in to homosexuality was not the answer, that God had a better plan for me. I'm sure I prayed many times for God to "make me straight," but just a year or two ago, a dear friend of mine shared in his own story what he had learned...that exchanging homosexual lust for heterosexual lust was in the end still lust. Both are equally sin. My prayers through this whole time should have been that God make me more holy, and that, assuming He had a wife out there for me, He develop in me a holy attraction for her. (I'm not saying that if I had prayed that starting years ago that things would have gotten better, faster...I'm just saying that when my friend told me that, it really stayed with me, and I'm glad God used him to teach it to me.)

Now let's go to 2005. I'm about to work at the a Christian youth camp for the first time. (This is where I met the girl who would eventually become my beautiful bride.) I beautifully painted my application to be a counselor, answering all the questions like they wanted me to and using great Bible verses to back up everything. I just never happened to mention the personal struggles I was dealing with, because I knew that I wouldn't be accepted otherwise...and besides, I told myself, I was doing a good job of keeping my sin to myself, that it wasn't affecting anyone else...so I really didn't need to admit to it. (Ha.)

In the staff training retreat the spring before we worked, we were all sitting around in a circle once, and we agreed to all share some deep, personal struggles. This way, if a kid came up to us during the summer, we would know who to send the kid to so s/he could talk to someone with similar experiences. There I was, in that room full of people I grew up considering "Super Christians" since they were camp counselors. I was now in the same ranks as them. I sat there and listened as these "Super Christians" confessed struggles with porn, drugs, alcohol, and other things. I was floored. "Really?" I thought, "These people actually go through some serious stuff, too?" As the weekend progressed, I found myself *not* judging these people for their baggage. It was one of my first experiences in true Christian community. The thought began formulating in my mind that maybe, just maybe, I could admit to my struggles and that people wouldn't judge me as much as I thought.

So, the first step in solving a problem is admitting that you have a problem, right? I went home after that weekend, and I sent an e-mail to the staff, apologizing for not sharing during that time, but stating that one of the things I most struggled with was admitting what I struggled with (see: my constant battle with pride). Around this time I blogged to my blogging audience (of about seven) that I had been struggling with some things (still keeping things good and vague). From that point, I began feeling a wave of emotion from other people saying "It's okay. We'll still love you. We're praying for you through whatever it is you're going through." It was comforting...but I still knew that I had to come clean.

At some point late in 2005, I decided I had had enough, and that I had to just get it out. As it seems writing is the easiest form of communication for me to express the inner me, I wrote a blog post (which I still have if you're interested) that explained my struggles with porn and homosexuality. I wrote this late at night, praying that it was the right thing to do. I hit "Publish Post" and went to sleep terrified.

The next morning. Open inbox. Expect nasty e-mails full of disgust, hatred, and judgment. ... Find nothing of the sorts. When I got up and found the amount of love that had been shown to me by my friends, I was so relieved. A giant burden off of my back. Finally, the joys of liberation through confession.

And remember my fears of being alone in my struggle? I had always read the verse in 1 Corinthians that no temptation is unique to you, that it's all common to man...but I never believed that until I found out that one of my closest friends at the time was dealing with the *exact* same thing as me. To talk with her and hear her struggles was mutually encouraging I believe. We both realized that, yes, we have junk, but we have each other to help us through it all. My confession also led to some great talks with some of my other really good friends. I recognize that confession might not always turn out quite so pretty, but I thank God for the experiences He allowed me to go through following my coming clean.

I wish that were the end of the story, but confessing doesn't mean the end of the sin. After all, we won't experience total victory until we're with Him in Glory. Yes, I found myself an accountability partner, and we talked for a few months, but that fizzled out. I still succumbed to temptation after this. But at least I had a new perspective.

I had the opportunity to speak in front of my church one Sunday. I based it around the Casting Crowns song "Stained Glass Masquerade," talking about how everyone likes to put a pretty face on at church and pretend nothing's wrong. I talked about how I myself struggled with things and that confession was amazing. My dad said he would come to church that day, which scared the mess out of me because this would mean he would hear that I had been struggling with something. So, I felt it only fair that I send him a copy of the blog I had written, explaining everything. There was no condemning from him upon reading it, only love. And while I know my mom would also show me nothing but love, too, I still have a hard time exposing who I am to my family. In fact, the first time my mom has heard any of this is right before I published this post I'm writing now.

In 2006, when I was filling out my application for a two year overseas missionary program, I didn't hide anything, deciding that was best. I told them my whole story. They had some questions for me, but I answered them honestly. I told myself that I would rather be rejected for being who I was than be accepted for pretending to be who I wasn't.

Some previous experiences had led me to believe that being a missionary for two years was where God was leading me, so when I received the e-mail letting me know that I had not been accepted, it was quite the blow. I guess it was my first real negative experience related to my being honest, and it really shocked me. They said that they felt I needed more time to wrestle with these sin issues, and that after more time, prayer, and counseling, that it might be such that I could reapply. (I've always been afraid of that "counseling" word, because that implies you have a problem...and as a prideful someone who likes to portray a perfect image, counseling meant that image couldn't exist. Still to this day, the only counseling I've had was premarital counseling with my wife.)

I was upset at the organization, and I have to admit that the wound still isn't fully healed. The guy who was my accountability partner also got denied acceptance into the program for some things he was dealing with. I was confused as to why God would lead both him and me to believe that this was where He was leading us, only to slam the door in our faces. But, it's in times like these that we just have to trust that He has thoughts and ways higher than our own.

My struggle with sexual sin continued, it's just I wasn't hiding much. I still needed a focus shift, though. I'll never forget something that our camp pastor, who ultimately preached at our wedding, said during a training for a leadership weekend retreat we were hosting. He asked basically how long we were going to keep the focus on how sinful we are instead of looking to the cross and how holy God is. You see, when the focus is on us and our sin, we're being very self-centered instead of God-centered. So, I stopped trying to get better, and instead began trying to preach the Gospel to myself and to remind myself to focus on the Love expressed on the cross.

By this point, my wife and I had started dating (and broken up and started dating again). We were actually dating during the time that I had the door shut on the missions opportunity, and she was always a very godly support to me during this time. She always knew about my struggles with sexual sin, but she never ran. (She is such an amazing woman of God.) In fact, let me pause for one brief second to tell you something that our pastor said during our wedding. He joked with me, saying that that day, I was marrying way up. (I believe that 100%.) He then went on to explain to us and to everyone there that when Jesus came to rescue us and gave His life on the cross, that He married way down. (I then began to cry (again).) He saw who we were, and despite our baggage, He stretched out His arms and professed His love to us on the cross. As such, we will one day get to share with Him in the Wedding Feast that will never end. (I am eventually going to transcribe his sermon, as I am convinced that's the best sermon I ever heard...and it was at our wedding!) :)

So, anyway, back to Tiffany. We dated and eventually got engaged on November 9, 2009. Though we often talked about Christ, talking about how God has worked in me through my struggles wasn't exactly the top of the list of things I wanted to talk about. I mean, she knew about it, so I didn't figure I needed to bring it up; however, when we started pre-marital counseling, the pastor who was doing it encouraged me to man up to the awkwardness and just air out a lot of the things that needed to be said. So, Tiff and I finally got our hands dirty and fully addressed these sins of mine. It was a very healthy conversation, and it helped us keep in perspective that we were both going into marriage as two sinners who are desperate for God's grace, and that we needed to fight for each other in our pursuit of holiness.

Wrapping up (finally), here I am. Married still. By the grace of God, we do have a beautiful relationship. There are times I have slipped a little, and I wish so hard that all of the temptation would go away, but Satan is relentless. (But God is more powerful.) Struggling with same-sex attraction and being in a heterosexual relationship is definitely challenging, but then again, struggling with anything and being in a heterosexual relationship is also challenging. Heck, just being in a heterosexual relationship is challenging enough! But, I am learning more and more to love myself, to love Tiff, and to love others as Christ has loved and still loves us.

Through it all, I have learned what I misinterpreted as a kid. I have learned what true, biblical masculinity is about. It's nothing about what's on the outside, but it's manning up to God's standard for us in His Word. I've also learned to truly believe David's words in Psalm 139, that though I sometimes have questioned why God made me the way I am, I can now say, "I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well."

So, that's my story. I hope through it that you not see me at all, but that you rather see an amazing God who works mighty things through sinful creatures such as myself, and that He continues working in me. I'd love to talk with you if you have any questions or comments. I can't say I've enjoyed every step of my journey, but looking back and seeing the beautiful picture God has painted, I can do nothing else but worship Him and cry "Hallelujah."

Related to the Bible

2011-10-31T19:49:00.002-04:00

To begin looking at some stuff, I feel an appropriate start is with the Bible, the physical Word of God that we get to read. Christianity puts a lot of emphasis on the Bible and what it says, so we need to be sure that the Bible is historically reliable. What are things that you have issues with? Want to know more about? Have a hard time accepting? Here are some things for me...feel free to add to my list.

-How can we trust the Bible since we don't have any original manuscripts?
-What if the manuscripts that we do have aren't exact copies of the original?
-What if the manuscripts don't match each other?
-Are the authors of each book who they say they are?
-What if the books were written a long time after the events written in it occurred?
-What about events for which the purported author was not around (or alive)? (e.g. Creation, private conversations, etc.)
-What if multiple accounts of the same thing don't align? (e.g. The Gospels, Samuel vs. Chronicles, etc.)
-Did historical events in the Bible actually happen?
-How does the inability of another language to express exactly the original language hinder the message? (e.g. Jesus spoke in Aramaic mostly, but the NT is in Greek, and then we read it in English)
-How did books get selected to be in the Bible?
-To what extent do books not selected to be in the Bible reflect biblical truth?

Obviously, addressing these things isn't going to be the most expedient thing. Feel free to join me in searching. We all need to be searching for truth.

"Not Saved By Faith"

2011-10-30T10:10:00.004-04:00

Those were the words on a slide during a presentation by the Christian speaker and apologist Josh McDowell during a talk at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics in Charlotte yesterday.

Heretical? If taken out of context, yes. And he said he was scared of people taking it out of context...so please don't do that here. He went on to say that having faith doesn't save you. Jesus saves you. You can't just say "I have faith," because many people have faith. It needs to be faith in Jesus, the Jesus that was prophesied about in the Old Testament, walked the earth 2000 years ago, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day.

But all this faith is rubbish if we don't know about this Jesus in whom we put our faith. After all, we're staking eternity on this. C. S. Lewis once said, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

So, what do we know about Jesus, about the Bible, about God, etc.? I know I've read things before, but I definitely need to review them, look at new things, and critically examine it all to see the veracity of it all. Christians should not gloss over things and just pretend/hope they're true. After all, the Bible never talks about having "blind faith." Child-like faith, yes, but not blind. (I need to think more on the difference between those two. Any insight from you all is appreciated.)

This doesn't mean you have to have a Ph.D. in Apologetics to analyze things or discover things. I definitely don't have that. But what I want to do is take a look at some of the things that are out there, "evidence," if you will. This evidence leads to knowledge and understanding, and once we have that foundation, we know that there is something on which we can place our faith and build our trust. (Taken from Greg Koukl's talk this weekend.)

Josh McDowell said yesterday that God doesn't use faith to create truth, but rather He uses truth to bring about faith. We see this in John 20.30-31 (and in many other places in the Bible), where signs from God (or in this case, Jesus Himself on Earth) were done so that we may know Him and believe in Him.

So, I invite you, whatever you believe, to join me in attempting to find out more about what could possibly be "of infinite importance." I'm sure I'll have bumps along the way, and I definitely welcome questions/comments from anyone. I can't promise to have all the answers, but perhaps answers isn't what it's about anyways. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the artist Grace Hartigan: "I cannot expect even my own art to provide all of the answers – only to hope it keeps asking the right questions."

Couponing or Eating Well/Locally/Seasonally? Yes, please!

2011-09-24T14:18:00.010-04:00

Ok...so, you probably can browse through the archives on my blog to note that me and couponing used to get along great. I would go to the store and come home with tons of food and personal care items for next to nothing.

Then, you'll notice my posts after that all deal with eating food that is local, organic, seasonal, slow, etc. My attitudes towards personal care and cleaning items have also shifted, too.

I think many people don't like the idea of couponing because they notice that a lot of coupons are for a lot of processed food, or are for household products that contain a lot of chemicals that they may not want in their home.

So, if you prefer fresh food and/or you're mindful of whom you support with your dollars, are you just destined to spend exorbitant amounts of money at the health food stores? Do you have to throw couponing out the window?

Well, here's what I think. I think you can coupon and bring home quality ingredients. You just have to keep in mind a few tricks, and you may have to unlearn a few things.

First, let's deal with produce. Most couponers know that produce is one of the hardest things to coupon, so let's examine if/how you can trim back here and still bring home quality ingredients.

1) Your grocery store is probably NOT the cheapest place to buy produce. Just for comparison, my Publix has one kind of tomatoes *on sale* for $1.69/lb. Normally, they run about $2.39 or so. We have a locally-owned produce market that sources from local farmers, and they also sell other produce from outside the area (pineapples, bananas, lemons, etc.). At this market, tomatoes are *always* $0.99/lb. Also, lemons and limes are only a quarter each, as opposed to somewhere along the lines of $0.50 or $0.66 at Publix.

2) Organic produce will also probably be cheaper at local outlets. I think I saw an organic cucumber at Publix for $1.69 or so the other day. I regularly get organic cucumbers from a local farm at my Saturday all-local farmer's market for $0.50 or $0.75 each. I even scored one week and got organic red peppers for $0.50 each! No coupons required!

3) Grocery stores always have most every vegetable. Some may see this as an advantage, and others may not think so. If you're making a strawberry shortcake in October, you're not going to find strawberries at your local farmer's market, but Publix will have them probably. So, as I said before, you're probably going to pay more for the produce itself, but at least you'll be able to make your dish.

4) Though grocery stores do have most every fruit/vegetable most every day, I guarantee you that fresh produce will taste much better when bought in season from a local farmer. If you can learn how to eat seasonally, eating the mess out of strawberries in April, peaches in August, and apples in November, not only will you be able to pay less for the produce, but you get to enjoy this produce knowing that they picked it when it was ripe. A lot of produce in the store is picked way before it is ripe so that it doesn't go bad by the time they get it out. This means, however, that you have to do without fresh watermelon in February and squash in December (except you don't really, if you plan ahead and can/freeze what you can). But at least what is available at the time is cheap and tastes great. It can take some adjusting, weaning yourself off of certain foods, but in my opinion, it's totally worth it.

So, needless to say, I have for the most part abandoned the produce section at my local Publix and have instead given those dollars to my local farmers. It helps my budget out, I get to enjoy better tasting food, and I get to support local agriculture, which is something that I personally am passionate about. (I just have to give up certain foods at certain times.)

But what about meat and dairy? Those are also notoriously hard to coupon. If you look towards local farmers, though, prices are much higher. Ground beef goes down to $1.99/lb sometimes at my Publix, but the lowest I've ever seen ground beef at my local market is $5.00. Milk at Publix is about $3.19 or $3.39/gallon, and the lowest I've found from local cows is $4.89. Seafood, poultry, and other meats also are cheaper in the store as opposed to local farmers.

While the taste of the two may not be too different, the difference comes from what happens before the products reach the shelves. I know that my local farmers treat their animals well, giving them a humane living environment, and feeding them food they were designed to eat. Essentially, to get a fair price comparison, you need to compare the local farmer's price with Publix's Greenwise (or whatever your supermarket's healthy brand is called) line. There, you will see that what I pay at the local market is very comparable to "the good stuff" at the supermarket.

So, if you eat a majority of fresh produce and meat/dairy, how does couponing fit in? Here's what I do.

1) Learn what foods you do buy at the supermarket that have coupons with them or that go on sale. For me, that includes olive oil, Cascadian Farms organic cereals, Stonyfield organic yogurt (which I use to make my own yogurt), etc. I remember getting Newman's Own fair trade and organic coffee when it was on sale, and I also used a coupon. And though it's not organic or healthy, I also get Blue Bell ice cream when it's on sale...because we all have to treat ourselves sometimes. :) (At least I can pronounce the ingredients.) Though I don't buy them much anymore, you can normally coupon frozen vegetables for really cheap.

2) You will probably have a few extra bucks to spend at the supermarket if you shopped well at the farmer's market.

3) At many supermarkets, you can get overage on certain items, which you can put towards those items you really need (assuming your conscience lets you get that money-making item).

4) At least for me, cat food is always free or close to it. Today was the first time I did this with dry food, but wet food is always free (Whiskas trays, regularly $0.50 each, and there's usually a B1G1 coupon in the newspapers that I use to stock up. The coupon value doubles since my store doubles up to $0.50.). I haven't gone to a healthier alternative for my kitty...I might switch in the future, who knows? (At least she doesn't mind the free food.) :)

5) Also for me, many healthy/organic ingredients actually cost less at the health food store (Earth Fare) than they do at my supermarket (Publix). So, for those items you know you will buy, shop around to make sure you get the best deal.

6) Watch for sales at your local health food store or farmer's market. Earth Fare has great sales, and usually has a weekly item that they give away for free. My local farmer's market also occasionally runs some deals. Just like you learned to do when couponing, when something is on sale...stock up! My local meat guy will sometimes knock a buck off per pound of a certain cut of meat (chicken legs, roast, etc.), so I make sure to get it then and then throw it in the freezer when I get home.

7) Use sites such as Groupon or Living Social to save some more money. Three local produce markets around me have had a deal on one of these sites, so it's a great way for me to save 50% in a place where they rarely have sales.

8) If you have the ability, grow your own food! This is my first time having a garden, and I've gotten some beautiful produce and fresh herbs. Yes, you have to put in labor, but you save on your grocery bill!

9) Also, see if there are any CSAs in your area. That stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and is a program whereby you pay a certain amount per week and receive a basket of food from a local farm. These are usually great deals.

Let me briefly address personal care and household items. You can usually get most of these free at the supermarket or drug stores. So, if you're inclined to buy natural alternatives or make your own, though getting them free is sometimes hard to come by, here are a few tips on how to make sure you get the best deals.

1) Most household cleaning can be accomplished using a combination of regular items (usually simply baking soda and vinegar), which can be couponed or gotten very cheaply.

2) If you want to "soup up" your homemade personal care/cleaning items using essential oils, online stores usually have the best price, from what I've found.

3) Tom's of Maine and Seventh Generation products go on sale fairly regularly, and they usually have coupons, too.

In conclusion, eating well and using natural products doesn't have to mean always paying top dollar. While I don't bring home quite as much stuff as I used to do, what I do bring home is top quality, and I don't break the bank in the process. So, shop smart, eat well, and enjoy life!

Groaning for Redemption: Thoughts from a Christian Environmentalist/Foodie

2011-07-08T15:47:00.003-04:00

(Caveat 1: I don't get to talking about the title until late in the post. That happens some times. You can skip down if you want, as I think it's the best part.)

My wife will confirm that I think about food a LOT. I'm sure she gets tired of having every statement by her followed by my thoughts on how I should plant a second crop of tomatoes, wondering when I would be able to buy organic plums for jam, or trying to argue that lettuce isn't a year-round food. I try to restrain my speech, but so often I hear/see something that makes me think about food. I mean, shouldn't we give heed to what we're choosing to put in our mouths to nourish us?

Ok, so I'm a little obsessive in my head. If you don't agree with that, see my past obsessions of Pokémon, geocaching, and couponing. Inspired by two summers spent in Spain, where they boast in their regional food, over the past year or so, I've read books and watched documentaries about food, subjects such as industrial agriculture and home-grown food. I've also changed a lot of what I eat due to this information and my general concern for personal health. I've continued trying to buy organic food, and increasingly I've become much more of a locavore (eating things that were made in South Carolina). Local + organic = great food...but I'm going to try not to get on much of a soap box, even though that's exactly how we all ate before 50 or 100 years ago.

(Caveat 2: The next four paragraphs are mini soap boxes that are not essential to my overall point, and can be skipped; however, I include them because they're things I'm learning and want to share.)

The more I read or watch about what big industry/government is doing to food, the more infuriated I get. I'm reading now about how we're taking cows, which were designed by God to eat grass, and training them to eat corn. This is not natural, and it causes much disease in the cows, which the feedlot owners overcome by giving them antibiotics among other things.

I've read about how the handful of big industries have so much control over farmers by pushing them to produce more, which requires them to upgrade their equipment, which makes them in debt, which is only overcome by producing more, which is only possible by better equipment, ad infinitum. It's almost a form of slavery...farmers pushed to do things they'd rather not do, but by the time they realize they want out, they're so far in debt that they can't.

I'm becoming more and more sensitive to the link between petroleum and industrial food. Apparently, a cow raised on a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), weaned off of grass and on to corn, effectively requires almost a whole barrel of petroleum when you consider growing and shipping the corn and shipping the cow to the lot. Compare this to the *zero* barrels of oil it would take if the cow were raised in a pasture, where it ate grass that was grown by the sun, rain, and cow manure. Even processed organic foods (like Cascadian Farms granola, of which I have multiple boxes in my pantry) drink the petroleum, as the different ingredients must be shipped first to the factory and then shipped to the store. I believe the statistic is that most food clocks an average of 1500 miles before it reaches our plates.

I also have seen how conventional (i.e. using chemical fertilizers/pesticides) farming is detrimental to the health of the soil, while organic farming practices only enrich the soil and help sustain the possibility of growing a variety of crops in the future.

(The semi-main point of my post begins here. My discussion of the title is still a few paragraphs down.)

And there are so many other things about which I could rant that I've been learning lately. I'm angered by some things, and saddened by others. And when I think about the fact that while I could do my part by buying locally, I can't ignore the fact that millions of others in my country will continue to buy food that is barely food, or is simply a clever reconfiguration of corn molecules. It's easy to become discouraged, so what is the proper perspective as a Christian (because any stance that I take must be weighed against Scripture) when 1) other Christians don't believe like me, and 2) I consider the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of industrial, processed food?

First, God has convicted me about what I eat, where it comes from, and how I "vote" with my money when I buy food. I've always enjoyed nature, but God has used the following Scriptures to back up why it is that I support saving the environment and whatever implications there are in my diet. Psalm 24.1: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Micah 6.8: "[W]hat does the Lord require of you but to do justice..." Genesis 1.15: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Genesis 1.26: "[L]et [man] have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1.31: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Psalm 19.1: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." And then there's all of Psalm 104.

As we see in these Scriptures, the entirety of God's creation is intended to bring Him glory. He created us also to glorify Him, and part of our job is to care for that with which He has entrusted us. He didn't give us the earth to do as we pleased, but rather we need to cultivate it. And in my mind, supporting local farmers who are utilizing best practices in creating food that's good for me and for the planet (both now and in the future) is what is best as I strive to provide justice for farmers and cultivate the "garden" into which God has intentionally put me. 1 Corinthians 7.17: "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."

So, having a penchant towards buying local, organic food is my conviction, but it's not necessarily others'. 1 Corinthians 8.8: "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do." This verse is not about organic vs. conventional or local vs. industrial, but rather foods offered to idols. Even so, it shows us that as far as it is under my control, I should strive to do/eat that of which I have been convicted, but if someone serves me food or eats food themselves that does not fall in line with my convictions, I should not judge them. In the end, it's just food. This is not to say that I shouldn't teach others about why I believe what I believe...as evidenced by this blog...but I just shouldn't/can't judge.

Two more scriptures along these lines: Romans 14.14: "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Romans 14.2,5-6: "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables...One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God."

(Here's where the title comes in. Finally.)

Ok, so that's how I stand as far as me vs. other people. But what about me vs. how I perceive industrial agribusiness to be hurting the environment? How do I keep from getting discouraged when, even if I decide in my heart that corn-fed beef is bad, I know that it will take far more than me to change the face of the American diet? Here's where theology/spirituality really kicks in.

I've already mentioned that God created creation to reveal His glory, and we are responsible for taking care of it; however, sin happened. As a result, both man and nature were cursed. Genesis 3.17-18: "And to Adam [God] said...cursed is the ground...thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you..." Not only was the ground's cursing also a curse for man (as he now has to toil for his food), but also sin marred the perfect nature of his role as keeper of the ground. Just as sin keeps me from being a perfect husband in my marriage, so also sin keeps us from appropriately cultivating God's creation.

So, we're currently facing a nation that is training even *fish* to eat corn. Romans 8.18-23 is an amazing passage that speaks on behalf of these fish and the acres and acres of hybrid, GMO corn in Iowa:

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

Man does cruel things to nature. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes not. Sometimes willingly, sometimes not. Regardless, just as we Christians are (or should be) groaning for redemption, for the time and place where our bodies are made new and sin is no more, so also creation itself...the soil in the corn fields, the cow ankle-deep in its own manure, the chickens who never see the light of day...is groaning for the day that all the injustices done to it are no more. 2 Peter 3.13: "But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."

I'm never going to make all the right choices with my food, no matter how hard I try. There's no best way to eat/produce food. What if something's not available locally? What if something's available locally but not organically? What if I legitimately only have time to run through a drive-thru?

And just as I'll never do it perfectly, so other people will always continue to not make the wisest choices. But this is where we just hope in God's promises. He has promised to redeem us. He has promised to redeem His creation. And His Word never fails.

So, this is why I don't beat myself up over food. I try my hardest to do what I think is best, and I won't judge you if you don't share in my convictions. I'll never turn down food if you offer it to me, even if it's not local/organic/from scratch. Even if you do offer me, or if I prepare, the most beautiful plate of food so humanely/environmentally-friendly that has the best taste ever, even that will only be a glimpse of what our future holds when all Christians sit down with Christ at the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Praise and glory be to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Gettin' Dirty!

2011-06-28T16:39:00.004-04:00

Who knew this once-couch-potato-slash-computer-nerd had a green thumb hidden on his hand? Being raised in fairly rural South Carolina, gardening is something that has always surrounded me. I loved eating "Pon's corn" (corn out of my grandma's garden). In more recent years, my mom started planting veggies in her backyard. And now, at 25 years old, I'm trying my hand (thumb?) at it. If you read my previous discourse on food, you'll note that becoming a locavore is something that interests me greatly. (Update: I've decided I don't ever need to by meat from the grocery store again. Local, animal-friendly only, please.) So, when the City of Columbia created community gardens--a collection of small, raised plots in some open space in the city--I knew I had to lease me one. I mean...$20 for the year! They put some soil in there, and they have water out there for us to use. Soon, we will hopefully be getting a fence to help deter anyone from taking any of my tomatoes that are just about ripe.

So, as soon as the plots became available in April, I was out in the dirt. I first tilled the soil well and added some mushroom compost. (No chemicals in my garden, please!) I then planted tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, eggplant, lettuce, broccoli, and cucumbers. I later added some squash. It was so neat watching the little seedlings that had started out so small turn into larger plants. I mean, God is awesome how He designed plants. We humans must feed ourselves with outside food. Plants are so cool that they get to make their own food out of soil (and its nutrients), water, air, and sunshine.

As my plants grew, I rejoiced at seeing the first few blossoms on my plants. First were the cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes. When flowers come, then comes the sexy time! ;) God, in His awesome creativity, designed plants to create fruit after the coming together of the male and female parts of the plants. (Remember that from 10th grade biology?) Sometimes it's just the wind that does it...and (to steal an illustration from Barbara Kingsolver, whom I will you tell you all about in a later blog) sometimes the plants invite a third party in to help them--bees! (A literal part of the birds and the bees?) I was out with my arm deep in one of my tomato plants when I watched a bumblebee come land on the brilliant purple flower of my Ichiban eggplants and then to another. I watched in awe as I may have witnessed the process of creating one of the eggplants that is/was growing on the plant. And this process happens all the time! God is so creative, how He has a purpose for everything great and small!

Now, not everything is fine and dandy in the garden. I started with six squash plants...now I'm down to one, and there's no guarantee for this guy. I was unfortunately lucky enough to get a case of the squash bugs and the squash vine borers. I managed to get one early squash harvested, but the rest is history. Spiritual life application (as my mom says many of her sermons would come from the garden were she a preacher): Watch out for predators! They're everywhere! And sometimes the only way to get rid of them is to squish them! I've had to squish squash bugs, smash vine borer larvae, and mash broccoli-leaf-eating caterpillars between their lunch leaves. But it's all part of the process of growth. You have to kill some things in order to make growth happen. I hated uprooting entire squash plants because of one larva, but it had to be done. Were I to leave it, valuable nutrients from the soil would go towards feeding the pest and a plant that would never yield fruit.

I'll never forget when I showed up and found my first fruit on the vine. It was a cucumber. Then, I noticed an eggplant. My sister-in-law Christy spotted my first tomatoes. I felt like I was becoming a father! (I'm sure the actual process of expecting a child will be infinitely more joyful.) Now, it became my duty to help raise them. I've kept out the weeds. I've fed the soil with some chicken manure, and have even buried some kitchen scraps in the soil, which have now entirely decomposed. I've sprayed some natural substances to help with the insects (different essential oils and Dr. Bronner's soap).

Once the fruits grow, I get the joy of picking them and eating them at home! I'm glad my wife loves cucumbers, because we sure do have a mess of them! I'm glad I like eggplant, because we've had our share of those, too! Peppers are just now getting big enough, I have one red tomato that I'll pick soon, and I have so many other tomatoes on the vine waiting for their chance to shine. Broccoli FINALLY started coming in this week...I may have planted too late...but we'll see. My lettuce is done, and it somehow has managed to survive the heat of Columbia and has reached flowering stage. (What? Lettuce flowers? Yup! I didn't know it either! More to come on lettuce in a future post.) Like I said, my squash is gone, but I have a couple of okra plants, some young watermelon seedlings, and some cilantro coming up.

I've learned a lot just from experience, talking with my mom/grandma, reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and researching the Internet. I've learned about how to harvest, why mulching is important, soil pH levels, how to naturally tend a garden, and a plethora of other things!

I think I'm going to start a series of posts getting people to think about and appreciate their food, instead of mercilessly shoving food in their pie holes in the all-too-short lunch break their employer grants them. Since when did lunch stop being about the food and become about convenience? Slow down, breathe, and appreciate the yummy tomato sandwich. (But only eat that in July or August during tomato season. ;))

Some thoughts on food

2011-01-13T11:50:00.006-05:00

And so...if you know me, you probably know that food is important to me. I like to eat good tasting food. I like to eat good quality food. I like to eat weird food. I like to eat exotic food. I like normal food. I'll try anything at least once. I just figured I'd jot down some or all of my food philosophy. :)

On trying everything
I've had the privilege to travel to 15 other countries. I've had intestines in Chile (which I thought was spaghetti). I've had cheese-flavored ice cream in Mexico. I've had octopus (complete with the "suckers") in Spain.

When I go places and I find foods that I can't find here in Columbia, South Carolina, I immediately am drawn to them. Why? Because I can't find it in Columbia, South Carolina! Why would I go to the ice cream stand in Mexico and order vanilla? I mean, how cool is it to be able to say that you've tried cheese-flavored ice cream? As I tell people, it tasted exactly like cheese. Was it absolutely awesome? Nope! But I tried it. Once in Chile, my host mom made me a ham and peanut butter sandwich. Not your everyday combination, but I tried it. (Admittedly, I don't think I finished it.) When I go to restaurants anywhere, I try to make it a point to not ask them to leave anything off. I figure it's there for a reason. I may not think mashed avocado is the best condiment to put on a hamburger, but when in Rome (er, Chile)...

Basically, I'll try anything that anyone fixes me simply for the fact that in that person's culture, it's accepted as being good. If I simply go off of my own opinion of how the dish sounds or looks, then I may not get to experience the joy of trying this new food (or combination of foods). Is it always a joyful experience? Not always, but I can at least say that I tried it, and now I know. But more often than not, I have a pleasant experience and discover new ways of looking at food.

On eating local produce
Let's face it. The world is smaller than ever. One can get from point A to point B (wherever those two points may be) much more quickly than centuries ago. This means that foods can travel that same distance very quickly. You walk into a supermarket nowadays, whatever the season, and you'll always find apples, oranges, strawberries, and blueberries. Nevermind the fact that those four fruits belong to four different growing seasons.

The problem with supermarkets is that Americans love supermarkets. They love them because they provide any food, any time. If we want to do a grape salad in the middle of January, then we know where to go find the ingredients. But where did those grapes come from? Chile. What about the bananas? Honduras.

One thing I've started doing this year is trying to eat more seasonally. I think supermarkets, restaurants, and the frozen food industry have caused Americans to really become out of touch with the food that they eat. I forced myself to think about what South Carolina has to offer. Upon investigation (because I had to investigate as I was that far out of touch!), I found a wealth of knowledge. I learned when blueberries were in season. I learned what veggies grew in the winter. I learned that we have our own rice and tea plantation down near the coast!

Have you ever gone into the supermarket when the bananas were still green? They turn yellow eventually yes, but keep in mind how green/unripe they were upon arrival, then think about their condition when they picked them at the banana plantation in Central America!

This summer, I went to a blueberry farm (Berry Hill Farm) in Lexington, SC. I picked ripe blueberries straight from the bush. I can't tell you how good they were! So sweet! And I got to feel good about the food because I acquired it with my own hands.

I've also started going regularly to local farmer's markets. They bring in the freshest produce from their own farms around the Midlands. Here, you get to talk with the farmers and see where your money is going. You know that they're only going to give you their best. You'll find that farmers markets are often cheaper than in the grocery stores, too!

Many local farmers now have started growing organically as well. Fruits in the supermarkets have been given "medicine" to make the fruits bigger, and they've also waxed many of the fruits to make them "shinier." Bigger and better...that's what they're trying to promote. But through buying local, seasonal fruits and vegetables, you're supporting the local farmer and a better way of doing agriculture, building relationships, reducing your carbon footprint, getting in touch with the way food is supposed to be, and you'll usually save money!

Now, by doing this, you're giving up "fresh" peaches in March and apples in June...but you could also do what I did and make preserves! I have frozen blueberries that I picked to put in pancakes, and I have a jar of peach preserves in my fridge now! (I also did blueberry and blackberry preserves, hot pepper jelly, and apple butter.)

Now, I'm definitely not a complete "locavore." I still buy the occasional banana. And I have some lettuce and tomatoes now in the fridge that I bought at Publix. But it's a process... I'm looking into joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) this summer where I can actually volunteer some hours and help grow my own food and get it fresh once it's ripe!

On meat
I mean, really. Have you seen those trucks filled with chickens going down the interstate? I've read and seen too many stories about inhumane treatments of animals. Cows that aren't allowed to move so that their meat is more tender. Chickens/turkeys whose breasts are so big that their own legs buckle under the weight. Fish that are taught to eat corn because it's less expensive. As is the case with supermarket produce, these producers are nothing but doing "good" business...getting the best product out there that costs them as little as possible. Americans love chicken breasts, so let's forget about the chicken itself and plump that breast up. Here, have some antibiotics. (Food, Inc. attempted to go inside of some chicken coops, but because of all the shady business going on, they were denied entry almost everywhere.)

What ever happened to cows grazing in the pasture? What about chickens eating chicken food and not chemicals? And fish not getting their recommended 3-4 servings of vegetables daily?

I'm trying (trying being the key word) to buy meat from local farms where I know the animals are treated well and are fed well. Again, I will be able to build relationships with the farmer himself, and I know that what I'm getting will be top quality.

The only catch is that locally-produced meat is usually much more expensive than in the store. But it should be. They're using food that the animals normally eat, not the cheap stuff. They need more land for the animals to graze instead of keeping them cooped up. And meat production is much more expensive than vegetable production! (I remember reading something stating that one good way to help the environment is to go vegetarian, as there's much less of a carbon footprint with gardening than with raising cattle.)

The farm from which I frequently buy meat (Wil-Moore Farms out of Lugoff, SC) sells ground beef at $4.75/lb, but that is comparable to the Publix Greenwise meats. I've never bought chicken breasts, though...too expensive at $8.79/lb! But when you're buying responsibly, you learn that such a prime cut of meat like that needs to be expensive!

I've also started buying local dairy products, such as eggs and milk. It's a little more expensive, but again, you know that the cows and chickens are given a good life, it's so much fresher, and it lasts much longer. (For example, I love it when they tell me exactly when the cow was milked...usually no more than three days prior. In supermarkets, it takes a couple of weeks for the milk to hit the shelves. Of course it's going to be cheaper...it's going to go bad soon!)

On treating yourself/not eating locally
So, what happens if a food you want isn't grown here? Does that mean we shouldn't have it? I mean, if we only ate locally, I'd have to give up chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and many spices. I'm not so sure I'm okay with that. But I think because of the highly industrialized nature of food today, we've lost the exotic qualities of certain ingredients, such as those I just mentioned. If saffron were readily available, would paella in Spain still taste just as quintessential? I mean, when I put on my leather jacket, I feel special, because I bought it in Argentina made from cows raised there. It's got that exotic state. But when's the last time you've felt that when measuring out a teaspoon of vanilla extract? (As an aside, there's a girl at the All-Local Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings who brought back with her a ton of vanilla pods from her time working in Tonga. I'm still debating whether or not to get a few as it seems expensive to pay $3 each, but then again, when you consider where it comes from, you understand. It also helps you understand why it's so expensive in stores anyway.) So, I don't see anything wrong with treating yourself with some things, but it's important to be conscious of where things are coming from and how the transportation of that product may be detrimental and/or the production of that product may not be humane/ethical. (i.e. Buy fair trade coffee/cocoa! But I haven't followed that advice, as I have plenty of coffee and chocolate in my cabinet about whose origin I have no idea.)

On vegetarianism
I've considered giving up meat. I could definitely do it. I used to be upset if I lacked meat with any meal, and now, I can go days without having it. You can get protein from other sources. I thought about how God had just told Adam and Eve that the plants were for eating, and it wasn't until Noah that God said meat was okay. And also in thinking that God created us with our cuspid teeth (the canine, pointy ones) to help in our tearing of meat. So, God is okay with it, so I can be, too. But as I said above, meat eating is costly to the wallet and to the earth, so I try to be intentional about choosing vegetarian options whenever possible.

On fake sugars, and any other questionable products
Gross! The minute you start to seriously read labels is the minute you appreciate good, basic foods. I mean, really. Do you want a chemical "food" that is marketed to sweeten your food (but actually tastes like butt)? First of all, Europe didn't have sugar until sometime in the Middle Ages, and during that time, it was viewed as a rarity. And yet we in America today can't live without it. Everything's gotta be sweet nowadays. Our coffee, tea, candy, soda...even our fruit juices have added sugar in them! And yet we wonder why our obesity levels or number of people with diabetes is so high! I think the answer to this is not for people to replace sugar with fake sugar, but just to have real sugar in lesser quantity! (I personally like to use honey as a sweetener whenever possible.) I've recently switched to unsweet tea, which is blasphemy as a Southerner, but now that I've taken the sugar out...I find I can actually taste the tea! Also, I'm keeping stuff out of my body that really shouldn't be there in that quantity.

And the other questionable products mentioned in the title refer to all the "fillers" in our foods. I'm thinking specifically now about peanut butter. The kind I buy has an ingredients list of peanuts and salt. Take a look at yours. My favorite is the reduced fat variety of peanut butter. I mean, really. How are you going to take the fat out of a peanut? This isn't bacon where you can just use a knife to cut around it. The trick is they use less peanuts and put in other ingredients to fill up the jar. The next few ingredients are corn syrup solids, sugar, and soy protein, followed by a host of chemicals and other oils. There may be 1/4 of the fat, but there's four times the sugar...not to mention the chemicals, and what the heck is soy protein or a corn syrup solid? (Peanut butter, jelly, and corn sandwich?) How about using regular peanut butter, but using less of it? If you want it sweeter, add some honey. (But why take it sweeter when you're just going to put jelly on the sandwich, too?)

On eating out
On the upside, you don't have to cook or clean up, or have time to do either of the former. On the downside, it's much more expensive than the food you can prepare in the house, and you have no idea what goes into your food! Sketchy hamburger patties at McDonald's. Questionable chicken parts in the nuggets at Wendy's. And what about hot dogs? :P Ok, admittedly I like hot dogs, don't mind the taste of nuggets, and I love a good burger...but the moment I sit down to think about where my food comes from, I want to not eat anymore and go home and cook.

On cooking
I love to cook! I love knowing where my food came from, as well as exactly what comes in it. Whenever possible, I start with the raw, basic ingredient (i.e. no frozen pie crusts, Bisquick, or jarred salsa). By doing this, you get rid of any chemicals/preservatives, and you can learn a little more about what biscuits, pies, salsas, etc. are actually made of if you're making them yourself. Now, I say all of this now with no kids and a job where I'm home by 4:00 and am off in the summers, and I know that I'm sure I'll cut corners here and there. (I already do, using graham crackers in my cheesecake crust. Hey, they cut corners occasionally on Top Chef, but they get scolded for it.)

I love having a relationship with my food. I love making it my own. I love enjoying it. I love discovering new things about food. My wife will confirm that I am a food elitist. But I want to know what's wrong with wanting to know 1) what's in my food/going into my body, 2) where that product came from, and 3) how that product came about?

I've learned a lot about why food is priced as it is. I've learned that while loaves of freshly-baked bread may seem expensive to buy considering how cheap the ingredients are, you realize as you've got your fingers in your own dough that producing high quality food takes time and effort. And I've learned that cheese is so expensive because it takes so much milk and time to make! Basically, if you want good food, you'll pay for it monetarily or with time, labor, and/or effort.

But if I've only got one body, I want to make sure I take good care of it. And yes, I'll die just like the guy that eats McDonald's every day, but I know I did what I could to care for the things with which God has entrusted me--myself, other people, and the earth.

Vows

2010-11-06T15:02:00.004-04:00

Several of y'all had asked for these, and for those that didn't, I wanted to share them anyway. :) These are the vows that Tiffany and I wrote for each other. We wrote them separately, and we didn't hear them until the wedding day when we read them to each other at the altar.

My vows to Tiffany:

Tiffany, when I was thinking about what I wanted to write in my vows, I kept trying to bring to mind something that I could honestly *vow* to you. Of course, I had to look up what it meant to "vow" something--to make a solemn promise, to covenant. And when I think about who I am--a sinner--there's no way I can look at you and solemnly promise to always love you in the best fashion, to always consider your needs over my own, to always choose to serve you, to be the leader that I am called to be. It seems the only thing that I can promise is that I will disappoint you sometimes, that I will be selfish and prideful. But thank God that this marriage isn't only about the two sinners that are standing here. We have living and working in us a perfect God who is unchanging. He has vowed to continue to mold us to be more like Him, to love like Him, to serve like Him. When we go astray, He still welcomes us back in the fold. Today, I rest not in my empty, human vows that I could break so easily. Instead, I look fervently towards our God, our Anchor, and trust that His infinite love and grace can cover my current faults, my past baggage, and my future disappointments. In the big picture, we are His bride, and He is our Husband. In Hosea, we see His vows to us: "I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord." So, as we step out of the church today into the rest of our lives together, may we not depend on our futile human efforts to love each other, but put our faith in the true covenant of our everlasting God, our only eternal hope and the source of perfect Love.

Tiffany's vows to me:

Benjamin, in case I haven’t told you this enough…you don’t complete me. Jesus completed me when He called me from death into life. I know that I can love you, because Jesus first loved me, and He has given me a whole heart capable of loving with His love.

I know you are the one for me, because today I am choosing you. I choose to love you – when it’s easy and when it’s hard. I choose to be faithful to you. I choose to submit to you as the head and spiritual leader of our household. I choose to serve you, and to serve alongside you. I choose to support you and to be your helper.

I hope and pray that we will love each other in such a way as to make the name of Jesus Christ famous. My desire is that our relationship will mirror the relationship of Christ and His church. I’m not marrying you to meet my own needs or to satisfy my own desires. Today I commit to you because I believe that we can glorify God better together than we each can on our own.

I love that you love Jesus more than you love me. I pray that we will have a long, joyous life together. But ultimately, I look forward to one day standing at the feet of Jesus, knowing that my life on earth glorified Him better because of your presence in it. I commit to you this day in preparation for that future day, when we will echo the words of Revelation 19:6-9:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”…“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”…“These are the true words of God.”

Wishlist Updated

2010-10-29T14:16:00.003-04:00

This is a redo of a wishlist I posted last year. This is a general wishlist for me in case you ever felt compelled to buy me things. It's been said that guys are hard to buy for, so here's a fairly exhaustive list of things I like, including some specific things you could get me. Please note that this is not a call for you to buy me things, but rather a guideline (should you choose to use it) if that call ever came. :) And also note that I like everything. I have bolded things that I really want.

General:
1. money donated to other causes (Heifer International, Blood:Water Mission, local missions, etc.)
2. anything involving beavers (shirts, figurines, etc.)
3. music - contemp. Christian, movie scores, orchestral, classical, world (celtic, flamenco, and all others), new age, Latin, popera, coffeeshop-style (veg-out music), instrumental folk (I only have Nickel Creek's This Side)
4. piano books (hymn arrangements, movie scores, classical, new age, quiet stuff)
5. Bible study aids (Greek and Hebrew stuff, exegeses, commentaries, study Bibles)
6. books - thrillers, Christian, history, informative, poetry, anything in Spanish, South Carolina
7. things related to geocaching
8. dark chocolate (but no other candy unless from another country)
9. hot tea (and any accessories thereof...and since I have a French press, loose leaf is preferred...I also like coffee)
10. any rich, savory, weird, foreign, and/or exotic food (like chocolate infused with chili powder)
11. organic/healthy food
12. shirts (casual or nicer) (M in t-shirt, M or L in long-sleeve, button-up: 16-16 1/2 neck, 32/33 or 34/35 sleeve)
13. pants (33 or 34 W, 32 L, M if sized)
14. shoes - 12
15. ties
16. atlases, globes, maps (of any kind...ancient, modern, old, new, etc. and if you can score one of those pull-down maps like from high school, you’re awesome)
17. anything related to geography, culture, language, flags
18. things from other places (including and especially food, art, artisanry, etc.)
19. anything related to the Spanish world (books, signs, buttons, music, food, history, artisanry, etc. just not dictionaries unless it's especially unique)
20. stuff for teaching (markers, printer/notebook/construction paper, craft supplies, writing utensils, decorations, etc.)
21. jigsaw puzzles
22. brain teasers (logic, sudoku, word, and anything else)
23. things to help me relax (and that includes massages or any other spa things! My favorite scents are lavender and woodsy stuff, with Sage/Citrus being my favorite Yankee Candle.)
24. anything that can be collected, classified, and/or organized
25. gift cards: Books-a-Million, Amazon.com, Target, Lifeway, BP gas, Publix grocery, iTunes, Belk, money towards an airline ticket or skydiving

Specifics:
1) Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible (Jay P. Green has one)
2) Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
3) Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
4) Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek (text and workbook)
5) Pratico and Van Pelt's Basics of Biblical Hebrew (text and workbook)
6) TV
7) umbrella
8) Amazing Race or Survivor complete seasons
9) Josh Groban's self-titled album's piano music
10) Sixpence None the Richer CDs
11) Burlap to Cashmere CDs
12) Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas CD (the 1984 album, black with a Christmas tree)
13) Rodrigo y Gabriela CDs
14) Celtic Woman CDs (besides A New Journey)
15) Loreena McKennitt CDs (besides An Ancient Muse)
16) House slippers
17) External hard drive
18) KitchenAid mixer
19) Cooking/baking staples (chocolates, flours, sugars, yeast, spices (preferably not blends))

So, Benjamin, you excited about getting married?

2010-08-28T22:32:00.002-04:00

It's the questions everyone has been asking me. And I don't blame them. After all, weddings are generally greatly celebrated in our country. And now it's my turn. I'm the one who will be waiting on my beautiful bride at the end of the aisle.

So, what's my answer to the question?

...um, well... Honestly, when people ask me, I don't feel as if I'm jumping up and down with excitement on the outside...and I'm not sure I'm doing the same on the inside either. Please don't read that the wrong way. I'm excited, yes. But hear me out.

Tiffany and I were talking, and both of us have similar attitudes towards marriage. It's not that marriage isn't going to be exciting--it is. But truthfully, we have fulfilled lives right now as single people. We're looking forward to the wedding and towards our new life together, but it's not like we're sitting here counting the days and hours until the wedding, waiting on our lives to become complete. **Tiffany will not complete me. I will not complete her.** Any emptiness in our hearts has already been filled by the grace, love, and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our getting married is simply our following His lead, and we look forward to what He has in store for our marriage, to how He will use our being together to bring Him greater glory.

Marriage will bring great change to both of our lives, which may also be another hindrance to a visible expression of excitement. While marriage will open up new freedoms for us, we will also both lose some of the freedoms we had as single people. But I'm sure that as in any stage of life, we will learn to enjoy all that this new chapter has in store. Our lives aren't going from bad to good...they've always been good. Things are just going to change, and I'm sure it'll take some getting used to.

For me, just the thought of marriage is such a daunting thing that I believe extreme excitement would be a tad naïve. After all, examining my new job description in Ephesians 5 is such a huge thing! I'm supposed to love and serve Tiffany as Christ loved and gave Himself up for His church! That's a big deal! Tiffany and I are going to be in the position to start a family, and if that doesn't scare the poop out of you, I don't know what will! God will actually make us be responsible for caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of one of His creatures? Wow! And let's not forget the whole sharing-my-room-(and-bed)-for-the-rest-of-my-life thing. :P

So, yeah. Marriage. Exciting, yes, but a little overwhelming and unreal to think about sometimes. My prayer in our marriage as we face new obstacles is that I/we won't rely on my/our human strengths, but would instead lean wholly on His unfailing support. He has led us to this time, and He's not making us go at it alone. He's going to be with us through the rest of our lives together, and that's exciting. :)

Spain 2010 - Week 5 - Goodbyes

2010-08-01T14:25:00.002-04:00

I'm typing this from hot'n'humid Columbia, SC. Home sweet home! I'm very jet-lagged after 33.5 hours of traveling, but all is well (or it will be once my bag makes it home...didn't make the Toronto-Charlotte connection).

I stopped writing in my journal regularly, and it was a struggle throughout the summer. It's not that I had trouble making time for it, it's just that I didn't feel the need to record things this year. It just shows how the novelty of being in Spain is gone. I still jotted down some of the more exciting/unusual things, but what's exciting about reading "Today, I went to class, ate in the cafeteria, and took a siesta"?

We had seven final exams during the last week. All but one of them were 20-question multiple choice exams, so they weren't insanely difficult, but you had to know your stuff. I decided I wasn't going to stress out over them this year, so I didn't work as much as I could have, but I still did fine on them all.

And I'm now a Master! I've completed all of my requirements for the degree, including my thesis. Many of my friends haven't done this yet, so they still aren't done, but it's such a relief for me! Now I can focus on other things...like taking more classes starting in about two weeks. :P Oh yeah, and getting married next month.

So, overall, it was a good summer. Got to experience a Spanish World Cup victory, learned a lot more about the language and Spanish culture, and developed some more great friendships. But it's good to be back! I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to do an extended time abroad again, but who knows!

Peace!

Spain 2010 - Week 4 - Nothing extraordinary

2010-07-24T03:24:00.002-04:00

Week 4 for me was good...no tests, getting used to dorm life, eating a lot more, etc. Now, it's the weekend before final exams. Last year at this time, I was in Portugal living it up...not this year! I'm saving money for some special trip in September...something about a honeymoon, I think.. ;)

In the dorm, because I actually feel comfortable being here, I don't leave...which means I don't go into town like I used to. That's fine, though...I've seen the Plaza plenty of times! Another change is that I don't have TV here, so I don't get to keep up with the Spanish news like I used to, but I usually was just watching without listening anyway. :P

Regarding language, I'm not speaking Spanish all the time like I did last year. I think I'm to the point where I'm comfortable expressing things in either language...and so if I happen to be with other English speakers, I'm more comfortable in English, obviously. (That, or I'm just lazier this year.)

Also, when I listen to Spanish speakers, it's very easy for me to tune out. Sometimes I feel bad, but then I realize I tune out just as easily in English. I can tell my Spanish has progressed, though, in that when I do tune out, I can jump right back in and after a bit be right back with everyone else. (Basically, all we've done here in Spain is listen to monologues, whether it be from our teachers or from the presenters at the conference earlier in the summer...so my listening skills have greatly improved.)

On Thursday, my classmates gave me and another girl a "despedida de solter@", which is a bachelor(ette) party here. I'm getting married in six weeks and Kristen's getting married in November. It was great! No sketchy activities...just pizza and good times. And they gave me an apron which makes me look like a matador. :D

And to wrap this entry up...I LOVE linguistics! I have a class on the regional variants of Spanish, and it's so fascinating! I'm going to start taking classes (again) in the fall at USC, working towards a Master's in Linguistics and a TESOL certification. Exciting!

Spain 2010 - Week 3 - Movin' on up and Exams!

2010-07-19T16:21:00.004-04:00

Week 3 recap...a little late, but whatevs! :)

So, I'm typing this from the university dorms. I just got tired of being gotten on to and not feeling like a part of a family. I signed up to live with a family to feel loved, included, and valued (as well as receiving home-cooked food). I didn't sign up to live in a place where the only place I was welcome was in my room, the bathroom, and the kitchen during meal times. I was never told I could hang out in the living room to watch TV, twice I ate in the kitchen while she and her dinner guests ate in the dining room, and there was a sign on the door reminding me that "full board" meant three meals a day and one shower a day. I wasn't allowed to wash clothes in the house, even by hand in the tub, and even if I went to a laundromat to have the clothes washed, I couldn't use the clothes lines to dry them. I had to hang them up in my room. There was never a, "Hey, Benjamin, let me show you where they have the best tapas in town," or a "Do you want a snack since supper won't be for a few more hours?"

I wasn't part of her family. I was simply an income source for her.

I understand why there are rules in effect, as she does cycle students in and out of there regularly...but after she got on to me for answering the door when she wasn't there, I knew that was enough. I went to the university and asked for them to put me in a dorm room. I wrote my host mom a letter explaining the situation and left it for her one day before I went to school. We never really talked about it after that...I wasn't going to bring it up, and the only thing she said was basically for me to leave the keys before I left. I just don't get how we didn't have any problems last year, but this year, once she first got on to me for washing my clothes, it's as if she lost all faith in me and that she needed to treat me like a child.

But anyway...all is good now! I'm eating a TON in the school cafeteria. A normal Spanish lunch is a first course, second course, bread, dessert, and a drink. Dinner is usually lighter. (Meal times are 2-3 for lunch and 9-10 for dinner.) Well, at the caf, you get TWO first courses, a second course, bread, TWO desserts, and a drink! (They even have wine!) Needless to say, I started my exercise routine back up today. :P

We had our midterm exams last week. I made an 85, 90, 95, 95, and a 100. Oddly enough, the lowest grade was the class I enjoy the most (regional language variants). But the exams here are really silly...20 multiple questions that for the most part come straight from the printed notes they give us. No higher order thinking skills required! I definitely don't mind, but it's not making me learn the material for real. This week, there are no exams, but finals start a week from tomorrow (Tuesday)!

I've been enjoying learning more about the culture and experiencing it. Salamanca has a Jazz in the Street concert series on Friday and Saturday nights during the summer. On Friday night, they had a quintet that sang a lot of American jazz songs...I cracked up during their first number, "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing." Now I know how we must sound singing in different languages!

On Saturday, I walked to the giant supermarket/hypermarket Carrefour. It's basically Super Wal-Mart, as it has everything. They have free sample stations here, too...except they have samples of mojitos here. :P Also, walking by the seafood station, I saw navajas, which I recognized by the shell on the outside...it's called a jackknife, and it's a mollusk. I thought to myself, "Who would ever eat that?" What did we have on the table that night? Haha...

In other news, I'm getting married in six weeks and five days! Ack!

(Oh, and Spain won the World Cup! That was an experience being here!)

Spain 2010 - Week 2 - Family matters and World Cup

2010-07-10T10:14:00.002-04:00

Two weeks down, three to go. School is going well...I'm not as concerned about my classes this year as last. I spent three hours studying this morning, recopying my notes in preparation for midterms next week. For the most part, I enjoy my classes, though it's rough having literature during the last hour before lunch. (But the profa recognizes that we're dead by that point, so she has us stand up and jump around, or she tells us a joke to get us animated.)

I've been having frustrations with my host mom this week. The year before last summer, I had spent a majority of it living with my parents, so it wasn't a big deal coming to live with a family here. This past year, though, I've spent it on my own, so I'm coming to realize the difficulties that lie now living under the rules of the house.

While my host mom was gone last weekend, I decided to wash my clothes by hand. I knew that I could have her do my laundry for 12€ a week, but I didn't want to spend that this year. I figure there was no harm done by my doing them myself. As I soon found out, though, doing laundry in the house (even by hand) is a no-no...but that's not her rule...it's the University's. I really don't know why, but that's the way it is. So, she got mad at me, accusing me of not having read the contract that I had signed, etc. In actuality, I had a) never signed my name to anything in this regards, and b) had never received any list of rules for homestay here. It hurt being falsely accused. Later, she showed me the letter that I had supposedly received and then got on a high horse, telling me that last year she did me lots of favors, and this year she didn't have to leave food for me while she was gone, but she did anyway...but that didn't mean I could do whatever I wanted to in the house, etc.

Then, the next day, I went to the post office and the train station after class, arriving home at 3:00 for lunch. Last year, we ate lunch around 2:30 or 3:00 each day. Again, I figure no harm done in my getting home then. I arrive, and she and Jaime (the kid from England who arrived Sunday night) were sitting at the table, and the first words she said were "You know what time we eat here. We were here waiting on you, but we were hungry, so we started eating. You need to make sure you let me know if you're going to be late for lunch, etc., etc., etc."

And then so last night, I knew I was going to be late for supper. So, I let her know that, making sure it was okay. Her words: "No...I've got company coming over, blah, blah, blah, can't be in two places at once, etc."

It's just been weird having this friction. I didn't expect it, and I don't like it. There are no warm fuzzies here at home. It's been hanging over me so much, how I should've handled the situations differently, what I should've said, how I could've "gotten her back," etc. And of course it's all pride. I've prayed that God would take this away from my mind...and it didn't work until last night.

Last night, Francys (a student in my class who teaches in Georgia, I think) invited me to go to a church with her. I accepted, and as soon as I got there and the service started, it's as if a giant weight was lifted off of me. Just to be in the presence of other believers worshiping God was awesome. I didn't know any (save one) of the songs, but that doesn't matter. The speaker talked about the verses in the Bible where we are considered the apple of God's eye, that He treasures us. Despite how others treat us, He is there, loving us with an eternal love. It was exactly what I needed to hear.

Back to family matters, Jaime is a cool guy to hang around. He's from Oxford, England, but he doesn't attend the university there, as he's still got one year of high school left. He speaks great Spanish, and it's been cool getting to show him around Salamanca and tell him some cool things about the language and culture that he didn't know. He's very outgoing, and will talk to anyone around. He just goes walking around and will start up a conversation with a Spaniard. Definitely a quality I don't have! He's got a friend here in Salamanca with a washing machine, so that solves all of our clothing issues. :)

The last major thing here is the World Cup. Though Spain is world-renowned for its soccer, they've never made it to the World Cup finals. Well, after beating Germany on Wednesday night, they made it! There was such a huge party after the game...the city was going berzerk! Horns honking, flags waving, people singing, foreigners pretending like they were Spaniards, etc. Can't wait until the finals tomorrow night!

Well, I think that's it! Miss you all back home! Back in three weeks!

Spain 2010 - Week 1 - Arrival, class, convention

2010-07-03T09:48:00.004-04:00

Just to give a quick recap of my week here, I arrived in Salamanca last Sunday after two great days seeing Madrid and Toledo. It was good seeing my host mom again. She told me my Spanish has improved, which is good. Her son Esteban is now in Madrid working and studying. At some point in the week, I realized that she was calling me "Rey," which means "King." :) (Spanish-speakers love using terms of endearment like that...it's like saying "Honey" or "Babe.") She is now gone to Valencia on the other side of the country, and has been since Wednesday. It's been good being here by myself these few days, as now I feel a little bit more free. It's not that I have it bad here, because there are many good things about living here, but unlike in Chile, I don't feel like I have full realm of the place. I feel like when I'm here, I need to be in my room, and that the kitchen is off limits unless it's time to eat. So, I guess her trusting me to use the kitchen while she's gone has been a good thing. She left so much food cooked...just gotta mic it and go! :)

It was good to see all of my friends from last year again. Katherine and I are buddies again, always sitting with each other. We have a lot of the same beliefs about things, and it's good just to have someone you can talk to, ask questions, etc. And I swear we have the same vocabulary set in our head, as we always raise an eyebrow at the same word. I miss having Josh around from last year, but it's all good. Tomorrow, a 17-year-old guy from Oxford will be coming to stay for the duration of my time here, so I'll have someone here I could theoretically hang out with...though I teach 17-year-olds!

Fun thing: Getting to watch Spain beat Portugal while chillin' in the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca! Next to the Alhambra, I think Salamanca's Plaza Mayor is my next favorite place in Spain (followed by the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, probably). In a few hours, I'll be back to watch Spain beat Paraguay!

We only had two days of class this week due to this convention in Salamanca that we had to go to. It was a convocation of Spanish teachers from five continents, and we got to hear some big wigs, such as the secretary over all the Academias in the Spanish-speaking world (the groups that make decisions as to what correct Spanish is). I learned a lot, got frustrated a lot, was bored sometimes, but overall was glad I went. If you want to read my thoughts on world language education after attending this convention, go over to my Facebook.

After the convention last night, they gave us a "cena-cocktail," which was basically a bunch of free, nice hors d'oeuvres and drinks, complete with a DJ. The Hispanics had a fun time dancing, but being gringo, I opted to watch. :)

But speaking of Hispanics, boy do they talk! Yes, it's their culture, but when you're in the middle of a seminar, it gets quite old! Un choque de cultura, definitivamente.

Tomorrow, I'll be going to La Alberca and a couple of other places on our first excursion. Should be fun! I think there's going to be a wine tasting at La Alberca.

And it's raining again! It's rained several days this past week a little. (But it only rains for about five minutes then stops.) Definitely a change from last year, when we sorta had a drizzle one time.

Economy: Spain is a mess! Starting on Monday, they had a complete stop of the metro in Madrid for a strike. That's HUGE! People had to use the bus, take taxis, drive if they had a car, etc. I'm glad I wasn't there, and unfortunately, my host mom had to go through Madrid on her way to Valencia to see her son. The company AvanzaBus also has planned strikes, which is bad because that's the bus company that goes from Salamanca to Madrid. Hopefully Renfe (the train company) will still be running, because there will be a bus strike the day I need to go back to Madrid to fly home! At least the euro is at a much more manageable exchange rate. After fees charged by the bank, I've got my euros for about $1.30, which is a lot better than the $1.50-$1.60 last year!

Ok, I think that's about it! Head on over to Facebook for some pics, but remember that I won't be taking many pictures of Salamanca this year since I was here last summer, so scroll back through my albums if you want to see Salamanca.

¡Adiós!

Spain 2010 - Observations so far

2010-06-26T16:48:00.003-04:00

This is just going to be a random assortment of thoughts I've had since arriving back in Spain yesterday morning.

-Being my fourth time here, there's no more "Sweet! I get to go to Spain!" feeling anymore. The honeymoon wore off last summer. :P But, it's still fun to be back. I enjoy the fact that I pretty much can get around Madrid without a map and stay fairly oriented. There's still nothing like walking into the Puerta del Sol (especially now that they've made it more for pedestrians).

-I got to watch a wedding today in the cathedral in Toledo! It was fun being able to hear what was going on...they did vows, rings, read from 1 Corinthians 13...all that jazz. I'm still mad I forked over the 7€ entry fee for the cathedral.

-In one word...Spain is just old. And I don't mean that in a bad way at all. You walk into museums, and they have relics from the 1200s. Armor that the king's soldiers wore in the 1500s. Cloaks that the archbishops wore centuries ago. A painting portraying the burial of a Count who died in the 1300s, which is overhanging his tomb.

-Spanish food? Awesome. I'll never grow tired of chorizo, tortilla española, alioli, chocolate, aceite... And it's funny how quickly I changed over to Spanish time, waiting until at least 2 to eat lunch, and not grabbing supper until around 10 (and being okay with just toast for breakfast).

-So excited I got a $1.25/€ exchange rate...

-Watching a bunch of Chileans chant along with the soccer game last night was amazing! Too bad I only knew one of the chants... (And besides, I met a friend Kathryn who will be studying in Salamanca, too, and she was with me, and I felt bad standing outside the bar due to the massive amount of people with her there, so we found a less crowded bar.)

-I really, really, really wish we had a public transport system like Europe...

-I stopped in the entryway of a metallurgy shop today in Toledo because they were playing the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. :P

-Regarding packing: I read on the plane that someone's travel advice was that if you can't carry it, you shouldn't pack it. That's so true! I'm glad all I have are two backpacks (which are both fairly heavy, mind you...but it's better to have them on my shoulders while walking down the Gran Vía than lugging a giant rolling suitcase!). I'm ready to get to Salamanca so I can unpack, as these socks and same two shirts are getting old... :P

-100% Geocaching is the best way to see a city. It's free, and you'll see so much more that's not in a guidebook. (It helps you get away from the tourists...)

-Weather: It rained yesterday! First time in ages I've seen it rain here! Other than that, it's been hot, but not humid. Mostly, Spain is sunny, and San Lorenzo (what they call the sun occasionally) loves to beat down on this land!

-Walked into a supermarket and they had a sign up about coupons. (What?) ;)

Got any questions that I can answer? Just let me know! :) Be home in a few weeks!

Couponing - Week 13

2010-06-21T17:50:00.002-04:00

No, really...hardly any couponing for me! Leaving the country on Thursday! Gotta burn my ECBs and RRs! Here's how I did!

Two Greenwise boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Two pints blueberries
1.4 lb. Greenwise ground chuck
Four 8 oz. cans Hunts tomato sauce
One loaf Arnold's whole wheat bread
Two bottles Sundown Naturals Vitamin D
Six Whiskas cat food trays
Old Spice Red Zone body wash
Old Spice Fresh Collection deodorant
One 8-pack Tuf paper towels
Two tubes Colgate Total toothpaste
One 10.3 oz. bottle Dawn Ultra dish soap
One 12-pack double roll Quilted Northern Ultra Plush toilet paper
One 30-count Pepto Bismol chewable tablets

Full Price: $78.77
I Paid: $18.23 (76.86% off!)

No more couponing for me until August!

Grand totals from grocery/drug stores from March 29 until June 22:
I've Paid: $450.67
I've Saved: $1944.28 (81.18% off!)

Couponing - Week 12

2010-06-16T12:28:00.003-04:00

With going out of town this weekend and my trip to Spain coming up next week, I don't have much need or time to go to the stores!

I've gotten lots of cat food, ground beef, ground turkey, feta cheese, spinach, juice, three Old Spice body washes, Colgate ProClinical toothpaste, two newspapers, a Butterfinger, two toothbrushes, a Schick Hydro 5 razor, three boxes of dried fruit, Tom's Natural Sensitive Care deodorant, two Old Spice deodorants, two Secret deodorants, Herbal Essences shampoo, Dulcolax Balance, Combat roach killer, two blocks of cream cheese (lost a coupon on one and paid full price!), two Bailey's creamers (forgot two coupons so didn't make money!), two pints Starbucks ice cream, and two cups of ginger (for sushi).

After rebates...

I've spent: $23.84
I've saved: $124.04 (83.88% off!)
I also spent $7.90 at the market for fresh, local produce, and my buddy and I split costs on sushi-grade tuna, which is not included in the above amounts.

Couponing - Week 11

2010-06-08T12:02:00.007-04:00

Some bang-up deals at the drug stores this week!

Wags - 6/6
Two Sunday papers - $2 each - used $4 RR - All free (Have to use all my RRs and ECBs by June 24 before leaving the country)

(Pic from my phone. Sorry low quality.)

CVS - 6/6-7 - Four Transactions
1) Gilette ProGlide Power Razor - sale price $9.97 - $4/1 PG 06/06 - $5 ECB
-Paid $0.97 + tax, received $5 ECB and $5/$15 q
2) Six Dove/Degree Deos - sale price $2.50 each - two $3/2 Degree ipqs - two $2/1 Dove ipqs - $5/$15 q
-Paid tax only, received $5 ECB
3) Three Kellogg's at 3/$10 and Windex Multi-Surface Antibacterial Spray at $2.50 - $1.50/3 Kellogg's RP 5/23 - $1/1 Windex SS 05/09 - $10 ECB
-Paid tax only, received $5 ECB
4) Windex MSAS and two Glade candles at $2.50 each - $1.50/2 Glade ip - $1/1 Windex SS - $5 ECB
-Paid tax only, received $5 ECB

Total CVS: Paid $2.77, saved $68.29, still have $5 ECB (96.10% off!)

Rite Aid - 6/8 - Two transactions
1) Blink Tears eyedrops (sale $7.99, $7.99 SCR), two Gilette deodorants (sale $4 each, $2 SCR), two Old Spice Red Zone body washes (sale $3.50 each, $4 +UP), Old Spice body spray (sale $3.50), Reach Total Care Floss ($3.99, $3 SCR)
Used: $5/$25, $4/2 Gilette PG 05/02, $2/1 Blink RP 05/16, B1G1 Old Spice PG 06/06, B2 OS Body Wash G1 Body Spray PG 06/06, $1/1 Reach ip
2) Gilette ProGlide Power Razor (sale $9.99, $5 SCR), Clean & Clear Oil-Absorbing Sheets ($5.49), Sea Breeze astringent (sale $4.99, $3 SCR), John Freida shampoo (sale $4.99, $1 SCR)
Used: $5/$25, $4 +UP, $1/1 Sea Breeze SS 06/06, $4/1 Gilette PG 06/06, $3/1 John Freida SS 06/06, $3/1 Clean & Clear in-ad q, $3/1 Clean & Clear ip

Total Rite Aid (after rebates): I made $4.71 on $69.29 worth of stuff (106.80% off!)

CVS - 6/8
Two 10 oz. Mylanta Max bottles and one Powerbar
Used $4/2 q from the paper and $5 (marked down to $4.97) ECB
Paid only tax of 56 cents, received $4 ECB for buying Mylanta and $.99 ECB for buying the Powerbar. (96.15% off!)

Target - 6/9
Armor All Wipes - $4.24
Armor All Wheel Protectant - $6.00
Minus two $2/1 Armor All ips, a $3/2 Armor All Target ipq, and $6.00 I'll receive in a rebate for the wheel protectant...

I made $2.25 (117.66% off)! :D

Wags - 6/9
Three Neutrogena soap bars - $2.69 each
Two New York Bagel Crisp bags - clearance $.89 each
Two individual popcorn bags - clearance $.09 each
Used $10 RR, paid $.59, received $10 RR from Neutrogena. (96.40% off!)

Publix - 6/9
Greenwise 4 pk. TP - $2.39 - Penny Item, so only $.01
Two Edwards à la mode singles - BOGO $2.75, minus two $1/1 ips
Two Skinny Cow 6 pk. ice cream bars - 2/$7, minus two $1/1 ips and two $1/1 store qs
Two Mott's Medley juices - BOGO $2.59, minus two $1/1 store qs
Muir Glen organic tomato sauce - $.89 each, minus two $1/1 ips
Two Nestle Tollhouse break'n'bake cookies - BOGO $2.89, minus two $1/1 ips
Two Oikos organic yogurt cups - $1 each, minus doubled $.50/1 ip
Arnolds whole wheat thin buns - BOGO $2.99
SunDown Folic Acid - $3.79, minus $3/1 store q and $1/1 man q
1/2 gal Almond breeze milk - $3.29, minus $1/1 man q and $1/1 store q
Two Athenos hummus containers - $2.99 each, used BOGO ip

Full Price: $50.22
I Paid: $11.86 (76.38% off!)

CVS - 6/9
First, I walked in, scanned my card, and out popped $2 ECB! :D

Two 5.8 oz. Skinny Cow ice creams - $1 each, minus two $1/1 ips
Two Powerbar Pure & Simple bars - $.99 each
Used my free $2 ECB (marked down to $1.98), paid nothing, received $1.98 ECB from the Powerbars and $1 ECB from my GBT! :D

Publix - 6/10
16 Whiskas trays - used 8 B1G1 and two $1/4
Deli ham and cheese (parmesan/pesto ham and smoked gouda) - $2.67 and $1.88 respectively

I Spent: $3.20
I Saved: $9.84 (75.46% off!)

Bilo - 6/10
Two Organic Batter Blasters (these look fun) - BOGO + two $1/1s

I Spent: $2.98
I Saved: $7.00 (70.14% off!)

Publix - 6/11
16 Whiskas trays - used 8 BOGOs and two $1/4s
Back to Nature Granola - Normally $3.59, BOGO

Spent: 55 cents tax
Saved: $11.43 (95.41% off!)

Weekly Totals:
I've Spent (after rebates): $15.55
Total Value: $278.61 (94.42% off!)
I Have: $14 RR and $7.97 ECB

I have also spent a little less than $10 at the local produce market...mmm...peaches!

Since March 29: I've spent just over $400 on over $2,100 worth of products! That's over 81% off!

Couponing - Week 10

2010-05-30T21:16:00.013-04:00

Sunday's Shopping

First, the pic:

(One of the Larabars is actually one I bought last week, as one that I bought today didn't exactly make it home.) :)

Summary:
Total Value: $141.15
In-Store Sale Value: $97.65
I Paid (less qs and rebates): $3.82
I Saved: $137.33
Percent Off: 97.29%
RR In Hand: $25.00
ECB In Hand: $8.00
uPromise Dollars Earned: $1.00

As you can see, I saved almost $50 just by buying stuff that was on sale, and another $94 in coupons. If you want to see details on each item, go here.

Not bad. :)

And on Monday, I bought milk and bananas full price at Publix...didn't save a cent! $5.94
Tuesday: Two Larabars, ground beef, and corn: $7.31, saved $3.83
Wednesday: Chicken, Yoplait Yogurt, Bic Razors (rain check), chicken broth, two boxes Great Grains cereal, onions: $9.74, saved $14.75 (Publix). At CVS - trial size Pantene hair spray: 7 cents tax, gained $1 ECB. At Wags - olives, dates, dried fruit, Royal gelatin, cashews: used $7 RR, spent $0.25
Thursday: Gilette ProGlide Power Razor: used $9 ECB, spent $1.60

Saturday: Above picture, bought at Publix: $1.48 (saved $37.94!)

Weekly total:
Spent $30.21
Saved $217.35
Percent off: 87.80%
RR: $18
ECB: $5

Upstate Couponing class: June 7, 7:30 pm, North Anderson Baptist Church
Columbia Couponing class: June 10, 7:30 pm, Beaver Dam

Couponing - Week 9

2010-05-23T23:31:00.007-04:00

Here we go! It was a frustrating week with me with a couple of mistakes on my end and a snag at the register at Publix, but I did manage to snag the great deal with Olay!

CVS - 5/23
Three Gilette Hair+Body washes - on sale for $4 each
Used: BOGO q, $4/2 q, $4 ECB

Total: FREE + $0.84 tax
I Saved: $14.97 (94.69% off!)
I Received: $8 ECB

Walgreens - 5/23
Complete contact solution - on sale for $7.99
Two Sunday papers - $2 each
Used: $2/1 q, $4.50 RR, $4.50 RR

Total: $1.83
I Saved: $13.00 (87.66% off!)
I Received: $8 RR

CVS - 5/24
Four 20 oz. SoBe Lifewaters - $1.59, BOGO
Crest Whitestrips - $44.99
Used: two SoBe BOGO qs, $5/1 Whitestrips, $20.99 ECB

Total: $22.05
I Saved: $32.35 (59.47% off!)
I Received: $10 ECB

Publix - 5/24
Bananas - 3.23 lb. at $.69/lb
Apples - $3.49 for 3 lb.
Four Knorr Rice/Pasta sides - $1.35, BOGO
Two Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces - $2.39, BOGO
Two Ken's dressings - $3.29, BOGO
Used: two $.60/2 Knorr man q, two $.55/2 Knorr Publix q, Ken's BOGO q, $1/2 BBQ q

Total: $9.29
I Saved: $13.29 (58.86% off!)
(I meant to use some RR here, but I forgot to.)

Walgreens - 5/25
Colgate Total toothpaste - $2.99
Complete contact solution - on sale for $7.99
Box of dates - $1
8 oz. can Hunt's tomato sauce - on sale for $0.25
Used: $1/1 Colgate, $2/1 Complete, $4.50 RR, $4.50 RR

Total: $1.00
I Saved: $15.24 (93.84% off!)
I Received: $2 RR, $8 RR

Publix - 5/25
Two Stayfree Ultra Plus Pads - $3.21 each
Two Betty Crocker brownie mixes - $2.59 each, BOGO
Two bottles Infusium shampoo/conditioner - $5.99 each
French's Worcestershire sauce - on sale for $1.29
Two boxes Vivarin caffeine tablets - $3.19 each
Two Larabar snack bars - on sale for $1 each
Used: $.50/1 French's (doubled to $1), $1/2 Betty Crocker, two $2/1 Stayfree, two $3/1 Infusium, two $2/1 Vivarin, $.75/2 Larabar (Publix), BOGO Stayfree (Publix), $5/2 Vivarin (Publix), BOGO Infusium (Publix)

I Paid: $1.49 (the normal cost of the Worcestershire sauce)
I Saved: $34.23 (95.83% off!)
(Ok, admittedly, the only thing I needed was the brownie mixes, but I was curious about the Larabars, and they're good! I also want to start getting more sauces, which is why I got the Worcestershire. The other stuff I got just because it was free/a moneymaker. And it turned out that I didn't even use the brownie mixes later. Caffeine pills, anyone?)

Publix - 5/25
Two Sorrento cheddar cheese sticks - on sale for $3 each
Two Stayfree Ultra Thin pads - $3.21 each
Two Infusium shampoo/conditioners - $5.99 each
Two boxes Phazyme gas medicine - $3.49 each
Used: two $3/1 Infusium, two $2/1 Stayfree, two $2/1 Phazyme, BOGO Stayfree (Publix), BOGO Infusium (Publix), $5/2 Phazyme (Publix)
Will redeem: $5 rebate for Sorrento

I (effectively) Paid: $0.02
I Saved: $35.78 (99.94% off!)
(My total was actually $5.02 because of the rebate, and I should've used one of my $4.50 RR, but I forgot. And I really didn't need any of this...but someone will! And for $0.02, why not?) (I think there's a "That's just my two cents" joke somewhere in there.)

Rite Aid - 5/25
This was broken up into two transactions after visiting SIX Rite Aids trying to find the products I needed! I spent time/money driving around, but I was determined. :)

Transaction 1:
Olay Regenerist Pore Scrubber - $9.99
Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Cream - Regularly $29.99, on sale for $22.00
Used: $5/$25, $1/$10 Skin Care (Wellness+), $3/1 Olay Moisturizer, $1/1 Olay Cleanser

Transaction 2:
Cascade Dishwashing Detergent - Regularly $4.49, on sale for $2.99
Olay Regenerist Microsculpting Serum - Regularly $29.99, on sale for $22.00
Used: $5/$25, $1/$10 Skin Care (Wellness+), $3/1 Olay Moisturizer (There was a Cascade coupon, but I didn't have it, as I was expecting to buy Advil, but the kind for which I had a coupon wasn't on sale as expected.)

Rebates earned:
$2 Cascade (scr)
$20 Olay (scr)
$20 Olay (from Olay wyb $50)
$12 Olay (from P&G)
$30 worth of coupons from P&G (scr)

Total (after rebates): -$12.87 (yes, that's a negative!)
I Saved: $90.48 (116.58% off!)

Walgreens - 5/26
Complete contact solution - on sale for $7.99
Colgate Total toothpaste - on sale for $2.99
Headband - $2.99
Box of figs - $1.00
Used: $3/$10, $1/1 Colgate, $1/1 Complete, $8 RR, $2 RR

Total: $0.75
I Saved: $15.50 (95.38% off!)
I Received: $3 RR

Ok, so that's where my first mistake of the day came in. I wasn't thinking and instead of using my $4.50 RRs from last week, I used the RRs from Complete and Colgate to pay for the same product. I realized this once I didn't see all of my RRs printing. Doh! (Oh well...I lost $7. I'll make it up somehow, I'm sure.) :)

Publix - 5/26
Cool Whip - BOGO, so $0.75
1/2 gal. Publix milk - $2.29
Publix organic butter - $4.99
Morningstar Farms veggie burgers - BOGO, so $2.00
Four Heluva Good sour cream dips - BOGO, so $1.00 each
Two boxes Sominex sleep aids - $3.19 each
Three bags Wavy Lays - BOGO, so $1.995 each
Used: two $2/1 Sominex, four $.50/1 Heluva (doubled), $1/1 Morningstar, $1/1 Morningstar (Publix), $5/2 Sominex (Publix)

Total: $12.03
I Saved: $27.70 (69.72% off!)

Two things: I completely forgot to get the Penny Item! Also, I tried using RR, but the cashier asked the bag boy to ask the manager, who said know. I think he just saw the Wags logo and rejected it (as the bag boy said something about how they didn't accept Wags or Target qs), but even after explaining to the cashier that it was a manu. q, she didn't push it through. If I wouldn't've been in a hurry, I would've gotten the manager to re-look at the RRs, but whatevs. I still got a great deal. I just need to use my RRs before they expire soon! Anyone need anything? (Luckily, Wags is having a great sale starting Sunday.)

Publix - 5/27
Kraft Deli Deluxe Cheese - this junk is expensive! $3.49 (and I bought it full price!)
Morningstar Farms Tomato Basil Pizza Burgers - BOGO, so $2.00
Two Larabar bars - $1 each
Two Stayfree pads - $3.21 each
Kraft Roasted Red Pepper dressing - BOGO, so $1.60
Two Country Crock spreads - BOGO, so $0.995 each
Used: two $2/1 Stayfree, $1/1 Morningstar, two $.30/1 Country Crock (doubled), $2/1 Kraft dressing wyb Kraft cheese, $1/1 Kraft cheese, $.75/2 Larabar (Publix), $1/1 Morningstar (Publix), BOGO Stayfree (Publix), two $.55/1 Country Crock (Publix)

I Paid: $2.24
I Saved: $21.32 (90.49% off!)

Publix - 5/29
Three 250 ct. Folic Acid by Sundown - $3.79 each
One banana
Used: three $1/1 qs, three $3/1 qs (Publix)

I Paid: $0.45
I Saved: $12.00 (96.39% off!)

(I could've done without the banana, but whatevs. Just making sure the total was above zero after tax.)

Weekly Totals:
I Spent: $39.12 (less than the cost of the Crest Whitestrips from earlier this week)
I Saved: $325.86 (89.28% off!)
RR in Hand: $24.50
ECB in Hand: $10

Couponing - Week 8

2010-05-17T21:50:00.008-04:00

Oh, man. Great deal at Walgreens. Let's see how many free things I can end up with. :P (I have to pay up front for them, but with store credit spitting out, which I can then use at Publix, why wouldn't I buy it?)

As I feel like I'm going to have many transactions this week, I'll just list what I bought and then put a grand total. Transactions were at Publix, CVS, and Wags.

Two Herbal Essence shampoos
12 oz. Reese's Cups
2 Speed Stick deodorants
Colgate ProClinical toothpaste
Blade 5 Razor
10 Old Spice body washes
2 Old Spice deodorants
4 Gilette body washes
2 Gilette deodorants
Reynold's 100% Recycled foil
2 McCormick spice grinders
2 McCormick Grill Mates seasonings
Publix organic mushrooms
Publix organic, cage free eggs
1.75 lb. organic gala apples
2.84 lb. bananas
8 travel packs CVS tissue
4 travel packs CVS cotton swabs
2 9.5 oz. Dawn dish detergent

Coupons: Three B1G1 Old Spice, $2/1 Gilette deo, B1 Gilette deo G1 Gilette bw, $1/1 Speedstick, $.75/1 Speedstick, $9 RR, four $.50/1 McCormick, $1.25/1 Reynold's, two $1/1 Herbal Essence, $1/1 Colgate, $4/$20 CVS, $17 ECB, four $1/2 CVS paper products, four $1/1 CVS cosmetic accessories, $1/1 Dawn + Olay, $.50/1 Dawn + Olay

In Hand: $31.5 RR, $16.99 ECB

Grand Total Spent: $52.72
Full Price: $158.56
Saved: $105.84 (66.75% off!)

Couponing - Week 7

2010-05-13T18:58:00.004-04:00

Not much shopping again this week, but great deals all around!

CVS - 5/9
2 Right Guard Total Defense 5 Deodorants
-Normally 4.49 each
-On sale for 2.49 each
-Used two $1.50/1 coupons (Ended up 0.99 each)

One caramel - 0.33 (because for some reason the cashier wouldn't lower my ECBs)

Used $2 ECB

Paid $0.61
Saved $9.00 (93.65% off!)
Received $4.00 ECB

Bi-Lo - 5/10
2 Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizers
-Normally 2.23 each
-On sale BOGO
-Used two $0.55/1 coupons, which Bi-Lo doubled (Ended up 0.02 each)

2 2000 Flushes tablets
-Normally 3.55 each
-On sale BOGO
-Used two $0.50/1 coupons, which Bi-Lo doubled (Ended up 0.78 each)

3 6 oz. cups Stonyfield organic yogurt
-Normally 0.99 each
-On sale BOGO
-Used one $0.50/3 coupon, which Bi-Lo doubled (Ended up 0.17 each)

2.12 lb. bananas - 1.25

Paid: $3.54
Saved: $12.50 (77.93% off!)

CVS - 5/10
2 4.2 oz. Crest ProHealth toothpaste tubes
-Normally 3.89 each
-On sale 3.50 each
-Used two $0.75/1 coupons

Kotex U tampons
-Normally 5.29
-On sale 4.99
-Used one $1/1 coupon

Used $9 ECB

Paid: $1.33
Saved: $12.58 (90.44% off!)
Received: $11.99 ECB

Publix - 5/12
2 DiGiorno Pizza & Breadsticks
-Normally 7.99 each
-Raincheck for 5.00 each
-Used two $3/1 coupons ($2.00 each!)

Four Fisher Fusion snack mixes
-Normally 1.79 each
-On sale 1.00 each
-Used four $1/1 coupons (FREE!)

Two Eat Smart fresh steamable vegetables
-Normally 2.50 each
-On sale 2.00
-Used two $0.50/1 coupons, which Publix doubled ($1.00 each)

Two tins Blue Diamond whole natural almonds
-Normally 3.19
-On sale BOGO
-Used two $0.50/1 coupons, which Publix doubled ($0.59 each!)

Publix Greenwise 4 pack toilet paper
-Normally 2.39
-Penny item ($0.01 for it!)

Paid: $7.20
Saved: $23.72 (76.71% off!)

Kroger - 5/13

4 Old Spice Fresh Collection Deodorants
-Normally 3.79
-On sale for 3.50
-$4 off from Proctor & Gamble for buying 4 products
-Used a $1/2 q and two free qs from the paper, as well as a $3/2 e-q (Made $1)

2 Old Spice Body Washes
-Normally 3.69
-On sale for 3.50
-Used two free qs and a $3/2 e-q (Made $3)

Wrigley's 5 Gum
-Normally 1.49, on sale for 1.00

Tax: 1.22

They paid me: $1.78
I saved: $27.03 (107.05% off!))

(I bought a half gallon of milk for my roommate, so my total was actually in the positive, but he's paying me back, so I didn't include it. I had to get the gum to make it positive, as the cashier wouldn't let me have a negative balance.)

CVS - 5/13
Two 24 ct. Bayer aspirin
-Normally 3.49
-On sale for 1.00
-Used two $1/1 qs (made it FREE)

I paid: 14 cents tax
I saved: $6.98 (98.03% off!)
AND I received an ECB for my Green Bag Tag! :D
(and they e-mailed me a $4/$20 that expires on Sunday...so I basically have 20 free dollars at CVS for Sunday!)

Weekly Total
Paid: $11.04
Would Have Paid: $102.85
Saved: $91.81 (89.27% off!)
ECB in hand: $15.99

Couponing - Week 6

2010-05-07T06:20:00.004-04:00

So, I decided I didn't need to shop as much this week. Partly because I'm out of freezer/pantry space, partly because there weren't many great deals at the drug stores, partly because I was experiencing some burnout, and partly because I didn't have any time! Only three transactions this week.

Walgreens - 5/3
Two boxes Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats
Two sticks Sure deodorant
One Russell Stover chocolate egg

Used two $1.50/1 coupons for the deodorant, $1.50/2 for the cereal, the in-ad coupon for the deodorant, and $3 RR from last week. (The deodorant was free!)

I paid $0.89 for all of this, and was supposed to get back $2 RR for the cereal, but they didn't print, so the manager just gave me $2 cash! :)

I Paid: -$1.11
I Would Have Paid: $14.17
Percent Off: 107.83%

Publix - 5/4
0.79 lb. organic tomatoes
1.54 lb. bananas

The tomatoes were on sale, and the only coupon I used were the $2 RR I had leftover from Walgreens last week that were going to expire on Sunday.

I Paid: $0.63
I Would Have Paid: $4.21
Percent Off: 85.04%

Publix - 5/5
One tilapia fillet
One lemon
5 lb. red potatoes
One bag Publix potato chips

The chips was the penny item on Wednesday, and I didn't use any other coupons.

I Paid: $5.67
I Would Have Paid: $9.61
Percent Off: 41.00%

Weekly Total
I Paid: $5.19
I Would Have Paid: $27.99
Percent Off: 81.46% ($22.80 savings)
ECB In Hand: $10
RR In Hand: $0

So, while I'm out of RR for now, it's okay. It's better that I use them than to let them expire, and on the bright side, I did get cash instead of RR for the cereal this week!

Couponing - Week 5

2010-04-25T13:02:00.011-04:00

Sunday's Shopping

First, the pic (without the two Sunday papers, which I also bought within my transactions):

Summary:
Full Price: $196.28
I Paid (after rebates): $40.13
I Saved: $156.15
Percentage Off: 79.55%
RR In Hand: $5
ECB In Hand: $9

Freebies/Money-makers:
42 ct. Prevacid
Schick razor
3 Aveeno lotions
Dove shampoo
Dove conditioner
Dawn dish soap
Oral B toothbrush
Softsoap body wash
Skintimate shave gel
Plackers flossers
2 rolls Scotch packing tape

Saved over $100 in coupons on Sunday and over $50 in store! Even if you don't coupon, $50 ain't no pocket change! :)

Rest of the Week

Update 4/27: Ok, so I couldn't resist free things. One box of Wheat Thins and Fig Newtons at CVS. Spent $0, saved $3.98. And I'm going back to CVS tomorrow. And Thursday. (What? There are free things there!)

4/27, part deux: Had to go take advantage of the Bi-Lo Catalina deal on Almond Milk. Bought Almond Breeze 1/2 gal for $2.74, received coupon for FREE Silk Almond Milk.

4/28: So, CVS is now out of Wheat Thins and Fig Newtons. :P But Publix did have a .55/1 store q to stack with the almond milk q from yesterday. One 1/2 gal plus two Breyer's Yo'Crunch cups: $0.20. :)

4/28, part deux: I found a new CVS in Lex. that had Wheat Thins. :) Paid nothing, but got $1 back in ECB by using my Green Bag Tag! Sweet! $10 ECB in hand now.

4/29: Visited Kroger and CVS to finish out the week. Finally got my Scrubbing Bubbles sprayers! Also got free suntan lotion and more Fig Newtons and body wash. Going camping this weekend, so no more couponing. I did go shopping for camping, but I'm not including this in my totals.

Final Results:
Full Price: $265.59
I Paid: $47.59
I Saved: $218.01 (82.09% off! My best week!)
$10 ECB and $5 RR in hand

Just at CVS, I spent only $1.31 on $35.02! And at Rite Aid, I got over $60 worth of stuff for $0.15! :D

Here is a link to my weekly savings spreadsheet. Happy shopping!

(Even if you do include camping food, I still saved 72.82%, spending $89.52 on $329.34 worth.)

Couponing - Week 4

2010-04-18T21:22:00.011-04:00

Here we go! More couponing! I spent more than I wanted to this week, but I received a lot of store credit for use next week, so I should do well next week!

Walgreens - 4/18
Transaction 1:
Nature's Bounty 100 (+20 free) ct. Vitamin D softgels
5 oz. bag of Easter candy (filler item needed due to coupon policy)

Total full price: $10.33
I Paid: $0.59
I Saved: $9.74 (94.29% off)
Register Rewards Gained: $5
Coupons Used: $2 for vitamins from Internet, $3 RR from Schick purchase last week

Transaction 2:
Two bottles 32 ct. Low Dose Bayer caplets
Sunday Paper

Total Full Price: $8.40
I Paid: $3.40
I Saved: $5.00 (59.52% off)
Register Rewards Gained: $3
Coupons Used: $5 RR from Nature's Bounty

Transaction 3:
One more Vitamin D bottle
Sunday Paper

Total Full Price: $11.34
I Paid: $2.35
I Saved: $8.99 (79.28% off)
Register Rewards Gained: $5
Coupons Used: $3 from Bayer, $2 from Internet

Total Off at Walgreens: 78.92%

CVS - 4/18
Transaction 1:
Two 1-count Thermacare heat pads
Green Bag tag
0.17 oz. Halle fragrance

Total Full Price: $12.33
I Paid: $11.73
I Saved: $0.60 (4.87% off - A lot out of pocket here, but all these items basically free due to ECB back)
ECB Gained: $5 from Halle, $2.49 for each Thermacare, $0.99 for Green Bag tag
Coupons Used: None (gasp! But don't worry. It'll bank later.)

Transaction 2:
Four 12 oz. bags Hershey's candy
Schick Hydro 3 Razor
Free Fandango.com Movie Ticket from Hershey's with purchase of four bags of candy with online rebate

Total Full Price: $35.21 (including movie ticket, though it's not through CVS)
I Paid: $5.51
I Saved: $29.70 (84.35% off)
ECB Gained: $5 from buying $10 Hershey's, $6 from Schick
Coupons Used: All ECB from previous transaction, $4/$20 sent via e-mail from CVS, $1/3 Hershey's from paper

Total Off at CVS: 63.74%

Publix - 4/18
Bananas
Onion
Two loaves Arnold's Oatnut bread
Three 5.3 oz. cups Fage Greek yogurt
32 oz. All Small and Mighty detergent
Four boxes Mueller's Whole Wheat Angel Hair pasta
One gallon milk

Total Full Price: $28.77
I Paid: $12.10
I Saved: $16.67 (57.94% off)
Coupons Used: Four $0.55/1 Mueller's from Internet(made each box 9.5 cents!), $1/1 All from Publix, three $0.50/1 from Fage from Internet (which Publix doubled)

Bi-Lo - 4/18
Two liter Coca-Cola
Bird's Eye Shrimp Alfredo frozen steamer meal
Pepperidge Farm garlic bread
Pepperidge Farm Mocha Bliss petite cake
Three packs boneless-skinless chicken breasts

Total Full Price: $37.41
I Paid: $14.93
I Saved: $22.48 (60.09% off)
Coupons Used: $1.50/1 Bird's Eye seafood steamer from Internet (the rest was BonusCard savings)

Rite-Aid - 4/19
1) U Kotex liners (for the fiancée :P)

Total Full Price: $4.73
I Paid: -$0.76 (after $3.49 rebate)
I Saved: $5.25 (116.07% off!)
Coupons Used: $1/1 from paper

Walgreens - 4/19
-Five transactions at three stores (because I have no life, or I really like strategizing to save the most money, or the fiancée is going to need these, so why not buy them?)

1) Colgate Pro Clinical toothpaste, Kotex U pads, Easter candy on clearance
-Paid $1.12, used $1/1 coupon from paper for both Colgate and Kotex and $5 RR from before, received $4.50 RR back
2) Nature's Bounty Vitamin D, another Easter chocolate
-Paid $0.97, used $4.50 RR from previous transaction, received $5 RR back
3) Kotex U liners, Colgate Total toothpaste, Trident gum
-Paid $1.48, used $5 RR, $1/1 coupon for Kotex from Internet, and $.75/1 for Colgate from Internet, received $4.50 RR back
4) More Vitamin D, memo book on clearance
-Paid $1.48, used $4.50 RR, gained $5 RR
5) Colgate Pro Clinical toothpaste, two Bayer 32 ct. Low Dose pills, and Easter caramel egg on clearance
-Paid $1.79, used $5 RR, two $1.50/1 for Bayer, and $1/1 for toothpaste, gained $5 RR

Total Full Price: $53.48
Total Paid: $6.84
Total Saved: $46.64
Percent Off: 87.21%

Publix - 4/20
Three boxes Mueller's Whole Wheat spaghetti

Total Full Price: $3.88
I Paid: $0.94
I Saved: $2.92 (75.65% off)
Coupons Used: $1/3 coupon from Internet

Walgreens - 4/20
1) More Vitamin D and a folder
-Paid $0.98, used $5 RR from yesterday, gained $5
2) Kotex U pads, Kellogg's Raisin Bran, individual packs of raisins
-Paid $0.75, used $5 RR and a $1/1 for Kotex from paper, gained $2.50 RR
3) More Vitamin D and a pencil sharpener
-Paid $1.48, used $2.50 RR, gained $5 RR
4) Kotex U tampons, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, and a folder
-Paid $0.36, used $5 RR and a $1/1 for Kotex from Internet, gained $2.50

Total Paid: $3.57
Total Full Price: $40.85
Percent Off: 91.26% (saved $37.28)
...and I still have one more Walgreens transaction to go if I find more Vitamin D somewhere!

Walgreens Weekly Total after 12 Transactions and Visiting Six Stores: Paid $16.75 for $124.40 worth of stuff (86.54% off!) Some may call me crazy, but I love it! It's all a game to me...how much can I get for how little money?

Operation Fiancée: I paid $9.65 and she ended up with five boxes of stuff, and I ended up with two boxes of cereal and three tubes of toothpaste and some other stuff! ($99.06 total full price, or 90.26% off!)

Publix - 4/21
2 bananas
Quantumatic automatic dishwasher detergent dispenser
3 pack of Greenwise paper towels

Total Full Price: $12.50
They Paid Me: $0.12
I Saved: $12.62 (100.96% off!)
Coupons Used: $3/1 Publix coupon and $3/1 mfg coupon for the detergent, paper towels were the penny item

And finally...
Walgreens - 4/24
One more bottle Vitamin D
Black Forest gummy bears

Full Price: $10.83
I Paid: $1.24
I Saved: $9.59 (88.55% off)
Coupons Used: $2.50 RR
Coupons Gained: $5 RR

Weekly Total Full Price: $270.04
I Paid: $62.32
I Saved: $207.72 (76.92% off)
RR In Hand: $5
ECB In Hand: $11
(Those last two are basically free money for my next visits to Walgreens (RR) and CVS (ECB).)

Freebies/Moneymakers:
2L Coke
Pepp. Farm garlic bread
Pepp. Farm cake
Four bags Hershey's candy
Movie ticket
One bottle Bayer aspirin
Two bottles Nature's Bounty Vitamin D
And lots of other stuff from Walgreens...see above.
2 bananas
3 rolls of paper towels
Dishwasher detergent dispenser

Couponing - Week 3

2010-04-11T10:53:00.013-04:00

A new week, new savings! I finally bought two papers this week. We'll see how well I do!

How to Interpret
Item - Full Price - Price I Paid - How

Rite Aid - 4/11
1) Complete Contact Solution - $9.99 - free + tax - $2 off in store, $7.99 rebate (I don't have contacts, but for free, somebody can use it!)
2) Two boxes Post Shredded Wheat - $4.99 each - $1.38 each - $1.88 each in store, $1/2 from inside of box
3) One box Grape Nuts - $4.99 - -$0.12 - $1.88 in store, $2/1 coupon from Internet
4) One box Great Grains (Raisins, Dates, and Pecans) - $4.99 - $1.88 - store markdown
5) One box 15 count Ziploc freezer bags - $2.99 - $0.33 - $1.99 in store, $1.66 rebate from SC Johnson
6) Two Glade Relaxing Moments candles - $3.49 each - -$0.166 each - $2.50 each in store, $2/2 coupon from 4/11 paper, $1.66 each rebate from SC Johnson
7) Crest 3D Whitening Toothpaste - $3.79 - $0.99 - $2.99 in store, $2 rebate
And then $5 off my purchase with a $5/$25 from the Internet

Full Price Total: $44.62
I Paid (after all rebates and tax): $1.41
I Saved: $43.21
Percent Off: 96.84%

Bi-Lo
1) Hartz Crunch'n'Clean cat treats - $2.39 - $0.19 - B1G1 in store, $1/1 coupon from Internet
2) 2 boxes Hartz Crunch'n'Clean dog treats - $3.99 each - free + tax - B1G1 in store, two $2/1 coupons from Internet
3) 4.27 lb. ground chuck - $15.33 - $8.50 - $1.99/lb in store

Full Price Total: $26.06
I Paid: $9.03
I Saved: $17.03
Percent Off: 65.35%

CVS - 4/11 - My first time CVSing! Four separate transactions...
1) 16 oz. Dove shampoo - $4.49 - $2.31 - $0.99 ECB from last week, $1.50/1 coupon from 3/28 paper
2) 16 oz. Dial Nutriskin body wash - $5.49 - free + tax - $1/1 coupon from Internet, $4.49 ECB from previous transaction
3) Three 8.45 oz. John Freida shampoo - $6.99 each - $1.00 each - marked down to $5 each in store, three $2.50/1 coupons from Internet, $4.50 ECB from previous transaction
4) Two 16.9 oz. jars Filippio Berio extra virgin olive oil - $8.49 each - $0.49 each - marked down to $3.99 each in store, two $1/1 coupons from the Internet, $5 ECB from previous transaction

Total Full Price: $49.67
I Paid: $7.72 (less than one of the olive oils normally!)
I Saved: $41.95
Percent Off: 84.46%

Publix - 4/11
1) Two half-gallons Organic Valley milk - $3.99 each - $2.50 each - 2 for $7 in store, two $1/1 coupons from Internet
2) Pork Country Ribs - $6.44 - $4.44 - store markdown
3) Three containers liquid Coffee-Mate creamer - $1.99 each - $0.16 each - B1G1 in store, B2G1 from Internet, two $0.75/1 coupons from Internet
4) Two containers Mayfield ice cream - $4.99 each - $2.495 each - B1G1 in store
5) 2.76 lb. bananas - $1.90 (full price)
6) 16 oz. organic baby carrots - $1.99 - $1.50 - 2 for $3 in store
7) 1 lb. strawberries - $2.99 - $1.25 - 4 for $5 in store
8) 26 oz. Smuckers Natural peanut butter - $4.29 (full price)
9) Two 2L 7up - $1.45 - -$0.275 - B1G1 in store, two $1/1 coupons from Internet

Total Full Price: $45.39
I Paid: $23.30
I Saved: $22.09
Percent Off: 48.67% (But hey...organic milk, good peanut butter...good stuff.)
AND, not included in this is a $10 off a $50 BP gas card thanks to Publix!

CVS - 4/13
1) 4 rolls CVS Earth Essentials toilet paper - $1.15 each - free + tax - 2/$1 in store markdown, two $1/1 coupons printed at CVS

Total Full Price: $4.69
I Paid: $0.09
I Saved: $4.60
Percent Off: 98.08%

CVS - 4/17
1) 2 rolls CVS Earth Essentials toilet paper - $1.15 each - free - 2/$1 in store markdown, $1/1 coupon printed at CVS
2) 3 packs CVS Soft Cloths wipes - $0.99 each - free - three $1/1 coupons printed at CVS

Total Full Price: $5.27
I Paid: $0.00 (so excited...no tax on this one for some reason!)
I Saved: $5.27
Percent Off: 100%

Rite Aid - 4/17
1) Four boxes assorted Ziploc bags - $2.99-$3.99 each - $0.33 each - $1.99 markdown in store, $1.66 each rebate from SC Johnson
2) Two Glade Relaxing Moments candles - $3.49 each - -$0.166 each - 2/$5 in store sale, $1.66 each rebate from SC Johnson

Total Full Price: $21.85
I Paid: $1.87 (after rebates from SC Johnson)
I Saved: $19.98
Percent Off: 91.44%

Walgreens - 4/17
1) 100 ct. Finest Natural Vitamin D3 softgels - $6.99 - free - giving it away at the register (yay!)
2) 8.4 oz. Schick Hydro shaving gel - $3.79 - $2.99 - store markdown

Total Full Price: $10.99
I Paid: $3.20
I Saved: $7.79
Percent Off: 70.88%
Earned: $3 RR

Target - 4/17
1) Four GE compact fluorescent bulbs - $2.99 each - free + tax - $2 Target coupon, $1 Internet coupon for each

Total Full Price: $12.24
I Paid: $0.28
I Saved: $11.96
Percent Off: 97.71%

Weekly Total Full Price: $220.78
I Paid: $46.90
I Saved: $173.88
Percent Off: 78.76%
Walgreens RR In Hand: $3

Freebies/Money-makers this week:
Complete Contact solution (free)
Four boxes Post cereal (free and then some)
four boxes Ziploc bags + 4 Glade candles (free after SC Johnson rebate)
Two boxes Hartz Crunch'n'clean dog treats (free)
Dial Nutriskin body wash (free)
Two 2L 7up (made 55 cents)
Six rolls CVS Earth Essentials toilet paper (free)
Three packs CVS Soft Cloths wipes (free)
100 ct. Finest Natural Vitamin D3 softgels (free, unexpectedly!)
Four GE compact fluorescent bulbs

Couponing - Week 2

2010-04-10T09:44:00.007-04:00

I made trips to several stores this week, hoping to get the best deals on things. See how I did!

How To Interpret
Item - Full Price - Price I Paid - How

Publix - 4/5
1) 6 oz. cup Yoplait Greek yogurt - $1.19 - $0.40 - 10/$10 in store, $0.30 coupon from 3/28 newspaper, which Publix doubled
2) 4 boxes Green Giant frozen vegetables - $1.66 each - free or $0.50 each - 10/$10 in store, two $0.50/1 coupons and one $0.50/2 coupon from Internet, both of which Publix doubled
3) Immaculate triple chocolate break'n'bake cookies - $3.09 - $0.55 - B1G1 in store, $1/1 coupon from Publix Greenwise flyer (I think)

Full Price Total: $10.97
I Paid: $2.00
I Saved: $8.97
Percent Off: 81.77%

Bi-Lo - 4/5
1) 1 package coconut flakes - $1.52 (full price)
2) 1 can cream of coconut - $3.29 - $2.89 - store markdown
3) 1 can condensed milk - $1.99 - $1.69 - store markdown
4) Duncan Hines white cake mix - $1.87 - $0.38 - B1G1 in store, $0.55/2 Duncan Hines mixes from 3/28 newspaper, which Bi-Lo doubled
5) Duncan Hines brownie mix - $1.77 - $0.33 - B1G1 in store, coupon from above
6) Land O'Lakes cage free eggs - $3.49 (full price, I splurged since I'd been saving)
7) 1 tub Cool Whip - $1.89 - $0.99 - store markdown
8) 3.84 lb. chicken drumsticks - $6.87 - $3.80 - store markdown to $0.99/lb
9) 5 lb. red potatoes - $3.99 - $2.99 - store markdown
10) some brand German potato salad dressing - $3.79 - -$1.00 - free with potato purchase, $1 coupon on jar

Full Price Total: $30.37
I Paid: $16.98
I Saved: $13.39
Percent Off: 44.09% (didn't do so well because I had to get certain things for that night)

Rite Aid - 4/5
1) Gilette Fusion Power razor - $10.49 - free + tax - store markdown to $8.00, $4/1 coupon from 4/4 paper, $4 rebate
2) 1 tube Crest Pro Health toothpaste - $3.99 - -$0.21 + tax - store markdown to $2.29, $1/1 coupon from 4/4 paper, $1.50 rebate

Full Price Total: $15.80
I Paid: $0.51 tax after rebates
I Saved: $15.29
Percent Off: 96.77%

CVS - 4/9
1) 1 pack Stride gum - $1.49 - $0.99 - store markdown

Full Price Total: $1.49
I Paid: $0.99
I Saved: $0.50
Percent Off: 33.56%
ECB (Extra Care Bucks) Received: $0.99 (basically, CVS store credit...this will come in handy next week)

Bi-Lo - 4/9
1) 2 boxes Hartz Crunch'n'Clean dog treats - $7.98 - $0.17 (all tax) - B1G1 in store, two $2/1 coupons from Internet

Full Price Total: $8.20
I Paid: $0.17 tax
I Saved: $8.03
Percent Off: 97.93%

Staples - 4/9
1) Staples copy paper - $4.69 - $0.28 (all tax) - store rebate

Full Price Total: $4.97
I Paid: $0.28 tax after rebate
I Saved: $4.69
Percent Off: 94.37%

Weekly Full Price Total: $71.80
I Paid: $20.93
I Saved: $50.87
Percent Off: 70.85%
ECB in hand: $0.99

Free/Money-Makers:
two boxes Green Giant frozen vegetables (free)
German potato salad dressing (made $1.00)
Gilette Fusion Power Raxor (free)
Crest Pro Health toothpaste (made $0.21)
two boxes Hartz dog treats (free)
Staples copy paper (free)

So, though I made six transactions, it was only on two days (and plus, I was on spring break, which also makes more sense when you don't see more staples like milk, since I'm now hanging out with my parents). w00t savings!

Couponing - Week 1

2010-04-10T08:58:00.008-04:00

So, here's how I fared in the stores in my very first week (March 28-April 3). As it was the first week, I didn't have a lot of newspaper coupons I could use, so I relied heavily on printed ones. (That's my encouragement to new couponers...don't get discouraged at the beginning, as after a few weeks, you'll have a host of coupons from which to draw.)

How To Interpret
Item - Full Price - Price I Paid - How

Publix - 3/29
1) Sara Lee poundcake - $4.99 - $1.49 - B1G1 in store (Publix's "Buy 1 Get 1" is really just 50% off, as you don't have to buy two), $1 coupon from Internet
2) 1 lb. fresh strawberries - $4.00 - -$0.75 (that's right, they paid me to take them) - 2 for $4 in store, $1 coupon on Cool Whip container, $1.75 coupon from Publix for buying Sara Lee
3) 6 packages Birds Eye frozen vegetables - $1.79-$2.49 each - $0.64-$0.94 each - B1G1 in store, $1 off 4 packages and $1 off 2 packages from the Internet
4) Betty Crocker cinnamon struesel muffin mix - $2.59 - $0.30 - B1G1 in store, $0.50 coupon from 3/28 newspaper, which Publix doubled
5) Lysol Plus Bleach cleaner - $2.69 - $0.35 - B1G1 in store, $0.50 coupon from Internet, which Publix doubled
6) Bob Evans ready-made mashed potatoes - $3.39 - $0.70 - B1G1 in store, $0.50 coupon from Internet, which Publix doubled
7) 4 blocks Philadelphia cream cheese - $1.65 each - $0.775 each - $5 for 5 in store, two $0.55 off two coupons from Internet
8) an 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip - $1.99 - $1.00 - B1G1 in store
9) 1 package Earth Grain thin buns - $2.99 - $0.50 - 2 for $5 in store, $2 off coupon in store
10) 4 jars Classico spaghetti sauce - $2.49 each - $0.745 each - B1G1 in store, two $1/2 (one dollar off two) coupons from Internet
11) 4 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken/Mushroom soup - $1.33 each - $0.50 each - 5/$5 in store, two $1/2 coupons from Internet

Full Price Total: $56.22
I Spent: $15.85
I Saved: $40.37
Percent Off: 71.81%

Publix - 4/1
1) four 6 oz. cups of Yoplait Greek yogurt - $1.19 each - -$0.60 or free each - 10/$10 in store, 4 free coupons from Publix website, 3 $0.30 off coupons from Internet, which Publix doubled
2) Sara Lee cheesecake bites - $3.99 - $0.99 - B1G1 in store, $1/1 coupon from Internet
3) Dentek individual flossers - $2.59 - $1.89 - store sale

Full Price Total: $11.52
I Spent: $1.26
I Saved: $10.26
Percent Off: 89.06%

Publix - 4/2
1) 2.18 lbs. bananas - $0.69/lb - $1.50 total (full price)
2) 1 ream of copy paper - $3.99 (full price...I needed paper!)
3) something like a 7.5 lb. ham - $18.50 - $10.33 - mark down in store
4) Wesson vegetable oil - $3.78 - $1.89 - B1G1 in store

Full Price Total: $28.05
I Spent: $17.99
I Saved: $10.06
Percent Off: 35.86%

Weekly Full Price Total: $95.79
I Spent: $35.10
I Saved: $60.69
Percent Off: 63.36%

Things I got free/got paid to take:
1 lb. strawberries (made $0.75 profit)
4 6 oz. cups Yoplait Greek yogurt (made $0.90 profit)

Not bad for a first timer, eh? :) I got everything I needed and then some for less than my weekly budget, even if you throw in the $10 I spent at the Peaceful Villa for produce.

My Delving into the World of Couponing - Secrets

2010-04-10T08:17:00.006-04:00

Ok, so thanks to Tiffany's friend Allison and a Facebook post by our friend Megan at church, I've decided to take the plunge into coupon clipping. As a guy, I am heavily outnumbered in this hobby, but hey, I can hang with the girls, especially if it means I get 60% off my groceries on average! And of course, Tiffany doesn't mind that I'm learning how to do this so that we can do this together when we get married! Here are secrets I've learned:

1) southernsavers.com - Tells me everything I need to know!
2) the Sunday paper - Has all the coupons! While I haven't purchased more than one paper yet, I will start buying two, and it's not unusual for people to buy more (like six of them, for real), because if they're having a great sale, you want to have all the coupons you can!
3) the Back button - When you print an online coupon, just hit the Back button, hit Retry/Refresh if necessary, and it should print another of the same coupon
4) TIMING - The important thing isn't that you have a coupon for something, but WHEN you use that coupon. A $1 off of a 2-liter that's normally $2 means you could get it for $1, but if you held that coupon until 2-liters go on sale for $1, you get it for free!
5) a spam e-mail account - Several sites ask for an e-mail, so just make sure you have an account that you wouldn't mind possibly getting spammed
6) patience - You'll have to fill out several forms or wait a few weeks to get rebates, but hey, getting $5 in the mail a few weeks later is better than not getting $5 in the mail! You also may have to visit several stores through the week, but it's worth it in the end if you have the time!
7) organization - You have to hold on to week after week of coupons and lots of printable ones, so find some way to stay organized. I keep my weekly inserts organized by date, since the couponing websites refer back to specific dates. My printable coupons are a mess right now, but I'm sure I'll find a system soon.
8) searching for coupons - If you have a favorite brand, sign up for their newsletter or simply check their website for coupons. Also, check your grocery stores for other coupon books, and be on the lookout for the coupon dispensers in the aisles.
9) name brands - With coupons, you don't have to settle for store brand stuff! You can get the good stuff! It may not be your favorite brand, but hey, if it's free...
10) stocking up/cycles - Things in grocery stores go on sale to their lowest price about every six weeks apparently. Therefore, when it's at its cheapest, use your coupons and get enough for six weeks worth to last you until the next time.
11) grocery list - know EXACTLY what you're getting before you go...make a list of what, where, how many, which coupons, etc. It makes it a lot less confusing at the store, but be prepared in case some things don't happen to be on sale as expected.

And finally, this isn't a secret, per se, but it's an encouragement. Most personal care items end up being free or close to free, and sometimes things go for free that you would never buy. While you personally may not need 1,800 tubes of toothpaste or are morally opposed to canned vegetables, you may know of a food pantry or homeless shelter that would accept donations. Use these skills to help show Love! :)

Love Lustres at Calvary

2010-01-15T07:20:00.000-05:00

"My Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips, supply words that proclaim 'Love lustres at Calvary.'

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on thy Son, made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice smote the man, thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified, and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due, and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in,
trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell's worst that I might attain heaven's best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made a shame that I might inherit glory,
entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
bore a thorny crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,
expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me,
All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
my every step buoyant with delight,
as I see my enemies crushed,
Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
hell's gates closed, heaven's portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross,
mighty to subdue, comfort and save."

- The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett, p. 44

How I Got Engaged

2010-01-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

In a Nutshell

We got engaged on November 9, 2009, in my den after eating some of Tiffany's favorite foods that I had cooked. We were just on the couch afterwards and I got down on one knee and asked her. Nothing too elaborate about the actual proposal, but there was a lot of planning that went into it, as I will now describe at great length below...

The Backstory, from My Point of View

There was much more planning involved in getting the ring and talking to the parents than there was in the actual proposal night. See, we live in Columbia, SC. My jeweler Doug is in Anderson, SC. Her parents are in Atlanta, GA. Somehow, I had to make it to both of those places without her suspecting ANYTHING. I also had to think of a nonchalant way of getting her over to my apartment for dinner for the big night. Not an easy task when dealing with someone as smart as Tiffany.

I knew I would probably need two trips to the jeweler in the Upstate, that I would need to make a secret trip to Atlanta while in the Upstate one weekend, and that I would need to propose very soon after talking to her parents, as I didn't want them to have to hold in that secret. I also knew that I had to be able to look her in the eye in the end and tell her that I never lied to her during the process. ;)

Tuesday, October 27: We're having a church get-together. I leave early "to go grocery shopping." While I did go get some things, my main reason for skipping out early was to call the jeweler to clue him in on what I wanted. Tiffany had sent me a list of ring ideas a few months prior, so I just described the ring I wanted, and he said he'd take care of it.

Friday, October 30: I leave work and head to the Upstate "to go to the Clemson game," which I did do on Saturday. Friday afternoon, though, I made a visit to the jeweler, who showed me a couple of stones for me to look at. I didn't expect it to be such a short visit, as I expected there to be a long process of making decisions, etc., but I just trusted that the jeweler knew what I was talking about when I described the ring.

Some time in here, I sent Tiffany's brother a message on Facebook, asking if his parents were going to be in town the next weekend. I swore him to secrecy, that he couldn't even tell them. He told me that they would be around, so that was good.

Sunday, November 1: Tiffany was going to cook for my brother and his wife the following day, but they had to cancel. Tiffany told me at church that night that she was going to ask them to come over the next Monday night. I said that was perfect, making an evil laughing noise in my head at the same time. I immediately text my brother, letting him know that he was to accept the invitation, but that he was going to mysteriously cancel a few days later, so that I could be the hero and invite her over when she was disappointed that her guests cancelled twice in a row. ;)

Thursday, November 5: I leave work early to head to the Upstate, having asked for Friday off of work. Besides just wanting a day off and needing an excuse to get to the Upstate a day early to talk to the jeweler, I went under the cover of "going to see my friends back at TL Hanna," the school where I used to teach. I arrive at the jeweler on Thursday afternoon, where I get another stone comparison. Again, no looking at rings themselves, only stones. Was I nervous about that? Kinda. But he told me he'd have the ring finished the next day, so I trusted him!

Friday, November 6: I do go visit my friends at TL Hanna, and then go see Doug, where I finally saw an actual ring, but it wasn't finished. I decided on the stone, and he said the ring would be completed by the end of the day. Sure enough, I go back a few hours later, and there it is! It is beautiful, and exactly as I had described! (I had had a nightmare the night before that it was nothing like that, so what a relief!) Handing over my credit card (which I've already paid off, don't worry), it finally hit me that this was for real! I was going to propose! I then commenced either staring at the ring incessantly or showing everyone with whom I came into contact.

That night, I finally sent a message to Tiffany's mom. I knew that from the instant I initiated that conversation that she would have to keep a big secret, which is why I waited so long. I told them I would come down that Sunday afternoon.

Saturday, November 7: I go to my final education seminar in the Upstate, which was truly the main reason I was there. Of course, I showed everyone the ring. Later that night, I went contra dancing by myself to help me pass the time, and also just to give Tiffany the impression that I was occupied for every second of my weekend in the Upstate.

Sunday, November 8: I told Tiffany that I was going to go to Capstone, the church I used to attend. So, of course, I went...for about 30 minutes. I then made the two hour trek to Atlanta, where I meet Tiffany's parents as they were getting out of church. We then grabbed a quick bite, I got permission from them, but then I had to hit the road at 1:30 to make it back to church with Tiffany at 5:30, because I didn't have a good excuse why I wouldn't be able to be at church.

I made it back just in time, my busy, busy weekend almost complete. At church, I didn't want to leave the ring in my car, so I had it in my pocket! We sat in church, her engagement ring mere centimeters from her. The next weekend, she was going to be going to Atlanta to visit her folks (another reason why I was planning on proposing then, so she could celebrate with them). I asked her if she was going to be back in time for church that night. She said no, that it was too hard to go to church with her parents, eat lunch, then make it back in time for church in Columbia. I about died laughing on the inside, as I had just done all of that! By that point, my brother had already cancelled on the dinner invitation again, and Tiffany was sorta frustrated that they didn't seem to have a good reason why. (And of course, I had to talk bad about my brother in front of Tiffany to show my disgust over this situation.) :P But she, of course, agreed to come over for dinner.

I think I had done a fairly good job of convincing Tiffany that I did a lot of things, and I did tell her EVERYTHING I did that weekend...except the parts where I bought a ring and went to Atlanta. :) My master plan was almost complete. All that was left was the proposal!

The Proposal, from My Point of View

Monday, November 9: I wasn't worth ANYTHING at school that day! I showed my students a picture of the ring. (I believe that was the longest I had been without the ring up to that point!) I showed a video for part of class to help me out a little. I had a roast cooking in the Crock Pot, and I knew when I got home, I had to make some black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes, and chocolate chip-less chocolate chip cookies. Those are all some of her favorite foods. At one point in the day, I texted her to see what she wanted to drink...tea, Mountain Dew, etc. She said, "All of those sound good. Surprise me." In my head, I was like, "Oh, I'll surprise you all right."

When I got home and started cooking, I was worrying that since I had told so many people that word was going to get back to her. Some people at her parents' church saw me without her, and I was so praying that nobody would call her and ask about it. But, there was nothing I could do at that point.

She gave me a time frame as to when she was going to be there, so I aimed at having dinner ready at the beginning of that time frame so that she wouldn't have to wait. Well, when that time came, she sends me a text saying that she was leaving. I was fine, but starting to freak out. A few minutes later, another text: "awful traffic." Great. A few minutes later, another one: "still in traffic, I think there's been a wreck." The only wreck was me because of my nerves at that point! I was sending minute-by-minute texts to various people.

Then, there was a knock at the door. "Oh man, oh man, here she is..." Open the door, and it's a dude selling magazines! REALLY?!? Of ALL the people, of ALL the times... Wow.

Eventually, she did show up. We sat down to dinner, and she loved the food! :) After feeling the conversation out, I could tell that she didn't know anything. Perfect. And then dinner was over. Then I realized that I had to figure out a way to pop the question. I had several scenarios in mind prior to that point.

1) We could practice our dancing (waltz or shag) and then I could just show her a move I had learned, involving getting down on one knee. Unfortunately, her foot had been acting up for a few days, so I had to scratch that idea.

2) My back-up was to have a short little jam session, where I played the piano and she played my guitar, after which I would just pop the question after having a great time making music together. I did have the guitar set out to see if she would take the bait, and I did go sit down at the piano, but I didn't want to force her to play if she didn't want to. Nothing too obvious, remember? But at that time, I was in no mood to sit and play. I played a few notes myself, and when Tiffany didn't pick up the guitar two seconds later, I got too impatient with myself and then sat on the couch with her. :P

3) This was not a scenario that I had played out. I was going rogue. I showed her a YouTube video of one of our favorite songs, and I was going to do it after that...but I chickened out. "C'mon, Benjamin, you're just going to have to do it." She then showed me something on her Facebook. Any college student with Facebook recognizes the joy in finding your roommate's computer logged into Facebook, as that is an invitation to do bad things with their profile. Tiffany, jokingly, said to me as she made sure to log out, "I wouldn't want you to change anything on my profile." A couple of seconds later, she asked, "What would you change anyway?" At that point, I was like, "Benjamin, just do it." So, I said, as I got down on one knee and got out the ring, "Well, I would change the fact that you are now engaged...maybe." I threw the "maybe" in there considering I still did have to ask her. So, I asked her, she said yes, and there was much rejoicing. :) Whew.

Luckily, the ring fit perfectly, and come to find out, it was exactly the ring she wanted! She admitted she would have just sent that ring picture back a few months prior, but she figured that would be too obvious. But great minds think alike, no?

We then spent the remaining time that night on the phone, or celebrating with my roommate, brother, sister-in-law, and dad, who had all come over at that point.

So, there's my far-too-long description of a not-very-elaborate proposal (but that had lots of forethought). And at the end of the day, I never lied to her once! :)

Why I Love the Big House Christmas

2009-12-27T09:35:00.002-05:00

On Christmas Day, my step-mom asked what was so special about being at the Big House for Christmas. I explained it to her, and I wanted to explain it to all of my faithful blog readers (both of you).

First of all, what is the Big House? It's the house in Easley where my mom's parents live. It's a house out in the country with lots of pasture around it and great views of the mountains in the distance. It's a place to forget your cares and come to experience peace and love (and good cooking). As evidenced by the name, the house is big, but only because my granddad designed the house to accommodate a large family. They wanted six kids, but ended up with four...but not to worry. There are nine grandchildren, ten if you want to include my brother's wife, and in just over eight months, another one of us grandchildren will be getting married, adding to the family. :) This means we have 19 people in the house when everyone's together. A few times a year, most notably July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, most all of us come to the Big House to celebrate.

When we all get together, it's utter chaos. Kids screaming and rasslin'. (We grandchildren range in age from 3rd grade to me at age 24.) Adults begging for the attention of the whole family, which never works. The sound of musical instruments coming from the den. The volume gradually getting louder on Papa's western movies on TV.

And I love it all.

There's no words to express the connection that we all share. I mean, my fifth grade cousin just sent me a text last night telling me he loved me. All 19 of us are Christians, praise Jesus. Because we have all accepted His love, we are able to love each other in this same fashion. This doesn't mean we're all happy all the time. No, there have been plenty of tears shed at the Big House. We go through sickness, hardship, anger, and other things. But, we have our hearts in the right spot. We comfort, forgive, and encourage. We love.

So, that's just a run-down of the normal Big House gatherings. What's so special about Christmas at the Big House? For as far back as I can remember, this is how it works...

It all starts days and weeks before Christmas Eve. Pon (my grandma) begins laboriously planning the menu. When I lived closer, I used to love going to help her make cookies and other things when I had time. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around and we gather together to sing our blessing (more on that later), the kitchen is filled with so much food. Turkey, ham, dressing, sweet potato casserole, chicken and dumplings, green beans, other casseroles...and desserts. Load of desserts. This year, we had red velvet cake, pineapple upside-down cake, fudge, egg nog cookies...mmm...

And while the food is simply divine, the most special part for me is holding hands in a circle around the chopping block (the island in the kitchen) and singing our blessing. We're a musical family, so it's only natural that we do this. The words are from a poem by Helen Taylor entitled "Bless This House."

Bless this house O Lord we pray; make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls so firm and stout, keeping want and trouble out:
Bless the roof and chimneys tall, let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door, that it may prove ever open to joy and love.

Bless these windows shining bright, letting in God's heav'nly light;
Bless the hearth a'blazing there, with smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within, keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be fit, O Lord, to dwell with thee;
Bless us all that one day we may dwell O Lord with thee.

Just to hear all of our voices singing out to our Lord gives me a great preview of Heaven. :)

And then it's chow time! This year, all of the grandkids sat around one table and the other adults at another. That was a first, I believe. We had a blast. We went around the table, making up our own version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Fun times... See, in our family, we laugh. We laugh loudly. The adults were in the dining room, which is separated from the kitchen by a wide hallway and two walls. And yet, both rooms echo with the laughs from the other room. Just another testimony to the connection we share.

We then mess around for a while, letting our food settle. The past few years, we have always checked the NORAD website, which tracks where Santa is. It's fun seeing the little ones ask, "Where is Romania?"

But after a while, the grandkids start assembling for the pageant. Not like a beauty pageant, but a representation of the Christmas Nativity story. This is probably a 15-year-old tradition. It started out when just a few of us were in existence. I was Joseph (but I go by Jovis, just because one of us would always mispronounce it), and my cousin Rebecca was Mary, and whoever else was born would also take part, which meant we had a live baby Jesus for a few years. In years past, it was always a chore getting people together and assigning the parts. Pon and I have always threatened to cancel the pageant because everybody would stink up (as in, misbehave). :P But now that we're all a little older, it's not quite as bad, but people still fight over parts and costumes. This year, we got downstairs, almost ready to perform, and realized that we didn't have a shepherd. Nobody wanted to be one, however, so we almost had a shepherd-less Nativity. But finally, one cousin reluctantly changed costumes. We go out in costume as somebody reads the Christmas story, and all the adults ooh and ahh and video and take pictures.

Then, we change out of costume and get ready for sharing time. We cut off most all the lights except for the Christmas tree and an old oil lamp that was passed down to my grandfather. He'll speak for a little bit and will read the Christmas story from his grandmother's old Bible by light from the oil lamp. We then take some time to share things from the year...the blessings God has given us, the hardships we've faced, the triumphs we've experienced, what we've learned, etc. Now that the grandchildren are older, they've stopped wanting us to speed up the process so they can open presents, and they've actually stared speaking during this time. It's so great just to hear people's hearts during this time. In years past, we've also sung the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah, but we didn't do that this year for some reason.

After this time, we then open presents. My little cousins this year were Santa's elves, and handed out all the presents. We all open presents, and the den ends up covered in a thick layer of wrapping paper, bows, and bags. There's no rhyme or reason to our method. We just go after it, making sure to go thank those who gave us a present. Because we have a lot of people, we have usually had the adults draw names, and the grandchildren do the same. This year, though, times were tough for most of us financially, so the adults didn't exchange gifts, and the grandkids just did something small for each other (or at least we were supposed to). Parents get their kids something, and the worst lot goes to my grandparents, who graciously get us all something, even though times are tough for them, too. Even though presents were smaller this year, that by no means diminishes the love we have for each other.

Then comes the going-to-bed ritual, which is always fun. My uncle and his family go home at this point so that Santa will come to their own house. We say our goodbyes, and then try to get the remaining grandchildren in bed so that Santa won't skip over our house. We have to clean up the den, get baths for the little ones, and there's usually a midnight snack involved. By this time, the Internet is showing that Santa is getting closer, and the kids swear they see Rudolph's red nose out the window off in the distance.

The best part of this mad rush is setting the trap for Santa. My grandparents' den has a high ceiling with rafters going across. We throw a rope over the rafters from the balcony on the second floor. We set a noose on the ground right in front of the fire place so that we can finally catch that sneaky little Santa guy.

Finally, we get the grandkids to bed. Eventually, the others go to bed, too. But the night is hardly long enough, as who can sleep when you know that Santa has visited? The next morning is such a joy. The den is now full of gifts from Santa. He even fills the stockings of the adults. Because the grandkids who spend the night are all boys, there's always the sounds of remote control cars in the morning, balls bouncing, knives shining, and my stack of clothes sitting nicely by my boots that I had set out. :)

Unfortunately, we've never caught Santa. This year, we managed to get his hat and a poncho, as it was raining fairly heavily this year. Maybe one day we'll get him. Just maybe...

So, that's why I love the Big House Christmas. It's a tradition-filled night that I look forward to all year. I know some families go to church on Christmas Eve, but I never have. We worship just as well at my grandparents' house. And as my uncle said this year during sharing time, my prayer is that the love that we share in our family might reflect the love that our Lord has for us, and as a result, we can point others to Him. Merry Christmas!

España - Week 5

2009-08-03T15:04:00.002-04:00

And here it is...the last of my Spain posts!

Home
The first part of the week, it was just me and my host mom, but then her son came home later. So, it was cool to get to know him for a couple of more days before I had to leave. He had a good time in Manchester, and he seemed to have learned a good bit of English. I'd say overall, I had a good relationship with my host mom, and she enjoyed having me at the house. She even took me to the bus station the day I had to leave. Now, the question is whether or not I'll live with them next year...go with something you know will be alright, or take a chance in hopes of something better (and getting to know more people).

School
Final Exams! Since I was lazy during my fourth week, I stressed more than I should have during this week. I knew I could afford to mess up some, but I also knew I couldn't not study. But thankfully, I pulled it off. Most of my classes were great, and I learned a ton.

Friends
Goodbyes aren't fun, but at least we know we'll be back together again next year! (I'm sure some may not come back, including Josh, but I know most will be back.) Although Katherine and I were good all summer speaking Spanish, this last week, especially the last day, we gave up. We were just stressed over exams and needed some English! But hey...a good, solid month of Spanish is good, right?

City
It's funny how small Salamanca is, but how much I still need to see! When my host mom found out that I didn't go to this one museum, she was like, "But that means you really didn't get to know Salamanca at all!" But, I know I'll be back next summer! At least maybe some of this construction will be gone in the historic district...

Language
I've already explained how I gave in and spoke English the last day. During the last couple of weeks, I also stopped writing down new words...I just realized either I won't use them again, or it isn't necessary to know the meaning of it since I can figure it out from context. Yeah...it was laziness. :) But I learned a lot this summer, and can't wait to do it again next year!

Culture
So, the last Thursday we were there, we had a little "graduation," where they gave us a certificate for completing this phase of the Master's degree. Afterwards, they had a reception with wine and traditional Spanish foods. It was all so yummy! I had octopus for the first time! It was so funny...as soon as the servers would bring out a tray of food, it would hardly make it to the table because people would eat it off of the tray. To me, this clearly shows one of the things about Hispanics (probably more specifically, Latin Americans), at least from my perspective. There's really no way to explain it well, but it's some strange mix of resourcefulness, desperation, and a fight for life. It's true that Hispanics take advantage of everything, whether it be an opportunity or an open seat in the metro. They don't waste food. They also take advantage of the opportunity to get on the bus. When the doors open, it's like there's no tomorrow. They all rush, cutting in line, etc. The concept of personal space doesn't exist in Hispanic cultures, so packing into the mob outside the bus door is normal. But why? It's just different... When, in class, the teacher would pass out papers, the people in the back of the room would get up and grab their copy from the stack being passed back while it was still in the front of the room, I guess just to make sure they get their copy. It's this same attitude that, I think, leads them to do things like taking food off of the tray before it gets to the table...can't give up an opportunity now, because it may not be there later. I don't know if this is an attitude that has spilled over from the Spanish conquest of the land, or maybe it's something from the indigenous religions...it's just interesting to watch. I feel like Americans are much more likely to sit back and let things come to us...let the papers get passed to us, let the line go down before getting on the bus, let the food get to the table like it's supposed to, etc. Part of that is the American laziness due to our society of convenience.

So, that's it! I'm currently spending a couple of days with my friend Franziska in Germany (and I also visited France) before heading back to the States. Life is good! Hope all is well with y'all. See you soon!

España - Week 4

2009-07-29T11:21:00.002-04:00

A little late, but here's my fourth week!

Home
So, things took a drastic turn for the worst on Monday. Benno received a call that his brother had been killed in a car wreck back in Germany, so he had to take the first flight out. My host mom and I were in total shock the rest of the day, and we feel very sorry for him and his family. (Prayers still accepted for his family!) So, now it's just me and my host mom, as Esteban, her son, is finishing up his course in England.

School
This was a long week. After midterms, I just haven't wanted to do anything, especially knowing that I can afford to mess up on my finals. So, trying to pay enough attention in class while not thinking about coming home was quite a challenge. Monday and Tuesday were extremely long, as we had our normal class schedule 8:30-7, but then I had my extra cinema class at night, so those days I didn't get home until after 9:00. Uf.

Friends
Josh and I finally realized that we're like brothers...I'm the little brother he never had. He says it's because we bicker all the time about who's smarter, who's the faster runner, etc. And I want to speak English more and more...but I must hold out...

City
Nothing new here...I got to see the Plaza Mayor at 3:30 am on a Sunday/Monday morning. No lights, and only two people...kinda eerie!

Language
Spanish is fine...it's the Portuguese that got me! I spent the weekend in Porto, Portugal and had a blast! The only thing that I didn't like was not being able to communicate effectively! My experiences abroad where I didn't know the language have been very few and far between, so I can definitely empathize more with people in places where they don't speak their language!

Culture
Nothing new with Spanish culture, but it was nice getting to know Portuguese culture a bit. I loved trying new foods...lots of food for not a lot of money! And MEAT! Sausage, ham, chicken, fish...mmm... Go to Porto and try a francesihna...local specialty...toasted sandwich filled with all sorts of meat and cheese, topped with a spicy sauce and a fried egg...mmm...

Again, check out the Facebook for pics! Can't wait to see everyone back home!

España - Week 3

2009-07-20T16:42:00.004-04:00

Over halfway there! Here's some thoughts from last week...

Home
Life with Benno (the German kid) is going fine. I don't think my host mom mistrusts him as much, though she still does get mad whenever he wants beer put in the fridge. He also wants to serve himself and start eating before mamá issues the official "Bon Appetit, Buen Provecho, somethingelseIcan'tunderstand" that means we can start eating. But anyway, he's learning well, picking up a lot on TV. Mamá loves to cook fried foods...she's got her own personal mini-fryer, so we have homemade French fries a lot, which are great...and then we have some sketchy fried croquetas, chicken nuggets, fish things, etc. But anyway...it's food, and I can't complain.

School
Yay for no more midterms! I studied pretty hard, and I'm happy to say that it payed off! Three 100% and one 90% (literature). Now, I can relax a bit as we approach finals, knowing I have a little more breathing room. We can make an 85% and still have an A!

My last excursion was on Sunday to Ávila...it's a beautiful city! Check out Facebook for pics.

Friends
I'm really grateful for Josh and Katherine because while there are other gringos here that speak English a lot, the three of us are fairly resolute to only speak Spanish around each other. We've let a few English words come into conversation occasionally, but it's nice to have an outlet to converse, knowing you'll understand the other person in exchange!

City
On Saturday, I went walking all the way up to the Plaza de Toros (bullring). I hadn't gotten to know that part of the city yet, so it was neat to see another side. There's a nice graffiti calling the toreros, murderers. (Ironically, toreros are also called matadores, which literally means "one who kills.") On the way back, I finally got the nerve to ask a restaurant owner if I could have the bullfighting poster in the window. (The bullfight had already passed, and I assume they'd just throw them away.) She didn't let me have the ones in the window, but she did go to the back and give me three others from the past! Score! Free awesome posters!

Language
I'm realizing more and more just the differences in Spain Spanish vs. Latin American Spanish. They use words and forms here that I would never use in Latin America...they're just too formal! Imagine an American/Australian and a Brit...it's kinda like that.

Culture
And again, I say that the days are looooong! It just seems we never stop here! Most of it is that I'm in class all day (8:30-11:30, 12-2, usually 4:45-6:45, and occasionally 7:15-9:15), but still...eating supper so late (10:00ish) and then having to do homework makes for an exhausting day...even more so since everything here's in another language!

One interesting cultural note is that there appears to be a small group of youngsters that want autonomy. I'm in the region of Castilla y León, and apparently, there are people who don't like the Castilla part. There is a lot of graffiti out there touting "País Leonés" and other things like that. Don't know why...but I'm sure I'll look it up one day.

My pictures on Facebook often tell more than I do here, so check them out!

España - Week 2

2009-07-12T14:24:00.002-04:00

Two weeks down, and here's an update from me!

Home
The family is still treating me well. The German student Benno arrived late Sunday night. As it was late, and he hadn't quite gotten into Spanish mode, I had to translate a lot into English for him. He has improved quite a bit, though. He's here for a four-week language course, because he is coming back within the next year to study psychology, and he wanted to make sure he could understand everything. My host mom doesn't trust him because he has a mohawk, thinking that all those type are bad. It doesn't help that he's German and drinks all the time. :P

School
Everything's going great with school. We have midterm exams starting on Tuesday, so I've gotta study a lot! I have no idea what to expect, except that they're multiple choice, worth 40% of my grade, and the professors say they're easy. (Easy for whom?) This past week, I had a class all about how to approach writing our 40-page "thesis," and my mind is racing. I want to do something related to the evolution of the Spanish Bible, and somehow tie that into the classroom. A tentative title would be something like "The linguistic evolution of the Spanish Bible and the understanding of the various translations by South Carolinian high school students." Who knows? I theoretically have three years to do this, but I want it to be done before next summer.

On Sundays, we get to explore other cities with pre-planned excursions. Last week, we went to Segovia and Coca, and this week, it was Zamora and Toro. It's nice to get out of Salamanca one day a week, except I got sunburnt today. Check out Facebook for pics from these excursions, as well as others from Salamanca.

Friends
Josh and I have been running/exercising at least three times a week, which helps us balance out the mental exertion of our stay here. We study on the weekends, just like any good nerd would do. :P Like I said last week, Josh is in another classroom, but I am in class with Katherine. It's nice to have gringo friends here, but I wish I were also closer to some native Spanish speakers, but it's all good.

City
Foreign invasion! This week was the official first week of summer courses, and that means that there are a zillion (or, a brazillion) more people here. So many more Americans, as well as people from all over the rest of the world. I feel robbed...it's no longer "our" city. At least I know now to soak up the week without the foreigners when I come next summer. Also, I'm starting to get the hang of when to go eat tapas and how to order them. I've found a delicious place for churros con chocolate and other things with chocolate. Yeah, I'm getting to know this place rather well.

Language
Still learning a lot of great phrases. I've tried speaking using vosotros, but it's forced. I do recognize it when I use ustedes that I should be using the other, but oh well. I'm still debating on classroom use of vosotros, as if I teach vosotros, which is purely a regionalism, then why not teach the other different Spanishes that are spoken in the other countries? And if I started doing that, then my students would be super confused. I think I'll use ustedes, but then when we study Spain, I'll tell them about vosotros, just as when we study Chile or Argentina or whatever, I'll talk about their dialect/verb conjugations. (Oh, and for those of y'all who are totally confused as to what those two Spanish words are, they're the words for y'all. It's just vosotros is used in Spain mostly, with ustedes being a more formal way to say it, whereas in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, it's just ustedes.)

Culture
The days are LOOOONG. You go to class all "morning," eat lunch, sleep, go back to school, hang out for a little, eat again, and then go to bed (or go out, then go to bed). I miss the long periods of time when I could do nothing, like we have in the USA. But, I do love taking walks after supper, not just to help the food go down, but because it's cool out, and all the Spaniards are out, too.

In other news, I just bought tickets to Germany! I'm going immediately after my last exam on July 31. My friend Franziska lives in southern Germany, so I'll go visit her and travel around the Black Forest area...so excited!

So, that's what's up with me! What's up with you?

España - Week 1

2009-07-04T12:46:00.004-04:00

Well, I've been in Salamanca, Spain for one week now. It's kinda surreal, actually. I'm like, "Am I really here? Am I really getting my Master's degree from the oldest university in Spain?" Just for your information, I'll be in class at the Universidad de Salamanca until July 31, and I'll fly home on August 6. Here are some thoughts from my one week here:

Home
I'm living with a host family, which is definitely the way to go when you travel. Yes, you give up your independence, but you gain so much more. My mom's name is Flor, and she has an 18-year-old son Esteban. It's just the two of them here. My mom works as a host mom. :) All of her income comes from my pocket, and the pocket of the other foreign students who come. Tomorrow, a German student will come and live with us, too. (And actually, Esteban flew to England today for a three week stint learning English.) The family is nice, and we live very close to where I go to school during the day. We live in an apartment. I have my own room and bathroom, but I will share the bathroom when the German student arrives. My mom makes the food for all the meals. I have had quite a variety of food, ranging from basic pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, to what I'm going to eat tomorrow, which is crawfish...they were alive and in the sink last night. :P

School
Yeah. The oldest university in Spain. My classroom is in a palace. A palace. It's pretty great. There are four groups in the first phase of this Master's Degree. Each group has their own classroom, and we stay in that one room for all of our classes. I have five classes between 8:30 and 2:00, Monday through Friday:

1) Evolution of the Spanish Language - I LOVE this class. We just started getting into the good stuff on Thursday. We examine different influences that other cultures have had on the language so that we can better understand why Spanish is the way that it is. The professor is very smart and knows a lot about other languages.

2) Contemporary Spanish Literature - Literature is not my favorite thing, and I was disappointed further to find out that this was Contemporary Literature (as I really wanted to read/study El Quijote), but praise the Lord my professor is super nice. She's also the mentor for our group. Her name is Milagros ("Miracles"). Right now I understand it well, and even through my opinion into class discussion yesterday! (The professors love it when we native English speakers give our input, since the majority of the students are native Spanish speakers. The program is for K-12 teachers in the US and Canada, but most of these teachers came to the US from Latin America, and thus have a distinct linguistic advantage.)

3) Contemporary Spanish History - Ok, so the professor totally looks like a teacher from the 1950s with her short hairdo, well-defined eyebrows, and the general stern, strict expression on her face. But she's anything but. It's just funny, because that's how you'd imagine a history teacher to look. The class is nice, but being the third class of the morning right before a 30 minute break, I find myself wandering off... I made the mistake of not reading ahead yesterday and paid for it...fighting to understand the language, to comprehend the material, and to not fall asleep!

4) Spanish Grammar - I walked in thinking it would be cake, and it still is one of my favorite classes, but she's been really emphasizing this rule that not even the native speakers use often. This is definitely the most controversial class! In the end, it might end up being easier for us Anglophones, as we learned Spanish by rules and not social interaction, so adding another few rules to the list shouldn't be bad. The professor loves calling on me (and the other English speakers) just to make sure we still understand, because though we did learn the rules, we don't have the advantage of knowing absolutely what sounds best (all the subtle nuances of the language).

5) Resources for Foreign Language Teachers - This class will change each week, but this week was all about culture, what it is, and how to implement different activities in class. I learned a lot about Spanish customs in this class this week.

I also have afternoon sessions, ranging from going to important places in the city, to watching a movie. (Cinema also has an exam, which will prove to be my Achilles heel, as I really didn't understand the movie we watched this week!)

There's not too much homework, but it is super important to stay on top of the material. Participation is only 20% of our grade. The other 80% comes from either one or two exams. Yeah. Killer.

And just for those who don't know, I will go to class for five weeks this summer, five weeks next summer, write a 40+ page thesis (in Spanish, of course), and fulfill a couple of other requirements, which hopefully will be easy. It really is a neat program, and very cost-effective...only about 1/2 the price of an Master's Degree from the States!

Friends
I realized on the way to Spain that I was going to be gone for six weeks, and I really had no idea who else was going to be there. When I went to Chile for a semester, I at least knew who was coming with me. But this time, I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, the first day, I met Katherine and Josh. Obviously, they're English speakers from Wyoming and Michigan, respectively. I have class with Katherine, but Josh is in another group. Katherine is renting an apartment for these weeks, as her husband is also here. Josh lives with a family right down the road from me. We're all good and only speak Spanish with each other, as we three recognize that we're here to learn Spanish. It's frustrating at times, and sometimes we do have to insert an English word now and then, but it's fine.

City
Salamanca is BEAUTIFUL! Cobblestone alleyways. Centuries-old cathedrals. Cafés serving the best in local Spanish cuisine. So much history! This is very much a college town, and there are many international students. There are also a fair amount of tourists, especially since this is the summertime. You really have no idea what language people are going to be speaking (though Americans generally have a distinct look to them). I feel very safe here, with only two times where I felt uncomfortable, but crisis averted. The city, being an ancient Spanish city, was built around a main square--the Plaza Mayor. I love going here just to watch people. There's such an energy about the plaza that's addicting! Last night, there was a band playing and singing, and on the other side of the plaza, there were people dancing to a flautist/drummer, some of whom had castanets. And there's a great ice cream shop in the plaza, too. :)

Language
The Spaniards love their Spanish! The very first day I got here, my host mom told me that she was going to have to "correct" my Latin American Spanish that I had learned in Chile. Well, I have nothing against learning the Spanish dialect, but to say that Spain Spanish is superior is, well, cuico. :P (Sorry, only you Chilean readers will get that.) It's incredible to hear the vosotros form used all over the place as if it were nothing, but now that I think about it, the Chileans had their own verb form, as to the Argentineans. Vosotros gets overlooked in classes often, but I have never neglected to teach it. I probably will use it more in my lessons next year. I am learning a lot of new vocabulary, slang, and idioms. My professors all speak clearly, but people on the street, the TV, and movies are still often hard to understand. But, you learn to adapt.

Culture
The Spanish have their own schedule, and it's definitely unique! Lunch isn't until 3:00 or so (and that's when the news comes on the TV). Then, you have your siesta, which is the glorious time of afternoon rest after a long morning of class. Then, you go back to work/school for a few more hours, getting finished about 7:00, or even later. Supper isn't until 10:00 in my house. The other night during supper, my mom asked me, "Are you going to go out tonight?" The night is not done after supper! It's normal to stay out past midnight all the time. (After all, that's what siesta is for!) Another good thing about siesta is that it lets you be inside during the hottest part of the day. So, when you go back out, it is still warm, but at least it is cooling down. Here in Salamanca, it doesn't get dark until about 11:00 or so at night. I guess that also contributes to their tendency to stay out all night!

So, overall, Spain is great! I stay pretty tired, but I try to rest when I can. Josh and I go running every couple of days, which is good for the mind and the body. It's just phenomenal how taxing speaking in another language is! It's an experience you can only get, well, if you spoke another language! :P

I hope all is well back in the States. And just so you don't have this misconception...there is July the Fourth in Spain. I'm currently typing this blog on that date. :P Peace!

(Oh, and check the Facebook for pictures!)

I am blessed.

2009-06-15T22:25:00.002-04:00

I am blessed.

With our world going through tough economic times, it’s good to take a step back and recognize all that God has given us. (It kind of makes me wonder why people get down when the market’s down. Are we serving God or money?) If God truly is Jehovah Jireh like He claims to be in His Word, then I’ve nothing to worry about. You probably know of my celebrity crush on Nichole Nordeman, and here is yet another quote from her. It’s from her song “Gratitude”: “We are blessed beyond what we could ever dream in abundance or in need.” So, I decided to list out how He has blessed me and provided for me.

First and foremost, He has given me His grace. For some mysterious reason, He chose to extend His love and mercy to this sinner. Without Him, my life would be self-absorbed, and I would miss the beauty all around me. I still choose to make life about me sometimes, and that never ends well. I pray that if you have not received His grace that you would hear Him and accept this free gift.

Along these same lines, He has allowed me to grow up in an area where the name of Christ was very prevalent. My mom, dad, and most of the rest of my family are all Christians and were able to raise me and train me in a way that showed me the love of God. I think of those who are in areas that are not easily accessible and who do not have the Gospel. How will they believe unless they hear? How will they hear unless someone tells them? How will we tell them unless we go? In the United States where we have religious freedom, may we use this as an opportunity to share His name and actually do it, not grow complacent in the fact that we could if we wanted but then never do.

Not only has He allowed me to be surrounded by Christians, He has also given me access to His Word. I don’t know the statistics off hand, but there are so many people out there who speak languages in which there is not a single Bible verse. May God bless those who work diligently translating the Bible into other languages, and may we not take for granted the fact that we have the Scripture in a language that we can understand.

God has also blessed me with readily available education (with which I became capable of reading God’s Word!). Being raised in the United States, I was able to obtain a high school education that did not put me or my family out of every penny we had. I recognize that we pay taxes that go towards schools, but I think of cases like one woman I talked to who had to pay for every worksheet she ever got. (She was not raised in the United States.) I think that many students in the USA take education for granted and do not see its lasting value. Even having that high school education gives you the skills needed to navigate successfully in our society.

Not only, though, was I able to attend high school, but I also went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Clemson University. During my sophomore year, God opened the door for me to spend a semester in Chile. It was not a mission trip; however, I know He used me to reach others, and He used others to speak to me. Having to rely heavily on His strength at times, I worked hard and received my degree in Spanish in 2006.

He has also granted me another opportunity to study abroad in Spain starting this summer to pursue my master’s degree. Like in Chile, I will be living with a family, and I pray even now that He will work in their hearts as I bring Christ to them.

I count each time I have been to other countries as a distinct blessing from God. Whether the purpose was for missions, education, or vacation, He has used those experiences to shape my mind and give me a new perspective on the world. Because of this, I know He will be able to use me in unique ways. While I was at Clemson, I participated in FCA’s International Ministry, which sent students out seeking those from other countries. We were to wrap them up, love them, help them, and show them Christ. Having been the foreigner before, I was able to meet them where they were as we built a relationship.

Another benefit to my having been a lot of places, both abroad and in my own country, is the fact that I have been blessed to see so much of God’s creation. I have seen the depths of the Grand Canyon. I have looked down from the top of the Andes Mountains. I have seen so many beautiful waterfalls in the mountains right here in South Carolina. I have watched so many amazing sunrises and sunsets that I cannot count them all. God created all of this! I oftentimes just have to stop and be silent when I see these things. Creation is so beautiful, and that is why I want to do what I can to protect it. (Recycle and turn off your lights, people! ) It’s not that I worship the earth, but I worship He who created it, because since He created it, it belongs to Him. Since I love Him, I want to care for that which is His. And just when I think I have seen the most beautiful thing on earth, I am reminded that even the most beautiful rays of sunshine or the most majestic mountain peak is only a miniscule glimpse of the unsurpassed beauty of our God in Heaven! What a day that will be when we behold Him in Glory!

Throughout my life and especially at school, a lot of things have come naturally to me. I have not had to struggle a lot with many academic concepts. While it may seem weird to thank God for my intellect, it is a part of me that I must use for His glory. It is sometimes easy to sit and bask in the light of my own achievements, but I must recognize that who I am is a direct result of God’s design, so I must honor and glorify Him with all that I am. In this regards, I am able to take my understanding of different things and work with others to help them succeed as well. If they thank me, I need to safeguard myself against grabbing for the glory for myself and rather give the credit to Him. By my interactions with others, I am able to give them a glimpse of the Gospel.

God has not only blessed me with an able mind, but also He has blessed me with an able body. I don’t claim to be a body builder, but I do consider myself to be in good shape. I have tried to eat well and exercise to keep myself like this. Yes, I confess that sometimes I do it for prideful reasons, but if you stripped those away, I also want to stay fit so that I can help people around me. If someone needed me to move things, change a tire, or carry something, then I would be able. No, those things aren’t preaching the Gospel with words, but who ever said you needed words? Serving people is a beautiful way to love people, and it is the kind of love that Jesus Christ showed on the earth.

God has also blessed me with material possessions. I always feel like I need to be careful when talking about possessions, but I think it’s only right to take a look at what we have and give God all the glory. After all, nothing we have is ours anyway. He provided us with the means to obtain our stuff, whether it is a friend who gives us something or a paycheck with which to buy something. We should always be conscientious of the fact that our stuff isn’t ours, and that we should use it for Kingdom purposes. May we use extra rooms in our house to give shelter to those who don’t have it. May we use our cars to transport those who may have no other option. May we use our money to give to those in need. Also, may we use wisely the things that we feel only we will use, such as our food. Maybe our moms were correct when they taught us to clean our plates. I do praise Him that I have never had to go without shelter, food, water, or clothing, but may He strengthen me and give me faith in Him when He may lead me through times when I have to do without.

I thank God for the talents and gifts He has given me, and also for the outlets in which I can use them. My two favorite things are music and language. God has granted me many opportunities to use these in positions that I not only can enjoy, but also give Him glory in the fact that I am using what He has given me appropriately. I love the times I get to play piano in church or translate between an American and a Cuban. If I didn’t live my life using the things with which He has blessed me, it would be up to the rocks and the trees to praise Him. (Hey, He’ll get the glory either way. By my utilizing my God-given gifts, however, I also get to enjoy Him.)

God has blessed me with incredible friends that have surrounded me throughout my life. When I went off to college, leaving my family behind (sorta…I kinda enjoyed going home to do laundry), I met nine amazing guys and girls. We went through awesome times and some non-awesome times together, but we went through them together nonetheless. Not all of them are Christians, and sometimes that has proved to be a source of temptation for me, but on the flip side, I pray that I have shown them the love of Jesus.

God also allowed that I work on staff at Summersalt, a Christian youth camp, for four summers. I know the main purpose of the camp was to reach youth for Christ, and I had a blast doing that, but the most treasured thing that I got out of working there was being surrounded by the other counselors for six weeks. Seeing the 25 of us work, eat, laugh, pray, cry, worship, struggle, and succeed together was such a picture of the early church. I soaked up every moment I had with them and felt so empty on the weekends that I went home and especially after camp was over for the summer. God gave us Christian community, and I really pray that you are involved in a group of people that pushes you deeper in your walk with Christ. In Acts 2.42-47, we see the early church together, and just through their living in one accord, many others were brought to a saving faith in Christ. We were not meant to do life alone, so surround yourself with other brothers and sisters. You won’t regret it!

One of the biggest blessings I have here on this earth is my family. I am blessed to have a large family that is, for the most part, all Christian. When we all get together, we laugh so much, we fight occasionally, we cry sometimes, and we just generally enjoy each others’ presence. One of the most precious times of the year for me is Christmas Eve with my mom’s side of the family. I’ve never gone to church on Christmas Eve, and while that may initially sound weird coming from a Christian, I don’t spend Christmas without worshiping. We have church right there in the den. We read the Christmas story by oil lamp. We grandchildren dramatize the story in what we call the “pageant.” We then spend some time in reflection over the past year, sharing what God has done in and through us. We spend time in prayer. Usually, too, we sing the Hallelujah chorus. (There’s a benefit for being from a musical family!) When I’m with my family, I feel the love of God. I know I can share anything with them, and they will never stop supporting me. I recognize that not everyone has a caring family, and so I especially thank God that He has granted me this blessing.

The final blessing that I would like to mention is my amazing girlfriend Tiffany. I am humbled to know that God has placed such a godly woman in my life. She truly is beautiful on both the outside and the inside. He has orchestrated so many things in both of our lives to draw us together. In our relationship, I have been challenged so much as she has pushed me to be the man of God that He has called me to be. We try our hardest to keep Christ as the focus of our relationship. Through doing this, it really helps us maintain the correct perspective as we try to figure out this thing called “love.” I have grown so much in Christ and as a person through my relationship with Tiffany, and I eagerly anticipate what He has in store for us in the future.

So, that was my dissertation on the many, many ways that I am blessed. I’m sure I could keep typing if I wanted. God has been so good to me, and I know He has blessed you so much, too. It may or may not be in the same way as He has me, but He has blessed you. After all, if you’re able to read this, that means that He has granted you breath! So, I encourage you to reflect on the goodness of God. May you never forget that you are His creation, so never cease to give Him all the honor, glory, and praise.

EDIT: I also just wanted to add that it is a blessing that God has blessed me with a dad who manages his money well and who has taught me those skills. As a result, I am currently living debt-free...no credit card backup, no car payment, and no student loans (but then again, I'm not currently paying rent :P). On top of that, I've already paid for half of my master's program in Spain. It's such a blessing to not be tied down to monthly payments. I pray God will allow me to keep managing my money well so that I can continue to tithe faithfully and use the rest of my money to help further His kingdom on earth.

Wishlist

2009-06-04T22:04:00.010-04:00

I had posted this on my Facebook around December, but I've made some additions. This is a general wishlist for me in case you ever felt compelled to buy me things. It's been said that guys are hard to buy for, so here's a fairly exhaustive list of things I like, including some specific things you could get me. Please note that this is not a call for you to buy me things, but rather a guideline (should you choose to use it) if that call ever came. :) And also note that I like everything.

1. money donated to other causes (Heifer International, Blood:Water Mission, local missions, etc.)
2. anything involving beavers (shirts, figurines, etc.)
3. music - contemp. Christian, movie scores, orchestral, classical, world (celtic, flamenco, and all others), new age, Latin, popera, coffeeshop-style (veg-out music), instrumental folk
4. piano books (hymn arrangements, movie scores, classical, new age, quiet stuff)
5. Bible study aids (Greek and Hebrew stuff, exegeses, commentaries, study Bibles)
6. books - thrillers, Christian, history, informative, poetry, anything in Spanish, South Carolina
7. things related to geocaching
8. dark chocolate (but no other candy unless from another country)
9. hot tea (and any accessories thereof...I also like coffee)
10. any rich, savory, weird, foreign, and/or exotic food (like chocolate infused with chili powder)
11. organic/healthy food
12. shirts (casual or nicer) (M in t-shirt, M or L in long-sleeve, button-up: 16-16 1/2 neck, 32/33 or 34/35 sleeve)
13. pants (33 or 34 W, 32 L, M if sized)
14. shoes - 12
15. ties
16. atlases, globes, maps (of any kind...ancient, modern, old, new, etc. and if you can score one of those pull-down maps like from high school, you’re awesome)
17. anything related to geography, culture, language, flags
18. things from other places (including and especially food, art, artisanry, etc.)
19. anything related to the Spanish world (books, signs, buttons, music, food, history, artisanry, etc. just not dictionaries unless it's especially unique)
20. stuff for teaching (markers, printer/notebook/construction paper, craft supplies, writing utensils, decorations, etc.)
21. jigsaw puzzles
22. brain teasers (logic, sudoku, word, and anything else)
23. things to help me relax (and that includes massages or any other spa things!)
24. anything that can be collected, classified, and/or organized
25. gift cards: Books-a-Million, Amazon.com, Target, Lifeway, BP gas, Publix grocery, iTunes, Belk, money towards an airline ticket or skydiving or a piano

Specifics:
1) Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible (Jay P. Green has one)
2) Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
3) Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
4) Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek (text and workbook)
5) Pratico and Van Pelt's Basics of Biblical Hebrew (text and workbook)
6) nice watch with the holes in the strap so it is adjustable instead of the fold-over clasp thing that is only adjustable by removing the links (preferrably brown/silver in color)
7) TV
8) umbrella
9) Amazing Race or Survivor complete seasons
10) Josh Groban's self-titled album's piano music
11) French press (for tea/coffee)
12) Sixpence None the Richer CDs
13) Burlap to Cashmere CDs
14) Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas CD (the 1984 album, black with a Christmas tree)
15) Rodrigo y Gabriela CDs
16) Celtic Woman CDs (besides A New Journey)
17) Loreena McKennitt CDs (besides An Ancient Muse)

Updated: January 2010

Travel Bucket List

2009-06-04T20:43:00.010-04:00

Here are the places I must see before I die. Yes, it is extensive. Yes, I plan on traveling a lot. They are arranged by region, not necessarily by order of importance.

London - Scotland - Stonehenge
Paris - Wine Region
Monaco - Nice - Cannes
Swiss/Austrian Alps - Matterhorn
Venice - Florence - Rome - Pisa - Tuscany
Iceland - Northern Lights
Greenland
Bavaria - Berlin - Poland
Amsterdam
Greece
Romania - Carpathian Mountains
Budapest - Prague
Croatia
Norway - Sweden
Turkey
Moscow - St. Petersburg - Trans-Siberian Railroad
Egypt - Pyramids
Israel - Jordan
Morocco
Kenya - Tanzania - Mt. Kilimanjaro - Safari
Madagascar
South Africa - Zimbabwe - Victoria Falls
India - Taj Mahal - Sri Lanka
Himalayas - Nepal
Dubai
Mongolia
Beijing - Great Wall
Japan - Mt. Fuji
Thailand - Cambodia - Ankgor Wat - Vietnam
New Zealand
Australia - Great Barrier Reef - Ayers Rock - Tasmania
Easter Island - Tahiti
Machu Picchu
Buenos Aires - Uruguay - Iguazu Falls
Galapagos Islands - Equator
Amazon
Angel Falls
Lake Titicaca - Salar de Uyuni - Atacama Desert
Costa Rica
Guatemala - Tikal - Copan - El Salvador
Yucatan - Chichen Itza
Mexico City - Oaxaca
Aruba
Panama Canal
Bariloche - Antarctica
Alaska
New England
California - San Francisco - Redwoods - Death Valley
Area 51
Oregon - Washington
Miami - Keys - Everglades
Chicago
Outer Banks
Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota (the only states I lack that aren't covered above!)

Top of the list: Morocco, India, New Zealand, Italy, Iceland

Did I miss anything? Where do you want to go?

Cheelay - Week 19

2009-06-03T16:40:00.003-04:00

These are my last three days in Chile - May 31-June 2, 2004 (plus June 3 in the USA)

lunes - After going to type up my ultimísimo paper for school, I went back to the Viña Concha y Toro, this time with camera in hand. It was neat to compare my visit back in the summer to my visit now in the early winter. I got to see how the wine is kept in cooler climates. Even though nothing was in bloom, I still got to see the process in action...and I got this awesome shot:

Probably my favorite picture I've ever taken

And when I got home, I discovered that my uncle Lucho was there. My grandma always referred to him as her favorite kid. And she meant it. (She had 7 kids: Cecilia, Fani, Jeannette, Jacqueline, Pato, and Lucho.) After doing basically nothing all day, my Chilean dad finally said: "Mañana es el último día, hueón." ("Tomorrow's the last day, dude.") Yup. Couldn't have said it better myself! I was ready to go home.

martes - Last full day in Chile! Lots of packing, eating my favorite foods that mamá cooked for me, selling my cell phone to my dad, watching Miss Universe (USA - 2nd place!), and saying goodbye to Jeannette, whom I would not see again!

miércoles - I have nothing written in my journal about the day, but I'm sure it went like this: Wake up, eat, hang around, finish packing, eat again, hang around, go to the airport, say my goodbyes, and board the plane home! My parting memory of Chile was seeing the lights shining on the Virgen on Cerro San Cristobal and how it cast a glow over the whole city due to all the smog. :P

jueves - Okay, so I wasn't in Chile, but I have to tell you about my first day back in the States. We flew into Atlanta, and it was there that Jake and I looked at each other and were like..."Man, there are a lot of fat people here." Haha... We then caught a quick flight over to GSP. My parents were all there to welcome me, along with my aunt and cousin. It was so exciting! Then, as we walked through the airport (which didn't take long), we rounded a bend and there were about four of my close friends! I was SO surprised that I literally jumped and fell backwards! I almost started crying...I had to bite my finger to get me to get over it! Then, as I requested, we spent my first meal at Cracker Barrel (the usual back-to-the-States restaurant for me). When the waitress came and refilled my water glass, I was so in shock! I had just spent four months without these things called "refills." And to think that I didn't have to pay for the water, either! And there were separate checks! So fun!

Also, I don't think this happened that Thursday, but one other thing that was reverse culture shock for me was in Honea Path. I had just ran into someone with whom I went to high school. I saw her, and my natural instinct was to go hug her and kiss her on the cheek, due to my having been in the touchy-feely Latin culture that I love so much! Instead, she threw her arm out there to give me a handshake! It was so cold, and I was slightly offended! But then I had to realize that that was the norm for the USA. Ahh...the besito...cuánto te extraño...

Well, it was the trip of a lifetime! I learned SO much about so much! My Spanish improved like whoa, and it was by no means perfect. It really just provided the impetus I needed to keep improving. I don't regret a single thing I did there, and I will really miss my family and teachers there! Now, I'm looking forward to five weeks in Spain with another family. This time, it will be a mom and an 18-year-old brother! I've never had a sibling! Should be fun! This will bring my total number of parents up to 7. :P

So, I hope you've enjoyed reading about my journey! Feel free to ask me questions about anything! So, I'll conclude this chapter of my blog with a hearty...

CHI-CHI-CHI! LE-LE-LE! VIVA CHILE! :D

Cheelay - Week 18

2009-06-03T16:11:00.002-04:00

This was my last full week in Chile! May 24-30, 2004

lunes - The Chileans are very concerned about getting sick! My mom must've told me this, as I have it written in my journal: "Tápate los pies, te vas a resfriar." ("Cover your feet, you're going to catch cold.") So, today, I turned in our awesome magazine and we pigged out in culture with traditional Chilean food. After school, it was work, work, work to finish up all the projects I had to do!

Yay culture class!

martes - Jajajaja...and so, I didn't do much today except eat a lot and ponder the idea of changing my major to Spanish education (but I'm glad I didn't, even though I'm a Spanish teacher now). The most exciting thing was actually going out! You know, like leaving your house at night and going to a club. It was in the gringo portion of town (Suecia). We went to Red Bull, and I danced a little. It was fun, and looking back at all I had to do, it was a miracle that I could pry myself from my books! I guess I figured that I was only in Chile studying abroad once in my life...might as well enjoy life a little! Before I left, my mom had to approve what I was wearing. Keep in mind that the seasons are backwards, so it was pretty cold there. I had on my leather jacket, but mamá told me that wasn't enough. So, she found my dad's heavy coat, put it on me, and buckled and zipped everything there was. Seriously. I had two buckles at neck level that were buckled. Yeah, that lasted about ten steps once I got out the door. :P I'm such a rebel.

miércoles - After going to my last conversation and culture classes, I went home for supper and more working on projects. While writing in my journal that night, I coughed one single time. I hear this from the other room: "Oooo...Benjamín se resfrió." ("Benjamin caught a cold!") No, really. I'm okay.

jueves - Jennifer left today. She was the first of us to go. Sad day! I apparently had a dream about biscuits and gravy the night before. Waking up with no real biscuits, I went to school to take my grammar test and to give my L&IT presentation on how Nestlé is taking over the world. That afternoon, it was off to Pub-licity for the Muerte en Vida dessert that was very, very good. Time's winding down...

viernes - No more class! Just one more thing to write, and that was it! That afternoon, I went to Cine Tobalaba to see a movie called Salomé, which was actually a movie about the making of a production (perhaps a play, movie, or dance...can't remember) based on the story of Salome and John the Baptist in the Bible. Living on Main Street, Santiago, I heard noise all the time. When I got in the theatre (also on that main drag), it was silent! It was truly deafening! So nice... And that's about all that I did that day!

sábado - Mmm...American breakfast! Biscuits and gravy, grits, scrambled eggs made in bacon grease, and bacon. So yummy! I just hung out that morning, ate yummy cazuela (Chilean stew) for lunch, and then went to the Feria Artesanal Santa Lucia with Kelley and Jenny. I got some more souvenirs for the folks back home. I then went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients for boiled cookies, my American grandma's specialty (just chocolate chips, peanut butter, vanilla, and oatmeal...so good!).

domingo - So, I went to church for the last time today. I also went around town to some of the landmarks, including taking a tour (finally) of La Moneda (their version of the White House). It was a good day...beginning to say goodbye to mi otra patria...

Cheelay - Week 17

2009-05-26T10:51:00.003-04:00

Wrapping up my journey in Chile! Just a couple of more weeks! May 17-23, 2004

lunes - Nothing much today. Profe told us that we wouldn't be going to the Rapa Nui restaurant that we were really hoping to go to. I was sad! I continued working on the magazine project, which I described in my journal as the magazine that gives (me a pain in the butt) and takes away (my time). :P

martes - Nothing besides eating, going to class, working on the magazine, going to the supermarket, and talking on the phone!

miércoles - Went to school early to continue work on the magazine. Luckily, literature class was cancelled. After my other classes, I went back to celebrate my cousin's birthday, but he wasn't there. Turns out that he had jumped, landed wrong, and was now in the hospital. ¡Qué lata! But I still had a good time with the other family members that were there in the departamento.

jueves - Remember my favorite meal lentejas? Well, I had packed some for lunch today in a tupperware that hardly sirved. (Sorry for the Spanglish.) I wrapped the tupperware in a small plastic bag, but as I live my life by Murphy's Law, you can guess what happened. I got to school, opened my mochila, and I had lentejas all over my notes, books, etc. Still to this day you can see lentejas crust on one of my dictionaries. :P But! I finished the magazine today! Yay!

viernes - Today was a holiday for Chile (Glorias Navales, remembering a battle in the north). So, no classes! My mom and I headed out for Viña del Mar. We went to a get-together with her dad and his other ex-military friends. I don't have any pictures, but it was so cool! There were real live Chileans doing the cueca! And I got to witness it! :)

sábado - After spending the night in my Chilean grandfather's apartment, we took the train to Valparaíso. Mamita and I walked around for a bit, eventually ending up at her brother Pato's apartment. He was pretty well-off. There was carpet in his new apartment, something that I hadn't seen since America, I don't believe. It was fun hanging out with these new family members. His younger kid Patito was so precious (and smart)! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of them.

domingo - After hanging around at the apartment in Viña, we headed back to Santiago. Nothing else happened, except I was apparently really excited that I only had 10 days left, as I wrote it three times in my entry for today. :P (At the time, I was really ready to go home...not that I was too tired of Chile, or, well...ok, maybe I was...I think mainly I was just excited about going back to the States for a change.)

Cheelay - Week 16

2009-05-26T09:43:00.002-04:00

May 10-16, 2004 - Looking back through my Chile journal and telling you some of the important stuff (not copying my journal...because there's lots of nothing in there) :P

lunes - Difference between Chile and the USA #3821: My mom came to school today for a meeting with other host moms, and she called me. In class. Twice. I had to excuse myself from class to answer the phone! (If any of my students are reading this...don't even try this one! :P) She had brought me lunch, but for the first time...I didn't like something! It was called charquicán, and it had this seaweed stuff in it called chochayuyo...gross! Lots of presentations, tests, etc. today, but I made it and did well.

martes - Grits for breakfast! Class ended a bit early, and the other Clemsonites asked if they could come eat lunch with me at the negocio, so it was a gringo invasion at Fonosandwich! After that, we went to La Moneda for what was supposed to be an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of their version of the White House. Instead, we got the most boring tour to only four rooms that had little significance. Back at home, my dad told me, "I don't know a lot about La Moneda." I answered, "Me neither." :P

miércoles - After three days without seeing the sun, it finally came out! The weather got worse as winter approached, but at least when it snowed up in the mountains, it made for a nice metro ride to school (as we could see the Andes from the metro when it was above ground). I gave my presentation (that I thought was pretty cool) in Conversation about Munira Paredes. Later, in Culture, Mabel tried to teach us the cueca (the Chilean national dance). ¡Qué horror! Jaja... That night, Kelita, la Jessica, and Kiwi went to El Patio and then to the mall. Back at home, I did homework until eating a LATE once at 9:30, and then supper wasn't until after 11:30. Gotta love eating late!

jueves - Today, I shared my grits with people at school. Yay American breakfast! Nothing much exciting, except for eating the zapallo italiano that I loved so very, very much. (Zucchini stuffed with cheese and ground beef...mmm...)

viernes - Continued work on the revista (magazine), which I wrote was going to be the bomb, but that it was also going to kill me. :P Besides class, working, studying, eating, etc., the only exciting thing was going to buy some gloves at the Feria Artesanal Santa Lucía.

sábado - Today's excitement was going to the Teatro UC in the Plaza Ñuñoa to see Bodas de Sangre. I wrote in my journal that it was great, but I don't really remember much. The parts I do remember were strange...

domingo - Lots of nothing! Church, lunch, TV, homework, once, TV, homework, dinner, TV, bed.

Cheelay - Week 15

2009-05-26T09:08:00.003-04:00

May 3-9, 2004 - Reflections on my trip

lunes - Stressed out! Yes, I had a lot of fun in Chile, but I also had to work my butt off! So many projects! I was stressing out about maintaining my 4.0, but I realized that even if I lost it...I still learned far more in Chile than I would have in the USA! I had about 14 projects to do, including putting together a 28-page magazine. (Granted, I made more work for myself than I needed with that, but the finished product was la raja! (I did have help from others...it wasn't just me!)) That night, Jeanette called me a liar after I told her that I had eaten. (They're serious about people not being hungry here!) She also said that I would return to the USA drinking hot tea. In my journal, I then called her a liar. Just nevermind the fact that I love hot tea now... :P

martes - Jajaja...so...we convinced our L&IT teacher that Office Space actually dealt with business and that it related to class. :P Definitely not. But we watched it anyway! For once (afternoon snack), I went to Fonosandwich to order my favorite meal. I named it the "cinco ces" (5 C's): chicken, cheese, choclo (corn), cebolla (onion), and Crush to drink. It also happens that "cinco ces" sounds a lot like "cinco seis" (5,6), which was the number of the sandwich on the menu. :P Yep, I'm a nerd.

miércoles - Because God is awesome and He knew how stressed I was, this was the verse printed at the bottom of the page I was writing on: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6.34 MSG) I had a presentation today, an interview with an expert on the environment for another project (with Hannah and Samantha), and I had to do some more work on my other projects in Lit, Culture, and Conversation. Lotsa work!

jueves - Nothing too exciting except finishing up supper at 23:58! :P

viernes - Today was a much needed stress relief! Us Clemsonites went to the Baños Colina in the Andes, which are some hot springs out in the middle of nowhere. The water was sketchy, but the surrounding area was beautiful!!!

Yeah. Beautiful.

And I had totally forgotten this part until now. After we got back to Santiago, we had a goodbye dinner for our mentors in Bellavista. There was a "show" there in the restaurant that consisted of a guy who looked like he was straight out of Kiss, but he had a big gun for some reason...strange. Later, I went with Kelley and Sara to some random person's house (friend of a friend, etc.), but I was muy tired, so I left. :P

sábado - Late night last night, but early morning today! We went to Rinconada de los Andes to take part in Habitat for Humanity. After my ventures in México in 2003, I swore I would never pour concrete again. What did we get to do? Yup. Concrete. Graciadiós we had a concrete mixer instead of the shovels we had in México.

The floor we made. To the left are the styrofoam walls they put up (and then covered in drywall). Cheap insulation!

domingo - Happy Mother's Day! (Yes, I called my mom.) After church, I came back and fixed shells and cheese that my mom had sent me from the States. After that, it was lots of homework all day! (I severely hope my weeks in Spain aren't this stressful!)

Cheelay - Week 14

2009-05-26T08:14:00.003-04:00

Remembering my fourteenth week in Chile: April 26-May 2

lunes - I had a case of the Mondays! Spilled milk on the tablecloth, only had burnt bread left, I couldn't pass people on the sidewalk, I rode the ghetto train to school, I didn't get an A on an assignment...and then Profe was there reminding us to not think about how much we might want to return to the US! I definitely did that day!

martes - I was still struggling to get over my cold, and I wrote in my journal how much I didn't like it...not that I was feeling bad, but that my mami was so worried about me (but I just had a runny nose!). I was taking Tapsin like no other! (Tapsin is the medicine that you take if you're feeling bad in any way. :P) As I was writing in my journal that night, my mom interrupted me, giving me a warm lemonade with natural honey, complete with Tapsin dissolved in it! I'm going to leave this next quote from my journal en español para los que todavía me entiendan: "Cita de la noche, de Jeanette [mi tía], que la mausa [mi abuela] necedita ir al [sic] ginecólega para 'sacarle las telarañas.'" Jaja...

miércoles - This day was our 3 month anniversary in Chile, and only 5 weeks were left! The most exciting thing I did was watch the Chile-Perú soccer game and order pizza from Telepizza. (Qué rica la pizza de allí.)

jueves - Today, I lamented about how my Clemson friends back home were almost finished with their exams, but I still had 5 weeks to go! But, I reminded myself that I had had a fantastic time with two weeks of vacation...a much better semester regardless! (Besides...I didn't start until mid-February!) That afternoon, we all got together at Gatsby (yay buffet!) to celebrate, eat, and get ready for our final culture exam. My afternoon excitement was seeing a paco (policeman) approach the street vendors (it's illegal to sell pirated stuff on the street); so, before he got there, they all hid their stuff so he wouldn't get mad. :P (No, really. They've got it down to a science. They have drawstrings on the edges of the cloth they lay their stuff on, so it's just a simple tug on the string and everything's in a nice little knapsack! That night, I coughed just a little. My mom about freaked out, thinking that I had gotten sick again...but she didn't understand that the medicine I was taking made my throat dry, making me cough. But oh well. I should be thankful for her concern! At 11:00, I, along with a handful of others, boarded an overnight bus for La Serena!

viernes - The reason we went to La Serena is that Profe had offered us a trip to either Mendoza, Argentina or La Serena, Chile. I took her up on the trip to Mendoza, but I still wanted to go to La Serena, so I decided to go and pay for my own bus ticket, hotel, etc. Well, for whatever reason, Joni was going to go on this trip, but she didn't, so I got to stay in her bed for free! Sweet! Because I was the only guy on the trip and we were staying in a sweet suite, I got a room all to myself (with a big bed!), while the other girls were in the other rooms. Our place was right on the beach, and it was great! Unfortunately, it wasn't tourist season, so not many places were open. But, once we found a restaurant open, I got some great fish!

Love this shot!

After a little bit, we got in a colectivo to take us to Vicuña, a town inland about an hour or so. That ride was beautiful! We didn't get there until 5:30, so we had to make the choice between touring the Capel pisco plant or going to an observatory. We chose to go to Capel. So, thanks to Chile, now I am skilled in the art of liquor and wine making. :P

Capel

sábado - After hanging around until after lunch, Kelley and I went to walk around La Serena. Beautiful! There are many churches here, and the town as a whole reminds me of Spain with the tiled roofs.

One of the many churches

As we walked around looking for the bus station, we happened upon the Chilean Jockey Lot! I bought a used book that I still haven't read (Una vista nueva de un mundo feliz, or Brave New World Revisited), but at least I can say that I bought something there!

Jockey Lot!

A few of us went back to Vicuña that afternoon. As we rode by one of the lakes, I saw someone out there kitesurfing. (I wrote down "windsurfing" in my journal, and that may very well be correct, but for some reason, I thought s/he was kitesurfing.) It was neat driving by the acres and acres of grapevines, too!

Valle del Elqui

After walking around town for a bit, we went to the Observatorio Mamalluca. This area of the world has very clear skies, which offered us a brilliant look at the sky. It was neat to see constellations we had never seen before (Southern Cross, only seen in the Southern Hemisphere). I also learned that Venus has phases like the moon. We got to see crescent Venus. We also saw Saturn, Jupiter, and three of its moons. We got all up in the moon's grill, too. :P Our guide also showed us some other cool features in the sky (nebulae, clusters, etc.). Very informative!

So glad this shot came out!

domingo - One month until home! (The last month I was in Chile, I was ready to go home!) After breakfast, we went into Serena centro. We got to see another of the moai from Easter Island. At the cathedral, it was beautiful inside...but the weird thing is that instead of having Jesus hanging on a cross, it just had Jesus with His arms out à la the crucifixion...just no cross. After a bit, we boarded the bus to Santiago for a picturesque trip home!

Cheelay - Week 13

2009-05-17T17:07:00.002-04:00

Here's my reliving my thirteenth week in Chile, reading my journal and telling y'all a summary of the most important things! This is not a direct translation of my journal, as there are plenty of irrelevant things in my journal, so I figure I'd save you the tediousness and give you the good stuff! This is April 19-25, 2004.

lunes - As opposed to last week, this week was very exciting! I set off for my second of two weeks of vacation. This time, it was with Hannah and a few days with Nicole. We went to Chiloé, which is an island in the south of Chile, about halfway between Santiago and the southern tip. It's a measly 17 hours away by bus! After going to class, we got on the bus at 7:45 pm for a long night of riding!

martes - You may be thinking to yourself..."Now, he said it was an island. He also said he was taking a bus. How can that be?" Your answer:

A ferry that buses can use!

As the seasons progressed through fall and towards winter, the south of Chile gets progressively rainier, and it was rainy in Ancud, our first stop. But it was cool because I got to see the clouds pouring over the mountains towards the water.

Pretty!

Chiloé is noted for its superstition and its wooden churches. I saw plenty of that as we walked around. Lots of timber, so most everything is wooden. Lucky for them, it's very wet, so forest fires aren't too common. There's also good food...we had once at this place where I got a raspberry cream cheese tart. Yummy! (And I had yerba mate to drink, which is an Argentine drink.) For supper, Nicole and I shared curanto, which is a south Chilean specialty...think low-country boil for all you southerners reading this. Basically, it's a big pot with lots of seafood, meat, and possibly potatoes and other vegetables. Yummy! The owners of the hostel where we stayed were very nice. I'm pretty sure we're just staying in an addition to their house. There was only one other pair of tourists in the town that I saw, and they also were staying there. Popular place!

Example of one of the colorful, wooden churches

miércoles - So, homemade bread with fresh cheese and jam and eggs is la raja (the bomb). We left Ancud and continued on to the island's capital Castro. It was a beautiful drive, and Castro is just as beautiful!

Typical Chilote street in Castro

After walking around and eating lunch, Nicole split and headed back north, stopping in Pucón on the way back to hike the volcano that we all didn't get to do (jealous!). So, it was just Hannah and me for the rest of the week. We traveled on to Chonchi, where the church was being restored, but we still had a good time walking through a house museum and just chillaxing. Actually, the whole week was very chillaxful. Yes, I just made up that word. We did a lot of walking, a lot of resting, and a lot of just sitting and talking. A good break from the normal class and homework routine!

Some of the wood detailing in Chonchi

On the way back to Castro, we asked our taxi driver to drop us off in Nercón, a village right outside of town, so that we could see its church. As I got out and shut the door, I noticed my hostel key on the seat! Luckily, I got the driver's attention before he got on the road. Whew!

Back in Castro, we went to the cathedral there. Now, usually one thinks of marble and metal in a cathedral. In Chiloé, however, everything is wooden. My pictures by no means do it justice, but the inside of this cathedral was breathtaking! The walls, the columns, the floor, the ceiling, the altar...everything wood!

Wooden decorations in the cathedral

After our visit, we just walked around more, seeing some of the palafitos (houses on stilts at the water's edge). Then we returned to the hostel to chill and watch TV, and yes, being the nerd I am, I did some homework on vacation... (I'm over that stage in my life, however.) That night, we bundled up and went to eat supper. Yes, it was very cold! I'm pretty sure I slept in most of my clothes, as heat doesn't really exist here!

Palafitos!

jueves - After a beautiful morning, we boarded a bus to Achao on the island of Quinchao. Again, marvelous scenery! We were on the eastern side of the island, so we got to see mainland Chile with all its Andean and volcanic splendor!

Pretty picture towards the mainland from the ferry

We walked around, seeing the beautiful church there. Interesting fact: there are no nails in its floor...just pieces of wood! We ate lunch at a restaurant overlooking the local fishing pier, which was neat! Fresh fish! We then climbed the hill overlooking the town...great views!

Overlooking Achao

After resting a bit, we then set off down the beach on the other side just to see what we could see. Great views towards the mainland, and then the sunset happened! Gorgeous! (I'm running out of synonyms for "pretty." :P It was a great place!)

Dusk at low tide

viernes - Breakfast included this kind of honey that was white and hard...I guess very natural? It was called something like "miel de ulma." It was good, apparently. We caught a bus towards Dalcahue, stopping in Curaco de Velez to see their church and their little bay. There wasn't much to do in Dalcahue either, so onward we went to Castro.

Low tide in Curaco de Velez

After a delicious lunch of creamy seafood soup, mustard-flavored chicken, and potato salad, I took a walk, as Hannah wanted to hang back at the hostel. I went to go see more palafitos and some of the outskirts of the city. I saw a place that appeared to be where they built some boats. It's all so picturesque!

Prettiness

I also went to a place above the city where I could go to the cemetery and overlook the rest of the city.

Overlooking Castro

We then chilled out the rest of the evening!

Sunset in Castro (from Wednesday)

sábado - Well, we had pretty much seen most of the island, so we just hung around for most of the morning, waiting to catch our long bus home! We ended up sitting on a bench and talking for two hours after going to the supermarket and watching some show on TV about wild horses. Eventually, we got on the bus and started the long journey home!

domingo - We got in at 9:30 am and I needed to unwind! Funny thing: I had apparently saved some Cadbury Caramel eggs from where my American mom had sent them. I love them so very much, so I was not pleased to see that my Chilean family had found and eaten them. :P I was still a little resfriado (with a cold), so my mom introduced me to Tapsin, with which I would be well acquainted after the week! I also went to help take my cousin Sebastián home. I guess we took a bus or a taxi up to their house way beyond Las Condes in the mountains. I wrote in my journal that the driver apparently stopped to go buy cigarettes at one point. Qué divertido.

Great week! And I'm pretty sure I am going to return at some point!

Cheelay - Week 12

2009-05-17T16:47:00.003-04:00

March 12-18, 2004

lunes - I heard at school that there was an earthquake the previous Friday. That explains why the power had gone out, but it stinks that I didn't feel it! (In Chile, most electricity is set to go off if there is an earthquake above a certain magnitude for safety reasons.) Tonight, my mom and I helped Leo deliver some sandwiches to this casa de compensación... (I dunno...some business or somethingorother...)

martes - Lentejas! Whoo! Lunch and supper again! (Reminder to my non-Spanish-speaking audience: Lentejas is a dish made mostly of lentils (a type of bean). It's good...but after the third day of only lentejas, it gets old. :P) And so, today, my Chilean abuela (with Alzheimer's) told me that she was going to go out (I think to church). Well, I didn't want her to get lost, but, I mean, she's a grown woman, and I'm not really related to her. Who was I to tell her no? But luckily, she did actually come back before anyone else came home and scolded me for putting the abuela's life in danger. :P

miércoles - More lentejas for lunch! When I came home today, there were a lot of people there that I didn't know, but I still got to show one of them a book that I had brought showing pictures of the SC mountains. (My Chilean aunt swears that the pictures were doctored because she'd never seen that much color on the trees during the fall. Maybe she's right, but we do have a pretty autumn season here!)

jueves - I left for Chile on January 28. Finally, on April 15 I get a haircut! Roberto knew of a place that gave cheap haircuts, and Roberto had already braved it and gotten one, so I knew that I hopefully wouldn't come out looking awful. It was here that I learned the word for cowlick (remolino), which is also the word for whirlpool. Fun!

viernes - Fun day! After class, a few of us met up at Tia's house to watch Enredos de la oficina, or in English...Office Space! I decided to walk there and got lost in the process, but I eventually found her place. Oh, and lunch and supper were the same...garbanzos...which are like lentejas but made with chick peas. Mmm beans.

sábado - Scrambled eggs and grits for breakfast! Yay! After doing some homework and chilling out in the morning, Tia and Roberto and I went to the Feria Artesanal de Santa Lucia, which is where they sell lots of handicrafts. For once (afternoon snack), I had a completo, which is a Chilean hot dog, often made with mayo, tomatoes, and mashed avocado. Mmm... (maybe?!) :) Afterwards, we went to the Teatro Universidad de Chile where we heard the Chilean Symphonic Orchestra give a concert based around Pablo Neruda and Mexico. It was great, even though I can't remember much about it now! (Hey, my journal says "Muy bueno," so it must've been good!) For supper, we went to Ruby Tuesday's, jaja. And yes, they had the salad bar. And dressing. If you know anything about other countries, you know salad dressing doesn't exist outside of the form of olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.

domingo - Yay getting sick...my throat started hurting, but it's just my usual cold. Luckily, I had learned to drink hot tea earlier in the year, so I knew how much it made my throat feel better! Nothing much exciting happened today except going to church, burning the noodles when I was heating up leftovers for lunch (no microwave in Chile, so had to use the gas stove!), and finding out that Nicole was going to Chiloé with us.

A fairly uneventful week!

Cheelay - Week 11

2009-05-04T19:43:00.003-04:00

Trying to catch up! This is April 5-11, 2004 of my study abroad to Chile.

lunes - Haha...the most exciting thing from the day? My Chilean grandma asking our opinion if she were to start dating someone. :P

martes - And so, I know cheating is bad. I can think of two major instances when I've cheated. Once in the sixth grade on a social studies test. Another was this day. We were supposed to go and interview a laborer for culture class. I know it was Becki and me and I think one other girl in my group. We wanted to go interview one of the bag boys at the supermarket. Once we got there, we really just didn't feel comfortable asking him to take a few minutes of his time, especially because tips were a huge portion of his paycheck (possibly the only portion). So, we definitely wrote answers as if we had interviewed him, but we definitely did not. (And yes, I feel bad now.) Later that afternoon, we all went to the Palacio Cousiño, which was a beautiful mansion, but there were no cameras allowed. Take my word for it, though, that it's pretty!

Palacio Cousiño

miércoles - Really, nothing happened except studying and a quick trip to the bus station, but more on that tomorrow!

jueves - So, this was Semana Santa (Holy Week), and in Chile everybody goes on vacation that weekend. My family was going down south to a house out in the country that their family owns. They really wanted me to go, but I had been traveling so much, and I really just wanted to hang back and go to church on Easter Sunday. I did go to the bus station to buy tickets to Los Angeles (in Chile), but un(?)fortunately, they were all sold out. Now, I didn't exhaust all of my options, but I did look enough to be okay telling my mom that there were no more seats. So, it was back home to read El código some more until bedtime!

viernes - Holy Friday. Everything's closed! So, I chilled, finished my book, watched TV, ate lunch, etc. My aunt Fanny and her family came, and after that, I'm pretty sure they all left for the south. Afterwards, I went to the store to buy some eggs and vinegar...you know what that means!!! Yes, a lot of us met at Allyn's house for an Easter party! We died the eggs...and it was so much fun! (My American mom had sent me some egg dye in the package that had arrived the previous week.) We played some cards, watched The Count of Monte Cristo (and I slept through it), and we ate pizza. It was nice to go back home to an empty house. Rest!

sábado - Home alone, I was determined to have a good day, and it was a very American day. Breakfast? Not bread. Not yogurt. GRITS! Mmm... (Can I make it apparent that my American mom was awesome and sent me all sorts of yummy American food?) After doing some homework and watching some TV, it became time for lunch. Jeannette had told me earlier that I should go to the negocio (my dad's sandwich store), but I went and it was closed (along with everything else in Chile). I didn't want to spend any money, so I decided to go back home and scrounge around. (This was before my cooking days, so don't laugh at what I'm about to say.) I made for myself a nice little rice bowl with peas, wienies, and an egg. :P Yeah, it was tasty (-ish). But hey, it was food! I walked around for a while, came back, watched more TV, did some more homework, tomé once, and then made Ramen noodles for supper! Yay sodium! I tried making sweet tea using some American tea bags, but it just didn't taste right. I don't know if it was because I had gone so long without it, or that the water or sugar was different...but it just wasn't the same!

Before I went to sleep, I set up an arrangement of some things on my desk...

domingo - I woke up on Easter Sunday to find that a visitor had come!

Yay Easter Bunny!

I'm such a traditionalist, but I was so excited to have all that Easter candy! I then got ready in my nicest clothes to set off for church.

Mama would be proud!

Church was común y corriente, unlike how an Easter service would be in the US. But, it was good to go, even though I didn't really understand the pastor's sermon. And actually, attendance was up, just like churches here; so, that was neat to make some comparisons.

Some of the jóvenes at the iglesia

The negocio was still closed, so it was off to Burger King for some lunch. Hooray for Easter dinner! :P I just chilled for the afternoon, eating some sandwiches for first dinner. When tía Jeannette came home, she made us some pasta for my second dinner. My parents eventually arrived. They asked about my weekend alone. I don't know if this conversation happened that night, but eventually, they found out about the wienies that I had eaten on Saturday. Apparently, you aren't supposed to eat meat on this weekend. I think the way it actually panned out is that my mom didn't know, but she made some comment about only idiots eating meat that weekend, and then Jeannette broke the news about my lunch that day. :P Ha. Never knew!

Cheelay - Week 10

2009-05-03T14:26:00.003-04:00

I know I'm a month behind, but I'm bound and determined to make it through my trip! :) This is March 29-April 4, 2004.

lunes - I apparently had a bad day of speaking Spanish this day. Again, I wrote in my journal about changing my future travel plans. I have a tendency to plan many future trips and set my mind to them, but as far as actually carrying through with them, that's a different story. Nothing really exciting happened except noting that I had been eating a lot of meals sans meat, and that frustrated me at the time!

martes - In the Catholic tradition, each saint has his day, and this was the Día de San Benjamín in Chile. I was supposed to feel special, but I don't remember feeling so. :P Chile beat Bolivia in a soccer game, and there was much rejoicing. Other than that, there was not much excitement. I also noted how I understood a lot of the conversation at dinner and how I needed to talk more.

miércoles - Random occurrences from my day: It rained all night in Santiago that night. Profe called me with details about our upcoming trip to Argentina. I registered for my classes back in Clemson for the fall semester. I researched the lapis lazuli industry in Chile for my presentation the following day. I ate lentejas for about the 8,000th time that week for supper. I also continued reading El código da Vinci until bedtime. As you can tell, this was a very perfunctory week.

jueves - Since it had rained recently, my metro ride to the school was beautiful! Rain in the valley = snow on the mountains! After class and the daily lentejas, it was back home to finish getting ready for my trip to Mendoza, Argentina. I ate at Burger King that night (can't remember if I ordered my Whopper with or without palta (avocado mash)). When we got to the bus station, Samantha and Jacobo had forgotten their passports, so they, unfortunately, had to stay behind in Chile! The bus would take all night.

Cross at school with snow-capped mountains in the background

viernes - 2:00 am - Border control. We're high up in the Andes and it is FREEZING cold. We had to get off the bus so they could investigate the bus, check our passports, etc. No problems, so we continued on. We finally arrived at 6:30 in Mendoza, where we checked into our hotel and caught a beautiful sunrise from the roof!

Argentinean sunrise

After a quick morning nap, we went off for some lunch. We had heard of this place called Las Tinajas that had an all-you-can-eat buffet. Having experienced South American restaurants for two months, I didn't have my hopes set too high...but how was I wrong! A HUGE grill with every meat imaginable, food everywhere, even different ice creams for dessert! (Jaja...I even noted in my journal what a shame it was that Jacobo wasn't there!) Price? $4.00. Yeah. A great deal.

Las Tinajas, highly recommended

Afterwards, we just wandered around, going to random places like the aquarium, serpentarium, and a church destroyed 40 years prior in an earthquake. It was neat to see the ruins of it.

Destroyed church, but the cross still stands!

That night, we went to a restaurant called Trevi. It was here that I had the BEST STEAK I have ever eaten. Argentina is noted for its cattle production, and boy does it taste good! I normally don't like my steak red in the middle, but this one was like that and had lots of juices which sketched me out at the beginning...but MMM!!! Lo mejor... Good day!

sábado - I knew Argentina also had a lot of leather industry, and I didn't come to Argentina with the intention of buying a leather jacket, but once we went out shopping and I found a really cool one for only $60, I bought one!

Me, my leather jacket, and la Debi (my Chilean mentor)...I think I've already posted this picture earlier

And so, of course, we naturally returned to Las Tinajas for another amazing lunch. After that, we had seen signs for a certain store that is in America. It was a couple of miles outside of the city. We didn't have a car, so we set out walking alongside the highway. After about 30 minutes we finally arrived...

here.

Yes. A Wal-Mart. In the middle of Argentina. The inside was exactly the same, except it was in Spanish.

Look familiar?

Now, Argentina was cheap at the time. Wal-Mart is always cheap. Argentinean Wal-Mart? Super cheap. Hahaha...what a great time.

Back in the city, we walked around for a while before settling down at El Mesón Español, a Spanish restaurant with a free flamenco show. Awesome! I had some delicious pollo al ajillo (garlic chicken) and some Spanish coffee. Mmm... And the flamenco show? Outstanding! Afterwards, it was back to the hotel where we played cards until 4 am.

Yay flamenco!

domingo - Everyone recommended we make the journey between Chile and Argentina in the daytime, and I can see why! The mountains are so gorgeous! Once we finally got back at 4 pm, I went back to the apartment where I found that the package my American mom had sent had arrived! So much chocolate! (Seriously. M&M's got me through Chile.) I just chilled out and did some studying and Bible-reading the rest of the evening. Good weekend.

Back into Chile!

Cheelay - Week 9

2009-04-22T19:15:00.003-04:00

I got behind in my preparation for my Ireland trip, but I haven't forgotten about this! This is Week 9, March 22-28, 2004.

lunes - Nothing too exciting. Class, lunch, interview with Profe (I later wrote about my need to swallow my pride and make mistakes after not being too fluid in my speech with this interview), back home to find a strange woman there (she was hired to hang out with my Chilean grandma with Alzheimer's during the day), and then to bed reading El código da Vinci.

martes - After class, we all went to the lapis lazuli store in Bellavista, where Profe had pitutos and the guy gave us 30% off! Fun! Then, it was off to the Museo de Arte Precolombino. Back home, I then packed my bags for Patagonia!!!

miércoles - Hahahaha...funny story. After a poopy pop quiz in conversation class, Roberto and I got together with Margot to call a company in Punta Arenas (at the southern tip of Chile) in order to arrange a bus to take us to Torres del Paine. (We had Margot there as a back-up native speaker.) I must have been the one to talk, or at least I was the one in whose name the reservations were made. Once, I think we had to hang up for a minute and call back. Roberto was the one who called back, and the man wouldn't have anything to do with Roberto! He asked to speak with Benjamín, but for some reason, Roberto needed to talk to him. So, Roberto simply paused for a second, and then went back on the line and said (in Spanish), "Yes, this is Benjamín." Hahaha... And everything was fine! So, all we knew was that we were about to fly to this airport at the bottom of the world and this guy would be there waiting to pick us up and take us to this park. (Sketchy!)

Two flights later, we arrive in Punta Arenas at 11:30 at night. (Outside a relatively small city late at night with little more than hope that a man would be there to pick us up!) Cool thing: This airport flies to Antarctica! As we went through the airport, there surely was a man there! His sign read "Benjamín," and so Roberto got to continue playing me, and I got to be Roberto for the night...ha!

So, the group (there were about 10 of us) boarded this van to drive through the night to this national park a few hours north, after first driving into town to this sketchy supermarket to buy food. This bus was SKETCHY. And it was SO COLD! I sat/slept next to the window...keep in mind we're farther south than New Zealand and South Africa, almost at Antarctica! (Yeah, heating and air conditioning? That's all USA.)

jueves - According to my guidebook (AKA everyone else's Bible while we were there :P), there was a pretty steep entrance fee to the park. But, as we arrived at about butt-early in the morning (5:00ish), we crossed the bridge into the park without anyone there to take our money! Nice! We ended up at these cabins that had no life around there. No welcome desk, no people, no nothing. All we had to do was wait, but in waiting, I saw the most BEAUTIFUL sunrise. So many clouds and the appearance of the snow-capped mountains, and eventually a rainbow! No sun, just light. The pics hardly do it justice!

Patagonian sunrise!

We started beating on doors trying to find someone who would open up and let us in. Eventually, someone came and opened up so we could set our stuff down. We got to eat breakfast in there, too. Roberto went ahead and paid for our bunks here, even though it was just a mattress. This is a key element to the story. We hung around for a bit as it started to rain.

After a quick siesta, we set out to go hiking. Now, I had eaten 6 donuts, so needless to say, I was hyper. I skedaddled up those mountains (which were GORGEOUS!). We saw so much beauty here...wild horses, rivers, forests, snow...and to think that the Creator is so much more beautiful! Funny thing: In my journal, there are Bible verses printed at the bottom of each page. The bottom of this page? Check it out: "I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and you're there, too--Your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful--I can't take it all in!" -Psalm 139.5-6 (MSG)

Bottom of the world!

We eventually started going up and up over snow-covered rocks. After a while, we made it to the crest, to the towers. All I have to say? Beautiful. Ok, and cold and windy. I had on 5 layers, but I was still freezing, which I'm sure you can't tell from this picture.

The top of the bottom of the world!

So, we went back, hungry and tired. We had already paid for our bunkbeds, but they were sketchy, and we wanted to stay in town, not in the park. So, Roberto el jefe got to explain that we actually didn't want to stay there (nevermind the fact that some of us had showered and taken a nap earlier that morning), and he asked that half the money be returned. Better him than me! They did agree, and we caught the bus from there to town (after again being sketchy and hopping on a bus we shouldn't be on for free...wow this was a terribly unorganized trip!).

We made it to Puerto Natales, the nearest town. We found a hostel and ate some pizza at a nearby restaurant. After a loooong two days, I showered in the tiniest, sketchiest shower ever and fell asleep!

viernes - On to Punta Arenas! Once the bus arrived (this is a non-sketchy, actual public transport bus), a hostel owner approached us and asked us to stay there. So, we did! The man told us of the tour of the Seno Otway Penguin Colony later that day, and we also accepted that offer. (Penguins were the real reason I was there!) We had to wait a while, so a couple of us went to eat and then got to go to the Strait of Magellan, which is a place that wasn't too cool by sight, but it was neat to be there!

Gellin' at the Strait of Magellan

Eventually, the time came to go see PENGUINS! Like, in their natural habitat. It was so neat! We're in this beautiful landscape with a huge sky in the late afternoon. Lake with snow-capped mountains in the distance. And did I mention penguins? Mama penguins, baby penguins, sleeping penguins, swimming penguins...it was so fun! What an awesome day! Back in town, we went to go buy food so we could make some pasta at the hostel. I got to talk with my American mom and grandma there...so neat that I can be so far away from home, but yet communicate to the USA as if it were nothing!

¡Pingüinos!

sábado - Tía and I went to the cemetery this morning, as it was highly recommended in my guidebook, and it was very pretty! The cypress trees were great, and the angels on the tombstones were beautiful, and I saw probably my 10th rainbow of the weekend there. Then, it was lunchtime and then off to the airport! Once back home, I talked to my mami chilena about my trip, and then it was off to bed!

domingo - Two month anniversary! It's amazing, going back and seeing everything that I did in two months...and there were still two more to go! Today was nothing spectacular...church, homework, helping mamá hang curtains, watching Los Pincheira, talking with Franziska (the German girl that I had met in the USA on whom I had a MAJOR crush), and some other such as! Just the end of a great weekend!

Cheelay - Week 8

2009-03-22T20:22:00.002-04:00

Here's a recap of my eighth week in Chile...March 15-21, 2004.

lunes - I know I like most food, but my mom made charquicán with cochayuyo (a soup made with seaweed), and it was not appealing at all. Gross. And about the only other exciting thing was when I was reading my Bible that night and my mom interrupted to show me una cola (male prostitute) outside. He/She was dressed in leopard-print. Charming.

martes - Today, we bought tickets to Patagonia! (That's the southern tip of the American continent...sweet.) (You'll have to wait a couple of weeks to read about it, though!) Afterwards, I apparently was responsible to go home and take the abuela (who has Alzheimer's) to my dad's store to eat lunch. Except she wasn't there. Peachy. I went on anyway. When I returned, she eventually showed up. I asked her if she had eaten, and she assured me she had. When my mom got home, she also asked her if she had eaten. Apparently Chileans don't believe you if you say you've eaten, or at least they're not going to be satisfied until they've offered you something and you've eaten it. Mamá practically got upset because abuela said she had eaten, but mamá says she didn't see any food missing. Whatever! Anyway, for supper that night, my mom made some beef made with the brown gravy mix that my American grandma sent. Yummy!

miércoles - St. Patrick's Day! I celebrated by eating lentejas all day (lentil soup). Jajaja...my mom made it all the time, but it was good at least! Nah, actually, the party was that night at Profe's apartment building. Only the Americans celebrate it there, and I do remember seeing one bar/pub celebrating it, but we had our own party on the roof of the skyscraper. I met a lot of people and had a great time, but I left early (at 12:30 am). Lots of people had a little bit longer night... ;) (Do they remember that? Who knows!)

jueves - The first part of today was not good. I tried Hershey's syrup with Chilean boxed milk first. Gross. Everyone at school had a hangover. Fun. And then, I ate cow intestines for lunch. Yeah. (I didn't know what callitos were...and it looked like spaghetti. Except it was definitely not spaghetti.)

The second part of the day was very good. I went to see the premiere of La pasión de Cristo at the movies. (It premiered in Chile a few weeks after it did in the USA.) And for those of you interested, yes, it had Spanish subtitles instead of English. Needless to say, I was short for words for the remainder of the night. Yes, it's a gruesome movie, but it really made me think about my relationship with Christ and things He has done for me. Afterwards, I bought El código da Vinci and the newest CD by María José (a high-school-aged Chilean singer). So, a very cultural evening!

viernes - No classes today! Instead, we all took the day to go to Pomaire and Isla Negra. Pomaire is a touristy city where they make lots of things out of greda (dark clay). I bought a lot of things for my friends and family back home. I also got a giant empanada de pino...¡qué rico!

Sarita shopping in a greda store

Then, we went on to Isla Negra, the last of Pablo Neruda's homes in Chile. It was beautiful, being right on the ocean. This is also where he and his wife Matilda are buried. We then sat on the beach and read his poetry. Very nice.

Isla Negra

And then, instead of returning to Santiago with everybody else, us guys wanted to stay at the beach and go fishing. We knew my Chilean uncle had a hotel in Valparaíso, so we went there. My family had told me that uncle Rodrigo would give me a deal if we showed up, except when we arrived, he showed us to the fanciest suite he had and told us a price we weren't willing to pay. I guess this was payback for making Roberto talk to his Chilean relatives when we lost their dog. I had to go down and tell my Chilean uncle that we couldn't stay because he was charging too much, even though he was family. I told him how much we wanted to spend on a room, and he then agreed to give us a different room for that price. Not quite as luxurious, but it was a bed. (We forgot to close the window, and it got freezing cold that night...lovely.) Before we went to bed, we went to a nearby restaurant, which is when my Chilean dad called, and the guys then proceeded to point out my nervous laugh when I talk to unfamiliar people. :P Thanks, guys.

sábado - We get up at 6:00 and take off for the ocean, not knowing where we were going, not knowing if there was anyone who would take us fishing. We just figured that since we were at the ocean that there would be tourist trips readily available. Except we were wrong. We finally got to the farthest pier in the city without seeing anything. We had nominated Jacobo to be the boss for the day, so he went to go find someone who would take us. There was nothing advertised, so he basically just said, "We want to go fishing, and we'll give you fifty bucks." (Come to find out, I think it was illegal for them to do what they did. Oh well. Anything for a buck, I guess.) (Oh, and remember how cold it was last night? We were in shorts and t-shirts because we would be around water. Not warm and fuzzy.) As we waited for our departure, we ate at this sketchy food stand there at the pier for breakfast. Sketchy ¿ham? and palta (avocado) sandwiches with nasty instant coffee.

So, the men gave us some clothes for the water. Then, it was off. We're in the Pacific Ocean, looking back at cliffs that make up the Chilean coastline. Beautiful! Our boat? A small rowboat. Our gear? A square piece of wood with string wrapped around it, tied to a hook. Our bait? Non-existent. Yeah. We just lowered the hook and they took it!

Note the difference in dress between us gringos and the chilenos.

Our first victim, though, was not the fish. It was Binky. He got seasick and we had to go back. We started catching many fish, sorta like red snapper, but I'm not sure. We also almost caught something maybe called a jiria, like a squid, I think. (We saw a sea lion eating one of them on the shore, which was neat.) After Harv got sick in the waves, we decided to call it a day. Jacobo found someone who cleaned all of our fish for just a couple of bucks. We also had to find a cooler so we could make the journey back to Santiago.

Yummy fish!

The guys headed back to Santiago, but I wanted to stay back in Valpo for a little bit longer, just to wander the streets. It is a beautiful city! But, as I had a lot of things (my souvenirs from Pomaire, etc.), I headed back. I got a shower then headed over to Jacobo's house. His mom was a chef, and she volunteered to cook the fish. They were delicious! Nothing like catching your own fish straight from the Pacific and then having them fried that night! I was out of my element all day, but it was a great experience I will never forget! We all played cards until late, and then I went back home. (And while I'm thinking about it, Jacobo's family had a cat. Jacobo did not like said cat. Jacobo shaved off one side of the cat's whiskers. Jacobo is a meanie poo.)

domingo - Nothing spectacular at all. Breakfast, church, lunch, homework, more homework, grocery store, more homework, supper, bed.

Cheelay - Week 7

2009-03-22T18:27:00.003-04:00

I forgot to do my journal from last week...so you get two posts today! Week 7 was from March 8 until March 14, 2004.

lunes - Back to the grind after a great week in Pucón. "Normal" classes started today at the PUC (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Santiago, Chile). I had Marcela for grammar, culture with Mabel, and conversation with Margot. (I also continued L&IT with Gloria, and eventually started a literature class with another teacher whose name no me acuerdo.)

The exciting news for today was the premiere of Los Pincheira. For those who aren't in the know, Chile always has a competition each year between its two major national networks. Each of them produces a nightly drama that starts the same night, and it's like Clemson and Carolina. You are one or the other. There is no in between. Los Pincheira on TVN was a show based in the older days of Chile, complete with cowboys and stuff. Its competition Hippie was on Canal 13 and was about, oddly enough, hippies on the beach. I loved watching Los Pincheira because, by watching it from the beginning, I could understand it better and could get involved with the characters. It was a good nightly ritual for me.

martes - After classes, some of us went to do a project for our culture class. Now, at first, it sounded weird, but now I understand. She had us go to the Cementerio General (main cemetery of town) to find out some information. What I realized is how much you can understand about a culture through the way they treat their dead. It really was a great experience. I got to see the graves of many former Chilean leaders, as well as the grave that the dictator Pinochet would be buried in. (He was alive at the time, but has since died. I assume he was buried in that same spot.) Other than that, it was un día común y corriente, just like the other days.

Pinochet's grave. Oh, and Jacobo. :P

miércoles - Nothing majorly exciting. I went downtown to the Plaza de Armas to the post office to mail postcards to everyone. I also searched for El código da Vinci on the street because books are insanely expensive in Chile, but I didn't find it that day. I went home, studied, watched Los Pincheira, and went to bed!

jueves - Nothing exciting again. After class, Tia and Leslie and I worked on our cemetery presentation, and then we went to my dad's restaurant where we ate cazuela for the first time...mmm! That evening, it was Los Pincheira and Telepizza with my mami!

viernes - Ok. Difference #37,203 between South Carolina and Chile. Apparently the phrase "Come back whenever you like" does not apply to Chile. So, you remember the story a few weeks back when we went out to the middle of nowhere and got taken to Roberto's Chilean uncle's house and we climbed the mountain? Well, he told us we could come back whenever we wanted.

So, we called back to say that we were coming back.

All of a sudden, the lady of the house was telling us that we couldn't come, that company was coming over, and a plethora of other excuses. We just wanted to stay in a bed so we could climb the mountain! We took a bus to a city on the way to the house and called her from the plaza. She said that the company hadn't showed up, but she still wasn't sold on the idea of our coming. But we went anyway.

(Before I continue, I must mention that it was here in the plaza of San José de Maipo that us guys met Radio, the perro with the freaky cicatriz. And yes, that's an inside joke, but it had to be told. :P And we also ate some fantastic pollo asado with papas fritas there in the plaza. Like $4 for a quarter of a chicken and fries.)

And so we show up, and she's like, "Yeah, the company isn't here still, and maybe they won't come, so I guess you can stay." Nobody ever came. :P I'm really curious as to what happened to the hospitality they showed us before? Anyway, we called it a night early, ready to hit the trail to conquer the mountain that defeated us the time before.

Back at Álvaro's house, ready to hit the trail. Note Jacobo and the perro, who is an integral part of the story on Saturday.

sábado - We were on the trail by 8:00, complete with lots of food and water to last us the whole day. As we set up the hill, Álvaro's dog (who will henceforth be referred to as the perro) decided that it wants to fallow us. We all figured that it would turn back eventually, but no...it kept going. More to follow with the perro later.

Manly men!

We easily reach the point where we had stopped the time before, and the sun had barely came out from behind the mountains. Eventually, Binky and Harv separated themselves from us and I lagged behind with Roberto and Jacobo. We got to a pretty sheer cliff that I scaled along with Roberto (and the perro), but Jacobo stayed back. (There were times that I seriously thought I was going to die, that I would fall back and go down the mountain.) I tried looking for Binky and Harv, but they were nowhere to be found. I saw another peak ahead, and I assumed that's where they were, so I kept going, Roberto hanging back with the perro and Jacobo, who eventually caught up.

Mountain climber extraordinaire!

I did make it to the next peak up and see Binky and Harv. (They claim they found something that I now know as a geocache, where people had signed something that they had been there and left it, but I have searched geocaching.com and have found no evidence of one there, at least not through that website.) I stopped to grab some awesome pictures once I was there. Just to give you an idea, we started at 3700 feet and I ended at 9100 feet over a horizontal distance of about 3.2 miles...32% average grade!

So we start down.

We catch up Roberto and Jacobo and the perro, seeing some wild horses and maybe an Andean condor on the way back. We made our way back down these cliffs and slopes, the perro right behind us. At one point, Harv thinks it will be a good idea to throw his bookbag down the slope a bit, banking on its stopping on a ledge below us. Yeah, except it didn't and the bookbag kept going down the slope, in a direction that we weren't going. So long cell phone, credit card, and passport! Yep, they're still there on that mountainside somewhere.

At one point, we reach a cliff that the perro cannot go down. Being the one in the back, I probably should've taken responsibility and helped it out, but honestly, I was too concerned for my own safety to risk going back up and carrying a dog down! So, I kept descending, leaving poor ole perro to cry on the mountain by itself. (I know, I'm a terrible person.)

So, we reach the bottom at 6:00, after 10 hours on the mountain. We were exhausted. Remember the last time when they offered us a shower and a bed and a hot breakfast the next morning? Yeah, the first words out of the lady's mouth? "Where's my dog?" Naturally, we all back off and let Roberto do all the talking. After all, they are his Chilean relatives. ;) Hahaha... I don't remember what he said...the rest of us guys were on the other side of the patio talking to each other about how much we're glad that wasn't us! But eventually, she went inside, having finished talking with him, and we were like..."Let's jet!" So, hungry and absolutely disgusting, we caught the first bus back to Santiago!

(For all you animal rights people out there, don't worry. When Álvaro came back the next day, he sent someone back up the mountain where they found the dog back up at the top, and they brought him home safe and sound.)

Ahh, the story of the perro. One that will live with me for a long time.

domingo - I was so pooped that when I went to church, I couldn't understand anything, so I left in the middle of the sermon. :P I didn't do anything else exciting except study, eat cazuela, and watch Titanic in Spanish. Ha.

Cheelay - Week 6

2009-03-08T14:57:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the first of two vacation weeks of my trip to Chile! Original dates: 01/mar/04 - 07/mar/04

lunes - I actually had to go to school today. I had an exam in one class, but everything was okay. That night as I was eating supper with my mami chilena, my real mom called. Ended up, my two moms wanted to talk to each other, and I had to interpret. That was really the first time I had to do that, and it was tough over the phone! But I remember its being a fun evening. I then went to the bus station and boarded the bus to Pucón!

mártes - Scattered, humorous notes from my journal to document the bus ride (translated into English):

"During the night: Ok...02:30...el bus wasn't moving...Talca...policemen..."
"Early in the morning: It's raining...Temuco...We have to change to another bus..."
"Tuesday, March 2: 11:30...I'm in Pucón...finally. After a night of crying kids, stopped buses, coffee on my pants, 3 plums and 2 sandwiches, I am here."

Yay volcanic sand!

We stayed at a swanky hotel right on a lake with a black-sand beach. We could see the Villarica Volcano from our hotel on the other side. I walked around town for a few hours, buying a lot of souvenirs for people back home and waiting on the rest of our group to arrive. (Because I signed up late for the trip, I had to take an overnight bus...they flew.) After a delicious lunch and dinner, we spent the latter part of the evening at some hot springs...¡qué rico!

Yay volcanic sand!

miércoles - After an awesome breakfast in the hotel, I hung out on the beach for a little bit, writing in my journal and reading my Bible. Some of the girls wanted me to join them in a salsa lesson. I had forgotten totally about this, and I don't remember a lot about it, but I wrote that I had a good time, and that's all that counts, right? :) Later that afternoon, we went whitewater rafting on the Trancura Alto. Level IV Difficulty...it was intense! That night, after watching an awesome moon rise, we went to go eat at some Arabian restaurant. I had some, um, interesting stuff, like tripa. But, I don't remember hating it. (Honestly, I've forgotten everything about this restaurant.)

Rafting! We saw wild sheep here.

jueves - Canopy tour! Yeah! We started out the day zip-lining through the trees with the volcano in the distance. It was so awesome! Back at the hotel, Allyn and I went kayaking on the lake. That was sweet, getting to look at our hotel, the volcano, and everything else from out over the water. That afternoon for a snack, we went to this place where I had an awesome raspberry tart thing and chocolate caliente de la barra, which is hot milk with a chocolate bar sunk in the bottom that you stirred up...mmm...

This was awesome!

Later that afternoon, the guys went out to go swimming. We found these mini-cliffs that we could jump off of. It was awesome! Cold, but very clear water. And once we dried off, some of us went to this restaurant called Patagonia. The meal I had here ranks as one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Fruit-glazed pork, polenta, stir-fried vegetables, and fruit/chocolate fondue. Mmm... So good... Then, back at the hotel, Tia and I spent the rest of the night until 2:30 talking on the beach. Fun times!

One of my favorite shots

viernes - The worst part about southern Chile is that it rains a lot! We got up to go horseback riding, and we thought the rain would stop us, but we went anyway. They gave us ponchos, and that was that! Wow. My horse. Yeah. It was a mommy horse, and I think it might have been pregnant again. I had the biggest trouble getting my horse to move because she wouldn't go unless her baby went before her. I got separated from the rest of my group at one point because my horse just stopped. But, overall, it was a great trip.

A horse, of course!

I loved this shot of the mommy and baby!

We came back, got dried off, and got dressed up! Profe took us to this über-elegant restaurant in the Hotel del Lago called El Almendro. (This hotel burned down in September 2007...qué pena.) It was one of those swanky places where everything sounds good, and it probably is, but you get such a small portion that you can't taste it. :P Jaja... First plate: organic Mapuche salad with many native greens...interesting. Principal plate: Wild boar (jabalí) that I wished were at least twice the size...but it was good! Dessert: Flan and *corn*-flavored ice cream. And it was good! (I've since had corn pudding made with cinnamon, and it is good! Maybe corn *can* be a dessert.) Good day...and I went to bed early, hoping to get to climb the volcano the next day...

sábado - I got up at 6:30 to go volcano-climbing. I had a note under my door from "Leslie and Allyn" saying that the plans had changed and that we had to leave at 6:00 instead of 7:00. I knew it was just a practical joke from the guys. Come to find out, everyone had tried to wake me up for a long time that night. They said they beat on my door, called my cell phone and the room phone, even went outside on the window ledge to beat on the window! Hahaha...they said I never budged, and I don't remember a thing! (I had gone to sleep with my headphones in, which usually issues me into a DEEP sleep. I guess this wouldn't be a good thing if there were a fire or something.) That's one of those great stories that will stay with me. They were so mean to me. :P

But, for an even better story...read on!

Come to find out, the weather prevented us from climbing the volcano! Chuuuuucha! We were all so bummed. (Nicole actually went back later in the semester on the way back from Chiloé just to do the volcano. Jealous! Guess I'll have to go back!) But, we weren't going to let the drizzle stop us from enjoying our last full day in Pucón. Binky, Jacobo, Harv, Kiwi, and I went out exploring. We had the intention of hiking to a mountain where we saw a waterfall. We had no idea if there would be a trail, but off we went, walking along the beach towards the mountain! A stray dog or two joined us, too. (The dog is an important part of this story.)

After walking down the beach for a while, we come to the mouth of the river (which turned out to be the same river we had just rafted down a few days prior). The water was too deep to cross there, so we figured we'd hike up the river a bit until we saw a place where we could cross. (We were not dressed to get wet...I think I had on jeans and my hoodie, and I had a backpack with my camera and stuff in it.) We found a few places that were semi-shallow, and we tried crossing. Yeah, we all got wet. The water was FRIÍSIMO. When we would cross, it would only take us to an island in the middle of the river, but the other side was too deep to cross, so we got to cross back.

Each time we crossed part of the river, the dog would follow us! At times, it would go under, and we thought it was gone, but it popped back up down river, swam to shore, and kept following us! Jajaja! Go dog!

So, needless to say, we walked far enough up the river to conclude that we couldn't cross it. Qué pena, but así es la vida. We then debated on how to get back to town. We were like, "We could follow the river back down, but that's too boring because we have already been that way. Oh, look! Here's a trail that goes in the general direction of town. Let's go that way!" Yeah. We were dumb. :P But we were adventure seekers!

And so we set out on this trail that led to God-only-knew-where. We end up crossing a fence into a cow pasture. Complete with bulls with long horns. Yeah, exciting. Except for the part where we thought they were going to charge us. Who knew where we were? But we kept walking. Eventually, we saw a house; so, we set out towards it. We end up having to cross the fence again into this guy's backyard (dogs still with us), we walk through his yard, and then we climbed over the taller fence at the front of his yard. We thought the dog was going to get stuck in the yard, but it squeezed its way through the fence.

At this point, the neighbors come out of their house. Crap. If it were South Carolina, that neighbor would have a shotgun in hand ready to shoot us. But you know what he did? Invited us in for coffee!!! Shows you a lot about Chilean hospitality! We kindly declined, and asked which way was town. We found the road and got on our way, a few more dogs tagging along with us. And so we arrived, cold and soaking wet...but what an adventure!

(I guess the wild boar and fruity pork overshadowed all this other good food I ate this trip.) I apparently had a crêpe filled with rabbit for lunch. For the rest of the afternoon, we just watched movies, hung out, went out to eat, and packed our bags for the trip home.

domingo - Instead of an overnight ride, I took the 11 hour trip during the day so I could conocer el paisaje. It really is a beautiful area! I got back, unwound, and that was it! (In my journal, I started referring to what I usually got at Fonosandwich as the 1.6, which was the number on the menu. I'm pretty sure it was the chicken, cheese, corn, and onion sandwich.)

Awesome week! Unfortunately, I have no pictures from the river excursion, but there are plenty of memories in my mind! :)

Cheelay - Week 5

2009-03-01T15:15:00.002-05:00

So, I just realized that my big plans of writing about my trip exactly five years after the fact to the date are foiled starting this week, as 2004 was a leap year. :P Oh well. I don't think you'll mind. In case you're just joining us, this is a recap of my study abroad opportunity in Santiago, Chile with 20 other Clemson students. Original dates: 23/feb/04 - 29/feb/04

lunes - Nothing too spectacular about this week. School, food, etc. Today was the day that I made my shirt with the map of Spain on it. I believe it was for my Language and International Trade class that Harv and I did a presentation on Spain. I had brought from pictures from home just in case I wanted to show my Chilean family where I had been, or in case I needed to do a Spain project. Looks like my forethought paid off! I made a poster with the pictures and made the shirt out of one of my undershirts. Too bad it all washed out! It was fun to make! This Monday night, my (Chilean) mom and I went to go get Chinese take-out. At the end of my journal for this day, I wrote, "Pepto Bismol es bueno." Jaja...

martes - I had gotten a package from my real mom that had a bunch of candy from the USA. Today, after school, I showed my Chilean mom all the stuff I got. Now, in the South, if I were to ask if someone wanted something out of my stuff, that person would naturally say, "No, thanks" to be polite. Now, I know that they really would want something, and I would insist that they take something. In Chile, however, they have no shame! "Hey, do you want any?" "Sure!" I found that interesting. I spent most of the rest of the day writing a paper and eating lasagna. Mmm...

miércoles - Speaking of yummy food, I'll never forget this salad I had this day. A bed of lettuce (and possibly tomato wedges). Half an avocado on top of that with tuna mounded up where the seed used to be in the avocado, and then butter (or maybe it was mayo?) on top of the tuna. There's a Chilean salad for you! This afternoon, Kelita y la Debi y yo fuimos al Cine Tobalaba que quedaba al lado de mi departamento. (Sorry...some sentences just come out in Spanish. The three of us went to the movies.) We saw B-Happy. I don't remember the movie, but that's probably because I couldn't understand it when I saw it. :P Spent the rest of the afternoon studying with Kelita y la Jessica at Café Sebastián (while eating helado de chocolate y manjar y whisky :D). My mom left the house again to go to the beach (eating up every last day of summer break!). So, la Jeannette y yo had some good Chilean aunt/gringo nephew bonding time. :P

jueves - After taking a major grammar exam, it was off to Mall Alto Las Condes to hang out with la Debi and the group. Heck yes we ate at Taco Bell. :P (Taco, burrito, and French fries.) Then, we shopped a while and then got some coffee at Starbucks! Yummy! (You can tell that the Americans have taken over, no?)

Earlier that day (I think it was during the morning before class), I was at home and someone knocked on the door. Imagine my surprise when it was a gringa that I didn't know! Here I am in a Chilean apartment complex and some random American knocks on the door! Haha... Her name was Brit and she stayed with my family the previous semester. She was just stopping in for a couple of days. She had spent the previous months traveling through Ecuador, Perú, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. That's the life! I was jealous! Anyway. So, now, there were six people staying in the apartment. (I forget where Brit slept, as there was no more space in any bed! Perhaps on the sofá?)

viernes - After school today, we went to the Viña Concha y Toro, where they make some wine. I would say it is good wine, but I never tried any! If I go back (now that I'm 21 and legal here in the States), I'll try some, but at that stage in my life, I was very anti-alcohol. (I'm still not pro-alcohol that much, as most of it is nasty.) Regardless of the wine, the tour of the facility was amazing. I learned a lot, and it's always a joy to see Concha y Toro wine here in the States. I'm always like, "I've been there!" I forgot my camera that day, but I went back later in the year, so I'll post pictures then. Rest assured that it was beautiful when I went this day in the summer! Acres and acres of grapevines!

After getting back to Santiago, I (and I believe some others) went to the National Cathedral to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra give a concert. It was fantastic! Afterwards, it was unfortunately back to Bravissimo for more awesome helado. :P

sábado - Today, Alicia y Kelita y yo went to the Cajón de Maipo to go to the Cascadas Las Ánimas. Here, there are (of course) mountains, a river, forest, and some beautiful waterfalls. There wasn't a lot of water there, but that didn't diminish the beauty. I remember Alicia telling me, "Benja, it really blows my mind how people can see things like this and doubt God." Agreed 100%! God is such a beautiful God, and He, in His grace, has allowed us to see some of His beauty in that which He has created.

One of my favorite shots of the trip

Once back in Stgo, all of us gringos went to TGIFriday's to celebrate our one month anniversary. Yeah, it was American night. They had refills! I got a Friday's Burger and fries. Mmm... (Haha, and yes, I realize I talk about food a lot and say "Mmm..." a lot. But that's because I love food!)

domingo - I went back to PIBS (FBC Santiago) today and went to Sunday School. There, I met two chilenas who spoke English. Their names are Betsi and, um, somebody else! Jaja. They helped me out because my comprehension still wasn't there. We took the Lord's Supper in the worship service after that. That was cool just to see how, even though Chileans and people from the USA are worlds apart physically, we're still ultimately the same, and even these traditions are very similar!

Back at home, I was supposed to be studying for my L&IT test, but the Oscars were on, and I had to watch Lord of the Rings sweep them all (which they did!). My mom spoiled me so much, because she brought me supper on a tray just so I could keep watching the TV. :) Love it!

Cheelay - Week 4

2009-02-22T16:13:00.004-05:00

Thanks for reading about my fourth week in Chile! Original dates: 16/feb/04 - 22/feb/04

lunes - The alarm went off, and I was off to my first day of class! These first couple of weeks were intensive grammar classes. They were long and tough, and I always had a fair amount of homework (four hours the first night), but I always learned a lot! In writing my journal, I would always normally write using a phrase I had learned that day. Besides class and homework, about the only other thing exciting was calling my (real) dad.

Me at Bat-Jesus, in front of the PUC (taken in May)

martes - Grammar class today, and then my first class of L&IT (Language and International Trade). Haha, I wrote in my journal about how nice (and pretty) the prof was. :P Afterwards, I had an interview with the Profe (the American prof that went with us) so she could grade our Spanish at that point. Also today, we went to Pub-licity, which I remember being a great restaurant, but I can't picture it in my mind. I had some good lemon chicken with veggies along with chocolatey, caramely, yummy helado (ice cream). Mmm... (I apparently loved it according to my journal.) (And yes, if you're curious, I always write down everything I eat when I travel.)

miércoles - More grammar class! Nothing fairly exciting. Pastel de choclo for lunch. Researching places to travel during my stay. Y ya. (Now that classes have started, I won't have quite as many exciting stories during the week.)

jueves - After class, we got together with la Debi and Vivana's group. Viviana would've gone with us, but she was in Cancún, apparently, and so this other mina named Bárbara came with us. I apparently thought she was súper-guapa. And now I couldn't pick her out of a crowd if I'd try. :P jaja. I was disappointed at the time, though, because she was pololeando. (For you non-Spanish-speakers, I apologize for my Spanglish just now. Some things are just better left in Spanish.)

Anyway, we went to Bellavista (a hippie-ish neighborhood) for lunch. I had lomo a lo pobre, which is one of my favorite things. Think pork chop, fried egg, and French fries (and maybe grilled onions) all in a big pile. Yummy... (And healthy, of course. :P) Afterwards, we went to La Chascona, another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. That was cool. According to my journal, I wasn't as impressed with this one, and we had a guide that was sick and couldn't talk well for me to understand. But it's cool now just to say that I've been to his three houses in Chile.

After that, those of us with bathing suits went up to Antilén, a pool at the top of Cerro San Cristobal. We had a good time swimming. After un rato, we were ready to go down, but there were no taxis. So, we set off on foot. As we descended, a van driven and used by the carabineros (or the pacos, the policemen) stopped and picked us up! Cool! If I remember correctly, it was their canine troop. (I think I remember a dog, but I could be mistaken.)

The best part of the day, however, was going to Bravissimo. Unlike some of the other restaurants that have faded from my memory, Bravissimo will never go away. This place has the best ice cream. Ever. Period. I had two crêpes with caramel sauce, complete with helado de café chocolate y manjar chips. Ay, qué rico. (That's coffee-chocolate ice cream with manjar (Chilean caramel) chips.) (i.e. Delicious.) I made the note that it tasted like a Waffle House waffle...mmm... And then, I wrote that it was la raja. Jaja...

And I apparently ate a lot while I was in Chile, as after eating this spread, I went home and tía Jeannette offered me supper of rice and eggs. And I ate them. Qué guatón era (y sigo siendo).

viernes - Friday started off común y corriente, but after class, Binky, Harv, y yo went to the bus station to catch a bus towards Olmué, which is the jumping-off point for a trip to Parque Nacional La Campana, a place that Charles Darwin went at one point. Olmué is in the mountains on the other side of Santiago. (That's the problem with Santiago, that there are mountains on all sides, so the smog just hangs there, nowhere to go.) The mountains on the west aren't part of the Andes. It's called the Coastal Range. They aren't as impressive as the Andes, but the ride to Olmué still was awesome!

Once in Olmué, we found our way to the hostel. It is times like these that always back up my philosophy on hostels: It's always sketchier than you think. I mean, here we are at dusk in this place we've never been in, in a country halfway around the world we've been in for just over three weeks, and we're walking down a dark street in the outskirts of this town trying to find this place we only exists because it said so in a book. But, the people were all friendly, and they helped us find it, and the owners there were very cordial. It was just sketchy. :P

Residencial Sarmiento

sábado - This was a great day. It started early with our walking to the park. I had one of those "Wow, I'm in South America" moments this morning. All of a sudden, we were just in a not-so-developed area away from town, and it hit me that we weren't in Kansas anymore! It was neat.

Where I had this realization

Once at the park, we got on the Sendero El Andinista, the trail that Darwin had once taken to the top of the mountain. The journey up was tough, but it was pretty. About halfway up, we found a cave that we explored. (We were sure we were gonna die, but hey, you only live once!) We found this AWESOME lake inside with some über-clear water. It was sweet.

We climbed all the way up there!

We then continued our trek to the top. Once we got to the cumbre, my whole body was hurting, but the view from the top was increíble, almost to the ocean. The one bad part was all the graffiti at the top, but that's life for ya.

I made it!

On the way down (I had forgotten this, but loled when I read it), we kinda ran down, and Binky faceplanted. Twice. Jajaja... (I'm sorry to all of you who think that is cruel. But you'd just have to know Binky and his tendency to fall. Especially that day in Reñaca, but you had to have been there.) Also, on the way down, we found some horses, which was cool.

Wild? horses

Back in Olmué, we ate at a restaurant there in town...empanada de pino, chicken soup, fried pork with rice, chocolate mousse, and peaches. Mmm... And I believe it was here that we had a "We're definitely not in the USA" moment. We had asked for more bread for the table. So, the guy LEFT the restaurant, went next door to the store, bought some more bread, and then came back and gave it to us. Jaja...

Once back in Santiago, Jeannette gave me more food. (I tell you, these Chileans don't want you to go hungry.) I had all the pasta I could stand...but as you can tell by what I had for supper in Olmué, I wasn't too hungry. But that's hospitality for you!

domingo - I was super tired after my day in the mountains, but I went to church anyway. I was still not awake and I hardly understood anything, but it's okay. I studied all afternoon, talked to my (real) mom, and went back to church that night. Supper at the negocio (my dad's sandwich shop), washed down with Limón Soda (yummy). And there was my weekend!

Cheelay - Week 3

2009-02-15T15:48:00.005-05:00

Here's a recap of my third week in Chile. Original Dates: 2/9/04-2/15/04

lunes - It's funny how I didn't really know what was going on the first few days of being with my family. People were coming and going. Would they stay? Did they live there? Am I related to them? This Monday, I made a note that I thought my mom, uncle, and cousin were on vacation, but I didn't really know.

Binky and Roberto playing in the fountain a lo chileno

The most exciting part of the day was going to Parque Forestal, La Vega, and the Mercado Central (TAR went there, too!) with Mara and the rest of the Clemsonites. Binky, Harv, and I went to my dad's sandwich shop Fonosandwich for once, which is basically your afternoon snack. I would eat at Fonosandwich a LOT. Hey...when you're "related" to the owner, that means free food for you!

Fonosandwich!

When I got home, I was home alone, but then my dad Leo showed up with uncle Rodrigo and another unknown boy, who turned out to be Rodrigo's son (my cousin, Catalina's brother) Felipe. But then the latter two left to go back home in Temuco (halfway between Santiago and the bottom of the country), and then Leo left again to go back to work, and I was home alone. Leo would always sleep in until about 10, go to work for the afternoon, come home for a couple of hours when he would watch TV and/or sleep, then he would go back to work until about midnight. Every day.

martes - Another fairly uneventful day. I went to the artisan's market at Cerro Santa Lucia, which was cool. I pretty much just hung out with my aunt Jeannette, who was, in fact, still at the apartment. She accused me of not eating breakfast, which I did. They always made sure I ate and didn't go hungry!

miércoles - La Debi and the rest of us went to the mercado central to eat some yummy seafood. We also took a stroll through Patronato, which I can't picture in my mind at the moment, but I'm sure it was cool.

That night, I went to PIBS (First Baptist Church Santiago) for Wednesday night services. I had no idea what it would be like, but I had nothing better to do. I thought it started at 6:30, but when I arrived, there were only a few people there. (It actually started at 7:30, but I couldn't stay that long, I don't think.) That was kinda awkward. Gringo coming in and interrupting a small prayer service. But, it was neat. I prayed a little with them in my broken Spanish, and then I prayed some more in English, because it doesn't matter with which language we speak to God. He is the Creator of languages! After we prayed, they let me play the keyboard there at the church! It was the first and only time I would play a piano during my four months in Chile, which is saying a lot for someone who has played the piano his entire life.

PIEBS

jueves - Vacation! Today, the group left for the beach. We spent the weekend at Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, and Reñaca. Yes, the beach was beautiful, but the water was COLD. The current comes from Antarctica, so that = frigid. (Joni didn't mind being thrown in because she was a hoss.) That night, I had fun eating with some of the gringas at a Mexican restaurant there. Good times.

Reñaca

viernes - In my journal, I wrote that my (real) mom called me today, and I was able to tell her of some of the frustrations I had had because of the language barrier. One example was trying to explain my belief in abstinence to my (Chilean) mom and aunt on Wednesday without using the word "abstinence," since I didn't know it.

Going up the ascensor in Valparaíso

Today, we went to Valparaíso, which is a GORGEOUS city built on many hills next to the Pacific. We went to La Sebastiana, one of Pablo Neruda's three houses on this day. (Neruda = awesome.) Afterwards, we took a funicular to the top of one of the hills to get a great view of the city. We then went down to the marina for a boat trip around the harbor. We got to see sea lions in the water! Afterwards, we went to Bote Salvavidas, a lovely restaurant where I had some yummy crab cakes and other stuff. (Mango ice cream, strawberry juice, etc.) We then went back to Viña where we hung out for the rest of the day. Us guys ordered out Chinese for supper...yep, it's the same everywhere.

Los de Clemson in the boat in Valpo

sábado - Today, we hung out around Viña del Mar. I went to a museum where they had some Easter Island stuff (including one of the giant moai (stone heads)). That was cool. (Easter Island is part of Chile.) I also took off by myself to walk around and see whatever I could see. For lunch, I got to try a completo for the first time. Basically, it's a hot dog, but instead of the usual chili, relish, etc., it has diced tomatoes, palta (mashed avocado), and mayonnaise. Yeah. Different.

This used to be over 2,000 miles away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

Afterwards, we went back to Stgo. What do I discover? Some guy claiming to be my uncle was there. Haha...oh the joys of a familia latinoamericana.

domingo - Ah, this day sticks out vividly. Hahaha... So, the guys wanted to come to church with me. We went to Sunday School first. First, let me set the stage. It's hot outside and inside, since it's summer and there's no air conditioning. There are five gringos in this room with about 10 chilenos. They've never met us before (except for me, since I went the week prior). None of us five guys were extremely fluent in Spanish. And then the leader asks Harv to pray. Haha! They had no idea of our spiritual condition. We could've been Muslim for all they knew. Harv was a fish out of water. Roberto then offered to pray in his stead. Wow, that was an awkward time. (Praying in Spanish is one of the hardest things to do.) And yeah, we didn't understand much of the lesson after that. But, during the service downstairs, it was good times. If I remember correctly, the pastor introduced us from the pulpit and has someone come to us and have us stand up to be recognized. Wow... But, we then sang "Victory in Jesus" (in Spanish, of course). That was awesome!

Back at the house, mamá and the unknown uncle were there. We ate and chilled most of the day. I went back to PIBS that night and returned to an empty house. This would be the last day of "adjustment" time. Classes started on Monday!

Cheelay - Week 2

2009-02-08T14:15:00.003-05:00

Here is week two of my trip to Chile with 20 other Clemson folks. Dates: 02 Feb 04 - 08 Feb 04. Yes, this is a novel...but it was an eventful week!

Monday the 2nd (el lunes 2): So, this was the day that I met my family. I had heard from the Clemson student from '03 that it was a great family. But who knew? We got up, ate breakfast, and then found out that the families wouldn't come until after lunch. So, we hung around, ate lunch, and then came back to Eurotel. I wasn't nervous until the first family came. All of a sudden, these strange people came in and started taking away my Clemson friends one by one. Who knew where they were going? Would they be nice? Did they live in a nice place? I waited and waited, and finally, my Chilean mom and dad showed up. Straight (er, translated) from my journal: "She looks pretty and he is big with a beard." Haha... Her name is Margarita and his is Leo.

We got to their apartment and they showed me around. My mom claimed that it was a big apartment, but it didn't seem to big for me. (I still had the American mindset.) They were nice, serving me "tuna juice" (tuna is a cactus fruit, like a prickly pear) and helado de lúcuma; however, I really struggled that first day. It was just awkward. I was trying to impress them with the fake Spanish accent that I had from my three weeks in Spain three years prior, but I was such a baby in Spanish. I could hardly understand them. That first day went by so slowly. It was hot in the apartment. The traffic from outside (Main Street, Santiago) was loud. Other people, whom I didn't know, were in the house. (Normally, it is the mom, dad, the mom's sister Jeannette, and the mom's mom Margarita who live there. But there were two more.) I just wanted to go home.

My mom and dad

martes - It was nice to get together with Clemson folks again today, just to get out of the house. We took a tour of the city, going to Cerro Santa Lucía, el Barrio París y Londres, and the Iglesia de S. Francisco. Back at the apartment, I eventually learned who the mystery people were in the house. It was my mom's brother-in-law Rodrigo and his daughter Catalina. It was then that I learned how up front the Chileans (along with most latinos) are. Catalina was on a diet, and they didn't hesitate to tell her that she looked fat. Fun. Overall, it was a better day than Monday, but I still had a lot of trouble understanding my family. But there would be time to learn...four months worth...

At the Cerro Santa Lucía...TAR was here!

miércoles - So, I tried manjar for the first time. Think caramel, but muuucho más rico...mmm... Today was also the day I got sick from the tap water, but it was a one-time deal and after that, I was accustomed to it. We went to the PUC (la Pontificia Universidad Católica, the university where I studied) today and we met our mentors. The one for my group was named Deborah. My first impressions were that she was nice, but that she didn't use any s when she spoke, which made understanding her that much more difficult. My mom had made me lunch, and I discovered that she had made me two sandwiches: one with peanut butter and cheese, and one with peanut butter and ham. (You see, peanut butter is expensive for them, so when any gringos bring some to them, they go crazy!) I only ate the first sandwich, as the thought of the second one made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

La Debi y yo

I had an adventure once I came back from la U. They had given me the keys to the apartment, but they didn't show me how to use them. Little did I know that a little how-to session would prove valuable. Once I got back, I tried opening the doors, but I couldn't. I heard the sound of kids inside. (New kids, some I hadn't met before.) They eventually heard me, but they couldn't open the door either. What had happened was that there are two deadbolts on the door, and they are the kind that you can turn twice in either direction. I had locked one or both, and the deadbolts could only be opened with a key. So, I couldn't get in. They couldn't get out. ¡Qué divertido! The kids then tried telling me to turn the key to the right, but I didn't know that it was their right, my left. After a few more minutes of feeling like an idiot, tío Rodrigo spoke up and helped guide me to open the door. The kids were Patricio, Daniel, and Sebastián, sons of my aunt Cecilia. Uncle Rodrigo then started talking about war in America, and that was fun, because he knew more than me and I could hardly understand him.

Once my mom got home, she helped me break out of my shell by putting on my CD of Shakira and getting us all to dance down in the living room. That was fun, and it helped me adjust to living with a Latin American family...one that seemed to keep growing by the day!

jueves - A fairly uneventful day. I took a walk by myself to conocer la ciudad. I went to Apumanque with some of the Clemson folks, which my first experience on a micro, which is a form of a public transportation that is absolutely CRAZY. They're each privately owned, which means that the drivers try to pick up as many people as they can to make the most money. This means competition, and when you're dealing with giant yellow buses in a crowded city, this means no safety! You often have to get off the bus while it's still rolling because the driver doesn't want to stop the whole way, as time = money!

All those buses on the right are micros.

That night, I had an interesting conversation with my mom. She had been watching me for the first few days reading my Bible before bed. She came in and asked me some questions, and we started talking about religion. She told me that she wanted to learn how to read the Bible. She is Catholic, along with the other 5 million people in Santiago. She said, however, that "[a Leo] le falta fe" (meaning, her husband didn't have faith). It's something she wished would change. In Chile, you get married twice: once by the state and once by the church. They had never been married by the church, but she wanted to. It was a great God-given opportunity for me to share, and I pray that He might water and grow the seeds He planted through me while I was there. I ended up leaving one of my Spanish Bibles that I had brought when I moved out in June.

viernes - Another get-to-know-the-city day! We went through the economic district of the city and to the city center, the Plaza de Armas. Later that night, Debi and those of us in her group went to Los Insaciables, an all-you-can-eat pizza place where they bring the pizza to you! It was all good, except for maybe the raw-ish bacon. Yeah, tummy wasn't too happy after that. But overall, it was a great day!

In front of La Moneda, Chile's White House

sábado - Ok...this is one of those stories that is sketchy all-around. But hey, you only live once, and it was a fantastic experience.

So, Roberto's Chilean uncle supposedly lived in this place called El Melocotón, which was in the Cajón de Maipo, a valley right as you go into the Andes. Harv, Binky, Roberto, and I decided we should go see him, because the four of us wanted to see the mountains. So, Roberto had his family call Uncle Álvaro, who told us he would pick us up in town at a certain time.

Here four gringos go boarding a bus to who-knows-where where this guy whom we had never met before was supposed to pick us up and let us stay at his house for the night. As we're in the bus, we see the mountains, and the guys are like, "We should climb one of these mountains." I thought to myself, "Surely they aren't serious. These are some crazy high mountains. And besides, where was a trail?" We ask the bus driver how we'd know when we got to El Melocotón, and he said he'd let us out at the school in town. We go through a couple of other small towns, people coming and going from the bus, but still not our town. Eventually, the bus stops and lets us out...

here.

No, really. It was the middle of nowhere. Yes, there was a school, but there were no children. (It was summer there, keep in mind.) The only sign of life that we saw was when this guy (no joke) rode his bike by us, picked up a dead rabbit off the side of the road, and pedaled off, rabbit in-hand. (JAJAJAJAJAJA...)

The other side of the road from where we were

We waited for probably thirty minutes, maybe? Eventually, this pick-up truck stops, pulls over, and the guy hops out and introduces himself to us as Álvaro. He could've been a serial killer for all we knew, but we hopped into the back of his pick-up and he drove us to his house. Apparently, this guy is rich because he lives on an almond plantation. His house was fairly large and he had a pool (though it was empty). (Apparently, the woman of the house (unsure if she was actually a wife) made jelly using stuff from their orchards, so that also added to the income.)

Álvaro's house

Notice the mountain behind his house. The guys asked if we could climb it, and he said that we could, that he had done it many times before. We decided to eat lunch first and then climb. For lunch, we walked down to a hole-in-the-wall (or was it holes-in-the-wall?) restaurant where I tried pastel de choclo for the first time! ¡Qué rico! It's basically a corn pudding, but it's delicious and very filling. It was not a good day to eat it, though, as it's heavy and it was hot...not good for a hot day when I was going to climb a mountain. (I had Coke to drink, too, which was also a bad call.)

We walked back, the four of us sharing what was a 3/4-full 5-liter jug of water. We started to climb the mountain, and I struggled. The guys thought it would be a good idea to climb shirtless (because that was manlier)...not taking into consideration that that meant a faster depletion of water from your body. (Needless to say, I put my shirt back on.) I had to stop many times and thought about quitting, but the guys wouldn't let me. (Thanks, guys!) We ran out of water about 2/3 of the way up. And it was hot. Not good motivation.

The manly, shirtless guys

Eventually, we got as far as we could with the amount of daylight we had. We didn't make it to the top, but we vowed to come back one day! Coming back down, I couldn't wait to get water. (We were slightly unprepared, to say the least.) Once we made it down, I picked up the garden hose that they offered, and I drank...and I drank. (I'm in South America where the city's tap water gave me diarrhea. And I'm now drinking out of somebody's hose who lives out in the mountains? I didn't care.) But...I felt so accomplished! And the view? Spectacular!

Note that I am wearing a bathing suit with my hiking boots...they were my only pair of shorts.

Here's where Chilean hospitality is awesome. Here are four, nasty, dirty, smelly gringos that these people had never met before...and they invite us in, let us take showers and dirty up their bathroom, and gave us a place to stay for the night! We all slept like babies that night...

domingo - After sleeping incredibly well, the woman of the house made us scrambled eggs and we then left to go back to Stgo. I didn't do much that afternoon except hang out with tía Jeannette, who apparently sold makeup for a living. (She told me once that she had a pretty decent job, and if I understood her correctly and I'm remembering correctly, it only added up to about $8,400 a year.) I went to church that evening...First Baptist Church Santiago! It was pretty cool. I would go back most every Sunday I could. What a great weekend!

Cheelay - Week 1

2009-02-01T14:32:00.005-05:00

This update covers my time in Chile (pronounced CHEE-lay ;)) from the day I left the USA (January 28) until this day five years ago.

Wednesday (el miércoles) - Ice and snow, plus the prospect of flying to Atlanta from GSP via Cincinnati, and a quick layover in Atlanta to catch my Chile flight made me nervous. I had called Delta to try and get them to just put me on the 45 minute flight from GSP to Atlanta, but they wouldn't do it. Luckily, the guy in Greenville was nice enough to change me with no sweat. This meant I made it to Atlanta hours before anyone else, so I waited at the Santiago gate with my Tiger Rag out so that people could see it. Eventually we all made it there, and I boarded a plane to the Southern Hemisphere!

In flight, it was neat because over the equator (it was night), I saw Orion turned sideways. I guess I had never thought how the night sky would change when I was standing relatively upside down compared with my family back in the States. I saw new constellations down there and a moon that was upside-down while I was there.

Thursday (el jueves) - We land and, after a quick scare thinking my bag had been lost, make our way to Eurotel, where we would spend the first few nights. One thing for my readers to keep in mind is that January 29 in Chile is the middle of summer, so I went two years without a spring! One of the first things I did at the hotel was call my mom, because it was her birthday! Today was a day of just getting used to being in Chile. I learned that the Andes are beautiful and can be seen from any point in the city. I learned that the Chileans put palta, or mashed avocado, on everything. I learned that Chilean Spanish is so different than other types of Spanish. Case in point? The word for strawberry is different. Not a fresa in Chile. It's a frutilla. I learned that Pap, a papaya flavored soda, is not a desirable refreshing beverage. Instead of a typical Chilean dinner, we went to Suecia, which is the gringo part of town. There would be plenty of time to live a lo chileno.

View from the hotel roof towards the Andes

Friday (el viernes) - Nothing too spectacular. Experiencing more of the flavors of Chile. Mónica came and spent some time talking about Chilean life, the language (like how they conjugate verbs differently...¿cachaí?), and some other things we needed to know. We returned to Suecia again that night, but apparently we were cool enough to skip the bottom floor where all the gringos ate, and we got to go upstairs with the Chileans! (Random note...I am reading my journal that I wrote while I was there to remind myself of all of this. I wrote it in Spanish...and man, my Spanish was terrible. Stem-changing the yo form in preterite, using a to mean "at" when talking about place, and mashed potatoes are apparently patatas majadas. :P jaja...)

Saturday (el sábado) - I got my cell phone today, and even got a wrong number, which allowed me to use my newly learned phrase "Equivocado." I was so proud! :P I got to experience the Metro and MetroBus today, too, as we made our way to the Mall de Las Condes to get the phones and eat. That night, we got to spend the evening at a nice restaurant called El Giratorio, which is one of those rotating restaurants at the top of a tall building. That was a fun night. I got to eat tuna (cactus fruit) for the first time, and I got my first taste of chirimoya juice...mmm... There was a saxophonist in the restaurant, and one of my favorite memories (besides the other guys wanting to go talk to him to get him to play some American songs) was his playing "Layla." Good times...

Sunday (el domingo) - Today's mission? See the city! It first started with the realization that everything is closed on Sunday, as finding a bottle of water was a chore! (What follows are a lot of place names, and they may not mean a lot to you, but if you're curious, just ask!) We went through Plaza Baquedano, saw the cell phone building, crossed the Río Mapocho (or was it Mapupu? jaja), went through Bellavista, and boarded a funicular to the top of Cerro San Cristobal! Awesome views of the city!

Santiago from C. S. Cristobal

(By the way, I have tons of pictures from my trip on my Facebook.)

We got to spend some time swimming in one of the pools up there (Tupahue). As I said there, "We're painting the town gringo." We were noisy, doing belly-flops, and generally stood out. :P

As luck would have it, Sunday, February 1, 2004 was also the date of the Superbowl. Panthers vs. Jaguars. Unfortunately, we were in South America, where the Superbowl wasn't a big deal. So, we looked for an American restaurant that might be showing it. And we did. Name of the restaurant? Hooters. :P Yep. That Hooters. The one and only time I've been in one, haha. But hey, we got to watch the game! I left early with some of the Clemson girls, and we attempted to walk back from the restaurant to our hotel. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way down the Alameda (main street) and ended up two metro stops down in the opposite direction. At that hour, the metro was closed, too, so we got to walk a long way. But hey, we got to conocer la ciudad. I passed by the street where I knew my host family lived, but I wouldn't meet them until the next day! Excitement!

Five years ago today...

2009-01-28T17:31:00.002-05:00

I can remember the weather perfectly. There was ice and snow on the ground. It was cold! I can remember where I was exactly. It's 5:33 pm now, and five years ago today I was sitting in the Atlanta airport. I remember these things because five years ago today, I was leaving for an awesome semester in Chile! It's hard to believe it's been half a decade. (I hate saying that, so I won't.)

I'm going to try and post some things that I did on the anniversary that they happened. I'll include some pictures, too. I don't think I'll update every day, because some of the days down there were rather boring, and finding the time to blog every day would be tedious; however, I would like to do weekly updates or so.

So, keep an eye out on my blog. Experience Chile with me all over again!

Nope. Sure can't.

2009-01-12T22:28:00.005-05:00

You can take God out of my school
You can make me listen to you
You can take God out of the pledge
But you can't take God out of my head

You can take God out of the law
You can make me listen to y'all
You can take God out of the start
But you can't take God out of my heart

Listen to me closely, lend me your ear
The substance of my statement lets you know I'm sincere
Government officials, shapers of the land
I've to to tell you something you need to understand

You can't take God away from me
You can take my life, my land, my liberty
Lock me up, I'll still be free
'cause you can't take God from me

-Audio Adrenaline, "Can't Take God Away"

These lyrics go through my head every time I hear people complaining about how we don't get to pray in school anymore, how we can't say Merry Christmas, etc. I think we in America have taken our religious freedoms for granted, and now in an age where some of these freedoms seem to be infringed on, I think it is ruffling a few feathers. Really, if we are truly following God and glorifying Him with our whole being, then who can take that away? Even if the world doesn't overtly let us "shine our lights" through rituals, our Light can never be put out as long as we pursue Him. "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Are we more concerned with serving God through our outward signs or through our own hearts?

A couple of verses:

"I hate, I despise your feasts,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
I will not look upon them.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." -Amos 5.21-24

"To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." -Proverbs 21.3

"To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." -Mark 12.33

It seems God is far more concerned with what's inside than the symbols on the outside. That we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (from Micah 6.8) is more important than making sure our football games open up with prayer just to make us look Christian. (See: Matthew 6.5)

Yes, it seems God's name can spread faster in a land where the expression of religion is free and there are no harsh consequences. (But funny, now that I think about it, why has the Church in North America been on the decline recently?)

Do I want my country to become a land where Christianity is illegal and where we are beat for our beliefs? Absolutely not.

But what if it were?

Would YOU still let Him shine through?

Ahh...2009.

2009-01-10T06:48:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah. I still have a blog!

So, it's 2009 now. I love new years, new starts, new possibilities. But before I talk about this year, I suppose I should talk about 2008.

Let's see...what happened?

I guess you could say 2008 was a very successful year. It was a time of improvement, a time of moving, a time of getting in shape, a time of returning to school, and a time of reconciliation.

This past year, I successfully completed my first year of teaching. The spring went so much better than the fall. I had a different crop of kids, and I even had to teach a class of Spanish II. I was scared at first to teach that, because teaching one class was time-consuming enough. Spanish II was my favorite year when I was in high school, though, and so I looked at it as an opportunity to make it my students' favorite, too. I realized a lot through the experience, and I learned tons about Spanish myself! Was it a perfect class? No, but I have a starting point now.

The first half of my second year of teaching was extremely successful. We moved to a 45-minute period instead of a 90-minute block. I really like this a lot better. I feel like I can accomplish a lot more during this time; however, now that I've learned how to be productive in a class period, maybe if I ever had to go back to block, I could more efficiently use my time.

We also got new textbooks this year, and those have really helped my organization in class. I feel a lot more structured in my instruction, and I feel like I can better test my students based on the material that we have been learning. I have gotten great feedback from other teachers, and that helps as I look to improve my abilities. (And it's nice to know I'm doing a good job now.) I look forward to the second semester where I continue to grow the same 160 students.

I also improved greatly in my Spanish abilities. We went to Cuba during Spring Break, and little did I know how much God (by means of our mission team) would use me! I had to translate so much, and not just signs and menus. Sometimes, I literally was the only person who knew everything that was going on. I had to interpret a lot for people. I was nervous at first, but God sent some great encouragement my way through other people. I am now a lot more confident in my abilities.

The past year also marked a year where I lived in three places. Yes, three. I started in an apartment with my friend Jake, then we moved into his sister's house because she offered free rent, and then Jake got married, so I moved in with my dad. It's the first time in 11 years that I've lived with him, and I thought it might be an awkward transition, but it's really good. I've got the whole upstairs to myself, so I have my privacy.

The summer probably was the last one when I could work at Summersalt. It was a great year, however. I got to mend some relationships that were tarnished a few summers ago, and it has been neat becoming genuine friends with some of these people who really got under my skin a couple of years ago. I also made some really good new friends. Dylan, Messick, and I formed a great bond, and Dylan really whipped me into shape. I decided he couldn't be more of a man than I was by running three miles every other morning; so, I started joining him! The first week or so, I couldn't go all three miles, but Dylan is a great encourager. I eventually made it three miles for the first time, and it was great! He pushed me to go beyond the hurt and keep going. By myself, I never would have done it. Something about "iron sharpens iron" keeps popping into my head. Once the summer was over, I ran some, but not as much as I did during the summer. I've also started doing sit-ups and push-ups fairly regularly.

During the last part of the summer, Jake and I started an alternative certification program (PACE), because neither of us had a degree in education. The class during the summer was only two weeks long, but it was from 8:00-5:00, and once you got home, you had to do homework until you went to bed. It was a brutal two weeks, but I have learned a lot that I have or can implement in my classroom. As a part of the PACE program, we also have to take three graduate courses. I took my first one in the fall. It's just been a while since I've had to do homework and take tests! But, I need to get used to it... (Details in the 2009 portion of this post.)

I also said 2008 was a time of reconciliation. If you'll go back in my blog a bit, you'll see I talked about something we at camp called the Race to Reconcile. I am bad about harboring bitterness, but this summer, I knew I couldn't keep it up. I approached a couple of people who had hurt me in my past, and I knew I had to ask their forgiveness. They didn't deserve the things that I had been feeling in my heart. It was great to do that, and I feel I can continue on now.

I also was able to reconcile a relationship with Tiffany. If you remember, we dated a couple of years ago for about six months. It was a beautiful relationship, but God had alternate plans for us. It turns out that God's "no" was simply a "not now." We started dating again, and though it was a little awkward at first ("Am I really dating again? She's really my girlfriend?"), I think we've gotten back in the groove. It's a little different, though, because now that we're both established in our jobs, the opportunities when we get to see each other aren't like they used to be. (Two years ago, I didn't have a job, and could make the two hour trek a little more often.) But, I have been praying that God would guide us, and that we would love Him first, and that that love might overflow into each other.

So there, in a nutshell, was 2008.

On to a new year.

What does this year hold? Well, I know that the first six months are going to be busy like crazy. In addition to teaching, I am taking THREE graduate courses this semester. Two of them are for the PACE program, and the third is just a cheap class to get three graduate hours. I'm looking at having my Bachelors + 18 pay increase by Christmas, which is the only reason I added that third class. And yes, I did have three years to take the three PACE classes, but I just wanted to knock them all out of the way so that I could be a little more free in the future. I also have a lot of things to do with PACE because we have a couple of weekend seminars and two more joyous weeks of 8-5 classes in June.

There are a couple of other things that may happen regarding my schooling (teaching/studying), but I'll reveal those in due time.

So, as I've pondered what I want to "title" this year, I guess you could say this year is the Year of Management. How do I manage my time with three courses, homework for PACE, and doing this thing called teaching that I get paid to do? How do I manage building a relationship on top of all of this? How do I manage staying close to all of my other friends and family? How do I manage my money and best prepare for the future, especially in tough economic times? How do I manage to have fun this year and not be so stressed? Above all, How do I manage to keep Christ as the focus of my life when there are so many things striving to take my focus?

Well, for starters, I bought a day planner for the first time. It is really going to keep me sane. I also cannot procrastinate any during this semester. (If you'll notice, it is currently 7:30 on Saturday morning, and I intend on doing homework for PACE today, even though it's not due until the end of March.)

So, I'll keep you guys updated as I can. I hope you all have a great 2009. And by the way, my New Year's Resolution is simple: To stop at all stop signs. This way, I won't get any tickets for running stop signs! ;)

Last Carol for 2008, Another Place Name

2008-12-25T23:41:00.004-05:00

Coventry, Sussex, and now...Wexford! The only thing I knew about "Wexford Carol" is that it had a beautiful melody. After a quick looksie on Google, I see that Wexford is a place in Ireland. The Irish name is "Carúl Loch Garman," though the traditional lyrics are the below English ones, and it dates from the 12th century.

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born

The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town
But mark right well what came to pass
From every door repelled, alas
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angel did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear
"Arise and go," the angels said
"To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you'll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born"

With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went, the Babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
They did our Savior Christ behold
Within a manger He was laid
And by His side a virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife

There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at His feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.

Nothing super-complicated in the lyrics. It just tells the story of Christ's Nativity. The two parts that stick out to me are in the first and fourth stanzas.

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending His beloved Son

We need to make sure that we spend time actually thinking about Christ's coming to earth on Christmas! I had to stop myself today and realize that today is about Jesus, not just catching up on sleep after being with family on Christmas Eve.

The end of the fourth stanza talks about Mary, "[a]ttending on the Lord of Life / Who came on earth to end all strife." He is the Author of all life, and while His coming to earth didn't exactly produce peace at the time (You did see The Passion of the Christ, no?), He came as the Prince of Peace. We can put our faith and trust in Him when our lives seem crazy.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Back to normal blogging! I'm going to try and get back to telling stories and posting about my ADD jukebox, too.

Another Carol with a Place as a Title

2008-12-21T16:41:00.003-05:00

Sussex Carol

If you saw that, you wouldn't have any idea what carol it was. Fortunately, we know it as another title: "On Christmas Night All Christians Sing." (I didn't realize that until I just looked it up.)

The words come from an book in 1684 by the Irish bishop Luke Wadding in a book called Small Garland of Pious and Godly Songs, though the words and music we hear now are from 1919 when Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams heard someone sing it in the region of Sussex in England. They recorded everything down, and from this we get the carol sung today. Check out the lyrics:

On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring.
On Christmas night all Christians sing
To hear the news the angels bring.
News of great joy, news of great mirth, [mirth - "great merriment"]
News of our merciful King's birth.

Then why should men on earth be so sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad?
Then why should men on earth be so sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin he set us free,
All for to gain our liberty?

When sin departs before His grace,
Then life and health come in its place.
When sin departs before His grace,
Then life and health come in its place.
Angels and men with joy may sing
All for to see the new-born King.

All out of darkness we have light,
Which made the angels sing this night.
All out of darkness we have light,
Which made the angels sing this night:
"Glory to God and peace to men,
Now and for evermore, Amen!"

These lyrics differ from some of the more traditional carols, because this one does not speak of the events of the actual nativity of Jesus, but rather, the song speaks of the effects of Christ's coming to earth.

What the song says about Him: He is merciful, He is our Redeemer, He saved us from our sin, He gives us grace, He brings us light.

What our response should be: great joy and "mirth," because why should we be sad if Christ our King is and does all that the song describes? His grace covers over our sin, offering us life and health. (We may not have physical health here on earth, though. He has promised eternal life ultimately!)

So, since we're no longer in darkness and rather in His marvelous light, may we also sing with the angels: "Glory to God!"

More Mysterious People

2008-12-17T20:02:00.004-05:00

I love how last year's carols were more of a theological dissertation, while this year's carols are more of a discovery of lesser known songs. Either way, I'm learning! I've already uncovered the mystery surrounding Jeannette and Isabella. Now, let's move on to "Good King Wenceslas."

What do I already know? The tune. I also know that the first line is "Good King Wenceslas looked out," and thanks to Mannheim Steamroller, I know that it goes on, "on the Feast of Stephen." I had no idea until now who and what those are. Let me give some background first.

The lyrics of this carol were written by the Englishman John Mason Neale, the same one who did "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." (Today is the first day traditionally when the Catholics recite the O Antiphon that gave us the stanzas for that Advent carol.) The music is from the 13th century.

Good King Wenceslas was actually Saint Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century. (Bohemia was the western portion of today's Czech Republic.) He supposedly was a very good king, having given much of his money as alms to the poor, widows, and orphans. Later, Pope Pius II imitated an act that he supposedly performed, walking miles in the snow while barefoot in order to help others.

The carol speaks of a legend based on his life of giving. The legend says that King Wenceslas went out on the day of the Feast of Stephen, which is December 26 for us in the Western Church. (Stephen is remembered as being the first Christian martyr.) It was supposedly a very cold day with much snow on the ground. Wenceslas's pageboy almost succumbed to the cold, but he survived by the warmth produced by the King's footprints in the snow. Weird, eh? No mention of Jesus anywhere in the lyrics, but there is a cry in the final verse for us to take heed to the cause of the poor. Check the lyrics out:

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.

"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

Who knows where the heat came from, or what the heat is supposed to mean? Maybe this heat spilled over from the loving-kindness of his heart? And I guess the moral of the story is that if we give to the poor and we ever find ourselves out in the cold, we know that the Lord will bless us by sending us a king with heated footprints. :P

Well, at least I know now!

The First Time I Ever Cussed

2008-12-16T22:17:00.003-05:00

Today, we look at the song "Good Christian Men, Rejoice." I'll never forget being a child and singing through this carol in church during children's choir practice. I was just singing along, and all of a sudden, I sang the word "ass." You know, "Ox and ass before Him bow." I was mortified. Had I really just said that? Haha...memories.

What do I already know about this carol? I know it is related to "In Dulci Jubilo" somehow. I'm guessing the song is about rejoicing. Let's look at the lyrics first.

Good Christian men, rejoice with heart and soul, and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today;
Ox and ass before Him bow; and He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today! Christ is born today!

"Give ye heed," meaning, "Listen! Rejoice for Christ is born! Even the animals bow to Him!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this!
He has opened the heavenly door, and man is blest forevermore.
Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!

To what does "this" refer? Opening Heaven's door, providing the way to the Father. Because of that, we can have this "endless bliss!"

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

Do not fear! We are saved now! Our Messiah is come! We can now spend eternity in His everlasting hall called Heaven!

Fairly simple lyrics with a few bumps. (Though nothing compares to "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.") Now, onto the history behind it.

The words are an English paraphrase in 1853 by John Mason Neale. It is a paraphrase of a 14th century text attributed to Henrich Suso. I learned a word while researching: macaronic. This doesn't mean "related to a certain type of elbow pasta." Macaronic refers to a mixture of two or more languages, especially Latin. (I guess Spanglish would count for this.) When I see "In Dulci Jubilo," I know that is Latin, but I didn't know that most of the rest of the song is in German. So, originally, the text was in German and Latin, and Neale later paraphrased it into English. The music is also from 14th century Germany.

Here are the original lyrics:

In dulci jubilo
nun singet und seid froh!
Unsers Herzens Wonne
leit in præsepio,
und leuchtet als die Sonne,
matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O!

O Jesu parvule,
nach dir ist mir so Weh!
Tröst mir mein Gemüte,
o puer optime
durch alle deine Güte,
o princeps gloriæ,
trahe me post te.

O patris caritas,
o nati lenitas!
Wir wären all verloren
per nostra crimina,
so hat er uns erworben
coelorum gaudia:
eia wären wir da!

Ubi sunt gaudia,
nirgends mehr denn da!
Da die Engel singen,
o nova cantica,
und die Schellen klingen,
in Regis curia:
eia wären wir da!

And here is that translation:

With sweet rejoicing
now sing and be glad!
Our hearts' delight
is lying in a manger
and shines forth like the sun
on His mother’s lap.
You are the Alpha and Omega.

O tiny baby Jesus
I so long for You!
comfort my soul,
O peerless boy;
by all your goodness,
O Prince of Glory,
draw me to you.

O love of the Father,
O leniency of the Son!
We were all lost
through our sins
until You gained for us
the joys of heaven:
O that we were there!

Joys are there
as in no other place!
There the angels sing
a new song
and the bells ring out
in the court of the King:
O that we were there!

CHRIST IS THE REASON FOR THIS SEASON! BE JOYFUL! :) (I know, my shouting kinda detracts from the being joyful part. It's just I'm so stressed out from the activities in December.) ;)

Comma Rules, Part Deux

2008-12-15T20:21:00.004-05:00

So, there was a comma between Jeannette and Isabella. The title of today's carol also contains a comma, and some people disagree as to its position. The carol is "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Some say the comma should go before "Merry," but most leave it where it is. Many people also prefer "You" instead of "Ye." I've always said "Ye," so I'm sticking to that. Let's see what this carol has to offer.

Apparently this carol was extremely popular in England when it was written in the 18th century. There are several variants, and I've listed seven verses here. (Ha, can't you imagine doing all of them one Sunday?) As with all these more familiar carols, try to read as best you can, pretending you've never sung the song before.

1. God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay.
For Jesus Christ our Savior,
Was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan’s power,
When we were gone astray.

Note that the author of the song wants us to be joyful, not stressed! And JESUS is the reason! It's interesting to note the last two lines, because we all have gone astray and have fallen into Satan's power...but our God is ALMIGHTY!

Chorus
O tidings of comfort and joy, (tidings: news)
For Jesus Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day.

Note that this is different from what we usually sing. This chorus better explains what the good tidings are. As I researched, though, I found that the versions that used the tune with which we are familiar used the words with which we are most familiar ("O tidings of comfort and joy, / Comfort and joy, / O tidings of comfort and joy.")

2. In Bethlehem, in Jury, (Jury, or Jewry, refers to Israel.)
This blessed Babe was born,
And laid within a manger,
Upon this blessed morn;
The which His mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn.

Note that this says Mary didn't complain about her situation. Can you imagine this same situation, but having Mary be a materialistic American?

3. From God our heavenly Father,
A blessed angel came.
And unto certain shepherds,
Brought tidings of the same,
How that in Bethlehem was born,
The Son of God by name:

This stanza simply tells of the angel coming to tell the shepherds of the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

4. Fear not, then said the Angel,
Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Savior,
Of virtue, power, and might;
So frequently to vanquish all,
The friends of Satan quite;

Wow, you can definitely tell this comes from Old English. We should not be afraid, for He came in power and has saved us from Satan.

5. The shepherds at those tidings,
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding,
In tempest, storm, and wind,
And went to Bethlehem straightway,
This blessed babe to find:

This one doesn't sing well. But it tells of the shepherds leaving their flocks (somehow I don't think they did) and going to Bethlehem.

6. But when to Bethlehem they came,
Whereas this infant lay
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His mother Mary kneeling,
Unto the Lord did pray:

Imagine walking in on Mary praying! And to think that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in a place where beasts eat. I know it's said over and over, but what a humble way to come into this earth!

7. Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood,
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas,
Doth bring redeeming grace.

TRUE LOVE - Not fake love. Not love for personal gain. Love because Christ loved us, the unloveables. We all need that "redeeming grace" that washes over us in a "holy tide." Praise Him for this season!

So, this song is mostly about the shepherds going to Bethlehem. It's also an edict (don't ask me why that's the first word that came to my mind for this sentence...I guess I have been tainted by the Old English) for us to be joyful and loving at Christmastime!

Peace.

Another Fun Title

2008-12-14T22:10:00.003-05:00

Because who doesn't like the word "Patapan?"

This is another older carol from another land. The only thing I knew about it is that you go "Tu re lu re lu, pat a pat a pan" in the chorus, and that's it's very light and bouncy. :) Let's see what a Google search has to say. First, the lyrics:

Willie, bring your little drum;
Robin, bring your flute and come;
And be merry while you play,

Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
Come be merry while you play,
Let us make our Christmas gay!

When the men of olden days
To the King of Kings gave praise,
On the fife and drum did play,

Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
On the fife and drum did play,
So their hearts were glad and gay!

God and man today become
More in tune than fife and drum,
So be merry while you play,

Tu-re-lu-re-lu,
Pat-a-pat-a-pan,
So be merry while you play,
Sing and dance this Christmas day!

This is from around the year 1700 in Burgundy, France. The lyrics tell of a pair of people (Wikipedia says shepherds) who are playing and being happy because it's Christmas! The "tu-re-lu-re-lu" is the fife, and the "pat-a-pat-a-pan" is the drum.

It's interesting to see that they're wanting people to be happy on Christmas! Not stressed from going to all the parties and stuff so you don't offend people by not coming. Not depressed from going deeper into debt so that you can impress all the many people on your Christmas list by getting them one more item that they didn't need (or want).

The last verse has a cool lyric: "God and man today become / More in tune than fife and drum." May we all strive to pursue holiness (thank you, Summersalt and Jerry Bridges) and become more like our holy God!