New Time Zone

When I got here, it felt like the ground was moving... 

Reminiscing... No, literally! For a few days, I could have sworn the ground was alive. Thank God that jet-lag isn't permanent. As we drove away from the airport, I kissed the taste of city and home goodbye indefinitely. My family and friends were left in the sweet Carolinas, and I found myself in a new time zone. So, we drove 7 hours into the mountains of this beautiful country. And then, I was home. 

Now, I am home. I'm still coming to terms with that fact. 

See, I've been living in transition for the past 4 years at college. Different dorms, home for summers, home for winter break, back to the dorm, living at camp, and training in a different state. This will be the longest I have lived in one place since high school, which is pretty bizarre. No more living out of my little green Honda Civic! It's crazy to be settling down into a place that's anything but easy to settle into. 

One thing I have to remember is: these things are not wrong or worse, just different. 

Maybe the Father will refine me through all of this. Maybe he'll change and challenge everything about me. From my mind to my heart, this place is where I'm supposed to be. Welcome to a home on a new horizon. 

Bull Dozin'

BULL FIGHTS YEAH! 

One of the most awesome things here is the entertainment. Today, I got to go to a real live bull-fight. There are some major perks to being in a 3rd world country. My favorite perk by far is the lack of rules. I'm honestly a rebel at heart. If there is a sign that says, "Don't walk on grass," then I will be that one person who's walking on the grass. Well, anyone could go wherever they wanted to inside of the bull-fighting arena. He he he. And there were no fences. Living life on the wild side.

So, each bull has a ring in it's nose. The owner of the bull puts a hook attached to a long stick in the ring. It's really a perfect way to piss the bull off before setting it loose to fight. I mean, really? You tell me... wouldn't you be pretty angry if someone was pulling you around by a ring attached to your nose? Most likely.

Anyways! Next, they pull the bulls into the arena. People were scattered all across the slopes of the mountains surrounding the arena. So exciting! All eyes on the bulls. They put the bulls close to each other and then... crack, crack, crack! The sound of horns clashing with horns! Pretty cool. And all the people are so excited. Oooohs and Ahhhhs. The first bull to chicken out, get scared, get hurt, and run away for some reason is the loser. There were some pretty short fights, but the coolest one lasted for like 16 plus minutes. Head to head action!

Clarification: when I say arena, I mean a huge dust bowl cut into a valley between two mountains.

One of my favorite moments of the day:
One of the bulls got hurt and freaked out. It ran out of the dusty pit and up the side of the mountain where the crowd was!!!!! People were running, screaming, and jumping. I now know why they coined the term "a bull in a china shop." HA!

Luckily, I was on the opposite side of the mountain. Tee hee hee.

When boxed milk starts to taste like milk milk...

Hello Western world! 

It's been 3 full months since I've been in the beautiful Asia, and guess what? The boxed milk is starting to taste like normal milk. This, my friends, is a feat that I though would never happen. Some people hit a big bump somewhere between 4-8 months of being out of their home country. For me, I feel like I hit the bump head on.... on arrival. I suppose that's what happens when not one single thing reminds you of home. 

The locals celebrate their New Year on the second week of April. And what a better New Years tradition than soaking all your friends with loads and loads of water???? Today, I went to my first New Years party. I had so much fun being a kid and getting drenched. If only I'd had the foreknowledge to NOT wear nicer clothes to the party... Oh well, hindsight! I danced, ate, and toasted with locals all while in a sopping wet skirt. How beautiful? 

When I first arrived here, if bugged the mess out of me that people could just sit around and relax most of the time. My American mentality says that time is money! Money is time! I gotta go, go, go right now, now, now! Now, I've come to see that such a relaxed mentality might not be all bad. In fact, it's simply different. I've noticed something pleasant about being so relaxed: people here are happy. They may lack the s@v*or, but they are happy. 

What on earth was missing from my previously busy world? Was I happy? Some of my darkest times happened while I had a relationship with JC. Now, I have joy, which goes much deeper than happiness. But, I think I was missing something before that I love seeing now through a new culture. That something would be the aspect of a thriving community. Simply enjoying the presence of my brothers, sisters, and neighbors for a while and getting so many positive vibes from that interaction that I lose track of time in such good community. Wow, maybe I can learn something from all the new, different, challenging, and head bursting moments I have here. 

One of my professors told me in college that I'd be like a square head in the middle of a sea of round heads. So different, so against the grain of those around me. And he told me that after being overseas for a while, I'd start to lose some of my corners and become this really strange octagon: half square, half round. He also said that some of the corners would be painfully shaved down and chipped away. Sir, you were so so right in saying this. I'm signing out today with a humbled mindset. MY home culture is not the best, most-correct, superior culture in the whole wide world. Maybe it's just different. The differences may make no logical sense in this thick Southern American skull of mine, but they are slowly but surely being given generous consideration and exploration these days. 

My New Home

New Beginnings

It's been 2 months now that I've lived in this new place. Some days are difficult; others are a breeze. 

Here are some new things I'm having to adjust to:

• New language and culture
• The smell of raw meat permeating the market-place
• Leaving my shoes at the door
• Teaching ESL to students who are much older than me
• Stares
• New foods
• Biking and walking everywhere   

These are just a few of the things that I look forward to everyday. Some days, I find myself in-between a rock and a hard place emotionally. Heck, I stick out like a sore thumb here whether I'm trying to or not. I'm white, I have freckles, I have blue eyes and light colored hair, and I'm just plain different. I'm the stranger and the weirdo automatically. Really, I've never been somewhere for longer than 2 months where I'm THIS different. It's a major adjustment, but this is home. This is where I'll be living and thriving for the next 2 years of my life. Wow.

The elevation is almost 4,000 feet above sea level here. We don't have heat or AC. It cools down at night and can get super hot during the day. For this beach kid, it's strange being somewhere that's completely landlocked. We have 2 seasons here: dry winter and rainy summer. Sorry to my elementary teachers who've been telling me all my life that there are 4 seasons! Now, that's not the case.

You know, the main thing that amazes me here is beauty and simplicity. People have simple lives. There isn't much pop-culture and high entertainment here. No movies, no bowling, no put-put, no Walmart, no mall, no mainstream restaurants, no fast-food, and no high-speed internet. You are left with a very stripped down, basic version of life. You work, eat, and sleep here. This is life. Work in the field or the market, go home, eat, and sleep. Friendships don't have much time to be superficial because of this. You cannot fill an evening with a superficial activity. Most Americans would be blown away by this. I used to say... what's next? We ate at this restaurant, now what are we doing next? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Go, go, go. Do, do, do. Might as well kiss that mentality goodbye, Holli! Now, we may just sit outside and talk about the sky or the flowers. We may talk about food, family, and the future. All else is stripped away.

I'm left in a quiet place...
Hush...

Don't think about tomorrow. It's OK if you're late. Take your time.
Steady now...

So, I walk... I ride my bike... I take time to look at people and life unfolding around me. What do I see? I see beauty. I see the value of relationships. I see time in a different manner. I see the hearts and souls of people much faster. And, it's beautiful.
Seeing straight to the heart of life is a bittersweet thing, you know? You may see something in yourself that you don't like. You may see just how lost people really are. You may find yourself feeling more and thinking more about the world around you- not in a nonchalant way, but in a way that sees the individual bigger pictures of the lives of everyone around you.

Is there a purpose? I think so. Build bonds, love the heck out of people, give, and grow. Above all else, spread the truth that sets all people free. Live for something other than yourself, and make this life count. Sell out to truth.