Family

I have been looking over old pictures from the Georgia days. How life has changed...for the good and the bad. From the pictures you could tell that me and brother were joined by the hips. Pretty much every frame we are either in deep conversation or playing together. I seemed to be the bossy one...which is usual. My brother was the laid back one. Now, we don't really have to much to do with each other, since he goes to college at western and I am in Eugene. Life has diverged, but I still have those pictures.
I caught Beena and Neena's faces in the some of the pictures. My geographically close first cousins. Its hard to imagine that my closest extended family is 3000 miles away in the deep south. They really lost in their own world, and don't want any connections. No matter how matter how hard I try to connect with them, I still get denied. it kind of hurts. but there is nothing i can do. I guess somethings can't be mended by pictures. I might be being a little harsh, but I don't think I should have to apologize for their behavior, if they act like it, then they deserve the titles. Sometimes I wonder - what if I grew up in Nepal my entire life? How different would i be...Bibisha and Bibek could be me and Raj. Do i want to be them? Probably not, but I do admit I am jealous. They have done Dasia and Holi numerous times...all I got was Merry Christmas 20 dollar present. They got the relatives, the culture and the true nepalese experience, while i got a halfway world. My parents did everything...sleeping in cars, to working 30 hour days, to living in a foreign world surrounded by strangers, and yet I am complaining. I guess all I want is to be with more family. When I was Germany, i got to meet Deepa and Aamir, my other first cousins. They were really nice in hosting me for the week, but at the end of the day we were still strangers. Deepa was beautiful, but set in German traditions, and Aamir had his directorial project going. I felt a connection...both of us alike in living in halfway worlds, but they were more set while i was still in limbo land. Deepa was pregnant...8 months...she was beautiful, I am sure she will have beautiful baby girl. I am an aunt, to a baby who probably I will never meet, and if I do meet her, it will be like strangers passing at a train station - a brief encounter on the platform but we will have to board our different trains...to our homes far apart.
Its weird how families are. We carry the same name, have the same blood flow, and at least know of each others existence, but yet we aren't nothing more than mere acquaintances. I guess i should hold on to the ones that have been there for me. Thank you Amma, Buwa and Raj...

Heart 2 Heart

This past week I have officially settled into my place on 16th and Hilyard. I went grocery shopping on a bike, and bought way to much stuff to carry. I had about 8 bags and a back pack and a bike. Definitely not the ideal shopping agenda. On the way back, I had to control every rotation on the bike or else, my eggs along with me would have hit the pavement. haha!
On Monday i went down to the DAC to do a step class. First off I am clumsy, can't keep a beat and haven't taken a step class since freshman year. So of course i was totally offbeat the entire time, but hey, time flies by in a step class when you don't know the movements, and you are trying to keep up. So I had a great time...haha. But the best part of the hour was the gentleman next to me. He was a six foot something dude with an angular jaw and blonde hair. Basically he looked like the USSR bad guys from action movies made in the 1970s and 1980s. Kind of a mix between David hasselhof and Daniel Craig. Anyways he wore blue shirt tucked into tights that were so tight for not being spandex, and cutoff right above his ankle where his red and white nike pumps enclosed his feet. Then he laid down carpet dead center of the studio right in front of the instructor. It felt as if he was trying to lead. Anyways, as everyone one was stretching he goes to the wall and does handstands spreading his legs into a V. Great, not only do i have step next to a KGB assassin look-a-like, i have to watch him stretch in a crazy manner. It made me laugh so hard at one point in the middle of the workout that i got a my ab work out in too. Then when the class began, you could see him in every mirror, and it was ridiculously insanely funny, since he would step the highest due to the combination of his height and his energy...oh god how i laughed...

then yesterday, my mom came down...she brought a whole bunch of food...i mean a whole cooler of pre cooked food. yummm.....she helped me with my kitchen and then we had a heart to heart...fun...bonding...a little dramatic too...but it was nice to talk. anyways we spent about 3 hours together...
i am in class. bored out of my mind. can't wait to be done at 6pm...then off the ranch where Alexa is house sitting...yeah...horses...pool...jacuzzi!!!!oh so much fun!

Diversity

So, life has been on the up and up...a lot of fun times. These past few days I have been hanging with Alexa, Erin and Katie doing crazy things...like standing in the Harry Potter 6 movie line for an hour, and going over to Sergs and Joel's place. Those to guys are just insanely funny...a little crass, but hilarious. We played the very honored college pastime - beer pong, but I have to admit I am horrible at it. I get a few shots in the cup but its all by fluke...haha.
This past weekend I went to Triangle lake with Martha la Rosa(I love saying her name in its entirity) and some of her friends. Its the first time in Oregon that i have hung out with a crowd that didn't have any white people, besides my "extended family. " Everyone there was from a different heritage, culture, or nationality. it was really interesting that way, beause we all bonded over the fact that we were "ferengis." I also met a girl from Eritrea, and we talked habasha a bit...haha. It was just great. We hit the rock slides and played in the water after the BBQ, which was just yummy.
I have been still working out at the DAC. Everyday...yeah...i have lost weight...but more to go yay! i like the dac...its all order people, so i don't feel judged or intimidated. Everyone is just doing their thing. i love the pool...i am horrible swimmer, but its been great working out without hurting the joints too much.
today is rachel's b-day...she is 21...which is amazing...but sad...now i am the only one of the coogs who isn't 21. oh well...only till October.
Tomorrow I have lunch with Nicole, she was in Ethiopia doing the same thing I did, but a term before me. She knows Mark, who was there when I was too. So it will be good to chat and reminise.
all in all...beautiful days (except for the thunderstorm...that scared me silly) and amos lee music.
ps- i got free stuff for the apartmen...microwaves and tables, and lamps...yeah! and Dawit from layla has finally reached ARIZONA...and facebooked me - no corruption....haha

mosquito bites... DAC...and all

so it was the 4th weekend, and the night before, I went down by the river with Amels...it was the fastest bike ride ever...if i only had a road bike I might have been able to keep up...anyways, bug bites was the night's main event. The fourth was weird...I began moving, and then at night had fun with Sergio, Juel, Erin, and Alexa...crazy time...Good god...I don't think I will ever forget that night...haha. moved into my new place...even though I am not quite settled. soon enough though...
I joined the DAC...downtown Athletic Club...its kind of a high end gym...a little pricy...but what the heck...if i am paying that much...I know...well, i have to use the facility...it kind of forces me to go and workout...which is good. While there I ran into Raya and Naomi. Raya just got back from Ethiopia and met Abenezer and Tsion and all the other kids...I hope to talk with her more about her experience. Naomi and I talked for a while about the frustration on not being able to do anything other than wait for the process to move along...I just hope that everything goes off with a hitch before the summer is out...i really do hope so. Anyways, I took a swim at the club...I am horrible at swimming...but no one was in the lane...so I didn't feel to bad. It was an amazing workout...yay!
All in all...I want to bake a pie, finish my homework, enjoy the sun this weekend, finish galvan's essay, and take over the world...haha
anyways...peace
ps- I got a check from the UO for a substantial amount...I am not sure why, but it has my name on it so...I am no longer broke...at least for a while...haha...

Life in the Summer Heat

Summer has officially set in. I have been pretty busy, doing random things...but I feel like nothing is getting done. Work and school...the usual. My anthropology class is a little tiring...but I have met some cool friends...just having it for 3 hours everyday is ugghh... I am in the random transition phase...still...I need to move to my place and get settled...soon...
I just talked to Jenny and Anna on the phone...they are in the san juan islands and ecuador. I am vicarioulsy living thru them. Jenny is in the perfect spot...hippie ville meets outdoorsy world.
I went to a bbq with Martha, Matt and Mitzi...and had kava with Colin Kiley...it numbed my toungue and lips and totally de-stressed me. amazing. however, even though it is non-alcoholic...its the only time I've had a hangover...not cool.
I took a weekend class. Humanitarian Aid was the topic. We looked at a lot of case studies...very eye opening but helpful in understanding current issues in the international fiels. Made me think about International law and studying that. The GTF was five months pregnant...she had to pee every 45 minutes so we had a lot of breaks throughout the day...but the best part was the discussions we had...a small group trying to solve the world problems...great convos
Amels made dinner for me...a spinach, goat cheese pie...loved it....we also had a cherry pie...it had egg in it...a little off beat...but not bad...it was some martha stewart recipe...love my martha. Makes me want to cook now...when i finally settle down and have ingredients in the kitchen.
I had my Rotary interview...the first stage...they enjoyed my chat with them...it was informal...so it was more a free flow conversation. They were actually really cool people...a very international group. One of the folks there had an NPO in Kenya. Pretty interesting group of people.
My biggest pressure is coming from the research paper i have to write for galvan...ughh...i have a mental block when it comes to Ethiopia...miss it horribly though.
i am waiting for something...but i am not sure what...a change...some inspiration...i am kind of in a rut...