My dog, the Zen master

1. Love unconditionally. You could be gone for a day, or you could be gone for an hour. Or you could accidentally leave your dog in the backseat of your car for a few days (I won't mention which friend of my accidentally did this ;) ) It doesn’t matter, they will ALWAYS still be happy to see you. My dog's love for other people has no bounds. She just wants to love, and be loved as often as possible, no questions asked.

 2. Don’t focus on the past or the future. Enjoy the present moment. As stated in the study, “A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind,” people are happiest when doing activities that keep the mind focused. Thinking, reminiscing, or planning an activity that is not within this current moment can undermine happiness.

And of course that can lead us to another lesson learned from our animals…

3. Be happy, always.

4. Just being present is enough. I always thought the best kind of a friend is one who you can sit on a front porch with and not have to say a word.

5.  Language goes beyond words – 90% of our communication is nonverbal. While much of it is through body language, I believe, too, a lot comes from energies/our emotions. I understood a great deal of this with my work for over 5 years with children with special needs. It's as if one's lack of ability to verbally communicate is replaced with a strong sense to read people’s emotions. While working with these children, I learned it didn’t matter what I said as much as HOW I said it. When I was frustrated, the students were frustrated. If I was nervous, so were they. If I was happy and positive, they were too. Simple as that.  Realizing this, my work with special needs children came easier to me. After I began rewarding their small successes through positive reinforcement, I would see more progress with my students.

When I moved to El Salvador, I was now that child with special needs. I knew about 40 words in Spanish before being placed in a community of people where no one spoke my language.. As mentioned in #4, just the presence of another person is meaningful. I’m thankful for the patience & positive energy I felt through Salvadorians, just like I’m sure the children I worked with were appreciative of my patience and positive energy.

I say some of my best teachers in life have been non-verbal children with special needs or Salvadorians whose education doesn’t go beyond 4^th grade.

6. It's the simple things – like going for a walk. My dog will just come up and sit next to me (and awkwardly stare), until I say the magic word; walk. And then that’s it. She’s content for the rest of the day. I’ll admit, my walks out back in the woods are just as exciting for me too. It certainly doesn’t hurt to exercise and spend more time outside, especially in this beautiful fall weather.  Rides in the car, walks in the park, doing laps around the house for no apparent reason; you name it, this dog finds joy in every little thing.

7. Don’t take life seriously. – Have fun. Learn to laugh at yourself. Don’t judge yourself or others. Don’t worry about what others think. Those that do love you will love you forever, and those that don’t, just don’t matter.

8. Take naps - Even if you don't have time for a nap, take some time for yourself. Meditate. Clear your mind. Focus on your breathing. Just take a brief moment out of the day to relax. To reflect. To have "me" time.

9. Just breathe – Dogs may pant to regulate their body temperature. For us, breathing might not make us cooler, but it helps regulate our emotional temperature. In, out. Focusing on our breathing helps us concentrate more on the present moment, and it’s also a great stress reducer.

10. Don’t be afraid. Be curious. Try new things. Be adventurous. Life begins when you leave your comfort zone.

11. Forgive – Dogs don’t hold grudges. As humans, we shouldn't either; we are all intelligent enough to know people make mistakes. Learn something from you or the others mistake and move forward.

12. Treat strangers with kindness too. Don’t be afraid to look people in the eye, or maybe even say “hello” once in awhile when you pass someone on the street. It is impossible to take Maggie on a walk in town where she doesn’t feel like she has to greet EVERYONE. At least, the people love it (most of them.)

13. Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones (talk to each other, and not just via text.)  No matter where Maggie is in the house, if she hears my family talking, she always comes in the room to be part of the conversation. She’ll come in the room, sit on one of our laps, and listen until the conversation eventually fades.

14. Play – Whatever this means to YOU. Go outside, hike, bike, climb, practice yoga, laugh, have coffee with a friend, or maybe play fetch with your dog. Whatever it may be, don’t forget to take some time out of your day to do something that makes you happy and is fun.

  

It's just that simple; eat, love and be happy. I think our dogs know what is important in life :)

Less is more

When asked, what I miss most about living in El Salvador, I respond with, living the simple life. The simple life; life that has less of a focus on materials and "stuff", and more of a focus on peace, values, and compassion for others.

Some days, I find myself more stressed and anxious living here, and I don't even have a job! After over 2 years of living a very simple life (practically living out of a suitcase or a backpack), the amount of options and choices I have to make are a bit overwhelming.

When did getting dressed in the morning become such a struggle?  So many options! As soon as I accept that I will no longer weigh 100 lbs again, I will donate my clothing. This will help eliminate at least 30% of my clothing. Also, thank goodness for my stylish friends  who are certainly not afraid to tell me which of my clothes are out of fashion (*cough, cough, thanks Laura. hehe)  This will also help me with the selection process of what to keep in the closet.  So that will narrow my options down to about 10 outfits, which will be just fine with me. Even with the epic battles I have with my closet each morning, I still only wear the same 5-10 outfits anyway. 

So, before coming home, the thought of watching TV (since I've gone years without it) sounded quite appealing to me.  However, with the amount of channels on DISH, I end up spending more time flipping through the channels then I do actually watching something. I gave up on TV, and will unfortunately not be able to partake in any conversations regarding recent television shows. (Who the hell is Honey boo boo??! Sorry Mindy, I tried to follow your conversation! hah)

Anyone, feel free to pass good movie suggestions my way.

Oh, and how could I forget, grocery stores.. whew. Just the thought of them makes my heart pound.  My first time in a grocery store experience; So I gave myself 2 weeks to indulge on food.... To yes, go completely overboard and eat anything and everything.  2 weeks,  to eat all that junk food I craved. After finding, the WHOLE aisle of just cookies, I had to now decide, what kind of cookie? Oreos, of course! Found them! Oh wait, but did I?  Berry burst Oreo. Cool Mint Cream Oreo. Triple double chocolate Oreo. Coconut Delight Oreo. Cookies and Cream Oreo. Where are just the plain Oreos? 

And we wonder why 35% of Americans are obese. Well, I suppose, one way to look at it is one can certainly get their exercise walking around these massive grocery stores trying to find something  ;) hehe.

Another big adjustment for me would be the cool, popular, unique factor (or, the lack thereof).  I'm no different then anyone else walking the streets here. Why would I be? I'm just a white girl. One amongst the other 93% of people here.. No, "buenos dias,""Salu!" or "Hola" No greetings. No acknowledgments. No eye contact. There are no children running up to hug me. Here in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, I am just another white person walking the streets. I'm not a rock star. No one knows my name, nor do I know theirs.

Okay so I probably wasn't THAT cool in El Salvador either. People just really liked me because I was different, and I was also able to help broaden their conversations beyond the weather and corn.  I'm sure other PCVs can relate, that in our communities we are spoiled.  People go out of their way to make sure we feel special and are comfortable. Giving up their seat for you. Giving you the first plate of food. Sending their son up the mango or avocado tree to bring some down for you. 

With all that being said, my first week back to the states, I passed a sign hung outside, that said "Live simply. So that others may simply live." This sign was hung outside a very tiny house (which appeared to once be someone's shed) nestled between two larger houses.

I really liked the quote, and the longer I am back and living in the US, the more I am beginning to think more and more just what this quote means to me. The simple life is not only beneficial to myself (less stress and a more relaxed way of living), but to others as well.  Our actions affect half a world away. You are part of a much bigger story than your own. We are a world of people that from different backgrounds, ethnic groups, financial status, etc. But we are all one. We are all humans. Our responsibility of humans is to look out for each other. To be compassionate and understanding. We are all striving to reach a common goal; happiness. So why make it harder for people? Our greed needs to turn back into remembering our needs.We need to slow down, we really do. When you get more and more, another is getting less and less. That doesn't seem like a fair equation, does it?

Random picture for this blog, but uhm... Happy FALL!!?!

An image from my Peace Corps experience that will likely always stick with me. The village children going through my burning trash to salvage something that I threw out (A half eaten tomato that I thought was too old to be eaten, or a cereal box that they could make a toy house out of.)

 Did it really have to get to that to to really show me just how wasteful I am?

 

I certainly am far from perfect, and there are many things I wish I could do different. I wish I would grow my own food. I wish I didn't feel the need to buy the Iphone. I wish I could hit that delete button on my facebook account. I wish I could be a vegan (unfortunately, I love cheese and ice cream too much, ahah) I wish I could say that I don't own 28 headbands. I have a long way to go. Living in a developing country has certainly helped raise this awareness, and I know it will only continue to grow.

I came to El Salvador with the intention to help develop a community. I left with more than just that. This community of people helped develop me instead. I learned more from them, then they will ever know. Thank you Calderitas.

"If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life,  let it."

Rockin' in the Free World

After 21 months of living in El Salvador, and 4 months of traveling around South America, I have finally made my way back home to central Pennsylvania. I love being home, and this blog is dedicated to the reasons why it is, oh so nice, being back home.

Philadelphia Airport

The title of this blog, "Rockin' in the Free World", seemed most relevant for me. I'm not even back to my home in Winfield, PA for 20 hours and I'm already at a music concert. So Neil Young didn't play, "Rockin' in the Free World," but I still enjoyed his sounds, along with the sounds of many other famous artists (Willie Nelson, DMB, Jack Johnson, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals,etc.) that came together for Farm Aid.  The money from this shows helps support family farms.

Concerts are certainly on the top of the list of what I've missed most about the US. I love music, and something is transformed with my mood & my surroundings, when I listen to it. At Farm Aid, I loved sharing that same energy with over 30,000 people.

It is nice being able to dance, without having to know a specific dance. I love American music for that.  Don't get me wrong, I do love Latin music and the dances that go along with them; such as cumbia, salsa, or bachata. When my Salvadorean friends would ask how we dance in America, they seemed somewhat appalled that there isn't a certain dance, but more a matter of "going with the flow of the music." I guess I could have shown them the chicken dance or the electric slide, but I thought I'd rather save the humiliation on that one.

As for the others? What I love most about being back?

1 Family and friends. The people who have been by my side through all of this and who were on this life changing journey with me. Through emails, phone calls, care packages, or just the thought of them helped me through this experience. Now it is time to tell them about it in person.

Mom, Dad, and I in front of my dad's 57 Chevy
At the cruise in - Country Cupboard, Lewisburg, PA

2.  Speaking English - Okay, so right now, I'm sure I sound like an English a a second language learner. I have many, "what is that word in English?" moments. As an aspiring writer and English teacher, I hope my English grammar comes back to me.

3. Being organized - No more living out of a backpack. Here in the US, my clothes go in a closet or a drawer. My money goes in a wallet, not rolled up in a money belt against me.

4. Music & Concerts - As mentioned above. The same 1,000 songs on my IPOD got a bit old. I love the sounds of new music, and being able to "let go" at live music concerts. Who is in for Phish New Years Eve?

5. Driving a car - While, the first time on the highway was a bit hard, I love being behind the wheel and singing at the top of my lungs (even if I do get a few weird looks by passing vehicles).

6. Hot showers -  Not wearing shoes and not having to bring shower supplies each time you take a shower is an extra plus as well.

7. Markets - More specifically, the Amish. This group of people that were all around me while growing up, suddenly appear more interesting to me. For those who don't know, I live on the edge of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, which is noted for their high Amish population. Because of their delicious baked goods, such as whoopie pie or shoofly pie (lard pie according to Noel), I foresee myself gaining some weight being back here.

buggies parked during Sunday morning church

My Peace Corps friend Amy at the Watsontown Yard Sales
(She loved the area, but was certainly quite shocked that I came from it) 

8. Carpet. Walking around barefoot inside a house is sooooo nice. Oh, the little things.

9. Bathrooms. In Central and South America, I was lucky to find an indoor bathroom. I was even luckier to find that inside bathroom with a toilet seat. Having toilet paper was certainly out of the picture (If you are traveling there, make sure to always carry a roll with you). Here in the states, I'm finding myself going to the bathroom in places even if I don't have to actually "go." Toilet seats, toilet paper, sinks, mirrors, AND hand dryers. How luxurious!  I just need to remember, the toilet paper goes IN the toilet bowl.

10. Hiking and being in nature.

A section of the Appalachian Trail in PA

11. Washing machines - I'm not actually sure this is a "great thing about being back in the states." I felt like I just had to write it. I secretly miss washing my clothes on a rock. The thought of washing machines is definitely appealing to someone who works a full-time job (which is not me).

12. A house free of unwanted creatures - the cockroaches, tarantulas, scorpions, bats, and mice. Oh, how could I forget the pigeons!

13. The beautiful fall colors. and the brisk fall weather.

14. New old clothes. It's nice not having to go shopping. After being away from your clothing for over 2 years, everything in your closet is new to you.

15. Conversations  that go beyond the weather and corn.

16. Being back "in the loop." I have developed a small obsession with checking the world news app on an hourly basis. It's as if my brain is making up for lost activity.

17. Watching movies on something other then my 10 inch laptop, and doing so on a couch (not a hammock) Dare I admit how lazy I've become. Tomorrow, I'm going to the gym. Tomorrow.

18. My dog Maggie.  I'm gone for 2 years, and I see just how quickly I am replaced. She has taken over the couch, my bed, and the backseat of the car. Even if I do kick her off these spots, put her in her place, and call her fat 20 times a day, she still forgives me. That's the amazing thing about animals; they don't hold grudges. I love this dog, and I love being able to give positive attention to animals without getting weird looks or remarks. It's nice to see others doing so too.

The most spoiled dog in the world, Maggie May

19. The food, and all the options for food. Menus at restaurants are a bit overwhelming, but worth the effort. (My body is actually craving beans and tortilla).

20. Cooking. To continue with food, I have to mention how much I have fallen in love with cooking, or rather the idea of cooking. Due to lack of ingredients, I haven't been able to partake much in this. If anyone has a good recipe, send it my way.