And So This Is Christmas [and what have we done?]
It's been a while...as it always is. It's hard to believe I'm nearly done grade twelve. In some ways I feel like life's just begining, and in others it feels like all the fun parts are coming to an end. On Wednesday I have my graduation interview (if I don't pass I don't graduate) and so I finished putting together the portfolio thing we had to do for it. In some ways I guess I'm pretty satisfied with my life up until now. Everything has added up to an unexpected adventure, some good, some bad.
In the past two months I've found myself thinking about Zambia a lot. I miss it. Which is something I honestly never expected to happen. While living there I always felt so unhappy, isolated, and defeated I figured there was no way I would ever want to return. Guess I was wrong. Nearly every day I've thought about it. Go-go, Sara, the dogs, Cheryl Anne, left side of the road and endless corn. I'm missing it more and more. In an odd way it forces me to work harder in school for better grades, so that I can guarantee acceptance into UBCO for nursing. This is linked because, I really want to be a nurse so I can help people. Ultimately I'd like to take my nursing over to Zambia, or wherever I'm led, and use my skills where they're needed.
The hardest part is knowing that my next trip to Zambia may be a very long time from now, when some friends may not be around anymore. And that makes me sad. But in the meantime I've decided to try and make a difference right here where I am. At school I've helped out with our global service club a lot. We take all the recycled cans and bottles around the school, turn them in for money, and send the money to a high school in Nairobi who a friend is working with. The club also puts on fundraisers and helps with global awareness around the school. Candy striping has really gotten me involved in my own community here which has been amazing. Old people are actually some of the most uplifting people ever. No joke. If you've never heard of this site before, please check it out - www.freerice.com, they donate rice to the united nation's world food program. Go check it out for yourself.
This Christmas I've tried to do it as best I can I guess. I'm not sure how to put what I've been doing, but so far it's felt like the best Christmas ever. With every gift I buy for other people I've tried to make sure some of the cost goes to people who need it (like those "red" things at Gap, or things from Ten Thousand Villages). It's been really awesome, because while you're buying things for your friends and family, you're helping others who need it at the same time. On Christmas day I'd also like to go visit all my friends at the care center where I candy stripe. I guess I'm slowly trying to figure out how Jesus would want me to celebrate his birthday. So far it's been amazing. Not saying this is the perfect and right way to spend Christmas...but it feels a lot better putting the focus on helping others rather than commercialism and myself.
Who knows who reads this anymore, but it felt good to write something other than the English essays I've been laboring over.
In the past two months I've found myself thinking about Zambia a lot. I miss it. Which is something I honestly never expected to happen. While living there I always felt so unhappy, isolated, and defeated I figured there was no way I would ever want to return. Guess I was wrong. Nearly every day I've thought about it. Go-go, Sara, the dogs, Cheryl Anne, left side of the road and endless corn. I'm missing it more and more. In an odd way it forces me to work harder in school for better grades, so that I can guarantee acceptance into UBCO for nursing. This is linked because, I really want to be a nurse so I can help people. Ultimately I'd like to take my nursing over to Zambia, or wherever I'm led, and use my skills where they're needed.
The hardest part is knowing that my next trip to Zambia may be a very long time from now, when some friends may not be around anymore. And that makes me sad. But in the meantime I've decided to try and make a difference right here where I am. At school I've helped out with our global service club a lot. We take all the recycled cans and bottles around the school, turn them in for money, and send the money to a high school in Nairobi who a friend is working with. The club also puts on fundraisers and helps with global awareness around the school. Candy striping has really gotten me involved in my own community here which has been amazing. Old people are actually some of the most uplifting people ever. No joke. If you've never heard of this site before, please check it out - www.freerice.com, they donate rice to the united nation's world food program. Go check it out for yourself.
This Christmas I've tried to do it as best I can I guess. I'm not sure how to put what I've been doing, but so far it's felt like the best Christmas ever. With every gift I buy for other people I've tried to make sure some of the cost goes to people who need it (like those "red" things at Gap, or things from Ten Thousand Villages). It's been really awesome, because while you're buying things for your friends and family, you're helping others who need it at the same time. On Christmas day I'd also like to go visit all my friends at the care center where I candy stripe. I guess I'm slowly trying to figure out how Jesus would want me to celebrate his birthday. So far it's been amazing. Not saying this is the perfect and right way to spend Christmas...but it feels a lot better putting the focus on helping others rather than commercialism and myself.
Who knows who reads this anymore, but it felt good to write something other than the English essays I've been laboring over.
posted by Lauren at 3:28 PM
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