spider face.

This week, I have some weirdo stories and lots of pictures. Before I get sucked into the tornado of trying to type my thoughts as quickly as they come, I just want to thank all of you who read this for being in my life. I’ve been thinking so much lately about the way people come and go in our lives. It’s weird to me that we can love someone at one point but then at another point not speak to them. Like when you grow apart from a friend that once meant so much to you. I think of all of the friends I've had that used to fill time with their company and conversation but now I never see them. Is it possible, or even healthy, to try to maintain every relationship that ever held meaning to us? Or are we meant to be, for lack of a better word, fickle in our relationships in this way? AHH! It’s stressing me out, thinking about this. This train is derailing, but all I’m trying to say is thank you for reading my blog and for being part of my life right now. No matter your role, you mean a lot to me and I love you and am grateful for you.

lunchtime views.

Okay, here we go.

Lately I’ve been applying for jobs and graduate school and that’s way more exciting to me than it should be so I’m letting it consume all of my time and energy. My Saturday night was me sitting up in bed until 2 AM blaring Florence + The Machine and listening to the rain while I sent more emails than I could count.

I’ve decided that applying to grad school is literally just sending a hundred emails a day.

“send my transcripts!”

“answer my questions!”

“interview me!”

“send my GRE scores!”

“write my recommendation!”

“give me attention!”

It’s enough to wear a girl out.

yapese sunset + solitary star.

Speaking of being worn out… you know what’s exhausting? BREATHING WHILE YOU SCUBA DIVE. But only when you’re bad at it. Like I am. But it’s cool, because we have to use the buddy system (body system… “Nuhs Joohlie! I have a knot in my sciatic nerve, perhaps you could give me a deep tissue massage?”).

I just want to give a shout out right now to all the people in my life who are mouth breathers due to their deviated septums. I am super jealous of you. Breathing in and out of your mouth is so unnatural to me, but it’s what you have to do to survive in an open water diving instructional course. 

Sarah, Nick, Abby, and I just started our dive certification classes this weekend. We have to do five closed-water dives in the pool followed by four open-water dives in the ocean before we’re fully trained divers, but we’re off to a good start. It is exhausting, but so much fun.

solo drives.

The best part was that I got to wear a wetsuit. As I was putting it on, the most wonderful feeling overcame me. 

I don’t know how many of you have ever been in my room at my parent’s house. If you have, you’re lucky. No one goes in there. 

“I’ve never seen your room!”

“Oh… yeah… no, you can’t go in there. It’s too messy.”

“No, it’s okay! I just really want to see it!”

“No, really. We don’t let people see it.”

@Jenn.

The room is immaculate compared to the closet, though.

ANYWAY. Jennifer and I really haven’t decorated or changed anything in that room since we moved there in 1998. No matter how many times we clean out that room, I can’t get rid of my dolphin stuff.

I love dolphins. 

Love is a gross understatement.

Dolphins are everything to me. Even though they’re like the one animal I can’t draw.

I have ceramic dolphins, glass dolphins, dolphin pillows, postcards with photographs of dolphins, a dolphin wind chime, a dolphin-shaped lamp, dolphin books, and way too many other dolphin things to keep track of.

I don’t know what drew me to them, but I always wanted to be a dolphin trainer at Sea World. It was my dream job.

Well, that, and to be a Supreme Court Justice. 

Say what you will about Sea World, but the fact that we could drive down to San Antonio during my youth and my parents could buy me a cardboard tray full of long, thin fish and I could throw them in the air and watch a dolphin catch them was the COOLEST thing about being a kid. Oh my gosh. I have such an excited feeling welling up in my stomach right now as I write this. That was such a good time in my life. DANG. Nostalgia.

Anyway, I’ve really digressed here. Wearing the wetsuit made me feel like I had somehow attained this status of Sea World Dolphin Trainer/Expert and I was really excited. I didn’t want to take it off. Plus, I don’t know if you’ve ever worn a wetsuit, but they’re SUPER flattering (not) so why would I want to take it off?!

I look like I know what I'm doing, yeah?

In other words, diving is great. More to come.

Interjection!!!

You know what’s cool? Duolingo. I’m brushing up on my Spanish and I’m also teaching myself Gaelic. You know. For if I ever live in Ireland and want to talk to some of the kids who have to learn Gaelic in school while the rest of the country doesn’t speak it. Practical? Absolutely not.

morning moon.

So one thing that’s been happening a lot lately is people are just giving us free meat.

And if you know me, you know that excites me more than it would probably anyone else you know.

Think of Joey from Friends in that Thanksgiving episode when Monica lets Rachel make the desert so she makes that trifle but accidentally puts a layer of “beef, sautéed with peas and onions” …

Ross: Tastes like feet!

Joey: I like it!

Ross: Are ya kidding?

Joey: What’s not to like? Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSFgDZJVYbo 

Last Sunday, a group of men in our village had a big community party that we were invited to. There was lots of local food (taro, fish, rice, …spaghetti……….), but then, at the end of the table, there were just these two coolers. What could be in them, I wondered. 

One was literally full of hot dogs. The other one was just meat. I don’t know what kind. But it was amazing. I could not stop laughing. Just picture two regular-sized coolers just packed with meat and try not to laugh about it. Because I bet you can’t.

But it’s okay, because I took a picture for you.

there's really not a lot to be said.

THEN that same day, after we finished yoga in Maap, I ran into one of my students and his dad offered us food from their barbecue. Can’t say no, it’s rude.

AND THEN this past Friday, we went to this bar (1 of 3 on the island) and this dude just came up behind me and lowered a skewer of meat in front of my face. I didn’t really question it because people aren’t sketchy here. So yeah, that happened. It was super good. I don’t know what was on it but it was amazing.

sarah + me + sticks + bbq

Here’s a quote from The Office to preface something that happened at school this week:

Jim: Several times a day, Michael says words that are way beyond my vocabulary.

Michael: I know where this is goin’.

Jim: Do ya?

Michael: No.

Jim: Okay. Remember “Spider Face?”

Michael: No.

Jim: Okay, because the quote was, “cut off your nose to spider face.”

Michael: Spite her … okay.

Jim: Yeah.

So here are the pictures that go with that. Long story short, we were doing a cleaning day at school and a couple of sophomore girls found a bunch of these spiders in the chapel so they were moving them out and I asked them to put one on my face. 

at first I was hesitant...

but then we decided to collab for a mixtape, so it's cool.

The real highlight of my school week, though, was when one of the freshman girls brought in a bunch of fried fish and boiled yam and shared it for lunch. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I love spending time with these kids outside of the classroom. They’re full of so much light and they’re amazing to be around. I sat with a few girls and they told me some funny stories about their families and village life and we just had a great time. This is what I’ll miss most, I think.

freshman feast.

One last thing. I’m super upset that I wasn’t home to participate in one of the Women’s Marches that took place all over the country (and all over the world), but I am so proud of those who did. I loved seeing so many pictures and videos of men and women and boys and girls standing together, uniting for a purpose that benefits us all and makes us all better and stronger. Activism is something I want to really be a part of. It hurt a lot to not be a part of this, but I know more is coming. I feel empowered and inspired to do really big things. And I know I can do really big things because I have so many people right next to me who are always lifting me up and pushing me higher. So thanks, everyone, for making me who I am. I’ll leave you with this, my new personal mantra: I am no better and no worse than anyone else.