1. MY PARENTS. I am thankful for two of my best friends - my parents. They have continually showered me with unconditional love and support, showed me how to make the world a better place through their examples, and done their fair share of teaching me right from wrong. They have followed me through some hair-brained ideas and have never called me crazy for them. And I would never be able to be where I am now without their daily support. Of course there are moments they drive me absolutely crazy, but that's in their job description as parents. And I've found the amount of craziness is negatively correlated with my age. The older I get the righter they become and scarily enough, the more like them I become. "Mirror Mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all"
How can you not love these two?
2. MY BROTHERS AND SISTER. I am also thankful my parents had 4 kiddos. I am thankful for each one of my 3 siblings. I have always felt incredibly blessed to get to experience the love and fun of having brothers and sisters. There was always someone to play with as a child and holidays are always exciting. I also knew what it meant to care for another person more than myself first because of my siblings. They have pushed me to become the best person I can be, challenged me to think in different ways, and supported me through many adventures.
3. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW. I am thankful for my brother in law Matt. When asked in Peru how many siblings I have (a super common question) I found I usually answered "3 y un cuñado" (brother-in-law). It doesn't feel like I have correctly stated the number of brothers and sisters I have without including him. I mean the guy's been around for 8 or so years by now. He was a part of a large chunk of my growing up in high school, college, and beyond and even more of my little brother's growing up. We may not always see eye to eye on everything but I am thankful to have a fun, caring, and super smart person added to the family. I am even more thankful for his relationship with my sister. Along with my parents, they are a wonderful example of love and marriage.
4. TECHNOLOGY. I am thankful for technology. In the US everyone is so connected and attached to technology it can be overwhelming. In Peru I have drastically less attachment and connectability, but the technology I do have has been a lifeline. First and most obvious is the ability to communicate with home. With apps, cell phones, iPads, emails, Facebook, and more I can still stay connected with the lives of family and friends. And also with technology I have work outs, teaching resources, music, movies and tv - all things that help long days pass (if I have electricity to use them). And technology in the medical field is literally saving lives! I mean come on - technology, you're pretty cool in my book.
5. WATER. I am thankful for water. The majority of people in Peru do not drink water - or really much of any liquid during the day but if they do it's sugar and caffeine filled "gaseosa" (soft drink) or sugar filled fruit juice. Possibly because water is less available. You can't drink the water from the tap as it's full of bacteria and parasites (yum!) So to drink water you have to have some means of boiling or purifying it. And you have to have access to water. My pueblo doesn't have water all day every day so unless you store enough from when it was running, you could be left without. And that's sad because water is delicious! I can literally taste the goodness giving energy and life back to my body after a few days of dehydration! I will be excited to be back in a place where water is clean and abundant but I hope I do not forget what a luxury that is.
6. HOT SHOWERS. I am thankful for hot showers. I haven't taken a hot shower in about 3 months. Instead I bucket bath - meaning I use a bucket full of water and a small pitcher to bath myself. And I miss showers. Showers are awesome - with the heat, and the water pressure. It's refreshing and feel so clean. I am thankful showers exist even though they are not a part of my life right now.
7. COAST & SUNSHINE. I am thankful for the coast and sunshine. Peru has 3 environments - desert coast, the Andes mountains, and the jungle. Before moving here I thought I could like either of the two options for Peace Corps volunteers - coast or mountains. But now that I have lived here I have found I am much more fit for coastal living. The mountains are beautiful and perfect for visits, hikes, and vacations, but the coast is the place to live. There is nothing to spring me into action faster than a bright, sun-shiny day. And, contrarily, nothing to put me back to bed faster than a cold, overcast, and rainy day.
8. SUNSETS - Tonight I was walking back to a hostal with a friend when she pointed out the sun setting over the beach. I turned and was greeted with one of God's most beautiful gifts - a glorious big, perfectly round sun making its decent past the distant waves. We stood and looked for a moment before deciding to walk out on the sand to watch. By the time we walked the 10 yards to the beach, it had already drastically changed. There was now only a semi-circle left and the brilliant red and pink hues had given way to more yellows, oranges, and blue reflecting from the water. In another moment it was gone. Sunsets are a reminder of the mysterious beauty held in this world.
9. EDUCATION. My parents would probably be surprised to hear me say this as much as I have complained, but i am thankful for my grade school education. Working in Peru in an education system that does not teach critical or analytical thinking, I can see the amazing benefit of an education system with such skills inherently built-in. The benefits for me as an individual and the benefits for society.
10. PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE. I am thankful for my four years at Presbyterian College. PC gave me the opportunity to dabble in many different areas and expand my horizons. And I learned just as much out of the classroom as I did within. I learned great lessons in friendship, leadership, and life. I am thankful for the campus, staff, and traditions and especially the life-long friends I made as a Blue Hose.
11. SEMESTER AT SEA. I am thankful for my adventure with Semester at Sea. "Before you change the world, let the world change you". Semester at Sea was influential in preparing me for where I am in life now. The opportunities to experience different cultures with their languages, foods, dress, and especially religion was eye opening to say the least. And to be able to learn in such a different environment with people from vastly different lives from mine and professors with such unique experiences was something that has led me to pursue opportunities I would have otherwise left in a distant daydream.
12. INDOOR PLUMBING. If I have learned anything in Peru, it is how thankful I am for indoor plumbing and clean bathrooms. At a wedding last night I had to tip-toe through the soaked floor, add to the used toilet paper thrown on the floor, and go back home just to wash hands. During the fight to close the wooden board propped as a door to hope for some privacy I cut my finger and was reminded to be thankful for tetanus shots and Peace Corps medical staff, as well.
13. OLD FRIENDS. It is a natural human need to be connected with others - and for that, we have friendship. Friendships that have lasted through years are no longer friendships but chosen family. There is something magical about people who chose to go through life together with all the moves, changes, dreams, and heartaches. I am thankful each and every time I can be with an old friend (even if only through the phone) for someone's perspective who knows you and your life just as well as you do.
14. NEW FRIENDS. But you've never met all your friends - there are new friendship possibilities every day and the new friendships are special and amazing and needed just as much. I continue to be thankful for the experience of making new friends. To get to learn from a new person's different experiences and connect on our similarities. The Peace Corps is a wonderful opportunity to build new friendships with fellow volunteers & Peace Corps staff as well as new friendships with Peruvians - lookin' at you Peace Corps Goals 2 & 3 (and the nerd shows up again!)
15. PEANUT BUTTER. When I need a taste of something other than Peruvian cuisine while in site, nothing is as satisfying as having a jar of Peanut Butter on hand. I have finished the 1 pound jar I brought with me and am do thankful to have another jar from Mama's recent care package. My childhood heart is happy!
16. CARE PACKAGES. While it is true that you can find many 1st world comforts in the capital city, they come with a high price tag and are rarely equally matched to what I once had. And that is where the joy and love of care packages come in. Whether it's full of school supplies for my kiddos, my favorite Hershey's cookie drops, or some new Target tees, I LOVE care packages. It's feels like getting a big hug from the sender and nothing is better than a big hug :)
17. AIR CONDITIONING. The summer heat is starting to arrive on the coast of Peru and I am already remembering to be thankful for air conditioning. Right now I can get enough relief by leaving my windows open at all times, but that's not looking good for summer in another month or so.
18. PCMOs. Peace Corps Medical Officers are the bees knees and I am thankful for them every time I get sick - so at least a few times a month. It's a pretty low time to be helplessly sick in a foreign country but a wonderful gift to pick up a phone and have a doctor who truly cares ready and waiting to assist - usually in the form of the magical cipro pill. Which brings me to number 19.
19. I am thankful for Cipro. Cirpo is an antibiotic that our PCMOs prescribe for most ailments. And it's a miracle drug. I am going to turn into the father for My Big Fat Greek Wedding only instead of Windex, I will use Cipro for any slight irritation.
20. SUPPORT. It's pretty awesome to feel more secure in my ability to do the Peace Corps after every conversation with the most important people in my life. It would be easy to use my moments of loneliness, frustration, or just down-in-the-dumps-days to ask me to abandon my service and head home, but instead my friends and family continue to build me up, push me on, and fuel my energy. There is nothing in the world I am more thankful for right now than those relationships - what they mean to me now and what they will continue to mean when I am once again stateside with my favorites!
21. CHOICE. Wow am I thankful for the ability to choose - choose what to eat. Choose when to eat. Choose what to wear. Choose wear to go. Choice is what gives us independence. In the Peace Corps I have sacrificed a lot of choice (especially with food which is a super problem for me!) Choice and independence are things that bring joy to my life so I am now searching for ways to be okay without them.
22. My MSW. I started graduate school without truly knowing what it was I wanted to do professionally. During graduate school I had the opportunity to really think about that idea while learning and having many diverse and rich work experiences. I ultimately found I do not aspire to work as a social worker but that I did want the teaching and experiences of a MSW to do any and all work with a social work mindset. And every day in the Peace Corps I am putting to use the readings, discussions, and assignments I learned during my MSW. I will probably never choose to have the title of a social worker, but I am grateful to have a social work framework and my MSW. It's pretty awesome to be able to spend a couple years putting everything I learned into direct practice in youth development.
23. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS. Today we welcomed the newly sworn in volunteers from Peru 22 to Lambayeque as they move to their sites. It is hard to believe I have moved past staging, Pre service training, swearing in, and my first few months at site and am continuing my service. I am thankful for the work Peace Corps volunteers who are working in many corners of the world but especially thankful for their friendships. It is wonderful to share adventures, stories, and various backgrounds with some pretty cool volunteers and I am super excited to see some lots of great volunteer friends over the next few weeks of Thanksgiving and EIS Training.
24. YOGA, RUNNING, DANCING. Basically I am thankful for exercise and active activities. There is something magical about getting in a great work out and pushing your body to its physical limits. As a few of my friends have seen, I am definitely a huge fan of the runners high and endorphins and strength that come after a great work out. While living semi-isolated in a different culture, I am especially thankful to be able to get out of my head and tune out the world for a good workout.
25. LAZY BED DAYS. Just as I am thankful for an active life, I am also thankful for the blissful feeling of a lazy day. There is something very freeing and rejuvenating about a day with nothing on the schedule when you can lay in bed to read, watch movies, and just veg-out. But these are only rewarding when sparingly available. There is nothing fun about a week full of laziness.
26. MUSIC. I am thankful for music. Music is a way to feel connected to my new Peruvian culture or a way to immediately escape back to my home. With the right song, music gives you strength and sets you to succeed. It can be a prayer, a daydream back home, the push to finish the final kilometer of a run, or just a happy feeling. So glad I have music with me!
27. GLOBALIZATION. The connectedness of today's world is pretty mind blowing. While each corner of the world still has a unique, special culture and lifestyle, there is more in common now than ever. And the western influence can be seen in almost any place. There are certainly negative consequences to such influence to keep in mind but the positive benefits and connects are amazing. When I am living 3,000+ miles away it is pretty awesome to see some of those influences. Let's just say I am happy to have had a Starbucks latte and muffin this week!
Wanna an interesting (at times boring) read? Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat" I read it during my travels abroad with Semester at Sea
28. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Today, I am happy for holidays. Holidays like Thanksgiving and upcoming Christmas are such wonderful reasons to decorate, cook and eat yummy food, continue old traditions and start new ones, and spend time with loved ones - even from afar. Holidays are fun and fancy!
29. LIFE NOT GOING AS PLANNED. Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I love plans. I love calendars and lists and agendas, oh my! I make plans to make plans. I make plans for the day, for the week, for life. But as much as I enjoy making the lists, I love when plans change and life surprises you with adventures and fun that I could have never dreamt of in my oh-so-organized plans. Even just 5 years ago I would not have believed where my life has now taken me and I hope for more surprises to come!
30. FOOTBALL. On this the day of the beloved rivalry game between Clemson and South Carolina it is most appropriate to share my thankfulness for the sport of football. Every Fall football gives us the opportunity to gather with friends and cheer on our teams as they fight week after week towards various achievements and championships. While I have missed the ritual of putting on my game day garments and tailgating while seeing my teams play (especially my favorite defensive linemen William) this year, I have enjoyed the tweets, blogs, highlights, and excitement that come from good ol' fashion football fun. And I will be following as many things as I can find to keep up with tonight's game. Eat your heart friends at home and GO COCKS!
