El Salvador

I recently led a group of students on a trip to El Salvador. Upon our return, I gave them a homework assignment in response to their frustrations with 'no one listening' and 'no one getting it.' I asked them to write out what they would say to someone who did get 'it'. I also wrote my response.




What would I say to someone who listened? What would I say to someone who got ‘it’?

I don’t think I’d even know where to begin. Maybe I would talk about how it felt to be handed the weight of several thick photo albums brimming with pictures of mutilation, torture, death, hatred, and unchecked rage. I would say that the weight of those albums and the burden that I carry for the souls of those who were literally torn apart, couldn’t possibly be significant compared to those of the people who actually experienced it, to those who lost loved ones, to those who belonged to the conflict. I think I would mention what it is to see with your eyes, to hear with your heart, to touch through an embrace, to taste the salt of weeping sadness, and to smell the terror and tension of the enormity of that much violence, evil, and deep, deep, hatred of another human being.




I would tell someone, anyone, who wanted to listen about the innocence forcefully and violently taken. Of the women, children, men, grandmothers, and grandfathers. Of myself. Of the students I traveled with. I would scream that I wanted the innocence and goodness returned and replenished tenfold.




I would ask the questions without answers. Why does this happen? How can we prevent it from happening again? How can we stop what is still happening now? Why are we so tempted by power and wealth? How does it happen that one is suddenly viewed as less than someone else? Where is God in this? How do we heal? How do we teach others about this? How do we spread the understanding and the need for intervention and change? How can people know about things like this and not do something?

I’d yell with all the pain in my heart about the question that we all ask, but don’t actually listen to the answer to… WHY DOES GOD LET THIS HAPPEN?!?!

And God’s answer, which is really just another question, would have to be whispered because of the absolute responsibility it bears… Why do WE let this happen? Why do I let this happen?

I would need to talk about the ways that I saw God working in El Salvador. I have never experienced, what I suppose would be called miracles, ever in my life. They always seemed like tales of whimsy and hope blown out of proportion by sheer need to believe in goodness. But when I walked amongst the people and stories of El Salvador, I could see the trails and fingerprints of God absolutely everywhere. He had been there during this violence. He is still ever-present among the destitute, oppressed, and poor. Romero’s organs dug up 4 years later, still in perfect condition. Glass melting off a picture in the throes of flames, but Romero’s face remained virtually untouched. The martyrdom of Romero and his conversion. A bullet piercing the very heart of a tabernacle from across a church and a city square. The resolve of an entire people in the face of terrible violence and evil to push on and fight for their freedom. These, and countless more examples, are nothing but God. Nothing but miracles.




I would need to talk about my reflections on resurrection upon our return and during the season of Lent. If you traveled to El Salvador, and had no prior knowledge about the country’s bloody history and important players, you would hear an awful lot about someone named Romero. You would be fairly certain that the man they call Romero was alive and well. It might be a shock to learn about his assassination and that, he is, in fact, no longer bodily present on earth. It would be a shock because Romero, his life, his sacrifice, his fight, has been resurrected among the people of El Salvador. He is very much still living-he lives among the people he died for. His life is an example to all those coming after him. An example of what it is to stand for something. Of what it is to have faith. Of solidarity. Of justice. Of conversion. Of hope and conviction. Of what it is to step into the shoes that God calls each one of us to fill. I have realized more and more how beautiful this resurrection is—a miracle in itself.

I am also called resurrect. I am called to resurrect Jesus, Romero, and all those people who lived lives for God. I am called to stand with the poor as Romero did, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and love everyone without exception. My life is for the struggle for human dignity, love, hope, and freedom. The footsteps of these great and holy humans are to be only the beginning. My life, others’ lives are the continuation. Our lives are the resurrection. May I be given the courage and conviction to live up to my processors’ footsteps. May I be able to one day be able to offer everything for the struggle for love.

I would absolutely talk about the face of the grandmother in the campo. I would talk about the face of God and how I imagine that it looks similar to hers. The lines in her face told a story of a beautiful life. The sadness and triumphs of her life are forever etched in her face, and like a weaver makes pieces of thread come together in a masterpiece, each line connects and forms the story of her life. Her eyes shone with a quiet strength and peace and deep love. When I asked her for a picture, she frittered about, saying she wasn’t presentable. I wished I had known how to say that my breath had left me because of her beauty and the image of God I saw within her. I did not know Spanish, but that was not why I did not have the words to communicate how this true and pure form of beauty affected me. The beauty of God left me speechless.




El Salvador will never leave me. What I witnessed and became a part of there, has changed the course of my life and is deeply imbedded in my commitment to love.

That’s what I might say if someone truly listened.

Kony 2012

I've been the first one to support Invisible Children in the past, having been personally responsible for bringing them to campus at St. Ben's at least twice and starting the Schools for Schools group on campus my sophomore year. I think the overall idea is fantastic-motivating people to action and empowering them to believe that they CAN do something and that they DO have a voice. I think their social media technique is smart-how viral this Kony 2012 video has become overnight is a prime example. They have a huge fan base and have succeeded in raising awareness to a huge amount of people. I do believe that their intentions are pure. Having been to Uganda, as well as other places in Africa, myself and having been so deeply moved and affected by the people there that I encountered, I understand to my very core why they are doing what they are doing. Because it is so very crucial that awareness be raised and that we fight injustice.

I have doubts about how they are going about this however and about what the effects of this are/will be.

First, it is the way in which the Acholi people of northern Uganda and the so-called "invisible" children are being presented. Their inherent dignity as human beings is not being preserved and recognized. The surface idea is correct: "No child deserves to live in fear of being abducted or killed." That is absolutely true. However the depiction of Ugandans in their media campaigns preserves none of that dignity; it in fact demeans it to more effectively appeal to the audience's emotions. I felt incredibly strong emotions when I watched Kony 2012 and I felt a stirring that made me want to order the 'Action Kit' right then and there because I met some Acholi people in Gulu in 2008 and I still carry their stories with me to this day and want to help so much. Because I hate to see anyone in pain, much less children. The starving children commercials on TV asking me to donate "just a few dollars a month to help save little Susie's life" affect me in the same way. Because I remember the children I've met in the IDP camps who were just like that. I fully admit that when I returned from Uganda that first time, I posted pictures of the kids from the orphanages hoping to assault someone's senses and emotions under the name of "education" and "spreading awareness".

It's because I did not understand human dignity. I did not understand how presenting someone in that light creates a demoralizing attitude towards them and makes them seem less human to the masses. How are people suffering from poverty and hunger viewed by the world today? What stereotypes exist about them? They are sad creatures that cannot take care of themselves and we must go to their rescue. They have no hope without our charity. Their misfortunes are used to help us feel better when we give those precious dollars to save them. The oppressed are seen as uncivilized and non-intelligent. Unable to rise above and become independent. Like children or babies. LESS THAN HUMAN.

It is true that presenting the impoverished in this way does appeal to people's emotions. It gets charity. Foreign aid is a multi-billion dollar industry. Invisible Children is incredibly successful-they have lots of money donated and raised by people who were moved by their campaign. But what does charity accomplish? More dependence and further dehumanization. Certainly not a solution. Because after the billions and trillions of dollars and after infinite charitable acts, are we without poverty and hunger? NOT EVEN CLOSE.

I do not in any sense mean to say that charity is a bad thing. I know that many lives have been affected and changed because of it. However, as a society, we need to realize that nothing is changing through charity. Justice is the next step. Creating actual change in policies, education, technology, international aid, elected officials, the use of war and violence and weapons. Everything down to changing how we interact with others on the grassroots level. We need to change how we use the oppressed as pawns in our games and dehumanize them to get more support for our side.

The truth is that the people of Uganda, and of the many other places affected by violent conflict and poverty, are not just sitting around looking forlorn and waiting for some white (Caucasian westerner) knight in shining armor (with money) to come and save them from their desperate plight. They are not just a generalized mass of naked, desolate, people with flies eating at their faces and bloated bellies incapable of helping themselves, sitting around waiting to die. They are human beings with every right to basic as well as complex necessities like food, water, shelter, clothing, education, dignity of work and providing for their families, feeling safe, the ability to reach their full potential and to achieve their dreams. They are the same as you and I with hopes and dreams and enormous potential. They love and they fight and they anger and they succeed and they make mistakes. They have families and emotions. They are our equals. Whatever God you believe in or they believe in loves them just as much as He/She loves you and I. You are not more important than another person. I am in no way more important than you. Why do I get to have more money, resources, and privileges than so many other people? Why is there such inequality in our world when the foundation of our society is supposed to be that all are inherently equal? Justice is working towards this equality.

Invisible Children and the aid industry in general is not helping the people they claim to fight for when they present them to the world such as this. At the very heart of it, the very name 'Invisible Children' assumes that they children were invisible until they swooped into save the day. Racism, stereotypes, inequality, and injustice will always exist if these campaigns persist in this way.

To be successful and to raise awareness and educate others, I think appealing to the emotions of the masses IS important because emotions run the world. Love and hate, and anger and happiness dictate so much of our thoughts and actions. I believe there is a different way to achieve motivation of the masses and preserve the dignity of the oppressed.

Rampant starvation and poverty do exist in the developing world. But even more shocking, is that it exists right here in our neighborhoods as well. How many mothers come into the outreach program everyday that I volunteer for that cannot afford diapers or food for their adorable children? Children just like the ones that Invisible Children show in their videos. How many kids did I meet when I worked in San Francisco one summer who did not know where they were going to sleep that night and lacked security? A similar injustice that IC brings to light in Uganda. The truth is is that situations like the ones brought to our attention by IC exist in every society all around the world. People, human beings, are starving, cannot afford basic necessities, women are raped, people are tortured, wars are fought, lives are ruined in every sense of the word.

I think the key to change lies in the ability of each person to strive to recognize and preserve the dignity that is inherent to all as human beings. We need to recognize the dignity of the person on the other side of the situation.

Example: last fall one of the 7 year olds in the after school program I worked for said that when he grew up he wanted to be an army pilot so that he could "kill the bad guys." I asked him who the bad guys were and he didn't say anything. I asked him how he would feel if someone killed his mom or dad or brother or sister. He said he would feel really bad. And then I said that that is how someone else would feel if you killed a 'bad guy'. Because that 'bad guy' has a mother and a father, or a son and a daughter, or a husband or wife, and the list goes on. Put simply, that 'bad guy' is just like you.

Another example: I brought the kids I work with to the police station for a tour one afternoon and we were brought into the shooting range and the majority of the kids were absolutely enamored with the guns. The target on the shooting range was a drawing of a gruesome-looking man. When we were talking about guns and the officers shooting people, a human being, they were called 'bad guys' once again. No one mentioned that the people being killed were just that, people. Guns were literally talked of as toys and not a thought was given to their purpose and use to kill a human being.

One more: When I worked in San Francisco, the kids would go into the Tenderloin district (where most of the poverty in SF is concentrated) and be absolutely in awe. They would point fingers and wrinkle their noses and be 'grossed out' by the people they passed on the street. I would hear things like "well they deserve it" and "well they got themselves here" and "why can't they just get a job and fix it?" Throughout the week I would push them to interact more and more with the guests they came into contact with. For some the week culminated in standing in the food line and then eating with the guests who came to eat lunch. Then I started to hear things like "He likes the same baseball team that I do!" and "He has a doctorate in architecture!" and "She just pulled out a Bible and shared her favorite passage with me!" The kids had begun to recognize the humanity in the people around them. They weren't just an oppressed mass of poor people whose names and faces did not matter. They became Bob and Jill and Steve who had faces and stories.

This part, I do think IC understands. They have many individuals who they have pulled from Uganda to tell their stories to the world. People to stand out and become those faces and stories.

I think that the first step to justice is truly seeing the other person on the other side of a situation. Whether it's recognizing the person behind the wheel of the car that just cut you off on the highway, or the politician who ticks you off so much, or the children affected by the LRA in Uganda. Even the human being behind the atrocities committed by the LRA, Joseph Kony. If we recognize that everyone has rights, both basic and complex, and that everyone has needs, and, most importantly that no one is perfect, I think we will be headed in the right direction towards true justice. Once we recognize this, then each person we encounter, or learn about, will be just as important as our mothers and fathers and will truly be our brothers and sisters. We will care about their well-being just as much as we care about our own family's and they will care about yours. We will not demean them and we will want them presented in such a way that celebrates life and potential, not in a way that takes away their value and worth.

I recognize the 3 boys' commitment to the people they met in Uganda and I commend them on their efforts and triumphs in doing all that they have. Truly, it is incredible what they have achieved. But I would encourage them to really examine how they are presenting these people to the world and what attitudes and stereotypes they are encouraging and reinforcing by doing so. As I said, I completely understand, because I went through the exact same thing coming home from Uganda and wanting the world to know about the injustices I saw. It has taken so much for me to see the big picture in terms of the damage being done by removing someone's dignity.

Second, (I know my first response was ridiculously long) I am not sure that what the KONY 2012 campaign is calling for is the correct solution. Violence does not solve problems. Ever. It never has, and it never will. It instills fear and anger and retaliation/retribution, none of which have anything to do with peace. Getting the U.S. military involved is not the solution. Getting the U.S. involved as a third party may do some good, I am not sure, I do not pretend to be an expert on the situation. Catching Kony is important and bringing him to justice (not to violence or death) is crucial. But sending in more people with guns is absolutely not the solution to an already tense and elevated situation. Let's not get hotheaded and race into another war without exhaustively trying non-military peaceful solutions. (Yes, I am aware that previous peace talks have gone on and failed). I absolutely do not think we are out of other options yet.

Also, the campaign serves to raise awareness about the situation, but only one side/part of it. Kony and the LRA are absolutely not the only perpetrators of injustice and violence in this war. The Ugandan army and government, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, as well as all of the other forces involved in the DRC and CAR are just as guilty as Kony for committing crimes against humanity. Why is Invisible Children not calling for their international recognition and capture? (Again, I do know that they decided to begin with the ICC's #1 of the list of criminals) But what will capturing Kony do to end the war? Obviously he has a wide support base and taking out the top of command may only anger his followers and lead to more bloodshed, we do not know. Invisible Children is calling for a temporary fix, not a solution to the decades of war and violence that plague the region. What about the dictators that lead the so-called democracies and have been in violent power for just as long as Kony? What about the deeply and long-held resentments that boil between people on different sides that could easily push new leaders forward to continue the war? What about the people who have to figure out how to live in the same communities when the war is over, who killed each other's families? What about calling for reconciliation instead of more fighting? What about the sense of retribution fostered when IC talks about capturing Kony? I believe that these are valid questions perhaps that IC and other parties involved have not fully considered. They are equally as important as bringing Kony to justice, if not more so, yet the focus on these other things is slim.

In addition, I do not think that the Kony 2012 video does anything in terms of educating the people they hope to get on board with this campaign. The assault on emotions distracts the viewer to the point of not realizing that little to no factual information is in fact provided in the video. How many people that reposted that video on their social media site of choice could realistically sit down and tell me about the conflict? My bet is very few. However IC’s fan base has drastically expanded and many people are now rooting for military intervention in Uganda when in reality, they know nothing about what’s going on there because few will take the time to do outside research.

I think Invisible Children has done good things. However, I also think that they are having effects that they have not considered or intended. As I admitted, I myself am guilty of so many of the same things and I definitely do not have the answers or even a right way of doing things. I just think it's important, especially when so many people are involved, using their voices to speak up for this cause, to think about the implications and to do research on both sides.
Some articles that were interesting:
http://thedailywh.at/2012/03/07/on-kony-2012-2/

http://www.reddit.com/r/DAE/comments/qlqzd/am_i_the_only_one_who_is_suspicious_about/

http://pomee.tumblr.com/post/18899601760/kony-2012-causing-more-harm-than-good

http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble

http://justiceinconflict.org/2012/03/07/taking-kony-2012-down-a-notch/

And IC's response is also important:http://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/critiques.html

the anticipation of coming home

I am at the end of this insane adventure year... What do I do now?

How do I begin to process what has happened to me this year, in the past 13 months?

How do I begin to figure out the ways I've changed and why and how?

How to I make these memories of the most incredible year of my life last forever?

How do I say good-bye?

How do I say hello again, to what I left behind a year ago?

What if what I left behind no longer fits me?

My heart is aching for just one more adventure, just a little more time to soak in everything wonderful here.

These last days must be filled with love and happiness, for what I had here and this year and for what I am going home to. For although I am leaving this place and these people and these experiences, I am about to go home to that place and those people who I left behind so long ago, back when I was who I used to be.

I have changed so much this year. I have lived and laughed and cried and been broken, been healed and put back together, walked and run, and slept and ate, loved and been loved. I have met people who have changed my life forever. How can I incorporate all of that into my life back home. I am not the same and nor shall my life back home be the same when I return.

This will certainly be another adventure. One that I have never been more nervous for. And one that I am quite excited to embark on :)

[something goes here]

The farther along in this journey I get, the more I look back and realize what a journey it is and how far I've come and how far I've still yet to go.

My life is a constant adventure and experiment. The thought of going home in a few months, to stay for a while, leaves me with a bit of sadness that my "crazy year" is drawing to a close. Have I done all I was meant to? Am I the person I should be? Have I changed enough? Have I learned enough? Have I loved enough? Have I lived enough?

Here's what's happened to me thus far:
I lived in my first intentional living community.
I learned of my passion for the city streets and the ways you meet God there.
I learned ways to live out my faith.
I learned how to love someone without having to like them.
I pray out loud with my whole heart, even though I know it's not perfect and all that it could be.
I have several new families whom I love very much.
I lived outside my comfort zone for essentially this entire year.
I lived in 3 very unique, very diverse, very special, and very different than my own, cultures this year.
I prayed to and praised God for blessings and burdens this year.
I laughed until I cried.
I wept until I couldn't breathe.
I learned to communicate in new ways.
I fell in love.
I learned how to build relationships with people.
I became a bit wiser.
I was mugged.
I traveled alone and spent time by myself and survived in a foreign country.
I lived out what I've been passionate about for so long.
I became lost.
I had my heart broken.
I learned what friendship is.
I learned a little Kiswahili.
I tried new things like nobody's business.
I survived the year as a vegetarian.
I lost old friendships and made new ones.
I learned and lived the true meaning of being 'burnt-out.'
I understand things better.
I understand the world better.
I have written and received letters from all over the world.
I learned that true happiness comes from feeling deep sadness and that vast emptiness comes from incredible joy-and that those two things are dependent upon one another.
I learned what it means to give of yourself unto others.
I learned the meaning of love.
I learned that I do want to get married and have children one day (in the very distant future).
I learned the importance of intentional living.
I learned which things are truly important to me and for me to have in my life.
I changed.
I no longer know who I am, exactly.
I am learning to live with the fear that brings.
I am ready to go home, but not ready for the adventure to end or to return to my old life.
I am afraid that nothing will have changed as I have.


I.... have been through so much.

Surfing in the R.S.A.! [Republic of South Africa]

Knarley.

I went surfing this morning. The internet guy who came to set up our computers offered to Megan, Katie, Maggie, and I out. He has some extra boards and so this morning was my first time surfing! Megan and Maggie went this weekend with him while I was at the elephant park...

It was so much fun! He basically strapped my board to my ankle and sent me out there and told me to learn to sit on my board. And, after about an hour and a half of getting up and flipping over or falling off, I finally got it! I can now sit on the surfboard in the water, calm or waves, and have my center of gravity which helps when you actually want to stand up :) I then rode a few waves (with the help of the guy who took us) all the way to shore and that was FUN! I can't wait to go again... By the end of this trip I'll be a pro. Don't even worry about it.

Dude.

Addo Elephant Park

The day began around 5:00 am where I received a knock on my window from Megan (while I was still in my underwear) telling me that she, Katie, and Gjiro wouldn't be able to make it to the park that day because Katie and Gjiro were mugged the night before and although they were completely fine, weren't quite up to going to the park. Thus Haley, Marco, Daniel, and I all piled into a cab at 6 am and drove to the airport where we waited for an hour for the car rental places to open (we were told they opened at 6...). We then priced the different cars and ended up finding a great deal for an entire day R256 and 200km of driving free before you had to pay mileage. Not bad. I did not however, especially at that hour of the day, enjoy the man that worked there being sarcastic and joking with me... Grrr...

Finally we were in the car on our way. Marco was driving and didn't know any of the rules of the road here and had never driven on this side before so I sat in the front to key him in. Haley and Daniel made up the laughing audience in the back and I swear we almost died more than once trying to get out of the city.

When we got out past the townships, Marco and I switched and I drove and refreshed my memory on how to drive a manual. I did quite well! And I had tons of fun. It was great to just zoom along the beautiful countryside here and relax in the sunshine with the window down. Haven't done that in forever... :)

We got the park, got in for only R30 (about $4 USD) and then we were off. The first animal we saw was a cute little tortoise on the side of the road, then a yellow mongoose. We saw hartebeests, kudus, warthogs, ostriches, and, of course, elephants during the day. We mostly drove through the beautiful scenery and enjoyed the breathtaking views and the sunshine. Got some amazing pictures. In one instance, we saw some elephants down this rough road which had a "do not enter" sign that we conveniently didn't see and they were walking down it towards us on the main road and so we did what normal college students would do and took it and drove down to just in front of them, turned ourselves around so we could make a quick getaway if needed and watched them walk closer and closer to us. They got about 10 feet away from us before we gunned it out of there-not because it was angry or charging us but because we didn't want it to like step on the car haha... It was amazing!

We ended the day on the banks of the Sunday river. Haley and Marco went swimming and climbed some sand dunes and Daniel and I sat on the dock and basked in the sun with some beers. It was so relaxing! When Hales and Marco got back, we all took a spontaneous nap on the dock which left my cheeks and nose a bit rosy and burnt :) Totally worth it. After we woke up from some knurly waves crashing into our dock, we decided to head home as some clouds had rolled in. We piled back in the car, drove home, dropped off the car, and took a taxi back to our place.

I then jumped in the shower, got dressed and a group of us went out to dinner where I had butternut squash ravioli (so good) and my favorite cocktail :) It was great to have a big group-all talking and laughing. I enjoy the people here so much!

Thus the day was great. It was nice to have the freedom that comes with having a car that I've been missing while in Kenya and since being here. It was incredible to feel the sun on my face all day and the wind in my hair and be with people who made me laugh. To be in such a beautiful place and to see such wonders. It's really incredible how blessed I am!

More later :)

People[s]

I have so many new people in my life that consume my time, days, and thoughts-so strange that it happens so quickly isn't it? I have found that I have quite the family here-one that is eccentric and fun and one that I love very much.

Here are the newest additions to my life.

Maggie: Is my wonderful roommate that I love so much. She and I were on staff together as RAs last year at CSB and now we are sharing this lovely two bedroom flat with each other. She is hilarious and cute and quirky and we are doing quite well as roomies so far (at least I think so). She's considerate and fun and a great listener and I'm lucky to be living with her and to be sharing this amazing experience with her.

Haley: Another fellow CSB-er. She was one of my best friends back home and is here with me in South Africa, living in flat 12 with a wonderful Dutch student here for 4 years named Lim. She's a bit of a chill presence here which has been really great. She brings a different perspective which is refreshing and fun. She loves life and the sparkle in her eyes definitely gets rid of any doubt about it. :)

Hega and Stina: Our next-door neighbors. They are both from Norway. Hega is brunette and really smart and sweet in a way that you wouldn't expect considering the tribal symbol tattooed on her bicep. She's really helpful and has a go-getter attitude and great to go out with and laugh with. Stina is a short and blonde and looks like the toughest girl on the planet-a stern face and hard eyes. She's laid back and a bit quieter and plays the cool angle well. But she is so much fun and also not what you would expect. She's sweet and funny and sarcastic and has great one-liners.

Alex and Jake: Both are extremely tall boys from Iowa who love nothing more than to chill out and drink beer and to get "hella faded" as we coined the term. They're sweethearts though and are a lot of fun to hang with.

Megan: Also from Iowa and our third roommate. She's a bombshell redhead with gorgeous eyes and a laugh that could kill Satan. She's hilarious and is someone that can make me laugh like I haven't in a long time. She's a lot of fun and a great listener and I love being in the kitchen cooking with her. Although she's a bit awkward when she meets people (ahemapplejuiceahem) she's a great friend that I"m sure will last beyond South Africa.

Katie: The funniest little German girl. She is blonde and small and very very quiet-you can forget about her sometimes because she won't make a peep! And when she does speak, she's so softspoken and sweet and considerate that you have to melt when you see her. But then she does things like have a contra-man and you're just shocked and laughing because it's coming from the last person you thought it would. She's amazing and also Megan's roommate.

Jonny and Jane: Both are from Northern Ireland. They have the best accents and are so much fun and so interesting to talk to. Jonny has also been to Kenya twice so that's been fun to talk to him about and when I first met him, he was reading Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Way cool guy and a lot of fun to hang out with. He sure did sweep me off my feet at South African jazz the other night! And Jane is funny. She's a short, curly-haired, pseudo-dark red head-almost a wine color hair. She smokes and looks super cute in skirts and long necklaces all the time and is a hoot to talk to. She's so much fun and gushes about gossip and boys and I love her to death already.

Patrick and the swedish boys: All from Sweden, they are impressed with the low prices of alcohol here and thus take full advantage all the time since apparently alcohol is so expensive in Sweden. Last night Patrick came home in a cab when I was outside with some other people in front of our place and we had to carry him inside.... He's also very sweet though and quite a deep person when he's not intoxicated or thinking about becoming intoxicated. The other Swedish guys are similar but not so bad and are easy on the eyes as well :)

Marco: He is a sweetheart blunt guy from Germany that is here to learn English so naturally, some of our conversations have been quite funny and memorable. I spend quite a lot of time with him talking about life, learning English and about Germany and walking arm in arm and laughing. He's very blunt and calls it like he sees it with no qualms or embarrassment. He makes me laugh extremely hard and some of his 'isms' have caught on around here and are now part of my normal vocabulary. Marco!

The California girls: Kelleigh, Jen, Beam, Loretta, Alena, Ashley... All from different places around CA and stick together pretty well but are great about branching out and getting to know other people. They are all gorgeous girls and super sweet and lots of fun to talk to and hang out with. Not to mention they are quite fit and do yoga and exercises in the courtyard of the Bantry. Ladies night with them is sure to be a good time!

Daniel: Also from California, we have San Francisco in common which was cool to find out upon talking to him. He's also an eccentric character. He has shoulder length, straight black hair with a long braid running down his chest. His 'style' is different and he plays life off like he doesn't care and that he's just cooler than everyone else. He does his own thing and calls his own shots for sure. He was very intimidating the first time I met him but now he's taken on a bit of a brother role as he pops in and out and eats my food. He's really fun to get to know and talk to and also, constantly surprises me.

Sebastian: Another Swede. He's a bit different from the beer-guzzling other Swedes that occupy the other side of the hallway. His accent is adorable and his English is great but since Swedish is spoken at the front of the mouth (or so I hear) he has a bit of a lisp that's really cute. He's got a hilarious personality and can always make the room burst out laughing. He is of the opinion that the Swedish are better than everyone else (which seems to be a theme of many countries represented here haha) and calls everything I do "so American" while I refer to his manurisms as "so Swedish." He's great and I love hanging out with him.

Henning: Also from Germany and speaks better English than Marco. He's gorgeous and a complete sweetheart. He's up for anything all the time and is really laid back unless it comes to doing something or waiting for something to happen-then he's a bit more on the ball. He's really considerate though and has a great memory. He's the kind of person that opens the car door for a girl and then shuts it after her and makes sure she's always ahead and safe. It's nice to have someone like that to hang out with. Him and Sebastian make great roommates and are so funny together-a bit like the odd couple... :)

Simon: Yet another German. He's gorgeous and he knows it completely. He's a ladies man and isn't shy about letting people know exactly that. He's taken to the constantly drunk Iowa boys quite a bit and they can easily be spotted as a threesome out on the town most nights. He's also sweet although he comes off sometimes as if he hasn't got a clue and he's just a sweetheart.

There are so many more people that live in the Bantry and also some that don't live in the Bantry that I could go on and on about. However, that's enough for now-just a taste of the fun I'm having and the new people in my life that I already love so much :)