Here is an update on my summer. Beware it's long and detailed.
I'm home in Portland right now and I leave for Nigeria in four days. I'm getting packed up and have a couple of stops for the everyday commodities.
The summer has been more than I could have asked for or expected. It was jam packed literally every day.
I finished school really strong. There were a couple of activities with the students that brought sweet closure. While the school year overall was a major challenge and heartbreak at times it ended on a really victorious note. The children in April finally started to trust me and we were able to do some really outstanding lessons with cooking and nutrition. It's so rewarding to hear your students ask for seconds and thirds on bok choy and spinach. They even asked if they could take their lunch and recess time to continue cooking in the class. How can you deny them that. It just really confirmed my desires to use fun lessons such as cooking to make teaching holistic. They were surprised to see how much reading and math was involved in our cooking. School was done on June 17th. My friend Katy came after school to help me move my classroom. We had an auction at the end of the school year so I had given away my couch, area rug and the many lamps that scattered through the room. The move was done in a couple of hours and that was my end to teaching at Manitou Park.
The next day I packed up my room and drove down to Portland. This was more stressful than I thought. It was a challenge getting everything into my car, but I made it all except for my bike, which I planned to get the next time up.
I had that night to pack for New Mexico. I was going to visit my best friend Roxie. We hadn't seen each other since last March when I was here for those two months before Australia. She was the perfect host always telling me about the surrounding geography and history behind the names that we zoomed by on the highway. We did two hikes at Pueblo Indian reservations. And we had some great conversations since we have had some different theology.
My mom picked me up from the airport late that night and I stayed up until 2:00 am unpacking, doing laundry, repacking and uploading pictures. My dad arrived at 5:00 sharp the next morning to start our 2,200 mile road trip down the West coast and into Baja. This was a momentousness time of my life as I've never had such a long period of uninterrupted time with my dad. Not only do I love him because he is my dad and it's my daughterly duty, but I adore him as a person. I made sure to take some mental snap shots and store some of these memories into my heart forever. The drive was great and long. I slept most of the way and also read and listened to podcasts. It was all desert and dry land until we got to the Sea of Cortes which was a brilliant blue and such a welcomed sight.
We picked up my step mom the day after we arrived at our house and after that we rested, swam in living aquariums of teeming fish, and enjoyed the tiny artistic town of Todos Santos.
We left our rig in Todos Santos and flew back on the 13th of July. I then had four days to get some shopping done and to tie together some of the loose strings before my move.
But I still had a lot more fun scribbled into my diary planner. On Thursday night I picked up my friend John who had gotten a ride share down to Portland from Tacoma. He spent the night and the next morning we set off with a packed car of borrowed camping gear. We were going to a Bluesgrass Festival called The Northwest Summit. We arrived to a sea of cars and tents. It seemed like the rest of the crowd had come early to steak our their spots. We eventually found a spot to unload. I was a little anxious going into this festival. John and I are really good friends but we had never discussed drug use as we have some different views in some areas but not most. I was totally reassured when I researched the website for the festival and it overly stressed that this was a family event, cars would be searched and any found drugs would result in a cut bracelet. But, as we walked around the camp grounds the smells and sights made me realize that this was just a facade to keep the officials away. I was in culture shock for the first day and John told me that he was pretty sure me and him were the only ones sober. Despite this shock I enjoyed the concert with the dancing and people watching. The outfits were outrageous as it was a mix between Halloween and giant frat party. I do regret not taking pictures of these characters. I've concluded this aspect of the hippy culture is not for me and it was empty compared to the dancing we get to do in response to the Divine.
We came home dusty and smelly on Sunday night and after getting cleaned up and me doing another load of laundry we feel asleep to the strumin bluegrass still dancing through our heads.
Monday I repacked and we set off for Tacoma where I would meet up with friends until Wednesday. My time was busy and satisfying. Every day I got to see at least three different people. I went for walks around my home town, sipped tea at my favorite cafes, and best of all just connected with people. On Wednesday I picked up my friend Phuong and we headed north for the San Juan Islands. We had reservations at a bed and breakfast on Orcas Island. Surprisingly enough one of my friends was also on the island during the same time. Tray was leading a biking trip and she was cooking lunch for her group. She invited us to join her. Also I had made a new friend on the ferry, Damion, and we had dinner at his friends house that night. The trip was charming and I'm very much drawn to island life in this artistic community that has only curvy roads with a 35 miles speed limit. I think I might look into moving there some day.
We got back on Friday through tons of uncalculated but expected traffic. It was Friday afternoon and the whole world is trying to escape from work. I did arrive home in time for my dinner date and was ready for bed when it was time.
Saturday was more friends and some really amazing conversations about spirtuality and Christianity as I have been having tons of questions recently. In a nutshell I'm trying to figure out if I'm solely disillusioned with the church or does it go deeper to the core of something bigger. I've been asking questions and this day I had two great conversations that were food to my soul.
Sunday John and I drove down the the state capital and meandered through the farmers markets and then down the waterfront. I wanted to go to my favorite free trade store/restaurant. They were closed. After lunch at a different restaurant and a quick walk John caught the bus back up to Tacoma and I drove east to Shelton.
This is my last adventure. I joined my friends Sandra and Sage and we went up north and had a grand time skipping in and out of the watery tide pools.
Now, I'm home. My sister comes up from San Fran tonight. I've packed one bag and have two more to go and am confident I can fit all of my life in.
Here is my new mailing address. All else will remain the same.
AISL
Sandy Hackbarth/ CAb Annex
For: Meag Diamond
C/O Tacoma School District
P.O. Box 1357
Tacoma, Wa 98401-1357
They will send the mail to me twice a month.
Now that I've given you a novel to pour over I would love one in return. Don't leave out any details! :)
Lovingly,
Meag
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