Nearly an entire week has passed since I moved to Irving! My time has been spent getting settled into my lovely apartment, reading, sewing, playing my piano, talking with my roommate, and playing with my few friends who live in this area! It has been relaxing and rejuvenating after four hectic years in undergrad.
My favorite feature of my new apartment is a long trail that runs along a creek. It is right behind my apartment and goes through the nice neighborhoods surrounding me. This evening after a short stroll, I stopped on the wooden bridge (which reminds me of the bridge on Anne of Green Gables) and found myself being greeted by eight turtles in the water just below me! Although it would be considered an insignificant sight to most people, it was a small gift from God that brought me pleasure!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
So much evil
Hotel Rwanda was the family movie the Carroll's watched tonight. So much hatred, so much violence, so much injustice. It is such a powerful movie, but what do you do with this message? I am the American mentioned in the movie that sees the terror and cruelty on the news and continues to eat my dinner. What can be done?
There is evil, pain, and suffering in Abilene, too.
Alicia is a victim of evil. Her mother did drugs while she was pregnant with this now four-year-old child. She barely walks, her bones are as brittle as egg shells, she has very limited language, and she is exceedingly unstable emotionally. She also has a precious smile that melts my heart. She can say the word "book" and "sheep", and sometimes "cat". Alicia plays peek-a-boo and gives slobbery kisses, and when she hugs, she leaves some snot on you.
Joey is yet another human child who has seen far too much evil in his life. There is no father around, and his mother gave him and his siblings to her mom. The grandmother is exhausted and passes her babies from one person to the next. His expressive vocabulary consists mostly of curse words and "shut up". The latter I hear about 10 times each hour. This young boy attempts to steal something from the classroom each day, and he wears a smug smile when he thinks he will succeed in the theft. He bullies those who are weaker on the playground. Everywhere we go, he waves his hand to every passerby and says, "hi, Joey" as they ignore his effort to be noticed.
Adrianna's life was stolen from her when her mother beat her with the force that would injure an adult when she was only seven weeks old. She is now deaf and blind and functions at a 0-12 month level. This three-year-old baby barely walks, does not respond to touch (or visuals or sounds), does not even goo and coo, and is still bottle-fed.
These are only three of my eleven "students" whom I worked with everyday this semester. They are all so dear. They have made me cry on numerous occasions- they break my heart. Evil and hatred are so evident in the stories of my children as they were in the film we just viewed. Their lives are hopeless, and I am helpless. I can love and I can pray, but I want to do so much more.
There is evil, pain, and suffering in Abilene, too.
Alicia is a victim of evil. Her mother did drugs while she was pregnant with this now four-year-old child. She barely walks, her bones are as brittle as egg shells, she has very limited language, and she is exceedingly unstable emotionally. She also has a precious smile that melts my heart. She can say the word "book" and "sheep", and sometimes "cat". Alicia plays peek-a-boo and gives slobbery kisses, and when she hugs, she leaves some snot on you.
Joey is yet another human child who has seen far too much evil in his life. There is no father around, and his mother gave him and his siblings to her mom. The grandmother is exhausted and passes her babies from one person to the next. His expressive vocabulary consists mostly of curse words and "shut up". The latter I hear about 10 times each hour. This young boy attempts to steal something from the classroom each day, and he wears a smug smile when he thinks he will succeed in the theft. He bullies those who are weaker on the playground. Everywhere we go, he waves his hand to every passerby and says, "hi, Joey" as they ignore his effort to be noticed.
Adrianna's life was stolen from her when her mother beat her with the force that would injure an adult when she was only seven weeks old. She is now deaf and blind and functions at a 0-12 month level. This three-year-old baby barely walks, does not respond to touch (or visuals or sounds), does not even goo and coo, and is still bottle-fed.
These are only three of my eleven "students" whom I worked with everyday this semester. They are all so dear. They have made me cry on numerous occasions- they break my heart. Evil and hatred are so evident in the stories of my children as they were in the film we just viewed. Their lives are hopeless, and I am helpless. I can love and I can pray, but I want to do so much more.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bitter Sweet
The End.
The undergraduate/college chapter in my life is over. No more papers, no more mandatory reading, no more projects, no more journal articles, no more clinical practicum... until August 21 when my classes begin at the University of Texas at Dallas. Finishing college is so refreshing. (sigh) Ahh!
However, this graduation reminds me of a batch of cookies Keith's friends brought over. They looked so delicious with pink icing and sprinkles- mmm sugar cookies! After we took a bite, our faces surely showed our disgust- I think the precious girls baked these cookies with more salt than sugar! It was definitely an unpleasant surprise.
One "minor" detail I failed to consider while celebrating my last few weeks of classes was the fact that my friends are all flying away to have their own adventures. My great community of friends is splitting apart, and the likelihood that we will reunite seems too slight to nurture a mere hope. My dear, good friends will remain a part of my life (that's the plan), but, our relationships will be maintained through phone calls and facebook- we won't live in a two mile radius of one another and be able to walk to the other's house for dinner or tea. Weird. And the relationships with people that I care for and run into on campus, but don't deeply know, will probably be completely dropped.
One of the main reasons I chose to attend ACU was to build a community of friends that will endure throughout my life. I knew from the beginning of my Freshman year that my friends' paths and mine would part, but this parting kind of snuck up on me. I was consumed by the "sweet" anticipation of graduation and neglected the "bitter" reality. And now, although I'm thrilled to be an ACU alumnus, the bitter part of graduation has left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
The undergraduate/college chapter in my life is over. No more papers, no more mandatory reading, no more projects, no more journal articles, no more clinical practicum... until August 21 when my classes begin at the University of Texas at Dallas. Finishing college is so refreshing. (sigh) Ahh!
However, this graduation reminds me of a batch of cookies Keith's friends brought over. They looked so delicious with pink icing and sprinkles- mmm sugar cookies! After we took a bite, our faces surely showed our disgust- I think the precious girls baked these cookies with more salt than sugar! It was definitely an unpleasant surprise.
One "minor" detail I failed to consider while celebrating my last few weeks of classes was the fact that my friends are all flying away to have their own adventures. My great community of friends is splitting apart, and the likelihood that we will reunite seems too slight to nurture a mere hope. My dear, good friends will remain a part of my life (that's the plan), but, our relationships will be maintained through phone calls and facebook- we won't live in a two mile radius of one another and be able to walk to the other's house for dinner or tea. Weird. And the relationships with people that I care for and run into on campus, but don't deeply know, will probably be completely dropped.
One of the main reasons I chose to attend ACU was to build a community of friends that will endure throughout my life. I knew from the beginning of my Freshman year that my friends' paths and mine would part, but this parting kind of snuck up on me. I was consumed by the "sweet" anticipation of graduation and neglected the "bitter" reality. And now, although I'm thrilled to be an ACU alumnus, the bitter part of graduation has left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Roommate
My pleasant afternoon was interrupted by a disappointing phone call yesterday. A wonderful girl, and my potential roommate in Dallas, informed me that we would not be able to room together. The news was disheartening, and the hope of finding a new roommate was dim.
Today I left our Saturday morning coffee to attend a waffle breakfast with some friends. Katie was among the 40-or-so college students there. We became acquainted with each other while we were still in high school and volunteered at Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, and she was also my neighbor in Gardner Hall. After short discussion, we realized that we were both moving to Dallas and in need of a roommate. The Callier Center, which is where my classes and clinical practicum will take place, is actually on the campus which Katie will be attending. She had just put a down payment for a one bedroom apartment, but upon finding me, she called the apartment complex and discovered that a two bedroom apartment was available.
I must admit, I had my doubts that I would be able to find a roommate in the short amount of time before I leave for the big city. God definitely helped me out with this uncomfortable matter. He provided a good, studious girl and a first-floor apartment (for my piano) within twenty-four hours! I am overwhelmed by God's goodness in this situation!
Today I left our Saturday morning coffee to attend a waffle breakfast with some friends. Katie was among the 40-or-so college students there. We became acquainted with each other while we were still in high school and volunteered at Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, and she was also my neighbor in Gardner Hall. After short discussion, we realized that we were both moving to Dallas and in need of a roommate. The Callier Center, which is where my classes and clinical practicum will take place, is actually on the campus which Katie will be attending. She had just put a down payment for a one bedroom apartment, but upon finding me, she called the apartment complex and discovered that a two bedroom apartment was available.
I must admit, I had my doubts that I would be able to find a roommate in the short amount of time before I leave for the big city. God definitely helped me out with this uncomfortable matter. He provided a good, studious girl and a first-floor apartment (for my piano) within twenty-four hours! I am overwhelmed by God's goodness in this situation!
Friday, April 18, 2008
7
Is seven really a number that represents goodness or perfection? Next week I have 7 papers due. That's right. SEVEN.
You may ask: "Have you started any of them?" To which I will reply, "Of course not."
"Why haven't you started writing these papers yet?" "Because I'm an idiot."
"How long have you known about these papers, Caryn?" "I've known about six of them the entire semester."
"So, why are you wasting time writing a blog post?" "I have no idea."
You may ask: "Have you started any of them?" To which I will reply, "Of course not."
"Why haven't you started writing these papers yet?" "Because I'm an idiot."
"How long have you known about these papers, Caryn?" "I've known about six of them the entire semester."
"So, why are you wasting time writing a blog post?" "I have no idea."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Score!
Tuesday afternoon is the highlight of each week- Shannon and I play racquetball together! We talk, laugh, sweat, and hit the ball really hard in a small, closed-in, rectangular box. Yesterday two guys (who traveled in Oxford with me) saw that we were playing and asked to play doubles with us. Of course we accepted the challenge, for it is always good to have new blood on the court. After more sweat, more laughter, and more really hard hits, well, (at the risk of gloating a bit) we beat them! Shannon and I were ecstatic to be victorious over these two athletic boys! An opportunity for these guys to redeem themselves was necessary, so we played once more, and, once more, we won! Score!
*It probably should be noted that these guys aren't expert racquetball players, so it shouldn't thrill me as much as it does!
*It probably should be noted that these guys aren't expert racquetball players, so it shouldn't thrill me as much as it does!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Conquered!
This weekend I stood on the highest point in all of Texas! Three friends and I traveled to Guadalupe Mountains National Park to climb Guadalupe Peak. We arrived at the park around 10:00pm Friday night, and we set up our tents in the dark.
After surviving the blustery night, we made oatmeal and started the hike UP the mountain. Unfortunately, we had to bring our own water because this mountain is in the dessert (and water weighs 8 pounds/gallon). It was perfectly exhausting- not so hard to be discouraging and hopeless, but difficult enough (with thirty pounds on our backs) to be a challenge. Hiking UP about three miles made us glad to finally find our campsite. We pitched our tents and made a delicious meal of rice, veggies, and chicken! Snuggled in our sleeping bags in our small tent, we played Go Fish (and I lost miserably) and drank hot chocolate. Saturday night was freezing- but with three girls in a cozy two-person tent, our body heat aided in our fight against the cold.
We arose Sunday morning and started our summit hike. It was exciting to reach the top and realize that we were higher than anyone else in the whole state of Texas. We could see miles and miles of land around us. The view was lovely, but not quite like the scenery in Colorado or California. The hike down flew by, and my knees were thrilled to find the pavement at the base of the mountain.
The entire hike I was fascinated at how God made our bodies! It is incredible how our eyes can take in so much information at just a glance, and how our brains can keep our feet moving quickly and prevent painful stumbles. Whew!
After surviving the blustery night, we made oatmeal and started the hike UP the mountain. Unfortunately, we had to bring our own water because this mountain is in the dessert (and water weighs 8 pounds/gallon). It was perfectly exhausting- not so hard to be discouraging and hopeless, but difficult enough (with thirty pounds on our backs) to be a challenge. Hiking UP about three miles made us glad to finally find our campsite. We pitched our tents and made a delicious meal of rice, veggies, and chicken! Snuggled in our sleeping bags in our small tent, we played Go Fish (and I lost miserably) and drank hot chocolate. Saturday night was freezing- but with three girls in a cozy two-person tent, our body heat aided in our fight against the cold.
We arose Sunday morning and started our summit hike. It was exciting to reach the top and realize that we were higher than anyone else in the whole state of Texas. We could see miles and miles of land around us. The view was lovely, but not quite like the scenery in Colorado or California. The hike down flew by, and my knees were thrilled to find the pavement at the base of the mountain.
The entire hike I was fascinated at how God made our bodies! It is incredible how our eyes can take in so much information at just a glance, and how our brains can keep our feet moving quickly and prevent painful stumbles. Whew!
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