No Need for Want: Settling In

In Thailand I surely am – safe’n’sound and getting my bearings.

This essay paints a picture about my day-to-day in Peace Corps Training thus far...

“Shampoo, shampoo…” my grandmotherly-like Thai host mom, Mae (Mother) Ruam, repeatedly says to me one evening. Is she referring to my unkempt bike-helmet hair? Do I smell so bad she has to accuse? Another minute of miscommunication – lost in translation – goes on, and her meaning is at last understood.

A Brand New Day

I was recently asked to write the following piece -- for inclusion in a 20th Anniversary Book -- about a place near and dear to me, Wild Women Expeditions. It was a treat to reflect, smile and snicker-out-loud about my time there. Here's the story...

Sawadee kah 2009 & Sawadee kah 2010

Seconds after popping balloons and blowing kazoos to bring in 2010, a grey haired gentleman slung his arm casually around my shoulder and said with a hint of a slur, “Ya know, youngen, I have this theory about ‘why time flies’.” I raised my brow at his claim, and he continued, “When you’re two years old, one year is a pretty significant 1/2 of your life. When you’re 60 years old, though, one year is a meager 1/60 of your life....” Clever, eh?

So, going along with this mathematical logic, 2009 was 1/28 of my life's pie, and well, I think it really did get eaten faster than years past. Plus, it had a constant underlying theme -- the potent concoction of anticipation, prepartion and bittersweet goodbyes....

The Walk-in Lock-in

From July-October 2009, Colchester Farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was my home. I seeded and weeded, harvested and washed, marketed and sold a rainbow of organic vegetables. Sure there were many romantic moments (e.g. picturesque skys, jumbo neon caterpillars, and cruising in our battered little red farm truck), though inevitably, there were a handful of mishaps, too. Here's a tale of one particular "opps" while down on the farm...