Where there is gold

The Mom and Pop go to France Fund!

2010-02-10T17:22:00.003+01:00

I've already spoken with most of you on the phone about this, but just to say it all again for those of you I didn't catch yet; JB and I want to host Mom and Pop for 3 weeks here in France during this July or August. Preferably August as the tickets are a little cheaper.

The idea is that all of us kids will put as much as we resonably can into this trip for them so that they can have a really great Anniversary present/Birthday present for Pop. I've already mentioned this to Mom and she is down with the idea, and Pop, well Pop is really wanting to come. Baby Timmy is a big draw, but think about it, Mom and Pop have never been to Europe and it will be such a good memory for them. Hell, Mom has never been out of the country and Pop hasn't been since he left India. As Rafiki the monkey says: "It is time."

I've been looking for inexpensive flights for them and the best that I have found so far is as follows. Using Icelandair, if they fly out of Minneapolis, (which they can take a shuttle to from LaCrosse) and have one layover in Iceland, before reaching Paris on August 10th and return in the same style on August 25th, then the tickets will cost: $985. Each.

So: $1970 for both of them round trip.

I know it is expensive, but it will make them so happy, and shit, we are 8 kids I figure we should all be able to pitch in at least a little something! Even Gelly can help!

Here's the deal, JB and I don't have any cash available till the end of the month, but you should all feel free to go ahead and start putting money in the donate button up in the right hand side of my blog. This way it will all go into one account and then I can buy the tickets for them faster.

If you want I will keep a running tab up so that we all know how much still needs to be put in. Yes, I think I will do that so that we all feel guilty and give more money.

TOTAL DONATED as of Feb. 10th: $0

Any questions or comments? Use FB, and I will get back to you right away.

BTW! Mom has promised to lose weight for this trip. She know that obesity costs extra on an airplane, so she is really gonna do her best!

On bridesmaids

2009-01-15T12:38:00.003+01:00

The wonderful history or should I say histories behind bridesmaids and their roles in helping the bride can be watched in this cute little video. (You'll see the brides head falls off , how realistic...my head does that too!)

More helpful tips on what a bridesmaid is commonly expected to help with can be found HERE, or on many other useful internet sights! ( hint, they aren't just there to look pretty :)

Being Home and starting the wedding preperations!

2008-11-08T16:48:00.003+01:00

I've been home for a month. I don't have a job yet, but I am so busy trying to arrange the wedding for this April, that I think I am lucky to not be working yet. So far I've voted for a president, found my dress, bought a pattern for my bridesmaids dresses, bought dozens of flower bulbs (which I will force start indoors before the wedding), talked with the priest, set the date for the church, sent out the "Save the date" things via email, demanded the "list of guests from his side", started studying NFP, checked out and blocked off some rooms for my guests at local hotels, and this morning I am going to look at rooms for the reception. Tomorrow I will work on the invitations. They will be homemade. So much cheaper.

Hopefully, my mom and I can find something and book it soon, because there aren't many places around here that serve such small weddings and we are kinda late in the game for booking a place now. Usually people book a year or six months before, so we're at the wire. We'll probably only have about 100 people at most who show up for the wedding and most places have a 200 people minimum. I don't want to pay for 100 more plates of food that won't be eaten, or all the linen table clothes, and place setting rentals either...

Also Jean-Baptiste and I are having huge problems finding a wedding registry that speaks English but is either in France or ships to Paris. Anyone have any suggestions?

It's the End of the World As I know it!

2008-10-05T08:18:00.002+02:00

Yeah, It's the end of the World as I now know it and I feel fine!

It is time.

The Poorva Express leaves tomorrow morning at 8:05 am from Howra Station and will arrive at about the same time in New Delhi on the 7th.

Poorva Express = 24 hours of grabbing and "Where you from?" molestation before I reach Delhi, but it will be my last train ride in India so I am just gonna suck it up!

In Delhi I will probably take a small walk down Main Bazaar to get myself some food for the day and a fresh bottle of water, it will be no fun carrying all my stuff with me but there is nowhere that I would trust leaving it for even 20 minutes.

Then I will negotiate a fair price for the Taxi to the Airport. About 10 minutes of acceptable grief.

After I arrive at the airport I hope to be pleasantly waiting around with my journal and thoughts and a good book until Midnight at which time I will board my flight heading non-stop to Chicago.

When I arrive in Chicago at 7:30 am on the 8th I will wait for my luggage and then lug it to the Metro. Which will take me to Union Station where I will wait around for the Empire Builder to leave at 2:15 pm.

Five Hours later I will be only 40 minutes from home! As I dismount the Empire Builder in LaCrosse Wisconsin and feel the cool October air and see and smell the season change, I will probably start crying and asking for a cheese burger.

My mom and hopefully most of my family will be there to put me back together again, and make me wait till I get home to the farm for that burger. So, 40 minute more until I see my farm again and smell my own cows and get howled at by Addie the Beagle.

God, I can hardly wait!

Aproximate transit time between me and my next Cheese burger: 24hr train + 30mn taxi + 15hr flight + 30 mn Metro + 5hr train + 40mn drive = 35 hrs and 40 minutes

Total time till next Cheese burger from start of travel: About 72

Next Cheese burger: PRICELESS

I am grateful

2008-08-06T10:54:00.003+02:00

I am grateful for:
My Faith
My Parents
My Siblings
My many friends and few relatives throughout the world who pray for me
The fact that in my country I am respected as a person
The fact that I was given an education
That I will always have someone I can call on to help me

That I have knowledge of how to keep myself healthy
That I will never have maggots crawling in any of my wounds
That I will never have rotten fingers that show their bones.
That my babies will not die from malnourishment,
nor AIDS, nor polio...
That I will never be addicted to drugs.

That I will never die alone
nor on the street
nor from a sickness without possibility of treatment
That when I die people will mourn me and respectfully dispose of my body.

O! GOD!

I am so grateful.

I am so blessed.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

So many photos from Thailnad and India

2008-07-22T13:16:00.002+02:00

ARE HERE

That's JB's blog

By the way we are no longer dis-engaged. ; )

He asked me while we were riding an elephant.

How you can change the world!

2008-07-13T11:00:00.001+02:00

HIV

2008-06-28T09:58:00.006+02:00

She has it. Out of shame she did not tell me.

Her baby girl, Rupa, died on Thursday 26th, June; 11am.

The nurses made her stay in the hall while her baby was taking its last breath.

The Hospitals in India do not give treatment to HIV patients.

They have to go to a 'special' clinic, to be sterilized, and then 'treated'.

She is in anguish.

I was to late.

The garbage to the right of where I live.

Street children bathing in the rain.

Regular early morning Calcutta.

Everything they own is in front of them.

They were very grateful for the bread.

Please help me.

To Market

2008-06-25T14:21:00.003+02:00

I've seen her and her two daughters on the sidewalk for the last 3 months. Everyday I would try to have a small conversation with her in my limited Bengali. She is 18 years old though she looks about 25, because of the cruelty of her life. She has no husband, but the first time I took her to meet the sisters, she put the crimson dash in her hair line to try and appear more 'respectable'. She loves her daughters more than anything.
She cried in front of a crowd of her peers while she tried to get me to take her baby.

She is a brave woman.

YOU are all going to help me help change her life.

Baby Rupa is 2 1/2 months old and has pneumonia in both of her lungs. She is the size of a small rag doll and even though she is in the Hospital with her Mother at her side, she is going to need special care for at least another year.

She is a beautiful baby with eyes that grab you.

YOU are all going to help me change her life.

I am going to write more about them, you will read it.

I am going to show you pictures of myself with this woman and her baby, and you are going to want to help her.

I am going to find work and a home for them, but in the mean time she will need money to help her support herself , her very sick baby, and her 3 year old.

She is not a prostitute. She might have been, I don't care.
She does not do drugs. She might have, I still don't care.

She lives on the street and everything she owns she can carry in one hand.

For money she picks through the refuse of the market and finding the odd garlic, or bit of ginger she cleans it and sells it .

This will all change.

You will all help her.

Won't you?

True Loving

2008-06-06T09:19:00.004+02:00

Forgive me for not writing sooner I've been busy with so much!

Anways I have had so much happen this past month, new friends, old friends, misunderstanding, puppy dogs, mango eating, monsoon starting, my birthday, but what I would like to tell you about today is: a miracle!

Remember the woman I posted about who I rushed to Khalighat?
Well she is doing so well now! When she first arrived everyone was sure that she would die within a few hours. She was completely unresponsive, blood coming from her ears, several puncture/gash wounds on her head, a large open wound and infection in her right hand, broken ribs on her right side and a broken foot too.

We think she was shoved from a train.

Anyways, she went from completely unresponsive to; grinding her teeth and moaning for a week; to following us with her eyes but still grinding her teeth, to eating bread in milk and biting the spoon in half to; eating normal food; to sitting up with help; to talking; to sitting up and talking and eating by herself.

And what is more is that she recognized me!
She knew I was the one who had helped her when she was unconscious, she knew it was me who was singing in her ear to make her stop grinding her teeth, and she knew it was me, even when I had been too busy to visit her for 2 weeks, and suddenly appeared again to find her almost completely recovered.

When she recognized me I found the greatest treasure of my life.
I felt so completely rewarded by God, but most importantly I felt TRUE.
You probably have no idea what it is like.
I had been false, I had been doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
You see, I knew that what I was doing was looked up to by a lot of people, and it gave my devilish pride a real rush. I wanted people to be impressed by my 'goodness', by how long I was staying, but now... It doesn't matter I don't need anymore recognition than that womans smile.
My life is true now.

God is True, God is Love, and He can work through anyone that lets Him. That knowledge humbles even me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

My Rosetta Stone

2008-05-23T09:27:00.007+02:00

It seems like every day I tell a new proverb or story of my fathers' to a friend.

The baby born in Howra, the pig drowned and fed,
the refusal of the pot hanger,
the boy from the corner,
the 7 bugs per bite, or the slapping of the novice,
and these stories are always well received.

I tell them how he says that there are two ways of learning,
through acquired knowledge or through other's wisdom.
Acquired knowledge can sometimes hurt, because you learn as you go,
getting somethings right, and some wrong.
Where as learning through Wisdom is less painful.
For those that have already experienced the pain of acquiring the knowledge
simply pass it on to you, and you just need to listen.

I tell them about how he said that if I ever found myself in a bad situation
or with friends who were making bad choices
that I didn't have to stand up or make a scene that might upset,
all I had to do was turn my feet in the other direction and start walking.
Then if someone were to ask where I was going, I could say something like;
'I'm going to take my dad's advice' and just keep walking.

(He promised that if I ever did just that,
and then found myself in the middle of a pickle,
that he would always get me out of it,
and I've taken him up on that promise a few times now.)

My father is not perfect,
he is not always the most mild,
or humble,
but recently I have come to know that by learning through his wisdom,
and trusting in his promises
I can be a better person.

He has become a type of Rosetta stone for my life,
especially for my experiences here in Calcutta,
and I believe that if I share his wisdom with others he will be for them too.

So,
lately when the sisters, or other people,
have been catching me doing something that my father taught me,
I have been sincerely happy because then I can turn around and tell them about him.

Mathew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me
Always love!
(or) Hate will get you every time
Always love!
Don't wait til the finish line

Slow demands come 'round
Squeeze the air and keep the rest out
It helps to write it down
Even when you then cross it out

But Always Love!
(or) Hate will get you every time
Always Love!
Even when you wanna fight

Self-directed lives
I want to know what it'd be like to
Aim so high above
Any card that you've been dealt, you...

Always Love!
(or) Hate will get you every time
Always Love!
(or) Hate will get you

I've been held back by something
Yeah.
You said to me quietly on the stairs,
I've been held back by something
Yeah.
You said to me quietly on the stairs.
You said:

Hey, you good ones,
Hey, you good ones,
To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me...

Always love!
(or) Hate will get you every time
Always love!
(or) hate will get you

I've been held back by something
Yeah,
You said to me quietly on the stairs,
I've been held back by something
Yeah,
You said to me quietly on the stairs
You said..
Hey, you good ones
Hey, you good ones
Hey, you good ones

Just to let you all know I am doing well

2008-05-08T08:13:00.002+02:00

I'm doing well.

God has sent me a new friend to work with and I am so much happier now.

Work is hard and easy and so rewarding.

Please keep praying for me.

A Selfish note:

My birthday is less than a month away, if you wanna send anything, now is a good time.

June 4th is B-day.

I love you all !

I won today!

2008-04-29T17:39:00.002+02:00

My green troops trampled everyone elses. It felt so nice to be able to control something.

Natali died 4 days ago so I have removed the photos I had posted earlier of her teeth.

It will do her no good now.

Found another dieing woman on a platform today and rushed her to Kalighat. Said a rosary for her while in bad traffic on the way. Sister admitted her and she was still alive when I left.

A thought struck me that I was perhaps the only person in the world that had directly prayed for this one womans soul.

I felt useful.

Thank you God!

RISK

2008-04-23T16:04:00.002+02:00

It has been over 40 degrees Celsius in Calcutta for the past 3 days, that would be 104 Fahrenheit.
That isn't just a high that is the norm. It reaches 100 F by 10 am and cools back down to 93 by 8pm.

It is 7:48 right now as I write and the temperature in the room is 96 F.

Two days ago everyone was talking about how we broke the heat record that was held for the last 10 years, though I never got the numbers. Bother that.
Anyways I think you get that it is HOT here.

That being said I will tell you about something nice.
The game of RISK.

An Australian, named Mark, and I went in 50/50 and bought it
yesterday when walking home from work.

A Hollander named Axel killed my green troops,
Mark's blue troops,
and, a Swedish, Dilan's yellow troops,
by rolling consistent 6's and trampling us under his red troops.

I was so disappointed.

I must conquer the world!

Pray for me.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED!!!

2008-04-11T09:47:00.003+02:00

Ok, soooo, here is what I know. I know that Dentists don't normally do any extractions when there are such bad infections. First they give the antibiotics to clear up the infection, during which time they have the patient clean their own mouth as best as possible etc. But I don't know if any of that really applies here. Perhaps the infection is simply too much for a simple antibiotic, perhaps she is too weak to heal from the trauma of extractions even if the infection does clear up.

This woman weighs about 70lbs, cannot eat, is not on an IV to keep her fluids up, and can barely drink because of the pain. She goes into a comma like state at least once a week and must be spoon fed water through out the day. Our resident nurse says that the only other thing that is really wrong with her is her dry skin so if she heals in her mouth then maybe... she'll live a bit longer and be able to enjoy something before she dies. Her name is Natali. She is so kind.

Yucky Photos below!!!!

I couldn't get enough light to take photos of the rear molars, though she really only has 4 teeth back there anyways, and all of them are extremely loose.

Please send these to Uncle John and get his advise, also Dr. Dahl I more than welcome your advise! Thank you so much for your help.

PHOTOS REMOVED AS OF APRIL 29, 2008.

NATALI DIED A FEW DAYSAGO AND I SEE NO REASON TO LEAVE THE PHOTOS UP NOW.

IT'S TOO LATE TO HELP HER.

Nice photo: Do you see Puja? She is the one with a brilliant smile who is off to the right. I might tell her story another day.

Please send all donations of dental products to:

Havilah Volunteer
Missionaries of Charity
54/A A.J.C. Bose Road
Kolkata, India
700 016

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

It's Like Pulling Teeth

2008-04-06T15:26:00.003+02:00

Yesterday, I sat with a woman who was dieing in Prem Dan. She had a mouth full of extreme infections, and rotten teeth. (The day before she was able to sit up with my help, but when I tried to feed her, even the softest rice, she was unable to eat it because of the extreme pain in her mouth.) I find it so disheartening that there are, as far as I am able to ascertain from 'Sister In Charge', NEVER dentists that volunteer in Kolkata with the Missionaries of Charity.
The people NEED them so much here, they Need tooth brushes to be donated, and they Need education. But there is NO ONE here.

So, I have volunteered to pull teeth. I have never done this before, only seen it done when I worked with Dr. Smith, for 6 months, as an assistant in his clinic. Yet if the 'Sister In Charge approves of my offer then I will do it.

I know what you are thinking. You need not say that I am unqualified or that I might do more harm than good, because I know these things already.

What I need you to tell me is the names of the antibiotics which are most effective on oral infections. I need you to help me to get the proper instruments, and a good book on what to do if an extraction goes wron. I need information about the different types of oral infections, and how best to treat them. I know there must be thousands, but I need to know more about what I see.
I will not be slicing or attempting anything fancy, but when I see that a patients gums have receded so far that I am already able to see the tops of the roots, then I will give them the opportunity to have that tooth pulled.

So they can eat, so they can live.

Unlike my friend who died today.

Dear Family,
Please ask Uncle John if he can send me the proper instruments and anything else that will help me.

Money, money, money, Money...MOh...NEY!

2008-04-04T16:16:00.002+02:00

Who likes getting Traveller's Diarrhea?
I do!
Wanna know why?
Of course you do!

Well, you see Optimer Pharmecuticals, Inc., is sponsoring a study on the effectivness of a new antibiotic, on foreigners here in Kolkata, who get diarrhea. In affect they are paying me for my... while asking me to keep a journal about my 'movements', and not telling me if what I am taking is either the drug or the placebo.

(Isn't that a cool word, Placebo!)

He he he , I will be paid up to the equivelant of 50 Euro, (aka: 78.72 USD, or 3,139.67 Rupees) for each scheduled visit I complete with the doctor.

Now who do you think is enjoying their Diarrhea?

I am!

The Poorva Express

2008-04-01T17:03:00.002+02:00

I arrived safely into New Delhi yesterday morning and changed my last 19 dollars in cash into 700 rupees while still at teh airport. The dollar is dropping...
Took a pre-paid taxi for 250 from airport to Main Bazaar and found a room for the night for 200. As it was only 9 am by that time I walked to the train station and ended up buying a ticket for the next train headed to Howra station, in Kolkata. Had the option of paying 1000 rupees more and going in 3AC on an express which arrived after only 14 hrs or slumin' it in regular sleeper for only 434, and arriving in Kolkata after 26 hrs on the train. Took the cheaper ticket.
After which I went back to the hotel set my alarm clock and slept for a few hours. I hadn't slept at all during either of my flights or the lay over in Bahrain. Woke up with an hour till departure, stuffed my thgings in my bag and went out to find provisions for the long train ride. Got some 5 rupee packaged cookies and a big bottle of water and headed to the station with my bags. Noticed that I had missed my train before I even got into the station because the clock on the station was NOt set the same as my alarm. I had forgotten about the extra 1/2 hour change between France and India. I had remembered the 4 hour part. I swear to God I am telling the truth!
Missed the Poorva Express, so I jumped on the next train... Was informed that my ticket for the other train was completely NON transferable to this train and that people who had no ticket were subject to a 3000 rupee fine and still responsible for paying for a ticket for that train. The food man told me this and asked me to wait in a seat until the Ticket man was able to get to me. Sat in the seat for 2 hours or so, met the nice Muslim gentlemen, from Bangledesh, who sat accross from and next to me. Was fed twice for free and thoroughly enjopyed being in an airconditioned car. When the Ticket man came I explained that I had missed my train and that I thought that I could buy a ticke on this one when I was ion it. He said No. I was told that unless I payed the fine...blah blah blah blah... I was going to be kicked off at the next station.
Got kicked off at the next station. :0 at almost midnight in a small staion where there were NO foreigners, let alone single white female foreigners, aside from myself I sat and waited for the train I had missed to catch up to the train I hadn't payed for. Caught my train about an hour later, but was informed that since I had not shown in New Delhi my bunk had been resold to a different passenger.
Slept on the floor of the train in between two bunks and was molested by at least 2 different men, who at different times in the night, carresed my face while I was sleeping. Screamed at both of them and went back to sleep with my head under the little fold out table...
Arrived safely into Kolkata, was warmly greeted by my old friends at the Salvation Army and checked into the girls dorm. Had a Naan and some sliced tomatoes and headed to the internet.
Updated blog.

Love is Good!

What would you think if I sang out of tune?

2008-03-10T12:05:00.002+01:00

Would you stand up and walk out on me ?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key.

It's raining today in Paris, and I can't risk my sheet music by going out to sing for change.

I will be going out everyday that I can and singing for change from now until the end of April, when my visa expires. Hopefully by that time God will bless me with enough money for my ticket back to Kolkata.

Yes, you read that correctly. I am going back as soon as I have enough of my own money to pay for it.

The sisters here in Paris are wonderful, just as wonderful as in Kolkata, but the work is different and the volunteers here are a different sort as well.

They have designer clothes, fancy hair cuts , and in fashion jewelry on their fingers when they serve the homeless. No, not the sisters: the volunteers.

They are only a small handfull of them and they are from all over the world, and they are so sweet it almost hurts you inside when you see the way they care about you. No, not the volunteers: the sisters.

Here in Paris the volunteers start work every morning, except Thursday, at 8:30 and finish at 12 noon. They prepair, cook, and serve food that has been donated to the sisters for the poor. They do a pretty good job of it too as I would estimate that about 300 poor are fed ever morning.

That is all there is to the work. We cook and feed and Jesus is happy with us.

However, I'm not sure how happy he is with my being here, as I have felt at ill ease while working with the poor here. I do realize that I am picky, but honestly I don't feel any Love for my work here. Which is odd, because normaly my favorite thing in the world is to feed people.
(Just ask anyone who went to Ave Maria and ate at my Sunday brunches.)

So, I am going back to India as soon as possible, and I am going to keep learning about Love the best way I know how, the hard way.

Pray for me!

Bird Flu Exit Plan

2008-01-30T08:24:00.000+01:00

It's here, it's making everyone into vegetarians (who don't even eat eggs), and it is starting to scare me too.

Here is what the BBC reports.

Here is what India eNews is saying.

They are not saying the same thing, and that freaks me more than anything. Also the fact that Prem Dan, the center I work in, is surrounded by semi-wild poultry and ducks frightens me. Everyday I walk through feces of innumerable animals/humans. Fun fun.

I'm pretty 'India-ed' out at the moment and as I have already seen most of my other volunteer friends leave I have decided evacuation now is a good idea. I don't want to be here alone, sad, and then get bird sick too!

I throw in the towel.

India 1 / Havilah 0.

Jeebs has invited me to come back to Paris with him and I have accepted. The flight cost me $535 which is just about half of all of my personal money. I have already talked with Sister Karina and she has told me that the Missionaries of Charity in Paris are working just as hard. In Paris they work with the homeless from Eastern Europe, and the Africans who come ilegally and have nothing.

So, while in Paris I will continue working with the MC sisters and will update my blog more regularly with accounts of what I am doing.

Please don't be mad at me for giving up after only 3 months. I will come back!

Photos From our trip to Rajastan

2008-01-29T10:24:00.000+01:00

Pictures from Varanasi

Jaisalmer ( 50 km from Pakistan border) and the camel safari

A quick note:

We've been travelling, mostly in Rajastan but we stopped in Agra on the way, and Varanasi on teh way back, for 2 weeks and just arrived home today. I thought Rajastan was wonderful, kindest people and most beautiful things to see. (JB paid for everything, I only paid for the food, so it cost about the same for me as if I had stayed in Kolkata the whole time.)

Photo of Monica

2008-01-21T15:26:00.000+01:00

My very good friend from Australia took this photo of Monica on her last day.

I am grateful.

The Ring and some Pictures from Agra

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000+01:00

It was cold waiting for the sun to rise on the Taj Mahal!
Sunrise
My Fella

Monica

2008-01-14T11:03:00.000+01:00

When I was still a newbie, on my second day of working with the sisters at Prem Dan, I carried a plate of food into the ward and fed a woman I would learn was named, Monica. She died this morning and I want to say a few things about her.

Monica had blue eyes and silver grey hair cut short to keep lice away.

Though she still had lice, she did not have many of her teeth.

Monica was, in estimation, 65 years old and weighed about the same in pounds.

Though she ate everything I gave her she weighed less every time I saw her.

Monica was Catholic.

Though I never saw her praying one, she wore a yellow, plastic beaded, Rosary around her neck.

Monica spoke in Bengali.

Though she still new how to say "Thank you" in English.

Monica intelligent and bossy.
Though she loved to give kisses and hugs.

Monica smiled the biggest when she saw me.

Though sometimes she would be frustrated with me if I didn't understand.

Monica prefered that I feed her,

though other volunteers tried when I was there.

Monica kissed my hand the last time I saw her alive,

though I was in a hurry to leave for the day.

Monica was always grateful.

Thank you God for Monica.

A few photos from Puri

2008-01-07T10:09:00.001+01:00

JB and I and a small group of other volunteers have been in Puri for the last week.
It is a village town not a city like Kolkata. I suppose it is most known for its beaches and the Sun Temple which is pretty close by in Konark. I liked our stay the most because there was fresh air and lots of little farms and rice paddies around it.

Cindy Lou Who

2007-12-30T16:15:00.000+01:00

I love my work!

Lately I have been assisting the Doctor with small surgeries and dressings, etc. and today our last patient was a little baby girl who was no more than Two.

(I will call her: Cindy Lou Who)

Now Little Cindy Lou Who had a few abscess on the back of her head, and she was not happy with the treatment we had to do.

First Dr. Joan soaked the abscess in warm water and gauze bandages for an hour or two.

Just enough till they were soft and easy to cut through.

During wich time I held Cindy Lou Who, and didn't let her know what we were about to do.

We ate bananas and Chai and played a bit too.

Then came the time for the operation, but because Cindy Lou was so small Dr. Joan asked me to hold Cindy Lou Who in a big hug over my shoulder while Dr. did what she had to do.

The next obstical we fought through was the swaddling cloth that Cindy Lou wore!

Every time we took off one layer, to get rid of a collar in the way, we found more and more!

Finally we had Cindy Lou Who as she was on the day she was born, not a stitch left anywhere.

Then I held her over my shoulder and she was happy there.

But what happened next was no fun for her at all,

Dr. swabbed her litlle head with Iodine and told me not to let her move a bit!

Then the razor blade went "slit, slit, slit".

Por Cindy Lou who cried and cried and you know what she decided to do?

Poo.

She pooed and pooed

all over

You know Who!

Pictures from Christmas!

2007-12-26T05:35:00.000+01:00

A father and 2 daughters inside Prem Dan, waiting for balloon poodles!

Balloon poodles for Christmas! Hooray!

The slum children who live in trash huts outside of Prem Dan.

Me trying to exit Prem dan with one little poodle left to give.

The lucky boy who got the poodle running as fast as he can away from the others.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I love you all.

The Oot

The first pictures from Calcutta / Kolkata

2007-12-23T16:07:00.000+01:00

First, please allow me to explain why I am not going to be posting any photos of sick or dying people that the Missionaries and volunteers care for.

They do not need pity, they need love, and if I post photos of them you will feel sorry for them. There is more to it than just that, I would also like to address the fact that they must be treated with dignity, and that if we the volunteers act as tourists towards them and take photos of them at their worst, then we are less able to prove to them that we respect them and that they deserve to be treated by everyone as every human deserves to be treated. (Bother that didn't come out right.)

We are trying to affirm the Dignity that belongs to every person.

Also, the MC's ask that we only take photos on our last day of volunteering, so even if I wante dto take a picure or two of some of my patient/friends I would have to ask special permission. And as I am not trying to be special I will not ask.

So, I will show you pictures of the fun stuff or interesting stiff on the streets etc.

Why Noah!? Why!?

2007-12-15T13:51:00.000+01:00

Why didn't he throw the little lice couple off the boat?

Oh well, 10 months of killing critters in my hair is ok, it will help me to get into a more regular routine. Wash, rinse, comb, REPEAT.

In all seriousness though, I do give thanks to God that I went this long without having little insects living off of me, but I would have been even more grateful if I could have gone say...11 months instead of 1.

In other News:

I was I was kind of homesick today so I called home, with Skype, and talked for about an hour to Mom and Pop about some of my adventures, their winter struggles with getting enough firewood, and a new glow-plug for the stove. I also told them about how I think Jubilee, my little sister, should come and visit the Sisters here. I have only recently realized that they are ALL a bunch of Juby's! It's amazing, she would fit in just like a little peg. Of course since my family has no money, I suppose she will have to fund raise, that is if God does want her to come. Of course she will have to finish this school year before she comes, etc. but she could come in May and the weather would still be reasonable for a month... O I hope she can come!

I have been writing my Christmas and Thank you letters and although I had hoped that I would be able to send them before Christmas it seems that I will have to wait because the envelopes I need are still on their way to me. Thank you Mammy!

By the way I will not need any more sports bras to be mailed to me! Mom mailed me a bunch from home, and so did my best friend Mary. So, please let's not mention any 'under garments' again, mkay?

You know what I am realizing would be awesome to have mailed though? No, I don't suppose you all do, WELL I was thinking a board game or two would be wonderful! Something that all of us volunteers can do together to relax a bit. We have given this some thought and we like games that can be played by non-native english speakers as well as english speakers, so although I love games like Boggle and Scrabble, they simply won't do here. Instead games like RISK, and Monopoly wold do wonderfully. Risk would be hilarious for us because we are all from so many different countries alreday I bet we could start in all the continents of our birth... YES now that I think about it I am sure we could... Serena is from Australia, Toshi is from Japan, Hortense is from France, 'What's Her Name' from South Africa, Sr. Karina from Mexico, and me from the US! Perfect! He he he!!!! Just imagine kicking someone out of their own continent!

Well, I am out of time online now, because I spent so much on the phone, so I won't be able to edit this post and make it anymore coherent. I'm sorry. This will have to do for now!

Happy Gaudete Sunday Everyone!

Christmas is so close!

Mother's Christmas Dream 1948

2007-12-13T11:45:00.000+01:00

Scene I

The stage is set with a large gate written on the gate are the words: "Loreto Entally & St. Mary's School for Girls"

From behind the gate we hear faint shuffling of feet, muffled goodbyes, then a strong male voice saying: "Come be my Light!" and slowly, but without hesitance, the gate opens and one woman dressed in a white sari with blue borders steps out, alone, into the world.

+ Lights fade and spotlight shines only on the woman: Mother Teresa

Narator: Reading from Mother Teresa's journal tells us that the date is Dec. 19th, 1948 and that Mother has just returned from her stay with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, and is only stopping by the Loreto Convent to visit.

+Spotlight fades to OFF

Scene II

Lights fade to full and we see the Gate is removed and in it's place we see three doors, red, green, blue, and then a street scene unfolds.

Young woman, VERY obviously pregnant, and her husband in the middle of a crowd of Kolkata people busily going about everyday life. The couple is slowly going from door to door looking for a place that will welcome them. They are turned away by everyone. Everyone at door makes gestures of "What do I get if I let you in?'' and the couple show that they have no money in their bag again and again.

+Fruit seller calling unrecognizable phrases from upstage Right and shoe repairman sitting with broken sandles and a few tools on the cement slab upstage Left, 2 children chasing a rubber tire and starting from Down stage Left and returning the same way. Random people miling about haggling with fruit seller, shacking imaginary cow dung from shoe, woman yelling at a group of boys who run by and steal her bag...etc

Enter Mother Center stage Right. She is looking for something. Searching for a place to stay and money to feed her poor with. She knocks on the first door, she gestures towards a poor (wo)man who is coughing and aparently dying on the street. Man at door makes gesture of "What do I get if I help him/her?'' and Mother shows that she has nothing to pay him with. Man slams door.

+Light fades and we see all the street people are exiting the stage. Leaving, Mother and the pregnant couple till the end. Couple is preparing to leave and continue their search towards Exit stage Right.
Mother towards Exit stage Left. (They crossed in the crowd without reckognition or aknowledgement)

Narrator: Reads entry from Mothers journal dated Dec. 20th 1948 and that Mother spent all day looking for people who were willing to give her a place to stay so that she could better serve her beloved poor.

Scene III

+Lights fade up and we see that we are in a convent of sorts Cucifix on wall, and sisters in habits milling about. Some are snickering in a corner and pointing at Mother in her Sari, but others are around Mother and seem to be encouraging & welcoming her and asking her to help them with their work. One sister takes mother Upstage Right to what seems to be a small room set aside for just Mother. Mother takes out a journal sits down and pretends to write in it.

Narrator: Reads Journal entry from Dec. 24th relating how she had been staying with the Little Sisters of the poor for a few days now and how grateful she was to have such kind souls around her on Christmas eve.

Mother goes to a small blanket on the floor and kneeling down says her prayers and then lays down as if to sleep.

+Light fades turns blue and "dream smoke" rolls onto stage from stage Left.

Scene IV

Mother is gone and we see 10 sisters instead all dressed in MC fashion, building a creche and singing: "O come O come Emmanuel" with help from Choir above.

+Door bell rings from Off stage+

Enter Stage Left: The Pregnant Couple asking for a place to stay.
The MC sisters imediately start smilling and welcoming them in and showing them the nice little Creche that they have been prepairing for them. Then the sisters help pregnant Mary into the Creche with pushing and pulling.

+Light fades on MC sisters as they begin to kneel around the creche and await the birth of the baby. Then we see spotlights directed towards Down Stage Right

Enter Stage Right 2 Shepheards carrying stuffed sheep and looking sleepy, very sleepy. Shepheards sit down as if to sleep and suddenly we hear from above the begining notes of "Angels we Have Heard on High" Shepheards start to look around as if they are scared!

Enter Stage Right 3 Angels singing the Gloria refrain from above song. The Angels point towards the creche as their last notes of Gloria subside and a great burst of light is seen coming ftrom behind the kneeling sisters and within the Creche! Suddenly the Gloria ends and all the lights on stage are alight and "O Come Let us Adore Him" Booms from the above choir and the Angels and Sisters join in.

Sisters slowly move to the side and we see that the Christ child has been born and is in Mary's arms. 3 Wisemen enter bearing gifts and kneel before Creche, shepheards do likewise.

+Down comes the tree from above and slowly off come the leaves, so that all the branches of the MC's are visible. As each leaf comes off a person, dressed as a member of that branch would dress, appears on stage and kneels down to worship Christ, until All branches are revealed and everyone is there worshiping.

+ Song Finishes and light fades to off.

Scene V

Steet in Kolkata with the crowd as busy as it was in scene II, Only difference is that in this scene the Christ child who is in his little bed alone on ther cement slab, (He has NOT been moved from teh previous scene though everything else has changed around Him), while the people pass him by and ignore Him.

Enter Mother stage Right: She is searching again but this time as if she hears something she follows the sound to the baby and picks Him up, + Spotlight shines on Mother holding baby Christ and gazing with LOve at Him, then with a big smile she looks out to the audiance and says "I have found Him!"

Narrator reads: a few small things that Mother has said about finding Him in all the poor and destitute, the abandoned and hepless...

The End

This is the play that we wrote yesterday. Well, we talked it to life anyways, I suppose that this is really the first time it has been written. This is the play that the Volunteers will give to the Sisters on Christmas Eve this year. I will be one of the Gloria Angels and directing the Choir above. I pray that it will go well! Tell me what you all think!

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

2007-12-09T19:41:00.000+01:00

And I am annoyed at my inability to post the Youtube video with the music...

It is great you should all go look it up!

What I do here

2007-12-06T11:30:00.000+01:00

I do everything! It's great. Though, I am not working at Shishu Bavin as Sr. Karina had initially asked me to do. I stayed there for 2 weeks, but 4 days of that I was sick and 4 other days I was pulled away for special things to do with the sisters, anyways I dreaded working there. I finally told Sr. Karina and she agreed that I could go and work in Prem Dan with my beloved manual labor instead, but since then she has, all but for 2 days, continued to pull me apart and give me special work with the sisters. It's so much fun!

Let me try to describe it for you. I go down for breakfast and Sr. comes over and says 'Avila! Will you stay here today, a sister is coming with work? She needs to make 1,000 big, brown, envelopes today!' I say 'Of course, Sr Karina, I love making envelopes.' So for the rest of the morning I sing Christmas songs with Sr. John Janice and trace, then cut envelopes from a large roll of thick brown paper. (I don't do the folding, Sr. and another volunteer do that.) The day after I ask Sr. Karina if I am supposed to stay and help finish the envelopes today. She says "You want to?" I say, "Of course" All that day I spend with newspapers spread under me as I play with a paintbrush, paste, and Sr. John Janice who tells me about her Mission House in Mexico. She is Indian, but she is stationed in Mexico... (By the way, Sr. Karina is from Mexico, but stationed here in Kolkata. I love how these things work out.) Sr. John Janice tells me how she was the first one on the All Saints Day Parade because all the Novices would dress as their Saint, and her saint is John the Baptist. Everyone knows that John the Baptist was supposed to prepare the way...etc. Now thinking about it, it sounds a little funny. I guess it works though!

Another day Sr. Karina will pull me aside and ask me to go with Sr. Michael and distribute Christmas presents and things at a "small" Christmas party for street girls. Only 100 girls in this party. Then I spend the day waltzing with children in a big court yard and blowing balloons to be twisted into crowns. Dividing the older from the younger and watching them race for the prizes of a new bright red comb!

I love it here.

Today is Thursday and it is Volunteer day OFF, but this morning at 7:40 SR, Karina CALLED! She actually called me on the phone in the Salvation army, from Mother House, and asked me if I would come and clean St. Mary's Church. (I felt so special. She needed me. He he he.) It's wonderful to be a work horse for the Lord! I make envelopes, wash windows, clothes, the floor...and Jesus is happy because someone else is then free to do the harder thing of carrying Him into the 'dark holes of the people'.

Blessed be His Name!

Food, Beer, and Cricket

2007-12-03T13:57:00.000+01:00

That's hilarious! I clicked in the Title box and they offered my the option you see above. I could have changed it, but hey, why not talk about food, beer, and Cricket? They're worth a post.

Let's see Food first I guess.

Food is yucky for me I find myself getting sick once a week if I eat anywhere but at this little place called "Blue Sky" on Sudder Street. This is killing me though as I am quickly becoming tired with their menu, and exhausted in funds because of their prices. The servers are good fellows though, and so many of my acquaintances/volunteer friends go there that the company is always interesting when eating there. I am anxious to have a little kitchen of my own and the ability to buy ingredients and prepare food for myself and friends. HAPPILY I am able to report that this wish of mine is not too far away from becoming a reality as I have accepted the offer of a small apartment, which has a very small kitchen, at the price of 100 Rupees a night! My own bedroom, wardrobe, tiny bathroom with shower (cold water only) and toilet, and tiny kitchen with propane tank below shelf which hold my 2 burners! Hooray! It's only about 7 minutes walk from Mother House too, which means I can be lazier in the morning and wake up at 5:45 instead of at 5:25. Very happy about that too...

Oops, I digress form my predestined subjects: Food, Beer, and Cricket!

Beer.

Beer, is beer, is beer, I don't care much about it though I have made a few observations about it. The alcohol content in the beer in India is extremely low! Amazingly low, but the serving size is huge, so whatever. I don't drink here, though I have paid for 2 beers, both "Kingfisher'' which states on the bottle that it is only sold in West Bengal. And subsequently makes me think that it truly must be the crappiest beer in (the world) India if they can't sell it anywhere but West Bengal! But hey it cost the equivalent of Fiddy-cents, and what do I care anyways I don't drink!

Cricket.

I know nothing of Cricket. It looks sorta like a diseased form of baseball. It has a flattened bat that is swung almost like a golf club, a pitcher that runs to the point where he throws the ball, stakes in the ground, and large rings which I am thoroughly confused about. Makes no sense to me whatsoever, and yet the Indians seem utterly addicted to it! Fiercely devoted to watching every game that comes on the TV, they hover like...ahhhheemmm... around a you know what, converging on the poor common room at Salvation Army and taking all the seats and TV time for their games. Yesterday my British roommate, Rachel, found herself being dragged along with a crowd of Indians to a Cricket match. Somehow she was overlooked at the ticketing gate and got inside for free, but when she didn't have a seat she was chased out by a guard. She did however walk away with two arm bands, with Indian colors and the words "I LOVE MY INDIA" blazoned across the white middle. Although it was obvious to me that they were arm bands, Rachel told me that the men were wearing them on their foreheads. Sometimes I am so mystified about this land of people that can build computers, but not a broom which allows their women to not have to stoop to sweep their floors, which creates great minds like Ghandi and pricks like the man who followed my French friend and I half way back from Mother house this evening saying, (forgive me Mom and Juby) saying: "I like p***y, I like to f*** good p****". It baffles me, it enrages me, it confuses and bewilders me. This country has NO COMMON SENSE.

That is why their FOOD is always too spicy, sweet, or acidic, their BEER is lacking alcohol, and they love their CRICKET.

A Walk Back in the Footsteps of Mother

2007-11-29T17:07:00.000+01:00

Went on a small pilgrimage today tracing back Mother Thersa's life in Calcutta before she was anyone that the world cared about. It was overwhelming to see so much and start to understand her a little better. All of the text below is copied from the little guide page I was given on the walk.

1. At Mothers Tomb

"I do it for Jesus, HE IS MY ALL. If He is MY ALL, then I must be able to talk to people about the person I love. Because I love Him I am here today. I do it for Jesus, for the greater glory of God and the good of people."

Clean Heart

"God Speaks in the silence of the heart...and we listen. And then...we speak to God from the fullness of our heart. First we listen...God speaks...and then we speak and God listens. And that connection is prayer...is...oneness with God. A soul of prayer, the fruit of prayer is deepening of Faith, and the fruit of Faith is Love, and the fruit of Love is Service, and the fruit of Service is Peace. That is why we need to pray to have a clean heart...and if we havea clean heart we can see God. And when we can see God naturally we will begin to love one another. That means we see and we look, and then we give our hands to serve and our hearts to love... and that's the beginning of holiness."*

Extract of Mother Teresa's words in the movie "The Legacy"

I will copy more later on. For now, just think on that a bit.

I Love

2007-11-27T14:13:00.000+01:00

I Love!

I Love.

I can only Love!

I saw a dead baby lying in a cot outside on the street.

My tears scream Love!

My Wish List

2007-11-25T13:30:00.000+01:00

Yes, I know it is early for Christmas, but it will take 2-3 weeks minimum for anything to reach me from the US anyways, so I have decided to write my list now! As I am more than certain that my immediate family will not be able to buy most of the things on my list and send them to me I openly invite anyone who reads this and wants to help to send along any of the items listed below. You are more than welcome to remain anonymous in your generosity, however, I would like there to be a running list of what is being sent to me so that I may update my list in order to not receive say 1000 pairs of gloves and no hand sanitizer. Ok? So simply leave a comment if you have mailed anything to Kolkata, and I will update my list!

THE ADDRESS:
Havilah Krump, VOLUNTEER
The Missionaries of Charity
54A, A.J.C. Bose Road
KOLKATA 700 016

THE LIST

Plastic gloves medium size - as many as want to come! The volunteers and the sisters use them when treating the ill patients. (1Box coming from Missy, my old World Youth Day friend!)

Sports Bras (size 34)- I forgot all my bras in the US. Have pity on me! I really only need 2 more as I do have 1 on me. (O! the shame in asking for underwear online!)

Hand Sanitizer - I really can't tell you how much we all love the Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer over here. Why it Kills 99.99% of all Germs! Gotta love that! (Also coming from Missy)

Stationary with ENVELOPES - I have found some wonderfully cheap paper made by rehabilitated Street kids, but I can't find any good envelopes, and I have so many letters to send!

Peanut Butter - Good for all the bananas I do get and to replace all the protein I am not eating. (Also coming from Missy)

Floss - for a healthy smile!

Books - Brother Dave, this is your department.

A Hairbrush - I don't have one, and I can't find any good ones here.

MP3 Music- EMAIL ME SOME MUSIC!

That is all I can think of off the top of my head, but I will probably add more later.

In the immortal words of my first Indian influence, Abu:

THANK YOU ALL, COME AGAIN

I was not naked!

2007-11-24T06:47:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry everyone for the long silence I have been sick since Wednesday afternoon, and have stayed in my bed for most of the time since then. All Thursday I was week and my head hurt and then in the evening I thought I felt a little better so I went with a few Frenchies and got some food. Which proceeded to exit my body in all directions and ways that were unpleasant throughout that evening. My throat being very sore from so much vomit I was unable to drink even water for about 15 hours. Not that I was even able to hold water when I forced myself to drink for fear of dehydration. Nope, it was amazing how it just went right through me. It was like pouring it down a drain! Sickest feeling I ever felt. I sucked salt off of some nuts and forced a banana into my stomach on Friday and haven't vomited since, though the other exit was still a problem till I took some Imodium. I felt much better this morning and so I wobbled myself to the Internet to call home and Fella, and update emails and blog. Which is where you find me now!

Now, where did I leave off... Ah, yes my perfect day!

MONDAY

On Monday I woke as usual at about 5:25, dressed and walked to Mother House for Mass. Mass was beautiful as it always is, and afterwards I again spent a little time with Mary and my Rosary and Green scapular intentions as I had the day before, then proceeded down to Chai and bread. It was while I was eating my bread that Sr. Karina came to me and asked if I would like to do something "special" that day. She wanted only 3 volunteers to help with a distribution project the Sisters were doing in a suburb. She asked if my fellow teacher, who was sitting next to me would mind if I went with the Sisters for the day and not to my class, and of course it was ok with her. So, I got to join 2 other volunteers and 2 sisters and 2 novice's in a MC ambulance filled with several 200 lbs bags of rice, sugar, and dal, boxes filled with large jugs of oil, boxes with bars of soap, bags filled with new clean towels, and off we went to the sisters in the suburb! It was about 8:30am when we reached our destination a serene little convent type place surrounded by walls and housing dozens of mentally disabled women who were most all abandoned by their husbands and thus went mad. (This is what I was told and so I believe it, though I suspect that many of the women were probably already a bit mad before their husbands left them.)

When we arrived we started to all work together to tug at and drag the large bags of food into the pavilion and through the garage doors. (Think LARGE shed, or medium airplane hanger, type building) We unloaded the ambulance and then set to work dividing all the grain and other things into nice little bags and then into nice plastic buckets. Pretty buckets! All bright red, blue and green I estimate holding about 2.5 gallons. As the morning progressed we sang songs and talked about histories and events that were of interest. At about 11:30/12 when the last sugar was divided, and the lids placed as best as could be onto the buckets, the Sr. Incharge (whom I love!) told us that the people would be coming that afternoon at about 3 and that we could wait or we could go back to the city and continue with our days as normal. The other 2 volunteers left, but I stayed. O! the joy, I had the sisters all to myself! We ate a few biscuits and then we walked to the chapel where I joined the sisters in adoration and Holy hour until it was time for lunch with the other sisters who ran the villa/convent at which time the sisters I was with went to eat with 'native' sisters and I was shown a small room and table set with a beautiful lunch just prepared for me. I felt sad and special at the same time. I had wanted to eat with the sisters and the fact that I wasn't allowed made me sad. However, when I realized that I wasn't allowed to eat with them I also realized that one of 'my' sisters must have spoken with the 'native' sisters and asked them to prepare me a meal all for my own. It was very nice, I suspect that the sisters had a meaner meal than I had. After lunch I wandered in and out of the chapel a few times and back to the pavilion where I read a bit of the book I had brought, The Abolition of Man, until Sr. Incharge came and told me that the people would be arriving soon and that I was to keep them in order as best I could. She related a story about how last time the people came they climbed the trees and stole the sisters coconuts and that I was to stop them from doing that again! After a time there were about 100 people in the square Fr. A came and stole them all for a catechism lesson. During which time I sat with one of the Novice's outside and talked about her history and how she came to her enter the MC's. About her family living in Nepal and how none of them were/are Christian and the trouble she had when she told them she was and that she would become a sister in India. How her family ostracized her and she was cast out from them. She talked about how it was very hard to learn humility and about other girls who had come from far off places hoping that they were meant to be MC's but were too weak to handle the life.

They are so strong and humble these women!

She told me about how I could ask to do a ''come and see" and thus live, eat, pray and work side by side with the sisters for a month while I prayed and they prayed about my vocation and whether God wanted me to join them. I know that I can't do that until after Fella is gone and that when I do it, it will just be to confirm without a doubt that I am meant for married life and not for a habit and order. Which I feel very certain of, but this I want to do as a "just in case" scenario. So that I know without a doubt that I have offered myself to Him and that He doesn't want me to be His bride. Just in case...
after Fr. finished with them the sisters and I passed out buckets to the masses and then cleaned the shed, had tea, walked to the main road, and took 2 taxis back to Mother House while saying the Chaplet of Mercy.
Nothing of interest happened after that.

Now to Tuesday and my naked woman!

As usual on Tuesday I woke, dressed, and walked to 6am Mass at Mother House, only difference was that that morning I walked alone. My roommate had already left and I chose to walk a different way than we usually take. It was then that I saw the naked woman and broke. she had nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one can imagine the truth of this NOTHING that she had. I gave her my skirt and would have forgotten Mass but for another Frenchie friend of mine who was walking to Mass who pulled me from her and said that I should pray for her during Mass and ask sister if I could bring her to one of the MC's homes afterwards.

I did, I went to Mass, I prayed and cried, I couldn't sit with Mary I couldn't think of anything else, I went down stairs and couldn't find sister.. Internally I was freaking out. I had to go I had to help her I had to I had to do it NOW! I talked with my roommate who had left before me and she told me how she had seen the woman, had thought of giving her scarf, but had given nothing, and felt like death during Mass. We talked with another long term volunteer and ascertained that we were indeed allowed to bring the woman to Kalighat but that whether the sister would take her or not was unknown.

My roommate and I took her in a taxi. She was taken to the bathes where a Massi washed her and shaved her head, she was fed and examined for injury of body and when none were found we were told that after work was finished we were to take her back with us and leave her exactly where we had found her. The Sisters had no room for her, she wasn't about to die. I am not mad now, though at the time I felt betrayed. They clothed her well and we brought her back to where we had found her. I kissed her goodbye and walked away.

As an afternote to family who snickered at the mental image of me without a skirt you will all be happy to know that I was NOT naked after I gave my skirt to the woman on the street. I happen to have the weirdest sense of style which enables me to wear, quite happily I might add, layers of not matching clothing. Think Gypsy. So, when I gave my skirt I still had an entire outfit on.

A salwar kameez in fact.
(Long shirt as good as a dress with open slits on the side starting at the hips, and a pair of baggy pants underneath.)

Not as fancy as the one in the picture below, but you get the idea now.
Thus was I attired on last Tuesday: in a dark blue Salwar Kameez which I had layered with a warm French scarf and my long red and multi patterned skirt over the baggy pants but under the long shirt. I think it looked quite nice!

The Best Two Days!

2007-11-19T15:15:00.000+01:00

Grrrr! I wrote a whole days story here already, but for some technical reason it didn't publish yesterday. So, here goes round 2!

Sunday: It was awesome, a perfectly wonderful day! (I couldn't have asked for a better day to live in God's love, except for maybe Monday. Which was so beautiful that I am almost sad now because I can not imagine a more fruitful day in Kolkata, and I still have so long to stay.)

Woke up at about 5:30, dressed, and walked to Mass at Mother House with my roommates. Received Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time in India! Hooray for His gift of Self in nourishment for our bodies and souls!!! After Mass I sat with the statue of Mary and said a decade of my rosary and took care of my Green scapular intentions. I then went down to the common room for my Chai and bread treat. When I saw father Abello I asked him about when confessions were and received the answer "Right now if you are ready!" He is great. I had confession and a got a gooooood bit of formational instucting, and was pleased as a pretty bird when my roommate came looking for me after she had noticed my absence from our small group of 'Frenchies' who were about to leave for Prem Dan. I felt so loved. (It's the little things that get me, like not being left behind, or being asked if I want to try a bite of a friends funny looking food.) When walking to Prem Dan we passed a man, quite literally dressed in filthy, and I would like to emphasizer that again, FILTHY rags, who was digging rice out of what seemed to be a mixture of vomit and street filth. I was broken. I hurried to teh nearest shop and bought him a big bit of fluffy white bread, and when I gave it to him he kissed at my feet. We arrived at Prem Dan a little late, but were still greeted amiabily by the Massi's with "Good morning Aunties!" and proceeded around the back to start on the wonderfully huge piles of laundry and tubs of wash water which would occupy us for the following 2 hours. As I was so happy I couldn't contain my whistle, but the problem is that when I whistle I often hum along, and when I hum I often start to sing the best lyrics, and when I start to sing... Well, I can't be stopped! I was so happy that my happiness even infected the other workers. (It is very contagious stuff we work with here in Kolkata!) As I sang I took requests from all the volunteers and gifted God and them with songs from My Fair Lady, West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Phantom of the Opera, The White Album, Sargent Peppers, The Little Mermaid, Cat Stevens, Mama Cass, and the list of Gospel hymns... O! the Joy that was mine to be the radio for the morning!
After washing we had Chai and during Chai break I had a lengthy discussion with one "Lisa" who was not Christian but had so many questions that I dare not list them all here for lack of verity as I can't remember them all, there were so many.
After Chai we prepared to feed the women and I had my feet kissed and was called Buddha by one woman and huged so tightly by another that I felt so big inside that I might break again. After Prem Dan we took a motor rickshaw home to our beloved Salvation Army and I snooze till early evening. Nothing extraordinary and worth recounting happened after that.

On Monday though I had a perfect day. However, as I am again out of time for my internet session I will tell you about Monday tomorrow, and about today as well, for today was a somewhat depressing day but worth telling about. As a teaser for your attention tomorrow I will say this much: I gave my skirt to a naked skeletal woman lying on the street today and had my first experience of Nirmal Hriday, aka Kalighat.

The bad things about Calcutta

2007-11-16T13:09:00.000+01:00

This post is not intended for pity's sake, but for informational purposes only. All feelings of pity which might incur within the readers of said post ought to be directed at the people of the city of Kolkata who live and endure the bad things, listed hereafter, during everyday of their lives. No pity is to be directed at the author. The author of the following post knows what fresh air tastes like and will rejoice in God's goodness when able to return to it, but the natural born inhabitants of the aforementioned polluted city have no knowledge of this beautiful way of breathing, nor have they the blessing of a physician to advise them in times of illness.

I am having a hard time breathing, and I choke on the pollution in the air here. Others say that they are having no problems it just smells a little bad, yet still others say that it was very bad for them at first as well and that you become adjusted to the level of pollutants in the air in about a month. I find this inability to breath fresh air my most distressing complaint. Volunteers say that it is like smoking two packs of non-filtered cigarettes a day. I think it much worse than that, and far less relaxing. Every time I blow my nose everything comes out black, not dark, but black. The back of my throat hurts and I get headaches frequently.

I have been having some bad dizzy spells and I read on my Mefloquine (anti-malaria pills) that it is a side affect. I don't like it. I have also noticed increased paranoid or "freaked out" feelings where I don't usually have them. Very weird, if I do say so myself, because a part of my brain will be going completely mad and stressing me out so much that I need to do yoga breathing to calm down, and another part of my head will be telling me that this is not a normal feeling and that I need to stop it. I am at odds with myself and I have decided that I don't care for drug induced feelings at all. I am unsure as to how I should go about contacting my doctor in WI as the time change between here and there is so drastic, but I feel I really should change my anti-malaria pills.

God is good and I am happy! Praise be to God for all the goodness, mercy, and love He showers on me and all those who love Him!

I visited the Lepers today

2007-11-15T13:02:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to say the Leper colony that the MS brothers oversee is absolutely wonderful! I went with 29 other volunteers to visit this morning after Mass. I'm out of time now, so I will write about that later. Pray for me a Cyclone is coming tonight to Kolkata...

Prem Dan for the day

2007-11-14T12:48:00.000+01:00

I arrived to late for orientation yesterday, so I didn't have a place to work this morning! Benedict(a) the French girl suggested that after 6am mass this morning I let the sister at breakfast know that I wanted to work. It went well, seems there are actually quite a few people who miss orientation everyday, because the sisters walk around after breakfast with little clip-boards and day passes for the newbies so that those who want to can get to work right away. I got a morning pass for Prem Dan, it was wonderful. We washed clothes almost all morning then we had a chai break and after that we started to help the sisters feed and take care of the women in their care. Most of the women are no more than 85 lbs, and deformed in some small way. Twisted appendages, short arms, useless legs, etc. I got to help feed 2 women but neither was able to eat more than 2 Table spoons worth of food, though I had a whole plate to give.

I got extremely lost trying to get back to Mother House this evening to officially register, and in the end resorted to taking help from an extortionist, buying him biscuits at the price of 52. rupees for his baby daughter. I hardly believe that he has a daughter and feel very apprehensive about his meeting me at Mother House tomorrow morning with is daughter so that I can give him formula for her. Everything that I read at orientation tells me that he is probably a bad man, who will most likely "borrow" or BUY a child for the day in the hopes that I will buy him some expensive formula and then he will be able to sell it back to another street vendor and make a profit. I will pray very hard tonight, that my ignorance will not be the cause of a child's abuse. I'm scared, and feel very guilty.

Since I was so very lost I arrived about an hour late for orientation, and by effect missed it completely. I was handed a pamphlet to read by the guide/long term volunteer, and read it through alone. When I filled out my small slip of paper on it with name, address, passport no., etc and I put down that I would be staying for 11 months. When I handed it to the volunteer he was honestly shocked! There really aren't many long term volunteers. I asked for Prem Dan but was asked to teach the toddlers in Shishu Bavin (sp?). I am intimidated by the children, and I know I would be more comfortable with the manual labor and simple love that I could do at Prem Dan, but I didn't come here to feel confident, or to be able to give simple love. I will do what they ask, and God will make me grow big enough inside to handle it.

Commencing Kolkata

2007-11-13T09:51:00.000+01:00

The train trip was very nice, of course I will feel guilty for riding first class for the rest of my stay, but I was safe and happy the whole way! Anyways, I arrived about an hour ago and have settled into the dormitory at Salvation Army already. It has a very hard cot, but I am sure it will be good for my back. There are 5 other ladies in my room and I have already met one of them, she is French and a volunteer for the last 2 months. I think we will get along well, she is going to take me to adoration tonight at 6pm. I'm glad I will be able to work on my French a bit while here. I am going to try and find a phone tonight, but no promises. I am feeling rather out of place, and wishing that I had arrived earlier or that it was a Wednesday already so I could go register with Sr. Karina. I will be happy to see Jesus tonight and I think I will feel better after we hang out a bit. Thank you all for your prayers, please keep them coming, I am here and now the hard part can start! Woohoo!!! Bring it world!

India at last!

2007-09-20T22:33:00.000+02:00

I arrived at the New Delhi airport on the 10th at 5am, after having lost an entire day to the "evening" of my flights. (Ask me about all that later...) My flights went well, fast enough, room enough, friendly enough, and food enough to make a happy Hava. I met a nice girl named Kris in the Amman airport. When she saw that I was reading my Lonely Planet Guide to India she approached me. We flew, and arrived together, took a taxi to a hotel together and have been rooming together and hanging out since. Yesterday, we roamed around Delhi all day, went to a nice little restaurant, and bought a couple Sawri Kamis (sp?) together. Sawri Kamis are like long shirts with big baggy pajama pants under and a long scarf which you drape over your shoulders. Very beautiful clothing. Today I booked a ticket on a train to Kolkata and am hoping to leave Delhi on that train at 5pm. Until then I will help Kris find a new hotel, as she won't be staying in this one without me, and I will probably spend a good few hours trying to find food and water enough for my journey and also feminIne things as I fourgot to bring them. Bother that. I am happy God is Good, I didn't find a Catholic Church to go to Mass at Yesterday, but I am more confident about finding them In Kolkata. Everybody pray for me!

Be Love in Action

2007-09-11T23:51:00.000+02:00

Dear Everyone,

As many of you already know, and some of you might not, I have been hoping to be a missionary in India for several years now. Well, this last April I sent a letter to the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, now known as Kolkata, India. (I also asked my father to send a small letter of recommendation, since he had previously worked with them as a young man.) I asked the Sisters if they would let me come for a year as a volunteer to work with them and serve the poor in any way that I could. They sent me a small letter back (of which I have attached a scanned copy below), welcoming me to come and “share in their humble works of love for the poorest of the poor”.

I was so happy when I got their letter! I grew up with stories and recounts -- from my father -- of the work of Love that Mother Teresa was doing there with the poor, the dying, and the destitute.

Today, though ten years after her death the sisters are continuing the work that Mother Teresa started. Living in the same conditions as the people they serve, daily going to the streets and bringing food to the starving, accepting all abandoned children as their own, and providing a place surrounded with love for those who have been neglected by even their own families and left in the ghettos to die. They serve lepers, help girls sold by their families escape forced prostitution, feed and shelter the “untouchables” who have no one else, and the list of their works of love goes on. I know that what they do would be impossible without the great love that they have for Jesus. These sisters know the true Love that Christ teaches us we should have for everyone, no matter their state in life. Even their smiles show love. I want to follow Christ’s example to love as they do.

Since receiving their letter of welcome I've done a lot of research about what will enable me to not only go and serve, but also retain my health while serving, and I am some what discouraged about the total cost for all of the vaccines I will need to get in order to stay healthy. (I've enclosed a list with their prices below.) After talking with several different health care providers, as well as the county nurse, I have found that there are many vaccines I can afford, and some, which I will need, but will not be able to afford.

Additionally, I have also researched travel costs, and although they are expensive as well, around $2000 round trip to Kolkata, I am still hopeful that I will be able to save enough so that I can buy a ticket that will take me there this November. (UPDATE!!! 9/20/2007 Nick Korn is donating tickets from Chicago to Delhi and back!!! I will be leaving 11/9/2007!!!) Originally I had asked the sisters about my coming in October, but as I have only just started getting my necessary vaccinations, and some of them must be done is stages, I will have to wait a bit longer. My father, who is familiar with life in West Bengal, thinks it is best for me if I get there and become adjusted before Monsoon season arrives.

I have been working very hard and saving all that I can, but I am unable to save enough for both the vaccinations and also the cost of my travel and living abroad for a year. Living there for a year will only cost about $3,500, but when adding this to all the other costs it becomes another monetary burden.

My family is helping me with their prayers, and a place to live rent-free while I save money for the trip. My parish, St. Bridget’s, which is small, will be helping me mostly with spiritual support. I have written to the Mission office of my Diocese but have not yet received a reply. (UPDATE!! 9/16/07 The Missions Office has agreed to fund my vaccinations!) I know that if I could find only 20 people that could donate $30 dollars each that I could not only go to India and serve Christ and the poor with love and my own hands, but also have enough to give to the poor to better help in serving their bodily needs.

Since I am not better than Mother Teresa, and she could ask help from others, then I will learn from her humility and do the same. I am begging for this help. Please, help me. I simply can’t do all of this by myself, though I have been trying. I've learned that this is not just my mission but a part of the mission that every person is called to. Feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, and love each other. We all must do this in the way that we are best able. So, if you are able to help me help others, please do. I promise that all the donation money I receive will be used only for the necessities I encounter and that all of any remaining donations will be given directly to the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. Anything that you give will be used only for good. So please, be love in action.

I am so grateful for this opportunity and for all of you who will help me make it a reality. Thank you. Thank you for your time, and I ask that even if you can help me with nothing else, remember the poorest of the poor in your prayers.

With Love,

Havilah Krump

N25237 County Rd. D
Ettrick, WI 54627
(608) 525-6011

P.S. I put a "Donate" button in my right side bar. Hope that helps some.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Letter from Sister Karina MC, Volunteers Coordinator for the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.

----------------------------------------------

List of Vaccinations required for missionaries/relief workers in West Bengal region of India:

Tetanus-diphtheria: One time shot good for 10 years. Cost $5.

Malaria Pills: 48 pills. Cost $521.49 BUT I WILL NEED MORE!!!

Hepatitis B: Two shots. Cost $60.

Typhoid: 4 pills. Cost $69.99

Polio Booster: One time shot. Cost $5.

Japanese Encephalitis: Series of three shots. Cost $520.50

Obligatory Doctors visit: One visit before I am allowed to get exotic vaccinations and in order to get prescription for Malaria pills. Cost $170.90

Obligatory Nurses visits: Three visits in which I will be getting the shots: Cost $59.40.

Total: $1412.28

To be paid by LaCrosse Diocese Missions Office! Thank you Fr. Scheckel!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Detailed list of expenses for year long mission trip to India

Visa: $118

Bus from LaCrosse WI to Chicago, IL: $65.00

Metro in Chicago from station to airport: $10

Trains from Delhi to Calcutta and back: $120

Flights from O'Hare airport to Delhi and back: $1,600

Living expenses: Food, shelter, obligatory Indian woman’s styled clothing $3,200

Vaccinations: $1,412

Total: $6,525

(-) Vaccinations. To be paid by the Diocese of LaCrosse

Total: $5,113

(-) Flights. To be provided by Nick Korn

Total: $3,513

Other information:

$1.00 = 39.49 Rupees

Living accommodations in dormitory at Monica House will cost: 350. Rupees a night 115,500 Rupees for my entire stay which equals; $2,924.80 dollars.

My Grandpa Krump

2007-04-08T00:53:00.000+02:00

Some called him Al while others called him Ed. He answered to both, and always gave the speaker his full attention and sincerity.

Today I attended his memorial service. The family had been waiting for the last month while my 8 aunts and uncles tried to make sure that there was a weekend we could ALL get together. So, today it actually happened.

Grandpa I love you and I miss you.

Plea for prayers

2007-01-17T18:48:00.000+01:00

I need help.

Please, do what you can, pray.

~Havilah

The School that I am about to be kicked out of for lack of finances.

Our little journey to London

2006-12-20T10:41:00.000+01:00

Last week-end we went to London for 3 days. We took the Eurostar which is the high speed train from Paris to London that goes under the Channel Sea. JB is so generous, and I am so grateful for his making this possible!

Double decker bus

Sherlock holmes inside the tube :)

Hyde Parkand its tall swans

Abbey Road

Same place , Cover of Beatles' album.

For my Canadian friends :)

The library inside the Britsh Museum was a very impressive place.

:) My fella

The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone is a Ptolemaic era stele inscribed with the same passage of writing in two Egyptian language scripts and in Classical greek It was created in 196 BC, discovered by the French in 1799 at Rosetta , and translated in 1822 by Frenchman Jean-François Champollion.

Stairs inside " The Monument ".

Tower Bridge

London phone booth

The Clock Tower is a turret clock structure at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament building in Westminster, London. It is colloquially and popularly known as Big Ben, however this name actually belongs to the clock's main bell.

Pelicans in St-James park.

Buckingam Palace.

The London Eye.

T.S. Elliot Poem in pavement along Thames river walk.

The complete London Eye.

The House of Parliament.

Big Ben and the London Eye.

Lots and lots of squirrels in London !

Peter Pan in Hyde Park :)

Harrods

Huggy Bears in Hyde Park.

Tower Bridge

Pics of Paris

2006-12-20T09:35:00.000+01:00

The Eiffel Tower

Inside Notre-Dame de Paris.

Skating rink outside of the City Town Hall.

Notre-Dame de Paris

Ice slides for kids :)

Some pics of Paris...

2006-12-20T09:28:00.000+01:00

Galeries Lafayette , huge store for fenzy things , expensive fashion brands, but very pretty inside.

Inside Notre-Dame de Paris.

From the top of Galeries Lafayette.

Inside Galeries Lafayette.

Guess where I am... again!

2006-11-27T11:02:00.000+01:00

This is in the center of the city.

Anyone know?

Takin' Care of Farm Chores

2006-10-30T21:37:00.000+01:00

We get up every morning from an alarm clocks warning around 5:15 we start our farm chores.

We try to whistle through our day even though we get no pay, that's how it works when you are a farmers daughters.

There's cows to be fed and guini pigs to bed, there are calves that want to suck there bottles, there's the radio in the barn that speaks old time yarns, and make us think of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

And we're takin care of Farm chores everyday! Takin' care of cows in every way! We're takin' care of chickens everyday! Takin' care of kittens in every way!

It's work to be sure, but it makes our Pop so proud when we wash all the milk house really well. If we keep the place free from smell it will show in our somatic cells that we know how to milk really swell!

People see us pullin' weeds, and pretending they are Swedes, but we tell them that we like it this way! It's hard to be so pure but we're all so sure, that it's better to make our hay this way!

And we're takin' care of farm chores, every day! Takin' care of cows, in every way! Takin' care of Chickens, every day! And takin' care of kittens in every way!

... TO BE CONTINUED ...

Wisconsin grey

2006-10-20T06:28:00.000+02:00

After all the beautiful leaves of the trees have fallen.

All that is left is the cold winds and the bitter threat of Winter.

It is then that we huddle nearer the stove, and start to pray for Spring again.

Why did I choose to return?

No one is here for me.

Just the Wisconsin grey.

Come Home won't you?

The Wind Whispers, Mary

2006-10-16T02:20:00.000+02:00

Once apon a time I was sixteen years old. It seems like ages from now, but I know it's the truth, because things happened when I was sixteen, not many, only a few.
Yet, those that did happen, and which were special enough to stand up and demand to have their place in my memory, are now precious to me.

It was cold outside, and Gabe Slattery had been living with my family, on our farm, for at least a few weeks, more than likely a month. One fine day Gabe told us that his family had invited our family over to help tear down part of their house and have a bit of food afterwards. The promise of destruction and food made his family seem a good fit for my family. So, we all squished into our old ''ghetto cruiser'' and off to The Slattery's we went. To varify if they really were our kind of people,
and at the very least get free food.

That fine day I had my first encounter with a truely amazing creation of God:
Mary Brigid Slattery,
"Mare''.

We had never met before, were both pathetic in our different ways, day dreamers about our own little futures, enjoyed idolizing and showing off to our big brothers, had been born #4 in our respectively large families, self conceited little catholic girls, very close in age, and thus interseted in each other as possible friends.
I say this in all honesty!

I wasn't sure if Mary and I would get along at first, but after a few hours of hard destruction, and prying into each others views on things, she seemed at least interested in me enough to want me to spend the night. I was drawn by her seemingly careless attitude towards everything except her family, harses, and basket ball, in that order and yet her abilility to listen to me prattle on and on.

So, I did. I stayed the night at The Slattery's, and prattled alot with Mare.
I have ever since that first day thought of The Slattery's as my second, and at times far more preferable, home. Thought of Mary as one of my very closest friends, confidants, prayer interests, and almost little sister. Though she is often the one who has better, stronger, advice than I can handle.

We have both been through many life changing experiences within the six years that we have known each other. I have learned to prattle a little less, listen a little more, love and pray alot more, and Mare was one who really helped me to make these changes.

Dearest Mare,

I am so blessed to have you as my friend!
You will never know how much I appreciate you, just for being you.
Remember to ask me when we get to Heaven.
I really do wish I could tell you here on earth, but it is so large of a truth and mystery in itself that I cannot express it in words written or said.

Happy 21st Birthday, my 'old' friend.

May God continue to shower his wisdom and blessings into your life, and may He be kind enough to keep you in my life for as long possible.

The Wind Cries Mary
By: Jimmy Hendrix

After all the jacks are in their boxes,
And the clowns have all gone to bed,
You can hear happiness staggering on down the street,
Footprints dress in red.

And the wind whispers Mary.

A broom is drearily sweeping
Up the broken pieces of yesterday's life.
Somewhere a Queen is weeping,
Somewhere a King has no wife.

And the wind cries Mary.

The traffic lights turn blue tomorrow
Shine their emptiness down on my bed
The tiny island sags downstream
'Cos the life that they lived is dead.

And the wind screams Mary.

Oh oh yeah

Will the wind ever remember
The names it has blown in the past
With this crutch, its old age and its wisdom
It whispers, "No, this will be the last."

And the wind cries Mary.

Colorado....

2006-10-08T14:48:00.000+02:00

Hey it's JB , I've never been to Colorado but I already love this place , here's a few pics of this place...

More pics here .

New-York

2006-10-04T23:44:00.000+02:00

They called in sick, so I worked harder!

2006-09-30T18:38:00.000+02:00

On thursday around 1 in the afternoon, I received a call from the automotives factory which am employed at, and working at alot I might add, to be told that if I wanted I was not required to come into work that afternoon. I was curious as to why and as far as I can make out the orders were either to small for the parts I help to manufacture, or that machine, which they had been working on the day before, was still down and they didn't want us simply standing around and being paid.

I was fine with the whole idea! I would have an even longer weekend to accomplish all of the things I had planned! All day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday free from TRW. I just wish they had called me earlier in the day, so that I could have been at full speed throughout Thursday. Instead, I received the call about 2 hours before I would have been going to work, thus making my sporatic free day a little shorter, but still productive!

I took Miss Juby into Ettrick where we went to TRW, just to get my check, and then proceeded to Hillbilly's Fun Saloon, where I cashed my check. (You see the bank in Ettrick is... how can I say this nicely... well... not somewhere that is very concerned with making anyone happy, nor gaining new customers into their institution. I really have no idea how they stay in business. Thus I do my banking in a town about 12 miles away, or cash my checks in the local bar.) We then attempted to go to the local bank for the sole purpose of buying a money order with the now cash I held from the bars till, however the bank was not interested in my monetary proposition and wouldn't sell me a money order unless I had an account there. The woman at the till instead directed me to the Post office, where we quickly walked. I bought 5 stamps, with cool pictures of old baseball greats on them, and one money order worth $47.50, as well as a postmarked envelope. The money order and the postmarked envelope were promptly mailed off to my beloved Ave Maria College, thus completeing the more than likely, final transaction I will ever have with that institution. Which is of course not to say that I will no longer be talking and associating with all of my wonderful Ave peeps, but that the actual College and myself no longer have any binding between us. That is, other than my own fond rememberence.

Jubilee and I then proceeded to the lumber yard to see my friend Tina. (Tina is basically my only friend in this area of the country, at least within 45 minutes of driving. I happen to have met her when I stopped by the lumber yard in search of chainsaw oil, about a month ago. She is a very chearful, and kind person, has had a good few travelling adventures, and is quite a bit like me. Rough to some and sweeter than sugar to others, an aquired taste. I really like her.) While there I decided that I would buy the drywall for the ceiling in my old room. I called home for the measurements, but was not specific enough in my directions concerning where to find the paper with all of the things written down, so Juby and I drove home to get them ourselves. Only 4 miles, no big deal. I then stole Gelly and the puppy, Addy, and took them as well as Juby and a now more cleaned out truck back to the lumber yard along with the list of all things measured and required.

I spent about $100 on all of the materials my Pop and I would need to repair the ceiling in my old room, and then took it all home in the old red truck with little sisters and the dog making sure that nothing fell out the back! Now, Pop, Juby, Gelly, and I spent roughly 45 minutes just clearing a path for, and then carrying these four 12 ft by 4ft pieces of drywall through the house, up the stairs, and then into my room. It was an adventure filled with laughter screaming, pinched toes and fingers. Good hard fun.

Now after all of this wondeful adventuring with pay checks, money orders to old schools, postage, misplaced building supply lists, little sisters, puppy dogs, careful drives in old trucks, and manuvering huge pieces of drywall and giant buckets of mud up stairs into my old room, I am sure that you are thinking it must have been late enough for me to call it a day, right? Well, you would be wrong there. It was only about 6:30, and there was firewood to be made, stacked and thrown down the hole in our living room floor. (The hole is supposed to be there, Pop cut a trap door a few years ago just for the firewood.)

Like I said before, they called in sick so I worked harder!

Boston , Mes-tes-chaussettes ( put your socks on , in French )

2006-09-09T16:14:00.000+02:00

We spent 3 days in Boston , was great , the city is small , you can walk almost everywhere . They have the Freedom Trail which is a red line of 5 miles you can follow on the ground and it circles in the city to show you the interesting things , in one word : exelent.

Boston is diferent of others cities we went , the street are not square , it's more like european cities.

Clam chowder in bread , yummy !

:)

Old North Church

On the ship USS CASSIN YOUNG

Inside the ship.

Near Faneuil Hall

Great street performer from the Bronx , they were amazing.

Old State House

Built in 1713, this site is where you will find the landmark for the Boston Massacre, which took place March 5, 1770 and where five Patriots were killed.

One of the oldest building in the States.

Old South Meeting House

Built in 1729 as a Congregational Church, it served as Boston's Town Meeting Hall, famous for the fiery meeting that led to the Boston Tea Party incident which caused the port of Boston to be closed and brought the country a step closer to rebellion.

We loved how they kept old buildings in the middle of Skyscrapers.

Granary Burying Ground

Many notable Patriots are buried here including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Robert Treat Paine as well as the five men killed in the Boston Massacre.

Have you ever been to London surburbs? It looks exactly the same style.

The Freedom Trail , very good idea , we followed it all the way long.

The Freedom Trail begins in Common Parc , America's first public park( 1634).

Washington , part 2.

2006-09-09T11:38:00.000+02:00

We also went to Holocaust Museum and Indian Museum too , photos were forbiden , the Holocaust museum was really interesting.

We went to the Natural Museum too :

The Entrance

Nice rock

Some photos of the city ( very clean compare to NYC , Philly or Baltimore )

Statue of Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial

The Reflecting Pool

Lincoln Memorial

The Washington Monument , an obelisk of 555ft/169m

The Old Post Office

The White House and a photo of Mr president taken from the fence

Nice shoot !

Not enough choice I guess

Capitol

A piece of the Berlin Wall

Washington

2006-09-09T10:45:00.000+02:00

( Havilah doesn't have anytime to post more photos of our summer journey , so i'm posting some ( JB ))

And then we visited Washington for 3 days ( from David and Bethany's place ) , thx again Bethany and David.

Washington is what we found the perfect city for tourism , the subway system is by far the best we saw on the East Coast , really clean , easy to use, a little bit more expensive .
ALL the museum are free for entrance , we went to :

Air and Space museum ( most visited museum in America ) , you can touch a sample of lunar rock , see SpaceShipOne ( first private plane to flight in space ) , Spirit of St louis piloted by Charles Lindbergh , first man to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New-York to Paris without any stop and alone , 33h00....) , the command module of Apollo 11 in which Neil Armstrong an his mates came back on Earth , the original Wright flyer that made the first controlled , powered
flight in 1903 , the Bell-X1 : first supersonic plane , and a lot of very cool stuff !

Spirit of Saint Louis , first monoplace plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean , from Long Island (NY) to Paris ,France.

The flight last 33h and half , used 450 gallons (1,703 liters) of fuel.

Spirit of Saint Louis , SpaceShipOne and Bell X-1

On the ground , the pink thing is the cockpit of the first world entire trip in a ballon.

SpaceShipOne

Havilah touching a lunar rock sample brought by Apollo 11

Wright Brother's plane , first motorised plane ever.

Mercury space capsule

Apollo 11 capsule

Went also went to the Botanic Garden , it's really good.

On the way to my uncle's place , Baltimore highlight : the Aquarium.

2006-09-09T10:10:00.000+02:00

On the way to my Uncle's place from Pennsylvania.

Thx David for the flight !

Nice little plane!

How to survive in this day and age.

2006-09-05T15:11:00.000+02:00

The world is a cruel cruel place.

Help me out here!

Philadelphia Part 5

2006-08-17T04:45:00.000+02:00

Philadelphia Part 4

2006-08-16T18:39:00.000+02:00

Philadelphia Part 3

2006-08-16T18:28:00.000+02:00

Philadelphia Part 2

2006-08-16T16:45:00.000+02:00

Philadelphia Part 1

2006-08-16T03:35:00.000+02:00

Home, home on the range....

2006-08-08T00:17:00.000+02:00

My Home:

A place that now has 'access' to the internet, yet has no computer able to access the internet.

Need I say more?

YES, I need as well as desire to say ALOT more, but am again at the end of my library time.

One of these days my peoples you will be swamped with things to read on the blog. Funny stories about my adventures on the east coast with my family and friends, interesting coing-ki-dinks that happened to me recently while riding in planes trains, and automobiles, as well as about my amazing feet of moving 41/2 tons of hay by hand in one day.

Good stuff to come! Keep checkin' towards the end of the month.

Angled Bunnies and Shotgun wounds, oh my!

2006-07-14T16:04:00.000+02:00

So, if you are interested in meeting Pirates, singing along with Les Miserables, being climbed on by multiple little children, seeing the first Zoo in america, looking at famous French paintings of places that I have been to, going up a tower that is half the size of the Eifle Tower and for free, visiting Valley Forge, swimming in YMCA pools, swimming in family owned pools, swordfighting, being waited on, litterally, hand and foot by a whole family of, very attactive and thoroughly gentlemanly but able to work in the grease and weeds at the same time, young men, shooting a bow, shooting a crossbow, shooting German handguns from WWII, shooting skeets with 30 gauge shotguns, and then going bowling with your sore shoulder and being basically totally overwhelmed by all the goodwill that one family can shower apon you, all you need to do is come visit the famous Angle and Bunny and their wonderful family of Rothchildren and parents.

Need I say more?
These are from Valley Forge

Woot! Woot! Woot! Go France!

2006-07-09T17:25:00.000+02:00

ALLEZ LES BLEU!!! ALLEZ LES BLEU!!! ALLEZ LES BLEU!!!

It's the Final today starting at 9pm in France,

or at 2pm here in Philly.

Yes,

you may all rejopice and sing praises to God,

for I am in America again and still alive!

Let's get restarted ?

2006-07-02T12:58:00.000+02:00

( jb's post )

Perhaps as you don't know , France won the World Cup in 1998 .

Here's a scene of the ambiance on the Champs Elysées after the Final against Brasil ( 3-0 )

Here's one of the best soccer player ever ( maybe the best ?? ) , Zinedine Zidane ( known as ZiZou )

Last night we've just won the 1/4 final against brasil ( 1-0 ) and we all hope we're going to win the cup again !!

Here's a video taken in stadium in Paris ( big screen ) after Zidane's goal during France-Spain (3-1 ) 1/8 final .

Now next match is against Portugal ( semi-final ) , and maybe the final ( against Germany or Italy ).

VIVE LA FRANCE !!

( I hope finding a french bar in NY or philadelphia so I could watch the french team win the World Cup !! )

Intelligent Wood Elf

2006-06-30T14:17:00.000+02:00

According to the Red Book of Westmarch,
In Middle-earth, Havilah Krump
was an Intelligent Wood-Elf

Elven Name Possibilities for Havilah Krump
The root name suitable for feminine and masculine is:
Sirithlot
Another masculine version is:
Sirithlotion
More feminine versions are:
Sirithlotiel
Sirithlotien
Sirithlotwen

Hobbit lass name for Havilah Krump
Goodchild Bushey from Woody End

Dwarven Name for Havilah Krump
Kîm Poolbrow

Orkish Name for Havilah Krump
Shagkûl the Plunderer

Adûnaic name for Havilah Krump
Saphthânbaâru

What the?

2006-06-29T12:15:00.000+02:00

Angel, Kate, Bronwyn, and or Bernadette, do any of you girls know what this is?

Blog trading? How did my/our blogs get put on this thing?

I was just casually scanning my sitemeter and noticed I had a hit from Estonia, so I check the refering URL and I got this: http://blogshares.com/blogs.php?blog=http%3A%2F%2Fhavilahs.blogspot.com%2F

Finishing the Polish girl adventures and renewing the bleg for a place to sleep on the East coast.

2006-06-27T13:26:00.000+02:00

Where did I leave off? Oh right my boss said that i didn't have to stay that evening so I could go get ewa from the airport, but i didn't have directions. Ugh; Thus i called my ever handy jeebs and asked him to print me off a copy from the net. But his printer isn't working, so he actually hand wrote 3 pages of directions for me and I stopped by his house in the centre of Paris before heading out on my long trek up North to Beauvais airstrip.

I got there around 11, supposeddly 15 minutes late for her arrival but ctually I ghad to wait 30 minutes more before she got out of the security section. When she walked through the automatic doors I saw her start scanning the crowd of waiting people expecting to see jb waiting for her with a sign. She actually passed me right up! So i tackled her from behind with a bear hug and she was totally and utterly surprised! It was great.

We started the long drive home at about 11:45pm and talked about jobs and men and our ex's in Ireland and basically all that had happened between now and last june when I had left. Shortly after 12am I looked at my gas meter and realized that I was running on empty so I figured I shoul dexit and refuel. It was only 15 minutes more to my place, but I didn't want to risk it. I exited and started to pump the fuel, when the pump stopped and I looked over at the windo to see what the guy inside was doing, and to see if I could get him to turn my pump back on. he waved for me to come over; I did and he said that after midnight it was a prepay service only, so I said ok and handed him my 10€ and after I finished pumping my gas drove off. Here is the first adventure with Ewa: I turned onto the little road that lead back to the on ramp of the Auto Route home and there were PO-LICE all over the road! ugh! They have quite an infestation here in Paris, but so far have avoided contamination, and or contact with them all. However, not on that night! that night i was signalled to pull over and I started quietly freeking out! i didn't have my drivers license with me!!!!!! it had been stolen from me when shopping about 3 months ago. I never told the family, because I knew they would make me stop driving and I really didn't want that to happen. So, I tell ewa to be really sweet and distracting. The cop asks for my insurence and my driving papers and I hand him over alll the papers I have on hand and play dumb about not handing him my license. I had givenhim all the car papers and i had passed along my visa papers and my passport. I asked him to repeat things a few times when he was asking me questions and I explained that I was a fille au pair and that I didn't speak french very well, so if he could speak a little slower it would be better. He turned to Ewa and asked if she could speak french, ewa was curious at why this cop was pointing at her and speaking in a language that she didn't understand. So she asked me what he had said and I told her in english, she decided that then is a good time to try and distract the guy and i don't know flirt or something and she asks him if he speak English! Oh NOOOO Ewa! NEVER NEVER EVER ASK A PARIS COP TO SPEAK ANYTHING BUT FRENCH!!! It is a major insult to them. They hate it when all these foreigners expect them to cater to their speaking preferences. I start freaking and tell Ewa to be quiet and not ask him that, so she goes. 'Oh, maybe Deutsch! Sprekenzie Deutsch?' (Oh lord have mery on me, I am try ing to get her to shut up, but she just doesnt get it, French people hate German people! Why would they speak German?) "Oh God, oh God, she is gonna get us killed!" Is what is running through my head but I keep smilling at the cop all sweet and innocent like and telling Ewa to be quiet. The cop takes a puzzled glance at these two weird foreign girls in this french licensed car and asks me who Bruno Delile is? Bruno is the father of the kids i take care of and the one the car is licensed to. I tell the cop as much and he decidedes to take a walk around the car and look for things he can write a ticket for. he comes back and tells me that Bruno has to get the front bumper fixed because it was a bit smashed it due to the last nanny. I say 'ok, I'll tell him' and the cop waves us to drive off.

My oppinion is that he just didn't know what to make of all the papers I jammed in his hands at once. Some were in English, some were in French so he figured that it must be ok if I had that many papers and just let me go.

The penalty for driving without your license in France is an immediate fine of at least 45€ and if it can not be proven at the time you are pulled over that you do indeed hold a valid drivers license then you are subject to immediate arrest and your car is towed away. I had no license with me, and besides that I was American, so there was absolutely no way for the cop to be able to check and see if I did indeed hold a valid license in Wisconsin, Etats-Unis. Luck was with me that night, even though Ewa asked if he spoke the two most hated languages. lol

Adventure no. 2: Shopping with Ewa for over 4 hrs straight. UGH!!!! I was dieing by the end of it! Normally I am ok for shopping for up to one hour, but when I don't have any money, and I am tired from being up the night before, I really don't like shopping, and especially not for 4hours with out a break.

Adventure no. 3: Being asked by security guards to put our clothes on and get out of the park. Yes! We were actually kicked out of my own residential area patch of grass, because we were laying in the sun. Ewa was in her bra and panties, they looked like a two piece swim suit to me, and I was in my swimsuit and wearing a skirt. Anyways i guess we were just to hot for the guards or something... they kicked us off the lawn and made us leave the communal area completely. They didn't believe that I lived there when I told them my address. I think that this is due to the fact that I have such a bad American accent! Annoying.

Adventure no. 4: The death of my car. On sat night at 11pm we wanted to go dancing so we got in my little car and drove into the city. However, 5 minutes away from the little dancing place that inew, my car started doing something strange. When I pushe don the gas it didn't go! AAAAHHHH!!!! I was in the middle of fricken Paris and my car was dieing fast. I could get it fast enough to shft into second gear but not fast enough to go the speed limit of 50 K/hr. I parked it and we walked the rst of the way to the bar. The bar closed 35 minutes after we got there and we had the chance to dance to only one song before commenceing the long trek back to my semi broken car to see if she felt better and wanted to take us home or not.
We arrived at my car around 12:45am and started to take as many back roads as I knew to get us home without annoying every single other driver on the road that night. However after driving kinda in a big circle for about 20 minutes I figured that I should jsut admit to my self that I really only knew one way home and that that way was gonna be hell, but we had to take it. Peripherique! Speed limit is 80 inmost places but when you get closer to my place it is 110. Ummm, so here are these two girls dressed to the nines in skirts and heals, driving along the side of the Peripherique at 25 an hour and geting honked at and propositioned fro about 3 hours with out relent. I was so scared that we would get pulled over by another cop and this time have no luck. Anyways to make our long drive a bit shorter to read about. What normally would have taken us 25 minutes to drive took us 3 hours.

Adventure no. 4: I forgot my keys at the families house so after our extremely long drive home arriving at 3:45am We were locked out side of my apartment. That was great. It was way to late for me to go banging on the families door, but we were dead tired and had no other resource. That was until Ewa remembered that she had left my balcony door open a crack because she had been smoking out on it. So we walked around to the outside of my building and looked up at my balcony ledge. A good 12 feet off the ground. hhhhmmmm.... I am about 5ft 7in and Ewa is at least 5' 9.... hhhmmm.... yup you guessed it. I went down on my knees ewa climbed onto my back. I started to stanc up slowly and she lunged for the edge and the railings. She caught it barely and I stood up super quickly. she stood ON my shoulders and got a better grip, but she couldn't swing her leg up high enough to get on the edge and pull herself up. She stood ON MY HEAD and wobbled my poor neck back and forth trying to get up; And then just as my poor, mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted body was about to crumble to its knees, she got her foot up and scrambled onto my balcony. The door was open and she walked through to my front door and let me in.

Adventure no. 5: Wake up Havilah! It was 5:45 am but Ewa thought it was 6:45 am and that Jb was late for collecting her and taking her to her flight. I had forgotten to recharge the battery on my phone and I have no other working clock in my apartment. So, I woke up and walked outside to find a clock to make sure that she wasn't late and if need be call and wake up Jeebs and tell him to move his behind into 5th gear and get here now! But when I went outside the only person I met was a little old man waiting at the bus stop. I asked him what time it was and he said "6am on the pill miss" but in French. At which point I wanted to scream at Ewa that I didn't have to work for another hour and a half and that i wanted to sleep!!!! But I couldn't. She was tired too, after our adventures from the night before, and she also had to work that day when she got back to Dublin, so I said nothing and we waited till Jb arrived at 6:45, on the pill, and took my beloved Polish girl to her flight. Which took her back to Ireland, and a safe distance from me.

I hope you can all understand that it was a very tiring weekend!

Next post might detail last weekend when I climbed Mnts. and Volcanoes in the center of France and the paragliders we saw and how we were practically paragliding with Jeebs giant kite. But maybe I will just leave it at that.... Yeah probably.

Anywho I am glad that I am caught up a bit better now, and all I can say about the future is that I am getting really excited about going to see Angel and Bernadette, and my Uncle Dave and Aunt Bethany, and hopefully ALL of New York City! Woohooooo!!!! Only 8 days left till I am on my home soil!

By the way thanks to everyone who has tried to help us find a place in New York, or on the east coast. We have places to stay for all but the nights of the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. We're hoping someone will host us through the couchsurfing sight, but we have no promises yet... No worries though! It is summer, and heck, we've never tried sleeping like bumms on benches before! Might be fun!? Who knows we might try heading to Canada by thumb. Jb wants to see Montreal, or maybe we could get to Niagra falls. That would be cool, but I am still kind hopeing that someone can just give us a couple of couches and we can stay in one city for the 5 days. In other words: KEEP A LOOK OUT AND IF YOU FIND A PLACE FOR US TO STAY, TELL ME!!!!

Where the hell is Matt? Jibi's first post on Havilahs blog...

2006-06-22T13:46:00.000+02:00

Second part

Life is never dull when you have a Polish girl with you.

2006-06-22T13:01:00.000+02:00

Ewa, my Polish friend whom I met last yera in Irlenad, came to visit me last weekend. I am going to write down all of the crazy things that happened to us while she was here, but I am slightly afraid that you will all think I aml lieing... Itwas just that flippin' crazy!

Lets start with Thursday night:
Ewa's plane was scheduled to arrive at Beauvais airstrip at 10:40pm. Beauvais airstrip, which is aprox. a 1 hr drive from Paris and my home takes care of all the really cheap flights unlike Charles de Gaulle Airport which is just inside Paris. I had told my boss, Lydie 3 weeks ago, as soon as I knew that ewa had the ticket, that I hade a friend coming into town on that thursday and that i would need to get her from the airport, well as it happens on that same Thursday night Lydie had just booked tickets to some theatre... She said she needed me to babysit. I said, "Oh, ...umm, ok I will ask J.b. to go and get her for me."
J.b. was alright with the idea at first but on the Wednesday night before she arrived, I went through my email again to get the exact details and it turned out that she was arriving to late for J.b. He had an important exam on Friday morning and needed to study and then get a little sleep, and so the late arrival posed a real problem for him. I started to get a little worried, but figured that I shoul dbe able to to talk himl in to going, but Thursday afternoon he gave me a call and told me that there was a bus that shuttled people back and forth from Paris to Beauvais, but that it arrived in Paris at Midnight. Would I be able to collect Ewa from the city at Midnight became the question. Thus, I rang Lydie at work and asked if it was possible for me to leave and pick her up. At which point Lydie said , 'Oh, I forgot to tell you! You don't need to babysit tonight, you can go get your friend when you want, I will be home lik enoirmal.'

*Pause for Havilahs stare of silence*

Thanks for telling me Lydie.

Plans were quickly re-made that I would indeed be going to get Ewa
that evening in Beauvais. I just needed the Mappy directions to the airstrip.
Only problem was that I didn't have the passwor dto the computer so i couldn't get online to get the directions.

More to follow.... I have to get off line now I am at J.b.s and he wants to try and upload a video on my blog, so I wioll finish teh adventures of last weekend after this weekend.

Oh, Thank you, bow thank you, curtsy thank you all so much! (Exit stage left)

2006-06-09T08:02:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I am not sure how many of you are able to remember that

I sing in front of Notre Dame for change, but yeah, I do. And as most of you know I am a pretty darn good singer, right? So it came as only a little bit of a surprise when fter I had figured out the optimal spot to stand, actually just infront of the tower you climb up to see the gargoyals, and the beautiful view from the top, that I started earning at least 16€ per hour and usually more like 20€. Now mind you that that is in ONE hour and no more, though sometimes a little less.

Because I have been stopping by for "my hour" almost everyday for the last 2 weeks, I have become pretty accustomed to people: staring at me, coming over and examining my music without asking, making faces, pretending to sing along, asking me to sing hip-hop and or techno songs, and in fact I have gotten quite accustomed to my songs. I can sing everything in my black binder, without the help of my black binder. (The binder refered to is not an ex-Ave Maria Music binder stolen at the end of my first semester....really..... well, ok so it is! But they'll never get her, or her two sisters, back! Mwa ha ha ha ha!!! They're mine all mine!!!! But, umm, don't tell Mrs. Fedoryka, please.)

So anyways, now that you all get the gist of my usual hour of singing I would like to include, here after, my most adventerous and interesting little encounters as well as funny and odd events which have occured during "my hour":

1.)

Lets talk about money!

I have said that the average is about 20€ per hour. this is a nice little chunk of money you think to yourself, but let me tell you about my Top 2 amounts of money I have gotten in a single busk.

Best day: 59.93 €, 3.20 Swiss Francs, and .25 U.S cents, was earned in the course of a very sunny two hours of singing Monday the 5th of June, between the hours of 4 and 6pm. Second best day: Yesterday, June 8th, I sang for one hour from 3-4pm and I walked away with 36.62€. I was given more than that, but a bum stole some. That story follows in my Interesting People section.

2.)

My list of foreign currencies that have been given to me

while performing

"my hour":

An American Dollar bill as well as numerous quarters, dimes, nickles, and pennies originating from my home land.

One mexican Dollar Coin,

Three Swiss Francs and one 20 cent piece from that land of goats and Heidi.

About three British Pounds as well as several pennies.

Fifty cents worth of Slovaquie change.

One R from Brasil

A coin or two from Denmark...and the list goes on!

That's just what I can remember off the top of my head.

If you want to collect foreign money try being a busker in a very touristic city.

3.) The interesting people I have met!

Now lets see... I got asked for dirctons to McDonalds yesterday by a group of odd Aussi chicks, but that is a regular occurance.

No the real fun people are the ones who stop by and listen to my whole rep; and then want to talk to me after.

I met a very nice lady from Columbia or Peru last month. She was in town visiting her friend who happened to be married to a french man. I was singing Mozarts Laudate Dominum and she started singing quietly along. I was astounded that she new it at all. When I had finished I turned to her and said I've never met a person who knew that song before! She didn't speak French, I tried in english, she didn't speak english... So I told her friend in French and her friend translated into Spanish my wonder at her knowing the song.

Turned out the lady is a musician as well, though I am not sure of what instrument, and that she is also a faithful Catholic. She loved my singing and asked me to continue, so I sang her A.L. webers Pie Jesu, and she almost started crying. She wanted to know why I wasn't in an Opera House or at least on my way to one, but I had no answer. She wanted to know where I had bought all my beautiful music, I explained that I got it while I was in school. SHe said that she had heard that Pie Jesu before and that she would like to find the sheet music for it, I said that I knew it so well that she could simply have mine. She was very grateful, gave me at least 4€ in change and we exchanged emails with teh promise that if I were to ever come to her country I would stop by and see her.

I just wish I remember what country she lives in.... lol

I met a 70yr old Brazillian man with a Doctorate in Sociology who gave me 15€for two songs and after a cup of expresso. He said his name was gabriel and that he was sent to me to bring good news. While we talked about the problem of the youth in the world today, especially in Europe, of how they all just expect their parents to take care of them. He told me how he had struggled to finish his highschooling attending night classes because he had to work for his living. He told me about how he worked every job imaginable throughout his Bachelors and Masters degrees, and how he had gotten his Doctorate in Sociology here in Paris, while living in an attic apartment where he shared the toilet and shower down the hall with about 10 other people.

He was impressed that I had enough gumption to go out on the street and sing for my money, but he was more impressed with the theology that I had studied.

He asked me if I would come speak to his youngest son, 15yrs old, who has never worked a dya in his life for any of the money he has, and who although very inteligent is uncertain of his faith. I said I would be honored, so we exchanged phone numbers and addresses.

Yesterday I was in the middle of singing Adorate devote, with a fair sized ring of people around me, when a homeless man came over to me and started looking over my shoulder at my music. He mumbled something not nice and then looking at my money bowl bent down and started taking my change! I stopped singing and said "No, no Msr, that's my money" in French and tried to take the dish away from him. He physically pushed me to the ground and left with a handful of my money. While he was leaving he shouted something like 'You bitch, you can sing for more money!' I was all shook up and pulled my dish under me and started crying. Immediately at least 5 people came overto me and tried to comfort me. One person gave me a 10€bill, others forced 2€ coins into my hand, while one nice American lady practically gave me a hug and told me that he was just a drunk! That I shouldn't stop singing because I had such a beautiful voice and that was why she had told her husband to video record me. A young man, about 18 or 19yrs old, came over and said that he was very sorry for me and that what had just happened was the meanest thing he had ever seen happen in real life. He gave me some money and waited till I had recuperated enough to sing again.

After getting my bearings again and singing my little heart out I was just finishing "my hour" when a women came up to me and asked what the last song I had just sung was, in broken French. I said "pardon," because I couldn't understand her french. We started talking in english and it turns out that she is a Philosophy teacher in Upstate NY very close to Syracuse. Her husband happens to be a very good claranet player, from flippin' LaCrosse area WI, who has studied at a whole buch of famous schools and was now teaching as a Professor of music in Binghamton University.

She was standing way down the street when she heard my singing on the wind and she said she just had to come and see who was singing. We really hit it off they are a great couple. I asked him about the Vocal program that is at his school and he said that it is exceptional and listed off all the places that the students have gone on to. I sang him Laudate Dominum and he said that I had a beautiful instrument and that if I were to go to his school I would be serious competion for all the other soprans.

They gave me a whole list of contact info. for them and told me to meet them agian this Sunday at a little musical spectacle where they would like to introduce me to some french singers they know and at that time see if they have heard back from the lady he knows who heads the vocal program at

Juliard and Binghamton Universities.

The man, Timothy Perry, can be seen on this link he is the smiling bald conductor in the middle of the bottom of the page.

It was a very interesting hour, if I do say so myself.

1......

2006-06-04T11:39:00.000+02:00

BLAST OFF!!!!

I am now 22 years old.

Why do I feel so old? Probably because after you turn 21 there are no more eagerly anticipated birthdays, and I just passed up that year.

Life is supposed to suck from here on out.

I hope everyone is wrong.

Happy Birthday to me!

Born to be Wild

By: Steppenwolf

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

And whatever comes our way

Yeah Darlin' go make it happen

Take the world in a love embrace

Fire all of your guns at once

And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning

Heavy metal thunder

Racin' with the wind

And the feelin' that I'm under

Yeah Darlin' go make it happen

Take the world in a love embrace

Fire all of your guns at once

And explode into space

Like a true nature's child

We were born, born to be wild

We can climb so high

I never wanna die

Born to be wild

2006-06-03T11:36:00.002+02:00

2.....

THE COUNT DOWN TO 22!!!!

2006-06-01T22:16:00.000+02:00

Yes, it's coming into focus now.

2006-05-25T16:59:00.000+02:00

Look into my magic ball and let me show you my future.... hhhhmmm.... Ah yes there it is.... kinda foggy, but it certainly looks interesting.

On July 5th I will be in America!

Well that is what my flight itinerary says anyways. It tells me that I will be arriving at JFK at 4pm est. Jb's future is a little different. His magic ticket tells him that he will be arriving at JFK on the same day, but at 10:30 am thus he will have to wait for me.

hé hé hé.

After we find each other the future gets a little more foggy.

As of right now we have places to stay for about 2 weeks. One in Philly, with Angel and Bernadette and the other near Baltimore, with My Aunt Bethany and Uncle Dave. We still need to find a place, or places for the rest of the time on the East Coast.

Jb's return ticket is for the 30th of July. So, we don't know what is going to happen to us but we expect a forcast of mild to extreme adventures with occasional showering of kindness from friends family and strangers.

We plan on bringing a tent.

Once again I'm going to ask the wide world of blog readers that if there is anyone out there who thinks they might be able to help us out even for a night, in their back yard, we would be eternally grateful!

We are still hoping to find somewhere closer to

New York City,

because we are dieing to see it.

Please isn't there anyone else who can help?

I ask, I seek, and I promise to knock before entering!

2006-05-15T13:39:00.000+02:00

Matt. 7:7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

In Havilah News this week:

I have started the application process for Ave Maria University in Naples, and I am also planning on applying to Viterbo University in LaCrosse. Hopefully I will be accepted to both and then have the grand option of choosing between the North and the South for school.

Tonight after I finish work I will be booking my ticket home the states with the kind help of Lydie, my boss. (I don't have a credit card.) I am hoping to be flying into Chicago on the 30th of June.

Jb is hoping to come to the states on or about his birthday the 6th of July and meet up with Bern and Angel and I in Phili. So it is looking like I will be home for about a week and then out on the East coast for 2 weeks or so.

About that. I am trying to find a/some places where Jb and I can both stay for a few nights around NY city and or anywhere else that might be interesting on the east coast. Neither of us has really seen anything in the city and we both really want to. So, anyone that might be able to put us up on a couple couches or even the floor please drop me a comment as it is looking like the travel budget is gonna be pretty slim. We aren't looking for food and you won't have to spend all day playing host to us or anything we just basically need a place to sleep when our weary feet come home from walking all over the city.

Jb was talking about maybe doing kind of a space exchange thing, like if you put us up in your place then he would put you up if you were to come to Paris...etc.

If any of you Aves have any ideas or know of any former Aves that I might be able to contact who could help us out please let me know a.s.a.p. Or perhaps I might have family near there that knows someone who might be able to help? If no one can help then we are going to have to try and book some place. :( It's just that everything is soooo flippin' expensive in NY and when you make as little money as we do... Its hard.

We would even be happy with a little bit of someones back yard where we could put up a little non-grass killing tent that Jb wants to buy. Anything, anywhere near the city, anything at all!!!

Please help!

Thank you so much!

Song for today:
By: Michael Bublé

"Home"

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
That this is not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home

Turn around!

2006-05-12T10:44:00.000+02:00

A very funny video.

Should I stay or should I go...

2006-05-04T09:43:00.000+02:00

First, as I am certain Mary will be very happy to learn, I AM coming home to the States on or just about June 30th. I have some relatives and some friends that I want very much to see on the East coast, so I am thinking of flying into Phili, seeing Bunnydette and The Clever Angel, and then perhaps visiting my Uncle Dave and Aunt Bethany, and then maybe even heading to CT and visiting Aunt Amelia. I don't plan on being away for too long though. Maybe two weeks total for the East coast, and then I was thinking of catching a bus, train, or some car with my thumb, and coming home to Wisconsin. So all my Wisconsin Peeps should be expecting me to pop up and want to be fed and amused on or about the 14th of July.

Now here is my 'should I stay or should I go' dilema: In about a week I will be receiving my first Catre de Séjour, Green Card if you will, and when I receive that I will be a valid citizen of France for one full year from the date of issue. Which means: I can come and go all over Europe as much as I like. That is too cool, and you all know what? It took me so freakin' long to get the stupid card that I inclined to not let it go to waste.

I have a few other job oportunities here and I was thinking maybe I would stay till at least next Christmas. But here is the thing, I am now 2 years behind in getting my college degree, and I am starting to feel the pressure about finishing a degree before I get so old that the professors start call me "Maam". I have this little pamphlet in my room from Viterbo University in LaCrosse WI, which is only 30 miles from my parents place, and it has been calling my name in my sleep. Reminding me about how much I loved being in school and a learning environment. How I miss studying and being mentally challenged by my proffessors. I am so tempted to sign up and see what really studying music is like.

However, I know that I will probably get ants in my pants if I stay in WI for more than a year, so I really don't know. I could apply for Ave Maria in Nicaragua and start learning Spanish, or maybe I could go to Calcutta and do missionary work.... What am I supposed to be doing??????

Now I humbly ask all the kind and caring people who read my silly blog: Would you please give me a little advice? I am really feeling like a reed in the wind. I blow this way and that way between my options. The world is too open to me, and I am afraid that I might end up wasting my youth chasing it round and round then in a few years find myself middle aged, alone, and without a real home or plan.

What to do, what to do...

Todays song:

Older Chests

By: Damien Rice

Older chests reveal themselves
Like a crack in a wall
Starting small, and grow in time
And we (always) seem to need the help
Of someone else
To mend that shelf(of)
Too many books
Read me your favourite line

Papa went to other lands
And he found someone who understands
The ticking, and the western man's need to cry
He came back the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things
They stay the same

Like time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

Older gents sit on the fence
With their cap in hand
Looking grand
They watch their city change

Children scream, or so it seems,
Louder than before
Out of doors, into stores with bigger names
Mama tried to wash their faces
But these kids they lost their graces
And daddy lost at the races too many times

She broke down the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
But some things they stay the same

Like time, time, there's always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time,
Time, there's always time
On my mind
Pass me by, I'll be fine
Just give me time

More Pics...3

2006-05-01T16:17:00.000+02:00

More Pics...2

2006-04-30T11:27:00.002+02:00

More Picts....

2006-04-29T21:15:00.000+02:00

a few pictures from Corsica, but the best are yet to come.

2006-04-25T15:23:00.000+02:00

Where will you be spending your Easter Vacation?

2006-04-14T08:28:00.000+02:00

The place that I am leaving for tonight has this picture on it's flag.

It also has many beautiful views like this one.

And it looks like this from above.

Anyone know where I am going?

Last hint: I will not be leaving the country I am currently in, unless you count the boat ride...

Dear everyone:

I am sorry that I haven't written in so long. I have been having adventures! However, I have also been very behind in all of my obligations to friends and work here that I haven't really been able to take the time to sit down and write anything worth reading. I am sure Kate can relate, probably Stephenie too, oh and Mary, and Bronwyn, and my peeps at Ave... yeah, now that I think about it I am sure that you all can relate.

Spring makes everyone/thing go a little faster doesn't it? The only thing I know that still goes slowly in Spring in molassas. mmmm... molassas.

They cut the grass in the Domain I live in yesterday and I was in heaven on my walk home. The only thing that would have made that walk better was if my Pop was with me and I was on the farm talking about making the first crop hay. I miss the farm and I miss Ave and I miss my good friends back in the states and Ireland. I am happy where I am, I would just be alot happier if I had the ability to fly back and see everyone whenever I wanted.

Mom and Juby,

Please give Gelly hug for me? I had a sad dream the other night that she was all grown up and I didn't know her anymore. Oh, and Father died in my dream too and what was really weird was that the people at St. Bridgets wouldn't let me sing in the choir with you guys... Anywho, I hope you are still saving a place for me there, but that I won't need it for any funerals. Missing you all so much, not to mention the Easter Feast with Honey Backed ham and jello eggs! I will instead be eating something half cooked from a beach fire.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!!

Liam and Kate should love this link.

2006-04-04T08:56:00.000+02:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8

Pictures from Marissa and 2 from Normandy

2006-04-01T22:24:00.000+02:00

Pictures from Paris Farm Expo

2006-03-30T12:16:00.000+02:00

Who is that?

POP!!!??? What the Fudge?

Emma???

So crazy!

2006-03-30T11:53:00.000+02:00

Ok so I have aprox. 10 minutes to post something while Jibi is in the shower. Where do I start? So much shit has happened, but also alot of really funny stuff... Ummm... Ok the weekend after we went to Pierrefonds Chateau we went to a HUGE Farm Expo here in Paris. It was super cool to see cows and sheep and pigs and smell them and realize that I don't have to wake up tomorrow and milk them... etc. JB took tons of photos for me and I will try and up^load them quick like, but no promises... The weekend after that our very favoritest Bunnydette came to visit us! Which was even more super awesome than the Farm Expo with teh fat cows.... Bunnydette, oh bunnydette where for art thou my Bunnydette. My room is so lonely without her. Yesterday Jb and I were talking about what we might do over Easter vacation, and I was saying that I really want to go see Bunny and Rebecca in Gaming, but that I also really want to get to England and the ferries are super cheap at this time of year... So Jb asked which do I want to do more, and then I remembered that Bunny said that she was going to Rome and I said that I wanted to do that too, but that I didn't think it was possible, and then he said.... I said, he said, blah blah blah..... that is what the world gets when I don't have time to sit down and organize my posts... or even my thoughts. Basically it came down to the realization that the vacation would be the most bestest ever if we could just convince Bunnydette to come with us to England and then Scotland. We are planning on driving all over the island and sleeping in the back of the car, peeing on the side of the road, not being clean and eating moldy French bread with stale Perrier... oh the fun! I can hardly wait!!!!! While on the island I will attempt to see a few people that I know.

Davie? Are you gonna be at Oxford around then? It would be cool if we could bump into you big bro... Just if you are around.

Ok! Jibi is out I should get off now, but I am gonna try and upload some ogf those pics now.

Technical Diffuculties

2006-03-22T18:09:00.001+01:00

Don't worry all, I's ok. I's just havin' computer problems is all. I will get back to posting regular like after they are all sorted out. My apologies folks.

Mare, I do know what you mean about Domer Bird. I miss him too, though I know you probably miss him a whole lot more. I will write you when I have a working computer at my disposal. Poss. this weekend I will steal my fella's when he is in the bathroom or something.... I dunno I will think of something soon!

Can I get some prayers for a working computer people. This could prove to be the straw that broke the havilahs back.

I love you South Dakota!!!

2006-03-07T09:07:00.000+01:00

South Dakota has banned abortion!!!!! (except in the case of danger to the mothers life)

I know I am behind in my american news. But I still have to say how cool I think this is! I mean, I loved South Dakota before because they had only one abortion clinic, but now I love them even more! They have just signed a bill that will save at least 800 babies a year!

Go, go, go, go South Dakota your gonna have more birthdays. We're gonna party 'cause your gonna have more birthdays. We're gonna snip more ambilical cords and have more birthdays! We're gonna party 'cause you are gonna have 800 more birthdays!

What, I think, is the wierd part of it all is the people in Washington who are freking out because of it. No, I don't mean the pro-abortion activists, I mean our own pro-Life ones. They are really worried that this is to drastic a step for this point in time. They are worried that american women are going to freak out when they find that their 'right' to abortion has been taken away from their sisters in South Dakota.

Um, HELLO? This is a good thing. Lets bring the issue to the front on the TV again! It has been too long since I saw anything about the real issues behind abortion being broadcast. I do of course realize that the media is bi-assed, meaning that it has two asses and no head for thinking, but I think that if this gets people talking about it again then that is a good thing.

Besides we all know that if the media tries to push the pro-abortion stance too much that the Catholics/Christians: Pro-Lifers will get miffed and start working harder. After all there are hundreds of thousands of us now who have something to say about this issue. Like Norma McCorvey. She has lots of interesting things to say about changing her mind, abortion, abortionists, and their in her words "...killing centers". (For those of you who don't know, she was Roe in RoeVS Wade) I believe too many pro-Lifers have gotten lazy and need to remember why they are supposed to fight for the rights of the babies. This aught to do the trick!

Don't misconstrue my views on this conflict. I don't want a war between the people. However, I do want them all to start talking about it again, because unless we all are talking about it, no one is hearing the truth about abortion. Until they know the truth and all the facts so many woman are going to continue to hurt themselves, others that love them, and continue to kill their unborn babies.

Now a lifted material for you to read along with some facts that every woman should know before she has an abortion:

"For two millennia in our Western culture, written into our constitutions, specifically protected by our laws, and deeply imprinted into the hearts of all men and women, there has existed the absolute value of honoring and protecting the right of each human to live. This has been an unalienable and unequivocal right. The only exception has been that of balancing a life for a life in certain situations or by due process of law.

Never, in modern times — except by a small group of physicians in Hitler’s Germany and by Stalin in Russia — has a price tag of economic or social use-fullness been placed on an individual human life as the price of its continued existence.
Never, in modern times — except by physicians in Hitler’s Germany — has a certain physical perfection been required as a condition necessary for the continuation of that life.
Never — since the law of paterfamilias in ancient Rome — has a major nation granted to a father or mother total dominion over the life or death of their child.
Never, in modern times, has the state granted to one citizen the absolute legal right to have another killed in order to solve their own personal, social or economic problem.

...yet, ... the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in America and permissive abortion laws in other nations do all of the above. They represent a complete about-face, a total rejection of one of the core values of Western man, and an acceptance of a new ethic in which life has only a relative value. No longer will every human have a right to live simply because he or she exists. A human will now be allowed to exist only if he measures up to certain standards of independence, physical perfection, or utilitarian usefulness to others. This is a momentous change that strikes at the root of Western civilization. It makes no difference to vaguely assume that human life is more human post-born than pre-born. What is critical is to judge it to be — or not to be — human life. By a measure of "more" or "less" human, one can easily and logically justify infanticide and euthanasia. By the measure of economic and/or social usefulness, the ghastly atrocities of Hitlerian mass murders came to be. One cannot help but be reminded of the anguished comment of a condemned Nazi judge, who said to an American judge after the Nuremberg trials, "I never knew it would come to this." The American judge answered simply, "It came to this the first time you condemned an innocent life.' "

Facts all Women Should Know

The Babys heartbeat begins between the eighteenth and twenty-fifth day after conception.
Electrical brain waves have been recorded as early as forty days after conception.
After 8 weeks inside the mom all of the babys organs are present, complete, and functioning (except lungs- they follow a little later)
After 9-10 weeks the Babys body is completely formed. It responds to touch, his/her fingers and toes are defined, he/she has permanent fingerprints, and can suck his/her own thumb.
After 8-13 weeks the babys sex can be distinguished.
At 16 weeks the mother can feel the baby move. The Babys heart pumps six gallons of blood per day and can have REM (dream) sleep.

Even more pictures, and not the last either!

2006-03-02T21:22:00.000+01:00

Oh it's my "Kuh-night" in rusty armor!

This dude was hanging out in Pierrefonds courtyard.

That is Frank. You can't see him very well, but in real life he is a very handsome fella. JB and I are thinking of catching him and taking him in for shots so he doesn't get that nasty flue that is killing all the pretty birds here in Europe.

Ok, this is an old picture that I took when I was with the kids at the lake. It is a sign that warns people that depositing their old turtles in the lake is not allowed.

We call it the "Micheal Ze Tuwtle" sign, because there is this techno song that says "Micheal Ze Tuwtle" over and over again and the kids really like it...

Another old picture, but worth putting up as it is cool. This is La Géode. It's a theatre inside. It only shows educational type films though, so no broken backed Mnt boys were seen in there. We saw some cool films about India, Tour de France, the Apollo Missions...etc. It is part of the Cité Science Museum/center thingy.

Ok, so we were waiting for the movie to start in La Géode and we decided to walk around the little park outside. When we heard this music. We followed our ears till we came to what you know see before you: namely a Carnival drum core practicing some really cool music!

Pierrefonds Chateau

2006-03-02T08:55:00.000+01:00

Pierrefonds Castle

The Tower on the right is called Charlemange. On the left is called Cesar. I didn't name them. They were already named

Can't remember that towers name. But it still looks cool.

Ok, so they made a mini castle and put it in the big castle, on the balcony over looking the courtyard.

The entrance and drawbridge.

Me being silly in a huge frame. Oh, yeah there is my dark hair for everyone to see now. Not a beautiful pic, but fun none the less.

King Henri II and some chick that liked to read. They were hanging out in the Crypt in the basement.

Ummmmm... Don't ask. It was funny at the time, and I am just gonna put it on here for rememberance sake.

Too much to write about! But isn't that cool, I have had over 800 visits to my blog.

2006-02-28T14:24:00.000+01:00

I wish I had just jotted down what was happening when it was happening. ut of course I didn't. I am the ultimate procrastinator!

Let me just give you a nice little Top 10 List I want to talk about:

(In no particular order)

1.) JB is my Boyfriend again and is much more given to spontanious kisses now. Which is Super-D-duper in my book! (Thanks to Paul for the advice!)
2.) Was told I was being taken to a Coca-Cola factory, last Sunday. I new I was being bluffed, but I still wasn't ready for how cool a place I was really being taken to. (See pictures below of Pierrefonds Castle!)
3.) Went to a party in a center for Musculation. A couple of friends of JBs were had a big surprise birthday party thrown for them. It was fun, except that the music was all hard techno in the beginning, and then later when it was better, only JB, Stephan, Elisa, and I were really dancing. Which was still cool, but it would have been more fun if everyone was!
4.) Last Wednesday I saw my first live concert of a French musician, and it was for free too! Jb and I were walking down the street, heading towards his house after seeing a movie, when this guy stopped us and asked us if we wanted tickets to the concert that was just about to start in the theatre at the end of the block. We said no thanks, because we thought that he was trying to sell them to us, but as it turns out his girlfriend didn't want to go after all, or wasn't feeling well, or something, and he just wanted to give them to us. So we took them and instead of continuing to walk home we walked into the theatre and watched a really cool concert for 2 hours or so. At my request JB took two photos for me, but the didn't turn out very well at all. (See blurry shadowy things below)
5.) Saw the movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" or "Braqueurs Amateurs" is the French title, and almost pissed my pants because it was so funny! I was just really in the mood for a funny/stupid movie, and it really hit the spot for me. JB was in a ball laughing several times as well, so it wasn't just me.
6.) Last night I got my situation sorted with the family I am working for. I won't have to find another family/job which is super good! Because even though there aa lotlot of other nice families around who would hire me (I know because I checked out several during these last two weeks juin casease I was going to have to leave), I would rather stay with these kids and this job. It is the best! My own place, the car, the pay, the kids, the free timeEtcetc. I can't find better, and I know I need to be more grateful to Bruno and Lydie for all they have done for me. Compared to the average au pair I am treated like royalty.
7.) This is old news, but I never wrote about it so I will now: JB and I were walking down near Trocadero (near The Tower) and there was this very little artificial pond. Ok nothing interesting about an artificial pond you say, but inside that artificial pond were two ducks. Still not very interesting you say, well they ducks were eating their evening meal of bread and and other junk, and they had a friend over for a visit. The friend was a Heron. Jb took a few pics, but it was too dark so he was unable to capture tmagnificencense of Frank the Heron for your viewing pleasure. (Yes, I named him Frank.) We have actually been back there several times and Frank has been there almost every time we visit. We have also seen frank at the chateau Versailles, where we chased him through a field that was really muddy and told him to go home to his little pond!
8.) Am remembering all the fun I used to have there, a lot lately. Went through all the little 'thank you' and 'I'm praying for you' notes that I received when I was there and was ready to cry when I realised how many good people I know. I am so sad that Ave Maria is dieing. I would do anything to save her and her people. (Below is a picture Katherineine Surmanski took 2 years ago at my last Ave Mardi Gras.)
9.) Am wondering what is going on with my little brother Peter; I though we were cool, bapparentlytly not. He is refusing to let me have his email address, which I really don't understand at all. Thanks go out to Gabe for trying to get it for me anyways.
10.) I have to call Great Lakes Educational Loans office today or they are going to start reporting me to credit bureaus. Can't let them ruin my credit! Bah humbug to money. I don't know how I came to owe so much! they are mad at me because I am behind in my payments by like 620 bucks, what they don't seem to realize is that I only get like 100 €uro a week! It hurts to have to pay them in dollars every month! Stupid currency exchange is a real bother too. Though I do have to say that I am glad that the €uro is worth more than the dollar right now. (See comic below depicting what the Russians thought when the €uro first overtook the American Dollar)

I gotta go now, and I didn't get those pictures uploaded yet. Bad me. I will do it in an hour after I drop the kids at their music lessons and I will predate them so they do actually physically go below this post.

God bless you all and Happy Mardi Gras! I hope you are all ready for Lent because ready or not here it comes.

By the way I have been very much out of the loop, and I want to say now, even though I realize that it is very late, that I am praying for Mr. Williams.

Monica I love you and wish I could give you a hug. I am never good at saying the right thing in sad situations, but I do want you to know that my heart physically aches for you and your family. My prayers are all I can offer, but please know that you have them in abundance. Peace be with you and yours.

I haven't done any silly quizzes for a long time now., and these ones were pretty funny!

2006-02-23T21:00:00.000+01:00

You Should Date An Italian!

You love for old fashioned romance, with an old fashioned guyAn Italian guy is the perfect candidate to be your prince charmingIf your head doesn't spin enough, just down another espresso with himInvest in a motorcycle helmet - and some carb blocker for all that pasta!

Which Foreign Guy Should You Date?

You Are Funky Panties

You're stylish, trendy, but not over the top.You know how to look good - without looking like you're trying too hard.Men think that you're cute, friendly, and approachable.And you've got a spunky, feisty side that comes out after a while!

What Kind of Panties Are You?

Your Flirt Quotient

You are 53% Flirt

How Much of a Flirt Are You?

The pictures as promised!

2006-02-20T11:23:00.000+01:00

Hello, do I know you?

2006-02-17T15:23:00.000+01:00

This might seem out of the blue, but I have a blog sight meter/tracker thingy, and every now and then I look at it and it tells me who loves me. Wait, no it doesn't tell me who loves me, it just tells me who is reading my sad little blog.
Well, apparently I have a a reader in Kansas. Which is super cool, but I don't think I know anyone in Kansas... I am so curious who is reading my blog from Kansas! Who are you? Please tell! You are from somewhere near Wichita is all I know. Come on leave me a comment won't you?

Pictures are still coming from Valentines Day on The Tower. I promise I will get that sorted this weekend. Ok, well have a good day! I am offto Jbs place to watch the new Lost. It's hard to get 'em over here you know. They always have funny subtitles and ....lol... I shouldn't complain. Happy Day!