Brainstorming: Post-Camino thoughts.

It’s been awhile since I’ve last blogged. There are many factors that contribute to the long hiatus this page has been on but I can finally say that I’ll try to reawaken it’s ramblings. 

A friend of mine and I have been chatting online for the past hour and it’s re-inspired me to try and take some time (out of the little I actually have) to try and share my thoughts.

Though there haven’t been any recent updates, there hasn’t been a lack of adventure. On the contrary, this has been one of the most tumultuous, craziest, fun (relative to my own idea of whatever that may be) years, full of spontaneity and unpredictability. I feel like I have learned and experienced so much in such a short period of time in terms of life experiences; it’s been irrevocable and essential to grow as an individual.

I just returned from a week long trip, trekking 100km along through the green Galician countryside on the Camino de Santiago. I decided to go on my own and alone for this exact reason: to think. 

I was so fortunate enough to meet some amazing people and had enough time to feel the nostalgia of the ones who have already continued to make an impact on my life. 

So, even if the actual Camino has ended, I know that I will continue it everyday. I’ve decided to post a tidbit from each day I walked, retrospectively, about my journey.

Sorry if there aren’t any amazing retouched pictures to accompany the post; Dani convinced me to use a disposable camera and I have some on FB that I can save.

All in all, enjoy the posts!

 

“Good Poems”

First Lesson 
By: Philip Booth

Lie back, daughter, let you head
be tipped back in the cup of my hand.
Gently, and I will hold you. Spread
your arms wide, lie out on the stream
and look high at the gulls. A dead-
man’s-float is face down. You will dive
and swim soon enough where this tidewater
ebbs to the sea. Daughter, believe
me, when you tire on the long thrash
to your island, lie up, and survive.
As you float now, where I held you
and let go, remember when fear
cramps your heart what I told you:
lie gently and wide to the light-year
stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you. 

 

Commencement.

Commencement.

I prefer utilizing this word instead of graduation. Using the word commencement indicates the beginning of something new, exciting, thrilling… another adventure and new chapter in life. Whatever you may choose to decide, whether this closing time is good or bad, it’s something different, a change nevertheless.

I stumbled over an unread email from Chancellor Timothy White of UC Riverside. I normally don’t read his emails in their entirety, but this one caught my eye. Maybe it was the bombardment of quotes he used to construct his point (since I’m such a sucker for inspirational and uplifting quotes), but I liked the message he had written to the graduating seniors of 2011.

His email goes on in this fashion:

Dear Friends,
This weekend is commencement – a time of celebration and dreams fulfilled.  I would like to share with you the remarks I will give as our graduating UCR students embark on the next stage in their lives.

* * * * * * * *
Welcome Class of 2011.
I too bring greetings to our graduates from the faculty, staff, and alumni of UC Riverside, as well as your fellow students.
Greetings also to the proud parents, family members and friends who are here today.  My wife Karen and I congratulate you, and we share our hopes for greatness in your future… .
While you do not know everything, you do know enough to conquer everything that lies in your way.  You have within you the seeds of greatness as a person … as a professional … and as a leader who lifts up your community and our country and moves it forward.
While we should each be proud of the way we look on the outside – what matters is what we do from the inside:  the heart, soul, mind, integrity, work ethic and moral compass.
I was at a restaurant recently called “Credo,” which if you recall your Latin, means. “I believe.” The walls of the art deco basement were replete with the sayings of the famous, and sometimes the infamous.  They ranged from the profound to the egomaniacal, from the humorous to the eclectic.
So with the word of those who have walked before you on this twisting, surprising adventure that is life, let me weave this story:

• “I believe that dreams – daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing – are likely to lead to the betterment of the world.”

This was the advice of Frank Baum, who wrote “The Wizard of Oz.”
Whereas comedian RichardPryor wanted us to keep our feet more firmly planted on the ground:

• “I believe the ability to think is blessed.  If you can think about a situation, you can deal with it.  The big struggle is to keep your head clear enough to think.”

He might have found some support in California writer John Steinbeck, who said,

• “I believe that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.”

Whereas Thomas Jefferson was more concerned about community service:

• “I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another.”

And Italian philosopher Umberto Eco, perhaps better known for his novel, “The Name of the Rose,” rather darkly challenges us with:

• “I believe that you can reach the point where there is no longer any difference between developing the habit of pretending to believe and developing the habit of believing.”

He might have enjoyed debating with biochemist and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who would have fit in very well in a classroom on this campus saying,

• “I believe in evidence.  I believe in observation, measurement and reasoning confirmed by independent observers.” …  before going on to challenge us with …  “I’ll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it.”

Actor Jack Nicholson wastes no words:

• “The minute you’re not learning, I believe you’re dead.”

Whereas Winston Churchill, with a modesty becoming of a Highlander – the modesty of a world leader but the swagger I expect in a graduate of UCR – proclaims:

• “We are all worms.  But I believe that I am a glow-worm.”

And finally, if this is all too cerebral for you on this happy day, comedian Ron White’s advice is, (no relative by the way)

• “I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade …  and try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka and have a party.”

* * * * * * * *
Starting tonight, the first of our seven commencement ceremonies will begin with 610 undergraduate business majors and MBA students receiving their degrees.
All told, 4500 students are graduating from UC Riverside this year – quite a contrast to the first graduating class of 1954, which contained 20 students. Close to 33,000 friends and family are planning to come and watch their loved ones graduate.
You can imagine the thrill that will be for the families of almost 2000 of those students who are the first in their family to graduate from college.  You can imagine our pride and joy as we watch this phalanx of accomplished students, many of whom have defied all odds and bucked national trends, as they march off to fulfill their hopes and dreams and make this world a better place.
Sincerely,
Tim

Tim White, Chancellor

Another scholastic year has passed, and I find myself in a period caught in suspension, pending for the next exciting & big thing to occur. Although, I’ve gotten things planned out quite well, there’s still the idea that things are hanging in the air. The things I’ve experience in Avila were great… more than great. Phenomenally better than I expected. I couldn’t have asked for more, with the interesting and diverse people I’ve been so lucky to befriend and the open-armed and warm-hearted Abulenses who welcomed me into their community and helped me to acculturate to the Spanish lifestyle. I couldn’t have asked for a more enriching experience. 

With this sensation, I have the fear of having such high expectations for the upcoming school year.

I find myself sitting on the couch of a good friend of mine, philosophizing and pondering about the near and far future (nothing out of the ordinary). What’s the next step? What’s going to happen after this? The next few days, I’ll be on vacation, relaxing near a pool catching some sun. Maybe I’ll finish reading a book or two. Then on Sunday, I resume work at an English camp for the next three weeks in Asturias, a beautiful region in the northern part of Spain with breathtaking coastal views and endless greenery. I’ll be surrounded by little rascals and on sunny days, lounging on a sandy beach playing supervisor. 

All in all, I come to a few simple conclusions: enjoy the now, enjoy the moment. Never forget the people who are special to you and give thanks to the blessings life has given. 

Like a good friend of mine told me: “good things happen to good people.” And this is what I believe.

& with this, I commence the next chapter of my life.

Un beso!

-Christine

 
 Cubijero with some of my little campers! Pendueles, Asturias

Hike with our little Pendueleros! 

.
End of the year in Avila. 

Thanks Diane Feinstein!

  

Dear Ms. Liboon:

 

Thank you for writing to express your opposition to loan guarantees to support the development of nuclear power plants.  I appreciate the time you took to write and welcome the opportunity to respond. 

I believe the earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan on March 11, 2011, and caused systemic failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has demonstrated the risks of nuclear power.  I recently visited both of California’s nuclear power plants in order to learn more about their emergency preparedness.  I believe we have an obligation to learn lessons from the disaster in Japan in order to ensure that our plants are as safe as possible. 

As you may know, the President’s fiscal year 2012 budget proposal requests $36 billion in loan guarantee authority for the domestic nuclear industry and research and development of advanced nuclear technologies.  I appreciate knowing your opposition to this funding.  You may be pleased to know that I recently voted for a fiscal year 2011 Continuing Resolution that provided no additional authority for loans to nuclear facilities.  As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind as the Committee considers fiscal year 2011 and 2012 funding levels. 

Again, thank you for writing. If you have further questions or comments, please contact my office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

  Dianne Feinstein
          United States Senator

Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website, Feinstein.senate.gov.  You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list. Click here to sign up.  Feel free to checkout my YouTube Page.

Taking Action.

From Greenpeace:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for urging the President and your members of Congress to cut the $36 billion in giveaways to the nuclear industry from the proposed budget. 

What’s happening in Fukushima, Japan is a terrible reminder of the dangers of nuclear energy. The last thing we need is to be investing taxpayer money into something so dangerious. You can help make sure that Congress and the President get the message by forwarding the sample letter below to the people in your email address book. 

Thanks for all you do.

—Greenpeace

Here’s a sample message to send to your friends. Just copy and paste into a new email:

Subject: Nuclear disaster in Japan

Hi,


The disaster unfolding in Fukushima, Japan is a terrible reminder of the dangers of nuclear power. 

Right now the President has $36 billion in taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear industry to build more plants here in the US in his proposed budget. Join me and tell the President and your members of Congress that there is no place for taxpayer giveaways for nuclear energy in this year’s budget. Just click the link below…

http://us.greenpeace.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=801&s_src=taf

Inspiration.

If you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” - Santiago from the “Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

I’ve been spending the last few days trying to figure out what I would like to write for my next blog. Although I don’t get around to it that often, I always think about things that cross my mind and sometimes say to myself, “that would be something really interesting to share with everyone.” I just never find the time to actually sit down and do it.

Today’s tid-bit is about inspiration.

One of my guilty pleasures is reading a friend of mine’s blog who is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I woke up this morning to find a notification e-mail sitting in my inbox, stating that a new post had been made. His birthday was just a few days ago and another friend had made a video compilation of everyone wishing him happy birthday and others saying very good things, compliments of course, about him. 

The past few weeks I’ve been feeling more energized by the people I’ve been around and by the things that I’ve been doing (taking advantage of opportunities to get out and explore around Avila, around Spain and around Europe in general - like France & England!). But most of all, I’ve been noticing things, sometimes very subtle and other times, more overt, signs that I have found to be inspiring or that trigger an idea which eventually leads into something of inspiration to me. For example, in my friend’s blog, he has been using a very famous book, which I am sure most people know, by Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist - as a foundational setting for his blogs. This month, he is taking a quote that has somehow influenced his life or that can somehow accompany telling a story about his life-experiences. Reading his blog (which you should check out by the way: www.coryglazier.com & start reading from January 2, 2011), has motivated me to do more in life, to think more deeply and profoundly, to continue with resilient optimism and look at life in a different light each day. He’s one source of inspiration.

Often times, I find I am inspired by my students. (Disclaimer: though Spanish students can be a pain because they talk so much in class and pretend that you don’t understand or that they don’t understand you because you are a native speaker, most of them are very good individuals. But it can be difficult teaching them at times!) Anyway, every class, I begin with a quote and the first quote of this year was the above stated: “If you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” In one of my Primero classes (ages: 12-13), one of my students who always brings a smile to my face and makes my class interesting, raised her hand to speak. After I called on her, she declared, “I don’t think that quote is true. It’s too optimistic.” And I asked her, “why do you think that?” She then responded with, “well, every year in the winter, I try to ice-skate & I never get it right. I always fall. So I don’t think the universe is doing much to help me at all.” We all kind of laughed (not at her but rather with her) and I told her, “well, maybe you need to just keep trying and be persistent. Some of us need more practice at things than others.” Little things like that.

But before I go off on a rant or another tangent, I just want to say, that inspiration is an infectious source of energy for everyone. For me, whether it’s a friend who says something enlightening to brighten your day, or even seeing the strength and resilience of that friend enduring a life-altering rough situation, or hiking to the top of some snowcapped peak and looking down at a breathtaking view that makes you feel humbled and closer to humanity, or even seeing a toddler with the newly discovered knowledge of the mechanics of running on two wobbly legs, fall, then get up with determination, I find these all sources of inspiration.

Be around more people and find things in life that could help you to feel renewed, rejuvenated and rediscovered as an individual.

So, the message for you is: what continues to inspire you?

My friends during Thanksgiving 2010!

El Pico de Serrota in Avila (Cerro del Santo - 2,294 m) January 22, 2011

And me hanging out @ the top! I’ve never felt wind so powerful in my life! 

Reflections.

“For the average person in the world who lives their life or considers their life boring or uninspiring is because they have made no attempt to gain the knowledge and information that will inspire them. There are so hypnotized by their environment through the media, through television, through people living and creating ideals that everybody struggles to become, that no one can actually become in terms of physical appearance and definitions of beauty and valor, that are all illusions that most people surrender and live their life in mediocrity and they may live that life and their desire may not really rise to the surface and they may want to be something else; but if it does rise to the surface, and they ask themselves if there is something more, why am I here? What is the purpose of the life? Where am I going? What happens when I die? They start to answer those questions, they start to flirt and interact with the perception with the fact they may be having a nervous breakdown but in reality what they’re doing is that their old concepts of how they viewed their life in the world, start to fall apart.” - What the bleep to we know? (Youtube.com)

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about where life is taking me, where I should choose to go and what would ultimately make me happy. I can’t really say that I know quite yet, but I do know that right now I am pretty content in my situation and where I am in life. I am very happy where I am right now. That’s not to say that I have no ambition to pursue greater goals.

The past few weeks, or even months, have you, I have been exploring, taking the time to think more deeply and even taking the time to rebuild myself. It’s been a great journey and I have been learning to so much.

I am so blessed to have met the people I know here in Avila. I have such a wonderful group of friends from different places around the world. It makes things interesting and you learn that people are quite nearly the same wherever you go. Yes, culturally, that may factor into the differences we perceive from another person, of even the language have you, but most people generally have the same dreams, ambitions, hopes, aspirations… and even humor! Before Christmas vacation, a few of my friends and I spent the evening watching the Gag-Reel Bloopers from FRIENDS on youtube. It was about an hour long, and though some of us didn’t understand English (we didn’t find it subtitled in Spanish neither), during some scenes, we laughed so hard, our sides began to hurt.

one of my favorite quotes: “We are 90% alike and 10% different. The 10% of difference is a gift to others.”

Being far from home puts things into perspective. When you are away from the ones you love for a prolonged period of time, you begin to miss them, to wonder if they’ve changed drastically, to worry how things will be like upon returning, and of course, to long to be around them physically, just for a few moments. With the creation of Skype, the ability to webcam and other forms of fast communication, things are easier but of course, not being immediately at one’s side, can often times be difficult.

It was rather funny because this past week, I had two incidents where my friends asked me, “how can you be away for so long? I don’t know how you do it.” One of them had just arrived in Singapore for a business trip and had only been there for three days, whereas the other had gone to Alabama just for the weekend. Being away does become difficult, but you just have to remember to enjoy what you have while it’s in front of you and not take what you’ve been given for granted (& remedy the homesickness by calling your family or best friends, of course!)

I am happy to say, I finally saw my parents “faces” for the first time since July. It had been, what I feel, ages since I last talked to them. It was relieving and gratifying at the same time. I didn’t realize the frustration built over time due to not seeing them for nearly 6 months. Chatting with them via Skype somehow lifted a burden off my shoulders and I can say, I feel better (& probably less homesick without realizing it!) Thank goodness for Skype!

Anyway, aside from that, teaching is going well. This week, I taught my students about Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s interesting to know that so few of this current generation know little about him. I was excited to see that most of my students were generally interested in knowing the history of racial conflict in the United States. It’s a topic that people often disregard here, since most think it’s more relative to the United States rather than a recurring global issue (which can be argued and true to some extent). I showed an excerpt from The March on Washington, his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. By the way, did you know that the words from his speech was remixed and converted into some random House song? One of my students actually began playing it on her phone! (check it out on youtube, starts @2:20: Secret Service - I Have a Dream Today).

So, I have more thoughts, but I suppose I can save them for another day when I actually have the time to sit down and blog. Until next time!

Above Avila on El Pico de Zapatero

Bienvenido, 2011!

I usually start off my blogs with, “wow, it’s been such a long time since I’ve actually blogged!” And it’s true. I’ve just been on the go and slightly disconnected from being online 24/7. Things in Spain have been wonderful thus far. I enjoy teaching the little rascals (those which are more commonly called students) and having the liberty to travel on weekends. I just returned from a long trip, spending Christmas in France and New Years in Barcelona with friends. I’d like to go into detail about my exploits, but it’s been so long since I’ve blogged, I don’t have the writing stamina I’ve had before. Better to start off with a short entry instead of something long-winded. But anyway, it’s a new year right? There are new promises to keep and new resolutions to give motivation to drive oneself to become better for the upcoming year.

I suppose I could start by stating the very few resolutions I’ve conjured for 2011.

- To be happy
- To continue to be optimistic
- To spiritually enrich myself
- To continue to learn and progress as an individual 

It’s funny to see how my NY resolution lists have dwindled to less than five throughout the years. It’s better that way, considering only two or three items out of fifteen, would be checked off by the end.

I am looking forward to starting off the year. I have learned so much and overall, I can say I have had a blast. 2010 was a year of growth, of realization and a critical juncture in some life decisions. 

So again, thank you 2010. I had such a wonderful journey. 2011, I can’t wait for what you have in store for me.

<3

I almost forgot. Since I am a nut for quotes, here’s one to set the tone for the New Year:

“Happiness is something that cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living everyday, every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” - Denis Waitley

The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes

Calvin: I think life should be more like tv. I think all of life’s problems ought to be solved in 30 minutes with simple homilies, don’t you? I think weight and oral hygiene ought to be our biggest concerns. I think we should all have powerful, high-paying jobs, and everyone should drive fancy sports cars. All our desires should be instantly gratified. Women should always wear tight clothes, and men should carry powerful handguns. Life overall should be more glamorous, thrill-packed, and filled with applause, don’t you think?

Hobbes: So basically, this maverick is urging everyone to express his individuality through conformity in brand-name selection.

Calvin: In my opinion, television validates existence.

————-

It’s been awhile since I’ve last updated this blog. I was looking at the time stamp at my most recent post and I realized it said “posted one month ago.” 

Has time really passed by that quickly? 

So much has been going on in Avila these past two months. I don’t really know where to begin… Next blog! :)