SpazzleNET

Posts Tagged ‘hurley’

Alicia just gave me such a thoughtful birthday present! Have you guys ever heard of MochaClub.org? The company asks you to give up two mochas each month to donate $7 to a variety of causes in Africa. You’re in control of how your money is spent; you can pick to support causes such as education, care for orphaned children, and care for child mothers. Alicia picked Sudan regrowth for me, so the money she spent on my present helps provide relief flights for refugees, care for orphans, and care for former sex slaves. The shirt itself says “I need Africa more than Africa needs me.” There’s a long message on the inside of the shirt, and one of the lines really stuck out to me:

“Possessions in my hands will never be as valuable as peace in my heart.”

I think our society today is so absorbed in consumerism that it’s hard to keep in mind what’s truly important. We all want more “things,” as if such “things” will fill the pain and sadness we sometimes feel. Even when I was down in Hurley, VA on my Appalachia trip, I was having similar thoughts. I can’t even explain in words how nice, refreshing, and eye-opening it was to spend an entire week with 18 other BC students, some smelly Holy Cross students, and the people of Hurley. There were no cell phones, no computers, no televisions. We had only a dingy couch, a long dinner table, and our mouths to keep ourselves occupied. We truly got to know each other because we spoke and we listened in return. There were no distractions, and we were able to live in the moment. This is something I’d personally like to work on more. I want to focus more on what I’m doing and how I’m feeling right now, rather than worry about what’s up next. I think it’s something we should all work for, actually.

On another note, I’m ill. Again. I woke up and felt like I got hit by a bus, so I made an appointment at the infirmary. I have to say, it was the quickest doctor’s appointment I’ve ever had…from the time I walked into the office to the time that I walked out, I was there for 9 minutes. The doc decided to put me on antibiotics for 10 days (yay?), so I guess I’ll be taking it easy for the next couple of weeks. I’m convinced that I keep getting sick because I’m not getting enough sleep this semester. My body was used to getting 8 hours of sleep every night last semester, and because I’ve had to cut it down to 6 or 7 most nights, I think I’m really feeling it.

Next semester is going to be a lot better though, and I should have less work. I’m planning on continuing with both French and Spanish. There other classes I’m looking into are Causes of War, Service, Social Justice & Solidarity in Latin America, and Challenge of Justice. They’re all supposed to be great classes, so I’m pretty pumped. I’d have really busy Tuesdays and Thursdays (I’d be going basically from 9-6), but my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be fabulous (only one class at 12).

Uhmmm, so I was just meandering around the internet and I stumbled upon Ashley’s xanga from middle school…? Hahaha seriously, CHECK IT OUT.

Alright, I’m gonna end on that note. Toodles!