tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71207895679249414882024-02-08T11:37:53.558-08:00¿Donde está Melody?MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-4800597517413116392009-01-29T21:08:00.001-08:002009-01-29T21:18:21.128-08:00Midnight in the SnowIt is always so peaceful. No matter what is going on in life, an incredible calm falls over the world on a snowy night. As I stood outside with my arms spread wide, big wet flakes falling on my face, I could not help but to put aside everything that is going on right now...<br /><br /> I can't stress enough how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to go to Peru and meet so many incredible people. I also can't stress how thankful I am to be home right now. Spending this last time with my grandfather is such a blessing. At the same time it is hard to watch him leave us in this slow and painful process.<br /><br />Today, he called out my grandmother's name. It makes me wonder because when Tara was in the hospital and almost dying, she could have sworn Nanny was in the room with her. It makes me feel like she is here right now with him... and with us.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-28744648355023488972009-01-14T09:55:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:13:16.624-08:00For some reason, hawks seem to be my sign from God that I will make it home soon... So with that being said, it isn´t so strange that I saw a hawk fly overhead while I was hanging up my laundry for the last time here in La Punta de Bombon. I used to write on xanga way back in the day and here are two other examples of times I´ve seen hawks...<br /><br /><strong>Thursday, May 03, 2007<br /></strong>i saw a hawk today... day before last final crit ever... losing all hope... and down swoops a hawk just like before ((thank you God for your signs to keep on keepin on))<br /><br /><strong>Saturday, September 11, 2004</strong><br />Once upon a time, there was a poor, stressed out design freshman wondering across campus to find a copy machine that actually worked. She walked through wooded areas and crossed dangerous highways, when all of a sudden, not more than 100 feet from the studio, the most amazing thing happened. A huge, magical bird came swooping down from the sky right above her head and as she looked up it seemed to be telling her that everything would be all right and she would be home soon. You see, this was not just any bird, it was a hawk, and this was not just any girl, she was from Hamburg. It is said to this day that this "hawk" was actually a message sent directly from home ensuring that the distraught freshman would make it through just one more day.<br /><br /><em>and i´m throwing in this one because i just saw it and think its a hilarious memory...</em><br /><br /><strong>Monday, November 21, 2005</strong><br />just pulled THE funniest prank...the obnoxious boys next door left their desk in the hall so angie and i took it upon ourselves to move the desk all the way down the hall and place it in the elevator....just minutes later after explaining the situation to megan, we venture into the hall to photograph the situation only to find the unhappy owner of the desk in the elevator with his desk and a confused look on his face while he explains, "this is my desk. but i don't know why its on the elevator. i think my roommate did it." so we ride in the other elevator to the basement hoping to catch it at the bottom for photographs only to have the door open to his roommate and the desk looking even more unhappy than his friend and he says.."someone was nice enough to put this in the elevator for me." hahahahahahahaMelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-77464987515989403922009-01-11T09:30:00.000-08:002009-01-11T09:35:42.174-08:00LeavingThis may come as a surprise to some. Others may have seen this coming from day one. The truth is that, for me, it has been a gradual process of deep thought and prayer that has guided me to make this decision. I joined the Peace Corps and came to Peru because, after four years of killing myself over something that seemed so meaningless and materialistic, I had a desire to help others. I know I came here with the right motives and an all or nothing mindset. In fact, up until a short while ago, I still had the right motivation and a feeling of peace. Slowly that feeling of peacefulness has faded and has been replaced with discontentment and confusion, a longing in my heart for some sort of change. I have no obvious reason for feeling this way. The other volunteers in Arequipa are amazing people and I am blessed with an incredible site. I kept thinking I was just in one of those “valleys” we talked so much about during training. I kept trying to remind myself of all the reasons I should stay and suddenly found that foolish pride was number one, helping people was no longer at the top of my list or even on it for that matter. The more I thought I about it, I realized I am doing service work selfishly. What an oxymoron.<br /><br />Another important realization I have made is that I was helping people at home. I just wasn’t able to see it at the time. I was a shoulder to cry on or someone to just listen in the middle of the night when a friend needed someone. I was a daughter who eased her mother’s worries by living in the same country as her. I was a grandaughter that came to visit whenever I could. I was there for anyone that needed a companion for an adventure. I was a niece to pass time with when a daughter moved away. I was a fellow design student that had a small role in helping the others get through it. I was a coworker that would always give someone a ride home. I was a babysitter. I was an advice giver, a dog walker, and someone who specialized in always making people laugh. I don’t want this to sound like bragging because it is not. It is really just a self-evaluation that I am able to make because I have stepped out of my life to get a third party perspective.<br /><br />I have been gone for 7 months (8 if you want to count California and England) and in reality not that much has changed at home. The world did go on turning without me. Friends and family missed me but they continued living their lives. Some new buildings were built. Some businesses had closed. There is a McDonalds in Shartlesville now?! Some old friends moved back home and some old friends moved far away. People got engaged, married, pregnant, or became parents. Kids got older… well everyone got older. And a close friend passed away. I don’t want to imagine what I would miss in another year and a half. I knew I would miss out on things when I left. It was part of the deal. I guess I just didn’t think about how short life is when I did it. Yes I am young but, as we have all recently seen, that doesn’t always matter.<br /><br /><em>We shall not cease from exploration<br />And the end of all our exploring<br />Will be to arrive where we started<br />And know the place for the first time.<br />-T.S. Eliot</em><br /><br />As much as I hate quitting things, I think that is an awful reason to stay. I will have other opportunities to travel and other ways to pay for grad school. Did I even want a government job anyway? I will be able to visit Peru in the future. I will be able to stay friends with the fellow volunteers that I am blessed to have met. I have faith that I will be able to find some sort of job regardless of the state of the economy. Although it will be hard to leave, it would be even harder to stay. Peru will always have a place in my heart. It has changed me more than I can even know right now. It just all comes down to what I truly believe is the most important thing in my life… spending it with people that I love. Kara always says, “I spell love T-I-M-E.” I was able to do that before I left and now I have to spell it the normal way and in emails or myspace messages. What I am trying to say in a really round-about way is that I want to know that I spent as much time as I possibly could with Granddad (and everyone else) before it is too late.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-83862573766447544162009-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:002009-01-05T11:52:04.972-08:00I'm BackBeing home was AMAZING. It would be hard to summarize it all in here- although I think anyone that reads this blog probably shared it with me anyway.<br /><br />I got into Peru super late last night. The line at immigration took me like an hour and 45 minutes to get through... So, I didn't get out of the airport until about 2am. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.<br /><br />I had a bit of an ironic situation on the plane when I turned to see Kenneth (a volunteer from my training group) standing in the aisle next to me about halfway through the ride. AND even more ironically he had been in the states for Christmas and New Years to visit with his sick grandfather, too. It is a strange world we live in.<br /><br />I have some explaining to do for everyone but I will let that wait for about a week. I need to work on putting my thoughts into words. Stay tuned for that.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-2968099499887465262008-12-22T21:41:00.000-08:002008-12-22T21:42:42.281-08:00With my Ladiesnot the sunglasses....<br /><br />Susan and Feesh!!!<br /><br />i feel home.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-40437631876784657232008-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:002008-12-20T09:15:44.445-08:00Homeward Bound<em>Wrote you this </em><br /><em>I hope you got it safe </em><br /><em>It's been so long </em><br /><em>I don't know what to say </em><br /><em>I've travelled 'round </em><br /><em>Through deserts on my horse </em><br /><em>But jokes aside </em><br /><em>I wanna come back home </em><br /><em>You know that night </em><br /><em>I said I had to go </em><br /><em>You said you'd meet me </em><br /><em>On the sunny road </em><br /><em>- Sunny Road, Emiliana Torrini</em><br /><br />I´m in Arequipa right now... my bus for Lima leaves tonight. I can´t believe the time has finally come! I can´t stop smiling and I don´t think I´ve ever been this excited for Christmas before, which is saying a lot if you know me.<br /><br />I´m off... into the great wide open.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-52876337913642300832008-12-16T12:23:00.000-08:002008-12-16T12:27:20.406-08:00Still Here¨As long as we can love eachother, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on- in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here.¨<br />- Tuesdays with Morrie<br /><br />We will never forget you.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-33048022783044270852008-12-13T12:29:00.000-08:002008-12-13T12:57:06.558-08:00Things I´ve Learned Since Coming To Peru- How to speak Spanish. I am definitely not fluent but I can speak it all day everyday.<br />- How to eat things I wouldn´t dare to touch in the states and pretend to like it.<br />- That you can rent really sweet costumes for the equivalent of $5 a night.<br />- That you apparently need to be a little bit crazy to join the Peace Corps... crazy in a good way, of course. The other volunteers here are a little bit of amazing.<br />- How to be alone... and not go completely insane.<br />- All about Catholicism... I´ve been to too many confirmation classes.<br />- How to drink beer... probably not the best thing to have learned but it is cheap and safe.<br />- That strangers don´t automatically high-five you, if you run towards them with your hand up. They just think you are insane.<br />- How to sit through a telenovela, which is even more painful than American soap operas.<br />- That care packages or letters can brighten the saddest of days.<br />- How to knit a scarf and make super awesome friendship bracelets.<br />- You can find peanut butter, oreos, pringles, and snickers in Peru... for a price.<br />- How to do my eye makeup... even though I still choose not to, usually.<br />- That recycling has been so strongly instilled in my character that I have about 50 giant plastic water bottles under my bed because I just can´t bring myself to throw them in the trash.<br />- How to put all of my faith in God.<br />- How to deal with piropos (guys that whistle, make kissing noises, or shout ¨Melody my love¨or ¨Hello you drive me crazy baby¨) <br />- How to take freezing cold showers. Although, I´m pretty sure I´ll never learn to enjoy them.<br />- How to bargain for everything... and in Spanish none the less. I get seriously upset if the taxi driver tries to cheat me out of 50 centimos.<br />- That it is culturally normal for everyone to tell you that you´ve gotten fatter and to smile in spite of it all.<br />- How to attract gym teachers from far and wide... Not that I try to.<br />- They don´t know how to make jeans in this country.<br />- How to dance to cumbia, huayno, salsa, and reggaeton. Peruvians love to dance... and they love to watch gringas dance even more.<br />- To never again take Mountain Dew or good pizza for granted.<br />- How to cry regularly. It just doen´t feel like a normal week if I don´t cry at least twice.<br />- That some people are willing to open their homes and lives up to a complete stranger.<br />- That I am truly blessed to have so many incredible supportive people back home. Thanks guys.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-51686226546366894632008-12-01T06:42:00.000-08:002008-12-01T06:51:08.713-08:00Everything happens for a reasonAwhile back, I programmed this into my Peruvian cell phone as a welcome message. I rarely turn my phone off but somewhere along the journey back to Arequipa it died. After an hour of charging yesterday afternoon, I turned it on to find ¨Everything happens for a reason¨ sprawled across the screen. Not more than a few hours later, I called home to tell my mom I´d made it back safely to the capital city. Instead of my mom´s voice on the other end of the line it was Tara and she was sobbing. Apparently, she was just told a friend of ours had been seriously injured and is in the intensive care unit right now. I don´t know anything more than that.<br /><br />Sometimes awful things happen and it is very hard to make sense of why they do. Why right now? Why so young? Sometimes all we can do is <strong>pray</strong>. Even though most of the time we don´t even know what to pray for.<br /><br />Please pray for Sean Weed, his family, and his friends.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-48563845257867994542008-11-29T10:04:00.000-08:002008-11-29T10:35:13.704-08:00Billboard SignI think I can make an umbrella statement and say that, at least once in our lives, we have all doubted God. Even if you don´t belive in God, I´m sure you´ve doubted yourself. For me, self-doubt is practically interchangeable with God-doubt. When I feel worried, scared, or nervous I am not putting my faith in God like I should be. This past weekend has been an insane journey of discovery across Peru. I left Huanchaco on Friday morning and had been having major regrets as I boarded a bus in Pacasmayo that night, alone and in tears.<br /><br /><em>PS- A nice man named Fidel Castro helped me find the bus station in Trujillo. That is really his name... he let me check his ID.</em><br /><br />I was able to talk to my mom for over an hour while I waited in the Pacasmayo bus station, which was God´s work right there. The operator connected her without a time limit because her calling card was not functioning correctly. In times of trouble, my mom is such a voice of reason; my rock, my solid ground when I am surrounded by quick sand. All I could think about was that I needed Tara. We could get through anything together. As I closed my eyes that night on my comfortable reclining seat in the safety of a Cruz del Sur bus, I prayed over and over again for God to give me ¨billboard¨ signs.<br /><br /><em>PSS- At this point in time, I am flat broke.</em><br /><em>I have...</em><br /><em>1 bus ticket to Arequipa</em><br /><em>3.20 soles (enough for a cab ride to the hostel)</em><br /><em>and 9.43 soles in my bank account, which I can´t take out at an ATM</em><br /><br />Like I said, it was the poorest I´ve been in my whole life and I was traveling 24 hours across the country. So to continue, God didn´t give me a billboard sign. He gave me a small sign above a door within walking distance of the Lima bus station that said <em>Banco Continental</em>. I entered and, like a loser, I asked the woman behind the counter for 9 soles. (I wanted to ask for the 43 centimos too but I just didn´t have it in me.) With a smile on my face, I grabbed the reciept and almost fell over when I saw I had over 1,000 soles in my account. (2 days early!)<br /><br /><em>PSSS- Next to the bank is a KFC and across the street is a Metro (the Peruvian equivalent of Target).</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>PSSSS- They sell Dunkin´Donuts in the Metro.</em><br /><em></em><br />I had tears in my eyes for the first hour or so, as I wandered around the store. My mom called to see if I was alright, at some point, and I think she was almost as happy as I was. (Which is almost physically impossible) To conclude, God is amazing. Kelly (my volunteer ¨neighbor¨) is right when she says spirituality is magnified down here. I don´t believe all of this was just good luck. I am absolutely certain this was another message from God... ¨Silly Melody. I am always with you and I will always take care of you. Just have a little faith.¨<br /><br /><em>P (who knows how many S´s)- I am still in Lima and I just witnessed a high school gang fight or mob or something... I still have half of this trip ahead of me.</em>MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-71213723908002959042008-11-27T11:20:00.000-08:002008-11-27T11:31:09.024-08:00Happy ThanksgivingToday is my first thanksgiving on a beach. I was sad this morning knowing that I wouldn´t get to wait on hundreds of people at Haag´s today... the sick thing is that you all know I´m not lying about that. 7 years ago, I remember throwing a fit that I had to work on a holiday and couldn´t spend it with my family. Over the years, though, my coworkers became my family. Today, I miss them and I miss running around like a nut with a tray full of 20 pennsylvania dutch style dishes. We got to eat turkey yesterday but it definitely isn´t the same as my fabulous re-heated dinner with the family. I really do miss them too, obviously. Much love and happy thanksgiving to all!!MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-42379502934683568472008-11-22T16:18:00.000-08:002008-11-22T16:24:47.836-08:00Long JourneyI´m sitting in the Cruz del Sur bus station right now using the majorly over-priced internet. One 15 hour bus ride down... another 12 or so to go tonight. I went back to Huascaran today to visit my first host family. It felt like I was going home again. I couldn´t stop smiling while I walked up the hill from Chaclacayo. I will always love that dirty little town.<br /><br />I think I´m finally excited about reconnect. Tomorrow we´ll be in Pacasmayo. Can´t wait!MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-6689563793690286562008-11-15T14:10:00.000-08:002008-11-15T14:20:55.924-08:00Alonebut surrounded by people. It is funny to find that I am not alone in feeling alone.<br /><br /><em>¨To be <strong>alone</strong> is to be different. To be different is to be <strong>alone</strong>.¨ </em><br /><em>-Suzanne Gordon</em><br /><br />Sometimes life is just plain hard.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-51960719275795825532008-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:002008-11-12T13:54:26.111-08:00Tolerance<em>tol·er·ance [ </em><a href="http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/Pronounce.aspx?search=tolerance"><em>tóllərənss</em></a><em> ] (plural tol·er·ances)<br />noun<br />1. acceptance of different views: the acceptance of the differing views of other people, e.g. in religious or political matters, and fairness toward the people who hold these different views</em><br /><em>-MSN Encarta Dictionary</em><br /><br />With humility comes tolerance. Tolerance does not mean you need to support something you do not believe in. It is neither condoning nor condemning but, rather, an agree-to-disagree mentality. We are all flawed. We are all human. If we are focused on fixing our own mistakes, we have no time to judge others based on their´s. I write this because sometimes I get so upset with Christians and their ¨holier than thou¨ attitude that I am ashamed to call myself one. Shouldn´t we be the shining example of tolerance? of peace? of forgiveness? I firmly believe that we should be examples of what we believe but we should not push those beliefs on other people. It never works. It ends up pushing them away.<br /><br /><em>Praise be to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have recieved from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4</em><br /><em></em><br />This entry might make some of you angry. I´m sorry if it does. It´s just my opinion.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-83764860451555059412008-11-09T11:18:00.000-08:002008-11-09T11:22:05.095-08:00i<em>I Am...<br /></em>sassy, sometimes a little strange, spontaneous, and totally in love with life.<br /><em>I Want...</em><br />mountain dew. always.<br /><em>I Have...</em><br />an amazing family, incredible friends, the best dog in the world, a roof over my head, and a God who never disappoints me<br /><em>I Wish...</em><br />always for something magical to happen. i know it will anyway, with or without my wishing for it. that way it always comes true.<br /><em>I Hate...<br /></em>responsibility.<br /><em>I Fear...</em><br />failure.<br /><em>I Search...</em><br />constantly for more knowledge and inspiration.<br /><em>I Wonder...</em><br />about the future. but i always try to live in the present.<br /><em>I Regret...</em><br />nothing. my mistakes were all much needed experiences to learn from and shape me into who i am today.<br /><em>I Love...<br /></em>too many people to name.<br /><em>I Ache...</em><br />physically, because i fell into a concrete ditch. in general, to see the world and to be with the people i love.<br /><em>I Always...</em><br />am up for an adventure. just call me.<br /><em>I Usually...</em><br />drive. but not anymore.<br /><em>I Am Not...<br /></em>a label. good luck finding one that would fit.<br /><em>I Dance...</em><br />all the time. it helps me forget any problems i might have.<br /><em>I Sing...</em><br />even though my voice isn..t great. i was born for karaoke.<br /><em>I Never...</em><br />let go of friendships. even though we might not talk much anymore they will always have a place in my heart.<br /><em>I Rarely....</em><br />get really angry. it happens sometimes but in general i..m a pretty mellow person.<br /><em>I Cry...</em><br />because i feel alone even though i am surrounded by people.<br /><em>I Am Not Always...</em><br />perfect but nobody is.<br /><em>I Lose...</em><br />my mind, after being awake for a week straight working on design projects. luckily, that is no longer a part of my life.<br /><em>I'm Confused...</em><br />about what i should do after the peace corps. the good thing is that i can just put one foot in front of the other and have faith that by the time i get there the path i need to take will be a little bit clearer.<br /><em>I Need...</em><br />to continually remind myself that i am blessed and need nothing.<br /><em>I Should...</em><br />write my CDS report but then i wouldn..t be able to consider myself a master procrastinator.<br /><em>I'm Thinking...<br /></em>too much about the past. it..s always been one of my faults.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-56336373696449487062008-10-25T10:24:00.000-07:002008-10-25T10:28:36.541-07:00UpdateI put some pictures on the myspace, since it has been forever.<br /><br /><em>We shall not cease from exploration</em><br /><em>And the end of all our exploring</em><br /><em>Will be to arrive where we started</em><br /><em>And know the place for the first time.</em><br /><em>-T.S. Eliot</em><br /><br />I have been doing a LOT of soul searching lately.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-37990255063015116532008-10-20T19:12:00.001-07:002008-10-20T19:13:47.914-07:00Fuzzy<em>“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” –Ansel Adams<br /></em><br />The truth is that, after 4 years, I am a little sick of the word concept. In design, we always needed a concept. It was the foundation of our projects. All that we did was based on it and at the end (when we took a step back) it was amazing to look at the journey we had taken without even realizing it. It was beautiful to see that it was all related and could be traced back to a single idea. The same is true with photography. You want someone to look at your picture and get it. You want them to understand the thought process behind it all. You want it to evoke a specific feeling.<br /><br />I wonder, though, if this quote can also be translated to describe a person’s life. Meaning that, what is the point of living without a good concept? Someone can live a good long life without a purpose; a life based on money and material things, good acts but wrong intentions, and superficial relationships. Why? They are all fuzzy, worthless things to live for. My image may not be perfect but I at least want people to be able to see that my concept is good.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-50973716204825825822008-10-20T19:09:00.000-07:002008-10-20T19:10:53.104-07:00Inspirational Anonymity<em>“But few have spoken of the actual pleasure derived from giving to someone, from creating something, from finishing a task, from <strong>offering unexpected help almost invisibly and anonymously</strong>.” –Paul Wiener<br /></em><br />I just got off the phone with Mommom and Grumps. It was refreshing to talk to them. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve heard their voices. We talked a bit about my mom and I mentioned that I had been thinking about her the other day. For the longest time, she has been in the heroes section of my myspace but did I really understand exactly why I put her there? Could I put into words what makes her an inspiration? I don’t know if I ever thought about how amazing and indispensable her life is to certain people. Obviously, I needed her in my life but there are other people that she has impacted and with no obligation whatsoever. In my opinion, to be a server is to help others with a humble heart, to think of yourself second, and to be perfectly fine “giving help invisibly and anonymously”. My mom is a server. From cutting my great-grandmother’s toe nails to cooking meals for needy families to helping an elderly woman clean her house every week. She does it and she doesn’t get the recognition she should for it. The thing is that I don’t think she needs or wants recognition. Perhaps the quote above is correct. Perhaps this is how actual pleasure is derived. All I know is that I can only aspire to be like that. We all can only aspire to be like that.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-44723610644630788742008-10-14T14:01:00.001-07:002008-10-14T14:55:46.378-07:0015 MemoriesChristmas has been on my mind a lot lately, since I found out I am going home and after watching Elf the other night with my family, I wrote a list of my 15 best Christmas Memories...<br /><br />15. Danielle Manfred and I were some crazy girls. We always came up with the most ridiculous ideas but the Christmas of eighth grade may have topped them all. With the permission of the principal and the help of a few other friends, we dressed up as Santa (yeah that was me), elves, and reindeer. We visited all the other classrooms handing out candycanes and wishing everyone a merry christmas. Come to think of it, perhaps it was wearing that big white beard that triggered my obsession with wearing artificial facial hair.<br /><br />14. I awoke with a start in the middle of one Christmas Eve night. In the doorway to my room was what appeared to be part of Santa´s coat. It was not moving but I only had to take one look at it to realize that I could ruin my chances of getting any presents. It was a torturous night with little sleep, only to realize in the morning that what I had seen was part of a decoration. I will always remember that night because I was really scared Santa would put me on the naughty list for being awake in bed.<br /><br />13. Bridget, of course, had decorated her tree with pink and purple ornaments. It was sophmore year and Bridget was still living in the magical Alden Park Apartment Complex. There was something so serene about that night with all the candles lit, a fire in the fireplace, and the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. We watched a movie and giggled about ¨elevator boy¨but it was no ordinary night. It was the first night that I began to feel at home in Philadelphia.<br /><br />12. Tara and I ran into the living room at the crack of dawn and there it was... our first set of wheels. A shiny red jeep wrangler with a huge eagle decal across the hood. It wasn´t your average ¨Barbie Dreamcar¨ but we weren´t your average little girls. Man we loved driving that thing around- I think we felt like it gave us some kind of freedom, even though it never left the backyard and our mom always made us wear helmets.<br /><br />11. I don´t think we will ever get tired of watching a helicopter lift baby Jesus from the manger scene. Mr. Bean´s Christmas is a much loved tradition at Mommom and Grumps´house. I´m not sure what I would do if we stopped watching it, even though I know that movie like the back of my hand.<br /><br />10. I was in such a rush that I didn´t even have time to drink some of the ¨Mel´s magical punch¨before I was shoved up the the kareoke machine. Of course, I still had to put on a great show and I pretty much blew all my beloved coworkers away with my rendition of Janis Joplin´s Piece of My Heart. Since every other year I was still at college, this was the one and only Haag´s Christmas Party that I ever made it to. That place and those people will always have a ¨piece of my heart¨. Sorry that was corny, I know.<br /><br />9. In front of me sits a plate with a giant beligian waffle topped with mounds of delicious strawberries and whipped cream. I am sitting around a table at Arner´s surrounded by a group of my most ¨fabulous¨friends (Tara, Jamie, Felicia, and Susan). Christmas Eve breakfast with the five is becoming a much cherished tradition.<br /><br />8. At first, it seemed like this day would go down in history as one of my least favorite, although I had gotten my wish for a white Christmas. It snowed so much on Christmas Eve that we were unable to drive to Aunt Heather´s house for lunch and the electricity had gone out. We ended up spending a quiet day at home huddled around the woodstove listening to Dad´s jazz tapes. Normally, this drives me insane but now I can look at it as quality time I may never again have with my amazing family.<br /><br />7. The Pagoda always flashes to signify that Santa has been spotted flying over Reading, Pennsylvania. Every Christmas Eve Tara, JD, Katie, Aunt Rose, and I set out to catch a glimpse of the once-a-year phenomenon. One very exciting year, we made a pitstop in the WalMart parking lot where Aunt Rose let me drive her car for the first time. My mom never found out (until now when she reads this blog, of course). I guess that was part of the excitement, too.<br /><br />6. I am so lucky that my house only lies 10 minutes from the most amazing Christmas display in the world... that´s right, Christmas Village is right there in my backyard. It´s actually quite a site to behold; thousands and thousands of lights and figurines, scenes of Santa in the jungle and a peacock in a cage. We didn´t go every year because my family didn´t really have the money for it but we used to drive up over the hill to look at the lights from above (which is actually the best view of it). Anyway, there is one particular year that I remember going. It was such a long time ago that it is hard to remember details but, if I´m right, I went with my sister and my dad because my mom was feeling sick. I was awestruck and I remember buying an ornament as a surprise for my mom. It was moments like that that make me realize how lucky we were to have such a great dad.<br /><br />5. I finally had evidence that Santa was real. Every year we put out milk and cookies but one year we should include something for Rudolph. That night we left a carrot on the table, too and we awoke to find a half eatten carrot in front of the house. I really do miss the magic in believing.<br /><br />4. For our first time going to New York City, Nanny and Grandad sure did it right. It was the perfect time of year to visit the city (right before Christmas). We slept in a fancy old hotel, took a carriage ride through Central Park, went ice skating in Rockefeller Center, and visited FAO Schwartz (the world´s largest toy store). We even saw Cats on Broadway. I will remember that trip for the rest of my life.<br /><br />3. If you have never played Now You Have It, Now You Don´t, you do not know what you are missing. Throughout the year, Mommom collects enough random objects for my entire crazy family to play about three hilarious games. There is nothing like watching Grumps and Walt fight over a pair of women´s dress socks or Mom and Taylor arguing about who has a better use for pot holders. Gosh do I have a great family or what!?<br /><br />2. Some may wonder why this memory is all the way here at number 2. Compared to others, it sounds relatively insignificant but it warms my heart to think about it. I can remember my mom turning on the old radio (which was also a record player) and tuning it until we could hear Paul Harvey´s voice. Tara and I were trembling with excitement that Christmas Eve night as he announced that Santa had been spotted flying over Reading. It felt so real!!<br /><br />1. We were all under the impression that it was going to be the last Christmas in that house, which put a little bit of a damper on the mood. Just as we thought all of the presents had been openned, Grandad came out holding three small boxes. He then began to explain that, before Nanny died, they had planned that one Christmas Grandad would give each of the grandaughters a ring. Each ring had a story behind it (because these were the very same rings that we used to take out of Nanny´s desk drawer and admire when we were younger) and they had a reason for deciding why each of us got the ring we did. Of course we were all in tears by the end of the night. Part of my ring actually belonged to my great-grandmother and Nanny had it altered. It was a gorgeous antique diamond ring and, regardless of the value (which I am sure is very great), it is the best Christmas present I have ever gotten.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-23374318808449513602008-10-12T14:55:00.000-07:002008-10-12T15:02:21.756-07:00Mental PicturesToday, I went to the beach with my family to go clam digging... Yes, I dug up two clams and a whole lot of crabs that kept freaking me out. So, I quit. The real story is that, upon arriving to the beach, we found about 20 guys pulling on two huge ropes. My host dad, brother, and cousin immediately jumped into help. I was not expecting it but in came a huge net full of about two thousand fish. I felt like I was in a bible school story or something. I´ve never seen anything like it and I didn´t even have my camera with me to get the evidence. There were even a few seals that came in pretty close to the net for some food. It was pretty incredible and sad all at the same time because I stood there and watched them all flopping around dying. The guys appreciated my family´s help so much that they gave us like 20 fish of our own.... Which I suppose means I´ll be eating fish all week. ¨At least its not guinea pig. At least its not guinea pig.¨MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-76461660851229276362008-10-11T15:52:00.000-07:002008-10-12T15:03:31.005-07:00Somewhere You Feel Free<em>You belong among the wildflowers<br />You belong in a boat out at sea<br />You belong with your love on your arm<br />You belong somewhere you feel free<br />-my favorite Tom Petty song<br /></em><br />I was thinking about my journey home for Christmas and realized that this will be my first time traveling so far by myself. Immediately, I was overcome with the fear that something awful could happen but, the more I thought about things, the more I realized that I have been alone for over 4 months now. Most of the time, I don’t feel alone. On this crazy Peace Corps journey (that in reality has only just begun) I have made some new friends. I want to say that my experience with friend-making, though, has been a little bit different than everyone else’s. I didn’t get very close to anyone during training. Don’t get me wrong, I went through training with 37 of the most amazing people I have ever met. I just didn’t feel like I fit in very well. Making friends has never been my forte and, just like in college, it has taken me time to find my niche. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I think I’ve found it. The volunteers that I’ve ended up with in Arequipa are amazing. Keeping friends, however, IS my forte and I think I want to keep these ones for a long time.<br /><br />My sister and I went to an Armonia 10 concert the other night. They are a Peruvian cumbia band and they sing one of the few songs I can actually recognize on the radio (hasta seis en la manana). From the very beginning, the guys on stage had me targeted. After throwing posters into the crowd, they specifically had someone give me one and kept pointing me out as the girl in the hat. My sister, cousin (more like the age of an uncle), and I kept putting up 6 fingers so that they would play our song but apparently you need to write down song requests with your name for them to actually play them. My cousin handed in a paper with our names and the song on it and I immediately regretted letting him do that. From then on every song was dedicated to me… “Melody, baby, this is for you!” or “Melody, I am crazy for you, baby!” they would shout in English. Among the crowd were students I work with from the high school, teachers, and doctors from the health center. Besides standing out with my whiteness, I can’t think of any other reason for becoming such a sensation. Don’t get me wrong, though, I think the whole situation was pretty hilarious. It takes much more than that to get me embarrassed.<br /><br />I get to dress up for Halloween this year!! I didn’t think I was going to get to and I think I gave everyone a heart attack with my crazy reaction when I found out. It turns out the regional meeting is the day after Halloween. So, we are going to go out in the city that night. I don’t know what I am going to be yet. I think my costume options are a little bit limited here without a Goodwill or Salvation Army. I wish I had brought my pink, puffy prom dress with me to Peru. I can use that for any occasion. It was such a good buy.<br /><br />And about Christmas, it feels surreal. I don’t think its going to hit me that I’m going home until I step off of the plane in Philadelphia.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-21490846526316938962008-10-08T11:43:00.000-07:002008-10-11T16:12:21.611-07:00Wednesday AdventureFeeling rather amibitious this morning, I headed out on a journey in search of a secret beach. I had been hearing (from multiple people) about a beach that I could find at the end of a long path which starts at the big white Jesus on the mountain. I set out with high hopes, wandering through a desolate ¨ghost town¨of woven shacks along the side of the cliff above La Punta. As it turns out, these mountains above me are literally a desert. I walked for about an hour with a view of the ocean to my right and a full blown desert to my left. This was my first time walking through sand dunes. I can now understand why people go insane alone in the desert. It makes you feel small and insignificant and it never feels like you are making any progress. I know these are sad words from someone who someday hopes to thru hike the AT but I find it much more enjoyable walking on a path surrounded by trees. I never made it to the beach and, in fact, I am not even sure that this path leads to a beach. It looks like it only goes farther and farther into an endless desert with no hopes of connecting with the coast. I think perhaps I will try walking along the base of the cliff next time. That was my first time walking for hours without encountering another person in Peru. It did feel good to be alone.<br /><br />Sometimes, I like to feel like we did in Japan. Meaning that, it feels good to know that your legs can take you just about anywhere.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-12080182076496250682008-10-06T15:06:00.000-07:002008-10-06T15:07:57.649-07:00I´ll Be Home For...Christmas.<br /><br />It was just approved by my country director and I purchased my tickets today!!<br /><br />Such great news.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-13362637299751330612008-10-03T13:51:00.000-07:002008-10-03T13:52:41.474-07:00Weekend in the CityI just had a delightful meal at Burger King and I am in the company of friends. I feel pretty alright right now. Pretty alright.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7120789567924941488.post-62885130548350277932008-09-25T09:21:00.000-07:002008-09-25T09:36:14.038-07:00Santa Maria of Something<em>You´re never too old to become younger.</em><br /><em>-Mae West</em><br /><br />I´ve been dancing around town in a fabulous outfit of every color and pattern imaginable. This is a week of fiestas, not much different than any other week in Peru. There are always fiestas. This week we are celebrating Mary. I´m not sure which one. Apparently, in the Catholic Church, there are quite a few versions of the same people.<br /><br />Yesterday, the whole school was sitting in the church and they started singing this song with the same tune as Bob Dylan´s <em>Blowin´in the Wind</em>. Which is quite possible, as I have just researched, that the tune could be borrowed from Dylan, which he borrowed from an old slave song. Who knew? Either way... I sang it in my head instead of worshiping Mary. Catholocism in Spanish is hard to follow.<br /><br />I´m about to leave for Mollendo to meet up with Kelly.<br />I hope we find something good to eat.<br /><br />Peace Out.MelodyTurnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14986073030060421064noreply@blogger.com0