The Power of an Acronym

Have you ever noticed how intimidating acronyms are? I think it’s the mysterious way they represent something that only those directly involved with the acronym can understand. Random letters. All capitalized. All sequenced together to create something of significant meaning to someone that isn’t you.

Unless of course you do understand the acronyms, in which case you can wield them like a medieval weapon, using the acronyms to show others that you’re special enough to know what a PCV(ching!) is and how three months of PST(swoosh!) was so challenging and the upcoming IST(clang!) is going to be informative and exciting unless we don’t make it and choose to COS(stab!) early. Our opponents had no chance. Our acronymic sword was too powerful.

I always feel uneasy when entering a new situation in which acronyms are present. I feel the dread of having to memorize their meanings and the looks on the faces of those skilled in the art of acronyms as I misuse them and have to say,

“You know, the thing that gives us money so we don’t have to go inside.”

“Oh, you mean the ATM?”

“Yes, the Awesome Transaction Machine! Exactly!”

The use of acronyms really is the fastest way to feel superior.

When talking to friends and family we catch ourselves using the acronyms we have become so used to and having to backtrack and say the full phrase which really is so cumbersome. In fact, all speech should just be one big stream of acronyms. Oh, I guess that’s like texting. No, never mind. Best to keep it exclusive.

I’ve also learned that being the one to create the acronyms is very special as well. Not everyone is capable. It takes a special skill and a serious grasp of the alphabet. I once tried to create an acronym. It involved vodka, tequila, and various fruit flavorings that disguised the taste of alcohol and made drinking numerous pink, tasty beverages out of big red cups as simple as falling on the floor. The acronym was JSB. Just drink beer. Though it was not apparent to me at the time, that was wrong. Didn’t stop me from saying it all night. And again the next morning.

Acronyms can be a tricky business. But if you’re lucky enough to be one of the few who gets to create and spread the use of one of these powerful little beasts, I stand in awe. But, before you use its power for evil, ask yourself this: WWJD?

-Age

Vote For Me!

Hey friends! The Peace Corps sent us an email about this great contest the Trazzler traveling website is doing called "On the Road." Peace Corps staff encouraged us to enter and write about our villages. So, of course, I did. Here's the link below. Please check it out and vote for me - I could potentially win a trip or money for people within my village (I can't actually accept the prize myself). I would greatly appreciate it!

Rediscovering the True Beauty of Experience in Momin Prohod:

http://www.trazzler.com/trips/momin-prohod-in-bg

-Age

Compassion By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet. Empathy, For Example.

There is a movement going on out there, a movement about the world we live in. A movement that discusses and debates the things we have that we do not need and the things we lack that are desperately needed. I recently watched a video made by RSA that addresses the fact that we have made progress since the Enlightenment but that progress has slowed, it’s even beginning to reverse in ways because we’ve never truly been able to define what makes us happy, what we really do need. We think we know and we pursue it, with gusto, in that general direction though happiness often eludes us and we’re left wondering why. I’m oversimplifying what is truly an amazing and insightful dive into the needs of our floundering modern global society – I suggest you take a look for yourself.

The RSA suggests that what’s missing is empathy. It seems simple and obvious enough but empathy isn’t something that’s being addressed in politics or education. Not as anything important anyway. We buy and sell without stopping to consider whether we should. We create rules that bind us, rules that become more important than end results. We do what we think we should, what a progressive society is supposed to do without taking a minute to ask whether or not it’s right.

I hardly ever stop myself before a decision and ask if it’s right. I just do what I’ve always done. I let habit and social norms guide my decisions and, unless I see an insightful and challenging video on youtube, I don’t question my choice or any of its influencing factors. But this world is ever-changing, constantly progressing and we need to be aware of, even in charge of, that change, guiding it in the right directions as opposed to being unknowably influenced and effected by its inevitability. We need to think about our choices and decisions and factor in more, promote empathy.

We each have a part to play in the promotion of empathy. We each have the responsibility to encourage questioning. Now that I write that I realize it isn’t true. Everyone does not have a part to play, not everyone has a responsibility. But everyone does have the opportunity. I have the opportunity to not simply teach my students English and help them improve their lives on an economic basis, I have the opportunity to shape how they interact socially, how they treat the world they live in, I have an opportunity to help shape their choices in a way that is positive and progressive. I will stop and ask what is right, I will seek the answers, collaborating with others, and I will share what I find.

I’m writing this as a simple rambling session. Writing and sharing to put my mind at ease, gather my thoughts that were running wild through my brain after watching this video and making me feel an uncomfortable pressure.  It’s a simple ramble about what’s going on inside my head, what’s always going on inside my head: the impact I’m making. I get so overwhelmed by the responsibilities involved with what this world needs. I don’t really even have the authority, resources, or brain-power to do all that much. I’m not starting a movement, I’m just going, “Hey! This sounds great, tell me what to do!” But no one tells me what to do, I have to figure that out myself.

I didn’t do much today in regards to the furthering of progress. I didn’t show or encourage empathy really and I didn’t stop to think whether or not the choices I was making were the right ones. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll be more conscious of who I am and what I’m doing. Tomorrow.

I will be one of the few.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

-Age

Freud, Meditation, and Flip Flops

I’ve read a few things recently in the blog world that I take issue with. The first being an apparently Freudian belief that the way a woman treats her purse is also the way she treats her vagina. Does she keep it close to her and remain protective over it at all times or does she just leave it open for anyone to peruse? These were the analogies given and I just have to completely disagree. Am I the first to disagree with Freud? Something tells me I’m not.

I am known among my friends and relatives as being the “loser and leaver of my purse.” That may not seem like the coolest title and if it wasn’t so late right now I probably could have come up with something better but it gets the point across. I leave my purse everywhere. My friends actually made it their responsibility at one point in time to make sure that my purse made it to each destination during our travels together. And still, it was left. At Coldstone. At the mall. In the parking lot of the Carl’s Jr.’s in Redlands. You name a place and I’ve probably left my purse there.

But I’ve never left my vagina anywhere unattended. Not once. I always take that thing with me. There has never been a moment where I’ve said, “Aw, crap. I left my vagina in the shoe rack at Sears!” Not once. So take that, Freud.

Another interesting bit of writing I’ve recently come across on the web involved a man who said that because he has a difficult time falling asleep at night, a tough time “quieting his brain,” that his mind is actually weak. Those who’ve mastered the art of meditation and can quickly and easily quiet their minds, fall asleep within the national average of 7 minutes, have strong minds. Um, what! It takes me at least 30 minutes to fall asleep and there are nights when I never actually feel that I’ve completely drifted, waking up exhausted and angry because my brain just couldn’t let go of the day. But I never thought this meant that I had a weak mind. I’ve since decided to take up Yoga and get in touch with my chi or feng shui* or whatever. I’ll probably stay up all night in anticipation.

And lastly, I’ve decided that what the world is lacking most, what there just seems to be too little information on, too little research and inquiry of, is flip flops and their significance in this world. I plan on fixing that. I’ve got a pretty nice flip flop tan line to start me off and figure my next step will involve buying a new white pair since I left mine in Blagoevgrad. Now, if there was a theory regarding how women treat their flip flops and their vaginas, well, I’d have trouble disputing something so logically sound.

*Yes, I had to google that for spelling

-Age

Pictures!

Here's the pictures from the past few weeks that I was too lazy to post last night. Enjoy!

Katelyn and Tom washing their feet in my bathtub

Good morning, Sunshines!

Priscilla and I making friends

The center of Blagoevgrad

We went bowling and Katelyn prefers this vantage point

We all married the bowling alley

works every time

How sweet is that?!

Mary, Tom, and I with our precious 3rd graders, they were so amazing

Tom as Simon Says

We went to Rila Monastery, the largest monastery in Bulgaria

A crowd of awesome people

Chavdar, one of the amazing PC staff members and Ashlei who is just the sweetest girl I think I've ever met

Nikki and I

Vinny and I

I love these things

Tyler and I

Just a taste of my adventures.

The school year is starting soon. Today we had our first teacher's meeting of which I understood very little but I did get a chance to find out my basic schedule. I'll be team-teaching with my counterpart, Reni, 16 hours a week for the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades. I'll teach 3rd grade once a week with a different English teacher and I'll have my own elective course once a week in which I'll be teaching alone (yeah, small taste of freedom!). My counterpart is a hard worker and has many years of experience so I'm very much looking forward to teaching with her. I have a feeling we're going to make a great team. September is going to be a busy month and I have a feeling the chaos will only increase until I fall into a heap during Christmas break. My plan is to visit my friend Tom by the Black Sea for a week or so and go into hibernation.

Once the beginning of the school year has turned into simply the school year I plan to start a girls volleyball team. We have a very nice gym near the school that I could use and volleyball luckily does not require much equipment. I hope to get enough girls that we can scrimmage each other and really create a great team. If I feel that we can handle it, I may try to find other teams in the area and have a tournament. Could be fun!

Nothing else is on the agenda besides enjoying the much cooler whether we've been blessed with this week. For a California girl obsessed with sunshine, I am so glad it's not oppressively hot any longer. I will fully embrace the change of seasons. Fall's my favorite anyway. Fall in Bulgaria. Can't wait!

-Age

Turn the Other Cheek So I Can Punch It

Imagine hearing this:

“I can’t stand you. Not to say that I don’t like you. I just can’t stand you. Those are two completely different things. I don’t dislike you. I’m sure there are people in this world who are fully capable of even liking you. I just can’t stand to be around you is all. See the difference? You repulse me.”

Now, imagine your response. Did it involve your fist hitting their face really hard? If not, I’m impressed by your mind’s self control though I doubt that in the actual situation you would be able to refrain from slamming your fist into their face.

I was just wondering, you know how the Bible says that having lustful thoughts about someone that isn’t yours, someone that belongs to another, is just as bad as the actual act of sleeping with that person? If not, it does. It says that. I wonder if that counts for other things too, like punching people in the face? Just imagining is the same as truly committing the act. Seeing a nose break beneath your knuckles is the same as actually causing someone extensive reconstructive face surgery. Cuz if so, I’m gonna have some serious explaining to do when I get up there.

Maybe I should practice turning the other cheek in my mind. But that doesn’t really work cuz turning the other cheek is just a metaphor while punching someone is an action. I could imagine punching someone and actually do it. I could do both. But if I, in reality, turned the other cheek the other person may not understand that’s what I’m doing. They may just think that there’s something more interesting going on to my left. They may think, “Hey, what’s over there? What are you looking at? Why won’t you look at me?” Then I would have to explain what I’m doing and that would be awkward. Plus, they didn’t actually do anything to my first cheek.

So, yeah, I guess that cancels out imagining I’m turning the other cheek. I’m not even really sure what that means. Originally I would have thought it meant to just let it go but it implies more than that. It implies not just walking away or keeping your mouth shut. It implies taking further abuse. Hmmm. I’m interested to know your opinions on this particular topic. Oh, and stop sending me your comments to my blog through facebook and email. Leave it here. This is where it belongs. It just gets displaced in the vast internet space otherwise.

Before my Biblically-inspired tangent I was writing about a really mean quote. I only wrote about it cuz I imagined saying this to someone. It was really mean, right? But I was genuinely trying to find a nice way in my brain to explain not wanting to be around someone while at the same time not disliking them. Tricky. I may have taken it too far with the whole repulsive thing. It hardly matters as I would never say that terribly mean paragraph to anyone ever. And if anyone ever said it to me I wouldn’t punch them in the face, I would curl up into a ball and cry. Words can really hurt. Maybe I’m starting to understand the cheek metaphor a bit better. It would be a lot easier to be punched in the cheek, twice, than to have mean words hurled at you. Taking that would be true character. I feel bad for having ever thought it. I take it back! I turn the other cheek! No, that’s not right. I will eventually learn when and how to use that phrase. Just not today.

-Age

Why Yes, That is the State Seal on My Underpants

So, I've had a pretty eventful time recently. I just got back from a week-long training that involved the cutest damn 3rd graders anyone's ever seen and a group of veteran volunteers and knowledgeable Bulgarians that taught me so much. I feel truly prepared for the upcoming school year. Though, I'm sure when the first day rolls around all of that will fly out the window and I'll have a "what was I thinking?" moment...again. But I've gotten used to those. I usually respond to the over-panicked side of my brain with a soothing, "Shut up, whiner."

I got to see all my PC friends again, I didn't realize how much I missed my satellite group members until I saw their beautiful faces peeking through the window of the train. The 9:00pm train. The late-ass train that they had to take because they missed the reasonable-hour train that was supposed to bring them into my village before it was creepy and dark. Stupid punks. But, yeah no, I really missed them.

On our way back from the training city of Blagoevgrad we stopped in Sofia, the capital, for some Starbucks and a dooner. At the dooner stand we met another American who referred to us as "yanks" and was immediately our favorite American in the room. He told us he worked for the US embassy. We were impressed until he told us not to be, so were weren't. Except that we still were kind of. He told us that he thinks the Peace Corps volunteers and Embassy employees would make a good team because people are often intimidated by them (what?) and we are so in-tune with the locals with all of our grassroots awesomeness (my word, not his), we could learn from each other. No argument here (but that's mostly cuz of the whole being intimidated by him thing).

He told us that other Embassy people were getting together for a party and the man hosting was a former PC volunteer from Macedonia. He invited us but only I could go. I said yes, of course. This wasn't because I was intimidated to say no but because I immediately thought of what a cool facebook status I could write if I went to an Embassy party. I know that's dorky but I'm hoping the honesty of it will put me back in your favor. And if it helps, no one seemed to care all that much. I blame it on jealousy. Or misspelled words which is also a serious possibility.

I went. Met some very cool, young, funny, down-to-earth people and I hope I get to see them again soon. Well, since I accidental left my sunglasses at his house I probably will have to see them again soon but at least I won't be intimidated. Well, only a little. I'll try to imagine them in their underwear. Matching, American flag underwear. With the state seal sown into the label. Those would be some pretty intimidating underwear. Crap.

I have pictures but it's late and I'm too tired to post them. I will soon though cuz the kids we taught were well worth having their faces bragged about on my blog. Maybe even more so. Love you all.

-Age