I've Been Away, pt. 2

Meaning is subjective. There are certain circumstances which hint at particular or common meanings, but ultimately, the meaning (or lack thereof) that we draw from any given _______ is pretty up to us. Because of its subjectivity, meaning can be found in just about anything. Even in cases where it might not inherently be present, the simple act of exploring possible meaning can reveal valuable insights and perspectives. I like to look for meaning in things. In my trip to the Dominican Republic, I did things. I chose to look for meaning therein, and this is what I found:

Education/Helping

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” To an uneducated mind, referring to education as a weapon might be confusing. “edjikashun ain’t no sword” might go the refrain. True, uneducated person, but the pen is mightier than the sword, and pens are educational. Sometimes uneducated people don’t learn similes or metaphors. However, educated people learn things, and learned things become a weapon in the arsenal of learned people. Metaphorically. Hopefully not literally.

I ‘recently’ took a class on the wide variety of cultures in America. An eye-opening theme that was discussed at length was that of poverty and educational inequality. Educational opportunities can literally make a world of difference for their recipient. It was this realization that made we want to get involved in the DREAM Project in the first place. Their aim is essentially to provide these opportunities to youth and communities who wouldn’t receive them otherwise. This, to me, is meaningful, and something that I wanted to be a part of. It was inspiring to be able to interact with these kids and hope to influence their attitudes towards and capacity for educational progression. It also helped instill within me a new appreciation for something that sometimes seems like a burden. It is not uncommon for us to under-appreciate something until it’s gone, or, perhaps more accurately, until we witness the circumstance created by its absence. Witness I did, and appreciate I do.

New Relationships

Relationships are pretty cool, and are sufficiently valuable. While on my trip, I met people. Throughout the whole experience, I was able to establish relationships with these people. They all taught me and made my time there incoherently enjoyable. I couldn’t have asked to have been put with a better group of co-counselors, and the kids were the best. Although I was basically in a position as a teaching assistant, I feel like so much more of my time was spent learning, and much of that came from my interactions with others.

Old Relationships

Pop quiz:

I have been to the Dominican Republic:

a.) before

b.) , not

c.) .

If you guessed/asserted a and/or c, you are correct. For the purpose of this section, a is more accurate, and more telling. Before this summer, I had been to the Dominican Republic. Several years ago, I was called to the Dominican Republic as a missionary for my church. 

I spent two years there, getting to know people, serving them, and sharing a message I find of utmost importance. Just as it did this time around, spending that time working towards something meaningful resulted in some treasured relationships. Once I found out I would be returning, I contacted many of these people and was able to arrange to meet up with them after DREAM was over. Seeing them again resulted in some of the happier moments I've ever had. I also was able to go back and revisit a number of significant places from my past. Even if it was for a short while, these places were my home. I was able to walk the same streets, see the same sights, and feel similar feelings. 

It literally was a dream come true, and I’ll discuss why a bit more in the following section.

Revisiting the past

Sometimes, balance is difficult to find. Recently, for me, this has been a matter of learning from and appreciating the past while not living in it. However, while in the DR this summer, and especially after camp was over, I had no problem re-living the past.

Ever since having returned from the Dominican Republic the first time, I’ve wanted to go back. Badly. My first trip there has been the most influential period in my life to this point. When I touched down in Puerto Plata, I couldn’t believe I was back. As I rode to my hotel, passing so many familiar sights and sounds, it started to dawn on me. After spending a couple of weeks there, it felt like I hadn’t really ever left. In a lot of ways, returning physically allowed me to mentally and emotionally return to a time and mindset that were invaluable to me. As proposed above, sometimes we don’t know what we have until it’s gone. In this instance, I didn’t know what I had until I was gone. After having left the first time, I was able to more fully realize what this place truly meant to me, because of and in addition to what I had experienced there. Experiencing all of those same sights and sounds meant so much more this time around, as it was accompanied by an appreciation and gratitude that set what might seem plain apart as something special--something meaningful. And that’s what made my visit great: time travel. A lot of people say that they would love to live certain periods of their lives over again if they could do so knowing what they know now. And I got the chance to do that. Maybe not exactly, when it comes to the details, but in a way that was probably a bit more meaningful considering the stage of life that I’m currently at. Because of that, I have a bit of new experience to add to the old, and together they form something that makes me pero muy feliz.

I've Been Away, pt. 1

As many of you may be aware, I spent some time away recently.

As all of you are now aware, I spent some time away recently. Where? Well hold onto those proverbial horses and butts and I’ll tell you!

This summer, I had the privilege of taking part in a program called The DREAM Project. In short, the DREAM Project is an organization that provides greater educational opportunities for underprivileged youth in the Dominican Republic. I had an amazing time and learned so much. Would you like to hear about it?! Seeing as how I can’t hear you, and by the time you read this it will have already been written, I’ll tell you how it’s going to be:  I’ll be writing a 3-part series on my experience with mi gente in the DR.

PART 1:  Adventure Time

The Dominican Republic is well-known for being a locale chock-full of tourist attractions. This seems appropriate, because there are plenty of attractive things with which to fill a chock. And while I wasn’t there for touristic purposes, I still found many of these destinations quite attractive. During evenings and on the weekends, we were free to roam. Roam I did, and I got the opportunity to do some amazing things.

The only issue is that, sometimes, when you’re doing amazing things, you’re not documenting amazing things. O sea, when your hands are full of adventure, your hands are not full of a camera. Whether it was because I was alone, just too focused on other things, or because of activity-specific circumstances, I wasn’t able to get pictures of myself doing a lot of the fun things I did while there. But, ne’er to be outdone by a chain of actual events, I turned to the world of fantasy. Below, I have listed some of the fun and touristy things I got to do while on my trip. Along with each activity, I have a short description, along with some pictures.  While not necessarily historically accurate, the pictures are representative of the experiences in every other way imaginable, and can give you an idea of what happened throughout history.

Let’s start off with a bang. Probably the coolest adventuresome thing I got to do was tour los 27 charcos de Damajagua. 27 charcos is a series of natural pools that have been carved out of limestone by the Río Damajagua in the mountains of the Northern Dominican Republic. Each of these pools is connected by said río. Because of the nature of the rock, there were bunches and bunches of natural water slides and waterfalls. Our tour, then, consisted of traveling down the mountain by way of the río, often having to do so by sliding down the water slides, cliff jumping, and swimming down corridors of natural limestone formations. So cool:

If that doesn’t do it justice, there are plenty of videos on YouTube of people who filmed it.

Near our hotel, there were some caves that led to underground pools. After being led into the jungle by a man I’d never met before and climbing through a small hole into pitch blackness, we climbed down a rusty unsafe ladder into an underground cave. There was a small landing surrounded by crystal clear, cool water. The clearness actually made it a little creepy, as you could see faint shadows and forms at the bottom of the ~10 foot deep pool. So many things could have been living in there. So many things... But we all survived and I don't have any diseases yet. Despite it being midday, we had to light candles while down in the cave to be able to see. Romantic underground swims by candlelight: So hot right now.

As one might expect, the beaches were amazing. They made good for several activities. At beautiful Sosua beach, some diving and exploration was done, in the fashion of snorkeling. Even when the water was about 40 feet deep, the ocean floor could be seen clearly from the surface.

We also stuck around for some gorgeous sunsets.

At another nearby beach, I got to try surfing for the first time. I got up on my first attempt, with the help of a muscular Dominican man who did all the work for me.

At our local beach, every Thursday night, there was a volleyball tournament; my roommate and I and some random beach tarts won exactly once.

And beaches are always good for long walks and introspection.

But it wasn’t just the beaches that would take your breath away. A short drive from the coastline, there were rolling mountains, covered in palm trees. Drives and walks in the countryside also made for majestic serenity.

For our final dinner, we drove down to where a prominent river in the DR meets the Atlantic Ocean. From there, we took a boat ride up the river at sunset to a local eatery thing.

Upon arrival, there was a dance competition, in which I participated. Despite our strongest efforts, my partner and I did not win.

I also made time for intellectual and cultural pursuits.  I was able to visit the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo, which is where some of the first settlements of the New World were made. This is a picture of Catedral Primada de América, the first church built in the Western Hemisphere.

We visited a museum in Santiago, where we were able to analyze great works of art.

And monuments.

A lot of my time was spent in and in between cities.  Most traveling was done in guaguas, which were always very crowded.

I also rode my very first motoconcho [after camp was over, of course, in case management is reading ;) ]

For longer trips, I chose the comfort of Caribe Tours.

...unless it was too long, or over water, as was the case when I left the country. First was a layover in Puerto Rico.

Then, my favorite Mariners just happened to be playing in Florida about the time I was headed back, so I stopped at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to catch a game before eventually heading back to good old Washington.

Adventure after adventure, ad nauseum. Such nauseum. Such a good time. And again, although that wasn’t the reason I was there, I got to participate in some pretty amazing activities and I’m grateful to have been able to go.

Speaking of why I was actually there: next up in the series will be a recap of some of the more meaningful things I got to do while I was there. While seemingly not as adventurous, there were plenty of adventures to be had. And oh, I had them.

Y26

They say things grow better with age. As I am with age, I thought I would look into said claim by said ‘they.’ I found this:

http://www.oprah.com/blogs/A-Few-Things-That-Get-Better-with-Age

This made me feel a little better—as Oprah always does—, but I was still slightly uneasy about one fact: I am nowhere to be found on this list. Not even referenced. I started to worry a little bit. As I reviewed the list, I noticed that it does just say a few things that get better with age. And George Clooney is on the list. And people tell me I’m basically George Clooney all the time. Maybe I’m implied. So I calmed my fragile heart and decided to look into it for myself. I found one of those automatic picture aging things on the internet, which are obviously scientifically accurate. Have a look:

Fate is a cruel mistress. But Oprah is a kind and lovely mistress, and she has helped to ease my pain. On her list, she mentioned that sense of self gets better with age. Having spent plenty of time with myself has given me a sense that I exist—1 out of 1 René Descartes agree. This sense of self (among other things), coupled with experience, has engendered wisdom, of sorts. My birthday passed recently, and I have a tradition of writing a birthday post on my blog, which is what you’re reading. Surprise! Don’t leave! These birthday posts consist of summations of major lessons I have learned throughout the last year, mostly due to experiences I have had. I have done it exactly twice:  Y24 Y25. I do it again, right before your very eyes:

Living in the moment

I tend to wax nostalgic. Wax in this case is not a transitive verb. I enjoy people, places, moments, and people in places at moments. Having thus enjoyed these things, it is natural for one to think fondly on them. It is not, however, natural to get stuck therein. In my head lives an analytical mind. I never gave him permission, but there he sits, analyzing. One astute conclusion he has made is that, generally, good times are good. This can be a nostalgic realization, as one is wont to want good times. The past is tried and true; one knows the outcome. The present is trying, it’s true; one never knows the outcome. Here are my thoughts on the matter, much more eloquently and succinctly expressed by one Jeffrey R. Holland:

“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.”

Things change. Even returning to an exact place/etc can only produce similar results because the circumstance will never be the same—after all, time is a part of circumstance. Time has passed and has taken with it the exact circumstance that produced the results we so loved/cherished. Learn to recognize and appreciate what you have in the very moment you have it, and things for what they really are. Learn to cherish the good about these things and show that appreciation—especially when it comes to people and relationships.

PS:  This doesn’t in any way condone living in a frivolous way—just the opposite in fact. This encourages awareness, thoughtfulness, mindfulness, etc., which are absent in frivolousness by definition.

RebmembeRing

Somewhat the same as ‘living in the moment’ is remembering. Or maybe they’re opposites. Once one learns to recognize a great thing for its great qualities, one has substance worth remembering. Remembering keeps good times alive and vibrant. It keeps hard times from having simply been torture. Remembering helps us be humble and grateful, which leads to a more purpose-laden, fulfilling, and mindful life.

A recent experience drove me to want to keep a journal. It being rather special (the experience), I came across a lot of things that I didn’t want to forget. The knowledge that I would be writing in my journal later caused me to focus more throughout each day. An increased focus and awareness helped me to capture significance and moments that I might have missed otherwise. And now I have those moments, complete with attached emotions and details, vividly recorded forever. Even the intent to remember drove me to live more fully, and this type of living led to experiences that I will be proud to remember. .RebmembeR. Revisit. Renew. Ricola.

Goalfullness

If you’re not progressing, you’re digressing; steady progression is much easier than playing catch up. Live actively, purposefully. This requires being aware of the life one is living and the direction one wants it to head. This requires openly considering what activities will get one there, and whether the activities in which one is currently engaged fit the bill. This requires making plans and making sacrifices. This requires setting and achieving goals.

As wisely stated by Charles A. Didier:  “Goals are the means by which values and dreams are translated into reality. Happiness does not just happen. It has to be earned by thinking, planning, and the constant pursuit of values—both in work and in love—over the course of a lifetime.”

This also requires recognizing and avoiding distractions. There are so many and they’re so available.  It takes a truly conscientious effort to avoid them. A life without goals turns drab and stagnant quite fast.

When you have the ability to help or make a difference, do it

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever regret having done so. And you get to make a difference for someone else. And, not that it should be the main motivation, but it’s always nice to:

“Remember that when you help another up a mountain, you are a little nearer the top yourself.” - Thomas S. Monson

And don’t merely accept these opportunities when they are handed to you.  Create your own.

And I like avocados

Here’s to another great year.  I guess at this point, I will just settle for another year.

Bucket List

I recently completed an item on my bucket list. And by this I mean I recently did something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never actually compiled a bucket list. Thinking about all of the things that would make my life better but I've never accomplished depresses and discourages me. And even if that weren't the case, I wouldn’t call a conglomerate of my hopes and aspirations a bucket list. My dreams have nothing to do with buckets, unless those buckets are full of guacamole or cinnamon rolls or gold doubloons. Buckets also remind me of death and vomit, neither of which is included in my aspirations, unless the vomit or death is induced by buckets full of guacamole or cinnamon rolls.

Nevertheless, in light of my recent triumph, I have lightly pondered on a bunch of things that would be supes the best. I've also pondered on a bucket list, which I decided to finally compile. And thus it is written:

An ice Bucket

A water bucket

I can only assume that this is a kool-aid bucket

A mop bucket

A bucket seat

A photobucket

This scoopy excavator attachment is called a bucket, I guess

When a basketball goes through a designated hoop, it is called a bucket. It is a hilarious type of bucket when accompanied by faces like these:

Buckets are a way of brigading people into cohesive forces to work towards the greater good (not physically, I think)

http://www.bucketbrigades.com/

A brain bucket is slang for a helmet

or it's this

A scumbucket is a less than kind individual, a bucket of scum, or this sexy intelligent band of old men

This is a banana bucket

This is a Buckethead

Buckets are cat currency

Here is a bucket full of heart disease

This is a Luke Buckett.  He and his entire family are different types of buckett

This is an attempt to buck it

This is a goat bucket

I hope this was informative. It may be the most comprehensive bucket list on the internet. As it were, most types of bucket remain true to their definition: cylindrical things you put things in. But these cylinders come in all shapes and sizes and can hold all shapes and sizes of stuff. Diversity is something that is celebrated in our society and who knew buckets could be so diverse? In celebration, I've also compiled a list of all of the things that you can put in buckets:

Almost everything

Who knew? So handy dandy.