i was working on the blog for volunteer last night when erin sent a message in my facebook. i have been missing all the awesome people i worked and hung out with in earthcorps big family, lately, and i clearly stated that in my facebook status. i stayed until 4 in the morning and was only able to sent an email to chris, who i assumed still in gambia for his last year of service through peace corps. i know i miss them all, a lot, especially my crew.. fletcher's crew.
today, i cleaned my room and opened the big white file folder of earthcorps and when my hand reached a sheet of paper where everybody's writing their goodbye, no, not goodbye, it was "see you again oneday" notes, it brought me back to every single day of my six months life in seattle. there were excitement and nervous on the first week. a lot of adjustments with the weather, environment, people, time difference, during first month. "are you warm enough?" one by one came asking while touching my shoulders and my back, trying to make sure that i have enough warm to help me fight the chilly weather of seattle in february and march. while vanya was wondering why everybody asking him the same question every morning, "hi vanya, how are you?"
julia and i were just arrived in seattle for a week when mary (our american mom) left us for two weeks to nicaragua. i was asking myself, "are this woman know and aware what she is doing? , we are strangers, she barely knows us, nothing but from our application stating that we are (me and julia) are vegetarian (which we both think it was the correct word to inform that we do not eat red meet a lot) and we are not smoking. how could she trusted us right away? increadible indeed. i dont think this would likely happen in indonesia, especially in big cities where almost every houses surrounded by tall fences. but, somehow it was an honour to me and i am thankful to live with a woman, who is a fine professional photographer, can put her trust on me and julia.
during our first week, mark took and taught us to be a good american citizen like the real US citizen. he took us to get the Washington ID card, social security numbers, showed how to read coins; a peny, dime, quarter,.. and how to use them for parking and telephone. everyone in earthcorps; the staffs and the corp members greeted us with their wide smile and friendly eyes. i was seeing myself and all new internationals were treated special. everyone in earthcorps looked very excited on us. we were stars..
at the end of the introduction these and those, we played game name scavenger hunt for getting know seattle. i was with neil and maria. every internationals accompanied by two americans exploring and do whatever the paper asked. with white limo-like earthcorps van called snow white, jammie drove all 16 of us to brooklyn ave and the exploration is begun. the sun was shining, but it was so so cold for me. i couldnt feel my fingers and my nose, although i have worn thick gloves and a syal. i didnt mind with the long walks, not at all, i enjoyed walking under the sun shine, but still it was just the temperature that too cold for me. "it is the south american luck that bring sunshine for almost two weeks in seattle's february" said julia with proud. and she was absolutely right, coz after that, rain and even snow greeted us the next day.
king size and kid size, those are nick names given by margie during first retreat to vanya and me coz vanya is big and i am the opposite. valley camp was the silent witness when five new internationals; freddie from ghana, melvin from dominican republic, julia from paraguay, vanya from russia and me from indonesia, getting know all 12 americans from americorps plus margie the philippines girl, from previous eci program and on the last day, we were shuffle in and out to form 3 crews; margie's crew are melvin, rob, maria, colman, rosemary. jill's crew are neil, andy, julia, freddie and alisa. fletcher's crew are sara, vanya, erin, chris and me. and the journey with earthcorps has just started.
today, i cleaned my room and opened the big white file folder of earthcorps and when my hand reached a sheet of paper where everybody's writing their goodbye, no, not goodbye, it was "see you again oneday" notes, it brought me back to every single day of my six months life in seattle. there were excitement and nervous on the first week. a lot of adjustments with the weather, environment, people, time difference, during first month. "are you warm enough?" one by one came asking while touching my shoulders and my back, trying to make sure that i have enough warm to help me fight the chilly weather of seattle in february and march. while vanya was wondering why everybody asking him the same question every morning, "hi vanya, how are you?"
julia and i were just arrived in seattle for a week when mary (our american mom) left us for two weeks to nicaragua. i was asking myself, "are this woman know and aware what she is doing? , we are strangers, she barely knows us, nothing but from our application stating that we are (me and julia) are vegetarian (which we both think it was the correct word to inform that we do not eat red meet a lot) and we are not smoking. how could she trusted us right away? increadible indeed. i dont think this would likely happen in indonesia, especially in big cities where almost every houses surrounded by tall fences. but, somehow it was an honour to me and i am thankful to live with a woman, who is a fine professional photographer, can put her trust on me and julia.
during our first week, mark took and taught us to be a good american citizen like the real US citizen. he took us to get the Washington ID card, social security numbers, showed how to read coins; a peny, dime, quarter,.. and how to use them for parking and telephone. everyone in earthcorps; the staffs and the corp members greeted us with their wide smile and friendly eyes. i was seeing myself and all new internationals were treated special. everyone in earthcorps looked very excited on us. we were stars..
at the end of the introduction these and those, we played game name scavenger hunt for getting know seattle. i was with neil and maria. every internationals accompanied by two americans exploring and do whatever the paper asked. with white limo-like earthcorps van called snow white, jammie drove all 16 of us to brooklyn ave and the exploration is begun. the sun was shining, but it was so so cold for me. i couldnt feel my fingers and my nose, although i have worn thick gloves and a syal. i didnt mind with the long walks, not at all, i enjoyed walking under the sun shine, but still it was just the temperature that too cold for me. "it is the south american luck that bring sunshine for almost two weeks in seattle's february" said julia with proud. and she was absolutely right, coz after that, rain and even snow greeted us the next day.
king size and kid size, those are nick names given by margie during first retreat to vanya and me coz vanya is big and i am the opposite. valley camp was the silent witness when five new internationals; freddie from ghana, melvin from dominican republic, julia from paraguay, vanya from russia and me from indonesia, getting know all 12 americans from americorps plus margie the philippines girl, from previous eci program and on the last day, we were shuffle in and out to form 3 crews; margie's crew are melvin, rob, maria, colman, rosemary. jill's crew are neil, andy, julia, freddie and alisa. fletcher's crew are sara, vanya, erin, chris and me. and the journey with earthcorps has just started.
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