El Mercado

Capoeira

Remember me.

Remember me for my curiousity. Remember me for my smile.

These are a few of my favorite things

Sweet watermelon on a warm day, snow covered fields, stary skies, bubbles on my tongue, new places, my reflection in the smiling eyes of a friend, making friends out of strangers, spontaneous living, climbing, dancing, simplicity & functionality, risk, adventure, people who don't have life figured out, true stories, old stories, laughter, homemade bread, handwritten letters, sweat.

Move to Torreon

It's been a crazy busy past few weeks. First a 2 week grad course in L.A. and then back to Minnesota for a week with family and then to Torreon for another grad course and the start of the schoolyear. I live in a beautiful community called Torreon Jardin. There are 7 other American/ Canadian teachers in my apartment complex and the bus picks us up and drops us off each morning. One of the couples has a truck so sometimes we pile into the back of that to run to get groceries or to go out to dinner.

Hollywood

Since we're only about an hour subway ride from Hollywood, we decided to check it out and passed through Chinatown on the way back. It's nothing like New York, but definately worth the visit. There was a large crowd gathered around Michael Jackson's memorial and I snapped a few photos as well that you can see below.

Azusa

I just started classes at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California today. I'm in a great cohort...10 of us from all over the country and we'll all be teaching in different countries over the next two years. I'm the only one in Mexico. The rest of the group is going to Japan, Thailand, and China.

What Will Matter by Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrevelance.
It will not matter waht you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won´t matter where you came from or waht side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won´t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the vale of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built,
not what you got but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you´re gone.
What will matter is not your memories but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn´t happen by accident.
It´s not a matter of circumsantce but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Jewish Dance

Thanks for the invite Marie!

Moving on

I try not to get to attached when I know I´ll be leaving a place, but with the people I´ve met here in Alicante, it will be difficult to say goodbye. Ernestina y Sarita, mis mejores amigas aqui y mujeres de Dios, mujeres de la fe fuerte. Espero que algun dia nos veamos en Guinea o en Los Estados Unidos.

Pastor´s Family

I spent some time in the home of a pastor from Guinea. The clip is of me reading with his daughters.

Street Market Video