“Did you forget to pack your teddy or perhaps he wasn’t ready”

Almost all of the good byes have been said and yet agene I am lost for words. I have always been attached to things not new things but well loved things that reminded me of people I love. So I am going end the way I started before coming to Northern Ireland I was asked in my small group to share 3 things I was making sure to bring with me and three things I had to leave behind. The rules are no people our eales I would need two plans. I am also going to add to things I am looking forward to agene and nothing can repeat from the begging f the year.


Things I am looking forward to agene

1. CHACOS, my sandals with I love and have not worn in over a year because it is far to cold hear for them so they where left with Rachel.
2. YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH, I know weird but it is true I miss this food and I could not find it any ware hear
   
3. MY BOOKS, so many books all my books on dance history and my collection of art folios my OXFORED andtaed study bible. Anne lament books and books books books
   

Things I was sure to bring with me

1. JEWLEY, I was given lots this year as gifts but tree peace inparticuler I was give a necklace from the teacher at the primary school where I thought dance class this year along with huge homemade cards from my students. I was given another necklaces that looks a little like a shooting stare from my church family that I will love for ever it reminds me that even though I am going to be far away I will still be under the same sky as my church family hear, than the world seems smaller. Last a bracelet from the bowlers are group of people who just adopted me.
2. A MAP OF THE STATE OF VA, It hung in Andy and Robs flat they are my closet YAV friends. They both grow up in VA and we all went to school there. In a lot of ways if feels as if VA is where I am meant to be going back to like I just did another semester abroad. The three of us would hang out and I would call them VA days. They gave me the map and wrote don’t forget your other home state.
3. A BENNIE BABY DALMATION NAMED DOTTY, It was left on my bed by it owner Meredith in January she brot him with her but sadly he got left behind. But I took good care of him and sadly got very attached. He road in my bag to Galway, Cork, Ayr, Obion, Iona, Inverness, and back to Belfast. I think he is ready to go home to Jersey to be with Meredith and he will get there tomorrow
   

Things I have to leave behind

1. TEA POT, Evelyn gave me a very cute brown tea pot to make tea in I loved it I used it all year and I thought of her each time but I didn’t have room to pack it so it is staying in Belfast for the next sets of YAVs
2. PURPLE WELLIE BOOTS, (rain boots) They where sent in the mail by Rachel for my birthday and I love them to death latterly I ware them so much this spring walking to church and back and in skits for J-team than I put holes in them and well as much as I love them and the reminded me of how much I love Rachel they just didn’t seem very practical to bring home siens the leak and take up a lot of room. So I give them to Caroline because they where to notores around Garnerville to just throw away.
3. MY STIKY NOTE PRAYER WALL, I was my 2nd prayer wall to build and take down. I would write my prayer on them and but them on the wall, on them was a log of a years of prayer for people every where for friends in the states and friends in Belfast and YAVs all over the world. Even though my wall had to come down the payers are never gone they go with me and with that I have faith that everyone I love and all the world will go with me as well.
   

Thank you for all you support for reading this silly blog but mostly for your love
IN Christ and Love
Patricia

Reflection on a year

Well my family is hear and we have been traveling around it is strange to be a tourist in a places that has been my home for a year. My family has teased me about the change in my voice and the praherss I use and because of this they are slipping away. Which means my time in Britten and this year really is coming to an end. A lot has happened this year and trying to pin point moments or places that could talk about does not seem useful. Instead at the end what I have are the things about my self that has changed.

First off there are the odefeved changes like physical changes I have lost some weight this year and they why I dress has changed because it is well cold hear all the time so my FL shorts and camp t’s have retired to sweaters and trouser. And boots.
The 2nd are the changes in my life stile. I learned how to live on my own this year I became independent cooking for my self and budgeting. My diet has also changed drastically. Last October I made escalades and all of a sudden was having trouble breathing and had unpleasant hives. I reallesd my food allergy’s have gotten out of control and that I had to find a way to handle them. So after lots of research and consternation I began to eat an Anti-inflammatory diet. Which has been nick named Annie by Meredith and the Food it self Patriciables by Andy. The basic run down is that allegers feed off of prodigals in inflammation both in ways that help and hinder a body’s respond to food allergies. So I eat foods that help to reduce inflammation like fish, nuts seeds, EVO, and don’t eat foods that coues inflammation such as red meat/pork, wheat, diary, sugar, potatoes, corn, tomatos, citrus fruit. So I eat lots of chicken and fish and have learned to back bread and muffins with spelt flour and buckwheat and honey inside of sugar. I make homemade soup and love cooking new recipes. I also always carry my epipens
Along with my diet I have tried to embrace the YAVs idea of living simple by attempting to reduce my carbon foot print and being conces of where the things I bye come from. Sally and I turned on and off the hot water that why we where not using electricity to perduts hot water when we where not using it. I swished off all electricity outlets on the wall. YES EVEN WHEN we have nothing plugged in to outlets it gives off electricity. You would not believe how much energy it takes to run the little blinking blue light on your TV when it is off. I did not use a dishwasher or dryer once this year hand washing dishes and hanging all clothing on a line. I made sure to only buy eco friendly soups so that the chemicals leaving my house throw the drain would not hurt the envment. I used reusable bags. And even bought toilet roll and kitchen roll made from 100% resxcaled materials. I also read books on climent change and tried my best to shop fair trade and at 2nd hand stores when possible. You may think that’s all well and good but it is expense but like I said I learned to budged this year and I decided that even if it cost more to be socially conches you can do it with in a budget so inside of taking buses I walked places and saved money eating in inside of out. Making it possible to live this way. I hope I don’t loose these habits because they have taken time a long time and it is essay to throw out a can inside of carrying it home to a recycling bin but I have tried to teach myself the value in it.
I have also changed in my views of the world. I have seen first hand that hate for the sack of hate and lack of understanding is very prevalent in are world and that we are a long way away form living together with understanding of different beliefs and ideas. But I have also experacest that as long as there are people who contuion to love and care about this world and it people there is hope of understanding. The reality is it is not going to just go away and world peace really is just some idea beauty queens use in their speech’s for miss America. How ever I did get to witness change this year not in big ways but in the introducing of different ways of working together, such as dancing together. Dancing together causes a group of people to look at them self’s defiantly relates to each other on a new leave one that doesn’t always need words but the feelings that a groups of dancing moving body’s all from different places and backgrounds experience together. In new ideas new ways of viewing and feeling the world change is possible and will continue to be possible as long as we all look for what we can bring to the world that will help other to experiences the world in a new way.
How ever the changes and the new ideas I brought to Belfast is not just where the changes lie I also had to learn to look for the change I had to allow my self to be changes by the new experiences I was receiving by the new people I was meeting who thought and talked and where different from me. Who allowed me to stop and look at my self? I have to remember that I have to change as well if I want the world to change for the better that my ideas and my views are not the same as every one else and that even when I disagree I will be better for stopping and listening and learn from people who have different views from me. Only than can you truly understand your own views.