Robyn.

Its a pretty phenomenal thing

to realize that one of your best friends  is not only a mother...

  

but a great mother.

robbie, you are amazing.

 
love you. :)

What I learned when the airline took away my bag and then lost it.

I survived the largest snowstorm ever in DC, and busted out to head to less snowy weather (and a friend's wedding) in Houston - - - only to get snowed in on my layover, in Atlanta.  Long story short, flight was canceled, no flights going out to Houston anytime soon, all hotels were completely booked.  No matter what, we were going to miss the wedding.  So Victor and I ended up getting ourselves back on a flight to DC to avoid spending the next day or two in the Atlanta airport with the rest of the world.

Those types of situations really bring out the insides of people, you know?  People are tired, they want to get somewhere, they paid a lot to be traveling... there are all sorts of entitlement issues going on... I feel it too!  I felt terrible we were going to miss the wedding, I was going to miss seeing my beloved Houston friends, I felt like AirTran should FIX the problem, especially when it came out that the reason for the cancelled flight was because a co-pilot was late or something.  And to top it off, AirTran decided to take away my carry-on bag and then lost it, at which point I composed this letter to them in my head:


Dear AirTran,
I really liked you and your very cheap fares you until you took away my carry on bag, canceled my flight, and then lost the bag you took away. If you could please find it, I would be a little happier.
Thank you.
Sincerely,

Haley

But my lost bag situation wasn't nearly the worst of it.  There were people who had been stranded literally for 2 days already.  They were exhausted.  They were angry.  The staff wasn't apologizing.  And people were revving each other up - "Can you BELIEVE this!??!"  "They are the MOST DISORGANIZED airline EVER!"  "I want my MONEY BACK!!" "I am missing a funeral/performance/meeting/etc.!!"  So on and so on - -  everyone in the same boat, everyone upset about it, everyone with the common enemy of the evil AirTran staffers.  Keep in mind, this is now about 1am, for a flight that was supposed to leave at 9pm.

My personal favorite was a lady who got up in the face of the supervisor, and screamed "You are a bad person and a b****!!  NO ONE HERE LIKES YOU.  NOT ONE PERSON.!"  And then added a few more explicatives.  The supervisor immediately called security to have her removed from the premises.

I watched one older man though, who was kind of hanging watching the whole situation.  Unlike the rest of the 200 de-planed people, he wasn't frantically calling every person he knew, he wasn't punching away violently on his laptop, he wasn't bad mouthing the airline to the people around him, he wasn't demanding full refunds or free tickets or whatnot.  He just sat on the floor against the wall and waited, letting everyone else go in front of him, and then eventually went to the back of the line to wait his turn.  There was a sense of peace about him that really caught my attention, and when I met his eyes, he smiled at me.

We never exchanged words, but just his presence was a calming force for me, and I felt like he gave me a little gift.  I learned something important from him without him ever saying a word.

Wherever you are, thank you sir.

(cartoons location)

Back to the Roots - images of my 2009 fall

My welcome back to the USA - - Beautiful Idaho August

Some QT with my girls in Denver

A perfect week with my grandparents on the ranch in Arizona

These pictures of my grandma making a pie are now some of my most prized possessions - simply priceless.

A Father-Daughter trip to Yellowstone National Park

And the Grand Tetons

Harvest in Idaho

A weekend with Victor

Meeting my brother's future in-laws

A freak snow storm the first week of October

Trailing the Sheep with Mama in Ketchum

Family Reunion in Las Vegas

And coming out 10 dollars ahead!

A beautiful reunion in San Diego

Doing yard work for possibly the first time ever..

I am SO Thankful for this
wonderful, unexpected season
of rest and reconnections with my roots.

A reflection on 25.

• My 25th year began in Grahamstown South Africa surrounded by so many loved ones...
• Shortly thereafter, I finished my master's thesis,
• Went on an incredible trip to islands off the coast of Kenya and Tanzania,
• Flew to Idaho for Christmas and got promptly thrown into sub-zero weather up in Sun Valley for a family bonding session,
• Visited Houston for a quick luncheon with all of my loved ones and a presentation to the Rotary District who funded my year in South Africa,
• Went to Jerusalem for 3 months to participate in a Special Program on Human Rights, where I got detained, got angry, and had my whole heart swallowed up by the situation,
  
• Visited Jordan and Egypt,
  
• Returned to Denver to finish my last quarter of graduate school,
• Went to Nairobi, Kenya for 3 months to conduct research in the largest slum in Africa where I walked through human feces almost every single day and had my flight home canceled due to terrorist threats,
  
• Returned to Idaho in one piece,
• White water rafted Hells Canyon,
• Visited my grandparent's ranch in Arizona where I learned how to bake a pie and got to listen to more Fox News than any one human should ever have to,
• Snuggled with my loved ones and presented our findings about the slum to our funders in Denver,
• Took a Father/Daughter special trip to Yellowstone,
  
• Reconnected with beloved family at a reunion in Las Vegas,
  
• Accompanied of one of my dearest friends to his sister's wedding in San Diego,
• Picked pecans right from the trees in El Paso and heard Victor present about his hot shot new job,
• Became an excellent phone answerer and sub-par label maker at Fletcher Law Office,
• And got to hang out with my parents, lay low and breathe for the first time in a really long time in Burley Idaho.

So overall - it was amazing, exhausting, overwhelming, love-filled, drama-filled, gratitude-filled, ball buster of a year. I am certainly still processing everything that happened..

26 has a lot to live up to.

Putting it in perspective: Water

I live in a posh apartment in Nairobi.
I mean, we are talking - probably the nicest place I have lived in .... maybe ever.
I'm not really sure how this happened, but I appreciate it, none the less.

However, there have been a couple of problems... first, our electricity stopped working (its now fixed), then our internet wasn't installed (like they promised - fixed now), then hot water stopped working (as in, no water at all would come out of the hot faucets), and then, two nights ago, we lost water all together. As in - we couldn't wash dishes, no showers, and... no flushing toilets. And it was just us - the rest of the building had working water.

So we didn't shower, started rationing drinking water, and ate off of paper towels. And we complained, a lot. And we called James, the go to fix it man, who promised to send over a plumber "some time." So we felt sorry for ourselves for a bit, hauled water in containers up 5 floors of stairs, and continued to complain.

Then one of my flatmates said something to the effect of "you know, all of these people in Kibera do this everyday, only they aren't able to walk downstairs to fill up cans of water."

And I looked around at our uber posh apartment, and then out the window at the people squatting by the side of the road looking for discarded food.

And felt like the most spoiled, ugly brat I have ever known.

P.S. They fixed the water.

June 12 is Loving Day

"Loving Day is an annual celebration held on June 12, the anniversary of the 1967 United Stated Supreme Court decision which struck down all anti-miscegnation laws remaining in 16 states citing "There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause." - taken from Wikipedia.

Thank you Loving Day.

Loving Day fights racial prejudice through education and builds multicultural community. | Loving Day

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Tonight I find myself choked with emotion.

I have been greatly and mightily blessed,
beyond what I can even comprehend.

My dreams are being lived.
My family is my rock.
I am going to marry the best man I have ever met.
My friends, all over the world, show me more love than any one person deserves.

My life is beyond full.



i have no words.

my cup runneth over.

Happy Mothers Day

To all the mamas out there.

Especially mine. :)

The Last Days...

Right when it is time to fill out all of the reflections, evaluations, and finish my papers, I am suddenly mentally exhausted and have lost the inspiration to write.

I think that a large part of that is that these last days have been filled with goodbyes, gifts, parties, notes, and just an overwhelming realization that my time here is coming to a close.

On Monday, one of the Rabbis and I finished the concept note for a grant to the EU!!! It felt like such an accomplishment. He said that it was the first EU grant they had ever completed, because they are SO much work. We both stayed late and went early the next day, but we cranked it out. It would be fabulous if they got the grant, and I am thankful for having had the experience of writing it.

The same day, the staff and Rabbis for Human Rights threw me a little goodbye party. Working there has been one of my very favorite life experiences, so it is I who thank them. I'll write more about my overall reflection about my internship later.

Yesterday was my last day with the Bedouin teachers - it was actually very emotional for me. I took one of my friends with me - she is going to take over the classes when I am gone, which I am so thankful for. It feels good to be able to hand of these lessons to someone else who I know will do a fantastic job. I didn't want to abandon these ladies after they have opened up to me so much. I took with me a couple of scholarship applications for one of the teachers there. She is just a standout - I saw something special in her the very first minute I met her. She is someone who no matter how difficult a situation she lived in, she would excel. It has been hard for her though, she has enormous amounts of ambition in a society that is patriarchal and that makes it very difficult for a woman, especially a young woman, to follow their passions if they fall outside of the realm of what is considered socially acceptable. People talk about her behind her back, and her family puts enormous pressure on her to get married and settle down. Though life would probably be even more difficult for her if she wins one of these scholarships, it would give her the opportunity to travel and pursue her passions. She a leader, naturally, and she could do anything she put her mind to if given the opportunity. The teacher who is taking over my classes will be working with her to fill out the scholarship applications, and God willing, someday this Refugee Bedouin teacher will be changing the world.

This note was from her, and it is now one of my most prized possessions:

I have not known you so much yet, but Really I have Learned a lot of things from you. and I will never forget person like you. A good, neat, kind, funny person like Haley will never be forgetten easily.......
I appreciate everything you did for me. I appriciate your generosity in giving me the hope to continoue during the time I feel I need to stop.
Haley, Be sure. there is someone in Palestine called --- loves you. I just wrote there words there is no time and if there is more time I'll would write you many thing to say I love you... I'll miss you. Remember Jerusalem Palestin.

What a phenomenal experience I have had here. I am kind of bewildered to think that it is coming to a close! Where did it all come from, and how in the world is it over?

Today is a holiday (Purim) so, no work. I am going with a friend to Ramallah, finally. And tomorrow - I leave for Egypt. Then back here for a day or two, and then... back to Denver. I'll arrive on the 22nd, and classes for the next quarter start at 9am on the 23rd. Eek.

So many things to catch up on in this journal/blog - but it will have to wait.
Hope you all are having a wonderful week.
If you are in Denver, start preparing some Mexican food, because I am close to being on my way...

In Memory of Lauren

Every day before class, we light a candle in memory of Lauren, a member of our program who passed away the week before we came to Jerusalem. Her legacy and her family are in our minds and hearts every day.

Tragedy and Hope

In a few hours I will once again be on a flight headed over the Atlantic ocean, but this time, my destination will be Jerusalem.

There is a war going on, yes. It has certainly been on my mind and heart constantly. Many have asked me if I am still going, and the answer is yes. I am also asked continually if I am afraid - I am not afraid. If I were afraid, I would think twice about going, because I don't ever want to live in fear. I believe very much in what I am going to learn about and work for, and that is what I am focused on. I don't think I could learn the things that I am going to learn anywhere else, and the fact that the conflict is raging even at the moment proves that much is needed to be understood. I believe that what is going on in Israel and Palestine is the heart of what is going on in the entire world. I feel enormously blessed to have the chance to learn about it first hand, and even more to have the chance to begin to work for peace. Moreover, events over the last few days have put much into perspective.

***
A few days ago, the members of the Jerusalem program had a meeting to discuss last minute logistics and safety concerns.

However, instead we received devastating news. The night before, one of the members of our program, Lauren Johnson, had passed away unexpectedly in her home in Denver. She was 22. Her death was a shock to everyone.

Yesterday I attended her memorial service. Though it was heartbreaking to mourn the fact that her life was cut so tragically short, I was utterly moved by the stories of her life and passions. Her passion was human rights, and there was evidence all over that she lived out her beliefs in every aspect of her life. Many of her loved ones told us how deeply excited she was to have the chance to go to Jerusalem and to work towards achieving the right to life and dignity for every person there, and to promote non-violence.

It is in her memory and to her legacy that I think all of us will dedicate our time and work there, and pray that in some way, that knowledge can be a comfort to her family and friends.

Her untimely death is also a reminder that we never know how much time we have. To me, it is a poignant reminder that each moment I have is a gift and each movement I take should be conscious and deliberate.

It is with this on my heart that I prepare to leave in a few hours for a country at war, yes - but also a place where the potential for change and reconciliation could literally change the entire world.

P.S.

Eben, if you are reading this, you are my knight and shining armor.

(Eben is not only waking up before 5:30 tomorrow to drive me to the airport, but he is binding and handing in my oh-so-painfully-written thesis for me. Words will never describe the love and gratitude in my heart for this boy.)

My last day in Grahamstown..

Just officially ended. It is half past midnight. I am leaving for the airport in just 5 hours.

I am possibly more tired than I have ever been - this is my 5th consecutive night where I will get less than 4 hours of sleep....

but my thesis will be done before 5:30. Yes, it will.

As for my last day in Grahamstown, it is a fog of sleepless delerium and an endless number of errands to tie up all of the loose ends I have aquired in a year of living here. And footnotes. Lots and lots of footnotes. (Note to self - always do these as you go along, or they will make you more miserable than any size 10 font should EVER be able to make ANYONE.)

Despite my less than ideal levels of sleep and stress over this never ending thesis (why do we do these things to ourselves?!), my stomach is full of pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, gravy, all thanks to dear Grahamstown friends Cortney and Matt, who spent the evening cooking a Thanksgiving feast the likes of which has never been seen outside of the borders of the United States. :) I will post pictures someday.

I am too sleepy to write anything coherant or clever (hopefully any amount of cogent thoughts are going into the last touches of my thesis)...

But I do want to say that in spite of the chaos and exhaustion of this ever-so-non-traditional of Thanksgiving days, I am filled with love and thanks.

Goodbye roomies!

There was a another set of tearful goodbyes a couple of days ago when the last two of my amazing roommates left for home. So amazing in fact, that they took my bags with them so that I wouldn't have to haul them all over Kenya and Tanzania in the next couple of weeks. (Notice them straining above - I didn't exactly pack light this year). My roommates have been my link to - EVERYTHING here - they have taught me about everything that comes with living in South Africa - the good, the bad and of course the ugly. We have been through so much together this year - from long talks about politics and religion, boys and families, ridiculousness and sorrow - and everything in between. Without them my year would have been so much less rich. Honestly, I can't imagine my year without them. My heart beats a little harder when I think of them, and I know that they too will be my friends for life. Here are some pictures from our last night together in the 5 Gilbert House. I miss these girls SO much! However, I am also looking forward to the day that I can host them in the USA - they have given me big shoes to fill (especially Estelle - haha). Love you love you love you.

Twenty-five

I am now - officially a quarter of a century old. And I have loved every second - I wouldn't give a minute of it back. I have been pretty inundated with my thesis lately, so I expected to have a very low-key birthday this year... but I was in for quite the surprise. Victor drove in from Cape Town, COMPLETELY catching me off guard (I had NO idea) and surprised me!!!! In addition, my parents tracked down the owner of a pizza restaurant in town (we stayed at a guesthouse owned by the same people when they were here in June), and arranged for pizza-dinner party with my friends. This has been a tradition since I was in middle school - my birthday always used to fall on a basketball game, so my parents would always bring pizza for my team, and put up banners and such in the stands (love them). When I left for college, the kept the tradition going by tracking me down WHEREVER I am and having pizza delivered to me and my friends....So far, this has meant that they have delivered pizza to:

• 2002 - A random hotel in California where I was recruiting for Rice's swim team (yes, this is my other life I lived somewhere back there)
• 2003 - A history class in a university in Sevilla, Spain (this one was a MIRACLE considering they don't speak Spanish and until that point I had never seen a pizza restaurant in our town)
• 2004 - hmmm - I must have been at Rice in Houston.
• 2005 - YES Prep Public School in Houston, TX - The whole staff ate pizza with me (apparently they tried to deliver it to my house but no pizza place would deliver to my house in the ghetto!! haha)
• 2006 - Again at YES Prep in Houston, but this time I ate with my students as well.
  
• 2007 - My house in Denver where I was in the middle of my first graduate-school finals.
• 2008 - Grahamstown, South Africa! - this year's pizza was a chicken and avocado dream, of course with hot sauce (thanks Brenda!).

They are amazing AND diligent. And it always makes my birthday so special knowing they have put in all of that effort to keep the tradition alive (I bet they weren't counting on all of the international trips when they started it!!)

It was also WONDERFUL to read all of the messages from friends and family - it is such a reminder of how loved I am. !!!! So blessed.

PS - please notice the blatantly phallic dessert they served me after dinner (pictured below).

A (very) tearful goodbye.

There have been SO many times over the last year that I have stopped dead in my tracks in awe of how utterly and completely blessed I am.

Let's just stop there for a minute.

ok.

One of the most incredible blessings this year has been the fact that I was placed in this little town in the middle of nowhere South Africa with 3 of the most fantastic other people in the world.

The other Ambassadorial scholars have literally become my family in this country. We all came to South Africa with absolutely no intention of meeting other Americans, but... we all just fell hopelessly in love with each other, and it would be hard not to - these people would be amazing ANYWHERE in the world, in ANY context. Which, I assume, is why they were all chosen in the first place.

All of that aside, I. love. them.

Now - on to the tears.

Last week, Rosa went home. It was one of the most heartbreaking days of my time here. Rosa has been my constant companion this year, and from the very first time that we met when she took the bus to Cape Town (while I was still there taking Xhosa lessons) I knew she would be a friend for life. Together, we shared WAY more than our fair share of adventures, including a phenomenal backpacking trip (all planned on the plane ride there) through Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. We also helped each other survive this year - we analyzed our little lives to death, talked of loves and trials, and endless hilarious and embarrassing stories. In short - we lived this amazing year together, and her departure was my first dose of reality that it is almost all over.

Our goodbye was probably hysterical (or painful) to watch - we sobbed like little babies for what seemed like hours - so hard, in fact, that my face was puffy for three straight days.

I miss her endlessly, but I also know that we will be friends until we are old and feeble, and will always have a spectacular wealth of memories together. Love you Rosa.

Here are some pictures from the last day or so that Rosa was here:

My vote almost didn't make it...

So, guess what arrived yesterday? My absentee ballot. Thanks a lot.

FORTUNATELY, (or rather unfortuantely) I was not the only one who didn't receive their ballot on time this year, so I was able to google what to do about it. I found this website, which allowed me to create and fax in a write in ballot, and then mail it afterwards. Here I am about to mail my ballot.

On a side note, so many of my South African friends are amazed that we are able to vote while we are overseas. It is something I had never even given a second thought to before - but it is truly a privilege to have our votes count even though we are temporarily out of the country. Not many countries allow their citizens to do that. Yay, America!

The Best Vaction EVER.

Three of my very best friends came to visit South Africa this month - I have to be the luckiest person in the world! In the course of 6 weeks, I got the chance to travel with my parents around Southern Africa, Backpack through Central Africa, visit my fiance in Cape Town THREE times, and road trip through South Africa with three of my dearest friends.

I cannot imagine having a more amazing vacation. It was so much fun, but it was also so uplifting to me - after all of that I feel so refreshed and grounded. It is almost like I had a trip home!

Here is a link to the pictures of the trip with Rach Kate and Pears!!

Rach Pears and Kate's Grand Tour of South Africa

Happy 21st Bri!

Today is my brother's 21st birthday!

I feel very fortunate that I have a little brother that I completely look up to - and not just because he is taller than I am. :) He's about to be a senior (!!) at the University in Idaho, and is literally rocking his business program there. For the rest of my life I will definitely be going to him for any business/financial-related matters. But far more important, he is possibly the most genuine, caring, loyal and loving person I know.

Bri - I am so proud of you and am so lucky to be your sister. Happy happy 21st!!!!!! (and be safe... i do have half of mom's genes....then again so do you.)