Life...

Life is like walking on sand… you step and yes you leave a mark…there might even be some people that admire the footprint you have left, they saw how you walked and wondered what the mark is like, they might even attempt to copy you… you could have taken all the time in the world to make the footprint or it could’ve been done carelessly… you yourself can admire the footprint and think “wow this is a really good mark I’ve left”… it’s yours and it’s unique...it could last a day or two but there will be a wave or a high tide to come and take it away... so what matters? What really matters? It’s not the mark you leave… or how long this mark will be noticed or by who… but it’s that walk you took… Did you take it alone? Did you step off the sand and take a swim? Was it a happy, fulfilling walk or was it guided by ideas and people who thought they knew what was best for you? Did you fight the good fight of love and of seeing what keeps you feeling alive?

Take a second and make your dreams come true… find the deepness and purity of love.

update

It’s been a while since I have put my thoughts in words. Let me tell you what’s been going on in Mocimboa da Praia for the last couple months. There are some projects that have begun coordinated by me and what Peace Corps likes to call “the Mozambican counterpart.” One of my closest counterparts has been Sister (as in nun) Ana Maria. She’s been in Mocimboa for about 4 years and has also been given the duty of creating sustainable projects. She’s attempted projects such as building an oven for a group of women to make bread and have a source of income. My favorite thing she’s worked on is establishing seven preschools within the town to teach the basics of Portuguese. One of the schools is close to my home and I’ve taken advantage of its proximity and began to teach the children how to do Yoga! At first they thought I was crazy and some of the parents questioned my being there but that stopped after they saw how much the children enjoyed it. After working with her for a while we decided to develop a sewing project. The goal of this project is to make purses to sell. Since I arrived I’ve noticed that Mocimboa is slowly developing. It truly is a beautiful town, it’s on the coast, it’s the last stop before to Tanzania and it’s full of unexplored land and ocean. All of this has drawn a diverse group of individuals (Portuguese, Brazilian, South African, and French) to Mocimboa and has opened a door to tourism. This tourism can help or harm the “locals” and we (the sis and I) want to show some Mozambicans how to use this to their advantage. So, the target group of these purses is those tourists who just want to remember everywhere they’ve been. Ana Maria had the availability of the sewing machines and I bought some cloth and materials, we’ve talked to some local business to allow us to sell the purses at their posts. At this point they are in the process of beginning to make the purses after weeks of learning how to get the sewing just right. Thinking also about Mocimboa’s development I’ve decided it’d be a good idea to start giving community English classes. The students receive some classes at school but they rarely have a venue to practice speaking it. There are twenty lessons to English course and at this point I’m at lesson sixteen. The class began with about twenty students at this point there are five left. This could be for millions of reasons but I chose not to dwell on it and am grateful for those who’ve stuck around. I’ve never been a teacher before and it’s been such an awesome experience seeing the students “get it.” What I’m doing is developing a system in which they can continue teaching others within the community. The place where the classes are held is called the “Centro Oasis,” it’s a nice building central to the community and with plenty of rooms for various activities. The mission is to set up a library (since books are the food of the brain), teach English and give the opportunity of extracurricular activities to the youth in this community. You see, in third world countries there is nothing to do, literally, nothing. No movie theater, bowling, roller rink, karate, dance, sports… NOTHING. So when you are complaining about being bored because you “have nothing to do,” stop complaining and join a club, go watch a movie, or just walk since you have electricity all day and night. Anyway, so the youth in this town have nothing to do which leads to boredom, violence, and prostitution. This Oasis will give them an activity, a vision, or a mission to life. One of the most exciting projects has been creating a natural medicine clinic with some of the people in the association I’m working with. We’ve begun making creams that aid in skin fungi and various skin problems and rheumatism, arthritis and cramps. It’s been magical learning how much the earth has to give us. It’s saddened me that humanity has overlooked this magic to build cities that are only destroying the earth more and more. Everything you need to be healthy is grown so easily in nature. This is a passion I’ve discovered and am sure I’ll be working with for a long long time. The most recent development has been to develop a mural on an empty wall in the streets of Mocimboa. December 1st (international HIV/AIDS day) is next week and we’ve been working to organize all sorts of fun activities from the November 25th – December 1st. Pictures and more stories coming soon.

Poesia...

Enamorada...

Me he enamorado de los amaneceres que despiertan mi ser, mi calma, mi pasión…
El día nace y yo con él y como el soplar del viento me acuerdo que el tiempo existe y no existe, afecta y no afecta…
El sol con su calor engendrador me habla de la conexión entre tu, el, y yo…
Los delfines se aproximan y entienden mi deseo de ser libre y nadar, volar…
Vivimos y morimos para despertar, para ultrapasar la ilusión y soñar…

Los atardeceres me susurran sus lamentos y por un tiempo desaparezco y vuelvo a nacer…
La luna llena me garantiza la eternidad que existe dentro del nacimiento y la muerte…
He aprendido a crear lo que necesito, a armonizar mi existencia, a estar consciente…

Despierta...

Ya desperté y no me puedo dormir
Ese sueño me enloqueció y acabo con mi sentido de vivir
Ya no quiero más, no puedo más
Soñar sin volar, sin crecer
Ya no aguanto más la confusión
La coma interrumpible nos ha dejado ciegos, mudos, sordos
No existe nada más sin ella y por ella
Sonría sin estar feliz
Lloraba sin saber el sabor de una lágrima
Crecía sin evolución
Esa pesadilla me hizo bien
Porque sin ella este día el sol no naciera
La vida se ahogaría
Y el alma no existiría
Pero al despertar comparo lo bueno y malo
Rico y pobre, el decir y el hablar
Y me enseno lo permanente en ti y en mí

The frog...

There is a story about a frog that lived in a small pond. Because he had never gone anywhere else, the frog thought his pond was the whole world. Then one day a tortoise came to the pond and told the frog that he had come from the ocean. But the frog had never heard of an ocean and wondered if it were like his pond. "No," said the tortoise. "It is much bigger." "Three times bigger?" asked the frog. The tortoise kept trying to explain to the frog how big the ocean was, but the frog did not want to hear. Finally the frog fainted: it was so frightening even to try to think about such a place.

Moral of the story- keep an open, flexible mind so you don't faint from not being able to imagine the greatness that lies before you. A.K.A. Don't be this frog....believe in the ocean!!!

<3!

lo que aprendi...

En frente de tu belleza interior y exterior despierto para la esencia, los valores, las cualidades, lo infinito del AMOR… la pureza de tu ser me deja sin palabras de definir cuanto te admiro y me deja cada día mas enamorado.

La importancia de lo que he aprendido durante este ano que paso me llena de emoción porque me doy cuenta que aún hay mucho mas por aprender. Aprendí a nadar, a dejarme llevar por las olas del océano y confiar en mí misma al saber que no hay nada que me pueda lastimar. Aprendí a aceptar la muerte, sea física, mental, o espiritual. Al ver el número de personas que mueren por el HIV te hace reflectar sobre la realidad y falsedad de la muerte. Te ensena lo que nos hace humanos, mortales y físicos, pero también te ensena como permanecemos eternos y sin físico ningún que nos atrape. La muerte al igual que las olas del mar me ha ensenado a dejarme llevar por lo fluido que es la vida. He aprendido la importancia de las conexiones con otros seres, las amistades y la familia. He visto que riqueza no es algo que se define materialmente, la riqueza es aquella que llena tu espíritu, que te hace sentir y tocar el amor a cada paso de tu existencia, es la riqueza que solo se gana con interacciones, conversas, abrazos, sonrisas, y contacto humano, aspectos que no son suficientemente apreciados en países “desenvueltos.” Aprendí a tocar la guitara y con esto me di cuenta que mis sueños se harán realidad en el momento que yo decida. Aprendí que la dependencia es la enfermedad más perjudicial que existe, que los países desenvueltos causan más daño con el dinero y “ayuda” que dan, que cada país, persona, ser que es dependiente no necesita de cosas materiales, necesita de un abrir de ojos para darse cuenta que son capaces de cosas maravillosas, necesitan amarse a sí mismos y así acabar con el bajo auto-estima y el negativismo de la dependencia. Aprendí que necesitamos ir más despacio, que la velocidad del mundo desenvuelto nos hace perder mucho de lo bello que es la vida. Estamos a correr y ni sabemos porque, corremos a una meta que no fue decidida por nosotros y que posiblemente ni existe. Aprendí que la naturaleza nos da todo lo que necesitamos para vivir y que al destruirla como hemos estado haciendo durante décadas es un suicidio de nuestra humanidad. La naturaleza es tan inteligente que es capaz de darnos las vitaminas, los minerales, las medicina, y la protección que necesitamos pero hemos optado por cosas fabricadas y artificiales que nos causan cáncer y otras enfermedades que hasta nos dejan sin explicación. Aprendí la importancia del equilibrio mental, espiritual, y corporal, sin este equilibrio somos maquinas que se pueden trastornar en segundos. Aprendí como dar y recibir, para dejar que este ciclo en que vivimos continúe interrumpidamente. Finalmente, aprendí que no hay culpables en esta vida, que la responsabilidad y decisión de ser quien soy está hecha solamente por mi…
Mucha paz y <3

I dare you....

To burst your encapsulating bubble, to venture into the unknown with the unknown, to live, to experience, to LOVE, to laugh, to joke, to cry, to create, to make your dreams come true, to forget the past, to meditate, to believe in your eternal nature, to expand your mind every day, to travel, to enjoy, to KNOW THYSELF, to play, to purify your mind, body, and soul, to rep what you sow, to watch sunrises and sunsets, to read, to understand, to slow down, to be positive, to enhance your senses, to be at PEACE, to find your joy, to LIVE your joy, to stop pretending and role-playing, to build your life exactly how you want it, to stop judging, to appreciate, to caress, to take your shows off and feel nature, to hug and kiss, to miss, to SUCK THE MARROW OUT OF LIFE, to be still, to experience your eternal nature, to write, to paint, to dance, to know how much you are worth, to experiment with uncertainty, to explore, to help, to give yourself to life and to those who need of you, to stop blaming others (parents, siblings, religion, etc…) for what your life has become, to BE HAPPY but not just happy, ECSTATIC, about the magic of life, to know your deserve the best, to be healthy, wealthy and spiritually abundant, to express what you feel, to live the moment completely and move on, to forgive, to reflect, to be active, to be whole, I dare you to dare yourself to see life as the adventure and lesson it is, to learn, to grow, and to LET GO!

...

I have been reading about love. Love is a very curious subject. Deepak Chopra writes about the necessity of the mother’s touch from her child. There are actually come chemical processes necessary to live that are only activated by a loved one’s touch. It’s also commonly known that “love cures all.” Chopra also writes that the immune system is strengthened when we feel love. This is quite interesting because although these chemical processes have been registered we still don’t know what is it about love that causes our body to react that way. How is it that our brain registers and processes love? Maybe it’s not a thing of the mind at all, but something much greater and stronger that our brain is not able to “logically” process. As I live and experience love, I see it as the unity of the part with the whole. There are various ways to experience love; relationships, family, self-less acts of kindness, and the communion with nature. But what in us tells us that we have “fallen” for somebody? I’m not talking about a superficial love but one that surpasses the ego and enters the soul. There is a peace and communion felt that releases the self from any external drama or influence. There is no lust, anger, judgment, confusion… there is only being and a sense of eternal bliss. This same feeling can be felt through meditation, helping those in need, and positive human interactions. What is important is to act with love to experience a higher and more universal level of it. You know you are acting with love when you feel ecstatic about what you are doing. When your partner is perfect because you see the love you are acting within him/her. When you can speak with the trees, oceans, and skies... Love is very simple to experience once you have freed yourself from the clutches of the ego; all you have to do is follow what resonates with your heart. Living in Mozambique has allowed me to experience life at such a profound level. Human interaction and touch is not very frequent and displays of affection are rare. Thinking of the poor as those who lack love and not material possessions has led me to think more about the healing power of love. What “poor” societies need is not an industrial revolution but a revolution of love. At this point I might sound like a complete hippie but maybe I am and maybe if we all understood the power of love there would be no such thing as rich, poor, labels, disease, pain, conflict, or the common depression that surrounds us. There would only exist peace and love…