minority hand-writers unite for grandpa

(this is probably the last blog entry I write for this peace corps blog...seeing as how my journey with PC is now finished/ended/uma/kapoop. for more fun see my other (main blog) at:

http://mrcmain.blogspot.com

in the pics: things that made the whole two years in samoa (lavalavas, my university of portland mug, random orange tupperware container, birkentocks!, Tevas, a few shirts and shorts, and the lovely Finnish pillow case; I'm still cold, so more clothing; now the only place I will see coconut trees is on things like this little coaster, oh and the yummy porkchop, rice, salad dinner. AKA: palagi food!
and I'm signing off. it's 2:11am, and I have to get up too soon to help my mom make some secret recipe finnish bread.


12/23
I bought a new Acer laptop, that came with Windows7. I've always used windows XP in the past. but after reading an article on www.techradar.com, I've decided to keep my windows7 OS. Windows XP seems to do pretty well, but is nearing it's lifecycle end. Windows7 seems to be doing pretty well, with a few improvements, BUT is at the beginning of it's lifecycle, with lots of improvement ahead (well, i hope). so there you go...I choose windows7..for now.

hmmm...a new laptop and a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream. I'd call that a good day. there was even a nice sunset (no rain, but still cold.)


Thoughts since arriving back home: my grandpa in hospice. I’m so glad I got to see him alive when I came back to Portland; waterproofing my jacket—2 years in humid climate made it lose its water resistance; trying to find my friend’s house on Pacific st, wondering why Finnish Brotherhood/sisterhood can’t attract younger members; creating a simp;le PC pamphlet to answer questions such as samoa…Somalia? Where? I’ve been trying to write down questions people ask me: what’s the pay? Do you get benefits? What do you miss the most?


12/18
My first full day back in the USA: go out to breakfast, visit my grandpa, ride back to Astoria with my mom(visit my dad’s grave on the way), eat food, feel crappy, immediately sleep 12 hours.

2nd day: walk, eat breakfast (yogurt, fruit), tea and plum pudding lunch at a FANCY house, make pork chops recipe with breadstick appetizers. Watch video.

My planner is messy again—well, back to the real world. Things that are different here (in the US): it’s COLD, but I’m glad I’m not on the east coast right now; my mom’s dog gets wet dog food and “dog bones” which are really fake bones. She does not feed her dog real bones. But she’s a spoiled dog. I wish there was a walking group near where I live now—walking group—is that an “old person’s activity? Oh well. I like to walk. And sometimes it’s nice to walk and talk.



Flying in the sky…
Says one of the stewardesses: “US law requires that you do not congregate anywhere on the plane.” I guess that is a good thing not to do. The cat and mouse game continues…

Eucalyptus drops—“dispose of thoughtfully.” I like that wording. This was a loooong flight. They fed us—dinner and breakfast. Yummy, or maybe it’s just being cramped into an airplane for 12 hours that makes everything taste good. I was wishing for some hot sauce with the egg breakfast. Overall it was a good flying experience. Yah for VAustralia. They gave me a glass of milk. That’s important. To me. And the personal entertainment device attached in the seat in front of me was cool. Everyone can listen to or watch whatever they want whenever they want it. Speaking of the entertainment device, I watched…Mao’s last dancer—a good movie. I want to read the book (and also A River runs Through It, and a book called The Shack).

People have made fun of me for writing things on my hand. So here is another installment of the hand list: 1)buy razor…for that small patch I missed because a hurry was seen in the shower); 2)milk…to go with my mint cookies. A glass of milk seems to be a hard thing to find in an airport—at least in LAX; 3)LA…get luggage. Not really needed on my hand, since everyone had to get their luggage—international arrival thing; 4)put alcohol in checked luggage. I probably wouldn’t have bought the Gentleman’s special, but I walked into the airport with $200AUS to blow away. Outcome? A present for my mom, didgeridoo, and the alcohol, which finished all my paper money. Coins distributed in the convenient blue donation bag held by the smiling flight attendant as I got off the plane; 5) grandma’s present…don’t forget to give grandma present before I leave Portland tomorrow; 6)brush teeth…after a 12 hour flight my teeth felt nasty; 7)learn Spanish…I was helped by at least six different people who looked latino at LAX; 8)cut toenails. It’s time.


Leaving Sydney, I realized there were only two people wearing sandles in the line for the plane to LA. This ain’t summer time fun anymore! It’s hard to come back to the grey, cold, drizzle that is many times the Oregon coast this time of year.


AUS pg34 top…
There were more lights in Australia, but the stars at night still twinkled bright as I listened to the crashing ocean. And I also saw no less than 12 or 13 rows of lights on the water—tankers/ships waiting to take coal from Australia to China (as Alan told me). I imagined that in 5-10 years AUS would by the shape of a donut—no middle—all the coal gone. Maybe that’s a bit extreme. So to wrap up this Australia adventure—the land of undiscovered territory, outbacks, and after a few days at home (USA) I realized the land of round-a-bouts. There were no traffic lights where we drove—round abouts abounded. I had a good time. Have I mentioned it was hard to come back to wet, grey, cold, Astoria, OR? It was hard. I can see my breath for the first time in 2 and a half years.

After being in Samoa and being the minority (white person), coming to Australia was kind of a shock, most everyone is white. Actually I saw many Muslims. Coming to Astoria—an even whiter community. I notice different things now.