Dear 2013 + The 24 Things Challenge

Hey all! Well, we've almost come to the end of the year, can you believe it? It's time to look back at all that was 2013 and hop into a fresh new 2014. Thanks to Beka and Amanda for hosting the Dear 2013 link-up and Marylee for The 24 Things Challenge idea. 

Dear 2013,

You've been a year full of changes, ups and downs, and love. 

I've learned from my experiences working with very different types of people. I questioned how I want to have an impact in my work. I've seen how money works, how can be very destructive when taken to the excess. And on the other hand, I've learned humbleness from my kids (I'll always call my students 'my kids'). Where simplicity was a treasured lesson. And everyday ended with exploding sunsets and their smiles imprinted in my mind.

 

Girls of Picaflor House.

I've met people who inspired me, with burning desire to give all they can, with endless amounts of love. I met different people, encountered other mindsets, and learned to stretch my own mind and heart. I became closer to people I love and admire.

I embraced love and took a leap to marry a wonderful guy. And was able to share the moment with a few special friends and family. I keep learning about love from and with him. This was a huge highlight of the year!

A favorite of our engagement photos. By: Diane Patterson

We made a big decision, to create a new step together. This in itself was full of challenges and difficulties. Leaving people we loved and trading it in for a whole new city life. We learned to use it to our advantage and to help us grow in love and support of each other. But it was still a tough time. 

After the struggles of adapting, a nest has begun being built: learning places and people, creating a community, and allowing openness to the possibilities. 

I was present to a whole new side of Peruvian food and we played around in the kitchen creating our own meals. I also delved into a hobby of sharing my life through a blog, which became even more important than I'd imagined.

Thank you 2013 for all that you are and that the journey continues to teach us more love than before.

By: Diane Patterson

*   *   *

The other day I stumbled upon an idea for the new year that I love! It's by Marylee and I found it through my daily emails from Elephant Journal (tons of inspiring stuff). This idea is called The 24 Things Challenge. Essentially, it's an exercise in simplifying. It's kind of like a spring cleaning of sorts, which I think is perfect for the new year and new moon. Doesn't that sound like a great thing for the new year??

The idea is this. Everyday from Jan. 1st through 24th...
1. purge one thing. In creating this clear space, there will be a new place for new things ('things' can be physical, mental, spiritual, etc.). 
2. abstain from buying anything other than necessities. Basically, practice being a conscious consumer. (I feel pretty good about this one but the tricky part (for me)comes down to social activities like lunch or coffee - not really necessities but I may consider as part of self-love/well-being.) If something comes to mind that you want, put it on a list to re-evaluate after the 24th. 

The simplicity is what drew me to the project. While these are simple acts, it's the growing consciousness that makes them great. I'm looking forward to sharing my purges and experience here. This is an open invitation to join in the 24 Things Challenge. I'd love to hear your experiences as well!

2013 Goals Revisited

Hey all! It's July and half of 2013 has already flown by! So I'm looking back on my goals/resolutions I created at the beginning of the year. It's a good time to re-evaluate and revision what they look like, and to make sure they're realistic. Here it goes!



* Practice Ukelele *
So far: This was the best gift I've received maybe even since my stereo boom box in 4th grade! After not having my ukelele for a few months, I'm excited to pick it up again. I've got about 8 chords down and can play a few songs by heart. More updates on this to come!
Revision: Practice 1 hour per week.



* Read at least 1 book per month *
So far: I've been on ups and downs with this one. But reading on public transportation has been a great use of time. And the ladies Book Club I've joined has helped to keep me on track.  Books read: 

Just finished!

Want to read soon!

* Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
* Post Office, Charles Bukowski
*City of the Beasts, Isabel Allende
*Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, David Sedaris
*Radhika's Story, Sharon Hendry
*The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Revision: Read at least 1 book a month, even if it's not a huge novel. And finish The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto!

P.S. Does anyone know of an online 'Book Club' they can recommend??



* Attend Vipassana meditation retreat *
So far: Well, I haven't done this yet. I participated in a 10 silent course in 2010 and had very beneficial experiences, in which I surprised myself. My goal is to take time to sit with myself.
Revision: If I am able to participate next month in Lima, I'd like to. If not, I plan to find another type of meditation or exercise to focus myself.

* 1 blog post/month *
So far: My goal was originally to generate creative expression and practice writing skills. I've been posting on average 3 posts/month.
Revision: Now that I've been posting a bit more, I want to learn more about the blogging world, making friends, learning techniques, etc. In specific: create comment page, button link, signature, work with a sponsor. AND I'm upping my ante to weekly postings instead of monthly (gotta get on this one!)

Thanks for tuning in...and have a lovely weekend!

2012 in summary

As the world has kindly greeted us into the new year (by not ending), I'm taking a moment to look back at the rollercoaster that I've been riding this year.

WOW, so the first time I started writing this I actually started writing about 2011...2012, you sure have happened in a quick flash!!

The year started off bittersweet. I went on a quick border-hop to Chile to renew my visa - some delicious food, beautiful and HOT beaches, bank issues, and playing music and vending jewelry to alley-strollers made a thrilling adventure. Returning from this trip, I had the stark realization that I was in a relationship that was completely uninspiring and unfulfilling. Measures were quickly taken to end that. My life quickly began to transpire into more positivity, meeting new friends and having new adventures. I lived with a really fun and interesting couple and their cats. A more meaningful work situation transpired and soon I was teaching 4th graders in English and Math...this was quite a challenge but also super rewarding. I miss those little punks.

From the plaza of the desert-beach town of Arica, Chile.

Early April friends and I went on a brief weekend trip to a nearby jungle of Puerto Maldonado and had a great experience staying in cabanas on a local alternative tourism site (www.elplatanal.com). I looooved being in a tropical place and learning about the different plants and their medicinal uses. We saw a bunch of tarantulas (and one made my shoe his/her home), some monkeys, and parrots. On the long bus ride back, I met a cute boy who worked on the bus and put on good movies. He had interesting tattoos and seemed eager to converse with people, so we started a conversation. Long story short, we became instant friends and were together from then on.

Natural dye from plants!

Me and Rafa at a concert

The school months kept me very busy - classroom time, report cards, and silly planning documents (darn, I guess they exist everywhere). From this experience I learned that being a full-time teacher is really a full-time commitment and I don't want to pursue it, at least at this point in my life. I also learned what it's like to have 28 kids and I'll do great with just having a few when the time comes :) 

Ausangate Bilingual School, 4th grade class. See me??

After much anticipation, my parents came to visit in May! We went to Machu Picchu and to several other archaeological sites, the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, an awesome family home-stay on a farming peninsula - all in just 10 days. We really packed it all in, from trying new cuisine (including cuy and granadilla) to taking the combi (just to have the experience). To have them there was like showing them a jewel of my heart. We even hiked Wayna Picchu and my dad flew home with a charango (to add to his instrument collection).

A night of dancing with the local children with our home-stay in Luquina Chico, Lake Titicaca.

Touring the sites of Cusco, Peru

Fast forward a few months, spending time with Rafa and working, lots of working. But I began to fit work into my life by meeting with friends and doing fun things during the week, definitely essential to well-being...I was also really glad to be connected to a yoga class, a type of kundalini which also incorporated chanting. It was new for me but became a weekly spiritual practice and positive self-time to look forward to.

Kitchen window view

August came along, and with it, a long awaited adventure with my friend, Megan. Since the day she arrived we literally started out on a 5 day trek to the ruins of Choquequirao - more about it here (links to my old blogsite)

One of many, many jumping pictures

(Ad)venturing!

From there we were off to Colombia to explore and taste the flavors to be offered (arepas, bandera paisa, aguardiente, and salsa. Yes, the dance!). We couchsurfed and made some good friends, travelers and locals. We witnessed the most creative and beautiful displays of flowers I've seen at the Feria de los Flores. And we had fun venturing to the humid jungle-y coast of the north. Awesome trip!

Our awesome couchsurfing friends in Bogota, Colombia on our last night.

Scoping out the Flower parade, after buying hats :)

Silleta gigante! 

At this point Rafa and I had been together for awhile but were still having to travel across town to see each other. So we found a great place to move into together. we were excited to be able to be with each other often in our funky bright colored flat. He found an in to a TV station and began a new chapter in his career life, which I was glad to witness and be apart of. I continued my hobby of jar collecting and a few craft projects. If you're interested, check out my tutorials: learn how to wire-wrap objects or create a crafty recycled wallet.

Me and Rafa on the Golden Gate Bridge Look-Alike

Thanksgiving came along and we really cooked a feast. Read more about it here: 

The plethora of food. Preparation time: approx. 4 hours.

Diane's mulled wine and strawberry sauce (which was the closest to cranberry we could get).

In the last few months of the year I found more adventuring buddies! On weekends I would go to visit my friend who works with plants to learn and laugh. With other girlfriends we explored ruins and went on some treks, which I'm getting hooked on! The hiking (especially in high altitude) can be challenging but the thrill, nature, and people make it special and worthwhile. On one trek we decided on a theme. It goes along the lines of this quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson: ”Life is a journey, not a destination.” Basically, who cares if we don't end up in the exact place we imagined. The best part is to be with good people and experience every moment as it comes.

Thank you 2012 and everyone who was apart of it. Cheers to another year!

1....2.....3.....Tira!

The mother vine

Playing carnavales on Sundays around Easter 

Celebrating birthday parties

Visiting the Sacred Valley for the day

Sacred Plant Spirals

Como el sol y la lluvia ...

Timothy M. Marston

Como el sol y la lluvia …

como el fuerte sol cusqueño

(que brilla y quema)

se convierte a la lluvia intensa

(que llora, que refresca)

viene y va otro año.

Como el sol y la lluvia,

al final del año representa

la extensión de todos sentimientos

que hemos experimentado y sufrido.

De los intensos momentos de tristeza y conflictos,

los lindos recuerdos de sonrisas y palabras felices,

un gran lección que aprendemos es que todo se cambia.

Un año acaba, recordándome que ya es tiempo

de reflexionar y agradecer…

a todas las hermosas almas que conozco,

las que me enseñan,

las que me inspiran.

Gracias a las compañeras de trabajo,

a mis alumnos,
a mi familia (no tan lejos de corazón),

a los amigos y viajeros irreemplazables

que han cruzado en mi camino con tanta elegancia.

Y en un minuto, aun segundos se transforma en algo nuevo.

Como un viento furioso se apaga una vela y se enciende una nueva.

Un nuevo año de sol y lluvia ...

Feliz año nuevo, que todo se transforma 

en algo nuevo y aun más bonito.