My great Maya Moment!

Despite my laundry, text books and messy house staring at me right now- I must capture the experiences I had today before they pass and I miss my chance to reflect on their significance.

My morning started with a Study Abroad Dubai class where I sat in a room listening to presentations on the UAE, Middle East Consulting & Financial Services and Muslim Culture. One of my classmates is Japanese, one is Turkish and my Professor is Lebanese. It was a fascinating mix of culture, religion, politics and business.

After my 4 hour class I headed straight to my Graduate Research and Maya Heritage meeting and couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed that I had to spend the rest of my day in another meeting. It was 70 degrees and sunny, I have two tests next week and I am leaving the country on Friday. I was tense and completely distracted (ask Dan since I called him on my drive)!

I arrived at my meeting and met Cecila and Juan, two Guatemalan immigrant Maya who came to visit us from Florida. Ceclia was dressed in her traditional traje (bright colored dress) and her smiles immediately changed my entire mood. I sat down with them and the next 5 hours flew by as we discussed Maya health views, U.S. healthcare barriers and Maya traditional medicines and herbs. Cecila works in a clinic back in Florida and she has over 20 years of experience working in health. Her knowledge and perspective is invaluable and I wanted to soak up all I could from our discussion.

Cecila first came to the U.S. when she was 15 years old and she has never been back to Guatemala. She escaped Guatemala during the most violent and dangerous years of the civil war and she says she gets goosebumps just thinking about the horror of the country when she left. Her husband, Juan, came over a few years after Celila and was also escaping the war but unfortunately, not before witnessing his father's murder in the mercado by guerrilla soldiers. His father was a strong Maya leader and a successful business man and therefore, was targeted during the civil war. Juan and Cecila lived across the river from each other back home but did not meet until finding refuge in L.A. When Jaun arrived he was shuffled around by Guatemalan host families since he did not have family here in the U.S. Celia spent a few years living on Calle 18 (yep-the one in L.A. with ALL the most dangerous gangs). She said the conditions on dieciocho were not much safer than Guatemala. Eventually she and Juan moved away and started a family. In addition, they fostered Guatemalan children!

Juan and Celila's wisdom, courage, love and kindness is overwhelming and I honestly feel a wave of calmness just being around them. My favorite moment was when Juan and Cecilia were working on narrowing down our 150 most important medical terms so they could help translate for us- they were going back in forth between K'iche, Spanish and English and occasionally I would hear them both laugh together. I guess sometimes when you translate into Maya, just a little different intonation or accent changes the meaning of a word and creates nonsense sentences. I really admired them both in that moment as together, after 30 years of marriage they still interacted in such a respectful, candid and playful way.

After 5 hours of work, Dr. LB suggested we go to get dinner and he recommended a sushi bar. I thought it was a little strange because I don't know too many Guatemalans who like sushi but Dr. LB lived in Japan for 7 years, he knows Sushi and he has over 20 years experience working with the Maya. So- we went out for sushi. There I was- sitting at a Japanese sushi bar with my professor and two new Maya friends! It was one of those moments that made me smile and recognize what an absolute gem of a moment it really was. I decided for the next hour I would not allow one thought of homework, midterms, laundry, or any other stressors distract me from this incredible once in a life time situation. So, I sat there- eating Japanese food, drinking a Sapporro and listening to the table dissuasion on Maya Civil war history, life as an immigrant and of course their perspective as parents, healthcare providers and as human beings.

I don't know what exactly brought me down to Atlanta (well the free school was part of it) but I do know what has kept me here so far- its moments like tonight where I see my role and my purpose so clearly. When Cecilia asked me what I was going to do after I graduate with my MBA- I paused and said that I hope to find a job combining healthcare and non-profit work. She smiled and said we could use you in our clinic and need a director that thinks like you. It was one of the greatest complements I have ever received.

I am planning on going back to Minnesota after school but the healthcare needs and immigrant issues are national. I know I can find meaningful work back home and tonight reminded me that getting my MBA and working hard will pay off. Not like most MBAs do by giving me a great salary but by hopefully giving me the skills, resources and vision to revolutionize healthcare one clinic, one town, one state and one nation at a time!

So, final take away message and daily intention. Look at all the people around you and know that each one has a story deeper than we can see on the surface. Close out all external distractions for at least a moment and just listen.

Kennesaw Cafeteria

Our visit to the Kennesaw cafeteria was glutenous and tasty! The non-meal plan was $10 and then it was all-you-can-eat! We started with a tour through the Italian section, deli (including steak!), Burrito bar, burgers station, Asian stir fry and of course- the beautiful dessert bar. We sampled and sampled!! I can't imagine if that was my cafeteria in undergrad- it would have been more than just than just the freshman 15. When you compare our school lunch to the ones in the website below, I would say ours is on the large and unhealthy end of the spectrum.

http://whatsforschoollunch.blogspot.com/

School Lunch around the World

http://whatsforschoollunch.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow I am meeting some friends for lunch at our University cafeteria. I usually eat at the office or at home but we all heard good things about the food and thought it would be fun to check it out.

I have always loved hot lunch and can remember looking forward to chicken patty and Italian dunker day. I guess KSU cafe is a little higher class and even has two local farms adding to their produce selection.

The above website is a collection of school lunches around the world- I will report back on how Kennesaw compares.

I am proud to confirm that the cruise was NOT a scam! It was actually legit and brought us to and from the Bahamas safely. However, don't pack your bags yet...hear my full story first.

The phone harassing began about 6 months prior to the trip. The cruise line would call every couple of weeks to try and up sell an extended 3-day package and book our flight, hotel, car rental etc. through their travel agents. Of course, I said no and Dan just got his own flight for about $300 (same as to Atlanta) and I drove the 8 hours from Atlanta to Orlando.

My drive was an interesting southern road trip. It began with beautiful vistas of peach trees, pecan farms, antique stores and don't forget- boiled peanut stands! Once I got a little further south, I saw my first cotton field. It felt like I was driving by some museum considering my only paradigm I have for Georgia cotton fields revolves around slavery. I guess I assumed most fields disappeared when slavery ended but apparently some must still be able to compete with the outsourced slavery that currently exists in places like China and India. And if the cotton fields were not symbolic enough, there were giant Perkins Restaurant sized Confederate flags along the freeway.

Well, anyway, the flags and fields turned to palm trees and billboards once I neared Orlando. I was so excited to see Dan and begin our trip! I met him at the airport (romantic meet up as my mom always says) and from there we went to the Waffle House for dinner (my choice). We stayed the night in West Palm Beach and woke up early to drive to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up our cruise passes. A man took us to the back room and tried to get us to sign up for an Orlando post cruise package. Good thing Dan was along because it sounded fun and its hard to say no to Disney. We didn't really get the point of driving all that way (1 hour from the port) just to pick up the paper copy cruise pass. Clearly they just wanted us to stay the night at that hotel and get suckered into more of their "upgrades".

On the way back up the coast we stopped for a walk along the beach and took a detour through some nice ocean front real estate areas. We got to the port around noon and waited in a few lines before arriving at our little box-car-like room. It was small but functional and we both sorta laughed and then said, well, at least it is clean! We then went up to the top floor for our all inclusive first meal of the trip but it was raining so we had to eat inside. The food got an all around 4 star rating. There was all you can eat pizza which made Dan extremely happy and I liked the ice cream stand, desserts with every meal and homemade waffle stand like we had back in college. The all you can eat probably doesn't pair well with the beach and pool activities but then again- it was vacation!

The first night we had a few tropical drinks, played cards, ate a nice dinner followed by some very mediocre entertainment. The ship had music, dancing, a comedian and a magician. However, the mean age of the cruise guests was more than double my age so the dancing party was not exaclty hopping. The singer was some sort of Celine Dion impersonator (not joking) and the comedian made tuesday night improv at Acme look like Comedy Central.

Then, then next morning we woke up in the Bahamas!! I will tell more about the second half of the trip soon. I needed a creative break from the MIS and Econ homework but this blog won't contribute to my exam grade next week so gotta go. TBC...

Las maletas

This photo belongs to das.graphiker's photostream

The cruise actually exists!! We had a great time on the ship, in the Bahamas for a day and then back in Orlando. I will write details soon but for now I am too behind in homework to journal. So, to be continued soon....
ps. Happy Valentine's Day!

Cruise for 2

About a year ago one Friday morning I got a random phone call (at work) saying I had won a free cruise that I had signed up for at some point. No one was in the office yet and I was still shivering from the cold so I decided to let the caller continue to paint a picture of me on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. I asked a lot of questions (surprise) and by the end of the conversation, I had some how agreed to put $100 down for port fees and booked a trip for two.

Now, yes I know it sounds like a hoax but at the time, I already knew I would be living down in GA and that I could drive to the port. I also knew that I didn't need any of the upgrades they were going to try and sell me since I made it through the Peace Corps.

After booking I called Dan. I knew he would be suspicious and very skeptical. That's probably an understatement. He laughed, paused and then realized I wasn't joking. Anyway, I told him I would just invite Kate (my best friend) and he could stay home and see us having fun via facebook. Well, Kate is now 7 months pregnant and gets motion sickness when riding a bike!

So a couple of months ago I realized the deal was about to expire and after a little convincing, Dan and I booked the official cruise date and we leave Wednesday for our adventure. I haven't seen Dan in 33 days and honestly, we could be going to Fargo for all I care. I am not expecting honeymoon elegance or a cultural experience. During Peace Corps we used to make fun of the people who hopped off the cruise in Roatan and then probably returned home telling everyone the visited a third world country.

So, in all honesty, my intentions this trip is to just enjoy every moment. Leave behind my text books (well maybe I will sneak one), and the deadlines and enjoy time with Dan and eat lots of good food while soaking up some sun and margaritas! We will see how it goes. To be continued....

oh, and I will be driving from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale Wednesday if anyone wants to call my cell and entertain me!!

Happy Birthday Big Brother! Glad you got your Packers win!

Imagine a triathlon on this bike ?!?!

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
- Albert Einstein

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race."
- H.G. Wells

"...I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing."
- Helen Keller

"Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it if you live."
- Mark Twain

"If constellations had been named in the 20th century, I suppose we would see bicycles."
- Carl Sagan

"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world."
- Susan B. Anthony

"Chasing records doesn't keep me on my bike. Happiness does."
- Lance Armstrong

"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
- John F. Kennedy

Ignore your voice of judgement for a moment today and live like a child

Havana, Cuba 2004

Katie Ann Czerwinski

Considering my blog is about daily intentions, capturing aw-ha moments and reflecting on the events around me, I decided to take an extra few minutes this morning to write about my sister Katie- after all she is a guiding light behind my daily intentions.

When I was 5 years old, Katie Ann Czerwinski joined our family and made me a proud big sister. We shared a pink flower room filled with dolls and princess toys. At the time, I didn't understand that Katie had a serious health diagnosis and her routine tube feedings and our trips to the hospital had been normalized. Despite overhearing that Katie might never be able to walk or talk, my own childhood innocence prevented me from seeing Katie as handicapped. My brother Dave and I treated her like any siblings would- I remember on Saturday mornings we used prop her up in the bean bag chair to watch the Price is Right with us and we even dressed her up for Halloween as a little California Raisin.

Twenty-one years ago today, February 3rd, my brother and I were staying at my Aunt Amy's house for the night and our parents had planned a big Cheap Skate Birthday party for the following morning. Feb. 3rd was exactly half way between my birthday and my brother's birthday so it was going to be a joint roller skating bash. However, that morning at 3 am we did not wake up to balloons but rather the sad news that Katie had died in her sleep. I clearly remember that moment and the image of tears in my parents eyes.

Years later, I still reflect on Katie's life but its not centered around her death or the sadness. Sometimes...I catch myself wondering what it would be like today to still have a sister. I see the joys of sisterhood around me- sharing clothes, dating stories and all of the wonderful moments reserved just for sisters and I can feel the loss. Then, I think about Katie's life, no longer from the perspective of a child, and realize that a life without the ability to walk, communicate or share emotions is not the quality of life I wanted for my sister. I am also reminded that despite Katie's "handicap" her life had more meaning and influence in her 2 years than most could have in a lifetime.

For me and I know for my family too, Katie's life continues to influence our daily intentions. My dad and I are runners and sometimes during our 5:45 am classes, I would thank god for the gift of running and for my inspirational father. My mom and I work with families struggling for various reasons and our empathy, compassion and drive to make change is guided by Katie and the strength she gave us. My four Brothers, Dave, Billy, Matt and John, get together as often as possible and while playing football in the lake or downhill skiing, I take a step back and thank god for 4 brothers that bring so much love and joy into my life.

On days like today, as I plan my agenda, I think of ways I can honor Katie's life. Today, I will keep a lookout for someone who needs a smile, a laugh or a hug. I will work with compassion and purpose. My daily intention February 3rd 2011 is to honor Katie Ann Czerwinski by counting my blessings and using them to their fullest.