DEDICATING THIS YEAR TO THE MEMORY OF MY GRANDFATHER STANLEY H. CROW &
THE ENDURING SPIRIT OF MY GRANDFATHER
FREDERICK O. LANPHEAR

To Be of Use

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
~ Marge Piercy ~


Thursday, May 6, 2010

My Birthday!




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Tuesday, May 4, 2010

This past week I received final confirmation for my travel to Norway. After being accepted, I found out that my application was so strong that all six Norwegian families in Molde had requested me as their choice of student. It was exciting to hear and I promise not to let it go to my head, but I have already chosen the Eikrem-Finnøy family, who I am very much looking forward to living with.

I have been in touch with my host sister Sunniva through Facebook and have been asking many questions regarding school, social activities and friends. I have also been getting to know a little more about her. She has told me many interesting things about the school i will be attending, which is the same school that she goes to. I'm pretty excited about starting classes there next year.

My Norwegian is progressing. My class has begun learning to translate minor sentences, reading short stories and learning more vocabulary. I'm also becoming familIar with the rules of the language. It was really exciting when i translated my first ten sentences with little help and it is amazing how much i am understanding in just a few weeks of class.

This last week I celebrated my 17th birthday. We went out and had a nice dinner and I got to spend time with my friends and family and then entered into my last year as a youth.
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