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 ~


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A beautiful feeling! Inside and out!




Ok so let me start out by saying sorry for not keeping up on my blog, I know it has been awhile. But where to start? I can't say that I have been up to too much (meaning crazy, incredible, outrageous things), but I can say that I have been and still am enjoying myself more then everrrrrr :) I have been a little stressed with school, just because we have a lot of tests and projects and so on at this moment, but at the end of this week I start a much needed spring break!

It is so wonderful to be in a place that I can feel so at home in, I was realizing that yes I will be going back to Seattle in less then 3 months time, but to be honest its hard to think about that, because I feel so comfortable here, so natural and at home. I will always remember the streets of Molde, the way to my school from home, the different ways of getting to friends houses and so on. Its such a cool feeling, and I feel so blessed to get to experience it. I have the hardest time excepting that I have nearly just 2 and a half months left in this incredible place, I don't want to talk about it to much, but the thought of leaving brings tears to my eyes. I love Molde, and everything and everyone here.

Last night I had a presentation on the U.S. with all the AFS people in Molde, it was a great experience to get to talk about my country, friends family and home in seattle. It was also a great experience to be able to describe, explain, and express myself all in Norwegian, and it was also nice to hear all the responses afterward :) they really boosted my confidence. I have really begun to feel confident in the language, there is a certain security I feel now that I can understand and speak the language fairly well. It is so nice to be able to sit and listen and converse with people, to laugh and make jokes with friends and family in a different language. It really is the best feeling to finally realize that if I just allow myself to feel confident, I can speak a new language without much to no effort. and I must say that it is sooooooooooooooooooo cool to think and dream in a different language!! That finally started happening only just a few weeks ago, and it was an amazing feeling! (of course after I am done writing this I will be thinking in English again, but its all good I'll get back to Norwegian in the mornin') ;)

I have always thought Molde was a beautiful place, but recently as spring is showing up it has become this completely new incredible stunning place, and I can even imagine what its going to look like in a month or so. I'll make sure to take many pictures over the next couple month, so that I can share the beauty with all of you!

Well I need to hit the sack, got a English exam in the mornin' so i need my sleep :p

Love to all, and hope all is well!

Pics!
(The Picture of Kaizer (dog) is from a walk we took today) was beautiful out today!

(The picture of the Fjord and the mountains in the background was from a ski day with my school) Wow! how it couldn't have been nice out!

(The cute picture of CC and her friend was from the first Molde Fotball klubb home game) was super awesome, even though it was just a tie 2-2 :)
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1 comment:

  1. Nina RhysApril 12, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Another WONDERFUL post my sweet son. I so enjoy reading your insights of your journey abroad. You do such a nice job of telling a story. I almost feel like I'm there with you.

    Enjoy these last few months. You are truly a blessing and I can't believe that you are almost 18!!!!

    I love you so very much,
    Mama

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