em & em: August 2007

Highlights of Toronto

Here's some highlights on my first weekend living in (ugh) Toronto:

Falling off my bike while traveling on Yonge street and having my cucumber roll out in front of some walking ladies
Getting hit on by a teenager
Finding an amazing trail that reminds me of the Bruce Trail and that allows me to feel like I'm completely out of the city
Walking and trying to say hi to people who look straight ahead and pretend you don't exist
Being surrounded by Asian people and feeling really tall
Hearing many different languages and having deja vu to the DR
Setting up my classroom and feeling nervous about the upcoming school year
Seeing the moon shining brightly while searching for stars that apparently only exist in airplane form in the city

And the feeling that everything around me is meaningless and a chasing after the wind (pulled out of context but it's the best way to express what I'm feeling). What the heck is the purpose of life in all of this hustle-bustle and materialism? I know that we are meant to glorify and worship God but everything around me seems so purposeless - like there's no direction.

Church Camp

Check out my lastest beach volleyball move....

A whole 18 inch move.... I'm just really glad that I was wearing my bathingsuit at the time!

Dominican Republic Pictures - those saved from my wrecked camera

My favourite church view ever.

One of the two mountain ranges in which I lived between.

The view from my backyard.

Dominican men loved to show-off their swimming ability in undies.

Trekking through trails.

Scenery.

Children from Kids' Alive Program

I get to spend a morning with children who were in the Kids' Alive Program. This Program goes and finds the poorest students and helps them further their education.

These kids were hilarious. They were loud, rambunctious, energetic, and fun. They did everything with enthusiasm and gusto....beads, paint went everywhere. But they had fun.

Climbing up Pine Forest

This mountain is called Pine Forest.

This is Liz. We climbed up Pine Forest together via the stream. It was so much fun climbing over rocks, waterfalls, and branches. A new form of bouldering.

Clouds rolling over the mountains - took my breathe away.

View from up top of the mountain.

The town I lived in - Jarabacoa.

Victory amongst the mud and sweat.

Common sights in DR - fruit everywhere. We have street meat, they have street fruit.

On the Move

I've been all over this summer and have met so many amazing and beautiful people. I really am blessed but frusturated that these people aren't in my life for longer periods of time. I'm ready to stay in one place and start building longer-term relationships again.