the end of life in the double walla

here we are, phil and i, studying hard, yes i can study with my eyes closed, i'm that good


Lance and I. Have you ever seen 2 people so good looking? it's hard to believe. i know. whoa.

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and I'm left with a feeling of restlessness (a constant un-motivation to do school work and a deep deep laziness when it comes to just about all things), but also thriving in terms of social enjoyment, not ready to leave behind relationships that have meant the world to me for the past 3 years, 10 months, 6 weeks, or 3 days. In other words, it'll be incredibly hard to be in a new environment with a language barrier and not a whole slew of interesting peers who think and act and dress and speak like me. But alas, new adventures are always exciting, interesting, and necessary for growth. I'm sure this experience will be life-changing, and definitely worth putting relationships aside for a year. Cambodia! I am coming.

This last Sunday, Phil and I studied at Whitman library. And to say that we "studied" would be a fallacy, because my day consisted of sitting on the couch and watching people and squirrels pass by on the lawn. Conversation with Phil is never dull either. It was graduation day at Whitman, which meant good catering, and I did my best with my mooching skills, as we faked guests of graduates, and piled up our plates with fresh fruit, chips and salsa, and wraps. As a poor college student, scrounging for food and change, this event was surely blog-worthy! At my nearly 5 hours at Whitman, I accomplished about 15 minutes of studying. The library closed at 5, I went back to school, ate dinner with Jessica, went to Spring Jam from 6-9pm, went to coffee with Brian, Eddie, Serena, and Jess from 9-10pm, talked to Aletha, Abby, and Tiffany about their trip to Portland and Ben Gibbard's acoustic show, timed how long we could hold ourselves above the ground between the two walls with Jessica, and finally started my studies at midnight, and stayed up til' 2:30am studying for a test I had at 9am the next morning.

I just finished it. I think it went okay.

angels in your angles

A year or so ago (because I’ll remember random and useless phrases you might tell me for years), Karlan told me he liked to eat food so spicy that it made his ears burn. A year or so later, and the day prior, I experienced this burning of the ears (and mouth) with a lot of jalapenos and hot sauce. I just have to say, the feeling of enjoyment is not mutual.

It’s nice to travel alone at times, when there is more motivation to find your own entertainment and acquaint yourself with interesting strangers. From Pasco to Salt Lake City I sat by a Polish scientist named Uric, who was traveling to Frankfurt, Germany on business. He laughed at my gift box wrapped in a world map, and ran his fingers along the map I covered with clear packaging tape and we reminisced on past travel. He was a seasoned traveler, and when I mentioned time spent in Southeast Asia, he spoke fondly of his business stays in Hong Kong, taking the ferry to Macau, and hoping to finish his project in time to present it in Singapore next month. And we both had an hour and a half layover, where we got coffee at the Crown Room with his membership. I am on my way to Southern University to see my brother, and am excited because I finished my 10-page research paper strangely fast. And I can't wait to see my bro and the fam and other cool people.

I finally narrowed down my student missionary opportunities, and we decided to apply at a school in Ponm Penh, Cambodia. It was sort of a stressful afternoon, because it’s rare to find two people co-existing with the exact same preferences and agendas in everything, and while my friend Liz and I promised to make decisions together, it did not mean that compromise would not be in order. We had a 1pm meeting to discuss our call, and we were at limbo. I preferred teaching in Cambodia, and she was favoring the idea of teaching in the island of Kosrae in Micronesia, and both were unsure of who should give up their own preference. We planned on getting together later than night to get a cup of coffee and talk about what was really on our hearts, but when I called to plan a meeting time, she said she had come upon a conclusion. I felt nervous that her convictions might differ from my own, and she is outspoken and stubborn and would not be afraid to fight for what she wanted. But to my surprise, she said she felt she was pushing too hard for Micronesia, and some factors, like time and money were just not working out, which she believed were a result of God's will becomming clear, and a process of God communicating His plans for our lives. Phil and Emily said I should count it a blessing and a gift of clarity from a force bigger than ourselves. It is true, everything just sort of fell into place. Praise God.