(One time, I held a blind baby duckling.)
Tomorrows the big day ladies and gents. And this time my adventures are taking me to Accra, Ghana. Who's excited besides me? I have the travel bug bad, and fervently I wait. If you know me, you know that I'm too busy to sit still very long, so this has really tested my patience. I am staying at my sweet Aunt Susan and Uncle Anthony's house in Long Island finding ways to keep myself busy. Lucky for me, adventures are attracted to me wherever I'm at so I have found ways to stay occupied. There was an interesting fluke with my Malaria pills yesterday (two days before leaving the country) that definitely raised my blood pressure a little, but it eventually worked itself out. But in the infrequently still moments I have found myself reminiscing on old escapades. My last large venture was to Barreras (a remote campos in the Dominican Republic) back in 2012. While living in that beautiful community for two months, I experienced slight starvation (speculated to be a worm), three inch exhaust burn (still a scar on my leg), and emergency surgery in Santo Domingo. As crazy as I'm describing my DR trip to be, it was actually one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. The people (Lala, Ellen, Lelenni, Ramon to just name a couple), the dancing, the food, and the overall day to day living had phenomenal moments of exhilaration for me. I would never trade that for anything. I absolutely fell in love with Barreras. And today as I begin to daydream of Africa it makes me wonder, how is Accra going to steal my heart?
So my family in New York and Utah have an ongoing joke. By ongoing, I mean that I cannot go a conversation without hearing it. "No wanna go to Ghana" they say to me over and over again. Variations of the phrase began ensuing... and it more or less became a chant. I'll preface by saying they are supportive and excited for me to do what I love. But they are not thrilled that my dream since getting accepted to NYU is to go to Africa. In the most endearing and slightly humorous way, they are letting me know they want me safely at home. But they also know that I will inevitably continue to go out into unknown territory and fall in love with the world.
I'm ready to go fall in love again. It's scary, but the world has proven to always love me back.
In one of the last Campamentos (summer workshop I put on for the ninos) before I left Barreras, each child painted their hands and pasted the hand-print onto a large piece of paper. Audry, a rambunctious kid who had thrown rocks at my campanera earlier that month, came and sat by me peacefully. As a large group, we talked a little bit about las derechas a los ninos. I can't remember if that week's theme was about equality or not, but I remember feeling a sense of togetherness and equality I have never since experienced. I cant even begin to describe it because it was out of this world. This is just one of the thousands of reasons I fell in love in the Dominican Republic.
Its not always easy to fall in love, believe me, I know. I have moved 23+ times in my 20 years of life and can honestly say I did not love every place I have lived. But I have learned a few things in the past few years about falling in love with where you live: Find ways to love something through and through, and eventually you will. Invest time and emotion for the long-haul and you can find a special place in your heart for any escapade. Its was not easy in the DR, but it will always be worth it.
So Ghana, here I come! Ready with a big heart, and a head open to the possibilities that await! I will try and update on those special moments I encounter along the way. But I also would LOVE to hear all of YOUR wonderful experiences where your at. So please. And I mean it, PLEASE send me letters about the moments of exhilaration you experience in the next few months.
Don't have contact information? Ask and ye shall receive:
Email: jll526@nyu.edu
Facebook: Jessica Lawrence
Skype: jlaulaw
Address:
Jessica Lawrence
PMB CT 84
Cantoments, Accra
Ghana
I can't wait to hear what is special in your life, because
it will be special to mine if you share... I PROMISE.
Take care now! xoxo
P.S. if you want to hear more about Moments of Exhilaration
look into Matthew Goulish, he's the bees knees.
“WE MAY AGREE on the premise that each work of art is at least in part perfect, while each critic is at least in part imperfect. We may then look to each work of art not for its faults and shortcomings, but for its moments of exhilaration, in an effort to bring our own imperfections into sympathetic vibration with these moments, and thus effect a creative change in ourselves. These moments will of course be somewhat subjective, and if we don’t see one immediately, we will out of respect look again, because each work contains at least one, even if by accident. We may look at the totality of the work in the light of this moment – whether it be a moment of humor or sadness, an overarching structural element, a mood, a personal association, a distraction, an honest error, anything that speaks to us.”
–Matthew Goulish, 39 Microlectures.
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