Seabrook Island

"Sometimes you never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

Before leaving on this vacation, I had never heard of Seabrook Island. It's about a 40 minute drive to Charleston on John's Island. The neighboring island is called Kiawah. Each island has private beaches, pools, restaurants and biking trails. The place we stayed at was like something out of a movie. It was beautiful in every way. We were able to watch dolphins, boats and sunsets from our balcony. We stayed on the marina which was very quiet and private. Now Seabrook Island holds a special place in my heart.

matching shorts

I was reunited with Fr. Jean Luc from St. Vincent

yum, ice cream! 

We spent the days cooking & grilling delicious food, being both pool and beach bums, riding our bikes to the market, exploring Charleston and just enjoying every moment we could as a family. We were able to see fireworks for the 4th of July and make s'mores on the grill. It's hard to put into words exactly how magical this week was. I will let the pictures tell the stories with unending smiles, laughter and priceless memories.

we found a sand dollar!

Sea brook Island private beach 

Exploring Charleston 

finished the puzzle 

fireworks for the 4th 

by far the best hipster restaurant 

craft beer!

In my previous post I mentioned time and how precious it is. This vacation was one of the best vacations ever because we were aware each and everyday of how precious our time together was. It gave us a whole new meaning and look on how we spent our time together. We didn't want to waste even a minute. Time has a way of showing us what really matters.

Thank you Lord for the vacation of a lifetime, cherished memories with the people I love the most and more blessings then I can count. 

This week was something I will hold on to during my hard times during my Peace Corps service. Each moment was better then the next.

A Southern Wedding

Besides getting to see my family, one of the main reasons I was flying home was to attend the wedding of my beloved friends: Anna & Blair. I met Anna while studying abroad in London and instantly her Southern charm won we over. But it wasn't just this charm. It's her heart, that is as pure as the first winter snow, which is full of unending generosity and selflessness. It shines bright in everything she does, and that adorable laugh that is like music to my ears. She has a passion for life that is hard to come by and most importantly she loves Christ above all else. What more could you want in a friend?

Although we were only together in London for a short time, we made lifelong memories from going to a crazy London disco, a boat ride on the Thames, snow ball fights with fellow Irish students, exploring countless museums together and even riding a camel on the beach in Morocco together. I can't help but laugh and smile when thinking about these memories. God puts people in our lives that will leave a permanent imprint on our hearts.

This sums up our friendship!

I had the opportunity to visit Anna twice in Georgia and that's when I was able to meet Blair. My first thought when meeting him was, "Are all Southern men as charming as him?!" He brings out a joy in Anna that makes her glow. He treats her like a queen and is also extremely generous, thoughtful and kind. I could not have imagined a better man for Anna to spend the rest of her life with.

My family was invited to the wedding which was a true blessing because it was more time that I was able to spend with them. We drove from Seabrook Island to Augusta for the big day. I had the honor of reading in the wedding.

Anna was glowing with happiness and who could not smile after seeing her red ruby slippers peak out from underneath her dress! There were off and on rain showers but I hear that's good luck for a marriage! I also enjoyed getting to see Anna's mom who I adore. She is seriously the sweetest person!

The ceremony was beautiful, the food was fabulous and the live band was fantastic. The best part of the wedding was getting to be reunited with my London friends are 3 years. That's right, it has been 3 whole years since I studied abroad and met these lifelong friends! Although we were apart for so long, when we are together it's like nothing has changed.

Finally reunited on US soil! 

I feel so incredibly blessed to share in this special day and I look forward to seeing the how Anna and Blair continue to deepen their love for each other through Christ. I am so lucky to have them as my friends and role models. I am also looking forward to another London reunion at Abby's wedding! She just recently got engaged over the 4th of July!

Love being reunited with Kaitlyn! 

Every Minute Counts

Kiawah Island before the storm 

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time given us." J. R. R. Tolkien 

There are things life that we take for granted: health, stability, clean drinking water. My list could go on and on. What crosses my mind when I think of this statement is time. It is something you can never put a price on and something you can never get back or get more of. If there is one thing that I take away from my Peace Corps experience, it's an appreciation for time.

As I think back to Summer 2014, it was the best summer of my life. Yes I typically was working 50+ hours a week so I would have savings so I could pay my student loans while serving in PC but that doesn't even cross my mind. What crosses my mind is the memories I made and shared with the people that mean the most to me. Since my family knew I was leaving in only a few short months, even weeks, we made the best of everyday. From making sure we all ate dinner together, to regularly making s'mores and enjoying the stars, to all taking taking a trip to the grocery store so that it was more minutes we had as a family. This may seem like so long ago, but for me it is etched in my memory like it was just yesterday.

Fast forward 10 months. 10 months in Peace Corps is both a long time and short time. I realize I have 18 months left and so much more to do but it also means I have almost completed a whole year of service. Time here is strange. It moves fast yet so slow at the same time. Winter seemed to drag on but spring flew by in the blink of an eye. It also seemed like an eternity since I had been sharing family dinners and making s'mores with my family.

Reunited for my first American meal 

The time had finally come for me to travel back to the good old USA. My friends Anna and Blair were getting married in Augusta and my family and I would be driving down to the wedding. After a long flight, I finally landed on US soil and a huge smile appeared on my face. My grandfather was waiting for me at the airport and we headed straight to my favorite restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory!!! I had my first taste of American food and ate way too much. My parents and brother met us at the restaurant and hugging them didn't seem real. I couldn't stop smiling.

look at that s'mores cheesecake! 

Coming home had a different feeling then ever before. I was seeing America through a different lens. The first thing I noticed was the humidity. It may get very hot in Macedonia (it's currently 103 F) but there is no humidity here. I also was excited to see how green everything was, with the trees and bushes lining the roads. And of course the air conditioning everywhere!

Home Sweet Home 

Once reaching Elverson, it was such a strange feeling. Nothing had changed, the elementary center looked the same, all of the houses looked exactly as I remembered them, even my own house. I guess not much really changes in 10 months but so much had changed inside of me that I was expecting everything to be different. This really made me think of PC and Macedonia. I thought, I can't imagine not doing or finishing PC because everything is still the same here and will be waiting for me once I am ready to return. As hard as I knew it would be to return, I want and desire so much more then Elverson has to offer.

My time home flew by. I was able to get a haircut, go to the dentist, go to the grocery store (so many options!) and spend time with my Grandmother.

We had a family barbecue so that I could see some of my close family and friends. I even got to spend time with my dog!

 Mad Elf Craft Beer and S'mores

We made s'mores, ice cream cake, fajitas, guacamole, drank craft beer and so much more. Oh and of course I enjoyed sleeping in my own bed. I enjoyed snuggling on the couch with my parents, enjoying family meals and talking on the phone with them whenever I wanted. This time together was a gift, something I wasn't even sure would happen. Each moment together was a gift and something to be cherished.

Look at this vegetable board, a vegetarians dream!

In the blink of an eye, it was time to pack up the car, say goodbye to Riley (which was incredibly hard) and Elverson and we embarked on our 12 hour drive to Seabrook Island in South Carolina. Elverson will always hold a special place in my heart. Until next time Elverson.

Look for my next blog posts that continue capturing my time in America 

A Second Chance

In my previous blog post, you read about the cancelled Skopje marathon. It was upsetting having the race cancelled but if you know me, I wouldn't let this hold me back from running my marathon.

The weekend after the marathon, Sunday May 17th, there was a marathon in Bulgaria. One of my fellow runner friends informed me of this race. I quickly figured out transportation plans and was ready to run in the race. It seemed perfect that I wouldn't have to travel so far for a race. As the week progressed, it became evident that I would not be allowed to go to the race.

On May 17, a massive protest was planned in Skopje and Peace Corps wanted all volunteers in their houses in case anything happened. Once again, I was really upset but I wasn't giving up. I began researching all the upcoming marathons. This wasn't easy because we are nearing the end of marathon season with summer coming and most of the other marathons in neighboring countries had already happened.

I found races in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Switzerland and Croatia. The last 3 would be pretty hard to get to since there were no direct flights and also very expensive. As a volunteer, we are only given a limited amount of vacation days and I didn't want to waste so many just to travel to a race.

A fellow volunteer told me that I could fly directly from Skopje to Malmo, Sweden and then take a 30 minute train ride to Copenhagen. I decided this was the best option and booked my plane ticket and registered for the race for May 24.

Town square

Architecture in Malmo

I was going alone and nervous about how everything would work out but God continued to bless me throughout my journey.

The most famous building in Malmo because of the architecture

I was able to spend some time exploring Malmo. I stumbled upon the international food fair when I spotted American flags in the distance and went to investigate. I also stumbled upon a feminist gathering in the park. They had free food which including a delicious pasta salad, so much hummus, homemade bread and Swedish desserts. To say I was excited was an understatement.

Free food in the park!

I took the train to Copenhagen and this city has become my second favorite city I have traveled to (after London of course). There is something about Scandinavia that is so memorizing to me. Maybe it's the untouched beauty around every corner, or how eco-friendly they are in every aspect and the food that looks and tastes so incredibly fresh, or maybe it's the people who were willing to help me when I was lost. Or maybe it's that everyone bikes everywhere; the bike lanes are unbelievable and there are even traffic signals to learn when biking. Also the architecture is unlike anything I have ever seen; with bright colors, glass windows and unique shaped buildings. It's as if this part of the world is years ahead of America in so many ways. I know this may sound silly but I walked into a park and they had a trampoline and parents were letting their kids jump on it without fear of breaking a bone! School parks had the neatest playground equipment and are lined with cedar fences with glass cutouts so you can look through at different points.

Park at a Swedish School

Trampoline in the park!

 And did I mention that almost everyone speaks English? This was such a change compared to Macedonia! One thing though is that I sure did not pack well for the chilly weather. I was freezing!

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting up with a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) who served in Honduras. Did I mention that he is a really great cook?! It was really great getting to share our Peace Corps experiences. He is even from Philly. What a small world! He showed me around Copenhagen and even lent me his spare bike. I got my wish of getting to bike in Copenhagen!

Copenhagen Tower

Although the biking didn't turn out so well. Some lady crashed into me and I went flying off the bike. I had a really bad landing and was scrapped up pretty badly. It figures this happens the day before the race. I was pretty embarrassed, bloody and in a lot of pain! We then went and saw Carnival, yes the Brazilian carnival Copenhagen style. It was pretty interesting. I got to meet his local friends while walking around the beautiful city.

Dunkin Donuts!

biking lanes!

Sunday morning, I was up early for the race. I was still in shock that I was actually running the race. It still didn't seem real. I hopped on the metro and it was full of runners in their race gear. I could feel the energy in the air and with each stop, we picked up more and more runners. Upon arriving at the metro stop for the race, I just followed the crowd until we got to the race entrance. There were changing rooms and showers set up (yes showers in tents!), bag storage, first aid and water stations. I stretched and waited to the last minute to use the bathroom and drop of my bags. They even had ponchos to keep us warm after dropping our bags off!

A friend of mine had a great idea to safety pin energy gels to the inside of your shorts so I wouldn't have to hold them while I run. This was brilliant and it worked so well. My parents sent me gels from the US since they don't exist in Macedonia.

There were water stations with gatorade all along the coarse and every other water station had oranges and bananas. This fruit was a life saver and I don't know how I would have finished the race without it.

At 9:30 am, the race began. There were runners as pace guides and they had big balloons tied to their backs with the end goal time. They made an announcement before the race started that 30% of the runners were international. I am sure most were from Finland or Sweden but I did see runners from all over the world including England, Taiwan, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the USA. I started with the 3:30 group since that was my goal. The whistle blew and we were off. The 36th annual Copenhagen Marathon had begun!!

Pre-race!

I could not believe how many fans came out to support the race. During the whole entire race, there were people everywhere, holding signs and cheering. It was so encouraging and uplifting. The weather was perfect, I was really worried about it being too cold but in the end, I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was about 55 degrees. It was a beautiful city to run in and I never got bored during the race. I think running the Skopje course twice would have been pretty tough mentally.

I started way out too slow in fear of using all my energy and just before the half way point, the 3:40 group passed me at a water station. I was upset but this only motivated me more. I kicked it up into high gear and raced my heart out. The second half of the race was better then the first. I felt so incredibly great, never hitting "the wall" that many marathoners hit once reaching mile 20. My body felt great although at around the 38 kilometer mark, my hips were killing me.

The last 2 kilometers, I ran with everything I had in me. Joy, excitement, relief to name a few of the emotions that came with crossing that finish line with a time of 3:38:40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I was 24th in my age group out of 250 runners!!

Marathon complete!

Splits 

Once crossing the finish line, they had people putting ponchos on everyone to keep us warm and they gave us water bottles. There were plenty of snacks to refuel on like yogurt, cinnamon buns, hot chocolate and even beer! My stomach was too upset to try the beer but I thought it was pretty hilarious to have that after the race!

Care for a post marathon beer 

Although I didn't get my goal time, I was still really pleased. I think if I ran the race in Macedonia, I may have gotten a better time since I didn't need to fly, I could eat my typical foods and sleep in my own bed but I will never know. I dedicated each of the 26 miles to a special person who supported me. Looking back at my training, I think of all challenges I faced: having the Skopje marathon cancelled 4 hours before it started, running in a country where running is not typical which came with unending starting, cat calls and comments, there is a lack of food options for a vegetarian (they barely exist here, now imagine being a vegetarian and runner!), getting bit by a dog, getting my running shoes stolen and crazy blood blisters on my toes. These are just a few of the challenges but they helped make me not only a better runner but a stronger person.


I can now officially say I am a marathoner!!