Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I will admit that right now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the tasks that lie ahead. There are papers, presentations, exams, and projects galore right now. I think I will breathe a little better after I get through Discovery Day next Wednesday. Two Discovery Day projects at one time is a bit much when you are carrying a full load of classes--but all will be well soon. When I get overwhelmed with class work I think of the jungle. (1) Because I am grateful for the education I am able to receive. In the villages they do not usually have the opportunities of higher education. (2) Because in the village time and deadlines are not a problem. Their lives do not revolve around a watch--in fact, I never saw one watch or clock while I was there. Their life is simple. There are times I long for the simplicity that they have. Yes, they live hard lives for they have to physically work very hard to live and survive in the jungle, but there are no stresses of deadlines, no pressure to be the best. I asked the medicine woman what the average lifespan of a person in their village was. I was sure that it would be quite less than ours because of their lack of modern medicine and equipment. I, however, was quite suprised when I found out that the average age for women was 85 and for men it was in their 70s. MUCH higher than I had anticipated. I cannot help but wonder if it has to do something with the simplicity of their life. They do not have pressure to have the biggest and the best. They do not have deadlines and traffic and noise. They physically work hard everyday which would keep their heart healthy and I have to say that I would imagine their quiet and simple ways do a bit for the heart as well--not to mention their diet is much healthier than the typical American diet. It would be interesting to conduct some health studies down there to see if we could find any conclusions.

I was dreaming of the jungle today as I was studying for a big test I have in the morning. I was wishing I did not have meetings everyday, classes to be on time for, exams to worry about, and deadlines to meet. On one hand, it would be such a blessing--the quiet and actually being able to sit down and eat my meals would be amazing. But, on the other hand, how sad it would be not to be able to persue

my passions, to broaden my horizons. I am grateful for my time in the jungle, for when things get chaotic in the "jungle" of student life, I drift back for awhile and think of jumping off the cliffs with the village children and hearing nothing but the echoes of our laughter, canoeing alone down the Amazon and just being in nature, and staring at the starry sky in awe that the stars can be so bright--my heart beats a little softer and I breathe a little deeper. It seems that you can bring the jungle home with you, if you allow yourself to be carried away with the memories. I guess I have the best of both worlds; the opportunity for a wonderful education AND the experience and memories of the jungle to keep me going when time seems to be my enemy. How I would love to return to the jungle for some more time to make more memories---SOMEDAY I will! But for now, I must return to my study guide, go to my meetings, take my exams, and persue my dreams so someday I can share them with the chilren of the Chino village as we are once again jumping off the cliffs into the waters of the Amazon and our laughter echoes throughout the jungle.

Quote: Seems all too fitting right now! (Smile)

Picture: I took this while we were canoeing down the Tahyo River in the jungle. This boy was also canoeing...we talked with him for some time and played water frisbee back and forth between our canoes (quite tricky). He was peaceful and he was simple. He was a wonderful kid. I call this picture "River of Contemplation."