In the loving memory of someone who showed me to work hard, to fight
for what you believe in, to never give up and to keep on smiling…
To be or not be...
Can you BE extremely happy and
BE extremely sad at the same time? Can
emotions overlap in your heart and leave you confuse and questioning the true
meaning of “to be or not to be”?
Again, being able to truly describe being here is a challenge. Being a Peace Corps Volunteers is a challenge
in every way. By that I mean that
everything that happens to us, is often maximize and very extreme. So when I am sad, I am extremely sad and when
happy I am on a high…on cloud 7.
My last update was in July and since then, I have been in and out of
things. Things that has left me
speechless and things that have taken my breath away. I often try to remind myself to remember.
Remember how beautiful the sunset looks over the Kavango River. Remember how Owamboland looks like an oasis
full of Palm trees amongst a mass of water and desert sand. Remember the smell of the first rain of the
season. Remember the smell of the rain
on the mahangu stalk. Remember the laugh
of your neighbor’s adorable son and the birds chirping in the morning. Remember how the cool morning breeze caresses
your skin after a long hot night.
These are only a small fraction of the things that I absolutely love
about Namibia…yes love. I am in love, in
love with the land of my ancestors that I longed to know. The land that has welcomed me in so many ways
and that has opened its arms to me...mother land that opened up her heart and home to me despite her struggle. What more can I ask for? Can I continue to be mad at the world when things
don’t go my way or when someone rubs me the wrong way? Can I overlook the fact that in any village,
country, continent that you are in, you encounter situations and people that
are just too much? But do we give up and
do we forget the beauties that that village, country and continent offered to
us? I don’t think so, I won’t subject
myself to creating animosity towards a place just because of incidences that
may have happened. In life there are
struggles and pain but for every struggle and for everything that causes pain,
there are even more and greater things that triggers happiness in our lives and
in our hearts which in turns develops love…unconditional love. So let’s try to remember everything that
triggers this happiness and love in our hearts.
That is what I want to live for.
I want to grow from the pain and learn from my struggles but most of all
I want to remember every single moment that makes my heart smile.
September 24th 2011 was a day that I was looking forward to
for a long time. It has been a special
day in my life especially for the past 12 years. This day is a special day in my family as we
celebrate the life of our grandmother who is in her 90’s and of our precious
little baby Chloe who is just growing way too fast for me lol. This year, it also marked the beginning and
continuance of true love between my great
friend Melissa and her now husband
Joel. So you see September 24th
creates a burst of joy and happiness for me but life always throws your curves
balls when you least expect it. I have to try to
always remind myself that in life everything has a beginning also has an end, and as
much as we do not want the end to come we have to force ourselves to accept it. With that said September 24th also
now represents something else. A day
that my heart was full of happiness and sadness. Wedding and a funeral: How can you deal with
being so far away from home and loved ones when two extreme things are
happening? As I am typing this, I
realized that I did deal with this and I’ve dealt with it the best way I knew
how to. You can’t expect life to be
sweet and peachy all the time but you can expect that the day will go on; the
sun will set…the sun will rise and tomorrow will be a better day. You realize that you just have to let the
tears down, free your heart and soul of this untouchable pain that can leave
you in agony. You remind yourself that
in life you have to remember and hold on to everything that brings your
joy. Do not forget the struggles and the
pain, they make us understand ourselves better, they help us grow but don’t
hold on to them because you will not be able to live with the beauty of
memories and of the present. In so
September 24th of this year brought on two more things for me but I
choose to let the joyous events outshine.
My dear friend Chantale does not deserved to be remembered just by that
day. My years in college were brighten
up by her smile and her ambition. Her
kindness and willingness to help taught me quality life lessons that has helped
me be a better person. Our endless hours
of dancing outside of the reitz, our trips around FL, and the amazing memories
we created through the Club Creole family is what I will hold on to. Without those times with you Chantoutou I
would not have been who I am, I wish I wish I wish to tell you this in person,
I hoped you knew and I hope you know now, and I also hope that all my other
friends and family know that they are also are part of my heart.
I may not have a typical life
(who does anyway) with a typical family, typical job or typical romance
endeavors but what I do know is that I am blessed and lucky in the sense that I
have the most amazing family and friends that are special to me in their own
way. Somebody once thanked me for my support after
a hard time for them but then asked me:
“ Peggy, who supports you, who helps you, who does what you do for me?”
and at that time I dint know how to really say but today I know that every
single one of my friends and members of my family has molded me and shaped me
into the person I am today. I owe
everything to you…yes you. Every day of
my life here in Namibia you help me to just keep on keeping on.
So thank you.
See below for a series of pictures to see how I am doing and what I have been up to....
Jack Jack Jackie dancing with the kids :)
@ Emily and Desmund's wedding :)
Beautiful beyond words, had an amazing time to say the least!
Meme, Tate Kulu Spence and I :)
Thanks for visiting and reading my blog, hope you enjoy the pics miss you thikuma :)
xoxo Peggy
OMGosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this!!!! You've just reminded me of the value of life and of memories. We often take for granted our memories, but they are the roots of life. Peggy, thank you for taking the time to update me on your life. It is always a true Blessing to have you in my life. You are simply a superb friend, I only pray that I have been as such to you. Loves ya!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Peggy! I am going to hang on to that one for sure. Man, it really makes me miss you, though, especially for those kinds of messages you always give to focus on the joy in life. You've got a gift for that and thank you so so much for sharing it with me and everyone you come across. Thanks for sharing the photos as well. As for me, I'm doing great, I got a job that I'll start in December in Utah for a wilderness therapy program. It's kind of a dream job for me :) Love you and miss you so much!
ReplyDeletepeggy this was such a beautiful post! its sooooo well written and It feels like I knew Namibia on a personal and intimate level. You're such an inspiration and this put sucha warm glow in my heart. Awesome post babe, keep it up. Oh and ps, the beets look like hearts in a pot, soo disturbing, lol!
ReplyDelete