Running-into-each-other-Themes:

I’d thought that I’d begin this blog by sharing the horoscope that I read just after starting Pre-departure training with Engineers Without Borders Canada at the beginning of January. I know that many of you might not put too much credence towards horoscopes (and to those who read them), but please keep your sighs of exasperation at bay until you’ve actually finished reading it. For those of you who know me very well, you cannot deny its uncanny appropriateness to both my current situation and my previous struggles. It’s both strange and intriguing how something so generic could somehow describe my wishes, fears, and challenges for the following year, all within a single paragraph. So with that, I give you Rob Brezny’s reading for the first week of January 2006 (and his subsequent fire-lighting under my ass):

I’m hoping that in 2006 you will work your ass off with great ingenuity – not just at your job, but in every area of your life. Do you have it in you to break all your previous records for brilliant diligence? Are you willing to summon fierce discipline and crafty willpower not only to pump your career ambitions, but also to refine your approach to intimacy and increase your command over your own emotions? Are you finally ready to master all the excruciating but crucial details you’ve always avoided? If so, you could generate years’ worth of blessings.

Word!! And from there, where do I begin with this whole blog business?? Well, I think that part of the reason I’ve had such a hard time getting it started (apart from the lack of internet access and limited funds), is because I just haven’t had any clue about where to begin… SO much has happened since I started training almost 6 weeks ago, and as a result, it’s been really hard to nail down and articulate the thoughts and ideas before the experience has gone and mutated into something else. Because I’ve been experiencing so many ‘big’ things right after one another, they’ve all started to meld into one enormous experience...with numerous 'themes' turning into one gigantic mass of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. That said, I’ll try and do my best to compile a retrospective account of the past 6 week’s ebbs and flows...