update

For New Year´s We went out dancing and toasted champagne. Dakar which is a famous car race throughout the world was right in our backyard, so we got to check out all the cars, motos, trucks and quatrimotos. The race lasts 20 days and started in Lima and finished in Argentina, 4 drivers died. It was super intense, and I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to ride on uncharted terriotory through the desert for 20 days. It was pretty neat to see. Then I finally learned how to surf, it only took me 3 tries to get up on the board and ride the wave. I really enjoyed the high you get riding the waves. It was kind of like the first time I learned how to stand up on a snowboard. But way more work I really respect more surfers and how physically demanding of a sport it is. We celebrated Joel´s 35 birthday going out to dinner with his sister and brother in law, I bought him new boxing gloves from thailand. And because during the summer time the office hours end at 12pm on Fridays I spent the majority of weekends out on the beach with my coworkers. Nothing overly exciting has been going on with my volunteers. Though we have been doing some staff development trainings in the office which have been interesting. Joel went to fight in Brasil, unfortunately he did not win but it was a huge deal and opened doors to future oportunities. I continue to train 3 days a week and have started somewhat of a movement. We now have 10 other girls who started to train as well, and each week another girl comes. I think that we are going to develop this sport and finally have some competition of girls. Last night, history was made as Ronda Ramsey and Liz Komuch fighting in the UFC for the first time women fighting in the UFC and even more exciting as the main event. This is an opportunity and an advance in the sport and serves as a motivation to keep training. In Febraury more beach time and going out dancing. Lots of meetings in work making plans for the next 2 years of work. On the weekends we have been taking care our pitbull Leya. She is beautiful and 2 years old. We are teaching her how to play frisbee which some days she does very well and other days she just wants to eat it. Life has been pretty relaxed in the last 2 months. We hosted a seminar where one of the most famous coaches in MMA came from Brasil and did a 5 hour training. It was well organized and had a good turn out. I participated as well and it was really incredible to learn from someone with so much experience and talent. Him and his wife were lovely people and it was reassuring to see a couple that had made an empire of gyms and a life out of training fighters. I have decided to finish sooner my service and will be back stateside for 4th of July, some birthdays and for Liz´s wedding on the 21st. I will head back to Peru no longer a volunteer as of August. It is weird to think that I will no longer be part of this organization and at the same time I feel that my passion has started to wain in the presence of inadequate, short sighted, spineless leadership. It is also terrifying to not have that safety nedt and security of what you are doing and having someone else tell you what to do, when and how to do it. But I continue to try to respect that the future is the present. So that my anxiety does not consume me and prevent me from enjoying all the good things that are happening in the present.
For 2013 I suppose my goals have much to do with these really cool messages that I have been finding painted on walls in the streets or in restaurants and cafes.The 7 advices of Rumi:
1)Be like the river in generosity and helping others
2) Be like the sun in compassion and grace
3) Be like the night in concealing others faults
4) Be like the dead in anger and fury
5) Be like the soil in modesty and humility
6) Be like the ocean in tolerance
7) Either you appear as you are or be as you appear
These seem like really solid concepts to live life by and to bring you happiness.