Saturday, September 22, 2012

Back to Real Life

The tour's over and the kids are gone. What an adjustment it's been to settle into a new area, adjust to the quiet of life without 16 of the best kids in the world, acquaint myself with my surroundings and look for a job. Job hunting. Everyone's favorite thing to do.

But it's time. And right now there are plenty of jobs to be had. Temporary design jobs, part time seasonal work, restaurants, grocery stores, they're everywhere. But the question I keep getting asked is this: what kind of job do I want? And that's the question that is hardest to answer. I want a job that will pay me... which is almost every job. I want a job with enough hours to pay my bills. Does anyone know of a graphic designer in Seattle who is hiring? No? I thought not.


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

How can it be August?

I don't know what happened. My last blog post happened a month ago, so where has the last month gone? It was a whirlwind of travel, travel, choir stuff, more travel, and... oh yeah, travel. Today, August 1st, we're on a 10-hour road trip north from Boise to Sandpoint, Idaho. Yes, Idaho. In the past I've only driven through Idaho on I-84 and I-90. There's a whole lot of open space between cities and towns. This year I've seen much more of the state – the fun downtown of Boise, the Sun Valley Ice Show, the top of a mountain, the start of a forest fire. That's been the last three weeks, and we've still got a week or two to go!

We're winding down the tour, and the question that has begun to form in the back of all of our heads is this: what are we going to do next? I plan to stay in the Seattle area, which means finding a job and a place to live. And did I mention I haven't hardly begun to look? I've got a portfolio to put together and a resumé to put together, and I haven't gotten past thinking about it. And there's been barely enough time for that!

The good news is, God has everything in control. I've had no time to think of these things (Hello, I'm on the road! Late nights and early mornings aren't great for getting stuff done outside of work!), so all I can do is trust that opportunities will arise, that the things which are out of my control will fall into place. As I write this I'm beginning to go into mini-panic mode which doesn't help things at all. After all, I'm stuck in the back of a van on a windy road in the Sawtooth Mountains, with limited internet access. Better to sleep then get carsick with worry over this whole thing. But I can start thinking. Look for my portfolio in the next month. It's gonna be here!

Beth


Thursday, July 19, 2012

July 19 • Sun Valley, Idaho

I'm sitting in Starbucks while the children of Matsiko prepare for their next performance at Ketchum Town Square here in Idaho's Sun Valley. We arrived on Monday to mountain hiking and beautiful, sunny weather. This place is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, with hiking, biking, skiing, and paragliding around every corner. The town of Ketchum reminds me so much of Cannon Beach, drawing the same outdoorsy, laid back people, keeping out the chain stores (except Starbucks) in favor of small, local business.

The tour is going well, and we only have a few more weeks until we arrive back in Washington. Sun Valley, Boise, & Sandpoint, ID; Spokane & Cle Elum, WA and then, at last, Seattle!


Saturday, June 30, 2012

A Brother's Wedding

My youngest brother Nate got married yesterday. Kate, Mark & I took a few days off from Matiko to come home early and celebrate. An outdoor wedding at 100° F kept everyone in the shade, but the hour-long ceremony was over before I knew it. Matsiko arrived in town to perform at the reception, which brought tears to my eyes... after 4 days I missed my kids!!! Everyone was invited and I had many quick hellos with people I've known forever. It is good to be home, great to welcome Abbie to the Ritta clan, and amazing to see friends gather for a great occasion. Below are some pictures of the wedding week. Enjoy.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

"The Cities", June 23-24

The choir has arrived in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. We've had a great few days swimming, hula hooping, roasting S'mores, and performing. The choir performed the National Anthem at the Lynx WNBA game on Saturday. The league was celebrating the 40th anniversary of Title 9, the law Richard Nixon signed which guaranteed funding for girls sports in public schools. As a high school athlete, I realize the significance of this law (not everyone on the team did) and I appreciate it for what it provides for girls all over this country. Sometimes women's rights can be taken too far, but I believe in this case the Title 9 is right on the money (see Tshirt below for actual wording).

Friday, June 22, 2012

Eirin Asked for Pictures...

My good friend Eirin asked for pictures to go with my blog posts ... Here you go!! These are from our week in St Louis, everything from The Magic House, City Museum, the Art Museum, a Cardinals game... we did it all!!

The Math Tutor

I have become the main math tutor on this tour. The choir kids range in age from 8 to 16, and are in grades 1 to 11. With two different countries represented (Liberia & Peru) we also have two different languages (English & Spanish) and two different styles of learning. I've been brushing up on my math skills for some time now, covering everything from Base 4, to dividing "backwards", to adding sets of numbers (as seen below), often with limited assistance from the book. But at least I speak & read both languages! And I've got a brother who is studying to be an Architectural Engineer. Just text him a picture of an "unsolvable" problem, and voila! He (almost always) gets it right!!

Friday, June 22

The time with Matsiko has been flying. In three days Mark & I will head back to Nebraska to prepare for my brother's wedding which takes place a week from today. In one week my little brother Nate – the 4-year-old kid who used to crawl in bed with me back when I was in high school – will be a married man. I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around it, although with all things Matsiko I haven't really had to think about it much. If it doesn't sink in at the wedding, I'm sure it will once we get done with tour in September.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Late nights in Atlanta, Georgia

The deep south. This year Matsiko World Orphan Choir made their first trip to Atlanta, and I get to be a part of that. We have come face to face with the beauty, family values, and hospitality which make up my expectations of the Deep South. Atlanta is a beautiful city, situated amid hills, forests, and old plantations. Daily we drive past Peachtree Industrial Road. Every time I picture Scarlett O'Hara walking along Peachtree Lane (??) in <i>Gone With the Wind</i>. I've heard so much about the South in my lifetime, even attending college in NW Arkansas, but this is my first actual visit to the southern corner of the United States.

The Matsiko kids are loving our stay here. After 2 weeks sleeping all together on the floors of churches it is nice to take a break from each other and stay with host families once again. I love my team, but I greatly value my time "alone" when it's just me, my girls, and our host families. My girls and I have had a pool party, two evenings filled with movie-watching, and more food than we can handle, and we've loved every minute of it. And there are still 2 nights left!

Tomorrow morning we head out early for 2 performances at a summer camp & the Centennial Olympic Park. Lunch will follow at a delicious pizza place, and the afternoon should once again end early. And then on Wednesday, our last day in Atlanta, we will be having a "Lake Day" followed by dinner in downtown Atlanta with all of the host families. I've only heard murmurings, but it sounds like it's going to be spectactular.

Thursday morning we leave for Nashville, Tennessee, another place to which I have never been, and from there back to the midwest. I think we all have begun the countdown until the end. Not that any of us want to say goodbye to the kids, but 9 months on the road is a very. long. time. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we slowly begin preparations for the end of the tour. Some people will be going back for a second tour, some will be going back to old jobs or finding new ones. We will eventually separate our paths, but until that day, pray also for safety and understanding on this long, long journey. I think all of us are ready for a week-long nap.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

On the Homeward Trail

It's been a crazy 6 months with Matsiko World Orphan Choir. We've been through Oregon, California, New Mexico and Arizona, and spent the last 2 weeks in Texas. Today, we're on the road from small town Hemphill to the big city that is Dallas. Along the way we've met tons of great people, had lots of wonderful laughs, hit a few rough spots, and then laughed some more. We've grown close to our team of 13 orphaned and at-risk children from Liberia & Peru, as well as to the staff that represent 5 different countries and cultures. From cold winter of the Pacific Northwest, to sunny (but not quite warm) southern California, to the 100-degree dessert around Phoenix, to the amazingly warm Gulf of Mexico and the rolling tree-covered hills of east Texas... we've been everywhere. There have been tearful goodbyes and joyous hellos as we move from place to place, from family to family. And most of all, we have seen the hand of God at work. The choir has performed in all kinds of churches, schools, and community events, and met people from all walks of life. Prejudices have fallen as we've seen inside the lives of rich and poor, from staying in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment converted from a storage space to a sprawling mansion with pool, in-ground trampoline and putting green. We have met people from every walk of life and from all corners of the world as we have made our way slowly around the country.

And now we're on the homeward trail. Each day that passes brings us one day closer to the end. Occasionally the kids begin to talk about this, but no one wants to face the reality that in less than 4 months we will be saying goodbye to these people who have become family to us. Sofia, the absolute definition of "not a morning person" who is always seeking to be different. Jennifer, the girl with the voice of a 30-year old professional singer. Jessica, the sweet one, but the one you've probably got to watch the most. Zulmira, the crazy one. Ruth, the full-energy dancer. Alvina, the youngest and sweetest. Sarah, the one who has declared she's a "Big Woman." Alonso, the energetic, super-athletic, absent-minded one. Julio, the quiet one who is always picking on someone just for the attention. Prince, the oldest and leader of the team. William, the drummer and the one who remembers everyone's name. Ezekiel, the good kid that just wants to play. Each has his or her own place in our hearts, and in the hearts of those we have met along the way. The kids have not forgotten a single face, and they will always remember this year's amazing tour through the United States.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tuesday, January 17

Where has the month of January gone? We have been in Bend, Oregon for most of this month with 2-3 performances scheduled every day. Today, at last I had my break, my much longed for "day off" – Luciana was sick in the night, and I volunteered to stay home with her, and in the process get some work done on my computer. I spent most of the morning working while Luciana slept, then helped her start a movie this afternoon, then took a nap myself for an hour. And now... well, I'm ready to go back. She still has some stomach pain, but hasn't vomited since 4:30 this morning, and she kept down all the food she ate today. Pray for her health. I'm afraid that if the pain in her abdomen doesn't go away we may be taking her in for appendicitis. It's weird, she's not vomiting, she doesn't have a fever, and she's not tired, but her stomach hurts as much now as it did this morning when she got up... and much less than when she was writhing in pain on the floor trying to fend off the vomit. Any doctors out there know a possible prognosis?

We are currently in Prineville, a town of 9,000 in the western foothills of the Cascades. They've predicted 11 inches of snow tonight, and a major storm in the mountain passes – which is exactly where we are heading Thursday on our way to Portland. We'll be in Portland for a week beginning Thursday night, then head down to southern Oregon, and we'll be in Northern California before the month is out. The way time flies around here that's not much time at all.

I'm greatly looking forward to the day we reach the heat of Southern California and I can shed my winter clothes until the year is through. The kids are looking forward to reaching warmer weather, as well.

Tomorrow morning we perform in a school at 9:45am and at our host church at 6:45pm, leaving the afternoon free... I hope we can finally start school! Everything's crazy around here, and much more involved than I ever could have imagined. But I love it all, and I love the crazy leaders and choir kids that I am blessed to spend my days with. Three months ago I was bored beyond belief and looking for a change, a way to get involved. Well, I've found it. I may never get any work done, but I love every minute of it!!


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Wednesday, January 4


We're on our way!

Early Monday morning we met up for the final time in Washington. It was the day after New Year's Day, and let me tell you, it seems like it was a week ago already! Our 3-van caravan headed south down I-5 with plans to arrive in Bend, Oregon in the late afternoon. I would say mid-afternoon, but we were scheduled to be here for dinner between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., and it gets dark around here way before that time.

This was our first day of long travel, and we did relatively well getting everyone in and out of single-restroom gas stations at our various stops. We slipped and slid over the base of Mt Hood as we made our way into the high desert that is central Oregon.

It's beautiful here - mountains tower to the west while barren, rolling hills surround us. For our first week on the road we are all staying at a Catholic camp about 30 minutes outside of Bend. Comfortable beds, beautifully paved & graded walking paths, and the magnificence of creation surround us at this spiritual retreat. And did I mention the sun? How I've missed seeing it in the last month. We've been given the run of the campground, even providing our own breakfast, which is a nice change. As long as we have eggs of some sort, everyone is happy.

As I said earlier, by the end of Tuesday I felt I had been here a week already - and we had only been on the road two days. And this isn't in a bad way. We are constantly changing schedule, adjusting plans, slowing down, speeding up, as we get our bearings and really start to work with the people on this team. There are no others around us anymore. There is no going home at the end of the day. There is only the tour, the choir, the team, and the lessons that God will teach us along the way. There are kinks - there will always be kinks. There is also a bet that I will marry one of the guys on the tour before the year is through. Did I mention we've only been here since Monday? Oh, the adventure!!


The sunrise yesterday morning as I was on my way to breakfast. I've missed the sun.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Sunday, January 1

What a tour it's been... And we haven't even left Washington!! Tomorrow is our day of reckoning as we hit the ground at 8a.m., destination Oregon. The trailer is packed and organized. Everyone should have a suitcase full of clean clothes, there will be no turning back. Our first stop is Bend, OR where we'll be performing and recording for two weeks. Yes, recording. Someone has made their recording studio available to us free of charge, and the whole team will be working together to produce a great CD. The new year has arrived and the fun is about to begin. In other news, we had our final performances in Washington this morning, and with the pastor's promotion we saw 19 kids receive the gift of sponsorship. All of the choir kids have sponsors already, so this was sponsorship for children who haven't yet been given that gift. If the sponsors stick with the Program, these children will receive food, clothing and an education all the way through the university level. We have definitely been blessed by our week here in Enumclaw, WA.