America Blog

Down in Dixie

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:30:18 -0500

Houston was hands-down a great time. But all of the wonderful visits with family and friends also meant there were also a lot of goodbyes. A lot of tears. Life on the road continues to procure profound highs and lows, and leaving Houston was among the worst.

En route to my next location I spent a few splendid days couchsurfing with a lovely soul in Baton Rouge, LA. Deborah and I cooked and baked up a storm, and I was able to help her out with the not-for-profit she single handedly started and runs in Honduras. The incredible things this woman does with so little is truly humbling, and made me realize how little I am doing with so much.

Right now I am in Troy, Alabama. Troy is a small college town (pop. 15,000) with not too much to do. The lack of distraction has been really grounding and perfect for a lot of introspection, organization, and some old-fashioned silliness. (Tonight the plan is to camp out on the rooftop of our hotel....shhhh! :) Aside from the occasional tornado, the weather has been blue-sky-bike-riding-beautiful every single day. I wake up to the singsong of birds, smell honeysuckle as I pedal to work, and jump in the pool and BBQ on the grill when I get home. My free time has been full with all my favorite past times like writing, yoga, bike riding, sewing, and trying out new recipes. (I’m also planning a re-enactment of this video with my coworkers.) I haven’t felt this good in a LONG time. And I plan to soak up as much relaxation and silliness as possible before I get hit with the hustle and bustle of our next stop: the Bronx!

Hello, Houston!

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:53:39 -0500

Greetings from Houston TX!

I cannot lie...I did not expect to like it here. But truth be told I’m having a great time in this city. Besides enjoying the parks, thrift shops, local yoga studio, and an all-time high of couchsurfers passing through, I got to see my mom AND brother who just returned to the US. I missed him so much while he was living in Paris!

Since I last wrote I have been in Spartanburg, SC, then home to NY for the holidays, and then to New Orleans and LaPlace Louisiana (andoullie capital of the...world?). Click on the photo above for a few photos of these places and my travels in between....

On the NHANES Road Again

Sat, 6 Nov 2010 13:46:11 -0500

For the third time in my life I have joined the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study and am touring the US doing research for the CDC!

This round has taken me to Princeton, NJ and (currently) Mathews, VA. I have really loved this coastal corner of Virginia; the peaceful landscapes, the fantastic people, the fresh seafood and homemade desserts, the lightening storms, and nearby Richmond- which is one fine city from what I’ve seen. My dual adoration of bike riding and post offices prompted me to take a bicycle tour of the post offices in Mathews County, which for a county of only 9,000 people, has a surprising number of post offices-some of which are over 100 years old and absolutely adorable. The photo above links to more pics if you too like rural places and post offices :)

One great aspect of my job is the ability to meet so many incredible people. One of our study participants was a relative of a local author, John Atkinson. He and his wife actually invited us over to their beautiful 1890 farmhouse for an intimate gathering and book signing (and delicious homemade carrot cake!). His books Timekeeper and Timekeeper II are memoirs of his life as a boy of mixed descent (part Native American part White) who left home at age 14. While traveling throughout the US, he was taken under the wing of a shaman who named him Timekeeper and lived adventures that are impossible to describe- I highly recommend you read the books and see!!

While in Mathews, I have also been teaching yoga to my coworkers one or two times a week, which has been really really great. I teach an after work/evening class that is relaxing and restorative, and a daytime/weekend class that is energizing and invigorating. People really seem to be enjoying them (even when they are sore afterwards!) and I soo enjoy teaching. Yoga is surely a part of my path. Thank you Kripalu!

Lazy days

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:44:22 -0500

And where has Pamantha been you might be wondering... Well, someone, whose name rhymes with Samantha, forgot to renew her domain name last fall and had to work a bit to get good ole pam-land back online. But here we are once again.

The past few months I have been enjoying a carefree summer. Actually, an extended summer since my last exam was in -ahem- February... Much like the summer vacations of my youth, I spend my days riding my bike, reading, making crafty things, and visiting friends (after my chores are done of course). However, unlike when I was a kid, I have to work at not feel guilty for “not being productive.” I see some signs of progress, but I definitely still need more time to work on this.
 In August I will go through a 200 hour, month-long yoga teacher training at the Kripal Center and then, after a week in New Hampshire, I will begin to get serious about job-hunting! (Maybe.)

Winter

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:38:16 -0600

It’s snowing in the Northeast! Yippeee!!!

Last month I left Baltimore and returned back to to upstate NY where I grew up. From now until mid-January I’ll be completing my final RD (Registered Dietitian) internship rotation with the Cornell Cooperative Extension. They do so many awesome things related to food, nutrition, education, agriculture and the environment. So far I have been busy teaching nutrition classes, writing articles, attending meetings and developing a tool for families to asses their home health environment. It’s awesome! Plus I adore being home (even if temporarily) in the middle of the holiday season. My mom just moved to a new house and I started part-time job at Eastern Mountain Sports, which is fun and includes free rentals on gear too! So maybe I’ll post some funny pictures of me trying to learn how to snow show or remember how to ski...

After my internship ends in January, I’ll study for a month and taking the RD exam...and then, the world becomes wide!! Current possibilities for PamLand’s next adventure include

** A combo bike riding/WWOOF adventure, possibly across the USA
(WWOOF is a program where you learn and work on organic farms in exchange for room and board)
** Spending a few months in India to study meditation and get certified in yoga.
** Returning to Peru to start an NGO in the foothills of the Andes with a fellow volunteer I met in Peru

If you have any thoughts on what Pamantha should do, email me --- I’m open to anything.