A Very Big Change

Here's an update:

1)I'm single.

2)I'm obsessed with cop shows

3)I've been put onto a gluten-free diet

4)I have two weeks until winter break

I saw Burlesque with my friend Marandah. It was AMAZING :) I loved it SO SO much. Oh I also saw Tangled (pretty good) and Megamind (eeeh). Well, I'd better get back to work..

Until Next Time!

Three Months Later...

I'm in Santa Barbara once again. I turned 15 on the 11th of October. Halloween is right around the corner. I'm going to be Miss Congeniality. I have the dress, the hat, and HIGH HEELED COMBAT BOOTS!!! I'm SUPER excited about that!!

Halloween is a very exciting time for me. I get to dress up; be whoever I want to be. I think there should be a Halloween every month. OH and no school the next monday. MAYBE i'm just being the freak I am...

Sometimes I Pretend to Be Normal...

But then I get bored and I go back to being

MYSELF.

In case you're wondering, I'm writing this off the top of my mind. In study hall. When I should be working. I have five more minutes... Life update coming right at ya!

I started 9th grade. Right now, I have an 8th grader peeking over my shoulder watching me type this very sentence. HI AUSTIN! HOW ARE YOU?! Silly boy...

AAAAAANYWHO, 9th grade is awesome, but hard. On our fall bike trip for our school, I was under a lot of stress. I got the nickname of Mom. I was there to comfort, hold things, make sandwiches, set up and take down tents, handle unruly people. But I loved it, all in all. Sure, I got stressed. But that's ok, because I was there for people.

One more minute left in studyhall....

More later,

Heather Lee Harkness

Boliva Update

Hello, Hola, Sup, (insert any other greeting you like here)!!
I´m sitting in an internet cafe, and trying to focus on writing instead of just saying it out loud. Anyways, it's been a week since my last blog, and i'm so sorry! This keyboard is pretty different than the ones that i am used to, so please excuse any typos!
Yesterday we returned from Uncallamaya, a village about two hours by car aways from Rurrenabaque (where I am currently staying with the rest of the team). Very poor, cold, and not too clean, these people were opposite of their conditions. Although they were shy at first, we made a few friends, and started a game of volleybal, but we all stood in a circle. The girls and I soon realized how very loud we were, but we hammed it up. We matched my horrible volleyball skills with goofyness and soon had the whole village laughing. It was my first time ever playing volleyball, and let me just say it was SO FUN!!
The next morning, we set off throughout the village checking water filters. Surprisingly, out of the houses we were suppossed to visit, we only saw three filters. Two houses were across a flash river, so we couldn't reach them. The first house we visited didn't have a filter in site, and second one had two non-working ones. The houses had upen cracks in them, and the palapas were rotting away. It was heartbreaking, and the water was filthy, as they had not used them.
*The majority of the village was at the clinic w set up in the school house, so we couldn't talk to anyone about how to work them, except for one man who's filter was died from iron in the water, and had two cockaroaches living in there.*
Again, the heartbreaking sight of how poor these homes were was, well... shocking. We returned to the school, which is the center of their community, and ate lunch. We played one more game of voleyball, and said a sad goodbye to Uncallamaya.
This has been an amazing experience, and I can't wait for more. I'll try to write more later.
Much love,
Heather

TODAY IS THE DAY

Well, I'm leaving. Right now. My bag is pulled closed, and emotions are swelling up. I'm going to miss everyone while on my lifetime experience. Or, as my mom calls it, a "deep soul journey". I agree completely.

Don't forget that I will update as often as possible, so please keep reading! And leave comments so that I know that more that one of my amazing friends, Michaela, is reading this!

Here's the URL for the other blog: http://elpuente2010.blogspot.com/

Well, it's time to go. So many mixed emotions, it would be easier to find and sort the ingredients in a Blenders just by our tongues. OK, I'm running out the door now. Don't forget to Carpe Diem it up while I'm gone.

Bye,

Heather

Almost Gone

I leave Sunday. Today is Friday. My best friend (well, one of them) Morgan left for Cairo today. She called me from NYC at around 1:30 PM, and I miss her already! Another bestie (the first one to follow this blog), Michaela, is in Australia for the rest of the summer. And my boyfriend is at camp. I'm about to head over to my friend Christina's house, and Marandah will be there as well. Those last two are going to Bolivia with me.

Here's a URL for the team's blog in Bolivia: http://elpuente2010.blogspot.com/

Anyway, my life is getting kind of crammed, thanks to my procrastinator self. Grr, evil procrastinator! I need to pack for Bolivia. I also need to wash mom's car. ACK! I have physical therapy for my knee in, like, twenty minutes. I can't wait to get my license!

Sorry I'm really random. But please continue reading!

xoxo Heather

Preparing for Departure...

Hey ya'll. OK, so I have five days until I leave for Bolivia. I have to be at the airport at 6:30. AM. Whoopie! Then we fly to LAX, then Miami, then La Paz. Whoa, man... It's all coming so quickly!

The past few days: Friday I went to the Maritime Museum (then downtown) with Drew. Saturday... hmm... oh yeah i was really lazy and stayed in bed all day... [hello summer!] Sunday was fourth of July! WOOT! FREE COUNTRY! Anywho... oh yeah Monday: I spent most of my day downtown. Or shopping for Bolivia. We finished that shopping today. At Ross. Where I got really nice Nine West Sunglasses for like $6.

Again, five more days (four more nights) until I leave. I'm going to miss everyone, but I know that this experience will be life-changing. I can't wait to Carpe Diem it up! (Carpe Diem means Seize the Day)

More later,

xoxo Heather

Opening

OK let me just get this out there. You can read my blog, you can comment on it, but if you leave mean comments that's just not cool. I mean, sorry you feel that way, but really I have no need for negativity. So if you don't agree with me, that's fine. I'm totally cool with it. I don't expect everyone to agree with me anyways. But don't put me down for it. Understand? Sweet. Now that that's over with...

This blog is an opening for me. I plan to write every other day, if possible. Then I'll become a better writer as well as talk (well, write) about stuff I might not say out loud to or other people (besides my best friends). I like to think that people would read this, and maybe get inspired. The background is someone doing yoga. I've never really done yoga, but meditating helps. I'm beginning on a journey where I am going to try to not get so stressed. I'm not one of those people who works well under stress. Another thing is to become more peaceful, and more self-aware. I always put other people first. I need to learn that I can come first too, sometimes. I also need to boost my self-confidence. If you're one of those people who really knows me, you'll know that. (You also know what a freak I am, but that's beside the point ;])

First thing I'm gonna write about: My upcoming trip to Bolivia. Quick facts about Bolivia: It's the second poorest country in the western hemisphere (Haiti taking first place). Healthcare for 1 person for 1 year is... drumroll... $2.50. Yeah. That's less than a latte. It's half the price of the iced mocha I had this morning. I turned in the money I raised today. I raised a little more than $1,900! Happy Dance!

Alright I guess that's all! I'll write more soon!

-Heather