n2m2s1
Nicole Schara Joined: August 20th 2005
Logged in: March 19th 2011
Logged in: March 19th 2011
WARNING: The views, conclusions, findings and opinions in this blog are solely mine and DO NOT necessarily reflect the views of any individual, or organization I work with.
Travel Blog Posts
Hello faithful blog readers! I have a hard time believing it's been over 5 years since we embarked on our Semester at Sea journey together. At times it feels like it was just yesterday and other times it can't believe it was this same life. The truth is, Semester at Sea was in many regards the beginning of a crazy life journey God is taking me on. I realize that over the last few years I haven't been a very faithful blogger... BUT I am pleased to tell you that I will be starting again as I embark on my newest journey. Some of you have already heard, and others are hearing it for the first time right now, I have been appointed as a missionary to Albania. I will be serving overseas for two years ... read more
Sharpening
Hello from somewhere between Reno, Lake Tahoe and Carson City, NV! I really wish I knew where I was right now, but I won't dwell on the fact that I have no clue where I am as it's really not that important. I am going to attempt to sum up my life in a few paragraphs, however the insane lifestyle that I am currently living might be too hard to put into comprehensible words. Currently I am working with chainsaws removing fuels for forest fires in a park over looking Lake Tahoe, NV. Thats right, my job is using a chainsaw to cut brush and fell trees 6,000ft above sea level in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Lake Tahoe. My work week is Monday - Thursday, giving me a wonderful 3 day ... read more
Change...we don't like it, we fear it, but we can't stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn't is lying. But here’s the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Oh, sometimes, change is... everything. As I sit to write this entry, I am reminded once again; all good things must come to an end. I apologize that it took so long to post. I started it shortly after I got back, but summer caught hold of me and wouldn’t let me go. Leaving the team was very hard. It was inevitable and we all knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it easy. You trust, and ... read more
Today is July 7th; my time with AmeriCorps is over July 30th. That is a little over 3 weeks that I have left of my 10 month commitment. Man, has the time flown by. It seems like yesterday I was packing up and leaving Buffalo for Sacramento. But it was much longer ago than that and in reality I have done so much and come so far in the last 10 months. The thought of leaving my team is very frightening to me. We have been together since October. The 13 of us held strong and made it to the end. We have spent every day of the week together: working, eating and playing. The other 12 members of Gold 4 have become more than just friends to me; we have become our own little family. ... read more
Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch-what make you go beyond the norm. I realized that I haven’t written about my experience at all since I’ve been here in Salt Lake, so here is a somewhat long blog entry catching you up… To start off I just want to make sure everybody is on the same page and knows what my 4th project is. We are working at a summer camp, Camp Kostopulos or Camp K for short. Camp K is a week long summer camp for people with disabilities. We just finished our second week of camp, with campers there. Our first week was for adults with mental disabilities and last week was teens with mental disabilities. I would just like to state that ... read more
H3
This weekend I had the novel idea of going camping, figuring I should take advantage of all opportunities presented to me while in Utah. (You only live once, right?) I gathered some of my friends, bought a tent, rented a car and headed south to Moab to spend Memorial Day weekend at Arches National Park. The weekend began Friday night when I picked up the rental car. I decided that since 5 of us would be going I would rent a SUV and maybe have a little fun off-roading if the opportunity arose. Much to my surprise, expecting a Pathfinder or Trailblazer for the weekend, I was given a Hummer H3. From that moment on I knew our weekend trip was going to be a blast, but when we left on Saturday morning I don’t think ... read more
Smokey the Bear
I just spent 4 weeks up in the San Bernardino National Forest in Angelus Oaks, California (Southern California) for my third AmeriCorps project. It’s so hard for me to fathom that our third out of 4 projects is done and over with. Where has time gone? The population of Angelus Oaks was 190 people, that is a town the size of half of my High School graduating class, pretty small. I loved the fact that we were in a wilderness setting and so secluded from civilization. It took us 40 minutes to get to the closest town. If we went right on hwy 38 we ended up in Big Bear, California, a popular ski resort area and the a left would take us to Redlands California a distant suburb of Los Angeles. Anther hard concept to ... read more
mommy and me
(Entry on London, composed during my 4hr layover in LA on the way back to Sacramento, after traveling for 19hrs... I'm just trying to justify the shortness and the bad grammer... Pictures will be posted at a later date) Imagine waking up in a foreign country and your favorite Starbucks drink and breakfast are waiting on the table for you when you get out of the shower. Spending the day exploring new territory, seeing new sights, and earning new facts. Living the tales History Books proclaim. Eating in Pubs, listening to accents, spending time with the family; my spring break trip to London was incredible. We crammed a lot into the 4 ½ days that I was there. It seems like I was there much longer and I feel that I got a well rounded experience ... read more
Ode to Canada By Nicole Schara 4/5/08 (Composed in Toronto during my 4hr layover on the way to London, hey you gotta do something to pass the time.) Oh Canada, how I love you! You are so close to London (Well, not really but closer than California) You satisfy my craving for home Yet at the same time leave me desiring it more. Tim Hortons, HSBC, Hockey, Smarties… You have everything that I need. Faced with the decision between Starbucks and Tim Hortons, I choose you Timmy Ho’s. Roooooll up the rim to win. I never win; I always get Please Try Again, But that’s ok, I do try again. I give you dollars You give me loonies and toonies Sweet deal, eh? Your airports are clean and spacious. Your Customs Officials are friendly and prompt. ... read more
So were currently packing up from project number 2. We will be rolling out of Fort Pierce bright and early tomorrow morning heading for new adventures. The time here flew by so fast but I will definitely leave with many wonderful memories. The experience here was great and I wish that it could last forever; but without change things would probably get a little boring. Maybe that’s why it was such a fantastic journey. We were here just long enough to get accustomed and comfortable with our job, house and surroundings and we’re leaving before things get monotonous and boring. Outside of the work aspect a definite highlight of my time in Florida was the weather and getting to spend time at the beach. Working outside on a daily basis was wonderful yet very confusing as ... read more
