it is time. . .

time to say. . .

so long, farewell, au wiedersehen, goodbye. . .

goodbye - dear, sweet como say what? {at} blogspot . . . hello - new, fun como say what? {at} wordpress !!!

i've MOVED:

http://gracefarson.wordpress.com/

check it out!

p.s. please take a minute to change this new address over in your google reader! thanks. all the love! a new blog awaits. . .

packing

i like packing.

. . . even if that is all i have been doing - packing and unpacking - these past few months. . .

in a bit mom and i are off to go see sisters in charlottesville! this will be the first time in months since all four of us have been together. we couldn't be more excited. abby is kicking her husband out of the house and we plan to do all the things we do best - talk, laugh, and eat.

have a beautiful, sunny weekend world. . .

also:

* i doubt i could be any more obsessed with this song

* my family and our epic email chains. thx a for posting this. it will forever make me laugh.

* beautiful, creative, hipsters who entertain

{picture 1.) new fave nail polish color, 2.) packing another bag, & 3.) what i am bringing on the journey}

how to make old jeans new again

i can never refuse a second-hand item with potential!

brandi passed this jean skirt and jacket down and i decided to have a little fun with them.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

how to make old jeans new again:

1.) cut them

2.) make them look worn and loved with sandpaper

3.) bleach them with a spray bottle full of concentrated bleach

4.) wash them

5.) wear them

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

simple as that.

thanks b for the new clothes!

new zealand landscapes

more of beautiful, inspiring, lake tekapo and the church of the good shepherd here!

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ any ideas of where i could find a lovely colorful quilt for cheap? i am smitten with this one, but not the price tag. been dorm shopping. still just need to find some bedding. . . pyrex, brita water filter, knives, and cutlery now in my hands though!

+ my friend ric's absolutely stellar photography portfolio. he's brilliant. just look at this one from varanasi

+ happy sunday. hope wherever you are, you are reading the times!

the south

. . . farmers markets in south carolina. . .

atl fun

enjoy the massive photo collection!

1.) bets, mom, & me in the mart
2.) night time on the balcony of the hotel {watching the sunset over the city } with bets
3.) view from our room
4.) grace fearson! {the name badge i get every year. even if it is wrong, i won't change it}
5.) greasy dinner at the world's largest drive-in {the varsity}
6.) mom & me at dinner {cannot even remember the last time i had a hot dog}
7.) we paid for dinner with all two dollar bills
8.) a showroom in the mart
9.) more varsity photos
10.) queen betsy
11.) indian inspired
12.) my coronation
13.) bets in halloween attire
14.) long, very funny story {but one that would not translate online}
15.) all the levels of the market
16.) first day enthusiasm
17.) hotlanta
18.) never grew up
19.) sexy working women

a few of my favorite things

home again after a hectic couple of days in atlanta and chapel hill!

just thought i'd share a few photos of my recent favorite things this week. even though all i have been doing is traveling these past few months, i still love this lifestyle. living out of a bag is fun, going from place to place is still fun.

+ + + + + +

favorite things:

+ old{er} silver watch rediscovered!

+ swanky new 13" macbook pro {with both mac and windows 7 capabilities! how this is even possible, i havent the slightest idea}

+ homemade channa masala, chipatti, and raita {recipe or non- recipe to come! . . . i made this without any recipe or measuring cup and it tasted mighty good. i already miss indian food and this is the second missing india meal i have made since i have been back}

+ + + + + +

more favorite things {not pictured}:

+ eating animals by jonathan safran foer {my summer reading for carolina. so glad we freshers got a good one}

+ djuna bel's closet visit

+ fire fall down song by hillsong {i drove to chapel hill at 4:30 monday morning and found a radio station that played this song. it was the perfect way to start a morning with the sun. also it meant a lot because it was a song that i brought with me on my travels abroad and used to love singing at davidson worship}

+ seeing friends from the past and hearing their stories

+ talking and texting friends and family {still weird being able to talk on the phone to loved ones after living without a phone for so long!}

in atlanta

. . . quick update from atlanta!

mom, bets, & i made it safe and sound to hotlanta wednesday afternoon. we're here shopping for the store and get back sunday night. i leave for chapel hill sometime monday morn. and should be back for the rest of the week on tuesday.

good to have some time with my momma and bets {and even alex grey for a night} - lots of walking, shopping, eating, and laughing these past few days.

hope you are having a special week!

{photo from another one of my favorite cities - nyc. there is nothing quite like nyc in the fall!}

same, same but different

in nepal they have this saying - same, same but different. . .

it might not make sense outside of wonderfully bizarre nepal, but i love it. it explains absolutely nothing about nepal. . . but at the same time it explains a lot. essentially, that's nepal for you.

when i think about it, that's how i feel about home right now. . . it's the same as always but still there is something different. . . maybe it's just me that is a bit different now. don't get me wrong, it feels great to be back but big transitions are always a bit rough.

currently working through more photos - decided to start with the ones i took with my baby cam.

other thoughts:

+ getting a much needed haircut on tuesday. . . thinking bangs again. . . yes or no?

+ my time with abby & guion went by too fast this weekend

+ saw that asheville {and the asheville yoga center} were mentioned as yoga destinations in a recent yoga journal . wish i had the time and money to go to a-ville this summer to see s and take some yoga classes. . .

+ new bios of female abstract artists lee krasner & joan mitchell {i've liked mitchell's work for a bit but krasner's work is sorta new to me. i like it very much and look forward to reading these bios. p.s. krasner was married to pollack!}

+ when the world spoke french {want to read this}

+ 17 year old art curator {when i read this. . . i think what went wrong? why wasn't i doing that at 17? i have regrets about not being more involved in the arts in high school}

+ basking in the presence of an ever-changing god

+ in case you haven't noticed. . . i spend most sundays reading the times. i think it's so classy and i've missed it much over the past few months.

+ song of the day - heads will roll

{photo over kathmandu in monsoon season from my flight from delhi back to the city}

what i've done

even though i've been here for a week now, i am still having a hard time facing the realities of being home again. it has been a bit rough sleeping through the night {in a safe and comfy bed nonetheless}, finding the time to unpack and clean up my messes {poor family. the grace monster and her messes are back - paints and brushes and clothes and gifts are now in every corner of our once perfectly clean house}, and finding foods that don't upset my confused stomach. in addition to all of those little things, i am still finding it hard to adjust to normal life {whatever that means} in other areas as well.

when it comes down to it, i have realized i really haven't had much time to even think through all that i just experienced. . .

here's to remembering!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

just a few of the things i did with my time abroad:

* survived on my own for half a year {i did have to face my pride and ask the parents for a bit of a loan, but i am proud to say i made it home with exactly $13 in the bank account}
*bungy jumped where it originated
* cruised the milford sounds on a boat
* hitchhiked around nz
* rode on a ferry and a water taxi
* wwoofed on two different farms on the south island, nz
* got a real, paying job in nz {harvested garlic and worked on a beautiful vineyard}
* opened an international bank account
* saw the sydney opera house
* got stuck in china without a visa and got interrogated by chinese officials {!}
* ate red meat again for the first time in two years
* made a documentary film with the people at psi - population services international {washington and nepal branches} and the wonderful and talented mary olive smith
*learned ali ali {a little} of the nepali and hindi languages {my telegu is still sad}
* saw rhinos, elephants, crocodiles, deer, monkeys, peacocks, camels, and other rare birds in their natural habitats
* rowed boats on lakes in nepal
* rode on the roof of local buses in nepal
* read lots of books both good and bad
* flew long distances and sometimes short on a lot of different planes
* filled up three journals with my notes and paintings
* traveled by train, jeep, and bus in india {and survived}
*rowed a boat down the ganges at sunrise
* took a bath with an elephant
*rode a camel through the desert for two days
* saw the lights of pakistan
* saw kangchenjuga {the third highest mountain in the world} and the everest mountain range
* trekked the annapurna circuit and through the world's longest mountain pass {at 5,416 meters . . . nearly 18,000 feet!}
* waded up to my knees in the ganges and lived to tell about it
* had a tea tasting on a plantation in darjeeling
* visited friends in india
* made lots of new friends and connections around the world
* volunteered working on bio-gas projections and teaching english in southern nepal
* learned how to make dal bhat, mo:mos, pakoda, proper chai tea, and other delicious curries
* learned how to drive a motorcycle
* got my first tattoo
* walked around barefoot a lot
* bought lots of gifts for myself and my loved ones
* designed some clothes and had them made at a tailor
* had a 70 year-old nepali guru for a while
* kept up with my yoga and meditation practice
* bought a sari and learned how to wear one!
* had natural dreds in my hair for a while {still have one in as a souvenir i guess. no one is a big fan}
* learned a lot about the world and her people
* fell in love on a daily basis

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

photo 1: riding the mini bus in ktm, nepal

photo 2: frisbee golfing barefoot in queenstown, nz

photo 3: meditation time in the airport, delhi, india

where i've been

photos from all six countries i visited on my little trot around the globe.

i tried making a google map of all the places i visited {might still get around to doing this} but i quickly gave up. . . if i do, i'll be sure to post it!

just getting started sorting through my photos. . . it might take me years, but i thought the least i could do was share a little of what is to come!

+ i will continue to post more photos on my photography site {agfarson[dot]wordpress[dot]com}

home

i made it back to where i started.

*see the video of my homecoming by my father. high-pitched squeals, hugs, funny comments, and all!

{all images by the baby cam. in and around kathmandu}

tell the world. . .

3 continents, 6 countries, and over 6 months later. . .

I'M COMING HOME.

{even before i left this was my designated coming home song, but now it's real. singing this walking off the plane for sure}

friends, tonight i board a plane to qatar. after a few hours in the doha airport, i'm off to nyc and from nyc - HOME.

i am filled with such a mix of emotions right now i am going to be a mess when i walk off that plane in charlotte in two days. it is all very bittersweet.

as much as i have loved, enjoyed, cherished these past few months abroad - all the funny stories, making new friends, exploring old and new cities, getting lost, trying out new foods {and learning to make them!}, taking photos, writing in my journals, reading for hours {entirely uninterrupted}, seeing some of the world's largest cities for the first time, a life of true adventure, painting and drawing, the daily excitement, the constant change, and feeling the true sense of victory when i overcame something really difficult or challenging - {just to name a few!} - i am really looking forward to HOME.

just some of the things i am looking forward to:

- that first hug from my family & friends . . . seeing them all for the first time in HALF A YEAR!

- painting on real canvases

- going to church

- sleeping in my first clean and comfortable bed in HALF A YEAR {no more rats, poisonous snakes, roaches, spiders, bed bugs, lice, urine stains, wood mattresses [yes] to worry about!}

- cooking in mom's kitchen {and eating her amazing homegrown foods!}

- kale

- editing and posting photos {on my new lappy!!! no more internet cafes y'all}

- being able to walk down the street without being stared at, shouted at, and asked if they could take their photo with me {realized on this trip i am so not cut out to be a celebrity}. i cannot wait to get back and simply blend-in

- unpacking and staying unpacked

- reading books from a library

- playing sports with family and friends

- sharing stories and hearing stories

- driving things

- working {knowing i am actually earning rather than only spending!}. . . paying off my little debt that i owe to my parents!

-planning for the next four years at uni

- getting back to a classroom and real schoolwork

- running

- yoga classes and teaching!

- learning new things back home too {this is the year i learn to sew and knit mind you}

- playing with new babies and puppies

- davidson

- nc weather {and a/c and pools and being able to wear shorts in hot weather!}

-clean water

- writing letters

i still have A LOT to still write and share about this little journey of mine, so stay tuned! . . .but for now, i'm just focused on getting HOME.

this was the best decision i have ever made in my life and i am forever thankful for all that i have had the chance to see and do. i feel so loved and so blessed. thanks for all your support too lovies!

signing off for the last time from kathmandu,

xoxox

g.

p.s. tonight there will be tears.

{photo from flickr}