August 16, 2001
11:51pm

Believe it or not, I was the queen of efficiency today. I woke up early and went to the dealership to finally have my car door lock fixed. Then I went to the post office to hand in my change of address form. Then I went to the student employment office to get permission to work in the fall, changed my address in the school database, bought a commuter parking pass, bought my books for school, called the cable and internet companies, and rearranged the archives section of this site. That all took place before 11 am. Whew! I'm still tired from all that productivity. Yet, there's still so much more to do.

I talked to my coworker Ethan today. I haven't seen him for two months because he took off to do volunteer work in Honduras. Every day he and other college students built chicken coops, latrines, graineries, water storage units, and other things that would help improve the conditions of the village he stayed in. I could see he was amazed at the heart of the people he met. They hardly had anything, and yet were perfectly willing to give what they had.

Perhaps one day I'll have the opportunity to do something like that. I think it would be cool to be able to help people that way. (Though it would take a lot of adjusting. The village he stayed in had running water, but no electricity. They had no modern technology with which to work their land, either.) However, I think I would feel really guilty as well. I feel guilty now and I'm thousands of miles away. Seeing the condition of the people there would make me feel bad that I have all these things I don't deserve, just because I happened to have been born in the United States. It must also feel a little overwhelming because the problem of poverty is so huge. No matter how much you try to help, it's a mere drop in the bucket. Even the Bible says there will always be poor people in the land. It would be nice to help some people, but there are always so many more who need help as well.

Today I saw two girls cuddling and kissing by the elevator. They work here (and always on the same shift) so I have to see them do that every day. There's another couple working here who does the same thing. I think that's totally disgusting. Maybe it's jealousy rearing it's ugly head, but I hate to see couples all snuggling in public. There are other people around you! Get a room!