Islands

I am FINALLY home.

The last day on the island was a sad one. I woke up early and drove out to the beach to watch the sunrise (which I saved until my last morning). It was beautiful but I thought I was going to freeze because the wind was blowing so hard. I parked my car in line for the ferry as soon as I could and spend the rest of the morning walking around town and saying goodbye to Andrea. The ferry ride was amazing. The waves were so big that the water splashed all over the deck- and since my car was the second from the front, it was soaked. I have to admit that I cried when I got home. Im not exactly sure why.

I just got back from a trip to Vancouver Canada. It was my vacation before heading back to school.

Im nervous about being back in class.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Im going home tomorrow.

I know Ive said it before but I cant believe that these two months are actually up. Looking back, the time here seems like it has been short. Too short. I wish I could just stay forever.

BUT.....I was talking to Andrea (the owner of the hostel) today and she told me to keep in touch because in another year or so they're going to be looking for someone to manage the place and was wondering if I might be interested (although it IS a long time away). They're giving the person they hire the entire upstairs (where they currently live) and all they have to do is live there and run the place. Can you even imagine?? What a dream that would be.

Other than that Im just trying to pack and tie up the rest of my loose ends. I cant believe that on Tuesday morning Im going to wake up back in my own bed. What am I going to do without this place? The weather has been beautiful and it just makes me want to change my plans and never go back to Olympia....haha.

Time to spend my last day at the beach!

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As the title suggests, Im freaking out.

Although I am now officially on the mend, being sick came at the very worst possible time. It stopped my flow of productivity that I had been on for a few days and now Im finding it hard to have any energy to get out and do things at all.

For the past two days my laptop has been picking up a stray wireless signal somewhere near my cabin....that means I dont have to go to the internet cafe during the day and can insted wait to use the internet until nighttime. I wish Id had this all along, though. Unfortunately the connection is too slow to upload the cool picture that I wanted to post.

Anybody else having some trouble with the gift that we're supposed to be bringing back?

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yes, thats right, I am sick. And Im a huge wuss and Im going to whine about it to everyone. I read on Elisa's blog about her being sick and it making her homesick and wishing she had someone to take care of her....thats how I feel right now. I want my mom!

On Sunday Peter and I went to church for Easter. Church has always made me slightly nervous so Im glad I had someone to go with. AND someone to talk me out of leaving right at the end when we had to stand up to recieve bread and juice. Haha.

Sunday afternoon Andrea (the woman who runs the hostel) invited me to an Easter BBQ with her family. We had an easter egg hung with eggs full of money. I made $6! It was so much fun and I had the best meal Ive had in TWO MONTHS. I love being part of other people's families.

Other than that Im leaving in 6 days and Im scrambling to get everything together. I have a feeling when I get home Im going to wish I had had more time here.

Where did the last 7 weeks go?????

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Well, Im finally back. I arrived on Friday. Every day that I was away was filled with guilt. I felt like I should have been here.

But since Ive been back my time has been mostly productive. I realize that I have just over two weeks (well...two weeks exactly by now), and Im going to spend it working working working.

Friday when I returned to the hostel I met up with an energentic (and friendly) young photographer from Denver. We went for a walk at night down to the water, and then went to Jackson Beach and built a fire under the almost-full moon. The next morning we woke up early and went out for bacon and eggs (yummm), then spent the whole day hiking around Lime Kiln. I got some GREAT pictures (with some advice from mr. photography). Hes gone now but it was great to have someone to hang around with for a little while.

Last night I drove out to the west side to watch the sunset..and guess what I saw???? ORCA WHALES! A whole pod of them. It was amazing. I was afraid that I was going to have to leave here without seeing any. It was so perfect. AND it was a full moon.

I guess its time for me to get back to work! Productivity is KEY.

PS- I am VERY glad to hear that Randy is okay.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Someone (Im thinking Walter) left a comment on my last entry asking where I am.

Well here I am!

As the title suggests, Ive been home this week attending a funeral. Its definately not good times.

But Im heading back to the island tomorrow. Its been weird being away from it.

I promise Ill update when I get back.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This week has passed by entirely too quickly.

Monday night the weather was beautiful and I decided to drive out to the west side to watch the sunset. I parked my car on the side of the road and walked out to the edge of the cliff (overlooking the water). I had both my 35mm and digital cameras, and my tripod ready for the sunset. It was beautiful but it happened all too quickly. I did get a few nice shots though- one of which Ive started a painting of. I think Im going to make the sunset my nightly ritual (weather permitting, of course).

The hostel is really full right now. There are two families with children staying there...so there is always lots of commotion. Ive found it kind of hard to deal with after having spent so much time in peace and quiet. I have often retreated to my cabin with my dinner insted of eating at the dinner table.

Today on my way back from the grocery store I ran into Peter on his way to catch the ferry. The first time Ive seen him the whole trip! Unfortunately he was kind of in a hurry so I told him that I would call him next week. Its cool to be in a town small enough to just run into people like that.

Tonight (in about 10 minutes, actually) Im going to head over to the San Juan Community Theatre to see if I can still get a ticket for the performance tonight. Its "Island Shorts"...6 short plays written (if I am correct) and performed by islanders.

More updates in the next day or two.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Just a quick update because the sun is out and I want to take advantage of this beautiful weather.

Things are going well. Im officially halfway done with my trip which means I need to get to work..haha. I know Im not the only one who has been putting things off..maybe Im just the only one willing to admit it. All in good time, though.

My parents were here this weekend for one night. I went to their hotel and did cheap laundry and took a very long free shower. I never knew a shower could feel so good and be so satisfying.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

So, after a very encouraging comment on my blog and email from Walter, I just might be back on track. I think hes right- that Im up here doing my thing and its just turning out the way that its turning out. I AM doing something productive. Whatever it is. I am productively being alone.

Ive been spending an incredible amount of time at the library (which is where I am right now, as a matter of fact). Its been doing me some good. I met a girl here (a highschool student) who is planning to attend Evergreen next year. Actually, I found this out by evesdropping on her conversation. But it was a good excuse to start a conversation with her and eventually ask her if she would be willing to do an interview on camera with some of her friends. She agreed and we exchanged phone numbers and I plan to call her next week. As for right now..Im going to spend the next few days making sure that Ive got enough interview questions that are going to be useful for this project. I hate feeling unprepared (as I do right now).

Yesterday I thought that I was getting sick. My head hurt and my energy was low. But today (despite being a little bit dizzy when I was at the thrift store earlier) I feel better. Im keeping my fingers crossed that it was nothing. I really cant afford to be sick.

The weather here is crazy. It rained all night, then I woke up to sunshine. The wind was blowing really hard by the time I finished showering but the sun was still out when I went into the drug store to buy a new pen (thats correct- Ive been writing so much that I have already gone though 2 brand new pens)...but when I came out (without a pen..insted I bought a box of easter peeps. I couldnt resist) it was POURING RAIN. And not just normal rain. Big giant rain that, when it hit my windshield, looked like it may have contained some more solid matter (slush?). Blah. Only a few more days until spring.

My parents are coming up to visit me this weekend. And after that Im going to call Peter. Speaking of Peter..he left me his phone number on my answering machine but his service was cutting out and I could only get the first part of the number. BUT...Will (THANK YOU) emailed me his number so now I can FINALLY get in touch with him. So Peter..if youre reading this..I will call you soon. Sorry about the mix up.

Thats all for now. Time to be productively un-productive (if there is such a thing).

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I feel like Im wasting time here. Why do I always do this? Maybe its not really time wasted- afterall, this is still an amazing experience Im having. Something that I would probably never have gotten the chance to do otherwise. Im being too shy. Not agressive enough when it comes to meeting people. I feel like Im isolating myself. Maybe thats what I came here to do. Isolation is a key element of island life (we all know that by now I think). But I didnt really figure isolation into my research prospectus. My project going very slow. Ive got 5 weeks but every day that goes by I realize that Im not getting enough done. My time here will end before I know it. Maybe Im just worried about nothing. Up until this weekend I had been very much enjoying my time here. And now Im worried that Im not working hard enough. I hate this feeling. Any advice?

I went to a poetry reading at the library this weekend. They had a featured poet and then time for open mic. It happens the second Friday of every month. Ive decided to make it one of my goals to prepare something to read for the next poetry open mic.

In other news..one of my favorite things to do is drive around and visit all the public beaches. The ocean puts me in a trance and I feel calm.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday I went to Orcas Island with Randy (one of the people I met here in the hostel). I met him down at the ferry dock for the 9:15am boat. We spent the day driving all around the Island and doing a great deal of hiking down to beaches and through forests. It was foggy and rainy but the moist air felt amazing in my lungs. The day was long and it ended with the 7:30 ferry back to Friday Harbor and a short walk in the dark. I was exhausted and had the best night of sleep Ive had since I got here.

Today I paid my March rent- $465. Ouch.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Im at the library and its closing soon so this will be quick.

This week has been good so far. Wednesday night I went down to Bella Luna (an italian resturaunt) with those musicians I met at the hostel and ate soup and listened to a big blues jam session. It was great. As Peter said- a very happening place. All the local musicians were there. And Steve Miller has apparently been known to show up on a Wednesday night every so often!

Thursday night I went to a play at the local community theatre. It was called "Funny Money". And it was pretty funny. During intermission I started talking to the woman sitting next to me. She seemed very interested in my project and offered to show me around, introduce me to a lot of people, and take me to her "clubs" (and by "clubs" she means bridge clubs. Sweet!). We exchanged numbers and Im going to be giving her a call probably tomorrow to see when she wants to get together. Im really excited about her- I think shes going to be a lot of help in getting me IN to the community.

Last night (Friday) I went to a showing of a film here at the library. There were about 30 of us in the little back room of the library after closing hours watching a film about the Iraq war which basically made Bush look like an idiot (which in my opinion, he is). Afterwards there was a discussion. And my was it a very progressive liberal group. One man stood up and said "amazing that on a whole island of people we're the only ones that give a shit". They wanted to know how to get through to other people that dont care so much about the state of our country. But I think we decided that you just cant reach some people no matter how hard you try. Its amazing how passionate some people are about politics- and Im glad to have been part of a group like that last night.

Today I did my laundry. I walked in and Paul (the man who runs the hostel) was just standing in there hanging out with some other guys he knew. I love being in town and just SEEing people that you know everywhere.

Im starting to feel like I could really get used to it this. Maybe I should just stay forever..........................

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I feel like all I do is write about the weather...but its FINALLY sunny.

Ive found it incredibly hard to sit in the internet cafe and read everyone's BLOGs...although I would LOVE to read what everyone is up to. Its hard to read the long entries but Im trying.

Things have gotten a little more productive around here.

Andrea, the woman who runs the hostel that Im staying in has put me in touch with a man named Charles who owns an italian resturaunt in town called Bella Luna. I went down to meet him yesterday and he is going to see if he can find a few hours of work for me each week...probably bussing tables or maybe a little waitressing. I should hear from him during the next few days..so we'll see if anything comes of it. It would be nice to have a little pocket cash while Im on this island.

Ive been spending countless hours in the cold driving wind on Lime Kiln Point waiting to see orca whales. The last whale sighting at the lighthouse was Feb 19th. They could be coming any day and Im desperate to see them. Nothing yet...but I did see a whole bunch of dolphins which is about half as exciting. One good thing has come from my time spent there, though- I think I may have come up with a great new idea for my film- but more on that later.

At the Whale Museum I pulled out my student ID card to get the student discount and the woman said "hey! Im a greener too!". And she called another woman over who also worked there and said "hey! shes a greener!". We got to talking and it turns out they both went to Evergreen in '91. One studied marine biology, the other history and literature. I thought that was pretty amazing. I told them what I was doing here and I think that theyre going to be two excellent contacts that I can rely on during the next two months. Alumni are always willing to help out students, right?

I met two interesting guys at the hostel last night. Musicians that have traveled all over. I sat around listening to them play guitar for 3 hours last night. Theyre playing at a resturaunt on Wednesday and I think Im going to go down there to see them play.

I guess thats all for now. Oh- and Im getting better with the showers. Only 50 cents this morning!!

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The weather has been pretty disappointing so far. Its been cloudy, windy, and rainy just about every day that Ive been here. Its too bad because I just about feeze to death in my tiny little cabin when the wind blows. I guess the small space heater in the corner cranked up as high as it will go isn't quite enough. I had all these hopes of long walks in the sunshine will be postponed until it clears up some. I know that up here they supposedly get somewhere around 300 days of sunshine a year (which is many more than Seattle)- Im still waiting for a few of those days. I hope they hurry.

Ive been taking it pretty easy- going to bed early, sleeping late, reading, writing. Ive finished 3 of my 7 books already. I started to panic so yesterday I went to the library and after some discussion and questioning they decided that they could, in fact, issue me a library card. Now Ill never run out of reading material. Thats a relief.

Ive been feeling kind of shy these first few days...Im going to need to start getting over that and start actually talking to people. I wonder when Peter is going to get to the island?

Here are some pictures:

+dock at Friday Harbor+

+my hostel+

+my cabin+

+sundown+

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

So I finally made it. This is my arrival entry. This internet cafe is about a two blocks from my hostel so its perfect. I just paid 30 dollars per month for unlimited use. I guess that means Ill probably be spending a lot of time here..but thats not such a bad thing, is it?
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Here is an exerpt from my arrival entry in my daily journal:

So this is where it all begins. Im issting on the Sealth (ferry) watching the Anacortes ferry dock slowly disappear. Its THIS moment that Ive been preparing for and working towards since October. All those early mornings, tired lectures, books I stayed up late reading- all of that was for today. The minute I am actually leaving.

It rained this morning, and Im hoping that wasnt supposed to be some kind of sign. I went to bed with half-packed bags and a "to do" list for the morning. Thats how I always seem to travel- never quite ready to leave. Never ready enough to say "my bags are packed, lets go". Its always more of an "Im as ready as Im going to get" kind of thing.

I decided to take the 2:40 ferry insted of the earlier one because I could use the morning for a few last minute things. I woke up at 9am and spent the morning crossing things off my to do list. Hiking boots-check. Pillow-check. And a few extras- my teddy bear...because who can go anywhere without one? I hope I remembered everything. I have a perpetual feeling that Im forgetting something so I tend to ignore it as much as possible.

Its amazing- the further we get from the mainland the clearer the sky gets. I still see raindrops on the water but I think the sun is shining ahead. This ferry is a very liminal place. Im riding between old and new. The past and the future. The classroom and my life. We learned about liminality in class but this is the first time Ive really put it into prospective. I can really FEEL it. And its scary.
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This morning I wasted $1.50 on a coin operated shower because I couldnt figure out how to use it. This is going to take some getting used to.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to bed, Ive been checking BLOGs. Its exciting to see new entries. People are leaving. And with every arrival entry Im realizing that this is really it. At the beginning of the year this seemed so far away, and now its here. FINALLY.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

My research prospectus is finally in a condition to show my geogroup. I'm having an incredibly hard time putting my ideas down in a coherant manner. Its frustrating. But its finished, its as good as its going to get right now.

I feel overwhelmed by life right now but Im holding on tight because I know that in a little over a week everything is going to be okay. Maybe what Im doing is running away, but to be honest, I don't care. I'm anxious to get out of here and start this thing that I have been working towards for the last 15 weeks, 24 credits, and dozens of nights spent up way too late.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 10:56 PM | Permalink

From the book I read last week for the multi-vantage point seminar-

"The San Juans have always seemed to have a special way of capturing a man's heart, turning his soul inside out, and handing him a whole new suit of values..."

"Newcomers feel it, too. Often all it takes is to feel the throb of the ferry engines, as you pull away from the dock at Anacortes, to start your nerves unwinding. By the time you've crossed Rosario Strait to Thatcher Pass, and you get your first close look at tree-lined, rock-bound shores rising steeply from peaceful blue waters, your tensions are gone and your blood pressure is down where it ought to be."

Right now Im hoping that the above is true.

Posted by Rachel Komenski at 02:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)