My crazy friend Alysia (crazy cool that is)...

is leaving to serve in the Peace Corps in Malawi.

I became friends with Alysia when we lived together in a rental just outside of Arcata.  But lets back up for a moment. Before I had ever met or even spoken with Alysia I got the inside tip that she owned Travel Scrabble.  So basically, I knew she was going to be awesome from the get go!  While roommates we cooked together, watched movies together and went on great hikes together.  We lived together for less than a year before we both moved on to different living situations but our friendship only grew stronger.  We still cooked, went on hikes and even went on some fun adventures to the Strawberry Music Festival and the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival.

Alysia graduated from HSU in the Spring of 2010 but has been preparing to enter the Peace Corps since October of 2009.  She leaves Humboldt County this week to begin her journey towards Africa, but before she left I got to spend one more great afternoon with her and decided to conduct a little pre Peace Corps interview.

What are you most excited to see in Malawi?
Soooo many things...  I'm excited to see the culture there... the music and dancing.  Lake Malawi, which holds 80% of fresh water aquarium fish species.

Are you worried about not having private space?
Yes and No.  I'm used to living with roommates now and feel that has helped me prepare.

What food will you miss the most while there?
Sushi!  and raw fish and raw veggies.  (I was informed that she had recently gone out for sushi three times within a 24 hour period recently.  She's getting her fill while she can).

What do you think will take the most to get use to?
The etiquette... learning what is appropriate and my role as a female.

What food do you think you'll like the most once you get there?
The corn porridge... I love porridge!

Do you think you will miss your car?
No!

What comfort item are you taking with you?    My yoga mat. 

What will be the biggest challenge of living in Malawi?
I definitely think the poverty and mortality is going to be difficult.  I have been told that I will get to know people there that will die while I'm there.  HIV/AIDS is a big problem there.

What is the biggest sacrifice you are making to go?
Leaving Pippi. (her dog)

What is the best advice that you have been given?
To put a supply of new underwear in a Ziploc bag and save it for my 2nd year of service.

Do you plan to record an album upon your return after practicing your guitar for 2 years?  No way.  That's a big FAT no!  :)

Will your hair be long or short when you return?   Long.

Will you be an even bigger hippie than you are now when you return?
For Sure!

It is easy to say that Alysia has been the best of friends.  She is fun, has a contagious laugh, always has a comforting shoulder to cry on when needed, she is the best storyteller I know, she is inspirational in that she is always striving to learn and improve herself, and speaks with words of wisdom.  I have no doubt that her Peace Corps experience will be one of great adventure that will return her as an even better storyteller and a stronger human/hippie Goddess.  Alysia, you leaving for two years is leaving an empty space in my life but I promise to fill that space with my own adventures and education so that I will have something to share with you as well upon your return.  I will think of you often and am so thankful for the time that we have already spent together in this lifetime.

Pounding kraut...

is a bit of a workout.  Last summer I purchased a 5L fermentation crock.  When I got it out of its packaging I felt overwhelmed > it's big!  For xmas I asked Santa for a pounder with which to help the process of making sauerkraut, and many other fermented foods easier.  The last present left for me under the xmas tree was big and long.  I had no idea what it could be.  Again... I was very overwhelmed by the size of the pounder.  My dad teased that I should leave it by my bed in place of a baseball bat (not that I have a baseball bat). 

Over the last month, from both research and talking with others who have made kraut, I built up enough courage to try it myself.  I sliced up about 4lbs of red and green cabbage, added some sea salt, a little whey, a couple of spices and started pounding.  "Pound! Pound! Pound! Pound!" Could be heard both inside and outside of the house.  Soon the juices from the cabbage began extracting.  I placed some weights atop the cabbage, the lid atop the crock and left it to ferment.

Here is the crazy part.  I have NEVER liked sauerkraut.  In general, I don't really like anything pickled.  But over the last few years I've been working really hard to learn to like these things and have hope that if freshly made by me I will enjoy them.  Keeping my fingers and tastebuds crossed.

I acquired most of my information about making sauerkraut from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook and from the Wild Fermentation website.

fake plastic fish...

was the name of a great blog that I've been following lately.  It is now called My Plastic Free Life.  I don't have to look back too far, only about 10 years, to the time when friends and family thought I was a bit odd for bringing reusable bags to the grocery store.  Now it is highly encouraged and socially accepted.  Well, reusable bags isn't where I stopped being a bit odd, or as I like to believe, a little bit ahead of the game.

There are many things I do in my everyday life that are not great for my health or the sustainability of the planet.  I drive a car after all.  But I do step by step try to live in ways that have smaller impacts.  It's been about 5 years now since I decided to give up coffee cups to go.  This means that if I do not have my own reusable coffee cup I simply go without coffee.  This works pretty well over all.  There have been times, especially when traveling, that this rule has been broken, but overall I stick to it.

Last year I decided to give up one use drink bottles of all kinds (not counting beer bottles).  This meant no bottled water or grabbing a juice to go with a last minute lunch.  Again, the hardest time to follow this rule is while traveling, but over all I've only broken this rule a handful of times.

Now I'm trying to find ways to cut out single use plastic of all kinds from my life.  The first step is simply paying attention.  I shop at the local Coop and yet still find it really hard to buy food that does not come in plastic.  The frozen food section is now off limits, minus the few items that come in bulk, due to the use of plastic in the packaging.  I can't buy sliced bread at the store but I can go to the local baker, get their bread sliced, and put into my own bag.  No more store bought yogurt... I've already started making my own.  I'm undecided so far on cheese.  All cheese that I've found so far comes in plastic and this one I might indulge on from time to time.  I get freshly made tortillas at the local Mexican restaurant put into a bag that I provide them.  I get ice cream packed in my own container at the local ice cream shop.

Will I eliminate all plastic from my life or my grocery list?  No, but I'll be using a whole lot less.  Will I miss some of the foods that I loved, like sprouted sesame bread and ok-mak crackers?  Maybe a little, but it feels better to be able to do without certain things.  We are spoiled when it comes to our food options and often have the mind frame that we deserve it all.  Deserve it at the expense of the health of our planet, and ultimately ourselves.  Living a life with less plastic limits my food options, but the options I do have (for the most part) are much healthier than those that come in plastic.

I'm a believer in every lit bit counts.  I don't have to be perfect but I should always strive for improvement.  I don't focus on guilt but rather focus on the empowerment that I feel when I know I make decisions and purchases based on the values I strive to incorporate into my life.