(no subject)
Baba, my grandma, died Friday. It was totally expected.
The last week of her life, this 25-year old aide named Gina came in every day to her room and dressed her, put makeup on her, and perfume. She was thinking of quitting her aid job but felt the urge to stay another week or so. The nursing home moved Baba to a different wing of the nursing home on Thursday, but Gina showed up anyway. Everyday she meticulously and carefully washed Baba and put on Christian music to give her peace. Baba wasn't talking anymore and just responded by raising her eyebrows over and over again.
Friday morning, Gina showed up at 6:15. She didn't have to work that day, I guess, but came in and went through the whole process of cleaning, dressing, and applying makeup/perfume to Baba anyway. She gave my mom a note when she left. It said that God had woken her up that and day and told her to go in and prepare the body for death so Baba could die with dignity, that Baba was scared and needed her kids to reassure her that it was okay to let go of life. So, my uncle Joe started reading Psalms (my grandmother is very Christian) and within an hour and fourty minutes, she was gone. I guess that my mom and her siblings physically saw her take her last breath as uncle Joe, who was struggling with his faith/life in general, leaned over her and read Psalm 103.
We had two viewings -- one in MI, one in PA. We buried her in PA yesterday morning and then my brother and I got in a car and drove home. It was all just really, really fast. Too fast.
In case you don't know, Baba was essentially my second mom. She moved in with my family when I was six or seven. I've actually spent more of my life living with her than with my brother. We were close, really close. I spent a lot of time this weekend just staring at her casket, in disbelief, not that she was dead but that this was actually it -- her funeral. She'd been in terrible health for years now -- she broke her back in 1998 -- and has been on death's doorstep countless times. Part of me is expecting to get a phone call that says "Just kidding!" But I know that's impossible.
I gave a nice speech at the funeral, which made me feel like I had given my last respects. I was a pallbearer too, which I appreciated in a weird way -- it felt good to know that I had been such a part of someone's life that I had the honor to carry their casket. It's tough but I think we'll all be alright. There's about 4000+ emotions swirling within my head right now and I'm try to readjust to law school. My professors have all given me breaks, extensions, etc. so I should be able to manage. It's just hard to switch between so many gears so quickly.
I think I'm going to be spending two months in Cambodia next summer working for the Cambodian legislature drafting laws. Since the Khmer Rogue kicked out anyone with an education during the genocide the level of education in Cambodia is depressingly low; a first-year law student is more educated than many of their legislators/lawyers. I'm a little freaked out but I think it will be a good experience, it'll teach me to not be such a puss about everything (food, sleep, etc.) and probably add a much-needed bit of legitimacy to my resume, which as of now claims I want to do international law but is devoid of any international experience. Plus, we're living in Phnom Penh (the capital) and it's pretty European, as all the Frenchies used to vacation in Cambodia/Vietnam before the war. I'm hoping to spend a bit of time in Vietnam and Thailand while I'm there. I'm in desparate need of a purpose in life.
Hopefully I'll come up with a decent research proposal to qualify me for a semester abroad in Europe for Winter 2008.
I'm also trying to find a missions trip to do over Spring Break. Baba gave each of her grandchildren $1K in her will and I think it would be good to put it use for a cause she would have believed in. So if your church is offering anything, let me know.
That's about it. School's frustrating me, so I'm taking this little break right now to put my thoughts together. The Dems won the House and probably the Senate, and part of me thinks that a little friction is a good thing right now (I've very quickly found myself inbetween parties on most issues). I'm glad Prop 2 passed, not because I'm anti-AA but b/c I'm against the way it was working... so here's to the discovery of a form of AA that actually works (friends: note, I have no energy to debate this right now...).
The Wolverines just squeaked by Ball State, and that kinda blew. Wings are hot. Britney and K-Fed split, which means the object of my teenage fixation is back on the market. Any takers? Didn't think so.
The last week of her life, this 25-year old aide named Gina came in every day to her room and dressed her, put makeup on her, and perfume. She was thinking of quitting her aid job but felt the urge to stay another week or so. The nursing home moved Baba to a different wing of the nursing home on Thursday, but Gina showed up anyway. Everyday she meticulously and carefully washed Baba and put on Christian music to give her peace. Baba wasn't talking anymore and just responded by raising her eyebrows over and over again.
Friday morning, Gina showed up at 6:15. She didn't have to work that day, I guess, but came in and went through the whole process of cleaning, dressing, and applying makeup/perfume to Baba anyway. She gave my mom a note when she left. It said that God had woken her up that and day and told her to go in and prepare the body for death so Baba could die with dignity, that Baba was scared and needed her kids to reassure her that it was okay to let go of life. So, my uncle Joe started reading Psalms (my grandmother is very Christian) and within an hour and fourty minutes, she was gone. I guess that my mom and her siblings physically saw her take her last breath as uncle Joe, who was struggling with his faith/life in general, leaned over her and read Psalm 103.
We had two viewings -- one in MI, one in PA. We buried her in PA yesterday morning and then my brother and I got in a car and drove home. It was all just really, really fast. Too fast.
In case you don't know, Baba was essentially my second mom. She moved in with my family when I was six or seven. I've actually spent more of my life living with her than with my brother. We were close, really close. I spent a lot of time this weekend just staring at her casket, in disbelief, not that she was dead but that this was actually it -- her funeral. She'd been in terrible health for years now -- she broke her back in 1998 -- and has been on death's doorstep countless times. Part of me is expecting to get a phone call that says "Just kidding!" But I know that's impossible.
I gave a nice speech at the funeral, which made me feel like I had given my last respects. I was a pallbearer too, which I appreciated in a weird way -- it felt good to know that I had been such a part of someone's life that I had the honor to carry their casket. It's tough but I think we'll all be alright. There's about 4000+ emotions swirling within my head right now and I'm try to readjust to law school. My professors have all given me breaks, extensions, etc. so I should be able to manage. It's just hard to switch between so many gears so quickly.
I think I'm going to be spending two months in Cambodia next summer working for the Cambodian legislature drafting laws. Since the Khmer Rogue kicked out anyone with an education during the genocide the level of education in Cambodia is depressingly low; a first-year law student is more educated than many of their legislators/lawyers. I'm a little freaked out but I think it will be a good experience, it'll teach me to not be such a puss about everything (food, sleep, etc.) and probably add a much-needed bit of legitimacy to my resume, which as of now claims I want to do international law but is devoid of any international experience. Plus, we're living in Phnom Penh (the capital) and it's pretty European, as all the Frenchies used to vacation in Cambodia/Vietnam before the war. I'm hoping to spend a bit of time in Vietnam and Thailand while I'm there. I'm in desparate need of a purpose in life.
Hopefully I'll come up with a decent research proposal to qualify me for a semester abroad in Europe for Winter 2008.
I'm also trying to find a missions trip to do over Spring Break. Baba gave each of her grandchildren $1K in her will and I think it would be good to put it use for a cause she would have believed in. So if your church is offering anything, let me know.
That's about it. School's frustrating me, so I'm taking this little break right now to put my thoughts together. The Dems won the House and probably the Senate, and part of me thinks that a little friction is a good thing right now (I've very quickly found myself inbetween parties on most issues). I'm glad Prop 2 passed, not because I'm anti-AA but b/c I'm against the way it was working... so here's to the discovery of a form of AA that actually works (friends: note, I have no energy to debate this right now...).
The Wolverines just squeaked by Ball State, and that kinda blew. Wings are hot. Britney and K-Fed split, which means the object of my teenage fixation is back on the market. Any takers? Didn't think so.