Story In a Box

    Charished Memories      
              Through out my house there are items that paint a picture of the past.  The décor is dusty, old, and mismatched but it is intriguing to those who see it.  Each item has a story behind it that I will be more than happy to tell you about.  I am now an 83-year-old woman with the spirit of the young hearted girl that I once was.  My most cherished memories are those that are related to 12 items sitting on a shelf in my livingroom.

I was a young woman, fresh out of college, with an ambition to do more than settle down and get married. I spent the next 7 years of my life working and volunteering for various organizations.  I began my journey teaching English to young children in China. That winter I came down with a terrible fever.  Some of my students became concerned and sent an elderly woman to take care of me. She boiled a pot of water and poured it in a cup.  Before letting me drink it she dropped in three small chestnuts.  It was an old Chinese remedy for curing a fever.  She gave me an extra handful of chestnuts to use as needed. Then she covered my shoulders with a cloth that had a pink floral pattern on it. Soon after, I overcame the fever.  Nine months later my contract was fulfilled and my visa was on the verge of expiration--it was time for me to leave.  On the day I left, each of my students gave me a small gift. I received a stamp made of Jade.  In Chinese it said “Inspiration.” Another student was the daughter of a craftsman from Mongolia.  She gave me one of the handmade wallets her father made. It had a picture of an elephant on the front.  In Mongolia, Elephants are the symbol of knowledge. The last item I received was a Singaporean coin collection which was titled “The year of the Dog.”  The boy who gave it to me loved collecting things that related to his horoscope. He bought the collection from a local pawn shop. After the gift exchange I went to the airport and boarded a plane.  I was headed to Africa for my next project.
I arrived in Kenya to volunteer at the Amboseli National Park to help preserve wildlife while spreading awareness to local communities about the benefits of eco-tourism.  I often worked closely with the local Maasai tribe. I remember a young woman who was an artist.  She created the most beautiful sculptures that were modeled after the traditional art pieces from her tribe.  I loved her work so much and I bought a small sculpture of a woman. My time in Africa was short but I will never forget it.

After my work in Kenya was finished I flew north of Africa for a relaxing vacation in the Mediterranean Sea.  I had spent almost two years working non-stop and needed some ‘me’ time.  I found myself on the small Island of Gozo located off the coast of Italy.  I fell in love with a young local man who was a glass blower for a living.  The romance was short-lived but never forgotten. Upon my departure he gave me a small, turquoise jar that was corked at the top. Inside was a note which has never been read.  While taking the ferry back to the mainland of Italy I found myself in a conversation with the owner of an archeological museum in Bulgaria.  He invited me to come work there as a tour interpreter. I decided to take up the offer.  After a month the owner and I ended up eloping.  We lived in a small cottage with his mother.  She was a horrible old woman who hated me because I wasn't the Bulgarian daughter-in-law she dreamed of.  Her hobby was in the doll making business. Her favorite doll was bald and had piercing blue eyes.  One night we got in an argument and I was pushed into the shelf and knocked it down breaking its head off.  I was forever blamed.  About a year later, I finally was fed up enough to leave. I took the head and headed out the door, never to return.

At this point I had no plan in mind so I decided to go back to teaching.  I found an organization who taught geometry to children in Peru.  The schools in the local community were under-funded so we provided supplies such as compasses, rulers, and books.  Outside of teaching I spent my free time exploring the natural and historic wonders of Peru.  I bought many souvenirs from local shops; my favorites were a wooden cut-out of a man playing a drum and a clay depiction of a “finca” farm house.  Once my contract ended in Peru I decided it was time to return home. 

I ended up back in Minnesota working towards preservation against pollution of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Here I dedicated 25 years of my life educating children and visitors of this area.  As a symbol of this I keep a small canoe on a shelf with  11 other items from my most cherished memories.