A Blast to the Past

23 Tuesday Mar 2010

Posted by in life, thoughts

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So this past weekend I had the pleasure and good fortune of being reunited with two of my very close colleges girlfriends in San Francisco. Not only was the company great, but the amazing good weather in San Francisco was incredible. It made me appreciate SF a lot more than I have so far. I think what else made me love SF more than I used to was that our host actually planned activities near her home in Marin County, not in the city. The green landscape was breathtaking, to the point I found it difficult to keep up with the conversation going on in the car.

Aside from being able to catch up with my girlfriends, and reminisce about the good ol’ college days (I can’t believe it’s already been five years), this trip really reminded me about who I was and what I wanted in college. It’s been five years since I graduated, and although I have a law degree to show for the time, I still don’t feel I’ve accomplished very many of my professional goals. I don’t think I’m anywhere near doing what I want to do, or even positioning myself to do what I want to do. I know I keep myself busy with “extracurricular” activities, but I need to start focusing on activities that will get me involved in the area I want to work in. Instead of volunteering for random organizations, I need to focus on those where I can network within the community I want to work in. For example, I know Amnesty International has a local chapter in my city, but I’ve never made the time to go. And yet, that is almost the exact kind of work I want to do.
This trip also made me think about maybe living somewhere else for a bit (to my mother-in-law: don’t freak out, we need you to take care of any grandchildren, so we won’t have them away from you or my mom!). I know I want to have our kids near our families, so Jeff and I need to decide if we’d like to check “new life adventure” off our list before settling down here for sure. School allowed me to travel a bit, and I got to see little bits of new cities and towns, and each one had something to offer. This weekend reminded me of that and of the time-sensitive nature of making that a reality, if we decide that’s something we want to do.
All in all, I had an amazing time with my girlfriends, and the trip has given me a lot to think about as far as my professional and volunteer priorities, as well as what Jeff and I are doing with our lives. Sounds simple enough, huh? :)

Haiti Quick Updates

18 Thursday Mar 2010

Posted by in charity, Haiti

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So I think I was pretty productive this week in making things happen. First of all, I took care of my passport issue. A really was hoping that I wouldn’t have to send in my old passport by just saying that I had “lost” my old one, but in that case I had to provide a certified copy of my birth certificate. I didn’t have the energy to even look into how long it would take to do that, so I made copies of the pages in my old one (yeah, it might be lame, but I kinda like having all the stamps in my passport of the places I’ve been to…), and shipped it away hoping that I’ll get it back after they process everything and punch a whole in it. So, I had to pay the passport fee, an expedited fee to make sure I get it back on time, and you have to pay for them to ship it back to you via express mail, which means it came out to about $160.00. On top of that, I had to pay $18 to send it overnight express and tracking, to make sure it gets to where its going. *sigh*


I also called on Monday morning to move up my vaccination appointment, so I’ll be getting all sorts of fun shots this coming Monday.

I also called CHOC and made an appointment to donate blood tomorrow, since I won’t be able to donate for a while when I get back from Haiti, and I can’t donate once I get my vaccinations done. So that should be fun also :)

Finally, the donations keep trickling in! Coming home and seeing the mail is honestly the best part of my days right now, and you guys haven’t failed me yet–I’ve had one donation waiting for me everyday for the last few days!

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT!

Work Moments That Make Me Happy

14 Sunday Mar 2010

Posted by in opinion, work

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It’s no secret that bankruptcy law wasn’t exactly what I set out to do. With that said, it’s been a much more enjoyable road than I had imagined. In the last couple weeks there have been several events that make me enjoy my job more than I thought I would. I hadn’t realized that practicing bankruptcy law had some similarities with the general public interest job I wanted to do: you can help people. I know some have issues with the idea that people can even file bankruptcy, especially when people max out their credit cards and then can have their debt wiped away and not be held responsible for their actions. I agree there are people who take advantage of the system. But I also think there are many people who are in need of this system in order to get things back on track, and who had never though they would ever be filing for bankruptcy.


A lot of times when people come into my office to sign their petitions, you can tell they’re not happy to be sitting across from me. It’s nothing personal, it’s just slightly embarrassing to be signing documents where you’re basically saying you have failed in the financial aspect of your life. Many of them explain the situation they’re in, and tell me they never thought they would ever be filing for bankruptcy.

Needless to say, people aren’t necessarily happy when they’re in my office, but lately it’s been nice to see that I can make a small difference in people’s lives just by the way I treat them.

Case in point: a couple came in to sign their petition, and the wife looked like she wanted to bite my head off. It turned out that she was a little weary about our office. As I’ve mentioned before, my firm handles mostly Spanish-speaking clients, most of whom are not familiar with legal issues, attorneys, 50-page documents, etc. They know about notario fraud, and they know that a lot of people these days are getting cheated out of their money by attorneys who promise to modify their loan and then never hear from them again. So I think it’s justified when a client wants to see my California bar number to make sure I’m really an attorney. And I think this wife was justified in being weary of what her and her husband were getting into. By the end of our meeting, the wife and I were chatting away, she felt comfortable with who she had hired, and she left with a smile on her face. I love that.

I also had a great moment when a client and his wife came back and told Rama and I that he talked about us to his son the night before: he told his son how happy he was that there were still honest people out there who cared. This guy is one of our (Rama and I) favorites: he’ s the sweetest, nicest, older man you can imagine! So him and his wife have offered to take us out to lunch, and I think we may just have to take them up on it so we can see them again!

Haiti Update: Fundraising, Passport, and Vaccinations

14 Sunday Mar 2010

Posted by in charity, Haiti

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So in gratitude for all of those who are donating for my trip to Haiti, I will try to regularly update how my planning process is going. Once I get to Haiti, I’m hoping I will have the time and internet access to keep everyone regularly informed.


Fundraising

So far my fundraising has consisted of sending out a mass email to friends, relatives, professional contacts, etc., and posting links on Facebook to my initial Haiti posting. From those efforts alone I have actually already reached half of my goal! So thanks to all of you who have already donated and mailed checks, or stopped by and dropped off your donation. A HUGE Thank You to the Dowling family, who’s generous donation alone put me way ahead of where I thought I’d be right now.

As you may or may not remember, my initial goal was $1,000, and the current total stands at $574! Not bad, huh? So in order to keep track of donations, to ensure that I send out Thank-you’s to all you generous souls and I know how much has been raised, I started an envelope where I can keep cash, checks, etc., and posted a chart on the front with table for information. It looks a little like this:

Tell me this doesn’t remind you of getting money for jog-a-thon’s in elementary school???? (That was half the reason why I put it in this envelope…)



Passport

One thing I was worried about was my maiden vs. married name. My passport doesn’t expire until the end of May, which would have given me enough time to go and come back with it, but it still has my maiden name, which isn’t the name I used to book my flight. I called expedia to see if I could just bring my documentation of the name change (new and old ID, marriage license, etc.), and they gave me this vague answer insinuating that those documents MAY be enough. Well….I’m not really all that excited about paying for a flight, taking time off from work, raising money, getting vaccinations, and getting emotionally ready for a trip like this only for someone at the check-in counter to say I can’t board the plan because my passport name doesn’t match the ticket reservation or my ID. This means I am in the process of getting an updated passport, which sets me back another $150 since I want to expedite it to make sure I get it in time.

The other thing that sucks about getting a new passport (as frivolous as this is): I have to start all over again on collecting stamps in it! It’s been difficult enough to the ones in there that I have, and now I have to start all over!

Vaccinations

Finally, it is highly recommended that I get several vaccinations and malaria pills before embarking on my trip to Haiti. I had called and made my appointment for the end of April, but I guess it’s best if you actually get it done 6-8 weeks before going on your trip, which means I need to call TOMORROW and see what their next open appointment is. What I’m worried about is that work is going to be crazy busy with hearings, and I don’t think the health center is open on Saturday’s…sigh. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow what needs to happen on that front to make everything happen.

Finally, here are some pictures of the project that Abby and I will be working with, if you want to get a visual of where we’ll be and what we’ll be doing.

OK, sorry for the super long post, but just wanted to share the highlights of my planning process :)

Thanks again to everyone for their donations so far, and please keep them coming!

Music Video: Pate de Fua

14 Sunday Mar 2010

Posted by in entertainment, music, video

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So I found out about this group through a link an old college friend posted on his Facebook. A link to the exact same video I’m sharing with all of you today! Their name is Pate de Fua, and although located in Mexico City, I believe the members of the band hail from several different countries, including Argentina.

Fernando posted a link to the music video posted below, and I loved it, so I tried to get more of their music. Thing is, they only sold their CD IN Mexico City…well hell. So I emailed Fernando to see if he knew how I could get my hands on their CD, and lo-and-behold, he actually bought it and mailed it to me! It was one of those actions that meant way more to me than was probably originally intended. See, I haven’t actually spoken to Fernando since we graduated sometime around 2005, and for him to go out of his way to get this CD to me reminded me that there are still really cool people out there. Thank you Fernando!
So without further ado:

Please help me go to Haiti!

08 Monday Mar 2010

Posted by in charity, Haiti

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Dear readers:

I’M GOING TO HAITI!
A few weeks ago my friend Abby mentioned she wanted to join a volunteer organization and go to Haiti to help with the relief efforts. I’ve always wanted to participate in something like this, but at the time was unable to due to financial difficulties and conflicts with work. Un/fortunately, Abby’s flight got cancelled, she had to reschedule and rearrange her plans, which has provided me with the opportunity to actually join her this time around. We’ve set our flight dates from April 28th to May 8th, and found an amazing organization to volunteer through: Hands On Disaster Response. HODR was actually already working on a mission down in Haiti, so they already have a grasp on the situation down there, and have the infrastructure and organizational tools needed to run relief efforts of this magnitude.
This time around, it just seems like things have fallen into place. I was nervous about requesting the time off from work, but everyone there was been pretty supportive of what I’m doing, so my biggest hurdle was easily overcome! Next up was getting our dates approved through the organization, to ensure they would have space for two overly-willing girls :) A day after requesting confirmation, Abby and I got what we wanted: they approved our dates!!
Since high school, I’ve always wanted to participate in a mission like this, to go abroad and help a community in need, but there was always something holding me back. But now, the only thing standing between me and Haiti, and being able to do something I’ve always wanted to do: getting the money to go.
So far, these are the expenses Abby and I have calculated:
  • Flight: $500
  • Vaccinations and malaria pills: $300
  • Shuttle and misc expenses: $200
  • (going to Haiti and helping out: priceless!)
Total goal: $1,000.00.
This is where each of you come in! As you’ve heard so many times before, any amount you can donate to help me get to Haiti is a huge help and is greatly appreciated. If you can donate, please send a check made out to Alexandra Armstrong to:

Alexandra M. Armstrong
Personal and Confidential
1010 W Chapman Ave, Suite 200
Orange, CA 92868

I know many of you have already donated to organizations like the Red Cross, but think of this as sending a personal emissary directly to the people of Haiti to help out! I will also be able to communicate via email while I’m there, so I promise to keep everyone informed of what Abby and I are doing, as well as updating occasional pictures and such.

Charity of the Month: charity:water

05 Friday Mar 2010

Posted by in Charity of the Month

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A friend of mine celebrated his 27th birthday this year in one of the most amazing ways I can imagine. Instead of asking for gifts, he asked all of his friends and family to donate $27 (his age) towards building a water well in Africa. As of today, he has raised $2390! Amazing!


How did he do it? Through a nonprofit called charity:water. Their goal is simple: to provide clean water to people around the world. It’s something most of us take for granted, since it’s something we enjoy without even thinking about. But for millions of people, clean water is a luxury they only can’t afford, but isn’t even within their reach. The goal of charity:water is to build water projects in communities, clinics and schools, as well as clean sanitation facilities.

The cool thing about charity:water is that it allows YOU to be personally responsible for bringing clean water to a village. How amazing of a feeling would that be?! Instead of going with the usual wedding registry, or asking people for birthday gifts, you can build a well in Africa! It may sound crazy, but Javier is living proof of the amount of money you can raise by just spreading the word. I encourage you all to look into the organization and consider following in Javier’s footsteps for your next big milestone in life!

Kids make the world go round

05 Friday Mar 2010

Posted by in life

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So tonight was one of my tutoring nights, which meant that I went in to work early and got off early. Surprisingly, I left right at 5pm, not 5:20 or 5:30 as has happened almost every other time I tutor. I think it was a combination of getting off exactly at 5, and the coming of Spring, but I swear it felt like a completely different drive. When I pulled up to David’s street, it felt like I had never been down that street before! By the time I get to their block, it’s usually already dark, so it was weird to drive down a street I’ve driven down dozens of times, and feel like it was the first time because I was actually able to distinguish details in the daylight.

Anyhow, I pulled up to their driveway and parked in my usual area (right in the middle of the driveway–only because David said I could!), walked up to their front door, and rang the doorbell. Every time I’ve done this before, I can hear little footsteps rushing to the door to greet me, usually one of the three children that are able to walk. And when David opens the door, there’s usually one kid in front of him pushing through to say hi to me. It’s an amazing feeling to know that they KNOW it’s me, and they’re that excited to see ME.
So today, I rang the doorbell, and it was insane. Insanely amazing. I heard all three pairs of footsteps running toward the door and fighting to open it. When the door opened, the youngest one was screaming in excitement, and I had to pick him up and hug him and carry him all the way to the kitchen, while I hugged the other two hello.
Little big things like that totally make it worth my time, and it made my night :)

Cultural Differences

03 Wednesday Mar 2010

Posted by in culture, life, opinion

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So I was writing my prior blog about how addicted I am to coffee, and I started going off on quite the tangent. Rather than going off on the biggest tangent ever, I thought I’d just make it it’s own entry. But I’ll pick it up where the last one was going…

Before you say how lame it is [giving up coffee for lent]: I live for coffee. Since I was little. No joke. (Warning: going on a tangent). I think it’s a cultural thing, but I clearly remember drinking coffee when I was little, like five years old. In Guatemala you have a “refaccion” in the afternoon: around 4 or 5pm, you make coffee and have a little snack, usually sweet bread or champurradas. I loved that time of day. My grandma would stop working for a bit (she worked at home), and we would sit in her kitchen, drink our coffee, and eat our champurradas. Sometimes her friends would come over, and I would listen in to all the neighborhood/church gossip. Best afternoons ever. I never knew it was weird to drink coffee until I moved back to the States in Junior High, where I found out that everyone freaks out about children having coffee. Well, it certainly didn’t stunt my growth.


Another funny cultural thing I didn’t realize was pierced ears. I’ve had mine pierced since I was three months old or so, and plan on doing the same to my little girl if God ever decides to lift the Armstrong male dominance. I remember being in junior high and a girl told me: “You’re so lucky you have your ears pierced! I’ve been begging my dad to let me get my ears pierced forever.” I was shocked. I mean, why wouldn’t your parents want you to have your ears pierced? As a girl, you’re SUPPOSED to have your ears pierced, right?

It’s so interesting to see how culture shapes your opinion and outlook on things. What seems so incredibly normal to one girl can be completely crazy to another.
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