change of blog

Well, I've decided to change blog site to wordpress. It's so much easier to use and read!! so, I transferred all of this blogs entries into a new one. http://crysvwag.wordpress.com/ feel free to check it out~! and yes, i'll be updating shortly on changes in my life, to all curious to know what's been going on.

What I learned today..

Today, I learned a very important lesson. Yet did I learn it, or had I learned it before, yet chosen to ignore it? You see, we all discover things in life, as we grow and learn with relationships, people, feelings, pain and love. And when we get burned, we decide to shut ourselves in and never open up, never let it happen again. But time goes by and it heals us. And we forget the pain and disappointment and decide to give our hearts another shot. And we say to ourselves, ‘this friendship is different, he/she have what it takes to be a true friend. ‘ But here’s the mistake, even if they have the best intentions in the world, they are also human, and are bound to make a mistake sooner or later. And they will hurt us down the road, whether they mean to or not. And again, when that happens, we tell ourselves, ‘never again!!’ But why say never again? Why not instead learn that we all make mistakes not just them, and that no one is perfect?


The real lesson to be learned is to forgive. To learn have a noble heart and be willing to give that friend another chance, and also give ourselves the opportunity to see beyond the mistakes to that human person inside. Learn not hold a grudge, but to forgive others and ourselves.

So what did I learn today? What was that very important lesson that I was reminded of? When I started writing this, I was gonna say my new lesson was not to trust anyone ever again, to expect betrayal and shut myself form sharing in anticipation of that scenario. But even though it’s true that friends hurt us, I shouldn’t give up on them. Not when God hasn’t given up on me. My lesson is to learn instead to know when to speak and when to hold my peace. To know what’s important to share, and what really isn’t. To not try and fix problems between two persons, they are bound to fix their problems themselves. That when I start going in between them and trying to be an advocate, more times than once it’s a mistake. They can fix their problems on their own, and if they don’t, then that’s their call. But overall, to know there WILL be mistakes, because we are all human. And because of that, there will also be misunderstandings. The thing to do is to learn and accept that fact and move past it. And sometimes too, distance is needed. Not as a vengeful kind of thing, or as a ‘You hurt me so now you won’t have my friendship’ kind of thing. More of an I’m learning also and I need to correct mistakes and not repeat them kind of way. And yes, forgive. Give another chance. That’s what I learned today.

Thoughts on sleeping in

I suppose I wouldn’t be alone in saying I love weekends with all heart and soul, yet hate Mondays with all I have. It’s interesting how Friday mornings somehow are easier to handle than the rest of the weeks. I mean, I say to myself: it’s Friday!! Tomorrow I won’t have to get up early!! And then, fast forward to Sunday morning and I’m telling myself, ‘sleep in as much as you can, because tomorrow is Monday and you have to get up early for the rest of the week!!’ So yes, I am definitely NOT a morning person. That itself should convince me to go to bed earlier so the waking up would be easier, but sad to say, as with all non-morning persons, the night is our turf. We don’t want to go to bed early; it would feel like a violation of free time and life itself.
Why then all these sad thoughts about getting up early and all fantasizing about sleeping in? You got it! I’m forcing my eyes to stay open this lovely morning while here at in my computer at work. No, it’s not like I went to bed in the wee hours of the morning. I went to bed at the usual time, but it’s just that…Well, if I were offered a penny for every extra minute I try to sleep I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself a billionaire in a few short years.
  But I have good news! In a few weeks my schedule changes and I’ll be working nights. That’s right, I got a new job!! I’m sooo excited, it’s a full time position in a bigger hospital and it pays better. My life is full of blessings and this is one of them. I still can’t believe I got this job, everyone said it was so impossible to get in. To start with, to be a translator  in Parkland Memorial Hospital, (my new job), you have to take a three hour test and pass with at least an 80% in each of the three sections. Yes, they scared me and told me it was only 10% of people that pass this test. But hurray, and thank God, I passed!! So I’m excited about starting this new chapter and starting this new job, and….not having to get up early each day!!!! Yes, it’s not a huge deal…but I assure you, it’s something to look forward to every day of the remaining two weeks at work!
 
Wedding planning, you must be asking yourselves. CRYSTAL how is your wedding planning coming along!!??? That’s the question I get almost every day from loving friends, family and coworkers, and I have to say, it has come very smoothly along. I’ve heard of ‘Bridezillas’ and so many stories of stressful wedding planning but to tell you the truth I have not been stressed for a moment. And I am glad to say all the major things are all taken care of. Ok, I’m not gonna say I won’t somehow along the way freak out and have a stressful moment, but so far it’s been very smooth. And only small things remain to be done, because it’s all planned really, reserved, and ..ok….there are some small details that if they went wrong I might switch from peaceful, relaxed bride, to bridezilla. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen. It’s an exciting time, it’s been a lot of fun to plan and I hope it turns out to be a wonderful day. 
 
Anyway, I think I’ve run out of thoughts for the day and I might as well go back to considering how attractive getting a little nap right about now sounds.

I hear wedding bells in the distance

Wedding planning. Sounds fun, exciting, even exhilarating. And don’t get me wrong- it is!! Well, for the first few weeks, at least… After having traveled to Colombia to look at places for a wedding, being sick all the while there, and still having to get up at early to continue on the relentless hunt, when every day on that “vacation” rains, and no one is cooperative in terms of negotiation for the wedding venue, and every place you look at won’t reserve a year in advance or guarantee the place six months in advance, When the car you depend on  to get everywhere breaks down and your suitcases never arrived in the airplane and the “vacation” is almost over and still they’re not there… somewhere along the way it stops being so much excitement and unbridled fun..
Well, basically that describes my “vacation’ to Colombia. Allow me to explain.
When I got engaged last month…(oh yes, to those who didn’t get the memo, I’m ENGAGED!!!) I decided, or rather, ‘we’ (I keep forgetting that now it’s probably gonna be more ‘we’ than ‘me’ from now on out) ok we decided we wanted the wedding to be in Colombia. Reasons? Expenses, and guests, to be precise. Basically, we could have a very nice wedding over there for much less ($$) and all my family could come while so could his, they could all travel, get to know the wonderful country, and all my best friends are in South America, so the maid of honor and bridesmaids all there etc. It was a brilliant idea, to be sure, and so I decided to pool my restricted vacation time from work and take a quick trip down there to look at places. I could only afford a week off, in other words that’s the only time off available I had. So I merrily bought my ticket with Delta, never dreaming what a nightmare Delta could turn out to be, and gladly I packed my bags and got on the plane. To make an endlessly long story short, they never landed in time for my next connection flight in Atlanta, ended up leaving me stranded in said airport for 24 hours ‘till the next flight to Bogota’, and had it not been for my thoughtful fiancée who booked me a hotel online so I could take a shuttle and rest for the night, I would’ve probably lost it… Having missed my second connecting flight in Colombia, things weren’t really looking that hopeful. That is, until my wonderful fiancée called me and after hearing my despairing voice decided to book the next flight to Atlanta and join me the next day on the trip to Colombia. At this point, of course, my tears dried up and the semblance of a smile lit my face once  more.  
We arrived safely in Colombia the next night, and all things looked better.
AS soon as we arrived to my parent’s home then, the wedding planning started. Of course I ended up sick like I related above, suitcase never arrived, all the places we tried to get for the wedding were a total mess of complications, and I was ready to throw the towel when we found a wedding planner and our troubles seemed done with. All things then being taken care of, we happily returned to the states- and dare I mention I have NEVER before in my life been so happy to be back. I suppose it was because I had a miserable time and I even lost my voice over there due to that malicious cold. Ben however, had the time of his life, and at least for that I’m grateful.
So… Are we done with the wedding planning?? Pardon the expression, but, hell no! apparently, it has just begun. Because, you see, due to several complications and traveling issues with various (groom side of the family) guests,  we decided to cancel having the wedding over there.
So, yes, my dear people, the wedding will be in beautiful Fort Worth. Ah, but the planning has but begun. The endless hunting for the right church or chapel, and the reception place is just begun. And the most exciting part of it, (sarcastically speaking), is that almost all places are already booked for next year. So here we go. But it’s still fun. Visualizing yourself in that white dress walking down that aisle in that beautiful chapel- until , reality check, it’s prohibitively expensive to even think about booking… or, no, not really. One gets married only once in a lifetime. So, let’s hope all goes well, and next year, well- let’s just say there will be a new Mr. and Mrs. Batiste  forming a family and we will all want you to enjoy the moment with us.
So those be my thoughts wedding-wise for today. I’m afraid I must now get on the phone again for the thousandth time to see if we can still get that Robert Carr chapel for the wedding…wait!? Was I not supposed publicize that?? Oh well.Too late!!
Ps- comments are appreciated

A Random moment of Colombian Patriotism

Colombians are very patriotic people. And I guess it’s because we have a lot to be proud of, even though some bad reputation worldwide has tarnished our good name!! Either way, almost every Colombian I have met is fiercely proud of his country and culture. And I had been telling that to my American boyfriend but I guess it didn’t completely sink in till last Sunday. We were driving along interstate 20, via Dallas, and I was driving while my bf was in the passenger seat. Of course, being the patriotic Colombian that I am, I have a Colombian flag hanging from the rear view mirror in my car. Anyway, we passed a huge pickup truck with a trailer in tow- and guess what: he had a sticker of Colombia on his back window, so I thought, how cool! Another Colombian!
My fellow countryman, however, was a bit more enthusiastic when as he passed me and glanced over, suddenly seeing my Colombian flag.. He slowed down till we were side by side, and started blowing the horn, like 3 times and waving wildly at us with a wide smile on his face! I obviously responded with more honking and waving.. it was an awesome feeling of patriotism right there… I mean, when do you randomly drive past another proud Colombian? And much more, when he unashamedly goes overboard trying to bond with you while driving on the highway just because you happen to be from the same wonderful country, and you are so proud you actually feel the world just stop there for a minute??
Oh it was priceless. You know what was also priceless?? The look of utter embarrassment on my bf’s face. I’m guessing he will never underestimate Colombians again. He didn’t think it had been cool no matter how over excited I was for the rest of the trip. “Colombians are definitely out there”, he muttered to himself.. no matter. I absolutely loved every second of it!!

As I was driving to work this morning, in the hectic hours of traffic, where everyone tries to get to the workplace in time, I was no exception. I kept looking at my watch, determining how many more minutes I had left before I would be officially late for work. Traffic was a bit heavy, but nonetheless moving along, one of the advantages of living in Ft Worth, where traffic is not half as bad as it is in Dallas. As I was coming into the final bridge before taking the street to my office, a new white cobalt Chevrolet was driving along slowly, blocking the way. I finally managed to pass the slow driver, and as is my custom, out of curiosity peek to see who is driving at such a slow pace and blocking the lane! Well, not surprisingly, it was a dear old lady, who apparently has not retired yet. I passed her and kept going my way. Very soon we were in the turning lanes and traffic slows down when someone has to make a left , and, remember, the old lady in the white cobalt is right behind me since I passed her a minute ago. Well, it so happens that I also had to make a left so I stopped to do so, when apparently, Mrs. Unretired driver decided she was also late for work, and maybe decided to hit the gas pedal and make up for lost time. Unfortunately, the streets were still with sand that was put out when it snowed in Christmas, so she must have hit some of that because her car slided right almost into mine. The result: a very near miss of an accident, almost hitting my car in the rear end, but thankfully at the last minute she was able to maneuver out of the tight spot and keep going at my right, and, yes, she looked at me with a most frightened and apologetic face.. I don’t know what was more funny- my scare at almost being hit, or the panicked expression on the poor old lady’s face as she looked at me from her passing vehicle. Well, It made my day.

The sun is quietly streaming in as I sit in my office at work and write. To be exact, I am at the brink of dozing off. Such a pity I have to work all day when the sun is screaming at me to take a walk and relax outside. It was a blessedly long weekend. To be exact, it’s December 27, the weekend after Christmas. And though most of us were home bound because of the snow, it was glory for me to have 3 consecutive days off from work. And here I am again, fighting the urge to fall asleep at my desk or run outside and enjoy the weather. Enough boring stuff. You get the idea.
Please accept my apologies at not blogging before. I think that by this point we are all clear on the idea that I am NOT a constant blogger, and that the random times that I do sit down to make an entry are rare, and far apart. But let it also be known, that one of my new year’s objectives is to be better at this. Please hold me to that.
What can I say is new in my life? Ah yes. The love life. My esteemed readers, as of December 5, I have officially abandoned the “singles” list, and moved on to the “dating” category. Yes, it’s official. A boyfriend in the life of Crystal Velez. I know. Its unexpected. but it has been a blessing and a very happy one too!

Ok, change of subject. God has been very good to me, every day I wake up thanking Him for all his blessings, I cannot start counting all of them for they are innumerable. At the same time I feel the debt to repay Him back for sooo much goodness. But then again, how could we ever repay ALL that He has done for us? A life of service to Him is what I want.

And so, dear one. I bid thee adieu. I must get back to work. Please keep me in your prayers that God may lead the way in my life. And please, enjoy yourself on the end of this year. A new one is ahead! Let it be a new opportunity to make the best of everything that comes our way.

enfermation time

Arghh why do you get sick when you have tests coming up? Why does it happen when you know falling prey to illness will affect your job and school? Oh why and why does one get sick when the weather invites you to stay in bed and sleep the day in? Why is it that the weather suddenly decides not to cooperate with yout eager efforts at feeling better and triumphing in this eternal struggle of victory?
ok..enough of the unanswerable questions..YES I KNOW>>> it's take FOREVER to blog once more...my humblest apologies to my esteemed readers. I have been reluctant to continue with my constant chatter. But here I am once more... so much for an auspicious re start of blogging activities...This day finds me in bed with a terrible cold that has had me miserable for the past week, had A&P tests, papers to turn in, and a night shift till 5 am last night. oh did I mention classes and my two jobs? OK. I have survived thus far. I will get better soon.

ah my dear friends...Agentina..HERE I COME

I AM GOING TO ARGENTINA!!!!!!
after so much hard work, so many long nights spent studying...after many tears and anxious moments....I AM GOING!!! ok, ok let me explain... I wasnt accepted the first time, because my spanish grammar wasnt' the 100% that was expected in the test...so, the resutls had been negative in regards to medicine for this first semester. But, after the hard days passed, and i decided to travel back to the states, even bought my ticket there, my mom kept asking to see if there were more options ..and voila, it happened. I was accepted to start as a major in psicology for the first semester and then transfer on to medicine...what a blessing!! I can hardly beleive it!!! is very difficult to get into this particular university and i consider the events nothing short of a miracle. So my dear friends, and to all who were praying for me, THANK YOU!!! pray for me now as the journey begins, a new adventure, to trust God and his wisdom in providing for the financial needs and the such.
well, i'm too excited to expand much , so i'll let you go and i'm off to change my plane ticket if possible...LATERS!

its been a while

Ok , so it's been like....FOREVER since I actually have time to sit down and write some....or even had time to look at my blog...but here I am again making up for lost time..
If I used to have an idea of what being busy truly means, i guess it was a bit vague till now..I can hardly say anymore that I dont fully understand the implications of being busy although I am told that this is but the "beginning of sorrows", just a foretaste of what is to come in med school..that is, IF i pass LOL... so, here I am, poor body mind and soul, bound to try my fate at the "fateful" test in a week.... yes, people, IN A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My life in Colombia is interesting if not agitated LOL...to give you and idea, I get up every morning, take my braekfast and a shower... and OH!! I must expland on the shower part!!...so...I take a shower every day,....I DO!!! whats interesting about it is that whereas before I used to beleive taking a shower was one of the most relaxing parts of my day, now it has become torture...OK I'll confess...I HATE TAKING COLD SHOWERS!!!!!! The first week here, I would somewhat guilt-ridden warm some water in a pot on the stove and then take a warm bath... but then it was quite obvious that the population around me took cold showers EVERY time, and I felt a bit...too....conchuda!! so..I decided to start a campaign to see if i could manage tha freezing water in the early hours of the morning...it started a bit..dramatically...you can imagine, making strong resolutions all night that tomorrow is THE DAY to take that cold shower...and then when the moment of truth arrives...opening the cold shower...sticking one toe in...then the entire foot...and so on...shaking and trembling....wishing it'd all be over... OK enough dramatismo.
I got used to it. the sad part of it is, if i ever take a warm bath with warmed-in-the-stove water, I totally get unused to the cold water again, as if by magic, and it's like all my efforts at getting used to the reality have been pointless!!! OK...
ANYWAY!!! I take cold showers every day and beleive meself to be quite brave for it.... and so, continuing on....after that and breakfast, I walk 15 minutes down hill to catch one of two buses... sometimes it has rained a lot so um..anyway, it takes an hour to get to my final destination, including the walking part. So I take two buses, and it's interesting, you get to see so many people, watch them, even talk to them sometimes, like those that suddenly strike up a conversation with you because they felt like it. Most of the time in the mornings there are enough seats, but in the afternooon, you have to stand on the moving car and hold on as best possible, of course, with all the wild curves and stops you get some work outs on my weak arms LOL yeah trying to balance oneself while trying not to fall in top of those unfortunate others beside you. Bus drivers and the rest are quite a case here in the third world...they will get anywhere and do practically anything to get to where they are going, NOW. and of course a bus stops everytime there is a prospective passenger, and if it is going at a great speed, a sudden stop is the most common situation....ok, I actually enjoy it..makes life feel like...living on the edge..edge of an accident!!!
So., my parents bought a car. and of course I couldn't possibly pass the chance to improve my international driving skills...but it does more to stress me out and make me upset at people who don't know how to obey a stop sign and who think everyone on the road is just a nuisance who needs to get out of the way... yeah, in any case... they have said that whoever learns how to drive here can drive anywhere in the world,,,and frankly i wouldn't underestimate the truthness of said thing...the part that was not included in such theory was that whoever learns how to drive here will get a ton of tickets when they get to the states and try driving there...so I'm trying not to lose my good driving skills cultivated in the states :P
well....other than all that....all i ever do is study. Trust me, christmas eve and christmas day were spent in books...all day long. I take classes almost every day a week, all day, and the only day i'm not studying is on sabbath, and let it be added that as soon as the sun comes down I go to class...
Coming back every night from the city, home, I have to wak..uphill...20 minutes. I'll actually take a picture of the mountain i need to walk and will post it up so you can have an idea of my forced exercise regime. All for the good, right!?
wwell.....one more week and the moment of truth will arrive...Either I pass or fail, but i'm doing my best not to fail. In any case, or , in the worst of cases, you shall see my face soon in keene.
I shall now bid my dear readers adieu for i need to bury my head in a book for now...

just a picture..

Well, i don't have much time to write...but I thought I'd just put a picture of the panorama I see every day as I go to take one of two buses that will take me to class...
I will write more when I can...
Missing you guys!!!

friday afternoon musings

It’s Friday and I’m thinking about joven a joven…hmm it’s about time everyone gets there…and nostalgia slowly takes over. The nostalgia started taking over when the afternoon slowly faded into the night... I was listening to Casting Crowns and picking the pictures from last weekend, and seeing all that stuff certainly does not help to ease the homesickness…well, that’s a confession in case anyone was wondering whether I’m homesick :P
I arrived to Armenia today, early morning. My brother was waiting for me to pick me up at the bus terminal. I hadn’t seen him in over a year, and it was very cool to be together again. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of catching up to do, which we have willingly begun to accomplish :P
Monday I start my classes and hopefully it will keep me very busy and very focused… Sometimes it’s hard to stay on track when you feel a bit well….weird…..in a different country…..unused to such a different life… I must confess at times it feels like a mistake, but still I pray and ask God to lead me and not let discouragement overwhelm me.
Anyway it won’t be forever these uncertain feelings and one must learn to trust God in the shadows as well as in the light. One thing I have learned is that God doesn’t let us move on until we have done whatever he has us do in certain places, and until we accomplish His purpose there, it’s not wise to try and move on, or run away from it. On the other hand, when you actually fulfill that purpose, you are strengthened to move on victoriously. So please keep me in your prayers.

Colombia...finally...
yep, gotta say that my silent protest about the charges for internet usage in O'hare International were pointless, seing that in Miami Internationa, (my next layover) it cost me 10 dollars...oh well, I had to somehow pass the hours, so I grudgingly paid the amount...the case is, arriving at eleven PM, my next flight was at six in the morning, so you can imagine how long those hourse crept by... it was freezing COLD, no matter how many sweaters and jackets I had on...at least I managed to fall asleep at 3 in the morning, to wake up an hour later...
oh well....at last I got on that plane, and arrived to this beautiful country!! I must say it has been good so far, I am in the capital with my cousins and did a bit of sightseeing today, only we had no one to take pictures of both of us, so she kinda took all the pictures of me..how dull..oh well..you can't just hand around the camera, they might just...steal it.. LOL
I am putting some pictures for you guys to see...
tonight my bus leaves for Armenia, the place where I'll be staying to study, and I'll finally see my brother after a year... won't have internet, at least not wireless so....anyway, I'll keep in touch, no sweat.
I miss all of you guys at Keene...yes, I do..
well, keep me in your prayers....
take care!!

At O'Hare International...on my way

Here I am, yes, in the famous O’Hare Chicago International Airport….what’s so exciting about it??? Frankly nothing for me, except sitting for two hours without internet…yes, I was so excitedly anticipating my time on the ground to when I could get online, yet lo, and behold, I have to pay 6.95 to get online, something I’m not quite willing to do for only two hours..OK, I’m a bit stingy…but it’s just that I believe that it should be FREE!! This is my silent protest to this “capitalistic” system …
I am dead tired, and this is but the first part of this eternal journey into the unkown….Of course yesterday I had a hectic while trying fervently to make everything fit without entering the over-weight suitcase category, so, in order to accomplish such almost impossible feat, I had to pack ALL my books into my carry-on suitcase and laptop case, so you can imagine how heavy it is, me bieng an ardent lover of good books…I simply couldn’t part ways with them, and there are many of them…the result? A 70 ib suitcase and a 20 ib laptop bag…frankly I don’t know how much my laptop bag weighs, but I assure you, it feels like 90 pounds… add all that and a shopping bag with my blanket, no, it’s not a life-sized blanket, just a small pullover, which I simply HAD to include for the wee hours of the morning that await me in Miami… ok, so I looked like a traveling hillbilly with all my pots and pans, but I was content because it all had fit…I was content, yes, that is, till the not-so-tactful airport attendant woke me from my dreaming hopes by telling me I was only allowed two pieces of hand luggage, no exceptions….not even trying to bribe, argue, plead or cry moved or touched his stony heart… so I had to part ways with my beloved pullover….
Now here in O’Hare, after all the walking and almost limping as a result of the tremendous amount of weigh that I pull around plus two sweaters and a jacket, I am not amazed at the freedom of getting online unless you pay...
I saw everyone wearing jackets and warm clothing yet I was sweating as a result of my exertion….oh well…all for the love of good reading…
Anyway…will keep you posted…