Monday, March 31, 2008

Sleepless in Eugene

My unsuccessful attempts at willing myself to sleep for the past hour have resulted in this late night blogging session. I'm huddled under my covers, propped up by pillows, squinting at the computer screen. I'd crank up the heat, except that a strange odor and an obnoxious "clunking" results.

I am still awake for several reasons tonight:
  1. High-pitched eruptions of laughter coming from the hallway, seeping through walls which have never seemed so thin before.
  2. The pool ball bouncing off the table, and rolling on the tile floor.
  3. A massive "to do" list running through my head for Cambodia (T minus 43 days), the passports I have yet to collect, the malaria and typhoid shots I have yet to endure, and even how much anti-diarrheal medication I should put in the first aid kit.
  4. My lungs are still on fire from the intramural basketball game this evening - I'm on a team with the Student Development staff. We are affectionately named: "Staff Infection." (I even scored A basket tonight!)
  5. A crowd of husky-voiced guys, presumably frat boys, walking down the sidewalk. I could probably see them if I peeked out my blinds (but I'd have to put my glasses on, first).
  6. My bedtime reading - "Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade -- and How We Can Fight It" doesn't exactly inspire sweet dreams. I am well into the section that explores sex trafficking in Cambodia, and I'm reminded of the images I saw during my visit to the redlight district in El Alto, Bolivia.
  7. A zillion prayers...
    • for those women and children being sold like cattle, inspected like factory products, and used like rags.
    • for miraculous donations to the Cambodia and Israel Teams for students who have not met their fundraising goal
    • ways to get my RAs and residents involved in global and community affairs, to break out of the bubble
    • my friend who has a potentially serious doctor's appointment
    • my desire to spend more time in prayer for all of these things
... to name a few. :)

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