Saturday, January 3, 2009

Winter Greetings!


Hello fellow travelers of land!  It is now 2009, and I am feeling fine!  I just wanted to write in and let everyone know how excited I am to be leaving for India soon.  The time is flying, and I am getting prepared.  I just finished school, and know I am working on Music Festival organization.  I have also been getting ready to hit the slopes for some epic snowboarding!  I have seen some surf time as well, but not as much as I would like.  I wanted to post a picture of some of the great surf I experienced lately, so enjoy.   It is the weekend, and I am just enjoying a little down time.  I will be doing some crafts, and going hiking later.  It is a beautiful day here on the Oregon Coast, and I feel so blessed to be here to soak it up.  I hope everyone had a spectacular New Year's celebration, and stayed safe. 
Peace and Music
Carmen

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

More FYI:)



Hello again to everyone! I hope this post is finding you in the best of spirits. I just wanted to develop the picture of myself a little more. As I said in my earlier post, I live in Oregon. To be more specific, I live right on the coast and have a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean right out of my front window (see the picture). I live down the street from where I grew up, and where my Father and little sister still reside. I have a big, beautiful family and I feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful experience. My Mother battled cancer for five years, but lost the battle in 2005. I still think of her everyday, and her love is what keeps my head up. My Father is a multi-talented and amazing human being who I look to as a role model. Both of my Parents were teachers, and someday I might decide to follow. My little sister is a beautiful dancer (just like her mother, who was a dance instructor), and a very respectful person. I love watching her grow up, she makes me so proud. I also have two older sisters, and a older brother who all live in Oregon and have families of their own. Family for me is the number one priority.
For employment, I am a regional manager for the Dutch Bros. Coffee company, and I love my job. I work with fun people, meet all kinds of people, listen to music at work, and serve up great coffee. Can you believe they pay me for that?! I do a lot of running around, but I still get my customer time, which is the best part. I have been working here for 7 years now, and I still get pumped to go to work. Keep on Kickin!
I am also the president of a non-profit organization. The organization is the Oregon Coast Music Association, and we provide musical performances and education to our area, including a two-week festival every year. Our festival has just celebrated its 30th annual season, and it was a huge success. The highlight of our festival is the festival orchestra, which is a group of 80 musicians who travel from all over the United States to be a part of our celebration. I am extremely grateful to be a part of this organization.
With my travels to India, I hope to get to experience some of the musical culture of India.I love to play music, and I hope to learn about their native styles of music. There is a picture here of the guitar and mandolin that I play. I think I will bring my mandolin with me to India, it travels better than the guitar. I also hope to learn about their management philosophies and the roles of non-profit organizations there. It would be amazing to see some orchestra performances, but that is shooting for the moon. I know the trip will be amazing, meeting the people and seeing them in their own culture will be a once in a lifetime experience. I can't wait! Talk to you all soon, Namaste.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hello to all!  My name is Carmen Matthews, and I live in Coos Bay, Oregon.   I am beginning this blog to share my experiences with friends, family, and the world.   The experience of a lifetime is coming my way, and I am eagerly waiting to depart.  My destination-India.  I have been interested in the culture of India for quite some time, and I have always wanted to travel to that part of the world.  Recently, I was granted the opportunity to make my dream come true.  Rotary International has a program called the Group Study Exchange (GSE), which sends a small group of people to other countries to broaden their experience and expand their outreach.   This is a wonderful program, and I am so gracious for the chance to participate.  I hope to provide a in-depth look at my journey India, as well as provide additional information about the GSE program.  You will also get a glimpse of who I am as well.   I can't wait to share more!  For now, I will exit with my sign-out "peace and music."  Talk to you soon!