To less.

I mentioned a few posts ago that my motto for 2013 is "All you need is Less."
As a part of that idea, I decided yesterday that I would give up shopping for lent.

It's not that I'm religious these days (tho I was raised Catholic) but yesterday I was thinking about how as a kid we would give up something for lent.  Lent is 40 days long and ends at Easter.

So essentially, I'm giving up shopping for the next 40 days.
Not buying anything that isn't going to keep me alive.
Food is okay.
But stopping in at Forever 21 or Winners on the way home from work to see what's new, picking up a new cute shade of nail polish, thrifting a new vintage pin, buying a magazine because I'm bored - those are not going to happen for 40 days.

Maybe to you this doesn't seem difficult at all, but I personally identify a bit too much with the main character from the Shopaholic novels.  Even today, as I have the day off and try to decide what to do, the first things that pop into my head are strolling down cool streets in the city and shopping.
Already my email inbox has been filled with multiple coupons and announcements of sales this weekend.

Instead, I'm going to spend time sorting through the things in my apartment and getting rid of what I don't need.  I'm going to:
- try on all the items in my closet and get rid the ones that don't make me feel fantastic.
- tackle the bathroom cabinets and give away all of the soaps, gels & creams that I don't like.
- donate the books that are collecting dust
- throw out worn out socks
- copy my cds to itunes and trade the discs in
- sort through craft supplies and keep only what I'll use
- and sort through whatever else comes up

I am excited to beat this challenge.  I'm excited that it will help me save money for my trip to Japan in April, and that in general it will help me gain perspective and become less of a consumer.
I plan to fill the shopping-less void with more crafts, homemade foods, and adventures in the city. 

Are you giving anything up in the next while? Have any goals that you're trying to beat?

flashback - learning from the domincan republic

i propose a new feature - flashbacks.

when i can, i'll post an old photo - something from the archives of my hard drives.  maybe something from my childhood, from when i started photography, my high school life, college, or even just from before i started to blog.  you can learn a little bit more about me, and soon i'll be leaving europe and having less big adventures to tell of anyway :P

 this is one of my favourite pictures i've ever taken.

in 2000 & 2001, my high school organized "experiential learning exchanges" during spring break.  

i went twice, fundraising all year to be able to make the trek with about 6 others and a chaperone to Consuelo in the Dominican Republic. 

we didn't go to build a school, bring medicine or educate the locals.  

we went so they could educate us.
we stayed with host families who were 'middle class' in the DR, which is a developing nation.

we spent our days communicating in broken spanish, and sometimes with local translators, getting to know the people and their way of life.  

we toured sugar cane plantations and talked to people who had no food and water. it broke our hearts. 

incredibly, and the thing i remember most, is how happy these people were. 

this mother, holding her newborn son marcos, was so proud and hopeful for his future.

i haven't kept in contact with them, and i have no idea if marcos has even made it to his 10th birthday.

i look at this picture and it brings me back to earth.

it makes me realize i have it pretty damn good.