Thoughts from a mama

Why do I feel like a crazy woman after my birth?
 

I am getting a masters degree, working 20 hours per week, attended church, and tried to have a social life one night a week when our second bundle of joy arrived. All of this plus being a mama to a toddler, wife, and daughter. 

The worse thing is making that constant decision on whether to finish a paper, read 300 pages, or hold my babies. My husband is also attending graduate school at Yale University, and both of us had difficulties balcning work, family, and school. 

Do I have a messy home and have great grades and happy children? Or, do I have bad grades, clean home, and cracked out kids? This is also something I thought about constantly. 

The only thing that kept me sane was making it a priority to have ME time! Even if that meant taking longer showers, (in between feedings of course) or going for a 10 minute walk. Every morning I spent time reflecting on what were my goals for the day. If I did not accomplish them, it was okay, there was a whole NEW day coming! 

Nonetheless, I felt crazy with my hormones going everywhere. It's completely normal trying to get to the swing of things and get a routine going. Lastly, I started writing this blog to keep my thoughts straight! Prayer also does wonders and having people massage your feet or neck!!!

My Baby Cakes

Looking at her Mama!

Church Baby, sleeping on the pew

Does she look like mama?

Sitting up with help for the first time

At the University of Idaho at the NWWSA Conference

Love my baby girl!

A Spo-Eattle-Ite living in New England

My last post was over a year ago stating that it's been a while since I've posted anything. I have been busy I guess... The whole being pregnant, giving birth, being a mama, graduating college and then moving across the country to go to Graduate School. Yes. it's been quite an adventure.

SO far, nobody here from Chicago and Eastward drives the speed limit. The speed limit will say 55 and everyone is going around 70ish. My poor little Honda baby is probably exhausted from the drive from Seattle to New Haven, Connecticut. We drove through and visited Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and finally arrived in Connecticut August 1st. When we arrived, the Monsoon's welcomed us to our new home.

Abigail, my baby cakes, absolutely loved the drive and loves where we live. Mostly everyone in our apartment complex has a child. So far, almost every family we have met, the husbands are attending graduate school and the wives are staying home. It's been hard trying to relate to anyone here because BOTH Anthony and I are attending graduate school in less than three weeks. Everyone is so nice here. There are people from Barcelona, Italy, Russia, China, India, Nigeria, Utah lol, Sri Lanka and Canada. I love how diverse it is in comparison to Spokane.

There are so many restaurants. New Haven, CT is known for their food. You name it, they probably have it! They have Thai, Chinese, Italian, Brick Pizza, American, Greek, Mediterranean, Soul-food, amazing dessert places and little unique eclectic coffee shops. Coming from Seattle, Starbucks is everywhere. They would be three or four in just one intersection. Here in CT, Dunkin Doughnuts is everywhere. I miss seeing the green everywhere.

The people here are genuinely nice, they are always straight to the point, which I admire, and have been willing to help.

My list of things that I miss from home
1. My family
2. My dog
3. Our amazing church family
4. The Sunsets
5. All the babies and my mama friends
6. EWU McNair

I know it takes time to build a network/family, it is just so hard... We have visited a great church here. They are all so sweet and nice. It's always nice to have fellow brothers and sisters everywhere you go!

For now, this is all that has been going on. School starts in three weeks and then who knows when my next update will be. Goodbye for now friends! 

Feeling Baby

It's been quite some time since I have posted anything. Well, I'm expecting :) Pregnancy has been a wonderful, crazy and beautiful experience thus far. My first trimester was a bit rocky, visiting the ER was NOT fun. Anthony was amazing, cooking me all my meals, and snacks. The only thing I could keep down were potatoes... There were nights I would be crying because I could not keep a teaspoon of water down. My mother kept comforting me by telling me to ask God for Grace, Grace, Grace.

Now I am 22 weeks, showing and craving as ever. Tacos are my favorite meal right now, to be specific, Anthony's homemade Tacos... they are delicious! Baby LOVES them as well, I feel as though I have a little gymnast inside of me when I eat them.

Around 19 weeks is when I started feeling Baby, however, last week, I can SEE Baby move. It was amazing! I immediately started to tear up because it felt so real. God's creation is so magnificent. I keep telling myself, 'half of me, half of Anthony... is INSIDE of me'... At times, that thought freaks me out, but then, I realize... that's how life works.

Being able to see and feel Baby with Anthony is so wonderful. I've never felt such a closeness between Anthony and I like that. It's a different kind of close. Every time we hear the heartbeat, We still laugh for joy... I get so giddy, of course then they have to start over because my belly is moving lol...

As this new chapter unfolds, I am thanking God for supportive and loving family and friends. I am expecting great and wonderful things. 

Public Speaking Is Never Easy, or Is it?

"OMG you're such a great public speaker!! I loved your talk!"

A student said this to me as I was walking to my house last week. I politely said thank you and started thinking.

'Are you kidding???" Still to this day, after speaking to over 25 classes about either social issues, the Women's and Gender Studies blog or about India, I still get butterflies in my stomach. I seriously have to close my eyes and breath 10 times before I go into a classroom.

I've noticed that the audience is more responsive when I tell them about my self. A funny story here and there and possibly a joke or two... People apparently think my Indian family stories are HILARIOUS! Especially the one where my mother sneakily convinced me to meet a potential marital partner... (2008 India Trip-Story for another time).

Some things I do before I speak ANYWHERE...

1. Breath
2. Call my ma or pa (Yes I still NEED my parents)
3. Remember everyone in the audience has either tripped once in their life and burps
(yeah I know it's weird, but it helps me to realize that they are normal and not super dooper elite and scary)
4. Close my eyes and think of my husband
5. Smile right when I walk in

Things I do during my presentations...

1. Smile
2. Make eye contact with one person for more than 5 seconds
3. STARE at the people yawning or on the phones (my biggest pet peeve)
4. Take my time
5. Be Honest- If I do not know the answer to a question, I let them know that!
6. Ask questions to get the audience involved

Hope this helps!
-Bina Rachael

The Classroom-India

School in Mumbai India-Bina Walker

School in Mumbai India- Anthony Walker

Children's Drawing in Mumbai, India

School in Mumbai, India children's homework

The drawings on the wall, notice the pealing paint

The small classroom in India, the floors are completely wet and the tables are shorter than the length from my elbow to my wrist

More drawings by the children in Mumbai

Indian flag in the classroom, notice the wall and the roof

This is the hallway of the private catholic school in India

The pealing paint inside of the classroom

Anthony and I inside of the classroom getting ready for church

My bible is smaller than my hand, Anthony's bible doesn't even fit on the table, and that's a washcloth folded in two halves... the tables are SO small!!! Imagine a laptop on that thing!

The Streets of India

I am always amazed at how people live in India. From the immaculate houses to the tarp covered houses.


 

Arriving in Mumbai, was as though I was living everything I have seen and heard about the poverty in India.

We were staying within one of the largest Slums of all of Asia, DHARAVI. 
 Here are some of the pictures from our trip.

I thank God everyday for what he has amazingly blessed me with.

When I am there, I always think about
how my sister and I would of turned out?

Would Nordstrom be on our radars?

Would I know what Peppermint Tea is?

I know that I would have a taste for different things however, it is difficult to imagine.