When I Laugh on the Bus...

it's probably because I am listening to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! Like, sometimes I have literally had to start listening to something else because I was starting down a road of uncontrollable, that-girl-is-nuts, tears-streaming-down-my-face kind of laughter. All because of a podcast.

Most of us spend some part of our days on a commute. You may spend yours in a car. I spend mine on a bus, metro, school shuttle and walking. But no matter how you get somewhere, there is always that little voice in the back of your head saying that you are wasting part of your day. But what if you weren't? What if you could reclaim that time? What if you could transform your commute into a time of learning, laughter, and growth? That's where this little tool comes into play. The podcast. Something that sounds so archaic can actually be the light at the end of the tunnel. Your underpass tunnel, so to speak. Or my metro one.

My Dad first introduced me to podcasts on long-distance road trips. Soon, after many silent and boring commutes here in Istanbul, I found myself downloading Podkicker onto my phone. This was indeed one of the best free downloads I have ever installed. Suddenly, my commute had all of these opportunities opening up in front of it. Did I want to listen to international news? Or learn about how perfumes work? Or get some Turkish studying in? The options were countless.

My main 3 podcast areas are these:

News
Listening to the news helps you to break out of the bubble of your reality. It helps you remember that the world is moving along just as you are. My favorite news podcast is the Global News by the BBC and I also greatly enjoy listening to the Diane Rehm Show.

Learning
I have started using some Turkish phrases in my daily conversations that I didn't even learn in class...I learned them from podcasts like Turkish Tea Time. Funny side note: Many of my friends here  in Istanbul listen as well to Turkish Tea Time, and it is actually produced here in Istanbul. We have heard the host's voice so much that we joke that if ever we hear him out in public, we are going to shout "Justin!!!" Podcasts aren't just great for learning a new language (which is a wonderful thing to do, by the way - http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27634990). Stuff like RadioLab, Freakonomics, How Stuff Works, Stuff You Should Know and more can help you learn about any and all topics.

Laughter
It's true. Laughter is the best medicine. And sometimes it's just what you need after a day at work or school. So try Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me or The Prairie Home Companion by NPR if you are up to getting a few laughs (and probably tears) in while you drive.

Comment below with the podcasts that you listen to and recommend, if you are already transforming your commute!

If you want to listen to some books on your commute, try out Audible! Doing the free trial also helps fund my traveling through Amazon Affiliates :)

He is all that matters.

Today, I donned my coat and sneakers and threw my journal into my bag. I stuffed my hands deep into my pockets and left my apartment, trekking up and down crowded streets, past bus stops, over rocky sidewalks. All the way to a secluded hill-top park bench. I could see the hazy skyline as the sun set, and the air was crisp, cold, and as fresh as it can get in such a busy city.  I needed space to clear my thoughts. I needed time to talk to my Maker. I needed to breath.

I do not have it all together. I like to appear as though I do, but I definitely don't. I myself am a mess. I'm falling apart. There are days that I feel under so much pressure. There are days when I feel as though I'm accomplishing nothing. Days when I wish I could see my purpose drawn with a permanent marker on the plans for my life. There are days when it's all I can do to keep from crying in public. I cried out to God today, I don't even know what I need. I don't even know what I want. There are days when I just wish that life wasn't such a struggle.

I can't hold myself together. I've tried. It doesn't work. But, you see, I'm not a hopeless case. None of us are. Because we aren't made to hold our lives together. We are made to entrust them to someone else. Someone Else.

He is holding me together. I don't know what I would do without Him. Him, being my God, my Jesus, my Savior. You see, even when I know that I'm a mess, that I don't know what's going on, that I feel out of control, HE is in control. There is a purpose for my life written by His hand in permanent marker, and I trust that even though it's not my place to see it, HE does. Some days it's hard to hand it over. To not worry. To trust. But He tells me that I can trust Him. He says that my life is in His hands. He says that my purpose is grounded in bringing Him glory and loving Him. He says that I wasn't made to hold my life together; He made me to be dependent on Him.


Corrie Ten Boom said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

It's hard. Because, hello, this sure isn't heaven that we are living in. And until then, life is a struggle, because we live in a world where satan is telling us lies about life and is successfully deceiving so many people. But I hold this truth so close to my heart:

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love."    Romans 8:38

Nothing. No matter how I feel, no matter what I do, He's never going to leave me. He's never going to stop loving me. He knows my thoughts. I mean, He knows me better than I know myself, because He literally made me and shaped me. It's not like I'm going to have a bad day, and He's going to walk out on me. That would be impossible. I am convinced. I don't need to have it all together, because He does and that's all that matters. I don't need to know my future, because He does and that's all that matters. Nothing can separate us from God's love. He is all that matters.

The Best Vegan Cookies E-V-A-H!

Hey guys :) Happy Sunday! Today I'm enjoying the peace and calm by doing some baking with my Mom. Have you ever made vegan cookies? Because this recipe is going to knock your socks off!

This recipe was featured in the November/December 2011 "All Animals" Humane Society magazine. We used to receive the Humane Society magazines from our good friend, Rose, who passed away this past spring. We thought of her as we made these, and we look forward to continuing to share the fruits of our kitchen with friends and family just as she did with us. 

This recipe is originally from Vegan Family Meals, Real Food for Everyone by Ann Gentry. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can always eat the batter! Yep, vegan means no eggs, so when you bake these with kids it is a real treat to let them eat away as you prepare the cookies (and, let's be real, I love to eat healthy cookie dough too). 

Now, before I give you the recipe and pics, I do have to give a shout-out to my dear friend, Charity, who I almost accidentally sent to the hospital with this treat. You see, Charity has a nut allergy. And, blonde as I am, I always seem to think of peanuts when I think of nuts, and I forget that almonds are just as bad for her. So, one weekend when we were roommates in Atlanta, I offered her one of these cookies. She was like, "Are there nuts, Kaelin?" and I was totally chill about telling her that they were fine...until she was about to put it in her mouth and I suddenly remembered that they are CHOCKED FULL OF ALMONDS. I remember a flurry of yelling for her not to eat it, grabbing it out of her hand, and thanking God that He had kept me from committing an enormous blunder and risking her life. Charity - thank you for laughing it off and forgiving me :D Everyone else - make sure there aren't any nut allergies before serving these treats.

Making the dough (and eating some too).

Creating the cookie balls with an indention for the Rasberry Jam.

Adding the yummy centers.

Pre-baking...

After baking! 

Almond-Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups raw whole almonds (we actually purchase almond flour at the Farmer's Market and forgo the process of blending these almonds into a flour)

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or barley flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup neutral cooking oil (such as canola, grapeseed, safflower, or sunflower...we use canola)

2 teaspoons almond extract

About 3/4 cup raspberry preserves, apricot preserves, or apple butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. If you have the raw whole almonds, pulse the almonds in food processor until they form a fine flour with some small speckles of nuts still visible. Leave some small bits of the almonds for a nice crunchy texture.

3. Stir the ground almonds, oat flour, pastry flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the maple syrup, apple juice, oil, and almond extract in a medium bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until blended. (At this point, we add a little bit more whole-wheat flour to combat the stickiness of the batter. We don't want it dry, but just a good texture for handling).

4. Make 1-inch balls of the dough using a teaspoon and place them 1-inch apart on the cookie sheet. Make an indention in the center of the cookie. 

5. Either spoon the preserves into the indention (with them mounding just above the level of the cookie as they will melt down a bit while baking), or put into a pastry bag and pipe into the cookies.

6. Bake the cookies until they puff and become pale golden on the top and bottom, about 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to cooling racks and let cool.Cookies will keep for two days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature (our family sticks the cookies in the fridge). You can also save your parchment paper from your cookie sheets and use them between your layers of cookies in the storage container. Enjoy!

For more recipes like this one, go to humanesociety.org/recipes.

Also, let it be known that my family can't talk about anything vegan without quoting Kelly MacDonald's character, Katie, in the movie Decoy Bride: "I've gone vegan...man vegan" (*in a Scottish accent, no less*). Promptly puts us in a fit of giggles every time.

The Next Chapter: Going Back to Istanbul

Hi everyone,
 Thanks for following my adventures for the past year or so. I strongly believe that God has an adventure plan for each and every one of us, and it has been fun to be able to share what He has been doing in my life with you.

This week I submitted my application for a student visa for Turkey. Yep, I'm going back at the beginning of October. I'll be taking intensive Turkish language classes for the first 10 months or so, and then we'll see what happens. If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that God has a way of re-shaping the plans that I have for my life, and I'm continuously learning to be flexible and wait for His timing and His plans. It's an exciting and anxious time, and I really appreciate your prayers.

 As I move into this next chapter, I won't be using Faithful Nomad as much for updates. I will, however, still be posting to @faithful_nomad on Instagram. It's been a joy to post on Faithful Nomad, and I really appreciate everyone who has kept up with my journey through this.

Love you all!

-K

Expert Tips for Study Abroad & Exchange Students

Studying in Istanbul, Turkey last fall changed my life in more ways than one. In the next few weeks many students (and maybe even you) are heading off on international adventures, whether to do study abroad, exchange programs, or working abroad. Here are some expert tips from students who have gone before and conquered the road less traveled. They fought through visa applications, bought plane tickets, moved into cities where they may not have known the language, and took every day as a challenge and an adventure to soak in a culture other than their own. Their advice is great for knowing how to get the most out of this crazy and amazing experience.

Aileen -  Chicago, Illinois -> Istanbul, Turkey for an exchange semester
Expert Advice: Make a purposeful effort to ignore your inhibitions in communicating with other people, whether with other locals or your study abroad mates. Aileen says - "I think it is really about mindset and opening yourself up to opportunity through communication."

Case in point: Aileen shared a story with me about travelling to another city in Turkey with several exchange students that she had met at her Turkish university. They wanted to rent bicycles, so they all walked into a homey-looking bike rental shop and found the shop owners sharing in Turkish breakfast (which is a very important meal in Turkey). She noticed that they were eating menemen (a delicious dish made of eggs, butter, and cheese), which was one of her favorite dishes. She used that as a conversation-starter and started talking with them about how amazing Turkish breakfast is. As soon as she remarked on their menemen, they immediately asked her to try some of theirs (the foundation of great Turkish hospitality is based on sharing what you have with others). This is where her advice kicks in. She says - "I ignored my very American mindset of rejecting the offer out of courtesy and I instead tried their food, and of course it was incredible. It was a very surprisingly intimate thing to eat a stranger's food, but I did not let that stop me and I'm glad I didn't!"

Karen - Atlanta, Georgia -> Madrid, Spain for a Study Abroad Summer
Expert Advice:
#1 - Guard your belongings, and travel with as few things as possible. Keep valuables (money, phone, passport) out of sight, as some places you may travel may have pickpockets.
#2 - Learn about cultural differences before you go and be open to experiencing them. She notes, "Many people try to live as Americans abroad, but if you embrace the culture you learn a lot more."

Emily - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -> Berlin, Germany for Summer Language Study
Expert Advice:
#1 - Don't underestimate what you will learn from other expats. Emily had roommates from Finland and Russia, and also made friends with a girl from Macedonia during her stay in Berlin. She enjoyed learning bits of their languages and learning about their cultures as well.
#2 - Keep looking for chances to interact with locals, especially if you are there for language immersion.

Brian - Atlanta, Georgia -> France with the European Council program, Valdosta State University
Expert Advice: Keep an open mind. Brian found that it was important to "Just try to explore what is around you and don't be so quick to judge if something seems strange." Those are the experiences that make study abroad adventures so unique.

Maeve - Atlanta, Georgia -> France with Georgia Tech Lorraine program
Expert Advice: Try to become fully invested in where you are living. Maeve noticed that "Too often, I've seen students flock to places like Pizza Hut because it reminds them of home when they could be exploring new, exciting places." She also found that getting lost in new cities is the best way to explore.

My advice? Get to know local students at your university and in your community. Yes, it is really hard sometimes because of the language barrier, but it is totally worth it. I made several great friends in my classes in Istanbul, and their friendships mean the world to me. They helped me when I needed advice and guidance, they shared meals (and lots of tea and coffee) with me, they helped me learn new Turkish words and phrases, and they have become life-long friends. 

Special thanks to all my friends who contributed their expert advice!

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Climbing the Tallest CTO Distillation Tower in the World!

Today the interns of Arizona Chemical got to climb the (alleged) tallest Crude Tall Oil Distillation Tower in the world! It's called T-4 and has an excellent view of Savannah. Plus, we got a great leg work-out climbing up and down all of those stairs!

So glad to have gotten to share the intern experience at Arizona Chemical with these guys! It's been an amazing summer :)

Getting ready to head back to college?

Here are my Top 5 tips for college students to have the best school year yet, save some $ along the way, and make a ton of life-long friends:

#1 - Get your list of school books from the college bookstore, along with their ISBNs, and then order them as used books from Amazon or Half.com. Click the banner below to get free shipping!

Better yet, at the end of the semester, sell your books right back to other students at your college bookstore during Buy-Back, or on Amazon or Half.com. You'll end up having paid close to nothing for your books. Way to go!

#2 - Look up the events happening around campus during the first week back. You'll probably be able to score free food every day of the week, plus meet really cool people who are involved on campus and get involved yourself! My first week on campus at GA Tech, I wrote on my calendar all of the free events I could find. My favorite from that week: I got a free BBQ dinner at BCM one night and made new friends on campus.

*How do I do this? Look up the events calendar on your school's homepage, keep an eye out for flyers and signs, and ask the kids in your classes if they are involved in campus organizations. Make sure to hit up the campus gym as well and see if they have events planned.

#3 - Sit at the front of the class. No, really, I mean it. It may seem so much easier to just slide in at the back, but I had the best experiences when I sat front and center. Your teachers get to know you and you definitely will pay more attention in class because they will notice the second you doze off. Plus, those teachers who now know your name and that you pay attention in class? They make great job references :)

#4 - Get involved in stuff outside of your major.

Quick sidebar: I read an article today about how many STEM (Science, technology, engineering math) majors don't actually end up in STEM careers. Is this a bad thing, like, did they waste all that education? No way! I firmly believe that you should get educated in STEM fields for the pure enjoyment of learning more about the world around you. Who cares what you end up doing? But, getting back on focus..

When you get involved in clubs, organizations, ministries, and activities that are totally un-related to your major, you give yourself a chance to broaden your interests and get specialty experience in other areas. Say that you are a chemistry student who loves going to the gym and training for races? Maybe down the road, you'll end up being able to interview for a company that makes products for runners, and you'll have that special interest that gives you an edge to get the position. You get my drift? Stuff like working at a restaurant, volunteering at the local school, becoming a regular at Zumba, and learning to play an instrument can all help you in whatever your future career ends up being (and it makes your life so much more fun along the way). 

#5 - Do a study abroad or an exchange program. Your time in another country will broaden your perspective on the world, life, relationships, and your future. Don't worry that it will set you back in your plan to graduate; there are so many programs that you will definitely be able to find one that allows you to take the classes you would normally be taking at your home institution for that semester. Money holding you back? Make sure to check with your International Education office to see what scholarships are available. At Georgia Tech when I did my exchange program, they had so few students apply for the study abroad scholarships the first time round, that they opened up the applications again after the deadline. I was blessed to unexpectedly get a scholarship that more than paid for my plane ticket and many of my expense (thanks GT Class of 1968!). Take the leap - you won't regret it!


After a hard day of work at school, ever want to just sit back and watch your favorite TV show? Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime by clicking below!


Have any other tips for getting the most out of college? Comment below! Make sure to follow Faithful Nomad by email as well :)