Kesi Garcia

A New Blog for a New Age

2012-03-12T11:02:00.002-04:00

I did not expect to get back into blogging until yesterday and I don't know how much I will in the future, but this chapter in my life has finished. I just started a new blog. See you there.

A long post two weeks in the making

2012-03-11T18:52:00.002-04:00

I have added a few new facets to my persona in the last couple of years. I became a mother 23 months ago to my very own Trixie. I have become a single mother ending a marriage. I became a poet with Knoxville Writer’s Guild’s publication of one my poems. I became a student again with Lipscomb University’s online Master’s Degree Program. I added this to daughter, granddaughter, sister, and high school teacher.

But two weeks ago a new facet not of my choosing was added. I thought I was coming down with another case of vertigo. The nurse practitioner at an afterhours clinic agreed with me and gave me medicine to treat vertigo. When I woke up on day four with double vision, I knew there was a problem. Luckily, my ENT worked me into his schedule. The problem was confirmed when the doctor stepped out of the room and told someone at a desk to schedule me a brain MRI that same day. Dr. J, the man who gave me 12 days of prednisone last spring, sent me out of his office with the knowledge that my ears weren’t the problem and no immediate solution. That made me wary.

It was after six that night when the MRI was wrapped up and the technician called me back into the MRI room because Dr. J wanted to talk to me. (Another sign that good news wasn’t imminent.) He prefaced the news by saying that he didn’t like telling a patient something like this without looking them in the eye, but since it was so late, he had to tell me on the phone. He said there were abnormalities in the MRI that suggested probable Multiple Sclerosis. He gave me the option of going down to the ER and being admitted to start treatment or going home and letting his assistant get me an appointment with a neurologist the next day. I opted for the second. The technician fashioned a gauze patch for my right eye since I was closing it because of the double vision.

Dr. J’s assistant called me at 9:30 the next morning to tell me I had an appointment at 10:45 with a neurologist in Knoxville. That was Wednesday, February 29, and I am very glad that leap year only comes every four years. The 14 hours of natural, drug free labor and childbirth were easy compared to the next 36 hours of hospitalization and initial tests and treatment for MS. The spinal tap wasn’t as eventful as I feared, but the other tests were rough.

The low point of the day was the cervical spine MRI that I waited for on a stretcher in the hallway for forty five minutes. I felt like the elderly patients I’d seen at nursing homes that get wheeled into a hallway to sit there while the nurses and the world carry on around them. I was basically blind to the world around me unless I opened my left eye to squint. I started praying again. This post came to mind. I finally got crammed into the MRI. I prayed, I sang lullabies in my head, but nothing would drown out the hammering sound from the machine. I had to chicken out with about 10 minutes left and that MRI technician was not nice. He left me in the hallway again and I had to stifle my Irish temper because I had visions of being left down there helpless until the nice people’s shift began the next morning. I made peace with him and asked when someone was going to take me back to my room. I finally made it out of the bowels of the hospital.

That night as I tried to sleep, a Bible verse came to mind. I didn’t know exactly where it was, but I knew the story - the parable of the seed in the New Testament. I had studied it before and recognized myself as the seed that gets choked by the worries of the world. At this point I could barely see let alone read from my cell phone like I really wanted to. I mentally made notes of things to have someone read to me the next day.

After two IV treatments of mega doses of steroids, I went home, still unable to use both eyes and still walking with my grandmother’s cane. Those days kinda blur because they were the same day after day after day after day after day. I wanted to write down my thoughts, I wanted to read something other than my thoughts, but I couldn’t. Those days were incredibly frustrating. But the most important thing that kept going through my mind from the time Dr. J gave me the news that first night- at least it’s only MS. At least my MS is only affecting my eyes right now. At least I wasn’t like the other patients on the oncology floor where they had made a bed for me. At least it wasn’t a brain tumor. At least I have health insurance so this won’t cost me a fortune. At least I have my family who can take care of Trixie for me. I realized I am very fortunate and blessed, even in this state of helplessness. There are so many things that I took for granted that I now see as precious.

Since getting my vision back Friday night, I have read Luke 8 and am seeking to from a verse 14 life to a verse 15 life. I am writing this loooonng post because Habakkuk 2 came to mind that night when I was in the hospital. I remember hearing a pastor talk about God being the center of the Christian’s life and everything being out of balance if God isn’t the center. I am determined to get God on center in my life.

Many, many people have told me they are praying for me and that is what I credit for the progress on Friday. This week I will test the waters of teaching with MS. The doctor promised a normal life if I follow his directions, so I return to his office Thursday for further instructions. Please keep me and my family in your prayers. It is prayer that changes everthing.

A week for Latino's in the news

2009-05-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

Whew, Latinos have really got tongues wagging this week. First, there's Sonia Sotomayor up for the Supreme Court.

Then there's Padre Albert Cutie (Coo-tee-A) troubling the Catholic Church by being photographed with a woman and now changing churches.

It's nice to see Latino's making people think about serious topics rather than debating the same ole mojado issues all the time.

My Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-05T16:50:00.003-04:00

Last year I ordered my Cinco de Mayo dress to wear to school for my Spanish students. I had wanted something similar for years, and I finally found one on ebay. This year I'm at a new school so they got the Cinco de Mayo "surprise" too.

It is so hard to be in a bad mood when wearing this dress. I think I might look for something similar to wear more often. (Or maybe not.) By the way, in the United State Cinco de Mayo is all about the beer.

Rainy day productivity

2009-05-03T17:25:00.002-04:00

It has been a rainy weekend here in East Tennessee, but I've been super productive today. I've been busy at my KNS blog.

Mexican Cabin Fever
A Scary Precedent
Nonessential Kisses
DREAM Act letter to editor
Cinco de Mayo: It's all about the beer

The nonessential kisses post has to be one of my favorite things to come out of the swine flu.

Not the time

2009-04-30T21:14:00.002-04:00

While I totally favor the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform, I just don't think now's the time to march in the streets for it.

Reactions to the Swine Flu

2009-04-29T17:28:00.003-04:00

I don't know what it is about this swine flu that is making people so nasty. In my almost 11 months blogging at knoxnews, the comments on my posts about the swine flu have been the nastiest, most uncalled for I've ever had. These make the "go choke on a tortilla" comment seem nice.

One would think that we could put aside stereotypes and division and have compassion for the plight of our fellow humanbeings. But obviously there is a crowd of people that cannot do that. I rarely delete comments on my KNS blog, but some of these are so bad that I refuse to perpetuate their sick message.

The most offensive thing I've done is suggest that American tourists, like myself, brought the swine flu into the U.S. rather than undocumented immigrants.

I also think that this is being taken out of porportion. According to that link from CNN, thousands of Americans die every year from the regular ole flu, and hundreds of thousands world wide die from it.

Rather than pointing fingers, we need to help the people affected and protect ourselves with the same common sense meaures that protect us from other illnesses.

My KNS swine flu posts:
Swine flu- latest conspiracy of undocumented immigrants
Swine flu in perspective
A child was the original swine flu carrier?
39 yr old woman first carrier of swine flu?

I'm ashamed of a fellow Tennessean

2009-04-28T17:08:00.003-04:00

What a waste of time and energy on the part of our state legislators. Rep. Stacey Campfield of East Tennessee wants to deny birth certificates to babies born to undocumented mothers. It's things like this that make our state look bad.

Mexico City and the Swine Flu

2009-04-28T17:02:00.002-04:00

Swine flu- latest conspiracy of undocumented immigrants?

What a Monday for Mexico City residents.

Monday in el D.F.

2009-04-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

It's definitely a Monday in Mexico City

The Current Event in Mexico City

2009-04-27T16:33:00.001-04:00

My Mexico City- Pre Swine Flu and Now

Me and the Virgin (of Guadalupe)

2009-04-22T11:50:00.010-04:00

Since my days as a Spanish student at the University of Tennessee, I have been intrigued by the story of la Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico and Mexico's version of the Virgin Mary.

As a Spanish student I read about the conquest of Mexico and the appearance of la Virgen to the Indian Juan Diego.

As a Spanish teacher, I teach about la Virgen each December and show the movie Guadalupe.

I've always been fascinated with stories of people who pledge to crawl so far in the Basilica on their knees if she answers their prayers or the gang members who get large, intricate tatoos of her on their backs so that la Virgen "has their backs". There is also a current television series, La Rosa de Guadalupe, that tells stories of how la Virgen is watching over her people today.

During my spring break trip to Mexico City, la Basilica de Guadalupe was one of the places I was most interested in visiting.

I went on a Thursday around noon. It was one of the busiest tourist attractions I've ever seen. I call it a tourist attraction because it was apparent that the majority of visitors were tourists like myself. However, I'm afraid "tourist attraction" doesn't quite fit because most of the people, unlike myself, were there on a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts. Those Catholic tourists who found themselves in el D.F. that day went to the Basilica to honor and pay tribute to la Virgen.

As a Christian and Protestant, I view the Basilica as a place full of Mexican culture and history. I believe that the work of Jesus Christ on the cross was enough to redeem me and guarantee me eternity with Him in Heaven. I do not believe that I need to call upon the Virgen Mary, the Virgen of Guadalupe, or any other saint in order for God to hear my prayers. I believe that the work of Jesus on the cross tore away the need to approach God by a third party as was required under Old Testament law.

While all the crosses in the Basilica show Jesus still nailed to them, I believe in a cross that is empty. According to the New Testament, Jesus was taken from that cross dead shortly after he was placed there. His body was taken to a tomb that had been given to him. It was to that same tomb that Mary Magdalene went on Sunday morning. An angel appeared at that tomb to announce that Christ had risen from the dead. I believe in an empty cross because I believe in an empty tomb.

At the Basilica, I agreed to stay for Mass out of respect for my Mexican, Catholic travel companions. Although I certainly wasn't looking for it, I did receive a spiritual revelation there. It was as if Jesus himself were asking me why I can't worship and honor him like all those around me were worshipping la Virgen.

There were thousands there that day to pay tribute to la Virgen de Guadalupe. There is no spiritual tourist attraction like that for Protestants. Most Protestants, myself included unfortunately, are hard pressed to go to church once a week, let alone travel to a site central to their faith like Mexican Catholics.

I returned from Mexico as if from another world. My experiences during one week in el D.F. have made me re-evaluate certain things about my life on this side of the border. One of the most important of those is the state of my relationship with Jesus Christ. I am now challenged to live for Him in a new, fresh way.

My Mexico Adventure

2009-04-22T10:31:00.004-04:00

I returned from Mexico City four days ago and I'm still battling culture lag. It's taking me a few days to pick up the pace in my normal life here. I miss D.F. I'm still processing my thoughts and experience, but I plan to write more on it soon.

In the meantime, here's a video of dance lessons I got in Xochimilco, Mexico's version of Venice.

ICE v. Border Patrol

2009-04-07T14:32:00.001-04:00

Talk about government agencies that can't get along. Now it's getting personal.
ICE Raid on Border Patrol Agents Home

So it's Immigration Awareness Month

2009-04-06T20:14:00.003-04:00

I learned last week that it is Immigration Awareness month. (Who decides these things, I don't know.) I was blogging about it Friday afternoon on my KNS blog. Then I saw the news about the shooting in New York, and I wrote this.

Tinga- My Favorite Mexican Food Ever

2009-04-03T10:19:00.003-04:00

Tinga takes a little longer to cook than some dishes, but it is well worth the time.

Ingredients:
3-4 split chicken breasts (grocery stores have sales on these a lot)
1 onion
3-4 fresh tomatoes OR 1 can tomato sauce
1-2 chipotle peppers (start with a few and add more for desired level of spiciness)
Canola oil

1. Boil chicken breasts for about an hour.
2. In a blender, mix tomatoes (or sauce) with chipotle peppers.
3. Slice onions into thin rings.
4. When chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from pot and let cool. Discard fat. Using two forks, remove chicken from the bone and discard bone. Shred chicken into thin pieces.
5. In medium size pan, add approximately 3-4 tablespoons of Canola oil. Fry onion slices in oil until tender. When onion slices are tender, add shredded chicken. Stir chicken and onions for several minutes, then add the salsa from the blender.
6. Add salt and let sautee for 5-10 minutes.

Mexicans eat tinga with tostadas.

Tip: If the salsa is too spicy, cheese or milk products relieve a burnt mouth. Queso fresco is especially good with tinga.

Dora grows up

2009-03-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

Dora the Explorer gets a makeover

'Fuego' Ratings

2009-02-24T19:33:00.001-05:00

Juan and brothers were popular last Friday night.

Work 24/7 for $650 a month

2009-02-22T15:21:00.002-05:00

These guys definitely win the "my job sucks more than yours" contest.

I love telenovelas

2009-02-21T07:31:00.001-05:00

A Perk of Being Bilingual

Perfect Fifths- Getting Closer

2009-02-17T14:55:00.003-05:00

I discovered the Jessica Darling series about a month ago. I finished the series in a few days. Megan McCafferty's Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie seem to have found the time for their love in Perfect Fifths, the final novel of the series.

The book doesn't go on sale until April 14th, but you can pre-order now.

Megan McCafferty also has a contest going to give away advanced reader copies of Perfect Fifths.

A strange story from Mexico City

2009-02-16T19:42:00.002-05:00

My husband's hometown is getting some weird headlines these days.

Mexico City- Where the Buffalo Roam

More violence in Mexico

2009-02-16T15:08:00.001-05:00

If Mexico isn't careful, things like this will hurt their spring break tourism.

Another Latino crime in Sevier County

2009-02-16T15:07:00.002-05:00

I'm reallllly getting tired of this.