It poured again today :) Research methods class isn't very challenging so far, we had to read one chapter and then the teacher reviewed it in class the next day, so I amused myself with reading the day's headlines online! Maybe I have ADHD, tehehe. Spent the afternoon watching movies, I guess I need to resign myself to the fact that I'm on a very expensive vacation in rather crummy quarters and just deal with it!
Till tomorrow then,
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
A Square Hole
Pondering the concept of marriage & companionship today (I just finished a 2-week class on the subject!) a thought came to mind. You know how people say, "You need to let God fill that hole inside you." when someone says they are looking for a spouse, or for a father/mother figure? Well maybe God created us so that while He can fill that void, it isn't quite the same as when a person fills that place.
Kind of like a square hole. You can put water in it or you can put a square peg in it. One fills it; the other completes it.
Kind of like a square hole. You can put water in it or you can put a square peg in it. One fills it; the other completes it.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Smilin' & Icecream
Today was tons of fun :) Actually, this whole weekend has been fun, and it's pri
marily because I'm making FRIENDS!!!! and I'm really happy about that. As always, I choose all kinds of interesting friends, so here at AUC so far I've befriended my roommate, Joan, my classmate Heidi and her daughter Serai, and another classmate Rosemary. We all click and since there's five of us and Rosemary has a car, it's just perfect! We toodle around town, driving here and there, and having a blast. Friday we hopped from Panera Bread to the mall to the circus and today we tried the most delicious homemade rich and creamy icecream and picked up cheap movies at Blockbuster. I also got to do laundry today (yaaaaay!) so now I can relax for the next two weeks :P What was really neat today was finding out that Joan was also worried about having a roommate and she prayed that God would give her someone quiet and God answered both our prayers! Tomorrow starts another class, I'm trying not to stress out about it until I know how difficult it will really be, but I do hope it's slightly more mentally challenging than the last one. Ah well, we shall see! 'Tis almost 10 pm so I shall sign off for now. Remember to always show yourself friendly, and in due time, you will make the best of friends :)
marily because I'm making FRIENDS!!!! and I'm really happy about that. As always, I choose all kinds of interesting friends, so here at AUC so far I've befriended my roommate, Joan, my classmate Heidi and her daughter Serai, and another classmate Rosemary. We all click and since there's five of us and Rosemary has a car, it's just perfect! We toodle around town, driving here and there, and having a blast. Friday we hopped from Panera Bread to the mall to the circus and today we tried the most delicious homemade rich and creamy icecream and picked up cheap movies at Blockbuster. I also got to do laundry today (yaaaaay!) so now I can relax for the next two weeks :P What was really neat today was finding out that Joan was also worried about having a roommate and she prayed that God would give her someone quiet and God answered both our prayers! Tomorrow starts another class, I'm trying not to stress out about it until I know how difficult it will really be, but I do hope it's slightly more mentally challenging than the last one. Ah well, we shall see! 'Tis almost 10 pm so I shall sign off for now. Remember to always show yourself friendly, and in due time, you will make the best of friends :)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
True Religion Is This. . .
"But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless." ~Psalm 10:14 NIV
In the last five minutes 20 women were battered in the United States and 1050 children died from abuse or hunger around the world. What are you doing about it?
As I reflected on the tiny things that we obsess about, and read the statistics about how many women and children are being abused daily, every minute, it made me take a step back and think. Here I am, complaining that the bathroom isn't clean, that it's raining when I wish it would be dry, and that I can't sleep because the door keeps banging from the wind, when people are struggling to take their next breath or to find the basic necessities of life like food and shelter.
In class yesterday, a group shared the following clip from YouTube that hit home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBKlBhfgPc I was shocked first, then angry. Now I'm trying to figure out how to channel those emotions into positive actions to help educate men and women so the cycle will stop. I realize that as long as we live in this sick world, it can never completely stop, but one cannot give up hope and say, "oh well, since I can't save the world, I might as well not try to help one person, or two, or more." I have a responsibility, I cannot turn a blind eye and pretend the problem isn't there, and now it remains up to me to decide whether I will choose to stand for right and condemn evil.
I believe that if every single person out there who had a conscience were to do something about it, abuse could be eradicated. Everyone may not be going about it the same way, but we can work together for a needed intervention. One can write articles, one can open up a homeless shelter, one can raise funds, one can be a counselor, one can volunteer, and another can pray.
One of my favourite ministries http://www.adra.org/ helps provide for basic needs and education. There are other ministries out there who are active also; we do not have the market on helping others and we cannot do it all. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming, I know I want to do it all and I worry that even the small things I can do now aren't enough. But God doesn't ask that we do it all. He says,
si tu donnes ton pain à celui qui a faim et si tu pourvois aux besoins de l'opprimé, la lumière luira pour toi au milieu des ténèbres, et ton obscurité se changera pour toi en clarté de midi, (French)
Geef de hongerigen te eten! Help mensen, die in moeilijkheden zitten! Dan zal uw licht vanuit de duisternis schijnen en de duisternis om u heen zal zo helder worden als het licht overdag. (Dutch)
In the last five minutes 20 women were battered in the United States and 1050 children died from abuse or hunger around the world. What are you doing about it?
As I reflected on the tiny things that we obsess about, and read the statistics about how many women and children are being abused daily, every minute, it made me take a step back and think. Here I am, complaining that the bathroom isn't clean, that it's raining when I wish it would be dry, and that I can't sleep because the door keeps banging from the wind, when people are struggling to take their next breath or to find the basic necessities of life like food and shelter.
In class yesterday, a group shared the following clip from YouTube that hit home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvBKlBhfgPc I was shocked first, then angry. Now I'm trying to figure out how to channel those emotions into positive actions to help educate men and women so the cycle will stop. I realize that as long as we live in this sick world, it can never completely stop, but one cannot give up hope and say, "oh well, since I can't save the world, I might as well not try to help one person, or two, or more." I have a responsibility, I cannot turn a blind eye and pretend the problem isn't there, and now it remains up to me to decide whether I will choose to stand for right and condemn evil.
I believe that if every single person out there who had a conscience were to do something about it, abuse could be eradicated. Everyone may not be going about it the same way, but we can work together for a needed intervention. One can write articles, one can open up a homeless shelter, one can raise funds, one can be a counselor, one can volunteer, and another can pray.
One of my favourite ministries http://www.adra.org/ helps provide for basic needs and education. There are other ministries out there who are active also; we do not have the market on helping others and we cannot do it all. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming, I know I want to do it all and I worry that even the small things I can do now aren't enough. But God doesn't ask that we do it all. He says,
si tu donnes ton pain à celui qui a faim et si tu pourvois aux besoins de l'opprimé, la lumière luira pour toi au milieu des ténèbres, et ton obscurité se changera pour toi en clarté de midi, (French)
Geef de hongerigen te eten! Help mensen, die in moeilijkheden zitten! Dan zal uw licht vanuit de duisternis schijnen en de duisternis om u heen zal zo helder worden als het licht overdag. (Dutch)
你 心 若 向 饥 饿 的 人 发 怜 悯 ， 使 困 苦 的 人 得 满 足 ， 你 的 光 就 必 在 黑 暗 中 发 现 ； 你 的 幽 暗 必 变 如 正 午 (Chinese)
si te dedicas a ayudar a los hambrientos y a saciar la necesidad del desvalido, entonces brillará tu luz en las tinieblas, y como el mediodía será tu noche. (Spanish)
إِن بَذَلْتَ نَفْسَكَ لِلْجَائِعِ، وَأَشْبَعْتَ حَاجَةَ الذَّلِيلِ، فَإِنَّ نُورَكَ يُشْرِقُ فِي الظُّلْمَةِ، وَلَيْلَكَ الدَّامِسَ يُصْبِحُ كَالظُّهْرِ، (Arabic)
und wirst den Hungrigen lassen finden dein Herz und die elende Seele sättigen: so wird dein Licht in der Finsternis aufgehen, und dein Dunkel wird sein wie der Mittag; (German)
주린 자에게 네 심정을 동하며 괴로와하는 자의 마음을 만족케 하면 네 빛이 흑암 중에서 발하여 네 어두움이 낮과 같이 될 것이며 (Korean)
if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. ~Isaiah 58:10 RSV
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Still Up @ 11:13 PM
If you're bored, check out http://www.keirsey.com/ and take the personality test there. I found I'm an ISFJ (think my personality is changing, haha).
Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzmnTnMCODU for an excellent clip on cross-cultural marriages.
Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzmnTnMCODU for an excellent clip on cross-cultural marriages.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Breaking the Silence
We watched a powerful documentary in class today titled "Scared Silent: Exposing and Ending Child Abuse" and hosted by Oprah Winfrey. Several incidents of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse towards children are presented, both from the children and the perpetrators' viewpoint. I felt disgusted that people can even think of such horrendous acts, let alone carry them out, and if justice were left to me, every one of those awful people would have a "millstone tied around their neck" and would be "thrown into the bottom of the sea." Innocent children suffer. . .and for how long? We need to educate and carry out consequences instead of turning a blind eye. In class we hear about how the church, how society, and how parents enable abuse over and over, until it seems there is no morality left in the very fabric of our existence. It is sickening. And the voices of millions of children are crying out. . .is anyone listening?
Greasy Fries On An Empty Stomach
Feeling slightly frustrated after sitting in class all morning and then sitting in an office working on homework most of the afternoon, I walked back to my room, changed into capris, slipped my canvas sneakers on, and with Ipod in my pocket, headed down the back stairs to walk out some of the emotions swirling around inside of me. It had been a dreary depressing day with sporadic pouring rain, so I decided to stick to the sidewalks and began a loop around the main campus. After passing the guys' dorm and the science lab, I caught a glimpse of my favourite hiking grounds and knew that, rain or not, Dexter Drumlin was calling my name. Minutes later I was slipping off socks and shoes and squishing wet mud between happy toes as I headed up the knell where tall grasses now lay low after being squelched by the rain. "It wasn't such a bad day after all," I thought, "because here I am, in my most favourite place in the world." Yup, one of these days I'll probably get some serious disease or they'll find a 9-foot tapeworm inside of me because I insist on tromping barefoot through marshlands and grasslands, but there is nothing as therapeutic or as soul-filling as walking barefoot in thick new grass, so I continue on!
Today was not one of my good days. It started out okay, the weather had cooled down and there was a lot of fog, we had class as usual, and then right after class Rosemary, an older lady and classmate, invited me out for lunch. We went to McDonalds (fries and apple pies are about all I can eat there), then back to main campus to work on our group powerpoint presentation for tomorrow. I ended up staying there 4 hours while we worked on finalizing and refining it. After a rather greasy lunch (sorry Michael, I really didn't have a choice on where to eat!), I was feeling slightly queasy, plus I'd missed my regular after-lunch walk and had spent those 4 hours sitting on a hard wooden chair, so I was also feeling a tad bit grumpy. We finally finished and I headed to my room as quickly as possible. I contemplated watching a movie, for about 10 seconds, but realized I needed to get walking. . .and soon! It was the best thing I'd done all day.
Being here alone has really taught me a lot. When I went to Korea in 2005, my first time away from home for an extended period of time (10 weeks!), my mom told me one thing. She said, "Remember, wherever you are, we may not be able to be there with you, but God is always with you." I took that simple advice to heart and always went to God with my frustrations, fears, and joys. This summer has been no different. I am truly a homebody and the day I leave on a trip, I'm thinking about the day I will be coming home again (you understand, LaVonne!). I like having time to myself. I think I am actually at a stage in my life where I need hours of alone time each day. I used to think that I was so sanguine, I always had to have people around me, but strangely enough, I find myself relishing quiet time, time to rejuvenate, time out in nature, even just down time reading a book or watching a movie, because it's "me time." I realized today that I'm an overachiever in everything except when it comes to me. I am learning that I love to learn, I need time to get to know people, and I am happy in nature when it is on my terms and I don't have to go hiking up hill and dale or rushing around in wooded forests teaming with mountain lions, rattlesnakes and bears! I would also like to know the answer to one question: why do all the needy people come to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee???? And why does everyone feel comfortable enough to spill their life story within the first couple of weeks? Maybe because I am not afraid to tell them mine, so they feel comfortable?
Anyhow, the journey continues, and I can't believe it but tomorrow is Thursday already which means only two days left of this class. I'll admit, yesterday morning I was tempted yet again to go online and find a ticket home, and right now, the only thing keeping me here for the full six weeks is knowing that I can't go back and face everyone (plus I really don't want to go back to work yet!). Next week we'll probably, hopefully, have a more challenging class, but it's also not in my realm which may be why this last class wasn't as difficult, because I'd read so much about the topic before coming. Well, you'll be happy to know that I have a 110% overall score so far in the class (in 2nd place, 1st place is 113%) so I'm keeping my straight A average. The goal is to graduate Summa Cum Laude. . .we shall see!
Here's to hoping tomorrow is a brighter day. . .and that I get to eat in the caf for lunch. . !
Today was not one of my good days. It started out okay, the weather had cooled down and there was a lot of fog, we had class as usual, and then right after class Rosemary, an older lady and classmate, invited me out for lunch. We went to McDonalds (fries and apple pies are about all I can eat there), then back to main campus to work on our group powerpoint presentation for tomorrow. I ended up staying there 4 hours while we worked on finalizing and refining it. After a rather greasy lunch (sorry Michael, I really didn't have a choice on where to eat!), I was feeling slightly queasy, plus I'd missed my regular after-lunch walk and had spent those 4 hours sitting on a hard wooden chair, so I was also feeling a tad bit grumpy. We finally finished and I headed to my room as quickly as possible. I contemplated watching a movie, for about 10 seconds, but realized I needed to get walking. . .and soon! It was the best thing I'd done all day.
Being here alone has really taught me a lot. When I went to Korea in 2005, my first time away from home for an extended period of time (10 weeks!), my mom told me one thing. She said, "Remember, wherever you are, we may not be able to be there with you, but God is always with you." I took that simple advice to heart and always went to God with my frustrations, fears, and joys. This summer has been no different. I am truly a homebody and the day I leave on a trip, I'm thinking about the day I will be coming home again (you understand, LaVonne!). I like having time to myself. I think I am actually at a stage in my life where I need hours of alone time each day. I used to think that I was so sanguine, I always had to have people around me, but strangely enough, I find myself relishing quiet time, time to rejuvenate, time out in nature, even just down time reading a book or watching a movie, because it's "me time." I realized today that I'm an overachiever in everything except when it comes to me. I am learning that I love to learn, I need time to get to know people, and I am happy in nature when it is on my terms and I don't have to go hiking up hill and dale or rushing around in wooded forests teaming with mountain lions, rattlesnakes and bears! I would also like to know the answer to one question: why do all the needy people come to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee???? And why does everyone feel comfortable enough to spill their life story within the first couple of weeks? Maybe because I am not afraid to tell them mine, so they feel comfortable?
Anyhow, the journey continues, and I can't believe it but tomorrow is Thursday already which means only two days left of this class. I'll admit, yesterday morning I was tempted yet again to go online and find a ticket home, and right now, the only thing keeping me here for the full six weeks is knowing that I can't go back and face everyone (plus I really don't want to go back to work yet!). Next week we'll probably, hopefully, have a more challenging class, but it's also not in my realm which may be why this last class wasn't as difficult, because I'd read so much about the topic before coming. Well, you'll be happy to know that I have a 110% overall score so far in the class (in 2nd place, 1st place is 113%) so I'm keeping my straight A average. The goal is to graduate Summa Cum Laude. . .we shall see!
Here's to hoping tomorrow is a brighter day. . .and that I get to eat in the caf for lunch. . !
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