Songbird Sings

random math stuff

2009-04-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

in the original Roman calendar (which only had ten months), the first four months had names unconnected to their position (Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius), but the rest of them were named for their order: Quintilis ('the fifth'), Sextilis ('the sixth'), September, October, November, and December. later, January and February were included, when it was realized that the months were falling out of step with the seasons, and Quintilis and Sextilis were renamed July and August after the emperors Julius Caesar and Augustus.

so, there you go, these are little known facts that now you know!

my predictions...

2009-04-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

one of my goals this year is to be a better baseball fan.

growing up, family members have modeled how to be a faithful sports fan, sticking with one team for better or for worse. professional football and baseball have been the main two sports, although locally my family roots for Fresno State teams. the family really strives to attend at least one professional game a season, and of course catch every game on television. I have wonderful memories of my uncles and grandpa coming over to our house after church or on Monday nights to huddle around the TV, enthusiastically watching a game. and the television screen does not stop us from yelling. my father, above all, loves to "talk" to the referees and let them know the quality of their officiating. (my sisters and I have told him that when he retires he needs to become a ref to correct all of the mistakes he's seen throughout the years.)

being a California native, my allegiance lies with the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. this year I am making it a habit to follow more closely Giants baseball, because I have a confession: last season I did not attend one live game or have memory of watching one full televised game. "WHAT?! how can you say you are a baseball fan?!" I know! I was terrible! that is why I am making up for it this season. though I cannot watch any live game from DC (without buying a game-watch subscription though mlb.com), I have been monitoring online how the great team is doing and am feeling a lot more hopeful about Katelin & baseball's relationship this year. so far the Giants have done alright: we had a great opening, and then lost several in a row, mostly to other CA teams. but it's early in the season; momentum will pick up.

with that said, I want to make an early season prediction for the 2009 World Series. I have never done this before, but thought it would be fun to write down two teams and then check back 5 months later to see how I did. though I would LOVE for the Giants to make the Series, my prediction reflects the two teams that have the best record so far. it may not be a great strategy, but we'll see.

Katelin's pick for the 2009 MLB World Series:
representing the American League with a starting record of 14-6: Toronto Blue Jays
representing the National League with a starting record of 13-6: St. Louis Cardinals

I am probably way WAY off, but wouldn't it be wild if I was correct?! hopefully my family will still talk to me after not putting the Giants into the prediction. maybe the Giants will pick it up, utilizing their pitching staff and hitter? maybe... stay tuned!

Inauguration Festivities 09: Obama's Swearing-In Ceremony

2009-01-22T07:30:00.001-08:00

what a wild day! it has been difficult, both physically and mentally, to get back into the swing of my normal daily responsibilities. this whole weekend was just so wonderful!

I had planned on going to the Mall to watch the swearing-in ceremony with the estimated 2 million people, snow or shine, sickness or health. I was determined not to have any excuse to miss such a historical event. all weekend, my housemates and I had been checking the Secret Service website to know how to effectively get down to the Mall, what was allowed inside the Mall, and how to out-smart the natives and tourists all trying to attend the event. with my housemates and house guests riding bikes downtown, I left the house a little earlier to be able to walk down with enough time. wow! even at 8am there were THRONGS of people out, all making their way down to the Mall. it seriously felt like a mass exodus: everyone had the same goal, all determined to get there and not be left behind. though it was pretty cold, everyone was happy, shouting to friends walking along the street. some of the downtown streets were blocked off to car traffic, which added a great sense of empowerment for walkers. the whole street was ours!

I met my group at the 18th street entrance to the Mall, the same place where I had watched Sunday's concert, but looking in a different direction! we settled in front of a jumbo screen just north of the Washington Monument along the White House street side. in front of us was 2 more miles of people and grass, all looking towards the Capital. while we waited the 3 hours before the ceremony, we were getting radio updates as to the whereabouts of Obama. it seriously felt like we were stalking a celebrity, so obsessed about his activities, which is a much different interest compared to our last president.

finally it was time for the ceremony. it was great to watch the screen footage of each senator and representative behind the scenes before they were announced to the crowd. most didn't know the camera was on them! the people gathered around us were very vocal in support for different people. everyone cheered to see the past presidents arrive and the adorably-dressed Obama girls. when Obama walked through the hallway, he gave a different kind of energy in the crowd. one could sense the anticipation in air that this day had finally come! walking down the hall, it looked like Obama was trying really hard to keep a big smile from coming around his face, almost like he was trying to keep his cool, to not be too overwhelmed by emotions. while he was trying to stay serious, the crowd instead had gigantic smiles! many in our section were singing and dancing together, jumping around for warmth and energy.

the whole ceremony itself was like a dream. we all were so glad this event was actually happening, finally happening. we were so thankful that the change of power in our country was a peaceful transition, that millions of people were able to come together and celebrating civilly without major commotion. Obama's speech was uhMAEzing, so powerful and direct. I appreciated that were was no hiding to the American people that there are many things that need to change in our country, but not without Obama's emotional pledge to personally see to it that those changes would become reality. it was incredible to witness such a historic event first hand. even with the cold, wind chill, and tired legs, I am so thankful that I was there for the 56th Inauguration day, witnessing the 44th president of the United States, our first African-American president take the oath of office and pledge national renewal. so incredible!

For Now...

2009-01-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

*from the wise mouths of the Avenue Q puppets...

Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied.
Everyone goes 'round a little empty inside.
Take a breath,
Look around,
Swallow your pride,
For now...
For now...

Nothing lasts,
Life goes on,
Full of surprises.
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes.
You're going to have to make a few compromises...
For now...
For now..

For now we're healthy.
For now we're employed.
For now we're happy...
If not overjoyed.
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid, for now...
For now...
For now...
For now...

Only for now!
For now there's life!
Only for now!
For now there's love!
Only for now!
For now there's work!
For now there's happiness!
But only for now!
For now discomfort!
Only for now!
For now there's friendship!
Only for now! For now!
Only for now!

Only for now!
Sex!
Is only for now!
Your hair!
Is only for now!
George Bush!
Is only for now!

Don't stress,
Relax,
Let life roll off your backs
Except for death and paying taxes,
Everything in life is only for now!

Each time you smile...
...Only for now
It'll only last a while.
...Only for now
Life may be scary...
...Only for now
But it's only temporary

Everything in life is only for now.

Inauguration 2009 Festivities: We Are One Concert

2009-01-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

wow! this is going to be such a crazy weekend! authorities have been reporting that millions of people are planning on being in the DC area for this Inauguration and it definitely has shown! our neighborhood is full of people walking, biking, trying to find parking. it is so great to see people out and about, even though it is 19 degrees outside! (I am never hating complaining about a Fresno winter. walking to work in 12 degree weather is no fun! I'm never complaining again.)

to kick off the weekend of festivities before Obama's swearing in ceremony, there was a huge free concert on the "stage" of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall today to celebrate Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the other amazing achievements of social justice advocates.

my view from the closest street before security check points:

the "stage" of the Lincoln:

the "We Are One" concert featured musical artists and actors singing songs and reading historical passages. I dashed as quickly as I could from church to get over to the Mall. I wasn't able to get through the security check point to be in the section closest to the Lincoln Memorial, but there were large, jumbo-tron screens set-up along the Mall towards the Washington Monument that projected the concert. my housemate Annabeth and I had difficultly finding a place to view the screen because we are so short! it is at moments like that where I wish I was a few inches taller to be able to see over people!

Denzel Washington opened the concert with a reading on the theme "We Are One."

Bruce Springsteen sang his newly famous song "The Rising."

Mary J. Blige sang an uhMAEzing version of "Lean On Me." people around us were singing, dancing, and clapping in celebration! such life and love to share!

even Steve Carrel was a presenter! it was really hard to take him seriously, taking about the Civil Rights movement when my brain kept hearing Michael Scott!

U2 was a big highlight of the concert. the crowd was so energized during their song.

the screens showed Obama rockin' out a couple times and it made everyone laugh seeing him nod his head to the music.

one of the best performances, that I wasn't able to get a picture of, was Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Shakira singing "Higher Ground." Stevie is definitely someone that I want to see in concert.

an uhMAEzing two hour concert all celebrating the hopes and dreams of the American people and the next administration! so exciting!

trying to take a metro train back from the concert would have been a nightmare. instead of walked home, not too far, around 3 miles. on the way, conveniently, I stopped by the White House. my life is so different this year and I hope to learn about from 2009!

a song in my head...

2009-01-10T14:16:00.001-08:00

this song perfectly sums up my purpose for my work in DC for the year. while the work is challenging, I constantly remind myself that the end result is good and glorifies God.

"Koinonia" by V. Michael McKay

how can I say that I love the LORD
whom I've never, ever seen before;
and forget to say that I love the one
whom I walk beside each and every day?
how can I look upon your face
and ignore God's love?
you I must embrace!
you're my brother;
you're my sister;
and I love you with the love of my LORD.

Tis the Season

2008-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

I busted out my electric the other day.

"guitar?" you ask.

no! BLANKET! the warmth has made it even more difficult to get out of bed, which does not work for an already committed non-morning person. I woke up today and read 27 degrees outside! yikes! how is this West Coast girl going to survive the winter? and, it's only November!

anxiety aside, I have really enjoyed the different seasons of the East. so far, I have been totally wrong with how the weather should be each month. I can pretty much predict Fresno's weather at all times.

summer in Fresno is hot and dry. very hot and very dry. arriving in DC in August, summer here is hot and very wet! a little hot and very wet! there was so much moisture in the air, the heat then felt so thick! disgusting! at least in California you can jump in the swimming pool and feel refreshed. totally different in the East. on one day, I took six showers! instead of feeling refreshed, I felt more gross!

I enjoy rain. it brings in new smelling air, clearing away the pollution. oh wait, that's what happens in Fresno! rain in DC stays in DC. it doesn't clear anything away; it traps everything in! as the weather has gotten cool though, the rain changes into cool mist, which looks really beautiful under street lights and doesn't feel so yucky.

with the weather only bound to get colder, I am in need of preparing myself with the proper outer wear. the preschool gave me a cute, black bucket hat for my walk to and from the school. I have a couple warm scarfs and a pair of gloves. I am nervous if I have the proper footwear and pants. yesterday, walking home, I could feel that frozen/ thawing sensation in my legs as the wind picked up on my walk. if anything, the cold weather will help me walk faster!

during this new season, I will be sure to be grateful for the many "cold" Fresno winters I have lived through!

Election 08!

2008-11-05T09:23:00.001-08:00

Obama! Obama!

last night DC was crazy! all day, everyone was hyper about knowing the results. one thing that helped the mood was all of the free goodies! coffee from Starbucks! ice cream from Ben & Jerry's! donuts from Krispy Kreme! all to make everyone even more hyper!

I went to my friend Elena's to watch the election results. counting down to the moment was so intense. after each poll closed, we kept track of how close we were to the finish. 92% of DC voters voted for Obama! but how would the rest of the country vote? all our eyes were focusing on the television. my housemate bet that Obama would win with 350 electoral votes! at first we thought that would be hard to achieve. then 11pm rolled around... "President- elect: Barack Obama!" everyone screamed! it felt as if we just watched the winning grand-slam home run during the World Series! excitement exploded all of the neighborhood! we ran outside with Obama signs, waving and screaming to cars driving by! everyone was so charged! city buses were honking! people were yelling out their car windows! fireworks were going off overhead! "Obama!" it was so exciting to be a part of a city-wide celebration. so much unity!

it was hard to go to sleep after all of that. 7am alarm! now we wait to see what an Obama administration looks like. I pray that change will come quickly, that decision will be made wisely. I am definitely more hopeful than skeptical.

the Big 2-2!

2008-10-30T13:19:00.001-07:00

yesterday I celebrated my 22nd birthday in the great city of DC! I was a little emotional being away from my family and our tradional birthday activites, but my day was lovely.

work was a little hectic. we had our annual visit from the DC public school auditors for "Count Day." on this day, auditors check to verify if the number of students in our classrooms match up with the actual number of students participating in the program. this report in turn provides our program with scholarship for our annual operating budget. a very big deal! we offered breakfast snacks in the morning to entice students to come early, gave away new children's jackets and adult gloves and hats. we basically bribed our students to be present for this count! as a result, no one was missing from my morning and afternoon class! with all of that tension though, I wasn't thinking about my birthday!

My Crazy Month of September!

2008-10-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

last month was SO busy! goodness! I am happy though that we are in a new month. correction: we are in the best month of the year! ROctober! my birthday month! only 10 more days!

rewind. back to September.

the month started out with a MVS orientation in [unincorporated] Murdock, Kansas with all of the new VS volunteers from around the country. 30 of us stayed at Camp Mennoscah, which is in the middle of nowhere! (sorry Kansas lovers.) let's just say I got a lot of reading done that week! which is a miracle because I am a very slow reader! ha! and I totally appreciate Camp Keola so much more now! Mennoscah has a lot of flat land, a nice running river on one side, a great tradition of Giant Dutch Blitz. but, Keola has much better facilities. Mennoscah's cabins are quite old, their dining hall is large, but is not designed camper and staff divisions. after one week there, I was so much more appreciative of the hard work of Keola-lovers who donate time and money to keep the camp running and looking good. with that said, Keola is continuously on my prayer list; I would hate to see the camp go down the drain. back to Mennoscah: I made a lot of connections with other volunteers that week: met a girl who is doing VS in Fresno, fancy that! one of the volunteers in Baltimore, Maggie, her Dad runs the Newseum, the (obvoius) news museum in DC and is willing to get our house in for free! $20 discount! totally cool! plus, her favorite movie is "Almost Famous" so we became instant friends. also that week, we met our 6th and final housemate Tim, who moved to DC right after the orientation. it turns out that he really completes our house!

teaching at the preschool is going quite well. we had our first field trip to an international children's festival with lots of music, dance, and artwork. we did not leave any students behind, just me! two buses left the location without me! the students thought it was very funny! in the classroom, the kids are getting use to a school schedule, remembering our routine and helping teachers clean up to go to the next activity. I have learned to not underestimate preschoolers. just because they are three years old does not mean they cannot be given small responsibilities. the story for most of our preschool families is that only parents clean up around the house. the parents are totally surprised to come into our classroom and see their child willingly cleaning up along side the teacher. as I get to know the students and their parents, our team will be working in way to incorporate some of these basic ideas into a child's every day routine at home as well. I am learning that that link takes time and consistency as well. small steps! the sad thing is too that most of these parents cannot spend the time to teach their children these basic human-development needs. their life outside of the 2.5 hour class is working to bring home food and clothes for their family. some of the mothers in our program truly should not be mothers yet. some are still searching for their own individual identity as an American, as an employee, as a wife/ girlfriend. from their actions, one can tell they think they know what is best for their child (i.e. letting a four year old wear diapers so that it is easier for the mother throughout the day) but some of their actions will actually put their child behind in development and school. (DC public schools will not enroll children into kindergarten until they are toilet trained.) with all that, I am having a great time with the kids, learning a lot from them and hoping they are learning that much and more from me! here is a picture of us on a walk. this is some of our morning session with my co-teacher Lorena.

apart of the month's retreats, our house went to West Virginia for a weekend to bond and share our faith stories. I feel truly blessed to have such great housemates thus far. we are all very different, from all over the country, with many different views of religion, politics, God, social responsibilities. then on top of that, we have different views on house life, chores, recycling, use of electricity. a whole pot of differences! and we will be housemates for one year! with that said, we are a great bunch who are enthusiastic about our community and placements. I am praying that this year will be quite transformational in all aspects, not only for me, but for my wonderful fellow VSers.

ROctober has been pretty wild so far as well! explanation: October is the #3 month of the year for great reasons (17th- housemate Tim's birthday, 27th- my Uncle Andy's birthday, 30th- my birthday!!!, 31th- crazy costume day). with all of those celebrations, our house has now been referring to this great month as ROctober. I do not have a plan yet of how I am going to celebrate this year. I have a big meeting at work and choir rehearsal at night on my birthday. I might just wait for the weekend to get my party on!

my 22nd birthday list: a chance to see my California family and friends.
I miss home! especially with my birthday around the corner, I miss all of your faces and laughs and hugs. this will be my first birthday away from home and it will probably feel a little off because of that. but the greatest part: having people to miss.

1st week in DC and 1st day of preschool!

2008-08-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

this week has flown by so fast! I am glad to report I feel more settled, more familiar with my new house and job, but it still doesn't feel like I am living in DC. it still feels like I will be going home from this vacation soon. how about going home in one year?!

today was the first day of school!
here is the traditional "first day of school" picture my Mom requested!

these last four work days I have been getting our preschool classroom ready, getting acquainted with the school's operation and staff. (we played a mean game of softball at a staff retreat Tuesday! it brought back memories of the staff v. campers traditional game at Keola!) today I made five new friends, five cute little Hispanic girls whose mother's are enrolled in Mary's Center's English/computer classes. we had two great sessions together, playing with blocks, coloring different shapes, and taking a walk to the park! I am slowly learning how to communicated with these non-English speaking. I relied most on smiles, bright eyes, and willing hands to try to lessen the language gap. and these girls were so dear to me! at times they thought it funny when I was doing something completely different from their request. I frequently found myself laughing at our miscommunication. I so desperately wanted to be able to help right away. I pray that this situation won't be frustrating over time. overall, I feel that this job will bring so much fun to my life this year. I will definitely have many stories and pictures of all of my new preschool friends!

here are some pictures of my classroom!

as you can see, the room is overloaded with color and activities! I feel that this year will bring back my preschool days of coloring, make-believe, and silly songs. and what a year that will be! so fun!

I am working my magic as an artful teacher. (which is quite out of my element as I definitely did not have many, if any, art projects as a math major!) I made this game to help the kids recognize shapes and colors.

thanks for taking the tour of my classroom!

preschool teachers are very artsy

2008-08-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

yesterday was my first day on the job! I will be serving at Mary's Center as an early childhood preschool teacher for bilingual students. I will be assisting a great teacher named Lorena who has worked at Mary's Center with 2.5-4 years old for a while. we spent an entire day getting the classroom ready for school to start on Wednesday. preschool classrooms are colorful! there is not only dull spot on the walls! there are huge spots of color and patterns in every section of the classroom, making my eyeballs at first freak out wondering where I should focus! not only will a colorful classroom fill my time at Mary's Center, I learned that preschool teachers do a lot of art projects. Lorena gave me several jobs to create new games for kids to work on learning shapes, colors, and patterns. I spent a whole hour cutting out circles of different colors, gluing them on to bottle caps. a whole hour! I am greatly looking forward to meeting the students and learning how a typical day feels. from the first day, I believe I will have a great time teaching at Mary's Center.

*update*
I really miss having two family doctors within a half a mile away from me. I woke up this morning with 19 bug bites on my left leg! itchy! I have no idea where they came from! I am spending my morning washing my sheets and deep cleaning my room, hoping that will help. say a prayer for my leggies.

Free Food!

2008-08-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

yesterday I had my first food distribution experience in DC. man, was I out of my element!
there is an elementary school, Harriet Tubman Elementary to be exact, right across the street from the MVS house. every Thursday afternoon, they give away produce and food goods to people for free.
I was walking home from my day at the teaching conference when I noticed a long line forming outside the school gate. I did not really have anything I needed to do at that moment, so I decided to join the line to see if there was anything that would liven my dinner.
I have never stood in line for free food before. well, take that back. in elementary school, when I swam each summer for the Mosqueda Mariscos, on sight was a free-lunch program for neighborhood kids. every day, my Mom would have us eat there, which was awesome because I got to eat white bread sandwiches, and we did not have white bread at home. totally cool!
for clarification then, this was my second time in a free-food line. wow, was it an experience. I was the only one there who looked like me. there were grandmas and grandpas, baby-sitters with young children; everyone lined up with their carts and grocery bags. I stood in line in back of a Mexican grandpa who tried his best to tell me in English what to do. I wish I knew Spanish to communicate with him. I wish I knew Spanish to be able to communicate with most of the people in line. I was surrounded by people who had walked a few blocks to get food to help round out their food pantry.
after waiting one hour, the workers were finally ready to start distribution. the mood in the line swifted. people were no longer grumpy from the heat, tired on their feet. they were alert, ready to gather their food. I was just curious what they were giving away, hoping it would help our house's $100/ week food budget.
what did I get? 12 medium potatoes, a 6 pk of hoagie rolls and two bottles of water. not bad!
I decided to experiment at dinner and make vegetable croquettes with the potatoes and carrots and onions from the refrigerator. I have a deep feeling that this year will be quite a challenge for me come meal time. I love food SO much! now, I will have to learn to love it, without eating so much of it. well, that might be a good thing too!

The Start of the DC Chapter of My Life

2008-08-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I made it! after missing my morning flight by 10 minutes, I flew stand-by from LAX to Atlanta to finally land in DC around 10.30pm. a long day!
I am in DC for this week to attend a curriculum conference for my teaching position this next coming year. so this week I will be able to move into my new house and get a feel for the DC life.

here are some pictures of my new life!
I live in the Columbia Heights district of DC. the neighborhood acquired a metro stop in 1999, and as a result the city life has improved greatly in the area. there is a huge building that houses a Target, Best Buy, Marshalls and other big-brand name stores.

there are many row houses in the neighborhood. everything looks really old, reminding me of my Fresno neighborhood. here is the view from my front porch.

and here is the MVS house!

it is a really nice house, almost exactly like I pictured it! once in the front door, on the left is the living room.

straight ahead entering from the front door is a quaint dining room, with the kitchen attached.

housing three stories, there is a winding staircase and takes one from the bottom of the basement to the top of the third story.

and my room! the VSer before me just painted the room a nice light yellow. I am thinking of how I should decorate given the wall color. the room's windows face the street, Kenyon St. here is a nice closet in the room, begging me to fill it with my many shoes & blouses!

all in all, I am beginning to feel very much at home. it was very overwhelming at first, my house mates have already lived with each other for a while. it helped me realize that at times I do not include others when I am in a familiar situation. it helped me reflect that I need to be inclusive in all my surroundings, and especially when new people are present. Jodi-beth McCain, the house supervisor, is coming over in a bit to get be more settled in the house and with the neighborhood. I have been learning a lot about this new life and I am continually praying that this is a good fit.

week 1 at Camp Keola

2008-07-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this place! I see now that I look forward to these camps weeks just as much as the young campers! I was all smiles driving up the hill! this year, Keola will be such a great retreat for many reasons.

#1: escape from Fresno heat! hallelujah! once I reached Shaver Lake, a thick cloud of cool air entered the car, removing the yucky, sticky feeling that rode along with me from the Valley. up at Keola, the temperature during the day has fluctuated between 65-75 degrees. that's right: a high of 75 degrees! wonderfulness! as the campers were arriving yesterday to start week one, a thundercloud greeted them with lots of rain, coming down hard! I felt bad for the parents who were stuck carrying their child's sleeping bag across the wet wet field! but the smell of fresh rain! uhMAEzing! right now, I can hear thunderclouds above; I hope we get more rain! this three week retreat up here will be a great break from the 95 or even higher temperatures in the Valley. Fresnans: you are in my prayers. we will get through summer together!

#2: great, loving staff. it amazes me every year how God hand picks our staff. though we do not have some of the old-timers that have come to camp every year for last 10 years, this year's group is just as energetic, excited, willing to serve, kind to the campers. I am looking forward to three great weeks of watching the staff grow as a camp family and develop lasting friendships with the campers.

#3: fun campers! kids are just too darn funny! every activity I am forcing myself to laugh more quickly because these kids have the funniest observations and stories! it kills me every time. we have a lot of 3rd and 5th graders up here this first week and man, do they have personality! (thunder clap) at dinner last night, every camper was off the wall excited about every little thing. we had the staff introduce themselves and after each name was called, the campers went wild with applause and shouts for their counselor! it was so great! I enjoy every meal time to sit with a new cabin and learn about each kid. those 20 minutes are not much, but they invite me into their lives and I have now become apart of their camp family. I am sure I will have many stories to report during this week.

#4: a life of simplicity. okay, I know I am on the computer writing this blog; that does not project a life of simplicity. but being surrounded my God's beauty, the wonderful cool air, the smell of pine trees, (thunder clap) the sight of the blue, calm lake. I love this change to escape for the business of city life to slow down and really enjoy each minute of my life. I read more up here, which is wonderful because being such a slow reader, there is not much up here to distract me! I might even finish a book in one week! uhMAEzing!

#5: the close feeling I have to God. every year at Keola I am challenged to live my life everyday glorifying God. being surrounded by a loving, supportive community for three weeks, I come home feeling empowered and ready to take action for the Kingdom. with the many life changes that are going to (thunder clap x2) happen once I get home, this time to refocus my priorities is greatly needed.

five really great reasons that make this camp and ministry so special to me! please for the campers, that they remain accident-free and that they have a wonderful time up here. for the staff, that they may grow in friendship with each other and not get burnt out living (thunder clap) with these wild campers! we'll see how God moves at Keola this week. I am excited!

it's raining! smells so good! bye!

God Bless America Bless God

2008-07-04T18:41:00.001-07:00

we see this inspirational phrase everywhere. "God Bless America" bumper stickers, t-shirts, posters, flags, buttons displayed daily and proudly by faithful Americans. during this holiday weekend, this phrase is uttered to friends, proclaimed in commercials and history specials. while I am proud to live in a country that has many freedoms, that is home to many different ethnicities and nationalities, I wonder if this phrase should be looked at another way...
"America Bless God." say that phrase several times for a while. "America Bless God."
that's a bold statement. sounds more like a command.
upon reflection though, while our country is not unified in religion, what if there was a great effort to come together to act as a nation that seeks to do good for the loving, larger God of the Universe?
how can America corporately act to reflect its love and appreciation for a god that brings such good to its people?
as I smile widely this night gazing at a dark sky lit with colorful fireworks, I will be singing my version of the beloved song, "America Bless God."

I'm Back!

2008-06-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

okay, I have been back for a while, but blogspot still thought I was away! ha!

coming home from Israel was a joke! my flight was delayed an hour just to board. once we got on the runway, the pilot announced that he wanted to park the plane to check a valve before take off. that check took an hour and a half. total delay time= 2.5 hours= total layover time in Toronto to catch San Francisco flight back to California. needless to say, I missed the last flight home by 5 minutes! at that point, I really wanted to be on my way home. I had already adjusted to California time, gotten ready to rejoin my Fresno life, and I was delayed one more day. Air Canada was very accommodating, setting up our group for the night at a local Best Western hotel and providing meal vouchers. the greatest thing about missing the flight was the chance to soak in the hotel spa and sleep in a queen-sized bed taken over by big, fluffy pillows. a great way to relax from the hectic travel home. the last flight to San Francisco the next day went smoothly, getting a chance to catch up on the in-flight movies I didn't watch on the first trip!

Israel was such a great experience. I am so glad I happened to hear of the trip last fall and was able to work it into my schedule after graduation. I believe anyone serious about the Bible should travel around the Holy Land to experience the stories in person. I love ready the Bible now and stumbling upon a city name and knowing exactly what that city looks like and where it's located because I'VE BEEN THERE! it's so cool! my thinking about the church and its academic world have changed a lot. as one great funny man keeps commenting to me, "oh, you don't want to do that anymore since you've been to Jerusalem." while most of the time he's pulling my leg about silly things, some aspects of my life have changed I believe for the rest of my life because of this trip. I am so thankful for this trip and the opportunity to walk the land of the Bible.

now I am back and have been thrown into busy Fresno life. it was great to come home to my loving family, sharing pictures and stories of my trip. I saw some of my great friends and met new ones. so good to be home!

the rest of June will be a time for me to prepare for Camp Keola, as I will be assisting Greg Camp as program director. our theme this year is service and we want to incorporate some projects to help with the relief work of MCC. Keola captured a special place in my heart summer of 2004 and I am so glad I can come back this year, probably for the last time. this time next year I will be finishing my year of Mennonite Volunteer Service in Washington DC. speaking of MVS, also this month I will have to start consolidating my belongings and planning what to take with me when I move to DC in August. so much happening and time flies by so fast!

Holocaust History Museum

2008-05-31T01:06:00.000-07:00

apart of our last field study, the group took a couple hours to visit Yad Vashem- the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem. the museum presents the story from a Jewish perspective, highlighting individual testimonies, artifacts, photographs, film clips and music.

we were not allowed to take pictures in the museum, but I took pages of notes of my impressions. I am thankful for the LORD equipping me with emotions, but at times it is difficult in public places! I had a hard time in some exhibits keeping my tears down.

in a labor camp, Jewish workers were assigned to make shoe pads, drum heads, and the lining of purses. the materials they had to use- Torah scrolls of parchments! imagine being instructed to make items out of the Holy Bible. heartbreaking.

there were large displays of items that were stolen from synagogues in Europe. before burning down the building, SS officers would gather all of the booty to sell or melt down for gold.

within the camps, Jews traded bread rations for handmade brooches and metal gifts for loved ones. it was such a great sacrifice to celebrate a loved one's birthday by giving up one's only possession, let alone, only chance to further life.

a section of the museum was transformed into a street from the Warsaw Ghetto. on the floor was laid original cobblestone, with tram tracks down the middle of the street. above was an original lamppost guiding the travelers. as one walked down the street, above one could hear the noise of the area when the Jews were evacuated from their homes.

an exhibit was dedicated to the Righteous Among the Nations, the non-Jews who worked to save the persecuted Jews in Europe. a row of trees outside of the museum commemorates their efforts.

many faithful people risked much to extended a hand to the oppressed Jews. among the honored were Oscar Schindler, who is buried in Jerusalem, and Corrie Ten Boom, who my little sister is named after.

within the Righteous exhibit was this quote from a non-Jew: "I know that when I stand before God on Judgment Day, I shall not be asked the question posed to Cain- where were you when your brother's blood was crying out to God?"

the latter part of the museum documented how Jews coped with the end of the war and the living transition afterwards. an elderly couple's video testimony described how many people once free got married to other fellow camp mates. they said their wedding was the first of 21 in one day! they were the typical older couple as well: the woman told most of their story while the man just sat, looking at the camera. he would interject with comments like "I didn't know that" or "why didn't you tell me that?" so funny! and the woman just ignored him! she told her story of how she dealt with her first pregnancy after the war. at first she did not believe she was with child: "my body did not have any fat on it. how could I develop a body to have a baby?" she did not have money for an abortion, so she tried many different methods at home to abort her child. nothing worked; her son was born just the same. recalling the moment of his birth: "I looked at this beautiful baby, a healthy son that I created, and I could only think of was how I previously wanted to kill him."

on top of the hill of the museum, there stands a Children's Memorial building dedicated to the one and a half million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. in the middle of the room was a single lit candle surround by a wall foggy mirrors, giving the illusion of millions of candles floating in the air. as one walked through the room, the name, age, and location of each perished child was read aloud. so moving. the building was completely funded by a couple who lost a son in Auschwitz in 1944.

the most impressive room in the museum is the Hall of Names. the room is filled 27 columns wide, 20 shelves high with 16 binders resting on each shelf. the hall contains the archive of the names of the Jews who perished in the Holocaust. within the binders are pages of testimony containing names and biographical details of the victims. there was also available computer terminals for conducting searches of victims names and adding names that are still missing.

the exit of the museum opens out to an incredible view of Jerusalem. in remembering the Holocaust, there must also be a look into the future. this view is a reminder that the state of Israel, while thriving through oppression, is still in need of creating a democratic state, creating peace with all neighbors.

the LORD promised in Ezekiel 37.14: "I will put My spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land; and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken."

FOOD!!!

2008-05-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

I love food and I have greatly enjoyed the food in Israel. there has been a great mix of styles, mostly Arabic. I have appreciated humus with each dinner! so good!
at our hotel, meals have been presented buffet style and I have sampled a variety of choices.[I was raised to eat a bite of everything on one's plate. Mom would be proud.] here is the restaurant of the Gloria Hotel.

the fish has been incredibly buttery and delicious. and of course the usual olive bowl with yummy green and black olives. even olives offered at breakfast!
dinner usually consists of several bowls of cold items, usually salads, fresh vegetables, and olives.

apart of the hot items, there is usually rice, pasta, a hot vegetable, and a couple different meal dishes.

dessert is tasty! accompanying the fresh fruit option, there is always dessert! I have sampled baklava, great baked goods, coffee ice cream, and so much more! best ending of a full meal!

and TONS of pita and humus! most lunches I have eaten humus and will greatly miss the fresh stuff when I get back to the states. I am wanting to learn how to make pita bread at home because fresh, doughy pita is wonderful!

Best Coffee in Israel!

2008-05-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

for my barista friends:
I found the best "Starbucks"-like coffee in Israel!
I have been putting off buying myself a treat on this trip. there has been TONS of ice cream and soft drinks and candy and baked goods for purchase. most of the items are exactly what we have at home, so I planned on waiting.
but... then I was introduced to Aroma.

it is basically fast food coffee, like Starbucks, but oh so much better! they have fluffy sandwiches, huge salads, and fresh baked goods. some of our group when for lunch today.

my favorite item is an iced Aroma coffee.

it is the house blend, an Arabic coffee, with cream and sugar. the drink is deliciously rich and flavorful, begging me to drink the whole glass at once! I have caved in and treated myself to this delicacy three times already this week! accompanying each drink, Aroma also treats one to a sample of their chocolate. with my list of favorites during this trip, Aroma coffee is now among the top sights of Israel!

Temple Mount Platform

2008-05-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

we had a day free day to explore on our own. *code for a morning to sleep in past 7am!* I took the morning to walk around the Temple Mount platform. as a group we have toured the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and the surrounding area earlier in our trip. the Temple Mount Platform helped bring together the history of the religious center as the home of the Holy of Holies.

the Dome of the Rock mosque is the center of the Temple Mount.

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it is believed that the mosque was built in a fashion to remove the "annoyance" constituted by the numerous fine buildings in other religions. instead they have built just one fine building!

while I was not able to go inside of the mosque, the exterior of the Dome is so intricate in itself. to create the Dome's splendor, 100,000 gold dinar coins were melted down and cast on the whole exterior, “which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it.”

I found it very appropriate that there was a sundial on an archway. at least in Judaism the time of day is very important. prayer is required three times a day each at a specific time. I have come to respect the reverence of the religion where ritual and tradition is very important in everyday life.

[hi Gail Enns! your son is alive and well.]

I spent a part of my afternoon exploring outside of the Old City wall. I traveled along Jaffa St. to shop around the shuq. traditionally shuqs are held outside of a city in the location where a caravan loaded with goods would stop and merchants would display their goods for sale. in Jerusalem there is a concentrated section with more permanent shops displaying mostly food and house ware items. it was truly a cultural experience. shop owners were yelling out produce prices, trying to beat out the neighboring store.

I passed produce stands with delicious fruits and vegetables, meat markers displaying fresh fish. there were a lot of people out shopping as well! all generations getting food together for the Shabbot meal. I bought fresh pita out of the oven and it was SO good! warm and doughy and so soft! it definitely beat the usual pita I eat with dinner!

I bought a cute cute dress for a wedding I am attending in June. haha!

Jerusalem University College

2008-05-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

welcome to my school!

Jerusalem University College was founded in 1958 and sits on Mt. Zion just outside of the Old City wall. following the British school system, it is titled as a University College because they offer MA degrees but no do have the complete facilities for such schooling.
the school facilities are beautiful! a man wanted to build an English school for boys, but was not able to buy property. instead he built a cemetery on the grounds and used the "extra" land to build a school! wild story! he in turn is buried on the grounds.
at the back of the school still stands the cemetery!

walking around made me think of my Mom who enjoys looking at grave sights. in Fresno, we enjoy visiting the cemeteries around Memorial Day, reading the names and wondering about their lives.

all prominent Protestants were buried in this cemetery. in the 19th century the Protestants were the leading individuals in helping Jerusalem to come out of the dark ages. Jerusalem was the back watershed, no one was interested in being here, and there were some quite important scholars who came over to help develop Jerusalem: the first doctors, hospitals, archaeologists, architects. so a lot of famous people from the 19th century were buried at the cemetery. the cemetery property is now owned by the Lutherans and Anglicans.

one of the people buried at the school is the American author of the hymn "It Is Well (With My Soul)," Horatio G. Spafford. he is the second name from the top on the below marking. he and his family were going to take a holiday in France. He however had to finish out a real estate deal in Chicago, so he sent this wife and two daughters ahead of him on a ship. the ship had a collusion, sank, and the two daughter were killed. his wife was survived and sent a wire to her husband that said, "saved alone." he got on a ship to France and once he arrived, he wrote the hymn.

later in life, the wealthy family settles in Jerusalem for an extended amount of time. they started a compound north of the City to live in community called the American Colony. a group of people from the Spafford's church decided to join the efforts and did a lot of good social work in the City starting an orphanage and taking detailed photographs of the City. a group of the workers are buried together in a communal plot and who are listed on a communal plaque.

on for some more life giving pictures... the school is beautiful! as I mentioned, the school was originally built as a English school for Arab boys and JUC has been there for the last 50 years.

here is the other side of the entrance. all of us students were given a key to visit the school even after hours.

from the entrance, one walks out to a large open courtyard where we eat our lunch and talk with new friends.

apart of this room, where one staff member lives, houses a tomb! the style of tomb is one with a lower ledge and at one time, the staff member used that bench as a bed!

the great thing about the garden at JUC is the hidden laundry room. yay clean clothes!

only 9 more days to enjoy this wonderful campus!

Preservations around Jerusalem

2008-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

it is so wild to walk around the City and remember that one is walking on thousands of years of history. in America, we get excited when something is over one hundred years old! within Fresno, my house is considered old because it was built in the 1920s. however in Israel, a more common historical era is the Byzantine period from 330 AD!

walking around the Old City of Jerusalem, tucked in to the Jewish Quarter, our group stumbled upon "The Broad Wall" or "Avigad's Wall" along the Transversal Valley.

as the City Wall moved over the centuries, this section of the wall has been preserved as a reminder of all of the city changes. looking down from the top, we could identify where the street level used to be and how tall the wall used to stand.

the section of the wall that remains is well intact. it is called "The Broad Wall" for the obvious measurement of the wall, which was to strengthen the weaker northern side of Jerusalem. What is seen is the foundation of the wall, possibly the foundation that was underground for a city wall of Jerusalem during the time of Hezekiah. it is believed that the wall was built by King Hezekiah to fortify the city of Jerusalem against an attack from the Assyrians in 722BC.

I'm Home!

2008-05-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

well, Jerusalem that is, my second "home" these past weeks. it feels so great to be home, unpacking, and relaxing in my hotel room. even though we'll be leaving again in three days, it does feel nice to settle. I believe we have only 10 more days left of our trip. the time has flown by so fast and yet my brain could really use a rest! ha! however, I have grown so much as a Bible reader and am looking forward to the incredible insights I fill discover in the future because of this trip.
I have just returned from a three day travel of the Sephelah and Negev. pictures are to come of many hiking trips, visits to fort sights and waterfalls and a swim in the Dead Sea!
thanks for the thoughts and prayers as our group travels. I have felt incredibly safe traveling with around the country. of course there is a feeling of the unfortunate tensions of the land, but in no way have I been afraid for my safety. praise God!
I promise to dive deeper into explanations of my travels in the coming days, but for right now, I need to rest my body! good night!

2008-05-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

one week down, two to go!
tomorrow we head out for three days of travel in the land. I will not be able to post probably until Thursday. we will be traveling to the south, visiting Negev. moving north-east, we will visit the Dead Sea; maybe even take a dip! we will also be nomads in a sense; moving around to two youth hostels! we are always going to be taking some great hikes. hopefully I have have more pictures than sunburns at the end of the week! thank God for sunscreen!
I am learning a lot in the land. we had our first exam today. so many of my previous thoughts of the Holy Land are being turned upside down! I am realizing that my Bible education has not been as intense as it should have been. and as a result, my brain is hurting with information overload! however, I am having a great time and will definitely come back with wonderful stories and pictures of this challenging, yet rewarding time.
thank you for the prayers. I have felt very safe during our day trips. my body has let me know when I need some down time and I am grateful for that instinct! and know that all of you are in my prayers as well. I miss home and am looking forward to sharing my trip with you!

Hezekiah's Tunnel

2008-05-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

on our OT Jerusalem walk, we took a tour of the South-East part of the Old City. the Kidron Valley lies on this side of the city, outside of the city walls. the valley is much like the Hinnom Valley, rich in step houses.

located in between the Kidron Valley and the Central Valley (yes, they have one too!) , is the City of David.

within the City of David is the elaborate ancient water system of Hezekiah's Tunnel. after walking around some of the excavations around the center, our group walked through the pitch-black, underground tunnel used to bring water into the city in times of siege. this secret system collected water from the Gihom Spring and channeled it through to the Siloam Pool.

the walk was a third of a mile long, and at times the tunnel was not very high. even I had to duck!

also at time water came up to my mid-thigh!

I thought I would put up a picture that would show off my leggies! ha!

I am thankful to Tyler Enns for guiding me, as I did not have much of a flashlight.

he ended up taking pictures every ten feet to track where the tunnel was leading us! the walk was very exhilarating! I was smiling the whole time!

this is a mural of what the Siloam Pool would look like. the water would be collected there at the end of the tunnel.

this is what it looks like today...

our group watering our feet!

News Flash

2008-05-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

The President of the United States is in Jerusalem! I find it humorous that the closest I've come to the President I had to achieve it by traveling outside of my home country to the other side of the world! and guess what? he's staying right around the corner from our hotel! crazy! the King David Hotel, where the President is staying, is on the other side of the Hinnom Valley from our hotel.

I should clarify. valleys in this land are much smaller than our Central Valley. reading the Bible and stumbling upon a valley in the text, I previously assumed the land was like my valley: large, flat, surround by tall mountain ranges. the valleys here are more narrow, with steep sides coming down to a point. usually houses cover the sides, built in a "step" fashion, one on top of the other. very different from the spacious Central Valley!

Totally Ready for Bed!

2008-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

after a morning in the classroom, Brian led our group's first field walking tour of the Old City. we walked 4.5 hours, weaving in and out of foot traffic with locals.
on our tour, we visited the Western (Wailing) Wall.

some back history: Herod the Great decided to embellish the temple on Mt. Moriah (also mentioned in the Bible as Mt. Zion). this mount was only so big and in order to enlarge the temple, Herod made the mountain bigger by building an enclosure around it to then build a bigger platform under which would be the mount. the Wailing Wall is some of the remains of the wall that supported the large platform on the west side, which is closest to the Holy of Holies. when the Romans came in 70AD and destroyed the temple, they destroyed everything that was above the temple, leaving the Wall and the platform. with time, the platform has eroded away, giving explanation to the many different styles of masonry used to reconstruct the Wall.

I visited the women's quarters of the Wailing Wall, populated with many generations of mixed faith pausing in their busy day to pray at the Wall. it was very emotional being surrounded by many religious women offering prayer.

some women looked as if this was their only agenda of the day; others it was more obvious that they stopped by during their lunch hour. many school girls stopped along their way home to write little prayers to stick in the cracks of the Wall. many women were praying out of prayer books, while others simply placed their hands on the Wall to pray. I took the time at the Wall to pray for peace in our world. I found it appropriate to focus on global, universal peace as I was surrounded by worshipers of mixed faith. the experience was very moving and made me reflect the lack of daily reverence in my life. while I always feared this prayer routine would become emotionless as it is required every day, taking a short amount of time to pause this day was exactly what I needed in that moment.

from our intense walk, my body feels very sore. I am SO ready to get off my feet and go to bed!

Finally here!

2008-05-12T10:05:00.001-07:00

packing for a three week trip: 3.5 hours
driving to SF: 3.5 hours
waiting in SF airport: 4.5 hours

flight from SF to Toronto: 5 hours *change time zone +3 hours*
waiting in Toronto airport: 3 hours
flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv: 10 hours *change time zone +10 hours*
crazy taxi ride to Jerusalem: 1 hour

total: 30.5 crazy hours that jump started my wonderful time in Israel

we are staying at the Hotel Gloria. it is located on the west side of the Old City, more towards for north. JUC has housed many students at this hotel and we have been given really nice accommodations. we took a tour of some of the Old City street shops to exchange money. the exchange rate here is 3.44 shekels to the dollar. I have not looked around enough to see if items are fairly priced compared to home. I hope so! either way, the art of bartering is alive in Jerusalem. I am hoping to develop this art to lower many of the purchases.

taking a couple wrong turns, [Brian hasn't been "home" for 10 months; he was a little turned around!] we stumbled upon the church that is believed to house the Upper Room. one of the rules we learned about the Holy Land is that many place are named to commemorate an historical event, but in reality it may not actually be true. this church is a good example. the Syrian Orthodox Church also prides itself on speaking the "official" Aramaic language of Jesus, this "fact" has been debated for a long time.

tomorrow I start class at the Jerusalem University College (JUC). on the schedule there is planned many walking trips and three-day visits to surrounding areas.
stay connected for more updates!

Here I Go!

2008-05-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I just graduated college! Life is so crazy and good. As of right now, I am about to embark on my three week trip to Israel with several FPU friends. I'm really excited, and really nervous at the same time. I plan on updating this blog throughout my trip to let all of the curious family and friends track what I am up to.

OK, I'm leaving in 10 minutes! Time to go! Keep me in your prayers and I will see you all again soon!