My Thursday

Today:

I saw a pair of tiny princess dogs with matching sweaters, pink barretts, and french braided ear hair.

I was showered by snow during soccer practice, and then packed bags for warm weather when I got home.

I ate chicken so spicy my lips tingled for about an hour.

I laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe.

Here is a link for information about the part of the Philippines I will be leaving for in just 2 days:
http://www.aurora.ph/geninfo.html

We leave at 3 am Sat. morning for the Seoul airport. Then we will take a plane with the kids to Manila. Supposedly, it takes about 7 1/2 hours by bus to get to Aurora area where we'll be doing work with Habitat for Humanity. Should be an adventure. Pray that we can serve well, stay safe, get along, and learn a lot. I'm excited :)

A few pics of Aurora I have taken from various online sources:

Things are lookin' good

Today was just plain fun coaching. It was our first official soccer practice with all our girls back (basketball season finally ended). We have a few brand new soccer players and we shifted positions around on a lot of our returning girls. Thus a lot of practice today was spent explaining positions to people and shadow playing. With so many new players, especially in the midfield, I was a bit anxious to see how certain combinations would gel. However, during the second half of practice, while the girls practiced receiving corner kicks, punts, and goal kicks, our offense actually looked like a solid offense! Girls were making solid passes, connecting through balls, playing to space, looking up, taking good shots. Pretty offense was not our style last year, so it was mighty refreshing to see :)

Unfortunately we only have 1 more practice till break. Our girls will have a week of vacation (where all we can do is hope that they run run run). Then we have just TWO more practices until our first game. It's gonna be a bit of a jump start, but today gave me faith that there is a lot of potential in this squad.

Excellent.

Crafting for a Good Cause

This week I had an auction of 34 pairs of earrings that I designed/made to raise money for North Koreans. At the close of the auction this afternoon, I had made a profit of 415,000 won to donate towards North Korean aid! The school's Amnesty chapter (that I help sponsor) has been focusing on the hardships that North Koreans face both at home and abroad. The kids have been working hard to raise awareness and support. Here is just a bit of background for those of you who are presently unaware:

A few startling facts about North Koreans in North Korea:
*According to the World Food Programme, there are about 23 million people living in North Korea and many of them suffer from malnutrition. Approximately 37% of children currently suffer from stunted growth, a statistic that reveals the overwhelming need for these kids to obtain basic nutrients.
*North Korea ranked last in the Southeast Asian region with regards to economic freedom in 2008.
*Floods in 2007 sparked a large food shortage that has contributed to widespread hunger and malnutrition.
*The GDP per capita is $1,800 (meaning that people live off less than $5/day). The average person in South Korea makes 15 times as much money. The average American makes 27 times that. (CIA factbook, stats from 2008)
*According to reports from people who have escaped North Korea: people are imprisoned/executed without fair trials, there is a huge shortage of resources, government forces people to perform large amounts of "volunteer" work, people are harshly punished if they try to escape, and communication is highly censored. There is no room to criticize the government in any way.

Life for the North Korean Refugee:
Life is not much easier for North Koreans who manage to escape (legally or otherwise). Most North Koreans escape along the Chinese border. While the Chinese government has publicly stated that they do not return refugees to North Korean government, their practices have not always lined up with their words. Most refugees spend years trying to get their families out of China. By the time families make it to South Korea (a common final destination), they are poor, malnourished, and suffering from extreme culture shock. They often face severe discrimination in South Korea and have difficulty getting jobs. Many will take large risks to send funds back to their families. I had the privilege of meeting a woman and her twin daughters a few weeks ago who escaped from North Korea. Her young children were having a very difficult time adjusting because they struggled to speak any language fluently (in their 6 years of life, they have been exposed to North and South Korean dialects, Mandarin, and Cantonese). The girls also lacked the education that most kids their age have received.

Anyhow, I'll get off my soapbox. I just want to do my part and help raise awareness. Here are a few pics of the earrings I made:








If you want to donate, here are a few places that you could go to contribute:
World Food Programme

LINK North Korean Crisis (helps raise awareness)

Don't hate me for saying this...

5 day work weeks feel really long when you haven't had them for quite awhile. It's like getting back in shape (which I am also doing at the moment). You know the process is good for you, but it is nonetheless painful. Evidence: sore muscles, 3 cups of coffee each morning, confusion regarding school vs. home things (ex: Student: "Did you get my homework?" Me: "Well when I checked on facebook, I mean Edline, and it wasn't uploaded yet.") and an inability to answer questions in a logical fashion before 8 am or after 10 pm. Let's be honest, I've never really been good at answering questions before 8 am, but still!

As I build up to a routine and a comfortable level of fitness, I can sense that life is about to go into overdrive. Yesterday I ran a conditioning pre-season practice for the soccer girls. Tryouts officially start on Monday and I am preparing myself for the fact that my free time is about to disappear completely. I also just joined a Beth Moore Bible study this week that requires me to do homework 5 times between sessions. I already have an overwhelming pile of papers to grade. I leave the country 4 more times in the next 3 months. I'm trying to brace myself for impending chaos. At least I know I thrive in chaos :)

Photo Tour of Japan

A few shots in Hiroshima
Sushi

Peace Park

Children's memorial (made up of folded cranes)

Hiroshima Castle




A few pics in Fukoka
Canal City

Botanical Gardens





To see my facebook album, follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2139048&l=97336&id=4702163

Things not lost in translation

Today I went to the Peace Park and Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. While there have been many details that I have missed on this trip because I do not speak the language, there were other things I experienced today that needed no words. For example, no words were needed to comprehend the horror that faced all those in Hiroshima that dreaded day. Images, documentaries, and movies traced the despair and destruction that thousands of people faced when the US dropped the atomic bomb. Looking at the charred bodies of victims with skin peeling, the outlines of bodies vaporized by the blasts, and twisted building remains... those images alone were enough to convict me that war is never worth the cost.

Again I was struck that emotions can transcend language in an interaction in a deserted gallery room. After looking through the entire museum with my 7 friends, I went downstairs to look in 2 galleries that were not a part of the main building. Both rooms were empty except for an old Japanese man. The two of us walked around, looking at photographs of the destruction and examining artifacts from the disaster. After a bit I stumbled across two newspapers-- one from NY, one from Britain. Both described the dropping of the atomic bomb. As I read the two descriptions that referred to the A bomb as "a giant golf-ball" and "a victory," I was overcome with emotion. I could not stop the tears from flowing as I realized how easy it was to minimize the suffering of others. As I stood in front of this display, silently weeping, the old Japanese man walked up to me. He looked at me straight in the eyes and quietly spoke. I have no idea what he told me, but I know he spoke of peace. All I could muster up was a meager, "I'm sorry." But I know I did not even need that. In the moment our eyes locked I knew, despite the language barrier, that both of us were committed to doing whatever we can to prevent a tragedy like this from occurring ever again.

Belated CA pics

A few pics I never posted from my time in CA. Only 2 weeks delayed (I have to beat my next trip!)

New Year's Eve with a few friends from high school and others at Kasey's

LHS mini-reunion


Hike with Peter in the Saratoga mountains-- pretty views of the Bay Area



Dinner with the grandparents! ALWAYS a great time :)


Santa Cruz beach day, my how I love this town

(notice Peter's newly shaved head-- 2 bored siblings= no more hair) posing on a throne built daily by a Native American local

American at heart

It’s 2:25 am. I’m sitting on my apartment’s heated floor watching a fuzzy Korean news channel, the only live showing of the inauguration that I can find. My new president is speaking with composure and passion and a healthy dose of idealism. Every single line Obama speaks is immediately echoed by a Korean woman’s translation. Even as I strain to hear the English through its Korean counterparts, I can tell that Obama’s words preach ideals that many people long for. Now let's hope that Obama can meet our insanely high expectations set for him. I’m praying that this man can truly lead our nation to do great things both in our country and around the world. There is so much we can and must do as a nation.

Already plotting...

I just have to say, life here is great. I have only taught 4 days since my last vacation, and I am already almost half way to my next! Exactly 9 days from now I will be on a ferry to Fukoka, Japan. Then, along with 7 friends, I will be heading up to Hiroshima to explore and relax for our 5 day lunar holiday. We have clearly worked SO very hard since our last break that a vacation is highly neccessary.

I love working at an international school!