wisdom of a 4 year old

today we visited one our loan recipients who is using her loan to purchase school supplies to support the pre-k school that she began in the early 2000s.  the woman started this school because she saw these children milling around with little to no family support.  she knew the value of education.  she knew the importance of early education... so she started a preschool.

as we walked in and out of classrooms, the teacher would ask for volunteers to stand up and introduce themselves to use. several kids got up and boldly and confidently shared their name and some other personal infromation.  "my name is... my teacher's name is... my mother's name is... (one cute boy said 'my father's name is dad')... i want to be a..."  i was so impressed by how well spoken these young children were.  

one litle girl in the 4/5 year old class said/recited/sang "you can touch my head, my hair, my shoulders, but you cannot touch my body, no no no".  wow, i was not expecting such a young girl to know this... but it's the reality of life and if they're not taught it at school, then who will be there to protect them if someone ever tried to hurt them.

amazing principal, teacher, mother, entrepreneur...

heading back to jo-burg tomorrow... celebrating Thanksgiving in transit to Dubai and India.  First Thanksgiving away from home, but my family is scattered all around the world this year so timing could not be better for this trip and a short trip to India.  I mean, not that india is close to S.Africa or anything but the opportnity availed and well, the rest is history.  looking forward to being with my Indian family in a couple of days.

south africa with my new Ugandan friends

i'm in south africa for a conference with some colleagues and biz partners.  i'm just starting a role with an organization called endpoverty, a microfinance focused organization.  it's the reason i went to the philippines a month ago.  anyhow we work with microfinance organizations in africa, and i'm in africa to attend a conference bringing together all of our african partners.

two participants are from uganda.  uganda is a country that is near and dear to my heart, even though I've never been there.  the country means a lot to me because it was a teenager from Uganda that shared his life story with me that shook up my entire worldview and life in general.  it's why my heart hurts for the poor and those suffering from injustice... it's why i care about what i care about... it why i do what i do...

the summer of my frosh year in college, i went on my first international business trip.  i was attending and presenting at an international education conference.  that year it happened to be in china - it was my first time in china, so being the white-washed chinese american that i was... going to china was in itself interesting enough for me.  at this conference, i was giving a presentation on an international project that i had built for a non-profit that i had been interning at.  long story short, after the presentation, this ugandan boy named Philip came up to me and said... 'this project would be so powerful in my country because people in my community have had their ears and nose chopped off'.  my mouth dropped.  and it's not like i had not heard about warfare and these injustices before, but i think coming face to face with a teenager who was about my age, actually a few years younger, share his life with me, just made it so much more real. it was my ah-ha moment that changed everything.  i stood there, my mouth dropped.. i had nothing to say.. i remember thinking and feeling ashamed.. 'oh man... you know what i worry about every day?  i worry about what to wear...'  then another teenage boy from sierra leone came over to talk, wanting to participate in this project.  i remember thinking... oh man, i don't even know where your country is.  sheesh.  so it was that meeting with that young Ugandan teenager that caused me to switch my focus.  i went back to school that fall convicted... i needed to learn more about the world... i could not live this ignorant comfortable american life.  

i always wanted to help people, even as a kid.  i was 99.9% sure i would help people as a medical doctor.  to think i almost applied to a 7 year medical program straight out of hs.. wow... how things had just changed.  i spent summers and weekends in hospitals as a candy striper, my first and only job in hs was as a therapist for a woman with multiple sclerosis (and let's just say i performed some interesting procedures...), attending nerd med programs and shadowing surgeons, handling human cadavers... i loved it... every moment of it... but God had other plans.  

strangely this was the first spending time with Ugandans since I had met Philip years ago.  and it was so sweet and meaningful to me to be able to share with these 2 wonderful women and get their thoughts on what had happened during the rebel warfare, which sadly is again happening now in some areas.  looking forward to the next few days meeting with our wonderful African partners. 

driving stick shift in africa (as a passenger driven by an american)

trusting an american to drive stick on opposite of the street in africa.  need i say more?  we survived, but it was a bit scary and entertaining.  let's just say prayers were said before departing.  only a couple of freak out moments... we survived.. made it from jo-burg to klerksdorp alive and well. thank you God!

and apparently i will need to learn stick in case i come on my own next time and have to drive... interesting requirements... oh boy.

"OFWs"

as we pulled up to my terminal at the Manila airport, i was surprised by the large crowds outside the airport.  some waiting to get inside, others just hanging around the airport.  the folks from our partner organization dropping me off said that those were the OFW... individuals going to other countries to work, away from their families, friends, culture, community.  a long line to enter the airport of local Filipinos, ready to separate from their families for who knows how long, as they take service jobs internationally, to other parts of Asia and the Middle East.  In '08 on my way back from India, I saw a similar scene, only it was all men with no luggage or anything, boarding a plane to Riyadh to do construction work and such.  I was discussing with the stranger sitting next to me about human trafficking and how this too was a form of trafficking.  wow.

For whatever reason, the scene just wrenched my heart. I just feel for these individuals and their families.  It's hard to justify either way because in one sense they are going to make money to help support the family at home... so the family can live... so they sacrifice themselves, subjecting themselves to harsh conditions and treatment and separation from loved ones... but i don't know... it's still hard for me to see... My grandparents in Taiwan have had individuals from the Philippines and Indonesia come and help out at the house, and something about it has always bothered me.  I mean, not that our family treats them poorly, but something about it... it's like God's placed this burden on my heart or something.

after i got back from india, the first movie i saw was "the help", a story about African American nannies raising Caucasian children back in the early/pre-Civil Rights days.  a powerful movie... and a reminder of why it's so important that we help enable and encourage peopel to tell their stories... it's important for the rest of the world to hear, and it's important for the individual and others in similar circumstances to hear and be empoewred to shared.  all you need is one person to stand up and take a risk for change...  that's what i am praying for in one of the slum communities in india... just one person to take a stand, to speak their heart, to have the hope that life can be different, that things can change, if they would stand up... 

i'm not sure what this post is about really as i'm not just rambling... but it's what's going on in my head... disconnected thoughts that are seemingly triggering thoughts that are somewhat connected in my strange little brain.

a cucumber garden growing on my foot

yes, yes, that is what happened last night... in my deep sleep... so deep that i actually remembered by dream.  I rarely remember dreams, and well, I'm so glad I did today because it's absolutely ridiculous and bizarre.  So before I tell you what happened, I'll share perhaps why cucumbers may have been on my mind.  

The other day we ate at a restaurant that was... hrmm... like an amusement park... like disneyland... giant gorilla statue in the back, goddess totem poles all over, and other interesting statues and monuments throughout this restaurant.  anywhere else, it would have been tacky, but somehow, this place was quite... amusing?  strangely it somehow all 'works' in my mind.  i think it's because of the bamboo pole sidewalks and bamboo and straw huts that you sit in to eat... that all somehow balances the setting and turns the tacky into a fun, interesting setting.  quite an enjoyable lunch, perhaps because of the live entertainment of singers and guitarists roaming around to each hut to perform for our tips... nah... that was nice... but the company... amazing people with a faith that drives them and the organization they are leading. i'll write more about them in a separate posting sometime later.  back to the subject though.. the cucumber...  so at this restaurant, there was a dish full of vegetable - bitter gourd, pumpkin, and some kind of cucumber or squash of some sort that I really liked.  And perhaps eating that cucumber at this amusement park like restaurant, where the impossible is possible if you only wish and dream and have child like hope... perhaps that was the cause of this interesting dream.

   

just liked this "sign"...

here's the dish that may caused this all

so here's what happened in the dream.  i was with a friend who said that we needed to grow our own food for tomorrow.  so we planted some seeds in a pot that had to rest by our feet (i have no clue why... perhaps the wafting of the wonderful scents of feet provide some sort of amazing fertilizer... i don't know.. it was a dream...).  while my friend is telling me this, of course I doubt how it could be possible for us to plant seed and for them to grow by the next morning, but nonetheless i just went ahead.  the next morning, when we awoke, she ripped off her covers and by her feet in the planter were 4 beautiful small cucumbers and I think some other random veggies.  i was so shocked but excited all at the same time.  now, it was my turn.  i take my covers off and i was horrified to find that... my planting resulted in one HUGE cucumber.  why was i not happy about this?  because it was growing around my foot and ankle!  literally, this cucumber had enveloped my foot and ankle.  how could this have happened?  did i place all the seeds to close together?  did i dip my foot in the planter at night?  what happened?  well, it didn't really matter.  anyhow, i awoke shortly after... somewhat disturbed by this interesting dream.

...dad...where are you?

i'm enroute back to hk right now.  had a good couple days chilling with my rents in bejing where they just moved to a few weeks back.  my parents just moved into their new apartment, which i must say is quite nice.  having only moved in a week ago, naturally we spent quite some time visiting the super walmart and carrefour to stock up their apartment.  i even got to assemble a shelf for them.  another role reversal moment... not that i did much to help them get settled, but going to walmart after moving into a new place is something i am fond of doing... assembling ikea-like furniture is up my alley... having my parents help me with all that is common, especially during my first few years of living independently.  but now, it was me going with them to shop for them... like back to school shopping... filling up the dorm room... only they have a really sweet dorm suite....  filled up on peking duck, mcd's, burger king, noodle soup, and other stuff...  yes, we love our fast food joints... especially in asia.

my mom popped me into a taxi this morning to head to the airport.  i went a bit earlier in hopes of meeting my dad there.  my pops had to meet someone at the airport and has a meeting there this afternoon, so i was hoping to catch him there briefly before i headed through immigration and security, but i never found him.  i felt like a little kid, waiting and waiting, wandering back and forth between different coffee stands, wanting to yell for dad, hopeful and eager he'd just appear out of nowhere like in the movies, but that didn't happen.  it was never a certainty it would happen but i guess i just hoped it would.... like the feeling you get when on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa.  again i found myself thinking and getting annoyed about the fact that there were just so many asian faces... asian men...how am i to find my dad in the sea of these people with the same color hair and basic business attire?  all throughout i got a couple of phone calls from what looked like an unfamiliar US number which i didn't pick up since i had no idea who it was... figured it's prolly not important so I didn't want to incur the charges... i gave up on finding my pops and headed onto the tram towards my gate... that same # called again.. decided to pick up and low and behold it was my dad... asking if i was ok.  we didn't get to talk long so who knows what happened, but man i wished i had just picked up the phone earlier!

i can't help but wonder if God thinks the same thing back at us... as i search all over for him in the things that i'm doing, even as i call out to him in my prayers... perhaps i just need to pick up the phone and listen... i can imagine Him saying "tammy, i'm right here.  you're okay. i am right here for you... why do you forget me?  why do you wonder where i am?"  picking up my dad's phone call incurred a financial cost - that's why i didn't pick up earlier... i mean, i also just didn't know who it was... but when we choose to pick up His phone call, sometimes that incurs a cost too... sometimes it means stopping what you're doing which from a worldly perspective is lost time and lost productivity... but if you don't pick it up, you're just going in circles or going downhill... so... pick up the phone and say hello to the one who's on the other end who is always there, always ready to embrace, if only we would let Him by taking the time to be with Him.

a sea of Chinese people...

When I'm in China, I often find myself thinking and saying semi-outloud, under my breath... "there's so many chinese people..."  I mean, obviously, right?  when in china, wouldn't you expect that?  and not that it bothers me that there are so many, but i have to admit that it sometimes overwhelms me that there are so many asian faces all around.  i mean really, i should just look in the mirror i realize, but yeah... ya know... 

back to my roots

Even though I only lived in Boston for the first year of my life, there’s something about that place that just feels like home… like my roots.  Despite the craziness of life, it’s where I find great peace and refreshment.  It helps that one of my best friend’s from high school lives here so I get to hang with her, just be real, do our thing, and be refreshed with each other’s company, but also in His word.  It’s interesting because whenever we are together, I feel that we spend more time in front of our laptops or books (she’s teaching at Tufts and BU), then we spend talking to each other – I mean, we get plenty of time to catch up and stuff, but there’s just something nice about being in each other’s company, even silently, taking care of life.

Anywho, this trip we also ran a 10K together, which was fun, despite my poor fitness levels.  We took our time, enjoyed the beautiful but hot weather, started together and finished together.  The rest of the short time there was spent at her kitchen table working or at a local Sbux that I crashed at while she went abouts her thing.  I love that we can do that… we can just live life… and enjoy the time no matter how brief or long...   

Anyways, flying back to Philly now where it will be a bit nuts for the next 48 hours.  It’s interesting because it’s not like in Boston life stops.  The good (and bad) thing about my work is that it’s virtual and it basically travels with me wherever I am.  But there’s just so much surround sound when in Philly and NYC and even DC, the 3 cities I’ve been frequenting for work stuff lately…

an update... after i landed back in philly my calendar cleared up for that afternoon! PTL! i was going to have to run to nj to take care of my parents' house stuff, then rush back for a meeting... then wed head down to dc at the crack of dawn for a meeting, and then back to philly to pack and then head up to nyc to catch my flight out to china/philippines the following day. NUTS! but ptl cuz we moved the dc meeting to my parents house!! still a lot to do but such a relief.  yes... completely strange but so awesome for me...  thank you God!

calendar = big game of blockus

seriously... this month... i just want to pull my hair out trying to arrange and re-arrange my schedule... it really feels like a big game of blockus... blocks are being added but there is no room for them to be added, so then i must rearrange... then cancel other things... ugh... it's such a pain.

on another note, why is it so hard to get to jfk airport from philly.  i mean seriously, someone needs to start a cheap shuttle van/bus option because what's out there is absolutely ridiculous..  what if i don't want to take a train to a bus to a subway to another bus... or a train to another train to a bus... what if i just want to ride there direct and not have to move luggage back and forth everywhere.  i'm headed to china and the philippines on thursday for a short trip for some meetings... yes it is last minute... but between now and thursday i go from boston to philly to nj back to philly then to dc back to philly and then somehow have to make my way up to jfk in time to catch a flight.  i have a headache.  figuring out the calendar... travel... is more than a full time job.  how am i to get everything else that is already buried done... alright, complaining about it isn't moving me forward but i just needed to vent a bit...

"tw please come to gate e15"

i hitched a ride to the airport following a flag football game.  i was a bit early but i was really looking forward to the time to just sit and catch-up on stuff at the airport.  unfortunately, lately it's been hard to find time to just sit and not feel like i have to run to something or hit another deadline or whatever.  i feel so behind in so many things so i really wanted this time to sit and check things off the list... and most importantly just to sit and spend some good time with Him.

so i get to the airport, and i'm early enough that i can actually catch the earlier flight out.  but nah, like i said, i wanted some time to just sit... secondly, the change fee i'd have to pay was more than the price i paid for the flight.. i got a pretty sweet deal.  scratch that.

now, let me paint a picture here.  so i am sitting on a bar stool like chair that faces my gate.  yes, i'm somewhat aways from the seating area around my gate, but literally, it's right in front of me, within visual range without a doubt.  clearly i was enjoying myself way too much...  i was watching the time, but it just didn't register that at some point i'd have to board the plane... i sat, did some stuff, jumped on a phone call to work through some stuff, and then i hang up the phone, telling the guy that i needed to get back to him in a second after i found some data number off my phone.  i'm sitting there searching my phone, then an announcement: "tw please come to gate e15".  totally not registering what was going on, i ask the lady next to me to watch my stuff which is sprawled across this table so i could go up and find out what was going on.  i get to the man... there's no one sitting around.. no one standing in line to board... it's a southwest flight so ya know.. you line up according to your number... and it's usually crowded with people getting ready to board.  i ask the man, still clueless: "are we boarding?"  and he's like... "umm.. yes, we've boarded."  OOPS!  clearly my mind was elsewhere... ran back to my stuff, threw it in my bag and boarded a full flight.  i mean, there wasn't even anyone on the jetway.. they were seated.  i wasn't totally the last person, but definitely one of the last.

anyways, i couldn't help but laugh at how completely ridiculous i am... i mean, i had plenty of time.. i almost jumped on an earlier flight.. who would've thought there'd be any chance i'd miss this one.  just clueless, in my own world.. or perhaps just in several different worlds and having trouble focusing.

jury duty

today was my first round of jury duty - ever.  i believe jury duty is a good thing, and so important for the functioning of our democracy.  it's sad that oftentimes we just want to get out of it, i myself feel that too sometimes, because it really is a privilege for us to participate.  it's similar to our right to vote.  by not voting, by not participating, we are relinquishing this precious gift of freedom that we have been given - that people had to die for and fight for - that people today in other parts of the world are fighting for.  And yes it's so easy for us to throw a pity party and fuss about our busy lives and what a pain it is to sit in a room and potentially sit on a panel or God forbid an actual jury.  Wow - I say this not in judgment of anyone, except, perhaps myself.  Worse so, I believe so much that our participation is part of our civic responsibilities and duties, and yet still I, found myself thinking of ways to get out of it with concerns over my upcoming travel schedule...

Here's how the day went:

1. My roommate and I hopped into my car this morning and stopped at Dunkin for some eye opening coffee (which did not work very well) and a greasy, delicious, fatty sausage, egg, cheese croissant. 
2. Drop roommate off near the office and then off to a local parking lot. Speed walk to the building
3. Walk in, go through security, join the long line of folks waiting to get their papers scanned and enter the room.
4. Get scanned, grab papers, find a seat in the waiting room FILLED with people.  I had no idea so many people were selected on a daily basis to come and sit.  How many Philadelphians are there?  How is it that this was my first summons, and how is it that many of my friends still haven't been called if they require so many to come each day?!
5. Fill out the questionnaires - which by the way are not that easy to complete.  you really have to put some thought into it because sometimes it's hard to not be biased or emotional or make decisions based on your morals.  
6. Sit, wait, read, lounge, struggle to stay awake, headnod, wait for your name to be called.
7. Several groups of people are called and asked to leave the waiting room and go to the room assigned to their Judge, or something like that.
8. at 9:30am, for Judge M, I get called as the 18th person to be part of this panel.  I'm getting excited... but the lady tells our group to stay seated, unlike the other groups who were called and then asked to line up and then head out to their respective rooms.
9. another hour passes... lady announces... for those of you with Judge M, I haven't forgotten about you... they are not ready for you yet.  i continue to attempt reading or working but can't focus cuz i'm so sleepy.
10. another hour passes... same announcement... i go buy a soda to supplement my insufficient coffee caffeine intake.
11. 12pm hits - lady announces... for those of you with Judge M, I haven't forgotten about you... you and for any one whose name has not yet been called, you may go take your lunch break.  be back here by 1:30.  in my mind i'm thinking what a generous lunch break this is!  govt...
12. walk over to reading terminal for lunch. take care of some urgent travel plans with my folks in china via skype over a bad internet line there... so frustrating... ran into my friend from church who is also in jury duty -what a coincidence.  look like a guest at the hotel across the street and 'borrow' their wifi.
13. 1:30 go back through security and re-enter the courtroom.  
14. 2:00 - lady says... Judge M, I haven't forgotten about you.  Judge M says no thanks we don't need your help today..  so you and everyone else may be dismissed for the day.  thank you for participating....
15. get the $9 check for our hard work and roll out, grab the car, head up to nyc

In the end, let's do the math to see how i made out by end of jury duty.

+$9 for participating in jury duty

-$8 parking

-$1.50 soda to stay awake in the waiting room

-$6.42 lunch at reading terminal

= -$6.92

and that doesn't even include my breakfast sandwich and coffee which my roommate so generously treated me too!  nor the value of time...


i feel like today could have been a really productive day for me sitting in the waiting room with my laptop.. if only i wasn't so stinking tired.  i was having enough trouble reading a magazine without wanting to put my head down... but then i also couldn't pass out because then i wouldn't know if i was called!  i'm sure i did a few headbobs...  i hate that... you're not productive but neither do you get rest as you attempt to force yourself to stay awake... oh well...

one other thing -i loved the diversity in the room...  good sampling... i like.

jury duty 2011 - checked off for the year.

untangling to freedom

as i sit and think about what is going on inside of my mind and heart, i can't just help but feel angry and tired. well the anger has dissipated in the form of tears that couldn't hold back earlier... and it's not that i'm angry at anyone because really, if there was anyone to blame it would be myself, for letting things pile on top of each other and simply not having the energy to handle it.

my schedule has just been no fun the past couple months. sometimes i just want to do what i want to do, selfish stuff and all.  i don't want to have to justify and explain... i feel like i'm constantly saying 'i'm sorry' to people because i can't do this, can't participate in that, i have to change their schedules for mine, i'm late for something, or can't deliver something on time, or whatever... i'm kind of tired of feeling and saying sorry for my excusable and inexcusable actions. i'm sorry for being sorry??

how do you place a value on people... on relationships... how can you weigh the value of that? how can you say one set of people are more important than the other? sure, one may have more lasting impacts but does that mean the immediate relationships that could be impacted in the short-term are less important and less valuable?

This song pops on while I write this..
"Freedom reigns in this place, showers of Mercy and Grace. Falling on every face, there is freedom. If your tired and thirsty, there is freedom. If your tired and thirsty, there is freedom. Give your all to Jesus. There is freedom. Give your all to Jesus, there is freedom."


Freedom - because we have it, it gives us choice, which is a blessing yet can complicate things. true freedom is in Christ... if only I would give it all to Him... when we are tired and thirsty, there is freedom... yes, there is... and that's exactly what i want. i don't want to feel tied down and tangled in a schedule of this and thats... commitments here and there... i just want to be committed to Him... and in that I know there is freedom. if only it were so easy... but it should be... if i only i could obey.. if only i could fully trust... if only i could just be 220% sold out for Him..

'this is discipleship'

the other day i was writing an email to some folks re: discipling some folks but ended up writing as my subject line "disciplining people".  a very different approach to discipling...  anyhow, a friend had posted this on his facebook wall recently and i thought it was well done.  a couple things i wasn't as fond of in the video but i think for the most part it's right on... sharing and hoping it leads to some inspiration and action!

miniapple - biking in heels

my college buddy tricia got married this weekend in minneapolis.  trick and i were randomly assigned suitemates our frosh year... and then proceeded to go on a pre-orientation canoeing trip.  she's one of the first people i had met at columbia, if not the first... and even with her family... it feels like i've known them forever.  anyhow, i'm happy to see her get hitched to her college buddy, another one of our classmates.

a true blast from the past... friends who i hadn't seen since graduation... seems like just yesterday when we were in school together.. living life... hanging out... partying... studying... all of it... fun times.

a few of us fell in love with the nice ride bike system... so convenient.. you rent your bike whereever, then return it to any other niceride bike rack which are all over the city.  nice ride... beautiful sites.  such a clean outdoorsy city.  loved it... good times with friends.  loved it so much that we rode them from the wedding ceremony back to the hotel for the reception... in our dresses and heals... my mother was horrified. and no, this was not my idea but i was sure to go along with this wonderful idea. ;)

my favorite line from the wedding night... my contacts have been giving my eyes probs, which is why i hardly ever wear contacts nowadays... but basically the longer i wear them, the redder my eyes get.  i had to take my contact out towards the end of the night cuz my eye was not cutting it... my friend says to me: 'wow, you look like you've been smoking up like me.'  hilarious...  many of us still look the same... and some of us still act the same too!  :)

Remembering 9/11

The anniversary of the events of September 11 always brings sadness.  And especially on this 10 year anniversary, there are so many events, memorials, news coverage, television specials that have allowed me to relive that horrifying day and the weeks and months and years that followed.... my heart cries for the families... the children... the spouses... the parents... the extended families... too many people... too many people... too close to home...  

Posting an article I had written on another blog site in 2001 onto my personal blog.

September 11, 2001 – the day America lost its sense of invulnerability. Flashbacks of planes crashing into buildings, ordinary people jumping out windows, sky scrapers collapsing, and smoke and debris rising into the blue sky will haunt people around the world forever.

It was a day that changed the lives of all. The whole world watched as the famed New York skyline crumbled into a pile of ashes, dust, and metal. Not only would New York City never be the same again, the United States and the rest of the world would never be the same again.

Before I went to class that morning, the twin towers were standing proud. When I came back from class, they were still standing, only now – flames engulfed the tops of both buildings. Television stations inundated their audience with clip after clip of the airplanes slamming into those world famous buildings. As the live broadcast continued, a new scene unfolded. At first, it seemed like another replay of prior events, but soon, we all realized our mistake. Stunned and confused, we all watched as the first World Trade Center building crumbled into a huge cloud of gray and black smoke and debris. Now, only one tower remained standing, with fire still consuming it. Shocked, I composed myself so I could go to my next class, still not fully accepting that I was not watching a movie. When I returned from class, the lone standing tower, too, had collapsed.

Incredible. Unbelievable. I prayed it was a dream. I prayed it was a movie and not the news, but it was clear that this was real. From the top floors of the tall dormitories at Columbia University, views of smoke rising from the site where the twin towers stood just minutes before verified that we were living and witnessing reality.

Prayer meetings, candlelight vigils, and television news filled our schedules for the weeks to come. People shared their feelings with each other, about their family and friends that were missing. Muslim students lived in fear of the backlash they and their families might face, hoping that others would not hate them because they believe in the same religion as the terrorists were thought to claim. I lived in fear too. The sounds of commercial airplanes flying overhead startled me, whereas airplanes usually fascinate me. The sight and sound of fighter jets flying overhead did little to reassure me that everything would be fine. I feared that I would never see my family again, and I feared the potential aftermath of actions the United States seemed poised to take on the party or parties responsible for this horrific disaster.

For the first time, I understood what it meant to live in fear. I saw a piece of what some countries around the world face everyday – innocent lives killed daily. I cannot even imagine what their lives are like. It is time for Americans who have been living in a bubble of comfort to see the realities of this world. America is not an exception to the ills of the surrounding world. Some Americans look at themselves as better and more powerful than those in other countries because they are Americans, and they are proud to be Americans. Attacking America on its own soil seemed unthinkable, but, as we saw on Tuesday September 11, America is much more vulnerable than many would like to believe.

I am proud to be an American. Do I think America has a right to protect itself and take steps toward that end? Yes. But I am concerned that by doing so we may be endangering the lives of other innocent lives. Just because they are not fellow Americans does not make them acceptable “collateral damage.” We, meaning the entire world, were attacked, just on American soil. The news broadcasters have called this “America’s New War.” This “new war” against terrorism is not only an American war; it is a world war against terrorism. The terrorists attacked the “World” Trade Center, not just “America’s” Trade Center. Thousands of people from countries all over the world lost their lives in the World Trade Center disaster. Terrorism is something the world fears and must conquer, for it is attacking all humanity.

The nationalistic fervor that has sparked from this tragedy has made many proud to be Americans, but American nationalism alone cannot win this global war on terrorism. As the International Youth Declaration for Peace stated, “The best way to fight back this evil is by investing in an international coalition of peaceable countries.” It is the unity, the consolidation of international partners that will bring terrorism to its knees.

To unite, we all must learn how to love. We must learn how to love our brothers and sisters of different nations, races, and beliefs. I do not believe that an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” is a smart way to live life. As a Christian, I believe that love is of utmost importance. Matthew 5:44 states: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Is it always easy to practice? No, of course not, it is so difficult for me to love terrorists or anyone I consider an “enemy.” However, what is my hate going to do? Love is what can transform the terrorists, and love is what can bring peace. Hate is hate, no matter how slight or how heavy the grievance. Hate leads to war and death. We need to unite. We need to love.

We, the youth, are the leaders of tomorrow. We are the ones who are going to change this world. We are the ones who need to demonstrate, ignite, and inspire this world with a passion for unity and love. As Reverend Nathan Baxter, Dean of the National Cathedral proclaimed: “In fighting evil, let us not become the evil we deplore.”

hurricane irene

i wasn't taking all of these hurricane warnings all too seriously until... well... i just started imagining my parents deck patio furniture flying into our neighbors' house or into their pool or something.... so, i took a last minute and quick trip home to their house to secure everything.  what a pain.

thankfully the neighbors helped me secure the grill cuz i had no clue what to do about that... everything else.. well, let's just say the kitchen and garage look like large storage closets.  whatever... my college buddy tomo came down from nyc to hang and go through this hurricane together and well... just do work... before we hit the sack last night we watched the first half of the usa brazil women's world cup replay... great half... sadly i missed most of the world cup this year while i was in india...

the dinner spread

had a good day today, eating lots, celebrating garcey's bday, prepping for the hurricane, coffee shop hopping, doing some work, running through rain, eating.. oh i said that already... sometime during the day my dad called from his china phone number but calling from brazil telling me to check for an email they just sent me which said:  NJ is closer to water than PA. do NOT go to NJ home. stay in PA.  thx for the tip...  how fortunate that whenever there is a major storm or natural 'disaster', the entire family is in some other country leaving me here to hold down the fort in the states...  fun times.

camped out in the living room

i've got mixed thoughts about this hurricane. it's kind of bizarre. i mean, it's somewhat scary but also oddly there's this slight feeling of excitement... perhaps it's my optimism that everythign will just be fine... knowing we don't really know and we should prepare... but... i don't know... it's weird. it's been a fun day i have to admit... although when they were announcing tornado warnings on tv for our county, a few hairs did rise... i mean, you can't just announce these warnings and not tell us what to do about it... we prepped, i think, because we don't really know what it means to prep, but we did what we thought we should do, and now, we're just waiting it out... sleeping... together... 4 girls... in the living room of the house... camping style. we tarped up the windows near us, and are ready to run down to the basement if need be.  other than that, our bellies are full, we've got plenty of food and water, and we're enjoying each other's company and hoping for the best.

a new friend

another visit to his stall

jane and i wandered into the new market community the first weekend we arrived in kolkata to get some Indian clothing.  it's a rough and frustrating area to shop in because they target tourists and follow you around and ask you forcefully to go and buy from different stalls... it's just annoying.. and they don't take no, get away for an answer.  several times i've lost my cool and just told people to shove off.  too bad it never stops those guys from continuing to follow us and bug us.  forgive me.

but that first weekend we arrived, we happened to wander by this young man's stall.  we got to know zaheed, our new friend, about 20 years old if not younger, who sells scarves, wall hangings, and all sorts of other things.  we liked him right away because he offered decent prices and just seemed like an honest lad. we got to know him, and would visit him whenever we did any shopping at new market.  when the rest of the team arrived, we stopped there again... several times... to buy more...

we got to know his story... he comes from a muslim family.  his father passed away when he was just a young child... i think he said when he was 8 or 9 years old... after his father passed away, he stopped going to school because he wanted his mother to stay home and not have to work, and so, he rolled up his sleeves and started working himself to bring in income for his family.  and so, since then he's been working.

joining us at church!

so on saturday we stopped by again to pick up some gifts for friends, and well, invited him to join us at church... and while we're used to people either saying no, some do say yes but often they don't really mean yes... but he said yes, and he came!  as we walked into the church, he said to me: "i am a muslim, and now i am going to church."  i was so encouraged to see him, to sit with him at church, to see him get to know some of the older boys from the boys home.  i couldn't help but just feel pure joy and excitement... that God was going to save him and do an amazing work in this kid's life.  we weren't sure if he enjoyed it or not as he had to run afterwards back to his stall to sell...  but on monday, jane and albert went back to the market to pick some things up.  zaheed actually said he enjoyed Church, pulled out the songs that we sang from his pocket and showed that to jane saying how much he enjoyed it, and asked jane to take a photo of him and share it with our boys so that they would know him when he goes back to visit!!  PTL!!!

Chicken Wrap Man

we've befriended some localers during our stay here in kolkata.  there's one man who owns a little bodega... ok, a stall... that we buy water from almost every day...  and then there's a guy who owns this small restaurant who sells these delicious chicken wraps.  it's kind of like a philly cheese steak... well, with some substitutes.  egg instead of cheese... chicken instead of beef... paratha bread instead of hoagie roll...onions and peppers stay.  the first time we bought food from this man was not so pleasant.  i think he was getting frustrated because we couldn't understand his accent... but those chicken wraps are just so good so we had to keep going back.  he's a hindu man who 'blesses' his business with his god... well i'm not really sure if that's the right way to describe what he does, but a couple times during our visit, while we waited for our food, we'd see him light some incense, smoke it up a bit, waft the smoke and sprinkle water into different parts of his store... most notably he opens his money drawer and is sure to waft/sprinkle 'spirit' into that drawer.  fascinating ritual... praying he'll come to know JC.

he's actually sold out the past few days which is a major bummer... but i guess good for him.  he's so apologetic every time... i'm gonna miss this guy.  we actually ran into him today - he's closed today tho - but we told him we'd have to wait till next year to see him and eat from him.  sweet man who doesn't really undrestand us and neither do we really understand him...  but what started out as a somewhat dicey anger and frustration filled relationship has become quite a fun loving relationship... so, mr. chicken wrap man (who sells much more than that...), until next year... stay well and don't forget us... we won't forget you.

hanging with our boys

today was our last sunday with our EMC family.  we took our older boys out for lunch at KFC as a little treat for them.  they have really just been such a pleasure to get to know... to have as our neighbors... to be our guides and translators... to play sports with... to simply be older brothers and sisters with... to love... to fellowship.  man i miss them so much.

we also ran into our street boys - Jackin and a couple of his buddies.  Last time after we took him and his buddies out for McD's, he had asked if we could give him some shirts and shoes... so this time we came prepared with some of our shirts in case we ran into him... we bought some kfc for him to share with his friends and then we handed them the shirts.  they were so excited... so precious... and it was so neat to see our boys talking to these street kids.

after our feast we went back to the office and played some soccer with the boys... got nice and sweaty... like usual... and then headed back to the flat.. packed some... cleaned some... and then headed back out to have a lovely dinner with the Sinha/George family.  We all felt so blessed to have this time together... so sad we are leaving Kolkata tomorrow...

post-soccer match with our boys. 

 

what a day!

late night doing some marketing and brand messaging.  i feel like i'm back in my corporate world. objectives, goals, strategies... oh the joy... early morning at the office to prep for a long day.  pulling the microcredit work together at the last minute in hopes that we'd have time sometime today to debrief it with the leadership or at least the program officer.  as we prep, in comes our friends from the states amit and jill who are visiting their family in kolkata.  amit is the one who introduced me to EMC back in '08... and even that meeting with him was totally by chance... by God's timing and planning.  it really was just random.  it happened at a race i was volunteering at.  i couldn't run cuz i was still recovering from acl surgery, so happened to have camera duty.  met amit and started talking about india cuz i was headed there in just a few weeks... and he said.. you must visit EMC!  and that was that... the rest is history... 2nd trip back last summer... 3rd trip this summer... and many more to come.  i got a 10 year visa after all...

i made a mess... like usual.

we shared a bit on the work we've been doing with the microcredit and shared some new ideas for consideration... i was once again sprinting up and down the stairs as we had a final workshop with the teachers that was added at the last minute focused on team building and trust building.  thankfully janers and albert kept rolling with the microcredit and gna is just so good at teaching these teachers so it wasn't a problem that i was mentally and physically wandering all over the place.  i had attempted to teach some group formation theory but was a total flop... partly cuz i was all over the place since i hadn't decided which model i was going to use until i started talking and also just cuz it was way over their heads or concerns... we used a game from the movie freedom writers to help get these teachers to open up... and it was so good.. so powerful.  it was the game where we lay the masking tape on the floor and ask questions that the teachers must respond to by stepping up to or away from the line - no words, no laughs.  you could really sense a change in the room... a feeling that the room was now safe... that the teachers felt they could be honest... that they were not alone in the challenges they face as teachers... it was amazing to feel and see that transition...

the original plan was for all of us to head to ypf at the school together, but the reality was that there was too much that needed to get done... we needed more time to talk thru microcredit because some strategic decisions needed to be made... we needed time to train our program officer on the new data collection and documentation process... we needed time to just wrap things up at the office.  grace and jane headed out to ypf, and albert and i stayed behind...  we hitched a ride with amit which included a visit to his mom's beautiful grave.. wish i could have met her on earth in person... seems like a wonderful woman... and then we met back up with the team at the big mall near the school.  what a day.

an eventful cab ride

jae and julia left bright and early this morning.  the remaining 4 of us had a lot to wrap up today but as with everyday, plans change and we just kind of go with the flow... doors open... we walk... and we trust God's schedule much more than we trust our own.

we all wanted to visit Connexions, a project that trains women from a local slum in sewing and handicrafts and employs them in making these beautiful bags, sari throws, cards, scarves, you name it... so at the last minute, we packed up everything and jumped into a cab to head over there.

on the way, we happened to peer over at the car next to us... which was a hearse carrying a body... but hearses in India are a bit different from what we'd see in the US.  The difference?  Well, let's just say the body is enclosed in a clear glass/plastic box on the car.  Not quite what we expected to see and sit next to as we sat in the typical traffic of kolkata.  then, we got lightly rear-ended.  but instead of pulling over, instead of both drivers involved getting out of the car to talk to each other, they simply yell out the window at each other... and then continue driving in the traffic.  i guess it makes sense.  there are so many vehicles driving in the same space, completely disorganized, rickshaws, auto rickshaws, cars, trucks, and hearses, people, animals all crammed together in one space.  there's really no where to pull over to, so... whatever i guess.  so we continued driving along, and then 15minutes later, the cab driver tells us to get out of the car because there's some damage or something... so we have to hop into another cab to get us to our destination.  thankfully our friend janea was accompanying us and could navigate and inform us on what in the world was going on.

we finally arrived at connexions, spent quite a bit of time there, and then went over to janea's home which was really close-by. a tiny little place but very cozy.  he and his sister hosted the 4 of us in their little (bed)room, gracing us with love... amazing tea made by his sister, chips, Indian snacks, soda... and we got to see old pics too.  it's nice to see home life... amazing family... amazing story... wonderful times.

tomorrow will be a crazy day... tired just thinking about it.

mcd's brings smiles to all

I can’t believe it’s the final full day for Julia and Jae. Time is passing too quickly andd our time in India is winding down.  I can’t believe it.   On our walk to the office, we stopped to visit the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa’s old bedroom and her tomb.  I wish I could have met her in person… I can imagine her walking the streets of Kolkata… doing her thing… loving and pouring compassion out on the poor.  Jae and Julia visited Connexions, a vocational training project that teaches and employs women from the slums, to see the project and buy some gifts there.  While Albert continued his work and Grace prepped for the next workshop, Jane and I led YPF for the Pavement Club kids with little to no preparation but thank God things went just fine.  It was actually quite interesting to hear how these kids think and how hopeful and confident they are in their abilities to change their communities.  It’s a refreshing perspective to hear after being immersed in the lives of the adults in their communities who feel so hopeless in their life situation, buried by tradition and culture.

We were continuing our discussions on identity, community, and social responsibility.  We asked the kids to choose a community issue for their small group to focus on.  In one group, they want to clean up the physical trash in their community.  In another to create a drug and alcohol awareness program.  Another to create awareness program on not urinating in random places.  And another group on the mental trash of the community… to transform the thinking of the community… to encourage families to value education and send their children to the existing governemtn schools there… to build up this next generation.  Amazing young people.  These young people are part of the Pavement Club program, a NFE that gets these kids off the streets and give them a basic desire to learn and be educated.   These kids are not attending formal schools but they are being transformed through their participation in EMC’s ministries.  Good kids…

Another teacher workshop this afternoon which went well.  I felt like I was running up and down the stairs, in and out of the workshop, into meetings with different staff and leaders, etc.  somehow squeezed in a meeting on marketing and branding.  my brain is stuffed.. somehow keeping a foot in all the work we’re doing, perhaps not effectively but enough i hope... by God’s grace alone.

A packed final day with the entire team.  We hit up a nice Indian restaurant for dinner, and then ran into Vicken, a street boy that Jane and I had pseudo-befriended a few weeks back.  He's a kid that lives on the street and haggles tourists, aka us, to buy packs of chewing gum from him and begs for money.  A few weeks back we had given him and his buddy some pencils instead.  Anyhow, we ran into Vicken again and took him and his friends to McDonalds for a treat.  I’m not so sure the McD’s staff appreciated us bringing in street kids with raggedy clothes, no shoes, running around in their establishment but whatever.   Sometimes it’s easy to just get frustrated by these kids because they haggle and beg, but once you get to know them, the relationship changes.  We felt like their older siblings.  We found out Vicken is going to a school during the day, but then sells packs of gum after school to help pay for his school fees.  McDonalds brings smiles to kids of all ages all around the world...

It is hard to believe it is time for us to send off 2 of our team members back to the US.  It seems like just yesterday that they arrived.  In fact, it was just like yesterday.  We’ve had a wonderful but packed few days.  The team has just been doing an amazing job, and it is so obvious that it could only be God who recruited this team to be at EMC during this week or two or six.  Just amazing.

new market, another workshop, continuing the work

This morning the team went to visit and help out at the New Market NFE.  Unfortunately I had to stay back to teach English class. We usually have English classes on Mondays, but our eager beaver students, most of which are NFE teachers, insisted on holding class on Tuesday before their workshop since Monday was a holiday.  I wished I could have been there with the team. Rumor has it Julia was asked to share “a story”, and Julia being the one who fears public speaking the most, stood up and pulled from her childhood memories to teach a song on Jonah that incorporates math and movement.  Amazing.  So proud of her.  So wish I was there...

The 3^rd teacher workshop, on early childhood development, was held this afternoon.  Grace and Julia once again did an amazing job.  The teachers were once again raving about the workshop.  It was neat to see lightbulbs go off, and watch he faces of teachers as their minds were being opened and broadened through the workshop.

The work continues on the IT and microcredit projects and the vocational training program.  Jae hit up some tech stores to get some equipment and tools he needed.  Albert and Jane are continuing with interviews and work on microcredit.  The team is all doing an amazing job… they just run with all the work. I feel so blessed just watching them do their thing.

Midway Home

poster at the home

Today we celebrated Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary with a day off from work.  He was a famous Bengali poet from Kolkata.  The office was closed so we took a day trip to the Midway Home in the outskirts of Kolkata.  The Midway home is EMC’s rehab home for alcoholics and addicts.  It’s an oasis of a place, a good hour plus away from the city, with coconut trees and grassy fields and peace and quiet.  It was awesome to see our brother S, the microcredit loan officer that we’ve been working closely with the past few weeks, in his role as head of the project at the Midway home.  It was neat to see him interact with the men receiving treatment at the home, men of as young as 16 and up through 60.  Men who trust him and look up to him because of S’s own life story that brought him to the Midway home for treatment over a decade ago.  Anyhow we got to interact with the men, hear about their lives, and just get to know them. 

After lunch at the home, we stopped at the drug and alcohol treatment center that all clients go to before coming to the home.  Some of the boys at the boys home we are staying at also came through this treatment center… it’s crazy to imagine those happy little boys we live with once being addicts to various substances… young children as young as 4 or 5 years old.  To think about the futures these kids now have.

Church... hanging with His precious ones

Our team was asked to do “something” at Church today, so we sang a song for the congregation, shared about Synergy, and then Julia reluctantly gave her testimony… which was amazing!!!  It was so powerful and so many hearts were touched… including mine and so many others who were just meeting her for the first time.  So awesome to hear God’s story in other’s lives… thanks Julia for sharing!!!

After church we headed over to Pauline Bhawan to hang out with the kids at this childrens’ home.  After we arrived we were welcomed with a feast that the awesome wardens of the home prepared.  We are so spoiled.  So delicious.  Then we hung out with the girls and the little boys who live there… taught them monopoly deal, chatted, did line dances like the electric slide and cha cha slide, and other things.  Time well spent….

Afterwards we took the local train back to the flat with one of the young men who grew up in the ministry… abandoned by his parents and brought to the ministry as a 2 year old, and raised by the EMC family, educated through their school and now serving in a variety of capacities with the organization, caring for the boys at the home we are staying at, all the while studying for his undergraduate degree.  God’s handprints are all over this young man.  The joy that exudes from his smile, the laughter and peace in Him that fills even our serious conversations…  I’m so thankful for this brother… I’m so thankful for God’s leadership in His life… and I’m just so thankful that we are family.

We found out that the electricity was out and that they insisted we go and stay at the office…  they insisted it’d be unbearable without the fans and we’d have water issues.  We’ve learned that it’s sometimes just better not to argue and go along with their concerns and plans… so, we packed up a bag and headed over.   as we left the building, the boys were all hanging out at the entrance of their building playing cards and games in small groups using the natural light from the moon shining through the smog filled polluted sky and burning candles.  They were so precious, so joyful, so excited about this power outage… almost as if they were on a camping trip… only none of this was by choice.  No fans means heat but also mosquitos since the fans help keep the mosquitos at bay… anyways, super cute.

breakfast for 30 growing boys...

We made breakfast today for our boys downstairs. Wow, what an operation. Potatoes being cooked on the huge stove top in the boys home area. Eggs beating, bread dipping, pan frying on our small stove in our flat. It was truly a team effort, whether it was cooking or couriering, or buying more supplies. The boys seemed to really enjoy the French toast and syrup and the potatoes. I think they were stuffed… as were we.

Afterwards, we played some volleyball, cricket, soccer, phase 10 and stuff with the boys. The rain was coming down hard and the rest of the team was smart enough to play card games and do art stuff with the kids, but i, on the other hand, stayed out in the pouring rain, probably full of acid and other gunk as it stung my eyes.. and continued playing... one of the older boys wanted some goalkeeper training which I of course was more than happy to do! Twas fun, except for the rain that burned into my eyeballs.  amazing kid... great athlete!

teacher grace teaching vball

helping with art class

serious phase 10 match

GK training

Wandered to New Market in the PM… picked up a cake to surprise the warden at the home whom we have come to love.  He doesn't speak much English but he has this great smile and laugh...  as does his lovely wife.  we found out his birthday was today so we picked up a cake and surprised  him and the boys.  such a sweet time with them.  someone mentioned it was the first birthday cake he's had.  i don't think birthdays are celebrated like we do back in the states... the boys were all so excited, clapping for him, and just celebrating him.

after some hanging, we headed back up to our flat and had a nice time of sharing and praying together.  I love our team.