Showing posts with label LDS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LDS. Show all posts
Monday, July 15, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
belated from Australia...and then some
Monday the 17th
We
drove allllll the way down to Wellington. It was a 9 hour drive in an
old Church College of NZ bus. We drove through Rohan (for you LOTR
fans). We stopped and performed in a museum. We stopped at a gift shop
near the hot mud pools in Rotorua. We made it, finally to Wellington
and were welcomed into the only Marae that is headed by an LDS High
Priest. It's the only Marae (ancestral home) that has integrated LDS
teachings, celebrating where it overlaps, and ignoring where it
doesn't. The boys were billetted out to members, the girls slept in a
hostile that was once an insane asylum. Appropriate.
Sunday 23rd.
We saw a wild
kangaroo outside the chapel. We had a testimony meeting. We napped
from the day before. We did a fireside that was awesome. 
we parted with Kaylee and Jerick who are off to
live their lives in China for a while. And then I parted with Kaytie
Swain, who is one of my favorite people. I dreaded this moment. I
wasn't sad really, but I cried...and cried...and she is going to be a
fantastic missionary. And then we sang all the way to campus. And then
we said goodbye to more people and that was the worst.
 |
| 25th- attempted to take a picture together we're soooo good at it :/ |
I walked home. And woke up talking to Spencer about 5 hours later. Rainy day. Got lots of necessary things done. Talked, re-packed, laughed, worked a little bit, and then I was back to the airport to go to Las Vegas.
Wednesday 26th (the only time this one happened)
I
woke up in Vegas. I grabbed my luggage and barely missed the 8am
shuttle to St George. So I charged my phone, talked to mom and Spencer
and took the 9:30 shuttle and made it to St George for the family
reunion. And then watched Mary Poppins with the family.
Thursday the 27th
I
came from Australia and I was still one of the faster hikers on our
traditional family reunion hike. I must really enjoy moving around.
Friday 28th
BOATING DAY.
Got
up slalom skiing...for the first time in my life. After about 14 years
of attempting. My life is complete. I could have died quite content.
Saturday 29th
I didn't die. We drove up and went to the Manti Pageant.
Sunday 30th-
Mom and dad anniversary! Church with Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.
Monday 1st-
Water park with great friends. FHE performance with Grandma.
Tuesday 2nd-
Impromptu
gathering with my dad's nieces and nephews and their KIDS. I love
these guys. My cousin, the newly set apart sister missionary, arrived
and we got to be her companions. Ate Texas Rode House...because she is
going to Texas, Houston.
Wednesday 3rd-
Took Alyssa to the MTC. Visited Kylie at Maui Chill FroYo.
Thursday 4th-
Finally drove home. God Bless America, and God, THANK YOU for home.
touchy-feely post
about all the things I've learned.
It also happens to be my 199th post.
I was in Hamilton, New Zealand exactly 6months after the day I left Cambodia. I realized it as I was making a GoPro video, walking around the Hamilton Temple. "Hey, remember when we did this in Korea?" And I did. I remembered the exact day. December 13, 2012 (the first one).
I thought again of all the things that I had learned from that time to this.
I learned how to really fast.
It was the day that Natalie left. McKae was already getting sick and we'd forgotten that it was Fast Sunday the day before, so I fasted on Monday. Mostly for McKae because I didn't want to be left alone, I wanted her to be better. I didn't eat or drink all day, until about 7 in the evening. I was praying with part of my brain and teaching with the other part; and when Natalie offered me something to eat I almost refused because I wasn't very hungry.
I learned to be exceptionally self-driven.
I have learned how to keep better tabs on people.
I treasure my interpersonal relationships more.
I'm more aware of what lasts.
I learned to do hard things...in a different way than I had before.
The first time I cried in Cambodia was about 2 weeks after McKae had returned home. I'd made skype appointments that had all fallen through, and I was waiting for another one. I was signed in and the person on the other side of the line was late. I hadn't skyped someone on the island for about a month and it was a little nerve wracking. To distract myself from distress, I signed onto facebook and the first thing I saw was my friend Jodi's comment on a picture I'd posted, asking if there was anything I needed from the island. There wasn't, and we weren't sure of the mail security, but I was so touched and just grateful that there was still someone who knew they could do something to make sure I was okay, and they wanted to. I wasn't okay, but after seeing that I was. That was a really big thing for me.
I learned to be independent with God.
So many of the experiences in Cambodia I've seen come into play within these 6 months following that adventure. Little things where it's like "Why on earth would this be important" have been useful and have made worlds of difference.
My friend Martin is currently in the Ivory Coast working with an organization called WELL Africa (started by current BYUH students. awesome guys). I know how much I appreciated any thoughts I could get from my 'former life', and so I'll send him a line or so when I feel like I should and I know that's been good for him.
I learned to love. I thought I knew before that-- HA. false. I did not. I probably still don't, but I know more.
I learned how to live for the small-child stampede that met me in the mornings.
I learned how to love desperately.
I learned to trust AND rely a little.
I learned to love by serving.
I learned how to fall, unstoppably, into it.
I'm learning how to verbally express it- not one of my fortes.
I learned to serve in every moment I could.
On my choir trip I learned to talk very easily with others about the Gospel, the choir, music, interests...to be truly interested.
I listen better. I care more. I may be just a bit more private, but I want to only share meaningful things and sometimes I just don't have the words, or enough time to find them.
It also happens to be my 199th post.
I was in Hamilton, New Zealand exactly 6months after the day I left Cambodia. I realized it as I was making a GoPro video, walking around the Hamilton Temple. "Hey, remember when we did this in Korea?" And I did. I remembered the exact day. December 13, 2012 (the first one).
I thought again of all the things that I had learned from that time to this.
I learned how to really fast.
It was the day that Natalie left. McKae was already getting sick and we'd forgotten that it was Fast Sunday the day before, so I fasted on Monday. Mostly for McKae because I didn't want to be left alone, I wanted her to be better. I didn't eat or drink all day, until about 7 in the evening. I was praying with part of my brain and teaching with the other part; and when Natalie offered me something to eat I almost refused because I wasn't very hungry.
I learned to be exceptionally self-driven.
I have learned how to keep better tabs on people.
I treasure my interpersonal relationships more.
I'm more aware of what lasts.
I learned to do hard things...in a different way than I had before.
The first time I cried in Cambodia was about 2 weeks after McKae had returned home. I'd made skype appointments that had all fallen through, and I was waiting for another one. I was signed in and the person on the other side of the line was late. I hadn't skyped someone on the island for about a month and it was a little nerve wracking. To distract myself from distress, I signed onto facebook and the first thing I saw was my friend Jodi's comment on a picture I'd posted, asking if there was anything I needed from the island. There wasn't, and we weren't sure of the mail security, but I was so touched and just grateful that there was still someone who knew they could do something to make sure I was okay, and they wanted to. I wasn't okay, but after seeing that I was. That was a really big thing for me.
I learned to be independent with God.
So many of the experiences in Cambodia I've seen come into play within these 6 months following that adventure. Little things where it's like "Why on earth would this be important" have been useful and have made worlds of difference.
My friend Martin is currently in the Ivory Coast working with an organization called WELL Africa (started by current BYUH students. awesome guys). I know how much I appreciated any thoughts I could get from my 'former life', and so I'll send him a line or so when I feel like I should and I know that's been good for him.
I learned to love. I thought I knew before that-- HA. false. I did not. I probably still don't, but I know more.
I learned how to live for the small-child stampede that met me in the mornings.
I learned how to love desperately.
I learned to trust AND rely a little.
I learned to love by serving.
I learned how to fall, unstoppably, into it.
I'm learning how to verbally express it- not one of my fortes.
I learned to serve in every moment I could.
On my choir trip I learned to talk very easily with others about the Gospel, the choir, music, interests...to be truly interested.
I listen better. I care more. I may be just a bit more private, but I want to only share meaningful things and sometimes I just don't have the words, or enough time to find them.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
it's like a stamp of aproval
Rage, bless her heart, has a broken door. It won't latch shut, so I tie it shut with a surf-strap or a scarf.
My resident car-guy is missing so yesterday I went up to The Point to have Spencer help me fix it. Why? Because a few weeks ago, he offered. That and it's just going to be fun.
We took apart the door. It took like 3 hours. I got there around mid-afternoon and I didn't expect it to take that long. ha. Well. I was wrong.
I have tools, Spencer has tools, we called my dad and slowly took the thing apart. Here is the thing: everything is connected to the door latch. It makes sense, but there are just so many connections. Spencer's hands are bigger than mine and the space is small. My hands are smaller but I'm not quite as strong. Still, it was fun. Spencer's dad came home and he helped us look at it to get the latch out. Eventually we did. I'm proud to say that it was my right hand that undid the last connection. Hehehe.
BUT- before we were able to get it out, there were a few people who came up to the house for choir practice. Spencer's mom is ward choir director. So at one point, Mom calls out the door telling Spencer to come inside and sing, and that I was invited as well. I walk into the front room.
Shall we go around the room a little bit? 9 people.
Spencer.
Spencer's little brother.
A younger lady who shared her music with me.
A Hawaiian Auntie.
Spencer's sister.
The pianist, a fun older lady
Spencer's mom.
And then 2 of my professors: Spencer's dad, and the Salsa band director.
And we sang. I sang alto because the altos weren't there. I was sight-reading and it was fun. I joked with Dr D about sight-reading in Spanish.
We ran through it twice and then adjourned. It was raining pellmell so Auntie, young woman, Spencer and I waited under the carport for it to let up a bit.
Laie is a small town. And that's fine, really. It was just one of those moments. Well, the whole Laie # Ward will know. And then Dr D left. Oh, and if the entire music department didn't already know, they will now. And you know what, I don't think I have a problem with that.
We got the part out and took it inside, because of the rain, so that we could dismantle it and potentially repair it. This is something I really like doing. Spencer and his dad also really like doing this. And it was a little bit like home doing this on the kitchen counter (after we'd covered it with magazines). And the resident men are much better at taking things apart than I am, but I follow the conversation really well.
Our tools had gotten wet. We'd gotten them inside and were in the process of drying them all off so that they wouldn't rust. It's Hawaii: things rust. I'm using a rag to dry tools in the home kitchen of the man I'm dating. I'm just there. His siblings playing on the computer or the game console, his parents bustling around. Aware that I was in the kitchen, almost with an air of well, that's where she is supposed to be.
But it's also the home kitchen of my professor. I hope you caught that. This is my professor, not even a professor that I know really well. I'm not even facebook friends with this one like I am with my music professors. He is a Psych professor, and I'm not a psych major. It's my minor. I'm in car-grime, in my professor's house, as he is getting ready-ish to leave with his wife.
Standing. Grime. Kitchen. Talking with little brother about smashing the part after we get a working one because it's somewhat beyond repair.
And I get the question: what are you doing tonight? Not from Spencer. From his dad. And then an invitation "You guys can stay here. That would be nice. <nodding> You can make cookies."
And I'm standing there. Grime. Slightly wet from the rain. Dirt on my nose. My tools and his on the table. My hands busy. I should probably go study for your mid-term. Stubborn guck under my fingernails. A wave of thought drowning me just a little bit. The invitation, the idea, and the demeanor.
My resident car-guy is missing so yesterday I went up to The Point to have Spencer help me fix it. Why? Because a few weeks ago, he offered. That and it's just going to be fun.
We took apart the door. It took like 3 hours. I got there around mid-afternoon and I didn't expect it to take that long. ha. Well. I was wrong.
I have tools, Spencer has tools, we called my dad and slowly took the thing apart. Here is the thing: everything is connected to the door latch. It makes sense, but there are just so many connections. Spencer's hands are bigger than mine and the space is small. My hands are smaller but I'm not quite as strong. Still, it was fun. Spencer's dad came home and he helped us look at it to get the latch out. Eventually we did. I'm proud to say that it was my right hand that undid the last connection. Hehehe.
BUT- before we were able to get it out, there were a few people who came up to the house for choir practice. Spencer's mom is ward choir director. So at one point, Mom calls out the door telling Spencer to come inside and sing, and that I was invited as well. I walk into the front room.
Shall we go around the room a little bit? 9 people.
Spencer.
Spencer's little brother.
A younger lady who shared her music with me.
A Hawaiian Auntie.
Spencer's sister.
The pianist, a fun older lady
Spencer's mom.
And then 2 of my professors: Spencer's dad, and the Salsa band director.
And we sang. I sang alto because the altos weren't there. I was sight-reading and it was fun. I joked with Dr D about sight-reading in Spanish.
We ran through it twice and then adjourned. It was raining pellmell so Auntie, young woman, Spencer and I waited under the carport for it to let up a bit.
Laie is a small town. And that's fine, really. It was just one of those moments. Well, the whole Laie # Ward will know. And then Dr D left. Oh, and if the entire music department didn't already know, they will now. And you know what, I don't think I have a problem with that.
We got the part out and took it inside, because of the rain, so that we could dismantle it and potentially repair it. This is something I really like doing. Spencer and his dad also really like doing this. And it was a little bit like home doing this on the kitchen counter (after we'd covered it with magazines). And the resident men are much better at taking things apart than I am, but I follow the conversation really well.
Our tools had gotten wet. We'd gotten them inside and were in the process of drying them all off so that they wouldn't rust. It's Hawaii: things rust. I'm using a rag to dry tools in the home kitchen of the man I'm dating. I'm just there. His siblings playing on the computer or the game console, his parents bustling around. Aware that I was in the kitchen, almost with an air of well, that's where she is supposed to be.
But it's also the home kitchen of my professor. I hope you caught that. This is my professor, not even a professor that I know really well. I'm not even facebook friends with this one like I am with my music professors. He is a Psych professor, and I'm not a psych major. It's my minor. I'm in car-grime, in my professor's house, as he is getting ready-ish to leave with his wife.
Standing. Grime. Kitchen. Talking with little brother about smashing the part after we get a working one because it's somewhat beyond repair.
And I get the question: what are you doing tonight? Not from Spencer. From his dad. And then an invitation "You guys can stay here. That would be nice. <nodding> You can make cookies."
And I'm standing there. Grime. Slightly wet from the rain. Dirt on my nose. My tools and his on the table. My hands busy. I should probably go study for your mid-term. Stubborn guck under my fingernails. A wave of thought drowning me just a little bit. The invitation, the idea, and the demeanor.
I'm comfortable with you
being in my house,
with my son,
around my children,
while I am gone.
And you're welcome to make cookies because your cookies are delicious.
There is a lot of weight in that. Coming from a man whose education and practice makes him seem closer to omniscient than anyone I know, the father of an incredibly perceptive man, whose family means the world to him. I don't know what I did. I was there and it was like he expected me to be. I wasn't looking to be invited into the home, quite frankly I was going to keep a distance from it for a little bit because I've been dating the son for, oh, maybe 3 weeks.
And they leave. And I do the dishes, because that's what I do when I don't really know what else to do with myself. Mom and Dad came back and dropped off pizza to feed the family with, but once that was cooked we left. I think it would have been fine if we'd stayed, but it was good to go.
If it was my family, my house, my court...I've never brought anyone home. I've never had anyone TO bring home, even so. I will bring someone home if I'm keeping them around for a looooong time. Why? Because my family would most likely make a huge fuss. <think about it, you know I'm right>
Spencer has been home for a month. And here I am. Around. And for the most part, everyone that matters is okay with this. It sort of fun reveling in that because it is nothing like I expected. I'll stay a while.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Why I'm not going.
So many things, but those will wait. I'm sorry that I'm sitting on those memories, but I'm still processing.
I'm getting this question a lot. And I realized that I never really wrote about it except in my journal but I write differently there than I do here. This is more for me than it is for you. Now I'll have a script for the next time someone asks: so, are you going on a mission?
I've thought about it a lot. I've struggled and pondered and prayed and felt and I'll tell ya, it's all a jumbled mess. Remember the mission age change for the LDS church? Well that's a big deal.
And there are those that say it'll increase Church membership,
and I think it was a great factor (in God's scheme) as to why the USA doesn't have an LDS president,
and there are those who say that it'll increase marriages,
and there are those who think they're opening new areas like China,
and there are those who say it is to beef up the youth of the church,
and there are those who say it's revenue based,
and there are those who say that the reason the girls can go so young now is because the boys weren't dating them,
and there are those who say it was because less young people were going,
and there are those who say that it's a fad now- you're going because all your friends are going and you don't want to be left out- it's totally cool to go on a mission now.
(for the record, it always was)
I don't make plans very far in advance. Remember when I told you about Cambodia? Yeah, that was 2 months before I left. I made the final decision to stay in Hawaii this summer 1 week before the semester started. I see my goal and I move in that direction and take whatever paths I come across, so long as they're headed in the desired direction.
I am the poster child for crossing bridges when I come to them.
And now the bridge is here.
I've decided that I'm not going on a mission.
I'm not saying that this is the final decision. I'll be wherever I need to be when I need to be there. For all I know, in a year I'll change my mind. I'm a girl, there is no cap on the age for Sister missionaries.
But for me, right now, going on a mission would be:
running away.
putting responsibility for my life on someone else.
hiding.
stalling,
delaying,
scrambling....
the quick fix.
It is taking more courage for me to decide not to go that it did for me to decide that I was going a year ago.
And (because I know you're dying to ask) the only guy that I allowed to influence this frame of mind is my Heavenly Father.
PS- Merry Christmas! Check out the ICHope blog for Christmasy things
I'm getting this question a lot. And I realized that I never really wrote about it except in my journal but I write differently there than I do here. This is more for me than it is for you. Now I'll have a script for the next time someone asks: so, are you going on a mission?
I've thought about it a lot. I've struggled and pondered and prayed and felt and I'll tell ya, it's all a jumbled mess. Remember the mission age change for the LDS church? Well that's a big deal.
And there are those that say it'll increase Church membership,
and I think it was a great factor (in God's scheme) as to why the USA doesn't have an LDS president,
and there are those who say that it'll increase marriages,
and there are those who think they're opening new areas like China,
and there are those who say it is to beef up the youth of the church,
and there are those who say it's revenue based,
and there are those who say that the reason the girls can go so young now is because the boys weren't dating them,
and there are those who say it was because less young people were going,
and there are those who say that it's a fad now- you're going because all your friends are going and you don't want to be left out- it's totally cool to go on a mission now.
(for the record, it always was)
I don't make plans very far in advance. Remember when I told you about Cambodia? Yeah, that was 2 months before I left. I made the final decision to stay in Hawaii this summer 1 week before the semester started. I see my goal and I move in that direction and take whatever paths I come across, so long as they're headed in the desired direction.
I am the poster child for crossing bridges when I come to them.
And now the bridge is here.
I've decided that I'm not going on a mission.
I'm not saying that this is the final decision. I'll be wherever I need to be when I need to be there. For all I know, in a year I'll change my mind. I'm a girl, there is no cap on the age for Sister missionaries.
But for me, right now, going on a mission would be:
running away.
putting responsibility for my life on someone else.
hiding.
stalling,
delaying,
scrambling....
the quick fix.
It is taking more courage for me to decide not to go that it did for me to decide that I was going a year ago.
And (because I know you're dying to ask) the only guy that I allowed to influence this frame of mind is my Heavenly Father.
PS- Merry Christmas! Check out the ICHope blog for Christmasy things
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Home again
I slept on the plane. I took some benedryll and was out. OUT out. Even though I sat next to Iro on the plane and Iro is the main character in the PCC night show right now. His face is on tour-buses. Really nice, beautiful man. Still slept. Didn't even care.
Getting to the airport took time. Carpooling plans I'd made had to be changed, people were counting on me...
you know what I've found?
I am the only thing that I know always works.
Well, that and faith.
Anyway. I was freezing. As we were close to landing I switched seats with Iro so that he could see Vegas from the window. That's one of my favorite sites. I love landing in Vegas at night. Same with Honolulu, I can see the outline of the island in light, it's really cool. I was wearing a coat and sweatpants and the longest sleeves I had...but I was still going to freeze.
I helped Iro and Andrew (both Tahitians going to visit Utah for Christmas) find their way to baggage claim and as we came down the escalator my brother and baby sister were waiting at the bottom and they saw me first. They pointed and called out, my dad found me right after that. They almost blocked the end of the escalator.
So I was back. And it was lovely. And everyone looks a little older, a little bigger, a little taller, a little whiter, maybe a bit more tired, but very happy. And so was I. The first thing my sister said to me was "You're little". HA! Yup. that happens.
We had exciting things planned for the week. We did our traditional Santa train up in Henderson. My brother loved trains when he was little and so we found this and it's free and you meet Santa, and it's short. So here are some pictures from that.
And there is another train. It's a real steam engine that has been restored and it has some cool historical background. And it's also really really cold.
My cousins came and met us there.
Then we all went to the cactus garden.
Because we live in a desert.
When you live in a desert you don't have forests.
And the chocolate factory has a variety of cacti.
And so you decorate cacti for Christmas.
And you sell chocolate and give a chocolate tour.
Christmas and Chocolate go hand in hand.
I. was. freezing. They forgot to tell me about the 'leggings under your pants' rule of winter.
And it was beautiful. And there was hot chocolate. And there was Christmas music. Christmas decorations. Christmas shopping. Christmas spirit. Christmas greetings. I loved it.
But there were unplanned things too- like sitting next to Sister Montenegro at the Bonanza combined performing arts concert, getting lunch with Kathy, going shopping, getting to catch up with our local Navy, talking story with Memaw. Later in the week I got to sing with my sisters and the Jackson girls + Hallie in church. It was really cool to see people coming back from their various walks of life. The girls who got married, the girls visiting from school, the guys who are back from their missions....so many. But I felt like the prodigal child of the ward. I'm pretty sure more people in my homeward knew what I was doing than people in my school. And everywhere I turned I was greeted with a 'Oh, we are so glad you're back and safe' exclamation and a hug. I was simply surrounded by love. Sister Hales was so proud of me. Sister Adams came and thanked me for the card I'd sent her when her husband died. Sister Thorne and Sister Johnson exclaimed that it was awesome to have most of the girls back. Sister Yoss talked to me for a bit and was on the verge of tears when she talked about how hard it must have been for the kids to see me go.
There were more, but I'm going to stop there because I hadn't really thought about it that way. I figured it was hardest for me to leave them.
Coming from Sister Yoss, that spoke volumes. Volumes on mountain tops. Not only about me but about her and the ladies in my ward, and how much they value their ward family.
Kathy dyed my hair back to where it looks like my usual. Everyone said that I looked like a natural brunette when I went over to the dark side (probably because my father is dark-haired and I have his eyebrows). But now that I'm blond again everyone seems to have come to the conclusion that I look more like me. It took a long time, and a lot of odd in-between colors, but she got it back. My neighbors are like 3rd grandparents I suppose. Shopping, lunches, haircuts, our performances, David made me soup (and it was the best!), talking story, memories of us as wee troublemakers... I could adopt them.
I visited my high school to hit up some of my teachers. I went to the gym with mom. I did some calking on the garage walls. I missed some steps, but I tried to keep my bases covered. There's rarely a dull moment with the crowd at my house.
Getting to the airport took time. Carpooling plans I'd made had to be changed, people were counting on me...
you know what I've found?
I am the only thing that I know always works.
Well, that and faith.
Anyway. I was freezing. As we were close to landing I switched seats with Iro so that he could see Vegas from the window. That's one of my favorite sites. I love landing in Vegas at night. Same with Honolulu, I can see the outline of the island in light, it's really cool. I was wearing a coat and sweatpants and the longest sleeves I had...but I was still going to freeze.
I helped Iro and Andrew (both Tahitians going to visit Utah for Christmas) find their way to baggage claim and as we came down the escalator my brother and baby sister were waiting at the bottom and they saw me first. They pointed and called out, my dad found me right after that. They almost blocked the end of the escalator.
So I was back. And it was lovely. And everyone looks a little older, a little bigger, a little taller, a little whiter, maybe a bit more tired, but very happy. And so was I. The first thing my sister said to me was "You're little". HA! Yup. that happens.
 |
| Is it just me, or do I look REMARKABLY like my father? |
We had exciting things planned for the week. We did our traditional Santa train up in Henderson. My brother loved trains when he was little and so we found this and it's free and you meet Santa, and it's short. So here are some pictures from that.
And there is another train. It's a real steam engine that has been restored and it has some cool historical background. And it's also really really cold.
My cousins came and met us there. Then we all went to the cactus garden.
Because we live in a desert.
When you live in a desert you don't have forests.
And the chocolate factory has a variety of cacti.
And so you decorate cacti for Christmas.
And you sell chocolate and give a chocolate tour.
Christmas and Chocolate go hand in hand.
I. was. freezing. They forgot to tell me about the 'leggings under your pants' rule of winter.
And it was beautiful. And there was hot chocolate. And there was Christmas music. Christmas decorations. Christmas shopping. Christmas spirit. Christmas greetings. I loved it.
But there were unplanned things too- like sitting next to Sister Montenegro at the Bonanza combined performing arts concert, getting lunch with Kathy, going shopping, getting to catch up with our local Navy, talking story with Memaw. Later in the week I got to sing with my sisters and the Jackson girls + Hallie in church. It was really cool to see people coming back from their various walks of life. The girls who got married, the girls visiting from school, the guys who are back from their missions....so many. But I felt like the prodigal child of the ward. I'm pretty sure more people in my homeward knew what I was doing than people in my school. And everywhere I turned I was greeted with a 'Oh, we are so glad you're back and safe' exclamation and a hug. I was simply surrounded by love. Sister Hales was so proud of me. Sister Adams came and thanked me for the card I'd sent her when her husband died. Sister Thorne and Sister Johnson exclaimed that it was awesome to have most of the girls back. Sister Yoss talked to me for a bit and was on the verge of tears when she talked about how hard it must have been for the kids to see me go.
There were more, but I'm going to stop there because I hadn't really thought about it that way. I figured it was hardest for me to leave them.
Coming from Sister Yoss, that spoke volumes. Volumes on mountain tops. Not only about me but about her and the ladies in my ward, and how much they value their ward family.
Kathy dyed my hair back to where it looks like my usual. Everyone said that I looked like a natural brunette when I went over to the dark side (probably because my father is dark-haired and I have his eyebrows). But now that I'm blond again everyone seems to have come to the conclusion that I look more like me. It took a long time, and a lot of odd in-between colors, but she got it back. My neighbors are like 3rd grandparents I suppose. Shopping, lunches, haircuts, our performances, David made me soup (and it was the best!), talking story, memories of us as wee troublemakers... I could adopt them.
I visited my high school to hit up some of my teachers. I went to the gym with mom. I did some calking on the garage walls. I missed some steps, but I tried to keep my bases covered. There's rarely a dull moment with the crowd at my house.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Happy Graduation
You know, I'm glad I made it back in time for this.
But I missed Bednar's talk. I woke up slightly later than I'd planned and Abby was gone...and my clothes were locked in her room. Yeah.
And I was looking for the leis that I'd set aside in September because I *knew* I would need them today, but couldn't find them anywhere.
I'd left my temporal life in the hands of my roommates and I couldn't find it once I got back!
but eventually they were found and Abby came back so I could change out of my pjs.
But I made it in time to see everyone walk. I walked by at opportune moments and took family pictures for people I love, and found everyone that I had leis for.
I check out RAGE for a bit. Called my dad and wished him a Happy Birthday with a 'please dad I need your help with my car'. My dad is the greatest. It was the first time I'd talked to my dad on the phone in...forever. I cried a bit. Just like I did when I called my mom a few days earlier.
And then I went surfing. At first it was just swimming, but my friend had grabbed boards, so I went and got mine. It wasn't great surfing. I kicked a seaturtle on accident. It scared me half to death and I fell off my board because of it. Part of my balance issue though is that my center of gravity has changed and I'm still negotiating it. I promise the kickage was not done maliciously. I know better. Dude I could get a huge fine for that. The law protects those things more than it protects me sometimes.
So yeah. I went to graduation. I watched the talk when it was posted on the BYUH site. It was a good one. Elder Bednar is so cool.
I went surfing.
I assessed the damage on my car.
I probably ate something.
I sat and watched my friends play Mario Kart and was updated on their semesters. Which was slightly depressing because it seems that EVERYONE had a very hard semester and that makes me sad.
And it was like a dream. It wasn't me doing it. I just sort of watching from a distance because I wasn't sure how to be there with them. I've been out of the loop for so long, it's hard to jump back in. I was so very grateful for Sunday when it came. It was awesome to sing hymns with a congregation in my own language. It was fun to lead the music because the chorister had left for home. Bishop had asked me to be prepared to give a 5 min testimony if time allowed. It didn't, but it was fun to think about.
But I missed Bednar's talk. I woke up slightly later than I'd planned and Abby was gone...and my clothes were locked in her room. Yeah.
And I was looking for the leis that I'd set aside in September because I *knew* I would need them today, but couldn't find them anywhere.
I'd left my temporal life in the hands of my roommates and I couldn't find it once I got back!
but eventually they were found and Abby came back so I could change out of my pjs.
I check out RAGE for a bit. Called my dad and wished him a Happy Birthday with a 'please dad I need your help with my car'. My dad is the greatest. It was the first time I'd talked to my dad on the phone in...forever. I cried a bit. Just like I did when I called my mom a few days earlier.
And then I went surfing. At first it was just swimming, but my friend had grabbed boards, so I went and got mine. It wasn't great surfing. I kicked a seaturtle on accident. It scared me half to death and I fell off my board because of it. Part of my balance issue though is that my center of gravity has changed and I'm still negotiating it. I promise the kickage was not done maliciously. I know better. Dude I could get a huge fine for that. The law protects those things more than it protects me sometimes.
So yeah. I went to graduation. I watched the talk when it was posted on the BYUH site. It was a good one. Elder Bednar is so cool.
I went surfing.
I assessed the damage on my car.
I probably ate something.
I sat and watched my friends play Mario Kart and was updated on their semesters. Which was slightly depressing because it seems that EVERYONE had a very hard semester and that makes me sad.
And it was like a dream. It wasn't me doing it. I just sort of watching from a distance because I wasn't sure how to be there with them. I've been out of the loop for so long, it's hard to jump back in. I was so very grateful for Sunday when it came. It was awesome to sing hymns with a congregation in my own language. It was fun to lead the music because the chorister had left for home. Bishop had asked me to be prepared to give a 5 min testimony if time allowed. It didn't, but it was fun to think about.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Children
Today:
20 kids in Connecticut
22 kids in China
34 kids in Cambodia
Can we talk about this for a moment?
I got wonderful warm welcomes from everyone in Hawaii. I was able to go to The temple at 7am this morning to do baptisms. It was absolutely wonderful. I saw my dear friend Matt, whom I didn't expect to see. I got baptized by Greg whom I hadn't caught up with the day before. I got to eat breakfast with Liana and lament with her that her mission call wasn't there yet.
And then I went and did businessy things. I worked. I did paperwork. I went to the Health Center. All that jazz.
It was while I was at work that I first heard about the shooting in Connecticut. And we didn't really take it seriously. It didn't bring an immediately somber attitude to us because it was so out there, we couldn't fathom that ever happening.
It wasn't until we looked it up and saw footage and articles and news stories-- the media blowing up-- that it sunk in.
Did you know that, on the same day as the shooting, there was a stabbing in China? Well, technically it was the next day for them, but it happened around the same 24 hour period. Some will argue that yes, gun control worked in China. These 22 kids didn't die. 9 were taken to the hospital with sever conditions and 2 were taken to hospitals outside the country to receive better care. Some will argue that people who are going to be violent will use whatever means available to them. See, he damaged as many children with a knife as the man in Connecticut did with a gun.
And for me it was a little odd. I worked- I don't even really remember what I did. All I remember is that I went home and nobody was there. I went to my neighbor's house and there was nobody there. And so I sat down and opened this computer and started surfing facebook and blogger. I looked at more information from the shooting and the stabbing and it drug me down into the mud.
*WAIT.
I don't have to do this. Why am I doing this? This is what I've been doing for the past few months. I don't need to be on these stupid sites checking up on the lives of the people I love when I'm finally in the same general vicinity.
It is ridiculous to be on my own right now. I lived here before. I'm going to go for a walk. I haven't done that in months.*
And so I called up a friend and left a message. And then I did. I went for a walk.
I wandered around Laie for about an hour.
It was dead. Finals were basically over. The students were out of Laie celebrating, or already on their way home.
I wandered into the Haircut store and found Andrea working and she didn't get off until later.
I headed toward 'The Hawaiian House' in hopes of catching Kylie when I literally ran into her, her mom, and Lance before I'd even left the shopping center. They were on a schedule, but promised that I'd see them at Commencement the next day.
So I wandered up to The Point.
My heart hurts for the parents of Connecticut. Cambodia is a very broken country, and it is healing remarkably well, but traumas on a large scale are part of their daily lives. Newtown, CT will be a very broken city for a long time. At least I hope they will be. They need to struggle through this as a community or they will never get better. We all do. This is something that our whole nation needs to struggle with, not because we get any pleasure from tragedies but because it is okay to feel sad. It is okay to be unsure and sad and overwhelmed and angry. We need to learn how to deal with how we feel and rise above it. I never want America to get to the point where we do not mourn and drag ourselves through pits of darkness to overcome it. When we do not intensely value lives then we will find ourselves in situations like the bloodbath that was Cambodia in the late 1900s. And my heart hurts for China. There have been multiple outbursts of violence at their primary schools over the past few years. China has some of the strictest policies on gun control. For violence against the innocent to still exist is appalling but enlightening. I don't want America to get so rigid on controlling weapons that they'll drive criminals to use cruder methods. Those who choose to be violent, will be violent regardless of their tools. Those who turn their violence towards children are in dire need of very professional help. I believe that, unless you are trained to do so, killing anyone is a good indicator that you're mentally messed up. But one's brain must be all kinds of scrambled for one to be able to kill such innocence. And I know how innocent kids are. Had I not just centered my life around specific kids for months on end? I know what they are capable of. I know how easily they are influenced for good and for bad. I was in torment. I kept thinking of all the terrible life situations that my kids had gone through to get to CICFO. I dwelt on the joy that they live with because of the sadness that they have known. In my mind's eye I could see people coming into the orphanage and hurting my kids. My kids, with their smiles and their scars, and their voices and their little lips that stick out when they're confused. And the fact that America cannot adopt from Cambodia so there is no way for me to keep any of that. I didn't want to be in there in Hawaii by myself. I wanted to be back with my kids. I still do.
I didn't have very many phone numbers anymore because I'd gotten a new phone before I left. But I have friends that live up there at The Point and I hoped there would be cars in the driveway, when there were I sortof invited myself in.
I'm so grateful that I live in a place that I can just do that. I can call on a friend unexpectedly (very very unexpectedly because they didn't even know I was back) and be welcomed into their home and become part of whatever it is they are doing.
Seth and Aaron were watching Aladdin.
And then more people came over and we played games.
And we talked a little. Looking back, I wish we'd talked more, but I wasn't in much of a talkative mood. We didn't discuss the violence that plagued the earth earlier that day. We avoided the topic entirely because we don't understand it.
This post isn't going to have a happy ending. But knowing that children are received directly into the arms of our ever present Heavenly Father can make it a peaceful one.
20 kids in Connecticut
22 kids in China
34 kids in Cambodia
Can we talk about this for a moment?
I got wonderful warm welcomes from everyone in Hawaii. I was able to go to The temple at 7am this morning to do baptisms. It was absolutely wonderful. I saw my dear friend Matt, whom I didn't expect to see. I got baptized by Greg whom I hadn't caught up with the day before. I got to eat breakfast with Liana and lament with her that her mission call wasn't there yet.
And then I went and did businessy things. I worked. I did paperwork. I went to the Health Center. All that jazz.
It was while I was at work that I first heard about the shooting in Connecticut. And we didn't really take it seriously. It didn't bring an immediately somber attitude to us because it was so out there, we couldn't fathom that ever happening.It wasn't until we looked it up and saw footage and articles and news stories-- the media blowing up-- that it sunk in.
Did you know that, on the same day as the shooting, there was a stabbing in China? Well, technically it was the next day for them, but it happened around the same 24 hour period. Some will argue that yes, gun control worked in China. These 22 kids didn't die. 9 were taken to the hospital with sever conditions and 2 were taken to hospitals outside the country to receive better care. Some will argue that people who are going to be violent will use whatever means available to them. See, he damaged as many children with a knife as the man in Connecticut did with a gun.
And for me it was a little odd. I worked- I don't even really remember what I did. All I remember is that I went home and nobody was there. I went to my neighbor's house and there was nobody there. And so I sat down and opened this computer and started surfing facebook and blogger. I looked at more information from the shooting and the stabbing and it drug me down into the mud.
*WAIT.
I don't have to do this. Why am I doing this? This is what I've been doing for the past few months. I don't need to be on these stupid sites checking up on the lives of the people I love when I'm finally in the same general vicinity. It is ridiculous to be on my own right now. I lived here before. I'm going to go for a walk. I haven't done that in months.*
And so I called up a friend and left a message. And then I did. I went for a walk.
I wandered around Laie for about an hour.
It was dead. Finals were basically over. The students were out of Laie celebrating, or already on their way home.
I wandered into the Haircut store and found Andrea working and she didn't get off until later.
I headed toward 'The Hawaiian House' in hopes of catching Kylie when I literally ran into her, her mom, and Lance before I'd even left the shopping center. They were on a schedule, but promised that I'd see them at Commencement the next day.
So I wandered up to The Point.
It was around here that I received a call from the friend I'd called earlier. He had been in a final and had some responsibilities to fulfill before commencement, but he talked to me for a little bit. I promised myself, when I started my wander, that I wouldn't dwell on grief, that I wouldn't cry, and that I'd be pleasant to be around for the remainder of the evening. I broke every one of those. Here I was, wandering around, searching for familiar faces because the faces that I had expected to be surrounded with were nowhere to be found. At the time I didn't know why. I was sad and that is all I knew. I had not seen any children in 65 hours and that was something I wasn't accustomed to. Having my main human interactions come from children and then go days without seeing any is a little hard on it's own. But consider what had transpired that day.
My heart hurts for the parents of Connecticut. Cambodia is a very broken country, and it is healing remarkably well, but traumas on a large scale are part of their daily lives. Newtown, CT will be a very broken city for a long time. At least I hope they will be. They need to struggle through this as a community or they will never get better. We all do. This is something that our whole nation needs to struggle with, not because we get any pleasure from tragedies but because it is okay to feel sad. It is okay to be unsure and sad and overwhelmed and angry. We need to learn how to deal with how we feel and rise above it. I never want America to get to the point where we do not mourn and drag ourselves through pits of darkness to overcome it. When we do not intensely value lives then we will find ourselves in situations like the bloodbath that was Cambodia in the late 1900s. And my heart hurts for China. There have been multiple outbursts of violence at their primary schools over the past few years. China has some of the strictest policies on gun control. For violence against the innocent to still exist is appalling but enlightening. I don't want America to get so rigid on controlling weapons that they'll drive criminals to use cruder methods. Those who choose to be violent, will be violent regardless of their tools. Those who turn their violence towards children are in dire need of very professional help. I believe that, unless you are trained to do so, killing anyone is a good indicator that you're mentally messed up. But one's brain must be all kinds of scrambled for one to be able to kill such innocence. And I know how innocent kids are. Had I not just centered my life around specific kids for months on end? I know what they are capable of. I know how easily they are influenced for good and for bad. I was in torment. I kept thinking of all the terrible life situations that my kids had gone through to get to CICFO. I dwelt on the joy that they live with because of the sadness that they have known. In my mind's eye I could see people coming into the orphanage and hurting my kids. My kids, with their smiles and their scars, and their voices and their little lips that stick out when they're confused. And the fact that America cannot adopt from Cambodia so there is no way for me to keep any of that. I didn't want to be in there in Hawaii by myself. I wanted to be back with my kids. I still do.
I didn't have very many phone numbers anymore because I'd gotten a new phone before I left. But I have friends that live up there at The Point and I hoped there would be cars in the driveway, when there were I sortof invited myself in.
I'm so grateful that I live in a place that I can just do that. I can call on a friend unexpectedly (very very unexpectedly because they didn't even know I was back) and be welcomed into their home and become part of whatever it is they are doing.
Seth and Aaron were watching Aladdin.
And then more people came over and we played games.
And we talked a little. Looking back, I wish we'd talked more, but I wasn't in much of a talkative mood. We didn't discuss the violence that plagued the earth earlier that day. We avoided the topic entirely because we don't understand it.
This post isn't going to have a happy ending. But knowing that children are received directly into the arms of our ever present Heavenly Father can make it a peaceful one.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
a day on replay
I had 2 December 13ths, on different sides of the international date line.
I landed in Korea at 6:50am and began my day. The bathroom right by the gate looked like a spa. Everything in the Incheon Airport is super nice. I highly recommend the airport.
I made it to the ground floor of the airport and exchanged my US money for Korea's Won. There were payphones, so I called Monique to let her know I'd made it. And then followed her instructions onto the bus. I was the only person on that bus. I don't know what it is, but the buses in other countries seem far more luxurious than buses in America. There was snow sticking on the ground when I got there. All I had was a raincoat to keep me warm, so I was really glad that the bus was heated.
Guys. Korea is an island. I knew that, but I didn't really connect that I'd be seeing the ocean at all.
It was early in the morning and the sun was just barely up so it was still very low in the sky. There was snow on the beach and the ocean looked almost lazy. The water was very flat for the little stretch where the highway ran parallel to it.
It took about 40 min and I was in Uijeongbu. It is about an hour South of North Korea. I got off at the bus stop and there they were. Mr and Mrs Laing, waiting for me with a turtleneck, sweater, coat, scarf, gloves, and hat. It was just nice to talk to them. In English. Fast English. I was tripping over my words they were coming out of my mouth so fast.
There was a political rally for Park Geun-hye. Monique gave me the DL on her. Her father is a former dictator of S Korea and she isn't the first female to run for S Korea President, but she was the first favored female candidate. So there was this rally and everyone was super pumped. We were inside Holly's Coffee getting hot chocolate. Monique told me how it'd be really cool to actually see this candidate in one of the rallies but it hadn't happened yet. Uijeongbu, after all, is not a very large town.
But we were outside, with all the Koreans yelling (they're loud people), and there were people on the rooftops taking pictures in of the square (but not snipers like there would be in America, nope just people with cameras), and there were 4 guys dressed up as superheros complete with masks (and they didn't get carried away by secret service men like they would have in America), and then we see the candidate. In person. She was there. It was legit. I totally saw her, and got her on my GoPro.
And the next week she won the election. Life Win.
We went to the underground. There really is nothing like it in America. Except maybe a subway, but even then. It's like an underground swap meet. There are little stores and restaurants. That's where we had lunch and it was delicious. I don't know how many of you have had KimChee before, but it can be pretty gross unless you're in Korea, which I was, and then it is good.
In Korea there is this holiday on 11/11 where you get these long chocolate pretzel sticks and give them to someone you love. Like Valentine's day. We went to this little store, where they had super fun Christmas cards. You know, the typical ones you think of when you picture Asians trying to write hallmark cards but missing the mark a little (ca-boom-chick). The candy stick things were on sale because it was overstocked and that's how I know about it. Just thought that was interesting, moving on.
Monique and Brent worked, so they gave me instructions, paid for my bus card, and sent me on my way back to Seoul.
And then I traveled the metro. I switched lines twice and followed all the directions. I got yelled at by an old man for not standing up immediately when he got on the bus. But I did get up once I put my journal away. I had my carry-ons with me, I was hauling stuff or I would have been able to get up sooner. After about 10 min of him...well, being a crazy old man....one of the other elderly people told him to can it. They looked at me and signaled 'it's okay, he's crazy'. After about an hour of travel by metro, I was on my way to the Temple to do baptisms.
How cool is that? I'd been geeking out about this for almost a week, when I very first got the idea to see if I could fit in a temple run. I was Skyping Greg for his weekly check-up when he asked me what the first thing I wanted to do when I got back was. I just wanted to look at the Temple. And we remembered that his ward does baptisms every Friday and that's perfect because that's the day after I get back. And then, oh wow, I have my recommend with me but can't use it...but *lightbulb* there is a Temple in Korea. Great moment. It was basically the greatest idea ever. It just so happened that an English speaking family from Singapore was in Korea doing baptisms and it was their daughter's first time. So I got to meet them a little, but mostly I talked to Sister Peck who was working in the temple that day and she and her husband are the public affairs missionaries for Korea. I let them know that I was sortof on a time limit, but we got a lot of work done and it was absolutely beautiful. Cold. Beautiful.
I made it back to the metro exactly when I needed to. The line came right after I got there and it was easy to get back into the airport. They stamped my Passport, I re-exchanged my money, and I was good to go.
The Incheon Airport-- think of an Airport. Now think of a Spa. Now think of a craft store where they do craft demonstrations on Fridays. Now think of a concert hall. Now think of a Mall. Now think of a band venue. Now think of a mini golf course.
The Incheon Airport is all of those things. It also has these stations, it's basically a giant MAC screen, and you can scan the barcode on your boarding pass and it'll tell you where to go, the weather of your destination, your flight information, and draw a map for you because you're probably lost.
When I was getting ready to go through security there was this quartet of classically trained male vocalists. They sang Christmas songs in English and in Korean, and then they started singing 'Nothing Like a Dame' in Korean. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I looked over the balcony to the arena where the stage was and the performers were dancing in navy hats. Conclusion-- I'm right.
Well I went through security, where they make you take off all your coat layers even when it is cold, but they don't make you take off your shoes. Apparently that's just America. And I got to my gate and decided to make sure that somebody was picking me up from the airport when I landed. So I got out my computer and got online literally moments before I boarded the plane. It was then, in an email from my mom, that I learned about North Korea launching a missile/rocket/satellite thing the day before.
I got on the plane. I got a window seat. I love KoreanAir. They're wonderful. I watched "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" and cried at the end of it. I watched us pass over Japan and I waved to my cousin Elder Aaron. I slept a little bit. I watched the sun come up over the clouds. I watched us fly over Kauai.
And then we started to approach O'ahu. I saw the shorelines and pictured everything that I knew was there. Try to orient myself to where North was and which direction I was coming from. Before I knew it, I was in Honolulu. The air smelled beautiful.
I had to go through more customs stuff on my way in, but it was simple. There were signs all around the carousels that this was a 'no cell phone zone'. But I went into the bathroom and charged up my phone for the first time in almost 3 months. I called my mom, and then I called Ben because he was my ride.
He hadn't forgotten, he just was running a little late.
Why couldn't my roommate come and get me? That would be because my car was running into the ground. It was acting up and overheating and couldn't go more than a mile or so. And they tell me this now.
So I got all of my luggage and sat right outside the baggage claim by the street so that he'd be able to find me. And he did. It was great to see him and it was fun to have him bring me home. We went to my old house- the good ol' Taco House- and dropped my stuff. And yes Ben, I was exhausted. But if I slept then I would have been awake all night and there were things I needed to get done that day.
At my old house I ran into Rachel- because she lives there. That was great because she was leaving for home that night and I agreed to help her move everything to her new house. It worked out well for me because I got to sleep in her bed instead of on the couch.
So....now what?
Well I made sure I had everything I needed to give to people and then walked out the door to campus.
My first stop was Natalie. I walked up to her door and peeked inside. I surprised her a bit. I gave her some paperwork and some bags of bracelets from the kids to sell at PCC. We chatted and she let me know what was going on with her and the orphanage and all those things. It was a really great talk.
And then I went to the health center to get my blood tested for all that crap that you can get in foreign countries. But they were at lunch. So I went into work.
And nobody was really there. I clocked in, walked in, and sat down at a computer starting to enter grades or something. About 10 minutes later I think it was Lance came in, with Felix on his tail, and they realized that they didn't know the girl at the computer. Lance came up and did a causal walk-by, only to discover it was me. Then there was much rejoicing.
After re-acquainting myself with the Online Department office, I went back to the Health Center. And they drew blood and told me that, because it was Thursday, they wouldn't give me a TB test, but I made an appointment for the next day.
I really didn't have that much work to do and work has a no-facebook policy anyway. So I went into the library to check my email and ran into Oz and Kaytie. Kaytie invited me to go sign the flag that they were putting up over the new muti-purpose building. Free cookies.
I hadn't had good cookies in 3 months. Heck yes I went.
It was right outside the library. I walked over, there was nobody really around. Everyone was taking finals. I signed the flag. People took videos of it for posterity. I was still wearing my SIFE shirt and yoga pants. I was clean since, you know, I'd been able to shower in Korea.
And I was waiting for this ceremony/speech thing so that I understood what it was I was doing, when I saw Abby and Rachy walking towards me. Well, they were walking towards the table where the flag was, since Kaytie had invited them too. I saw them while they were still by the library. It occurred to me to run towards them, but I didn't, I just stood and smiled. They were talking together, walking towards me. They still had a field to cross. They were looking ahead and I knew that they'd seen me, but I stood there, waiting for it to click.
And then it did. And I got stampeded to the ground. And the school news people and reporter and stuff looked at us like we were crazy. Confused by all the fuss, and by this girl who'd been tackled and the girls who were tugging her up so they could wrap her up and dance around in reunion.
We were all smiles and laughter; then other people joined us and I had no idea who they were and their conversations were going waaay over my head.
They may as well have been speaking a different language.
I walked back home to drop my important files. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I went to the Senior Recitals for 2 of my friends who happened to be performing that evening.
That was wise. I got to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' and 'you've gotten so good' all at the same time. I caught up with classmates and professors, and then I walked home.
It was around 9pm. If you figure it out, which I did, I had been upright for 47 hours, but I'd been cheated and it was only a day since I'd been in the airport.
"Game night at 10" said my neighbors. Yeah...not happening. But I poked my head in, and I got to see Nichel who was leaving the next day and so I'm glad I did. But then I was glad to sleep.
You know, it's odd. I lived two days in very different settings. One where I was directed and driven and had plans even though I had never been there before. The other where I wandered around a familiar place, looking for familiar faces and a purpose. But it is from this repeated day that I can tell-- nothing will be the same ever again.
(more pictures and videos coming, I promise. just let me get them.)
 |
| Snow from the airplane (pre-battery death) On the way to Uijeongbu Me, trying to figure out my GoPro |
I landed in Korea at 6:50am and began my day. The bathroom right by the gate looked like a spa. Everything in the Incheon Airport is super nice. I highly recommend the airport.
I made it to the ground floor of the airport and exchanged my US money for Korea's Won. There were payphones, so I called Monique to let her know I'd made it. And then followed her instructions onto the bus. I was the only person on that bus. I don't know what it is, but the buses in other countries seem far more luxurious than buses in America. There was snow sticking on the ground when I got there. All I had was a raincoat to keep me warm, so I was really glad that the bus was heated.
Guys. Korea is an island. I knew that, but I didn't really connect that I'd be seeing the ocean at all.
It was early in the morning and the sun was just barely up so it was still very low in the sky. There was snow on the beach and the ocean looked almost lazy. The water was very flat for the little stretch where the highway ran parallel to it.
It took about 40 min and I was in Uijeongbu. It is about an hour South of North Korea. I got off at the bus stop and there they were. Mr and Mrs Laing, waiting for me with a turtleneck, sweater, coat, scarf, gloves, and hat. It was just nice to talk to them. In English. Fast English. I was tripping over my words they were coming out of my mouth so fast.
There was a political rally for Park Geun-hye. Monique gave me the DL on her. Her father is a former dictator of S Korea and she isn't the first female to run for S Korea President, but she was the first favored female candidate. So there was this rally and everyone was super pumped. We were inside Holly's Coffee getting hot chocolate. Monique told me how it'd be really cool to actually see this candidate in one of the rallies but it hadn't happened yet. Uijeongbu, after all, is not a very large town.
But we were outside, with all the Koreans yelling (they're loud people), and there were people on the rooftops taking pictures in of the square (but not snipers like there would be in America, nope just people with cameras), and there were 4 guys dressed up as superheros complete with masks (and they didn't get carried away by secret service men like they would have in America), and then we see the candidate. In person. She was there. It was legit. I totally saw her, and got her on my GoPro.
And the next week she won the election. Life Win.
We went to the underground. There really is nothing like it in America. Except maybe a subway, but even then. It's like an underground swap meet. There are little stores and restaurants. That's where we had lunch and it was delicious. I don't know how many of you have had KimChee before, but it can be pretty gross unless you're in Korea, which I was, and then it is good.
In Korea there is this holiday on 11/11 where you get these long chocolate pretzel sticks and give them to someone you love. Like Valentine's day. We went to this little store, where they had super fun Christmas cards. You know, the typical ones you think of when you picture Asians trying to write hallmark cards but missing the mark a little (ca-boom-chick). The candy stick things were on sale because it was overstocked and that's how I know about it. Just thought that was interesting, moving on.
Monique and Brent worked, so they gave me instructions, paid for my bus card, and sent me on my way back to Seoul.
And then I traveled the metro. I switched lines twice and followed all the directions. I got yelled at by an old man for not standing up immediately when he got on the bus. But I did get up once I put my journal away. I had my carry-ons with me, I was hauling stuff or I would have been able to get up sooner. After about 10 min of him...well, being a crazy old man....one of the other elderly people told him to can it. They looked at me and signaled 'it's okay, he's crazy'. After about an hour of travel by metro, I was on my way to the Temple to do baptisms.
How cool is that? I'd been geeking out about this for almost a week, when I very first got the idea to see if I could fit in a temple run. I was Skyping Greg for his weekly check-up when he asked me what the first thing I wanted to do when I got back was. I just wanted to look at the Temple. And we remembered that his ward does baptisms every Friday and that's perfect because that's the day after I get back. And then, oh wow, I have my recommend with me but can't use it...but *lightbulb* there is a Temple in Korea. Great moment. It was basically the greatest idea ever. It just so happened that an English speaking family from Singapore was in Korea doing baptisms and it was their daughter's first time. So I got to meet them a little, but mostly I talked to Sister Peck who was working in the temple that day and she and her husband are the public affairs missionaries for Korea. I let them know that I was sortof on a time limit, but we got a lot of work done and it was absolutely beautiful. Cold. Beautiful.
I made it back to the metro exactly when I needed to. The line came right after I got there and it was easy to get back into the airport. They stamped my Passport, I re-exchanged my money, and I was good to go.
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| Good job! You've made it this far :) Have a picture of my early morning bus ride. |
The Incheon Airport-- think of an Airport. Now think of a Spa. Now think of a craft store where they do craft demonstrations on Fridays. Now think of a concert hall. Now think of a Mall. Now think of a band venue. Now think of a mini golf course.
The Incheon Airport is all of those things. It also has these stations, it's basically a giant MAC screen, and you can scan the barcode on your boarding pass and it'll tell you where to go, the weather of your destination, your flight information, and draw a map for you because you're probably lost.
When I was getting ready to go through security there was this quartet of classically trained male vocalists. They sang Christmas songs in English and in Korean, and then they started singing 'Nothing Like a Dame' in Korean. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I looked over the balcony to the arena where the stage was and the performers were dancing in navy hats. Conclusion-- I'm right.
Well I went through security, where they make you take off all your coat layers even when it is cold, but they don't make you take off your shoes. Apparently that's just America. And I got to my gate and decided to make sure that somebody was picking me up from the airport when I landed. So I got out my computer and got online literally moments before I boarded the plane. It was then, in an email from my mom, that I learned about North Korea launching a missile/rocket/satellite thing the day before.
I got on the plane. I got a window seat. I love KoreanAir. They're wonderful. I watched "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" and cried at the end of it. I watched us pass over Japan and I waved to my cousin Elder Aaron. I slept a little bit. I watched the sun come up over the clouds. I watched us fly over Kauai.
And then we started to approach O'ahu. I saw the shorelines and pictured everything that I knew was there. Try to orient myself to where North was and which direction I was coming from. Before I knew it, I was in Honolulu. The air smelled beautiful.
I had to go through more customs stuff on my way in, but it was simple. There were signs all around the carousels that this was a 'no cell phone zone'. But I went into the bathroom and charged up my phone for the first time in almost 3 months. I called my mom, and then I called Ben because he was my ride.
He hadn't forgotten, he just was running a little late.
Why couldn't my roommate come and get me? That would be because my car was running into the ground. It was acting up and overheating and couldn't go more than a mile or so. And they tell me this now.
At my old house I ran into Rachel- because she lives there. That was great because she was leaving for home that night and I agreed to help her move everything to her new house. It worked out well for me because I got to sleep in her bed instead of on the couch.
So....now what?
Well I made sure I had everything I needed to give to people and then walked out the door to campus.
My first stop was Natalie. I walked up to her door and peeked inside. I surprised her a bit. I gave her some paperwork and some bags of bracelets from the kids to sell at PCC. We chatted and she let me know what was going on with her and the orphanage and all those things. It was a really great talk.
And then I went to the health center to get my blood tested for all that crap that you can get in foreign countries. But they were at lunch. So I went into work.
And nobody was really there. I clocked in, walked in, and sat down at a computer starting to enter grades or something. About 10 minutes later I think it was Lance came in, with Felix on his tail, and they realized that they didn't know the girl at the computer. Lance came up and did a causal walk-by, only to discover it was me. Then there was much rejoicing.
After re-acquainting myself with the Online Department office, I went back to the Health Center. And they drew blood and told me that, because it was Thursday, they wouldn't give me a TB test, but I made an appointment for the next day.
I really didn't have that much work to do and work has a no-facebook policy anyway. So I went into the library to check my email and ran into Oz and Kaytie. Kaytie invited me to go sign the flag that they were putting up over the new muti-purpose building. Free cookies.
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| You're doing so well! Have another picture. Sorry that my cameras were both dead. |
And I was waiting for this ceremony/speech thing so that I understood what it was I was doing, when I saw Abby and Rachy walking towards me. Well, they were walking towards the table where the flag was, since Kaytie had invited them too. I saw them while they were still by the library. It occurred to me to run towards them, but I didn't, I just stood and smiled. They were talking together, walking towards me. They still had a field to cross. They were looking ahead and I knew that they'd seen me, but I stood there, waiting for it to click.
And then it did. And I got stampeded to the ground. And the school news people and reporter and stuff looked at us like we were crazy. Confused by all the fuss, and by this girl who'd been tackled and the girls who were tugging her up so they could wrap her up and dance around in reunion.
We were all smiles and laughter; then other people joined us and I had no idea who they were and their conversations were going waaay over my head.
They may as well have been speaking a different language.
I walked back home to drop my important files. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I went to the Senior Recitals for 2 of my friends who happened to be performing that evening.
That was wise. I got to say 'hello' and 'goodbye' and 'you've gotten so good' all at the same time. I caught up with classmates and professors, and then I walked home.
It was around 9pm. If you figure it out, which I did, I had been upright for 47 hours, but I'd been cheated and it was only a day since I'd been in the airport.
"Game night at 10" said my neighbors. Yeah...not happening. But I poked my head in, and I got to see Nichel who was leaving the next day and so I'm glad I did. But then I was glad to sleep.
You know, it's odd. I lived two days in very different settings. One where I was directed and driven and had plans even though I had never been there before. The other where I wandered around a familiar place, looking for familiar faces and a purpose. But it is from this repeated day that I can tell-- nothing will be the same ever again.
(more pictures and videos coming, I promise. just let me get them.)
Sunday, December 9, 2012
So this is Christmas
I was listening to Christmas music with McKae weeks before she left.
That was in October.
I started a Christmas playlist on YouTube and listened to it all the time.
While we slept.
While we planned for class.
While we worked.
While we waited for movies to load.
Especially while we drank Milo. Yup. Milo. It's pretty good. Like hot chocolate, but better.
And I lived in Hawaii for 2 Christmas seasons, so I'm used to the "it's-not-getting-cold" Christmas spirit. You all put on jackets, and I wear a Christmas hat at the beach to make you all jealous.
Yea, I know it worked.
Well, it was just as hot- hotter- in Cambodia. But it was a lot harder to prepare for Christmas.
Mom would tell me ever time we skyped: "You should get something special from Cambodia that will mean something and be really fun, like a Nativity!"
They don't have Nativities here.
"We went to Opportunity Village and they had a traditional Vietnamese Nativity."
Here is the thing. Vietnam- don't ask me why, I don't know- accepted Christianity as a nation a very looooong time ago. I'm not saying the whole country is Christian, because it's not, but there is a large percentage and there are families that have been Christian for generations.
Cambodia is 3% Christian.
3%
That's all.
As opposed to the US where about 78% of the country is some type of Christian.
The Christmas they get is commercial. The mall and the department stores started putting up Santa hats and Christmas trees and ornaments in window paint as it got closer to the end of December.
I was closer than I've ever been to the area where Christ was born. I was there during the time we celebrate it. But there is no culture of Christmas music. It's like the rest of Bethlehem who were ignorant of His birth. They just went on, not knowing what Christ was or why.
A basic belief of Cambodia is that your life is determined by your past life. If you're poor it's because your spirit is bad, or you're being punished. It's hard for us to think that way because we know that isn't true.
Industry takes on so many more road blocks here because someone with an idea isn't naturally imbued with the idea that he can rise above his circumstances. That idea is changing, but it's still there. And yes, it still exists even though there are people who fight to live every day. They struggle, they live on the dumps and collect recyclables to sell so that they can eat that night, they live on abandoned train tracks. So many know that reading would change their situation, but without the money to even eat, how would they get the money to go to school?
I think that's a huge struggle for Christianity as well. Christians are readers. We got our Bibles and our Book of Mormons and our Christian literature, there is a whole genre for Christian writers.
Some missionaries teach people to read as they're trying to bring people to Christ. And that is hard. How do you convert someone who can't read? You convert the ones who do and that still leaves the poorest. Thus- 3%.
But my kids do read.
And we made a nativity. And we sang Christmas songs. And they know Christmas songs- real ones about Christ- in Khmer and in English.
And I taught them the Christmas story. We read about it. And we talked about it. And we did activities surrounding it.
And it's hard. It really is. Christmas is such a simple thing, but only by surrounding myself by it was I able to find the feeling I wanted.
I saw Christmas lights outside a restaurant on my way to the Orphanage near evening one day. But Christmas lights weren't there to signify the spirit of Christmas. They were there to draw attention to the place. It was special, but not for the right reasons. It was apparent by the girls waiting by the door of the establishment that it was a marketing stunt.
Ooooo evil is so clever. And always has been.
And so this is Christmas, and what have you done to remember the Savior.
John Lennon? or Celtic Women?
The struggle to create Christmas within yourself begins there.
It's proof that you can have Santa and sleigh-bells, trees and wrapping paper, cocoa and nutcrackers without the spirit of love that we associate with Christmas.
That was in October.
I started a Christmas playlist on YouTube and listened to it all the time.
While we slept.
While we planned for class.
While we worked.
While we waited for movies to load.
Especially while we drank Milo. Yup. Milo. It's pretty good. Like hot chocolate, but better.
And I lived in Hawaii for 2 Christmas seasons, so I'm used to the "it's-not-getting-cold" Christmas spirit. You all put on jackets, and I wear a Christmas hat at the beach to make you all jealous.
Yea, I know it worked.
Well, it was just as hot- hotter- in Cambodia. But it was a lot harder to prepare for Christmas.
Mom would tell me ever time we skyped: "You should get something special from Cambodia that will mean something and be really fun, like a Nativity!"
They don't have Nativities here.
"We went to Opportunity Village and they had a traditional Vietnamese Nativity."
Here is the thing. Vietnam- don't ask me why, I don't know- accepted Christianity as a nation a very looooong time ago. I'm not saying the whole country is Christian, because it's not, but there is a large percentage and there are families that have been Christian for generations.
Cambodia is 3% Christian.
3%
That's all.
As opposed to the US where about 78% of the country is some type of Christian.
The Christmas they get is commercial. The mall and the department stores started putting up Santa hats and Christmas trees and ornaments in window paint as it got closer to the end of December.
 |
| We made snowflakes too. But we sang Christmas songs while we did it. |
I was closer than I've ever been to the area where Christ was born. I was there during the time we celebrate it. But there is no culture of Christmas music. It's like the rest of Bethlehem who were ignorant of His birth. They just went on, not knowing what Christ was or why.
A basic belief of Cambodia is that your life is determined by your past life. If you're poor it's because your spirit is bad, or you're being punished. It's hard for us to think that way because we know that isn't true.
Industry takes on so many more road blocks here because someone with an idea isn't naturally imbued with the idea that he can rise above his circumstances. That idea is changing, but it's still there. And yes, it still exists even though there are people who fight to live every day. They struggle, they live on the dumps and collect recyclables to sell so that they can eat that night, they live on abandoned train tracks. So many know that reading would change their situation, but without the money to even eat, how would they get the money to go to school?
I think that's a huge struggle for Christianity as well. Christians are readers. We got our Bibles and our Book of Mormons and our Christian literature, there is a whole genre for Christian writers.
Some missionaries teach people to read as they're trying to bring people to Christ. And that is hard. How do you convert someone who can't read? You convert the ones who do and that still leaves the poorest. Thus- 3%.
But my kids do read.
And we made a nativity. And we sang Christmas songs. And they know Christmas songs- real ones about Christ- in Khmer and in English.
And I taught them the Christmas story. We read about it. And we talked about it. And we did activities surrounding it.
And it's hard. It really is. Christmas is such a simple thing, but only by surrounding myself by it was I able to find the feeling I wanted.
I saw Christmas lights outside a restaurant on my way to the Orphanage near evening one day. But Christmas lights weren't there to signify the spirit of Christmas. They were there to draw attention to the place. It was special, but not for the right reasons. It was apparent by the girls waiting by the door of the establishment that it was a marketing stunt.
Ooooo evil is so clever. And always has been.
And so this is Christmas, and what have you done to remember the Savior.
John Lennon? or Celtic Women?
The struggle to create Christmas within yourself begins there.
It's proof that you can have Santa and sleigh-bells, trees and wrapping paper, cocoa and nutcrackers without the spirit of love that we associate with Christmas.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
the Vietnamese branch
I had no idea bout the service project until Sister James, one of the senior missionaries, mentioned it to me at choir rehearsal 2 days before.
And that was lucky. Botevy was coming home from the hospital that day.
I made sure Yaya knew about it. I talked to her about what we wanted the volunteers to do.
Nobody was really sure.
Oh, we'll have them move this.
Oh, maybe they can paint that.
Well it's a Saturday afternoon. 1pm, right when it gets hot.
I'm there, waiting. Ready to help out and direct people as I know we'll need.
I had no idea who was coming. All I heard was that it was missionaries.
They were the Vietnamese speaking missionaries. Along with the YSA of the Vietnamese branch.
They got lost on the way a little bit, figured it out.
I got along right off with a Sister from Michigan. She's a red-head. Love it.
You know. Vietnam is really close to Cambodia.
Look at Thai: สวัสดี
And then look at Khmer: ជំážšាបសួážš
Just at a glance, you'd think they have the same alphabet and that they can read eachother's language. Kinda how you can read Spanish if you can read this.
That's not how it is. (both of those say 'Hello'. Thai is 'Saawatdee' and Khmer is 'Jiom riab sur')
Well, Vietnamese uses the Roman alphabet!!!! (if you can read this, so do you)
But when missionaries get to Vietnam, they get Vietnamese names. Cool? Ch-yea.
Anyway, we had them clear out the weeds and grass and garbage out of half of the area where...really nothing much happens. Chickens roam. Laundry is hung. Kids play. There are plots of groomed gardens in the area but they're taken care of. (so I guess a lot happens there- but it's like your living room, it serves whatever purpose it needs)
Some of the members were a little sad that the kids weren't there. Most of them were at school. All of the little ones were at school for at least part of the time. A couple were done before the project was over, but for the most part they didn't get to play with kids very much. Unfortunate. We love to play.
Resae tried to make a basket with the little rubber ball...and then ended up kicking it around until it got into some muck. When we were all done...or had worked long enough...we stood in a circle and sang I am a Child of God.
And that was lucky. Botevy was coming home from the hospital that day.
I made sure Yaya knew about it. I talked to her about what we wanted the volunteers to do.
Nobody was really sure.
Oh, we'll have them move this.
Oh, maybe they can paint that.
Well it's a Saturday afternoon. 1pm, right when it gets hot.
I'm there, waiting. Ready to help out and direct people as I know we'll need.
I had no idea who was coming. All I heard was that it was missionaries.
They were the Vietnamese speaking missionaries. Along with the YSA of the Vietnamese branch.
They got lost on the way a little bit, figured it out.
I got along right off with a Sister from Michigan. She's a red-head. Love it.
You know. Vietnam is really close to Cambodia.
Look at Thai: สวัสดี
And then look at Khmer: ជំážšាបសួážš
Just at a glance, you'd think they have the same alphabet and that they can read eachother's language. Kinda how you can read Spanish if you can read this.
That's not how it is. (both of those say 'Hello'. Thai is 'Saawatdee' and Khmer is 'Jiom riab sur')
Well, Vietnamese uses the Roman alphabet!!!! (if you can read this, so do you)
But when missionaries get to Vietnam, they get Vietnamese names. Cool? Ch-yea.
Anyway, we had them clear out the weeds and grass and garbage out of half of the area where...really nothing much happens. Chickens roam. Laundry is hung. Kids play. There are plots of groomed gardens in the area but they're taken care of. (so I guess a lot happens there- but it's like your living room, it serves whatever purpose it needs)
Some of the members were a little sad that the kids weren't there. Most of them were at school. All of the little ones were at school for at least part of the time. A couple were done before the project was over, but for the most part they didn't get to play with kids very much. Unfortunate. We love to play.
Resae tried to make a basket with the little rubber ball...and then ended up kicking it around until it got into some muck. When we were all done...or had worked long enough...we stood in a circle and sang I am a Child of God.
The Christmas Concert
I met Elder and Sister James at the orphanage. They had come to teach the kids 'Christmas Bells'. Botevy told me to go and help them, so I went over to the orphanage on Wednesday night. It was always Wednesday.
They were supposed to come at 6. But they didn't. So the kids and I started singing. I brought my pennywhistle and so we were playing around a little. Theary wanted me to sing 'My Heart Will Go On'. I decided to put the words on the board and then they could sing and I'd be able to play.
The markers were running dry and the power went out soon after that. But the Missionaries where there then.
It set the stage for the rest of their visits. The power seemed to always go out right before they came.
I always had my uke with me, and I know just enough to play some sort of accompaniment.
The first time we just learned the words. We all stood together and sang under the battery powered light.
The next week they came late again because traffic was bad. But they brought their pipe chimes.
The Khmer don't keep time very well. American hymn-styles are very different than Khmer music. Their own music they do very well, but ours they have a really hard time with. It's strange.
We worked the second week for about half an hour before the James' got there. It was right before Thanksgiving, so they brought their son and daughter in law who were visiting with them. They brought us icecream and a suitcase full of paper and pens. They sang with us and then left.
The third time was the first where we actually had power, so Sister James brought out her keyboard. Her FUNCTIONAL keyboard. We got to sing with the piano and the chimes and everybody knew the words. It was great.
After the 2nd week, Elder and Sister James started taking some of the older kids to the Church for the combined choir practice. The boys would ride their bikes, but the girls rode in the car. I went with them about 2 weeks before I left and then just kept going.
Elder and Sister James are Public Affairs missionaries. There is 1 couple assigned to countries where the Church isn't very big. They meet important people and just make friends with people of influence to give the Church a good rep.
Sister James seems to be a classically trained singer. It's so funny to watch her conduct the Khmer group. She beats each beat with so much force, trying to hold them to the beat. It's quite a feat, what they're doing. The Church in Cambodia has never done a Christmas Concert before. Everyone was excited. They brought in costumes so they could do a little live nativity presentation. All the members around Phnom Penh were involved. There was the Vietnamese Branch, the branch in the suburbs, the international branch, all the missionaries. Most of the music was sung in English at least in part. I found that to be true in singing with the kids. They know songs in Khmer, but they love singing the ones they know in English.
They sang Jingle Bells. I helped pass out little ribbons with bells on them for rehearsal. Everyone gets all excited and tries so hard to keep their bells from ringing when it's not time.
Botevy had Panith, one of the boys, draw a Nativity scene. All of the kids were to sign it and they were supposed to put it on the wall for people to see as they came into the chapel for the concert. After Panith made his drawing, we worked on a little Nativity of our own to put somewhere in CICFO.
The Church was all decorated with lights. Mission President Moon wasn't super happy about that, but everyone was really proud of it, so it stayed. They wound red ribbon up the stair rails. There were trees outside strung with lights. There was a Santa cut-out on the door.
The concert was on the 15th, so I wasn't able to go, but it was really fun to watch as a bunch of the members came together, and all of the senior missionary couples worked to make it a success.
They were supposed to come at 6. But they didn't. So the kids and I started singing. I brought my pennywhistle and so we were playing around a little. Theary wanted me to sing 'My Heart Will Go On'. I decided to put the words on the board and then they could sing and I'd be able to play.
The markers were running dry and the power went out soon after that. But the Missionaries where there then.
It set the stage for the rest of their visits. The power seemed to always go out right before they came.
I always had my uke with me, and I know just enough to play some sort of accompaniment.
The first time we just learned the words. We all stood together and sang under the battery powered light.
The Khmer don't keep time very well. American hymn-styles are very different than Khmer music. Their own music they do very well, but ours they have a really hard time with. It's strange.
We worked the second week for about half an hour before the James' got there. It was right before Thanksgiving, so they brought their son and daughter in law who were visiting with them. They brought us icecream and a suitcase full of paper and pens. They sang with us and then left.
The third time was the first where we actually had power, so Sister James brought out her keyboard. Her FUNCTIONAL keyboard. We got to sing with the piano and the chimes and everybody knew the words. It was great.
After the 2nd week, Elder and Sister James started taking some of the older kids to the Church for the combined choir practice. The boys would ride their bikes, but the girls rode in the car. I went with them about 2 weeks before I left and then just kept going.
Elder and Sister James are Public Affairs missionaries. There is 1 couple assigned to countries where the Church isn't very big. They meet important people and just make friends with people of influence to give the Church a good rep.
Sister James seems to be a classically trained singer. It's so funny to watch her conduct the Khmer group. She beats each beat with so much force, trying to hold them to the beat. It's quite a feat, what they're doing. The Church in Cambodia has never done a Christmas Concert before. Everyone was excited. They brought in costumes so they could do a little live nativity presentation. All the members around Phnom Penh were involved. There was the Vietnamese Branch, the branch in the suburbs, the international branch, all the missionaries. Most of the music was sung in English at least in part. I found that to be true in singing with the kids. They know songs in Khmer, but they love singing the ones they know in English.
They sang Jingle Bells. I helped pass out little ribbons with bells on them for rehearsal. Everyone gets all excited and tries so hard to keep their bells from ringing when it's not time.
The Church was all decorated with lights. Mission President Moon wasn't super happy about that, but everyone was really proud of it, so it stayed. They wound red ribbon up the stair rails. There were trees outside strung with lights. There was a Santa cut-out on the door.
The concert was on the 15th, so I wasn't able to go, but it was really fun to watch as a bunch of the members came together, and all of the senior missionary couples worked to make it a success.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The Cambodian Water festival
Bon Om Touk
That's what it is called. It isn't a celebration of the new year. It may be like that for other countries around Southeast Asia, but not here.
Here it is a grand celebration for the river that changes directions. It's the only river in the world that does so.
I wrote a little bit about it here in the ICHope Blog.
It's short, you can read that. I'm gonna use the same pictures, don't mind me.
So, like I said, the kids spent most of the day getting ready for it. I appeared at CICFO early-ish and figured we'd chill and watch a movie. Not so. I happened to appear while there was a Korean drama going on and those are not to be disturbed. And we didn't want to tire the children too much by having them watch a movie after the drama. They were to take a nap.
...oh...kay...
So we played card games for a bit. Pattica took the older children into one of the rooms and they prepared for the dancing. Not really sure what they were doing, I wasn't in there, but they burned incense sticks. I think they were talking about the history of the dances and/or the passing of the King Father.
Which is why the country didn't have a large celebration.
The country hasn't had a giant water festival in years. Why?
Well in 2010 a bridge collapsed and killed about 400 people. (source, Sophanuth) Apparently the CICFO kids (at least some of them) were very close to the bridge when it happened. Also- it didn't seem like a surprise. Sophanuth says that it looked like it was going to break. It wasn't like the Golden Gate crumbling. Not that it's questionable stability makes in any more or less tragic, I'm just making a note.
Because of the 2010 incident, they didn't hold a festival in 2011.
And now because the country is still in mourning from the death of the old king, there is not one in 2012.
*you know what, I may just put that on my bucket list...if I ever make one...which I probably won't. Why not make a bucket list? Because I plan on just doing things whether or not I expect to.*
But that doesn't mean there is no celebrating. Oh no. The Church celebrates alright. I'm pretty sure that every missionary in Cambodia was at this festival party thing.
So there was a talent show. And my kids were awesome. Hands down, the best. No competition.
I mean, there was that Elder who did some yo-yo tricks.
And then there were some other youth from one of the branches that did a fashion show.
it was more like a here-let-me-walk-down-the-stage-and-pose-3-times thing. odd.
Oooh, there was an adult dancing group that did a traditional peacock dance. That one was actually cool
(I have videos of all these things and I'll upload them sometime. I'll let you know when that is.)
There was this Elder who played the guitar and a sister sang and he did a traditional Khmer song. That was impressive in that our music cultures are so varied that it doesn't really work, but they did it anyway. And then they sang some hymns in Khmer.
But my kids did like 4 different dances and they all were awesome.
I was sitting in the front row with Young Young on my lap, taking videos.
The missionaries passed out food during the beginning of the performance. It was this can that looked like an energy drink but wasn't. It was basically enriched Vitamin C stuff. A pair of small green bananas. And then a sandwich with some cucumber, weird looking meat, and a small bag of julienne carrots and sour krout in that fish oil stuff. I don't know what it is really- probably should've asked- but they sell it in recycled glass bottles. It's slightly yellow and smells slightly of vinegar, but is thicker than that. They put carrots and peanuts in it and it's a spring-roll dip.
It's really good food, just takes some getting used to.
I did wear a dress to this event. The kids told me to. I knew better than to just assume at this point. I rode to the church with the kids in a tuk-tuk. 4 Adults, 7 kids, and 2 boxes of costume stuff. And on our way home we had 2 boxes of food as well.
Talk about sardines.
After the missionaries all sang 'I Am a Child of God' in Khmer, we left. The rest of the audience stayed. They turned their chairs around so that they were facing the chapel instead of the cultural hall. (I don't think I mentioned, the LDS Church-house is built just like the ones you envision. With a stage, and an overflow, and a choir loft, and folding tables under the stage, and basketball hoops inside.) They were going to watch a movie of some sort. We did not stay.
Once we got back to CICFO, Vanneth gave me some of the food to take to Yaya and Sunny. They had not made it to the celebration because they were with their mom, Botevy, who was still pretty sick.
I got rained on while I was heading home. Rain in Cambodia is like rain in Hawaii. It is sudden. Unlike Hawaii, it always pours. It's kinda funny. Everywhere you go there are street vendors, and they always have ponchos for a few hundred reil. I had one in the basket of my bike. When it started to rain, I put mine on, and the streets full of people kinda disappeared. Like they retreated. And then a few minutes later these people crop up with ponchos, traveling with momentum like they'd never stopped. Nobody was on the street for like 20 seconds and then all of the sudden everyone is appropriately dressed.
I still got wet though. And that's okay. It was the water festival.
That's that.
That's what it is called. It isn't a celebration of the new year. It may be like that for other countries around Southeast Asia, but not here.
Here it is a grand celebration for the river that changes directions. It's the only river in the world that does so.
I wrote a little bit about it here in the ICHope Blog.
It's short, you can read that. I'm gonna use the same pictures, don't mind me.
So, like I said, the kids spent most of the day getting ready for it. I appeared at CICFO early-ish and figured we'd chill and watch a movie. Not so. I happened to appear while there was a Korean drama going on and those are not to be disturbed. And we didn't want to tire the children too much by having them watch a movie after the drama. They were to take a nap.
...oh...kay...
So we played card games for a bit. Pattica took the older children into one of the rooms and they prepared for the dancing. Not really sure what they were doing, I wasn't in there, but they burned incense sticks. I think they were talking about the history of the dances and/or the passing of the King Father.
Which is why the country didn't have a large celebration.
The country hasn't had a giant water festival in years. Why?
Well in 2010 a bridge collapsed and killed about 400 people. (source, Sophanuth) Apparently the CICFO kids (at least some of them) were very close to the bridge when it happened. Also- it didn't seem like a surprise. Sophanuth says that it looked like it was going to break. It wasn't like the Golden Gate crumbling. Not that it's questionable stability makes in any more or less tragic, I'm just making a note.
Because of the 2010 incident, they didn't hold a festival in 2011.
And now because the country is still in mourning from the death of the old king, there is not one in 2012.
*you know what, I may just put that on my bucket list...if I ever make one...which I probably won't. Why not make a bucket list? Because I plan on just doing things whether or not I expect to.*
But that doesn't mean there is no celebrating. Oh no. The Church celebrates alright. I'm pretty sure that every missionary in Cambodia was at this festival party thing.
 |
| getting ready |
So there was a talent show. And my kids were awesome. Hands down, the best. No competition.
I mean, there was that Elder who did some yo-yo tricks.
And then there were some other youth from one of the branches that did a fashion show.
it was more like a here-let-me-walk-down-the-stage-and-pose-3-times thing. odd.
Oooh, there was an adult dancing group that did a traditional peacock dance. That one was actually cool
(I have videos of all these things and I'll upload them sometime. I'll let you know when that is.)
There was this Elder who played the guitar and a sister sang and he did a traditional Khmer song. That was impressive in that our music cultures are so varied that it doesn't really work, but they did it anyway. And then they sang some hymns in Khmer.
But my kids did like 4 different dances and they all were awesome.
I was sitting in the front row with Young Young on my lap, taking videos.
The missionaries passed out food during the beginning of the performance. It was this can that looked like an energy drink but wasn't. It was basically enriched Vitamin C stuff. A pair of small green bananas. And then a sandwich with some cucumber, weird looking meat, and a small bag of julienne carrots and sour krout in that fish oil stuff. I don't know what it is really- probably should've asked- but they sell it in recycled glass bottles. It's slightly yellow and smells slightly of vinegar, but is thicker than that. They put carrots and peanuts in it and it's a spring-roll dip.
It's really good food, just takes some getting used to.
I did wear a dress to this event. The kids told me to. I knew better than to just assume at this point. I rode to the church with the kids in a tuk-tuk. 4 Adults, 7 kids, and 2 boxes of costume stuff. And on our way home we had 2 boxes of food as well.
Talk about sardines.
After the missionaries all sang 'I Am a Child of God' in Khmer, we left. The rest of the audience stayed. They turned their chairs around so that they were facing the chapel instead of the cultural hall. (I don't think I mentioned, the LDS Church-house is built just like the ones you envision. With a stage, and an overflow, and a choir loft, and folding tables under the stage, and basketball hoops inside.) They were going to watch a movie of some sort. We did not stay.
Once we got back to CICFO, Vanneth gave me some of the food to take to Yaya and Sunny. They had not made it to the celebration because they were with their mom, Botevy, who was still pretty sick.
I got rained on while I was heading home. Rain in Cambodia is like rain in Hawaii. It is sudden. Unlike Hawaii, it always pours. It's kinda funny. Everywhere you go there are street vendors, and they always have ponchos for a few hundred reil. I had one in the basket of my bike. When it started to rain, I put mine on, and the streets full of people kinda disappeared. Like they retreated. And then a few minutes later these people crop up with ponchos, traveling with momentum like they'd never stopped. Nobody was on the street for like 20 seconds and then all of the sudden everyone is appropriately dressed.
I still got wet though. And that's okay. It was the water festival.
That's that.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
quick post
hi.
so I'm afraid the power is going to go out...because it has very frequently for the past 12 days. always at the most inconvenient times.
Anyway I have stuff to say, but I don't want to say it here because....well the power WILL go out at some point....either that or just the internet. I can't decide which one I'd rather.
so I'm updating the ICHope blog and you should just look at that one because 3 of the kids got baptized this week and that's what I'm talking about on that one....as soon as I get these pictures uploaded....as long as the power doesn't go out.
on a side note, here is something that made me laugh today.
my friend is looking for someone to teach in Korea starting in January and some guy asked her if it was South Korea. No, they want you to come teach in North Korea. Really people?!?!?!? Come ON.
have a great day!
so I'm afraid the power is going to go out...because it has very frequently for the past 12 days. always at the most inconvenient times.
Anyway I have stuff to say, but I don't want to say it here because....well the power WILL go out at some point....either that or just the internet. I can't decide which one I'd rather.
so I'm updating the ICHope blog and you should just look at that one because 3 of the kids got baptized this week and that's what I'm talking about on that one....as soon as I get these pictures uploaded....as long as the power doesn't go out.
on a side note, here is something that made me laugh today.
my friend is looking for someone to teach in Korea starting in January and some guy asked her if it was South Korea. No, they want you to come teach in North Korea. Really people?!?!?!? Come ON.
have a great day!
Friday, November 2, 2012
the Spencers
Elder and Sister Spencer are the senior missionary couple that has been serving in and around Phnom Penh for 2 years. I first met Elder Spencer when he came at the beginning of the dance party that we held for the kids right before Natalie left. He is like a grandfather to all the kids. He brought us blow-pops. How long has it been since you've had a blow-pop?
I met Sister Spencer later at church. I noticed her because I could hear her singing the alto part and nobody here sings alto. We're a melody-only culture when it comes to Church Hymns. I was playing for sacrament, and she asked, when we were introduced, if I would play the piano for her in Primary. Since then I've been primary pianist.
We didn't hold school on Thursday because the kids were preparing to dance for the Spencer's dinner event. It was Elder Spencer's birthday, but also their going-away party since they leave on the 10th. We were all invited and Botevy told me to be at the orphanage at 5pm so I could take a tuktuk with the kids.
I did, and we went on a nice drive, through a park with monkeys, to a really fancy American hotel near the King's Palace.
We all waited in one of the rooms while the dancers got into their costumes.
When it was time for dinner, we all filed into the big hall where the buffet style dinner was served.
There was a man there with a block LED light that he held for the photographers. There were very many people in attendance. There were too many forks and spoons and everyone was dressed to the nines.
There was a small chamber groups comprised of a 'piano', violin, and clarinet. It was nice to hear music I recognized.
Well, nobody told me this was a black-tie event, so I was wearing yogapants. But let's be glad it was that and not my florescent pink ones.
The food was incredible. Duck Curry, and octopus something, and raw salmon in lime juice and a soup bar and roast beef that was *extremely* undercooked, which I stayed far away from.
Young Young commandeered my camera, for most of the evening. Sophanuth took it near the end. It's fun to have 5 year olds take your pictures, they always focus on what they see as important. I got a lot of up-side-down self portraits.
The kids danced and maybe I'll get one of those videos up someday. There was more cake, there were adorable children....and I feel like everyone took every possible opportunity they could to tickle me.
I met Sister Spencer later at church. I noticed her because I could hear her singing the alto part and nobody here sings alto. We're a melody-only culture when it comes to Church Hymns. I was playing for sacrament, and she asked, when we were introduced, if I would play the piano for her in Primary. Since then I've been primary pianist.
We didn't hold school on Thursday because the kids were preparing to dance for the Spencer's dinner event. It was Elder Spencer's birthday, but also their going-away party since they leave on the 10th. We were all invited and Botevy told me to be at the orphanage at 5pm so I could take a tuktuk with the kids.
I did, and we went on a nice drive, through a park with monkeys, to a really fancy American hotel near the King's Palace.
We all waited in one of the rooms while the dancers got into their costumes.
When it was time for dinner, we all filed into the big hall where the buffet style dinner was served.
There was a man there with a block LED light that he held for the photographers. There were very many people in attendance. There were too many forks and spoons and everyone was dressed to the nines.
There was a small chamber groups comprised of a 'piano', violin, and clarinet. It was nice to hear music I recognized.
Well, nobody told me this was a black-tie event, so I was wearing yogapants. But let's be glad it was that and not my florescent pink ones.
The food was incredible. Duck Curry, and octopus something, and raw salmon in lime juice and a soup bar and roast beef that was *extremely* undercooked, which I stayed far away from.
The kids danced and maybe I'll get one of those videos up someday. There was more cake, there were adorable children....and I feel like everyone took every possible opportunity they could to tickle me.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
for some
Forgive me as I attempt to put personal thoughts into words. It does not come easily.
Doctrine and Covenants 46 talks about gifts of the Spirit.
11- For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
12- To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
Much of the remaining section is devoted to a list of Spiritual Gifts.
McKae and I watched the Footloose remake today. Ariel bugs me. McKae asked me why and I decided that it was because she is one of those girls who is so beautiful and knows that she can pull tons of crap, and it's okay because she mostly gets what she wants from the men in the story. It just bugs me okay.
Later we were talking about people and came upon an idea that some people are just blessed to be incredibly beautiful. To the point that you're wondering 'How are you even human?? Humans have perceptible flaws.'
Here is an idea that I've been ruminating on: McKae is sick. She has been sick for a while and it's hard. I'm not sick. My energy levels haven't been significantly reduced. I haven't felt incapacitating pain. Natalie and McKae both experienced physical pain while they were here. For the most part, I've been well.
I think I'd add 'drop dead gorgeousness' to the list of heavenly endowed gifts; not mine, I can't get my life to work out because I'm cute. Do you think physical strength would be added to this list? Absolutely. Look at the scriptures, there are so many examples where God has endowed His children with strength.
I'm not ripped and I'm not asking to be numbered with the stripling warriors. But simply the juxtaposition of incredible people whose bodies take an incredible toll and a body that takes it in stride has helped me realize that I am strong. I wasn't suddenly given strength when I arrived in Cambodia; this isn't really new. I suppose that I've been strong for a while. I wasn't always.
My body is strong. Great. Why? D&C 46:12 says: "To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby."
What profit is it for McKae to be so ill she has been unable to leave our room on some days? We can't fulfill a commitment, who does that profit? What profit is there for 1 teacher when the kids were expecting 2? And finally, who will it profit when she leaves on Tuesday?
I've been assured that, if there is anyone in the world who could do this on their own, it's me. When asked if I'll be able to handle things on this end, my answer was 'We'll see'.
That, my dear, is the best I can do. I cannot see the future. If I could, I don't know if I would have had the courage to come. I will try, but there isn't really a litmus test for this kind of thing. I'm not excited to be without my companion here, but watching her pain for the past few weeks takes it's toll as well and I look forward to her comfort.
It is said that a person's character is defined by what their thoughts are when no one is around. What do you do when nobody is watching?
While I am probably more watched here than I have ever been in my life, I think this will prove to be an extremely enlightening experience. The challenge will be not to feel completely alone. I'm not. I know I'm not.
Knowing and feeling are separate things.
For some, an awaited opportunity is experienced only in part and then is seemingly withdrawn. For some, an announcement is given to change life's course. For some it is given to watch powerlessly as someone struggles far from you. For some, the strength to carry on is given when there is none other to take the responsibility.
Somehow, all will profit. I think I'll go look up 'profit' in Church literature. I'm afraid the indended definition is different than my own.
Doctrine and Covenants 46 talks about gifts of the Spirit.
11- For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
12- To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.
Much of the remaining section is devoted to a list of Spiritual Gifts.
McKae and I watched the Footloose remake today. Ariel bugs me. McKae asked me why and I decided that it was because she is one of those girls who is so beautiful and knows that she can pull tons of crap, and it's okay because she mostly gets what she wants from the men in the story. It just bugs me okay.
Later we were talking about people and came upon an idea that some people are just blessed to be incredibly beautiful. To the point that you're wondering 'How are you even human?? Humans have perceptible flaws.'
Here is an idea that I've been ruminating on: McKae is sick. She has been sick for a while and it's hard. I'm not sick. My energy levels haven't been significantly reduced. I haven't felt incapacitating pain. Natalie and McKae both experienced physical pain while they were here. For the most part, I've been well.
I think I'd add 'drop dead gorgeousness' to the list of heavenly endowed gifts; not mine, I can't get my life to work out because I'm cute. Do you think physical strength would be added to this list? Absolutely. Look at the scriptures, there are so many examples where God has endowed His children with strength.
I'm not ripped and I'm not asking to be numbered with the stripling warriors. But simply the juxtaposition of incredible people whose bodies take an incredible toll and a body that takes it in stride has helped me realize that I am strong. I wasn't suddenly given strength when I arrived in Cambodia; this isn't really new. I suppose that I've been strong for a while. I wasn't always.
My body is strong. Great. Why? D&C 46:12 says: "To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby."
What profit is it for McKae to be so ill she has been unable to leave our room on some days? We can't fulfill a commitment, who does that profit? What profit is there for 1 teacher when the kids were expecting 2? And finally, who will it profit when she leaves on Tuesday?
I've been assured that, if there is anyone in the world who could do this on their own, it's me. When asked if I'll be able to handle things on this end, my answer was 'We'll see'.
That, my dear, is the best I can do. I cannot see the future. If I could, I don't know if I would have had the courage to come. I will try, but there isn't really a litmus test for this kind of thing. I'm not excited to be without my companion here, but watching her pain for the past few weeks takes it's toll as well and I look forward to her comfort.
It is said that a person's character is defined by what their thoughts are when no one is around. What do you do when nobody is watching?
While I am probably more watched here than I have ever been in my life, I think this will prove to be an extremely enlightening experience. The challenge will be not to feel completely alone. I'm not. I know I'm not.
Knowing and feeling are separate things.
For some, an awaited opportunity is experienced only in part and then is seemingly withdrawn. For some, an announcement is given to change life's course. For some it is given to watch powerlessly as someone struggles far from you. For some, the strength to carry on is given when there is none other to take the responsibility.
Somehow, all will profit. I think I'll go look up 'profit' in Church literature. I'm afraid the indended definition is different than my own.
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