sometimes it's good to take a moment and reflect back on the last year... to see all the changes..... all the experiences.... all the travels.... all the people.... that have impacted your life and just be thankful for the good times and the bad times.
to all of you who have touched my life this last year - THANK YOU!
i was reminded in church this morning that GOD doesn't need you and me to fulfill his plan - his plan is not contingent upon us.... but he wants us to be a part of his plan and he invites us to participate.
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt,
Who am I?
That the Bright and Morning Star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart,
Not because of who I am,
But because of what You've done,
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who You are,
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind,
Still You hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling,
And You've told me who I am.. I am Yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin,
Would look on me with love,
and watch me rise again,
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me,
Not because of who I am,
But because of what You've done,
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who You are,
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind,
Still You hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling,
And You've told me who I am...
I am Yours, I am Yours.
I am Yours,
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
'Cause I am Yours,
I am Yours.
by Casting Crowns
2.10.05
yuki = amy
not quite sure how i can explain what happened here..... it does involve my crazy suitemate, kacki, as well as my very limited japanese, which wasn't questioned by this good-hearted fireman. :)
life in vermont.....
well, folks.... it's been too long, i know.... i would love to say that my excuse is that i'm hitting the books and trying to be as studious as possible.... however, that is not quite the truth. the truth is that it's hard to get back into "study" mode... tackle all the wonderful reading assignments and get a head start on all the various papers and books. one of my suitemates is fresh out of college and let me tell you... that girl studies! she doesn't stop and she is making me feel like a slacker.... i had to set her straight though and tell her that if she wasn't going to slow down she was going to give me an ulcer just by being around her. so the deal is that several of us "older" folks will try to slow her down and remind her to have fun and she'll keep us on our toes in regards to studying.... sigh.... i love being back in school.
"stop the war - promote peace" demonstration
so, admittedly, this is a new experience for me...an important one, i think :) .... several of us decided to head down to the local brattleboro peace demonstration in support of the large demonstration in washington, d.c. that many of us weren't able to attend.... it was my first demonstration.... i can't remember having attended one in holland or for that matter actually having ever really seen one in holland, mi. indeed there were only about 35 of us down there.... and besides the occasional raised middle finger or upside down peace symbol, people honked and gave us an encouraging thumbs-up. needless to say.... it was a whole new experience for this midwestern girl! hahaha.... no worries.... at this point i don't plan on bringing these skills back to holland, though perhaps i should...
"stop the war - promote peace" demonstration
so, admittedly, this is a new experience for me...an important one, i think :) .... several of us decided to head down to the local brattleboro peace demonstration in support of the large demonstration in washington, d.c. that many of us weren't able to attend.... it was my first demonstration.... i can't remember having attended one in holland or for that matter actually having ever really seen one in holland, mi. indeed there were only about 35 of us down there.... and besides the occasional raised middle finger or upside down peace symbol, people honked and gave us an encouraging thumbs-up. needless to say.... it was a whole new experience for this midwestern girl! hahaha.... no worries.... at this point i don't plan on bringing these skills back to holland, though perhaps i should...
18.9.05
the constant gardener
one of the most riveting, powerful, moving, heart-wrenching movies i have seen in a long time!! a must see... it has a little of everything in it... i promise you that it will leaving you deeply impacted... plus the cinematography is phenomenol!!! www.theconstantgardener.com
14.9.05
OB1
so, i'm currently in a two week intensive class called 'organizational behavior' (aka OB1).... it's all about group work, multicultural work teams, conflict, goals, etc.... actually very fascinating stuff.... our class (one of 6 sections) has been subdivided and i'm in a group of 5 fun people.... PeiHui from China, Yaser from Palestine, Krissy from Tennessee, Lorien from Connecticut, and me.
today's class activity & homework?? "socialize"
each group was assigned to "socialize".... i mean how often does that happen?? we were given the whole afternoon class session - 1:30-5:00pm to hang out for however long we wished....
so, we went apple picking .... :) can't beat that class!!
today's class activity & homework?? "socialize"
each group was assigned to "socialize".... i mean how often does that happen?? we were given the whole afternoon class session - 1:30-5:00pm to hang out for however long we wished....
so, we went apple picking .... :) can't beat that class!!
13.9.05
bowling balls & moose calls...
tonight, life in vermont has consisted of bowling balls & moose calls.....
not sure of what a moose sounds like?? check out: http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/sound.htm
it was with great anticipation that 5 of us headed into the bowling alley tonight to check out the local talent. 70 points later (yes, that's 10 points above my average!!), 1 thumb stuck in a bowling ball, and 1 ball dropped backwards (i swear the thing was greasy!!), we decided to go moose calling.
as we skirted through the woods on dirtroads, we intently looked for the big, bulking creatures.... to our disappointed the evening consisted of seeing only one red fox. however, the highlight of the evening was when khaki, my dear suitemate, insisted that we give a sample of our moose calls before getting out of the car. the ensemble was quite amazing... not to mention accompanied by much laughter!
tonight, perhaps, the local moose will talk about those strange noises coming down the road....
not sure of what a moose sounds like?? check out: http://www.smouse.force9.co.uk/sound.htm
it was with great anticipation that 5 of us headed into the bowling alley tonight to check out the local talent. 70 points later (yes, that's 10 points above my average!!), 1 thumb stuck in a bowling ball, and 1 ball dropped backwards (i swear the thing was greasy!!), we decided to go moose calling.
as we skirted through the woods on dirtroads, we intently looked for the big, bulking creatures.... to our disappointed the evening consisted of seeing only one red fox. however, the highlight of the evening was when khaki, my dear suitemate, insisted that we give a sample of our moose calls before getting out of the car. the ensemble was quite amazing... not to mention accompanied by much laughter!
tonight, perhaps, the local moose will talk about those strange noises coming down the road....
12.9.05
i really am still out here....
hey folks,
i haven't forgotten.... i'm just trying to shift over to class mode.... will be back asap.... don't forget about me!!
6.9.05
tie-dye, hemp necklaces, dreds, birks, ...
suppose i come back to michigan with dreds, a tie-dye shirt, hairy legs, .... people seem a lot more "earthy" out here than back in michigan... hahahahahaha.... i actually find it quite fascinating. i might actually have to dig out my birkenstocks... and buy some trailmix.
well, i've arrived safely and in one piece in vermont. my school, i kid you not, overlooks mountains and forests... is tucked away on dirt roads.... the amazing thing is that these woods draw people from all over in the world.... today alone, i've met folks from ethiopia, krygystan, japan, china, bolivia, kenya, indonesia, serbia, .... and we all want to make this world a better place... ;)
anyway.... it's back to nametag days.... i've made it through my first day of orientation (incl. a spanish language placement test!) in one piece.... though my mind is fried and i'm on information-overload of sorts. i'm living right in the international center... in a suite of 4 rooms.... it's actually really nice, although it's back to dorm style living....
well, i'm rambling with nothing concrete to say... think i'll take my camera for a walk!!! this place is SOOOOOO similar to sweden!! i can't believe it.... (and for those of us holsby-survivors... i have found the bell.... they use a similar thing here to call to attention 230+ students)
hope you guys are all well!!!
well, i've arrived safely and in one piece in vermont. my school, i kid you not, overlooks mountains and forests... is tucked away on dirt roads.... the amazing thing is that these woods draw people from all over in the world.... today alone, i've met folks from ethiopia, krygystan, japan, china, bolivia, kenya, indonesia, serbia, .... and we all want to make this world a better place... ;)
anyway.... it's back to nametag days.... i've made it through my first day of orientation (incl. a spanish language placement test!) in one piece.... though my mind is fried and i'm on information-overload of sorts. i'm living right in the international center... in a suite of 4 rooms.... it's actually really nice, although it's back to dorm style living....
well, i'm rambling with nothing concrete to say... think i'll take my camera for a walk!!! this place is SOOOOOO similar to sweden!! i can't believe it.... (and for those of us holsby-survivors... i have found the bell.... they use a similar thing here to call to attention 230+ students)
hope you guys are all well!!!
2.9.05
questionable....
dreams... aren't they supposed to be an outworking of our deeper thoughts and fears? processing life?
i guess i'm dreading going back to school more than i want to admit.
dream: i'm back in an undergraduate program, it's exam week, and i'm trying to frantically pack and get ready to move back home.... in the meantime, i'm ignoring 5 exams (math, english, spanish, economics, and some other class). it's a thursday night and exams are all due on friday... to my dismay, i realize that i'm starting a little late (DUH!!) on massive writing assignments, tests, readings, etc. i prepare myself for an all-nighter... sitting down at the computer and staring at a blank screen is kind of scary, so i start soliciting help.... i ask my mom to pre-read something, rodrigo to give me the imperfect tense of a spanish report, economics is left on the side, i start tackling a nine page paper, reasoning all the while that my professors are reasonable people and that i can turn my work in after the weekend.... the worst part of the dream wasn't that they weren't available to help me, but that i kept thinking that people would know that i couldn't have possibly finished the work on my own by friday.... a dream about procrastination, doing the right thing, being accountable for my own work....
in the meantime, now that i have woken up, i do realize that i'm trying to pack, i've neglected my grad school readings.... and several other things.... sigh.... if that isn't a sign to get going....
alright.... so, sunday morning i start my two day drive to vermont... please keep me in your prayers. i'll try to be not so blog-silent .....
i guess i'm dreading going back to school more than i want to admit.
dream: i'm back in an undergraduate program, it's exam week, and i'm trying to frantically pack and get ready to move back home.... in the meantime, i'm ignoring 5 exams (math, english, spanish, economics, and some other class). it's a thursday night and exams are all due on friday... to my dismay, i realize that i'm starting a little late (DUH!!) on massive writing assignments, tests, readings, etc. i prepare myself for an all-nighter... sitting down at the computer and staring at a blank screen is kind of scary, so i start soliciting help.... i ask my mom to pre-read something, rodrigo to give me the imperfect tense of a spanish report, economics is left on the side, i start tackling a nine page paper, reasoning all the while that my professors are reasonable people and that i can turn my work in after the weekend.... the worst part of the dream wasn't that they weren't available to help me, but that i kept thinking that people would know that i couldn't have possibly finished the work on my own by friday.... a dream about procrastination, doing the right thing, being accountable for my own work....
in the meantime, now that i have woken up, i do realize that i'm trying to pack, i've neglected my grad school readings.... and several other things.... sigh.... if that isn't a sign to get going....
alright.... so, sunday morning i start my two day drive to vermont... please keep me in your prayers. i'll try to be not so blog-silent .....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
