tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19182160531467631902023-11-16T03:14:54.011-08:00Julie at StanfordJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-33822378673099401572009-11-06T14:32:00.001-08:002009-11-06T15:13:48.257-08:00Stanford Duck SyndromeI so often feel like I don't belong here. Almost every day that thought crosses my mind that I shouldn't be at Stanford with all of these super-smart people. Not only are they smart, but they have all already done such cool things in life - internships with the best companies, patent applications, volunteer work, and research. AND they're articulate, social, and fit right into the physically fit, healthy-eating California lifestyle. They have already read ahead in the textbook and are able to correct the professor if he makes an error while writing on the board in class. They can ask well-worded thoughtful questions at the end of a presentation. They all seem so confident and self-assured. In short, they've got their "sh**" together. I do not have it all together!<br /><br />However, there is a diagnosis for these feelings I am having. The Stanford Duck Syndrome. I look around at everyone - well-dressed, put together, and on top of their game and I feel inferior. How is it that for everyone else this stuff is effortless but for me it's such an intense struggle? The secret truth is, everyone is struggling. The image of ducks on a pond is the perfect illustration for this discrepancy between perception and reality. While ducks appear to glide easily along the surface of the water, beneath the surface they are paddling like heck. <br /><br />I recently experienced this in my thermodynamics class. I have felt so intimidated all quarter. As I feverishly copy down the notes during class, trying to sort of understand where the professor is going, other students are knowledgeable and smart enough to correct him or ask really advanced questions. Then my midterm came - the one I compared to entering the ring as Rocky in my previous post. Then, faithful readers, the midterm <span style="font-style:italic;">grades</span> came. Did I get my butt kicked by the test? No. I did really well on the midterm! - top of the class in fact. How can that be? Well, maybe I know more than I give myself credit for. Maybe the other kids don't know quite as much as I give them credit for (I give them a lot of credit!) Or maybe by the grace of God I did well on this midterm. I think all three statements are probably true, but the last one is the real reason I did well on this test.<br /><br />I could launch into a whole discussion about the evils of comparing yourself to others but I'll keep it brief. My value and worth as a person cannot be found in the perceptions of others, in grades, physical fitness, or in the number of facebook friends I have (467 actually). My true worth is given to me by God in my identity as His beloved child. That He loved me so much to pay the price for my sins on the cross so that I could be forgiven is the sweetest truth, the best news that I could ever hear. <br /><br />And though I'll probably still be the one duck that paddles a little crooked and struggles a little more than the other ducks, the fact that we're all paddling toward a common goal of learning and causing positive change in the world totally changes the way I see Stanford. I'm able to say "Ok, what can I learn from all of the amazing peers I have? What can they learn from me? What can we all do <span style="font-style:italic;">together</span> to change the world? And thank you God for this amazing opportunity and phase of my life."Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-44571374624207204662009-10-30T14:02:00.000-07:002009-10-30T15:02:59.496-07:00We're not in undergrad anymore...I just finished my first round of Stanford midterms. I had a linear algebra test Monday and a thermodynamics test this morning. This morning while biking to class to take my midterm, I had the song "Eye of the Tiger" in my head. When I started to think about it though, the Rocky movies make a good analogy to midterms. I was heading into the ring against this midterm exam and odds were that I would get my butt kicked. Rocky usually went into the ring as the underdog as well. So did I get my butt kicked? By the grace of God, not really. It still wasn't great, but not horrible either.<br /><br />Now though I'm getting ready to have a fun, relaxing weekend with friends. So far in grad school I've been less worried about the perfecting the details of my classes than I was in undergrad. As a result I've been a lot more relaxed and I have spent a more time investing in friendships and Christian community.<br /><br />Well I'm going to go celebrate being done with tests by baking brownies and going shopping for the supplies I need for my halloween costume!Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-39383296106249969972009-09-20T16:51:00.000-07:002009-09-20T17:22:26.236-07:00Refurbished blog and updateThanks to anyone who still reads this! I took a break from writing over the summer but now I'm finally at Stanford for graduate school. I even refurbished the layout and put up a new picture to reflect my new environment and this new phase in my life.<br /><br />I had a great drive out here with my mom. We loaded up the corolla and started down highway I-43 at about 5am, Sept 5. Our trip was as follows:<br /><br />Day 1: drive from New Berlin to Denver, CO. This was a long and very boring drive, especially through Nebraska. It was so boring the only scenery I took pictures of was windmills and haystacks! We stayed with Patty, Tim, and their boys for the night.<br />Day 2: Spend quality time with Patty and Tim! Church and hiking.<br />Day 3: Drive to Colorado Springs to see Larry, Kathy, Joel, and Annie for another hike and a Labor Day barbecue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVV-DM71z35lJ0SyVBHjIa-uPDyVaPqgYlDwYnZ2iJ0uVJUX6VDZR9w_0W_8tA2yd7Nw35ltT2sLilxJNTl7yH7qMBWYTDeceTYQKLvrAxl8NmLvhqLGbHJ1WNiHXCsZME2ez-Iv5Xm44/s1600-h/AnnJulieLake1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVV-DM71z35lJ0SyVBHjIa-uPDyVaPqgYlDwYnZ2iJ0uVJUX6VDZR9w_0W_8tA2yd7Nw35ltT2sLilxJNTl7yH7qMBWYTDeceTYQKLvrAxl8NmLvhqLGbHJ1WNiHXCsZME2ez-Iv5Xm44/s400/AnnJulieLake1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383707974335152098" /></a><br /><br />Day 4: Drive Hwy 70 west through the mountains (scary!) and arrive at Arches National Park in Utah around midday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA49NkkGjZeMGW5gl4bX8cSq0vNX9DOuqTfBcPo6-ulAMcoabyrVTcxoazBfHFV37UAYHnhIbwG0nCzhVxtuyjf7SzlqOQUpWQqTmEdo9z6O9vVPDgP6SMJYIiRZ5n5g-C2MDc0GtZQvg/s1600-h/AnnJulieArch1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA49NkkGjZeMGW5gl4bX8cSq0vNX9DOuqTfBcPo6-ulAMcoabyrVTcxoazBfHFV37UAYHnhIbwG0nCzhVxtuyjf7SzlqOQUpWQqTmEdo9z6O9vVPDgP6SMJYIiRZ5n5g-C2MDc0GtZQvg/s400/AnnJulieArch1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383708130575685154" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_-BLsJnPxupkHtVGE10bEiGfU5S6YFUmMpibUpBwANh5hyphenhyphene4e5FsgUi_4hsS7vJ6ytSwP5P3FkMza9f3X8Kd6To7yH3hTWQbXFXbuEOQ70qNbGJAeUaWWCNN5ruFbwUOK6DCFdT6_D4/s1600-h/AnnJulieArch2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_-BLsJnPxupkHtVGE10bEiGfU5S6YFUmMpibUpBwANh5hyphenhyphene4e5FsgUi_4hsS7vJ6ytSwP5P3FkMza9f3X8Kd6To7yH3hTWQbXFXbuEOQ70qNbGJAeUaWWCNN5ruFbwUOK6DCFdT6_D4/s400/AnnJulieArch2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383708231116861650" /></a><br /><br />Finish the day by arriving in Las Vegas for the night.<br />Day 5: Final 9 hour trek up through a very boring California landscape until we reached Stanford around 6pm.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJf9YdHZ2GydqmfJIPtFifRlT2ZJZaMJwO0rSm7ItK6O-Fc89s27QNLTTeZDeL-ezgYLTR3LS9iYYx0EZA7iQrj2-vHvLAzYF60imqySO40Eh4RRrdZ7lB0OsaKXkxaDEPw52b1GPy_Fk/s1600-h/memorialchurch1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJf9YdHZ2GydqmfJIPtFifRlT2ZJZaMJwO0rSm7ItK6O-Fc89s27QNLTTeZDeL-ezgYLTR3LS9iYYx0EZA7iQrj2-vHvLAzYF60imqySO40Eh4RRrdZ7lB0OsaKXkxaDEPw52b1GPy_Fk/s400/memorialchurch1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383708472180082274" /></a><br />Stanford Memorial Church<br /><br />We moved in and met my roommates - one, Sharolyn, is chinese-born but went to high school and college in Canada. The other, Sonia, is U.S. born but lived most of her life and went to college in Ireland. It's fun talking about different social customs, language (variations of English) and culture. We get along really well and I'm so thankful for such nice roommies.<br /><br />Mom and I went on Saturday to see the golden gate bridge! It was so foggy! Afterward we went down to the Henry Cowell Redwoods state park to see some big trees and then went to Santa Cruz to see the beach, boardwalk, and sea lions! We had a great dinner overlooking the ocean.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQerwY3H0XxH3ASKQWJmc6OFZ-rJS0QvqXsHmGyZWWpYJ1-gI1e4Z19cXWoEvnYJoG2uYnK39NYvmxZK-oA1CJTd8F6wriGkR4PG9uihmX6OBiTDRJn-tMpFA2fv3v1xLw9YCjEUdMjqI/s1600-h/AnnJulieBridge_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQerwY3H0XxH3ASKQWJmc6OFZ-rJS0QvqXsHmGyZWWpYJ1-gI1e4Z19cXWoEvnYJoG2uYnK39NYvmxZK-oA1CJTd8F6wriGkR4PG9uihmX6OBiTDRJn-tMpFA2fv3v1xLw9YCjEUdMjqI/s400/AnnJulieBridge_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383708718880768306" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cjIB9VUWvcSEvgFkArniOSGl252-qJw_X9aPhU-j_vluV2K5F4AOG7TFMi6rgerjEk7iP7Vi5mZnWO65IRn17GBIm3CgN1mO2ac41hryXOjE3NlF5QkudeQncIA6fJee9IwnBiBRe1k/s1600-h/bigtrees2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cjIB9VUWvcSEvgFkArniOSGl252-qJw_X9aPhU-j_vluV2K5F4AOG7TFMi6rgerjEk7iP7Vi5mZnWO65IRn17GBIm3CgN1mO2ac41hryXOjE3NlF5QkudeQncIA6fJee9IwnBiBRe1k/s400/bigtrees2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383708951999429698" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oaYIpJT3xW-3Y5C0JQtr8fO6SKUoDdEvC55FhxRz8BrvC3N60fuHTAc9DGxuDDGyrpB6DKYouYczQJPpnWF8QzwA-G_Og0WioqTmysL6jFxO__jkQF_xOhrw3Verlxjs7lNFYmgZ81Q/s1600-h/boogie+sea+lion_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5oaYIpJT3xW-3Y5C0JQtr8fO6SKUoDdEvC55FhxRz8BrvC3N60fuHTAc9DGxuDDGyrpB6DKYouYczQJPpnWF8QzwA-G_Og0WioqTmysL6jFxO__jkQF_xOhrw3Verlxjs7lNFYmgZ81Q/s400/boogie+sea+lion_small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383709065905130402" /></a><br /><br />I'm so glad to finally be here after such a long week traveling. We even took some pictures on campus to celebrate finally being here! (Me of course in my new Stanford shirt!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseWZu-L0EoJfHLGxAlCC8tHdSP64zSwINRQHOtSeTRKuz06YJfSDKxYS_9WlfU9FFcN5LC8_SUoc8aPXWMMLo25jRE8D6WNd7U-ybh13t9BTYUIGRPfeotbPzNAteBb_DaJUr-E6rs9w/s1600-h/MomJulieCampus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseWZu-L0EoJfHLGxAlCC8tHdSP64zSwINRQHOtSeTRKuz06YJfSDKxYS_9WlfU9FFcN5LC8_SUoc8aPXWMMLo25jRE8D6WNd7U-ybh13t9BTYUIGRPfeotbPzNAteBb_DaJUr-E6rs9w/s400/MomJulieCampus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383709344823221682" /></a><br /><br />Soon I'll write about orientation week, my new friends (2 other Mechanical Engineers from Wisconsin!), and my first ever Division 1 football game as a student (see title picture for preview). <br /><br />My first day of class is tomorrow and I'm about to head off to a welcome barbecue put on by one of the Christian campus groups. They're promising food, volleyball, kickball, and good fellowship!<br /><br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-40535600320447361592009-05-14T09:14:00.001-07:002009-05-14T09:44:09.738-07:00LeavingI'm leaving my house here in an hour to go home to the states. My mamatica is out on an errand so I'm alone with my suitcases. She left a CD of Jesus Adrian Romero playing that I woke up to every morning when I FIRST stayed with her, with Justine on our trip in 2007. It's all very surreal.<br /><br />It's like I said to a student of mine after my last-ever class here a few days ago. He said how lucky I am to get to travel around and experience a different culture, and have friends in a different place - basically be part of two worlds. I said yes of course, thanks to God a million times for this experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But since I'm leaving I also reminded him of the negative side. My heart is in all different places and no matter where I am I'll always be missing people who are far away. I have a real family in the united states, but I also have people here who are (and even refer to themselves as) my mothers, aunties, brothers, sisters, and friends.<br /><br />Please pray for me and for Yanira, my mama tica, through this transition. <br /><br />The next time I post it will be from the U.S. of A. or as I now prefer to call them the EEUU (Estados Unidos) <br /><br />Here's a picture we took after my last youth group on Saturday night:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5FslV8Z8adF9W2O3FKW_9DDi3rPl51G999f4Ef8GaUq1fUgtJKOwGypWEabg11xydL8eaM3IWN7ftY-liE9EN9D7IPBIpuQ62blgPFg53ljerkzY85inDuhvRb78QCUPTlmu67_ytBI/s1600-h/CR+despedidas+136.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5FslV8Z8adF9W2O3FKW_9DDi3rPl51G999f4Ef8GaUq1fUgtJKOwGypWEabg11xydL8eaM3IWN7ftY-liE9EN9D7IPBIpuQ62blgPFg53ljerkzY85inDuhvRb78QCUPTlmu67_ytBI/s400/CR+despedidas+136.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335718201681848610" /></a>Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-14646745862464770752009-05-07T12:44:00.000-07:002009-05-07T13:25:39.472-07:00The Thunder RollsHey everyone,<br /><br />The rainy season officially started over the weekend and it has poured every day since, like clockwork. Loud thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain coming down noisily on the tin roofs. During my classes at the project I can barely hear my students even though it's a one-on-one teaching environment. We're still saying "¿Cómo?" "¿Qué dijo?" (Huh? What did you say?) Also, umbrellas are suddenly "like gold", as Candace puts it. The best birthday present you could give someone with a May birthday is an umbrella! <br /><br />Also, Costa Rican supserstitions about water, getting wet, and things with temperature and feet are especially serious these days. Today Yanira told me that the waters of the first rains of the season are worse for your health than "normal" rainwater. She had a sniffle and said "Look! And I got my feet wet two days ago! These first rainstorms are dangerous for one's health." <br /><br />The weekend before last we went to a restaurant up on a nearby mountain. The road was in disrepair and I started to feel carsick from sitting in the back, going up switchbacks, and over so many bumps. I had a headache and didn't want to eat too much. Yanira scolded me saying it was my fault for having walked in the house without sandals the day before! If only it were that easy to avoid carsickness.<br /><br />I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but Costa Ricans have "allergies" to all kinds of things - clouds, wind, cold, onions, rain, etc. Anything that might make you sniffle. Our pastor has allergies to open windows and ceiling fans when we play cards. Today, Yanira prayed before breakfast as she always does and while praying for her sister she got teary. After the prayer she said "Look! Praying gave me allergies!"<br /><br />The rain also gives me another positive thought about going home. It's springtime in Wisconsin, whereas the summer here just ended. I will go from summertime to summertime and will have successfully dodged winter except for the months of rain at the start of my stay in CR and the month I spent in Wisconsin at Christmas.<br /><br />It's also kind of neat to think that I'm going through a similar life change along with everyone who will graduate high school or college this year. I know one year here is nothing like four years at a school, but it's neat that we're all marking off our final days, trying to make the most of our time, wrapping up final projects, and saying farewells. In my case it's trying to do one last act of service for people who have most impacted me while I've been here, and also get one last picture with them. I made raspberry bars for Nathalia and David, Aaron and Candace. I made a cheesecake for Steve and Georgiana and I'll be babysitting their kids tonight so they can go out on a date. This is really helping me focus on others and make the most of my time instead of dwelling on how sad I am to leave. I still need to do things/bake food for Flori and family, Jonathan and Amy, and Yanira and Fernando. I'm thinking white chocolate popcorn, potted plant, and a nice note for each group. What do you think?<br /><br />To help my transition, Yanira is having a party here at the house next Tuesday. I'm sure there will be dancing, food, and lots of laughing. You're all invited, for any that want to make the trip :)<br /><br />Talk to you soon, see some of you very soon!Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-4229700001064368742009-05-04T10:57:00.000-07:002009-05-04T11:33:32.658-07:00Slowing downFirst of all I want to give a shoutout to my uncle Jeff, who's birthday is today. Happy birthday Jeff!<br /><br />Now to continue with my post... My life is somewhat slowing down now that I'm the only intern at the project. It's not that I don't have things to keep me busy, but I'm used to going from one thing to the next all day, every day. This has its benefits and drawbacks. I am getting enough sleep and having time to read and relax when I'm not teaching. However I've also had a lot of time to dwell on leaving, and that makes me sad.<br /><br />Pastor Jorge already asked me to say a few words in church this Sunday, which will be my last Sunday here. I'm pretty nervous about forgetting my Spanish in front of everyone but even more nervous that I'll just start crying and it won't matter what language I remember. It kind of hit me in church yesterday, while I was thinking about how great the worship band sounds, that I won't be here in two weeks to enjoy it anymore. That soon I'm going to say final words of encouragement to my students, take take one last picture with everyone, and say goodbye for a long time.<br /><br />I know God will go with me though, and I know wherever I go He will be my joy and fulfillment in life. I can just look back at how hard I cried on Sept. 19, the night before my flight to Costa Rica to begin this whole adventure. I was crying and scared to begin what came be the best months of my life so far. God has certainly taken care of me and will not cease to do so, ever. <br /><br />A few pictures: <br /><br />Me and my Spanish teacher, Nuria:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqgbvPCwi0MbXnqcS2D1YdCJtgPmMbOZFxF9aWN1FtDlbjWs0XR4H-T2dYeWb4SpBdK7po_cTk4p_c7CoG7H2KTL5LBlg8JglbI1j6HfiUQb5kVbZoBc8ajr_m9vb-VmMy2iMRiztf4g/s1600-h/April+09+end+113.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqgbvPCwi0MbXnqcS2D1YdCJtgPmMbOZFxF9aWN1FtDlbjWs0XR4H-T2dYeWb4SpBdK7po_cTk4p_c7CoG7H2KTL5LBlg8JglbI1j6HfiUQb5kVbZoBc8ajr_m9vb-VmMy2iMRiztf4g/s400/April+09+end+113.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332037001394849986" /></a><br /><br /><br />Me and the Griffith family: Amy, Caia, and Jonathan:<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkJBVwgVW8VBVrAjkzIItfCqanKvMtUUCTesvtB0wklDRZ9pkaCuGb0L74kNpo_ypyyz2b3s4dHmv2WsHobAymxXUcYm4abvyDL4jsBAZK_bXrfFoNleX_hx6XgkiKe-nIDMkGkYHi3E/s1600-h/April+09+end+115.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkJBVwgVW8VBVrAjkzIItfCqanKvMtUUCTesvtB0wklDRZ9pkaCuGb0L74kNpo_ypyyz2b3s4dHmv2WsHobAymxXUcYm4abvyDL4jsBAZK_bXrfFoNleX_hx6XgkiKe-nIDMkGkYHi3E/s400/April+09+end+115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332037831838325138" /></a>Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-62737140540010202972009-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:002009-05-02T14:07:55.511-07:00Water update...So after updating last I called Nathalia and David to come and help me. David is very handy and has lots of tools. After having a good laugh at me for "destroying the house" David used a vicegrips to grip what was left of the valve top to open it. Once he opened it though, water started coming out the top of the valve! Definitely something that wasn't happening before. Looks like we now have TWO water leaks on our property. The valve is situated in a coffee-can-sized-hole in our driveway, and the hole quickly filled with murky water, making it impossible to see the ruined valve at the bottom. David was eventually able to situate it so that the valve is open for us to have water in the house but not too much water is coming out in the driveway. My job now is to fill all of our pots and pans with water, take a shower, and wash dishes quickly before attempting to close the valve and then heading off to church. I'm just thankful this wasn't the 12-foot geyser-type water leak that someone else on our street had a few weeks back.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-79726044978401669982009-05-02T12:10:00.001-07:002009-05-02T12:16:53.598-07:00Kind of funny but not really...My mama tica is gone for the weekend. We also have a water leak somewhere beneath our house. Because of this, we have to turn off the outside water valve whenever we're not using water. I just went outside to open it and as soon as I started trying to turn it the valve handle BROKE OFF! <br /><br />Ok Julie, you can handle this. You're a mechanical engineer. Just find a pliers or some vicegrips and you can open the valve using the little bit of handle left on there. No problem, right?<br /><br />I have just finished scouring the house for tools and I can report that about half of the tools we have are philips screwdrivers and the other half are <span style="font-style:italic;">machetes</span>! I'm going to call Steve Thomas to see what he can lend me and I'll let you all know soon how this water crisis pans out.<br /><br />There's something new and interesting every day, you know?Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-41232134408419980892009-04-30T10:54:00.000-07:002009-04-30T11:37:02.067-07:00Thankful to GodI only have two weeks left of my wonderful experience here in Costa Rica. I am very very sad to leave but God has indeed prepared me for this next step. I no longer think as I did two months ago that life would end may 14 when my plane lifted off from SJO.<br /><br />I've said this a few times now in conversation and I wanted to put it here too: I can honestly say that every single day of my time here, I have thanked God for my life and my work. I've never been this happy or felt so fulfilled. When I walk to the project every day and look west to the mountains, I marvel at what an awesome and powerful God we have. If God can make those gorgeous mountains, and the green plants growing down the sides of them, and the blue sky above, how much more can He take care of the things in my life, both big and little.<br /><br />This goes along with an anecdote that one of my math students shared in church a few months ago. It goes like this:<br /><br />God told a certain man to push a large boulder. The man obeyed God and started to push on the boulder but it wouldn't budge. The man remained obedient and kept pushing, even though his arms and legs grew weary in the struggle and sweat ran down his brow. After a time, the devil came to confront the man and asked what he was doing. The devil asked why he would continue to push on the boulder when it was clear he was too weak to accomplish the task. The man continued to push on the boulder but began to doubt God's instruction. Finally after a long struggle the man cried out to God, "Why do you have me here pushing this boulder? Can't you see that I'm took weak to move it? Why are you asking me to do things I can't even do?" God replied to the man, "Look at your arms and legs. Haven't they become strong from the work of pushing on the boulder? Look at how your self-discipline and determination have developed from the task I set you to." The man replied "But Lord, I haven't accomplished anything at all! I still can't move the boulder!" And at last God told the man, "It has never been your job to move the boulder. I am the one who will move the boulder. I am the one who provides the victory in this task and the reward to your work. It never asked you to <span style="font-style:italic;">move</span> the boulder - I asked you to dedicate yourself to pushing against it with all your might and trust in me. I asked for your obedience."<br /><br />I have felt like that a lot this year. In teaching my math classes I have had to fight for my students' education against all odds, against a culture that doesn't always emphasize hard work, discipline, punctuality, and high achievement in school. Against my students' own fears of math and lack of self-confidence. Against some horrible teaching and test administration on the part of the education system here. And even against history and low expectations. If Victor had already tried for 6 years to pass his exam and had failed the exam 6 times, why should things be any different during the 7th year and his 7th attempt? But as we found out last week, God was faithful and rewarded our work, Victor's work, and our faith in Him. God rewarded Brian and I for our obedience in coming here for the year to dedicate ourselves to the impossible task of teaching math and making a difference. It was never my job or my efforts that were going to get Victor to pass the exam. It was our all-powerful God who ultimately moved that giant boulder aside in his life. <br /><br />It is this same God who will be going with me back home for the summer, to Stanford in the fall, and wherever life takes me after that. If that isn't something to be thankful for, I don't know what is.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-61199525684164659252009-04-25T23:34:00.000-07:002009-04-26T00:11:30.887-07:00V-I-C-T-O-R-YDear faithful readers, <br /><br />I've written about 6 half-posts but I wasn't satisfied with any of them enough to post them. Apologies aside though, I have big news. Huge huge news....<br /><br />Victor, who has been my student here since September, finally passed his math exam to get his high school diploma! This is incredible. He has taken the exam and failed upwards of 7 times, enough that people stopped counting. He was the main person Brian and I both had in mind when we decided to come down for this year to teach math. He is our "project" if you will.<br /><br />Some background: Not having your GED here is a huge roadblock on life. A person can't get a decent-paying job, can't go on to college, and usually can't get a visa to visit other countries, namely the U.S. Without a U.S. visa it's really difficult even to travel to places like Europe, Asia, or Africa because so many flights pass through the U.S. Basically people are stuck between high school and the rest of life, already having finished high school classes but having failed the government exams needed to officially get their diploma.<br /><br />A bit about the exam: This is a comprehensive exam covering high school math, much of which is not "life-skills math". Algebra, Functions, Logarithms, Geometry, and Trigonometry are covered. How many of you remember how to find the volume of a sphere? How many of you know the domain of the tangent function? How many can find the equation of a line given one point and the equation of a perpendicular line? These are all test questions and things which are not easy to teach yourself at home from a book. People here aren't unintelligent, but they are in desperate need of instruction if they're going to pass this exam.<br /><br />Now a little bit about Victor. He makes an impression on everyone who meets him. I bet almost every volunteer who has come down to the project to serve even for just a few days remembers him. He is one of the most talented people I've ever met and has an unforgettable personality and passion for Christ. He wants to study theatre and possibly business in college and one day hopes to have his own theatre company. He has huge dreams to do theatre, dance, and other arts performances worldwide to share Jesus' love with peope wherever he goes. He's had invitations to attend theatre academies in other countries and been invited to do internships with different ministries in the United States. Before this week, all of those opportunities were blocked off by one thing - the high school math exam that he had yet to pass.<br /><br />Now I want to tell you all how victory on this exam was a miracle from God. The test is like any other standardized test, with a test booklet and a separate scantron answer sheet - you know, use a #2 pencil to fill in the bubbles. Anyways, for the government exam they let the test-takers leave with their test booklet, containing all of the questions, answer choices, and scratch work. Victor worked through the test booklet, indicating his answers, and at the end he filled in the corresponding bubbles on the answer sheet to turn in. After the exam he brought his test booklet to Brian and me to see how he'd done. We corrected his exam and gave him at best a score in the high 50's when a 70 is needed to pass. We were disappointed, but I remained optimistic, refusing to tell anyone that he'd failed. I just said I'm still optimistic and waiting for God to do a miracle. I said "Maybe God confused him between his question sheet and his answer sheet and he accidentally filled in some correct answers." After all, we're at the Abraham Project, where God has provided everything from the beginning and continues to take care of everyone on a daily basis. Why should we doubt him in something as small as a math test when he's provided construction materials and money, and even miraculous healing at all the right times? <br /><br />As it turns out, God did do the miracle in helping Victor pass his exam. And the best part about it is, God didn't leave any room for doubt that He was the one who accomplished this feat. If we had concluded from Victor's question sheet that he had passed, we could feel good about ourselves as teachers and Victor could feel proud as a student. As it is though, we can boast in nothing but Christ who gave all of us great victory over death and Hell and who answered our prayers to give us this small earthly victory over a math test. <br /><br />Praise God from whom all blessings flow!Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-24759073555519304602009-04-11T12:55:00.000-07:002009-04-11T13:06:14.178-07:00The InclineKevin and I are about to hike the Mt. Manitou Scenic Incline. It used to be a cog railway but now only the railroad ties remain, forming a set of stairs straight up the mountain. I just looked it up and the average grade is 41%! Yikes. It's supposed to be "like walking up stairs for a mile." You know what this means? I can eat jelly beans AND cheesecake tomorrow at Patty's.<br /><br />The trail is also on private property, so we will be trespassing... but it's also been called "the most trespassed trail in Colorado." It's not wrong if all of the other kids are doing it too, right mom? <br /><br />It snowed this morning so I'm going to go bundle up and meet this challenge :)<br />Here's a picture of the trail (the straight cleared path through the trees) :<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71KLt0u8j6w6-FXvC2Ua_M012pTO-xhUw4PNbEedTrIJzrnfkH2VhJL3J8NkPex-pSyzHMIyr_g0MC1NUehuTgMW-IDBQZeF9TEwN5VqyZSw45YJMPTBocwgmEWagPNcbyLaojwz55KU/s1600-h/incline24.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71KLt0u8j6w6-FXvC2Ua_M012pTO-xhUw4PNbEedTrIJzrnfkH2VhJL3J8NkPex-pSyzHMIyr_g0MC1NUehuTgMW-IDBQZeF9TEwN5VqyZSw45YJMPTBocwgmEWagPNcbyLaojwz55KU/s400/incline24.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323525284036465474" /></a>Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-26183596751603730962009-04-06T17:33:00.000-07:002009-04-06T17:54:01.685-07:00Renewing my VisaEvery 3 months I have to leave the country for a minimum of 72 hours in order to renew my visa in Costa Rica. If I don't, I become an illegal alien - not something I want. I don't think other governments are as friendly to illegal immigrants as the U.S. government is.<br /><br />I was originally thinking about taking the bus to Nicaragua or Honduras, which would be kind of scary to do alone and involve long hours on buses. Then for fun I checked flights to places where my family is located. I checked Atlanta first... way too expensive, sorry Dresdows. Then Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore, and finally, Denver. Who would've thought that flights from San Jose to Denver for Easter would start at $67 each way? That's as much as my bus to Honduras would cost.<br /><br />Well there ya go folks. After many online server errors and then spending an hour on the phone to straighten everything out, I have a super cheap trip to Denver from April 8-15 and I get to spend Easter with family - Larry, Kathy, Kevin, Anna, Tim, Patty, Noah, Kyle! Ha! I can't even believe I'll be stateside in two days, looking at snow-covered mountains instead of palm trees.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-7345490434537513972009-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:002009-04-05T19:36:28.879-07:00Briefest of updates...Happy Palm Sunday everyone! Hosanna in the highest.<br /><br />To summarize I'm working on a long post to cover the last two weeks of activities, teams, and visitors. In the meantime, since my friend Lauren is here for the month, her blog (www.onblueundercanvas.com) is a much better-written account of what I've been doing than anything I could come up with. She is also a professional photographer so there are some amazing pictures there as well.<br /><br />Here is a teaser of what I've been up to, in photos:<br /><br />Surfing in Jaco:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ia_GS7xFTAVhdXs6bBgsxIreuOcHlrZ32Bgk8J2F2BecKitv6SFS7NwFffuVY4Qw4YQu_s611PNs8jL5idUBt3YA94smbSmrWNefMMyyh-OIrxMNXdq1AH9oY6YVM4Fc4G9wq27lDA8/s1600-h/Picassa+4-1-09+(84).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ia_GS7xFTAVhdXs6bBgsxIreuOcHlrZ32Bgk8J2F2BecKitv6SFS7NwFffuVY4Qw4YQu_s611PNs8jL5idUBt3YA94smbSmrWNefMMyyh-OIrxMNXdq1AH9oY6YVM4Fc4G9wq27lDA8/s320/Picassa+4-1-09+(84).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321397006170319010" /></a><br /><br />Tortuga Island:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXgBbkmjW3tkyUndtvMO9EyjwlRnqpmowrkFmbcsDJ_Wh4irvB8nojNLKvFqewpqLOag0VGGpQ57c6HSIlkGInY_r4BGPwelf0GcmEXzt2ZzWfSKVnQ9CkZ2ZQS3GXduRWpJVF2xkmJo/s1600-h/Costa+Rica+199_edit.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXgBbkmjW3tkyUndtvMO9EyjwlRnqpmowrkFmbcsDJ_Wh4irvB8nojNLKvFqewpqLOag0VGGpQ57c6HSIlkGInY_r4BGPwelf0GcmEXzt2ZzWfSKVnQ9CkZ2ZQS3GXduRWpJVF2xkmJo/s320/Costa+Rica+199_edit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321399046590908722" /></a><br /><br />Sunset on the roof:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWgdfsI_LwmRJ4wMa5uUnQDqoOFuSOuvx8g4DZpkIq7XLmwPgZn6e0IzgvUfn1o1kl_O6jFwL3PypLo7HNP3WzGW5lBcGR38uQN0Kchpe-EBEJEB5kwCAAb51saKLsGfQzCAXX-Ao8zk/s1600-h/Picassa+4-1-09+(59).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghWgdfsI_LwmRJ4wMa5uUnQDqoOFuSOuvx8g4DZpkIq7XLmwPgZn6e0IzgvUfn1o1kl_O6jFwL3PypLo7HNP3WzGW5lBcGR38uQN0Kchpe-EBEJEB5kwCAAb51saKLsGfQzCAXX-Ao8zk/s320/Picassa+4-1-09+(59).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321397382311775746" /></a><br /><br />Rook!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7Kys_TAkzckUp1QH5p8X2rh9S339StEzy45LgjmX07y-RE9isforI25hMxXEI4RgYgxMkR_YGPpW8iayIGX6mbHauKeKRXt6b3oIco3p9qD3kN20fLClEkQ6JbBaIZlxut82VVYxtu4/s1600-h/Picassa+4-1-09+(30).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7Kys_TAkzckUp1QH5p8X2rh9S339StEzy45LgjmX07y-RE9isforI25hMxXEI4RgYgxMkR_YGPpW8iayIGX6mbHauKeKRXt6b3oIco3p9qD3kN20fLClEkQ6JbBaIZlxut82VVYxtu4/s320/Picassa+4-1-09+(30).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321397551902713938" /></a><br /><br />Take care, I hope everyone has a blessed Holy Week. Special note to family: I miss you even more than usual during holiday times like this! Love you guys.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-57789560408318128682009-03-14T22:46:00.000-07:002009-03-14T23:08:02.867-07:00New PhotosHi all,<br />First of all I want to draw your attention to new pictures that I posted on my Picassa album. There are pictures from February and March up until this morning. The pictures and their captions should fill in any stories or details I left out of my posts.<br />http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/BusyTimes#<br />Hope you enjoy!<br /><br />Here are some of my favorites:<br /><br />Chilling on the sidewalk in Cartago waiting for the bus to Irazu:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ5Acd7zre6ykMExdhyQURAvR-6nDvO_zsNFtKno2HZIuyqKB_MmbVtKwlwNmcVDo1pwh0q1nGtzh6GRKw2ocZjaFqxz7J55gdoLiHk9pHeFkdpEtnjmamUKxVHAmZno7kRL4GxnOtC0/s1600-h/Picassa+3-14-09+(96).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZ5Acd7zre6ykMExdhyQURAvR-6nDvO_zsNFtKno2HZIuyqKB_MmbVtKwlwNmcVDo1pwh0q1nGtzh6GRKw2ocZjaFqxz7J55gdoLiHk9pHeFkdpEtnjmamUKxVHAmZno7kRL4GxnOtC0/s320/Picassa+3-14-09+(96).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313289974353382434" /></a><br /><br />Horseback riding in La Fortuna:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKLPuphFItgghj5lYg8wkCJplqDUW9oJv23bQMofELACTCb0cxNRl33DTy95ryoK7wVeqaDZO0hz9lLqbT-zuGoCMOThBd0IuprCtR5r_Cx9MALH4QFaFpAfArkxjqXVqjxO9w1kLDFI/s1600-h/Picassa+3-14-09+(142).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKLPuphFItgghj5lYg8wkCJplqDUW9oJv23bQMofELACTCb0cxNRl33DTy95ryoK7wVeqaDZO0hz9lLqbT-zuGoCMOThBd0IuprCtR5r_Cx9MALH4QFaFpAfArkxjqXVqjxO9w1kLDFI/s320/Picassa+3-14-09+(142).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313290522377338002" /></a><br /><br />Arenal Volcano:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNs4WyiWAtcLkUlRIxu5i3xAghhfXeK0-AVoDXnkfWv92wepBOZtiknrS7VrEwz0SWzZAdVYxvqddv2UgdpvCg5Gj0SWxZWW5o_jKocM77R6Hyp7o3WvRdfxt7ntWaxCkivnXtR-NpOgE/s1600-h/Picassa+3-14-09+(153).JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNs4WyiWAtcLkUlRIxu5i3xAghhfXeK0-AVoDXnkfWv92wepBOZtiknrS7VrEwz0SWzZAdVYxvqddv2UgdpvCg5Gj0SWxZWW5o_jKocM77R6Hyp7o3WvRdfxt7ntWaxCkivnXtR-NpOgE/s320/Picassa+3-14-09+(153).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313290829540082482" /></a><br /><br />I also have a small achievement to report. When we went to the feeding program on Wednesday, Jonathan had me translate after lunch while Ronald shared his testimony with the group. I prayed before beginning and I know God helped me a lot because there were only 3 words I didn't know! Rosa even told me afterward that I did a really good job. The group was very moved by hearing about how God rescued Ronald from drug abuse and gangs to use him in the amazing Transformations ministry he has now. God can use absolutely ANYONE if they are obedient to his call. I have much more confidence translating after this experience and I'm so glad I took the chance to do it.<br /><br />The remaining two weeks of March will be verrrry busy. I'm currently exhausted from a week with the UGA team, who leave tomorrow. Monday and Wednesday of the coming week we have Joshua Expedition teams coming to the project. Tuesday I have a meeting with Steve and Georgiana and a lot of emails, phone calls, and organizing to catch up on. Wednesday through Friday I have Spanish classes. I also have to teach math every night of the week. Saturday a new team comes in for the following week as well as visitors Jon and Vincent. Lauren arrives Monday of that week to stay for a month making a documentary of the project.<br /><br />Hopefully I'll continue to post often but if I don't, at least you'll have some idea what I'm up to!<br /><br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-77417598016125225382009-03-09T16:23:00.000-07:002009-03-09T16:39:55.052-07:00A Few Random ThoughtsAuntie Barb suggested that I make my posts shorter and more frequent so this is my first try. I also want to take this time to send a shout out to my uncle Jeff in Madison, I know he reads this :)<br /><br />First of all lots of people ask me what I plan to do with my engineering degree. Pretty much every member of every group that visits the project asks me that. Also, all Costa Ricans think that because I've already got my bachelor's, I've got my life figured out. As Dwight from the office would say, "False!" The frank answer is I have no idea. I like teaching, but I really don't want to be a slave to research while trying to sneak in some meaningful teaching at the University level. I can't really see myself in a classroom of high-schoolers either - that seems terrifying. I like engineering, solving problems, and making things work better but I somehow can't see myself sitting behind a desk crunching numbers all day to make the perfect all-weather tire or ideal lawnmower for a big company. How does that benefit mankind? I usually answer them that I have a unique conglomerate of interests and talents and that I'll know the opportunity or niche God has for me when I see it. (I also think I used two SAT words in that last sentence.)<br /><br />Yesterday afternoon a group arrived from UGA Wesley. They're so far proving to be very hard workers and lots of fun. It's nice to have more college-age kids to hang out with who are at the same age-of-many-life-choices as I am. <br /><br />Brian's girlfriend and my good friend Rosa is also visiting right now. Yaaaay! We're keeping her busy with little outings and she's also helping with the team. Yanira is also thrilled to have another girl in the house, and one who can keep pace with her in Spanish! It's also great for me to have a close girlfriend to talk to who has known me for more than just a few months. That's one of the hardest things about being here for me - no other unmarried English-speaking girls to talk to. And let's face it, sometimes boys have about as much ability to sympathize as a tree stump. Ha. Don't tell them I said that.<br /><br />Alrighty well my best student Victor just arrived and even though we're both really tired from construction all day, he will learn sine, cosine, radians, and the unit circle today. Anyone else interested in signing up for classes?<br /><br />Love,<br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-21036205244657296932009-03-06T00:43:00.000-08:002009-03-06T00:55:48.594-08:00Always new experiencesAlright y'all (I think every other American volunteer is from the south and it's rubbed off), someone finally wrote “update your blog, woman!” on my facebook so… I oblige.<br />I will first fill in on my life lately and then backtrack to tell you about Panama and the Camp I went to.<br /><br />Last week there was a team here from Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church. It's the church of Steve Thomas's mom so it's especially exciting to have them here. They are focusing more on evangelism than the construction that most teams do. <br />We did a lot of children’s activities, including one for about 200 children in a squatter's village. It's basically a refugee camp of illegal Nicaraguans, El Salvadorians, and other impoverished people who build their houses out of scrap pieces. It's an area of extreme poverty with very high rates of drug use and prostitution, even among children. Here is a picture I discreetly took while trying not to get mugged for my camera:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL6bxXzrOjYa96LIinq5f2pTpUE0YynRrgQEmq15vnGWC-rJ-iUsaX9SVFApy0F1veCWu-hP2jGqMjClvZM0Tjea_s1mU9WZATsd3vemMGP0D3IQOpfVroKBRWBhu_wFNC0pSHmAgLaw/s1600-h/February+2009+215_30pct.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL6bxXzrOjYa96LIinq5f2pTpUE0YynRrgQEmq15vnGWC-rJ-iUsaX9SVFApy0F1veCWu-hP2jGqMjClvZM0Tjea_s1mU9WZATsd3vemMGP0D3IQOpfVroKBRWBhu_wFNC0pSHmAgLaw/s320/February+2009+215_30pct.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309995067382876898" /></a><br /><br />The activity included face painting, crafts, games, songs, a drama, and a Biblical message. I was translating and painting faces the whole time and helping out in the crafts area. I have to tell you all, I had a first-time experience: I painted a little red heart on a baby's face WHILE it was breastfeeding. Yep, you read that right. But what was I going to do when the mom saw I was painting children's faces and wanted her baby's face painted, nevermind that I had to paint like an inch away from … well, a nipple? It's a weird image but a good example of how in a different country and culture you end up doing things you'd never normally do - but in those situations you just do it with a smile on your face and the love of Jesus in your heart, tell the woman how beautiful her baby is, and then write all about it on your blog.<br /><br />Last Saturday we did an activity in a rehabilitation center for prostitutes. One member of the team from Franklin Crossroads shared her testimony about being sexually abused as a child, how her husband was put in jail for murder, and how shortly thereafter she had a miscarriage at 6 months. These are obviously really bad things to have happen in life, but I was so glad that she had a testimony that the recovering prostitutes could relate to. Most of us don’t. How condescending would it seem for the average North American woman to tell a room full of “used and abused” women that she could understand their suffering? It struck me how God uses these horrific parts of her past to actually arm or equip her to relate to other people in broken and horrible situations. After talking about how God can heal all wounds in our lives, we had a time for prayer and sharing. I met some absolutely incredible women, most of whom were products of their own mother’s prostitution and were abused or sold for sex as children, only to continue that life through adulthood. Now, because of the rehabilitation center they have learned about Jesus and begun to heal emotionally and spiritually while they leave behind their past and (with much help from the center) pursue new training or vocations. As a side note we also did a craft with them to make purses out of two handkerchiefs. They were so cool! Picture below: <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgXl6r31ac3B9_CA7GxX-O9GbZghj4kDq-_3LctIkpHTv8lulQ-3ZEy-8rvfLJF96TILrC6YhYnp6xjJ8cTkh_Da2Y78ekvZE0p5xsFtKheFiWV0EN_OYIJe3Hr0LX9CGCU5BprdQ_G8/s1600-h/February+2009+310_30pct.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgXl6r31ac3B9_CA7GxX-O9GbZghj4kDq-_3LctIkpHTv8lulQ-3ZEy-8rvfLJF96TILrC6YhYnp6xjJ8cTkh_Da2Y78ekvZE0p5xsFtKheFiWV0EN_OYIJe3Hr0LX9CGCU5BprdQ_G8/s320/February+2009+310_30pct.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309995549068113058" /></a><br /><br />Props to the team for being sooo prepared and bringing EVERYTHING with them in their suitcases for all children’s and adult activities. Saturday afternoon we went to put on another children’s activity in a church on the edge of the “zona roja” or red-light district of San Jose. This is the really bad area within the city. It’s much more dangerous than the squatter’s village we went to. (Ask Johanna, her bus from Honduras arrived at a bus stop on the edge of the zona roja). Just for an example, during the activity we saw out the window a woman sitting on the curb and injecting herself with drugs while the man next to her pulled out a big plastic bag and started smoking something inside of it. It was a disturbing image but reminded me that, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” as Jesus said. It really couldn’t hurt for these children to go back to their homes with little hearts and crosses painted on their faces and tell their parents about Jesus.<br /><br />On Sunday night we went to a church up in the mountains. It was the most active church service I’ve ever been to, and I honestly thought I’d seen it all. Has anyone seen the movie Blues Brothers? Ok, so it wasn’t quite like that, but I’m not joking, during about the 4th song, everyone was in front waving their hands and jumping around when suddenly… they all broke out in a choreographed dance. I’m talking about over a hundred people suddenly doing a crazy jumpy dance to the worship song! I thought I’d been transported to High School Musical or something. I’m not even lying when I say that every day living here something shocks and amazes me.<br /><br />Two weeks ago a Joshua Expeditions team came to the project. These are teams that come to the project for one day to volunteer as part of a longer mission and adventure trip around the country. There were 40 of them and they worked so hard! They dug all of the post holes for the…. Dun dun dun… new WALL we’re putting up! Remember the pictures of the old wall? Well here’s a picture of the new one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLvMtz_eTvdy2UcRY_qQGIAArPehtbRuwmy3s_S3rK_7rwX7CTk5Mzd84mgoNwTVYe2RZsXaNiJ7jLsIX9raK8Vs7j5Y8scp3ulCGrPOoRoUNmUOHYSDItAxgsLBKOM6kd5NLZKMHwI0/s1600-h/February+2009+088.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLvMtz_eTvdy2UcRY_qQGIAArPehtbRuwmy3s_S3rK_7rwX7CTk5Mzd84mgoNwTVYe2RZsXaNiJ7jLsIX9raK8Vs7j5Y8scp3ulCGrPOoRoUNmUOHYSDItAxgsLBKOM6kd5NLZKMHwI0/s320/February+2009+088.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309994389187632642" /></a><br /><br />Our interns, John Mark and Hunter are here for two months (February and March) and they are in charge of the wall project. They are awesome guys who graduated from Auburn with degrees in construction science and love trying to speak Spanish. Hunter calls everyone “casa de [person’s name]”. He comes up to me and says “What’s up casa de Julie?” which means “what’s up Julie’s house?”. I try to remind him that I’m not a building but he just loves spicing up his everyday sentences with whatever Spanish words he feels are appropriate. It definitely brightens my day.<br /><br />A quick note about the wall: Just because the wall is being put up does not mean it is financed. Actually, it isn’t and we are still trying to solicit funds for it. I know we’re in a crisis, but if you’d like to make a donation to the safety of the children in the foster homes at the project there is information on the right sidebar of this blog.<br /><br />Similarly, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about opportunities that people have in life. I used to believe like most Americans that poor people with no opportunities in life were those born in the inner city and who grew up in project housing. I don’t want to say that such people don’t have unfortunate circumstances, but compared to so much of the world that life is not actually so bad. Lately I’ve realized how lucky those people are that they live in the United States and at least have a statistical chance to apply to college or have a shot at earning a scholarship. Maybe not a high percentage, but a chance nonetheless. I used to think of the “world” as being pretty much like the United States, except maybe with different food and languages on different continents. Through my experiences and the little bit of traveling I’ve done I realized that most of the world is what we would consider “dirt poor.” We who have food, clothing, shelter, and safety are in the minority. I always knew there were poor people in the world, but I never realized how many and how much of the world is SO different from the U.S. What struck me most about staying with a family in Nicaragua is that to them it’s simply life as usual to be poor. Everyone around them is poor, and their families have lived in the same little farm for years. While to me it was shocking to bathe and cook with rain water and use a latrine as a bathroom, they’ve never known anything else. Most of the world doesn’t have video games, iphones, or a nice cars and to them these things aren’t attainable. It really strikes me how in some places in the world so little has changed in probably hundreds of years yet in other places so much has changed. Remember my example from Nicaragua, how the bride’s family slaughtered the fattened calf for the wedding feast? Well, just as there are no wedding halls to rent out or caterers, there are also no college scholarships or student exchange programs to give opportunities to young people. I think there’s actually a 0% chance for most of them to win anything like that. If anyone has seen “Slumdog Millionaire”, you have some idea of what I’m talking about, although even that movie portrayed extreme poverty within a modern city. There are so many people who are completely “off the map” to the developed world. Nobody even knows or thinks about them.<br /><br />Alrighty well this is already a pretty long post and it’s awfully tempting to go to sleep. I promise to write about the first team of the year, the campamento and Panama soon though!<br /><br />Love,<br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-34668902371720642212009-02-09T18:42:00.000-08:002009-02-09T18:45:35.840-08:00Still Alive and WellHi everyone, I apologize for the huge break in posting. One of my new year’s resolutions is to be more consistent – at least once a week. <br /><br />To summarize the last 6 weeks, I spent a lot of great time with my family in Wisconsin, chatting, playing speed scrabble, and eating lots of foods I missed during the past 3 months. I also went to Massachusetts to visit Jon and I got to visit Heather and her family in New Hampshire and spend a day with Justine in downtown Boston.<br /><br />Then on Jan 13 I came back to Costa Rica with my mom and our friend Heidi. We went to two very neat places in the country, Arenal Volcano, and Manuel Antonio National Park. It was so exciting for me because although I’ve been here for months I haven’t explored the biggest natural wonders that all of the tourists come to see. The Arenal Volcano area was beautiful but unfortunately we didn’t get to see the crater or lava because of rain and clouds the days we were there. We did go…. Ziplining! (my mom was a professional according to our guides), and we went on an amazing hanging bridges tour through the different forest levels. Our tour guide howled at the howler monkeys and they howled back at her! We also saw a tarantula, leaf-cutter ants, white-faced monkeys, a snake, a herd of raccoon-like creatures, and a lot of interesting trees and flowers. <br /><br />Here is a picture of mom and me at our hotel in Arenal:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBhjA_WgmOkJAFLnyFf5jubeevqDUJRVUrphZP6XXNXRzrjOr3keFKZqxGFdSW9GFqjrYKOR5Whm2mxcU8yjM_CMDE8gIvTVZvXJ_Efp3IBcBfwedIyVNWQuPlIuABXwsz6VmvY62j5A/s1600-h/Heidi+1+018_50perct.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBhjA_WgmOkJAFLnyFf5jubeevqDUJRVUrphZP6XXNXRzrjOr3keFKZqxGFdSW9GFqjrYKOR5Whm2mxcU8yjM_CMDE8gIvTVZvXJ_Efp3IBcBfwedIyVNWQuPlIuABXwsz6VmvY62j5A/s320/Heidi+1+018_50perct.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300994262826665730" /></a><br /><br />In Manuel Antonio we went snorkeling (Heidi is a big snorkeler and enjoys underwater photography). I was surprised that all you have to do is stick your face in the water to see beautiful bright fish and coral – nobody would ever know it was there just walking along the beach. We also went on hikes through the park and were surrounded by a whole family of white-faced monkeys passing through. Some of them were as close as a meter away from us. We also did a challenging hike down a very high steep bank to “playa escondida” the hidden beach. It was an adventure getting back up the bank at the end of the day, and most people had already left the park. Suddenly we heard howler monkeys right above us and we all jumped. Once we had recovered from the shock we tried to howl at them as our tour guide had done in Arenal. It worked! They howled right back at us! Heidi even took a video to prove it.<br /><br />After our time of tourism we returned to the project so my mom could get to know my life and my environment here. We cooked meals for three different families – my host family (chicken in the oven!), Brian’s host family (classic north-American chili), and Steve and Georgiana (chicken casserole and raspberry oatmeal bars). The ticos were blown away by these fascinating flavors, and Steve and Georgiana invited mom and Heidi to stay permanently. During their visit we also spent some time with my students and stayed about an hour after church on Sunday to chat and meet all of the wonderful people in my life here. <br /><br />Warning, I’m about to brag: My mom is a language genius. She learned Spanish so fast! She didn’t know more than 3 words coming into the country but by the end she could understand my mama tica and more or less communicate with her. She explained about her work, how she’s going to buy a condo, and how Mark is studying at Wisconsin. She used a dictionary a bit but she did it all without my help! For me, this is very promising. It means that my mom can move here WITH me someday! Horay!<br /><br />Ok well I’m going to stop the update for now because half an update is better than none at all. Next post will include my trip to Panama for a women’s retreat and my weekend helping out at a “campamento” or Christian youth camp.<br /><br />Thanks for reading, of there are any of you faithful people left!Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-86943514341736626322008-12-22T16:48:00.001-08:002008-12-22T17:15:25.690-08:00From the tropics to the frozen tundra...Hi Everyone!<br /><br />I'm sorry for going so long without posting but my last few weeks in Costa Rica before visiting home were very busy.<br /><br />I'm currently writing this from the "Brat House Grill" in Wisconsin Dells. I'm up here with my mom and brother for Christmas and it's wonderful but freezing. I'm even filming a "documentary" about snow and Wisconsin starring my family... Let's just say it's a low budget feature made on my little Canon digital camera and windows movie maker. We did get absolutely dumped with snow the last few days though so there have been ample snow piles and icicles to film :)<br /><br />Just to fill you in, I'm home until Jan 13 and then I go back down to the Abraham Project - with my mom and her friend Heidi! Yep, they will be visiting me for a week to see the beautiful country and meet all of the people I work with. I'm getting pretty excited to do some touristy things while they are there. I keep reading and hearing about the beautiful beach at Manuel Antonio, and the erupting volcano at Arenal but I've never seen them. Also, January is supposed to be the month with the nicest weather in Costa Rica and it will certainly be a contrast to the current sub-zero freeze.<br /><br />I'm also excited to see my mom's reaction to the interesting cultural things that I've been experiencing - she's like a fresh slate for social experimentation! What will she think of their driving? The cuisine? Their food storage habits? Their laid-back lifestyle? The church service? Hopefully I will have lots of interesting observations to report - I'll even take notes for you Janet.<br /><br />Oh, I know they are long overdue but I have pictures from the Mennonite group and from my trip to Nicaragua. I took my time putting captions on all of them so it's like you're really there. You can access the albums by:<br /><br />http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/MennoniteGroup#<br />http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/Nicaragua#<br /><br />Also, if you didn't see my first album, the link again is:<br /><br />http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/AbrahamProject1#<br /><br />I also have some neat pictures from my last month there which I will put up soon.<br /><br />I especially realized how much I love what I do when I think that 3 months of my amazing experience have already gone by. I immensely enjoy what I'm doing and I think I've never been happier with my life. I really think I am called to education. Whether I am teaching or learning I am very content in a classroom with a good whiteboard marker. (no, I'm not sniffing the marker...) I hope God has more teaching and learning in my future!<br /><br />Finally, as I was preparing to leave for a Christmas break at home I realized how attached I have become to the people of Costa Rica. I got huge hugs the whole last week and many people went out of their way to see me and Brian one last time before we left. One of our students even emailed me today to say "There are only 22 more days until you come back!". <br /><br />Here is a picture of me, Brian, and some of our students. We took them out to see a movie as a treat for passing their final exams:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxf1KG5s57gjrAp2MIk7FfcZcSqQaeDNo3aP8uxJ1TLUXHufJrFbsOcbAabyTBst2kSCFzaK15lDabdulTzBxJrsl7a89hvm6QQegsvN-GFyJ38iP9u-MfzHdTI4UqxIA9hlm1xzFIqzI/s1600-h/me+and+children+059.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxf1KG5s57gjrAp2MIk7FfcZcSqQaeDNo3aP8uxJ1TLUXHufJrFbsOcbAabyTBst2kSCFzaK15lDabdulTzBxJrsl7a89hvm6QQegsvN-GFyJ38iP9u-MfzHdTI4UqxIA9hlm1xzFIqzI/s320/me+and+children+059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282787719303725026" /></a>Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-57236707442452658292008-12-01T19:36:00.000-08:002008-12-01T19:55:58.173-08:00Just call me The Wedding SingerDear readers,<br /><br />I already told you about my involvement in the Nicaraguan wedding a few weeks ago. Yesterday, I sang a duet in a wedding at the church here! That's right, the same pastor, William, asked me on Saturday night if I wouldn't mind singing in the wedding the following day. Since I am here to push my boundaries, learn, and grow, I said yes. Waaaaaa! How scary. It's one thing to sing in front of 100 Nicaraguans I don't know, but it's another thing to sing in the wedding of one of the youth leaders in the church, with the whole worship team in the audience... nevermind that it's in another language. But God is good as always, and the peace that I prayed for came when I had to sing. I didn't even turn red! (I had even worn a dark color and lots of foundation to try to disguise it as best I could.) I'm sure it helps that I'm a foreigner so even if I had a funny accent, it was at least a special and unique thing for them to have an American singing in their wedding.<br /><br />In other news I had a relatively American Thanksgiving day. I got up early and went to the store to get the ingredients for a broccoli and cheese casserole. I had been invited to Steve and Georgiana's house for thanksgiving dinner and this was my assignment. Broccoli was like 80 cents, cream of mushroom soup cost dollar, a whole package of crackers was only 60 cents, and the cheddar cheese was.... 12 dollars! Holy moley, cheese is super expensive here. I even got the cheap no-name block of cheddar and shredded it myself. I think it's actually cruel to put a Wisconsinite in a country where cheese is so expensive! I think I'm going to line my suitcase with Sargento and string cheese packages when I come back from Christmas.<br /><br />The actual celebration of Thanksgiving was relatively short. To Costa Rican's it's just a regular day and a regular meal. I didn't get to do the lay around and watch football, play games with family, and laugh as much as I usually would. I missed you family! I heard the Nikolaus family was having a great time, and I'm glad :) I'm going to come home with such a need to play speed scrabble because the Costa Ricans just aren't really interested.<br /><br />Ok I can't think of a ton else to report and I don't have too much time. I have a list of interesting anecdotes about rollerskating, the election, and "allergies" that I will post next so stay tuned!<br /><br />Thanks for reading and God bless you.<br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-14765565550108579752008-11-24T19:33:00.000-08:002008-11-24T20:32:38.462-08:00I heart guacamole, Nicaragua, and my mama ticaHey everyone! I am really sorry for the long absence on the blog. There has been a lot of excitement in my life. First there was a team from Kentucky, then I went on a 4-day trip to Nicaragua for a wedding, then I jumped right back into teaching and celebrated my birthday. I also have a load of great pictures to upload.<br /><br />Ok, where to start? The team from Kentucky was great. They were a team of about 10 adults whose trip was centered around learning about the childrens' homes. They went grocery shopping with the house parents on their first day to Hipermas and to PriceMart. They got to experience just how much food (and money) it takes to feed 20 hungry kids every day. The team was also in charge of making dinner - one night in one home and another night in the other home. It was kind of coincidental but we had spaghetti for lunch on Tuesday, then the team made spaghetti for dinner on Tuesday, AND for dinner on Wednesday. It was amazing though. A taste of home (I mean the USA of course, not Italy, haha).<br /><br />The team also took all of the children and missionaries to the mall for lunch on Sunday and to see the movie Beverley Hills Chihuahua! It was such a cute movie for us and for the kids. The movie was dubbed over in Spanish so I got the gist but I didn't get most of the jokes. It's always so exciting seeing people out of their element, but going for it anyways. The adults knew very little Spanish, but they each had a little Costa Rican child on their arm going through the mall. It was especially beautiful to see one of the men on the team interact with the children. His name is Brackie and he previously worked in a children's home in the states. All of the kids just loved him and always jumped all over him. Another one of the men, a big construction worker type, knew a "banana dance" and taught all of the kids this wacky dance. It was so cute.<br /><br />At the end of the trip the team spent an evening with Steve and Georgiana, the coordinators of the childrens' homes. They are the ones responsible for interacting with the government and child services, as well as raising the $4500 necessary to feed and clothe, and pay utilities for the children in the homes every month. They were very open with the team about how difficult it is. One member of the team came forward and offered to take charge of raising the money for a single child every month. Not that he has to pay it - more that he will find within his network of friends and family the money to sponsor a single child. Then, Brackie said that he would take on the responsibility of traveling around to churches in the states to speak about the project and raise funds for the homes. What a blessing! It's exactly what Steve and Georgiana have been struggling with and praying for.<br /><br />The last day the team was here Brian and I left for our trip to Nicaragua. We went for the wedding of Tony Y, a member of the church here. We were 10 people, sort of a delegation to represent his church in Costa Rica even though his family and the bride's family both lived on an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. The island is called Ometepe and it's GORGEOUS. Google it if you want, it's spectacular. It consists of two volcanos which rise out of the center of the second largest lake in Latin America. The lake apparently has bull sharks in it as well, one of the only places on earth with freshwater sharks.<br /><br />I stayed with the pastor's family for three nights, in a brick house with dirt floors and a latrine out back. They were such wonderful people! I had three adorable sisters who couldn't stop hugging me or following me around. I am going to miss them so much. I even got to participate in a bible study with my 15 year old sister, where we learned how a huge God can use a small me. I found it very interesting when one of the girls spoke up to describe how she's "small" in the world and said that she's young, short, poor, and brown. I was thinking "your skin is gorgeous!" but even in Latin America, racism is still very real. I didn't get a chance to ask too much, but even in Costa Rica it seems that the people with ancestors from Spain are in politics and hold prominent positions in business.<br /><br />The water wasn't drinkable for me (they're used to it), so I had to buy bottled water at the little store before we went to the island. They probably cooked with the well / rain water, so I hope it got hot enough to kill bacteria or viruses! It was a completely different culture and world. The primary mode of transportation is horse or bike, and there were people herding their cows around. The bride's family slaughtered a cow for the wedding feast and the groom's family a pig. I even got to meet the pig and see it butchered the day before the wedding. We helped decorate the little brick church before the wedding, me and the youth pastor sang a song during the ceremony (yeah, I sang a love song in Spanish that I learned on the morning of the wedding! ), and I had to take pictures throughout becasue they didn't have a photographer! I don't think I'll ever have that big a part in anyone else's wedding. The bride and all of the brides maids walked to the church like half a mile from her house down dirt roads all dressed, and there were two separate power outages during the ceremony. Apparently that's normal there, for the power plant to run out of fuel.<br /><br />Nicaragua was definitely a third world country. It's supposedly the second-poorest country int he Western Hemisphere. We visited four different cities on the mainland portion: Granada, Managua, Rivas, and Masaya. I'll post pictures soon. In summary there were gorgeous Spanish-style colonial buildings next to shacks. I saw a LOT more poverty than I've seen in Costa Rica. There are a lot of things I'll just have to describe because I couldn't take pictures, either because of the danger for my camera or out of respect for the people. Dirty children playing in the doorways of "houses", people with such sad eyes and lined faces, people in sweatshop settings hand-sewing leather sandals, purses, or other clothing. Sad, sad stuff but a beautiful, beautiful country. Another thing I meant to add: unique building materials. I saw a house made of an old train car, and I saw a latrine topped with a truck bed cover. Fascinating.<br /><br />And any trip to a third world country wouldn't be complete without its fair share of danger. The house I stayed in had no windows.. just holes with a sheet covering them. So.. once I actually climbed right through my own window to get in when nobody was home. Thank you Lord that my passport and money weren't stolen. I also had several different rides in the back of pickup trucks, some of which (stop reading mom) I was standing! Yeah, I was standing in the back of a pickup (hanging on of course) going like 50mph past little shacks made of branches, tarp, and corrugated metal. Finally, if I thought I stood out in Costa Rica, I was wrong. In Nicaragua the people are generally darker, and especially on an island, I stood out like WOAH. I don't think I ever went more than 1 minute outside without being beeped at, whistled at, or hollered at. Even the other Costa Rican with us, Mariafernanda, got noticed a lot for her medium skin.<br /><br />Overall, the trip was a complete culture shock but also very beautiful. I would definitely like to return to spend more time there before my tenure in Central America is through.<br /><br />We returned to the VERY DEVELOPED country of Costa Rica on Sunday night the 16th at about 11pm. After returning from Nicaragua it took me a few days to recover. I ate decently there but the quantity and nutritional value were a bit lacking. (I was one of the lucky ones in the group who actually got two meals a day from their host family though.) I also only slept a few hours each night there, between the roosters crowing, dogs barking, and trying to spend as much time as possible getting to know the people and culture.<br /><br />Wednesday night I went to see Quantum of Solace with the missionary family, which I thought was decent. Wednesdays are two for one, so it's only $3 per person. Woo!<br /><br />Thursday the 20th was my birthday. My mama tica threw a "surprise" party for me, which she told me about the day before because she didn't want to scare me. I really know she was just too excited to contain herself and wanted help cleaning the house. After tutoring that day I got home at about 7 to a house full of people! Yanira had made chicken chalupas for dinner, along with a beautiful yellow birthday cake. I told nobody to tell her though, that she wrote my name on it as "July". There were something like 20 people there, and I was amazed at how loved I felt. The youth worship leader brought his guitar so we could have a correctly tuned version of happy birthday in Spanish and English. Then they all prayed for me and I almost cried. I even got presents from some of mama tica's friends. I got a beautiful coconut shell watch from her sister, a body lotion from her friend down the street, and a bag of chocolates from her neice-in-law. Mama tica also bought me a touch lamp painted with palm trees and volcanoes. It reminds me so much of the landscape here. <br /><br />The best part of the night was that Candace invited her friend Wainer, a professional salsa dancer and instructor! He taught our group how to dance when we came in January and he's a really cool guy. So as soon as the "old" people left, the salsa music came on and there was much dancing and laughing. My friend and math student Victor was competing against Yanira for the center of attention on the dance floor. I know everyone had a great time, and I just felt so blessed to have shared my birthday with people who care about my despite not knowing me long. It was the birthday where I expected the least but felt the largest outpouring of love and support from unexpected places. It really was an indication of how God has been caring for me. I've sometimes felt lonely, isolated, and very homesick, but that day was like God showing me again how He always provides and how He's always taking care of me.<br /><br />Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope to post a lot of pictures soon. Keep praying for my Spanish skills, for my students, and for the children in the homes. I am coming back to the states Dec 17 for a few weeks, so if anyone wants to visit with me or wants me to speak to their church, family, Bible study, or whatever, let me know. I know it's my job to carry the news of this project far and wide both to bless people with news of God's work and to raise support for the children here.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-77923135885322363302008-11-08T15:42:00.000-08:002008-11-08T16:01:20.791-08:00Que lastima! The Mennonites are gone!The team of high school students from Shalom was amazing! First of all, something like 80% of their class is in the school chorale, so they were always singing. They could break into 4 part harmony at a moment’s notice and it gave me chills to hear them. They sang a thank you song after meals and also performed in church on Sunday.<br />On Sunday afternoon we went to an old folks home with the evangelism group from the church. It was a beautiful place run by Catholic nuns that began as a place for abandoned people, whether children, handicapped, or elderly. Some of the original abandoned children sheltered in the home are now 80 years old and still living there! It was amazing watching the high school students bond with the elderly despite the language barrier. The students sang a few hymns and many of the people cried. Then, one 90-something year old woman recited a poem for us and sang a song about the national flower of Costa Rica. Later, when some music came on the radio, another woman jumped up and grabbed one of the high school guys and started dancing! She wasn’t more than 4 feet tall but so adorable and having a ball! I met a woman who told me her brother lives in Madison, Wisconsin. I said “Mine does too!” Talk about a small world! I could tell that by the end of the day, everyone felt so blessed by the time together – the elderly and students alike.<br /><br />On the worksite, the Mennonites were really hard workers. I called them “reverse locusts” because they swarmed over the site, accomplishing everything in record time and never tiring. <br /><br />On Tuesday we took them to the beach. The only downer was that it’s hard to drive past projects and poverty before getting on our catamaran and cruising to an island. It was a wonderful day though. It was overcast and windy, so I didn’t get too sunburned. I had tons of fun throwing the football with the guys on the team, getting swept around by the waves, walking along the beach with Candace and seeing sand crabs and hermit crabs! I even got pulled into the boys’ game of “S the Q” and got dunked a few times. I even did some dunking in return.<br /><br /> It was very sad to see them go. They were all so much fun, so easy to get along with, and every one of them had a real servant’s heart. I’m interested to see where God places them from here, as they spread out to be salt in the earth. I made sure to talk to them about being confident in their decisions as they head off to college no matter what people say about them. I experienced firsthand that it really bothers people if someone is a Christian, if someone turns down drinking or partying, or even if someone votes republican! Haha). You’ve just gotta be confident in what you believe.<br /><br />My mom told me that she really enjoys my little cultural anecdotes so I’ll write about a few more here:<br /><br />I woke up the other day, completely exhausted and a little cranky. I opened the refrigerator only to find my jar of peanut butter looking back at me from the top shelf. Peanut butter doesn’t go in the refrigerator. My mama tica must have put it there. I then had a little laugh as I glanced at the eggs on the counter and last night’s meat still in the pot sitting out. They sure do things differently here, and I don’t think they know about Salmonella. I just remember that I am living among their culture, and I will do as the ticos do. Some things that I do as the ticos do are: wear jeans everywhere (even to church), never wear t-shirts or sweat pants, make my bed every day (my mom will probably faint when she reads that!), never walk barefoot in the house (“it causes illness”), even if you have plans, never go anywhere in the rain (“it causes illness”), agree with them when they say it’s cold and I don’t think so, take a siesta right after lunch even though I worry about acid reflux, and greet everyone with a kiss on the cheek.<br /><br />My partially deaf math student, Josue, has turned out to be very sweet and appreciative of my help. I have the hardest time communicating with him, but we’ve managed through writing, or through me repeating myself very slowly and loudly. I think it is especially hard for him because of my accent and because I probably don’t move my lips the way most Spanish-speakers do when they speak. Thank goodness he’s very smart and has never once gotten discouraged! Here’s a picture of us that Brian took on Friday:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qhj-WHA8sBpEpc3At-IlGiUxiqNN2r03oV99NMTNQAXgZCrtTEvRv7Fy_5icm8Skvz5M5LVrjDhN80y4pmgfwQLE6Dccss5HKm-HYXhkogq27xm3zai_ljThP6BJCW4-v3Dx6bAXTKo/s1600-h/IMG_5467.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qhj-WHA8sBpEpc3At-IlGiUxiqNN2r03oV99NMTNQAXgZCrtTEvRv7Fy_5icm8Skvz5M5LVrjDhN80y4pmgfwQLE6Dccss5HKm-HYXhkogq27xm3zai_ljThP6BJCW4-v3Dx6bAXTKo/s320/IMG_5467.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266440653912106466" /></a><br /><br /><br />I have come to accept and appreciate getting whistled at by construction workers, though the attention still makes me uncomfortable. At first I was really offended and annoyed, but then I realized that to them, it would be rude to let even a decent-looking girl walk by and not whistle at her. When women from here go to the states they probably feel there’s something wrong, like they’re ugly or something because no boys are taking notice. One day I got whistled/beeped at 4 times before I’d made it 2 blocks from home. I had been feeling unsure about the outfit I was wearing when I left home, but I soon felt much better thanks to this particular aspect of the culture.<br /><br />One last thought:<br /><br />In my last post, I talked about how I’m a child when it comes to my communication. At church that the pastor talked about how Jesus told us we all have to become like children to enter the kingdom of God. It really struck me once again how God has a purpose for everything under the sun. Sure, I’m frustrated that I can’t communicate the way I want to but God is using it to humble me and make me like a child for His purposes.Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-67961749572149431312008-10-29T16:28:00.000-07:002008-10-29T17:54:54.257-07:00Busy Times at Project AbrahamHey Everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Things have been busy and they're about to get even crazier.<br /><br />Yesterday a team of 40 came from Pennsylvania. They are Shalom Christian Academy, a Mennonite high school in Pennsylvania, and this is their senior year mission trip. I went along with Candace and Jonathan to get them at the airport. (Not sure if I've mentioned Jonathan yet, but he and his wife Amy are missionaries here. They used to be missionaries in India, and he has a shaved head and a HUGE and intimidating beard. When I met him, He said Hi, I'm Jonathan and I said wow, your beard is intimidating... oh, and I'm Julie!). We took the group downtown to a market in San Jose and I got a little Christmas shopping done. Last night I rested up to prepare for the crazy days ahead.<br /><br />Today the team started work at the project at 8, so Brian and I had to be here at 7:30 to get everything ready. I had to bring everything with me for construction work on the project, for my math classes afterward, and for the worship service at church tonight. The team proved to be great from the start. They paid attention on the tour, asked great questions, and volunteered for different jobs around the site. I worked with six girls on what will eventually be a hardwood floor. We had to carry the wood from the area where it was cut to the building where it will be installed. We then had to apply the termite poison (incidentally, it is illegal in the U.S.) and a coat of varnish. We finished with sanding the varnished pieces. There were abundant floor boards to do, so we developed our system and got to it! It was great getting to know them and kind of neat to be someone they looked up to. The Costa Rican workers have also told me that my Spanish has improved a lot since the last time I was translating for a team. At the end of the day the Ticos could only exclaim at how hardworking and enthusiastic everyone was. All I can say is that those floor boards are going to be the best ever.<br /><br />Tomorrow will be a really busy day as well. After working at the project I have math classes and then the team and about 40 youth from the church here are going roller skating! It's going to be great. This weekend we're going to the Irazu Volcano on Saturday morning, eating lunch at the mall, and then we have youth group at night. Sunday morning is church and in the afternoon we're going to do evangelism with members of the church throughout the neighborhood here and in one of the city parks.<br /><br />I've been thinking for a while about writing an entry called "It's not all sunshine and sandy beaches." Living in Costa Rica, despite the amazing people, culture, and food, does have its downsides. There has been a definite lack of sunshine. Up until this week, it rained on all but 4 days since I arrived and it's pretty cold at night. We're just starting to come out of the rainy season, and the weather won't be really nice until December. I haven't actually worn shorts at all, except for working out, and I usually bring both a zip-up hoodie and a windbreaker jacket wherever I go. Surprising? Before all of you norteamericanos start calling me a wuss, remember that there is no insulation here against whatever is happening outside. Think of it like camping. When I'm teaching math until 9pm in a building with open rafters and it's 50 degrees and raining, it's COLD! <br /><br />The other major downside has been struggling with the language. It's hard to go from being the articulate and intelligent person I am in the U.S. to having the social skills of a child. Wait, most of the children here are even better than me... All of the grammar knowledge and vocabulary that I know on paper are useless without the quick thinking that it takes to have a live conversation with someone. "What the heck did they just say so fast?.. What do I want to say... how do I say that? What's the word for 'varnish' in Spanish anyways? Maybe I'll just call it 'paint', I know that word..." And before you know it they're repeating themselves because of the vague look on your face. We'll just say it's very humbling but as they say here "poco a poco", "little by little."<br /><br />On another note, I had a nightmare about Socialism last night... I'm sure you can guess why. Never watch CNN right before bed! No matter where you are in the world, you can never escape American politics.<br /><br />All right, it's time for church, but I'll try to update again soon! I miss everyone!<br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-17516832257231478972008-10-19T20:27:00.000-07:002008-10-19T23:29:57.911-07:00More about the wall and ... Taco Bell?There were three things I had written down to include in my previous post, and it turns out I forgot two of the three. As Beth (I miss you very much!) would say "Genius!"<br /><br />First an anecdote about the fence: Candace and I were talking about the wall for the childrens homes the other day. She told me that there have already been incidents of people trying to come through/over the fence to get children from the home! She said that sometimes the abusive parents who have lost custody of the children are able to find out by word of mouth that the children are there. There have been mothers and other family members trying to lure children towards the fence or trying to come in and take them from the home. I know that some of the children in the home currently were placed there because their parents were wanted for multiple murders. It scares me to think of how easily those people could get in to the project -and what they might be willing to do to get their children back! Yikes.<br /><br />The other thing I wanted to do was post pictures of the current fence. Before you accuse the project of being negligent when there's a horrible fence next to a nice children's home, keep in mind that it's the rainy season and it pours every single day - it was just repaired in January. Also keep in mind a 2x4 costs $8 here and minimum wage is $2 per hour.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FBb9UnxZR93Skk2nx4GCM_4IPhPb25w1DCds6eDX0v2VXSFOBSirwXmyDHwkka_YXKXeSHI2NptZhyWo1pQM1rs_1b_ZG2vq9O4YBSbeaiXhpl6ZCYihmuWFal6dctPwc-5H9K3dF8E/s1600-h/CR+first+month+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6FBb9UnxZR93Skk2nx4GCM_4IPhPb25w1DCds6eDX0v2VXSFOBSirwXmyDHwkka_YXKXeSHI2NptZhyWo1pQM1rs_1b_ZG2vq9O4YBSbeaiXhpl6ZCYihmuWFal6dctPwc-5H9K3dF8E/s320/CR+first+month+024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259079547777145746" /></a><br /><br />In the above photo, the children's home is on the right and the tin shack to the left is part of the adjoining impoverished community.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnYfwq5C1k6YTT8XrKVbe3lbVC0CSdXUA0lO6964ggWd_YIBV6YLX1YWTeBMJwqk9VAdubtdV3yMrjAEB-hzvdsAYX_DfBfcY8RhwWcHuPNDbq0rU34kpIx-CbKD5K7uRQG7GrD2lAqs/s1600-h/CR+first+month+018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnYfwq5C1k6YTT8XrKVbe3lbVC0CSdXUA0lO6964ggWd_YIBV6YLX1YWTeBMJwqk9VAdubtdV3yMrjAEB-hzvdsAYX_DfBfcY8RhwWcHuPNDbq0rU34kpIx-CbKD5K7uRQG7GrD2lAqs/s320/CR+first+month+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259079567809124626" /></a><br /><br />The above photo speaks for itself. Many of the boards are just falling off of the fence, and those that haven't fallen yet are rotting. People could come right through!<br /><br />Again, for those who didn't see, information on giving to the project can be found in my previous post, "How to".<br /><br />On an unrelated note, last night we ate dinner in the mall food court. You might all be disappointed to find out that and the fast food I've been craving most is Taco Bell! I know, I'm in a latin country, with real Costa Rican cuisine. How could I possibly crave T-Bell? Well, taco bell here has a few differences from the States. It's expensive- Like $13 for two people to eat. The tacos also come with french fries on the side. Weirdness.<br /><br />On Fridays we have an English discussion group. I have so much fun teaching the Costa Ricans idioms and other phrases in English. Last week we had little debates on different topics such as the death penalty (which is illegal here), abortion (also illegal here), and more lighthearted ones such as dogs vs. cats as pets and coke vs. pepsi. <br /><br />On a side note, in vitro fertilization is also illegal here because of the way fertilized embryos (baby people!) are treated. I never thought about that before but it's so true - they always implant two embryos and expect one to die so the mother ends up with one baby. It's like there is a life sacrificed every time the procedure happens, and the doctors expect it to happen that way based on the chances of the embryo "sticking." (disclaimer: this is not a super-scientific description and I don't want people to start arguing about it.)<br /><br />One last anecdote is that tonight I hung out with Brian's host family. Their papa tico brought home a bag of fresh macadamia nuts - still inside their little shells. It became a huge family activity using rocks, a hammer head (no handle!), or a pliers to break open the shells on the sidewalk. Everyone was laughing, joking, and even after taking a long time to get a shell open, they'd give the nut inside to someone else. It struck me how in the states people would never buy macadamia nuts like that. It would be so much easier to buy a container of de-shelled nuts. However, the sheer joy we all had in opening the nuts would've been absent. It's a good representation of the general attitude I've encountered here. They clearly have a lot less than Americans yet are usually far more joyful. That small bag of nuts was the highlight of thier (and my) evening. They say "it's the small things in life..." I've noticed that when you have fewer big things (i.e. SUVs, square footage, and hot pockets), you're more likely to catch all of the joyful small things that come by.<br /><br />That's all I have for now. Thanks for reading and que Dios les bendiga!Julie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-16429939075892309002008-10-17T22:41:00.000-07:002008-10-17T23:55:51.199-07:00How To:1. How donate funds to the wall and other building projects at the Abraham Project?<br /><br />The official protocol for donations to the project, (which includes a tax receipt mailed back to you) is to make checks payable to <strong>Cornerstone International </strong>and note in the memo section <strong>"World Hope Outreach Building Project."</strong> Mail the check to:<br /><strong>Cornerstone International<br />P.O. Box 192<br />Wilmore, KY 40390</strong><br /><br />2. How to sponsor me directly or donate to the costs of my math tutoring?<br /><br />This is a significantly less official operation. If you email me or post a comment on this blog I'll email you my mom's address. She's handling all of my finances while I'm here via joint checking :). <br /><br />A few anecdotes from the last few days:<br /><br />Last friday before tutoring I got an email from Jon saying that he'd been praying especially for my communication with the math students. I also said a special prayer before heading over to the project that day. When I arrived, I met my friday 4pm student for the first time, and then his mom explained to me that he is partially deaf. Woah. Communication barrier! She told me to speak very loudly and clearly and make sure that he can see my lips when I speak. He turned out to be a very sweet kid who was very enthusiastic about help and wasn't afraid to ask me to repeat myself or write out what I wanted to say to him. Our lesson went really well and all I could think was "Wow God! You just helped me teach three theorems of similar triangles to a spanish-speaking partially-deaf person!"<br /><br />I finally used the Costa Rican oven this week to make banana bread! It was pretty good and everyone I shared it with thought it was great, but it was nothing compared to my mom's or grandma's. And then I got homesick :(<br /><br />There have been a lot of floods and landslides here. My mama tica told me that things flood every year around this time. It reminds me once again that I'm not in a first world country like the U.S. They don't have the infrastructure to handle the vast rains that predictably come every year.<br /><br />That's all I have for now! Thanks for reading and continue to pray for my language skills - especially with my students!<br /><br />-JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1918216053146763190.post-11826727287611903372008-10-08T20:27:00.000-07:002008-10-08T20:28:44.940-07:00levantar fondosBrian and I have decided to do a little bit of fundraising using our respective support networks. <br /><br />A fundraising project we have been given by the missionaries here is to build a concrete wall around the border of the children's homes. Right now there is a flimsy wooden wall that needs to be repaired every year or so because of the excessive rain they get here, rot, and erosion around the posts. This edge of the project is also the border they share with an extremely impoverished community. Literally two feet beyond the nice grassy area that the rescued children play in are the shacks made out of scrap metal that entire families live in, the only separation being a rotting wooden wall. And we know that it isn't usually only poverty all by itself that affects a community. It is usually accompanied by neglect or abuse of children, drug or alcohol use, prostitution, and violent fights over food or possessions using weapons. Many of the children come from that community to attend the project's daycare every day because their parents can't (or just don't) feed, clothe, or even really spend time raising them as they grow up. Every few months the missionaries go into "the farm" as it's called, and check for any new babies or new families with children who need help. Even though it is a community that the project ministers to, it would obviously be beneficial to have a stronger permanent barrier between the type of poverty and danger from which the abandoned children are rescued and the safe and loving environment they now call home. We've divided up the fundraising costs between four people, and I'm responsible for raising $1,200. <br /><br />The other fundraising project we have is just to cover the costs associated with our math tutoring. We bought 6 review books to help us review the math for the various grade levels and ensure that we're teaching things in the same manner that the schools do. We'll also have substantial costs associated with printing and copying worksheets, review sheets, etc. for the students.<br /><br />If you have the means to contribute to either our teaching supplies or to the wall I encourage you to pray about it and then act accordingly. I also encourage you to talk with friends or your church about making a contribution now that you know about the need here. The missionaries really want to install the wall at the end of October because there is a big team coming from the U.S. to volunteer in construction and installation will be very labor-intensive. I will keep you updated on the status of funds!<br /><br />I am really enjoying math tutoring! Last night I was helping two students and I was actually surprised when they said they were tired of sitting – then I checked my watch and realized we’d been going for two hours! I never get bored of it. It is frustrating when they don’t understand but it’s also an interesting challenge to think of a new way to explain it so they will understand. I got annoyed when my students told me that their math teacher at school won’t even repeat herself if they ask her. She won’t even re-explain something! She doesn’t skip a beat when the class is lost and confused.<br /><br />I think it’s even more exciting than watching a good movie or sporting event, watching the student hesitate over a problem. I can see the wheels turning in their heads, and when they get it right, I want to jump up and give them a high-five. Actually I did that today. I think the students enjoy themselves when I’m so excited to help them. I try to always give them really positive feedback like, “perfecto perfecto!” or “super-inteligente!”. Today I helped a girl who is seriously very bright, and all she needed was a few things clarified and she was off to the races solving trig problems faster than I could. YAY!<br /><br />Tonight my friend Johanna comes to visit from Honduras! She's a fellow Wisconsinite and Hopkins grad working in a clinic and a jewelry-making business with women with HIV. Commercial: there is a link to her blog on the right! She has to leave the country for a few days and then re-enter through customs every 90 days to renew her visa, just like I have to here. I’m excited to hear more about her experiences and to share with her what we’re doing here.<br /><br />Hasta pronto!<br /><br /><3 JulieJulie Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12156200006963731584noreply@blogger.com5