Librarians and reflections

I think there needs to be a word like `librarian' for people who are always at the library. But that word is already taken by the occupation. You could still use the word to describe the dwellers of the library. Anyways, I have been spending a lot of time here, hanging with the Kazakhstanis for the last several weeks and it's been a lot of fun, and become kind of a new community that I've gotten pulled into. In my four years at Grinnell, I spent about three hours total in the library aside from when I worked in the computer lab. The culture at the library is interesting because it's always the same people. The Turkish guys. Even the same Americans and Japanese and Koreans. It is not terrible condusive to studying on the 3rd floor of Anschutz Library, but you can get stuff done when you need to. People are here 24 hours a day. I guess I get less sleep because of it sometimes, but it beats being alone at the apartment fiddling around on the computer at night.

Deas Veil is playing through my headphones into my ears at the moment. Dreamy and smooth. It brings me back to Cornerstone this past summer. It doesn't feel like it's almost been a year since then. The perfect weather camping out. Sleeping better than I do at home in my own bed. Doses of sad realities such as Zach's cousin dying in a car wreck mixed in with some really broken times of worship. Hanging out with Lester Badenoch and talking with JPUSA folks about homeless ministry. Lester is probably one of the biggest influences in my life since our summer in urban St. Louis with our Harambee project. I was a pretty scared kid back then four years ago. Has it been four years? But Lester is a man who strives toward the Cause unlike anyone I've ever seen. He loves and sacrifices along with his family to love kids who are hurting in the city. Reflecting on all that, I'm seeing how much my focus has shifted away from homeless folks since then is kind of awful, but the ministry of our church in that area kind of dried up during the winter. Or at least got put on hold until the weather got better. But complacency tends to lead to complacency, I think. I always feel cut off from those sorts of decisions at church anyways. It's blatantly uncomfortable to interact with homeless people. Especially when they are getting into arguments or going on incomprehensible tirades about something. I must take a few moments to remember that these people are my neighbors. Let it sink in deeply.

Today I applied for a job in the International Student & Scholar Services offices for the fall. I don't know if it would pay for my tuition or not, but it may be better than nothing. Not sure if my position will be back open by the time I return, but LSS is in trouble without me. I don't mean that to sound arrogant, but they aren't so good with the Apple computers. Maybe, the anthropology GRA position will turn up something which would be sweet, but judging by the professors lack of response, I find it to be unlikely.

I need to figure out plans for China. Right now I don't know what I'm doing when I get off the airplane.

The few days of fun

All the stuff Rebecca, Annie, and Mark had stockpiled in their car. They were getting things packed back up.



They fed me at Wheatfields which has awesome bread and sandwiches! Turkey, provolone and green apple on a baguette for the win!





They were finally heading out during some kind of crazy weather--you can see the storm in the background.




Joel who lives upstairs. He's quite funny and smart. He's two and has been able to read a little since he was like one. Woo!



Marisol cooked for me before the party in my apartment. Bryan was haunting the place



These are my upstairs neighbors who Joel belongs to.



Aisulu doesn't like me, so she tries to make awful pictures and fails!



Kuanysh is jumping on the trampoline. Something not so many international students have done.



They were playing volleyball in a circle I guess. It happens sometimes....



Subi the Uyghur. Not much of a viking though...



aout eating bread



Yay for Kirk. Don't see him enough anymore!



Zarina and Rachel playing the Wii. It was great to see Zarina boxing!

woo

happy birthday to me. I am now 24 years old. It is a good birthday today. I am blessed by everyone! Thank you to everybody for the wonderful wishes and blessings you have bestowed upon me!

Back in Kansas

This morning, the telephone's ringing pierced my ears at 4 AM EST--our wake up call to get ready for the flight back home. Saturday morning my parents and I flew to Washington DC to visit my sister in the first family vacation we've had in a while. The trip was quite excellent. I'm really not a large city person, but there is something more appealing about walking and taking public transportation than driving a car every where. My only experience with public transportation has been in China which is rather lacking in enjoyment because it's almost necessary to know Mandarin to get around. So the Metro system in DC is very nice. Very clean, smooth.

I was surprised at the near endless number of gigantic government buildings with interesting architecture. The white house was white. There were the anti-war vigil folks out there who have apparently been there since 1981 or so. My dad liked talking with one guy there--he seemed mentally together and a pleasant person to talk to as opposed to a lady my dad talked to the next day who told him that the Holocaust never happened right after we had been to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum was very well put together and sobering. When we were at the information desk, I asked for a brochure about the Roma people--one of the "pesky gypsy groups" that people still do not like in Europe and most likely other places. I almost spent this year with the PCUSA in Hungary working with Gypsy people, and I remember one of the guys who spent a year with Roma described to me the time he went to Auschwitz and saw the pathetic memorial for the Roma's killed there. They are a group that has a lot of negative stereotypes and I think that can be a self-fulfilling prophecy in the same way that inner cities are here. Stereotypes have some element of truth and self-perpetuation. But, I spent a couple minutes at the memorial praying for the Roma people--that God would bring healing and restoration to them. That they would be redeemed.

Honestly, death is kind of unsettling to me. I feel this way both around atrocities and when I am flying in an airplane or when I am near a steep edge and can feel myself start to fall even though I'm not close. I don't know why I do that, but I just do. I think about this eternal life that there is in Christ, and how that contrasts with the life here on this earth. People have a hard time reconciling that kind of atrocity--the Holocaust--and God, but I think that people use it as an excuse to not think or research what the bible says about sin or the state of the world. It can seem like a lousy place with people with such darkness, but there God is working and there, he is too.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good
to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." -- Genesis 50:20

So I visited some Uyghurs in DC while we were there and that was really nice. I can't really say much more than that. Supposedly the letter is finally on it's way to me but I need to get a fax of it because Chinese mail system is somewhat slow I would guess. I need a visa in less than a month. I've got my plane tickets on my desk already.

That's it for now!

Starting off my new blog (imported)

So, this is the stereotypical "I am starting a new blog. I will add lots of exciting new content (assuming I ever touch the thing again)". Take it for what you will, and check back if you like.