Grace's blog

2010-12-14T19:56:00.001-08:00

Why I even bother to maintain this site, I'm not sure. I only post when I'm procrastinating, sleepy, or in a state of high emotion. Right now's mostly sleepy.

I don't have anything profound or revealing to say...

I like Christmas. I like the music. I like the cold. I like the lights. I am annoyed by the consumerism. I'm also slightly annoyed by the mix of religious and secular (though not nearly as much as at Easter/Resurrection Sunday). There's one thing about the Christmas season that no one can deny: people really are nicer and happier around this time. I love it! Why can't we all be a little nicer and happier the rest of the year? Why is "why don't we all just get along?" such a stupid question? What is it about Christmastime that makes everyone believe in something together?

"There were lives being lost in the darkness."

2010-07-18T12:27:00.001-07:00

I heard from the State Trooper who happened to be present during all of the flooding last month at Albert Pike. Apparently, the river rose around 20 feet in just 5 hours, immediately drowning about a dozen people. The state trooper said that after the water subsided, he drove to the campground side of the river, and could see bodies of men, women, and children scattered on the ground. I honestly can't imagine what I would feel in that situation.

What boggles my mind even more, though, is that 16 people killed in 5 hours of flooding is still just a drop in a bucket compared to the lives that are lost everyday due to preventable things like starvation, malaria, bombs, dysentery, "friendly" fire, &c.

What can one person do? Do I have to change everything in my life to make a difference? Is it possible to make a difference? How can I be involved in promoting justice in my community now? How can I help to foster real community in my community now? Community where everyone has a part, everyone contributes, everyone feels like they have purpose, everyone feels loved, everyone has someone they can make feel loved. Where no one feels too small, no one feels like they can't help because of whatever inadequacy they feel they have.

I really enjoy reading Shane Claiborne's books. One thing that he says that I really appreciate is this: "...we can tell the world that there is life after death, but the world really seems to be wondering if there is life before death."

How can I have and share life, real life, before death?

2009-03-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I had an interesting dream. I think that I was a missionary (at the least, I was a visitor with a purpose of some sort) to a large tavern-turned-orphanage in a medium sized, very old village in the mountains in Russia (or perhaps some other Eastern European country). There were mainly just girls at this place. I can't remember seeing any males except for a couple that I came with and the director of the place. I remember a very skinny black girl with some white beads in her hair who was eating porridge and watching me. There was an older girl, maybe around my age or a little younger, who was obviously a leader among the people there. She had straight blonde hair and a long white flowing skirt. I think the orphanage made and sold clothes for their keep. The mountains outside were gorgeous. The building was very beautiful, too, though it was quite dark. We were being shown around the building and then to a small hidden room up some stairs. It seemed to be a planning room, and we were there to be trained for something.

I don't remember many more details.

2008-12-16T08:41:00.001-08:00

Every night for the past week or two I've had dreams of traveling. Mostly in Bavaria. Some in New York. Last night it was Japan.

Prophetic? I hope so. =)

2008-10-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe blogging regularly is not for me.

I am really liking my job. Who knows where it will lead. But, I suppose that doesn't matter. My pastor today said some things that went straight to me. He used the verse John 4:35 - "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." I've been worrying too much about where I'll be going eventually and how I can get there. I've been discrediting the things that are going on in my life right now. It was really good to get a slap in the face sort of sermon today.

I've joined two soccer teams, one non-competitive coed indoor and one competitive women's outdoor. Both are wonderful. I had forgotten how much I love to play soccer.

The next time someone uses the words 'sexy' and 'sustainability' in the same sentence again, I'm going to kick them in the teeth.

2008-08-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

I got the job. ^_^

2008-08-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

So, this summer has been a whole lot of waiting around. I'm waiting now to hear about a job I interviewed for in Fayetteville. The idea of moving back to Fayetteville has been growing on my quite a bit.

I like running. Unfortunately, my knees don't.

In the Skin of a Lion is my new favorite Ondaatje novel.

I'd like to study Qigong. I'm just not sure where I can do it that doesn't involve a several hours drive.

Happy August! 20ish days before I don't have to start classes! ^_^

Oh! Canada

2008-06-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

Toronto last week was a complete blast. My friend Suvish and I painted the town red and had some interesting adventures. Below are a few of them.

1. The first full day we walked from about 10am until 11:30pm in downtown. We got to stand on top of the world at the CN Tower.

We also met some crazy people.

Something we learned at Kensington Market was that Wasabi truffles are not a good idea.
Something that is a good idea, though, is this:

Next day we hit up Niagara Falls, and took a boat called the Maid of the Mist down to the bottom. We got a little wet.

To finish off the trip we went strawberry picking at a nearby strawberry farm, and then took to a man-made lake and beach for a picnic and some frisbee.

I'd say that it was probably the most fun week I've had in a long time. I was also able to forget for the first time in months that I don't know what I'm doing next.

Oh yeah, one of the biggest highlights of the trip was the procurement of two things that I would give my right arm for: Mangosteen and Guaraná. =)

2008-06-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

I think I must be fickle. One day I'm just fine waiting around. The next I'm really anxious. One day I want to go to Korea. The next I want to go to Brazil. The next I want to go to Ireland. The next it starts over. I think this may be because I really don't know what I want, but I know that people probably would like to have a better response from me than "well...I'll probably go somewhere soon" when they ask my post-graduation plans. Or maybe I just want to have a better response for them. I think it's probably the first time in my life I have no definite answer.

In other news: I'm going to Toronto this week!! I'll be visiting my good friend Suvish and we'll be doing a lot of painting the town red. =)

2008-05-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

This week I'll be house/dog-sitting for some friends at church. It feels really weird to not really have anything to do. I have to keep telling myself that it's ok if I just sit down and read a book or watch movies. I'm just not sure what to do with myself. I think I'll find something, though.

I'll be talking to my contact at YBM in Korea about setting up a contract this week. I'm hoping that we'll be able to work it out and get more details about when I can go. It's looking like the end of July, though.

Something odd has happened in the last month: I've gotten this really strong feeling that I want to go back to Brazil. In Portuguese they have a word that they use when they miss someone that is stronger than the English word. That word is 'saudade'. You have saudade for someone or something that you long for. I'm feeling saudade towards Brazil right now.

Perhaps I'll meet a handsome Brazilian who wants to be a missionary in Korea, and then I'll be able to move to Brazil. Wishful thinking? Maybe.

2008-05-07T14:19:00.001-07:00

Well, somehow or another, I managed to pass my honors thesis, and it's looking pretty likely that I'll graduate on Saturday. I'm finding this whole week to be a little surreal. I'm also having these feelings that I probably don't deserve my grades this semester and maybe not my degree, either.

Friday is moving day. A sad day that shall be. At least it won't be a frantic 13hr rush like last year, though.

Pink, maybe you should stay in Fayetteville a little longer.

Next week I'm going on a trip with the International Culture Team to Branson and Green Forest. I'm going to do a presentation about being an American in Brazil. =)

2008-04-13T15:44:00.001-07:00

I'm really not so sure that I like Arkansas' (Arkansas's?) new trend of having snow in April.

I am quite sure that I shouldn't be blogging now, and that I should be writing a paper or studying for a test or working on my thesis, but...oh well.

I think time is speeding up exponentially. I woke up on Wednesday and could have sworn that it was Monday. I'm having a difficult time believing that this is Sunday evening already, too. On top of that, I find it really wild that graduation is less than a month away. Graduation's going to be a bit bittersweet for me, I think. I'm really glad to be done with school, but Fayetteville has become a very comfortable place. Anywhere I go here, I find people that I know. I know where to go for anything I need. I know who to contact for basically everything. I have a wonderful roommate. I have great neighbors. I guess this is just one of those things that one goes through in life.

Ok, too cheesy. I'll stop there.

It looks more and more like it'll work out for me to be in Korea later this year. I'm going to try to do a homestay instead of staying in the studio apartment provided by whatever school I work for. That way, I can learn Korean, and hopefully also how to cook yummy Korean food. =)

Alright, my research paper calls...

2008-04-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

God certainly has a way of being ironic. Or at least making me feel that my life is ironic at times.

I accepted the offer to attend the University of Colorado - Boulder this week, but I'm deferring until the fall of 2009. In the meantime, it looks like I may be moving to Korea sometime at the end of the summer in order to teach English. I've only just applied, so I don't know any details about it, or even really if I'll get in, but I'm cruising in that direction for now.

Although, the way things have been going in my life lately, two minutes after I post this message, the plan will completely change. That's ok. Que será, será. =)

My upstairs neighbors have feet made of lead, and they enjoy loud music and vacuuming most nights from 10:30 to 12:30ish.

It took me about a week to recover from spring break. Then I had a week of non-stop studying. And I think this week will probably be another one of those. I'm thinking that May looks like a good time to start sleeping again.

Spring break was worth it, though. ^_^

2008-03-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

If anyone feels that they would like something else to pray for, you're in luck! I just applied for a program to teach English in Korea for (unknown time period). But, I was also accepted into UT-Austin for a masters in environmental and water resource engineering. What to do?! This is why I need prayer. I'm leaning towards teaching English, but I'm a little scared that if I turn down UT, I won't be able to get back in in a year or two. But, I'm really scared that if I don't do what God wants me to do, then trouble and despair will follow me. So, I would greatly appreciate any prayer and/or thoughts about this. Thank you! ^_^

In other news, home is such a wonderful place of peace and refuge. And leftover Easter chocolate. =)

2008-03-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello blogging world! Let's hang out. ^_^