Generally...

Hi!

We've just been through Thanksgiving, and a wonderful three days with my sister. I'm soon going to be finished with my MPH, and I want to write more here, and keep in touch better. Also write a bit deeper stuff-- which is sometimes hard to do, not?

But in the meantime, a small update:
Recently, I've discovered libraries outside. They have amazing DVDs, books and eresources. The major eresource I'm hoping to use is the RosettaStone language software. Online access allows you to study any of about 12 different major language, so I'm hoping to go through the Arabic course after school ends.

One library DVD: We watched "God grew tired of us." It's the story of a few Sudanese "lost boys" who were resettled from a refugee camp to different cities in the USA. The title is from a line in the movie, one of the stars said, "I felt that God had grown tired of us, grown tired of all the bad things we were doing and decided to finish us. God grew tired of us." It was a tragic notion. Watch it if you get the chance-- few documentaries invest the time that this one did, following people all the way from the Kenyan refugee camp to the USA.

Love, Jo

El Greco

I've not been very good at updating this blog-- it's hard to get the energy I guess! We went with Ummanim and James to two museums today: the Worcester Art museum (a small museum we happened to pass), and the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Central Mass (where we had a tour).

Above is on of the greatest paintings in the Worcester Museum, a painting by el Greco, Penitent Magdalene. El Greco is known for having weird perspective-- almost as though the canvas is curved.

The Museum of Russian icons is very interesting: a wealthy businessmen from Clinton collected so many Russian icons that he decided to create his own museum to display them. In a regular museum, such icons would be in storage most of the time. Icons are venerated (but not worshipped) in the Russian Orthodox church-- they're becoming really popular again since, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Russian churches need icons one again.

I'm really enjoying my Women and Health Policy class-- I have found something I enjoy and am good at in that class, and am trying to think of how to use it well and learn more. It's been a long time since I was happy with a paper/essay I wrote, so I am really excited. I am so glad I'm graduating, but I do wish I could continue to study with the people I am studying with right now.

Brain Drain and Leaving Home to Study

Jo Hunter Adams

I want to challenge the notion that getting excellent training is the best way to contribute to one's home country. If my objective is to get skills to return home with, those skills should be concrete and readily translatable. There is something important to be learned by being invested in your home. Being away quickly became an investment in myself, and not in the purpose I left with. It quickly becomes grounds for arrogance.

I don't believe I am unique in this. Preparing, and working hard involves a tremendous amount of adaptation to a new environment. The skills you get are not the skills you want. You begin to think globally, but the way you thought before was important too, and you can't go back to that. Most important, work and study overseas is life, and you are changed by it. You are not only learning new things, you are putting down new roots and becoming a different person.

Studying about the whole world, as one does in the US, separates you from the colleagues you want to work with later in your career. And you are, in a very real way, closely tied to another community: a community that has no geographical roots, and no sense of investments in problems that you know well. You look outwards and analyze, rather than inwards, to think in a down-to-earth way.

We have forgotten that the right to critique a society in a valid and helpful way depends on our participation and investment in that society.

Autumn in NE, Rugby and Red Sox season...

I've been gone for a while. In the interim, South African won the World Cup Rugby, my brother and his girlfriend Julie got engaged, and the Red Sox won the first two games in the World (US) Series Baseball.

I'm enjoying my work and school this semester. Each work day is very full, which is good for me. I'm doing more at my jobs. Our Green card app is in. I have one really fantastic class this semester, called Women's Health Policy. It's a great class to end the MPH, as it brings together many different things and has excellent professors.

I'd like to write down a part of Ephesians from the Message version. (Eph 2). "Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.... Christ came and preached peace to you outsiders and us insiders. he treated us as equals, and so made us equals. Through him we both share the same Spirit and have equal access through the Father... You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country."

It is remarkable that God coming to earth not only dealt with our human-God division, but also our human inter-relational problems. That's not to say these problems disappear, but that, as a Christian, I'm called to go with what Christ did for us and recognize that we are all given equal access to God. It's a difficult notion because sometimes it feels as though some people have been given so much more than others-- in talents, love, the ability to make good choices, resources, etc-- and that deeply affects how we look at the world, but I want to see those things as very temporary and secondary to access to God. Maybe that decreases condescension and also jealousy. At the same time, given how much those external blessings do affect our perspective, it's important to keep thinking of how to show God's heart and justice by blessing other people.

I'd be really grateful for your prayers for us in the next few months. I'm applying for jobs (real jobs), mainly at large NGOs. I've been getting a clearer idea of what I'd like to do, if the doors open and it seems right for our family. I'm hoping to teach public health (with history right in there, as it's everywhere!) in the long term.

Glory's memorial service

Here's a picture of Glory from Eugene and my wedding. I was so grateful she could be there (Theresa is on the left, Wonhee on the right).

Although the funeral was heartbreaking, it also showed a life that was already complete and beautiful. Her transplant doctor seemed broken that the second transplant had caused her so much pain and yet been unsuccessful. Her second umbilical cord transplant was a very new treatment. Many people said how she had thought of them and their wellbeing even in her most difficult times. I can also testify to that. Although I wasn't there at all the past 3 months so I can't know, but I thought that she could think of other people because she had already worked through her own stuff, and she was already living as she would even if it were last day here on earth.

One person, who had known Glory since before she first had bonecancer at age 14, said that she was a small, quiet, good little girl. She said, how could it be that this little girl became an incredibly powerful woman? She said it must be that Glory allowed things to happen as they happened, and allowed God to shape her in the midst of everything she went through. She was an ordinary person made extraordinary by the way that she dealt with difficult circumstances. She inspired many many people. One person who had also had cancer, and had also relapsed in the past, said that he had tried to deal with things through theology and logic-- working through difficult times through knowledge and faith that God is sovereign. He said, not that that isn't true, but Glory helped him to realise that he could also get through his treatment in a very human way, knowing that God had given him enjoyment in some moments-- spending time with Glory waiting for treatment, laughing together. I am not sure I'm explaining it very well, but I thought that what he said was a profound truth, that God does not expect us to be more than human, but only expects hopes for us to be humans who are living first of all in relation to God.

http://www.jgospel.net/list.aspx?subid=35

Glory

Our friend Glory passed away this morning during her fourth fight against cancer, as a result of complications with kidney dialysis. She was so strong and lived a really beautiful life, without trying to stand out too much. She was so Godly in a very genuine way. She was a really amazing student at Wellesley. She managed to never make her cancer the focus of any situation-- even one time I was visiting specifically because she was sick she was concerned about my well-being as much as her own. I'm so grateful for the brief time I had to know her.

http://www.jgospel.net/glory/

Greetings!

See what no eye can see, go where no foot can go, choose that which is no choice–then you may hear what makes no sound–God’s voice.

- Angelus Silsius (Quoted in How Shall We Live by Joan Chittister, OSB)

Classes started yesterday. Yeah!

At my work we're thinking about how to reach out to Somali parents to tell them about how they can get help for their children, if their children are struggling. Some children are not coping well because of their experiences in refugee camps, experiences of the civil war, etc. What's interesting is that a lot of parents believe that problems are related to not being obedient and in touch with God. As a result, they may not want to look for other kinds of help because they feel like they should just struggle through.

I thought this was interesting because it was so similar to a lot of Christians. God is with us, God has healed us of all our pain before we even ask, but I strongly believe we also have to work through things-- deaths, relationships, work, study-- in a healthy way. We can't just expect things to go away if we pray about them. Rather, we have to have faith in the end result, but really have to work hard at the things in the middle, so that we can retain or regain the joy that we're promised. I would like to have this approach with the things I go through, and also with other people who need support. Empathy is a powerful thing.

Thank you for praying for me, and for Eugene and I. Please continue to lift us up in prayer, as we lift you up, too. It's an awesome way to have fellowship together.

Yesterday I went over Day 5 of Purpose Driven Life. It has a lot more meaning trying to go through the book a second time, I highly recommend trying it out twice. Anyway, it emphasizes that Christians should approach life as a test. From this perspective, events are meant as a training time. Two verses (Using the Message translation) stood out:
God keeps his promise, and he will not test you beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
and
Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness.

Have an great Wednesday!

Starting school, some key verses

School is starting next week. My classes are Health Policy and Management; Chronic Diseases in developing countries and Women's health (policy controversies). I'm pretty excited about these classes and am hoping to give them the time they deserve, especially since there are only three of them. Did I write that in an earlier post? I imagine I may have. The great thing is that two of these classes are electives (I could choose them for myself, I wasn't obligated to take them for the degree.)

I wanted to share my hope for the future with you. There are a couple of key verses that I've been thinking about today:
Proverbs 31:8-9 "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
and
James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

We have been re-reading A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and on day 2 it emphasizes that we are unique, and that our strengths and weaknesses are created specifically to make us, and also ultimately to give us a purpose that fits us. I think this is true, and really encouraging. I hope you're encouraged by that, too. It's good for giving wisdom about what of ourselves to let go of and what to hold on to.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond is a beautiful (large) pond near Concord, Massachusetts. It's about 20 minutes from our home, and as soon as you're there you feel like you're in another world. Eug and I managed to get away and have an awesome time there today, before the semester begins. Thank you so much for your prayers for me and for our lives here in Boston. Here are some pictures to share the beauty of Mass...





Eugene guiltily feeds an ant he threw into the lake...

Thinking on the Past Week

We haven't submitted my Green Card application yet, because there are a few things that take some extra time. But it's almost there! I think I've been a bit overwhelmed with the process. Eug and I are going through it together, but it's also something you kindof have to deal with alone. It's a very big deal for me, because I never wanted to have residency any place other than South Africa. We're really grateful to have a lot of people praying for us. It's a very concrete test of faith for me. I've been having to think about the basics and trust in God's goodness, absolute power and His personal and current concern for changing our lives and characters, because I cannot reach further than my own limitations without a foundation of faith. Sorry for the cliches, I guess I'm just discovering their truth. I am slowly realizing that complaining is mainly a problem if it erodes faith and makes me forget your purpose and perspective. If it does that, that's serious because it strains my relationship with God, my willingness to take things a step at a time, and my ability to trust God to hear me. Anyway, if you are struggling with this too, send me an e-mail so I can pray for you and we can encourage eachother.

I'm working through with my Wits thesis, a little bit at a time. I'm trying something new, to practice writing: doing an epilogue to try to capture the experience and limitations of my research.

Teachers in Durban expect a high standard, but were aware of the worst. I think this is a situation that is unique to South Africa, because apartheid made teachers aware of what was out there (as good a school education as one can get anywhere) yet largely made that kind of education unattainable. Now teachers have those high expectations in mind-- perhaps they went to those excellent schools. I interviewed teachers at the schools with the lowest fees, and often, the fewest resources. The teachers were also highly aware of the poverty that surrounded many of their learners. What is problematic is that in school teachers are prepared for schools with resources, not necessarily "trained for the worst".

I think if I were faced with a situation that was far more gruelling and far more difficult than I expected, I would feel really discouraged and just try to get through the day. If it was something I was expecting and used to, maybe it would be easier to think long term, and think about a "better way". Not that there is any "easy" in having a class with 70 learners. There's no utopia, but I think we can do better, even in tapping the resources in our country to better serve the needs of the majority of schools. There is a need for basic resources and more teachers, who are better paid. There is also a need for male teachers.

Newport, Rhode Island

It's getting close to time to start university again. I honestly don't particularly want to start again, but I'm glad that the end is in sight.

Yesterday our church group went on a trip to Newport, Rhode Island. It's a beautiful place, the ocean is really shiny. It's famous for having a lot of huge mansions, and Americans (and tourists) go to Newport just to drive past. Above are some pictures.

We saw a Llama. That was pretty cool. There was a stage when my brother kept bombarding me with Llama pictures (actually, as my desktop background) and I didn't really appreciate them as a species for this reason. But they are growing on me. We also went for a cycle around the area.

I'm reading The Idiot, by Dostoyevsky, right now. I'm not very good at going into details on books but by mentioning them here I might get better. The book is amazing because there are a thousand different ways to interpret the characters, particularly the Prince (the Idiot himself). I imagine there are people who have spent their whole careers understanding the characters-- for me I appreciate the fact that it is so subtle. The characters have a life of their own.

I was really impressed by an organization called Cradles to Crayons, based in Quincy, Massachusetts. I went for an orientation for our organization to partner with them and I was blown away by the simple effectiveness of the concept. They have a warehouse and a lot of credibility amongst large rich companies and also just regular families in Mass. With this, they field a massive number of donations for everything children may need-- clothes, shoes, school supplies, toys. They use volunteers to sort the stuff very efficiently, then they take orders online from partner organizations who work specifically with children who may need help. I imagine there are similar organizations in South Africa, but if not I think the possibilities are really amazing for imitating their model to fit the specific context of Durban or Cape Town, etc.

Beautiful Summer in Watertown

I managed to spend a few minutes in Mt Auburn cemetery today, and wanted to share a few photos. The one photo is a photo that we took for our wedding in the winter-- you can compare the scene if you've seen the wedding photos around that little lake. It's pretty beautiful hey?! I also am going to post 3 pictures to The Concrete Gardener.

More soon!

Praying: Green Card

Above is an picture from BBC news. I really liked it because it's a very peaceful view of Lake Kivu, between Rwanda and Congo.

I wanted to ask you to pray for my green card application. A green card basically allows you all the rights/privileges of citizenship in the US, except voting rights. Eug and I apply together on my behalf.

I don't mind too much what happens, but it's easy for me to get frustrated about it, as it is so complicated. It's not so much about the outcome (though that's important too) but the process that we have to go through. It's the type of thing that tends to make me bitter, but I don't want that. Thanks a lot.

Back in Boston, Contd...

A couple of weeks into being back here in Boston, and life is quite peaceful. The picture at the top is the view from our fire escape (we're pretty shielded by trees) and the edge of the purple peppers. The second is E., who kindly (was forced into) visiting the garden on the roof. She helped with the watering process, and is seen here looking pensively at the larger rooftop garden. And a picture of one tomato plant.

As of this post, I am the excited owner of a pda. It is a hand-me-down clie (acquired by Eug), and it's beautiful. I'm really excited about being able to read on it. I'm amazed by my gran who learned how to use e-mail when she was 79 or so, because I already feel like my capacity for learnning or being open to new and exciting technologies is rather limited.

Not much here, but hopefully I can share more soon.

Need help getting 1500 points

Are you living in America?
Do you drink coke or diet coke?
Do you get rewards for drinking coke?

I need help getting 1500 points. We have been picking up coke caps everywhere but can't get near the 2340 points needed for one year of free movie rentals. I know, we don't need a year's free movie rentals. But they took away the get one movie free for 45 minutes and I don't think coke thinks anyone can get 2340 points. So I thought it would be fun to try.

So... if you drink coke, in the 12 packs or the bottles, could you please send my codes on the cap or on the cardboard bit that you rip off? I'll keep you updated on whether we manage to get enough points.

Returning home from home

It's been a long time. Mainly because the people who (I think) read this were the people we've been with. We were in South Africa, first in Durban then Cape Town. Durban, apart from having a cold front, was lovely. We got to see a lot of the people who are really important and special parts of my life, and so it was amazing for Eug to meet them. We had this really good steak dinner with my cousin Debbie and her boyfriend Andrew. We stayed with Debbie and my aunt and uncle, which was super cool. We got to sleep in (recover from jetlag), finish season 2 of Prison Break, get addicted to Blokus (a game of meanness), go to every mall you can imagine for coffee, and think up excuses as to why we couldn't swim in the ocean. I also had to re-remember how to drive a regular car without causing damage to myself and the passenger.

And that was just Durban. Cape Town felt like it went quickly-- we stayed a little in my parents place, who live next door to my sister's, then went on to Hout Bay. Got to walk and think and really get rejuvenated. We didn't too much but it really felt like a major blessing for me. I stayed on for a week and a half after Eug left. Lia invited me to Maputo (Moz) and we spent 2 days together. I really like Maputo, though I can only see it in a limited way.

There was a lot of time to read-- I reread the Poisonwood Bible, read a book called Call Me Woman, an autobiography by Ellen Kuzwayo, and on the flight home I read Finding God in Unexpected Places by Yancey. All of them were great in their own ways, so I put the weight of my recommendation behind them. Hehe. Finding God in Unexpected Places was for me a down to earth way of thinking about how to pray continuously. By seeing the world as purposefull and beautiful I feel more able to praise God, and also focus less on judging or getting angry. The Message's paraphrasing of Phillippians 4: I'd say you'll do the best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

I'll write more soon. Also, the plants are doing super well. Except the cabbage. I'm going to post some pictures of Mr purple Pepper on Concrete Gardener. I know you want to see how he's doing.

Historically important days: 9 June 2007

I've been looking for a plot of land to begin a African women's community gardern/agriculture project, and, beyond all expectations, we were offered a plot in less than a week. It's 3 raised boxes (enough for a few rows of veggies) on the roof of Boston Medical Center. The possibilities are endless! Amazing.

The Coming Week

Greetings,

I'm pretty excited about next week: my parents are going to be here. Last time they came it was really rushed and crazy because Eugene and I were about to get married. This time we can relax and enjoy the summer for a week together.

The house is still a bit of a disaster area, but the cupboard looks great.

So, this week had 3 main new beginnings:
I went with ummanim to Busa farm and got 3 varieties of bell pepper plants. I read that it's possible to grow bell peppers in containers-- don't know if that's true but I'm going to try.

I began a new part time job today. One day a week I'm coordinating a medical residency program and trying to design a good curriculum. I think it's hard to know what it will be like, but I want to learn and apply myself to what has to be done. I realised one major challenge is to stay out of the politics of an office without being self-righteous or high and mighty.

I began a new blog: The Concrete Gardener (concretegardener.blogspot.com). I'm trying to learn about urban gardening and urban living-- really thinking about what health means, particularly as a Christian. I would like for it to become a resource, and so have a wider audience and maybe one day make money for Eug and I. A way to learn, reflect, and put something out. For now, I'm just trying to dedicate time to write one post a week.

Thanks for reading and keeping me updated on your lives.

On NY, Plants, Graduation and Spring Cleaning in Summer (Not in order of importance)

Last Thursday we had a short visit to NY to see Sam. He treated us to Mamma Mia- my first musical in NY! It was good seeing Sam, and seeing the ship. I think meeting Sam in NY is always a time when I am amazed how quickly and dramatically our lives can change (the externals, at least). NY always makes me think about how lucky I am because it's very obviously a world center, in a more obnoxious way than London or Cape Town or Milan. Eug and I also saw my cousin, which was lovely.

This past Friday was graduation at Wellesley. Madeleine Albright gave the speech and Gladys graduated. This the last year where I really have people I know and love graduating-- next year will be a bit strange I think.

We've begun Spring cleaning, finally. It's like we're moving in again-- and we've only lived in our place 6 months (less than).

In other news... our plants are doing well. There have been a few deaths but nothing major, considering the conditions. It's a pretty good challenge to learn to be healthy and well-balanced in Boston. In Durban it was relatively easy so I took a lot for granted-- even the basil grew faster than you can imagine! But here it's not quite as quick. I'm going to try and visit the farm where we got a share to begin our vegetable eating summer. It's going to be great.

Ok, I have a few more pictures but I'll stop here. We're so excited about Durban and Cape Town in less than a month! Yeah!

Giselle

Ee Cheng treated me to my first Ballet. It was kindof cool.

I don't think I would have known what was going on if not for having read beforehand about the plot (peasant girl falls in love with peasant man, peasant man turns out to be engaged prince, peasant girl goes mad and dies of sorrow, joining a host of bitter ghosts who never married, these ghosts kill men by making them dance all night, engaged prince gets stuck dancing all night but ghost peasant girl helps him so he doesn't die.)

Ee Cheng's favourite part was when these large elegant dogs came on stage. My favourite part was when the ballerina men pulled out swords but they didn't seem to be very passionate about using them.

On Thursday Eug and I are heading to NY to see my brother, Sam and his girlfriend, Julia. It'll be a really short trip (less than a day) but I'm excited. I'll keep you updated.

Violins, Summer, and New Beginnings

Summer has officially begun for us here in Boston, even though it's pouring with rain and really cold today. I've started work at Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center, and I'm having one last interview for another job in a couple of hours. It's been a tough semester with a lot of adjustments, but I feel like I've been learning things at a really high rate.

The last few weeks have been quite busy/intense. Two Sundays ago, we went to Esther's recital (I will check if she minds if I post a photo) where she played Poeme and Bach's Chaconne. Hearing Bach's Chaconne live was one of those really amazing experiences. I felt like I was in another world. Ho Re Halmoni, the mother of our pastor, who has been ill for a long time, passed away 10 minutes before the concert began. She was over 90. In the week that followed, many many people were flying from Korea and Japan for the funeral on Wednesday and Thursday. I saw from her life how much prayer matters and how prayers really are answered by God. She remembered and prayed for so many people over the years. She virtually began a whole new lifetime at age 65. Eug lived upstairs from her after college, and he said she always called him American boy even though she spoke to him in Korean.

In the midst of this, exams and mothers day. The day before mother's day we helped my mother in law with her garden, and on Sunday we had her over for dinner (we ordered from Cheesecake Factory-- all the restaurants would have been too packed). I wished we could have been with my mom as well.

This Sunday is BU graduation, so it's still going to be busy a little while longer. Ee Cheng and I are going to a ballet called Giselle, performed by the Boston Ballet. I've never been to a ballet before so it's quite a momentous event. I'll let you know...

We've signed up for a share in a farm called Busa Farm, which is near our house. It means we get credit at their farm stall. I'm very excited because it will force us to buy fresh produce (which is quite hard to get in Boston because most food has been transported very far) and learn to cook a lot of new dishes. Hopefully we can start to have friends over more.

I have a green bike! I don't HAVE it have it, but it's mine, I'm just waiting for the current owner to graduate and sell it to me. Eug is also looking for a bike.

I still need to take pictures of the plants. THey're starting to grow, though I think if they were in Durban I would already have a jungle and not be quite as excited about my basils second set of adult leaves...

Recommended reading: The Emotionally Healthy Church; Prayer (by Philip Yancey). I expected the Emotionally Healthy Church to be about church, but actually it was quite personl. I learned a lot because it focused on having clear boundaries and knowing your personal limits and strengths, and asking God to work through those. I was encouraged because it's not a cop-out, like suddenly you're given license to just sit at home, but it helped me to articulate the idea that we must be clear on why we do each thing we do for God. Prayer is a great book (I haven't quite finished it because I read it at the book shop hehe) because it says, yes we are broken and a lot of time we don't know how to communicate with God, and we don't feel lightening bolts, but still we pray and ask how God works and where He is in a situation. THe two books have many similarities because they say ultimately: We are broken and we do not have the answers to all of life's questions, but we know someone who does, and who has loved us and already made us whole in Him.

Love, Jo

Tomatoes

Hi,

Summer is on it's way here in Boston. I am busy with exams/papers and presentations until about 2 weeks time, and so not too many interesting things are happening. I would like to take pictures for you though, as the Cherry blossoms are out on the Charles and so it's a really nice drive home every day. Eugene and I live about 30 minutes drive from school. We're pretty excited to be visiting South Africa in less than 2 months.

I am starting to work in just a couple of weeks, and I have a second interview in the hope two part time jobs will make a full time position! I will be working part time in a Jamaica Plain, which is near to downtown but not near to our home. I'm excited because it means I can be a part time student next semester, which financially and just personally is good. In Refugee and Immigrant Assistance in Jamaica Plain, I will be doing quite a lot of writing, I think, and also learning more about refugee case work.

I really like Philip Yancey. His book on prayer is teaching me a lot. Seeing myself with respect to God makes me a bit less resless and a bit more quiet.

Oh, I almost forgot-- we got two tomato plants. I still need to put them in a bigger container and then I will keep them on the fire escape so that they get light. I'll give you an update photo as soon as I can.

Christine's God-children

I am not sure where they will turn up, but the spindly looking baby trees are yours to name, Christine. Thank you. I am grateful that you take this responsibility seriously.

The other pictures are my poor underperforming Basils. They are almost a month old and haven't got any leaves-- still their baby leaves... I don't know what to do with them except wait for the sun.

Sorry for absence

Things have been busy recently-- I'm sure for you as well. This is just a catchup, you know I'm alive and well sort of thing.

I read a really awesome book by Philip Yancey, Rumors. It's essentially about how we long for another world, and how what we see in the world today are shadows of what God has for us.

For me it's a reminder that we don't have to be sure about what we see, we don't have to have perfect eyesight or perfect vision in this life, nor do we have to believe we do. We can look forward to a time when we will see more clearly.

Also, at church Sunday morning I heard some thing very powerful. The fear of God is to be concerned about what God has to say about each situation in your life. God wants to be involved in the tough stuff. These were the notes I had in answer to "How to Experience a Great Life in the Midst of Troubles"
Go straight to God and ask God for help
Do everything you can to bring peace to people around you
Embrace hope and shun despair
Invite others to celebrate God's goodness with you.

This message was from Psalm 34 (Mrs Schoor's favourite Psalm) so I was really touched because I remembered (though only second hand) how she lived this out in a simple way-- so I know from her testimony that we can do this.

The beginning of the garden

It's getting warmer! It's one of the greatest things in the world. I've been recycling coke cans so that I can directly relate the money I get from them to the seeds I buy. In this picture is Babu, (actually 5 small Babus). The little onion in the foreground is called Oprah. The rest are pre-plants. That is, it's not clear if they will grow or not. In the Nutella jar are some tree seeds from Mt Auburn Cemetery. Basil seeds in a couple of the coffee jars, and lavender in the other coffee jars. Plants must be the most cool thing because you can actually see them grow before your eyes. I'll keep you updated.

Caro down from Paris

Caro came down from Paris, and we met the day after Eug's birthday. It was so good to see her! And also Gladys and Rhobhi, who are really nearby but we don't get to see eachother as often as we would like to. We hung out a little. Note that I'm wearing the same thing as the day before...

Birthday

We had dinner for Eug's birthday. Afterwards, we came and had cake at our place. Check it out :)! James got Eug this game that's really hard puzzle that I still haven't figured out, though Eugene has.

google reader

This is a little bit random but I also wanted to introduce google reader to those of you who are kindof into technology but may not know about it:

You just sign in using your regular gmail account at reader.google.com

You can add sites to the reader by typing the url into Add subscription. It's great because it'll tell you if there are new posts on those sites and keep you updated on all the blogs or news sites or Christian sites or group feeds you might want to keep track of, but don't have time to actually navigate to everyday.

It definitely cuts down on the amount of time I spend reading the news. Of course, since a lot of the time I'm just trying to procrastinate... anyway, it's a good organizer. So what it does is essentially downloads all the rss feeds into one site, and also lets you know how many unread posts are on each site. So for Mail and Guardian, for me its always hundreds, but for my cousin's or friends blogs, I can know and read every new post without looking at the actual site.

Waiting

Sorry for the long absence. In the meantime I managed to get through a few papers (in a rushed way). I feel like I can breath a little before the onslaught of the next set.

I've just started a book by Philip Yancy, Disappointment with God. I think I'm going to really enjoy it. Book 1's first page reads:

You do not have to sit outside in the dark.
If, however, you want to look at the stars,
you will find that darkness is required.
The stars neither require nor demand it.
-- Annie Dillard.

I felt like these were pretty profound and beautiful words. Tomorrow is my husband's birthday. I'll let you know more about Yancey's book. I'm also reading another one by him.

I saw the storm pictures from Durban?! Whoa.... what happened to the best weather in the world? And how come nothing so crazy happened my ENTIRE life there? Not that I'm a disaster tourist or anything...

What's next?

At the moment we are starting to think about what's next-- for me, after this degree is finished. I need to find something useful and helpful to do over the summer in preparation, and it's my hope that it could be paid. Could you please pray for me about this?

I'm not sure what to pray for sometimes, but we want to know concretely what I should do next, and it's implications for our marriage.

Did I tell you that my husband colour-coordinates our books? I think we must be quite unique in that our books do not have any inherent logic according to author, theme, title, whatever. It looks good! I post the picture of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf because I feel like she's a woman with purpose-- inspired right here in Boston by Harvard's JFK School of Gov.

Happy International Women's Day

Women's day in Afghanistan.

Happy Birthday Ghana, 1 day late

I've been one day behind since the 1st March. Happy Birthday, the second country to gain independence (after Sudan).

Revolutions are brought about by [wo]men, by [wo]men who think as [wo]men of action and act as [wo]men of thought

We face neither East nor West ; we face Forward

-- Kwame Nkrumah (first president of Ghana)

Preparing for Spring Break

If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values-- that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all has spiritual control
-- Martin Luther King

I know this is painfully close to using a blog to say what I had for breakfast, but bear with me:
I'm getting ready for Spring Break! I have a lot of different papers to write. I'm going to tell you about them so that you can teach me anything you know.

1) I'm writing on The Health Impact of Mining in South Africa. I want to look particularly at the disintegration of the family and community structure.

2) One paper (the big one) on the difference between theory and practice in the ethics of resource allocation (that is, even if ethically it would make more sense to give someone who is more likely to survive a space in the bed, if a near dead person occupies the bed, they won't necessarily make that person move for the sake of what is right theoretically)

3) In nutrition, I have 3 projects: Food insecurity and Childhood HIV/AIDS were assigned to me as group projects; my final paper is about changes in diet after migration-- If refugees who move into an environment that has completely different foods and massive life changes, does this lead to bad health. In many parts of Boston is really difficult to get affordable vegetables, for example, and the vegetables may be very different from what many refugees/immigrants are accustomed to.

4) In SB, I am doing a critique on the "breast is best" campaign, which equates breastfeeding with being a good mother. This makes it very difficult for women who choose not to breastfeed.

Telling you what I'm thinking about makes it almost seem as though I'm ACTUALLY thinking about them! Next step, writing!

Eritrean Photo essay

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/africa_eritrean_cactus_picker/html/1.stm

These two pictures are from the BBC, a photo essay of cactus pickers. I was in Eritrea for parts of 2003, and it was one of the most peaceful times of my life. Life was really simple, though for me and not for most other people. For most Eritreans life was really hard, and not getting any easier as the government gripped its citizens (particularly young people) ever-more tightly.

I was with my parents, and studying the implications of Italian colonialism from 1890-1918. Very simplistically, the 20th century in a nutshell: For Eritrea, the 20th century consisted of Italian colonialism followed by the Ethiopian mandate. However, this mandate became a takeover of Eritrea by Ethiopia. An independence movement began in the lowlands (coast) and spread to the highlands (Asmara). It was a case of David against Goliath. Outside powers got involved in supplying arms in the context of cold war divisions. When Ethiopia became communist, it lost a lot of international support, most notably from the United States, and was facing internal problems. Eritrea managed to capitalise on this vulnerability, and voted overwhelmingly for independence in 1991. They gained independence in 1993. 1993-1998 was a time of a lot of hope. But in 1998, another war between Eritrea and Ethiopia began, and lasted until 2000 with great loss of life. Since then, the gains of 1993-1998 have been largely forgotten as the government has bred suspicion and paranoia.

In this light, I feel as though it's easier to understand the current insanity of the government. It was built from a resistance movement that has been unable to imagine living without an enemy. This is not to say that Ethiopia should not share guilt for the way things are.

However, the Eritrean government's complete refusal to compromise (even to the point of rejecting outside aid) means that Eritreans don't have access basic amenities. If this sacrifice was a choice that each Eritrean was making in favour of long term change and growth (in Eritrea and as a statement to the world bank and UN), I would probably admire it. But who should make such a choice for their children?

Eritrea has suffered so much at the hands of outside powers that its government wants to move forward without the interference rest of the world. The problem is that, over the course of the 20th century, our world became so interconnected that this expectation can never be realised. Ironically, it is the money sent by the Eritrean Diaspora that is preventing a complete collapse.

Leaves Open Eyes

You may know how much I like leaves (well, generally attached to plants). I love this picture because the veins of the leaf are transparent. The title of the photo is Leaves Open Eyes. I really liked that plant structure is so complex and so related to function. If plants are this complicated, we are 1000000 times more complicated, and also more in the hands of God. "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." Matthew 10:29. I think this means we can relax, even through hard times, in the sense that we know that God is involved in our lives, not just watching, and not only that, He cares about who we are and who we are becoming.

The Midvale School for the gifted picture was my first farside cartoon.

I still need to start taking pictures... in the next week. Soon...

Worlds that flourish

We carry in our worlds that flourish our worlds that have failed
-- Christopher Okigbo

These are both pictures from the BBC. The second is a gas explosion in Lagos, they don't say the man's name, and the first is by an amateur photographer in Sierra Leone, again, they don't say who the children are.

Mail and Guardian's new photo news site,

http://photos.mg.co.za/

There is a new site which has the news in photos. I'm quite excited about it! This photo is by Bill de Waal.

For the non-SAfricans, this is a protea (protea magnifica). What is remarkable about the fynbos is that in order for seeds to take root, they have to go through the fire of the dry season. Kindof cool, right? The problem is that the brush has to be just right to stop the fire from getting too hot-- if it's too hot then the proteas are killed. With changing weather patterns, a lot of proteas are dying as the fires are hotter.

Queen Mary 2

This is where Sam is right now! I felt really great seeing this picture on the BBC and knowing my bro is seeing amazing things.

Children's pictures

This picture is by Fadi Mareh. It's from a series when young children from Palestine and Israel took pictures of their daily lives, and shared them with one another. Simple idea, and more people are trying it out. The idea that children can learn to understand each other by taking pictures of their worlds is a really powerful one. There is a sense that through really understanding something we can get to know who we are and where we stand with respect to one another. Photos seem to be a good way to do this because we all have a different vocabulary and way of expressing ourselves that is changed by our background. Words don't always work in helping people understand eachother, particularly children?

P.S. I handed in my thesis last night. Thank you so much for praying for me. I'll let you know if it makes it through.

Happy Chinese New Year

In case I don't get to post before Sunday, Happy New Year! This year is the year of the pig, my year. By next year I'll (have to) be done with my Wits thesis... So I'd better get back to work.