Back in the Wild, Wild West

Special Delivery - Firestone Complete Auto Care

2011-01-30T20:34:00.001-07:00

I so wish I had a baby picture of the kid that sets the fire in this video. He's budding actor/comedian, CJ Vana. I knew CJ before he was born because I worked with his mom, Maria, at DuPage County in our employment and training days. Maria went on to have 3 girls, one of whom she named after a charachter in a book I recommended to her!

Our friend, Crystal, who passed away almost 2 years ago, and Maria were pregnant at the same time. I learned SO much over those nine months sitting in the cafeteria as they compared notes and got ready for the "special delivery"......OMG! :)

Dedicated to My Friend AJ

2011-01-15T19:56:00.001-07:00

Martin Luther King said that faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Behold the Girls and a Cactus or Two!!

2011-01-15T18:38:00.002-07:00

Can't get this heading thingy to work...but you get the idea. No more "Boise, America", but instead....HELLO! Arizona!!

I'm soooooo thankful to be back in Phoenixburg, but sorry to have left my co-workers and friends in Boise.

By way of an update, I had a chance to come back to Phoenix-IRC, and jumped at it. I'm really happy and grateful for the opportunity! More about what I'm doing late, but in the meantime, here's a picture of Bunny (Visnja) and I taken with the first cactus we stopped to pose with.

We really had a fun time, driving down to Phoenix with a guy, a truck, 2 cats, and....well, I guess that's enough!! Who knew that a 2 night, 3 day circus could be so cool!! Wish I had more pictures....will look for those. In the meantime.....I'm home!!!!

Two Points of View.....

2010-07-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

I'm back in the office after the holiday, feeling really good and productive today.

I started thinking a lot about Korea and am wishing that the exchange rate would keep getting better! Roughly 80 cents on the dollar are where things stand. Know it will take much more time for things to eventually even themselves out rate-wise.

So, having said that, I'm still in the US, and working, as most of you know, for the employer that I spent 9 years with in Phoenix, the International Rescue Committee (http://www.theirc.org/).... only this time in Boise. My first year has passed and I made it!

Leaving is seldom far from my thoughts.....not because of Boise, per se, but I just can't shake the "wings not roots". However, I'm also a "bloom where you're planted" kind of person, who is grateful to be working and add to it, i a beautiful setting.

These are two pictures from my office. On top is our "arrival board" showing that we really have a full plate of refugee arrivals for July.

The second picture is of the toys I have on my desk. The toys aren't for me, but for anyone who happens to sit down for business or pleasure, just like the candy dish is kept on my desk in Prescott, when I worked for the paper there. Anything fun is a great draw to my desk. Two toys are from friends traveling in Sweden and Thailand and the carved wooden cat is mine from Mexico!

I think I better........

2010-07-05T08:40:00.000-06:00

.....gooooooooo to the movies!!

Despite going to bed so much later than "normal", I'm up and at 'em this morning!

I've heard good, funny (operative word) things about "Knight and Day" so that's the choice and as luck would have it, "Toy Story 3" is showing right before and right after it, so it "feels" like a no-brainer. Don't worry, I'm only slightly tempted to comment that the two movies are like night and day from each other. :)

Yesterday was spent doing basically nothing but fun stuff, just putzing around home and loving every second of it! AND what a joy to go to bed on Sunday night and know I didn't have to go to the office on Monday. Feeling VERY grateful today for the big and not so big things.

Broadening My Book Horizons........

2010-07-02T08:28:00.000-06:00

Book club attendance was disappointing last night. I was the only one that read "Wolf Hall", but everyone else had all read the "Guernsey......Literary Potato Peel". What can I say? I can never remember the full title, in the correct order of things.

Anyway, I vowed that I would not recommend a book this time, as I had with "Wolf Hall" and I kept the courage of my conviction. However, as we were talking about other books we read in June, everyone became intrigued with "The Passage." So, THEY are reading it, which surprised me no end. And, the other book recommended was one I had not heard of, but NOT my favorite author, Stephen King.

Amazon describes it as a "psychological thriller", as opposed to a "kill-someone-with-lots-of-blood" horror book, which I associate with Stephen King. Though I admit, this isn't the case with all his books. My college students in Korea LOVED the movie "Misery" when I showed it for my "Movie English" class. Not much blood to speak of, but lots of "thrillerness".

So, got the book and I'm ready for the 4th of July. :)

Jim in July........

2010-07-02T08:23:00.001-06:00

Here's Jim!!

This month's picture of "The Office" calendar is so funny! Jim has a family tree of Dwight and Michael creating a watermelon, and then Jan and a sperm donor creating a baby. There's also a receipt from Jim and Pam's visit to Schrute Farms and much more. LOVE "The Office"!!

Next up? Pam!!!

Learn to Appreciate Technology

2010-06-02T08:51:00.000-06:00

Train Station at the DMZ

2010-05-24T13:47:00.000-06:00

As part of my tour of the Korean DMZ, we were able to tour the never used train station at the southern edge of the area.

Trip to the DMZ

2010-05-24T13:42:00.000-06:00

On my first trip to Seoul, I found a bus tour to the DMZ. Could not wait to see "the sights".
This is the gentleman who directed the tour.
Tours were cheap and frequent. I could have been picked up, at my hotel, throughout the morning and early afternoon.

Looking across the DMZ to North Korea.
The tour included a trip to the beautiful, never been used train station that will eventually (here's hoping) be used for those coming into the DMZ by train, and several other stops. VERY MUCH worth the trip.

First Book Club....

2010-05-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

Going to put my toe in the water for my first book club tomorrow night, via my friend, Johnna and www.meetup.com/books.
I would have never touched this book with a 10 foot pole, as it's not my genre, and written by the son of Stephen King. But, because of this book club, I found I liked it.

"Horns" caught me from the first page and I'd give it 2 stars. Not sure I'd go back and read Joe Hill's first book, as I had planned, but we'll see.

Lost....as in Lost show and Lost Blog :)

2010-05-24T10:11:00.000-06:00

Trying to get back in the swing of things...feeling more "blog motivated".

Loved the Lost finale last night AND the two hours before kind of recapping the last six seasons. (Did I really watch FOUR hours of that stuff?) Read a book during the commercials, which seemed to be A LOT in the last two hours.

I missed a lot of the series while in Korea, but every once in a while, I'd see a stray show, at a really weird hour of the day AND did see some on http://www.hulu.com/ , once I learned about that site!

God Bless Netfix (again)

2010-02-28T19:41:00.001-07:00

Guess I must have been looking in "Documentaries" when I came across this film. Just watched it, and there wasn't a dry eye in my house. This video runs over 8 minutes, but it's totally worth your time.

Betsy's Season of Giving and Student Teaching

2009-12-12T08:01:00.002-07:00

My friend, Betsy, is almost finished student teaching. It's been and up and down experience, but this is a HUGE "up" to me. It's a testament to incorporating what you love into a curriculum, even for little kids, to start instilling humanitarianism! This made me feel so good! With Betsy's permission, I posting it here:

Our theme for this month is "A Season of Giving." Kids tend to think only of what they are getting at Christmas, so we wanted to balance that out a bit. Among other small service activities and lessons on giving, we--as a class--are raising money to donate livestock through Heifer International. The kids are so excited about it!

Yesterday I started the unit by reading a picture book about a girl in Africa who had a goat donated to her family and how it changed their lives. Then I showed pictures of houses (basically shacks) and dilapidated schools in developing countries (from National Geographic) and discussed how the lives of the very poor in other countries differs from our lives here in Utah. Then, later in the day, we watched short, kid-focused video clips (downloaded from the Heifer website) about the different animals we can give and how they will benefit the family that receives it. And at that point the kids were really excited! :)

Today, just one day after introducing the unit, we already have $30! I made this little chart to track our progress. The kids are cracking into their piggy banks to donate all they have, and they are doing chores around the house to raise money.

It's so fantastic to see them so excited to give. Kids rule. :)

My Second Boise Snow!

2009-12-12T07:35:00.001-07:00

OK, it did snow last night....but this picture is not Boise, America. It's more like one of my old towns, Aurora, Illinois. Picture is from the AP, via http://www.huffingtonpost.com/. It didn't snow as much as the picture, but that would have been good, since it's Saturday.

Pretty soon, I'll stop saying "This is my _________ Boise, America snow." Just like in Phoenix, every summer I would say, "This is my ______summer" and then go on to say that it was 117 degrees during my _____ summer.

It's not like I haven't lived in snow longer than lived in 117 degree weather! I was born in Kansas and didn't move out of the Midwest until 1994. But, suddenly have this feeling that age might be slipping up on me!

All this repetition about weather reminds me of the days when I would take my mother in the car for just a drive or errands. As she got older, she would read every sign that we passed. "Piggly Wiggly", "Road Work Ahead", "Hardees." I find myself doing the same thing when someone else is driving and then I'll stop, laugh, and say my mother used to do the same thing.

Repeat after me....it's OK to read all the signs, talk about how often it snows and how hot the weather was in Phoenix!

Piano stairs - TheFunTheory.com - Rolighetsteorin.se

2009-12-08T17:27:00.001-07:00

I really love this! I've seen this many, many times, but I still think it's great!

My First Boise Snow!!

2009-12-07T17:24:00.001-07:00

Whoa!!! It snowed today...or I guess, last night! And it shocked me as I left the house! Went right back in to put on my boots! The announcer on NPR neglected to mention the snow! Sweet surprise!

These are the two co-workers (Shannon in red and Christina) who showed up a few hours after me!

I also took a picture of my car, since this is the first time my car's been in snow and the first time (except for driving up here) that I've driven in snow since 1998. This tree is outside our office. It looks like midwestern bittersweet, only heartier. Whatever it is looked so pretty with snow sprinkled on it!

If You're Going or If You're There - Part 6

2009-12-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

I used to read this Brian Deutsch's blog when I was in Jeonju. I found him again today on The Korea Herald website. I have to say his point is huge!! I always had a hard time putting my finger on the Korean attitude about their history and culture. It's a good place to live, but a hard place to get past the ego.

Skip kimchi lesson - teachers want real training

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/

Representative Cho Jeon-hyuk of the GNP has some big plans for English education, and they include making it mandatory for native speaker English teachers to undergo training programs on Korean culture. According to an English-language article from KBS, last week he said "most foreign teachers in the nation do not have enough of an understanding about Korea's culture and practices," and this program would "(raise) the quality of the nation's English education programs by mandating that foreign teachers have better knowledge of Korea."

At first glance this looks like another attempt to criticize foreign teachers without providing any evidence. How did Cho come to the conclusion, for example, that "most foreign teachers" here don't know about Korean culture and what impact does that have on Korean schools? But Cho's plan hits on some important issues worth discussing by foreign and domestic teachers alike if any real progress toward "raising the quality of the nation's English education programs" is to be made.

When Cho talks about "better knowledge of Korea" and "Korea's culture and practices" what does he mean? He might be surprised to learn that public school teachers often undergo mandatory orientation sessions and seminars already, though unfortunately for them they focus not on teacher training but rather, well, on "Korea's culture and practices." When I attended a week-long orientation in 2006, I sat through many lengthy presentations on topics such as musical instruments, holidays and funerals, and through several redundant talks on "Korean culture" reminding me that kimchi is spicy and that Korea has four distinct seasons. There was nothing, though, on lesson planning, classroom management, or on the expectations of NSETs. Anecdotal evidence shows my experience is not unique, and that teachers consider sessions poorly-planned, impractical and condescending.

I'm reminded of a passage in a book called "Mastering Business in Korea: A Practical Guide" by Tom Coyner which I think applies well here. He notes that most books on Korea start with the same lengthy introduction to Korean history and culture, though his is different: "we assume the reader knows how to use the internet and can read up to his or her heart's content about Korean history." Knowing about Baekje and gayageum is less important than other considerations, and though he talks here about business professionals, we might change that to fit our situation: "As a business professional, however, one need not be conversant on historical trivia but one does need to know the important basics that Koreans will eventually expect even a foreigner to know at a minimum - and perhaps more importantly, one should have some insight on the impact of the legacies of Korean history in the workplace."

The word he uses in his title is "practical," and the orientation sessions mandated thus far have been anything but. And what's "practical," what's vital for native-speaker English teachers, is an understanding of the Korean classroom and how they fit into it. I've written numerous times that most of the challenges that accompany NSETs are due to the lack of planning and support they receive and to the ambiguous role they fill in the system, and any new training session needs to address these concerns.

A new teacher doesn't need a lecture about kimchi - he'll get it often enough at mealtime - but would benefit from presentations on lesson planning for a class of 40. A foreign teacher doesn't need a lesson on how to pour drinks Korean-style - she'll get one from her friends later - but will need to learn how to fit into the teachers' office. An orientation doesn't need a mundane lecture on Hangeul - teachers take the initiative to learn on their own - but NSETs should be given the opportunity to take Korean classes while here. Teachers - some of whom have never taught before - need to be acclimated to the Korean classroom as quickly as possible through practical lessons from experienced NSETs, not from teachers or bureaucrats who don't understand the NSET experience.

Training sessions need to focus on the classroom and how English is taught, and thus need to include Korean English teachers. It's been several years since NSETs have been introduced, yet schools are still unclear about how they're to be used. With some co-teachers, NSETs work as pronunciation guides, with others they split time, and in some cases the co-teacher doesn't show up for class or workshops at all.

And just as there is ignorance of Korean culture by some NSETs, there is ignorance of English and the culture of English-speaking cultures held by Korean teachers, an ignorance that can damage how English is learned and how its speakers are understood. Some teachers believe, for example, that English doesn't have polite speech, or that "What's up!" is an acceptable greeting, or that "negro" or "colored" is an appropriate term for "heukin" because the dictionary says so.

One wonders whether a new mandatory training session on "Korea's culture and practices" would be for the benefit of NSETs or Koreans. Koreans spend a lot of time worrying about their image in the eyes of foreigners, and it's no coincidence that unsavory elements of Korean culture are suppressed around foreign teachers in favor of sources of pride such as food or weather. Koreans resent that some teachers come to Korea to travel and have fun, though this motive is perpetuated not only by recruiting companies that advertise Korea thusly, but by presentations that treat teachers not like professionals but as tourists.

Foreign teachers actually seem responsive to the idea, and though a local reporter titled his story on this "Foreign Teachers Unenthusiastic Over Culture Course," the president of the Association for Teachers of English in Korea said right in the article, "This is a great idea, if it's done right."

Unless Cho intends to give teachers a lesson on Korean bias and last-minute planning, a lot of thought needs to go into making these sessions work for everybody. He should start by first offering opportunities for practical training, language courses and professional development, rather than announcing with much fanfare that they'll be mandated.

Not Your Normal "Hello Kitty" Cupcakes

2009-12-06T09:01:00.002-07:00

I started looking at other blogs just a little earlier than I intended (famous last words) today. Why? you may ask, do I look at other people's posts? Mostly for inspiration and motivation. I like to see what "widgets" others have and what is going on in the lives of these creative people. There are a lot of blogs about:

1. God
2. Gardens
3. Cooking
4. Crafts
5. Families (mostly children)
6. Infertility
7. Adoption
8. Decorating
9. Travel and much more......

This picture is from this blog link : http://cupofencouragement.blogspot.com/ SO Cute!!

Catnip + Movies = BIG Saturday!

2009-12-05T20:50:00.001-07:00

It was 22 degrees at 9AM!! Korean winters were chilly, but geeze, this just feels different!

I ran up to Nampa (most people say "YOU went to Nampa?" like it was 150 miles away) to get a couple of prescriptions and "accidently" ended up wandering around the store....which is easy to do with Target! Anyway, did get "a little something for" Jack. See the "Madcap Mouse" here. It's a refillable cloth mouse with its very own vile of catnip. :) He loves it, plus it has a picture of him on the package!

Also had another Netflix day. Tried to watch "Away We Go", but it kept stopping, so went on to HBO's, just out on DVD, "Into the Storm" about Churchill from 1940 to '45. It was great and Brendan Gleeson really deserved the Academy Award he won!

Happy Holiday Link

2009-12-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Larry! GREAT Link!!
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/photos/2009/12/santa-makes-the-rounds.html

Legislative Frustration - Korean Style

2009-12-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

So, the next time you are feeling exceptionally frustrated about the legislative process in the States, remember these pictures.

While I can't remember which party locked which party out of the proceedings, these pictures reveal the lengths that were gone to to get in/keep out the other! Are you thinking that you see "springs" of some sort in that top picture? Yep! A sleeper sofa was one of the objects used to block the door to the chamber!

I have to take my hat off to Korean representatives. Most have the courage of their convictions.

Netflix Week

2009-11-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

I really got my $$ out of Netflix while I've been on vacation.

1. "The People vs Larry Flynt "- ordered this because I have a new appreciation for Woody Harrelson. Heard him on NPR talking about his new movie "The Messenger" re: members of the military visiting the homes of familes, letting them know their loved on had been killed in the war.

I also heard he was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Larry Flynt. Oosh..also stared Courtney Love as his girlfriend/wife. I wasn't expecting that.

2. "The Ugly Truth" - I guess this has been out for a while....Katherine Heigl (sp). I laughed in places.

3. "Funny People" - Fairly new out....I laughed in places...wasn't sure what to expect.

4. "Four Christmases" (man, did I spell that right?) - I really laughed in places. I originally thought it was a couple going through Christmas over 4 different years. But, with Vince Vaughn, I thought it was cute. REALLY loved the segments with his father and brothers.

Went to the REAL movies and saw "2012".....no plot, but great special effects. Not a watch on TV movie...VERY big screen. Was going to go the next day and see "Pirate Radio", but it was already gone.

Surprised Kitty

2009-11-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

There are not words.......

The Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey

2009-11-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

As an alternative to the traditional turkey, I opted for what's called here a "Papa Murphy's Stuffed Pizza" that I see in ads that I get via the paper.

I was "lured" by the "stuffed" look and as luck would have it, I noticed a location near me. Damn the luck! I called them..not opened on Thanksgiving, but not to worry because you cook your own.

In a little town near my mother in Illinois, there was a family that had something similar, but better. You took your own pots and they filled them with spagetti (sp)and sauce that you took home and heated up. Beautiful.

Same concept at Pappa Murphy's. I took a book, as the guy on the phone said it would take 10 minutes. But, BOOM! Little did I know that as I was hemming and hawing as to what to get, there was a guy listening and (stop/start) putting it together. It was like a Subway kind of affair. Long chilled tables with fresh incredients just waiting to be gathered. I sat down and 2 sentences later, the thing was ready. Only $12.95 and enough to feed 10 of me, easily.

Here is the 3-step process in pictures. The package warns to cook within 24 hours of bringing it home. And surprisingly, it was really tasty, but too much for me for even the 10 days it will take to eat this. I got the kind with 5 kinds of pork, but next time, if there is one, will opt for the Hawaiian. NOT sutuffed. Have to say that the crust is really good though.

Here endith the Thanksgiving epistle! Thank goodness!