Brock's Thoughts

Land of Golden Dreams

2011-09-10T01:33:00.000-04:00

9/5/11 11:40am

A new adventure begins, again, and this time in a place unlikely to have crossed my mind a year ago. Davis, California, nestled in the center of the central valley is where I am making home. Although I physically arrived last Thursday, the past few days have been such a crazy whirlwind that I can't really say that I'm here until now.

Thursday I pulled in to the driveway of my new home at 1pm. The previous tenants had left at noon, only an hour before I arrived, and they didn't leave the house in good shape. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were reserved mostly for negotiating with the landlords, scheduling around the painter, the handyman, the carpet man, and the professional cleaner, and exterminating insects. Today I finished buying all the furniture for my room. Fortunately it's all gone by fast and here I am sitting at my new desk and typing away.

I've decided to do something different with my room this time around and decorate it with a Zanzibar theme (Zanzibar is an island off of Tanzania in the Indian ocean). I have some colorful pillows from when a few volunteers and I went last year, some African paintings, and a white/green striped curtains that really give off the sailor, seafaring vibe. And my furniture is white to really show off all the colorful items! There's still quite a bit of unpacking to be done, but it should be more like a home by the end of the week!

So, anyhow, tomorrow is my real first day, a somewhat normal day in the sense that I can finally start forming a routine: working out, praying in the morning, and biking to work/school. It'll take some time, but tomorrow is a start. So, with twenty minutes left of today, let me say goodbye, goodnight, and here's to tomorrow...

Gaiser or Geyser? Yes!

2011-08-27T21:18:00.009-04:00

We're writing you from Jackson Hole, Wyoming! It's been a few days and we have quite a bit to share with you, starting with Wednesday's long trip through South Dakota and Wyoming.

Wednesday morning we woke up alive but looking as if we'd acquired the chicken pox. The night before we'd pulled into our campground in Kennebec, SD and were welcomed by mosquitoes and deer flies. Not to mention one of my tent poles was broken. Needless to say setting up the tent was a feet, but we survived!

Wednesday was packed! First, the Badlands, then Mt. Rushmore, then Devils Tower, and finally historic Sheridan. Oh, but not to leave out Wall Drug - a random tourist trap store along the highway that started sensational billboard advertisements 300 miles before the exit. That night we stayed at a comfy KOA Kabin and met our neighboring campers, Bruce and Dee Laporte from Watertown, NY! They were wonderful company and invited us to join them for elk sausage with grilled peppers and homemade cucumber salad. A first for both us and hopefully not the last.

Thursday! Kyle's Dodge Stratus made it up and over the Bighorn mountain range, which was a relief! Then onward to Yellowstone, where we spent the day watching old faithful, and many other bubbling beauties named after Kyle's family. The other impressive sites were the Great Geyser, Cascade canyon falls, and tons of bison that didn't seem to care about breaking traffic laws. The night was bone chilling cold and we heard coyotes in the night, but thankfully no bears.

Friday we journeyed to the Grand Tetons, a breathtaking experience that surpassed both of our expectations. We took pictures of old Mormon settlements and then went separate ways to spend the evening writing, praying and listening to music on Jenny Lake with the sun setting beyond the Tetons. We happened upon a nice couple that was retracing the route Louis and Clark took on their journey west - a 10,000 mile, 3 month journey by boat that began in Pittsburgh and will end in Oregon. Friday evening we checked out downtown Jackson square where we discovered two fantastic micro-brews: Moose Drool and Snake River.

And that brings us to today! The highlight today was by far an 8.6 mile hike called Cascade Canyon. It was by far one of the best trails that we've ever hiked, with stunning views of the Teton divide, a meandering river, a bull moose, wildflowers, boulders, and wooded forests.

Tomorrow morning is our last day in the Tetons. In the afternoon we head to Salt Lake City where we get to stay in a real bed in a real hotel room!!! Until then, watch out for those bison and practice drawing your bear spray from your holster.

Kyle & Matt's Great American Adventure Part 1

2011-08-23T18:38:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone!
This is Kyle (and Matt) reporting from Phillip's Diner in Sioux Falls, South Dakota! Our trip to the west coast began bright and early yesterday morning. We drove to Chicago where we stopped in beautiful Wheaton, Illinois for the night to visit Kevin, Dave, and Julie Johnson.

Today is our longest driving day of the 10 day trip: Chicago to Kennebec, SD. To break up the trip, we found the Braveheart soundtrack and decided to reenact a scene using dinosaurs provided by our wonderful Jamestown friends Laura, Rachel and Anneli. Check it out:

As for the other suggestions on Facebook, we're working on finding a state trooper who'll take a picture with us, and we have plenty of photos of the state signs we've passed.

Photo Albums and Movie about Rwanda

2011-08-08T14:41:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

On my blog (www.brockthought.blogspot.com) I've posted links to my Rwanda photo albums as well as a video that I made to say Thank You to all those who supported my school and church in Rwanda.

The video is also on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IUZG3mODLw

The first half of the video is about my school and the second half is about my church, and all that your support provided for both of them.

Thank you!!

Sell Everything

2011-05-15T13:16:00.018-04:00

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
- Mark 10:21

Difficult words.

This morning's sermon was based on this passage, and it reminded me of an old bucket list I had started in high school and happened upon the other day when cleaning my room. On that list, scribbled with my messy high school penmanship, was written, "live poor." Depending on whose standards you use, you could say I accomplished this when I was living in Rwanda: lacking clean water, electricity, food variety, and common accessories or luxuries. In fact, many people naturally compliment and even admire my work or any other volunteer's work based upon this reason alone. "It must have been difficult."

Today the two most provoking words in this verse, sell everything, took on a different spin for me. I did not sell everything. I sacrificed time, energy, even money for the poor, but the whole time that I was "living poor" I had another home awaiting my return, a room with a bed, a closet full of clothes, belongings gathering dust, a budget for travel and another for resettling back in America. In my attempts to live like the locals and understand life from their perspective, I soon realized that I would only be able to view from a distance. Even if they were my neighbors, even if I lived life with them day in and day out, I could never fully grasp what it was like not to have the money to pay for a bus fare or watch your kids go hungry, the fear of not having anything to fall back on, the emptiness of losing your family to war and genocide, the lack of opportunity to go to school or use your degree after you've earned it.

I wonder if this is why Jesus says to sell everything: not just because a rich man cannot serve two masters, but because he knows that as long as we have another option to fall back on, we aren't fully trusting him. And as long as we aren't fully trusting him, we will never be able to fully understand and experience life. Perhaps this is Jesus' definition of "faith." Faith is not so much about belief, but more to do with trusting Him because we choose to abandon all other options in pursuit of Christ. Just as I could sell everything in order to truly understand what it means to "live poor", Christ calls us to abandon all other options to living our life and follow him in order to truly understand what it means to "live rich."

Lint

2011-05-10T18:28:00.008-04:00

As I recall, one of my first surprises when returning stateside was lint. Yep, those little fuzzy balls that get stuck in your belly button or the stringy remnant of socks that stick between your toes, lint was one of the first wake up calls that I was indeed back in America, the land of washing machines and tumble dryers.

As I have come to realize, my experience with lint is a fitting analogy for what people usually define as "reverse culture shock." It's the little things that you don't expect, and it isn't about the American culture itself as it is about the effects of our culture on our lifestyle. So, coming back to America isn't so much about culture shock to me as it is about lifestyle readjustment.

For example, hot showers, driving a car, using a washing machine, the attitudes of people, the way Americans think and interact with each other - these are aspects of our culture to which I adjusted rather quickly and soon accepted as normal because it is what I've grown up with. However, while taking a shower every morning feels completely normal, I am surprised and even appalled by how much perfectly clean water I use - and waste. As a conservative estimate, the amount of water I used to shower this morning (assuming 6 liters per minute for a very low flow showerhead) was about the equivalent of five day's worth of water for bathing, drinking, washing dishes, and cooking in Rwanda. Factor in the water pouring from our faucets, flushing our toilets, and flowing in our dish washers and washing machines and you'll have an idea of how big of an adjustment this is to me.

Another readjustment is how having a car at my disposal increases how sedentary I am. The most I need to walk anymore is from the house to the car and from the car to the store. Before, I was used to walking everywhere, even kilometers, to run an errand. It seems so crystal clear to me why Americans are overweight, why we are prone to more diseases, why we make exercise a sport. I'm recalling Back to the Future III right now, where Doc , in 1885, is laughed at for saying that people in the future "run for fun." At first I enjoyed the freedom of having a car again, but now I'm starting to feel the urge to walk or bike places. I just can't stand taking a car everywhere.

As the honeymoon phase of being back in America settles, I'm starting to see these differences and wrestle with the changes in lifestyle. I'll try to post more "lint" ideas as they come, and I would like to hear what you think of the differences and how we should respond to these differences, if at all.

Closer to the Kingdom

2011-03-21T16:04:00.012-04:00

Before I left for Rwanda, almost 15 months ago, I remember talking with a close friend, John Varga, about cultures and Christianity. He offered a thoughtful question to think about when traveling: "How is this culture closer to the kingdom of God?" I've dwelled a lot on this question, I took it with me to Rwanda, and throughout the year I wrote down a list of how Rwandans are closer to the vision that God has for a transformed Christian life, society, and church. On the other hand, I also jotted down how I think they could improve, usually on the days that I came home frustrated or tired of being "culturally sensitive." Of course, it goes without saying that these are also generalizations that don't apply to everyone in Rwanda, but they make for good starting points...

***Closer to the Kingdom***

Resourcefulness. Everything is fixed or reused for something else. Hardly anything is thrown away. Rwandans recycle rubber tires to resole shoes. Plastic bags are banned. I could probably fit all of my 14 months worth of trash in 4 garbage bags, and that's from my more "western" lifestyle.
Friendship. Focus on friendship and the healthy/good obligations that come with it. Friendships are not about convenience like they often are in America.
Focus on the present, not the past or future. They live more "in the moment," so they're more flexible and don't get stressed out easily.
Community oriented "Umudugudu" (translates to "Village"). Not only is it fun to say, but it's extremely effective. Each umudugudu is made of about 50 families. It's the smallest unit of societal/governmental structure. They meet every month or so, usually under a tree, and talk about the issues and needs in their community and help each other out. Every few years they vote for new leaders by going to a field and standing behind their candidate of choice. This ties in nicely to Wendell Berry's idea of "community" as opposed to the widening separation of "public" and "private" life in America (see his essay titled, "Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community").
Responsibility. Students say that they have a responsibility to help disabled classmates. That is, they feel an obligation to step up and help, where without their help the disabled person would not be able to attend school. The responsibility was NOT the school's. The only thing the school does is to ensure that a student is available to help: like retrieving water for a girl who's missing a foot and on crutches. There's good and bad to this system, but I admire the hard work and community responsibility rather compared to a complicated school/budget/taxes/bureaucratic program.
Reconciliation oriented: Gacaca courts (village courts where they dealt with genocide crimes that occurred locally and with the intention to restore peace and cooperation). Openness to state wrongdoings or disagreements with others in meetings.
Generous: It wasn't uncommon for a cyclist to offer me a free 6km bike ride home on the back of his bike, and truckers always refused money when I hitchhiked. As I made friends with one particular shop owner, he would always be so glad to see me that he would give me free candy or bottled water.
Energy. Rwanda's focusing on sustainable and renewable energy (geothermal, methane and hydroelectric projects).
Healthier, more natural diet without a lot of (bad) fat, sugar, and salt. As long as they stay clear of the sugar cane, African's teeth are usually spectacular. Same can be said for their eyes. Maybe cuz they don't have TV or light in the nights; the need for glasses is smaller.

***Possible Improvements***

Organization and communication. Do I need to elaborate? Poor organization leads to poor efficiency and lots of delays (lots). Poor communication leads to mistakes and wasted time, energy, and money.
Stereotypes. Their stereotypes of Americans/whites. The word "Umuzungu" translates as "white man" and "rich man." They believe America and Americans hold the key to their success and America is an easy life, with money growing on trees.
Saving money. When people were surprised that I could travel so much yet I owned the cheapest cell phone I told them it's because I would rather save my money and use it for traveling. Many people are used to just getting by, so when they get a surplus of cash, it's easy for them to just spend it on the cell phone with a camera, music player and internet. Of course, the added status symbol is an extra incentive.
Status Lifestyles. Alcohol and food is also a status symbol. Stereotypically, poor men drink water while rich men drink alcohol and are fat. To be rich and important tends to imply a riskier lifestyle.
Waste disposal: no garbage, littering, especially as more packaged products are being introduced. Human waste is all underground, not good for water table and not used for things like biomass to electricity. Also, many Rwandans don't compost their leftovers. We had a compost pile, but we never used it for fertilizer.
Amusement and Water Parks. Hello? Anyone heard of splash lagoon or a lazy river? Yeah, I could've used some of that for hot boring days.
Think! Critical and independent thinking is not always encouraged. Rote memorization and obedience to hierarchy is the norm. Historically, this limits productivity and business entrepreneurship and increases the chance of poor governance and blind acceptance (groundwork for the genocide).
Globalization. According to the book "Ishmael," Rwanda is a Leaver society becoming more and more like the Takers. The director of Environment and Water repeatedly told me over a drink that, "this world is ours!!" Every bit of land is farmed, threatening population, diversity of crops, and deforestation. As the number of tea and coffee farmers increases, they are transitioning from subsistent local crops to a fluctuating global market economy, which also lowers the value of their crops and increases foreign dependence.
Libraries. Few (or no?) public libraries outside of Kigali. Why not open the school libraries to communities?

I don't think the lists are complete and I don't claim that they're completely accurate or even biblical, but that's why I'm posting them here - to wrestle with these ideas and to hear your opinions too! Now that I'm back in America I am reminding myself that the experience is only half over...

Sliding Glass Doors

2011-03-02T12:57:00.003-05:00

I am in the Mumbai airport, listening to Chopin music over the loudspeakers and envying the people boarding the Kenyan airways flight to Nairobi. Fourteen months ago I was leaving all that was familiar for something new and completely different. And now, here I am doing the same thing. I'm not going "back"- that is, not much will be the same and most everything will be familiar in the most unfamiliar way. I will miss Rwanda. I will miss Africa. I will miss India. I will miss the freedom of roaming the planet and visiting the homes of amazing people in amazingly diverse cultures.

It's strange really, how, when sitting on a cold sterilized steel airport bench, the emotion and essence of places and personalities so quickly fades to deteriorating memories. How is it possible that I am sitting here typing on my iPod, the people around me reading their Kindles and watching movies on laptops, when an hour ago I was sitting on the floor of a slum eating curry, rice and cake in celebration of an Indian boy's first birthday? How can a wave goodbye and sliding glass door turn the world inside out so quickly and so easily?

The Top 10

2011-02-04T09:17:00.003-05:00

If you're going to live in Rwanda...

10. Always check if there is toilet paper before going to the bathroom.

9. Don't mention pizza. Don't even think about it.

8. Don't let your candle burn too low or else it will fall through the coke bottle, leaving no base for the next candle.

7. Be prepared to wait 10 minutes to open a single web page (sometimes 20).

6. While it's impossible to be friendly with every Joe Schmo who approaches you wanting to know every detailof your life, keep in mind that the guy you snub walking down the road or sitting next to you on the bus might be someone really important, or might become your best friend.

5. "Malaria pills? Oh, I forgot about those months ago..."

4. You will become addicted to the same food over and over and over. Mainly, chapati and tea every morning and the infamous melange: rice, beans, cooked bananas, and chips covered with vegetable or meat sauce. Oh, how much I will miss it!

3. Go hiking! On a clear day from the highest point in the southeast you can see Tanzania, Burundi, and the volcanoes on the other side of the country.

2. Chew Rice cautiously to avoid the rocks.

1. Every morning is like going white water rafting! A little imagination goes a long way in making cold bucket showers enjoyable.

Rainy Day

2011-01-17T08:35:00.003-05:00

12 January

Rainy Day

It's 6am and raining cows and chickens,
Sending everyone at the market scattering like the dickens.
My morning run will surely face delay,
And laundry will have to wait for another day.
No cell phones and no transport when it's not sunny,
And teaching is moot amidst a tin roof cacophony.
It's raining outside and not much else to be said,
So I think I'll just crawl back into bed.

The Day an Alien Came to Town

2010-12-27T03:09:00.003-05:00

26-December
Culture Shock - a phrase generally used to describe a person's adjustment to a new group of people and their customs. But, have you ever stopped to consider the culture shock experienced by the group of people who are welcoming the individual?

To anyone who's been abroad for an extended period of time, you know that people make a big deal about the phrase "culture shock." Entire books are written on the subject, organizations train their recruits about the new culture in advance to dispell any stereotypes and make the transition smoother. They inform them about the phases of the shock and how to cope with it. But think about a typical African boy who sees, for the first time, a white man walk into a local restaurant. I can only wonder what goes through his mind. He doesn't have any training about culture shock, no education about Amerians except for their stereotypes, and surely not even a heads up about the newcomer. Nah, the man just pops up one day and expects you not to be shocked at all.

No wonder they call a foreigner an "alien." It's a fitting analogy. imagine a Martian lands in your neighborhood. I'm not kidding, a real live Martian just moved into the house a few doors away from you. No way! You've heard rumors of them before, but you didn't know if they even existed. It could have all been a myth. Is he really green? He can't be; that's such a strange color of skin. What does he eat? what does he wear? If he has a flying saucer, and surely he does, then he can take me back to Mars for a visit. And if he can come all the way from Mars to my little neighborhood by himself, then he must have a lot to offer me.

This is why crowds gather 'round to stare at me. It's why some kids are overjoyed to greet me and others run away crying. I've learned to accept it: I am an alien.

Needs

2010-12-27T02:41:00.003-05:00

17-December
Four weeks, 99 hours on a bus, three days on a cargo boat, and seven currencies later, I am home, in Rwanda. My travels have been exhilarating and refreshing, but right now it is good to be back where life is familiar. The people, the food, the culture, the language; it is all familiar.

Being away for a month and coming back to Rwanda has given me a chance to step back and reconsider my work this past year and think about the work that is most needed in Rwanda.

At the beginning of the year, when I first realized that I was going to have a surplus of donation money to spend in my community, I began asking myself how I could possibly use these funds. It seems strange, doesn't it? What does a shopping spree look like in a third world country? On one hand it seems obvious, but on the other it isn't. You would think there should be too many choices, yet when I tried to put pen to paper, I drew a blank. Why? Because I didn't know what the community really needed - I had only been there for a month or two! Maybe that sounds silly. After all, a straightforward cookie cutter solution should fit the bill: shoes, clothes, toiletries, and cans of tuna fish and beans to pass out, right? But poverty is a completely different beast in Rwanda than it is in downtown Cleveland, let alone in Uganda or Zambia. Poverty, entangled in economics, politics, cultural views, technology, climate, and geography, has many faces, countless causes, and elusive answers. So, to ask what a community needs is a challenging question.

Fortunately, through some wonderful counsel from a few leaders within our village, I am confident that we met a great deal of needs. This includes school supplies, school fees, textbooks, calculators, and sports equipment for my church as well as clothes, food, doors, mattresses, and Bibles for individuals in my congregation. Another generous gift from the states was specifically used to provide 200 mosquito nets for my school and a shipment of used textbooks is on the way from my university's TBP chapter. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity that people have displayed in helping my community. A great deal of admiration and gratefulness go out to you folks.

But now, after living here for a year, I want to return to that question: what does my community need? In particular, I want to consider non-monetary needs. As I look around I see countless opportunities to make practical and long-term differences in my community. Science labs need to be organized and teachers need to be trained how to perform and teach experiments. Electricians need to rewire my school so that every bulb and appliance does not run on when the electricity is switched on, and then teach the staff and students about power saving and the environment while they're at it. Agriculturalists need to teach Rwandan farmers how to compost and how to rotate a variety of crops using permaculture, which will not only improve soil and food quality and quantity, but will also contribute to an improved diet. Speaking of which, nutritionists could hold local seminars informing parents about healthy food/crop choices and diet-related health issues. Engineers can teach and help to install gravity fed water systems, local purification techniques and local energy, heating or electricity schemes. Librarians can organize our school's library and teach us how to increase student's access to books and perhaps open the library to the comjunity since no public library exists. Businessmen can teach graduates and young entrepreneurs how to develop business strategies and make the connection between their education and the job market, bringing in jobs and money to their local encomy. The opportunities are exciting and endless. It is not impossible by any means; the people in Rwanda are eager to learn and are ready for change. They just need the guidance and encouragement in the right directions.

In summary, if you have any skill or knowledge, as well as the creativity and guts, then pick yourself up, pack a duffel bag, hop on a plane, and fly to a small village somewhere in the world. You're guaranteed to find your niche.

A Little Adventure

2010-11-01T10:59:00.005-04:00

Today I decided to go exploring around the area. From my home I can see across a large valley to the next hill where there is a large mound of rocks... in fact, this is the highest point in my district. So, I packed some water and my map of Rwanda and starting hiking. I arrived in the village of Musaza about two hours later, scrambled up the rocks and was astonished by the view. On one side was Rwanda. Facing the side there was Tanzania on my left and Burundi on my right, with the mighty Akagera River dividing the borders. I had no idea I was so close to Burundi! You could see miles upon miles upon miles from this point! I took some pictures, but they really don't do any justice, so I'll just post the map here to illustrate what I'm talking about!

To help you get oriented, the yellow lines demarcate the borders. Rwanda is on top, Tanzania bottom right, and Burundi bottom left. My home town, Nyakarambi, is just next door to the village of Kirehe, which is printed the side of the main road toward Tanzania. I hiked from Nyakarambi to the small triangle labeled 1834 (meters) and then to the town "Musaza" just to the left on the map. Beneath me in the deep valley was the Akagera River and in the distance I could see Lake Rweru, more than half of which lies in Burundi. To the north, I could pick out the tallest points, like Rukira, near Kibungo, which is about 35 km away. (Ctrl + CLICK on the picture for a larger view in another window).

The town of Musaza itself was mystical; a surreal feeling of being on top of the world, at the corner of three borders. It made me realize how small Rwanda is and how easy it is to travel around these parts of East Africa. If I just had a tent, I could easily be at the Burundian border in a day, Lake Rweru the next evening, and so on. Food is never a problem... Rwanda is a country of 10 million people and the size of Maryland (Burundi not too different). Wherever you go you will find people and tea shops and places to stock up on food and water. Hmm. It's just incredible! Now that school is finished, I hope to be able to do a lot more exploring!

Surprise!

2010-10-28T10:12:00.002-04:00

25- October

My village has this new thing - it's called the Internet. I was eating dinner with a friend a couple nights ago when he told me that the Rwanda Develpment Board had installed a new computer lab just down the road. I was in disbelief. Internet? in Nyakarambi? My life was about to change.

The weekend only intensified my excitement as I waited in suspense for Monday morning. Could there really be internet here? Was it coming and not yet finished? Would the lab be open and working? Usually news travels fast in our village and I would have expected the whole town to be buzzing about this. In my impatience I had asked a few people on Sunday if they knew about the new connection. Some gave the same reply I did: "Internet? In Nyakarambi? Oh no, not yet," but others verified it. I gave the whole thing a fifty fifty chance.

Monday rolled around and I roled out of bed, did some laundry and took some breakfast until the clock rolled around to 9am. I headed down the road toward the new white building that was rumored to house fifty computers with a fast connection the outside world. The gate was open. Okay, that's a good start. How about the door? Yep; wide open as if magnifying the eagerness of new visitors like me. I walked into the room on my left to find my pastor hunched over a computer punching a keyboard finger by finger and a sea of sleek new computers behind me. He looked up, hugged me, and through his grin said, "I think Nyakarambi is now having the internet!"

I sat at my computer and opened internet explorer. As I waited for the browser to load, I looked around me. A little dissatisfaction set in. The other computers were all occupied by teenage boys, browsing any entertainment sites they could find, loading YouTube videos (hogging precious bandwidth), and looking at new electronic gadgets they could only hope to buy. Gmail's homepage was open and I clicked sign-in. The screen went black; the electricity was out. I let out a sigh. It could be three minutes or three hours. I waited thirty minutes, then gave up hope and went home.

As I write this (having just returned home) my bubbling excitement for the internet was quelched by dissapointment. Sure, the power will come back on eventually and I will probably be posting this blog via the new computer lab. These things are to be expected in Rwanda. But strangely, I am more discontented with my first impression of the internet's use here. What will the internet be primarily used for in Nyakarambi, and by whom? How much time and money (what little they have) will teenagers throw at a box that provides them with music videos, merchandise, and promiscious entertainment? We aim for development and pour foreign aid into Rwanda and hope for what outcomes? I don't mean to sound cynical or condemning, but I do mean to be skeptical or at least cautious and aware of how technology affects the world. And while materialism and entertainment of all sorts is as common as day in America, it is a strikingly new technological and social revolution in Rwanda. And while countries like America have had decades, even centuries to adjust, a small town like Nyakarambi is receiving a concentrated dose of this revolution that is in stark contrast with the hoe-digging, hand picking, cattle herding life they have always known; and this, bear in mind, only sixteen years after a genocide. What curious and unimaginable dynamics are shaping this country. Nyakarambi, welcome to the rest of the world.

Rain, Rockets, Rwanda...

2010-10-22T13:44:00.002-04:00

The following is an email update I sent out recently, but before I paste it here, I just want to say Thank You to all who have replied with your words of encouragement. they are a blessing to me. A special thanks to those who've been following this blog... rest assured there are many (too many) 'Brock thoughts' rolling around in my head, and when the busyness of exams and job searches and grad school applications fades, I'll be sure to put those thoughts firmly on paper (or online I suppose). As Rwandans say, "Ihangane" (patience), or as they also say, "Buhoro buhoro," (slowly by slowly)....

9-October-2010

Dear Friends and Family,

After a solid three months without a single rain cloud, the dry season has come to a close in Rwanda and the fresh rain is restoring the green to the land of a thousand hills as well as the skip in people's step. The dawn of October also heralds the last month of school. With one month to go, my students and I are buckling down to finish the curriculum and prepare for exams. In mathematics we are finishing
trigonometry, and in physics groups are giving their presentations on eight different renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

I am incredibly proud of my students. First, I thought that their physics presentations might be a disaster, but far from it. After
doing their own research, each group taught the class about how a certain energy source works (like hydro power or fossil fuel
stations), outlined the advantages and disadvantages, and discussed the practicality of the technology in Rwanda. To top it off, a few
teachers and I took over thirty students on a field trip to see a hydroelectric power station in the Northern Province of Rwanda! They
asked very intelligent questions and it was a joy for me to take the teaching experience from the blackboard to their country's very own
hills.

The other highlight of this term was last week's official opening of the Rusumo High School Science Club. The first experiment was a rocket
that I had built with a few students. Curiosity, excitement, and skepticism permeated the hundred of students encircled around us. They
counted down: "...5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." Nothing. We scrambled to troubleshoot a loose connection while our onlookers chuckled and
opinion tipped toward skepticism. Unexpectedly, the rocket lept to life, piercing a good thousand feet of deep blue sky. Five days later
we found it hanging in a banana plantation, still in tact, and still airworthy for future flights.

Needless to say, the past few weeks have been a special time of bonding with my students. I am looking forward to the next few weeks
too. In addition to teaching, I will be purchasing sports equipment for my school, as well as Bibles, doors, and other basic needs for
orphans and widows at the church I attend. These funds have been graciously provided by the Vacation Bible School programs at Bethany
and Zion Covenant Churches (Cleveland and Jamestown). Thank you!!

For one week in early September I returned state side to celebrate my sister Kristen's wedding. The wedding was beautiful in every way:
weather, ceremony, company, food (no rice and beans), and all. Making the transition back and forth was surprisingly smooth. Life in
Nyakarambi has become pretty normal by now. Nyakarambi itself is still
making that transition from village to town. A new bank is being built now; it will even have tiled floors and air conditioning!
Unfortunately, these conveniences have yet to reach my home, which leaves lesson planning to candlelight.

Please continue to pray for my friendships in Nyakarambi. They mean a lot to me, but as the school year approaches and end, it is difficult
to balance quality time with accomplishing my projects and goals. Pray that in this period of business I would still find time to relax and
enjoy the culture and natural beauty surrounding me.

Many thanks to all of you who are reading these updates, sending emails or mail, or praying. It means a lot to me. Keep in touch.

Peace and blessings,
Kyle

P.S. As I write this on my ipod, I am sitting in a bus playing classic
American hits: Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean," Michael Bolton's "How
Am I Supposed To Live Without You?" and of course, Celine Dion's "My
Heart Will Go On." It's the small things that make you feel at home,
eh?

The First Rain

2010-09-06T20:31:00.000-04:00

29 August

Last night I was sitting in my favorite chill-out shop drinking tea and chowing on some capati when the TV flashed to a meteorologist reporting the weather in Rwanda. I let out a chuckle of disbelief; i would never expect to see a meteorology report in Rwanda, one because I'm in rural Africa, and two, there isn't much to report on during the dry season. I can't remember seeing a drop of rain for three months straight. Of course, the weather map showed sunshine and partly cloudy for the entire country. "At least they try," I thought to myself, and returned to my tea.

This morning I woke up and stepped outside and the first thing I noticed was a different smell. It smelled like spring but before spring arrives - that foreshadow of a scent that hails the changing of seasons. I didn't think much of it; the weather was sunny and hot. Until I got to church. While everyone was singing and dancing I thought I heard a different sound that didn't match the clapping and hollering of the congregation... like rain hitting a tin rough. I looked outside and sure enough, it was raining!!!!! Hmmm. Something about rain, especially the first rain in months. There's only more to come!

Parade of One

2010-08-25T09:41:00.000-04:00

18 August

"Pastor Pascal," is how he introduced himself. We were sitting on a small wooden bench hunched over a table sized for an eight year old. Light green walls lit the otherwise drab cement hole-in-the-wall restaurant. We drank umutobe, a pungent banana juice that would make even the most stoic face scour. That was back in February. Many conversations and just a few cups of banana later, Pastor Pascal and I share a special friendship.

Pascal works as a shoe repairman at our local market. Originally from the DR Congo, he recently moved his family (wife, two daughters, and a three year old boy) to our random village of Nyakarambi, in hopes of finding a job as a pastor; but until that materializes, you'll find him sitting on a cement slab every Tuesday and Friday polishing, stitching and gluing soles back onto the bottom of shoes, and making sandals out of old rubber tires (very durable I must say). Each job he does, each pair of sandals he sells, is a profit of fifty cents to a dollar, and this only two days a week, and this for a family of five.

This evening I visited his home for dinner. As usual, a visit to his house included several detours to visit his neighbors and chat over fanta. Walking from house to house kids swarmed around me, kicking up dust from the parched dirt road. They ran ahead of me, trailed behind me, came close to touch my arm. They sang, shouted "abamaraika," ("angels"), danced in their beige and blue school uniforms and toted their toy cars made of plastic bottle bodies and bottle caps for wheels along side me as we paraded ahead.

His house was simple, typical. Cement walls, crumbling on one side, and sticks supporting corregated metal sheets above. A wooden table and two benches furnished the room where we sat. Kids peared through the square hole window, their heads bobbing up and down, appearing and suddenly disappearing like the hammerhead arcade game. Gabby, his youngest son, sat on the floor. His pot belly stuck out, exposing an inflated belly button atleast five inches long. Pascal's wife served our dinner: cooked banana, rice, beans, and sardines mixed together in one enormous heap on an 18" diameter plate. The sun was setting as we finished (still half the food left on the plate). We walked to the road; this time neighbors silenced the crowd of kids they were so loud. Pascal hailed a passing policeman who let me hitch a ride on the back of his motorcycle, sitting comfortably against the rifle slung across his back.

"If God lent us many forgivenesses, we will have many benedictions." Pascal repeats this phrase every greeting, salutation, and just about every ten minutes in between ("benedictions" in kinyarwanda is the same as "blessings"). I don't know if Pascal needs many forgivenesses, many jobs, or just a bit of good luck, but I do know that for a family and a community so generous, so caring, so eager to learn and work hard, many bendictions is the least they deserve.

General Update

2010-07-05T11:13:00.000-04:00

Warm greetings from Rwanda! I am always amazed at how time flies, especially when there is no change from winter to summer in Rwanda; it is hard to tell exactly which month it is sometimes! It seems a daunting task to write this update since there is so much to write about. I wish I could relate all the conversations, all the lessons learned, all the pictures worth more than a thousand words to all of you in one email. All I can say is that Rwanda is a country of change and a country of adventure; you never quite what to expect on any given day. I wish each of you were able to come join me for a week and experience it for yourself.

School
We are well into the second trimester of school and I am truly enjoying my students; although it is not always easy, we find ways of keeping each other entertained. For example, I've established the "powa sign" in my classes ("powa" is swahili for "cool"). When I finish teaching a concept, I ask them to give me the "powa sign," that is, a thumbs up for "yeah, I totally get it," a thumbs sideways for "eh, somehow," and a thumbs down for, "I have absolutely no idea what is going on, Teacher Kyle." They always laugh and perk up at the "powa sign."

A couple weeks ago one of my closer Rwandan friends, Ben, came to visit me at school to look at our broken array of solar panels (Ben is an electrical engineer in the capital, Kigali). We did a few calculations and if all goes well, we hope to fix the solar panels! It is a good practical learning experience for me, and it's something I hope to share with the students so they can see a practical application of their education.

Community
From my school, 2km down a dusty dirt road, take a right down the hill another 4km of paved road, and you reach my home in Nyakarambi, a village that is rapidly becoming a small town. It is incredible to watch a village change before my eyes. A new gas station is just about finished, and power lines are being strung from pole to pole, soon carrying electricity, and with it a whole new set of changes. I did a double take the other day as I was walking down the one stretch of road that is Nyakarambi, and saw a garbage can on the side of the road. To my amazement, the street was actually lined with garbage cans, evenly spaced every hundred meters. This is the first waste disposal system I've seen in the Rwandan countryside!

I have plugged myself into a local church. The pastor is a very humble and caring man. He regularly visits me to see how I am doing and to give me a short message that he has prepared in English since the Sunday services are in Kinyarwanda. The singing and dancing at church is lively and colorful. There are a few songs that I know the tune to and can play on guitar (even if I don't fully understand the Kinyarwanda). A few weeks ago I played guitar for the church. I'm also helping a local branch of Compassion International on Saturday afternoons. They have two broken guitars and no one to play them. If we can fix them, I'm hoping to give the staff some lessons and teach the kids a few songs!

Culture
While the change in Nyakarambi is exciting, the most significant part of life to me has been coming to understand the people and culture of Rwanda. There are some things that just do not make sense to a Western mind; Rwandan life can be full of contradictions, some humorous, some just flat out frustrating. But I am at a point where I feel settled. When someone tells me a program will start at 10am, I can guess the actual start time within half an hour (4:30pm). Where before I would spin my wheels to get work done, I now know that Rwandans really can do a job well; they are very capable, but they need motivation, and that requires lots of encouragement and persistence.

On a deeper level, my frustrations have been replaced with a deep respect for the people of Rwanda. It is sinking in that sixteen years ago this country was in pieces. There was no unity, no peace, no government, no hope or belief that they would even survive the genocide. Communities, families, education, business: everything had to start from scratch. And to see what Rwandans are doing now is incredible. Some of my students have written letters that they would like me to share with you all at home (I will send them to my churches in Cleveland and Jamestown next term). Reading their letters and hearing even just a little about the effect of the war on their families puts into perspective what they have gone through and how remarkable it is that they are learning about electrodynamics (even if they don't understand it) and dreaming about being doctors (even if they have no funds to attend university).

Prayer Requests
As you can imagine, Rwanda has a difficult and complicated history, which is sometimes an obstacle to moving forward. While Rwanda is rapidly changing and growing, there are still underlying political and ethnic tensions. Sixteen years is a short time to find a complete remedy to a struggle that has lasted over a century. Elections are also coming up in early August. Pray for peace in Rwanda and for reconcilliation. Those are two words my students always use, but it's one thing to say them and another to believe them and put them into practice in order to replace hatred with love. The NY Times has recently published several articles on Rwanda. A good one to read is this: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/world/africa/17rwanda.html

Also, please pray for my interactions with people in my community. I want to be more intentional about strengthening the friendships I've made and inviting them to share a meal or a coke.

Marabou Stork

2010-05-29T06:43:00.003-04:00

I just put up two new posts, but I just had to add this one as well. Thanks to Jo C who found this info on one of the more peculiar sitings on our trip to Tanzania, I introduce you to the Marabou Stork.

Marabou Stork

To the casual observer the massive Marabou Stork with its balding, scabby head and pendulous pink air sac may appear to be one of the ugliest creatures in the world. If this same observer were to notice the Marabou's fondness for carrion and its habit of squirting excrement onto its own legs he or she would probably consider the original opinion to be justified. It takes a real bird lover to see past all of this stork's bizarre adornments to recognize the scruffy charm underneath.

For more, And I picture that I couldn't upload, see http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Facts/FactSheets/fact-maraboustork.cfm

Belonging

2010-05-29T06:37:00.000-04:00

May 26

Before I came to Africa I remember struggling with finding my place, as many new graduate do, in that strange period between the comforts of college and the security of settling - the vastness of an unknown life ahead of me. I had a strong hold on who I was, but a slippery grasp of who i was to the rest of the world.

Now, in Rwanda, finding my place looks very different from when I was in America. In some sense it's easier. A clearly defined role as a volunteer, as an American, as a voluntary outsider (by color and culture at least), the new friendships in my community, and the comradeship of other volunteers in the same position all help define my place in Rwanda, making it feel at home. But in a different way, a more subtle way, home is difficult to establish. With all the new surroundings, it's not hard to detach or distance myself from this new home, to be distracted from my work here, or to sort of turn the autopilot on: going through the motions of teaching, building friendships, and working around cultural barriers.

A friend from home recently sent me a prayer (as she does every month - thanks!!) on this subject. Here's part of it:
"Do not let it sit in. Teach him to embrace it, knowing and constantly thanking you for the world you placed him in and the knowledge you have given him to pass to others. Bring back a childlike faith in him to relearn everything in the new surroundings... Let him find your presence in every piece of the surroundings. How can one yearn for anything more than your presence?"

A couple days before I left Cleveland for Jamestown to begin packing for Rwanda, I heard a worship song that said, "I finally found where I belong, in Your presence." I'm finding it's true, in any situation. I can travel the world, alone or with life long friends, and I know where I belong. I always have a place.

Warm sun on my back, cool breeze on my face. Smell of freshly cut grass. Hum of birds' wings around me... a world of open doors...

Marato Amahoro

2010-05-29T06:34:00.001-04:00

May 24

This weekend my fellow volunteer and friend Mitesh and I ran in the 6th annual International Peace Marathon (Marato Amahoro) in Kigali, Rwanda. Mitesh ran the full marathon and I ran the half It was the first marathon experience for both of us, so we didn't quite know what to expect.

In all the months of training leading up to the marathon, I was running alone (accept for the crowd of 20 little kids chasing me on their way to or from school), so it was exciting to arrive at the stadium surrounded by over a thousand other runners from all over the world. We met a man who was traveling the world running a marathon a week for one year (52 marathons!!). Last week he was in China, next week Hungary. Another man from America visiting for the week to run and do some orphanage work, and several people from Belgium and Germany and Japan, some working in Rwanda, others visiting. And of course there were all the east African countries competing, including the Kenyan runners - best in the world. There were young kids and even older women (they ran the five kilometer fun run) and a race for wheelchairs too.

The race began an hour behind schedule, 9am instead of 8am., which meant the hot sun, unabated by the thin line of clouds in a predomiately blue sky, was scorching by midday. I have a nice tan - note to self, the rainy season is now officially over; wear sunscreen! My first lap felt great - I was pacing myself just as planned, but as the day grew hotter and the water stations started running out of water (go figure) the second lap was more grueling and I slowed down by 8 minutes (the half marathon route was two big laps around the city, the marathon four). I was amazed to see that the Kenyans were lapping me - ugh. Also, there was a guy with only one leg who ran the half marathon on his crutches. That's incredible.

I finished the half marathon in 2:13:07, which put me in 235th place out of about 500. The top runners were all African, mostly Kenyan - 1:04 was the best time. The first place marathon runner was around 2:46, which is really good considering the heat, the hills, and the altitude. It's just amazing what these runners can do!!

All in all, well worth it. But I think I'll stick to biking for my exercise for the rest of my year here :)

Questions for teacher Kyle

2010-05-11T10:13:00.000-04:00

In an effort to build better relationships with my students and to make classes more fun, I told my students to write down any questions that they have about me. Well, I am sitting in front of a stack of over a hundred pieces of paper with questions I'm supposed to answer over the course of this year. Here are some samplings:

- You are married? (the number one question)
- Have you all parents? (the number two question)
- In America do you eat beans?
- Teacher Kyle is a teacher know many language kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, English, ... (HA!)
- You can help the poverty?
- How many children and wives do you have in America?
- Have you woman?
- What is the meaning of LosAngels?
- You know today USA has black president is miraclous to you what you think about it?
- Why change the country from America to Rwanda?
- I would like to know your mortal status?
- If you know French I will tell more about the road to success. (!?!?)
- Can you perform to take me in USA if possible?
- Which type of religion do you pray in?
- How do you compare the climate modification of Rwanda and USA?
- How have years old?
- I wont to know a news about a superstar in the music.
- I need to know the names of your parents.
- You know a date of your birthday?
- Can I see a poor person in America like in Africa?
- Some people say that in America in your country there are some people who have the heart of help other like us student the ones of us the money is difficult I say school feese. When you go in America you will tell them this problem?

2010-04-27T11:49:00.000-04:00

April 26
Today
Today was one of those days... the good kind... the kind where everything right and everything good reassures you that this time and place is where you're supposed to be. Today the sun was shining and the flowers were a bright pink against the blue sky. My iPod's "random" setting knew just the right music to play - starting with Johnny Cash and Damien rice, and followed by Flogging Molly, Yael Naim, good ole Peter Cetera, and the Fast Cars and Freedom of Rascall Flatts. I am showered and clean after three days of wearing the same thing (sadly, that's not unusual here, although I swear it doesn't happen too often), and smooth shaven. I'm wearing my new black suit coat, which I bought at the market for 9 US bucks, over a fitted anti-wrinkle Van Heusen button up (my favorite), tucked into a pair of khaki colored dockers. I take a 5 minute moto ride from my house to school, a bit quicker than usual as we fly over the holes in the dirt road, making one abrupt stop for an old lady crossing in front of us. I dismount and greet my headmaster and dean of studies. As I walk into the staff room the teachers applaud at my new suit and comment on how smart it looks. I indulge in the attention for a brief moment, bowing and thanking them and telling them it's really just a coat. I teach my lesson, 100 minutes of mathematics. I'm refreshed, energetic, and on top of what needs to happen, but flexible and not worried if everything on my list to do doesn't get finished today - one step at a time, start where you are and do what you can.

On the way home a little boy not much taller than my knee follows me down the road, jumping up and down, naked, and screaming "bonjour, bonjour!!" Others ask "How are you teacher?" or "How old are you?" Some laugh, some smile shyly, a few even cry at the site of a white person. Some run at me full force, arms open wide, embracing me with a huge hug around the knees. My pants now have green streaks of avacado smeared on them. I continue down the hill. Old men and women with canes in hand and baskets on head stop to greet me with a handshake, a smile, and a friendly "mwiriwe." They chuckle as I reply in kinyarwanda, "mwiriwe neza, amakuru?"

This week I will practice a song for church on my guitar with my friend John Paul and I'll invite a couple friends to meet and catch up over a fanta. If I have the time I might plant some vegetables in my garden out back.

This is Africa. This is my life. I'm glad I'm here.

Pictures!!

2010-04-24T14:15:00.003-04:00

Hey folks! Guess what!! Pictures are here!!! finally!!!!! Wheew, it's taken me way too long to get them up. But it's worth it. Check out the pictures of our trip to Tanzania (Kahama, Moshi, Dar, Zanzibar) at www.picasaweb.google.com/kyle.gaiser

Here are a couple pics of my house, my kitchen, and my classroom.

Kindness

2010-04-20T09:55:00.001-04:00

April 15, 2010
Yesterday I was in stonetown, Zanzibar, shopping for a few souvenirs. I visited a cooperative consisting of 65 women who made pillows of all sorts of colors and designs - they were beautiful! Just as stunning were the women's warm hospitality and friendliness. Meghan and I explained to the lady who spoke the best English that we were volunteer teachers in Rwanda. As expected, she asked us if everything was peaceful there and we assured her it was for the most part. She said that her husband had died fighting in the civil war in Tanzania and that she fears for her children' safety. She was very glad that we were teachers, providing education for children.

We perused the piles of colorful fabrics and after much deliberation made our final selections. We took out our cash and began to tally up the bill. Now, usually at a women's cooperative there is no bartering, the prices are set. But to our surprise they began "bartering" for us. First, instead of exchanging from dollars to shillings, they told us we could just pay the US price tag in shillings, meaning an $8 pillow would be 8000 shillings, which is a 27% discount by itself. On top of that, when I added up my bill, it should have been 53000 shillings. When she added it up, she got 50000. I said okay, 50000. Then, she gave me a huge proud grin and said 45000. And 45000 it was.

I am still amazed at this kindness to a complete stranger. We (Americans) live in a culture so focused on profit that it isn't even a choice to sacrifice kindness, but apparently the default. Moreover, instead of trying to rip off a muzungu tourist who's almost always a target, these ladies put aside their own culture's stereotype of me as well as the stereotype of money being the most important thing in life, in order to show the most pure act of kindess.

The Smell of Memory

2010-03-19T04:21:00.001-04:00

I've heard it said that smell is the strongest sense for recalling memories. The other day I dug deep into a bag of extra odds and ends that I brought with me from America and pulled out a bottle of lotion that I hadn't used for months. The first thing I noticed as I opened it and lathered it on my hands and then my face was how strong the smell was. Being in Africa, there aren't many scented things - atleast as sweetly scented as what Americans are used to. It's like our smell has been desensitized; what used to be a rather weak smelling lotion was now overwhelming to me.

And with the overwhelming smell came a flood of memories (I'd used the same lotion for a few years)... and not just pictures of events, but the emotions and the friendships engrained in those moments of time: the late nights spent finishing that physics homework assignment, the oh-so-good cold pizza in the greasy Rascal House Pizza box on the counter in our apartment leftover from a roommate's special event, the feeling of being clean and well shaven after a hot shower, my dimly lit room with all its decorations in just their right places hanging on the walls while I lay on my bed chatting to a friend on the phone, the anticipation of a date with a special someone, the heartbreak, the excitement of dressing up in a tuxedo for a choir concert, or a suit for a night at the orchestra...

I never knew a bottle of lotion knew me so well.

Redefining life

2010-02-19T03:55:00.001-05:00

I am here at my site in Nyakarambi, Rwanda. After three weeks of training (with a great group of volunteers I must say) we were all sent our separate ways, dropped off in a strange new land of rolling green hills and incredibly starry nights. I've been in Nyakarambi for five weeks now and, while I am enjoying the experience, I am realizing how different life is here than what i have experienced in my previous 23 years. Imagine. You have no car - a symbol of freedom and independence in America. You are surrounded by a new language and what normally takes 10 seconds to communicate can now take up to 10 minutes. Your washing machine is gone, so is your shower, tap water, and electricity for a stove, oven, microwave, or toaster. You have an ishoka (ax) and igibiriti (matches) at your disposal for cooking meals and boiling your water. Cold drinks are a luxury, and the idea of Italian food for dinner or M&Ms for a snack is a joke among volunteers. This is just the beginning, but it is good and well worth it. I am slowly learning to redefine my life and expectations of Rwanda. In the following posts i will try to describe this process in three areas of life: culture, home, and school. Here's the first...

Redefining life: culture
I came to Rwanda expecting to see a country deeply scarred and struggling to get back on its feet after the 1994 genocide. In some ways this is true, and quite literally so; I often pass people whose arms or legs are crippled or missing, and last month I tried to avoid watching a man with no legs and flip flops on his hands carry himself up the same hill that had winded me. And once in awhile you will see a "Prisons" vehicle pass by with men in neatly pressed pink garb, indicating those who are on trial for crimes of genocide. But, for the most part, people go on living their everyday ordinary lives and I find myself having to remind myself that the events in 1994 actually happenned. This is the point of view of a naive outsider, someone who could never understand how the genocide has really affected every family in Rwanda. While I struggle to see the impact on their culture, I believe it is there; it's just not always obvious. Take for example my friend Venuste, who told me about his job in the district education office, his studies at university degree, and how he lost both of his parents in the genocide when he was 15.

On a lighter note, last week I went to a wedding!!! One of our teachers got getting and I guess anyone and everyone is invited to a wedding in Rwanda, including me... and the cows. The groom gave the brides father a 2 liter bottle of coke, a bottle if wine, and 2 cows as a gift in exchange for the bride's hand in marriage. I'm totally going to give my bride's family a bunch of cows on my wedding day. The wedding was very long... It took all day and started with a couple hours where the brides father tried to convince the grooms father for his son to take a different wife... Basically bartering. The decorations consisted of tarps hung over banana trees and wrapped in toilet paper. :)

In preparation for the wedding, I learned that there are many cultural differences when it comes to relationships and marriage in Rwanda. My friend and fellow teacher Kirisa explained to me today that finding a wife can be a very long process here. In his preparations for marriage, he first completed university and worked in order to save enough money to buy a plot of land. Now that he has the land, he is saving to build his own house in which he and his future wife can live. With land and a house, he will search for a wife, meanwhile, saving enough for the cost of a wedding. When he finds a girl to date, they will date in secret, not telling their families. When they are ready to make arrangements for marriage, they will introduce each other to their families for the first time. Ha! Amazing!

When it comes to finding that special someone, Rwandans can be the most suave creatures on the planet. For example, when introducing themselves they will say something along the lines of "Hello, my name is Ben, I am from Kigali, Rwanda, and I am single." In fact, many times when introducing myself for the first time, people (both guys and girls) will flat out ask me if I am single. It's just customary. The truly sly ones, with a little more class, will ask, "How are your wife and kids doing?"

While Rwandans can be closed off emotionally at first, they have no problem expressing themselves as they get to know you. Yesterday my friend Evereste came up to me during lunch and said, "Kyle, I am going to sit next to you because I love you." In fact, in kinyarwanda the word for love and like are the same. Yesterday, during a staff meeting, a guy held my hand while stroking my arm. It's incredibly awkward but completely normal here to express your love/like for a friend like that, whether it's a guy or a girl.

Surprisingly, one of the things I miss the most about culture at home is the variety of arts and food. In America you can go to the cinema for a movie or an art gallery to see famous paintings and sculptures, or listen to a symphony orchestra, or a rock concert, or go the theater for a play or musical. Or you can just wander around town and find an infinite variety of restaurants ranging from hole in the wall coffee shops to international foods, wines, or local brews.

Well that's all for now... More to come on the community/home and the school later!

Stereotype Me

2010-02-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

This morning I went shopping at the local market, which runs every Tuesday and Friday and is literally 300 feet from my house. I was looking at metal hangers for my dress shirts. Like anything and everything at the market you should barter or else you'll end up paying way too much. I tried to barter for five hangers. I started at 200 francs (about 30 cents), but they refused to go any lower than 500 francs (just under a dollar), which was their starting price. I tried several stands and each time I was baffled because they wouldn't budge. I knew that I was being ripped off because I am a white foreigner, and apparently skin color determines economic status. One lady was even blunt enough to say, "you are rich; you can afford it." I can't tell if I am annoyed because of the stereotype or because it's is true.

There are many things I am loving about the culture here, but this stereotype that all whites seemingly have an infinite supply of money at their disposal is not one of them. I walk down the road and little boys stick out their hands and demand "amafaranga!" ("money" in kinyarwanda). Teenagers and even adults stare at me for literally minutes on end as if dollar signs are hovering over my head. Countless people want to be your friend and they will tell you there stories of how they cannot go to school because they do not have any money and are looking for a sponsor. I realize this comes with the territory of being a volunteer from a country whose GNI is $41,400 in a country whose GNI is $220 (2004 figures, per person). But, it can be difficult sometimes to build friendships because it's hard to distinguish those who genuinely want to know me from those who are more interested in my stereotype. I must remember that not all Africans, not all Rwandans, label me and judge me by the color of my skin. Many have a genuine interest in my work here, my life, and me as a person; it would unfair, afterall, for me to cling to my own stereotypes of them.

On a deeper note, if I'm here to promote global understanding and mutual respect between cultures, then what should my reaction be to this stereotype and how should I represent Americans in my conversations with people? I guess the question I am getting at is, "Am I really rich?" When i am talking to people here about American finances I try to explain that there actually are people who struggle to get by in America and that 10% of the population do not have jobs and that I myself am not a wealthy person, but live a regular middle class life, according to American standards. Obviously the middle class in America has much more financial opportunity than the middle class in Rwanda, and obviously the income is greater, but the cost of living is much higher too. So, I am back to the question of how does one define "rich?" Maybe the best way is not by absolute income, but by purchasing power, or the opportunity to purchase "stuff." I don't know but I would be open to suggestions, thoughts, and advice. Thanks for reading my little vent here and for thinking about the issue with me.

P.S. I finally got 4 hangers for 300 francs.

The "first" day

2010-02-01T11:22:00.003-05:00

NOTE: I may publish multiple posts per day, which were written on different days because of my limited Internet connection. So be sure to check previous posts. Also, more posts are in the works so check back shortly (I hope)!

Today was the first day of school for Rwanda, according to the original plan laid out by the ministry of education. However, it also happened to coincide with a national holiday: veterans day. So, welcome kids to your first day of school... here, have the first day off! In typical Rwandan fashion, the ministry of education announced over the radio yesterday that school would actually start tomorrow and that those going to boarding schools (my kids) should travel today so they can begin their studies bright and early on Tuesday.

Now, the teachers at my school had a meeting today. I was a bit nervous, it being the first time that I would meet everyone I'd be working with for the next year and possibly longer. I arrived ten minutes early to the meeting that my headmaster said was to start at eight. I was the first one there, which was good and gave me some time to look at my schedule (I am teaching a full day on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, a half day on Wednesday and Friday I have off)!!! Sounds great, although it is still about 25 hrs per week, so I will be keeping busy. More to come on what I am teaching in an upcoming post (coming soon). Other teachers started trickling in and by 10:30 the meeting started. I can't complain about the delay... The extra time gave me a chance to get to know the teachers, and what an amazing, energetic, enthusiastic and friendly group they are!!! I was very impressed, and relieved, by their ability to speak English, but I was mist surprised by their genuine sense of humor, which made for a very warm welcome. This is so encouraging and I have a feeling that we will all make a very good team for teaching.

I wish I could be so excited for the meeting that followed. It lasted for four straight hours. No breaks, no standing up, no lunch, no water or tea. 95% of the conversation was in kinyarwanda because, understandably, that is the easiest for a majority. I did have a translator, but for the most part it was a very long and drawn out meeting. It is truly remarkable how Rwandans can sit in one place, on wooden chairs or crunched 5 people to a couch, for so long. I've noticed this in many situations like at church, which lasted for 3.5 hrs and in buses, or in my classrooms, which some are scheduled for 2.5 hrs long, all teaching, no labs. In America, this would never fly, especially with students... We are encouraged to give them frequent breaks and to keep things brief and concise in order to keep peoples attention. Yes, taking breaks may be a more effective teaching method, however I think one of the reasons for our short attention span can be attributed the fast food, on demand, instant culture in which we are brought up.

After the meeting, two of the teachers kindly took me to their home and said I was welcome anytime to hang out, eat, or even sleep. Then we all went out for coke and biscuits and enjoyed good conversation and of course, laughter. A good start to the first day of school!

2010-02-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

"We must learn to prefer quality over quantity, service over profit, neighborliness over competition, people and other creatures over machines, health over wealth... economic health over economic growth... If we are to have such an economy, we must repair our country and our society... We must end waste and pollution. We must renew our urban and rural communities. We must remake family life and neighborhood. We must reduce indebtedness, poverty, homelessness, violence... We must take proper care of our children. We must quit treating them as commodities for the "job market" and teach them to be good neighbors and citizens and to do good work." - Wendell Berry, Peaceableness Toward Enemies

As I think about and prepare for the first day of my teaching stint here in Rwanda, I am beginning to realize the significance of education beyond that of just teaching the material. My "job" is to teach math and physics by completing the curriculum laid out for me before the year's end. It seems straightforward enough: prepare the notes in advance, organize labs and homework assignments, mix in some quizes and diagnostic testing for evaluation, and add a dash of class discussion here and there. But as I read Berry's essay, I am challenged to do more. Education is more than relaying information and making kids into successful adults ("successful" usually refering to economic status). Education is vital not only in teaching students the material, but also how to use the material to benefit our world and communities now while ensuring our health tomorrow.

This is especially true in Rwanda. Here, the focus is on becoming a technological hub for East Africa and there is a strong incentive to move from a subsistence agricultural economy to a "knowledge based economy." And this change is evident in Rwanda's rapid economic growth, the value of higher education, the 2010 mandate that all classes be taught in English (not French or Kinyarwanda), the recruitment of international math and science teachers, and the improvements in infrastructure enabling an industry-based economy. With these changes in mind, may I reemphisize Berry's thoughts: education must be guided by a practical care for the world and a respect for morals. Science must be accompanied by ethics. Technology must be rooted in an awareness of our neighbors' needs and our future resources. Kids must become good neighbors before they can become good engineers, politicians, or doctors.

Nyanza!

2010-01-16T05:10:00.003-05:00

14 January 2010

The cows are mooing and the birds are chirping this morning in Nyanza. Our group of fearless volunteers ventured the winding country roads of Rwanda on Sunday to arrive at Nyanza, a small town about 1.5 hours outside of Kigali. Here, we are giving kids and adults free English lessons for this week as the last part of our training. The country side surrounding Nyanza is absolutely beautiful... rolling green hills, misty mornings, blue afternoon skies (wellsometimes - we are in the rainy season after all), markets, and streets lined with people carrying food, wood, mattresses, or anything you can imagine on their heads.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at an orphanage playing soccer and learning how to say "tickle" to kids in Kinyarwanda. The kids are amazing soccer players, not that I was surprised, but given my size I think we were pretty evenly matched :) Playing with kids is always good for the soul; it seems the more time you spend with a kid, the more you become one.

The hotel we are staying at in Nyanza is actually pretty nice: comfortable beds, running water, our own bathrooms, a TV to follow the African Cup, and even hot showers (again, sometimes). However, as we learned the hard way, this does not mean that we should expect the same service as we are accustomed to in the states. On Monday we ordered food from the hotel... fries, goat brochettes, and pizza, not anything too terribly fancy, but we waited two hours!! I keep thinking back to two summers ago when I was a waiter at the Athenaeum Hotel in Chautauqua, NY and how many unsatisfied customers would complain about a 20 minute wait when the kitchen was dealing with an influx of at least fifty customers at the same time. Here, food requires patience (ihangahe in Kinyarwanda). But, on the flip side, we were guaranteed fresh food - the goat pen is just at the back of the hotel.

Back to the part about the rainy season. Last night I experienced the most intense storm I can remember in my entire life. It started around 8PM and lasted well into the night and the next morning. It was not just raining during this time, but constantly lightning and thundering. For a while it was right over top of us and the flashes of lightning were like staring at the flashes from a photographers camera - bright white - and the thunder would follow with a sudden crack that reverberated in your chest. The power in the town went out several times, which left everything pitch black. Imagine watching a storm with no lights. When it wasn't lightning, you literally could not see anything - not even the person standing next to you. Then a flash and a series of bolts lighting up everything around you like a strobe light. It was pretty incredible.

Finally, I will leave off with a few more first impressions about Rwanda that I left out in my previous post. First, it is not impolite to stare here. Add to this the fact that I am a muzungu (white person) with white hair, and you can imagine what it's like sometimes to walk down the street. Secondly, if you want to get someone's attention here in Rwanda, you hiss at them. My hissing skills are slowly developing and I am anticipating culture shock when I come back to America and receive strange looks when I hiss at the waiter or my friend across the way. Finally, Barack Obama is a major hit here. Walk down any street and you will see "Obama Saloon" (Saloon is their word for Salon), and vendors selling "Obama Pants."

The first week!

2010-01-08T07:05:00.004-05:00

Muraho na umwaka mushya kuva Rwanda!!
Hello and happy new years from Rwanda!!

Last week our group of volunteer teachers (14 Americans, 2 Brits, 1 Norwegian, and 1 Canadian) safely arrived in kigali, Rwanda! We are half way into our training, which has encompassed kinyarwanda language training, lesson planning seminars, classroom management tips, genocide memorials, and cultural lessons around the capital. One of the best parts of the experience is the volunteers. They are really down to earth and friendly. Moreover, we all have different backgrounds - economics, politics, teaching, engineering, science, and music, which brings unique perspectives on education, globalization, and technology in Rwanda. I have been encouraged by all of the conversations so far. Also, it seems that everywhere I turn, people are talking about renewable energy; I have already met 2 new contacts and know of a third who are working on sustainable energy.

To give you all a little taste of life in Rwanda, I've come up with a list of my top 10 first impressions of Rwanda:

1. Every morning I awaken to a cacophony of birds around 6am, as the sun begins to rise. For some reason the birds in Rwanda are five times as loud as the birds in America. Maybe it's something they eat?

2. Motos are an extremely efficient way of getting around, not to mention the excitement of riding on the back of a motorcycle and zipping around town! You can usually work out a cheap price too... about a dollar to get across the city. This brings me to my third point...

3. Bartering. It's one of my favorites. Iike it because it basically consists of two people coming to an agreement on something and it often results in a friendship being formed. It's much more interesting and relational than standing in line at wal-mart.

4. Music is almost everywhere. Walking around in the evenings there is always a church congregation singing, or people drumming or clapping to rythym.

5. Friendships are intentional here and are more freely expressed. Guys hold hands walking down the street and it's actually very confusing for a Rwandan if you consider someone to be a friend yet do not shake their hand when seeing them, but merely pass by and wave.

6. Kinyarwanda is a really hard language to learn!!!! All the verbs are irregular and if you were planning to play kinyarwandan scrabble you best bring along copious amount of the letter "u". Besides the fact that it's a lot of memorization and that words often sound alike, it is a lot of fun to speak and Rwandans love it when you speak it.

7. The food is very plain. Mainly rice, beans, and fries. But, Today I found a place that makes a mean omlette :)

8. Kigali is surprisingy clean and developed! There is a mall with a 24 hr Target-like store and a great modern coffee shop with wireless.

9. "Muzungu!!" - enough said.

10. There is not a single movie theater in Kigali that shows current films (that I'm aware of at least)! The best you can find are old country westerns or an old foreign film. Although, if you keep your eyes open some restaraunts/bars show new releases. This Saturday a restaraunts is showing Invictis!

As i write these, keep in mind that I have spent most of my time in Kigali, a pretty developed city, and that having only been here for just over a week, these are only surface first impressions; as I spend more time here I'll understand the culture on a much deeper level!!

Tomorrow

2009-12-27T00:08:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we head to Rwanda at 9:30am!!! A completely different and new culture, place, people, and life. don't have any idea who I'll meet tomorrow, the conversations I will have or even where exactly I'll end up... And it's absolutely thrilling. I pray that thru my actions and words, in every encounter, joy, humility, and the love of the gospel will be shared. Tomorrow is an adventure!!!

P.s. Im totally lovin my iPod touch with the hotels wireless right now... I won't be able to do this much in Rwanda!!

T - 4 days...

2009-12-23T08:10:00.004-05:00

… and I board a plane for Rwanda! It doesn’t even seem real yet, and it won’t until I am buckled securely to the seat of a 767 and take off for Italy, then Ethiopia, Uganda, and finally Rwanda. While abroad, I will be using this blog to write updates about Rwanda when I can; however, I would like to stay true to the original purpose of this blog, that is, to express thoughts on various subjects and to hear your opinions and ideas as well – a conversation, if you will. For those who aren’t familiar with my blog, see the first post. For those who have not yet heard about my new adventure in Rwanda, see the previous post “Rwanda!!”

This morning I just received my placement! I’ll be teaching at Rusumo High School, which is in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, right next to Tanzania! It’s a boarding school with about 800 students total. I’ll live about 4 miles outside of the town. There’s no grid electricity or running water, but these things along with internet and shopping are nearby! That’s basically everything I know right now!

Otherwise, everything is coming together smoothly as I prepare for my year of teaching abroad. It is truly remarkable to see how God is fitting so many pieces together and using so many people to shape this experience and to reassure me that this is the right decision. Here are a few stories:

A few months ago, when word began to spread at my church in Cleveland (Bethany Covenant Church) that I would be teaching in Rwanda, my friend Joe approached me and said he would like to build a kajom (a type of drum) that I could give to my community as a gift. He had been brainstorming this project for awhile, and was hoping the drum could be used abroad and had been praying for the right opportunity. I gladly agreed and we set to work on designing and building the drum!

In the meantime, I was tutoring math and science on Saturday mornings when I ran into a fellow tutor, Bill, who happened to be the father of one of my college friends. We began sharing stories about our experiences abroad in third world countries, and when he heard about my trip to Rwanda and my desire to promote sustainable energy, he introduced to me the Rocket Stove – an efficient and simple-to-build stove designed by an aerospace engineer and specifically for the developing world!

Back to Joe. A week later we were working on the drum when Joe said,
“It sounds like we have a mutual friend.”
“Who,” I asked?
“Bill.”
Apparently, Joe and Bill are in the same men’s Bible study! When Joe had mentioned our drum project to the group and how it would be used in Rwanda, Bill made the connection! I now have a beautiful wood kajom as well as plans for making the Rocket Stove in my possession and ready to give to the community!

Wheew, there are several other good stories I could share, but for the sake of time and space, here’s the Campbell’s soup condensed version:

My good friend, Somo, and her family are from Zambia, and they were kind enough to teach me how to slaughter and dress a chicken! Not only was this a very practical lesson, but it also makes you much more aware of where our food comes from and, for me at least, it instills a certain respect for life that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.
I’ve been introduced to a gentleman who is starting a micro-hydroelectric business in Rwanda. He graduated with degrees in engineering and medicine from MIT and Harvard and currently lives and works at a health clinic in Rwanda. Hopefully we can connect while abroad!

That’s it for now! If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading! Thank you for your support, your encouragement, your prayers, and for just being you. I’m excited to hear about what amazing things will happen at home, in Cleveland, Jamestown, or wherever you are over the next year while I’m gone. Keep me posted and keep it up!

Rwanda!!

2009-12-23T07:54:00.004-05:00

In case you haven't heard, I am going to Rwanda! If you haven't heard the details yet or just want to be reminded, here's a little blurb I've thrown together:

"Recently, I have been accepted as a volunteer for WorldTeach (www.worldteach.org), a non-profit organization based at Harvard University, which places teachers in under-developed countries. Leaving the day after Christmas, I will be venturing to Rwanda to teach math and science for the next year to a year and a half.

Rwanda is a country most widely known for the 1994 genocide, but too often overlooked for its unprecedented strides toward healing and rebuilding. Its people are determined to become leaders in development for the rest of the continent. Yet, many challenges remain. With 60% of Rwandans living on less than a dollar a day and 42% under the age of fifteen, education and hope are essential to Rwanda.

As a WorldTeach volunteer, I will be teaching high school students in math and science. Outside of the classroom, I will be involved in the community through activities such as coaching soccer, organizing science projects, or helping at a local church. Furthermore, Rwanda’s focus on development, particularly in technology, is a perfect fit for me as an engineer, as my long term goal is to help implement renewable energy for developing communities!"

OK, more to come!

“The Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.” Isaiah 61:1-4

While I Am Unaware

2009-09-27T22:41:00.005-04:00

This afternoon I went for a bike ride without a destination. I stumbled upon a patch of wooded area that had a stream and small waterfall running through it, so I parked my bike, hopped a couple boulders, and camped out on a rock in the middle of the stream. I was amazed at how tranquil the scene was before me. There, in the middle of Cleveland Heights was an oasis of nature with only the sound of running water and the wrestling of young autumn leaves falling to the ground. I paid no attention to time. The sunlight glittered off the water weaving its course downstream. I admired a fallen piece of foliage - bright red and orange, as if photosynthesis had captured the image of a campfire and framed it in the shape of a maple leaf. The leaves still hanging were a vibrant green - a canopy from the contrasting yellows and blues of the sun and sky above.

People travel the world over to find beauty in nature, but overlook their own backyards. Sure, I have been amazed at the splendor of many majestic scenes while traveling, but often, I find that some of the most beautiful and peaceful and awe-inspiring scenes are in the most unlikely of places. Creation is everywhere, in the large and small, in the extravagant and the mundane. This means that praise is to be had everywhere too, in all our circumstances, in all our activities, and in all our destinations. Praise is a habit (see David Crowder's book Praise Habit).

Lately I have been reminded of the lyrics to a song that go like this:

You dance over me, while I am unaware...
Lord I'm amazed by you.

Whether we realize it or not, the opportunity for praise is all around us. Whether we acknowledge it or not, God dances and sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17). If we look for it, we'll be amazed.

re

2009-09-15T22:29:00.003-04:00

I think it's interesting that some of the best words to describe the Christian faith start with "re." Here is a list of words that come to mind:

rebuild
revolution
repentance
revitalize
refrain
retain
refine
reduce
reuse
recycle
reclaim
rescue
redeem
receive
revive
restore

Personally, it reveals a lot about the characteristics of Christianity; it's about second chances, it's about new and fresh things, and it's about grace. I haven't tried it yet, but take some of these words and type them into biblegateway.com and see what interesting passages come up. Feel free to add your "re" words and any other insights.

What do they need?

2009-08-14T22:50:00.002-04:00

Okay, this one is a bit more on the philosophical side. There are two pieces of advice that I like, but they seem to contradict each other, and I'm wondering if they can be reconciled. One is a quote by philosopher/theologian Howard Thurman. The second is a homily of sorts from a book written by a monk in Colorado. If you have any thoughts, let me know!

"Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
- Howard Thurman

"There's a monk there who will never give you advice, but only a question. I was told his questions could be very helpful. I sought him out. "I am a parish priest," I said. "I'm here on retreat. Could you give me a question?"
"Ah, yes," he answered. "My question is, 'What do they need?'"
I came away disappointed. I spent a few hours with the question, writing out answers, but finally I went back to him.
"Excuse me. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. Your question has been helpful, but I wasn't so much interested in thinking about my apostolate during this retreat. Rather I wanted to think seriously about my own spiritual life. Could you give me a question for my own spiritual life?"
"Ah, I see. Then my question is, 'What do they REALLY need?'"
- Tales of a Magic Monestary

comic

2009-08-14T22:14:00.002-04:00

I'm not a regular xkcd reader, but I've heard of the webcomic from several friends. I found this one to be somewhat appropriate, although I'm making it a point not to apologize for my lack of posts... :)

Previous post's comments

2009-06-09T22:25:00.002-04:00

Hey folks,
More posts on there way; in the meantime, the last post had a couple comments with really interesting questions and insights. They're worth checking out!

Thoughts on Poverty

2009-03-10T22:19:00.005-04:00

Time flies! I haven't been dry on ideas to write about, but I have been pretty lazy about actually getting them down on paper/blog...

In my not so lazy moments I've been doing a little bit of leisure reading: "Energy Services for the Millennium Development Goals," a 116 page UN report addressing energy needs and approaches for developing countries. It really is fascinating. Last week I began to delve into it during my flight to CU Boulder, where I checked out their Environmental Engineering for Developing Communities program. These things said, lately I've been thinking about what it means to provide help for a developing country. How can we help them? What do developing communities really need? What does "poverty" or "third world" even mean? I have more questions than I have answers, so please, share your thoughts!!

I'll introduce my thoughts with a story. When I was in Nigeria two years ago, my friend and I met a pastor whose wife just gave birth to their son. He was radiant, and we began to talk about family and life in Nigeria and America. I commented on how wonderfully genuine the families were in Nigeria, and how its friendliness made it such a beautiful place. He agreed, but admitted that Nigeria was nothing like the grandeur of New York City, in which he dreamed of living. My friend and I looked at each other with skepticism... is it really worth sacrificing a beautiful culture for independent, impersonal skyscrapers?

Everyone is familiar with the basic third world needs: food, clean water, medicines, etc. Seems straight forward, right? But when you look into it, there is a lot more than meets the eye. Agriculture can be improved with machines, education and economies can be improved through electricity and computers with internet, and communication through cell phones. These improvements enable women to work and children to go to school. Infrastructure can be installed and buildings built, and the list of possible improvements goes on. These can all be very good, but I do question the motivations and the aims of these developments, both as a means of challenging my own convictions as well as ensuring the best for these communities. The big question I'm asking is, "what is our end goal?" What would the world look like if tomorrow all the objectives were achieved and everything was "developed" to a sufficient point so as no one was in poverty? Here are my meager ramblings:

#1 The UN report focuses on moving communities from poverty to the first rung of competitive global economics, which means training professionals, creating small businesses, and introducing modern technology. Should every world culture have computers? Can poverty only be eliminated through a globalized economy? Should all women in all cultures work? Should electricity and agricultural machines that help increase productivity also introduce developing communities to electronic entertainments, reliance on oil, specialization, and the replacement of human labor with technology? Our goal is not to "westernize" these cultures, but how do we develop communities without just making them more like us? Where do we draw the line between aid and assimilation?

#2 On a more philosophical note, perhaps my question poses no real answer. Not because it is impossible to meet the objectives set out by the UN and eradicate poverty, but because the definition of poverty will always change over time. The global poverty scale is measured by monetary value per day (extreme poverty equals less than $1/day USD). Of course, this must be relative to the rest of the world's living standard. What used to be the norm is now considered poverty. In the future, will those with land line phones, bulky slow computers, and gasoline powered cars be poor? There must be some distinction between cultural poverty and subsistence poverty.

#3 Is it accurate to define poverty by monetary value alone? I think that money is just one factor, albeit a major one, that affects poverty; but at the core, it should not define it. Money is merely a tool by which we reach more fundamental needs: nourishment, safety, freedom, and fulfillment, for example. While these are more difficult to quantify, I think they need to be considered in order to properly address poverty. In a general sense, I would define poverty as anything that oppresses people from meeting these goals, whether it's monetary, social, political, emotional, mental, or spiritual. For example, Nigeria has been ranked the friendliest country in the world, yet America's divorce rate can't boast the same accolade. From my own personal experiences, and many others, those with less are usually more thankful and of all things, generous, than those with more. From this point of view, poverty is all around us. Which leads me to my last thought...

#4 The gospel. I'm finding more and more that all throughout the Bible poverty is viewed by this holistic perspective. Yes, the gospel is about spiritual freedom, but at its core it is also a social and physical message. It's about feeding the poor, caring for orphans and widows, and sheltering the homeless. Moreover, it calls us to serve the broken-hearted, to live in an interdependent, accountable community, to care for the environment, to commit to sacrificial love, and to heal the sick. And these are not just practices that Christians are supposed to do; they are the change, restoration, and reconciliation that define the Christian faith. And so I think the Bible has a lot to say about poverty, about getting rid of oppression. And I think it's a good place to start laying a foundation for how to address poverty.

All that said, there are still a lot of questions, and a lot of room for interpretation. Here are my thoughts. What are yours?

Life in the Fast Lane

2009-01-25T15:59:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd share a few points that pastor Greg at Bethany Covenant Church made this morning, because they're pretty pertinent to my life and to our society. He talked about the difference between a fast life and an urgent life. With fast-food restaurants, microwaves, and even speed limits, I think we can all agree that we live in a fast-paced society. In our routines, we go from one thing to another, sometimes non-stop, trying to pack in as much as we can in one day. Even if our routines aren't very busy, I think our fetish for fast is lived out through our attitudes as we're accustomed to instant gratification and impatient with delay or unnecessary changes in plan. As I settle into my new job, I've found myself impatient with traffic and really slow computers. At work I want to get as much done as possible as fast I possibly can so that after work I have more time to do as much as I possibly can, just as fast, before I have to go to bed and repeat the whole process.

And we call this efficiency.

The point of this post (and this morning's sermon) is not just to point out our fast-paced culture and encourage us to slow down, although that would be a good place to start; it's really about what we sacrifice in the fast lane, that is, urgency. Jesus did a lot of amazing stuff, but he was not running around tirelessly preaching, teaching, and healing as many people as he possibly could. He did not say that the Kingdom of God will come the more you do and the faster you do it. He said, the Kingdom is here, in our midst, in our hearts (Luke 17:20-22), and the question is, how do we respond? Jonah took forever to deliver God's message to Nineveh, and when he finally uttered the eight words of prophecy recorded in the Bible, the response of the Ninevites was immediacy: they "called urgently on God" (Jonah 3). Urgency... it is a matter of perspective, disposition to the gospel, and attitude; it is not a matter a speed.

I want to clarify that I do not think that business and efficiency, in their true sense, are inherently bad things. However, they easily foster the "fast life," which refers to that attitude. overwhelmingness, or that almost insatiable drive to squeeze more out of the day. The fast life is a life driven by the fear and lack of faith that God has provided more than enough for you to do and not nearly enough time to do it. Greg wrapped up the morning with a quote from his high school and college basketball years: "The better you are at a sport, the slower the game." Perhaps, the same applies spiritually. As we grow closer to God, life slows down but becomes much more urgent.

The First Day

2009-01-07T17:57:00.002-05:00

Today I started the first day of my job, and with that, I realized that I haven't posted on here for quite some time due to the craziness of finishing my last semester of school. But don't fret! With the 9-5 job comes free evenings and weekends, which means I intend on posting more frequently than I have been. In the meantime, I want to give you a quick run down of what's happened and how I got to where I am now!

Last semester I started looking for jobs with the expectation of being out of Cleveland. Thus, I went to the Case Career Fair not expecting much either. Low and behold, I stumbled upon a fantastic company called Contained Energy that does renewable fuel cell research, which is right up my alley. Moreover, they are a small, very hands-on (everything from design, fabrication, and testing), and cutting-edge technology group. It was a perfect fit, so I couldn't turn it down... which puts me here in Cleveland.

The second really cool thing is that I needed a new apartment, off campus, but I didn't want to come home alone, bum around, and give up on my heart for ministry to the needy and to young adults. So, I started praying and asking others to pray for a guy roommate who had the same idea as me. A week and half later, I met Drew, a guy who just came back from Africa and was in the same situation as me. This past Monday we moved into a place near downtown, and we can't wait to get settled in and keep doing outreach to the people in Cleveland and on college campuses!

Well, that's my update; I tried to keep it brief. More to come later... so check back now and then and don't be shy to post a reply!

later gaters... kg

Awe

2008-10-10T11:41:00.003-04:00

I remember a speaker last year say that there are something like a dozen emotions that humans experience, and the one least experienced is awe. Awe. I don't quite know where I'm going with this post because it's hard to describe, but I think 'Awe' sums it up. This past week, I've been overwhelmed by a sense of awe, mainly through my classes as we study nature.

Unlike previous semesters where we just took notes and regurgitated formulas, we're delving into topics that don't have known solutions; they still fluster scientists and engineers. I look back in history at how scientists encountered and solved problems that today seem trivial, yet here we are with a plethora of our own questions, the answers somehow all linked together beautifully to describe the universe. I am in awe at how amazingly intricate, complex, and yet simple nature is. I am in awe by the depth of nature.

By my senior year, we've practically run out of variables to use. We've called upon the English and Greek alphabet, using capital and lower case letters, subscripts and superscripts, and still we joke in class that we'll need to switch to the Hebrew alphabet soon. This is especially true in my Flight Dynamics class. Every day he introduces new variables, new quantities that detail a requirement that must be met for flight. I paused yesterday after class and realized what a miracle it is that an airplane can even fly. Moreover, nature goes about its course - birds fly, gravity keeps us planted, we breath in and out - without ever knowing all the details.

Naturally, more questions come to mind. How trustworthy are our instincts? Is the pursuit of knowledge the only way to understand truth? I'll leave the philosophy open to discussion :-P

Rafting footage (and carnage?)

2008-09-21T23:03:00.009-04:00

For all you crazy outdoor fans out there, or for those who'd rather just watch from their seat... here's a youtube video of one of my favorite rapids, Seidel's Suckhole, that we "successfully" navigated this past May during raft training. By "we" I mean the trainees first run without instructors, and by "successfully" I mean four of the five runs either flipped or ejected half the crew. (Unfortunately, the video isn't of us, but it was taken two days after we were there, at the same water level/volume)

Blog vs. Facebook

2008-09-19T11:56:00.004-04:00

Just a quick request to throw out there. Since my blog is also fed to Facebook, I tend to get comments on there rather than here, which is great, but some people don't have access to Facebook :( If you could, try and post your comment, big or small, on the BLOG, so that we can keep the conversation in one central location and available for everyone to read!

If you've already posted a comment on Facebook, feel free to copy/paste it to the blog. Thanks!!!

Oh, the places we [can] go...

2008-09-03T22:12:00.005-04:00

I'm sitting in Algebra, a tea house in Little Italy just down the road from my apartment, sipping Fijian Tea and browsing through the seemingly endless possibilities of internships, grad schools, NGOs, and volunteer work there is on the world wide web. I suppose it doesn't help that my search is literally a "world wide" search as I'm open to traveling and looking for work in a developing country. Not that I'm overwhelmed, it's actually kinda fun, but throughout this perusing my mind's had a chance to wander a bit and think...

I think there's almost something... not good? ... about having too many choices and moreover, having the opportunity/freedom to choose anything, or sometimes everything, we want. I'm thankful that I'm blessed and I'm grateful for the freedoms that most of the world will never know. But is this the end goal of freedom? Is freedom giving us whatever we want, with endless possibilities?

I remember reading a book last year called The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber, and by his account, historically, Christians didn't ask what God's will was for their vocation until Martin Luther introduced it during the Reformation. Today that's one of the biggest questions for Christian's my age... everyone's searching to find what God wants them to do for the rest of their life, or at least for the next step. But what about back in the day when subsistence "restricted" people's freedoms. Raising cattle, farming, carrying on the family trade were all standard. The majority of history has lived with very little other opportunity.

So while I believe that with greater freedom comes much greater responsibility, and with new opportunities comes new facets for God's will to be lived out, I guess I also believe that we can really overthink our lives. As my ole youth pastor said, God's will is more about who we are than what we do. Or as a monk once wrote (don't ask...) about the mountain of decision: "If you'll take my advice, you'll drop the questions and go right up the mountain." It's actually comforting; it takes faith and it takes guts.

Go East Young Man, Go East

2008-08-04T12:24:00.003-04:00

On Saturday I was driving home from Cleveland and saw something I normally don't see: the sunset... in my review mirror.

I've always dreamt of just going, following the sun as it sets. I started this summer as a rafting guide on the intrepid white water of Colorado. With a backpack, duffel bag, bike, and greyhound ticket in hand, I headed West to new terrain and new adventures. But for some reasons that were clear, and for others that I have yet to understand, I found myself going East, going home.

Home. Family. Friends. Rolling green hills with an early morning mist that fills the valley, hovers above the water, and, when the golden sun shines through, looks like a painting of heaven's gates. There is a season for everything; sometimes it is boundless exploration. Sometimes plans change. Sometimes, it is home.

When Bathroom Stalls and Churches Collide

2008-07-22T14:46:00.003-04:00

I've always found the toilet to be an inspirational place, and I know I'm not alone in saying that. So not too long ago I was in Avon, CO sitting on the hot seat in the public bathroom of a Wal-Mart, admiring the surroundings: the graffiti, the writing, the drawings that I'm sure we're all (at least the guys) familiar seeing on stall walls. Maybe admiring isn't the right word. My first impression is, "ugh, how stupid," but after my disgust wears off, I start thinking about how prevalent these thoughts, images, stereotypes, and mindsets are in our culture, and it's really sad. I think it reveals a lot of insight into the disrespect, depravity, and neediness of humanity. The graffiti is evidence of a disregard, or at least an ignorance, of true Eros, Phila, and Agape love as well as real community. The historic and natural response of the church has been to shun these stall-graffitiers (metaphorically speaking) in reaction to that initial disgust. But instead of turning our heads in disgust, I think the church needs to take a good look at those stalls and soak it in until the disgust wears off and we can respond with compassion.

I'm imagining what it would look like for a church to be made up of those stall graffitiers. Don't get me wrong here, I am not saying that current church goers are even close to perfection; I bet churchies (church goers) even graffiti on stalls. What I'm getting at is not so much about behavior but more about the current attitude that outsiders have toward the church as well as the disposition of the church toward outsiders. Much of the world stereotypes churchies as goody-two-shoes, placing an unfit and weighty expectation for churchies to be perfect. This stereotype does two things: it sets up the church for failure, resulting in reproaches of hypocrisy, and it distances outsiders from the church. Furthermore, to an extent, I think the church has taken on this burden, and in expecting itself to be perfect, fronts a mask of "having it all together" in fear that otherwise, they would be considered a fraud. Ironically, this furthers separation between the world and the church and undermines community. In other words, right now, those graffitiers don't feel welcomed into the church, and if they were, the world would scream hypocrisy.

But what if it was the other way around?

What if it was normal for the vulgar, the imperfect, the rich, the poor, the perverts, the successful, the drop-outs to attend a church in which, because of a real interdependent vulnerable community, they realize that they don't need to have it all together, and that this is the very reason for grace!? What if the world saw the church as a place to meet their needs for love and community instead of how their sins fail to compare to the piety of today's masquerading church goers? What if church was a place of unconditional love: for people of every race, class, background, and clique, worshiping an amazing God who calls us into a relationship with Him and with each other?

Envision this. Is it biblical? What would it look like? How do we do it? I don't have all the answers to these three questions, so I wanna hear thoughts! I know there may be some objections. I understand that the church should be an example... a pure bride to Christ, working to reflect the beauty of the kingdom of God. So, the church should not accept sin, but at the same time should not be unapproachable and unwelcoming. I realize Paul talks about removing someone who is sinning from the community (1 Corinthians 5:5) and not to associate with purposeful sinners who claim to be Christians (1 Corinthians 5:11), but what’s the context and can these verses be reconciled with the type of church described here? I look forward to your thoughts!

Good Ole Country Music!!!

2008-07-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

My good friend Catie Smith spent some time in good ole Missouri, and didn't have much of a choice but to listen to some good ole country music (which she abhors). So Catie wrote the lyrics to a song that makes fun of country music, and when she shared them with me, I figured I should put the song to some music... some country music. So to the right, under "The Sweet Spot" section, check out those good ole "nose congested vocals" with three repeating chords of guitar and harmonica!

p.s. Thanks to Audacity, a free download that's like having an awesome home recording studio!

I was cleaning my room when...

2008-06-23T15:01:00.006-04:00

Last week I was going through my closet, cleaning out random junk and rearranging the good stuff so that it's now somewhat organized. If you're anything like me, when you go through your old piles, you find all sorts of things that were formally lost or forgotten, like the matching pants to my pajama-like suit I bought in Nigeria, or old high school science experiments, pictures, or notes to/from that crush you had way back when (No, I'm not sharing one of those). Well, in one of my folders I found a piece of paper with some words of advice I'd heard from a couple friends at camp a few years back... you know, those good inspiring phrases that you figured you should probably write down and then stash somewhere in vain hopes of finding it again. Well, I found it, and I've been thinking about these three things over the last couple days and thought I'd share them:

Training vs. Trying: In a lot of areas of life we go about just trying to obtain something. We can put forth a ton of effort trying to reach a goal, make a relationship work, connect with God, or get good grades. These aren't bad things, but I think we often have the wrong attitude or an ineffective perspective. Instead of trying, I'm training, I'm growing and learning, and I know I'll make mistakes along the way. It's a broader look at things. So the question I asked myself today was, "What am I training for?"Instead of trying to get good grades, I'm training to be the best engineer I can be; instead of trying to reach God, I'm training to become more like Him. I'm training to be a husband - in wisdom, purity, and leadership. I'm training for after college - understanding my career interests, my passions, and my goals. What are you training for?
Preparing vs. Planning: In our fast paced, instant American culture, we want everything planned ahead perfectly, whether it's figuring out every detail of our life, our business, or the next event that we're organizing. And sometimes it's like I'm living one big to-do list life. Having short and long term goals, to-do lists, or direction in life can be great and necessary things, and I don't think this advice means to be any less driven or motivated to aim high and work toward goals. However, I think there's a certain element of mystery and faith in our plans that's healthy, that keeps us flexible, not set in our ways, thinking outside the box, adventurous. Furthermore, I think we could afford to shift our focus more from planning out our life to preparing for life (developing our attitude, character, skills, etc), with the understanding that things may not always go as expected. The two are not mutually exclusive; you can plan and prepare, it's just that sometimes I need to step back from all the details, trust that things will work out, and live each moment as a way of being thankful for the present and preparing for the future. Check out the song "Faith My Eyes" by Caedmon's Call and Proverbs 16:9.
Living Offensively vs. Defensively: To live defensively is to live with an attitude of "what if." It's dominated by the circumstances and by what other's do and think. To live offensively is to be motivated by love rather than fear (1 John). It's not held back by "what ifs," but decides through wisdom and trust in God.

Ughh... politics.

2008-06-18T11:21:00.008-04:00

Well, the big election is coming up pretty fast so I figured I should do some research on the top two: McCain and Obama. It's kinda surprising that this is my first real post because I really don't like politics. When I think of politics I'm reminded of a quote that my dad has in his office at work: "A committee takes hours to put into minutes what can be done in seconds." Especially after working with NASA last year I experienced first hand the craziness of bureaucracies and some of the politics involved.

Anyhow, I've posted my excel list comparing McCain and Obama side by side on the right side of this page under "The Sweet Spot" section. Just click on "Compare the Candidates." At the bottom of the spreadsheet I included my references, and anything in blue is my own comment. I only included the issues that were of real interest to me. They are not in any particular order, although there's definitely certain issues that I'm more concerned about than others on the list. Particularly, the environment and renewables (including reduction of foreign dependence) is high on my list. Also, our foreign policy: how we treat other countries and the global issues that we choose to address (like poverty and the Millennium Development Goals). Not only will this help diplomatic relations, but it fights terrorism peacefully, protects our country, and I believe it's just the right, sensible, and inexcusable thing to do. And yeah, I kinda left out health care cuz it's so confusing to me. If anyone can ever find an easy way to explain what's going on with that, let me know! haha.

The only other thing to note right now is that it was interesting going through the candidate's websites. A common complaint about Obama is that he is too vague about how to address the problems. But so far, I've found it to be the opposite; McCain's website describes a lot of promises and hopes, but lacks specifics, whereas Obama's website outlines his plans as well as his goals quite clearly.

Again, I'd love to hear feedback. Please fill in any blanks I'm missing on the spreadsheet or correct anything wrong or unclear. And comment what you think is important. I hope it all makes sense... I wrote it in note form, initially thinking I'd be the only one reading it. So if you're not sure what something means, ask me or google it!

The beginning!!!

2008-06-17T11:40:00.003-04:00

Hey Everyone! Thanks for checking out my new blog! I'm excited! I've been meaning to set up something like this for awhile now with the intent of sharing ideas, questions, insights, or just randomness and having other people reply with their thoughts. The point is not to be a journal, where I write and you read, but more of an thoughtful conversation, where we build on ideas and include various perspectives.

This means sharing your ideas is soo important! A lot of my posts may be about the Christian faith or at least come from a Christian perspective because it's what I believe and it affects how I approach matters. If you have a different religious background, still post your thoughts, please! Approaching a matter from different angles will give us a well rounded and thorough look at it. We'd probably learn less if everyone had the same view. Although, I will say that the point is to respectfully discuss thoughts, including different perspectives, not to get sidetracked by unnecessary/unrelated arguments about the perspectives themselves.

Oh, and if there are ways I can make the blog better over time (content or technical stuff, i.e. font size, color...) just let me know! Cool, and thanks!