I was listening to KFOG as I drove in to work the day after the election. They were reading letters from listeners. A man who is half Mexican, half German, a lawyer by trade, wrote of his pride at the results of the presidential race. He recounted a childhood memory of traveling with his family in Arizona, and the fierce angry man who pointed at a sign of a restaurant they attempted to enter. No Mexicans Allowed.
Another listener wrote, in part, to lament the reference to being proudest of America at this moment or that moment, insisting that if one doesn't love the country, one should leave.
I think she is forgetting that there is a difference between being proud of one's country, and loving one's country.
Americans have always, by and large, loved the US of A. Those of us whose ancestry goes back 5+ generations, those of us who are brand spanking new. We love our country. We will always be proud to be Americans.
But some of us have not always been proud of America. Some of us have experienced our mother land calling us to great sacrifice, but treating us worse than vomit from a dog. And some of us have inherited the pain, expectations and outlook that experience ingrains into a person or a people.
When someone says that they're proud due to this moment or that moment, they are speaking of the country moving closer to what it claims to be. A place where all are created equal. A place where we can honestly say – and demonstrate – that the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are available to everyone.
It's sort of like watching a child raise himself to his feet for the first time. You did not love the child less when he was crawling. Your love for him did not change at all. But you are so very proud of the moment when he pulls himself up to stand.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Integration – The Anti-Derivative
Thursday's class began with the discovery that our math lab assignment was identical to 10 derivative questions which were on the test.
Thankfully, I got a 91, understood what I did wrong, and was able to complete half of the assignment during the break, using my test to check the answers.
We began learning the second part of calculus. He first discussed the calculation of area for different geometric figures-squares, triangles, trapezoids. Pi was found by inscribing and circumscribing circles by hexagons, and taking their area. I really do not like geometry.
Turns out that integration (i.e., finding the area under the curve) is the anti-derivative. Easy peasy. Two unrelated concepts turned out to be the inverse of each other. Who knew?
***********
I spent Halloween afternoon in the doctor's office. An hour and fifteen minutes for a doctor (who was not my regular doctor) to tell me that the pain I feel when I get up after sitting for a while-the sharp pain at the back of the knee, sometimes at that ball & socket joint in my hip-is nothing. Not that I don't feel pain, but that all I can do is exercise and take some ibuprofren. I spent all that time for what?
Thankfully, I got a 91, understood what I did wrong, and was able to complete half of the assignment during the break, using my test to check the answers.
We began learning the second part of calculus. He first discussed the calculation of area for different geometric figures-squares, triangles, trapezoids. Pi was found by inscribing and circumscribing circles by hexagons, and taking their area. I really do not like geometry.
Turns out that integration (i.e., finding the area under the curve) is the anti-derivative. Easy peasy. Two unrelated concepts turned out to be the inverse of each other. Who knew?
***********
I spent Halloween afternoon in the doctor's office. An hour and fifteen minutes for a doctor (who was not my regular doctor) to tell me that the pain I feel when I get up after sitting for a while-the sharp pain at the back of the knee, sometimes at that ball & socket joint in my hip-is nothing. Not that I don't feel pain, but that all I can do is exercise and take some ibuprofren. I spent all that time for what?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Punishing Consumers of Child Pornography
I read a newspaper article(1) about how people who view, access, or store child pornography are punished. Sentences can get up to 20 years in prison. Based on the merits of the case, each federal sentence has a recommended minimum, with the absolute minimum being 5 years. The prosecution of these crimes is based on the presumption that a 'voyeur' of this ilk will one day take the initiative to abuse children, possibly recording their actions for distribution.
Some see the punishments as excessive. "The fact that a person was stimulated by digital depictions of child pornography does not mean that he has or will in the future seek to assault a child," declared one judge. "You shouldn't punish someone for something they haven't done," said a public defender.
Yet is seems that the standard – the potential to harm – is the wrong one to use. Children are abused solely for the benefit of child pornography consumers. Harm has already been done.
Methamphetamine is illegal in the US. Not only is it illegal to produce and transport, it is illegal to consume. Thus one who is caught in possession of methamphetamine is sentenced based on their possession. Not on the future harm they may do to others, but on the fact that they posses an illegal substance.
Shouldn't the possession of child pornography work the same way?
1. Efrati A. Making Punishments Fit the Most Offensive Crimes. The Wall Street Journal. October 23, 2008:A14.
Some see the punishments as excessive. "The fact that a person was stimulated by digital depictions of child pornography does not mean that he has or will in the future seek to assault a child," declared one judge. "You shouldn't punish someone for something they haven't done," said a public defender.
Yet is seems that the standard – the potential to harm – is the wrong one to use. Children are abused solely for the benefit of child pornography consumers. Harm has already been done.
Methamphetamine is illegal in the US. Not only is it illegal to produce and transport, it is illegal to consume. Thus one who is caught in possession of methamphetamine is sentenced based on their possession. Not on the future harm they may do to others, but on the fact that they posses an illegal substance.
Shouldn't the possession of child pornography work the same way?
1. Efrati A. Making Punishments Fit the Most Offensive Crimes. The Wall Street Journal. October 23, 2008:A14.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Call And a Response
I saw the movie Call + Response. Thank you, Shannon for turning me on to it. Please go to www.callandresponse.com to find out about show times in your area.
It is about modern day slavery – the fact of its existence, the vastness of it. It's not simply little girls getting kidnapped from their villages to be sold to brothels. There are child soldiers, there are men and women-whole villages-who are enslaved for labor purposes. And the cartels which run the drugs and the guns, they run the people trafficking too. For all we know, the clothes we buy are made via slave labor; an essential metal for our cell phone, mined by slave child labor.
The movie is a sort of benefit concert, with commentary to inform and encourage. It is a calling to attention and action, a provider of ways to respond.
***********************************************
What kind of person desires to have sex with a 3-year old? Or a 7-year old? I'm not talking about cultures I don't understand or know enough about, I'm not talking about the brothels of India or Southeast Asia, or even Europe. I'm talking about the Americans who do this, going to a massage parlor, seeing that the child can't be more than 12, looking like the gymnasts of old. Traveling abroad specifically for the opportunity to 'get a little girl' (or a little boy), to have a child perform fellatio on them. What kind of person is stimulated by watching 5-year old orphans spread their legs on camera?
***********************************************
High-heels for infants who aren't even close to walking are available for purchase. Could someone explain to me how this is not another way to promote a child as a sexual object? Because one there is a widely acknowledged sexual component to the wearing of heels, particularly high heels. Yes, there are power heels for the office. But that underlying power our sexuality.
Men having sex with teenage girls is so common place, so fabled, so aspired to. Why? That school girl craze of a several years ago, with the short prep school plaid skirt and the knee high socks. Why did fully mature women have to mimic teenage girls in order to be seen as attractive? And why is a woman's attractiveness solely sexual? (Or seemingly portrayed as such in common media?)
***********************************************
There are women who speak and fight and speak and fight for such causes. There are programs to teach and reinforce positive self-image in girls, so that they don't succumb to the prevalent American myth? that the only value she has is by being both sexually well versed and suitably chaste, that her womanhood is described by how good she 'does it' and how she's not a slut. (Did no one bother to mention that how good one is most likely depends on practice, but the more one practices, the more looked down upon one becomes?)
What I would like to see are more male voices talking to men and boys. I hear things here and there, but teaching girls to keep their legs shut means nothing if the boys are dropping their pants and pushing thier thighs back open. (And not necessarily by brute force, gentle persuasion and muddled emotions can be a deathknell.)
I'm not sure that boys would listen to women. I am confident that they would not listen to me. My psychodrama seems so peculiar to my gender. And I do not understand.
I do not understand why promiscuity seems to be so prized by the men of our modern society. (Before one launches into an evolutionary argument about having the most offspring a la a lion, do not forget that the more offspring one has, the more mouths must be fed. I do not have the impression, from the little I've read, that ancient man, in his multi-partner ways, neglected his offspring. One would think that the need to feed so many mouths would be a dis-incentive for planting so much seed.) I am not trying to advocate monogamy. I am trying to understand what would drive a man to visit brothels in the first place. Hit it and quit it leaves many a woman feeling soulless; does it not do the same for men?
It is about modern day slavery – the fact of its existence, the vastness of it. It's not simply little girls getting kidnapped from their villages to be sold to brothels. There are child soldiers, there are men and women-whole villages-who are enslaved for labor purposes. And the cartels which run the drugs and the guns, they run the people trafficking too. For all we know, the clothes we buy are made via slave labor; an essential metal for our cell phone, mined by slave child labor.
The movie is a sort of benefit concert, with commentary to inform and encourage. It is a calling to attention and action, a provider of ways to respond.
***********************************************
What kind of person desires to have sex with a 3-year old? Or a 7-year old? I'm not talking about cultures I don't understand or know enough about, I'm not talking about the brothels of India or Southeast Asia, or even Europe. I'm talking about the Americans who do this, going to a massage parlor, seeing that the child can't be more than 12, looking like the gymnasts of old. Traveling abroad specifically for the opportunity to 'get a little girl' (or a little boy), to have a child perform fellatio on them. What kind of person is stimulated by watching 5-year old orphans spread their legs on camera?
***********************************************
High-heels for infants who aren't even close to walking are available for purchase. Could someone explain to me how this is not another way to promote a child as a sexual object? Because one there is a widely acknowledged sexual component to the wearing of heels, particularly high heels. Yes, there are power heels for the office. But that underlying power our sexuality.
Men having sex with teenage girls is so common place, so fabled, so aspired to. Why? That school girl craze of a several years ago, with the short prep school plaid skirt and the knee high socks. Why did fully mature women have to mimic teenage girls in order to be seen as attractive? And why is a woman's attractiveness solely sexual? (Or seemingly portrayed as such in common media?)
***********************************************
There are women who speak and fight and speak and fight for such causes. There are programs to teach and reinforce positive self-image in girls, so that they don't succumb to the prevalent American myth? that the only value she has is by being both sexually well versed and suitably chaste, that her womanhood is described by how good she 'does it' and how she's not a slut. (Did no one bother to mention that how good one is most likely depends on practice, but the more one practices, the more looked down upon one becomes?)
What I would like to see are more male voices talking to men and boys. I hear things here and there, but teaching girls to keep their legs shut means nothing if the boys are dropping their pants and pushing thier thighs back open. (And not necessarily by brute force, gentle persuasion and muddled emotions can be a deathknell.)
I'm not sure that boys would listen to women. I am confident that they would not listen to me. My psychodrama seems so peculiar to my gender. And I do not understand.
I do not understand why promiscuity seems to be so prized by the men of our modern society. (Before one launches into an evolutionary argument about having the most offspring a la a lion, do not forget that the more offspring one has, the more mouths must be fed. I do not have the impression, from the little I've read, that ancient man, in his multi-partner ways, neglected his offspring. One would think that the need to feed so many mouths would be a dis-incentive for planting so much seed.) I am not trying to advocate monogamy. I am trying to understand what would drive a man to visit brothels in the first place. Hit it and quit it leaves many a woman feeling soulless; does it not do the same for men?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
That Darn Squirrel!
According to the campus newspaper (Las Positas College Express, Lina Deeb, staff writer), a squirrel electrocuted itself, compromising two out of the three main power lines as it died.
This, in, turn, tripped the fuses to the a/c fan in the gym. And the folks in the theatre building (which is nowhere near the gym) started smelling smoke and were evacuated. Eventually, they shut down the main power and we all had to leave.
Have squirrels gotten dumber over the past few years? Because there seems to an increase in squirrel road kill as I go about my day to day, and now there's this.
And the good? side, we skipped two sections of Chapter 2. A little be less will be on the upcoming test.
This, in, turn, tripped the fuses to the a/c fan in the gym. And the folks in the theatre building (which is nowhere near the gym) started smelling smoke and were evacuated. Eventually, they shut down the main power and we all had to leave.
Have squirrels gotten dumber over the past few years? Because there seems to an increase in squirrel road kill as I go about my day to day, and now there's this.
And the good? side, we skipped two sections of Chapter 2. A little be less will be on the upcoming test.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Career Color Test
MSN.com had a story about using colors to identify career categories. The author had taken the assessment ~5 times and it was spot on each time.
I took it thrice. All three times, my best occupational category was "Creator". Advertising execs, architects, authors, artists, lawyers, librarians, etc. Impulsive, sensitive, emotional souls who enjoy working independently and like to work in places where they can "express, assemble, or implement creative ideas."
My second best occupational category was a mixed bag. The first time, it said I was a "Researcher". "Independent, self-motivated, reserved, introspective, analytical, curious." "…prefer self-reliant jobs. Dislike. . .selling, repetitive activities." I couldn't describe myself better.
The other two times, it claimed I was a "Persuader". "Witty, competitive, sociable, talkative, ambitious, argumentative, and aggressive"? These folks sell things. And take "financial and interpersonal risks". I don't think the fact that I talk to myself in public counts as being 'talkative'. And there's a reason that I haven't been on a date since 2002 and have boomeranged back to my mother's house for the second time and can't afford to leave.
So I think the color thingy was spot on the first time I took it. Though I must've had one too many chocolate covered espresso beans the next two times I tried.
I took it thrice. All three times, my best occupational category was "Creator". Advertising execs, architects, authors, artists, lawyers, librarians, etc. Impulsive, sensitive, emotional souls who enjoy working independently and like to work in places where they can "express, assemble, or implement creative ideas."
My second best occupational category was a mixed bag. The first time, it said I was a "Researcher". "Independent, self-motivated, reserved, introspective, analytical, curious." "…prefer self-reliant jobs. Dislike. . .selling, repetitive activities." I couldn't describe myself better.
The other two times, it claimed I was a "Persuader". "Witty, competitive, sociable, talkative, ambitious, argumentative, and aggressive"? These folks sell things. And take "financial and interpersonal risks". I don't think the fact that I talk to myself in public counts as being 'talkative'. And there's a reason that I haven't been on a date since 2002 and have boomeranged back to my mother's house for the second time and can't afford to leave.
So I think the color thingy was spot on the first time I took it. Though I must've had one too many chocolate covered espresso beans the next two times I tried.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Test of Tuesday - Psych!
The hard stuff came. Product Rule, Quotient Rule, Chain Rule. He even did a proof (though we don't have to know it). It didn't look that hard, until we started doing problems in class. They take so long! And when you start mixing product rule with chain rule…it's nasty!
The test was slated for Tuesday. I studied the best I could, but I still have problems simplifying the more complex problems. When I arrived, there were many parking spaces available in one of the lots that is closer to my classroom. (That should've been my first clue that something was amiss.) Then there was the LPFD truck next to the Security Center. And students standing around, not quite milling, but definitely ejected from their classrooms.
So I made my way to the bathroom. Before I hit the building, the lights went out. Everywhere. A man in a green shirt was telling people that they had to evacuate the campus.
So I went to class. (Before I leave campus, I want to make sure that the test is cancelled.) Our teacher told us to hang out for a minute…then the man in the green shirt said, 'We have to evacuate because the power has been shut down. So if you could all go to your cars, and get in them, and leave…that would be great.' I heard someone say "Jesus loves me!" as I walked to my car.
I didn't see anything in the newspaper this morning, so I still don’t' know what happened that inspired first the evacuation of classrooms and then the shutdown of power to evacuate the school. But I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
I now have an extra day to study (which I don't plan to do), as well as an opportunity to get help in the math lab (which I will most likely do). I still expect to either fail miserably or get in the 80% range. Still, I'm not hating it. Yet.
The test was slated for Tuesday. I studied the best I could, but I still have problems simplifying the more complex problems. When I arrived, there were many parking spaces available in one of the lots that is closer to my classroom. (That should've been my first clue that something was amiss.) Then there was the LPFD truck next to the Security Center. And students standing around, not quite milling, but definitely ejected from their classrooms.
So I made my way to the bathroom. Before I hit the building, the lights went out. Everywhere. A man in a green shirt was telling people that they had to evacuate the campus.
So I went to class. (Before I leave campus, I want to make sure that the test is cancelled.) Our teacher told us to hang out for a minute…then the man in the green shirt said, 'We have to evacuate because the power has been shut down. So if you could all go to your cars, and get in them, and leave…that would be great.' I heard someone say "Jesus loves me!" as I walked to my car.
I didn't see anything in the newspaper this morning, so I still don’t' know what happened that inspired first the evacuation of classrooms and then the shutdown of power to evacuate the school. But I'm keeping my eyes peeled.
I now have an extra day to study (which I don't plan to do), as well as an opportunity to get help in the math lab (which I will most likely do). I still expect to either fail miserably or get in the 80% range. Still, I'm not hating it. Yet.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Why Am I Taking Calculus?
I want to get an MBA. I've been thinking about it off and on for the past 10 years or so, and have finally gotten serious about it.
I took Accounting 1A at the local junior college so I wouldn't be totally lost when I took the MBA courses. I finished up with 1B this past spring, and am now taking calculus to demonstrate proficiency in math. I'll follow up with Statistics, and then apply to at least Cal State East Bay (i.e., Hayward).
My initial plan was to focus on tech (I'm a quasi computer nerd). But I found that I like accounting. So I'm exploring the possibilities of a 'straight' accounting career, as well as the combination accounting and tech.
********
It's a curious thing. We just started derivatives, and I almost think I understand calculus better this time around. I certainly don't feel as helplessly lost as I did in undergrad. My theory will be tested on Test #2.
Thursday, he talked about the other way to write derivatives. Thus far, we've been using the f'(x) notation. He briefly talked about the dy/dx notation. The class groaned, "why are you confusing us?" For me, a light bulb went off. I remember that! I think it helped confuse me way back when!
Apparently, this week coming up, the hard stuff begins. The teacher said that, if we don't get what he's teaching next week (not necessarily in a day, but eventually), we might as well drop the class.
The snowball's picking up speed.
I took Accounting 1A at the local junior college so I wouldn't be totally lost when I took the MBA courses. I finished up with 1B this past spring, and am now taking calculus to demonstrate proficiency in math. I'll follow up with Statistics, and then apply to at least Cal State East Bay (i.e., Hayward).
My initial plan was to focus on tech (I'm a quasi computer nerd). But I found that I like accounting. So I'm exploring the possibilities of a 'straight' accounting career, as well as the combination accounting and tech.
********
It's a curious thing. We just started derivatives, and I almost think I understand calculus better this time around. I certainly don't feel as helplessly lost as I did in undergrad. My theory will be tested on Test #2.
Thursday, he talked about the other way to write derivatives. Thus far, we've been using the f'(x) notation. He briefly talked about the dy/dx notation. The class groaned, "why are you confusing us?" For me, a light bulb went off. I remember that! I think it helped confuse me way back when!
Apparently, this week coming up, the hard stuff begins. The teacher said that, if we don't get what he's teaching next week (not necessarily in a day, but eventually), we might as well drop the class.
The snowball's picking up speed.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Adventures in Calculus Continue
We had our first test, and I got an 81%. This is kinda I expected when I left the test. I figured that I either missed 2 problems, getting me in the 80th percentile, or I bombed. Praise the Lord that it was the former.
The bad part is that I made silly mistakes. To think I could've gotten into the mid-B range. My favorite example:
f(x)=2x2+7. Solve f(x+h)
Here was my "thought" process:
f(x+h)=2(x+h)2+7
=2(x+h)(x+h)+2
=2(x2+2xh+h2)+2
=2x2+4xh+2h2+2
=2(x2+2xh+h2+1)
What?!
There are math lab assignments every week. The math lab is a place where you can get help, if needed. According to the registration information, an hour of math lab is required in addition to the regular class time.
We sign in at a computer, which essentially clocks us in and out. Our assignments are to be retrieved from vertical file cabinet A and turned in to lateral file cabinet B, with assignments located in the folder labeled with our class number (e.g., Math 55). So I now spend a minimum of an extra hour on campus. That means less time for dinner and the paper for me.
Our most recent lab assignment involved using the fancy graphing calculator. I needed the little reference guide in order to do most of the assignment. For the one part I couldn't get, and I had to go online and download the 500+ page manual. Do I have a better understanding? Ha! I'll be going to the math lab to ask somebody why I'm doing what I'm doing.
It's a bit frustrating, actually. To read and not be able to understand. And I'm reading in my native language? Dude.
The bad part is that I made silly mistakes. To think I could've gotten into the mid-B range. My favorite example:
f(x)=2x2+7. Solve f(x+h)
Here was my "thought" process:
f(x+h)=2(x+h)2+7
=2(x+h)(x+h)+2
=2(x2+2xh+h2)+2
=2x2+4xh+2h2+2
=2(x2+2xh+h2+1)
What?!
There are math lab assignments every week. The math lab is a place where you can get help, if needed. According to the registration information, an hour of math lab is required in addition to the regular class time.
We sign in at a computer, which essentially clocks us in and out. Our assignments are to be retrieved from vertical file cabinet A and turned in to lateral file cabinet B, with assignments located in the folder labeled with our class number (e.g., Math 55). So I now spend a minimum of an extra hour on campus. That means less time for dinner and the paper for me.
Our most recent lab assignment involved using the fancy graphing calculator. I needed the little reference guide in order to do most of the assignment. For the one part I couldn't get, and I had to go online and download the 500+ page manual. Do I have a better understanding? Ha! I'll be going to the math lab to ask somebody why I'm doing what I'm doing.
It's a bit frustrating, actually. To read and not be able to understand. And I'm reading in my native language? Dude.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The First Day of Calculus
The first day of calculus was not so bad.
Both the book and the lecture starts with a review – of graphs, domains, functions. The girl in front of me was rolling her eyes and bored. I was so needing that review, though. He put an equation on the board – X2 + Y2 = 16. One girl knew that this was the equation for a circle with a radius of 4 and an origin of zero. He drew some other graphs, and kids knew that they were asymptotes (no, I'm not spelling it correctly). I am so in trouble.
I was actually eager to do my homework, figuring if I can do it and understand now, I might be able to establish a good foundation. Because it looks like it's all downhill from here, baby.
In addition to the homework, there's some sort of lab assignments that we have. Some of them are apparently testing how well we can use our calculators. Now, I just bought a TI-83 Plus (on sale at Target). And oh my goodness, I needed the manual to find the negative sign. And if there is a way to enter 8.5% (without putting it in as a decimal), I don't know how to do it because it's not in the little quick reference and I haven't gone online for the manual yet. I am so in trouble.
What I did like, though, was some of the explanations of the uses of calculus, as well as some of the history. That was helpful and interesting. Plus, since the class is for business and social science majors, the book has (simplified) real world examples of the uses of calculus.
Plus the teacher said my name right when he called roll. That almost never happens. Like the cute little blond boy says in the Kaiser Permanente commercial, "Things are looking up."
Both the book and the lecture starts with a review – of graphs, domains, functions. The girl in front of me was rolling her eyes and bored. I was so needing that review, though. He put an equation on the board – X2 + Y2 = 16. One girl knew that this was the equation for a circle with a radius of 4 and an origin of zero. He drew some other graphs, and kids knew that they were asymptotes (no, I'm not spelling it correctly). I am so in trouble.
I was actually eager to do my homework, figuring if I can do it and understand now, I might be able to establish a good foundation. Because it looks like it's all downhill from here, baby.
In addition to the homework, there's some sort of lab assignments that we have. Some of them are apparently testing how well we can use our calculators. Now, I just bought a TI-83 Plus (on sale at Target). And oh my goodness, I needed the manual to find the negative sign. And if there is a way to enter 8.5% (without putting it in as a decimal), I don't know how to do it because it's not in the little quick reference and I haven't gone online for the manual yet. I am so in trouble.
What I did like, though, was some of the explanations of the uses of calculus, as well as some of the history. That was helpful and interesting. Plus, since the class is for business and social science majors, the book has (simplified) real world examples of the uses of calculus.
Plus the teacher said my name right when he called roll. That almost never happens. Like the cute little blond boy says in the Kaiser Permanente commercial, "Things are looking up."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Ecuador Update
About a month ago I returned from a 10-day visit to the Houses of Happiness orphanage in Ecuador.
Located in Conocoto, 30 minutes away from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, Houses of Happiness was founded by Henry and Dorothy Davis 40 years ago. Currently run under the auspices of the non-profit Davis Foundation (The orphanage is known locally as Fundación Davis), it sits on 50 acres of property that includes 20 houses for the kids, a school, a church, a cemetery, and guest houses for visitors.
There are church services on Wednesdays and Sundays (open to the community, of course), in addition to two other churches that the foundation supports. We visited them on our last full day in Ecuador. The first is busting at the seams, but has buildings for services and Sunday school. The second is in a more rural location. The church meets in what was once the living room of the pastor's house. There was a keyboard guitar, and this cool percussion instrument (reminded me of one of those 4 sided cheese graters, for some reason), taking up a quarter of the already small space. Our church has sent them money to help lay the foundation of a church building.
We arrived in Quito on a misty and cold Saturday night. There were twelve of us on this missions trip…but it hardly seemed like it involved any serious missionary work on our part. Our accommodations were relatively plush – beds, towels, hot showers provided; three square meals a day where we never lacked for any food and people cooked our meals and cleared our places from the table. We were taken on field trips – to Otavalo (where there is a market famous for its textiles), Cotapaxi (where there is one of many dormant volcanos, and well known area for leatherworks), Quito and the Equator. We were being served at every turn. What service could we possibly provide?
Our mission, quite literally, was to 'love on' kids. Play with them. Talk with them. Chill with them. So we brought bubbles. And basketballs and jump ropes and arts & crafts and books. The younger ones liked freeze tag and frisbie and whiffle ball and piggy back rides ("caballito", they would ask). And cameras. Not only having their picture taken, but taking pictures. With your camera. (Have you ever seen the photographic stylings of a 4 year old who doesn't look at the view finder thingy? Or a 9 year old who is not afraid of taking extreme close ups?) So when we went down to the park after quiet time that first Sunday, we quickly found things that they enjoyed.
Monday began a tour of the facility. We saw the cemetery (where Henry, one of founders who has since passed away, is memorialized), the fire pit, and dorms under construction. The plan is to have a summer camp for kids of the community in the summer, and for the rest of the year use the buildings (included the already completed kitchen and mess hall) as a seminary. The older children have the opportunity to help with the construction, and get paid for it.
There was a law recently passed in Ecuador that mandated children in orphanages over the age of 14 must leave. So Pastor Miguel (the director) has hired back the children who want to stay. During the school year, their work is school; during the summer, it can be construction or whatever else they need help with.
On our tour, we also saw llamas & alpacas (Tio Bill, the agriculture director, hopes to one day breed alpacas so that they can sell the wool and/or sell woven fabric), pigs, rabbits, and cuy (guinea pig).
Cuy is pretty much the national food. The orphanage raises them for sale, but we got to taste some. Got to see them gutted before they were roasted, too. Tastes kinda like chicken, actually. I liked it. (Granted, I also didn’t' hold any of the guinea pigs that are raised for sale. So I probably has less sympathy regarding eating one than some of the others may have had.)
In the afternoon, we walked into Conocoto and when to a local store. They had all of the staples, as well as clothes, tvs, rice cookers, lawn chairs... Every town in Ecuador has a central plaza where there is a park. On one side is the local (Catholic) church. The Spaniards insisted that all of the towns be set up this way.
Tuesday was our first field trip. We went to the official equator. It's a small village, with food and merchandise shops. And a free stamp on your passport! We also went to the church of the Ecuadorian version of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patriotic museum (which told of Ecuador's history), and had lunch a mall. The mall had a food court that included food that is traditional to some regions of Ecuador (coastal vs. higher elevations), in addition to Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Chinese food (which is called something different, but I can't remember what). I bough two scoops of gelato for $1.50 and had the best sugar cone I have ever tasted.
We played with the kids almost every afternoon that we were there (they had chores in the morning). It confirmed for me what I suspected – that I had previously burnt out when working with children's ministries because children's ministry is not where I belong. I work best with kids in small doses or short stints.
Wednesday and Thursday, we had a block of time set aside where we had the kids to ourselves. We used it to do arts & crafts. They decorated picture frames (we took their pictures and brought a photo printer), book marks, balloons, & wooden airplanes, painted rocks, made puppets, made bracelets, got their faces painted, and played with ubleck (cornstarch, water, food coloring combined to a slime like consistency. Humm baby!). They had a blast.
Each house that the children live in is headed by a house mother, or mamasita. The kids are not segregated by age or gender, so it's more like living in a big family. Wednesday night, the mamasitas cooked traditional Ecuadorian food for us (potatoes, empanadas (but they aren't called that in Ecuador), hominy, avocado), and gave us a dance presentation. Some of the kids performed as well. Afterwards, we played games. Good times.
Thursday morning, several of us hiked one of the dormant volcanoes known as Ilalo. (There are seven volcanoes surrounding Quito and Conocoto.) At its peak is a lightening rod in the shape of a cross. One can actually climb inside of it. I was one of the last ones to make it to the top. Mind you, the orphanage is at ~9,000 feet. It as my favorite part of the trip, trucking up the mountain. I figure if I can do that, I can do Half Dome. I take the stairs now (3 flights) when I go to work. Gotta get ready for next time!
Friday was our field trip to Otavalo and Cotapaxi. We stopped at the other official equator, where some Otavalo Indian girls boarded our bus and sang for us. In Otavalo, we bargained for wool goods, jewelry, and other textiles. Cotapaxi is a dormant volcano, with a dead lake (no water flowing in or out). After visiting the volcanic lake, we went into town for leather goods shopping. My friend got a leather jacket on sale for $50 (regularly priced $80). It would've been at least $160 here at home.
Cotapaxi is also an area where native Indians were elected to government positions for the first time in Ecuadorian history. As such, it has been the site of an Indigenous People's conference, where indigenous people from all over the world (Canada, US, Japan, Australia, Mexico, etc., etc.) gathered to discuss the issues that they face.
Saturday was the annual orphanage reunion. Many of the men came ready for the soccer games that are played against the school team. There was another dance performance by the mamasitas, as well as a mariachi band. (This was a surprise to me, as I thought of mariachi as being exclusively Mexican.) I had pork skin worth eating for the first time (those puffed air pork rinds have nothing on the crunchy salty goodness that I had). At dinner, there was fried rice and a sort of soup flavored with something that smelled to me like lemon grass. Some people didn't like it (and said it smelled awful); I though it was yummy. The reunion lasted pretty much all day, with raffle winners announced in the evening. Some families spent the night, as they had made quite a journey.
It was hard to leave. I was just getting to know the kids by the time we left. And I liked our pace in Ecuador – Slow enough to occasionally try my patience but fast enough to keep me occupied. And there was just enough routine (Only our meal times were definitely scheduled).
It was hard to move on to a life without the daily interaction with the missions team. We developed a bond working and experiencing Ecuador together. Despite our differences in personalities and temperaments, we were all agreed in our love of Christ and the desire to do our part in reflecting His love. So while doing the arts & crafts for the kids (including set up & clean up), everyone operated in their strengths, no one tried to be something they were not. We supported each other, we were cohesive. It was so cool! I'm not sure how else to describe it…"a well oiled machine" implies a precision and level of planning that frankly, we didn't have. God was so good at making the puzzle pieces snap into place and reflect a beautiful picture. When people talk about "the Body of Christ", this is what I experienced.
Another thing I learned was that serving God is not painless. It is a lie that I somehow, somewhere ingested – That once you accept Christ, all of your suffering and pain would be taken away. I would hear of people who were great servants for the Lord, and how they were continually blessed in their endeavors, and say to myself 'I could never be that way. I'm not 'godly' enough. Dorothy, the co-founder of the orphanage, told us of the blessings she's received. But she was also very frank about the difficulties she's faced (and continues to face). She talked of despair, of wanting to give up more than once. And for some reason, this is comforting for me. I guess it is the idea that it is okay to despair while doing God's work, and that He will provide for you in all ways, and in all situations.
I'd like to thank everyone who donated items: underwear, socks, clothes, books, toys, stuffed animals, puzzles…there was so much stuff that I freaked out about whether we could take it all. Alas, we couldn't (there is only so much you can fit in suitcases and duffel bags before you hit that 50 lb limit), but we did get all of the underwear, socks, stuffed animals, and a majority of the clothes down there. So thank you thank you thank you. What I couldn't get down to Ecuador will go to local charities.
I would like to go again; I want to see how the kids are doing, how the tiny church is coming along with the construction of it's new building. I don't know if I will be able to next year; we'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll enjoy in the memories.
Located in Conocoto, 30 minutes away from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, Houses of Happiness was founded by Henry and Dorothy Davis 40 years ago. Currently run under the auspices of the non-profit Davis Foundation (The orphanage is known locally as Fundación Davis), it sits on 50 acres of property that includes 20 houses for the kids, a school, a church, a cemetery, and guest houses for visitors.
There are church services on Wednesdays and Sundays (open to the community, of course), in addition to two other churches that the foundation supports. We visited them on our last full day in Ecuador. The first is busting at the seams, but has buildings for services and Sunday school. The second is in a more rural location. The church meets in what was once the living room of the pastor's house. There was a keyboard guitar, and this cool percussion instrument (reminded me of one of those 4 sided cheese graters, for some reason), taking up a quarter of the already small space. Our church has sent them money to help lay the foundation of a church building.
We arrived in Quito on a misty and cold Saturday night. There were twelve of us on this missions trip…but it hardly seemed like it involved any serious missionary work on our part. Our accommodations were relatively plush – beds, towels, hot showers provided; three square meals a day where we never lacked for any food and people cooked our meals and cleared our places from the table. We were taken on field trips – to Otavalo (where there is a market famous for its textiles), Cotapaxi (where there is one of many dormant volcanos, and well known area for leatherworks), Quito and the Equator. We were being served at every turn. What service could we possibly provide?
Our mission, quite literally, was to 'love on' kids. Play with them. Talk with them. Chill with them. So we brought bubbles. And basketballs and jump ropes and arts & crafts and books. The younger ones liked freeze tag and frisbie and whiffle ball and piggy back rides ("caballito", they would ask). And cameras. Not only having their picture taken, but taking pictures. With your camera. (Have you ever seen the photographic stylings of a 4 year old who doesn't look at the view finder thingy? Or a 9 year old who is not afraid of taking extreme close ups?) So when we went down to the park after quiet time that first Sunday, we quickly found things that they enjoyed.
Monday began a tour of the facility. We saw the cemetery (where Henry, one of founders who has since passed away, is memorialized), the fire pit, and dorms under construction. The plan is to have a summer camp for kids of the community in the summer, and for the rest of the year use the buildings (included the already completed kitchen and mess hall) as a seminary. The older children have the opportunity to help with the construction, and get paid for it.
There was a law recently passed in Ecuador that mandated children in orphanages over the age of 14 must leave. So Pastor Miguel (the director) has hired back the children who want to stay. During the school year, their work is school; during the summer, it can be construction or whatever else they need help with.
On our tour, we also saw llamas & alpacas (Tio Bill, the agriculture director, hopes to one day breed alpacas so that they can sell the wool and/or sell woven fabric), pigs, rabbits, and cuy (guinea pig).
Cuy is pretty much the national food. The orphanage raises them for sale, but we got to taste some. Got to see them gutted before they were roasted, too. Tastes kinda like chicken, actually. I liked it. (Granted, I also didn’t' hold any of the guinea pigs that are raised for sale. So I probably has less sympathy regarding eating one than some of the others may have had.)
In the afternoon, we walked into Conocoto and when to a local store. They had all of the staples, as well as clothes, tvs, rice cookers, lawn chairs... Every town in Ecuador has a central plaza where there is a park. On one side is the local (Catholic) church. The Spaniards insisted that all of the towns be set up this way.
Tuesday was our first field trip. We went to the official equator. It's a small village, with food and merchandise shops. And a free stamp on your passport! We also went to the church of the Ecuadorian version of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patriotic museum (which told of Ecuador's history), and had lunch a mall. The mall had a food court that included food that is traditional to some regions of Ecuador (coastal vs. higher elevations), in addition to Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Chinese food (which is called something different, but I can't remember what). I bough two scoops of gelato for $1.50 and had the best sugar cone I have ever tasted.
We played with the kids almost every afternoon that we were there (they had chores in the morning). It confirmed for me what I suspected – that I had previously burnt out when working with children's ministries because children's ministry is not where I belong. I work best with kids in small doses or short stints.
Wednesday and Thursday, we had a block of time set aside where we had the kids to ourselves. We used it to do arts & crafts. They decorated picture frames (we took their pictures and brought a photo printer), book marks, balloons, & wooden airplanes, painted rocks, made puppets, made bracelets, got their faces painted, and played with ubleck (cornstarch, water, food coloring combined to a slime like consistency. Humm baby!). They had a blast.
Each house that the children live in is headed by a house mother, or mamasita. The kids are not segregated by age or gender, so it's more like living in a big family. Wednesday night, the mamasitas cooked traditional Ecuadorian food for us (potatoes, empanadas (but they aren't called that in Ecuador), hominy, avocado), and gave us a dance presentation. Some of the kids performed as well. Afterwards, we played games. Good times.
Thursday morning, several of us hiked one of the dormant volcanoes known as Ilalo. (There are seven volcanoes surrounding Quito and Conocoto.) At its peak is a lightening rod in the shape of a cross. One can actually climb inside of it. I was one of the last ones to make it to the top. Mind you, the orphanage is at ~9,000 feet. It as my favorite part of the trip, trucking up the mountain. I figure if I can do that, I can do Half Dome. I take the stairs now (3 flights) when I go to work. Gotta get ready for next time
Friday was our field trip to Otavalo and Cotapaxi. We stopped at the other official equator, where some Otavalo Indian girls boarded our bus and sang for us. In Otavalo, we bargained for wool goods, jewelry, and other textiles. Cotapaxi is a dormant volcano, with a dead lake (no water flowing in or out). After visiting the volcanic lake, we went into town for leather goods shopping. My friend got a leather jacket on sale for $50 (regularly priced $80). It would've been at least $160 here at home.
Cotapaxi is also an area where native Indians were elected to government positions for the first time in Ecuadorian history. As such, it has been the site of an Indigenous People's conference, where indigenous people from all over the world (Canada, US, Japan, Australia, Mexico, etc., etc.) gathered to discuss the issues that they face.
Saturday was the annual orphanage reunion. Many of the men came ready for the soccer games that are played against the school team. There was another dance performance by the mamasitas, as well as a mariachi band. (This was a surprise to me, as I thought of mariachi as being exclusively Mexican.) I had pork skin worth eating for the first time (those puffed air pork rinds have nothing on the crunchy salty goodness that I had). At dinner, there was fried rice and a sort of soup flavored with something that smelled to me like lemon grass. Some people didn't like it (and said it smelled awful); I though it was yummy. The reunion lasted pretty much all day, with raffle winners announced in the evening. Some families spent the night, as they had made quite a journey.
It was hard to leave. I was just getting to know the kids by the time we left. And I liked our pace in Ecuador – Slow enough to occasionally try my patience but fast enough to keep me occupied. And there was just enough routine (Only our meal times were definitely scheduled).
It was hard to move on to a life without the daily interaction with the missions team. We developed a bond working and experiencing Ecuador together. Despite our differences in personalities and temperaments, we were all agreed in our love of Christ and the desire to do our part in reflecting His love. So while doing the arts & crafts for the kids (including set up & clean up), everyone operated in their strengths, no one tried to be something they were not. We supported each other, we were cohesive. It was so cool! I'm not sure how else to describe it…"a well oiled machine" implies a precision and level of planning that frankly, we didn't have. God was so good at making the puzzle pieces snap into place and reflect a beautiful picture. When people talk about "the Body of Christ", this is what I experienced.
Another thing I learned was that serving God is not painless. It is a lie that I somehow, somewhere ingested – That once you accept Christ, all of your suffering and pain would be taken away. I would hear of people who were great servants for the Lord, and how they were continually blessed in their endeavors, and say to myself 'I could never be that way. I'm not 'godly' enough. Dorothy, the co-founder of the orphanage, told us of the blessings she's received. But she was also very frank about the difficulties she's faced (and continues to face). She talked of despair, of wanting to give up more than once. And for some reason, this is comforting for me. I guess it is the idea that it is okay to despair while doing God's work, and that He will provide for you in all ways, and in all situations.
I'd like to thank everyone who donated items: underwear, socks, clothes, books, toys, stuffed animals, puzzles…there was so much stuff that I freaked out about whether we could take it all. Alas, we couldn't (there is only so much you can fit in suitcases and duffel bags before you hit that 50 lb limit), but we did get all of the underwear, socks, stuffed animals, and a majority of the clothes down there. So thank you thank you thank you. What I couldn't get down to Ecuador will go to local charities.
I would like to go again; I want to see how the kids are doing, how the tiny church is coming along with the construction of it's new building. I don't know if I will be able to next year; we'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll enjoy in the memories.
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