dbae in the 'bique

#2

2010-03-21T20:53:00.001-04:00

when i was about 8 or 9, i decided to pee in my friend's backyard b/c i didn't feel like inconveniently going back into the house. luck would have it that while i was relieving myself, my parents were driving by. they stopped, were outraged, and my dad told me not to pee outside like an animal.
about a week ago, tino, one of the many kids in my backyard, decided to pull down his turquoise banana hammock and proceeded to drop the kids off not at the pool, but on the side of my house. if my parents were here they would surely be outraged. as for me, i saw the deed, shrugged my shoulders, and went on with my day.

to my loyal reader, steve chun

what is the center of center?

2009-06-27T02:08:00.007-04:00

Ola. sorry for being so MIA for all those who are just as interested in my life as they are.

in addition to reading, learning the guitar, and eating tangerines, "creativity hour" is a hobby we've taken up. this is my "obama mural" made from tons of magazines i've gotten from the states. thanks mama bae and co.=)

peter decided to take up yoga where he meditates in vulnerable positions pondering about questions such as "what is the center of center?"

we still cook every night

in our lovely kitchen

to an audience

we left early one morning in a weekend in june to head on off to the beach. this is a pic of the sun rising behind a rock formation called "cabeca do velho", which is the "old man's face."

we went to the beach to celebrate this guy's birthday

on this beautiful, isolated beach

we played games

hung out by the fire

just had a great time from sun rise

to sun set

until next time.... tchao=)

hippos, fat cars, and a bath tub

2009-05-05T07:16:00.007-04:00

a few weeks ago me and peter went up to tete province to go check out cahora bassa dam...
the ride was long, but the destination was worth it

we went fishing and ran into some hungry hippos

hungry hungry hippos

peter on boat

me on boat

and after a few days of fishing, hot showers, good food, and hot showers.. we had to say "tchao"

and then made our way back to chimoio for the JOMA conference.. and obviously, the kids had a blast

we played chubby bunny.. except, they had to say "gato gordo" (fat cat)

the music group went out to an orphanage and taught them that you can make music with anything

the art and journalism group collaborated as well... the painting was done by one of my kids that i brought along with me..

that's me and my counterpart, mariano..

work hard, party hard.. and that's what we do...

but alas, all good things must come to an end

..... then home sweet home=).. that's betty, one of the many kids that roam our backyard..

tino was also happy to see us back home... he does a lil jig whenever i bring out the guitar... real cute

kids love feeling as tall as peter

like i said, kids love feeling as tall as peter

a bath tub made its way to the back of our house.. it just appeared there when we got back from chimoio

so obviously, you gotta fill as many kids in it as possible and go for a ride..

and it's one hell of a ride

then after about a week, went for another ride to vilankulos to a hostel on a beach... this place is called baobob's... naturally

and then i started to walk towards the beach

got there, looked to the right

looked to the left

then had to walk away.... sigh

peace corps, mozambique... holding it down

over and out

"dinner"

2009-04-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

tonight a kid came over and showed me a pigeon, flapping furiously in his fists... he said that you can eat it, you just gotta kill it first

so he swung his arm around like a softball pitcher with the bird in his hand, and when he sufficiently wounded up his arm, he slammed the bird on my back porch...

he studied it and announced "Ainda!"... which means "still".. as in, "it's still not dead and i need to continue to slam this bird onto the cement and have his feathers fly out like an out of control slumber party"

... and that's what he did

"What is That?"

2009-03-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

that is the reaction of the kids that practically live in my backyard when they saw a picture of michael phelps in the speedo LCR razor that apparently helped 94% of the victors in the olympic swimming races. they pointed to his crotchal region and said,"what is that?... is he a man?"... haha...

this picture of phelps was in a issue of TIME magazine... we showed them the magazine to show obama... we showed them obama to show them that our president is black... we showed them that our president is black because they think peter is american and i'm just a little bit american... and actually, not just a little bit american, but a lot bit chinese...
then they asked me if i was cold.. and i said no.. and they replied by saying "it's because you're fat"

makes sense to me

pic update

2009-03-18T07:08:00.018-04:00

i haven't taken many pictures since i've came to my site, but i forgot about some of the pics that i took during my first three months in mozambique. and so i decided to choose my top 25 pics, but looking back at all of them remind me that a camera can't capture everything. nonetheless, in no particular order....

#1- Casa de Banho

me and the "casa de banho" became acquainted very quickly after my body rejected some expired mayonnaise that i ate on the first day. yea, wasn't pretty, but it forced me to become comfortable with the bathroom situation sooner than others. aside from the smell, however, crouching down and pooping down a hole did have its benefits: no flush mechanism, absence of backsplash, and it puts your body in a position that forces the issue rather than wait for it. downfalls? no magazine rack.
#2- Florj and Salida

these two were my host brother and host sister, and they were the friendliest and easiest to get along with.

#3- pride rock

remnants of an old well, this was the view right outside my house. calling it pride rock only felt natural.

#4- "cartar agua"

First, this is the image you see all the time whenever you're walking around here. women are somehow able to hold an incredible amount on their head here, but with a modest ease, unlike the men that have trucks strapped to themselves on "world's strongest man". second, they walk such a long distance for something so basic. and they have to do this everyday. third, this photo belongs in national geographic.

#5- "bringing home the dinner"

stuff like this puts KFC into perspective...

#6- "in pursuit of lunch"

then i got some perspective
#7- "lunch"

and i wonder how much chicken people would really would eat if they knew what the process was like. there are other pictures of the process, but they're for a restricted audience.

#8- "florj and salida, again"

they loved coming into my room and playing with my stuff, especially wearing that headlamp.

#9- "namaacha"

did some hiking one day on this mountain that oversees namaacha. this was taken after the rain, and it's amazing how green everything gets after the rain.

#10- "me"

either south africa, mozambique, or swaziland is behind me. i don't actually remember, but our hike brought us to where the three countries meet.
#11- "mines"

there are still areas of mozambique that are riddled with mines, remnants of the war. so, we didn't walk over there.

#12- "vitamin D deficient"

that's peter, my roommate, basking in the sun. he looks like he's just enjoying life, but really his stomach was struggling that day.

#13- "florj and salida, part three"

they loved gum and jumping up and down in front of the camera
#14- "teeefff"

like i said, they loved the camera

#15- "meu pai e minha mai"

those are my host parents, francisco and rebecca. they made the transition into africa easy for me. i miss them both.

#16- "judite"

that's my host sister on her birthday. she's intelligent and confident and i'm sure her future's going to be bright as that smile she's got.

#17- "mandavEEd"

this girl was one of the girls in the neighborhood that was always saying my name. whenever i passed by her, she always wanted a high five. never knew her name, but she's cute as hell.
#18- "danca"

yea, florj loved the camera

#19- "cheers"

a glass of champagne to honor judite's 17th birthday

#20- "tofo beach"

say hello to the indian ocean. on my site visit i went to the inhambane province and spent a night at tofo beach. it was one of the better beaches i've been to.
#21- "o chines"

that is the purple guitar that i purchased in mozambique and i'm slowly trying to teach myself how to jam on that thing properly.

#22- "bairro A"

these were the other peace corps volunteers in my bairro and so we all got the same print for our capallanas
#23- "represent"

there's nothing like doing some gang signs
#24- "host family"

this is a picture with my host family, but half of them aren't looking at the picture and the lady in red is not a part of our family. haha. it was a hectic day.
#25- "animal planet"

i don't see elephants, lions, or monkeys (actually, yesterday i saw a kid with a pet monkey. the other kids were freaked out by it), but i do see really big snails.

pictures from mozam.

2009-03-02T04:33:00.006-05:00

this is esther updating for david :) he was able to send pictures of his hairy new self and the house he lives in... so enjoy!

in his own words....

"me with hair down when i go to school"

"me with hair up like it naturally is"

"me with hair in hat so that i'm socially acceptable"

"my room"

"bathroom"

"living/dining/creativity hour/gym area"

"room with fridge"

"kitchen with loads of spices"

"a peak of my backyard"

(and if you were thinking david looks a little stinky in his pictures, he says it's because he didn't shower that morning)

Iron Chef

2009-01-22T04:24:00.000-05:00

on january 15, 2009, a little taste of korea landed in the heart of the 'bique. second only to comparable accomplishments of the human race such as the mona lisa, this delectable cuisine was also orchestrated by hands just as legendary. these hands aren't just for selecting fruit or flipping light switches, like da vinci's paintbrush these hands cooked up something priceless, a little taste of home.

with the help of mama bae i managed to cook up some bulgogi (delicious korean marinated beef, or pork in this case, pork freshly killed with the victim's head displayed on the table as proof) here in mozambique.

january 15 marks a life-defining moment. i no longer leave my food charred and inedible, but mouth-watering, satisfying, and absent only of leftovers.

yes, family, friends, and disbelievers, i can now make a decent meal.

mama, if only you could see your boy now

Papayas, Lichees, and Mangos, oh my....

2008-12-06T03:50:00.000-05:00

1. Fruit here is delicious.

2. it's funny how the last place that you would want to get diarrhea is also the place that you're most likely to get diarrhea.. (had some stomach issues a week ago and it wasn't fun. it sucks now.. but i know that when i'm back in the states i'm never going to get sick because my immune system will be prepared for anything.. )

here, you hear about the symptoms for dysentery and cholera and whatnot, and sometimes i tell myself not to freak out even though my sister on "oregon trail" died from dysentery, b/c at the end of the game i still got to that river and rafted myself down to safety...

3. O Chines has resurrected.

i went back to the chinese walmart and told the chinese guy in portuguese (which i thought was sort of funny and odd) that i didn't do anything and that it broke on its own. and he let me exchange it for a new one even though i didn't have a receipt.

the moral of the story here is that it never hurts to try.

the moral of the story according to my host aunt here, is that they let me do that b/c they're my family. not going to lie, i think me being asian definitely had a lot to do with it.

4. kuch kuch hota hai

on an eventless saturday, i saw a cheesy 3 hour long indian film with 5 other guys and one indian girl. it made me cry, laugh, and embarrassed. wait, no. i'm not embarrassed. i enjoyed the movie thoroughly and i recommend everyone to check out "kuch kuch hota hai". it'll move your heart in directions you did not think were ever possible.

5. december?

it's weird. right about now i'd be studying and starting finals and getting ready to go back home for winter break. how is uva? i miss it.

and how is cold weather? i miss that a lot.

6. fine thai silk

my most recent acquisition is a short-sleeve, button down shirt that i bought here for 15 meticais (roughly 50 cents in U.S. dollars). it is a part of the thai silk collection, and is made from nothing less than the finest materials.

remember that seen in garden state where zach braff's aunt or grandmother or mom or whoever makes him a shirt and then he goes into the bathroom and sees that the pattern on his shirt is the same as the pattern on the wall? yea, that's what the shirt looks like and yes, the emotion that you're feeling is envy. i would be jealous of myself too. my little sister, Salida, saw me wear it and said "Que Bonita". little does she know. little does she know. haha..

7. hurley?

am i or am i not hurley from lost? who knows. like i mentioned before, i don't have a mirror so i rarely ever see myself. and so, i don't really know whether or not i've lost some significant weight.

here in africa, when they call you fat it's a compliment. b/c it's a sign of good health and wealth. and so, last year, all of the host mothers had a competition on who could get their peace corps volunteer the fattest. and i believe that they have maintained that tradition. so, with that being said, i am given a fair share of a variety of meals and am required to carry with me a minimum of one juice box and a pack of cookies every day.

8. Happy Turkey Day

for Thanksgiving Peace Corps provided a sizable meal catered at a local restaurant. needless to say, my appetite was no less than it usually was on past thanksgivings and i proceeded to eat no less than i usually ate on past thanksgivings. it was a glorious day.

Oh, and the country director made some pumpkin pie. that Definitely made my day.

9. "Goood Moooorning TeeeCHa."

just finished model school today. it wasn't indicative of a normal mozambican classroom (i had about 20 kids when i should expect about 40-70), but it still gave me a little taste of what it'll be like to be in front of a bunch of mozambican kids.

in the class we had a 49 year old. just to let you know, the life expectancy here in mozambique is 39 and so this guy is considered elderly. anyways, he stopped going to school after the 4th grade and there aren't a lot of opportunities for people like him to learn some english. and he came in and whenever he got something right, all of the kids clapped and cheered for him. it was real cute. made me smile.

10. animal planet

i'm not gonna lie. i'm still a little disappointed that i haven't ridden a giraffe or a hippo or something yet. haha. but i might see some real soon. i will be living in the Manica province 20 min. away from the provincial capital Chimoio (for peace corps security reasons, i'm not going to put the specific city. yea, i know. i feel like a spy). and near my site is this place called mt. gorgonzola or something along those lines and apparently it has a bunch of animals and some person from the U.S. has invested tons of money into there in order to preserve this small reservation. and so, i hope that next time i can begin my blog with "lions, tigers, and bears, oh my." instead. except that i don't think there are any bears in africa. or tigers. so "lions, cheetahs, and hippos, oh my".

oh wait... did i ever mention that one a rainy walk back home i saw a crab? it was just in the middle of the path, and crawling away. and it was one of those crabs that live in coconut trees and stay there even though they're like hundreds of miles away from the ocean. i think i saw 'em on the animal planet dvds or on some show on the animal planet channel. but either way, i saw it and i thought it was cool.

i love nature.

falo portugues

2008-11-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

(11/13/08)

it's nice to see how some things are universal.

i was coming back from walking around namaacha and i saw a bunch of kids pretending to be dogs and growling and barking at each other. and it was cute to see that kids are just as imaginative here as they are in the states. but i still do believe that introducing them to games like freeze tag, capture the flag, and four square would rock their worlds.

also, i'm glad that people in africa also agree with me that it is in fact hot. they don't like the heat either, they're just used to dealing with it.

peanut butter is also an universally appreciated condiment that is enjoyed by many. on the streets of maputo i also saw someone selling a 5 in 1 dvd of chuck norris movies. so, obviously, the glory and manliness that is chuck norris is also universal. and they also have an affinity for soda. i know we drink a lot of soda in the states, but i think i drink more of it here than i did in the states. well to be fair, i did try to stop drinking so much soda in the states, but once i got here, there's nothing like a nice cold fanta laranja. and all the sodas here are made with sugar and not high fructose corn syrup. and there definitely is a difference, and the difference is that soda tastes better here.

but things are still Very different in africa. there is no escape from the heat. you can't just walk into an air conditioned building or put yourself next to a fan or eat some cubes of ice to cool yourself down. you just gotta find some shade and deal with it somehow. when it rains, it'll rain for a week straight. you don't have a cvs to go to if you need to get some medicine. there is no walmart. spices are rare. there is no 99cent value meal. cars go as fast as they can, especially when passing by pedestrians. people do not use the silent or vibrate function on their cell phones. it's not impolite to pick up a phone call and start talking in the middle of a meeting. kids play with trash and in trash piles. hand sanitizer is nowhere to be found. and if you need to pick your nose, go ahead and go for it even if you're in the middle of a serious conversation.

so yea, we're all still people, but nevertheless, tia (this is africa).

well... this past wednesday, i got back from my site visit. for my site visit i went to cumbana which is in the southern region of theinhambane province. it's a small little town and it took about 8 hours by chapa to get there. and no, the ride was not comfortable. but i liked the place a lot. i and another trainee stayed with a volunteer in her two room reed house. there wasn't much room for the three of us, but it was sufficient.

she's an english teacher and her set up is pretty typical of mozambican teachers. she lives in the school and teaches to 7 different classes all in the 9th grade. the size of each class is about 60-70 students. and some of the classrooms have desks, some don't. but no matter what classroom you're in, some students have to sit on the floor.

but since it was a site visit, we definitely ventured out and treated ourselves to some special treats. i ate a version of a gusburger (if you're not from uva, a gusburger is the classic cheeseburger served with an egg in it), and some barracuda. the barracuda was delicious and a good chunk of meat. oh yea, and we cooked a bunch. and when i say we, i mean i myself actually cooked some stuff. yes, i repeat, i cooked. pigs can fly, tupac is alive, and yes, i cooked. and no, surprisingly, i didn't burn anything this time, and it was fantastic. in fact, i single handedly made homemade tortillas and garlic bread. it was soo good and i now i have the confidence to sufficiently feed myself once i am on site.

on the last day of site visit, i and other volunteers met up in tofo. tofo beach was beautiful. i saw the indian ocean. that actually sounds really cool now that i said it. but yea, i saw it and the beach i was at was beautiful. and we stayed at a hostel that overlooked the beach and the ocean and the view was delicious. i know you want pictures, but it'll take forever if i attempt to upload them with this internet connection, so the moment i can use some high speed internet, i'll be sure to put up a massive photo update. at that beach, you can go snorkeling for about $60 and swim with some whale sharks. yea, sounds real cool. i'll be sure to go and do that before i leave africa. oh yea, and definitely go on a safari. sadly, i haven't seen much wild life. i was hoping that my experience would be like a planet earth dvd, but sadly no. the only wildlife i've seen are mosquitoes, cockroaches, and chickens. haven't ridden a giraffe, danced with an elephant, or conversed with rafiki, but i will once i get the chance.

i found out that my ipod has a alarm clock function. and so, every morning i wake up to "aaaaaahhhh sehbenyaaaaaa....", which is the intro to the song "circle of life" from the cinematic version of my life if i was a talking lion, Lion King. so yea, i thought that was cool.

i also got my first package from mamabae today. it was sent about a month ago, but finally got it. i know can make kool-aid and eat fruit snacks. oh man, i missed these welch's fruit snacks. i'm going to savor each bite.

i now officially speak portuguese at an intermediate-high level. so i guess i have learned a lil somethin somethin in the past 6 weeks, but i still can't wait for training to be over. i really want to go to my site and start teaching and do what i signed up for. i want to live on my own in an absolutely foreign country and teach kids about english, music, aids awareness, women empowerment, and my relation with jackie chan. i actually find out where i'll be placed in 2 weeks, on thanksgiving. and i hope that i'll be placed in the south in the inhambane province because the beaches there are beautiful, and i love me some beach.

(11/15/08)

R.I.P.
O Chines

on this ill-fated saturday, i witnessed first-hand the passing of my purple guitar, O Chines.

basically, it is broken beyond repair... yes, i know, sad and tragic, but i did buy the thing from a chinese supermarket for about $60 U.S., and on the inside it said that it was a "word famous musical instruments". that should've been warning sign number one.

well, i guess some things shouldn't be made in china.

i am a sucker for a sad face.

my little sister salida always comes in asking for something. asking for chocolate or gum or candy. she's always asking for something. and she came into my room today and had the saddest face on and start asking for chocolate and whatnot.

i caved in. what else was i suppose to do? what would jesus do? he would've caved in too. the girl is just way too cute.

my mom briefly mentioned that she wanted to send to come visit me, and so i started to think about what it would be like if my parents came. it would be really cool and it'd be nice for them to know how i live over here, but then i realized, i'm crazy.

what am i doing in a third world country? and why am i okay living like this?

what's wrong with me? because living here ain't easy nor pretty. you can't stay clean. there are no fast food joints. you have to walk everywhere. you have to carry water over your head in a bucket and walk to your house. the electricity goes in and out. you don't poop in a toliet. can't take a shower. life here is not comfortable, fun, or safe. and honestly, i don't want my parents to live the way i'm living. it's okay for me, but i wouldn't want them to spend two days the way that i do.

i think i need to raise my standards of living.

(11/16/08)

today, i saw a dead snake with the head of a rat that it just ate sticking out of its body.

once again, whoever created the washer and dryer is a genius. washing clothes by hand with all that soap and whatnot can't be good for me. my hands have battle wounds from scrubbing. they don't look pretty and it stings every time i wash my hands. i spent almost two grueling hours washing my clothes.

after i washed my entire closet, i and a few others went for a hike to this tree that we dubbed "the tree of life" (from far away it looks like rafiki lives there)and had a picnic... it was spectacular. someone somehow made mac and cheese (which was decently delicious), we had peter pan peanut butter, fresh liche, bananas, cookies, m&m's (delightful), and i provided some good ol' kool aid. it was nice.

so i hear that hannah montana has a boyfriend. and he's five years older? and she doesn't care about the age difference? i can see it now. her next new hit is going to be called "age is just a number"

mama bae said that gas is $1.89 is richmond? you kidding me? that's outrageous. i don't believe it, and won't until i see it.

what's it like in america now that obama won? it's still hard to believe at times. i can't believe we have an african-american as president. that's amazing. i heard that when he won, they closed off the highways in chicago and people walked to the downtown area and celebrated. i can't even imagine that happening in the U.S. it's amazing to see that people are that excited for a new president. i can't even think of the last time people have ever reacted like that to a president in the states.

what else is new with the world? i'm itching for some current events. can someone send me emails of the world news? new movies? new music? new mac stuff?

ate logo.

O Chines

2008-11-03T02:23:00.002-05:00

(Nov. 1)

over a month? already? it's odd how long that first week felt and how quickly the following weeks went. i can't believe that i left more than a month ago.

more or less the weeks have been more of the same. i sleep, eat, go to a variety of classes and seminars, walk around a lot, and poop in a hole. The oddest thing is that the other day i opted to use the hole rather than sitting on an actual toilet. you might think i'm just weird and gross, but i assure you, crouching down like that and pooping in a hole is actually easier. of course i miss sitting on the john and getting myself acquainted with the current events, but when you need to get the job done quickly and efficiently, the hole is the way to go.

yea.. a little too honest and open to start off a blog, but the longer you're in africa, the more comfortable you become with talking openly about anything and everything. here, details are not spared.

last week i visited maputo, the capital of mozambique. i can sum up my experience there with two things: grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza. grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza never tasted sweeter. yes, i indulged and gorged and had my own little feast, which was eating two of the grilled cheese sandwiches and a large pizza to myself. the end result was not fun At all, But it was well worth it.

and so was the second round. haha. this past saturday i went back to maputo and didn't get to eat grilled cheese sandwiches, but i did have a large pizza for myself. and it tasted just as heavenly as it did the first time. and this time i came back from maputo not just with a full stomach, but with a guitar as well. i figured that i'm going to have a lot of spare time and so i decided to buy and learn to play the guitar. the only choices i had was a purple guitar or an electric blue one. and so, i went with the purple guitar. and there i was, an asian guy in the middle of africa walking around with a purple guitar in my hand. i think just having the purple guitar gave me instant superstar status. i kept getting asked to play something and asked if i was an artist. while i was in the chapa (which is the taxi we take and something that i'll touch on after this) i was trying to bargain with a kid to give me a coke for a cheaper price. and then he started to ask me if i was an artist. and i decided to play along and told him that i was this huge star in Namaacha (the city i've been staying in for the past month), and then he asked me what my artist name was and my response was "o chines" (The Chinese). i think he got a kick out of that. people here don't really differentiate the different types of asians. they just say chinese, and for the sake of convenience, sometimes i just go with it and say that i'm chinese, and yes, you are right, i do look like jackie chan, and he is in fact my brother.

Chapas- the 15 passenger van made in sometime between 1962- 1978 that takes people from namaacha to maputo in an hour. and although the van is made for 15 people, they attempt to break the Guinness world record for people in a vehicle each time a chapa leaves for maputo. when i first left for maputo i was in a chapa with 24 people. you quickly learn to get snug and comfortable and personal with strangers, and somehow manage to sit still for an excruciating hour. chapas are cramped and no fun and don't adhere to any traffic laws. and actually, i don't really know if they have traffic laws here.

i have eaten chicken liver, intestines, gizzard, and feet. all are chewy.

sometimes i'm really taken aback by the cultural differences. i know i mention a lot of things that are different in terms of food and bathroom situations, but their values and beliefs are a lot different too. they practice polygamy, present their infants to the moon to prevent epilepsy, and believe that one should not touch an infant after he/she had sex because it will give the child a fever. i know it sounds really odd and farfetched, and it is. but these are beliefs and values that are deeply rooted in tradition and in their culture, and to call them silly or ridiculous would be rude. but things are slowly changing, and certain practices are modified or left out, and what it really comes down to is information. not everybody gets a quality education here. sometimes it's because of other responsibilities such as responsibilities with the family, and sometimes people are just in remote areas where a school has yet to be formed or teachers are not available. 5% of students actually go on and complete a secondary education (grade 8-12). and it's just startling and overwhelming sometimes when you see how limited the opportunities are.

but things have already changed so much in this country in the past few years. i am a part of the 13th group that peace corps has sent to mozambique, and just in the past few years, things have changed a lot. and the refreshing thing is that people do learn, people do change, and things don't always have to be the same.

but the going is not easy. we looked at the syllabus for 10th graders, and the topics that need to be covered are topics like "agriculture and a sustainable environment" and "international diplomacy". basically, the topics that they cover are stuff you learn in college. and soo much is expected out of these kids at such a young age. and it's tough to see how one can even manage to explain or elaborate on any of these topics in a language that they are still learning.

but despite how grand or lofty these goals are, at least the bar is set up high. at least they are pushing to go above and beyond. at least they don't just have easy goals that are easily attainable. at least they have goals that are challenging, thought-provoking, and stimulating.

there's just so much to be done. and i'm a part of 56 other volunteers that are only going to spend less than 5% of their entire lives to help better an entire country that on top of education and hiv/aids issues, still believes that burning trash is okay, listens to the advice of traditional healers that don't always have correct information, and limits the opportunities for women in a world where sometimes the only option they have to get ahead is to use their bodies. oh yea, and it's hot. real hot. and all of this is just overwhelming sometimes, and i wonder what i'll see after i spend a mere 2 years in a country that just recently gained its independence and ended years of war.

But.. i am positive. because i know that i'm not going to change the world. but i'll do what i can to do my part in changing someone's life.

anyways... sometimes i watch the news here and try to understand what they're saying in the limited portuguese that i've learned thus far and i found out that obama ran a 30 min. ad on tv? which must've been crazy expensive, and he must've raised a ton of money. And i saw that two kids got arrested for plotting to kill a bunch of black people and obama? what else is going on in the world? as mentioned before, i obviously miss keeping myself up to date on current events while taking care of business in the bano. so what else is going on?

i hear the office is still hilarious and it's confirmed that lindsey lohan is a lesbian? how was halloween? election coming up soon, is obama a shoe-in? titans still somehow undefeated? phillies won the world series and did anybody actually care?

well, i hope all is well and i'll try to update a little more and a little more often.

tchao.

(Nov. 2)

so went for a hike up this mountain in namaacha and at the top you can see mozambique, south africa, and swasiland. at the top, they have barbwire fences that block off everything, but at the very top the fences are broken and you can step into all three countries. i thought that was pretty cool. so, i can actually point to a map and say i was at that exact location. pretty cool.

we also went out for a hike when it was 38 degrees celcius (roughly 100 degrees Farenheit). yea, it was hot and dumb, but well worth it.

at the end of this weekend we go on site visits. will update more later. tchao

Fat is Phat

2008-10-20T10:17:00.003-04:00

Eo sou gordo. I am fat. And this time it’s a compliment and not an insult. And this is why I love Africa. Haha. Ok it’s not the Only reason, but it’s in the top 2. Here, being comfortably plump is a good thing. It’s a sign of good health and wealth, I guess. And all of the women here tell their female volunteers that they’re going to get them fat, and you can imagine their reactions. As for me, my little sister, Salida, likes to touch my stomach and say “gordo” and then giggle. She’s adorable and never fails to make me smile.

In fact, everybody here seem to have the same innate ability to make others smile. Everybody here is so content. They really don’t have much, but they’re so satisfied with what they do have. And I think that’s incredible. They know what life is like outside of their own little village, but they’re still so content with their lives. And we have soo much in the U.S. in comparison to them no matter what your socio-economic status is, but we always seem to want more. I love the people here. I think they’re genuine and beautiful. This past Sunday I went to church with my family and I really enjoyed it. Granted, I didn’t understand a word they were saying, but I got the drift of it. Pretty much, they sing. They sing the entire time. They don’t have instruments, a sound system, mics, or a projector. They have their voices and they sing. And then there’s a time when they’ll sing a song, and then after the song someone will share either how blessed they are or what they’re going through. Everybody was so open and honest. And I thought that was really cool. There was only about 30 people and the church was crazy hot, but I really enjoyed it.

In the short time that I’ve been here, I’ve felt full, hot, and overwhelmed.

They feed me like crazy. I get a daily dose of chicken and rice served with a cream of coconut, peanuts, onions, and tomatoes. That’s pretty much my food everyday. Lots of rice, lots of vegetables, and some meat here and there. They eat so much starch here, it’s hard to imagine how I can ever lose weight here….

And then I’m reminded of how hot it is here. There are two seasons here: hot and cold. Cold is like spring/fall for us. Hot is like sitting on pavement naked in the middle of july. It is hot here. And it’s sort of a faux pas to wear shorts here, so I’m stuck in pants and a button down shirt everyday. And all of those commercials of Degree deodorant are full of lies. There’s no way that thing can keep you dry in Africa. I think I sweat off about 5 pounds everyday as I walk about 2 miles everyday. I might still be hefty on the top, but I’m sure that after these two years, my legs are going to be catwalk-worthy.

The people, culture, and history of Mozambique are overwhelming. Everyday I learn about new issues that people have to deal with here that we take for granted in the states. There is a huge gap between the amount of female students in primary school and in secondary school. Various factors are responsibilities at home and the cultural acceptance of the idea that education for girls is not important. There is huge lack of secondary schools available, and secondary school teachers. Because of that issue, many schools have three sections which students can attend; morning, afternoon, and night. Teachers take advantage of female students. Going to a university after secondary school is reserved for those who can afford it. And schools simply do not have enough resources. It pretty much comes down to some chalk and a chalkboard in a class with 40-60 students.

I think the most overwhelming problem that I’ve become exposed to is the problem with HIV/AIDS. 21% of the people in southern Mozambique, which is where Namaacha is located, have the HIV/AIDS virus. That means that 1 out of every 5 people that I’ve met here has AIDS. I find that startling. I can’t even say that I know anyone back home that has AIDS except Magic Johnson. In Mozambique, 16% of the people have AIDS. There is an immense effort towards AIDS awareness here and I didn’t realize until now how huge of a task that is. We take for granted our knowledge, education, and access to information. There are a number of myths and misconceptions of AIDS here. Some myths and misconceptions are that some people believe that sleeping with a virgin will make one immune to AIDS. You can get AIDS from an HIV/AIDS test. Hospitals don’t always use sterilized needles. HIV/AIDS is something that the white man made up in order to get richer. Only people in poverty have AIDS (words from the president of South Africa). People mainly attribute and associate AIDS with those without a good, stable family, those living in poverty, and prostitutes and drug dealers. Here, the conception of AIDS is that it is a social problem and not something biological. And so, the main problem with AIDS is the social stigmatization that comes with those with AIDS and even with those who get tested for it.

I still feel like I have a lot to learn about the entire issue, but what I do know is that I find it overwhelmingly sad such myths and misconceptions actually keep this problem to continue.

So, Africa is a beautiful place. It really is. But I also know that I got a lot ahead of me and I definitely don’t feel as competent and informed as I should be. But I’m ready and excited for the challenges ahead.

Anyways.. here are some fun facts:

Chris Brown and James Blunt are big in Africa, at least in southern Africa. why james blunt is so big? i have no idea.

gallos (roosters) don't "cocka-doodle-doo" when the sun comes up, they do it every hour of the day. and i don't think people kill them to eat them, they kill them because they are annoying and keep you up all night. at least that's why i would kill them.

they like to watch tv and listen to the radio and play a cd all at the same time.

people in Africa eat way more rice than any Asian country. period.

Did I mention that Africa is hot?

African women are like ants. they carry twice their weight on their heads

what is going on?

.. with obama and politics?

.. with the office? Lost?

.. with any new movies? someone told me they're going to make "arrested development" the movie?

.. new apple products? (mac > pc)

.. economy? I heard it’s only getting worse? If anything, I guess now was the best time to leave the U.S. for two years.

.. with you? Anything new?

thank you God for..

headlamps.. i use mine religiously, and it makes life so much easier.. muito obrigado b ryan

convenient journals.. i have a moleskin that i carry around everywhere with me to apprender e practicar portuguese... thanks a bunch june=)

introducing toliet paper to africa... needles to say, my experience here would've been a Lot more different if there wasn't any tp here..

single use powder packets of gatorade propel... it gives my water, and my day, a kick... a little bit of sugar goes a loooong way. Good look ojos.

king cone.. that was the company that makes the heavenly goodness known here as cervete... thank you king cone=)

baby powder… it’s a guy thing and it makes life way better in a hot climate.

Hand sanitizer… it reminds me of American bathrooms.

if you’re in a good mood you wanna get me some…

more powder stuff of whatever? A little sugar goes a looong way.

Dvds? I’m always up for a cinematic adventure.

Boxers? Apparently there are durable and quick-drying boxers out there made by companies like Patagonia and stuff. Any local outdoorsy store has ‘em, and a good breezy pair of boxers is a must here.

New music? I like to stay up to date

Magazines and news clippings? It’s hard to stay updated with current events.

Pictures? It’s nice to see what people are doing/eating at home=)

Muito obrigado (thank you very much)

Hope all is well on your side of the atlantic. Hakuna matata.

By the way, before coming to Mozambique, everything I knew about Africa, I learned by watching Lion King.

I was way off… animals do not talk over here.

The Daily Routine

Sunday on the 19th of October, year 2008.

David's schedule

5:30- wake up to someone blasting usher's "love in this club" at their house

5:35- wake up again to chris brown's "kiss kiss"

6:00- wake up to alarm clock but stay in bed til i have to pee.

6:30- finally get out to pee and brush teeth.

6:45- clean room.

7:00- told to wash dishes. to wash dishes here you use three buckets, a rag, soap, and you're bending over during the entire process. to them it's like sitting indian style.. for me it's like lying on a bed of nails.. not fun or easy.

7:30- armed myself with a knife and proceeded to kill a chicken. you step on their feet, their wings, and then chop off the head. then you let the blood squirt out while its body is spazzing out. then you dip it in hot water, start plucking out all the feathers, cut off the anus and anal rectum, pull out its guts, cut the chicken in half, continue to pull out guts, toss everything out except liver, intestines, and gizzard. cut gizzard so that you can take out the insides. cut up intestines and get everything inside of it out. dip the chicken in some water to clean it. and abra kadabra, you have lunch. today was the second time i killed a chicken, and it will soon be added to my resume.

8:15- take a bucket bath and wash my hands clean of the chicken blood and guts.

8:45- have some breakfast.

9:00- relax, read, write, and get ready for some church.

9:30- sit, hot and uncomfortably, in a church for two and a half hours

12:00- get back home take a quick nap.

12:30- eat lunch.. or should i say, eating what i killed earlier

13:00- wash clothes... basically, there are no buttons for gentle rinse or tumble dry.. the only options you have are using your hands or using a rough surface. i'm never going to complain about laundry ever again when i'm back in the states. oh yea, and washing clothes takes me like 2 hours. it tires your back and your forearms.

the rest of the day is filled with walking around, stopping by the mercado (market), and doing nothing b/c the first part of the day was no field trip.

oh yea.. and we made a cake in the middle of africa. granted it wasn't the best cake in the world, but it was a cake nonetheless. so yea.. cake... in africa.. it happened.

vivendo na Africa nao e facil. living in Africa is not easy.
i love you mama bae. when i come back to the states i will get you a maid.

TIA: This Is Africa

2008-10-14T04:49:00.002-04:00

(update from oct. 9th)

So I’m sitting on the porch, watching a dog eat some leftover rice while I’m listening to the always trendy MC Hammer blasting in the background. A scene from the twilight zone? Nope, it’s just another Thursday afternoon in Mozambique

Ola!=) I am alive and well. Right now, I’m in Namaacha, Mozambique, which is where I’ll be for the next ten weeks of training. I am with a host family. Meu pai (my host dad) is Francisco. Minha mai (my mom) is Rebecca. I have 6 other brothers and sisters. They range from the age of 7 months to 22. The eldest, Orlando, stays at a boarding school, but the rest of us, including two visitors (they’re minha tias (my aunts) but I don’t know how long they’re staying or whether or not they’re really just visiting) all live in the same house. The place is not too bad. I have my own room, I sleep in a mosquito net, I take bucket baths, I filter my own water, and I poop in a hole. I have to crouch down and poop in it while I hold onto a pole to help keep me balanced. You don’t want your butt to touch the outside of the hole because it is definitely not something you want to sit in. I looked down that thing, and that thing is deep. I mean, Real deep. It was made in 2004 and it doesn’t look like it’ll be filled up anytime soon.

Minha familia is really nice. They feed me a variety of rice, vegetables, fish, chicken, and something that tastes like grits. Needless to say, I’m not complaining and in fact, I think I’m eating pretty well. Everybody is so friendly and they all seem so satisfied.

The house is definitely not aesthetically pleasing. It has barren gray walls, plain, tin roofs, and there’s a lot of dirt. But when you walk inside my house, they have electricity, three tvs, a stereo, and a dvd player. Oh yea, by the way, my host family only has one dvd, TC-2000. I’ve never seen/heard/thought it could exist. It’s a movie with the buff asian guy who doesn’t say a word in Bloodsport with none other than the Muscles from Brussels, Jean Claude Van Damme, AND it also stars aerobic trend setter Billy Blanks. Haha. Apparently he did more with his life than just create Tae Bo, and apparently he’s big in Africa. I felt like they needed a change and so I showed them the movie Transformers from my computer. You should’ve seen their faces. Priceless… and when they see something surprising or weird they say EhOooooh or EHHHhhhhh. They’re pretty expressive.

My first night here was the worst night of my life. It all started a little bit before dinner. I was sitting around attempting to communicate in Portuguese while we were al waiting for dinner. And then my stomach started rumbling. And then I started to feel not so good. I politely excused myself and went to the bathroom. Yes, I had diarrhea. My stomach continued to hurt and in the middle of dinner, after making sure that I got the message across that “I don’t want to be rude but my stomach hurts and I need to rest”, I went to go lie in bed. That night, I had this throbbing headache and my entire head and neck was burning hot. And the rest of my body was shaking because it was cold. I had to deal with this really bad fever all night. I remember I sorta went to sleep and then woke up and I looked at the clock and I saw that I only slept for an hour. When I was actually able to rest I had a really vivid dream (the malaria pills give you trippy dreams, and I took one earlier that day). I dreamed that I was back home with friends and family. And everything was great. We were all having a great time. And then all of the sudden all I heard was a foreign language. I really thought I was back at home until I heard the Portuguese in the background and the mosquito net I was sleeping in. For the next day and a half, I didn’t eat much and had to deal with my diarrhea. The only good thing about that is that I learned to get used to using the bathroom here real quick. Whenever I show people my house I point to the bathroom and say “minha primeia casa (my first house)” and then point to my real house and say “minha segunda casa (my second house)”.

And as you can see, estou aprender Portuguese devegar. I’m slowly learning Portuguese. It’ll be a slow process, but I’m sure by the end of the ten weeks I’ll be able to sufficiently and confidently hold a conversation with a six year old.

My days here are pretty long. I wake up around 5:30-6:00 am and get ready for the day. People in Mozambique are really clean. They take a shower every morning and a shower before dinner. I’m pretty much busy from 7:30am to 4:30 pm. During that time I have everything from language class, meetings, presentations, and more language class. When I get back, I’m pretty tired and I shower, read, write, eat, then go to sleep at around 8-9pm. Oh, and I also watch Os Mutantes with my familia every night. Haha.. a ridiculous tv show, and everything you would expect out of a cheesy tv show.

The air here is fresh and clean. And Africa is beautiful. I’ll try to put up some pictures next time. The internet here is really slow and so it’ll take forever to upload pictures. I took a bunch when I was walking around my neighborhood. Minha irma Salida (my sister salida) held my hand as we walked around. She said hi to the kids and told them that I was her brother. Yea, it warmed up my heart when she said that too. She’s 6 years old and she’s real cute. But yea, Africa is beautiful, and people here are poor, but they’re satisfied. Life here is simple. And people here are so friendly. I know I haven’t even been gone for 2 weeks but it already feels like I’ve been here for months.

I think I’m going to like it here=)

(update from oct 11th)
Cervete

Cervete is another word that means "heaven on earth", otherwise known as ice cream.

i had ice cream in africa and it was the most amazing taste/feeling/experience ever. it was a cone ice cream with vanilla ice cream and it had delicate and crunchy peanuts strategically placed on the top. and the glue that held the peanuts together was the drink of the gods, chocolate. and oh Man, it was amazing. i sat there on the ground of a gas station and savored every bite. and the best part was when i got near the end. the end of the cone was just cone, chocolate, peanuts, and more chocolate. it was so goood. the design of this ice cream cone rivals the mona lisa and pantheon. i've never appreciated an ice cream cone more than i did that day. i'm still thinking about it, and it makes me weak at the knees.

and before we had ice cream, me and a few others played some basketball with some fellow mozambicans. it was fun but no contest. especially when we have a 6'10" guy who played D1 basketball and our competitors were somewhere in the range of 11-14 years old. but all in all, we exchanged our cultures and i'm sure they'll bring reinforcements the next time we meet.

afterwards basketball and the little taste from heaven, i went to Shoprite. Apparently what they call Shoprite is what we call a market with multiple stands. i should've known better and not expect some superwalmart in the middle of namaacha, but after eating that ice cream i thought anything could've been possible. obviously, i was wrong.

will post more and try to say more. people are breathing down my neck waiting for me to be done. tchao=)

The Eagle Has Landed

2008-10-04T10:45:00.001-04:00

i am in africa...

don't have time, and will blog later..

i am eating and living well.

tchao=)

love

2008-09-27T18:44:00.007-04:00

love is only real when shared...

and in the past few weeks, nothing else could've felt more real... except for maybe the number i see when i stop onto a scale.. that number is not only Very real, but very Big.. haha..

and i only hope that i can give as much as i have received...

thanks for the food, encouragement, prayers, books, emails, food, cards, conversations, and food=)

at my church, one of the church members found out that i was leaving to go be a peace corps volunteer and she came and approached me.. and she told me that when she was in korea, peace corps volunteers came and helped out at the hospital. and it was a peace corps volunteer that inspired and encouraged her to go to nursing school in the states, and so she came to america and became a nurse. and she told me that she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the peace corps volunteers that she met in korea. she said she was proud of me and was happy for me.

and that reminded me of the kind of difference i could make. sure i'm not going to change the whole country around, but if i could affect at least one person's life.. i'll be happy.

and so now, i go and hope that i can make a difference...

"with my own.. with my own two hands..." - ben harper

KIT

2008-09-27T00:48:00.001-04:00

Dear Prospective Volunteer: Please give this letter to your family & friends and ask them to hold on to it for as long as you are in Mozambique.

September 2008

Dear Families & Friends,

Greetings from the Mozambique Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to the 2008 Mozambique training program. During the past year we have received many questions from Volunteers and family members regarding travel plans, sending money, relaying messages and mail, etc. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing specific examples of situations and how we suggest you handle them.

1. Irregular Communication. (Please see #3 for the mailing address to Peace Corps' office in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique) The mail service in Mozambique is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service; thus, it is important to be patient. It can take two to four weeks for mail coming from Maputo to arrive in the United States via the Mozambican postal system. From a Volunteer's site, mail might take 1-2 months to reach the United States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the United States by a traveler and mailed through the U.S. postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.

We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows he/she has missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes--otherwise they may be found on the wall of the local post office!

Volunteers often enjoy telling their “war” stories when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. There is a Peace Corps medical officer at the Peace Corps office in Maputo. In the event of a serious illness, the Volunteer is sent to Maputo and is cared for by our medical staff. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Mozambique he/she will be medically evacuated to Pretoria, South Africa, or the United States. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.

If for some reason your normal communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for an abnormal amount of time, you may want to contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately, so that we can inform the Peace Corps office in Maputo. Tell the operator your name, telephone number, and the nature of the emergency and the Duty Officer will return your call.

2. Telephone Calls. The telephone system in Mozambique is relatively good and service in and out of Maputo to the United States is mostly reliable. In the interior of the country, where most of the Volunteers are located, phones are fewer in number and of decreased reliability. Volunteers do not have residential phones; however, they have the opportunity to make and receive international calls through public phones or personal cell phones that can be purchased locally. They will be able to inform you of the actual telephone numbers once they arrive at their permanent sites in the country.

The Mozambique Desk maintains regular contact with the Peace Corps office in Maputo through phone calls and email. However, these communications are reserved for business only and cannot be used to relay personal messages. All communication between family members and the Volunteer should be done via international mail or personal phone calls.

3. Sending packages. Parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to the high incidence of theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail. Even though many Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may always use the following address to send letters and/or packages to your family member:

John Doe, PCV
Corpo da Paz/U. S. Peace Corps
C.P. 4398
Maputo
Mozambique

It is recommended that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), DHL (an express mail service) does operate in Maputo.

If you choose to send items through DHL, you must address the package to:

John Doe, PCV
c/o U. S. Peace Corps Mozambique
Avenida Zimbabwe 345
Maputo
Mozambique

(The phone number for the Peace Corps office in Mozambique is 258-21-49-9082, as DHL will need this information).

For more information about DHL, please call their toll free number, 1-800-CALL-DHL, or visit their web site at www.dhl.com. Other courier services may operate in Maputo; DHL is only one possibility. Shop around to find the best prices and service options.

We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique. We understand how frustrating it is to communicate with your family member overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guideline. Please feel free to contact us at the Mozambique Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. Our phone number is 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2331 or 2332, or locally, 202-692-2331 or 202-692-2332.

Sincerely,

Julie Appelhagen, Country Desk Officer
Seana Lammers, Country Desk Assistant

Mozambique Country Desk
Peace Corps
Phone: (800) 424-8580 ext. 2331 or ext. 2332 or (202) 692-2331, 2332
Fax (202) 692-2301

Perspective

2008-09-25T22:26:00.004-04:00

umm... africa's big
the more i think about it.. the more excited i am to immerse myself into a culture and history that i'm quite frankly pretty ignorant of... i'm actually pretty embarrassed that i don't even know where to begin if i were to talk about the history of africa or its diverse culture... i was always more interested in what i saw on animal planet and lion king... yea, it's pretty sad how easily ignorant i can be about a continent that's so HUge...

i want to get out of my comfy cul-de-sac, cable television, and fast food restaurants and get some perspective... see what's life like on teh other side of the atlantic.

3 more days left til i'm gone?.. weird...

Motivation

2008-09-23T09:21:00.002-04:00

so the big question is why... why do i want to go to africa as a peace corps volunteer... well, when i applied, they wanted to know why too... so here's why

Why do you want to be a Peace Corps volunteer? What is your motivation?

Ever since the summer before ninth grade, I have spent a majority, if not all, of my summers involved with service related opportunities. From aiding children with cerebral palsy to training with the American Red Cross chapter in Richmond, I have had my taste of service experiences. I started to get involved with service related programs because of my older (and according to her, much wiser) sister. With the intention of helping me become a competitive candidate for college, she made it her top priority to find a place for me to volunteer every summer. Initially, my ideal way of spending two and half months of freedom involved anything but responsibilities. Surprisingly, waking up early to volunteer and spend time with different kinds of people soon became worthwhile. Eventually, I developed an impressive resume for college, which brought me to the University of Virginia. Yet, when I reflect on my past summers, I now realize how each volunteer program provided me with an invaluable experience far more important than a well-crafted college application.
What started off as an obligation quickly became a privilege. I was consistently amazed and encouraged by the different kinds of people whom I met. I experienced the joy and humility of helping cancer patients smile during the most trying time in their lives, the genuine beauty of life beaming through the face of a child living with cerebral palsy, and sheer elation while building a house with two rooms for a family of five in Guadalajara, Mexico. And I will always treasure the shared moments of accomplishment and glimmers of hope for promising futures while teaching basic English words to children in the Dominican Republic. In the end, I realized that the people I served have had a bigger impact on my life than I have had on theirs. I have always heard this to be true, that in giving one receives much more. I guess that’s the thing about truth—it never quite hits home until a person experiences it firsthand.
My experience in the Dominican Republic reaffirmed my desire to volunteer abroad. Upon returning to the States, I recognized that I live in a comfortable and confined world, much like a snow globe with clear boundaries and limits. I know that the larger part of the world is more than the university I attend, the movie theaters I frequent, or the sports I religiously watch on ESPN. I know there are literally millions of people outside my secure world who need more than just a helping hand during a short summer period. And I know wholeheartedly I want to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer because, as cliché as it sounds, I want to make a difference. I know I can’t change the world, but if I can help just one more person other than myself, I’m satisfied. At one time volunteering was a way for me to achieve my goals. Today, volunteering is a way for me to help someone else achieve his/her goals.

"we Rise together.. we Rise together.."- flobots, "rise"

recap

2008-09-22T14:53:00.015-04:00

hmm... obviously i'm not so good at this blogging thing. then again, what's the point of doing a blog when nobody reads it right? haha.. thanks noon, and youngmi, and the other random people who for some crazy reason actually read this...

lets rewind a bit.

ok. so, last semester of college was bittersweet. relaxed, hung out, and then worked my butt off. i spent my birthday in the library trying to do a year's worth of work in a month. But finished my thesis and so i celebrated by going to ac. won about $300. spent a week at the beach. graduated. got an award For my thesis and got $50 Cash Money, Holler. spent three weeks studying for lsats. took it and got a lower score than i did the first time i took it. left for europe the next day. flew into zurich, then went to prague, berlin, amsterdam, brussels, paris, biarritz, madrid, barcelona, nice, and then flew out of zurich. during the three weeks i lost my camera, slept next to a smelly german on a train, my train pass was "not valid", found out how different and delicious real belgian waffles are, found out how good european beer actually is, found out that i am fat compared to 99% of the european population, french people really are more beautiful than us and dress better than us, hung out with a reality tv star for a day, slept in a bathroom, saw the spanish national team in madrid after they won the eurocup, churros in spain are served with a cup of chocolate and yes it is as good as it sounds, went to a market where they sell goat heads, fell in love with kabobs, and realized that if i ever come back to europe, i am Not going to go there with dudes. the whole place is way to beautiful and romantic to spend it alone. after europe, i came back, went to robert and tammy's beautiful wedding, danced with fobber, went to colorado for a week for KASe, spent two weeks in nova doing nothing but eating, watching movies, and eating some more and slowly watched as me and youngmi got fatter. then i spent a week and a half in new york where i continued my habit of overeating and rekindled my love with karaoke, then i finally came home. helped out with my youth group. got all of the kids to cry on the last night (Great success). and then continued my habit of overeating while staying at home. went to smith mountian lake for a week with family. then saw friends at uva and nova again. and now i'm back at home.

Which brings me back here to the present. where i am continuing my habit of overeating. at the end of the summer, i am officially now 210 pounds of good-lookin. you can't get any better lookin than this.

and now on the 28th of this month, i'll be leaving for Mozambique as a Peace Corps volunteer to teach English. i'll spend three months training which will consist of learning the culture, history, teaching skills, and portuguese. then i'll be sent to the place where i'll be stationed for 2 years. i guess more on that later.

but for a now, a picture is worth a thousand words right? and so, here are some pics from the last few months.

foxfields.

me and bear. 4 years of service right there. best of luck to ya with teach for america. hope you don't get your car stolen by a 12 year old again. don't forget balloons for lil wayne's bday.

last pic of the fam. i'm gonna miss our family dinners. maybe i'll come back and learn how to cook=)
needless to say... graduation
graduation dinner at maggiano's with the Lin family and friends. a meal to remember
at friday's after five. she's not grossed out by my 210 pounds of good looking=)
ac with jimbo and chris jenne. hope you're enjoying life in the midwest munchin on corn everyday.
me, danny, bryan, chris, and joe in front of what's left of the berlin wall.
me and joe's couple pic in front of the eiffel tower. i heart you joe.
spent the day at the palace of versailles with a reality tv star? apparently, there's a show called sunset tan on the E channel and on it are these girls called the "olly" girls because one's holly and one's molly. the girl on the left is molly and the girl on the right is her best friend. and man, they are just as stupid in real life as they are on tv.
joe sleepin in bathroom
me sleepin in bathroom. we had a "pursuit of happiness" moment.
what we woke up to. really beautiful beach.
day after spain won the eurocup.
they love their soccer. and chants.
how they eat churros in spain. my mouth is watering. yes, that's a cup of chocolate. i gained 5 pounds that night.
people we met and hung out with in barcelona. i don't know remember any of their names. all of their names ended with an "a" though, so i just mumbled something like, hola mmgmmg-A.
last night in barcelona with people that we met.
nice, france. it's a stone beach and not sand. stones hurt
nice, france againok, so the story is that my friend was in some store and saw the picture on the right on the cover of some book or magazine. she posted it on fb and i was like, when did i take this picture? but no, it's not me, but some guy that looks Just like me. she took a pic of me in colorado and the resemblance is uncanny. after this, i wonder if my mom has been completely honest with me. He EVen has my Weird Asain HaiR. weiiird.

Basically, just a group of pretty good lookin people chillin in georgetown.

look at that brute i caught. i love fishinat robert and tammy's wedding. lookin good pete. you too hannah.
before: me and my sis at sungho's wedding.

after: my sis saying bye to me. look how sad she is that i'm leaving. hahaha.. i'm gonna miss you too noon=)
last family pic.

"i bless the rains down in africa... gonna take some time to do the things we never had"
-toto, "africa"

Mt. D Bae

2008-04-04T17:28:00.000-04:00

i wonder what i'll see when i look down my own mountain

when i finally get to the top, who will be there with me?

what kind of clothes will i be wearing? what will i take with me?

how long would it take me to get up there? will i have wrinkles? is a cane in the picture?

what kind of scars will i have? what burdens will i be carrying? and who will be carrying them with me?

what will i be proud of? what will be my best memories? what will be my regrets? what will be my shame?

what tears will i have shed by then? and who would those tears be for?

.... i think the real question is whether or not i'll be proud of my mountain.

i want a mountain supported by a crowd of family and friends.. my cherished, my beloved.

i want their encouragement and joy to help build my accomplishments and feats..

i want the cracks to be healed with flowing streams.. the sharp ridges of naivety to be weathered and carved by the wisdom of the faithful rains

i want a mountain with the stone that the builders rejected to be my capstone, my foundation.

hmm.... got a lot more climbing to do

"i'm gonna stop lookin back, and start movin on
and learn how to face my fears
Love with all of my heart, make my mark
I wanna leave something here

Go out on a ledge, without any net
that's what i'm gonna be about
yea, i wanna be runnin'
when the sand runs out..."
-rascal flatts

Feet and Fish

2008-04-01T20:47:00.000-04:00

two of my favorite things... sandals and a fishing rod

if it were up to me.. i'd wear sandals in all situations of life... my feet feel unrestricted and comfortable...

but does it feel comfortable b/c it feels unrestricted? what is comfort? and is it always good?

school's making me feel a little suffocated.. and stressed... and all i want to do is put on some sandals..

all i want to do is cast out and let it be... but before you cast out, you gotta do all the dirty work..

you gotta set up the line, set up the jig, buy the bait, cut the bait, get your hands dirty while you handle the bait, hook the bait, and Then once your hands are clean and you wiped 'em on your shorts, you can go ahead and cast out that sucker

so i guess i gotta go ahead and do the dirty work before i want to cast out.. or else i'll be fishing with nothing on the end of my line, and that's pretty much pointless..

but once i cast that thing out, i know i'll be at peace because all i'll have to do is sit and wait for something good to come around...

"through the storm we reach the shore... you give it all but i want more... and i'll wait for you..."

Best BOYZ II MEN song?

2008-03-18T00:26:00.000-04:00

the ballad...

a lost art...

nothing beats the classic soulful cries of BOYZ II MEN.

but you can't leave a question unanswered. and so, best boys ii men song?

my initial thought was, i love the way "water runs dry" sounds..

But, there's no song more memorable than "End of the Road"... it's that last m&m in the bag, the final cool part of the pillow that lulls you to sleep, the slumber after staying up all night to finish the last paper to turn in before summer break... it's the perfect ending.. no other song sums up an experience like "end of the road"

And nobody perfected the "talk-in-the-middle-of-the-song" like BOYZ II MEN as featured in "One Bended Knee"... his deep sultry voice even turns me on

but alas, i don't know if any of those songs can compete with "i'll make love to you"... that was the first song i ever heard that was about sex. i remember me and my friends were listening to it and when i heard them sing "throw your clothes on the floor, i'm gonna take my clothes off too" i giggled.. and i didn't know what any of it meant, but i know it changed my life

the winner?

"A Song for Mama"... i know every artist busts out with a song for their mama and it's always heartwarming... but nothing should be able to compete with a sincere song about one's mama...

"....... loving you is like food to my soul"

Man Vs Wild: Wild won

2008-03-13T14:03:00.000-04:00

Four guys venture out into the roughest terrain panama city, FL could offer determined to claim their superiority over all forces of nature. One man in particular vowed to survive solely on what he could catch. No catch, no eat.

that lasted about 2 hours into the trip. hahaha

me and three other guys drove down to panama city to go camping for 5 days. the four of us pretty much have no camping experience. we were inspired by discovery channel's "Man Vs Wild" and "Survivorman". we had to learn the hard way that the disclaimer "this is done by a professional, do not attempt at home" is something that you should actually listen to.

We spent the week learning a couple of life lessons

Life Lesson #1- Always listen to your friends

On the first night, the four of us had to sleep through a rainstorm. It wasn't pretty. At times, the wind blew so hard that the roof of the tent would practically reach our noses while we were lying down trying to sleep. Basically, we're lucky our tent held up, especially since we've never pitched a tent before and somehow found alternatives to the stakes you need in order to keep a tent grounded. Apparently, our stakes that night were ourselves. Anyways, around 4-5am, Bryan Lin said that the tent was leaking. The rest of us didn't feel any water and so we just yelled at him. "Bryan, GO BAck to SLEEP. IT"s not Leaking."... he sat there for an hour trying to figure out what to do. "Bryan, What are YOU DOING? Just SLeep.. IT's NOT LEAKING!!"

we woke up, and saw a bunch of bowls filled with water that caught all the leakage.

Life Lesson #2- Always be prepared.

Like i said, survivorman lasted for about 2 hours when i realized that the weather was too windy and the water was too cold for me to catch anything. we didn't buy much food beforehand, but with the food that we did bring, we brought it in multiples of three. I couldn't have been more serious when i told Bryan that no matter what, i'm going to only eat what i catch. 2 hours later, i couldn't have been more serious when i told Bryan that no matter what, i'm gonna eat whatever we have b/c i'm hungry and i don't care if everything was in multiples of three, we'll go out and buy more food later.

Luckily, civilization was only a ten minute drive and so it wasn't difficult to get stuff if we needed it. And so, we made daily trips to Wal-Mart and ate a variety of hot dogs, oatmeal, marshmellows, wendy's, sonic, and chinese buffet. i stomachs took a beating.

Life Lesson #3- Fire is cool

Everyone is a pyro at heart. 'nuff said

Life Lesson #4- Fire can be dangerous

Always smolder out your fires even if there aren't any flames. And don't leave 2 nylon chairs near the fire pit on a windy day unattended, b/c you might come back to your campsite only to find that the chairs got completely incinerated. Sorry Smokey. I'll listen to you next time

Life Lesson #5- Heed your friend's warnings.

"Heads up"

i turn around on the boat, only to face a tsunami.

Jimbo, the captain of the boat that we rented out one day to catch some fish, drove our boat, which isn't built for rough waters or speed, into some big waves caused by a big boat which brought about a big mistake. When we rented out the boat, the guy warned us to put the boat in neutral if we came across some big waves. Jimmy forgot that warning, and instead drove right into the wave which is when he warned us with a "Heads Up"

the wave crashed down on the boat, soaked me, danny, and bryan from head to toe. jimmy was dry as a raisin. the wave hit the cooler with our fish pretty hard, and all of our dead frozen fish went flying all around the boat. It knocked around all our snacks and so there were bags of doritos and lay's all over the floor of the boat.

needless to say, don't let jimmy drive a boat.

Life Lesson #6- Follow all traffic signs

even at 3am when no cars are around and all you can hear are crickets, don't make an illegal u-turn or else you'll get a ticket that will cost you $145 ($25 for the actually ticket and $120 for court fees).

under Race he put a U for unknown.

what Am I?.....

at least the beach looked nice

nature wins everytime

Always listen to Smokey the Bear

This is about as close as i got to actually surviving.

not too shabby. and yes, we ate 'em.

and that's what we did everyday. made a fire, maintained the fire, and tried to stay as warm as possible. and used the fire to dry the wet clothes after the tsunami we faced.

But some of us got too close to the fire

The Bae's: The Reality Show

2008-03-12T20:10:00.000-04:00

I finished my work, had some din, came home and sat myself down in front of the tv while i basked in the dust i wiped off my shoulders after a productive day in the library. I tried to get my dose of scrubs, rob & BiG, and Flavor of Love 3, but got constantly interrupted by my sis. Apparently it's boring at home when there's no one to bother, i.e. me. She isn't graced with the privilege of having cable so i had to explain to her how ridiculous and humorous a show about a skinny white skater, his Big Ol' Black friend, and their escapades is. And then she thought out loud, "Dae, if we had a tv show, you think people would watch us?" hahaha..

... but then i got to thinking... what kind of show would me and my sister have? where's the drama? what kind of episodes would we have? what would make good tv.....

one time i was sitting at the computer doing my thing and my sister ran into the room and said, hey dae, look at feet.. and when i did, she turned around and farted in my face... that's a good 10 second intro to a show... in the next scene we'll probably finding something to eat in the kitchen and then the next star of the show, mama bae, would walk in. she'd say "oh, today's weather is wonderful, two-derful, three-derful"... i still wonder where she picked that up. then papa bae would come in, get a tooth pick, stare outside, and that'd be the end of that.

after the character introductions, we'd get ready to leave. whereto, don't know. all we know is that we can't stay in the house. i'd wait 30 min. for my sister to put her face on, give her my opinion on what shirt to wear, what shoes to wear, and which socks to wear. then we'd say bye to mama and i'd say "keep it real", she'll give me a funny look not knowin whether or not i made fun of her or complimented her. then we'd dip out, she'll talk her head off while i try to enjoy the music which i have to turn off b/c it gives her a headache like everything else that makes noise or stands still.

actualy... this show would suck... it'd just be 30 min of my sis asking me questions ranging from "how much memory does my computer have and is it enough?" to "how do you lose weight?" and i'll just be too tired and annoyed to respond to the same question i've heard for the 80th time.

basically, we'd both end up watching that episode of ourselves and think, man, what's wrong with that person.

cause honestly, who's completely satisfied with themselves? it doesn't matter if you have the face of charlize theron, the like-ability of george clooney (girls want him, guys can hang out with him), or the soul of ghandi. there's always something that you can find about yourself that you want to fix.

hmm... if i saw myself on tv i'd say.. "that guy needs to be more patient and more loving. zoning someone out isn't being tolerable, it's being a jerk. can't listen for just 10 minutes? and i mean, i know he knows he loves 'em, but he doesn't say it or show it enough. what a selfish bastard. and it's not like he's busy 24/7. he's got plenty of time, just needs to actually do something with it. i bet, if he really put his mind to something, he could do it and not half-ass it like he usually does. man, he's lucky, and he doesn't even know it."

hello mirror. i don't know whether to thank you or shake my head at you. but there's nothing like a good dose of the truth.

"all of the words in all of my life...."- kutless

first steps

2008-02-26T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hello 21st century

sorry it took me so long. everything has been a little overwhelming. i followed through with email and aim, but then you went nuts on me with macbook air, the google giant, and facebook with its thousands of applications. i steered away from tetris and that rocketman game, but i decided to join in the chaos with blogger.com.

i decided to start a blog because i wanted to update this instead of sending mass emails when i leave for the peace corps, but it started raining today, and i was in no mood to do anything productive. Thus, dbae422.blogspot.com was created (hopefully not prematurely)

and so, until i can give updates on my peace corps experience, all i have to talk about are my two parking tickets i got in less than a week (one of them i got 13 min. before it was legal for me to park there. i hate uva cops), the massive burger i ate today, the unbelievable load of school work i have now that i finally decided to actually start acting like a student, and my upcoming spring break trip to panama city where me and three other guys will attempt to rough it out survivorman style (as seen on television). i'm looking forward to fishing for a week and eating what i catch. i'm hoping that this inner caveman-esque instinct will kick in and put me in this survivor mode like when that tiger got sick of doing tricks and took a bite out of roy, or siegfried, or one of those two weirdos.

like all good things, i gotta put a pause to this because school is calling my name and i gotta take these earplugs out eventually.

over and out