Wrestling at its best

One of my endeavors to the community center was one of the wildest. I remember that most of the kids had finished their homework and so they were bouncing off the walls. I remember one boy, who had black hair that was gelled to a "fowhawk." That style of hair was common amoung soccer players.
"Are you a soccer player?" "How do you know?? why do you care??" the boy responded defensively. "You look like one, I like soccer. I'm pretty good myself." the boy calmed and began to open up. After talking a little bit, another boy Fernando was getting really antsy. Looking at my hat, they soon came up quickly with a new game. Everyone attempted to grab the hat off my head. This little boy named Frank was the first to successfully grab it. Wearing it on his head with a big mischievous grin, because he had accomplished some great feet. I grabbed it back and gave it to a friend for safe keeping.
 Without the hat the group of kids just got even crazier. Soon they wanted to jump on me. I quickly pull them off and set them on the ground. Soon all the kids were in awe! Brent told them I was a state champion wrestler. The gossip spread like wild fire. "He a state champion, see! Look how fast he can take me to the ground!" the boys would then jump on my back, I would quickly pull them off and put them to the ground. Laughter would then break. Soon there were several boys on me at once and I had to put them to the ground as quickly as possible. It was fun game for all of us. They always had fun. They knew how to have fun and they would help me have fun. It made realize the playful nature of kids can be much more fun than anything else that I could spend my time doing. It reminded me of my nephews and some of the most fun I had was playing with them.

Market Party

Whenever I go on vacation I always enjoy visiting the markets. On my trip to Mexico I remember visiting all the street vendors and haggling for lower prices on junk that I would end up losing or breaking a month after I bought it. A countries market place is a strong part of that country's culture. The picture of this market is in Indonesia near the Istiqlal Mosque. Since a mosque is a place of worship for Muslims  it is a great place for a market since it is a high traffic area. It is interesting how certain economies revolve heavily around religion. In markets in Indonesia it is often common to bargain for lower prices with the sales people. These markets are called "Pasar." For most people, the trip to the Pasar is a daily trip. It is interesting how these markets work. They are much different than the way Americans shop. While American's generally shop one place or most of their food, Indonesians will travel from booth to booth getting their various foods and needs. It is interesting to learn about other cultures and how they live daily. The simple differences such as their markets is intriguing. We can learn so many new things from all over if we simply seek and learn.

"Traditional Markets (Pasar) in Indonesia." Traditional Markets (Pasar) in Indonesia. Web Site Association Jakarta, Indonesia, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1996.421. Print

My "Bucket" list

Look at this adorable baby!!! It's takin' a bath in a bucket! I want to take a bath in a bucket! The best part of the picture is that its on a street corner. Cars and motorcycles are driving by, and the baby is just smiling taking it's bath in the murky water. This has always been on my "bucket" list, but I grew too big. Maybe if i found a really big bucket, I can still do it. One of the main reasons the baby is taking a bath where it is is not because it prefers to take baths on street corners. In places such as Indonesia, running water and drainage is almost non-existent. So in order to take a bath, one must go where water is obtainable. Though it may seem pretty awesome to take a bath in a bucket, one should think that it probably isn't the most ideal circumstances for taking a bath. The time this picture was taken was right before the economy took a nose dive in 1997 (Pepinsky). Indonesia has never been a place to have a great standard of living. Considering that running water is rare, the streets are trashed and the area is not very clean. With that, I can assume that the bath water could have been used multiple times. Looking at the water consumption we use, it is ridiculous how many water we use in one shower. Let's remember that we clean water is a blessing. Let's look at it tha way.

Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1996. 362. Print

Pepinsky, Thomas B., and Maria M. Wihardja. "Decentralization And Economic Performance In Indonesia." Journal Of East Asian Studies 11.3 (2011): 337-371. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Apr. 2013.

The Dangers

I think what is most scary about this picture is in the background. Look at the power lines! They could topple over any second and those boys are right next to them! I do not think being electrocuted is very good for the body. The truth is, this circumstance is all over Mexico. strong winds can cause these weak power lines to fall over, and it takes awhile before anything is done about it.  Aurora energy give this advice about fallen power lines: "Stay away, stay alive." Power lines can be fatal to one's life. The electricity flow can kill someone. Having such a fatal hazard near where people ride their bikes and walk. Here, in America, we have the safety of well taken care of power lines. I remember how quick PG&E will respond whenever the power is out, or if there is a potentially dangerous situation. I remember, they would bring a crew to my neighbors properties and cut the branches of trees that were growing close to the power lines to avoid any issues. In mexico, they do not have that kind of response, causing it to be a very potentially dangerous situation. Even the little things that we take for granted,  we should realize are problems in other parts of the world. This is especially prevalent in many of the poorer countries. Ask yourselves, what do we take for granted?

"Fallen Powerlines - Stay Away Stay Alive." - Aurora Energy. Auroraenergy.com, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1998. 321. Print

aching pains

All over Mexico, civilians farm everyday to make their wage. Even though this activity is highly strenuous, it does not stop many from doing it. This old lady has on her back many pounds of corn. Even in her old age, she works harder than many young people work. When I look at this pictures, I think about how much potential humans have. Sometimes we often tell ourselves that we worked hard enough, or we can't go any farther, so we stop. We stop before we have even achieved our full potential. When we do this we limit ourselves of achieving incredible fetes. I have a lot of respect for those who work on the farm all day. Just like this lady they don't make excuses: the work is not done until it is done.
Looking at this pictures also saddens me. A lady who has done her turn in the work can not stop, otherwise she can provide. If she did not work, there would be no food, so wouldn't be able to live. Though I am extremely impressed by this women's perseverance, it is sad that she can't stop even when her body is worn. In this nation it is expected to not have to work when old. I completely agree that once one has put in their contributions, they deserve a break as they near the end of their life, but should it really be an expectation? Many parts in the world, this is not the case. They must work even if their body can no handle it. To me, this picture sends a bitter sweet story. It is a great message of perseverance, and never giving in. It is also a message of the world outside our "bubble." 



Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York. 1998. 282. Print.

a different people, a different culture

Since the world is so vast, the cultuers around the world can be extremely different. One's life is highly influenced on the location they were born. Though there are difference within the culture of the US, the culture is is significantly different in other parts of the world. The man above is a Yanomami warrior in the maloca of Antonio.
Since it is a different culture, the morals and values are very much different than the world we see around us. The Men remain dominant will often exercise their dominance to keep the women submissive. In our country, they men would  all be sent to jail, but in their culture it is a part of their culture.
It is surprising to see a culture that has not advanced in a world that is constantly changing. Yet, it seems that they do not desire to change. Looking at these people I come up with the conclusion that that is the way they enjoy living their life. They do not wish to to obtain more when they have what they need to survive.
Sometimes just learning about other cultures and understanding that people can be brought up with different opinions, standards, morals and circumstances we are growing closer to understanding how the world works. Sometimes when we focus on the bubble of a life around, we become a menace to society rather than improving the culture and circumstances. A lot of this world just needs more understanding and acceptance. The only way we can do that is by looking: looking at the world around us.
Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: 1999. 258. Print.

"Yanomami." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britnnica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013

Left to Tell, a book worth reading

Left to Tell was a very inspirational book to me.  I don't do a lot of reading but it was hard for me to put this book down. while reading, I sometimes become a little bit emotional. 
I was shocked at all the atrocities that occurred during the Rwandan Holocausts. After reading that book, I feel much more aware of the problems in the world. Living in the U.S. I often feel like
I am in a bubble and feel very unaware of the circumstances that occur in other parts of the world. It made me question what I would have I had been more than a baby when this occurred. 
Would I have tried to help during this time, or would I have looked away like the United States had? This book raise a lot of questions. What would motivate a people to kill their friends and neighbors? 
This story is incredible because it does more than give you the insider view of the Rwandan Genocide. Imaculee was a strong example of forgiveness because she forgave the killers that destroyed her family.I truly felt that I was reading her real thoughts. She had such a strong faith in God, and is a great example to everyone. It raised a lot of questions in my mind as I wonder how the world can learn from it's mistakes. I definitely recommend this book. It was inspirational, made me more aware of what occurred those many years a go as well as kept me reading.

History repeating itself

Rwanda had an ethnic conflict for many centuries. The Hutus would suppress  and discriminate the Tutsi people. Several times the Hutus would go through an "ethnic cleansing" and kill many of the Tutsi people in Rwanda. In no case was it as bad as the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. 3 out of 4 Tutsis were killed during this conflict.  The picture shows just a small glimpse of the mass murder of an ethnic race. Do to the fact that so many were killed, individual burials were not realistic. instead massive burials of several thousand would be piled and then covered with dirt. During this time, many have wondered why this was allowed to happen.
Why was there no one willing to intervene?
In the U.S. during this time, Bill Clinton was president. Not until 1998 did Clinton recognized what happened Rwanda and promised that America would not let this happen again (Powet). Though the U.S. knew about the killing in Rwanda, they did not know about the massive scale in which it did occur. I do not believe the U.S. was as oblivious to the situation as Clinton stated they were, but I believe their lack of involvement kept them from truly understanding the horrific situation that was happening. There was little economic gain from getting involved with the country, and sending troops would cost the nation money that it did not feel the need to spend.
What is find wrong here is not the powerful European Nations and US did not get involved, but rather their lack of awareness. Looking at the devastation now, I am sure there are few nations that do not regret getting helping. The more powerful countries can not realistically stop any conflict that could costs lives of people, but they should be aware and educated. Then they can know when it is necessary to get involved to protect the lives of many people.
We also shouldn't leave it up for the government to be the only ones involved. We really should be more aware of what could happen out in the world. That way we can better know how to help. It is not our job to solve all the problems, but we can still solve many of them. That way next time, history doesn't repeat itself.


Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1994. 192. Print
Powet, Samantha. "Bystanders to Genocide." Bystanders to Genocide Sept. 2001: Web.

Doing Good In the Hood

In my writing 150 class I have been able to go do fun service all the time. The majority of our class had the opportunity to go down to Salt Lake City to volunteer for a program called "Good in the Hood." This program was made around a community in Salt lake with refugee families that have come to America for a new home. As part of the program we were able to play with all the kids of these families and give them attention. Maybe of the kids were bilingual and could speak English very well. They were also extremely hyper! When we arrived, I saw kids kicking a soccer ball in the parking lot, not even worrying about the cars that were parked everywhere. It reminded me of when I was little in my home town. We used to play soccer anytime there was a ball no matter the circumstance. it brought back fond memories.
 Our group met with the people in charge of the program. We were supposed to have an activity down at the church so I walked with one of the kids towards that direction. He asked me if I had a girlfriend. My responded with a no and said I just date LOTS women. He seemed unimpressed and then bragged to me about how he had an 18 year old girlfriend earlier that year. Interested understand on how a thirteen year old boy got a eighteen year old girlfriend, I asked him other questions about these girls he dated. He told me the different girls were "black haired, yellow haired, red haired..." He was obviously very proud of his achievements. Upon arriving at the church, we found out the building was already being occupied. We headed back and the volunteers had made friends with the many kids with us.
One talent of mine that is entertaining for kids is I can do a lot of cool tricks with my yo-yo. I decided now could be a good time to whip it out and show off a little bit.  Soon many kids crowded around. I saw one kid grab his friend and told him "With that yo-yo he can do magic." Now I faced a problem. Every kid wanted to try it now. As I gave each kid his or her turn to try out the yo-yo, I would explain how to roll it up and throw it down. As one would get done, they would explain my instructions to their sister or brother in their language so they would better comprehend the instructions. I loved how they would help one another, rather than being selfish and wanting to play with the yo-yo the whole time.  Was I that sharing at 8 years old? It was so much fun to go and play with these kids for a couple of hours. Between basketball, piggyback rides, origami and yo-yo tricks, we were able to really get know these group of kids and have some good kid fun. Man I miss those days. When service becomes fun, that is when you know you're doing it correctly. I'm glad I had the chance to go to Salt Lake and do some "Good in the Hood."

white boards and markers

whiteboards, white board markers, stop watch, eraser, picture books, paint brush, water colors, and paper... with this being my third time going over to the South Franklin Community center, I finally was able to tutor the same boy two weeks in a row. Being only in Kindergarten, he hasn't learned to read. He has currently been learning the alphabet. As a way to get him excited about doing the alphabet, I had him time me how fast I could write all the letters in the alphabet. After seeing how fast I could do it, he anxiously joined me and tried hard to recall them all from memory. It was impressive on how much more willing he was to working since it had become a competition. He had me time him doing everything. He wrote his name, other small words he knew and then I would do the same. I noticed the competitive spirit he had when it came to these things. I tried out a new game.  I would draw pictures and then he would have to write down what he thought it was. After sounding out each letter, he was able to spell small letter words like dog, bat, cat, and rock. He would then do the same, with drawing pictures that I would then have to write down on the whiteboard. After seeing how much more successful I was with tutoring the boy, we went on to do reading. I was able to help him read a small picture book with one or two words per page. It's really a lot of fun seeing him work through the words and see him successfully form the words on his tongue. This must be why many parents love raising kids. It must really bring them joy to see them successfully overcome challenges as they learn and grow. We then finished the book and i went on to read him a book and then out came the water colors to finish the day. After just going for a couple weeks, I feel that i now have responsibility to help these kids. I guess it must be a hint of what the pure love of Christ feels like.

Living with Hope

In 1995 a family was exhausted from the final 7 mile walk to the barracks the United Nations set up as they traveled to Zenica: a safe haven 8 hours away. This family with many others were traveling during a struggle between the many Bosnia ethnic groups. The conflict had started in 1991  and raged on until 1995. It had started by political conflict as the elites aroused ethnic tensions to help them gain high economic status. The conflict had tied in economic realities, fundamental tensions, and the countries historical nature. This started a bloody, and merciless ethnic conflict. With war raging, it would be hard for one to be positive and be motivated to do keep moving (Farkas). With there homes taken from them, they no must go to a new home as their country tries to settle one of the many conflicts it has all the time. Yet this family pursued through a rigorous journey and still has much ahead of them until they are safe from harm.
To say how many were effected by the war is unknown but it is estimated that several thousands were killed as well as several hundred thousand were displaced. The bloodiest encounters of the war started in 1992 and continued to 1995 in mainly Bosnia and Herzegovina. By 1995, the majority of the Serb population had fled to Croatia (Dyrstad). With the many countries that are so torn apart by war, it is hard to think of how any one could live in such places. It would be hard for any of them to love life when so much of their lives are torn apart by bloodshed. It is no wonder why so many migrate to countries where life isn't ruled by warfare. Even if we don't know how we can help, we can start out by just learning and understanding. No one can really help unless they truly understand.

Salgado, Sebastio. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1995. 127. Print.
Farkas, Evelyn. “Fractured States and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Cases of Bosnia, Ethiopia and Iraq.” New York: Palgrave Mamillan. 2003
Dyrad, Karin. After Ethnic civil war. Hournal of Peace Research. 2012

Learning while Teaching

I used to think I was a good teacher. At my high school I was a teacher Intern for the dance classes. I did a great job at keeping the classes focused when teaching. I was one of the few teacher Interns that the students respected and would listen to. Thus I thought I was really cool and could teach anyone anything if I knew it really well. I thought I had patience, discipline, fun and respect all balanced out. When I went to the South Franklin community center, I was greatly humbled.
The boy I had to tutor did not have a very high reading capability. It was suggested that I write one syllable words down on a white board and help him sound it out. With a game plan in my head, I write down a few simple words on a white board and have him sound it out. Little did I realize that this would cause the boy so much agonizing pain that he would run away and whimper in the corner. I looked over to see another boy reading his book. Why wouldn't this boy do the same thing? Why would he erase whatever I wrote on the whiteboard and laugh? Why would he suffer excruciating pain almost to the point of death every time I asked him to pronounce a one syllable word?
As I wondered what to do, I noticed the boy's eyes spotted the infamous game Candyland on the table. Suddenly he jumped up and scurried over to bring out the board and pieces. Now I had the means to bargain. After writing a list of various words on the whiteboard, I told him as soon as he read out loud all of the following words, we all could play a game and race to King Kandy's castle. While he laying on his back, I held the words over his head so he slowly pronounced the sounds of each letter and figured out each word. It wasn't long after he finished was the game set up and found myself pulling cards and moving my marker a long the colorful Candyland road.
What I learned was there is no single method that works for everyone. With different ages comes different strategies. With different strategies comes different experiences. We will continue to learn from these new experiences even after we have everything "figured out."

Mistakes with permanent consequences

In the picture above, this man lost his leg due to the painful realities of war. He is struggling on his crutches a long the forsaken avenue Jade Maiwan. In a world where destruction can come so swift with the many advanced weapons, it is insane on how fast one's world can be flipped upside down. I find this picture powerful because of this man's will to keep moving. Surrounding him are buildings that have been massacred and his body has been been scarred but yet he seems to move on instead of giving up. Sometimes we give up when we have been faced trials that kick us on the ground, yet we still have our legs and we should use them stand up. With everything we're given, we should really put our trials in perspective. Once we realize how insignificant they can be, we should approach them without hesitation and may even give more than needed. From pictures like this we can learn valuable lessons, motivate us, and give warnings.
When viewing, we should ask ourselves questions: what is happening, what emotions are involved, what is the message, and why did this happen? Afghanistan has been an unstable country for decades with many wars. In between the years 1978 and 2001 Afghanistan lost $240 Billion worth of infrastructure due to the destruction of war ("Collins").
 This picture just shows a small glimpse of the destruction that went on in the country. It was 1996 when the Taliban came and seized control of this city, Kabul, and began to implement  fundamentalist Islamic law ("Afghanistan timeline"). As part of all this happening, this man lost his leg. With that came the struggles of living with living with only one leg for the rest of his life and city that would take a lifetime to repair. Taking the time to learn about this all of this, I have learned about the many harsh realities in the world. I learned how oblivious and naive I was to problems of the world. Next time I go out to walk, maybe I shouldn't take these legs as much for granted.

“Afghanistan Timeline.” National Catholic Report.  July 19, 2002. EBSCO Publishing. Web. 31 January, 2013.

Collins, Joseph. Understanding War in Afghanistan. National Defense Press, 2011. Print

Salgado, Sebastião. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 1996. 80/81. Print.

The beauty behind music

This last Thursday, my friend Sadie and I had the opportunity to go the South Franklin Community Center. The focus of the center is to help strengthen the kids' ability to read and write. After the orientation, we were greeted by a hyper boy with glasses in the 2nd grade of Latino descent. He picked us out to be his tutors and we would soon learn how hectic this boy could be. Starting off with a game or two of hang man we proceeded to try and get him to start his reading. We soon learned this would be a long and monotonous task as every book. He called every book we pulled off the shelf "Stupid." After knocking down a shelf and a few swings to my stomach, we finally satisfied his needs. We discovered the boy had a knack for singing nursery rhymes. After reading the lyrics and learning the tune, all 3 of us were singing a long to "hey diddle diddle," "Hickery Dickery Dock," and even "Humpty Dumpty." After we mastered the tune, Sadie whipped out her concert piano skills and began playing so we could sing. It was amazing to see how intrigued this boy became with reciting familiar tunes and learning new ones. Reading no longer became a chore this boy.  We soon lost track of time and realized the tutor session was over. I learned more than just the wonderful rewards from serving. I learned about the beauty of music. It has the ability to influence emotions, send messages, motivate, and teach. It was evident on how it influenced this boy.
As we all go about serving, we often find that we have gained more from the experience than we actually gave in service. It shows that it is important to serve each other often. I enjoyed my time in the South Franklin Community Center. I hope to continue to go to gain new experiences.

Have we thought about ourselves too much?

Sometimes in this world we get so caught up in our own lives that we forget there is a whole world outside our “bubble.” We become concerned about how our self-image looks and try to make sure that all our wants and desires are met. Sometimes we like to compare ourselves to our peers. We make sure we are “Up to par” with our fashion, language, physical appearance, and gadgets. Too often do we tell ourselves that we are deprived because we are not given certain privileges. Then there is that someone (mom, dad, or friend) that reminds us that there are people in developing countries that can’t get even get close to our level of living. 

What if we stopped and thought about those people in developing countries. Are we aware of all the hardships they have to go through? I would like to refer to the photo above. Sebastiao Salgado took a pictures of migrants and refugees from all over the world and he captured the photograph above. These people are hitchhiking on top of a train in an attempt travel to a new home. I asked myself what would motivate someone to leave one’s home to travel on top of a moving freight train? Only someone that was truly determined to find a better life. That person wanted a life like mine. He wanted a life where he could eat until he had a full stomach every day. He wanted to live where when he was hungry he would look in the fridge or the pantry. Though both you and I can’t relate personally to any of these migrants’ hardships, we can still help. 

By creating awareness one can better understand their situation. Often these migrants move because they were forced, lost everything or they were just looking for a better life. By identifying why one would be motivated to migrate, we can start narrowing the problem. By finding the problem one can then look for solutions. After finding a solution, we can then act. I would like to start by spreading that awareness so we can eventually all find a way to act.

Work cited:

Salgado, Sebastião. 1998. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. New York: Aperture, 2000. 27. Print.