Yesterday, during my volunteering in the elementary school science 2nd grade class, I enjoyed this interaction:
Science Teacher: Now, who can give me an example of something that sinks in water?
Girl: a rock!
Science Teacher: a rock! Do you mean Iraq the country or a rock on the ground?
*class giggles*
Girl: a rock on the ground!
Boy (talking aloud in the back): A rock...Rock....Barack....Barack Obama!!??
Science Teacher (ignoring this): Ok, who has another example of something that sinks in water? Think about it, and tell your neighbor.
Boy (to his neighbor): Barack Obama!! He can sink AND he can FLY!!!!!!!
Now, I am curious as to what sort of political education this boy is receiving either at home, or from the media. At some point we have hero-ized Obama to the point that he has superhuman powers (BEYOND bringing "hope" to the world and solving all the US's healthcare problems). That flying power will come in handy if the country suddenly turns on him I suppose. My only question is, if he can fly, why do we spend so much money on Air Force One?!?!?!
*Side note, I am not against Obama. I do find it inappropriate the way he has been idolized as a savior for our country. I'm also disappointed in his choices as far as stem-cell research goes. But, all in all, I am looking forward to seeing what changes he continues making for our country, and I hope they are positive ones.*
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Oh that Poly Sci Major...
For any of you left who don't know, I majored in Political Science and Philosophy in college. I got my Bachelor of Arts in 2007. For the 4 years I spent in college and the 3 years since, I have received nothing but criticism about my choice of majors. Now granted, some of it was merited, as it's true: those are majors that do not directly lead to a job opportunity after college. However, a lot of it has been negative simply because these are subjects that people do not understand or took one class and disliked. The typical response when I tell people what my B.A. is in is: yuck! or why?!?? or I hate philosophy, you're crazy! Now I have come to simply accept that these are token responses from a general percentage of the populous. The other response I seem to get from people who deem themselves incredibly worthy of high praise (like math majors, mechanical engineers, and computer science students) is: "oh that's like getting an English degree, what's the point?! It's so easy!" This is the most infuriating response. And yet, over the years, I have simply come to accept it, and even make a joke out of my response when asked. I now typically respond with a token "I studied Poly Sci and Philosophy, two of the most useless majors...ha...ha...ha" all the while, dying a little bit inside. Because truly, no matter what anyone else tells me, I really enjoyed my undergraduate studies. I still enjoy philosophy and especially philosophical debate and I do not feel that I wasted my time. Yes, I may be on a different path now, but I believe it's all part of God's plan and just figuring out what I truly wanted to do with my life!
All of this to say: Yesterday I had a conversation that wowed me. I as at the elementary school helping out in a second grade classroom when the principal came in. He knows me well enough to say hi usually when he sees me. This time he actually chatted with me for a minute, asked me a couple questions about my studies, etc. For some reason he asked me what I studied in my undergrad, and I gave my now typical sheepish response: "Poltical Science and Philosophy" (and waited anxiously for him to strike me down verbally). He didn't! Instead his response was "Wow, that must have been an incredible classload and how interesting!" (His exact words were more succint and well-crafted than that, but I was so stunned I cannot remember them). I sputtered and I searched for words, as this was an entirely new experience for me! I finally found my vocabulary enough to actually agree with him and say how much I loved the experience.
And that was it! It was a 10 second interaction, and yet it meant the world to me. It was a shock and surprise, and from someone I barely know. In fact, who even knows if the guy was genuine or he was just being polite, but I don't care! For the first time in 7 years someone (outside my normal circle, as there are supportive people who love and care for me, because of me, in spite of my "bad choice" of majors)...but I'm talking about a real-live-human-adult-being-important-person-type who appreciated my efforts. Wow!
All of this to say: Yesterday I had a conversation that wowed me. I as at the elementary school helping out in a second grade classroom when the principal came in. He knows me well enough to say hi usually when he sees me. This time he actually chatted with me for a minute, asked me a couple questions about my studies, etc. For some reason he asked me what I studied in my undergrad, and I gave my now typical sheepish response: "Poltical Science and Philosophy" (and waited anxiously for him to strike me down verbally). He didn't! Instead his response was "Wow, that must have been an incredible classload and how interesting!" (His exact words were more succint and well-crafted than that, but I was so stunned I cannot remember them). I sputtered and I searched for words, as this was an entirely new experience for me! I finally found my vocabulary enough to actually agree with him and say how much I loved the experience.
And that was it! It was a 10 second interaction, and yet it meant the world to me. It was a shock and surprise, and from someone I barely know. In fact, who even knows if the guy was genuine or he was just being polite, but I don't care! For the first time in 7 years someone (outside my normal circle, as there are supportive people who love and care for me, because of me, in spite of my "bad choice" of majors)...but I'm talking about a real-live-human-adult-being-important-person-type who appreciated my efforts. Wow!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Fancy Seeing You Here...
After so many months of silence I'm back. Unfortunately, this blog will be picture-less for now, as my pictures remain snugly safe in my other computer. However, I have been promising a life-update for a while, so it's time to write it!
First of all, what's new with you? I'd rather hear about your life than mine...seriously.
Second of all, what's new with me? Let me think....well, you already know that I'm in grad school, and LOVING IT. What else?
I just got a new job! No more AutoZone for me! Although a tiny part of me does miss my boys at the Zone, I'm absolutely thrilled with my new job. I am working as the Education Coordinator for Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim. Now, I know what you're thinking...I'm not a Methodist! I know, and so do they. However, I do have experience and passion in the arenas of both education and Christianity, so I'm in! I will be basically overseeing everything from Sunday school classrooms/curriculum, to the 3-church combined youth group, to the adult classes on every topic under the sun!! It's a big job, and I'm so thankful for a job that will actually challenge and grow me a bit. The only trouble I've had so far is that my predecessor left for vacation leaving me only a sticky note of names and words, that really don't mean too much to me! eek. I've mostly been reading curriculum, chatting with others about the youth group, and trying to get a handle on what I'm supposed to be working on for the past few days. Ummm, did I mention that I have my own office! Yay! It's definitely fun, and it fortunately has a sun-facing window.
What else? Still living with Grandma, and it's going as expected. We still startle each other from time to time, which is always entertaining.
Ohhhh yeah, here's an important one: boyfriend. Yes, you heard me correctly, there's a man in my life. I don't like the word boyfriend, as he is really not a boy (the word implies a child who has holes in his knees and eats a lot of pudding), but it sounds awkward to call him a "manfriend", so I've decided to stick to the Spanish word for boyfriend which is "novio". My novio's name is Rafael. This is the part of the story in which a picture would really be helpful, but alas, it is not to be. Rafael, Rafa for short, is a long-time friend. We met on my first project to Venezuela in 2006. Since then we've kept up a friendship which eventually led us to our current relationship (we have been together since September). One of my favorite things about him: he doesn't like Pho. Really people, what is the big deal about watery beef broth?! A point upon which he and I heartily agree...and I don't know anyone else who does!! Besides the Pho opinion, he makes me laugh. awwwww. Our senses of humor coincide well and that is a very good thing as a majority of our relationship exists on the phone. That's right, you gussed it, this is a LONG DISTANCE relationship. yuuuuuuuck! Yes, my dearest Rafa lives in Sacramento, CA. 14 long hours by car or 2 expensive hours by plane, away from me. :( Hence, a majority of our relationship has been built via talking on the phone and text message....the modern day form of a letter-writing romance perhaps? It's tough, but we have been able to visit each other...not nearly enough.
This brings me to another point. Rafa is trying to move to Washington! Yes, it's true. The poor guy has been unable to get a real job since he graduated from UC Davis. Now we've moved his job-hunting from Sacramento to Seattle/Washington...we'll see how it goes. He has already had 2 interviews here, both who would have loved to hire him, but they simply didn't have any work available. Oh, did I mention that his degree is in Civil Engineering?! I know!!!!! Smarty pants. And you would think that he has a useful degree...he does....just not in this economy. All of that to say, if any of you have any contacts for me/him or hear of anything at all that has to do with Civil Engineering in Washington...let me know! We'd like not only to get him a job for job purposes, but also to see what our relationship would be like if we lived in the same state....
Alright, I believe that's all for now. It should be enough to give you a quick update, explanation, and project for the future. Bubbles and Sparkles! :)
First of all, what's new with you? I'd rather hear about your life than mine...seriously.
Second of all, what's new with me? Let me think....well, you already know that I'm in grad school, and LOVING IT. What else?
I just got a new job! No more AutoZone for me! Although a tiny part of me does miss my boys at the Zone, I'm absolutely thrilled with my new job. I am working as the Education Coordinator for Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim. Now, I know what you're thinking...I'm not a Methodist! I know, and so do they. However, I do have experience and passion in the arenas of both education and Christianity, so I'm in! I will be basically overseeing everything from Sunday school classrooms/curriculum, to the 3-church combined youth group, to the adult classes on every topic under the sun!! It's a big job, and I'm so thankful for a job that will actually challenge and grow me a bit. The only trouble I've had so far is that my predecessor left for vacation leaving me only a sticky note of names and words, that really don't mean too much to me! eek. I've mostly been reading curriculum, chatting with others about the youth group, and trying to get a handle on what I'm supposed to be working on for the past few days. Ummm, did I mention that I have my own office! Yay! It's definitely fun, and it fortunately has a sun-facing window.
What else? Still living with Grandma, and it's going as expected. We still startle each other from time to time, which is always entertaining.
Ohhhh yeah, here's an important one: boyfriend. Yes, you heard me correctly, there's a man in my life. I don't like the word boyfriend, as he is really not a boy (the word implies a child who has holes in his knees and eats a lot of pudding), but it sounds awkward to call him a "manfriend", so I've decided to stick to the Spanish word for boyfriend which is "novio". My novio's name is Rafael. This is the part of the story in which a picture would really be helpful, but alas, it is not to be. Rafael, Rafa for short, is a long-time friend. We met on my first project to Venezuela in 2006. Since then we've kept up a friendship which eventually led us to our current relationship (we have been together since September). One of my favorite things about him: he doesn't like Pho. Really people, what is the big deal about watery beef broth?! A point upon which he and I heartily agree...and I don't know anyone else who does!! Besides the Pho opinion, he makes me laugh. awwwww. Our senses of humor coincide well and that is a very good thing as a majority of our relationship exists on the phone. That's right, you gussed it, this is a LONG DISTANCE relationship. yuuuuuuuck! Yes, my dearest Rafa lives in Sacramento, CA. 14 long hours by car or 2 expensive hours by plane, away from me. :( Hence, a majority of our relationship has been built via talking on the phone and text message....the modern day form of a letter-writing romance perhaps? It's tough, but we have been able to visit each other...not nearly enough.
This brings me to another point. Rafa is trying to move to Washington! Yes, it's true. The poor guy has been unable to get a real job since he graduated from UC Davis. Now we've moved his job-hunting from Sacramento to Seattle/Washington...we'll see how it goes. He has already had 2 interviews here, both who would have loved to hire him, but they simply didn't have any work available. Oh, did I mention that his degree is in Civil Engineering?! I know!!!!! Smarty pants. And you would think that he has a useful degree...he does....just not in this economy. All of that to say, if any of you have any contacts for me/him or hear of anything at all that has to do with Civil Engineering in Washington...let me know! We'd like not only to get him a job for job purposes, but also to see what our relationship would be like if we lived in the same state....
Alright, I believe that's all for now. It should be enough to give you a quick update, explanation, and project for the future. Bubbles and Sparkles! :)
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