overwhelmed, to say the least.

Truthfully, I should not be posting anything right now - I should be studying for my Ukrainian test tomorrow morning. But since I'm being truthful and all, I'll admit that I am having an incredibly difficult time focusing on vocabulary and verb conjugation. My head is still spinning, in a variety of ways, from our first Internat experience.

Jessica and I boarded the bus to a small village just outside of Ternopil. Our tutor Oksana (an amazing help!) accompanied us, acting as a translator/mediator between the two of us, Irina (the fourth or fifth Irina that I have met in my two weeks in Ukraine!), and the girls who swarmed around us constantly.

Several girls immediately latched onto the two of us, before we even walked into the courtyard. As we were given an introductory tour, both Jess and I had at least one girl holding our hand or clinging onto one of our arms the entire time. We will be returning tomorrow morning (after we write our tests) for a 'concertka' that they are hosting. We have one final week left of classes at THNPU and will be working at the Internat daily beginning in June.

'your mountain is waiting.'

In a few hours, I'll FINALLY be en route to Ternopil, Ukraine.

Rather than try and sort out all of my mixed up feelings and overwhelming sense of excitement right at this very moment (which would be nearly impossible), I'm sharing the wise words of a wise man... Dr. Seuss. Fitting, no?

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
Dr. Seuss

Congratulations! Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes,
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets, Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
You’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do
to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.


Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t... Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true and hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.


You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.


You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters?
Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind?



Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.


The Waiting Place…… for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to goor a bus to come, or a plane to goor the mail to come,
or the rain to goor the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.


Everyone is just waiting.
NO! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.


You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!



Oh, the places you’ll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.

Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t.
Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win 'cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!


Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance
you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.


But on you will go, though the weather be foul
On you will go, though your enemies prowl
On you will go, though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems, whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.


So be sure when you step.
with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)


KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby
or Brayor Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!


Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

quote of the day, v. IV

'Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,

humility, gentleness and patience.'

- Colossians 3:12

[Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and especially patience are characteristics that will benefit all of us as we depart for our placements in the next few days... All the best!]

Photo Credit: Adbusters

we've been head faked by Joanne.

In Randy Pausch's memoir, The Last Lecture, he asks his audience to pay close enough attention to figure out the 'head fake.' Now, I don't exactly read Sports Illustrated every week, or even visit tsn.com regularly (with the exception of the recent World Figure Skating Championships held in Los Angelos!). But from what I understand, a 'head fake' is a term associated with basketball, something about tricking your opponent - acting as if you are going to throw or pass the ball one way, but in the end, choosing a different direction than expected.

To the class of 08/09 - Joanne has used this trickery and deceit on us as a class. She has 'head-faked' us. She had sent us all the RS 383 syllabus back in December, before the winter semester had even started... sending us into little bouts of worry, as we only had about four or five actual classes - and she expected us to complete a minimum of 18 hours of volounteering!? Didn't she realize that we were busy students with heavy workloads?! AND what on earth was this 'blogging' she spoke of!? All of it was utterly bizarre; it was a course outline that was unheard of as it did not have a required textbook, regularly scheduled classes, or even any scheduled midterms or exams. No final? No structure? What was she thinking!?

Despite the fears of disorganization and pure chaos, and only attending five classes, RS 383 has been something else. Having been forced to read Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Scott Kline last fall, it is ridiculous that noone saw through Joanne's slick scheme earlier. After reading Marissa's latest epiphany, it all made sense! Each of the required RS courses of the Beyond Borders program applied Freire's theories of authentic education. Rather than simply 'depositing' information into their students (the general 'banking' method seen in the educational institutions of today), both Scott and Joanne made use of the interactional teaching/pedagogical learning approach that Freire writes of.

Some key concepts that are found within Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed include:

1. "Authentic education will involve dialogue between the student and teacher." This broadens our world context and prospective, and is more than just a deposit of new information.


2. "The importance of mutual respect and cooperation." Joanne allowed us to take ownership of this class, as we explored the Working Centre and the various volounteer opportunities found there, as well as through the presentations and discussions regaring our placement organizations and host countries. As a class, we took accountability for sharing our experiences (thanks to our handy blogs) and throughout fundraising ventures together.


3. "Radical interaction." This actually took place, on different occasions (ask Ruby for footage of Joanne letting loose WITH... yes, with... her students - the SJU Formal was a night to remember).


4. "Liberation from an objective relationship to a subjective relationship." In an objective relationship, there is no dialogue or engagement, things are defined for you, whereas in a subjective relationship, there is conversation, mutual dialogue, and actions that take place in a beneficial process.

As for the 'head fake,' we were all expecting a typical class with regular readings, assignments, and lectures. Scott and Joanne would tell us what we needed to know, and we would memorize the theories we were taught. Yet the unstructured format of both the fall and winter RS classes taught me more than I've learned in past lectures and average classes. I value the lessons learned regarding respect, cooperation, interaction, dialogue, and engagement. I can see the benefits of authentic education, and the powerful impact that relationships can have on our communities.

through our ordinary actions...

Somehow, I managed to finish reading Jean Vanier's Encountering 'the Other' over the past weekend (mind you, it is a mere 62 pages long). Various chapters focus on concepts of trust, forfeiting power, disabilities and inequalities, fear, listening and communication, peace, celebrating differences, as well as reconciliation and change.


Reflecting on these concepts could turn into a series of blog entries, as I've made more notes on this book than I have taken in certain classes this term. In short, I encourage anyone involved with Beyond Borders and anyone with an interest in social justice to read Encountering 'the 'Other.' (And hey, it's only 62 pages!) Vanier stresses the importance of relationships, of community, of encountering what we do not know. He beautifully writes that 'to live is to risk,' that overcoming fear can change our lives in unimaginable ways. As I prepare for my time in Ukraine, this is encouraging - I hope to embrace the bumps and pitfalls of this journey just as much as the excitement and the highlights. I fear that the truth is, no matter what I do, I will not be prepared for what I will encounter. This is just a plain and simple reality. All the awareness and research I could ever do between now and my departure will still leave me at a loss in Ternopil. I don't think that I can fully comprehend or realize how I will be changed by the time I return home mid-August.

“If people have a toothache, you don’t just pray for him or her; you take them to a good dentist. And Jesus says to us: ‘It’s up to you to do something about it,

but I will give you my spirit.

I’ll give you a new force, a new strength, and a new wisdom

so that you can break down the dividing walls of hostility.’

It’s up to you and me, but God will give us strength if we open our hearts to Him and ask for that strength. We hear about the presence of God in the stories that are told of people struggling to bring peace. God trusts us so much and loves us so much; He wants us to become men and women who can receive forgiveness and give forgiveness, who can receive wisdom and give wisdom. Jesus kneeling before his disciples is a revelation of Jesus kneeling at our feet saying,

‘I trust you, I believe in you, I love you’ and

calling us to stand up and to work for love.”

- Encountering 'the Other,' page 61.

Most of us have been drawn to Beyond Borders because, in some way, we hope to break out of the ordinary, out of of the comfortable lives that we have here in Waterloo. We hope to be able to make a positive difference in a completely different culture, as crazy and/or naive that sounds. Over the past semester, I have read about the works of Jean Vanier, of Mother Teresa, of Marc and Craig Kielberger, and of Shane Claiborne (founder of the Simple Way, author of The Irresistable Revolution). These individuals have also lived as 'ordinary radicals,' each having a profound impact on the lives of others.



As a class, we have been told (warned?) that we are not going to single handedly change the communities that we will enter into this summer. That our various experiences will more than likely have a larger influence on our own lives than the lives of those we will encounter in Ukraine, in Ghana, in Ecuador, or in Honduras. But part of me is (naively) hoping for something bigger, hoping that through our ordinary actions we will have opportunities to empower those around us to make greater changes.


Mother Teresa did 'small things with great love,' Jean Vanier humbly lived among the disabled and the broken, the Kielberger brothers continue to promote children's rights, and Shane Claiborne has spent time in Iraq, India, and Philadelphia passionately pursuing social justice and ideals of the early church. I think that we have more power than we realize, that small changes really do add up and eventually have a greater impact than we are initially aware of.

“Have we forgotten that Jesus is kneeling at our feet asking us to serve each other just where we are?”

- Jean Vanier.

quote of the day, v. III

"I know that God will not give me anything

that I cannot handle.

I only wish that He didn't trust me so much."

- Mother Teresa

quote of the day, v. II

"...When we encounter, we come to know.
When we come to know, we are able to understand.
When we understand, healing and peace can really grow.
Peace cannot be imposed by politicians or churches.
Peace has to grow within each person if it is to endure.
Our society can only be healed when each person in it is healed.
That healing comes not from avoidance or seperation, but from encountering."

Jean Vanier, Encountering 'the Other'

This concept of encountering the unfamiliar ties in especially well with the basic themes of Beyond Borders, as several of us will be attending a lecture on the life and service of Jean Vanier on March 6th at St. Jerome's. A number of the placements offered through Intercordia Canada are within the various L'Arche communities established by Jean Vanier. L'Arche aims to build solidarity, providing a voice and opportunities to those living with various disabilities.

quote of the day.

"some stories don't have a
clear beginning, middle, and end.
life is about not knowing, having to change,
taking the moment and making the best of it,
without knowing what's going to happen next.
delicious ambiguity... "

- gilda radner.

exploration&inspiration!

Yesterday, I recieved a gorgeous, handmade travel journal from one of my closest friends. I thought that the inscription inside (from Keri Smith's book, 'How to Be an Explorer...') was absolutely perfect. Definitely visit the link above to be inspired.

source: http://kerismith.com

word of the day.

I have a pen pal currently teaching in Korea - some of you may know her as Emily Darling.
I was delighted to find a letter from her in my mailbox this morning, and this post is a result.

She's warned me of the 'Wanderlust disease,' which leads to a dramatically increased desire to travel.

Emily wisely pointed out that through travelling, experiencing new cultures, and meeting people from around the world, your eyes are opened to how creative God is.

wan.der.lust [ won der luhst]
- noun
- a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.

source: http://dictionary.com

being fully present.

The other day I came across some quotes that I had copied from Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. I'm posting them here because the ideals of these quotes fit amazingly well with the concepts that shape the Beyond Borders program.

"...the way you get meaning into your life is to
devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to the community around you,
and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."


"The truth is, you don't get satisfaction from
those things. You know what really gives you satisfaction? ...Offering others
what you have to give."


"Once you start running, it's hard to slow
yourself down. Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little
community of those you love and who love you."

"I believe in being fully present."

Being fully present is advice that has been repeated to us in the Beyond Borders program again, and again, and again. We have centred class discussions around this ideal as we worked through Albert Camus' The Plague, have gained advice from past participants as they shared their experiences with us, and have heard this at the seminars we attended last fall. It embraces the entire experience we will be embarking on as a whole: the good, the bad, and the ugly too.

As we settle into our placements, we are going to enter entirely new communities and will have to find a way to become integrated into them. We'll have to leave the communities and support networks that we have built over the years here at home, and attempt to forge new connections with our host families and the people we will be working with daily. The quotes from Tuesdays With Morrie highlight relationships, communities, connections. These things will be oh so valuable this summer as we head overseas!

Our placements are not necessarily going to be perfect experiences. We will be out of our natural 'element,' that is the point of the program. We will be stretched beyond our limits, and likely grow in ways that we never expected. We are diving into unfamiliar countries, cultures, and atmospheres - I'm not going to lie, I'm overwhelmed by all of these things. I've wondered about the host family that I will be living with, the language that I am struggling to learn, and what food I will be eating. I've wondered about the children that I will probably become very attached to, and how will I find my way around Ternopil (especially if I am unable to clearly communicate)? ...These are only a few examples of the 'what ifs?' floating around my head, and I'm scared. However, I'm also incredibly excited (and thankful) to have this opportunity, and I really do hope to make the most of the whole experience... through the ups and downs of it all.

In our first class this term, Joanne (our professor) reassured us. Frustration is a great thing, because through frustration, you really learn. If you are not frustrated, you are not learning - you already know what you are doing. You are comfortable. When frustrated, you are growing, stretching, learning. And that is kind of exciting...