Hi Everyone!  I know I haven't posted, in, like, forever (since I got my job actually) and I've been mearning to, it's just that every time I want to post something I feel like I have to post everything that happened since last October and that makes me not want to write anything.  So of course the longer I waited the less I wanted to post, so here we are....  but I WILL start posting soon, and putting up pictures, and all of that good stuff.  Please be patient with me; there's been a lot going on in my life recently (Can we say Oklahoma?)

Anyways, the reason I'm posting now is becuase the position I was in was a temporary 10 month position, and now it's over, and I'm helping my supervisor Crystal look for someone to work here the next 10 months.  I really liked my job while I was here; you get to do so much stuff.  I got to travel alot (disaster relief in oklahoma, youth conference in oregon, AmeriCorps retreat on Catalina Island).  I got to work with people of all age groups, from kindtergartners to adults, teach them about disaster preparedness.  I got to plan events, fundraise, volunteer for different organization, set up programs, and supervise volunteers.  There's a lot of freedom and autonomy in this position; you can plan almost any program or event you want, as long as it's related to Red Cross goals.  It's actually located at the Red Cross chapter in Santa Clara, so you get to see all the stuff that the Red Cross does an be a part of it.  I got to respond to a fire call, get free CPR and First Aid training, and learn how to set up a shelter during a disaster!  If you like working with youth of all ages and really want to help out in the community or make a difference, this job is great!  The staff here are really nice, and it's pretty casual here.  I wear t-shirts and flip flops to work, and we play music in our room all the time.  =)  And we eat all the time in here too!  Please apply ASAP if you are at all interested.  Just email your resume to: paulcry@usa.redcross.org.   Or call her at (408) 577-2014.  Please someone who'e responsible, energetic, and fun apply!  I don't want all the work I've done here to go to waste.  Here's the formal job description:

The California Safe CoRPS (CSC), an AmeriCorps program sponsored by the American Red Cross, provides vital emergency assistance to communities affected by disasters, and increases preparedness in the areas of greatest need before disasters strike. This program is offered in Silicon Valley in partnership with the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, and is funded by an AmeriCorps grant from the California Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism (GO SERV). CSC is the foremost young adult disaster service corps in the state.

Youth Preparedness Specialist
•Receive training as a disaster responder and support disaster response activities
•Support the Youth Services Vision to empower youth to respond to the community’s needs locally, nationally, and internationally through education, leadership, and community service.
••Reach out to community organizations to offer, set up, and deliver preparedness classes and workshops for youth and the underserved population
•Support youth activities, service projects, and training, including school Red Cross Clubs and Safe Kids activities
•Reach out to community organizations to engage individuals as Red Cross volunteers
•Respond to at least one three-week disaster assignment outside of Santa Clara County
•Supervisor: Youth Services Coordinator

Criteria for position:
•Be available full-time (40 hours per week); weekend/evening hours are sometimes required
•Have excellent written/verbal communication and people skills
•Demonstrate flexibility, professionalism, initiative, and willingness to work in teams
•Have an interest in teaching and training others
•Be proficient in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
•Have a commitment to service and community involvement as demonstrated by previous volunteer experience
•Be a US citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident
•Possess a current and valid driver’s license
•be available to start August 13, 2007 and work full time (40 hours per week) through June 20, 2008.
•High school diploma or equivalent required, College degree preferred.

• Compensation: All members receive a living allowance of $1,140 average gross monthly living allowance, extensive training, health/dental insurance, and childcare (if eligible). Full-time members receive an education award of $4,725 upon completion of all national service requirements.

• teach disaster preparedness and health and safety classes to youth, organize preparedness trainings for low-income children and youth
• organize special events, including presentations and special projects
• receive training as a disaster responder and support disaster response activities, including responding to at least one three-week disaster assignment outside of Santa Clara County
  
• reach out to commnity organizations to offer,set up, and deliver disaster preparednessandhealth and safety  classes and workshops, and engage individuals as Red Cross volunteers
  
• recruit and manage incoming youth volunteers, support youth activities and training, including high school Red Cross clubs and Safe Kids activities

Sounds fun, huh?  I'm super excited!  I'll be able to plan programs, coordinate volunteers, set up events, teach kids, and reach out to the community. =)  Even though it might be a bit stressful at times, it'll be a good stress. God has been so good to me.  Hopefully I'll be able to get a lot of experience here, and make lots of useful contacts.  And so begins my journey (well,2nd journey...but the first one was really short) into the working world.

On a very different note, I hung out with Tiffany Keng this weekend and we had such a great time!  Here are some pictures to document my trip. First there are some pictures of our Capitol building in Sacramento.  Even though I've lived here my whole life, I've never been here before. It was a lot prettier than I thought! Hm....so this is where Arnold works. Nice office. =)  I know most of you never get to visit this place (or have no wish to), so let me give you a little tour of the capitol:

This is the front and side view of the Capitol building, which kind of looks like the one in Washington DC.  A lot of state capitols look like this, actually.  The dome itself is 120 feet!

Apparently each governor gets an oil portrait of himself to hang in the capitol after he's served his term of office, so you get to see a lot of portraits all around the building. Here we see Ronald Reagen (67-75), Jerry Brown (75-83) , and George Dukmejian (83-91).  Every governor's portrait was really formal, except for Jerry Brown's. His looked like Picasso painted it. I think he had a great sense of humor =)

Now for a little government lesson.  The picture on the right is the Assembly Chamber, where the State Assembly meets to discuss oh so important changes to our state. There are 80 members, each running for two year termsand representing over423,000 citizens in their district. It was a beautiful room, all white and green. It's green to represent the "commoners", or the fields in which they used to meet. It's supposedly borrowed from the British Parliment, modeling the two-house system, with the "house of commons" and "house of lords".    The desks they used were the originals ones built in 1869!  The panel behind the desk acts like a big chalkboard, so members know which issue is"on the floor".  Members vote by pressing the red and green buttons on the desks. The painting is of Abraham Lincoln, chosen because everyone knows Lincoln's face (it used to be a painting of John Sutter, the gold rush guy, but apparently no one knew who he was and they got tired of explaining) 

These two pictures are of the Senate Chamber.  I was shocked by how pink and red it was, but apparently back then red was the color of royalty because red dye was hard to come by.  Anyways, the Senate has 40 elected members that run for 4 yearterms, each representing over 800,000 citizens in their district (does anyone know who represents san jose, by the way?)Members vote by role call, with names called in alphabetical order and each member saying "aye" or "no"  (shouldn't it be "nay"?)  Instead of raising their hands, they raise their microphones to be called on.  People speak very concisely here because if they exceed 5 minutes, someone in the back automatically cuts them off! =)  The day we went to visit they were on a break, so no one was there.  Too bad, I wouldn've liked to see them in action! The painting of George Washington is the oldest thing in the room, given to the Senate in 1854.  It was painted by the daughter of the painter who painted the the face of Washington that we see on the $1bill!  Below the painting the words in gold says "It is the duty of the Senators to protect the liberty of the People".

The picture on the left is a stained glass window representing the california seal. I've always wondered who that woman was.  It's actually the goddess Artemis, who was the Roman goddess of wisdom. In the myths, she born full grown from Zeus' head (I would like to see a picture of that). She represent california because the state was also born fully grown, meaning we were never a "territory" of the US, we went directly to statehood.  Only the original13 colonies, Texas, and California did that.  The picture on the left is what the governor's office looked like in 1906.  He only had three rooms back then.

The next two pictures are of the main lobby, with a statue of christopher columbus in the middle (representing the california spirit of adventure), and the rotunda.  It looked like the inside of an easter egg.  the golden garlands are cornucopias that represent the many crops that are grown in the state, and california gorws more crops than every other state!

Ok, sorry for the boring history lesson (i thought it was pretty interesting.  maybe i should've been a history teacher.) The next few pictures are from the Filoli Autumn Festival.  Filoli is the name of this great house and garden in Woodside.  It was so beautiful!  There was hayride, square dancing, fruit tasting, and pumpkin carving.

 There were long table laden with different varieties of apples, grapes, and pears.  I didn't even know there was this many kind of apples.  I only know of 5: red delicious, granny smith, fuji, and gala.  To make things fun,Tiffand I  tried a piece of each and then rated it on a scale of 1-5. Did you know there's a variety of pear that tastes like roses? We tried so many fruit samples that I felt sick at the end. I couldnt look at fruit for the next three days.

This is the ballroom and library of Filoli Manor. It was a gorgeous house! It totally reminded me of scenes from Pride and Prejudice.  Can't you just imagine rich people doing reels in the ballroom, or retiring in the library with brandy and cigars after supper?

 My dad and mum =)

  A beautiful hydrangea in front a garden door, me and Tiff in front of the rose garden

  All I can say is....I wish I lived here.....sigh......can you imagine this being your house?

 

Currently Listening In Between Dreams By Jack Johnson see related

4 MORE DAYS!!!!  I'll be home in 4 more days!!!  How did three months pass by so quickly?  I seriously feel like I can hear the death march song "dum dum dum da dadaum dadam dadum", marching me back home to the real world, to responsibilities, and stress, and being an adult, and.... Ok, it's really not that bad.  But I will really miss Taiwan and all the shopping, the food, and especially the wonderful people I met here.  I'll miss my funny and entertaining classmates, my warm and welcoming family, and the kind and loving brothers and sisters I met at my new favorite church, EBCT (East Bay Baptist Church of Taiwan).  They are soooo cool!!!

Ok, now for those of you who dislike reading, here are some more pictures.  As the old adage goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words..."

This is a picture of my classmates, minus one japanese guy named Ryu who grew up in Taiwan but went to American school and now goes to a university in Boston.  He's fluent in both japanese, english, and chinese - how cool is that?  I would love to be fluent in three languages, but I don't think taking three years of spanish in high school really counts because all i remember of spanish is "hola" "adios" and "muy bien, gracias"

Anyways, I'll briefly introduce my classmate starting from the top row (this is for my benefit as much as yours; this way when I read my xanga 30 years from now I'll still remember their names).  The girl at the top left is Yumi Sato, she's really sweet and mature and she's been living in Taiwan for two years already b/c she has a taiwanese bf.  She was an electrial engineer in japan!  The next girl is Fumiko, she's studying abroad in Taiwan for a year and has the most comical facial expressions.  The girl next to her is the token Korean girl of the class, her name is Tae-yi and she's spunky, sassy, and really direct.  she'll say things like "you think you look good in that shirt?" but she doesn't do it to hurt people; she's just really truthful.  Next to her is Evelyn, she grew up in Palos Verdes and will be a freshman at Berkeley next year.  The last girl on the right is Michiko.  She's actually chinese but has lived in japan her whole life...so she's basically japanese.  Right below her is Tom Allen, and guess what ethnicity he is... no, not Filipino, or Vietnamese, or pacific islander, or Mexican...he's half!  Half white, half chinese, but what's really weird is that his brothers and sister have blond hair and bluish eyes!  I didn't believe him until I saw pictures for myself....they're nothing alike.  He's also from california....actually worked in a computer company in palo alto i think.  Next to him is my.....teacher.  Yup, she's in her early thirties, though you totally can't tell, she looks so young.  She loves to talk, and most of our class constituted of her talking to us about her views on the world and every interesting fact she's ever heard.  But that made learning pretty fun.  Next to her is the other japanese guy in our class, Takuro.  Although you can't really tell in this picture, he's actually a great hip-hop dancer.  He been learning dance since he was really small in Japan, and now he teaches classes, AND HE'S A BACKSTAGE DANCER FOR WONG LEE-HONG!  He dances for all these taiwanese pop stars, like Jolin, jerry from F4, etc.   It's so crazy.  He's in all their music videos too.  Anyway, this is my crazy and eclectic class - it's so cool how we all come from different places and are doing different things, yet we all become friends when we learn chinese. 

So they had this thing called a "human foosball tournament" at my school where teams would link arms like little foosball people and kick a plastic soccer ball around.  You couldn't let go and you had to stay within the taped lines.  I persuaded some classmates to form a team, and we actually won 5th place!  (Ok, 5th place out of 10 teams isn't that great, but taking in the fact that I hate soccer, that my team was mostly made up of small short girls, and that we played against other teams with huge guys, you gotta give us some credit.)

Go sassy korean girl go!

My classmates and I at lunch at this yummy taiwanese place...we had xiao long bao's to our heart's content.

Next stop: shaved ice!

We decided to go ice skating cause it was so hot.  They made us rent helmets and buy gloves!  And half the rink was blocked off for classes.  It was kind of a rip off.  But it was still fun, until a weird old guy started following Yumi around, "pretending" to bump into her.  Then we thought it was time to go. 

The crowded rink

Look at us go!

I couldn't resist. I just HAD to put in another picture of mango shaved ice.  I've had a lot of mango shaved ice in taiwan, but this was THE BEST i've ever had b/c the ice is made out of condensed milk, so it was light and fluffy and sweet!  On top of that was more condensed milk, mango syrup, fresh mangos, and mango ice cream.  I hope there's mango shaved ice in heaven. =)

Ok, that's it for classmates.  Next posting:  EBCT!

Hi everyone!   Sorry for taking so long to update.  I've been so busy here in Taiwan, and didn't really have access to the internet, and the more I kept putting off updating, the more I didn't want to do it....you know how it goes. =)  But now I'm here at my friend's apartment, with a laptop computer handy, and plenty of time, so...here i go!

The mission trip was an eye-opening experience (as most mission trips are).  Our itinerary was to visit prisons the first week and help out at a christian boys' rehabilitation center the second week.  At the prisons our main goal was to help out Beland's dad, who was in charge of the prison fellowship in Taiwan, called Christian Born Anew Fellowship.  Apparently they have started fellowships at most of the prisons in Taiwan where christian workers share the gospel with them and lead Bible studies.  At these prisons Beland's dad introduced the fellowship to them and then we shared our testimonies and sang praise songs.  

The first prison we went to was a christian/buddhist drug rehabilitation center, where half the prisoners used christianity and half used buddhism to cure them of their dependence on drugs.  Right before I went in I remember being so scared that my feet started wobbling.   They all had their heads shaved, and were wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and slippers.  some of them had lots of tattoos on their arms, and some of them had dark marks on their skin from drugs.  Some looked at us with amusement, some with indifference, and some with skepticism.  Even though I was really scared, I forced myself to smile and look at them.  After awhile my fear subsided and all I felt was compassion for these people and the situation they were in.  After the meeting we went to eat the dinner they prepared for us - it was a gourmet feast!  The dishes were the kind you would find in first-class restaurants, and the prisoners made it themselves!

after dinner we got to split into groups and talk to the prisoners more deeply.  I was in a group with Jonathan and 10 prisoners.  We asked  them about their testimonies, and most of them said that they were saved at the prison.  In fact, the "prison" was more like a christian seminary - they had devotions in the morining, in the evening, and  3 hours of bible classes each day.  When I asked them what their greatest struggle was, they said that they didn't really have any struggles in the prison because everything was laid out for them, but they were afraid that when they are released and go into the "real world" that they will forget Christ and all that they learned.   They're also afraid of how society will see them; they're afraid they will be shunned because they were in prison.  I encouraged them to find good churches and a body of believers to keep them strong; I hope that the churches they end up at will welcome them with open arms and show Christ's love to them. 

By the way, the first "prison" we were at didn't seem like a prison at all - it was more like a scenic retreat!  the prisoners (or "classmates" as they called them) took such good care of the gardens and the grounds.  There was even a goldfish pond and fountain!  This is a picture of me and priscilla with an authentic chinese scarecrow

The second prison we went to was in Taidong, and this seemed more like a prison.  there were actually high walls with barbed wire, and security gates.  We were only at this prison for an hour, and we didn't get to talk to the prisoners.  We did meet the prison warden, who's actually good friends with Beland's dad.  He seemed like such a nice and gentle man; I have no idea how he became the prison warden.  We also met some of the prison workers, and sang "amazing grace" acapella to them. =)  This is a picture of the 2nd prison we were at, with the prison warden. 

The next prison we went to was on Lu Dao, green island, which took 40 minutes by boat.  It was kind of like alcatraz, becuase all the most troublesome prisoners were sent there, except that there were also a lot of taiwanese people who lived on the island and it was a prime tourist spot.  the Lu Dao prison is actually one of the tourist spots!  Lu Dao was a beautiful island - full of green trees and mountains, clear blue waters, and hot springs.   Once we got to the island, a car was sent from the prison to pick us up.  The car had "Lu Dao prison" written on it, and once we got in people started staring at us, wondering if we were prisoners - one tourist even took a picture of us!  This prison was the formidable one yet, with maximum security and prison guards everywhere.  But the prisoners didn't look as scary as I thought; they were just like the prisoners at the other prisons - some grumpy, others smiling.  I wish I had some pictures to show you but unfortunately we didn't get to ake any pictures with the prisoners.  However, here are some pictures of the team as we were waiting to board the boat to go home.

After Lu Dao, we drove all the way back up to taipei (7 hours across winding roads!).  The van we were in did not have a sound system, so it was up to us to entertain ourselves by singing every song known to man.  Needless to say, my voice was pretty hoarse by the time we reached taipei. 

After church on sunday, we drove back down to Hua Lien (another 6 hours! more songs!)  to the boys' seminary/rehabilitation camp.  Our purpose there was to get to know the boys and encourage them to follow Christ by showing them the love of Christ.  The older boys there had commited minor crimes like theft, skipping schools, running around with gangs, etc. and the younger ones were there because of family violence.  A lot of them came from broken families or families in which they were abused and neglected.  We had prepared lessons for them on faith, hope, and love (that was the name of their academy), as well as crafts, games, and songs.  The first day was pretty chaotic and it was hard at first (at least for me) to get to know them, because I didn't know how to relate to them or what to say.  As the days went by, though, we started to feel more comfortable around them and started joking with them, playing with them, and sharing with them. 

We made lanyard crosses with them, and at first we were worried that they would think the craft was "girly" and not want to make them.  Surprisingly, they loved the lanyards and once they learned how to make them, they wouldn't stop.  They kept asking us for more string and became really creative with them, tying them into necklaces and keychains.  One guy even made ten tiny crosses.  We also taught them one english song - "Amazing Love".  We had to teach it to them line by line, word by word, with translations.  After a lot of repetitions, most of them learned the song - well, some of it anyway.  This is a picture of them singing the song with us on the last day.

There was something special about the boys in this camp:  almost all of them know how to ride the unicycle!  Apparently a unicycle teacher came by and taught them all how to ride, and also donated bikes for all the kids.  Beland's dad said that riding the unicycle was good for the boys because it taught them perseverance, self-confidence, and determination.  These boys were pretty famous for their unicycle riding - news stations all across taiwan would come and interview them, recording their daily lives. 

The day we parted, they were actually setting of on a 1000km unicycle ride around all of taiwan!  For this event, all these companies sponsored them by providing them with gloves, helmets, bike shorts, new shoes, sunglasses, etc.  After they were outfitted they looked so professional and smart - not like a group of delinquent boys. =)

they look pretty spiffy, huh?  after we sent them off our mission trip was pretty much done.  On Sunday Beland actually preached at a chinese church!  In chinese!  I also went up in front of the whole congregation and talked for ten minutes, giving my testimony and sharing the things I learned from the trip.  I also spoke in chinese, and I think I got my main idea through, even though the whole time I was speaking my voice was quivering because I was so nervous. 

When people ask me how the trip went and whether there was any fruit I honestly have to say "I don't know" because we were only with the boys for 6 days, and with the prisoners for an hour.  We tried our best to share God's love with them and tell them how God has changed our lives, but whether this made any difference in the lives only time will tell.  I know that sometimes the seeds we plant don't show fruit immediately; it takes time to grow and develop.  Even if we don't see any fruit, we know that our trip was not in vain because we were obeying God's command to go and preach the gospel in all the earth, and that no matter how much we try or how much we prepare, the results are in God's hands; He is the One who causes the growth; He is the One who changes hearts.  Praise God who is always sovereign over all things, in this life and in the next. 

I think that seeing the prisoners and the boys made me realize that I am no better than them and I am no different than them.  Maybe they stole, or killed, or did drugs.  I have also coveted other people's things, hated others in my heart, and set my heart on things of the world.  In the world's eyes that is ok, but in God's eyes those are all sin, and for any one of those things I could be condemned to hell.  Thanks be to God who has saved me and died for me, for His mercy in reaching out to me and changing my heart, for I know I could not have done that on my own. 

Well, that pretty much sums up my missions experience.  If you want to know the details, or want to see some more pictures, let me know!  Also, please be in prayer for Beland's dad as he continues to minister to the prisoners and the boys, for the christian workers who devote their time freely to reaching out to the prisoners and teaching them the bible, for the prisoners in taiwan that their hearts would be softened and that they would be convicted of their sin, and for the boys and the camp, that their conversion would be geniune and that they would really give their lives to the Lord.  Thank you, all who prayed for me on this trip; I know that your prayers were not in vain. 

And now..... switching topics...some more pictures of me and taiwan.  I know I posted some studio pics earliers but these are the "professional" ones..  Here are a few of them.

This is me, my mom, Joyce, and her mom. 

This is the only picture of me that I really liked. 

me again...not much to say here except that I like my flowing dress...

me and joyce again...this is the last one, i promise =)

Here are some pictures of a place we went to called "Taiwan Storyland"  It's a reenactment of Taiwan around the 1900's.  There's all these cute old buildings, and stores, and restaurants, and a mini-museum of how Taiwan was in the olden days.  Joyce and I went there with Annie and Sally, two girls we met at church who are from East Bay Baptist Church of Berkeley.  This is a picture of us in front of Taiwan Storyland.  Why there are fruits on the front I have no idea.

Joyce and Sally pretending to sell a cartful of snacks along an old taiwan road

Ok, this was the Nastiest and most expensive shaved ice i've ever had.  It was supposed to be chocolate with bananas, but the bananas were old and I don't even know where they got that "chocolate" syrup.  It seriously tasted like it was fermented and it smelled like nail polish.  The smell was so strong that even after we put it on the table next to us we could still smell it.  The table next to us also ordered the same thing but the amazing thing was they they actually swallowed it down.  They looked at it kind of funny and made some bad faces, but they still ate it.  I personally think that it was because this shaved ice place was so expensive that if they didn't eat it they would feel like they wasted a lot of money.

Us in front of a fake old taiwan tree

Me and Joyce with bread my aunt bought for us that were just too cute to eat!

This is me and my classmates....and joyce.  they are korean and japanese.  try to guess which one's which.   answers in the next post.

me and my classmates again, chilling in fron of a store with our drinks.  We sat there until the store people in back of us started glaring at us.  I think we were scaring away customers.

This is one of the university's buildings, right across from classroom.  It's decorated like a present in honor of the school's 60th anniversary.  so fobby but kind of cute

That's all for now.  I only have two weeks left in Taiwan, so the next time I post I'll probably be back home!  My time here has seriously flown by soooo fast, but it's been one of the best summers of my life. When I get home, it will be back to the real world..... sigh