The Beginning of an Adventure in Bangladesh

For those of you who don't know, my most recent adventure is student teaching in Chittagong, Bangladesh! I am just a few days into my 9 week adventure, and what a ride it has been so far. Here are a few of the interesting "adventures" I've had so far.


As teachers at WCA, we are required to wear the traditional Bangladeshi clothing. Typically, we wear a shalwar kameez, but for special occasions, we could wear nicer clothing too. These clothes are so comfortable, its like wearing pajamas all day! Here's a picture of my first day at school - you can kind of make out what a shalwar kameez looks like :)

Bangladeshi food is delicious. End of story. Rice (no complaints there!), naan, curry, and an array of other delectable flavors. Mmmmm.  We're even encouraged to eat with our fingers! Pictures of my attempt to eat rice with my fingers to come :) 


In Bangladesh, it is common for all households to employ people to cook and clean. This means that all the staff at WCA employ local people to work for them, not as a means of flaunting their status, but as a way to honor the local customs. Michelina and my cook's name is Raton, and he is awesome! He also makes a killer salsa and chicken quesadilla - two recipes I definitely need to learn from him. Isn't it ironic how I had to come all the way to Bangladesh to find my favorite recipe for a simple chicken quesadilla? :P 

Michelina and Raton

One last fun little tidbit about Bangladesh - the electricity is forever going out. Thankfully, we have a backup generator, but its been interesting being in school and having the power go out in the middle of class. Its even happened several times in the span of one class period....very interesting indeed...

Of all the new experiences I've been having, there is one in particular that has been unpleasant.


COCKROACHES. They are everywhere. I was not so pleasantly surprised by one crawling out of my purse this morning - AS I WAS HOLDING MY PURSE. Yes, quite the experience...especially paired with my roommate and I squealing and whining as we sprayed and [she] killed it. Ugh. 

Thankfully, everything else has been wonderful enough to cover the grossness of bugs :P More tales of adventures to come!

Reflections from Poland: Part 1

In my previous post, I mentioned going to Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau. At first, I wasn't going to share anything about our visit there, mainly because I felt I hadn't processed it enough, but on second thought, it might be better for me to write about it. Over the next couple of posts, I'll talk about several things that I've been thinking about regarding Auschwitz.

I have always been interested in the Holocaust. Ever since I can remember, I have loved reading and learning about the people who were brave in the face of the Holocaust. In the process, I have also learned just what evil things Hitler ordered to be done to the Jews and other minorities living in reach of his power, including the Gypsies and the disabled. I thought I was somewhat prepared for this trip into Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Wow, was I ever wrong.

Walking through those concentration camps brings up such a mixture of feelings, and rightly so. On one hand, I was so excited to be there, an actual, real-life, epically historic place. On the other hand, I was so aware of the fact that more evil than I could ever know about had taken place here, and that history itself set this place apart. I was excited and respectful, scared and horrified, disgusted, and yet intrigued.

After this visit, one question stood out in my mind. There is this one hall in Auschwitz that is lined with the photos of individuals shipped to Auschwitz. Their eyes literally follow you as you walk through the hall, but for me, they said something more. They asked, no challenged, me with one question: Now what? Now that you have seen, what will you do?

So, what now? Will my life change? If so, how? If not, should it? In a way, I feel like I'm facing a essay topic with a strong inkling that I will epically fail. Way overwhelming. Here's a bit from my journal putting into words my thoughts that very Friday:

"It's so easy to get stuck in the somber thoughts. Thinking of the silver lining seems too contrived, too forced, even a bit disrespectful. How do I see God in light of this? Do I still believe He works all things for His good? Have my arguments changed in any way? Perhaps that is something good - that all this horror forces people to rethink where they come from and where they stand. Perhaps the "lesson" is more of a challenge - a challenge to rethink and evaluate all that you believe in."

The Holocaust was a travesty - that is a truth. Many people have looked at the Holocaust and wondered how God could have allowed such terrible things to happen. Where was God through all this? How could He be a good and loving God if He let all this happen?

Honestly, I cannot answer these questions.  But one thing I do know - God is a an unchanging God. In the beginning, He was an all powerful yet eternally loving God. Throughout the ages, He has not changed one bit. Through the Israelites' obedience and disobedience, through the countless times we have each turned away from Him, our heavenly Father continues to seek after us - faithfully, adoringly, sacrificially.

Here's the truth: I don't know. I don't know how the truth of the Holocaust fits in with who God is, but here's a thought. On a cloudy day, you can't see the sun, but that doesn't mean the sun isn't still there. It still shines as it has been, right behind the clouds. Now, that may not be some philosophical answer, but its a thought :P

Lights Shining in Poland - SB 2011

Poland is a beautiful country, but it is still scarred from the events of this past century. Over spring break, my Taylor team and I were able to learn about Poland through our friends and students at Graceland, an English school in Krakow, Poland. Here are a couple highlights of my week:

I had a few students throughout the week, but two really stand out to me. In the adult class, Aiesha and I had some great conversations with a woman named Kashika. She was super sweet and really fun to talk with. The very next night, I was paired to tutor her daughter! Hania was so much like her mother. My favorite memory is probably of her trying to act out/describe a kangaroo to me. Apparently, she acted out a pregnant kangaroo? It's ok, she's precious :)



We also got to play at a preschool a few of the mornings we were there. The kids were so scared of us the first day! I guess it's because we were so much bigger than them :P Here are a couple shots of the cute little ones on the last day. They're all fairly happy because we made crowns that day :)



Ooo, they all had something against looking at the camera. So sad, right?


Please note that Zuzia cried the first two days we were there. On the third day, she made her crown and let me hold her without a single whimper. I even almost got her to smile! I'm telling you - bubbles are the answer ^^

Beside teaching, we also did a ton of sightseeing. A few of us girls also did quite a bit of shopping ;) One of my favorite sites, Wawel Castle (pronounced Vovel) definitely wowed me. It is absolutely beautiful!


This picture does the castle no justice whatsoever. I am, however, planning on visiting more castles in the future, so hopefully I can fix this no picture problem :)

On a more serious note, we also visited a few somber places, such as the Ghetto Wall in Warsaw and the Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It is a truly chilling and eerie feeling to be walking the same paths as millions of innocent victims. If you ever get the chance, please take a tour of these places. It is definitely an eye-opening experience.

Everything Thus Far

Last Tuesday, our van driver arrived to take us to church, but he kept trying to tell us something about a scenic route. "Only 20 minutes", he kept saying. Encouraged by the bright sun and surprising morning warmth in the air, we said yes. Unfortunately, what should have been 20 minutes turned into a whole hour plus a couple more minutes. But, we did get to see some awesome sights.

We went up a mountain to this little village with a lake. It was beautiful and peaceful, and if we didn't have to plan for a day of classes, we could have stayed there all day. But we will be going to the beach soon, we hope ^^ When leaving, we all caught shots of this sign:

In case it's not too clear, the bottom left corner has this warning: Cold Water (Heart Failure)

Those teaching the middle and high school classes had a break last week, as those students all were at a camp. So instead of staying at church until 9PM, we left early on Thursday and Friday to go back to Yedamon (where we live) to eat great Korean bbq with many of our Korean helpers. Look at all the yummy food we got to eat!

Also, to get back on Friday, we got to smush in a van with a total of 17 people. This is kinda what it looked like all the way from the back:

Totally safe, right?

This weekend, we visited two palaces, the Changgyeongung Palace and the Deoksugung Palace. At the Deoksugung Palace, we also got to the see the changing of the guard!

Isn't that awesome?!?! We also saw them process out, right by us!

Our weekend also consisted of a visit to the Seoul Tower, to which we had to take a crowded bus ride and then walk up the last leg of the mountain. Whew! I found out the next day that we could have taken a thrifty little trolley up the mountain :( Oh well, it was pretty worth it. At the top of the tower, there's an observation deck, like every other tower. But this one is unique in that at the top of each window, you'll find something like this (please excuse my horrible night pictures!):

So, at approximately 9:30PM Seoul time Saturday night, I was looking at Chicago! Isn't that awesome?

Also, for all who know me, you know that I looooooove Christmas. Here's my next Christmas profile picture:

Yes that is a Christmas tree and yes it is made entirely of couple locks. Awesome, I know.

We have less than two weeks left in Korea now (sniff, sniff), but the good news is that a lot of our Korean helpers will be joining us at Taylor in the fall. Unfortunately, my wonderful and God-sent helper, Eun Jung, will not be :( but she has promised to try to visit me in Taiwan after my student teaching :) Here's us being our usual selves:

Finally some pictures!

I finally remembered to take some pictures of my elementary class. Here they are, all cute and everything. Can you tell just how crazy they were on Monday?

Last weekend was soooo packed. We saw the movie Inception (pretty great and intense movie, by the way, although I would never go so far as to rate a movie...) and did some great shopping on University Road. We also saw this in front of the movie theater:

Totally creepy!

On Saturday night, due to a slight yet invited change of plans, we had more than enough time for a wonderful round of kareoke. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show of this wonderous event, but I leave you with two pictures. First of all, look up the song "Gee", by Girl's Generation. Then imagine a group of guys doing the exact dance moves while singing. Yes, that totally did make my night ^^ Secondly, imagine hearing people sing the song "Rude Boy" in kareoke. Enough said.

On Sunday, we visited Insadong, which is the part of Seoul most known for its traditional buildings and for shops selling traditional items. Here's one picture I managed to snap, but thanks to the group of smokers, we got a cloud in the picture :(

Rachel and I left Insadong early to attend a concert at the Yum Kwang Church. The Seoul Motet Choir is a Christian group dedicated to the soul purpose of praising God. It was absolutely beautiful, even though I had no idea what they were singing ^^

After the concert, Rachel and I were still hungry, so out we went with Jonathan and June to get some ddukboki, spicy rice cakes :) Sooooooooo goood, but so super spicy. After eating that, even the humid night air felt nice.

Ok, that's it for now. A recap of this week and weekend coming up soon. Meanwhile, this is what we look like right now....and every morning, for that matter: