Reflections Tanzania Africa: February 2009

Dear Friends and Family,
I don't know if I'm wasting my time introducing new vocabulary words at the beginning of each Form 2 English period. But the word for today is what I hope for all of them to become. INDUSTRIOUS...its an adjective which means someone who works very hard. While I hear about students still waiting to get school fees from their parents, I discover a student like Jovin who has found other means of paying for his.
Jovin is the boy wearing shorts on the left side of the photo.

Here is a sixteen year old boy who I remember vividly last year.
On my way to fetch water I see Jovin surrounded by thousands of small plants contained in little plastic pouches. At that moment I quickly snapped some pictures without understanding what he was planning to do with the plants. I did ask him what kind of plants they were. They were tiny bamboo shoots. I have never seen them that small before.
It's now February and Jovin is in my FORM 2 class. I can see how serious it is for him to be in FORM 2. And I especially know that he goes home after school, eats food, returns back to school to help carry bricks, sand, and afterward, continues to his father's vegetable garden to help til dark.
Jovin's mother and sister Froida. They were planting beans on my way to fetch water

Jovin forces to open his eyes during my class sometimes. I know how hard he works knowing that the government Exam in November is just around the corner.
On Monday, I have assigned a writing activity in English class. I haven't given any creative writing lessons yet, however I used this is as a chance for them to show their prior knowledge as well as apply their knowledge about the Working Words on the Parts of Speech. Although Jovin didn't quite follow my instructions for the writing exercise, I did discover something admirable about this boy. I want you to read what he wrote:

My name is Jovin Choga. I am a student of FORM II. Last year I was make many trees to our garden. I did make one thousand and five hundred those belongs to me. But also to this month of this year, |I sell there trees of ninety thousand shillings. 90,000shillings.
Also, my parents they are very happy and me I'm very happy because I have ablility to pay school fees of this year. But today, I want to say that every person should make your work which can help yourself

Yes, he didn't quite understand or follow the prompt, but here is a great example of an INDUSTRIOUS boy who has found a way to pay for his own school fees this year. Although I plan to share his composition in class as an example of what not to do, deep down inside, I am proud of Jovin. And I will cherish his industrious drive as another affirmation of why I came to Africa.

.....Even teachers can learn a thing or two from their students...

Day 7 Jeju Island Summer Adventure 2011

Olle#10 was the course where I walked with Yuna. She's a 21 year old college student from Seoul who's spending a few days in Jeju by herself. She seem to be a free spirit who could converse in English well. She walked with me all the way. I did enjoy her company. I asked most of the questions about her family, education, hobbies and random things. Funny thing is I don't think she was going to ask for my name.

One of Olle #10's feature is Mt. Songaksan where we climbed to the top. It was a beautiful view. I remember saying to myself "Too much beauty-it's beauty overload." Yuna and I finished the course in 5 hours. After a few minutes of trying to find the end point of Olle #10, we managed to ask questions about a guest house. Olle Staff recommended the Sunflower Guest House, which is owned by a U.K. and Korean couple. It's a fairly new guesthouse. We had SamGyupSal for 10,000 WON. Hostel guests ate together which was quite a unique experience. After an hour of chatting, I was off to bed.

It's Sunday morning. My mom's birthday is today. I head to Marado, the southern most part of South Korea.

Reflections: Accomplishing Two Full-Marathons

Donga-Il bo Marathon 2011

I don't really know what to say...But I thank God for giving me the health and the motivation to accomplish such a feat. I could not have done it without HIS grace and love towards me. Soli Deo Gloria!


Chuncheon Marathon 2010

Day 6- Olle # 9 / Sabangsan Mt./ Hwasun Beach

After a cup of coffee and a conversation with God at the Hyatt overlook, I was once again ready for my next course Olle # 9-Jungmun to Hwasun Beach. This course took 4 hours with a few short cuts. My favorite part of the course were the cliffs.

First, I was taking pictures of the majestic feature, then the next thing I know, I was on top of the same cliffs I was earlier taking pictures of. I reached Hwasun Beach by 3pm; set up tent on the beach and waited for darkness to come. I could have stayed at a fairly new guesthouse/coffee shop next to the beach, but by the time I had set up tent, I was feeling satisfied to stay in the tent.

The view here is stunning and yet ironic at the same time. Gaze towards the right and you'll be in awe of Mt. Sabangsan. However, turn to the left and you'll find a great man-made structure for the Association of Shipbuilders. Here is a great example of the rich history of Sabangsan and the shipbuilders of today.
Joyful Guesthouse is perfectly set in between. Mr. Kim Sang-Sik, the owner of this guesthouse built the place with his own hands. They moved from Seoul with his family and started what I feel will be a great business in the coming future. I would recommend the place to anyone planning to visit Jeju. The lodging cost is 18,000\ per night. Contact info is: Mobile 010-8998-5551/064-792-5551. They even have free transportation service to and from the bus station.
Well off I go to my next course- Olle #10

Day 5 JeJu Island-Olle #7 and #8

A coastal course heading towards Jungmun-a more touristy location. This route, starting in Seogwipo Soccer Stadium to Jungmun beach took 4 and a half hours. A beautiful course. However, I walked on the main road for a while trying to find an entrance into the trail. when I finally found one, I came across what seemed like a Catholic mass right along the sea shore. It was rather interesting because it was held on the rocky part of the shore. Along the side road I noticed what seemed like signs declaring against a U.S. naval base being built. It was rather thought provoking since Jeju island is a place for basking in nature. Would erecting a U.S. naval base be worth all the changes in the landscape? I wonder what the people of Jeju thought. (Apparantly, the locals are against the structuring of the US naval base but because of the decisions made on the top of the leadership, the building of the naval base is imminent.)

I did make it to Jungmun. This place had tons of people. The beach itself was dangerous for swimming. However, tourists lined the shore and played with the incoming tide. It was fun just watching them. I did find a place to set up my tent.

Feeling a little touristy myself, I went on a dinner splurge. A seafood buffet at the Shangrila. Let's just say it's something worth experiencing once. I paid more than my budget, but I needed a little sustenance so I took advantage of the moment. It was good. Also a music festival has started for the summer. So after dinner, I listened to music on the beach. By 11pm I was in my tent.