My roommate and I are really funny.

I've written about this before. Julie and I are stinkin' hilarious. I realized this again as we were frantically Christmas shopping today. We are really entertaining shoppers. Seriously, while we shop, people have said, "I wish that I had as much fun as you girls do." Here are some examples of how we have fun shopping:

1) While wandering through Lighthouse (a Christian bookstore) we picked up cheesy christian romance novels and read the backs of them with mocking inflections and laughed at the stupidest ones - and then purchased them. People were looking at us from across the store and laughing with us - not at us. My favorites were "The Falconer" where in one sentence we find out about the main character's nicknames, previous profession, height, build, personality, and goals as an abolitionist in England (that is one powerful first sentence) and one about a girl born into a powerful governor's family and a pirate princess! So great!

2) We sang along to the same Christmas songs even when those songs weren't playing. For example, one song was playing and Julie remembered the song "Last Christmas" so we sang that while an entirely different song was playing. It was impressive that we stayed in key.

3) We went to K-mart because it was close by and then immediately decided to go to Target. We silently understood that we are Target snobs.

4) While at Target we pushed Twilight on people including a woman who works there. It seems that wherever I go I tell people that they should read the book. Julie and I agreed that we should get some sort of commission from the author.

5) We tried to help a woman find baby Christmas dresses in infant sizes. We were unsuccessful, but I think the woman was encouraged by having others agree that it was strange to not have any there.

6) While at Tilly's, we tried to convince the one male working there that he should read Twilight, thus having more to talk about with his female coworkers.

7) We paid for dinner with quarters. (Not entirely, but there were a lot of them).

8) We went to several Game Stops. Nothing fun about this except that we were reminded of Julie's mom who questioned the existence of such stores, "They have stores where they only sell games? Do they close down after Christmas?" After we left, I said to Julie, "What a nice store. It's too bad that they are only open seasonally." To which Julie replied, "Well, games aren't that big a business." Somehow, Julie's mom plays a big part in many of our jokes.

9) The entire time we shop, there is a running dialogue. It's like shopping in an episode of Gilmore Girls or "His Girl, Friday".

I feel like I have not adequately expressed how much fun we have while shopping, but seriously, you should join us. We know how to get it done and have a great time doing it.

Christmas in a small town in a big city

I love my church. There are many reasons why, but tonight was a good reflection of how great my church is. We had our annual church play tonight and it was everything our church play should be: kids sang songs, people played instruments, costumes were made and edited at the last minute, lines were recited (some with feeling others with fear), and the little kids sang "Away in a Manger".

I love to watch Christmas movies and especially ones about small towns. I've always wanted to live in a small town. I am drawn to the idea of living in a place where everyone knows you and cares about you. Where everyone pitches in to take care of each other. Where we're not afraid to discipline each other's children or take action to help when help is needed. Where people can be a little kooky, but they are loved for it. I feel like this is what our church offers.

I get nervous every year about the Christmas play. I hope that the kids have a good time, that the message of the birth of Christ comes through, that the costumes will work out. I am always sure that the previous year's was better and that people will tell me so. When I get to a semi-meltdown state (usually the Saturday before), my dad always reassures me with this conversation, "What is our mantra?" he asks. "Everyone will love it no matter what. They don't care if it's bad," I reply in monotone. This year my dad reminded me, "It's not that they don't care, it's that they are going to love to see those kids up on the stage and that's what they'll get."

You see, in our small town of Faith Presbyterian, each kid on that stage was known and loved by the people in the audience. So when Josh says his lines with exaggerated enunciation and heartfelt emotion, we all smile with joy over the fact that this dear boy has a place in life where he can flourish and be quirky. And when our multitude of the heavenly host (all four of them) say "Glory to God in the highest" in a flat monotone, we all fill with pride over the fact that these little ones (first graders) knew their lines and came onstage at the right time. Dakota can pull on Eddie's lamb ear and say that she wants to sing "This Little Light of Mine" instead of "Away in a Manger" and we are reminded of a time when people thought she wouldn't walk or speak.

It's the fact that these kids are loved for who they are and that they are really cherished that makes the play so much fun to watch. But you know what my favorite part is (besides the fact that it's over successfully)? I love to see these kids say boldly that Christ is the Messiah. They've been in the plays enough times to know that if they have the lines that tell the truth of the Messiah they have the most important lines and they say them loudly and clearly. "The Messiah has come!" they shout with joy. Or "He will come to bring peace between Men and God," Josh whispers with the heaviness of such truth.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, we have the orchestra made up of members who play all year long and some who only play once a year. And then we sing along - loudly and with joy. And afterward we have food prepared by many different hands and candy distributed to the kids (but if you make a pouty face and ask nicely, sometimes the big kids get a bag too).

It's on this day that I feel like I live in a small town in a Christmas movie. There is no shortage of love on this day and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of such a fun and worshipful time. I am overwhelmed by the gifts God has lavished on me and I am thankful for the church that helps me see it.

My Parents are Awesome!

You know how things that you are surrounded by every day just start to fade into the background? I have a neighbor upstairs whose pipe we can hear as he drains his shower. I don't pay any attention to it anymore. Yet when I had guests over, I was suddenly aware of how loud it was. Even now I have a fan blowing on my recently flooded kitchen wall and I have to remind myself that it's there.

This is how it is with my parents. They have been amazing for so long that I have grown numb to how insanely great they are. Not that I take them for granted, no I am thankful for them every day. It's just that I no longer take a step back and think of how strange they are. My mother has severe pain in her body from various ailments. Her back aches, her hip goes out of joint, her arthritis and gout flair up at inconvenient times, and she's an insomniac. My mother just put on a nine course meal for 40 or so people. She carefully crafted dishes like an amazing mozzarella and roasted red bell pepper rollade, shredded chicken on a bed of harvest cous cous and cream, slow roasted lamb on a bed of creamed root vegetables, and pumpkin rolls garnished with a pumpkin caramel glaze. She did this with an oven that barely works and a full time job (good thing she has insomnia!).

My father supports my mother in her crazy food ventures. He samples and edits flavors, he diligently shops for just the right ingredients, he made all of the place cards, led the carolling afterward, took photos, encouraged conversations, set-up, cleaned-up, served the food, and helped forged the bonds between the hodgepodge of kids that are in the youth group.

I need to take a step back and look at these two people. Who does this? What a legacy I have in my life of sacrificial love and using your talents to their fullest. Now, I know that I have a tendency to go over the top like my mom and I hope that I can balance so that insomnia doesn't rule over me, but if I did half the things my parents have done I would be a good servant indeed. They give of their time and energy freely and joyfully - and they're just plain good at it.

So as I dream of the leftovers and take off my heals to rest for the evening, I'll think of my mom and dad and then get back on my feet and make cookies until 2am - because that's what we Dempsey's do!

The Christmas Rush

It seems that I have Christmas denial right now. It is exactly two weeks until Christmas and I still think that it's so far away. I look at my to do list and think "38 presents, I have time" and then I proceed to plan away all of my weekends and have no time to shop. I have a beautiful tree, my classroom is decorated, I've been listening to Christmas music, the play is this Sunday, but still I don't feel like it's really Christmas time.

I think I need to blog about Christmas to help me feel more like this season is truly upon us. Last year I made a complete list of all of my favorite Christmas songs: both secular and Christian. I would love to just copy that here since I wrote better then, but I should do something current to help me get in the spirit. So I have decided to do an in depth analysis of my favorite Christmas voices and their songs.

Karen Carpenter - I love the Carpenter Christmas album because my mom always played it during her Christmas botiques. Her deep voice is so soothing and rich, it instantly calms me. I especially love her rendition of Sleigh Ride and her singing the intro to White Christmas. There's this note she sings when she says, "There's never been such a day in Beverly Hills, LA" the LA is so low, I could never hit it. She reminds me of my mom in that respect too. She sings beautifully and could be a baratone - just like Mom :)

Bing Crosby - White Christmas is just perfect. He's in two of my favorite Christmas movies (Holiday Inn and White Christmas) during which he sings this song. But there is another song that Bing sings that is more about Christmas to me than any other, and that's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas". That song is one we sing often in my family. Grandpa Dempsey used to play it on his player piano and sing it with us. I've always associated my Grandpa with Bing because of it and that makes me love it. Plus, it's fun to sing "a pair of hop-along boots and a pistol that shoots is the hope of Barney and Ben. Dolls that can talk and will go for a walk is the wish of Janice and Jen" It took years before we got the words right.

Nat King Cole - This man could sing anything and I would love it. But "The Christmas Song" is all Nat. Others have covered it, but it is only Nat King Cole's smooth tones that make the intro "Chesnuts roasting on an open fire" thrilling.

Those weird singers who sing the Drummer Boy song - You know the one that sounds like an all boys choir singing "Come, they told me, pa rum pu pum pum". I just love it.

Amy Grant - she's great and Christmas songs kind of belong to her, but "Mary's Song - Breath of Heaven" is truly genius. It is such a beautiful peice of music independent of words, but then when you add in the perspective of a young girl who is willing to sacrifice all comfort for the plan of God, but still has fears and is looking for the strength of God to pull her through! Wow! What a song! "Do you wonder, as you watch my face, if a wiser one should have had my place. Still I offer all I am. Holy Father to your plan. Help me be strong. Help me be...help me." Great song!

Josh Groban - He was made to sing Christmas songs, any and all. Especially in other languages. Yet "O Holy Night", one of my two favorite Christmas hymns, will make me cry when Josh sings it. It's sad that a boy can sing higher than I can, but that boy can hold a note!

The Muppets - yes, they qualify as a singing group and they happen to sing on one of the best Christmas albums ever! I especially like their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." This is because Beaker, the lab assistant who doesn't speak, but 'meeps' sings on one of the days. I laugh every time.

Andrew Peterson - Matthew Begats is one of the funniest Christmas songs and I'm still memorizing it. Andrew basically took the geneology of Jesus from the book of Matthew and turned it into a song. "Abraham had Isaac, Isaac he had Jacob, Jacob he had Judah and his kin." The best lines tell a little bit about the person in the lineage like "Amon who was a man who was father of a good boy named Josiah, who grandfathered Johoiachin who caused the Babylonian captivity because he was a liar." So clever.

I love Christmas. I love singing. I love that I get to play my favorite Christmas music in my classroom and it's ok. Think of all of the words that I play during my class that are ok because it's Christmas! Well, off to bed where I'm sure I'll dream of sugar plumbs or other delights.

My little flood or how two single girls embraced modern feminism

...by calling every boy they know to help them.



Once upon a time, I was walking in my dining room (ok, room is a bit of an exaggeration - dining area) and I noticed water on the floor. "Did you spill something?" I asked my roommate.

"I noticed some water on the floor earlier."

"Now there's a big puddle!" It actually filled four of our big tiles on the floor. So we covered the floor with towels and tried to find a leak - to no avail. I went to my new neighbor's house and knocked on the door. He asked who it was and I replied, "Your neighbor, Brenda," He opened the door and I explained that we had a flood. He showed me some water that had spilled in his place, but didn't know how it would lead to ours. Basically he was saying, "Not my problem, Chica." (only he was much nicer than that and probably wouldn't have called me Chica since he spoke Korean)

So I went home and Julie and I continued putting towels on the ground by a wall that contained no pipes. I went back over to Jimmy's house a couple days later and tried to explain again. "Maybe it's your refrigerator?" "No," he replied. I had no comeback so I went home.

"This is why we need husbands," Julie declared. No, I thought, we are modern women and we are intelligent women, we can handle this. So I did what every modern woman does: I called some men in my family and asked them to help. Cody and Paul came over (along with Cody's girlfriend, Buffy) and helped.

Cody cut holes in the wall looking for the source of the leak and after a long time, discovered that it was from Jimmy's new refrigerator. Paul and Cody walked over with me, standing like goons behind me, while I tried to explain once again. "No, it's not my leak," Jimmy replied and even though I now knew it was from his house (I saw the leak myself) I still felt like caving in. But Paul and Cody politely and clearly explained what was going on and only an hour later or so the whole thing was fixed. Fixed except for the holes in the wall that Cody will fix after the fans have finished blowing and drying the wet wood.

But sadly, that was not all. For the pipe still has a slight leak. It has been slowly dripping for weeks and filling the bowl that I put under the leak. I've been dumping the bowl every couple of days and putting it back, because that is easier to me than facing poor Jimmy again.

Well, today was my day to grow. I went, with Julie, over to Jimmy's house and told him that there was still a leak. He pulled away his fridge and checked, "You're right," he replied. HALLELUJAH! He said he would fix it. A few minutes later he came over to check and it seemed better. "I'm sorry, your brother said that it was all right so I thought it was all right." I could see the fear of my two goons in his eyes. "No problem, Jimmy. Thanks for fixing it. I'll let you know if it's still leaking." He sighed with relief and left.

So here is what I've learned from this life lesson: Neighbors are great and I love meeting them (ok, I knew this about myself already)

Cody and Paul are such handy brothers to have. They can fix anything and can be bold for me when I have failed.

My courage has limits, very easy to meet limits. And I am trying to stretch them by being more assertive, as long as my assertions don't make anyone unhappy.

Owning a home can be scary, especially when you're clueless about how to handle any problems.

I must always keep good friendships with handy people.

Mark Riddering

I don't want to say too much, but I do want to write something about this amazing man. Mark Riddering (the father of my cousin's wife, Sami) passed away on Thanksgiving. His funeral was yesterday and it was amazing.

There were a couple reasons why it was so amazing. First, Mark was one of the most remarkable men I've ever known and his funeral reflected his life so wonderfully. Mark was diagnosed with ALS 14 years ago (or so). This is a degenerative disease that is extremely debilitating and painful. Most people die within a few years of diagnosis, but Mark was different. He lived long enough to see his children grow up, get married, and have kids. All of this is amazing, but what made him truly awesome was his unwavering faith in God's sovereignty in all things. Mark lived with joy.

Every time I would come up to hang out with the Ridderings, I would love to talk to Mark. I am a natural encourager. I love to talk to people and make them feel better and happy. I am good at this, but Mark was the professional. Any conversation was easily and quickly turned into how you were doing and how your family was. Mark remembered details about my life and would constantly shift the conversations back to me. I would leave the conversation feeling strengthened, exhorted, and encouraged. I loved his smile and his joy that shone through everything.

The service was awesome because it reflected Marks unshakable faith in a God who is in control and who is loving. It also reminded me of the reality of heaven. That Mark is in the presence of Jesus right now. I think that I so easily forget that this life isn't the end, but it's just the beginning. Mark never forgot that.

I loved hearing his family speak about him. I loved how each member of the family let their own personalities shine through in what they said, but the same themes remained: Mark loved God, Mark loved his wife, and Mark loved his family.

His wife Sue spoke; this woman who so willingly gave of her constant time in being the main caretaker of her husband for years, 24 hours a day, with love and joy. Well, after she spoke, everyone stood up and applauded. We cheered for her service to her husband and her sacrifice that was so readily made, as if there were no question about what she needed to do. Sami so beautifully commented on this by saying that we live in a time where marriages break up because one person isn't happy anymore. Her parents instead showed what Christian marriage should be - sacrificial service to each other.

It was an amazing day and I am blessed even more by the Ridderings. I love them so much and my prayers go out to them that God will continue to remind them of the blessings they experienced with their father, that they will be able to rejoice in their father's present state, and that their grief will be comforted.

Christmas time is here...early

Do you ever have weeks where the monotony of life feels like it is slowly tearing you apart. Like your four limbs are on a stretching machine being turned one tiny crank at a time. That's how this week was feeling. I wake up every day at the same time and shower, dress, wash up,eat breakfast and read, lock the door, get in my car, drive the same route, open my classroom, go to the office, get my room ready, answer questions, teach, answer more questions, get ready for the next day, go home, eat, grade, stay up too late, wash up, sleep, repeat!

It gets a little depressing despite how great my life is. I usually solve this by traveling, but I can't do that yet. Sometimes reading a new exciting book helps, but right now I'm addicted to the Ender's Shadow series and I have to read until I finish which means that I've been reading about the same characters for weeks.

But then I had my Saturday. I spent much of the day trying to do the tasks I needed to do without breathing much of the smoke-filled air. But at 4:30 I was at my school ready to take the Helping Hands club kids to the Long Beach Symphony. A group of nine kids volunteered to help pass out information about the symphony's Holiday Celebration concert. Another teacher and I drove the kids to the Terrace theater where they wore reindeer antlers and scarves and passed out fliers and candy canes to the people coming to the concert. As a reward, my kids got to stay for the symphony for free.

My kids did such a great job. The shy ones followed people like stalkers until they were noticed and then quietly handed them the information and the candy. My more bold ones improved upon my scripted spiel and had quite a fan club because of it. "Welcome to the Long Beach Symphony. Would you like some information about the Holiday Celebration? If you have any questions, please see the people at the table over there. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy the performance." Seriously, no one could help but smile at an adorable, tiny, Filipino girl in a Santa hat.

I stood watch at the stairs, I was also wearing antlers, but not passing out information. People came up to me as if I were one of the adorable helpers and made all sorts of comments. The most disturbing was a man who grabbed onto one of the antlers and then proceeded to have a conversation with me. He kept lapping around the lobby and winking at me...that was weird.

Another woman walked by and commented about how cute the kids were. I noticed that she had a Germanic accent so I quickly said (before I could lose my courage) "Sind Sie Deutsch?" and she quickly responded, "Ja, Ich bin Deutsch. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" We then continued a conversation in German and I was practically floating from excitement. I didn't do too bad.

After first intermission I saw her again, "Guten Abend, Ilse!" I called to her. "Guten Nach, Brenda," she replied. Then she said, in German, "You are not more than sixteen?" I thought I must have misunderstood so I told her as much. "Are you 18?" She asked in German. I smiled and responded, "Ich bin neun und swanzig!" I won't translate, but she was shocked. I told her that I was in fact the teacher of these students and not one of the students. She laughed and said that she had to use the proper form "Sie" instead of the informal "du" because I was old enough. I laughed and said she could call me whatever she wanted. We continued talking in Germ-lish about her experiences as a school child in Nazi Germany and later as a trained nurse in England.

As if talking to Ilse wasn't enough to make me feel total joy, and seeing my kids rock wasn't enough added bonus, people kept asking me for directions. Now, you may not know, but my favorite thing in life is to answer questions. Seriously, I love to answer any questions, even if I don't know the answer and have to make one up. So to have patrons and volunteers ask, "Where is the balcony?" or "Where is the nearest restroom?" or "When does the pre-concert lecture begin?" I pointed and directed as if I was there for that reason and I smiled like a fool.

My favorite moment of personal shame came when I was privileged to meet the composer of one of the works played that evening. She was an elegantly dressed Mexican woman who was so eloquent in her pre-performance discussion about her piece. I wanted to tell her how excited I was to hear her 'prayer set to music' so I approached her in the lobby and told her as much. She politely thanked me and shook my hand. It was only after she walked away that I realized I was still wearing my antlers...only me...

So the monotony of life was broken, if just for a day, and I am encouraged enough to begin this week again. If I feel myself slipping into the humdrum, I'll just imagine talking with Ilse or I'll pull out those antlers and go for a walk...maybe someone will ask me a question!

Why malaria is a bad thing for a hypochondriac to get.

I'm sure that I'm going to die of some horrible disease some day. I joke about this fear (that is greatly fed by my mother), but it really is there. Most people have a strange ache and think, "What did I do yesterday that would make me ache like this?" I have a strange ache and think, "Oh, man, I'm sure I have Leukemia!" I brush it aside casually as a stupid overreaction, but inside I'm still sure that I have Leukemia.

So yesterday, on the way to school, I started to feel dizzy. Not just light headed, but world is spinning a bit kind of dizzy. I had eaten my normal breakfast, slept about 6 hours, so the normal reasons for dizziness weren't there. When I got to school, I didn't feel right. I felt nauseous and dizzy and tired. I went to the school office to do my morning routine when one of my coworkers asked about how I was doing. When I explained my dizziness, he said, "Ah, it's just the malaria." and I panicked. Did my malaria come back? How would I get it checked since the last test took too long to get back to me.

This was how I felt the day I was diagnosed with malaria: just a bit off, a little dizzy, a little nauseous. Maybe I do have it again! I decided that I should keep my blood sugar up and hydrate myself, so I grabbed a big stick Popsicle from the freezer and continued on to my class (any excuse for ice cream - in fact I think that's why I'm a hypochondriac. Who can deny a sick person ice cream?!).

By the end of the day, I felt just fine. I worked late and came home as normal. I'm sure I was just dizzy from low blood sugar. It wouldn't be the first time. I just think it's funny that my hypochondria now has even more ammunition...I just better not tell my mother because she'll just make me think that I really could be sick. Trust me, I'm not. I slept just fine last night for over 8 hours and I ate a full breakfast today. I certainly couldn't have done that when I had malaria. Trust me, I'm fine.

Drugs make me sad.

Some strange things have been happening at my school this past week. You may know that this is red ribbon week - a week in which we focus on drug use prevention. I have a discussion with each of my class periods about drug use and I always seem to get some pretty interesting conversations.

I was pretty disturbed, but not surprised, at the large number of students who said, "When my dad gets drunk..." not "one time my dad got drunk..." but "when". For my geometry classes I discussed high school and college temptations. I told them that this was the time in their lives where they could choose who they would be. They should choose now the kind of person they want to be so that when they are in those situations, they have already made their decision. I told them that I decided to never get drunk. That meant that when people invited me to drink in college, I didn't have to think under pressure. I just knew that I would say no.

This was my speech I gave on Monday and apparently I should have given it on Friday. On Friday six students at my school, six beautiful girls, decided to take ecstasy while on campus. One of them was a sweet girl I had last year and the other is a really cool kid I have this year in geometry! I'm so mad! What could they possibly be thinking? I'm just so overwhelmed by the sin in the world. People make such stupid choices and they can have such long term repercussions. I hope that these students learn from this and decide to never do this again.

As an empath, this hurts. I told my kids that if I heard that they were doing any drugs, I would hunt them down and yell at them. Now that I really have this situation in front of me, I don't know how to respond. Drugs suck!

Determining your levels of fatigue

I am tired. This is a common thing for me. I do too much and I don't sleep. Plus, I haven't been exercising, which just exacerbates the problem. Since I always seem to complain of being tired (my Grandpa Dempsey used to ask if I was bitten by a TsiTsi fly when I was in high school) I thought it would be helpful to create a set of sleepiness levels.

Level 1: tired
This is when you've had a long day and you put your feet up after a long day of work and think, "Man, I had a long day." You don't feel so very tired, but just a little after a long day of work

Level 2: nappy
Your eyes won't stay open and you just want to close them. If you need to get up and do something you can, but you might not want to.

Level 3: slow
It seems that everything goes just a bit slower; waking up, getting ready, starting your day, even speaking. It all is a little slower than normal

Level 4: eyes hurting, light burning, no waking...
The alarm is evil, your eyes won't open and you think that maybe you can get ready in 30 minutes instead of an hour. Suddenly, doing hair and make-up seem insignificant.

Level 5: counting down to sitting down
You prep yourself with, "If I just get through the next hour, I can sit down and rest for five minutes." You go through this for the whole day. The drive home takes too long and you can't wait to not do anything but sit and rest.

Level 6: Emotional and physical breakdown
Words don't form complete sentences and sense making is not what you are doing. This making you sad and worried and emotional and stuff...much difficult when your job is speak and teach. So tired...no words...want sleep...

I really reached level 6 on Wednesday. I even cancelled my two/three normal Wednesday activities after school. I did have to drive to Target to buy cards, cheese, crackers, and soda for a work party the next day. I was really mad that I had to go when I felt so tired. I nearly got into a car accident and I grumbled the whole time. I did buy myself a People magazine (for the first time in 8 years or so) about High School Musical 3. That made me a little happier. I also started doing yoga again and I think that the stretching is helping me sleep better and then maybe I'll only be at a level 2. Here's hoping...

Reasons why I love my job.

I love my job. I know that doesn't surprise some of you. In fact, I heard someone say, "You'd love your job no matter what it was." That's possibly true. But there's a difference between looking for the joy in your job and having your job throw joy at you daily. That's how my job is. I love it and there are few jobs that I could love better. Here are some reasons why:

1) I am greeted every day with smiling faces, hello's and general well wishes by dozens of kids.

2) I get to speak all day. To a captive audience.

3) I get to create systems and then implement them.

4) My students think I'm funny and they politely laugh at my stupid jokes.

5) I get to read teen fiction and watch the Disney channel and claim that I'm doing it to keep in touch with what my kids are into.

6) There are students who offer to help me every day. They clean over-heads, wipe the board, will carry things, and even will purchase my ice cream for me on Tuesdays (if I give them the cash).

7) I get to help kids feel better about themselves in so many ways.

8) I can makes kids see how they're smart.

9) I get to dress up for Halloween.

10) Everyday is a challenge that I can usually overcome. So I feel both challenged and successful almost every day.

11) I get to wear cute work clothes.

12) I have a giant office with two big windows. I do share it with 180, sometimes lacking in deoderant, pre-teens, but it certainly is spacious.

13) I don't sit at a computer all day.

14) There is very little down time so my day goes by really fast.

15) Everyday I feel like I've done a little bit to make the world a little bit better.

16) I get major holidays and two months off in the summer.

17) I get to expose my kids to new music, books, and cultures every day.

I wish that everyone could have a job that they loved as much as I love mine. May your job throw joy at you this week.

Jeopardy! was funny tonight!

Yeah, you read that right. Jeopardy! was funny. There's a new champion who has now won three times. His name is Erik and he plays like he is not only bored, but intensly annoyed at Alex for forcing him to choose another category. He would give his answers with a complete blase response, "What is gestation?" like he was stifling a yawn. The other contestants tried to hide how intimidated they were, but they were definitely nervous.

Alex only said one demeaning thing the whole night which was when the other guy (loser #1) responded to the clue with, "What are Muslims?" when the correct response (which Erik gave) was "Who is Muhammad?" Alex said, "HE" in an attempt to shaming the guy into understanding the proper pronouns leading to the correct answer. What a jerk he can be sometimes.

One guy did a true daily double (we always chant, "Be a man!" when people get a daily double), but didn't say, "I'd like to make it a true daily double, Alex," as we all dream of saying one day. He instead just wagered his entire numeric amount. Maybe Alex was right to chastise the man earlier.

The funniest moment was when a clue was talking about how the Lord of the Rings extended version wasn't boring despite its 4 and half hour length. Julie and I simultaneously responded, "So true!"

Julie did raise an important, provoking question. What would your Jeopardy! fact about yourself be? You know how they always talk to the contestants after the first commercial break and say something about their lives and you feel the uncomfortable lack of laughter as Alex tries to be funny and condecending. Well, what would your fact be? Mine would probably be that I had malaria. It's always a safe bet to just list something obscure about yourself that has a short story attached. You don't have to try to be funny and people know how to respond to that. This is in direct opposition to tonight's winner of the awkward award:

Alex: Talk about false labor. What happened when your mother was pregnant with you?

Girl loser: She thought she had a tapeworm for 4 months.

Alex: Why did she think she had a tapeworm?

Girl loser: I don't know...

(awkward silence)

Seriously, that's the most interesting thing about you? I guess that would be funny in some contexts, but on national television? Strangly it bears a striking resemblance to mine (I actually had a parasite and was not pregnant) but can you recognize the subtile differences that make mine a better choice? What would yours be?

my hit counter

Man, I wish I was more computer saavy than I am. I took AP computer programming and I have a million programmers in my family, but I can't seem to be able to insert a simple free html code for a hit counter on my blogspot page. So instead I will insert it in this blog and hope that it works. What's funny is the most of the hits are just me checking to see if the hit counter works. What's funnier is that I only inserted a hit counter because my cousins have them on their blogs and I want to be as cool as they are...except they can write the code themselves...in several programming languages...in 3D if they wanted...in five minutes...I'll never be as cool


hit counter

Free Counter

Pollyanna and Grumplestilskin

I have had a roller coaster of emotions today- and not in the hormonal sense. I had a great day at work. My kids were cool, I had good lessons, I have nice coworkers, I got my work done and the sun started shining. This is a good day.

And then I got into my car. Ever since I've been back from Africa, I've had a problem with my car. Don't get me wrong, my mini is still as loved as ever, it's just that I somehow moved my seat. You know how it can take some time to get that perfect seat arrangement in your car? Well, I've lost mine and I can't seem to find it. For weeks now I've tried various changes and it's just getting worse. My right leg is cramping up, my knee is hurting, I have to wear my wrist brace to drive and I have cramps in my neck that are causing me to not sleep as well.

So just entering my car causes a sense of dread. And then I hit the traffic. You know those days when it seems that you are behind every person going 20 on the freeway or texting and getting distracted - that was today. I was behind a woman who made a left hand turn going 10 miles an hour and never sped up after the turn was complete. Sadly, we were headed toward the same freeway entrance, so I couldn't pass her or anything. I grumbled at her and took the lane next to her on the freeway entrance.

I was then barely cut off. The guy was going a normal speed and changed lanes in front of me with a decent amount of space, but it meant that he was one metered car ahead of me and I felt like he had already made his choice, so I was mad again.

Everyone was ridiculously slow on the freeway and Beach. I was stopped behind some cars at a green light and when they finally went forward, the light turned yellow and I had to wait through another round of lights. Ahhh!!! I don't know why I was in such a rush, except that each minute in the car was another minute of my legs cramping and fitting uncomfortably in my seat.

I was grumbling and being angry at everyone and I realized how quickly I could go from Pollyanna to Grumplestilskin. I realize that by calling myself 'Grumplestilskin' I am revealing that I am still a Pollyanna, but seriously, I even said, "Crap"!

I cancelled any plans that I had tonight that required me driving anywhere. And I'm not going to get in my car for as long as possible. I'm going to try to get a massage tomorrow, thanks to my birthday present gift certificate, and eventually I'm sure I'll get my seat arranged properly. I'll stop hating the world by the morning, but I tell ya', I'm almost ready to start biking to work...I just need to get a bike and some will power.

Free time

What do people do with free time? I recently have had an after school schedule change and it means that I get two days every week where I don't have set plans. So I've made some phone calls, reread some books, cleaned my patio, did my laundry, cleaned out my email inbox, checked facebook so many times. I've wrapped birthday presents, written letters, watched my favorite guy lose on Jeopardy! (so sad, because I had the highest respect for him and he lost to an easy question on final Jeopardy! He was the Ken Jennings of my generation.) I've gotten the mail, gone to the dentist, cooked dinner, and talked to my mom.

Now I'm sitting at home in the quiet and I wonder what I should do for an hour before Heroes is on...write a blog, I suppose. And what better way to spend one's free time than to blog about what to do during one's free time

What to do during free time:
1) Blog.

2) Read Twilight, again.

3) Check your email obsessively.

4) Read that chapter in Twilight where Edward sparkles.

5) Clean something that you didn't know existed let alone needed to be cleaned like the space underneath your screen door on the patio.

6) Read Midnight Sun online. That's Twilight from Edward's perspective.

7) Do yoga while listening to swing music.

8) Bake.

9) Read something non-Twilight related.

10) Alphabetize something.

11) Do your hair in a funky style that you would never wear in public.

If you have any ideas for things I can do with my free time, let me know. It's a new thing for me and I'm totally excited to be able to just be at home. I think, now that I've completed number 1 and 2 on my list, I'll skip down to number 8. I'll let you know how my cookies turn out.

Anne of Green Gables

When I was twelve I had a life changing experience. I remember very well being at my Aunt Chris' house and she asked if I had seen the movie, "Anne of Green Gables". I said I had not and she laughed and said, "You are Anne." We went to her cool attic room/movie room and watched the whole thing as a family. I was in love and amazed. There was someone else in the world that truly understood me. I devoured the books and every other thing by LM Montgomery. I joined Anne clubs (we even had a picnic with three legged races and tea). I had Anne parties. I went to PEI and visited "Avonlea". I went to a play in LA (Romeo and Juliet) to see Meagan Follows (the actress who played Anne) and met her afterward.

Now to say I love Anne is an understatement. There was something so wonderful about reading this silly and flawed character that I could relate to so well. After a time I wanted to read the books again and when I did, I realized that the story touched me in a new way. That is, I grew up with Anne. Anne and I are still the same at each stage of our lives. I gain a new perspective of her life at my stage that I didn't have when I was twelve, and I see that although I have changed, I am still Anne.

When I grade, I often watch a grading movie. I will select a movie that I know so well I don't have to actually watch it so that I can grade while I watch. Tonight I selected "Anne of Avonlea" and I realize again how much I can relate to her. I don't teach English and Literature (much to my father's dismay), but I do tend to be flowery in my delivery and I have a great desire to be liked by everyone. I still write my own stories, direct plays, teach students, hope and dream to extremes, gain thrills from the beauty of nature, make dumb mistakes that end in my own embarrassment, get dramatic, emotionally respond to situations, and love my home.

I have such a deep, sentimental connection to this story that brings me back to my childhood and to who I truly wish to be. I sometimes think that I try too hard to be who I think I should be and then I see this movie and I see what I should be. I should be free and bold, make mistakes, dream, have courage, and speak my mind. It is a bolster to my soul to watch this movie and I'm looking forward to getting back to my grading now that I've taken my 15 minute break. If you haven't seen the movie or read the books, I highly recommend them and I would gladly loan you anything I have connected to them - except my second edition Blue Castle...that is mine alone.

My presentation

This Sunday I'll be presenting some pictures and several stories from my trip to Uganda. It will be at my Church (Faith OPC) at about 12:30. It's a potluck, but don't worry about bringing anything. If you can come, I'd love to see you. I'll post pictures eventually. Thanks for reading.

The Hills are Alive!

I love The Sound of Music! It is one of the best movies ever created. I love it so much I often quote it and not just the normal quotes that everyone knows, but the really obscure ones like, "Hello, where are you?" "In a world that is disappearing." "Is there any way to bring you back to the world I'm in?" or "It'll be my first party, Father!" I was able to see the Sing-Along sound of music twice: once in London and once at the Hollywood Bowl. Both were great experiences.
When the opportunity came to go with a big group from church this year, I was excited to plan it. Sadly, I waited too long to purchase the tickets. They were so very sold out that I couldn't buy two tickets together at any price, let alone 29 seats all together.
So what does a Dempsey do when the original plans for a fun evening are impossible? They make their own. My parents were gracious enough to host a party at their house and I created goody-bags and trivia.
We sat outside in their drive way and projected the movie on a big screen. Everyone got their brown paper packages tied up with string (thanks for the idea, Julie) containing props for some songs (Eidelweiss and curtain fabric among others). Some people wore costumes and we ate Germanic food. The kids in the group made signs for each of the seven notes in the Do-Re-Mi song (my two favorites were the arrow pointing to Madison as "me" and the antlers for do). We sang with each song, booed the Baroness, sighed at the romantic moments, and still got bored during climb every mountain.
It was such a fun night, possibly better than the Bowl - at least it was cheaper and the traffic was nicer. There is just something so great about that movie. It has everything: singing, romance, characters with strenght and dignity, singing, beautiful scenery, some songs, an interesting story line, and a great score. I love that I have friends and family who are as strange as I am and are willing to embrace dorkiness to its fullest. Well, the sun has gone to bed and so must I, so goodbye!

The results are in!

So I decided to go to my favorite clinic to get my malaria test done. This is just a precaution to see if the malaria is just lying dormant in my system or if it is really gone. I went to the Dr's almost two weeks ago and spoke with my doctor. She was so disappointed to hear that I got malaria. She almost seemed to take personal responsibility. I told her that everyone got it despite their malaria meds they were taking. She still wasn't happy.

She had to send me to a different lab that does phlebotomy (takes blood) and cool tests like malaria smears. She asked me to start on the quinine until we heard. Now I'm usually the first person to do everything the doctor tells me to do. I go to every appointment and take every pill that is prescribed. I like to be a good patient. Quinine makes people very sick. It is almost like the chemo of malaria. It does a good job killing the parasite, but it makes the patient feel worse than the sickness itself. I made a face and said, "Really?" "Please do, as much as you can," she replied. I am not one to disobey a doctor, but I can't teach while vomiting - trust me, I've tried.

The lab took a while for me to get to since my schedule and their walk-in schedule never seemed to align. But on Thursday the 4th, I got my blood taken. She said that the results would take 2-3 days and my doctor said she would call as soon as she heard anything. The great news was that they were testing my liver as well as my red blood cells just to see if any little bugs were hiding and camping out.

So I waited...and waited...and then panicked. I felt sure that I had malaria again. I was feeling the same symptoms of fatigue, listlessness, and small aches in weird places. I realized that I was beginning teaching again and Julie got a Wii. I was tired and ached, but there were rational explanations. So I waited some more. Finally I called and asked several people about my results. They finally called and said they had been mailed to me on Monday and I should just be patient.

So I waited and checked the mail like a fanatic. I even spent 5 minutes staring at the postman while he tried to do his job and ignore the crazy woman standing next to her open mailbox waiting for it to be full. I tried to start small talk, but I don't think he got into this job to talk to crazy people...wait maybe he is crazy too...anyway. Side note: I was totally drooling over the organizing this guy gets to do everyday. I almost asked if I could help sort the mailers, but he didn't need any more ammunition against me - poor choice of words.

So I called again, every day and left messages asking them to call me back and to leave any results on my answering machine. They wouldn't. I finally got someone from medical records to look up my lab results. She was holding them in her hand (and assured me that they had been mailed on Wednesday). I asked if she could just read them over the phone. She put me on hold. When she returned she said, "I'm only allowed to read you the last line of the last page. 'All test results are within normal limits.' Does that make you happy?" She asked very sweetly. I think she realized the idiocy of the legal hoops she had to jump through and was trying to be as helpful as possible. "Yes, thanks," I replied. That was sort of true.

Normal levels of malaria is no malaria - right? What about my liver? I still wasn't satisfied and I'm pretty sure that the mailman was avoiding me so I thought I'd call again. I left a message saying, "I'd like to speak with my doctor about my malaria results," so that it seemed like I wasn't calling about the same thing. My doctor was out of town, so her sub called and left a message saying to call him back. I did and left him a message saying, "I would like to know the exact results from my malaria smear and liver test. Please leave me a message if I am unable to answer the phone."

The next day I received a message saying the my malaria smear was negative and my liver test was clear! Finally!! I still haven't received the supposed paper that was mailed to me, but I'm sure that they didn't get me mixed up with the other malaria patient they have (because I'm sure they don't have one). So now I'm healthy and I will remain that way until flu season.

How to comment!

I'm slow at many things. Apparently this is one of them. One of my friends recently wondered why she could comment on her sister's blog and not on mine without being a member of google. I had a sudden revelation that perhaps it was my fault in how I had left my settings (which is, of course, at the default setting). So I just edited my settings and now I can allow comments from anyone! So please feel free to leave me a comment. Thanks for reading and being patient. I only wish I had figured this out before Uganda - oh well.

Confessions...

I have two confessions to make on this blog and they both may be shocking to you. I don't know how you'll react, but I will brave it out so that the truth can be known: I loved the Twilight series and I love country music. I know, I can almost hear the gasps, "Twilight! Isn't that about a Vampire?" or "Country music! I thought you had better taste!" Well, no, I don't.
I had hesitations about reading Twilight, but a couple friends I know had read it and loved it. "It's not really about vampires..." they would say and man, were they right. I started the series on Tuesday of last week and finished all four books by Monday. That's pretty close to 2,400 pages of deliciousness. Yes, the main character is a vampire. Yes, the other main character wants to become a vampire because they are in love. Yes, it sounds horribly cheesy and wrong in so many ways. Yes, there's also a group of werewolves. Yes, it is teen fiction. And yes, I loved it.
So now I have another way to relate to the girls in my classes. I also find myself having pointless debates with my roommate about whether we like vampires or werewolves better. I will never look at Volvo's the same way again. And I will be in line to watch the movie as soon as it comes out.

Now to country music. I was in my car listening to one of the two country music presets on my stereo and I was trying to analyze why I love country music. There is one particular genre of country music that I enjoy the most: the storytelling song.
The storytelling song usually has a chorus that has double meanings throughout the song. A classic example is "Don't Take the Girl" which starts with a boy who doesn't want his dad to invite the neighbor girl to fish, then leads to the second verse in which the same, now dating couple is being mugged and he begs for her life, and finally ends with her nearly dying in childbirth and him begging God for her life. Can you see the cleverness?
I was listening to one in which a teenage couple was driving home from prom and they got into a fight. He pulled over and she got out of the car. He grabbed her arm and she said, "I'll walk". Which led to the chorus of her telling him she'll just walk, but don't worry it will be all right. I jokingly said, "Watch she'll get hit by a car and lose the ability to use her legs!" No joke, that's what happened. I laughed so hard at the ultimate cheese of her going through physical therapy and singing the "walk" chorus. Then it led to her wedding day to the same guy and she gets up from her wheelchair and takes her dad's arm and says, "I'll walk".
Instantly I found myself holding back the tears that were pricking at my eyes. Now that is the power of a country song. It is every level of predicability and cheese, but sometimes that's exactly what you want.
I hope that your opinion of me is in no way altered by these confessions. Please don't think less of me, just realize that I can find joy in the stupid things of life.

More about Africa

Well, many people are wondering what I really did while in Africa. Not that I'm some international spy with a secret agenda or something, it's just that I haven't been able to share a complete itinerary. So here's a little more about what I've done.

Days 1-3ish:
I traveled over 28 hours to get to Entebbe, drove to Kampala, drove to Mbale, and drove to Karamoja. This took a long time, but was an excellent way to get introduced to Africa. I was able to meet lots of Ugandans and missionaries. I went to a birthday party and helped some kids get ready for a costume party (I altered a dress to make a girl into Jane Austen). The drives were over some paved and mostly muddy roads.

Days 4-19: Life in Karamoja
Karamoja is a remote area of Uganda that even Ugandans don't visit. They are fearing the Karamajong because they were very violent with warring tribes. They have been disarmed over the past 3 years and are very friendly with those who don't have cows or don't want to steal their cows.

I spent each weekday doing math with the five Wright kids (missionary kids who just got back from a year in America) and helping the Wrights set up their math curriculum for the year. The kids were great to work with. Each one was unique in their math thinking and their need of me. They were very sweet to get started on school before summer was over.

I was also able to teach Bible lessons in neighboring villages. We used picture cards and translators (most people spoke Karamajong) to teach the lessons. Before and after the lessons we sang songs to the rhythm of the children clapping. They were great singers. After prayer, each kid got a vitamin. This was a great part of my experience. One time, the kids wanted to dance with me. We jumped in circles (it was actually much like dances here, but cleaner dancing) and while we jumped others clapped and sang.

One week, I was able to teach in the public schools with other people in my group. We had a curriculum on oceans. It started with a Bible lesson related to oceans and then I taught with Martha Wright on oceans. The kids had a very minimal understanding of geography and even less about the oceans. On our last day, we showed them a video on the ocean and that was amazing. Many had never seen a movie before.

Days 20-22: Touring
The missionaries I helped were generous and treated me to a mini-vacation on the Nile. We stayed in an amazing resort on Lake Victoria, took a tour of the Nile, shopped in Jinja, and drove to the mall in Kampala. It was so luxurious and I felt spoiled. The Nile tour was just like the Jungle Cruise. Sadly, no one was from CA so no one understood the reason for my giggles. But let's face it, that happens a lot to me.

I flew home (as I already wrote) and I was happy to see everyone again. I still feel like I could have stayed for two more weeks. I definitely want to go back. Don't panic about me leaving for good. I love CA so much, especially the people here. Leaving for good is just too hard to think about with the beautiful ocean breeze blowing in my face and my church family surrounding me at the beach party. I live a charmed life.

I am home! Alakara for your prayers.

I got home yesterday afternoon. I did the math and figured out that by the time I met up with my parents and brother at LAX, I had travelled for 28 hours and was awake for 40. My trip home was pleasantly uneventful and it did not feel as long as 28 hours should feel. This time around I was able to travel with the group of people who got to Karamoja before I did. This included some of the Bill Wright family (Bill, Jeremiah, and Annie), Isaac, Becky, and Gayle. It was so nice to have people around me who were as concerned about my safety and well being as I was about their's. On the second flight of the day, I had two seats all to myself! It was a total blessing. I even got to sleep with my feet up!
Let me just take a moment to thank you all for reading and praying for me. I'm sorry that I didn't get to blog every day. I really wanted to write every detail down so that you might know each little story that I've accumulated. I wrote an extensive journal that did just that, but I found that I write better on the computer than I do on paper - stylistically speaking.
This blog is by no means the last of the Unganda blogs, but it is a summary blog of things I've learned from this trip.

Things I've learned:

1) God love's me in the details. I've known that God loves me. I've known it as much as I've known anything. But as I learn more about my own sin, it becomes harder for me to feel that God likes me. I know that He has plans for me and I trust that, but does He sit from heaven and look at me and ever smile or desire to pat me on the head (metaphorically speaking) like my own father might? Well, this trip has helped me see that He does. I call them my love notes from God and there were lots of them. Strangers that spoke to me while traveling, speaking just the right things to make me feel safe or hopeful or cheered up. Beautiful scenes of nature that only I saw. Love from the local kids that filled me with that joy that I get when I teach. Little bits of home that would bring me peace at just the right time. Every prayer I prayed in fear, every petition I made in urgency - God answered with a resounding "YES!" God protected me and made me comfortable during my whole stay - even with malaria.

2) Kids are kids everywhere. While working in the schools I met lots of kids who have difficult lives. They work hard doing physical labor, many are undernourished, they live with the fear of sickness and death, and they are at a level of poverty that I don't think I've ever seen before anywhere. Yet when I got out my camera to take pictures, the boys would show me their strong man poses and make silly faces. The girls would smile and giggle and stand with their friends. The kids played and sang songs and danced (I learned that I dance much better in Africa than I do in America), they got frustrated with their teachers, whispered during class, doodled, some were eager to answer questions and some wanted to blend into the shadows. Man, do I love kids.

3) I love warm water. I don't think there needs to be any explanation except that I nearly cried with joy at my warm shower I took back home.

4) Africa is a beautiful and diverse place. It is not as scary as it may seem and there are so many friendly people. The natural beauty is much greener than I expected and the animal life I saw was much more normal than I expected. In the bigger cities there are many people from all over Africa, India, and the middle East.

5) I love laws and regulations. Rousseau wrote, "Man is born free and is everywhere in chains." I say, "Yes, and I'm so glad." In Unganda and particularly Karamoja, there are laws and some of them are enforced. Yet there are lots of freedoms. I rode on the back of a truck up a winding dirt road - and had a blast. You can build any building out of any materials for whatever purpose. Anyone can come into the schools and teach. You can show up to school or not - even if you're the teacher. Sonogram techs can start IV's in the hospital or even do medical treatment. You can buy drugs at the pharmacy without a prescription.
Some of these freedoms are fine if the people you're with are trustworthy, but it is easy to see what happens to the society because of these freedoms. I really appreciate how safe and clean America is.

6) I am rich beyond belief. I've always felt that I am wealthy. I'm not just talking in the fluffy-It's-a-wonderful-life-I-am-rich-with-friends kind of way. I've always been so thankful that I have a paycheck and a nice house, and I can buy pretty much whatever I want whenever I want or fly on trips each year. I am amazed at my own wealth even though it may not compare to many in America. When I went into my giant bathroom this morning and I looked at my tile and my toothbrush and all my stuff, I wondered what the Karamajong would think of my house and I realized that to them I live in ultimate luxery. And I do.

7) I know how to teach. Even with a translator, teaching and connecting with people in that way was the most fun I had the whole trip. I was born to be a teacher.

8) I have great family and friends. I knew this before I left, but having a forced disconnect from them really made me feel the need I have for them and them specifically, not just friends in general. There were lots of nice people there whom I bonded with and who are now a part of my circle of friends, but they did not fill those holes in my heart for my friends and family here.

9) Malaria's not that bad if you treat it. I had one bad night and that was it. I feel totally fine and when people kept asking how I felt I kept wondering why. I forgot that I had malaria. I think that it's gone now, but I'm going to still take my medication for a couple more days. The time I had the flu this year and went to the doctors was so much worse than malaria that I would rather have malaria than the flu. Really.

10) Kids grow fast. When I saw Natalie yesterday, I cried. She turned into a toddler while I was away. Michael is now a tall boy, and Karis - well, I knew she'd be different, but she was sooo much bigger. That made me feel like I'd been gone a long time. Their hugs and love and periodic kisses during our evening together made me feel like I was truly back home.

Well, I'm off to condense my 12 gigs of photos into something digestable for the rest of the world. My mom is willing to help me in this and I'm sure it will take us a couple days. Keep reading updates as I tell more stories. Thanks for reading and supporting me in this. It was a great experience and there wasn't one moment that I regretted.

My African Hitchhiker

As some of you may have heard, I have Malaria. Funny, but I am about to quote what many of my friends who've had malaria have said, "It's not that bad."
I was feeling a bit off on Friday (the most common complaint of early onset) so I went to the clinic to 'get poked'. Elizabeth (an amazing Kenyan who works there) did the job and as I waited for her to look at my slide, I wandered around the clinic with my friend, Gayle (a Dr. from America). I finally made the loop back and saw Elizabeth in the lab. I felt a little foolish about getting tested because I felt so good. She looked up as I came to the window and asked, "I'm negative right?" And she shook her head no.
I choked back a few tears and asked the next question that should come to any Dempsey's mind, "Can I see it?" She described to me what the malaria parasite looked like and I looked at my blood cells in the microscope. Sure enough, there was a half circled parasite hiding in my red blood cell. A mild case is a count of 1-2 and mine was of 2-3.
I went back to work and felt ok, but decided to rest after lunch and my first dose of Artenam. I had a rough night with little sleep, lots of aches, and strange dreams - I mean stranger than my normal dreams. So strange that they cannot even be explained. I was able to talk to my parents, Julie, and my brother Dann (he called when I started feeling really bad) and they were all encouraging. I was able to listen to my ipod and actually get some sleep.
I felt a little off yesterday, but only needed naps. Today, I feel just right. God chose not to keep this parasite from me, but He certainly chose to give me grace during my sickness. I didn't throw up (my least favorite symptom) and I feel great now. Someone in our group suggested that maybe I felt okay during the whole thing because if you start so high energy when it knocks you down to normal level, no one can tell. That was sweet - and probably true.
For the first time, I didn't work with all of the Wright children in one day, but we made up for lost time.
I leave tomorrow for Jinja, the source of the Nile. We will spend one night there and then drive to Kampala. We will spend one more night there and then fly out of Entebbe Wednesday night. I will hopefully arrive home on Thursday. My parents want to have some people over to their house on Thursday night, so if you're in the area and in the mood to see a million pictures of Africa, come on by.
Please keep me in your prayers, I can absolutely feel them. I feel like in my small time here I have been effective and I'm so glad for this time. I'll blog more details when I have more time and more depedable internet.

A day in the life

I am so pleased when I am able to get internet! This is my second attempt of the day and I am thrilled to finally write the blog that I wrote in my head all day. So, the long awaited (at least by me) A Day in the Life:

What is my life like here in Karamoja, you may ask. It is very fine (as the Karamajong may say). Each day is a little different, but here is a basic summary of what I'm doing here:

5:30 - 7:30 am:
I slowly wake up to the sounds of Africa. The birds here really do tweet differently. There are several birds of radiant colors who sleep in the trees outside my window. I also sometimes hear the crowing of the roosters. The least enjoyable morning sound is the horrible whimper of the guard dogs. The compound has guards and dogs who watch over us in the night. They are a useful and important part of life here, but the dogs can be a drag. All throughout the evening and morning the dogs will harmonically and loudly whimper for miles around. This howl can loosely be compared to that of the ROUS' from the Princess Bride as Westley kills them. Imagine this but in six different atonal chords. This is my wake-up call. I try to lay in bed for as long as possible and usually actually get up at 7:30.

7:30 - 8:00 am:
I have breakfast in the main house of the compound sometimes we share breakfast or make bits of things for eachother. There is also a morning devotion led by one of the boys who is stayining here. That has been a nice way to start the day. My mornings are very relaxed.

8:00 - 10:00am:
I go the Wright's house (about 1/8th of a mile walk) and we have a morning prayer time in English and Karamajong. I am learning a few words as we read together from the New Testament in Karamajong. It is kind of similar to Vietnamese in its ng sounds and its tonality.
I then begin teaching math. I usually work with Bobby one on one while the others get their notebooks from the day before and find the homework I graded and the new assignment for the day. I also work with Rachel on her Pre-Calc (she's a smartie). We read through the section together and I show her some key points or tricks and she does her work idependently throughout the day.

9:30 -noon: I know the time doesn't match, but this week we are doing something special. We are teaching at the local public school every day this week. The school is a short walk from our house. We have a class ranging in ages from infants to 16 or so. The infants are watched and cared for by their older sisters so if they want to come to school, the younger ones must come too. They have four grades and you must pass in order to be moved on so that is why some are old and in p4 (the highest grade). We first teach a Bible lesson related to the theme of oceans and then we teach a science lesson. We have packets for each student that are stored in an idividual plastic bag with pens and crayons (colors, as they say). We collect these each day, but on the last day they may keep them. For one girl, this was her first time holding a crayon so we had to teach her how to even trace. She was about 10. I think I scared her at first, but by the end she was tracing and filling in with colors.
Some of the students are very smart. They know some English and can respond to questions in English. I hate to admit it, but some are already my favorites. Most of the students don't understand English even though all school work is in English. It's not the best of immersion techniques I've seen. We have an amazing translator who also translates the sermons. His name is LoKue Paul.
We sing songs and color and talk about the oceans and its creatures. We hope to show a movie about the oceans by the end of the week. That is going to blow their minds. They all scream with joy at my camera so I can't imagine what they'll think of a movie!

noon - 1:30 : Lunch of beans and rice and cabbage. I am not too tired of this meal, but the carb overload is really draining my strength. I'm glad I brought my big bag of snacks (thanks, Julie). Lunch is a really nice part of the day. Everyone comes to the main house and sits and talks and we just relax for so long. African life is my kind of laid back.

the rest of the afternoon: Each day is different. Sometimes I go the Wrights and grade math. Sometimes I go the a Bible study in a village. Sometimes I visit other people in nearby places. Sometimes I meet with kids who live in the compound. When I'm really feeling daring, I'll check to see if I can check my email. Yesterday I visited a woman who had just had a baby. We walked to her village for minutes. When we arrived, we ducked under the main gate which is a doorway made from thorny bushes. We must greet every kid we see with an, "Ejoc!" and shake hands. We walked under several more doorways that get progressively shorter until we entered the right circle of huts that belong to her family unit. We then all (there were 8 of us) entered her hut and looked at her baby. She let us hold him (so precious) and then her sister offered us a special drink that closely resembles beer with boiling water added in. As tastey as that sounds, I had made a promise to my family that I would not eat local food or water. I held the baby during this communal passing of the bowl. The mother really wanted me to try some, but the people in my group were able to make my excuses. I'm a little sad that I missed out on the experience, but I don't want a parasite...
We had to wait out the afternoon rainstorm and then we walked home in the mud. I love my shoes!

Evening: Most evenings the visitors (that includes me) make dinner together. My roommate here (Dr. Gayle) and I have been doing the cooking mostly and with lots of help from the others. Gayle is very good at deciding what to eat and how to cook it. The others are eager helpers with great advice. Together we've been able to make some tasty treats. After dinner I usually take my shower (sometimes I do before dinner).
The showers are soooo cold and when you've had a long day in the mud and huts, it feels divine! I don't feel like I ever really get clean, but that shower is close.
Many of us sit together and each read or write. Some of the high schoolers here play guitar and that makes wonderful background noise. My parents also often call during this time and when that phone rings we all run to see who it is.
Before bed I spray myself down with bug spray and then read in bed with my headlamp (thanks, Uncle Dave!) I try to ignore the scarier sounds and only hear the pleasant ones. By scarier sounds I mean that I imagine all of the metal that's clanking to be dangerous things when they are actually sounds of our people shutting their doors or the guards walking to the gates. By pleasant ones I mean the different frogs, crickets and other tones of insects that really is quite soothing.
I am very happily surprised at how comfortable I am here. I do miss home and all of my loved ones there (and ice cream), but I'm not so sad that I cry every day or even feel a dread about being here. Did that just disappoint some of you? Sorry. I do wish the internet was more reliable. This is a beautiful place with friendly people. There are many things I feel that I can do here and I'm so pleased with the work I've been able to do. Please keep praying for me and for those that are missing me.

FAQ from Uganda

It's been a while since I've been able to get on the internet, so here are some FAQ's that have come up.
1) How can you have an FAQ page when you've spoken to no one in America in a week?
A: Well, I have a great imagination and can pretend what people would ask. Plus, I've spoken to my parents three times on the phone.

2) Q: How have you communicated with your parents?
A: Someone loaned us an international cell phone and we are able to receive calls on it. My parents have the number, if you want to call.

3) Q: How are the bugs?
A: There are very few bugs here. I've seen bees, flies, ants, wasps, mosquitos, centepedes, ticks, and a preying mantus. They don't cover our feet or hide in our shoes. It's actually pretty nice.

4) Q: What's the weather like?
A: It's a little more humid than Southern CA, but the heat is similar to home. We do have a rain storm almost every day, in fact there's one happening right now. It comes, pours, and leaves. I love the rain here.

5) Q: Do you have indoor plumbing?
A: Yes! We have an indoor shower, toilet, and sink. The water comes from a well and is purified, so it's drinkable. The accomodations are actually very comfortable.

6) Q: What do you eat?
A: For breakfast I've been eating cereal and sometimes homemade bread. For lunch we have beans, rice and cabbage - every day! For dinner we are sometimes asked over to some missionaries homes, sometimes we (the other visitors and I) make dinner together. There is a kitchen with a gas stove that runs on propane. I've learned to make bread and variations of other recipies. There are many good cooks here.

7) Q: Where are you staying and who else is there?
A: The compound is composed of 4 or so buildings. There are currently 3 missionary families on the compound and each has their own house on the compound. All are an easy walk from each other. The other people here who are visiting are a family called the Wrights (not the missionary family, but an unrelated group of Wrights), a kid named Isaac, a girl named Eden (who will be teaching this school year), a student named Becky (who is researching the effect of the clinic on the Karamajong), and a Dr. named Gayle (who is also my roommate). Five others just left today. I will miss them, especially my dear Goodheart girls from CA. I'll see them soon though.

8) Q: How's teaching going?
A: Very well. It was hard at first to convince the missionary kids (MK) that they had to end their math summer early and work with me. They were very patient and now we are in the swing. I give each kid an assignment every day, grade it, and then review the next day with them individually. There are five kids I'm working with in 4 subjects. I'm really enjoying them. I feel like I'm actually being usful.

9) Q: Is it scary where you are?
A: NO! The people were disarmed a few years ago and the government has been very effective. The people are so friendly. My camera has been an amazing tool of friendship. They love to look at the pictures I take of them and their friends. That has been a joy.

10) Q: Do you have malaria?
A: Not yet, but I think I probably will get it at some point. It seems that this is a bad malaria year and especially for people taking the anti-malaria meds I'm taking. The good news is that most people have not had it very bad, just like a mild case of the flu. I'm trying to be careful, but there's not much you can do about it.

11) Q: Have you been able to go to the local schools?
A: I've visited two villages and one school. The children are pretty great. I was able to tell one story with a translator and that was fun. Once we were invited to dance with the kids. I jumped and they laughed at my Mzungu (white girl) ways. Next week I will be able to teach in the local school about the ocean, something these kids have never seen. That is absolutely amazing to me. I know that I am blessed, but to have the richness of fullness of my life contrasted with the poverty and smallness of their lives is still shocking.

12) Q: What language do they speak there?
A: The national language of Uganda is English, but it is spoken with a great accent that makes it hard for us to understand each other. Everyone speaks so precisely and clearly - no contractions at all. I will find myself talking like this much after I am gone from this very place (that was an example of the syntax that people use too). In the region I am in, they speak Karamajong. It is a difficult language in someways, but I am slowly learning. People are able to understand my hello and thank you much more now.

13) Q:Are you homesick?
A: I was very homesick on Sunday. I missed my family and was unable to talk to anyone in any way. Not having consistant internet is hard. I miss talking to my family with ease and telling Julie about the day to day nothings of life. And yet, I am blessed to not be miserable. This place is very comfortable and the people are so kind.

I will try to keep posting as much as I can so keep reading. Thanks for your prayers, God has been so gracious and protecting. This is a wonderful experience.

Ejoc from Karamoja!

I have arrived and all is well! Thanks for all of your prayers in my travel. Things have been goin very well. Our internet option is limited. There is one computer in one house on the compound and it is slow and touchy. I will try to post as often as I can, but be patient with them.

First of all, let me say, Uganda is now tied with Switzerland for the prettiest place in the world. It is so unbelievably green here. I am amazed at the agriculture that grows here including, bananas, sugar cane, rice, papyrus, sorgum, and tea. There is also great coffee here (so I hear). The compound where we are staying is kind of in the less fertile place of Uganda. EVERYONE I talked to said the same thing when I told them I was going to Karamoja, "Why are you going there? I do not wish to tell you, that is bad place - not as beautiful as..." and then they would fill in their hometown. Most people think Karamoja is a rotten place, but so far I love it! The people I've met have all been very friendly - Muzungu or otherwise.
Muzungu is what they call white people and we are a novelty. Wherever we go people shout and wave and run, "Muzungu!" I waved back for the first two hours of driving, but slowed down a little after that.
I arrived on Wednesday night and met the Eldeens, a missionary couple. They introduced me to the Proctors and the Proctors' new teacher, Laurie. I ended up staying in a great hotel called the ARA on the American Embassy grounds. I had fresh fruit for breakfast and it was pretty great. We shopped in Kampala (the capital city a few miles out of Entebbe) and I went to several grocery stores. The first was very rustic, but the second two were not too far off from Western ones. We went to a butcher shop run by a Belgian and then we were off to Mbale.
We drove about 4 hours through a rain forest, accross the Nile river (yep, little ole me on the Nile!), and then through many villiages. I spent that evening with an Indian family who was celebrating the wife's birthday. We had great Indian food.
I slept at the Proctor's house and met all of their great kids: Lydia, Naomi, Hannah, and John Knox. They were pretty cool. I also met their housekeeper's daughter, Naomi. Such fun. The next day I drove about 2.5 hours to Nakaale which is my villiage in Karamoja. I was greeted by the Goodhearts (my friends from San Diego) and I got a little homesick.
The Wrights had me over to their house for dinner and then we spent the evening on their deck watching the stars, fireflies, and lightning that flashes from cloud to cloud. I then went to the Main House to sleep in a room called the bookcase. It's called the bookcase because it's not really a room, it's just a space behind the bookcases in the livingroom. I have a mosquito net around mine. I was having a litte trouble sleeping so I took a Benedryl last night. Anyone with the priveledge of seeing me on Benedryl can attest that I was having a great night!
I spent the morning painting a ceiling, had beans and rice for lunch (like I will have every day), and then went to a devotion at the Wright's house.
I will type more later when I can. I'm having a great time. I love you all and I miss you.

Grussen Sie von Amsterdam

Ok, so that was German and not Dutch, but they'd understand what I meant. I am currently in the very large Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight to Entebbe. There are cool computer ports in my terminal which I am using for the cool price of 3 euros for 15 minutes (that's about $6). Things are going very well.
I was able to leave out of LAX before the earthquake and I landed safely in Detroit. The transfer from Detroit was very easy. That airport is the prettiest one I've ever seen. It was one long concourse with a monorail train to take you from one end to the other (I walked to the end of the concourse just so that I could ride :) ) There was also a beautiful fountain that shot water in crisp streams. Very cool. I had lunch and wandered around.
On my flight from LA I met Frank, an ex-professor turned lawyer and author who was a talker. I also met Alex, a man flying to Uganda on my same flight. He is from Uganda and was in the military since he was 11. He got permission from the president (he knows him) to leave the military and come to America for business school. He's now trying to build a business in Uganda. Cool, right?
From Detroit to here I met a wonderful couple from Norway (yeah, Gundersons!) who were also Christians. They were very nice to talk to and very supportive.
I tell you, I could feel the prayers of everyone. Thank you for them and keep them coming. God has really blessed this trip so far and I cannot wait to be in Africa. Only 9 more hours to go!

Ugandan clock and my itinerary

Want to know what time it is where I will be? Here's a clock that's on Ugandan time. They are 10 hours ahead of LA. It can also tell you the weather conditions of the area. Kampala is a big city sort of close to where I'll be (like from LA to Santa Barbara kind of close).

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=115

It's getting late on Sunday night and I'm feeling pretty good right now. I've made several lists of things that I need to do and things that I have done. I've sprayed all of my clothes and packed them. I've picked out my traveling outfits. I'm still packing my carry-on and trying to find the most economical way to pack things. I made my official itinerary today and I thought I'd share so that you know where I am during my travels.

Into Africa: Brenda’s trip to Uganda

July 29, 2008
8:30 am : depart LAX on flight NW332
4:03 local time (1:03 PST): arrive at Detroit-Wayne county Int’l, MI (DTW)
7:00pm local: depart DTW on flight NW36

Wednesday July 30
9:05am local (midnight): arrive in Amsterdam-Schiphol (AMS)
11:10 am local: depart AMS on flight NW8441/KL 561 on KLM airlines
8:15pm local (10:15 am at home): arrive in Entebbe (EBB)
8:16 : meet up with the Eldeens, drive to some hotel and sleep.

Thursday July 31
Drive to Mbale and meet the Proctors. Sleep.

Friday, August 1
Drive to Nakaale, Uganda. Hug the Goodhearts, meet the other Wrights.

Saturday, August 2 – Tuesday, August 19: Teach and hang out in Karamoja

Wednesday, August 20
10:20 pm: depart EBB on flight: NW 8470/KL562

Thursday, August 21 (the world’s longest day)
5:50 am local: arrive AMS
8:00am local: depart AMS on flight NW39
10:35 am local: arrive DTW
12:00 N: depart DTW on flight NW327
1:51pm: arrive LAX, hug and cry and start showing pictures to my family.

Contact Info:

My website: http://missdempsey.blogspot.com
My email: bdempsey79@hotmail.com


Wow, that's a lot of flying. Oh, that reminds me...I need to add neck pillow to my 'extras' list. Please pray for my days of traveling. Pray that my flights would be safe, that the details of paperwork and customs and changing planes would run smoothly. Pray that I might get some sleep on the plane. Pray that I will meet up with the Eldeens quickly and easily in Entebbe. I've never met them before, but I'm assumming they'll be the only white people there to pick up the only white girl on the plane. It should be easy.

Final prepping and things I'll miss

I am leaving on Tuesday! For Uganda! I'm really having mixed emotions about the whole thing. I'm glad that I'm going, but I've been so focused on the getting ready to go that I haven't allowed myself to think about being there. I'm not just getting on a plane, I'm actually going to Africa. This year I've checked off several things on my life goals list including: learn how a trumpet works, go to New York, go to Carnegie hall, go to a Broadway play, see a student go from failing to succeeding, get a drastically different haircut, and now I can check off GO TO AFRICA!!
I went to REI the other day to get this stuff called Jungle Juice. Apparantly it's this chemical that is so strong that when bugs land on it, they die! I have to wear gloves as I spray it on my clothes. Once it dries it won't be dangerous for me, but malaria carrying mosquitos beware. What I loved the most about this trip was the awesome service I received at REI. When I was wandering around looking for jungle juice, a man came up and asked if I needed help. He knew exactly what kind of stuff I would need for Uganda and had some great suggestions about what would be good for my face and my clothes, as far as bug protection goes.
Nance over in shoes was also great. "Where are you going?" She asked. "Uganda," I replied and unphased she went on to say, "Ok, here are the shoes that are popular in Africa. These are great for walking on land and through streams." What? She knew what would work best for Africa! I don't care if she was just making it up, because I now own a great pair of hiking shoes that actually fit my arches and look like Mary Janes.
I'm now sitting at home after Danny and Katybeth's wedding watching "Father of the Bride" and waiting for my sprayed clothes to dry while I pack. I don't do very well by myself when I'm potentially maudlin. I cried today when I said goodbye to Pam. I won't see her for a month. I'm going to miss my family and my friends so much. I'm going to miss my church family. I'm going to miss ice cream and string cheese. I'm really going to miss my couch. I'm going to miss project runway. I'm going to miss warm showers.
BUT, I get to go to Africa. I get to help kids gain math skills. I get to apply teaching strategies I've learned to kids who've never gone to school. I get to teach them how to play SET - the best game in the world. I get to talk with Martha Wright and hang out with her family. I get to see the sun set in Africa. I'll see animals, creatures, smell smells and hear sounds that I've never heard before. I'll see the Nile. This will be great and I'll love it. Please pray for me for the next few days as I deal with leaving. I've already cried three times today and I'm sure more tears will come, but I'll be doing great in a few days - when I'm in AFRICA!

Eleven

That's the number of misquito bites I currently have and I'm not even in Uganda. I'm writing this from Chinook, MT in Laura's kitchen. We've traveled almost 1,500 miles to hang out with Laura and her family and we're having a great time. We've been driving almost non-stop and some of the kids are doing great. Natalie (the youngest) is the only child I know who hates the car from the beginning. She screams. I'm traveling in the other vehicle ...he he. We've gone to Glacier National Park and seen the Kellam Ranch here in Chinook. I am in awe.
I've always thought of myself as a girl who could be both the city and country girl. I'm not afraid of dirt or animals (except the ones you should be afraid of). I don't mind working hard or being outside. This week I've discovered that living in the country would be harder than I would think. I do love the idea of knowing your neighbors and small town community. I love the houses and the house prices (Laura paid 1/5 of what I did for twice the square footage and a yard). I love being so close to the beauty of nature. I even love the simplicity and mellowness.
I was overwhelmed by the vastness of the space. It's truly "Big Sky" country here. Two days ago we saw the Kellam Ranch and I looked at all of the space and the grass and the cows and the hay and I thought, "I'd never know where to begin."
Yesterday we drove from Glacier to Chinook, which takes about 6 hours. Most of that was just nature and a two lane road called "the 2" (4 for the 2). I almost got a clausterphobic feel from all of the openness. I was actually longing for some enclosed city scape. How strange. But then it started raining and I saw a full rainbow - from beginning to end a complete arc. It was so beautiful. Then it doubled. After that, the full moon rose over the Bear Paw mountain range and glowed a bright orange against the deep blue sky. The sun was setting on the opposite horizon and purple and orange traced the cumulus clouds. I think I've said the word 'beautiful' more times in that day than any other day of my life.
I think it's like how I view God sometimes. At times I think that I know God and I love to be in His presence. I get pretty comfortable with Him and I forget just how big He is. But when I'm surrounded by something that reminds me of His vastness, His Glory, His power - I get a proper sense of dread. I think it's what I should feel when I think of the fear of God. But it's also bookended by an amazing picture of His grace, His love, His creativity. It's His greatness and dreadfulness that make the amazing things of beauty possible.
Well, tomorrow we're off to Yellowstone. This also means that I will be leaving Laura behind. I miss having her around, just a phone call and a quick drive away. I miss sitting on her red couch and watching stupid movies together. But I see more and more each time I visit here, why she had to come home and why she will never move back. This is where she belongs and I'm glad to have such a beautiful place that this city girl can visit so she can remember her country girl roots.

Visa and medicine

It's getting closer and closer to the date I actually leave for Uganda. I'm still in a state of disbelief about even going to Africa. It's kind of like when I was a kid and I designed my own house using shoe boxes and I picked all of the furniture out of the IKEA catalogue and made a budget for the cost of furnishing each room (yep, even then I was a dork). I did all of this planning and I enjoyed it, but I never expected to actually furnish the house. I was just planning.
So I've spent all of the money and I've filled out all of this paperwork and I've made phone calls and such, but my heart doesn't believe that I'm really going. I am certainly not emotionally prepared to go yet.

But I keep trekking on. So this week, Tuesday, I (with the wonderful help of my parents) filled out the application for my Visa to go to Uganda. I was particularly careful about each detail of the application and I made copies of all of my paperwork I had to send in (including my passport and yellow fever card).

Included in the package I sent I had to have two passport photos. I went to Kinkos and had the guy take my picture. I was without make-up and particularly feeling ugly. I had this flash to my mother's green card picture in which she was unable to smile and looked very much like a criminal. I thought that I couldn't smile for this one either. So I didn't and I looked like a criminal. An ugly one at that. After the pictures were printed, I looked at my passport picture and saw my big smile. What a dork! Of course I can smile for this. Why not! So I sent two of the ugliest pictures of me to the Ugandan consulate, hoping that they wouldn't be permanently added to any documentation I might need.

$100 later, I was forced to simply trust the USPS and the Ugandan consulate to not lose my passport and to return everything before the end of July.

I was then off to get my prescription filled for my anti-malaria pills that I chose to get. Previously I mentioned why I chose this particular brand of drugs - they were expensive, but had the least amount of side effects. I turned in the paper to the Wallgreens guy and asked him to call me back to the counter when he discovered the cost of my pills.

Five minutes later, while perusing some wonderful birthday cards, I was called over to the counter. "Your insurance doesn't cover this," He said, flinching. "It's rather expensive," he continued.

"Yes, I know. How much?"

"$246..." he looked like I was about to hit him or cry or pass out in shock.

"I suspected. Ok."

"You still want us to fill it?"

"Yep."

I was reminded of the time I was buying my house and you're dealing with numbers like $350,000 and $70,000 and someone says the price of the inspection is $100 and it instantly feels like the cheapest thing in the world. I'm in a similar state of mind. So my prescription is filled and all I have to do is wait for my visa...ding dong...(my impersonation of the door bell). At the door today was my package from the Ugandan consulate containing my passport with my yellow fever paper stapled inside and a beautiful Visa sticker on page 17! I have a VISA!!! I cannot believe the turnaround. I mailed it on Tuesday and it arrived on Wednesday in DC. Friday was a holiday and it arrived today in CA! Amazing! I will have to take back my distrust of the USPS. All that's left to do is pack.