Winter Quarter Highlights

Wow!  Again, I have waited much too long to update you all on what I’ve been up to!  Here are five highlights, not completely in chronological order, but close.

  

            1.  Rose Parade and Bowl:  For those of you who don’t know, my apartment is one block from Colorado Blvd., which is the Rose Parade route.   The streets surrounding my building were blocked off more than 24hrs. before the parade and people started camping for their spot around that same time.  On the corner closest to my apartment they set up a large bleacher section, which was for reserved seating only, but we were lucky to find spots standing in front of them.  The parade was long and it was in the upper 80s that morning (which was crazy for January 2^nd!).  It reminded me a lot of the Portland Rose Parade, but was longer and had slightly more elaborate floats.  

Following the parade, Christina and I hosted a brunch for any of our friends that wanted to stop by afterward. At least 20 people stopped by for egg and veggie scrambles, pancakes, fruit, bacon and sausage, and all kinds of other kinds of delicious breakfast food that our friends brought.  When the brunch quieted down, we did a quick clean up and then a few friends joined me to root for the Ducks at a pub a few blocks away (I don’t have cable or TV, which was fine because we were able to see it on the big screen).  What a fun day!

Sporting my Duck gear at the Rose Parade.

One of my favorite floats.

Michael, Eric, Cynthia, me, Marianne, and Blane cheering for the Ducks!

      2.  Visitors!  During Winter quarter I was blessed with so many friends coming to visit.  My friend Diana (from Willamette) and her boyfriend Aaron stopped by during their trip to California in early January.  I took them hiking, on a tour of campus, and on a short tour of Pasadena.  It was also fun for Diana to meet up with a friend of hers from high school, who also goes to Fuller, who was able to join us for the hike.

A few weeks later, Mike came to visit (from Salem), he was able to see a hockey game in LA, we went exploring in Hollywood (the walk of stars, Grauman’s Chinese Theater where the hand prints and shoe prints are, and we drove up Mulholland Drive to see the Hollywood sign), I gave him a tour of Pasadena and campus, and we spent a day at Disneyland.  We found out a few days later that they were investigating near the Hollywood sign because body parts were found by some ladies walking their dogs just a couple of days before we were there.  Thankfully I didn’t know about that until afterward…creepy!   Christina, her boyfriend Jared, Mike and I had some laughs watching Ground Hog Day a little early.  If you’ve never seen it, you must!

About a week after my birthday Joanie flew down to visit for a few days.  The day that she arrived, I hosted a belated birthday party for myself, which allowed Joanie to meet all of my friends down here and for them to meet her.  It was a great way to celebrate!  I was able to do more exploring with Joanie.  We went to Little Tokyo with Eric and Michael (friends that I know from Fuller) in Downtown LA and had Japanese ramen, we explored Pasadena a little, and spent two days at Disneyland one of which happened to be Valentine’s Day.  We were expecting Disneyland to be decked out in Valentine’s decorations, but were surprised that they only added a few hearts to their flower beds and pots.  Michael joined us at Disneyland one day.  Joanie also went to class with me, which she enjoyed but three hours was a little long for her.

Me and Diana at Eaton Canyon Waterfall

Me and Mike at the Hollywood sign

Gregory Peck

Denise, Ryan Naomi, Eric, Cynthia, Sarah, Michael, Jeanine, Christina, me, Joanie, and Andrea

Michael, me, and Joanie on the Winnie the Pooh ride

Me, Eric, and Joanie in front of a mural in Little Tokyo

Mike and me on the Peter Pan ride (for some reason I can't get this one back in order, so you'll have to imagine it's somewhere in the middle of all of these pictures)

      3.   I decided to take three classes during Winter quarter, rather than four like I did in the fall.  This ended up being a great idea because they were all required classes and the work load ended up being similar to that of the previous quarter.  I took Spiritual Traditions and Practices, Doing Theology in a Global Context, and Church and Mission in a Global Context.  I have to say that there was some overlap, but overall it was a great quarter.  For my final papers I was able to research Toyohiko Kagawa (who has been called the Mother Teresa of Japan), do an analysis of Salem Alliance Church offering suggestions based on what I learned from the various church traditions (e.g. Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Pentecostalism, Evangelical, etc.), and contribute to a group paper on justification and sanctification – my part involved researching Gnosticism (a heresy in the 3^rd century).  Although it was a lot of work, I feel like I learned a lot!

      4. Mission Week:  Since the middle of fall, I served as a member of the Mission Week planning committee.  Fuller dedicated the last week in January – first week in February to exploring and engaging students in conversations about mission.  The theme of the week was “Your passions in God’s mission” based on Isaiah 61:1-4 which reads:

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion –

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantel of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

They shall build up the ancient ruins,

they shall raise up the former devastations,

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

The week was filled with lectures, workshops, discussions, and time for conversations about the things that we students from all three schools (Psychology, Theology and Intercultural Studies), faculty, and staff are passionate about (e.g. anti-human trafficking, church planting, counseling in the missions field, interfaith dialogue, self-care, etc.).  It was a really amazing week, but also very busy for me and the planning team!

       5. Spring Break:  Over spring break I was able to come home for a few days.   I got to visit my former co-workers at TIUA and catch up with them.  Joanie and I ate lunch at Kaneko Café with some of them.  I must admit it was strange not knowing any of the new students that arrived in February!  I had some time to hang out with Joanie, Shoki, Jenna, Mike, Rey (one of the Willamette student workers that I supervised last summer), and my family.  Unfortunately, I had one final still to finish.  In approximately 24hrs. I wrote 10-11 pages and read an entire book.  Needless to say, I was exhausted afterward!  I took naps when I could.  

My parents and I met my grandparents to celebrate my Grandma’s birthday on St. Patrick’s Day.  It was so nice to see them for a few hours!  We also celebrated my Dad’s birthday a few days later by heading up to Victoria Canada.  One of the highlights was taking my parents to a Vietnamese restaurant (which they had never tried before).  My Dad even used chopsticks, successfully, for half of his meal!  Taylor and Alia met us that weekend.

My last day of Spring Break was spent traveling.  I took a ferry boat from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA, then rode in a car from there to Portland Airport, met up with Mike for dinner, and then flew in to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, where Christina graciously picked me up.  I was in three states and two different countries in one day.  That’s the most traveling I’ve done in a while!

Mom likes buttons

In front of the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC

Dad got roped into helping with a street performance

Proof that he used chopsticks

Oh!  I forgot to mention that Andrea and I went to see Mat Kearney in LA!!  That was definitely a highlight!

Mat Kearney.  Great performance!

November and December 2011

It has been far too long since I have given an update, so I will do my best to give you some highlights from my November and December. 

Visitors from Salem

Early in November, my good friend Jenna and her mom, Julie, came down from Salem to visit me.  It seemed that they brought the rain with them.  I picked them up from the airport and we headed straight to Disneyland, but poured down rain while we were on our way.  We stopped in Monrovia for dinner, got soaked while walking to the restaurant, had a great dinner, but also experienced what happens in old California buildings when it rains…the roof leaks.  Water as dripping in from the ceiling, thankfully not on our food, but the workers and owner didn’t seem too concerned.  We thought that the weather might mean that Disneyland wouldn’t be too crowded, but to our surprise it didn’t seem to make a difference.  It was a little chilly the two days we spent there, but it didn’t rain on us.  We enjoyed the World of Color (show at California Adventure), went on rides at both parks and even enjoyed ice cream for dinner before heading back to Pasadena that Sunday evening.  We spent a couple of days in Pasadena.  Jenna and Julie were able to do some exploring by foot while I had class and Jenna and I spent Monday evening checking out a restaurant in Old Town Pasadena and explored campus and city hall.  It was so great to have visitors and to get to show them what my life is like down here.

Me, Jenna, Mickey, and Julie.

Ice cream for dinner in "the happiest place on earth."

At Pasadena City Hall

October in Pasadena

"Urine Trouble"

Let’s see where I left off, I started playing on a co-ed flag football team with other students from school.  My team is called, “Urine Trouble” and our team color is yellow.  We haven’t won a game yet, but we’re having fun.  In our game yesterday, we scored our first touchdown of the season, it took three games, but we finally got some points.  Playing football is a lot of fun!  I rediscovered that I am much better at defense than I am offense.  Although at one point yesterday, I was playing on the offensive line guarding a guy who had to have been 6’4” 250 lbs.  Good think contact is not allowed!  

Team Urine Trouble: Donny, Les, Chad, Jeff, Stephanie, Katharina, me, Terry, Paul, Naomi, Danielle, and Cara (photo from Sarah Keay)

 Eaton Canyon Waterfall & the Flat Tire

Two weeks ago, after the football game, I met up with my friend Sarah and Jeanine and went hiking to Eaton Canyon Waterfall.  It was a beautiful hike; we followed a path back and forth across the creek using stepping stones to cross.  The closer to the waterfall we got, the more lush it got.  I was surprised that it was Jeanine’s first time hiking, but she absolutely loved it!  I also couldn’t believe how many people were hiking!  I had no idea that there would be places to hike in Pasadena, and that they would be so popular. 

As we pulled out of the parking lot, a high school boy waved us down to tell us that we had a flat tire.  So, I pulled over to evaluate the situation.  I was on the phone with AAA, when a police man pulled over (in the parking lot) to see if we needed help.  He was going to put my spare tire on for us, but we found an air compressor in my car tool kit.  That gave us enough air to get to a gas station, so that we could get home.  The next morning, my tire was flat again, so I repeated the same process, minus the cop’s help.  I ended up spending five hours at Sears.  They fixed it once, but it didn’t work, so I went back later in the day and they deemed the tire “un-repairable” and had me get a new tire.  By the end of my time there, I was on a first name basis with the manager and a few other employees.  Too bad the Sears Auto waiting area was not conducive to studying.  The good news is I don’t have to worry about it anymore. 

Me, Jeanine, and Sarah along the trail (photo from Sarah)

Sarah, Jeanine, and me at the waterfall. (photo from Sarah)

 The Best Parts of my Busiest Week Yet

Week four was my busiest week yet.  I had two papers and a quiz, in addition to my usual assignments.  I made it through, barely.  My quiz was on Thursday of that week, so I spent all day on Wednesday preparing and felt ready for it.  When I got into class the professor asked us if any of us felt that we needed to feel God’s grace and goodness, so I raised my hand remembering that I had to read a whole book and write a paper on it later that day.  She led us in prayer and asked that we pray for those around us who raised their hands.  After prayer, she had us raise our hands again and gave us our quizzes first.  Then she got out a second stack of quizzes and passed those out to the other students.  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but when we were able to turn our quiz over, the question was crossed out and below it said something along the lines of, “You do not have to take this quiz.  Simply write your name on the top and you will receive 100%.”  I was shocked!  The more I thought about it, the more I was able to connect this act with the material that we were being quizzed on.  We had read about God’s giving and forgiving.  It was such a blessing in the midst of this crazy week!  When the quiz finished, we went on to look at the parable of the vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16).  There are some workers that start at the beginning of the day, and some that the owner brings to work right when the day ends.  The owner pays the late-comers first, and pays them all the same wage.  Those working from the beginning complain that how they were paid was not fair.  The lesson here with the quizzes was that sometimes what we believe, as Christians, offends people and also that salvation isn’t based on a fairness principle.  The whole thing gave me energy to get working on my paper after class.

Buster Bluth

After eating lunch on that same day, I walked over and said hi to some friends.  One of them pointed out Tony Hale, the actor who plays Buster Bluth on Arrested Development.  Apparently, he comes to campus on a fairly regular basis.  He walked into the library, which I headed to shortly after.  I ended up sitting across from him.  I was super excited!  I didn’t talk to him, since the library is a really quiet place and I assume he went there to get some work done quietly.  Maybe someday, we’ll become friends…if that happens, I hope he’s not too creeped out that I named two cats, which didn’t belong to me, after his character.  

Me and Buster II this summer.  The best cat that ever adopted me.

That next weekend wasn’t quite as busy.  I spent Saturday morning in a meeting for the SISGU Cabinet, a group of student leaders within my program.  I joined as a member of the Community Building Team.  I visited two churches with friends on Sunday, and went to a movie at the local $3 theater with my friend Priscilla. 

Searching for a Church Home

I have to say finding a new church home has been more challenging that I expected.  I have visited six churches that ranged from huge congregations to small, rocker style worship to traditional pipe organs, Baptist to Four Square, etc.  As of this morning, I think I may have found a church that I’d like to come back to.  It is called Epicenter Church.  It is here in Pasadena and a few of my friends from school go there.  I felt really welcomed (which was true for a few of the other churches too).  They have a pretty diverse congregation and an outreach ministry to international students studying at the local community colleges; it sounds like that ministry focuses on building relationships with the students.   They also had lunch together after the service, so I was able to meet up with my friends and also meet some others who go to church there.  I am excited to go back!

House Warming Party

On Friday, Christina and I hosted a housewarming/costume party.  She was Cinderella and I was a cat (inspired by Kaylee of course).  We had about 30 people come.  It was a great chance for me to meet more of Christina’s friends and for her to meet more of my friends.  From what I have heard, everyone enjoyed themselves and a lot of people made new friends, which was great!  A highlight from the evening, was when several of the guests spontaneously broke out into song.  They sang “Time of your life,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Don’t stop believing.’”  It was quite entertaining.  

 Well, I suppose that is all for now. 

Christina and me - Stephanie and Sarah (mimes) in the background.

The Trip Down & Getting Settled

My view from the car.  I think this is Mt. Shasta

I can’t believe how fast time has gone!  It has been over three weeks since my parents and I arrived in Pasadena.  It was a long drive; my car was packed full, with a space in the back seat with just big enough for me.  It was comical actually.  To my surprise there was not much to see on the way.  There were lots of cows, orchards and fields of fruits and veggies, but not much else.  We stopped in Stockton and barely found a place to stay because there was a water polo tournament and most hotels in the city were booked.  The following day we arrived in Pasadena in the afternoon.  We had just enough time to unload the car, go mattress shopping (buy one!), and spend several hours in IKEA getting a book shelf, desk, night stand and many other small necessities.

My bedroom - in the process of unpacking.

I spent my first week in town busy with orientation, getting settled (with the help of my parents), and at the end of the week we spent two days at Disneyland, which of course was wonderful.  Disneyland is one of my mom’s favorite places, so it was an absolute must on our list of things to do.  The first thing I did when we arrived was to buy my annual pass…that means that I can go to Disneyland once or twice a month if I’d like to.  So, if you’d like to go to Disneyland, let me know.  My parents headed back to Oregon after spending a week exploring the area and helping me get settled.

Me and Lego Woody in the Downtown Disney Lego store

Mom and Dad before the Toy Story Ride in California Adventure

My classes have been great so far.  I am taking four classes, Christian Ethics; Globalization, the Poor, and Christian Missions; Theology and the Media; and World Religions, Art and Symbol.  Apparently there are very few students who take more than three classes (since that is considered full time).  Everyone that I have talked to has told me that I am crazy, or asked if I am sure if I want to take four classes.  I am sticking with it for this term and will wait until I’ve finished this term before deciding how many classes to take in the winter.

I have been pleasantly surprised to have met a few people already who have connections to friends back home!  At the first social that kicked off orientation I met Sarah, who is from Tacoma and was friends with Joanie in middle school and went to church with Diana when they were growing up.  Then on the first day of class a girl came in and sat next to me.  We introduced ourselves and realized that I went to school at Willamette with her sister and worked with her little brother’s best friend this summer.  I had sent her a message over the summer to see if she had any suggestions for finding housing after Brad (her little brother’s best friend) told me that she attended Fuller and encouraged me to contact her.  Just yesterday I spent some time talking with a girl who is doing a group project with me who worked at Simpson University and remembers Jenna from when she was an undergraduate student.  Wow!  It is such a small world and also really nice to make those connections! 

Christina & Kaylee

I have also had some time to spend with my new roommate, Christina, and her cat, Kaylee.  Christina and I both enjoy watching movies (with our collections combined we probably have around 200 movies), so we have spent a few evenings enjoying movies together.  Christina is in her final term of her Marriage and Family Studies degree at Fuller.  She also loves Disney and has an annual pass, so I imagine that we will spend some time together in the happiest place on earth.  She has been so kind and welcoming and has been introducing me to her friends, which I greatly appreciate since I am still in the “new kid” phase.  We are slowly making our apartment home for both of us.  Last Friday we spent some time at IKEA (again) and bought our dining room table and chairs, along with some pictures for our living room.  We still have some settling to do, but we’re getting there.

Our living and dining room - pre-decorating

From our dining room looking into our kitchen and 1/2 bath

It took Kaylee a few days to warm up to me.  She spent several days hiding (most of the time) or running away from me when I bent down to pet her.  Now, however, I find her wanting to crawl up on my lap as I’m doing homework or relaxing on the couch more and more.  She is lying on my lap at this very moment.  In the three weeks that I have lived with her, she has taught me quite a few things.  

1. How to cat nap (she does it often and I have unintentionally joined her, on occasion, while doing reading assignments).
2. That a nudge with her head means to pet her.
3. Where the phrase “scaredy-cat” comes from (I sneezed and she ran as fast as she could down the stairs to get away from me).
4. That cats are indeed curious, which reminds me of the Harry Caray SNL skit (it is one of the best ever check it out  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gl4ERlmeg).  Kaylee’s latest obsession is the cracks between the couch cushions.  She has been doing this thing where she jumps onto the couch and plunges her head and front half of her body into the crack between the seat cushion and back cushion and she always wants to do this where I am sitting.  She likes to hide in dark small places, so I think this is why she is so interested in the cracks.
5. Etc.

Kaylee sitting on my lap while I am trying to type this blog post.

Weather

In addition to learning about cats, I am also learning about climate, weather, and how people react to it.  About a week and a half ago, Christina and I went to IKEA to buy a dining room table.  On our way out, I overheard a woman talking to her two small children.  (It had rained while we were in the store but was no longer raining when we got out.)  

“Do you smell that?”  She said to her kids.  I did smell something, wet dirty pavement.

“Yeah!”  They replied.  

“That’s the smell of rain.  Doesn’t it smell good?”  She asked.  The kids agreed.

I was slightly terrified!  “Good?”  It doesn’t smell good, nor does it smell like rain.  If only they could smell rain on green grass or trees.  Oh well, difference of opinion.  The funny thing is I have heard it a lot that people down here like the smell of rain.  I asked my friend Marianne (a friend from Willamette who happens to live in South Pasadena) about it.  She told me that it is true; it is a very common thing for people to like the smell of rain on pavement because it doesn’t rain very often here and when it does, that is the smell they associate it with.

Last Wednesday it rained all day, it wasn’t cold, but it did rain enough for me to wish I had my rain boots.  I saw several people wearing rain boots, which means I should have tried to squeeze mine in my car to bring them with me.  I also did not bring my umbrella, but don’t worry I have my trusty rain coat, which is something that not many people have here.  I was one of few people without an umbrella, the sign of a true Oregonian/North Westerner.  I think I might invest in a pair of Target rain boots for the next rainy day, so I don’t have to worry about taking my wet shoes off in the library in order to dry them and my wet socks out.  I thought no one would want to sit by me, but I was wrong.  Someone did and it didn’t seem to bother him that I had my shoes off.  Regardless of that, I think rain boots are a good idea.

Non-studying Fun

I have done a little exploring around Pasadena.  Marianne has helped with that.  One Sunday afternoon we walked down to Cal Tech (which is only three blocks from my apartment) and had a picnic on campus.  We saw turtles in a pond, which was really exciting.  I was shocked that they were just out there, no fence or anything, just dozens of turtles sunbathing around a pond.  We also went and walked the three mile loop that goes around the Rose Bowl and golf course, which is also used for parking during big games (It made me sad to think of a golf course being used for a parking lot…but I guess they do what they have to do). 

Cal Tech Turtles!

This past Saturday, I spent a few hours at a “Self Care Retreat” for SIS (School of Intercultural Studies) students.  Speakers led us through times of reflection, gave us pointers on taking care of ourselves in the midst of the busyness of school, the importance of building a community of support, etc.  It was a great time to take a break from studying and left me feeling refreshed.  The second year students brought food for a potluck for us and we all ate dinner together that night. 

Me and some of my new friends in the SIS - doing a crazy face.

The following day, I met a group of friends from school at the Rose Bowl Flea Market.  They set up booths all around the Rose Bowl.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  It reminded me of going to the Antique show at the Expo Center in Portland, only it was completely outside.  We spent a couple of hours there, but didn’t even get through half of it.  It was pretty overwhelming, but very cool.  I hope to go again.  It happens every second Sunday of the month, so if any of you would like to join me there, plan accordingly.

Rose Bowl, you can't see it, but it is surrounded by booths for the Flea Market