4M Flatties around the World!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have spent many hours organizing a project for the kids of 4M. For those of you who are familiar with the Flat Stanley books you will know that it is about a boy you is flattened by a bulletin board falling on him in the middle of the night. Because of Stanley's flatness, he is able to do incredible things and go on adventures, including going in the mail to visit family members. 

We are using this as a learning tool about other countries. After the kids decorated their flat people I arranged different countries for the kids to get sent on adventures. I have some amazing people helping me out and it turns out that they are going to 5 different continents. Whew! Talk about cool! I'm really excited about this project and so are the kids!

They wrote letter to the people they are sending them too and can't wait to hear back what they get to do while in that country. They kept asking me over and over, "Are you REALLY sending them?" They were even asking me as I was putting them in envelopes today! "Of Course!" I kept saying. I think they thought I was going to try to trick them! 

Hafsah, Ammar, Liam, Aisha, Uzair,  and Fayzah are going to visit Jane, Leigh's mom in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

Zishaan, Omar, Maryam, Usaid, Ayesha, and Nafisah are going to visit Melita in Germany. Melita is the wonderful mother of 2 of my past exchange students that lived with my family.

Afshan, Ayub, Nesreen, Anees, Shumrez, and Kamran are going to China to visit Nate. Nate is on the China radical journey team that is placed over there.

Neico, Samia, Ateeqa, Shammas, Haseeb, and Zakee are going to New Zealand to visit one of the girls that I spent a semester with, Karla. Karla has since married a Kiwi and is living in Auckland.

Amman, Mohamed, Tasneem, Shaunna, Aaqib, and Fahaad are going to visit my lovely cousin Kristen in South Africa. The kids are excited because Kristen is actually coming to England in June, so she will get to meet all the kids.

Leaving for Scotland in ONE WEEK!

Leigh and I leave for Scotland in one week and we are starting to get really excited! To get in the Scotland frame of mind, we listened to some wonderful traditional Scottish songs. I am loving this one:

(Of course you have to sing it in a Scottish accent...)

Donald, Where's Yer Troosers?

Just got in from the Isle of Skye

I'm not very big and I'm awfully shy

The lassies shout as I go by

Donald where's your troosers?

• Chorus:

Let the winds blow high,

Let the winds blow low,

Down the street in my kilt I go

And all the lassies say hello

Donald where's your troosers? 

A lassie took me to a ball

And it was slippery in the hall

I was afraid that I would fall

'Cause I didn't have on my troosers

• Chorus:

They'd like to wed me everyone

Just let them catch me if they can

You canna put the brakes on a highland man

Who doesn't like wearing troosers.

• Chorus:

To wear the kilt is my delight

It isn't wrong, I know it's right.

The highlanders would get afright

If they saw me in my troosers.

• Chorus:

Well I caught a cold and me nose was raw

I had no handkerchief at all

So I hiked up my kilt and I gave it a blow,

Now you can't do that with troosers.

• Chorus:

Meaning of unusual words:

troosers=trousers (or pants in the US)

The food chain of my Life...

As I walk down the hill from church my mind starts racing. I have a few groceries in tow that I just picked up after church but the thing that gets me thinking is the fact that I am carrying them in my Susan's tote bag, "Where flowers are always special". 

I think back to when I was in Jr. High and High school on how I pictured my life back then. I must admit, back then I thought that it would be normal for me to find the love of my life in college and "life" would start then. With my big birthday coming up this year- the BIG 25…( I know many of you are probably cringing, but think back to when you were 25 and how you felt) it's hard not to reflect on the things I have done and the relationships I have made.

I am a big believer in the thought that "everything happens for a reason" and the God wouldn't give you what you couldn't handle. Because of this, I have no regrets and once I start thinking of the order of the things that have happened in my life, there is no way I could regret something. For example, if I had never come back to Wichita State, I would never had the opportunity to go to Belize on a class trip which I credit to have started my travel bug. Belize also resulted me in the friendship with Michelle who traveled Europe and Yellowstone with me too! Had I not had that awful cold sore that fall in art class, would I ever have a best friend in Sarah, and the extended family that she and her family has become?
As I glance at my Susan's bag I think about getting that job and remember that I had known one of the girls, Debbie who had just started there. I had worked with her at Dillons, but if she hadn't been there or I had never volunteered to work at her store, would I have gotten the job at Susan's and met all of those incredible people? I would have never met Nat either who I hope is a lifer (life-long friend) or Nicole who brings a smile to my face:) I think about all of the people that I met in New Zealand and my good ole' friends that I love so much. I almost didn't even go to New Zealand. I was fighting to try to go to school in England, Manchester to be exact, but they wouldn't let me study there for a semester like Wichita State was requiring me to do. Would I have grown so close to Paige, Megan, Dallas, David and the rest of you American New Zealanders if I had stayed in my original room they assigned me in the other tower? Megan you brought me frisbee and all of those great times, but would you if we hadn't added you to that trip to the Northland? Great Times!

Gosh, this is making me think! God really has taken great care of me in my adventures. At the times, where people make me feel uncomfortable and bad for not being married with a kid on the way, I think of all the people that have been in my life. I am so truly blessed. 

I would not have been able to come to England without all of the support from my family and from my church family. I would not have met all of these people here. June, knowing you is someday going to get me to Norway, which I am excited about! And Abby, you are going to be my British lifer (British life-long friend)! 

This could go on and on, and I could write about every single person in my life that I have known. When I think back on my life like this, 25 doesn't seem that bad. I have gotten to do so many things, crossed much off of my goal list, and met some pretty amazing people! 

Polish Paper Cuts

What a wonderful workshop! I was suppose to be going on this art adventure with Angie who used to be an art teacher, but she ended up leaving town for the weekend to visit her son. Because of this I took my friend from school Abby with me to the workshop. I had no idea what to expect… All I knew was that we would be learning Polish paper cutting at Cartwright Hall in Lister Park and that was it.
It ended up being a lot of fun. When we got there we were a bit early so we had a look at the exhibition that was there on Polish Paper Cuts. That was intimidating, but exciting to see what we were going to try to do.

I most start by saying, our Instructor was legit. She was a Polish women, dressed in a traditional Polish dress, speaking Polish and no English. Lucky for us, she had a translator to help us. Apolonia was her name and she was amazing. Everything that she did she made it look easy as pie and she did it with shears! We were required to cut with tiny scissors that the kids at school use which made it more challenging, but I think we still accomplished a lot considering.
We started out by making a circular pattern that is very similar to the snowflakes we make around Christmas time, but more intricate and with better designs. My favorite translated quote of the day was, "If you have psychological problems this truly calms you down." That made me chuckle.
After that technique she showed us how to do another symmetrical cut. Of course she did hers in 5 minutes and it was perfect. Ours took much longer, and we not perfect, but she was actually very impressed. She kept saying that our class was the best class that she had had there at the museum- well, she said it in Polish… I did a lot of smiling that day because I had no idea what she was saying! ahah! She did come over at one point and ask if I was an artist. Unfortunately, I was discovered. I felt like Monica in the T.V. show friends when she goes to a cooking class even though she was a professional chef. She finally gets outed and then it is less impressive.
She had asked me what I was doing here, and after explaining through interpreter that I was here volunteering in school but used to be a florist, she was excited to show me how to make the crepe paper flowers, and I was really excited to learn how to make them. I have a list of materials that I know how to make flowers out of and I was excited to add crepe paper to that list.
She was only going to teach us a few, but we were such a good class, as the interpreter explain that she taught us 7 or so different flowers. She kept going because she didn't want to stop until we were there 30 minutes past our time. I didn't mind though! It was really funny our interpreter just kept saying, "she wants to show you another one…" and "ok, she is going to show you one that her mother used to do, but I have not even seen." I felt honored that she continued for so long and I am excited to make all of the different kinds!
Overall, I am so glad that I went and I loved the company from Abby! Afterwards she even introduced me to a Cornish Pasty and a weird cookie called a....dunno. I'm sure she will enlighten me soon! Hopefully I can go to other events like that in the future! Angie missed out, but next time I expect you to join! :)

Scrap-booking on a Large Scale

 I think that every person that participates in this year of volunteer service through Radical Journey wants to feel useful to the people in our immersion locations. Luckily, I have been blessed with a wonderful team of teachers surrounding me that I respect immensely. I always want to be helpful and never a burden. That is hard sometimes to know your boundries, to know what is expected of you, and to follow through on everything. I sometimes find myself in the way or leaving things in weird spots around the classroom. I do get worried...
BUT...
The teachers have discovered my special skills- art skills that is. Because of this, I get to do art things the majority of the time, which is the best and easiest thing for me. Art and crafty things come natural to me and if I can take that worry off of someone else, it is a win for me. Recently I have been helping Linda by doing a lot of the boards around the room. When I think about it, it is basically like I am making a giant scrapbook page.







My favorite board that I've made, was the board about Kenya. Year 4 is looking into and learning about Kenya. This past week they were writing persuasive letters on whether to vacation in Kenya or not. Much of their work has focused in some way on Kenya and the culture. What a blast! I am loving school!
...And the best part....
These board are an easy way to impress all the kids, even if it is just for a bit!