“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.”

“The things which the child loves remain in the domain of the heart until old age. The most beautiful thing in life is that our souls remaining over the places where we once enjoyed ourselves"

Memories of a childhood...

Bedtime stories: There are certain children’s books that I have clear memory of from my childhood, my mother would read to my sister and I a lot when we were growing up. My favorite books... One Kitten for Kim, Where the Wild Things , Goodnight Moon, and Tikki Tikki Tembo (my dad used to read me this one). I wonder if parents still take the time to read to their children. It seems like too often it is easier to turn on the tv, computer, or video game and allow a child to zone out rather than take the time to read and encourage creative thinking in a young child’s mind...I have to assume that my love for reading and writing partly spawned from my parents reading to me at night and discouraging television and video games.

Playing outside: Again something I don’t see many children or teenagers doing a lot of today. As a young kid growing up on East Tall Timbers and Greentree Drive, I was always outside, exploring the woods, playing sports, building forts. When I lived on East Tall Timbers , we were one of the first houses to be built on the street, so the whole neighborhood was mostly forest. There was also a small pond where cattails and pussy willows grew. I would constantly be outside playing near the pond, embarking on a journey into the woods, building lean to’s. When I was really young, my dad would put me on his back and take me cross country skiing into these woods. Nature at its purest... a fresh blanket of snow covering a New England forest, the only sounds one hears is the snow slowly falling onto the ground, my dad would be slowly prodding through the woods on his skis. I have seen pictures of this in our old family photo albums, its the type of picture that makes me want children, to have those special moments with.

Even in high middle school and high school I was outside, in our families second house there was miles of trails in our neighborhood that my friends and I would hike. We always discovered something new, a hidden cave or crevice, a small creek or pond, once we discovered these orange and green rocks which were in perfect triangles buried into the ground. We thought we had discovered gold. Many times we would sleep outside in a tree house or makeshift cabin, scaring ourselves with stories and eerie sounds.

Family Vacations: Despite being very dysfunctional at times, our family took a family vacation once or twice every year. I was lucky as a kid to see so much of the U.S.... North Captiva, the Blue Ridge Mts, the Outer Banks, Grand Tetons, Quiche Gorge, Kennebunkport are just a few of my favorite childhood vacation spots. We would fill a week or two with tennis, golf, basketball, sailing, hiking, or boating. My family was always outdoor and exercise oriented. I call my dad Clark Griswold, because like my favorite vacation character, he always wanted to make the most of the day/vacation. Up and adam early in the morning, fit as much activity into the day as possible, get a good nights rest. My dad and I still take a vacation every year in March and its much of the same thing... I want to lay on the beach, read, and relax. My dad wants to do his version of a triathlon... bike, tennis , golf, or swim. At night however he is ready to paint the town, go out, stay up late, while I am the one who doesn’t mind going to bed early. My father though has become my best friend because of these vacations, and i am forever grateful.

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."

The reason I love living in Arizona the most...the ability to be outdoors 365 days a year. I love the smell of fresh air, the glory of the sun, the strength of the mountains, the beauty of the landscape where the desert meets the pine trees. When it gets to hot in the valley, another world awaits you a couple hours to the north. Flagstaff is filled with pine and hundreds of miles of Mt. bike trails, payson has the majestic Mogollon Rim which is home to my favorite spot in az, Bear Lake, and way up north you can discover pinetop and the surrounding peaks and valleys , which is home to the White Mts, Los Burros Trail, and Sunrise ski and mt bike resort. I think there are only a few places I could live in the U.S besides Az... Oregon, Colorado, and Montana (and newport, ri)

When I first discovered i would be in Akita, I was happy to see that Akita has an abundance of nature and outdoor activities. Since I have been here, I have been itching to discover these places, Lake Tazawa, Oga Peninsula, Mt Chokai. Without a car, this adventure has been postponed until this past weekend. I call the past few days, my week of nature and happiness.

Last thursday I had the chance to go kayaking up north with some friends, the day was cold, rainy and gray, and I couldn't have been happier to be in the ocean on a kayak. The landscape looked like a Bob Ross painting , a cloudy mist hungover the lush green hills. The color of the ocean was a mix between turquoise and dark blue. The contrasting colors between the ocean, trees, and clouds was magnificent. There was about eight of us, in full wetsuits , kayaking together in perfect harmony. Kayaking is one of my favorite activities at home... I have three distinct memories of kayaking

In Maine: Ocean kayaking to a deserted island with wild buffalo, camping for the night and sleeping under the stars

In Newport: Ocean kayaking/surfing with Monge riding the waves into Baileys Beach

In Akita: Ocean kayaking to a small rocky beach, jumping of rocks into the ocean.

Now it was a cold , cold, day and after an hour or two in the ocean, we followed it up with an onsen. An onsen is a public bath/hot spring which rejuvenates the body, mind, and soul. This was my first time at an onsen and the setting could not have been more perfect.

Over the weekend, I went to Lake Tazawa for a camping trip with the other ALT s in Akita. Now when I camp, I have to camp right! Good food, great beer, even better people. We picked up some becks beer, jack daniels, brats, kettle cooked chips, and veggies. My town has a foreign foods store, so the comforts of home are not too far away. Luckily i also had my warm clothes, because it is starting to get real cold, real fast. The camping crowd was good, drinks were flowing, smiles were abundant, we were getting rugged baby! There was even a late night jam session with Paul and Joni Mitchell and an even later night swim in the ice cold lake! Cant be near water without going in... Except for the early birds waking me up at 6am and Bens alarm from hell waking me up again at 8am it was a fabulous night. Sunday, I got to hike up a nearby mt, make new friends , and prep myself for my hike up Chokai in a week. I had never quite hiked in a setting like the one Sunday, there is so much green here, I am mesmerized each time i look at it. This hike might crack the top three hikes I ve taken all time...

Appalachian Trail (my favorite)

Escualido mt

Spur Cross trail

And what better way to end a rugged outdoor weekend....Mexican food in Japan! Chips, guac, and burritos

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. "

Places I will travel to before I....

places to visit...

The Magic Bus

Blue Nile Falls

Machu Pichhu

Galapagos Islands

Rome

Patagonia

Pnom Penh

Auschwitz

Napa Valley

Fiji

Ireland

Great Yukon Territory

Denali National Park

Appalachian Trail (whole thing)

Pacific Crest Trail

San Francisco

Zanzibar

Things I rather be doing instead of working...

1. packing my beach bag with Jimmy Buffet’s A Pirate Looks at Forty, getting to 2nd beach at sunrise on a monday morning, staying till sunset...
2. reading the NY times with a cup of coffee and an egg sandwich on a rainy morning in Newport, nursing a hangover
3. eating pizza, having a few bud lights, watching football with John David on a big screen on a lazy Sunday...knowing I have Monday off
4. going for a bike ride on a fall New England day in Kent, Ct with mom and dad , follow it up with a visit to the local library book sale, and grabbing a few glasses of wine at the Fife and Drum
5. snuggling all day....listening to the perfect genius playlist
6. going with the MRHS crew for a 5 am mt bike ride on the FINS trail in Az
7. stopping at Total Wine, getting a dogfish IPA, watching a good movie with an even better soundtrack by myself on a friday night
8. sitting at the patio at Eli Cannon’s in Middletown, trying new beers, catching up with old friends.
9. bodysurfing with the boys, especially Mark in Nantucket, i ll always get the better wave Snorky!
10. Gbury Reunion at the Kenyons, Harry s pizza, Jills appetizers, Harpoon Ipa, watching Samantha, talking Sox, Huskies, and politics
11. Beer Olympic s reunion at Matt and Sams, then singing Karaoke at Tailgaters with Matt, Sam, Nick, Jesse, and Kristy

Everyone should wake up and live...

the three best feelings in the world...the obvious, a long pee, and karaoke. Karaoke must be my new funtivity of choice. Its pure liberation to be singing at the top of your lungs with friends, drunk, without a care in the world. Ive sang karaoke here about five times and each time gets better and better. I am not afraid to admit that i sing the cheesiest , most cliche Karaoke songs ever.... Journey, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Vanilla Ice , i refuse to sing much else, although I am still trying to find Tom Petty s Free fallin! This past friday our Japanese Language teacher invited us to a new bar to drink for free. Well drink for free is all he had to say, about six of us went to this seedy little establishment and shared drinks all night, while belting out about 100 karaoke tunes. Our Japanese language teacher joined us as well, it was a riot. I woke up with the worst hangover I ve had here on Saturday, which was unfortunate because I really wanted to seize my day, go for a bike ride, go to the park, workout etc. I dragged my worthless ass out of bed around 12 and went straight for the hangover food. There is this little burger place in my town, it shares a building with the grocery store i frequent. It is delicious, the In and Out of Omagari, let me tell you what kills a hangover... A burger, fries, unlimited ice coffee and an ice cream cone, the breakfast of a true champion. I decided since i was feeling so good, to go to the park read, get some sun, and relax. I had a blanket, pillow , reading material, water, i pod I was set. I should of known it was going to be a good day , when I plugged in my ipod i was greeted with what i call the best playlist ever, it started with the Arcade Fires “wake up” blending into some MGMT, Postal Service, Death Cab... pure ecstasy. I think riding your bike on a sunny saturday, listening to tunes on the way to the park, must be good feeling number four. I felt like a little kid, so happy to be doing something so simple. I got to the park, laid down my blanket and pillow, and just started at the clouds and felt total happiness. If it wasnt for these annoying caterpillar , I could of stayed there for the whole day. But i was bound and determined to go on a bike ride, i bought this wonderful bike that i havent taken full advantage of since my weekends are filled with debauchery and booze. I decided i would ride at least two hours and just follow the path along the river, I turned on a little Edward Sharpe and rode...it felt good to be on the bike again. I don’t think i ve had a happier day in Japan than saturday, i feel like i have been dreamin for the last sixty days, no one better pinch me, i swear i ll go crazy.

“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere, they're in each other all along.”-Rumi

Who is to blame?

Who is to blame:

When it comes to studying the problems in Africa since independence my prevailing theory has always been that the conflicts in modern Africa have a direct link to European Imperialism. Belgium, Britain, France etc are responsible for some heinous crimes against humanity in Africa , they also are responsible for leaving a continent oppressed, vulnerable and without structure. The last European country left Africa some 40 years ago. Since then the continent has seen three genocides, multiple civil wars, and the worlds “unknown war” the deadliest conflict since WW2. But how long does the blame lay on the past generations of European rulers before it switces to the people of this distressed continent. I am beginning to see that part of the problem is the ease some leaders have to blame others, to not accept responsibility for their countries problems. People like Mugabe in Zimbabwe lay the blame on colonial rulers but it is clearly obvious that he has destroyed that country far more than Britain ever did. There is a clear link between European Imperialism and modern African problems, but there is an equally strong link between the current and former leaders of Africa and the issues that plague it. Immediately following independence , many African countries were turned over to the hands of brutal dictators and ineffective leaders. The trend continues today with Bashir, Mugabe, and Museveni , leaders who allow their citizens to be malnourished, raped, and murdered. In turn these people are destined to lead a destitute life of poverty and despair. However, I think the citizens are also to partly to blame, I think their is an over-reliance on foreign aid amongst many people in Africa. I believe it is the role of humanity to protect and help the vulnerable, but I also believe that people have to be resilient to their circumstances and become leaders within their community. There are to few stories of Africans helping other Africans, of potential leaders being sworn into office and actually bettering their country. Even in Rwanda “a western love affair” of how Africa can rebound, there is still corruption. Mr. Kagame has done a miraculous job helping Rwanda recover from genocide. However it is a leadership still marked by corruption and accusations of retaliatory genocide (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/3/un-report-on-congo-genocide-strengthened/)

I think forgein aid can play a key role in helping Africa further develop but I also think that the citizens and leaders need to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. Their needs to be empowerment amongst the people to unchain themselves for continued oppression. As Mandela says “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

Things to study...with all my free time

I feel a little one dimensional in my studies, this is a list of topics which I understand the basics but want to be an expert in (like Colonial African History)

History of Arab/Israeli Conflict

Reason for the conflict:

At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a dispute over land and borders. The geography of the conflict revolves around the three territorial units of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, defined by armistice lines drawn after a war in the region in 1948. Since then, military action, settlement and population growth have also shaped the situation on the ground.

Israel background and creation

Political zionism took shape in the late-19th century under theodore herzl and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 formalized British policy preferring the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people. Following World War I, the League of Nations granted Great Britain the Mandate for Palestine, which included responsibility for securing "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The United Nations General Assembly decided in 1947 on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem to be an international city. The plan, which was rejected by the native Arabs, was never implemented. Partition was accepted by Zionist leaders but rejected by Arab leaders, leading to civil war. After the Nazi Holocaust, pressure grew for the international recognition of a Jewish state, and in 1948 Israel came into being. Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948 and neighboring Arab states attacked the next day.

War of 1948

The war commenced upon the termination of the British Mandate of Palestine in mid-May 1948, following a period of civil war in 1947–1948. After the Arab rejection of the 1947 UN General Assembly Resolution 181 that would have created an Arab state and a Jewish state side by side, five Arab states - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria - attacked Israel, which had declared its independence on the eve of final British withdrawal. The fighting took place mostly on the former territory of the British Mandate and for a short time also in the Sinai Peninsula and southern Lebanon.The war concluded with the 1949 Armistice Agreements.

1949 Armistice Agreements:

The West Bank and the Gaza Strip became distinct geographical units as a result of the 1949 armistice that divided the new Jewish state of Israel from other parts of Mandate Palestine. From 1948 to 1967, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, was ruled by Jordan. During this period, the Gaza Strip was under Egyptian military administration.

In the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Israel took control of the western part of Jerusalem, while Jordan took the eastern part, including the old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious site

Suez Canal Crisis

Israeli troops captured Egypt's Sinai peninsula during the 1956 British, French and Israeli military campaign in response to the nationalization of the Suez Canal. The Israelis subsequently withdrew and were replaced with a UN force. In 1967, Egypt ordered the UN troops out and blocked Israeli shipping routes - adding to already high levels of tension between Israel and its neighbors.

Six Day War

In a pre-emptive attack on Egypt that drew Syria and Jordan into a regional war in 1967, Israel made massive territorial gains capturing the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula (recaptured) up to the Suez Canal. The principle of land-for-peace that has formed the basis of Arab-Israeli negotiations is based on Israel giving up land won in the 1967 war in return for peace deals recognizing Israeli borders and its right to security.

Jerusalem after 1967

Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem considered illegal under international law. Israel is determined that Jerusalem be its undivided capital, while Palestinians are seeking to establish their capital in East Jerusalem.

Yom Kippur War

In October 1973 on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launched surprise attacks on Israel to recover land lost in the "Six Day War" of 1967. After two weeks, most hostilities ended. Egypt and Syria fail to retake the Golan Heights seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. A 1974 peace agreement gave Egypt control of the Suez Canal while Syria regained some of its pre-1967 territory. A 1979 peace agreement restored the Sinai to Egypt in return for recognizing the state of Israel.

1974 Agreement

Syria and Israel sign a disengagement agreement in which Israel partially withdraws from the Golan Heights, creating a demilitarized zone patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces.

Golan Heights

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. Most of the Syrian Arab inhabitants fled the area during the conflict.An armistice line was established and the region came under Israeli military control. Almost immediately Israel began to settle the Golan. Syria tried to retake the Golan Heights during the 1973 Middle East war. Despite inflicting heavy losses on Israeli forces, the surprise assault was thwarted. Both countries signed an armistice in 1974 and a UN observer force has been in place on the ceasefire line since 1974. Israel unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights in 1981. The move was not recognized internationally.

There are more than 30 Jewish settlements on the heights, with an estimated 20,000 settlers. There are some 20,000 Syrians in the area, most of them members of the Druze sect.

1979 Agreement (Camp David Accords)

Under the accords, Israel agreed to withdraw troops from the Sinai Peninsula in return for Egypt's recognition of the state of Israel. Palestinians were also granted the right to some self-determination.The other agreement created a framework for a broader peace in the region that included a plan for Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The latter provisions were not implemented immediately.

Annexation of the Golan Heights 1981

When Israel passed the Golan Heights Law, which extended Israeli law and administration throughout the territory.This move was condemned by the United Nations Security Council which called the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the Golan Heights "null and void and without international legal effect." Israel, however, asserts its right to retain the area, citing the text of UN Resolution 242, adopted after the Six-Day War, which calls for "safe and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force".

Palestinian Intifada- (rebellion or uprising)

In late 1987, a spontaneous yet well-organized uprising - the "Intifada" - began in Gaza and spread like a fire across the West Bank and into Jerusalem itself. Daily strikes and demonstrations, with Palestinian youths hurling stones and petrol bombs, kept the Israeli occupation army at full stretch for nearly three years. The Intifada drew world attention not only to Israel's 20 or so years of illegal military occupation of the territories and East Jerusalem, but also to the brutal measures Israel was using to put down the uprising. Although the PLO was not the author of the uprising, it quickly added its organizational weight and approval, and took or tried to take much of the credit for it.

By engaging the Israelis directly, rather than relying on the authority or the assistance of neighboring Arab states, the Palestinians were able to globally cement their identity as a separate nation worthy of self-determination. The Israeli countermeasures (particularly during the earlier years of the Intifada) resulted in international attention to the Palestinians' cause.

The Oslo Peace Process (Netanyahu is again leader of Israel)

The 1994 Oslo Accord between Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin created a framework in which Israel would trade land for peace and negotiate a final "divorce." Israelis' would progressively transfer portions of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip to the control of an interim body called the Palestinian Authority, the elections for which would include Arafat's previously banned Palestine Liberation Organization. The Palestinian Authority would guarantee Israel's security by clamping down on terrorism, as both sides prepared their people for a final agreement involving a mutual recognition of each other's claims to Mideast land that would once have been unthinkable. Over the five years during which the "land for peace" transfers were expected to build mutual trust and confidence, the two sides would proceed with negotiations on the "final status" issues left unresolved at Oslo. These included some of the thorniest issues dividing the two sides:

But the Oslo process had enemies on both sides: Israeli right-wingers led by Netanyahu opposed the very principle of trading land for peace and vowed to resist the surrender of any territory over which the Israeli flag flew; Islamic fundamentalist Palestinians rallied around the Hamas movement to denounce a peace agreement that would involve Palestinian and Arab acceptance of Israel's right to exist on what was once Palestinian land. And on both sides, naysayers were prepared to resort to violence. In February 1994, an Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, massacred 29 Palestinians inside a religious site at Hebron, and then in November 1995 a young religious conservative, Yigal Amir, assassinated Rabin. Then in February and March of 1996, Hamas launched its deadliest assault yet on the peace process, killing 57 Israelis in a series of suicide bombings that prompted acting prime minister Shimon Peres to break off peace talks.

Two months later, Benjamin Netanyahu narrowly defeated Peres and jammed the brakes on the peace process. Soon after taking office he lifted a four-year freeze on building new settlements in the West Bank, and then authorized the opening of a tunnel at an Islamic holy site in Jerusalem that provoked an outbreak of violence in which 61 Palestinians and 15 Israelis died. Netanyahu complied with Israel's commitment to turn over 80 percent of the town of Hebron to Palestinian control in January 1997, but that was the last land transfer until the October 1998 Wye River accord, where the U.S. pushed Israel into handing over a few extra parcels. Far from having built up the mutual trust and confidence to resolve the difficult obstacles to long-term peace, Oslo's five-year deadline passed without "final status" talks even getting under way.

Oslo II and the assassination of Rabin

The agreement divided the West Bank into three zones:

Zone A comprised 7% of the territory (the main Palestinian towns excluding Hebron and East Jerusalem) going to full Palestinian control;

Zone B comprised 21% of the territory under joint Israeli-Palestinian control;

Zone C stayed in Israeli hands. Israel was also to release Palestinian prisoners. Further handovers followed.

Oslo II was greeted with little enthusiasm by Palestinians, while Israel's religious right was furious at the "surrender of Jewish land". Amid an incitement campaign against Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, a Jewish religious extremist assassinated him on November 4th, sending shock waves around the world. The dovish Shimon Peres, architect of the faltering peace process, became prime minister.

Second intifada

The second Palestinian intifada or uprising broke out at the end of September 2000 and is named after the Jerusalem mosque complex where the violence began.

Frustrations that years of the negotiation had failed to deliver a Palestinian state were intensified by the collapse of the Camp David summit in July 2000.

Ariel Sharon, then the leader of Israel's opposition, paid a visit to the site in East Jerusalem known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount, which houses the al-Aqsa mosque - and frustration boiled over into violence.

West Bank re-occupied

Palestinian militants carried out an intense campaign of attacks in the first three months of the year, including a hotel bombing which killed 29 on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday. In response, Israel besieged Yasser Arafat in his Ramallah compound for five weeks and sent tanks and thousands of troops to re-occupy almost all of the West Bank. Months of curfews and closures followed as Israel carried out operations it said were aimed at destroying the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure.

Controversy raged as Israeli forces entered and captured the West Bank city of Jenin in April. Israel began building a barrier in the West Bank, which it said was to prevent attacks inside Israel, although Palestinians feared an attempt to annex land.

West Bank: Palestinian-controlled areas

Since the 1993 Declaration of Principles resulting from the Oslo peace process, there have been several handovers of land to differing degrees of Palestinian control. Currently 59% of the West Bank is officially under Israeli civil and security control. Another 23% of it is under Palestinian civil control, but Israeli security control. The remainder of the territory is governed by the Palestinian National Authority - although such areas have been subject to Israeli incursions during the recent intifada.

West Bank: Israeli settlements

Since 1967, Israel has pursued a policy of building settlements on the West Bank. These cover about 2% of the area of the West Bank and are linked by Israeli-controlled roads. There are also large tracts of Israeli-controlled land designated as military areas or nature reserves.

West Bank: Israeli checkpoints

Military checkpoints on West Bank roads allow Israel to monitor and control travel in much of the West Bank. During the recent Palestinian intifada, Israeli troops have also encircled and staged incursions into population centres and severely restricted the movement of Palestinian civilians. In 2002, Israel began building a security barrier near the north-western edge of the West Bank.

Gaza Pullout

Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority after a landslide victory in January elections. But post-election attacks by Palestinian militants immediately threatened to derail hopes for renewed peace talks. However, Mr Abbas deployed Palestinian police in northern Gaza and by February had persuaded Hamas and Islamic Jihad to begin a temporary, unofficial cessation of violence.Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon went on to announce a mutual ceasefire at a summit in Egypt, although the militant groups stopped short of making their fragile – and far from watertight - truce official. Preparations for – and controversy over – Ariel Sharon's planned pullout from the Gaza Strip continued, with the Israeli Prime Minister securing cabinet backing and fending off calls for a referendum from opponents. Despite widespread protests by settlers, the withdrawal went ahead in late August and early September, with emotional scenes as Israeli troops removed some settlers by force.

Gaza Strip: Population

Gaza, one of the most densely populated tracts of land in the world, is home to about 1.3m Palestinians, about 33% of whom live in United Nations-funded refugee camps. About 8,000 Jewish settlers also lived in the Gaza Strip until September 2005 when they and the troops that protected them were withdrawn. Before the withdrawal, travel in and out of Gaza was severely restricted for long periods.

Gaza Strip: Access and security

Israel controls Gaza's airspace, coast and most of its borders. In November 2005 Israel agreed to allow the Palestinians and Egypt to control the Rafah crossing point (with video surveillance by an EU-Palestinian team), and to increase traffic through Erez and Karni crossing points. The construction of a sea port was also given the go-ahead. The future of Gaza's destroyed airport is yet to be agreed.

Who Controls Gaza:

In June 2007, the Islamist militant group Hamas took over the strip, ousting the forces of Fatah, the faction led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and effectively splitting Gaza from the West Bank in terms of its administration. Hamas had won legislative elections in January 2006.

Current Situation (great link)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11138790

U.S support of South American Dictators (Pinochet)

Afghan/Soviet War

Sierra Leone Civil War

Reformation (King Henry/Queen Elizabeth)

WWII Pacific Campaign

Ituri Conflict

I heart Omagari KouKou

I Heart Omagari KouKou

Every Jet/ALT gets a Japanese Supervisor who is in charge of getting them acclimated to life in Japan, usually they are also a teacher at the school the ALT works at. Mine is both, he looks after me and is a co-worker. We got a bromance going on, I absolutely have a blast anytime we hang out and talk. I would say he is one of my friends rather than just a co-worker. I think its very hard to get close to someone from a different culture. Now I am just basing this on my short experience in Uganda, where I made no friends amongst the teachers at Gulu High School. Me and Kan-Sensei just connect, I feel like I am talking to a friend back home, and we laugh, I mean good powerful laughter, not the kind hearted type. Today was sports day at Omagari High School, think of it as an all day field day/pep rally. Kan and I spent the day watching the students compete, even participating ourselves, but the high light of the day was watching the track and field competition. The students were competing in the 100 yd dash, i think its already funny to watch people run fast. Their face contorts, they wiggle their arms uncomfortably, their legs shake. But this one students takes the fucking cake for funniest run EVER. Now it wont be funny to describe, but trust me. He was so awkward, picture a giraffe running with the body of a small japanese boy with glasses. His brain was obviously working slower than his legs. The rest of him could just not keep up with his legs, he was stumbling and bumbling down the track. He took two massive spills with his legs just flipping him into a complete somersault and he would get back up and continue. He fell twice and Kan and I just about peed our pants. I mean the whole school was laughing but we were out of control. The kind of laugh were if you look at the other person laughing you just lose it. The kind of laughter where everyone is finished and your still going, the kind where you have to put your head in your hands because you just cant look up. Tears were in my eyes, it was beautiful.....and the kid was ok i think, i hope he didnt see us!

Akuri! Akuri is my favorite student , she was my favorite student the minute i met her. If you look up the term positive energy, you will see a picture of her. She is a complete bundle of happiness. Every time I see her she is smiling, acting crazy, making people laugh. She has this great way of making these awesome facial expressions every time she speaks english (her english is exceptional) you can just see it in her that she is trying so hard. She is also in my favorite class at Omagari , there is about 15 of them and they must all be friends since elementary school. They get along so well and make teaching them an absolute joy. Today during sports day I got to help them in the tug of war contest, there are only three boys in the class so their team was at a slight disadvantage, so Akuri asked me to help out, I was honored. We lost due to the fact that the other team had a student that looked like brock lesnar on their team. I swear he is the one kid in Japan who weighs more than 120lbs. Oh well, it was still fun.

Words for the heart...

Here is a Candle in Your Heart: Rumi

There is a candle in your heart,
ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul,
ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?
You feel the separation
from the Beloved.
Invite Him to fill you up,
embrace the fire.
Remind those who tell you otherwise that
Love
comes to you of its own accord,
and the yearning for it
cannot be learned in any school.

When You Are Old: William Butler Yeats

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

The Earth Turned to Bring Us Closer: Eugenio Montejo

The earth turned to bring us closer,

it spun on itself and within us,

and finally joined us together in this dream

as written in the Symposium.

Nights passed by, snowfalls and solstices;

time passed in minutes and millennia.

An ox cart that was on its way to Nineveh

arrived in Nebraska.

A rooster was singing some distance from the world,

in one of the thousand pre-lives of our fathers.

The earth was spinning with its music

carrying us on board;

it didn't stop turning a single moment

as if so much love, so much that's miraculous

was only an adagio written long ago

in the Symposium's score.

An excerpt from The Sleepers: Walt Whitman

Every one that sleeps is beautiful, every thing in the dim light is

beautiful,

The wildest and bloodiest is over, and all is peace.

Peace is always beautiful,

The myth of heaven indicates peace and night.

The myth of heaven indicates the soul,

The soul is always beautiful, it appears more or it appears less, it

comes or it lags behind,

It comes from its embower'd garden and looks pleasantly on itself

and encloses the world,

Sustainability anyone

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-interviews/Hollywood-stars-ready-to-help/articleshow/6518888.cms

Here we go again, another disaster, another famine, another genocide and the Hollywood left is jumping on the bandwagon. This type of self righteous bull shit really bugs me. Sometimes I wish I was rich and famous, but then I know I would be a total douche-bag who loves the sound of his own voice, who is vain, conceited, and thinks he can change the world (wait that is actually me now, but I m not rich or famous FUCK!) Where are these people before the situation arises. Why are they not trying to avert disaster rather than fix it. Most of them know nothing about the conflict or people they are trying to save. Therefore all their work is done in vain. I cant understand why we are are a nation of remedy rather than prevention. This is true of our government 100 times over. We wait for the terrorist strike, the earthquake, the hurricane, the oil spill, before we try to mend the situation. Then people offer only fickle , temporary solutions rather than long term results. Sustainability anyone?

This is what I call the bandaid solution. You cant fix a massive injury with a bandaid, there are things you can do to stop the bleeding, temporarily ease the pain, but unless treated properly, the consequences are deadly. Same with the charitable world. You have starving, malnourished people who are victims of violence everyday in Darfur, so what does the world do, give them food, water, vitamins. That is wonderful and I am sure the people are truly grateful, but this does not stop the genocidal violence, the massive sexual assault, or the constant starvation. So why dont people take that same money, the same brain power and try to fix the problem at hand. There is so much human potential in the world to end suffering , but leaders, governments, and people choose other expensive and irrational solutions.

There was an article I read today on a women building schools in Afghanistan, education is the key to peace. The amount she has spent building hundreds of schools over the last few years is the same amount it costs the U.S. to support ONE troop in Afghanistan. Now what is a better solution education and freedom or violence and war. All you hawks and war mongers think of it this way, the lives that have been lost, the families that have been saddened by this war, a country in deep depression with few allies, is it worth it. Or would we have been better to follow the lead of this young women, of Greg Mortensen and try to make peace with the people of Afghanistan through liberation of their mind.

My short experience with Invisible Children taught me one valuable lesson, if you are going to try and positively effect peoples lives, then you have to make sure that the things you give them, the changes you make are adaptable to the people. That you give them what they need, that they can take over ownership of the ideals, values, and systems that will make their community flourish. Charity groups have been in Africa for forty years, what has changed. I still see civil war, corrupt leaders, genocide, rape, famine. So something must be going wrong, to many people offering to many bandaid solutions to massive problems. I think its pretty simple...

1. Education: An ignorant mind, is a harmful mind. Most people commit these horrendous acts because they are ignorant to anything else. They grow up in a violent, war torn community. They have not had proper education or care. So they turn to violence for a sense of belonging and protection. There is so much human potential in the world. There are doctors , scientists, teacher, and world leaders all over. But they are never discovered , never given the opportunity because they are surrounded by conflict. If they are provided an education who know the untapped potential that will be unlocked.
2. Empowerment: The people hold the power, there is always a majority in the poor, the down trodden, the oppressed. Empower these people so they can form their own revolution. This is the goal of IC Teacher Exchange, they dont try to change the culture, the values, or infringe on anyones rights. They offer empowerment, letting the people of Uganda know that they are important for their children, for their community. The offer them opportunity, if they desire to better their lives. Most projects IC funds has to be proposed by the people, the teachers of Gulu. They need to see that if they do the work, positive change will happen.
3. Sustainability (i hate this word) You give computers to a high school in Sudan. 10,000 dollars were spent by some charitable organization to put these computers in the school, to give the students an opportunity to see the world through the internet. However there internet connection is impossible in the area and the students and teachers were never trained on how to use a computer. The computers just sit there and waste away. What does sustainability mean, to offer things that can continue for a long time. Train those teachers on how to use a computer, they can train their students, and the cycle continues. Then the computers have value. With out sustainable solutions there will always be long term problems.

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.

A weekend full of memories

Returned from a weekend away of home yet again, it seems like every weekend I am going somewhere, visiting someone. This weekend was unique in the sense that I actually got to participate in what we would call “a cultural experience.” I visited a friend in Noshiro, Akita which is about two hours north of Omagari, where I live. Got in on a friday, a night filled with relaxation, good food, great conversation. Saturday was an all day all night affair. I was able to attend a school ceremony at a middle school, i cant get over how young these kids act and look. Middle school, 7th and 8th grade, and the students looked like 5th graders. So tiny and cute, they giggle innocently and seem to be so young. There were two students who performed speeches in English. They stood up in front of the whole school and recited flawlessly, I would of been a nervous wreck at that age. But the seem calm, cool and collected.

I attended a summer festival in the evening, it was held in a local park which was very quaint and beautiful. I dressed up in a kimono (wrong word but it my outfit is similar to a kimono) danced traditional japanese dances all night, ate some food, drank some beer, conversed with the people of the town, met some other foreigners. It was a great evening,

However the night was only beginning , after the festival I headed down to “night groove” which was held at a local rec center and consisted of a make shift bar, a few dozen people and local dj’s. Some other ALT’s from the area came for the night, there were probably 15 of us total. At first the mood a night groove was serene and chill, however a few whiskey sodas will get any party started. By the end of the night we all were dancing , laughing, singing. I have never danced so much in my life, I ve danced at weddings and high school proms, that is about it. But I was in such a radiant mood, the music just took over. It was about 2 am when we left, I was ready for bed, still on my natural high from dancing. I wanted a cold shower and a comfortable bed. But people had other plans, apparently no one besides the 30yr old wants to end the night at 2am. So reluctantly i went to another bar. Now i was so tired, i felt like i had woke up and was starting a new night. In the three hours we were there, we drank, played darts, sang an abundance of karaoke , ate late night meal. By the time 5 am came around, I wondered how was i still standing!

Night Train Tanquility

A great weekend (more on that next time) ended with the single best moment of solitude I ve had in Japan. My mind has been in a constant state of motion with perpetual thought eating away my nights. I seem to always ponder my past , present , and future. But tonight the train ride home from a weekend away allowed met to rest, think nothing, and feel calmness. There is something soothing about the train at night. The eerily silent passenger cars, the rumble of the tracks under you, the slightest sounds from sleeping passengers, all make for a tranquil ride. My mood was a concoction of extreme sleepiness, pleasant happiness, and a unperturbed feeling of realizing this place is becoming home. I put on my ipod filled it with MGMT, The National, and Coldplay and rested my weary mind.

They are not particularly exciting stories or very creative but I find them to be interesting...

The night train is filled with empty seats and few passengers. There are just enough passengers to observe and wonder to yourself "where are they coming from?" "where are they going?" and "what is their life story?" ...One of my favorite things to do is people watch, at airports, bus stations, the mall. I like to make stories up in my mind, on who these people are, their background, their thoughts etc.

The Man with the shopping bag: There is a man sitting a few seats down across from me who looks lonely. His face is tired, the wrinkles around his eyes hang like spider webs. His hair is erased from the top of his head and all that is left is the gray hair which clings from the side of his head. His eyes are distant and ordinary, actually everything about him is ordinary. His face, his clothes, except for this shopping bag that he holds mightily. Everything about this man is grey, but the shopping bag is a bright white, illuminating against his grey slacks. He is restless, clutching to this shopping bag, gripping it as if he is afraid to live without it. The shopping bag is filled with something valuable, valuable is not something he is used to. He shops frugally and lives thrifty.

He takes the night train home as to not be bothered , to sit alone and think. He is not distracted by anything, no ipod, no book, just his thoughts. He is coming back home after visiting an old friend or family member. Someone he hasn't seen since his wife passed a few years ago. His wife, although a strained marriage, was someone he cared for deeply. They would share long silences at night, eating quietly, watching tv in seperate rooms, and even having different beds for the last few years of their marriage. But they shared in each others company, he knew he would come home to someone and that made him gently smile. He lives alone now, has since her death. He has an unremarkable job, the same job he has had for twenty years. He will retire soon, to do what he thinks to himself.

He goes to work in the same suit and tie everyday, its not the exact same, but to him it feels like it. He eats the same breakfast, catches the same train at the same time. He walks to work from the station slowly and calculates his path with caution. He stops for coffee each morning, coffee black, and is afforded his only meaningful conversation of the day. The girl who serves him coffee has been doing so for the last two years, she is actually a young woman, but he thinks of her as a girl. Maybe a girl that could be his daughter. She greets him warmly with a smile, gets his coffee , asks him about his morning. He has the same response, but the conversation means everything to him. His weekends are filled with meals for one, tv, and late nights. Without air conditioning the hot and humid air give him many sleepless nights, wrestling with his thoughts between short bouts of sleep. He often wonders what the purpose of his life is, what is he supposed to do with the next 40 years if he is so lucky. He has little to show for his life so far, a meager job, a small apt, no kids, a few plants that are scattered loosely in his home. He can barely care for the plants , never mind another person. But he wants someone in his life. Relationships were never his thing but he does not want to grow old alone. He often thinks what can he offer another, love although a rigid love is something wants to give again, security, his job could support two people, safety in routine, sometimes people just want ordinary routine. There must be someone out there for him, someone who could overlook his physical shortcomings and his unintentional lack of emotion? When his stop comes, the man looks startled, he has been thinking for too long. He gets up still clutching the shopping bag, a desolate look comes over him. He realize that he is going home alone and it will be like this for some time.

teaching week 2

Teaching Week 2

I am settled into a routine, comfortable in my classrooms, and have a better idea of exactly how to teach.

My classes are divided into two groups... Senior One: students who have to take english as a requirement and Senior 2 and 3: students who WANT to take english as an elective. Hmmmmm which classes do I like better, the obvious answer is Senior 2 and 3.

Senior One: Think of these students as middle school students. Annoying little pieces of turd that have unimagined energy and want to do anything else but learn, especially english. There are 40 to a class , I haven’t learned one students name, nor do I think I will, and its like pulling teeth trying to get them to work.

Senior 2 and 3: Senior 2 is similar to junior year and Senior 3 is senior year. I love these classes, they make my day, my week, and have been the best part of the teaching experience so far. The classes are small, 14-20 students. They have great english skills and they want to learn. I have done some wicked lesson plans with them, Bob Marley Songs, and IC lesson, Speed Dating (they actually have to learn about “dates”) skits, and poster presentations. They are a complete joy to work with.

Japanese teachers: work work work work, at first I thought they just sat idly at their desks but once the school year started these teachers got to work. I only teach about 15 classes a week and I think they have double if not more. There are seven periods and I think they teach all but one. They come to school about 730 and leave about 630. No thanks, I ll take my 415 departure time.

Things that bug me

Things that bug me

1. Will Ferrell Movies (and people that quote them) The guy was funny on SNL , I get it, yea and he was good in Old School, but that also had Vince Vaughan and Luke Wilson. But really Mr. Ferrell you dont always have to be in character and pick better movies. (Talladaga Nights , Land of the Lost, that ice skating movie SUCKED)
2. People Who Walk Slowly Thru Crosswalks: I mean I am polite, I speed up through the cross walk if there is a car turning. Why do people not understand this concept.They walk like they are strolling thru the fucking forest on a nice fall day in New England. Walk fast you dick!
3. Skinny Jeans on dudes: I just dont get it, sorry.
4. Big Beefy All Cotton T-Shirts with streched out collars: yea I like a snug fit, a baby gap if you will. The smaller the shirt the bigger the muscle.
5. Nickelback: I m not explaining this, if you dont understand why then stop reading
6. Hipsters: your not hip to the scene if your just like everyone else, sorry buying your clothes from Urban Outfitters does not make you unique and hip.
7. People who talk to me on airplanes when I clearly want to do other things: I dont want to hear about your grandson in Oklahoma or your recent trip to the dentist. They are called headphones and they are plugged into my ears for a reason.
8. People who fall asleep in the aisle seat when I am in the middle and I have to pee: Really, I dont not like them, I just am to passive aggressive and polite to wake them up, so I hold it for hours
9. Shitty, old, suped up cars with spoilers and loud speakers driven by a teenager with pimples and a flat brim hat: Why is your car so loud kid, I mean do you want everyone to stop and stare and think, wow that is a shitty car. And also how do you hear any music with that bass. Never mind your hearing, I cant hear my music when your pulled up next to me.
10. The Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays, Chilis , or any other chain restaurant. Why are these places so popular. Especially Olive Garden, I mean on any given weekend in Az, the Olive Garden is packed with a crowd that looks like they are waiting for a Beatles Reunion. If you want Olive Garden so bad, go home, make some pasta, dump a massive amount of olive oil on it, then slowly urinate on it, let it sit for 10 minutes. Then buy some franzia and call it a night.

Songs to let thoughts dance in your head

There is a lot of time for thinking in Omagari, without the everyday distractions we have in the United States it is easy to lose yourself in ones thoughts. This is especially true at night time, before i go to bed I make a playlist of about 10 songs to listen to while i reflect on thoughts and eventually fall asleep to. So I am sharing various songs from my “thinking at night time” song list with you

1. Om Nashi Me: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
2. Lonelily: Damien Rice
3. Fake Empire: The National
4. Safe Travels: Peter and the Wolf
5. The Scientist: Coldplay
6. Orange Sky: Alexi Murdoch
7. The Rider Song: Nick Cave
8. Rewind: Paulo Nutini
9. Rock and Roll and the Radio: Ray LaMontagne
10. Passion Play: William Fitzsimmons
11. Ice Age:Pete Yorn
12. Indian Moon:State Radio
13. Whirlpool:Xavier Rudd
14. Ain't Gonna Lose You:Brett Dennen
15. Lead Me Upstairs: David Gray
16. Wrong: The White Buffalo