displace me

Last night, Luc, Tom and myself displaced ourselves. We were part of an event with over 60,000 other people across the country who left their beds and slept in a displacement camp for one night, to see what it was like, and to try to understand how people in northern Uganda have been living for over a decade. We were told to bring certain provisions and items, such as

Cardboard: Bring enough cardboard to build something the size of a small tent. The displaced in Northern Uganda were given 48 hours to leave their homes and move into camps where they had to build their own huts. As a part of recreating IDP camps, you will build your own hut out of cardboard.

Sleeping bag: You will be sleeping outside. A sleeping bag is essential, especially for cities where it is expected to be cold. Check the weather and dress warm.

Water bottle: Bring a 1.5-L, sealed water bottle to be collected upon entry. These will be redistributed to you later in the night. They will not be sent to Uganda. Those in the camps must rely on others for the provision of water. As a part of the simulation, you will do the same.

Saltine crackers: Bring one sealed box of saltine crackers to be collected upon entry. These will be redistributed to you later in the night. They will not be sent to Uganda. Those in the camps rely on foreign aid for their food rations. As a part of the simulation, you will do the same.

Art Supplies: Many Ugandans consider their homes an extension of who they are and decorate the surfaces of these huts to make a statement about their displacement. You will do the same. Draw, paint, or glue, but be creative.

Picture: Bring a picture of yourself wearing a white shirt with a red X. These will be used in the letters to political leaders.

So we did all this and built our shelter. It withstood the rain and wind and we made it through the night. We feasted on saltine crackers and water, and by 9pm, it was a feast. We listened to testimonials from Ugandans living in the camps as they described what their daily life is like. We wrote letters to the Ugandan President and our Senators, urging them to get involved to end the war.

This movement all started when 3 Americans fresh out of college went over to Africa to film a documentary. The story they came back with, Invisible Children, changed their lives and prompted them to start an organization of the same name that is doing what it can to put an end to the war.

One of the filmmakers, Bobby Baily, was at the NYC site. Before it got too dark, all those at the camp were filmed in a variety of scenes, which will be used in the finished documentary. I will be sure to post a link when the mini-clips come out about the Displace Me event.

It was an awesome event and all three of us had a great time. Pictures are posted of our evening, so be sure to check them out and see what we were up to.

wrap up of spring im sports

So this whole past week was playoff week for IM sports. I was on the soccer and volleyball teams, and here is a quick wrap up of how they went.



Volleyball:
Well, we made it to the semi-finals, despite losing every regular season game we actually played (that's because we only played 2 games because all the other teams forfeited out of the league). It was a really good game. Went 3 sets. Unfortunately, we lost in the end. I am doomed to never win IM Volleyball.

Soccer:
Quarter finals were Sunday and it was bright and beautiful. We won that game rather easily and then went on to the semi-finals on Tuesday. That team was much tougher, we but we won and went on to the finals on Wednesday. Now, on Wednesday, it started to sprinkle around 5pm and our game was at 6:30pm. By the time the game was to start, it was a steady rain, but both teams showed up and decided to play anyway. We went through both 20 minutes halves scoreless. Then 1 5 minute over time. Then another. Then sudden death. Still 0-0. Very even times. We ended the game in penalty kicks: us 2, them 0. Santiago, our goalie, was a brick wall. He gets the game ball for sure. So that's it. We won IM Outdoor Soccer. We are the soccer champs.

recap of last weekend

So much has been happening this past week, and I have been taking so many pictures, but I've had no opportunities to upload the pictures or let you know that I've even taken them. So here is a wrap up from this past weekend (so what, 4-5 days ago?).

First off, where did summer come from? It pretty much came up and wacked me in the face Saturday and Sunday when the temperature soared to the upper 80's. It was, in one word, awesome.

Unfortunately, I had to do some errands on Saturday. That made me sad, because I just wanted to be outside, but the car ride was nice with the windows down and the sunroof open, and I got them done quick enough. After that, Luc and I packed a quick picnic lunch and headed outside to enjoy the sunshine. We camped out by the GC and watched a bunch of Indian students (and one New Zealander) play a game of cricket. It was quite fun to watch. We spent the whole match trying to figure out what the rules of that game actually are. We came pretty close (looked it up on wikipedia afterwards). It was so nice and sunny, I started to get sunburned. Wonderful.

After that, I hopped on my bike and headed to a local bike shop to pick up some parts for my bike. I got a basket, bell, new pedals and mud guards for the wheels. Oh, and new grips. It's totally tricked out now. I love it. Especially the bell.

Once I got back to the GC, I had to hurry up and change because at 5:00PM we (my ChE class) had a cultural potluck dinner. We dressed up as our culture and brought food from our culture. Unfortunately, most of the people in my class who actually have foreign cultures to us Americans were not there. Baley wore a kimono, because she's half Japanese and make Japanese curry. That was good. Bob dressed as a classic snob from Connecticut and brought finger sandwiches. I dressed like a Rhode Islander on her yacht and brought shrimp cocktail and coffee milk (yum!). Tom was sporting a trucker cap and miller lite T-shirt (he's from Indiana) and brought corn. Finally, one other culture of note, Beth came dressed up as a Mennonite, because she's from the middle of Pennsylvania. Luc would have worn a cowboy hat if he had one, but he did not. There are a number of pictures from this festive occasion, so you should check them out. Oh, and Luc's friend Malissa came down from NYC, and even though she didn't know of the cultural potluck, she came dressed as a very typical New Yorker.

After the potluck, we all headed over to the Frist Campus Center to watch Dave Franco and a number of other friends preform in a dance show by 888 (Asian Dance Company). The show featured both traditional Asian dances and hip-hop. It was quite good, and quite hysterical. One number featured Dave as Paula Abdul in an American Idol-esque dance bit. Priceless.

Finally, the evening ended with a trip to the D-Bar, where there was a live band. All I can say about that is they were terrible.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. My first plan was a pick-up beach volleyball game at the sand courts by the GC. Played for only about 30 minutes, but managed to skin my elbow because apparently there is only about an inch of sand above the concrete below the court. Yeah. Ouch. Don't worry, they're getting new sand in this week. I complained.

After that I had to dash off to the soccer fields to play in the IM Outdoor Soccer quarter final match. It was hot, but wonderful. We won. That put us on the the semi-finals ... and more about IM sports will be reported in the next blog entry. This one is long enough.

The evening wound down with me and Luc fixing up my bike, then relaxing the evening away. It was such a busy weekend.

Pictures from the potluck and 888 performance can be found in the usual place (photos, album: life 2007).

ninja club card

It was a long wait, but it was worth it. I am officially Dan Certified by the Kukkiwon. For those of you who don't know what that means, I have my first degree black belt in Taekwondo. It was a long but fun road. I hope to keep going. There are pictures up (life 2007) featuring me getting my belt, my dad testing for his black belt and some other really cool things that happen at a black belt testing.

grad student formal

Well, this post has been a long time coming, but this week has been rather busy so far. Believe it or not, I have been doing work. I know, it's difficult to wrap your mind around. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, every year the graduate college hosts a formal. It's a black tie optional event that includes a string quartet, waltzing, desserts and cocktails. Quite the evening. Luc was my date (like you didn't see that coming) and he was all dressed up in his tux (yes, he owns one). We went early to the waltz lesson which was at 9:30PM and had quite the good time. By the end of the evening I wasn't putting my feet under his anymore and I was beginning to get the hang of following (instead of leading ...). Pictures are up. That is all.