Hot Springs

After finding out we were stranded in Arkansas last night, I went online and looked up the Hot Springs public transportation schedule.... which in layman's terms means THE BUS!

Here are some pictures of what we encountered downtown in Hot Springs.  It was a nice day and I got some much needed rest!

First Day of "Camping"

So, we left from Lewisville early this morning to get on the road.  And got past Arkadelphia when a light on my car started flashing, which left us here... at a rest stop in Arkansas.

This is part of the problem that left us "resting", an overflow of transmission fluid.

So we sat, talked, drank water and enjoyed the breeze on a very hot day.

 Until the tow truck guy, Dave, came.

Dave just happens to be my new best friend.  Not only did he take us all the way back to Hot Springs to find a place to work on the car, he also neglected to charge us extra towing whenever the Ford dealership wouldn't even look at my Mazda and we had to go to another place.  He was a wonderful blessing today.

The reason this really happened today: so that I would have internet access tonight and I talk on skype with Kimberly for the first time.  Best night of my life!

Three Posts in One Day, Somebody Stop Me

I do what I want.

Here are some more pictures from my weekend of goodbyes.  Thankfully I got to say hello to someone, my mom, when she came into Texas.  That hello settled my heart a little bit more.

As soon as she landed we went to my favorite restaurant in Dallas, Cosmic Cafe.  I'm usually opposed to people taking pictures of each other across the table from one another, but I made a small exception.

Then we went to Denton.  The home of my favorite bookstore in the world, Recycled Books.

And finally, we met Amanda for Chopsticks and Ice cream!

Fun was had by all and tomorrow morning we leave Texas... tear.

Kate Swansong

Memory #3: I have never been more Asian in my life.

This summer, I finally found my cultural heritage and Jane helped me understand what that really means.  This is a real-life picture of me as I actually am with two of my favorite things: Habib, my fish, and Grubby, my... I'm not really sure what he is... mascot maybe

The artist is pictured on the right...

Spending Time with Steph

Stephanie and I have known each other since 4th grade, but did not become best friends until 6th grade.  That is our short, but long history.
And I love her... except for when she protests smiling in a picture with me and makes me try 8 times.  Here are the results.

And finally, she took a real picture with me.  I love you Steph!

All Moved Out

I have officially moved out of the Sentinel Lane house and said goodbye to all of my roommates... as well as Alfie, our house mummy.

This month is going to be full of adventure.

The Trees of East Texas

Today is officially my last full day of camp.

I was journaling this morning and realized that I thought today would never come.  During staff training, I thought it would never get to this point.  During session 1-10, I thought it would be forever before this happened.  Yesterday, I was pretty sure I would stop breathing before the sun came up.
Hehe, just kidding, that was a little dramatic.

But the point is: it has been hard for me to picture today.  And now that it's here, I feel peace.

Naturally, I've been recounting a lot of things that the past 6 years have been for me.
- Growth
- Learning to live authentically
- Learning to trust
- My roots deepening not in a place, but in a Person
- Family

And at the end of this season, I'm grateful for the trees of East Texas.  I have spent a lot of time playing next to them, teaching OE kids about them, reflecting beneath them and falling in love with the one who created them.  And just like somehow their roots are grounded in the hard clay of East Texas, my roots are grounded in the one I'm walking into this next season of life with.

Girl's Night

Memory #2: Girl's night is about boas, ice cream, dance parties and sometimes.... homesickness. :)

I have always had a love/hate relationship with girl's night.  I loved it as a counselor, struggled with it my first few years as an Assistant Director (because of homesickness epidemics) and now love it again!  And last night was officially my last girl's night!  Jane and Haley wrote a mad lib that they had the girls cabins fill out and here was Sky 2's letter to me:

Dear Kate,

Hi!  We are writing you from Sky Ranch, so you can remember us when you are in the bathroom.  We are having a(n) squishy week at camp!  The girls in my cabin are so fluffy.  Our counselors are pretty smelly too.  One of them is named Kate, but we all call her slimy llama.  Last night she twirled!  It was really funny.

Every day, we go to lots of activities.  The glittery activity here is definitely the zip lines.  Every time we go there, we always play ping pong.  I also love the blob.  Yesterday, we went there and played Sorry!  It was fluffy because it was lightningy outside.

I got you a present!  In crafts, I made you a lafaunda!  It is mac and cheese and splattered and flabbergasted.  It is about the same size as a manatee, and it smells like ocean mist.  I bet you will love it!  I will try to mail it to you, but I hope that it doesn't cost more than ceptillian pennies to send it.

I have gotten so many silly bands from the girls in my cabin.  By now, I probably have at least 18.  I have a tortise, a pickles and a parallelogram.  I even have a glow-in-the-dark peacock!  Those are all really cool, but my absolute favorite in my Anya band.  I didn't even know they made silly bands like that!

We really miss you here.  It just isn't the same without you.  We miss the way you always belly flop at girls night, and your slobbery singing voice at Pow-Wow.  We always loved it when you came to jet skis with us and pooped.  Grubby misses you too.  He told us to tell you that "California flipped in the belly button."  He said you'll know what that means.

That's all I have to tell you right now!  Hope you're having a great time!
Love,
Sky 2

Farewell Girl's night, I'll always love you!

Franklin

As you can see, my Dubai facts have been few and far between as camp has progressed.  I will continue to post facts about Dubai, but I wanted to share some memories from this summer!

Memory #1: Franklin

For me this summer, Wednesdays became all about celebrating gnomes.  After finding Franklin the Gnome in the staff lounge, I decided to put a bungee cord around his neck and wear him around my neck on Wednesdays chanting: "Gnomes have rights!"  While this chanting was met with shouts of agreement and disagreement, it was a monumental summer for gnomes everywhere!  hehe, and even if it wasn't... it was really fun!  Here is a picture of Franklin, Natalia and Courtney... when they stole him!

Guess what...

I've got a plane ticket...

Brambling Finch

This afternoon I searched to find my name written in Arabic.  I found this, which is actually Kathryn.
كاترينا

In the process, I found out that Kate means "brambling finch".  Finches are song birds like to eat seeds which coincidentally describes me perfectly...  Not surprising.

Session 8 is Great

My goodness....

Hopes for this week:

1. Hang out with my two favorite campers (I always say this, but this time it's true... they were my first campers my first week my first summer and I LOVE THEM!)
2. Laugh a lot celebrating Singapore Business Monday and Gno'em Wednesday!
3. Spend good time with God this week, rest in Him
4. Swim swim swim, play play play
5. Be a support to others

I'm Despicable

Reasons why you should see Despicable Me:

1. Everyone loves a Russian accent
2. Pointy noses easily substitute for unicorn horns
3. Even if you're allergic to kittens, there are three that you will love (especially when they drink milk)
4. Everyone can relate to a grumpy evil guy
5. The minions are priceless and have the best facial expressions I've ever seen
6. You don't want to end up in the Box of Shame...

New Dubai, Schmoo Dubai

One last neighborhood!

Fact #19: When you run out of space on land, make your own way!

"Less than six years ago only a couple of beach resorts broke the largely deserted stretch of coastline running south from Jumeirah to Jebel Ali but, unsurprisingly, in the fastest growing city on the planet, all that changed overnight.  The modern skyscraper city of New Dubai, as it's called, is home to the self-proclaimed 'eighth wonder of the world', the Palm Jumeirah (suitably crowned with the mammoth pink Atlantis Hotel), flashy residential developments including the waterfront Jumeirah Beach Residence with its European-style promenade, the Dubai Marina with its luxury yachts, and the city's best beach resorts.  Judging by the number of cranes jutting above the skyline, New Dubai isn't done yet and continues to expand at a phenomenal rate- watch this space for the Dubai Waterfront, which is expected to add 800 km to the coastline.  It's a different world to neighbouring Jumeirah with its low-rise white villas and bougainvillea-filled gardens- and the antithesis of Old Dubai, down by the Creek."

Architectural Jazz

Fact #18: I wouldn't mind some more freeform architectural jazz in my life right now!

"Dubai's residents speed down Sheikh Zayed Rd but visitors to the city should turn off and head into a hotel with a view to take in the striking architecture on this sleek strip.  A number of attention-grabbing edifices have opened here in the last few years, making the strip seem like a host to some kind of freeform architectural jazz, where each new development riffs off the last.  Check out the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, and the eye-catching Emirates Towers and Dusit Dubai.  Just a few blocks from the road are several sights that couldn't be more different from each other.  To appreciate these varied themes, check out Nad al-Sheba Racing Club, the pretty pink flamingos at Ras Al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary and the art galleries of industrial Al-Quoz."  - lonely planet Dubai

Jumeirah

Next neighborhood!!!!  Wooo HoooO!

This is what lonely planet says about Jumeirah:

"This beautiful stretch of coast with its namesake road running parallel to its white-sand beach boasts some of Dubai's best beach resorts.  It's also Dubai's most interesting residential area...  The largest villas are home to more affluent Emirati families with sheikhs' palaces occupying the prime beachside real estate.  To service local residents there's an incresaing number of chic eateries and shopping malls.  This area is also home to Dubai's most remarkable construction projects, including Burj Al Arab and the man-made island developments of The World and The Palm, which can be seen from space."

Fact #17: I wanna see Dubai from space.

Little Arthropods

We were infested with some little arthropods this week.  A.k.a. Lice.  And surprisingly, it has been a wonderful week.  I've loved the last three days.  As much as it has been a bummer to have less time to spend with second half counselors, it has taught me a lot.  And increased my drive to spend a lot of time with counselors on Friday and next week.  Who knew you could learn so much from lice?

Session 5

This is going to be the last week of first half!  And it's Session 5!  It's crazy how fast first half has gone by.

Here are my hopes for this week:

Cracker barrel parties with cabins
A Sleep over on Wednesday night
Getting to laugh and bounce with Julia and Grace at the Jumping Pillow
Having the chance to say thank you to wonderful first half counselors
To cry when it's necessary and laugh when it's even more necessary

Bustling Bur Dubai

Next neighborhood to cover: Bur Dubai

The lonely planet book states:

"Bustling Bur Dubai is home to the restored historical quarters of the Bastakiya and Shindagha, wonderful for late afternoon and evening strolls.  Bur Dubai Souq is just as lively as the Deira Shops, although its wooden arcades and waterfront location make it more pleasant.  Little India, in the surrounding streets, with its textile and sari stores, Bollywood tape shops and Indian eateries, can easily absorb a couple of interesting hours.  Past the concrete jungle of Golden Sands is Karama, home to a popular souq with cheap souvenir shops and counterfeit designer goods.  The neighborhood may be made up of dilapidated low-cost housing but it has a real community spirit that's hard to find elsewhere in Dubai."

Fact #16: I want to go to the Bastakiya Quarter!

A Little Experiment in Drawing

Things That I LOVE

All in the Neighborhood

Dubai is pretty expansive and diverse and one of my travel books broke it up into neighborhoods.  So while I get to know the neighborhoods, I thought you might like to as well.

Fact #15: Deira

excerpt from lonely planet's Dubai:

Deira is home to most of Dubai's souqs and dhow wharfage, always buzzing with activity and a fascinating place for a walk in the evenings.  Busy Baniyas Sq, also known as Al Nasr Sq, is Deira's centre.  Just off Baniyas Rd, the National Bank of Dubai is a beautiful sight at sunset.  The neonlit surrounding streets are excellent if you're shopping for carpets or electronics, especially Al-Sabkha Rd, which is also a great place for a quick snack with several good shwarma and hot-chicken shops.  Also wonderful for a stroll on a cool winter's night is Al-Mateena Rd., with its palm-filled central reservation and dozens of kebab restaurants.

Pennsyl-town

I had a wonderful week in Pennsylvania and met so many dear friends.  It was exactly what I needed and more than I could have ever expected.

I spent the week resting, learning, struggling and playing... And it was all awesome.  I even played a lot of volleyball on Friday night which is really out of character for me. :)  Here are some highlights.

A Very Fast Paced Weekend

After I got off of work on Saturday afternoon, I immediately went home and got ready to go to Louisiana.  The drive to Deville was 4 hours there and 4 hours back, but the car was full of excellent company and we got to go see Hannah get married!

Here are two pictures from the festivities.  It was a beautiful wedding and I had so much fun getting to laugh with the bride!

Without wavering

Today is my first full day off of the summer.  We weren't going to start taking days off until a few weeks in, but with how smoothly everything is going we decided to take days off this week.  And for me this is a huge blessing.

I haven't been able to update in a while, so I thought I'd check in.

Things at camp are going really well.  I love my new role as a camp manager.  I get to go into work everyday and focus on the counselors in my cabins.  And let me tell you, not having to set up night events everyday has been a huge blessing.  I used to have to be intentional with counselors and master our summer programming which was wonderful, but very hectic.  I love getting to focus on relationships every day that I go in.  I feel like Dad is already teaching me so much this summer.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Heb 10 23

My brother Paul

As training has gone on, I know that I've been unable to post very much.  Hopefully that will get better as the weeks progress.  For now there's no Fact, but there is a post!

~~~~~~~~~

In the second letter to the Corinthians Paul writes about his sufferings as an follower.  He writes of his imprisonments, lashings, shipwrecks and imminent danger.  And near the end of his paragraph of lashings and discouragements, he says... And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the communities.

I guess that I never read this part without it being hidden by the severity of his other sufferings, but this morning it jumped from off the page to me.  As summer nears and I meet more counselors and people I will journey with this summer, it's so easy to feel that daily pressure.  I admittedly can become very anxious for these college students.  But I think hearing my brother Paul talk about his anxiety regarding his fellowships gives me great comfort.  I can't carry that anxiety, I have to give it up.

That's all for now

Barasti

Fact #13: A barasti is a traditional house made of palms.  Maybe I can make my own when I get to Dubai...  I'm crafty.

Palm-frond, or barasti, houses are usually built on a wooden frame made out of mangrove poles, split-palm trunk or any other available wood. The palm fronds are used in two forms, either as straight poles (approximately 1 m long) stripped of their leaves used for creating screens or with the leaves still on for roof thatch. The shape of palm-frond houses varies from square or rectangular flat-roofed buildings to triangular tent-like structures.

Burj Dubai

Being tall has always been a competition everywhere I go.  Not between me and other people (have you seen my height?), but between every single thing in the rest of the world.  

Now, this is a huge generalization so I decided to make a list.

There's the Empire State Building vs. the Sears Tower... (those two buildings are always fighting with each other, even though they can't grow any taller)

Big Tex vs. Small Tex (the guy who tries to look like Big Tex on stilts)... Big Tex can't see well enough to see Small Tex down at his ankles, but those two guys are still always competing

Planes vs. the ground... I feel like the ground has a disadvantage in this fight

David vs. Goliath... That's where we all learned that being really tall doesn't even matter

All around the world people want to be TALL and make TALL buildings.

Fact #12: Burj Dubai is the world's tallest building, along with the world's tallest man-made structure.  Burj Dubai blows Big Tex and Goliath out of the water.

Not those kind of dates!

If you lived in Dubai before the 19th century which occupation would you choose?
P.s. Sarah Covin is reading over my shoulder as I write this and it's making me nervous....

"Traditional economic activity focused on fishing, pearling, herding sheep and goats, and cultivating dates and other small-scale agriculture."

I would cultivate dates because I believe it's important to cultivate social relationships.

Fact #9: Not those kind of dates.

Now I Know We Must Lift the Sail

I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me-
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor,
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me, and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one's life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire-
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

- Edgar Lee Masters

A Body of Water Up North

From Wednesday to Friday, I had a very hard group. It was the hardest group I've taught. They were wild, full of bad behavior and dramatic about everything.

But in all of the chaos, they taught me something invaluable. It wasn't life-changing in the way some of us might desire. I didn't leave Friday evening feeling like a new person. Instead it was life-changing because I realized there is a real battle to fight for in the hearts of all people. And these kids were blessed this week because they got to step outside of the drama created in their lives and experience something they had never experienced before....

Seeing a armadillo after their night activity on Wednesday night.

Roasting a marshmallow over a campfire.

Getting eaten alive by bugs after the sun went down.

Catching a fish.

Playing a name game and getting to act silly in front of each other without caring how cool they looked.

It was these things that separated them from what was hard in their lives. For minutes at a time they relaxed, loosened up and were vulnerable. And it might have changed back quicker than the teachers and I wanted it to everytime, but even if a small section of their heart was healed- it was worth every minute. As I remember them now, I hope they find healing.

Finally, camels

Fact #5: Camels are fast!

Emiratis have many traditional pastimes. Some of them include falconry, dhow sailing and CAMEL RACING! Who knew camels were fast? Maybe they seem fast because they don’t have to stop for as many water breaks as other animals…

sfuzzi

I had a wonderful weekend visiting my best friend Stephanie! We went to dinner in Dallas on Saturday night at a wonderful place called sfuzzi. These are the pictures from that adventure.

Delicioso

Fact #4: Emirati food sounds delicious!

“Meals usually start with meze, Arabic appetizers such as hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, falafel, and kibbeh (ground meat with spices) served with pita bread and salad. Lamb, beef, and chicken are the favored meats, often accompanied by rice, spices, nuts (especially pistachios), dates, and yogurts. [The majority] are forbidden from eating meat that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic rituals (called halal), and they do not eat pork.” - of course from Frommer’s Dubai

In short, I’ve fallen in love.

The Story

Here is an entry from my journal that I thought I'd share this morning:

Okay, so I just finished "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller and it was a beautiful book full of stories. It has been so encouraging to read this week. As I think about the stories that I truly fall in love with, they always have hope and they are stories that are full of purpose. This makes me think about my own story and the stories that I entangle myself with every day.

I feel like most people get to a point in their lives when they become all about risk management. I know I am all about it. Because we've been hurt before or gone through something, we want to control things in our lives so we never have to feel that pain again. But I truly admire people who aren't concerned with risk management. Who aren't afraid to get hurt. Who aren't afraid to love with their whole being.

Actions between people are always closely monitored by others. And they are the things that I'm most critical of in my own life and in the lives of others. It's almost as if actions are words spoken out. Words we have written in our thoughts and hearts that when carried out penetrate darkness. They either add to the darkness or they penetrate it and break it down. Pops, I desire to see others the way you see them, not with a critical heart, but a heart full of love. I want to be someone who's ready to see words lived out in their lives. Too often I limit others because I'm so used to limiting myself, but I've realized I'm showing others that it's better to adopt a discipline of risk management than trust.

I don't want anyone to tell my friends they can't do something. And I don't want to be the neigh-sayer in their lives. I would rather speak life. I'm full of love for dad. So grateful that he lets us feel even when we try our hardest to stay away from pain. Our stories begin when we let them begin. But as Miller says, we're just a single tree in a great big forest.

Maybe the ramblings of thoughts mean something to others and I hope they do.

The Reason for Nostalgia

I just looked on the calendar and realized that there are only 5 more weeks of teaching! That blows my mind. When I sat down on Wednesday to post something, I really wanted the post to translate my emotions about the end of this season well, but it's hard. There are so many people that I love and respect who I won't get to see anymore in a few weeks and the transition between now and then is one of the fastest I've ever experienced. I feel like I'm grasping the bottom of my seat to get ready for a wild ride.

But really my hope for the end of the season is to be able to walk gracefully.
To smile more than frown.
To cherish the people around me and the memories we've made together.
To prepare for a summer full of sugar and laughing.
And spend as much time with dad as is possible!

So here it goes! We'll see what happens!

Nostalgia

Nostalgia

a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition

That is the way I'm beginning to feel about the end of our Outdoor Education season. If there's one thing I love, it's teaching OE in the Spring...

It's also the way I feel about wildflowers and lighthouses, especially from Michigan.

And Katie, Emily and I looked up the definition of tattle, from tattletale. Tattle means idle talk or chatter. Do you want to find a time to tattle with me?

Lattes

Man, if there is one thing I love it's sitting and drinking a latte. Every time I order a latte at a coffee shop I get the response, "You don't want any syrup in it?" with a quizzical glance. To which I say with a Shakespearian accent, "No, I do not want any syrup, it would compromise everything that a Latte is!" Then I faint...

If only.