Pre-Jordan Thoughts

Jordan is finally here.

I can't believe how quickly this semester went by and what a whirlwind it was.  I feel like so much happened, and yet I can't put my finger on any one point or one lesson.  Still unpacking it all.

In other news,  I am currently sitting in Washington, D.C. awaiting my plane to Vienna.  

I'm feeling super anxious, super nervous, super insecure about my trip.  Also, super excited and ready to begin this journey.

I know that it is going to be a huge learning and growing experience.  After what happened last summer, I am completely aware of how much a person can change in just two short months.  While I am eagerly anticipating that growth, I am also fully aware of how scary that can be and of the repercussions that can last for months to come.

When all of the study abroad students at Union were preparing for our trips this semester, they asked us to write out goals and keep them with us to remind of us of just why we are doing this.  They said this will make it easier when the homesickness and the culture shock hit for the first time.  I feel that it's only appropriate to write them here.

Motivations:

First, I'm doing this because of the cultural awareness that I lack.  I've been exposed to very few cultures, and I feel that it is vital to learn about other people and their way of life. 

Second, I'm doing this because of the career benefits.  This experience will beef up my resume like no other.  Furthermore, it will help to decide if international diplomacy is really the way that I want to go in the future.

Third, I'm doing this to learn Arabic.  I think it's an extremely unique language that has so much relevance in today's international sphere.  This goal is indelibly tied to number 2.

Fourth, I'm doing this in order to grow, to become an adult, and to learn to live and to live well.

Goals:

First, I want to do a lot of soul-searching through this trip.  This semester has been full of it, but I feel that being removed from everything that I know and love will enable me to really discover who I have become and to further unpack those things that I have learned this year.  This goal includes a fierce revitalization of my relationship with Christ.

Second, I want to be able to converse in Arabic.  Note that I said converse.  Do I expect to be fluent?  NO.  Do I expect to be functional?  Yes.

Third, I want to learn to love people without expectation.  I've come to a place where I have a hard time loving when people aren't what I expect or what I desire.  I need to learn to push past this and to love from my own heart.

Fourth, I want to rid myself of a couple of new staffs that I've picked up along the way.

Those are just a few of the things that I'm looking forward to on this trip, and I'm certain that more are to come.

I plan to update this blog pretty regularly, but I honestly don't know a lot about my schedule or how things will be when I get over there.

Although you can't send me mail in Jordan, you can definitely keep up with me here, and I would love for my inbox to be full of your emails.  Send them to kirby.lewis13@gmail.com.

The next time you hear from me, I'll be across the Atlantic.  Crazy.life.

The Country Music Marathon

Ok, ok, I'll come right out and say it.  I ran the Country Music (Half) Marathon!

I have been training for it for some time, but there is literally nothing that could have prepared me for that day.

Let me start at Friday.  I got up, did some homework, went to class, and then packed my bags to head to Nashville with two of my roommates - one who was also running the half and the other who was gracious enough to come and cheer us on.  We traveled to Nashville and went to the convention center to pick up our bibs and gear.  I have never, ever seen so many people in Nashville.  It was crazy.  We stood in line for probably 30-40 minutes and finally made it to the desk where we got our bibs and t-shirts.  Then, we headed to the expo where there were hundreds of booths set up selling all kinds of running gear and health food.  Naturally, we had to try everything.  Marathon bars, power jelly beans, gummy energy snacks, shots of tomato juice and muscle milk.  Almost everything I put in my mouth was disgusting, but, hey, a runner's gotta do what a runner's gotta do.  I separated from my compadres and headed to my sister's house.  She took me out for pasta (naturally), and then I went home and went to bed.

Saturday, I got up at 4 am, and I scrounged around my sister's house in the dark for some breakfast food.  I wound up with a piece of bread and four strawberries.  I wasn't sure if this would hold me over, but it was all I had.  I headed down to LP Field to park my car and boarded a shuttle headed for Centennial Park.  The range of emotions on that shuttle was incredible.  It ranged from intense focus to anxiety to exhaustion.  When we got to the park, we were shepherded through all of these stations that were handing out free bagels, bananas, water, and other energy drinks - luckily, my food problem was no solved.  Then, I had an hour before the race to scope out the competition, which really meant an hour to watch people.

Finally, I started stretching and then walked down closer to the corrals where I found my roommate - a shocking feat due to the sheer mass of people that was there.  After some talking, we headed to our corrals and got ready for the race to begin.  It was amazing to look back and see all of West End COVERED, I mean COVERED in people.  There were 30,000 participants and probably an equal, if not greater, amount of spectators.

At 7 am, the race began.  I was in about the 8th corral, so I started at around 7:10, and as I crossed the race line, I felt so great.  It was incredible to be so in tune with everyone else who was running and to just feel the excitement of everyone cheering for you.  The first six or so miles went like clockwork.  The best part to me, was finding people to pace myself with.  Call it weird, but I developed some psychological connections with these people, and I now act like we were friends after that good 30 minutes that we were running together.  The sad part, I'll probably never see them again.  Sad.  Also, along the entirety of the course were people cheering for you with signs or water or fruit.  Another favorite part were the kids who would hold out their hands in anticipation of a high-five.

1 hour 55 minutes and 33 seconds later, I crossed the finish line.  It was an amazing feeling to accomplish something that I had been thinking about since last November or before.  Needless to say, running the Country Music Half Marathon was one of the best decisions that I have ever made.  I wanted to do something that was just for me.  Something that I could be proud of on my own, and I did it.  I look at my medal, and I think about the hard work that I did, and I'm proud that I can say how much it means to me.

Was it difficult?  Yes.  Did I have to work for it?  Yes.  Am I in more muscle pain right now than I have ever been in before in my life?  Yes.

Was it worth it?  Absolutely.

Maybe you aren't into running, maybe you aren't into physical activity at all.  Point is, set your heart on something and go for it.  Do something just for you, something that you can be proud of and that you can take full responsibility for.  Sometimes, it's just what you need.

Next year, I'm setting my eyes on the full.  Let's go.

Seasons of Life

All things come in cycles.  Especially the seasons.

First, you have winter.  It's cold and dreary.  You're probably sick at some point even though you got the flu shot and have been eating vitamin C like candy.  Every once and again, you get a good snow day, which a lot of people love - but I hate (hate the snow, love the snow day).  Of course there's the joy of Christmas and all that jazz to brighten this least favorite of the seasons.

Second is spring.  The snow starts to melt and out comes the pollen.  I'm literally allergic to everything, so I'm, once again, sick, but thank God that the sun is out.  You sit outside in your lawn chair (hammock) and soak up all of those rays, probably resulting in a good old sunburn.  It's the best.

Third, we have summer.  Glorious, summer.  No school, no work.  Internships, travel, etc. fill the docket of this wonderful month.  This time around, I'll be headed to the other side of the world to see what they think about this season.  I'll get back to your with those details.

Finally, we have fall, or, as some of you more erudite readers may like to call it, autumn.  The leaves start to change, you pull back out those long sleeve shirts and the like, and there are bonfires. I'm, again, sick because of all the vegetation changes.

What have we learned?

I'm sick literally all the time.

No, what I wanted to provide there was the image that, like the seasons, all things change.  I'll say it again, my life has changed drastically over the past year.  When I started out on this journey though, I had a picture in my head of just what these changes would look like.

Funny thing is, nothing changes in quite the way you think it's going to.  It's so funny how we say, "Oh, I'll do this and then everything will fall into place," or "I'll just make this tiny change, but everything else will remain the same." No. No. No.  Not how it works.  Ever.

In my life, I changed one major thing, and it was like a domino effect.  I have experienced changes in my personality, my desires, my thought-processes, my attitudes, my political affiliations, my ideas about social constructs...literally everything.

A lot of the time, these changes excite me.  Currently though, they overwhelm me.  It's obviously a struggle with contentment, but when everything is changing, can a person be content?

Maybe you've made some changes lately, maybe you are thinking about making some.  Maybe those changes are going your way, maybe they are not.  Either way, it's important to remember that all things come in cycles.

Keep trudging through the snow because, eventually, spring is coming.

Lessons from Korea

The next day in Korea was filled with cultural learning.  We toured a museum, learned to play the drums and do a traditional mask dance, and then we traveled to Korea's very own version of Disneyland.  The park was awesome despite the fact that I was still super sick.  Later that day, while still at the park, it began to snow.  What a crazy Spring Break!

My final day in Korea was spent in closing ceremonies, finishing up some last minute shopping, and going out one last time with some great friends.  This was definitely a trip that I will never forget.

Some things I learned:

1.  Don't be intimidated by people.  We are all human, we all have positive and negative qualities.  Being able to see past those and to love people for who they are is what can set us apart.

2.  Don't exaggerate accomplishments.  You've done something cool?  Great.  It isn't necessary to one-up, just be proud for others.

3.  Embrace new experiences.  Best case scenario: you find something you love.  Worst case: you find something that you don't love, and you're able to definitely say so.

4.  Always, Always, ALWAYS, bring medicine with you during international travel.  Pack a variety.  Sinus, headache, stomach, anything you can find.  Antibiotics are priority, but only if attained legally, of course.

5.  American snacks are also a must.  Don't get me wrong, international cuisine is one of my favorite things, but there is just something about the richness of American food that I was missing.  My peanut butter and crackers worked well, but I would have loved to have packed a few other things.

6.  Jet lag kicks tail.  The past two days, I have literally taken at least two naps.  My time clock is still backwards, and it doesn't seem to be evening out at all.  It doesn't help that I have three tests this week.  Ah, c'est la vie.

Being in Korea, I didn't only learn about Asian culture.  I learned to appreciate and embrace all that we have here in America.  Yes, Asia was incredible, but I'm pretty fond of the good, old USA. 

I had an amazing time, but I'm glad to be back. 

Korean Adventures and Pork Dumplings

Last Wednesday, I left Union and headed toward Nashville.  That night, I went to bed eager to wake up a short two hours later and board a plane for Dallas, Texas.  In Dallas, I would meet up with several other college students who were participating in the CIEE South Korea Scholarship Program.  Now, this was first trip outside of the United States, and I had no idea what to expect.  Now that I've been here for a few days, I have few insights to offer accompanied by some stories of the goings-on of the program.  Let's jump in.

First day consisted of getting to know people.  Asking and being asked the same five awkward questions is terrible except that you meet really cool people.  This group is so diverse both ethnically, academically, and any other -cally you can imagine.  "Where are you from? Oh my gosh, do you know so-and-so. No? Ok. What's your major? Oh do you speak foreign languages?  You do?  Awesome me too." Everyone here is incredible.  Really.

Next, Korean language lessons, which in reality means that we covered the alphabet and learned to say "Hello"and "Thank you."  Needless to say, it's been difficult attempting to make it around the city.  Lots of body language is used.  I have also learned that saying things in an Asian accent is surprisingly effective.  Politically correct?  Probably not, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Along with seeing the city, we have had tons of lectures on relations between Korea (both North and South) and everyone else you can imagine.  It's really interesting to see the perspective of another nation.  Their idea of the Korean War was completely different from my visions of what happened, so it was really cool to hear their side of the story.

That brings me to today.  We went to visit the Demilitarized Zone.  I linked it the Wiki just in case you want to learn more.  Basically, it serves as a buffer between North and South Korea.  There are so many strict rules and procedures for being here.  You have to follow a dress code and there are certain areas in which you aren't allowed to take photographs.  It's crazy.  Through this visit, I technically stepped foot in North Korea.  Again, crazy.



Later that night, Taekwondo lessons.  That's right I can both speak Korean and do some sick martial arts.  Neither of those is true.

The next day, we traveled to a city south of Seoul for a little excursion.  We saw a traditional Korean village, which was interesting, but what was better was the large handful of Korean school girls who were literally crying over all of the American boys.  I felt like a celebrity as they begged all of us to take pictures with them.  Talking to them was really cool.  Naturally, their English was far better than any of my Korean.  Sad.

Now, on to the pork dumplings.  Monday night, I went out to dinner with a friend's mom who lives in the city.  She took me to this little restaurant, which she had never been to either.  We ordered in our broken Korean and were looking forward to the large amount of pork dumplings we were about to consume - one of the coolest things to me about Korean food is that they share everything, so it's easy to order in groups.  I ate, and it was wonderful.  I then went home, said goodbye to my friends mom, and all but stumbled to my room. I fell asleep for a few hours, and then I woke up as I was running to the bathroom.  I proceeded to puke my guts up for about the next fifteen minutes.  Needless to say, I will never again eat a pork dumpling.  Korean food is great...the first time.  It is currently Wednesday, and I'm still not at 100%.  Gross.

Though the trip isn't yet over, I have had an incredible time.  The people I'm spending this week with are all insanely intelligent, and they are definitely all going places.  I'm really honored to be among them.  I'm so thankful for this opportunity to have experienced a culture that is so different from my own.  It's exactly what I needed for this spring break.  Two more short days here, and then it's back to the United States.

Mexico and Other Intercultural Endeavors

¡Hola!  

This post began in Matamoros, Mexico.  It's a small-ish town right on the other side of Brownsville, Texas, and it's where a good friend of mine will be living for the next two years.

A few weeks ago, he asked me to travel with him to his new home, and I gladly obliged.  I left Union and traveled to Birmingham where I met up with a few friends for dinner before heading out for Mexico.  We left Birmingham and drove to Mississippi where we stopped for the night.


The next day we traveled for over 12 hours, making stops in New Orleans and several smaller towns in Texas.  


On the next day, we finally made it to Brownsville where we took care of some business and crossed the border.  Technically, this was my second time in Mexico, so I knew a little bit of what to expect.  This time around, however, I was a little bit more comfortable with the language.  Go back and read that again, I said a little.  


We arrived at his fantastic house and met several people.  Naturally, everyone around me spoke fluent Spanish.  Though at times this was frustrating, I did my best to listen and pick up as much as possible.  There were only minor mishaps due to language such as the waiter boxing up the tiny morsels of steak that I hadn't eaten rather than just taking my plate.  No big.  


All in all, I was honored to accompany my friend on this journey and had a great time doing it and experiencing a fairly new culture all at the same time.


Since I've been back at Union, I've been searching for opportunities to both learn languages and interact with people from other cultures.  I know they are here.  I just have to find them.


Last week, I helped with an ESL program at Andrew Jackson Middle School.  Essentially, it's helping kids with homework, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  The kids think it's super cool that I know even what little bit of Spanish I can speak, and I think it's LEGIT that they can speak both Spanish and English.


I also found a multinational ministry at church that seeks to teach English, as well as share the gospel, with internationals in the Jackson community.  There were Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish speakers there, all seeking to master English.  It was really cool to help them learn about simple things like weather and clothing items, and it made me recognize how important it is that you really practice when learning a language.  The cultural interactions were so interesting to watch.  Such a mix.  


Furthermore, through this program, I was able to meet a man from Seoul, South Korea, which is where I will be headed ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!  Talking to him and learning even just a little bit about my destination made me stoked about my trip.  I can't wait to immersed in a culture and language about which I know literally nothing.  

The next post will probably be written outside the United States.  Can't wait for that.

Spectacular, Spectacular

Maybe I'm obsessed with the movie Moulin Rouge, maybe I am not.

Hint: I am!

First of all, let's talk about Nicole Kidman AND Ewan McGregor...in the same place...at the same time...singing.  That alone sets a high bar for this movie.  Any film in which these two appear, I will watch, also love.

Speaking of love, the picture of love offered by this movie is out of control.  Sure, there is questionable material, the girl is a can-can dancer after all, but the love offered by this young, Bohemian man sweeps her off her feet.  Insane.  

*Spoiler Alert*

Thirdly, tragedy.  I love a good tragedy.  That may seem weird at first, but here's the deal, things never work out the way you expect them to.  Sometimes, it's good to watch a movie where the people don't end up 'happily ever after' because, quite frankly, nothing in life is ever totally 'happy ever after.'

Now, let me say this, this movie was not at all what I expected.  There are times when you may feel like you are on an acid trip, but that's part of the fun, right?  Right.

On to the sentimental. 

 "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return..."

What an incredible gem.  I like to focus on the last part of it.  We have to learn to be loved, not just to love.  This is probably where I struggle the most.  I am fine with showing others that I love them, but sometimes, it's just hard to allow others to love me because that forces me to really open up, to allow them to sacrifice, and to chance not only being hurt but hurting them, even if just by accident.

Because of this simple fact, I often push people away and just never allow them to get too close.

It's hard because I want to be in control.  Being loved involves letting go and letting someone else control for a minute.  Am I willing to let this happen?  Am I willing to let someone love me?  

What a revolutionary concept.

So, here's a new resolution.  Learn to be loved.

"Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs.  

Well what's wrong with that?  I'd like to know."

    

"We could be heroes, just for one day."