A Katie's-Eye View

The World the Way I See It

Archive for category world

Re:action

Aug 4

Posted by Katie in American, Dallas, life, truth, world | No Comments

Not too long ago, I visited the Dallas Holocaust Museum. This place is a really amazing reminder of the atrocities that humans can commit, and I was really moved by my experiences. While I was there, I saw a small fraction of artifacts from the Warsaw Ghetto, the death camps, and the freedom fighters. The exhibit focused on one day in the history of the Holocaust, and at the end, we were shown a film of real testimony from Dallas-area survivors. I even got to meet a survivor, which was pretty humbling.

This experience really got me thinking of the way that we always say “never again,” although similar circumstances are all around us in other parts of the world. Sure, the global scene is a little different now, and six million Jews are not being systematically murdered. I’ll give you that. But, I ask you to consider the terrible things that happened in Rwanda. Consider the things that are happening even today in Sudan. Consider the newest crisis, the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Kyrgyzstan. Each of these situation is a tragedy, but there is, perhaps, a greater tragedy–these crises are merely the tip of the iceberg. People all over the world are being subjected to terrible things that, as Americans, most of us cannot even fully comprehend.

I do find hope in this world, though. A friend of mine sent out a note asking people to learn more about the situation in Kyrgyzstan. NGO’s around the world are drawing attention to the dilemmas faced by women and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. People are volunteering to go abroad in order to serve the defenseless. I love this. I love that even though not everyone can go work in a refugee camp, there are so many who are willing to do what they can. There is a need today, I think, to know what is going on in the world. To be informed. To do something. This is the key–as long as people aren’t silent about the terrors millions of people face, there is hope.

At the Holocaust museum, the overarching theme was the terrible crime of being a bystander, and the incredible importance of being an upstander. I urge all of you to take action. Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. It’s the least you can do, and I am sure that if they could tell you, they would say that it means more than you could ever know.

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Ireland

Jun 16

Posted by Katie in Ireland, awesome, fun, travel, world | 3 Comments

It’s been a little over a month since I headed out to Ireland, and a little under a month since I got back–crazy how it seems so long ago. The trip was amazing, a complete whirlwind, and exhausting. Our arrival into London was delayed by about an hour, thanks to a late take off from DFW. This late arrival caused us to hurry through Heathrow, stopping only at the request of two rather rude passport agents who, from the way they treated us and people we met on the tour, don’t really like it when non-Brits come through their airport. Aside from them, though, the airport seemed nice, and I have to admit that flying over London made me want to visit England soooo much. This wish was almost granted, thanks to our good friend Eyajafjallajokull. As we were standing in line to board our plane in London, a breaking news update flashed on the TV from the BBC: Dublin’s airport was set to close. I am not exaggerating when I say that I heard a collective murmur go through the crowd, punctuated by random voices wondering if we would make it through the ban.

Fortunately, Aer Lingus was not daunted by the closure, and slipped us in an hour before the airport closed. Note: I was on a constant lookout for any ash in the air, both on the flight over and the flight to Ireland. I didn’t even see a gray cloud. Upon our arrival at Dublin’s airport, we exited the plane–not a noteworthy experience in most airports, but here, we got to come down those fancy stairs, just like we were all the President of the United States or some celebrity from the 1950′s. It may seem mundane to a lot of people, but I got a kick out of it. :)

After navigating our way through the airport, we finally made it to where the Paddy’s Palace shuttle was waiting to take us to our lovely hostel. If you’ve never stayed at a hostel before, just imagine a college co-ed dorm or a summer camp cabin with communal bathrooms, although all of Paddy’s Palaces were much cleaner than either of those. Hostel living is easy and breezy, and once you get used to it, no problem at all. Courtney, her mom, my mom, and I really enjoyed it.

We looked around Dublin on our own that night, and the next day set off on our grand tour, six days going around the Irish coast on a big green tour bus filled with Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, a Belgian, a Canadian and some Americans (plus our Irish driver, Joe). It was a multi-cultural bonding experience, I’ll tell you that much!

As much as I would love to go into great detail telling you every single thing we did, I’m afraid that I would run out of room. I can tell you that the first night we stayed in Derry, Northern Ireland. Derry was an interesting city, full of history and struggle, although there have been great advances toward peace recently. Not knowing too much about Irish history, I was very interested in all that we learned in Derry.

The next morning, we woke up and headed toward Belfast, stopping on the way to see my favorite thing in all of Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway. I LOVED this place, and would have happily spent days there. Unfortunately, two hours was all we got, but we were rewarded by seeing one of God’s coolest creations, and by some delicious Irish stew at a hotel near the coat that I definitely intend on staying at one day. When we arrived in Belfast, I immediately fell in love with the city. There is a ton of history there, to be sure, which was all outlined on our Black Taxi Tour (ironically, I was in the only red taxi in the group). I wish we could have spent a few days in Belfast, but alas, onward we went toward Galway.

The drive to Galway was amazingly beautiful, and we stopped in County Sligo to see W. B. Yeats‘s grave. After more driving, we made it to Galway, where we had a great time. The next morning, we went to the Cliffs of Moher, which were beautiful and breathtaking. I definitely was amazed at just how tall they are. This was a major tourist spot, with people from all over the world there to admire the splendor.

We spent the night in a small village called Annascaul, right on the Dingle Peninsula. It was a quaint little town, and our night was filled with karaoke fun. Courtney and I submitted our request to sing, but I have to say that I was actually glad that the guy never called us up. However, it was great to see our moms along with our new friends from South Africa sing “Dancing Queen!” The next morning, we got up and headed to Dingle, where we enjoyed a couple of hours of just roaming through the city. I would definitely like to go there again, especially because we came upon a farmers’ market, with a ton of local goodies.

We stayed in Killarney the next night, where we were privileged to be able to visit the national park. The scenery in Killarney is gorgeous. There isn’t really a good word to describe how stunning the mountains and lakes are, our a picture I could either find or take that did it justice. Trust me, you’ll have to visit this place yourself.

Killarney was the perfect tourist town, and we had a great time there. I would like to visit again, but I preferred some of the other cities we stayed in, just because they were a lot less touristy. After Killarney, we visited the biggest tourist trap of them all, the Blarney Stone. Don’t get me wrong, the Castle Blarney was really amazing, and the grounds were pretty, but there were tourists everywhere, and laying on a mat and having some random Irish guy shove me headfirst toward a stone to kiss it isn’t really my idea of fun. But hey, if you like it, go for it. :)

We ended our tour by visiting the Guinness factory/museum back in Dublin. I’m definitely not into drinking, but it was cool to see the history behind this iconic brew. I did try a taste in the tasting room, and was not really surprised at the crazy-bitter flavor of Guinness. I passed on my free pint, and instead just enjoyed the history.

Instead of staying at the hostel again, the four of us stayed at a nice hotel where we felt like royalty after living in hostels–no bunk beds! Private rooms! A real shower!!–it was awesome. And I have to confess that we definitely enjoyed our fair share of chocolate heaven cake and cheesecake. Mmmmm!

I am so glad that we were able to take this trip, and I cannot wait to go back and spend more time in Ireland. The country is beautiful (and the weather was fabulous when we went), the people are super-friendly, and there is a vibe of relaxing and having fun everywhere we went. And who knows, when I go back, I may even let Mark come. :)

I know this post was incredibly long, but trust me, I could have added another thousand words easily, that’s how awesome this trip was. If you ever have a chance to take this tour, do it! It was a great introduction to Ireland at a wonderfully low cost. If you have a little more time and or money, try renting a cottage somewhere and just staying put…I promise that you’ll be glad you did, and that is exactly what I want to do next time! Thanks for letting me share my amazing trip!

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Blessings

Feb 9

Posted by Katie in God, dream, honesty, life, love, mission, truth, world | 1 Comment

Sometimes, I feel like life is a real challenge. Then I remember how blessed I am. Even on the days where I’m sick and have to go to the doctor for the third time in two weeks, I realize that I have it so. good. There are people right now in Dallas who only wish they could go to the doctor for their sicknesses. That’s just in Dallas. There are people all over the world who have never been to see the doctor. Who have never imagined the day that they will be healthy. I am blessed.

There are days when I have to take a test after feeling like I’ve learned very little on the subject. On those days, I try to remember that I am getting a college education while there are little girls around the world who would cry tears of joy at being told they are allowed to go to school for the first time in their lives. I am blessed.

There are days when I feel like I don’t want to get up and go to work, when all I want to do is stay at home and read. I am so blessed to have a job I like, much more so to have a job at all.

On days when wedding planning overwhelms me, I realize that I am blessed in getting to have a wedding where I not only know the groom, I love him and he loves me. Many women around the world are denied this pleasure. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

I do not claim to know why I am blessed with all of these things and why others are suffering daily, but I do know that I want to help them. Where women, girls, men and boys are denied these blessings, I want to be the one God uses to help them. I know that God created me for this reason–to share his love and blessings with those around me and those across the globe. I can’t save the world, I know. But I can most definitely try to make one little difference. That is my goal. Make a difference.

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Opened Eyes

Oct 27

Posted by Katie in human trafficking, truth, world | 1 Comment

In my advanced written communication class, we were asked to write a commentary/editorial on an issue that is important to us. I chose human trafficking. In my research, I learned so much, but I feel as if I have so much more to learn. I barely scratched the surface, but I learned that there are 27,000,000 slaves in the world today. Isn’t that astonishing? In a time when the world is becoming more an more modern, there are still people bought and sold every day. Even here in America. I learned that the average price of a slave is $90. That Asia and Africa have the biggest markets for the buing and selling of humans, and that the majority of the workers on chocolate plantations in Africa are slaves.

There can be slaves who are captured walking down the street and forced into working, who are promised a better life and then forced into prostitution, and who are sold off to pay their family’s debt. This happens in Dallas, in LA, in China, in Russia. All over the world. Fortunately, there are organizations dedicated to ending slavery. Free the Slaves, Not for Sale and Stop the Traffik all have excellent programs and materials.

I am definitely going to continue researching this topic, and I am going to get involved in stopping human trafficking. Because once you know it’s out there, how can you not?

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The Final Countdown

Jul 20

Posted by Katie in God, South Korea, awesome, learning, teaching, update, world | 2 Comments

So, in two days I will be headed to Suwon, South Korea. I’ll be there for 3.5 weeks, teaching English, leading VBS and learning a ton about Korean culture. The last time I went to Korea (last fall break), I learned a lot in only a week. The increase from this experience should be astronomical!

Our game plan has changed somewhat over the past few months, but as of today, it looks like we will be flying out of DFW at 10:10 Wednesday and landing in Tokyo around 1:05 on Thursday. The flight lasts 13 hours! Then we have about a six hour layover in Japan, and we will head to Seoul, where we will arive two or three (I can’t remember) hours later. From Incheon International Airport, we will have about an hour-two hour drive to Suwon, my home for the next month.

I am definitely excited, but I feel so unprepared/overwhelmed when I think about it. I have never been so far away for so long, which is exciting, but still challenging at the same time. I know I will miss my family and friends, and Mark, and American food, but I have my team, new places to see, new foods to try and, of course, God. :) I will be just fine, I think.

One thing that does have me slightly on edge is the fact that we might be staying in host homes, maybe even by ourselves. on the one hand, this is a really great, once in a lifetime, worldview shaping event that will be the best way to experience Korea. On the other hand, I do not know Korean, am kinda creeped out by several Korean foods, and a little worried that I may end up offending some nice people due to my lack of cultural knowledge. I think the pluses are undeniably better than the minuses are bad, but still, I am tad worried. :)

I don’t know how much internet time I’ll be able to snag, but I’ll do my best to keep you updated on everything.

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Meeting Bhutan

Jan 25

Posted by Katie in God, learning, refugee ministry, teaching, world | 2 Comments

I have always loved meeting people from other countries and getting to share in their cultures (see many posts here for more details). I recently got a chance to become involved in refugee ministry here in Dallas. Yesterday, my roommate Ariel and I went to house church with some people who minister to Bhutanese refugees. It was an amazing experience that I will always remember.

We arrived after the apartment full of people had already begun singing in Nepali. Talk about being thrown into the culture! The language is complex and beautiful, and I really enjoyed listening to it. It was interesting, though, when they requested that Ariel and the missionaries and I had to sing a couple of songs. Talk about stepping out of my comfort zone! Hearing new believers talking about how they wanted to give their lives and trust to God was amazing as well. They have been through a lot, from being kicked out of Bhutan for speaking the wrong language (Nepali) and being the wrong religion (Hindu) to being relocated to Dallas, so it is amazing that they have decided to become Christians and begun following God with a great desire.

Next week, Ariel and I are going to start a children’s ministry so that the eleven or so kids can get something out of it as well. I’m looking forward to watching that develop into something great! I know it will be difficult, but the reward will be greater than I can imagine. We are definitely going to need God’s help, though! Oh, and prayers would be greatly appreciated!

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Saving the World

Jan 9

Posted by Katie in Pakistan, world | 1 Comment

I think we all have a desire to save the world in one way or another. Some people want to be doctors that discover the cure for diseases and save millions of lives. Others want to bring clean drinking water to the impovershed world, saving millions of lives. Me? I want to save a few lives in a big way. I want to really make a difference in the lives of the people I help (not that the aforementioned ways don’t do that, because they definitely do!), which is why I really feel for poorer people in countries without the social aid of America and many western countries. I know there are people here who are really suffering, but they are far better off than those in say, Pakistan or other countries where the government aid is strained.

I had this idea that we could get together and help the girls in Pakistan who are denied the education that will bring them from being treated as less than human to being the new doctors, teachers and politicians in their country. My friends and I have a group on Facebook to help get organized. We have raised a little money already, but I want to do so much more. It is pretty hard to get something like this started. I mean, why would anyone want to give money for a cause that they don’t really know a lot about? Well, what I can tell you is that everyone has a right to be educated, and that no one should ever be killed because they wanted to learn how to read and write.

To me, this isn’t a political issue, or a religious issue. It is just about young girls who have the right to learn. I don’t want to be a crazy American, pressing changes on a culture I don’t understand, but I do want those girls to be able to walk down the street safely and sit in a classroom and learn about history, language and math. I want them to become doctors, scientists, authors and businesswomen. I want them to be the best they can be. I guess I want them to be able to save the world.