Hey folks!! This will be a short blog. We just wanted to let you know that we have a small (emphasize the word small) picture gallery on a free website. Just click on the link to the right (entitled "Pictures," for those of you who are not masters of the obvious) and you will be magically wisked away to a land of visual stimulation. Actually, you'll see a picture of our Czech team along with a couple of candid shots from our drive to the left coast. This is under construction, so check periodically for changes and updated pictures. We will hopefully have pictures on our blogger before too long, but until then...enjoy the link!!

Another night, another lesson-taught and learned. katie and i both taught tonight on slightly different topics. she taught on professions in america and would have to give you the low-down herself (though she did great, once again). I taught on opportunity. More specifically, I was interested in starting a discussion on my student's idea of their "opportunity-of-a-lifetime." It was interesting to hear my Taiwanese father and son team express their opinions once again. I wanted them to write about what they would do in life if their was nothing holding them back; what their 'opportunity of a lifetime' would be. Given this prompt, I half expected them to talk about becoming great leaders in industry or obtaining some esteemed position in their community; surely something grandiose. Then, once again, I was humbled. They both explained that their 'opportunity of a lifetime' was to come to america, where they could be free. The father explained that he had left his extended family (which would never be described merely as 'extended' to the easterner) so that his son could come to a better country where he could learn and have the freedom of opportunity to do what he chose. The son likewise explained that, although the culture shock and language barrier was a constant struggle, it was worth it to have a freedom he had never known. I kind of stared and blinked in surprise and said, "but...you've both already taken your opportunity of a lifetime." Of course they just looked at me funny as if to say, "We had to, it was an opportunity of a lifetime."

Two things that I gathered:

1. I am so quick to judge and criticize my country. How often do I read the paper in a cold bitterness that eats away my patriotism without my knowledge? How often do I whine and complain to my friends about how much better it would be if we all took a page out of the european playbook and did away with our own idiosyncrasies? Truth be told, there are people here who appreciate their freedom more then I will ever be able to. There are people here, non-natives, who love this land more than I do. I'm not saying that the american way is not always the right way, but neither is it always the wrong.

2. Why don't we chase after our dreams? Why do we settle with the conventional? Why not move half of a world away? What is your 'opportunity of a lifetime' and why haven't you taken advantage of it?

well, today is sunday. we are awaiting laundry to be done. michael is reading 'more than a native speaker' by Don Snow which talks about the in's and out's of language development in other countries and the cultural biases that come from loving one's own country. we can be so close minded can't we? even in our "revolution" from the "norm", with our rants about America= it's problems and shortcomings, we find ourselves screaming for independence and freedom, only to find ourselves in a new box. a box filled with other screaming freedom-finders. Thanks be to the Lord, who transcends all my weaknesses and my disillusions. Who doesn't love only the screamers and "off the wall'ers", but the middle class norm just as much. We don't have to prove anything, we can be in a bigger box, or a little one. The fact is that every person from every tribe will cry freedom one day from the tyrany of their own heart. How sad it is that we must have books to teach us how to stop from loving one's own country. maybe they should write a book on how to stop from loving one's own 'stand'.

i must go. to enter the realm of homework.
goodnight. nascheldano.
katie

hi there. here is the explanation of the Aristotle teaching. of course, with my huge expectation that because i taught last night, i would not teach tonight, was I wrong! boy, how expectations are the root of all evil. i was scheduled to teach tonight, again, but this time for the alumni and our regional director. that wasn't intimidating or anything.

but, i got the opportunity to pick my imaginary audience and topic. so, what better than Aristotle and play writing? that's what i said! so, nonetheless, it was a a night of laughs and practical application. yes, yes, fellow readers....there is a tad bit of Tim Stevenson in these bones.

about life......

"let me explain, no that would take too long. let me sum up..." (Indigo- The Princess Bride)

....we are tired. we are great. the Lord is good. All the time.
lovekatie

Another long day, but another heap of blessings!

I taught for the first time tonight on American relationships. It's interesting to get an eastern perspective on friendships. Two of my students, a father and son from Taiwan, explained that they are used to a more reserved and conservative approach to forming friendships. They will take large amounts of time, even years, to get to know someone before they'll actually consider that person their "friend." However, once this is so, they are truly friends for life and couldn't conceive of losing touch or growing apart from that person. It kind of makes you realize how quick we are to slap each other on the back and consider ourselves compadres, and sadly, how quickly we are to forget that same person as soon as their gone from our sight. Granted, we tend to move much more frequently than most easterners, but I think there is often a superficial quality to our bonds nonetheless.

I am thankful for the true friends who have stood by me through the years and are still here. I sincerely hope to have many more close years with those of you I've known for only a short time. Please keep in touch with us, you are our family.

P.S. katie taught another great lesson tonight, this one on Aristotle's theory of playwriting. Try teachin' that!!

Greetings at last!! We've finally managed to get ethernet in our dorm room here in Pasadena. I've realized in the last few days that I am addicted to the internet, or at least communication via, but that issue is not really relevant at the moment. What is relevant is where we are and why we are here, since no doubt many of you are checking in for updates on our little escapade.

Well, our little escapade has proven to be much more grandiose (at least so far) and complex, while remaining small and relatively simple at the same time. As far as the granduer goes, we have been thrust into a boot-camp style training program that, at least initially, forced us to wonder, "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?!" Monday through Friday we attend seminars and small group sessions from 7 am - 6pm and then teach (or observe, depending on the night) english classes to adult Chinese immigrants from 7pm-9pm. What is particularly interesting about our schedule is its ambiguity. Since details often are unpredictable overseas and have the tendency to change at the drop of a hat, so do our responsibilities during training. We don't find out if we're teaching on any given night until two hours prior (which means coming up with a lesson plan in about an hour) and our students may be different every single night. We also eat every meal with a different group of teachers every day, which means katie and I no longer get to share meals. The 14-15 hour days seemed daunting at first, especially considering they won't let up for another five weeks, but I think we're beginning to see the value and method behind the madness.

As far as the simplicity of it all, I think it's a purifying process that teaches one what servanthood really is--staying committed to something that is, and remains, constantly out of your control and out of your comfort zone.

I don't mean this to sound as if we're not loving every minute of this wild trip. On the contrary, we've met some incredible brothers and sisters for whom we already have a deep love and respect. It's amazing to see God bring so many people (about 150) together for one common purpose. Everyone has made us feel like family and we are eternally grateful.

We also appreciate your continued love and support. Please keep us in your prayers daily, as they constantly our telling us that this will be the hardest time of our next year.

We love you all. Grace and peace.

p.s. katie taught tonight for the first time and did an excellent job. You'd all be very proud.

i know, i am an absent blogger. but i am here. we are starting training tomorrow. tonight we had a last date for a while. a random little mexican place and the pirates of the caribbean. it was a great movie. anyone who's into wonderful action movies and fun cheesy movies, see this one. between sean connery and johnny depp, action movies are the thing right now.
of course, you are talking to the 'indiana jones' fanatic of the world, so maybe action movies are merely in my blood. for those of you 'english patients', steer clear of the new movies. rent a drama.

thats all for now. more to come. eventually. - katie

Well it's been a full day in Santa Monica. We hit the pier and the promenade (yes, the sad setting of yesterday's pedestrian tragedy) and saw 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.' It was no 'Citizen Kane' (spelling?), but I don't think it deserved the bum reviews that most critics gave it. Not the best story ever written, but entertaining action nonetheless.

At the end of the day, I am thankful that I don't live in such an afluent area. It's very surreal to see homeless people resting in the shade of multi-million dollar penthouses. It's hard on the heart to see such an extreme and concrete example of the incredibly diverse spectrum of the lives of our American brethren. I don't think it's the harsh dose of reality that I want to avoid, but the realization of how high up the ladder I truly am. To someone that has nothing, my toyota is as extravagent as the ridiculous lexus I criticize at the stop light. I don't know what position that puts me in. Sorry, no answers here at the moment--just late-night, disconnected thoughts.

Well, no worries. In two days we'll be torn from the luxury apartment and moved into a shoe-box. It is a bit nice to be pampered before doing away with virtually all luxuries. I guess I should enjoy it while I can.

I don't know what our blog-staus will be for the next week. I'm assuming we will have some sort of internet access during our training, but no guarantees. We'll talk when we can. Adios!

I am blessed to say that I'm writing this from a 14th story apartment overlooking the beach in Santa Monica. The Lord blessed our travel and we made the full 1300+ mile drive to the great left coast with no problems. 16 hours yesterday-954 miles in one day. We were pretty proud.

Highlights:

Cruzing around the U of A campus in Tuscon.
Eating 'In and Out Burger' for the first time in a decade.
Sleeping in our luxury 'Motel 6' quarters.
119 degree heat through death valley.
...more to come for sure...

We will stay at this sweet apt. with Kate's wonderful g-ma for a couple days and report to training in Pasadena on Saturday. We love you all and thank you for your prayers thus far, but please, keep 'em coming.

Grace and Peace.

4:32am

...and we're off...

this is katie. hope the blogger below is fascinating reading!
i wrote it. wanted to specify.

hope everyone can have some sugar today.

Dobry Den!
Good day, in czech. aren't you proud? i am ready for the new world of Prague. am i? we shall soon see. we are done packing and waiting till the pizza comes....a last dinner in Texas for a long time. it seems as if maybe taco bell should be the 'last supper'. but mexican is easily available in california.

well, two suitcases and a carry-on later, i wish that i could put it all in a backpack.....kudos to kendra for the co-existing thought.

oh, i burned myself. i was tending the fire while we were camping, a very 'firey' woman.....ah ah ah....and i burned myself. sorry, random thought.

you know, i have been thinking about truth lately. why can't we, the people who have been blessed by truth of Jesus, be more bold? come on people! we have friends that are lost, crying and searching through stupidity and lies that our fellow earth dwellers are telling them and why aren't we fighting? what happened to the Pauls and Peters of the world? the same attitude of pulling a sword on the error and darkness in defense of our friends? my dear friend abby is reaching for that truthful light from a crumbling church and the passion of my heart about the GOSSIP of the Lord of the Universe is boiling! wow. let's stop the candy-covered smily people that are inactive but kind, and set out as an army of love and truth. goodness gracious, what happened to the fire?

anyway, sorry about the rant. passion for truth is never ranting but always unloads at weird times. how exciting. we're leaving at 4 am. what an adventure. goodnight.

I think it's necessary to take a brief hiatus from cyberspace every now and again. We just got back to D-town last night after a couple of days in southern Missouri. Good times had by all. We went up to see some old friends before our jaunt to the west which, I have to say, is always good for the soul. We camped on a river, went on an 8 mile canoe trip and I even tried fly-fishing for the first time (thanks for the lessons Alex). I'm not much of a fisherman, but I have to admit that it was relaxing--I wonder if I can take a fly rod down to the Vlatva. God also blessed us with the most amazing light show I've ever seen. A huge thunder storm crept its way over our camp late last night, forcing us to tear down camp and split before any potential flash flooding began. So, we had to head back to Joplin a bit early, but we had a dry bed and got to see even more old friends (thanks for the roof, Steph). It never ceases to amaze me how often God changes the smallest plans to bring even more blessed fellowship.

Now we have two days at "home" and then the nomadic excursions continue. Your prayers are certainly appreciated for the daunting packing process. I don't know how you pack for a year in two suitcases (one of which is earmarked for textbooks), but I have a feeling we're going to find out very fast. Thank you to all of you for the overwhelming encouragment thus far. We've a long way to go and a big God to hold our hands. We're excited to keep you up to speed on His work in our lives and the lives of those around us. Grace and peace.

Time is slowly running out. We've been packing all day in an attempt to free up some time to go the the ball game with Kate's dad. I don't think either of us are very stressed, just hard-pressed for time. It's hard to want to spend every single hour with five different people while trying to be productive at the same time, on top of having adequate alone time. I think we're both looking forward to the long drive to the coast alone. Just me, my gal and the open road--our own little manifest destiny.

It's good to hear that the Holland team is doing so well. The granduer of the Deb Stevenson Mom-entity has officially gone international. I hope everyone enjoyed the chicken and that you manage to dig up an extra skillet. I truly hope the Lord will use all of you uniquely. It's good to hear that your apologetic buttons are being pushed. Just allow the Spirit to speak through your rational mouths. Our prayers are with you.

This will probably be the last blog for a few days as we are heading up to Missouri to camp out with some old friends. We'll hunt a small-woodland creature for you all. Much love-Mikey

Ode to the Blog.

words come and go
so do i

that's all for today
goodbye

i am a virgin blogger
nope, wait

i am not

-kate, his wife

Rainy day musings:

Spent a while on the back porch, watching the rain fall into the lawn and reading 'More Than a Native Speaker' by Don Snow. As I comb through all of the required preparational literature for teaching overseas, I'm struck by how many motivations people have for learning a second or third language and how greatly that influences how they will learn. For instance, someone being forced to learn a language, as must of us have in our western education, will typically devote very little time to having a firm grasp on the concepts behind and syntax of the language. On the contrary, many immigrants whose livelihood depends on how well they can communicate in their new environment will undoubtedly learn the language as a means of survival. And then there's the student of the world, who learns languages to further personal communication and, quite simply, to enjoy other cultures.

And then I got to thinking, "Which one am I?" Am I the stubborn pupil who sees language as another required hoop to jump through? Am I the alien who sees language as a means to an end and, inevitably, as a type of commodity? Am I the genuinely inquisitive, who sees the simple value in knowing how to communicate outside of my own personal box and, in turn, to see my surroundings without the all-too-often ugly, arrogant American cultural lenses?

I think I have been (or will be) all three at one time or another. At the root, I think the human heart is constantly tangled with different motives. It is a rare thing indeed to be purely driven by one sole factor. Maybe that's why, in order for us to live in love as we are commanded, we require a supernatural being within us (the Spirit) to override our heart's defaulted, confused desires.

I have no idea how I got from Don Snow to the depravity of the human heart in three paragraphs. How many degrees of separation is there between a linguist and the fall of a man?

Making the rounds on the 4th: a few hours swimming with the nephews, a few hours with my parents and the rest of the cool (ha) summer night with the Stevenson clan. Tonight will actually be the last night we see Deb and Liz as they are both leaving for Holland and won't return until we're long gone. Even when you're independent and hours away from you family, you still never realize how much you take them for granted. Now that the reality of not seeing anyone familiar (with the exception of a few visitors) for a year is starting to set in, I find myself much more appreciative of the dwindling time we have left to share.

Isn't it strange how you become strangely sentimental on holidays? It must be something in the food.

Well, here it is ladies and gents: the inaugural blog!! What to say on the first blog?! There's so much pressure! Well, we'd like to thank the greatness of Brent McKinney for introducing us to blogspot. We'd also like to thank Taco Bueno for their great variety of transparent Coca-Cola cups that fit oh so snugly in your vehicle's cupholder. We hope to become blog-savy in the not too distant future. As it is our first blog, I don't think I will keep you too long. Be sure to post any questions you may have in the "comments" section and remember, next time we will go over the syllabus, so don't be late! That is all.