Blurbs From Eunee's Mind (and Life)

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving! I did. I cooked my first turkey and then a few days later watched a video of how you're actually supposed to carve a turkey (none of us had a clue!). We all took turns in cutting the turkey into tiny broken off pieces, and even had a vegetarian have a go at it! Crazy! She asked me not to post the photo on Facebook as her friends would kill her. *laugh* I'm keeping the photo for black-mail. ;) Just kidding! The turkey, thankfully, turned out to be pretty good. But man, I didn't realize how heavy an 18.5 turkey could be! Nor did I realize how many HOURS it took to cook the sucker! So, we all had a true Thanksgiving dinner - late really, as we began eating around 9 p.m. Lol! I'm not sure I'll ever do a whole Thanksgiving dinner again. But the fact that I DID do it was satisfaction enough for me. :) And as proof, here's the turkey photo. Heh heh.

On my other website where I blog about human rights issues and children rights' issues, I added an entry today after attending a vigil for a slain Ecuadorean man at a train station near my university. While it wasn't the train station that is on the border of our campus, it occurred in a town nearby. See my entry here . I'm glad I attended the vigil today because it reminded me that while I'm griping and trudging reluctantly through my classes, there is a bigger vision for why I am here: social injustice, social change, and social action. And I believe that these all lend themselves to a framework of human rights that should be very evident in the field of social welfare. I guess I'm just not done blogging about my reflection of this incident and some of the remarks made at the vigil this evening. It makes me wonder that if people aren't really concerned about injustice and senseless acts like this happening in their backyard they sure aren't going to be co

It's amazing how despite all the griping I've come this far in the semester. I know it's not of my own doing. I have not been a good student this semester and have griped about all the philosophical round-and-round arguments/discussions we seem to have week after week. I can't believe I don't even turn off my phone anymore during class. I really have to have an attitude adjustment. But I just can't seem to get over the fact that even if our "foundation" of sorts is necessary in some way we are not knee-deep in the issues that face our field as well as our society from a social welfare perspective. Social justice, social change, and social action are largely absent from our discussions and our classes. Research experience is at the periphery and yet we're expected to become good researchers at the end of our program, probably as a result of the struggle we go through when we conduct our dissertation. I think this semester for me has been a challenge

I do some crocheting now and then - although the only projects I've ever finished are my scarves. I still have a shawl I need to complete and I just started a hat for the upcoming winter.... If I'm lucky, I'll get to wear both before the winter months are over next March. One day I decided to experiment with knitting needles (the 2-needle thing), and I was having so much fun I decided to intertwine 3 different colors of yarn because the yarn was the thin kind. And of course it was pretty cool. But take note: this was an "experiment", which means I never had any intention of completing it into an actual item. So after my summer hiatus and fall adjustment from that hiatus, I recently took out all my knitting and decided to undo this multi-colored experiment because you can do that with knitting and crochet, provided the yarn isn't too fuzzy with extras so that it tangles real well. Well, these thin strands of yarn that looked pretty easy to unravel created such

I have to post something on the upcoming U.S. Presidential Elections as it has been most interesting, and perhaps one of the most urgently important elections that I have faced as a voter in my voting lifetime (which hasn't been too long). I've watched the debates and the last one I listened to was the VP debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. But let me just venture to encourage you to think about some issues. I've outlined some of them here, and obviously they are not exhaustive, but they are what particularly come to my mind at this time: What are the candidates' stand on Darfur? What are their records for human rights related activities? Do their VP picks have the same stand on Darfur and human-rights issues? What do they consider the "middle class"? Are they really looking out for the interests of a majority of the American people or just the wealthy few? What about their stand on the Iraq war which is affecting too many people at this

21 years, yes 21 years, after leaving Malawi, I returned. I returned to a land that was so familiar, and yet so foreign. As we drove through the city of Lilongwe, I tried to sift through my memories and dust off the cobwebs to help my eyes drink in the familiar; but a lot was also registering as something completely strange. Despite having spent one-third of my life (the beginning one-third) of my life in Malawi, the first few days did not feel like home to me. And I was distressed. But still I looked, staring at the sights that greeted me, looking for the signs of the familiar. And when I did, I felt like I had met an old and dear friend. But among those familiar - the banana trees....those sweet, yummy bananas: nothing like Dole or Chiquita bananas you get in the States.... the papaya trees....and boy did those papayas taste soooooooooo absolutely goooooooood!!! And of course, one of my most beloved sights: Lake Malawi - oh so beautiful. Here are those familiar rocks at Salima.... I

Before I go on to blog about my other adventures, I wanted to blog a bit about my conference experience in Durban. I know I already have an entry, saying a little bit about it, but there's so much more that I learned from that conference. Some of it is expressed in one of my blog entries on my "Be A Voice" blog which you can access here . While sometimes I dislike conferences because it's usually daunting to go by myself (and I'm often attending conferences by myself), I am always glad I went to most of them. Well, I couldn't have been more glad to have gone to this one. Life is always interesting in that the path of least resistance isn't always the most rewarding or the most inspiring or the most educational. The conference itself was just inspiring. I was moved to remember that there was a reason I quit my job as a school psychologist to move on to Social Welfare - something I wouldn't have discovered if it weren't for my friend Cha who listened

On my return from the conference in Durban, I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with my childhood best friend. It was amazing to be able to meet her again some twenty years later. We had spent time catching up and also attended her daughters' cross-country event. We also had dinner at this African-themed restaurant (where else would we eat when in South Africa?) called Moyo's. This picture is of us after getting our face painted. :) For dinner I had springbok, and also managed to taste a bit of ostrich. Very interesting, and pretty good - both of them, I'd say. :) The next night I actually met up with some other people that I had not seen in twenty-one years. It was just amazing to see us all grown up (the kids), and the adults were somewhat the same, except for a bit of age of course. So I managed to have this big old reunion in Johannesburg. Oh, and we unknowingly drove by Nelson Mandela's house in Jo'burg, only having realized it as we drove past wondering

I have been back in New York for almost a week now, and have been adjusting to life back in the States after being gone for 6 weeks. It is hard to be back, even though it is good to be back where I can turn on the faucet and get hot water without waiting an hour or two, and where there are no scheduled or unexpected blackouts once, twice, or even up to 4 times a day. And I cannot say enough about how much I missed the internet service we get here in the States, as you will see in my later entries. The lack of appropriate internet has kept me from updating you on these blogs since I left Durban, South Africa. So I will try to catch you up on all my experiences and my stories throughout the next few weeks. :) It is also wonderful to be back in my own car! And I've missed my friends and family, but I also miss the friends I've made back in Malawi and elsewhere. So my return home is bittersweet....

I am logging in and blogging from Durban, South Africa, where the weather has been absolutely gorgeous! Not hot or cold, but just right! I feel like Goldilocks saying that. Anyway, I have been here since Saturday, July 19th, and am at a conference. Needless to say, conferences don't allow one to see much of the city unless you play hooky. I didn't for the most part, and probably won't, because there's too much interesting stuff. I'm only playing hooky right now because I haven't found a session going for an hour and a half that catches my eye. I don't know if it's just me but time seems to pass slower here in Durban as opposed to New York. Do you suppose we in New York ought to learn how to slow down the clock a bit like here? Anyway, the conference has been very good, and now that my presentation is over, I can breathe and enjoy it more. :) We have a beach party on our schedule tonight so that ought to be a treat. Just to share some pictures, here is o

I went back to the West Coast - Los Angeles to be exact - for about 10 days. I think it was the busiest 10 days of any type of "vacation" I've ever had. I'm still tired and I've been back in New York for two days now. Of course I haven't had time to rest since I've been back until today, but that's another blog entry (no worries...no real crazy adventures this time). It's always nice to get back to family and friends, and familiar surroundings. But it was less familiar to me this time in that it was more poignant that I didn't live there anymore. But I had a good time, albeit a hectic time, and did practically everything on my "to-do" list except for one chocolate store that my friend Sylvia was raving about - it closes on Sundays and Mondays. :( What was my list? Well, aside from scurrying about for fundraising, there were some people I *HAD* to see and some hang-outs I *HAD* to go to. I had to go to the beach, eat at Cha Cha Chicken

I spent two days at a lake here in New York. It was absolutely gorgeous and so peaceful! Kayaking out on the lake was so peaceful and meditative. Oh I know that it might have seemed to be hard work, rowing and all, but to mDe it was glorious meditation and a sense of freedom, without some of the fear I sometimes encounter kayaking in the ocean. Don't get me wrong; I love ocean kayaking too. But there are definitely some differences between kayaking on the lake and on the ocean. Anyway, the two days I spent in this quietude really helped me clear my mind and just breathe for once. Very much needed after a hectic end to the semester and in preparation for some hectic times ahead. And jogging along one side of the lake was just amazing in and of itself - enough to keep motivating me on my path to jogginghood. :) The picture below is of my jogging path. But what of this itchiness? Well, one walk through the damp and wooded forest left me with bug bites all over my legs. We had no idea

Spring has come to Long Island! Actually, it has been here for a while now; I just haven't had time to blog it. But I HAVE managed to take some pictures of the great bloomingness! :) I think it's my first real spring ever. I mean, can you actually compare the "spring" in New Orleans or Los Angeles to this? No. Really. . . . No. This is on my favorite route to New York City and back - the Northern State Parkway. The sky was soooo blue, not too many clouds in the sky, and flowers were blooming. It was a gorgeous day to open up my windows and sun roof, and drink it all in! (By the way, attempt taking pictures while driving ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK.....) Um....yeah, the same drive. :) It was so irresistible.... Oh, I guess I should disclose that I saw this man doing the exact same thing I was! (Taking pictures while driving....He's the one who actually gave me the idea of doing this....So yeah, all you adults out there! Remember, kids like me are watching you!) Hee hee.

Now that classes are over, I have a lot to read. Not that I didn't enjoy the class readings (because I'm going to recommend a lot of them here) but now I can read more of what is specific to my summer business and my area of interest. Plus I can read at a more leisurely pace. But never mind what I'm going to read; I wanted to recommend some books for you to read. These are not fiction, but nonetheless, they'll be enjoyable, thought-provoking, and might even make you laugh. They definitely made me think and I suppose I'll be delving more into these areas as the months go by. So here are some books I highly recommend: The Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Paulo Friere What's the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America - Thomas Frank One Market Under God - Thomas Frank The Corrosion of Character - Richard Sennett The Conservative Nanny State - Dean Baker (this is available online here where you can either order a paperback version, read it onl

OK, in light of all that is happening in the world, I feel a bit bad that I am blogging about this. But read my other blog here for today's entry on the incident happening that brought tears to my eyes this morning because I cannot believe that humanitarian aid is being blocked by such a selfish group of people.... Anyway, this is a story of what made me laugh last night, and earlier this afternoon as I talked to my friend again (who was with me last night when this happened). I guess that's how life is - tears of sadness and tears of joy exist in harmony because without one you might not really know the extent of the other. OK, sorry to keep diverting to something more philosophical as this incident really is not philosophical at all! It happened after 9 p.m. last night in the School of Social Welfare (my department). Being kicked out of the library (apparently it doesn't matter that finals are drawing near....Friday nights everyone must stop studying in the library by 9

Did you expect a part three??? I bet you didn't! Especially as it has been a while since I have returned. But I still feel like I owe it to my beloved city to include this part. Part Three (Trois is three in French) covers the part that is not quite so happy or fun. We drove down to the 9th Ward area and the Desire Housing Projects area where I used to tutor as a college student, and I was saddened to see that almost 3 years after Katrina, George Washington Carver High School was still closed.... Rebuilding was going on, however slowly. One friend was indignant - that people were allowed to rebuild on plots of land that will obviously flood again. I didn't know what to say because I feebly wondered where these people would then rebuild their lives. Where would they find a plot of land where they could rebuild their homes and rebuild their lives? The obstacles in this area were numerous, but to change the location of their homes to somewhere else in New Orleans would be almost i

Click here to simply cast your vote for my project proposal - voting does not obligate you financially. As you know I am planning on going abroad this summer to Africa, and one of my destinations is Malawi. Besides having been born and raised there, this is the country that my nonprofit organization has decided to start our work in. So, while I'm there, I wanted to be able to contribute to the community in return for the huge contribution they are going to make in raising our organization's awareness of their situation, their needs, and their stories. So please vote and get all the people you know to vote! Thanks!! :)

So I had the very best of intentions to continue with my blogging of New Orleans, but since my return from Spring Break there, I have been rolling on a wave of work and finding myself utterly exhausted to think about blogging. But despite the tardiness, here's another entry on New Orleans. I did tons of walking and absolutely reveled in the weather - 70s pretty much all week long! What a break it was from scarves and layering up in Long Island! No socks, no double layers of clothing, no scarves around my neck! The weather was as I remember spring in New Orleans to be. People ask what it is I love about New Orleans, and I just can't explain it adequately. Maybe it's the architecture? The pretty homes constructed just like this one: Or this one: Maybe it's the old St. Charles Streetcar that buzzes and creaks along pretty St. Charles Avenue - albeit the route is significantly shorter post-Katrina. Maybe it's good old Cafe du Monde, its beignets and perfect cafe au lai

I am back in New Orleans after almost 8 years. It is good to be back. It's strange how things are familiar and yet different. The drive from the airport did not show a whole lot of damage from Katrina, but then again, the airport is to the west of downtown New Orleans and the whole river area. I walked around the Garden District for a while and of course, today was the St. Patrick's Day parades so I felt like I had returned for Mardi Gras in a sense. The only thing was in addition to beads, booze, garbage and moonpies, there were cabbages, potatoes, and carrots strewn about on the streets. That, and men in kilts.... I don't think any city parties like New Orleans does; or shall I say, I don't think any city provides such a party atmosphere like New Orleans does. I have to chuckle because I love it down here, although not quite for the party scene despite what people may think. Heh heh. Here's a picture of the remnants of the revelry. :) And look forward to more blog

OK, today is "crucial Tuesday" as the news is calling it - or maybe it's just CNN that's calling it that. While I know that this is tied to an important event in the U.S., I always approach it with some cynicism, now even more so having read about the history of social welfare policy and the "welfare state" called the United States. And fortunately maybe, my TV is still busted and I haven't had time to call about it being repaired (I'm sure I could be doing that right now but I'd prefer to blog, heh heh) so I have not been too inundated by election hype. But all the cynicism aside, I do know that it is an extremely important current event - and even more so as I am pondering the vote, or my vote, shall I say. As I ponder the candidates and their issues, read news articles, and of course watch one of my daily podcasts - Anderson Cooper 360, I have to admit that I'm just not enchanted or sucked in by all this debate surrounding the candidates.

This past Monday a tragic thing happened in Seoul, South Korea. . . . One of the historical monuments that has been standing for over 600 years in Seoul was destroyed in an arson fire. Now all that remains of this structure is the stone base. This structure, pictured here, is called Namdaemun (or Sungnyemun)- The Great South Gate. While it has gone through renovations in the past years, there were pieces of that structure that dated back to the original construction of it over 600 years ago. For a while it was not open to the public to walk through, but just recently had been opened. And I had an opportunity to walk through the gates and admire the paintings on the ceiling. Many Koreans are in grief over the burning of this piece of our culture, as am I. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that most Koreans are mourning the loss of this cultural monument. Rebuilding it will take years and cost millions of dollars.... The more terrible thing was that it wasn't an acci

I went on a trip to DC this past weekend, leaving Thursday and coming back Sunday. I took the bus (DC2NY) and it was great! Most people I talked to were surprised that I had such a great experience. The trip was 4 hours and 15 minutes (just about, including the 15-minute rest stop break) and smooth both to DC and back! No traffic or anything! I must have picked some good times....although, leaving NY at 4 p.m. did not seem like such a great time, but I had no choice - it was the only bus that went to DC on Thursdays. Nonetheless, I still made it into DC by 8:15 p.m. I was trying to count the tolls and then figuring in the gas - for driving to DC by car and back. And really, I asked myself, why bother? The bus did it in great time; I didn't have to worry about the tolls; and I could either doze off, watch a movie, or go on the internet! Can't do that when I'm driving! :) But yes, my friend here in NY was so surprised that I had such a great experience! Though she jokingly sa

"live with intention. walk to the edge. listen hard. practice wellness. play with abandon. laugh. choose with no regret. continue to learn. appreciate your friends. do what you love. live as if this is all there is." - mary anne radmacher I'd like to think I do live with intention. Most of my major decisions are made with intent, purpose, and goal. And I do suppose I walk to the edge - the edge of what is known to me and my circle of influence, although sometimes it might just be the edge of a box I tend to live in most of the time, unfortunately. Perhaps though in walking to the edge, and walking along it, I attempt to push the boundary out even further....or knock it down altogether. Listen? Oh yes, I listen hard. If anything, that's one thing I learned to do well in my years as a psychologist and counselor; of course, I also learned to listen hard to me, and the Voice that gives me guidance (albeit sometimes my voice speaks loudest....). I do try to practice wellne

I went to SoCal for about two weeks over the holidays and I had a good time. I mostly ate, as one does when returning home for vacation - ate with family, with friends, with former colleagues now friends, and of course, the snacks I used to enjoy like Porto's. :) I think it would be appropriate for me to list some of the places I went to eat at besides mom's house (hee hee): Cha Cha Chicken, Black Cow Cafe, the Alcove, and Yun Kyung (for jja-jang myun and tang soo yook). Jja-jang myun is a Chinese-Korean noodles-in-black-sauce dish (and thus can't be found at traditional Chinese or Korean restaurants - believe me, my friend has tried; tang soo yook is crispy fried pork (or beef) with veggies in sweet sauce. Yum!! :d I did get to go snowboarding because a winter storm hit Southern California while I was there. I took some pictures and showed some people here and my classmate laughed. He asked me if it was really southern California. I think people forget that there are mount

Can you believe that it is already the first day of 2008? In some places in the world the new year is already a day or two old. The new year has come here in Southern California, and with it the advent of new things - I hope. I look forward to the new year, with new vision and with new hope. And of course, I hope to sail upon new shores and ask that my journeys bring me to new horizons. This world is so big, yet so small in some ways due to the advent of technology. Still, there is so much yet to be experienced - and I cannot wait. With the new, sometimes I think that I am quick to forget the old. But the old is also worth keeping and bringing along even in the new year. I think we're all like that in some ways. We look forward to new technology - bigger, better, faster, flashier. It's like a race to that one shiny bauble that will make our lives better. I hope that's really not the case and that the material is really just a side to the things that truly make our lives bet