We're ok :)

Friends and family,


We just started thinking about the news you may be hearing about Bosco, CNDP, M23, etc., in North Kivu... And we wanted you to know that we are fine. It's not close to us. We're safe. Things are quiet here. 


We hope you have a blessed weekend! 


love,
Noé and Bethany 

Proud of you!

College football coach Jon Brown :)

Please check out this article, which has a photo of my brother in law in it!

He's not quoted in the article, but I know he had a lot to do with helping students at this event... Helping students to prepare themselves for their future... In sports and in university. This isn't something rare, Jon is always working to help students push themselves forward and to reach new heights... I'm just happy that other people recognized the contribution that Jon makes.

Here's the link: Prep athletes prepare for the future

I'm proud of you, Jon!!

grading English homework

Spending the morning grading English homework isn't so much fun...

Especially when I reflect on the struggle that we had in our last class, Saturday morning... My mind keeps thinking, "How will tomorrow's class go?"

Ah.

The good thing about Saturday was that almost 40 students came to class that morning... it was nice to see some of the "new" faces join the rest of us in class! hehe

[Attendance issues, anyone?]

So today I'm grading homework... And trying to prepare (myself?! hehe) for whatever tomorrow holds.

But grading the homework while listening to some good music and eating a piece of cherished chocolate is fantastic!

Thank you Mom, for the Reese's! :)

And thank you Sarah, for the new music!
xoxo

Chocolate, you make almost anything better!

Another reason to eat curry? Ok!

Curry's ability to fight cancer put to the test - BBC News

Studies have already shown that it can beat cancer cells grown in a laboratory and benefits have been suggested in stroke and dementia patients as well.

I love curry. Almost any time.
Green.
Yellow.
Red.
Brown.
And so on...
Yum!

If it might fight cancer, try eating it!

Enough with the pity - Chelsie Frank's blog

Here is a thought-provoking blog posting from my colleague and friend, Chelsie Frank.

"Stop the Pity"...please.

I know many well-intentioned people are concerned for my safety and health. Their first questions are about the violence: "Oh, but isn't it dangerous over there?" This is kind. Other times they are curious about how I live and function in a context that they perceive as 'unimaginable'. This is often accompanied with one of two reactions: 1. Oh I don't know how you do that (making me into some sort of 'super'-human. or 2. Wow, that is so great that you are doing that, bless your heart (making me into a saint). In my earlier years I would welcome these comments because I felt like it was a form of encouragement. Yet, as I matured into my identity as a foreigner working in a professional role, practising my faith with my colleagues, serving others, and learning about the complexities of the region I didn't feel the need for a special status. I began to see myself as a small part of a bigger mission. I saw my Congolese colleagues that served their people tirelessly and with scarce resources. When I thought about giving up my lattes, comfortable home, fast internet, and reliable plumbing it holds only a sliver of significance. 

Sisterhood

With my sisters - sorry it's a bad photo - I just love y'all!!!!

I found this blog posting - On Sisterhood and thereby the article that it references - The Spirit of Sisterhood Is in the Air and on the Air, from the NY Times, this morning.

What a treat. 

Both are talking about the importance for women, females, actually, to have close friendships with other females. Not just the importance, but the health and even psychological benefits for females to have a few close relationships with other females.

I love my Mom.

It made me think of my sisters.

And my Mom.

And the ladies that I am blessed to call my sisters.

What a gift!

Women who impact me. Support me. Challenge me. Strengthen me. Comfort me. Encourage me. Hear me. Want to be heard by me. Trust me. Share with me. Hope with me. Pray with me. Cry with me. Laugh with me.

I remember being a little girl and thinking, "Thank you God for making me a girl and not a boy... If I was a boy, I'd have to ask someone to marry me, instead of being asked!" Oh the thoughts of a child that didn't understand or consider the many different factors involved in choosing a life-partner (like, I'd know my future spouse first!)...

But really, "Thank you God, for making me a girl!" I get to enjoy and cherish deep, loving, amazingly-complex and beautiful relationships... With other women - women who need me as much as I need them. We are made and designed for relationships, for community. We as people, but especially we as women.

Thank you, God.

So, enjoy the articles, that are above. And these photos, of some of the women who have shaped, and continue to shape my life.

I love you and I thank God for you.

How's that song about "sisters" go...? Sisters... 

with little brother peeking in!

 

 

I love the women in my life! 

Cry of the Broken

A very dear friend, Heidi, shared this song with me earlier this week and the lyrics are powerful. It's called "Cry of the Broken" by Hillsong. Listen to the words, let them speak to you, and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sk__It7yt4

With love,
Bethany

More clashes in North Kivu (but not Beni)

UN: Nearly 5,000 people displaced after clashes in Congo’s North Kivu province
Just so you know - this is nowhere near where we live in Beni.

Profile: Bosco Ntaganda the Congolese 'Terminator'
The title just screams, "fear mongering," to me.

The Congolese radio stations are reporting not just about politics in Congo... But also in the US. It was surprising to hear Mitt Romney's name this morning on the radio... Seems like a lot of people are interested in whether Barack Obama gets re-elected in November!

Boosting brain power at UCBC

Being bilingual 'boosts brain power' - BBC News

1 May 2012 Last updated at 07:49

Learning a second language can boost brain power, scientists believe.

The US researchers from Northwestern University say bilingualism is a form of brain training - a mental "work out" that fine-tunes the mind.

Speaking two languages profoundly affects the brain and changes how the nervous system responds to sound, lab tests revealed.

Experts say the work in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides "biological" evidence of this.

For the study, the team monitored the brain responses of 48 healthy student volunteers - which included 23 who were bilingual - to different sounds.

They used scalp electrodes to trace the pattern of brainwaves.

Under quiet, laboratory conditions, both groups - the bilingual and the English-only-speaking students - responded similarly.

But against a backdrop of noisy chatter, the bilingual group were far superior at processing sounds.

They were better able to tune in to the important information - the speaker's voice - and block out other distracting noises - the background chatter.

'Powerful' benefits

And these differences were visible in the brain. The bilingualists' brainstem responses were heightened.

Prof Nina Kraus, who led the research, said: "The bilingual's enhanced experience with sound results in an auditory system that is highly efficient, flexible and focused in its automatic sound processing, especially in challenging or novel listening conditions."

Co-author Viorica Marian said: "People do crossword puzzles and other activities to keep their minds sharp. But the advantages we've discovered in dual language speakers come automatically simply from knowing and using two languages.

"It seems that the benefits of bilingualism are particularly powerful and broad, and include attention, inhibition and encoding of sound."

Musicians appear to gain a similar benefit when rehearsing, say the researchers.

Past research has also suggested that being bilingual might help ward off dementia.

The many images of Africa's daily life - BBC

In pictures: The many images of Africa's daily life
Enjoy!!


Ex-rebel leader Ntaganda 'not involved' in Congo unrest


DR Congo: Using a Song to Raise Awareness of Human Rights
Strong lyrics! 
I have the right to live in freedom, to be equal, to have justice, to move freely, to have my opinion and to express it, to work, to associate with others, to receive an education and to not be discriminated. And I have the right to live in peace.


And in more sad / pathetic news:
Swaziland's King Mswati III given jet by 'sponsors' - BBC