The Translator

I recently finished reading a book called The Translator by Daoud Hari that was fascinating so I thought that I would share.  It reads like a collection of short stories about Daoud's life growing up in Darfur and his role as a translator once the genocide/war broke out.  Daoud was lucky to gain an education, leaving his small village to go to one of the bigger cities in Western Sudan where he learned both English and Arabic.  Because he was destined to leave his family and not continue raising animals like his brothers, Daoud travelled to Libya and Egypt looking for work.  When the war broke out, Daoud travelled to Chad and worked for press reporters, translating for them at the camps and guiding them into Sudan to get images and testimonies of the atrocities.  I'm not going to give away the entire book, I encourage you to read it yourself!  It will provide you with a sense of how people live in Darfur, what happened, what it felt like and what the people went through, but it won't keep you up at night.  There are stories that are shocking that humans could do this to each other, but again, it's not like watching Black Hawk Down.  Go ahead and give it a read, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn something about our world.  I might even let you borrow my copy.

key

The key to a happy successful relationship: laughter, good sex, communication, loyalty, honesty, and TRUST.

Day 6

A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.


So many options here, but the winner is: 

Queen Elizabeth II

Not going to lie, I'd love to be royalty and run a country, even just for a day. (Not sure about the age part)

Day 5

A picture of your favorite memory. (Obviously I couldn't choose just one!)

On Trevor's shoulders after Mallah's Funeral

Venice

Theta Bid Night- Junior Year

After Theta Initiation with our National President 

Fourth of July Shindig

Glacier National Park Montana

Broadway Football Sidelines

Wesley House SaranWrap

Graduation

Hot Air Balloon Ride

Spring Break '10-Roomie Love

Spring Break '10- Roofing

Day 4

A picture of your night.

Granted this isn't from last night...but it is from the night we got over a foot of snow and had a snow day the next day, so we played outside and built an igloo.

(A little late...)

Day 3

A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

I'd have to say Top Chef is my favorite show, but there are some other's too, especially thinking back a few years...in no particular order: West Wing, NCIS, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy (pre-reviving deer)

Day 2

Picture of you and who you've been closest to for the longest.

Yup, that's me and my dad. As you can see, we've been close since Day 1, and we're still pretty close.  I should probably add a pic on Mom too, we've been pretty close too.

Important quotes from John Legend

You can't just cost-cut your way to prosperity. You have to invest to grow. And education is the most important investment.


You can't hold teachers to high standards if you don't treat their profession w/ the respect/compensation it deserves.


Clearly the deficits didn't matter to certain people when they were fighting to give millionaires a tax cut. #IDIDNTNEEDATAXCUT!


Smart Man.

Day 1

Picture of me and 15 Facts

1. Grew up in Baltimore, MD and State College, PA

2. Getting my masters in Teaching

3. I love teaching middle school! (Just not 6th grade)

4. My favorite flower is tulips

5. I have blonde hair that can be curly or straight, depending on the weather

6. I love my Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Theta

7. I'm the scholarship advisor for my Theta chapter (Eta Rho/James Madison)

8. I want to be a CASA at some point in my life

9. I also want to flip a house

10. I love quotes and have them written all over the place

11. I'm allergic to dairy

12. I can't wait to go to Ireland this summer and see where my family is from

13. I want to teach in a high-risk area because I think they deserve good teachers

14. I'm moving to DC in May/June once I get a job

15. Family and relationships are the most important things in life.

30 pictures, probably more than 30 days

Saw this on FB and liked the idea, except I don't have time in the next 30 days, so it may take longer.  We'll see what happens.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

A Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving

Last Saturday my family gathered to remember and give thanks for my grandfather's life.  There were some really special parts to the service that I wanted to highlight for my own remembrance.  Parts of the service were very religious, more for those of us here on earth because my grandfather was not a religious man, even in his last days.  After a hymn and a prayer, my Uncle David read "Sea Fever" by John Masefield.

Sea Fever

I MUST go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a gray dawn breaking. I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied; And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying, And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying. I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife; And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.John Masefield

There were then several personal remembrances, first from a colleague at UNC who remembered my grandfather as an educator who started the first modern Middle East and Islamic Studies class at UNC that blossomed into a department, even before Arabic was taught at the University.  Islamic Studies is now a major degree at UNC.  Poppa was also instrumental in editing primary documents and creating visuals and materials for teachers to use in their classrooms when teaching about the Middle East.  I'm going to see how much of that I can get my hands on.  Virginia Carson, director of the Campus Y then spoke, as an undergrad student who had known my grandfather, and then became a staff member while my grandfather was on the Board.  My cousins Lindsay and Trevor discussed some memories of us grandkids, most often mentioned was being picked up by the ears.  Then my mom spoke about his optimistic spirit, his woodworking skills and some of here memories, before my Uncle Whit spoke.  I wrote down the following:

-Be clever but skilled, be creative, love to learn and learn to sail.

-We cannot change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.

-It's not what we remember from the past that is important, it's what we take from it to apply to the future.

-My grandfather's favorite Qur'an verse: Your Lord is the one who drives for you the ship upon the sea, that you may seek his bountiful goodness. (From "The Journey by Night")

And then we sang "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" the Navy Hymn, very appropriate for a seaman who is sailing to his next home.

Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
and calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

JMU printing

For instructions to set up wireless printing at JMU: http://www.jmu.edu/computing/labs/labprint-mac.shtml

*This post is so I remember. ;o)

Herbert Luther Bodman, Jr. aka Poppa

Herbert Luther Bodman, Jr. died at Carolina Meadows on February 6, 2011.  The loves of Herb’s life, besides his wife Taffy (deceased in 2007) and four children, were teaching students and others about the Middle East, watching Carolina basketball (both men’s and women’s), sailing (big boats and small), and traveling, especially to Maine.

Born on April 29, 1924 in New York City to Theodora Dunham Bodman and Herbert L. Bodman, Sr., he grew up in Glen Head, Long Island with his brother Ed and his sister Violet (Coffin). After completing high school at Millbrook and the Ransom Everglades School, Herb departed from the traditional family occupation in New York banking to venture south to study history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. World War I interrupted his studies. He spent three years in the army, initially training with the Anti-tank Company, 272^nd Infantry Regiment, and then serving in France as a translator. After returning to UNC, he took a shine to his history Teaching Assistant, Ellen (Taffy) Diggs. She excused herself from grading his final exam, since they had become engaged halfway through the semester. He got an A anyway! While at Carolina, he swam and played soccer for the Tarheels and socially, he joined St. Anthony Hall fraternity. Herb graduated with a B.A. in History with Honors in May, and he and Taffy were married on August 9, 1947 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

For the next twelve years, Taffy and Herb moved from Princeton University, where he received his PhD. in Islamic History, to Beirut, Lebanon, where he taught and did research for his dissertation, then to McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In the process, they bore four children: Carlie, Whit, David and Lydia. Herb had his first stint at teaching at the American University in Beirut and then McGill University. Afterwards he spent five years working for the U.S. Information Agency on the Middle East Desk in Washington D.C. The teaching bug caught him and in 1960, with four children in tow, he took a job as professor of Middle East History at Carolina, a job he enjoyed until his retirement in 1989.

Chapel Hill offered the Bodmans a time to settle down and become involved in the community. The UNC Campus Y was an obvious match for Herb’s passion for international culture and he served as a board member for many years. While his children attended Durham Academy, he guided the school as a board member. In the summer of 1964, Herb led a student group to Niger as part of the Crossroads Africa project.

Although not on the eastern shore, the small lakes of North Carolina offered Herb the opportunity to return to his childhood passion for sailing. But the oceans kept calling, and the boats grew bigger, and with 4 children and 8 grandchildren and eager students, he could enlist plenty of crew. His passion extended to serving as crew, sailing to England on a square-rigger in 21 days.  By the time they arrived, Herb was sick and tired of eating peanut butter, one of the captain’s main staple foods. Courageously, he also crewed for his son, Whit. The shores of Maine kept calling as well, and during the 1970s, Herb and Taffy would pack up the family and live on a boat for several weeks each summer, cruising the cold waters of Maine. He grew to know all the coves and crannies of Maine’s rocky coast, always stopping to see cousins on Mount Desert Island and delight in the Jordon Pond popovers and blueberry pie.

During the academic year, Herb passed his passion and knowledge of sailing onto students and community members through the High Rock Yacht Club, Lake Townsend Yacht club and the Carolina Sailing Club, where he served as Commodore for many years. After retiring from UNC, and moving to the Carolina Meadows, one could often find him working on his boat and then donning a wet suit to sail on Lake Jordon in the cold months. You just could not keep him from the water and his boats! He also became a certified racing official, judging races up and down the east coast.

Herb and Taffy worked extensively with The Middle East Studies Association (MESA) and the Southeast Regional Middle East and Islamic Studies Society (SERMEISS), mentoring high school teachers and encouraging others in the study of Islamic societies. He directed the Islamic Teaching materials project, which included a bibliography, filmography, maps books and other teaching resources for high school and college courses. He co-edited Women in Islamic Societies and wrote numerous book reviews.

Herb passed on his love of Carolina basketball to his four children Carlie Martin, Whit Bodman, David Bodman, and Lydia Vandenbergh; his eight grandchildren: Trevor Hughes and Lindsay McKinnon, Noah and Elizabeth Bodman, Christina and Alex Vandenbergh, and Clarissa and Ben Bodman; and two great-grandchildren, Patrick and Logan McKinnon. Bearing his “Beat FSU” pin, he made sure of Carolina’s win against Florida State before drawing his last breath. A great Tarheel fan to the end. He had his priorities straight!

A memorial service will be held at Carolina Meadows on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 11am; in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the UNC Campus Y, Box 5115, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599.

 Last time I saw him at Thanksgiving, having some good days and some tired days.  We love you Poppa and we miss you so much, but we're happy that you're now with Mallah!

Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in

I've been thinking a lot about relationships lately especially with everything going on in my life, from my grandfather in the process of dying right now, to everything that happened in DC and to watching No Strings Attached last night.  (Great movie, you should see it!)  What I've realized from everything going on is how important honest communication is, and how much relationships mean to your quality of life.  I've realized how little I know about my grandfather because I'm one of the younger grandchildren and didn't get to have the same experiences with him as my older cousins did.  Because of those times together, they have a better relationship and understanding of him, which may mean that they are more affected by his impending death, but they'll also have better memories.  I've also realized lately how much loneliness and the feeling of abandonment affect people, but that makes it all the more important to be honest and tell people what's going on in your life, even if it is sometimes really personal.  That's part of living in community, something from the Wesley House that we tried to emphasize and something that I've noticed that RISE does as well.  I think if everyone had been more honest with each other about how they were feeling and what was going on in their lives then the whole uproar from earlier Thursday/Friday would have been less hurtful and less dramatic.  When you're feeling lonely, tell people what you need to feel whole again.  I think if more people in the world did this then we would have less depression and messed up lives.  I think it's also important to remember that when someone tells you that they're going through something, it's our jobs as brothers and sisters of the human race to support each other and help each other.  That goes with trying not to judge people when they are being honest with you.  All of this is especially important to remember as Valentine's Day approaches.  Don't just celebrate the romantic relationships in your life, celebrate the relationships that bring you to life and cure your loneliness.  I saw the need for this honest communication in the movie No Strings Attached last night.  Not only was it discussing honest communication with others, but honest communication with yourself about what you want and need.  Emma was not honest with Adam about her feelings because she was scared of being hurt, which I completely understand, but not being honest and not communicating only increased her loneliness and isolation.  So please, try to be honest with people about what you need, whether they're friends or lovers or family, and then listen to what they need too.  I'll leave you with 2 quotes that I think speak to this post.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

May today there be peace within.  May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.  May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.  ~St. Teresa

Why Billy is a nickname for William.

We watched a video in class today about lobbying called Billy Wants a Dog.  When Billy grows up he is called William, and all of my kids asked why.  Here's what I found:


"When William of Orange ruled England, Ireland and Scotland, he was noted for leaving massive debts wherever he went. The proprietors all across the land, knew of his reputation and while they couldn't refuse the ruler of the land, they knew that after he left they would be laden with many bills to pay…and wherever he went the people would say, “Here comes bills.”"
-http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090119133420AAdeljf