Ain't No Mountain High

I had the amazing opportunity to do a 3-day climb of Mt. Mulanje-Central Africa's highest point. It was my first mountain climb(because Kathleen said the mountain by the UW colleges doesn't count).

The first day, we led the pack and climbed to the plateau in 3.5h. NBD(no big deal), as Jonny says. It felt like being on the stairmaster for 3.5 straight hours.

Day 2, we opted for Chambe Peak. It was an unusually foggy day, and our guide had never been up Chambe before. Both are prerequisites for an interesting climb. The first day was a physical challenge, but this day was an emotional challenge. After 3h, we were within 200m of the peak. However, these last 200m was a vertical free climb. Free as in no harnesses, not free as in you don't have to pay. My heart raced with every move I took. I was so close, yet so far, and I was determined to make it to the top. Unfortunately, our guide was not confident in our free-climbing skills, and advised us to go back down.

Disappointing? Very much, yes. But there are many lessons you can learn from climbing a mountain, and these lessons can be applied accordingly.

I learned that foggy days can be a blessing because you can't see how close to the edge you are, and you focus solely on your steps, not fear of falling. I learned that making it to the top does not mean a constant upward climb, there are points in which you are walking straight, and there are points when you are going down. Some steps are easy, and others can't be taken without the help of a teammate. And sometimes, you have to give yourself more credit than you think. You have to trust that you will be able to pull yourself up and get your feet onto the next footholds. That when you're not sure of your steps, ask someone who can see your path more clearly than you can. I learned that sometimes going down, and taking steps back are much scarier than taking steps forward. There are times when all you want to do is keep going, ignoring your limitations, and you have to accept that maybe you won't make it. I felt the exhilaration of pushing the boundaries of nature and self, and it felt wonderful. Maybe the timing wasn't right, maybe I wasn't ready, and maybe I'll get another chance at Chambe. 2010 anyone?

seek and find

One of the personal goals I set for myself during my time in Malawi was to "find God". Yes yes, I know who God is, what He's done, and what He commands, but I'm looking for more, a relationship with Him. I want faith that can move mountains, a heart that breaks for the lost. For the past month, I've been searching in books, the Bible, my strong-in-faith roommates, diligent co-workers, passionate friends, supporters back home, and the stories of the poor, but have yet to succeed. I realized that I was looking in all the wrong places. I'd become far-sighted, and couldn't see what was staring me in the face.

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart"

- Romans 10:8

Faith is personal. Romans 10:8 is a reminder that faith begins within. Before venturing off into foreign territory, look inside you or beside you.

Kathleen and I were discussing how we satisfy spiritual thirst along with physical thirst to the villages we visit? Because really, we're here to reach out to the rural villages. We realized that maybe that's not our battlefield(due to the circumstances, and also it's not quite sustainable). So who then can we reach out to? Answer: our co-workers, guards, neighbours. Opportunities are plentiful and friendships are already established. My job only requires me to go into the villages 2-3 times a week, and it's always different villages. I was trying to fight a fight that wasn't mine. Over the past few days, I've learned the following:

• My colleague doesn't his own children, but is raising an orphaned girl
• A high-schooler from my church was "encouraged" by my desire to use my math skills for change that he started reading about Waterloo and has his mind set on ActSci
  

I've focused so much on trying to share God's love to a distant crowd, that I've dismissed the work He can do within the people around me. It's humbling . For all I know, it could be my guards or colleagues who are the ones struggling to feed their families and it could be the people around me who are HIV/AIDS positive and fighting a constant battle. Is it not odd that I know the unemployment of Canada or Waterloo even, but don't even know the employment status of my neighbours? Or the outrageous stats of University graduates in Malawi, but don't even know if my co-workers can afford to send their children to University? It is odd, and I don't think it's right.

So not everyone'sprimary battlefield is in the rural villages of Malawi. It may not be mine, but today I learned that my night guard and I attend the same church. Your main battlefield could be the cashier you see daily at the coffee shop, your elderly neighbour, or even just your family. While(or before) helping those in the distance, don't make the mistake of overlooking those right in front of you.

romans 2:13

[ Edit: Through this journey of 2 months, I want to be raw in sharing my accounts and emotions. I want to go beyond the emotional highs and the "amazingness" of being in Malawi and be transparent in who I am and what I'm feeling. ]

"For it is not those who hear the law that are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the Law who will be declared righteous."

-romans 2:13

I grew up in a Christian family, am able to recite all the books of the Bible, and know how to pray in front of a crowd, but none of these indicators prove that I'm a faithful Christian. Lots of people grow up in church, memorize the song that goes along with the books of the Bible, and have heard enough prayers to know what to say to have people "Amen" your prayers.

If I had to be completely honest, God has alot of work to do on me. I don't think I quite measure up to the faith that's required of someone in my position. And to be even more honest, I wanted to come to Malawi to find God. Whether it be through experiences of hunger or through a verse that I read, I came here ready to be broken and moulded into the person God has intended for me to be. And yes, I also came here to show God's love by doing His work.

It's very easy for me to be passive but I'm learning the urgency of breaking out of my passive comforts and executing the plans God has for me. Knowing poverty is one thing, experiencing poverty is another, and acting on poverty is yet another. If I come back with a whole notebook of lessons that God has taught and do nothing, I'd be a failure. Above hearing, I need to understand, and above seeing, I need to perceive.

This verse is a challenge not only to me, but to everyone. To everyone that knows that there is poverty in the world, there is more to knowing. To everyone that sees injustice in their community, there is more to seeing. And to everyone that hears the cries of the helpless, there is more to hearing. Knowing, seeing and hearing this holds us accountable to do something, anything, may it be small or big.

heaven on earth

i had the privilege of seeing hillsong united this past saturday (as I do every year). and as every year, they put on an amazing show and had 15 000 people singing, dancing, and worshiping with them.

phil dooley was replaced this year with someone from the hillsong college. he talked about how although heaven and earth are 2 separate places, sometimes it's possible to catch glimpses of heaven on earth. at the times when the naked are clothed, the hungry are fed, and the thirsty are given a drink, heaven is brought to earth.

as a Christian, i have the opportunity to bring heaven to earth. through me, God can show His glory and love. i think that's amazingly powerful. i, in all my failures and shortcomings, can provide glimpses of heaven's glory on earth.

education: opening doors everywhere

- - - - -   Degrees Awarded   - - - - -                         

Degree: Bachelor of Mathematics                                 
Honours Operations Research, Co-operative Program 

Confer Date:           June 12, 2009

i did it. i actually did it :D

many days throughout my undergrad, i would sit and despise studying. sometimes due to the content, and other times due to sheer lack of motivation. it was at these times that i'd remind myself that education is a privilege. it's a privilege and it's empowering.

everyone has their own motives for educating themselves. education itself provides countless benefits: it equips one with tools needs to earn an income, immerses one in a field which they are passionate about, and it expands networks. however, i think the most important benefit of education is that it provides one with tools needed to make a positive impact on the world. education is a catalyst for human development.

i believe that my degree combined with my co-op experience has and will continue to open my doors for my future that otherwise would have been unreachable, nonetheless openable (is that a word?) i now have the knowledge, the skills and the network i need to begin to do my part in this world. to take a step forward from being a bystander and to begin to tackle pressing issues of my time. i am no longer a student stuck in libraries, but now more than ever, a global citizen.

i don't think an education is a free pass to create your own life, but a downpayment to enhancing lives.

the world is changing. jobs are being lost, systems are broken, and the world rests on the hands of everyone. not just humanitarians, but developers, accountants, architects, musicians, and everyone in between.

like sam davidson, nicholas negroponte, and jessica jackley, i will choose to use my education and skills set for change. i imagine a world in which every grad will also choose to do so, and that world is amazing.

on the right track.

i just finished the blue sweater and recommend it to anyone with even the slightest interest in international development. it is not a book which details all the problems of the world and leaves you depressed, nor does it paint a picture that going overseas with good intentions results in groundbreaking change instead, it is one that details the harsh realities of development and details the depths of the sacrifices that Jacqueline Novogratz's passions took her in her quest to seek justice.

Favourite lines/lessons:

...what is important is that individuals bring what they do best to the world.

...we need more people with tangible skills to contribute to building solutions that work for the poor.

Just start, don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you.

i don't think i need to expand on any of these because jacqueline says it best. it makes me think about the "thing" renjie, ruby, nick and i are working on and it gets me so excited. we're on the right track team.

what are you passionate about?

the latest buzz in the gta has certainly been surrounding the tamil protesters. how 5000 gathered and shut down the gardiner after news that at least 378 civilians had been killed in a safe zone. i support neither the genocide occurring or the unlawful act of the protesters, but am amazed at the action being taken.

i've grown up in the gta and have never heard, nor have ever thought that such a thing could happen. there have been many protests in and around toronto, but never like this.

so i think about my beliefs, and what i would stick up for. if there was a civil war going on in the philippines that i believed was unjust, would i protest? clean water is my soft spot, but would i protest in hopes of getting the government to take action on the 1.1 billion people without clean water? in fact, is there any cause that i would be willing to run onto the gardiner and stop traffic for?

right now, my answers would be: i don't know, i don't know, and i don't know.

this brings me back to the vision of the icare project: getting people to care, and to be passionate about a social issue, any social issue. for some people this issue is buried deep down inside, and for others, you can see it in there eyes. even the people with the hardest hearts surely must care about something. stray animals or runaway teens, refugees or quietness in the community, anything really.

i think the shutdown was fuelled by a desperate passion for the issue the protesters believed in. in a way, this challenges me to be more active and less passive concerning issues i feel strongly about. less blogging, more action. less thinking, more doing.

passion: clean water
action: everything it takes to provide everyone access to clean water and nothing less

what would you do to seek justice for what you truly believe in?

love your neighbour.

north america, the land of opportunity. families from all over the globe immigrate here in hopes of finding what many of the established already have: stability and happiness. in a society that doesn't have to worry about the obtaining the basic necessities of life, many people never have to think about poverty, nonetheless, relate to it. many people understand that there are wars happening, injustice taking place, and poverty surmounting, but can't relate to those issues because it doesnt happen here, right? wrong.

hi waterloo. never seen poverty? stop and look into the eyes of the homeless man sitting at the plaza. never experienced war or political injustice? talk to a refugee who chose to escape their country with her 5 children, after the government had killed her husband. never had to take desperate measures to provide for your family? talk to the 6.5% of the region who is unemployed (thats 1.2% above the national average).

global issues are not just global. they're local, right down the street from us. no, they may not be as severe locally as they are globally, but they are here. they stare us (literally) in the face, and we avoid eye contact and keep walking.

the definition of community and neighbourhood is constantly changing, with talk that gen y may ruin local communities. in the parable of the good samaritan, a man asks Jesus how he can inherit eternal life. Jesus answers "Love your neighbour as yourself". "And so, who counts as my neighbour?" the man asks. then as Jesus tells a story. as scott harrison puts it "a man [is] beaten near death by robbers. He's stripped naked and lying roadside. [Two] people from his village pass him by, but [an enemy from another village] stops. He picks him up and bandages his wounds. He puts him on his horse and walks alongside until they reach an inn. He checks him in and throws down his Amex and tells them to give whatever he needs until he gets better. "Which of the 3 men," Jesus asks "is the man's neighbour?" The man replied "The one who had mercy on him."

our neighbours are defined as the people who live next doors, the cashiers at the local grocery store, and the joggers passing by. but also encompassing our neighbours include the refugee family that just moved to waterloo, the teens living on the streets, and the homeless man in the plaza.

lets pass a little kindness onto our neighbours, shall we?

for the jane's in the world.

because i need a break and a little inspiration every once in awhile, i turn to TED.

renjie got me the blue sweater when he went to the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference earlier this month. it's a book that presents a solution to bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in an interconnected world. i have only read: 1) renjie's encouraging inscription, 2) the prologue, and 3) two pages of chapter 3, BUT it's already been one of those reads that i feel has been written solely for me.

so as a break, i decided to watch jacqueline novogratz's ted talk. she tells the story of a young woman, Jane, who was born in the slums of Nairobi and dreamt 2 dreams:
1. to become a doctor
2. to marry a good man who would take care of her and her family

as jane grew, her mother fell ill and had to pull her out of school because she could no longer afford it. she married at 18, and after giving birth to her 2nd child, her husband left her for another woman. however, jane's aspirations remained. she began a business re-selling dresses and has recently moved to the suburbs. when asked if she would miss her home, jane responded with a definite "no." and when asked about her dreams, jane responded with the following of how her dreams have changed:
1. yes, she wanted to be a doctor, but more than that, what she really wanted to do was serve and heal people. so now she spends 2 days a week in therapy with other HIV/AIDS patients and provides them not will pills or medication, but with hope.
2. yes, she dreamt of a great man, but more than that, what she really wanted was a family filled with love. and now, she has children that she loves piercingly.

"when systems are broken...it's an opportunity to truly build a world where we can extend services and products to all human beings."

-j. novogratz

maybe she's right. maybe this whole economic downturn is not a downturn at all. it presents an opportunity to revamp this system, this world that has become corrupt and has lost focus. maybe the goal is not to "return to how things were pre-recession", but to fix the brokeness. maybe this is our opportunity to start all over and help others start fresh. because we know that it's only in times of crisis, that one's true character shows.

will our generation step up?
i will. for the jane's in the world.

sharing is caring.

this past sunday, i went to creekside and ken talked about affluenza. we went to 8:30AM service and between all ken's points, the one thing that resonated with me was:

there's a reason you have this much.

sometimes i just sit and marvel at how blessed i am. with food on the table, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head, i sit in the richest 25% of the world. whether or not i actually deserve to be here is not an issue that i want to wrap my head around. instead of wondering if there is also a reason that there are millions of people that live in poverty in our world, the important thing is to realize just that. that today, in the world that i live, there is an incredible gap between the affluent and those living in poverty. and instead of focusing why and how this happened, the important thing to focus on 'what can i do with all this?'

share.

because it's not fair that i get the choice between dasani, aquafina, nestle, vitamin or tap water when women in africa filter their water through their dresses to get rid of leeches (scott harrison's latest charity: water display).

when i say 'share' i dont mean that i'm going to fill 2 suitcases with all my material possessions and give every last item away to the people i meet in Malawi (however if a woman really really wanted my grey long hoodie that has travelled the world with me, it's all hers). a big misconception is that people in poverty are not happy with what they have. it's a well-known fact that money does not have a direct correlation with happiness. just as billionaires can be depressed, those in poverty can also be joyful. i want to share the knowledge i've gained, the education i've acquired, the passion i have for a better world, and all the material goods i've been blessed with to in turn bless others. i want to share what i have, not in hopes to provide a "better life" but to provide a life in which 10-year-old girls are not orphaned and left to care for 4 siblings, a life in which towns can experience the freshness of clean water, and a life where teens worry about how to celebrate their next birthday instead of worrying if they'll outlive hiv/aids to get to their next birthday.

please share (: