Chapter 11

I really don't have much to say...except that so far, I've aced all of my Japanese exams!!  Woot!  I love learning a new language.  It's fun to use a different set of rules to communicate.  It really requires you to think about what you're saying, what you want to say, and so forth.  I had my oral midterm today, and it went pretty awesomely.  I was super nervous beforehand, but many of my friends assured me I would do well, and I did.  All of this is fine and dandy, but I keep wondering if learning Japanese will be beneficial for me in the long run.  Will I ever even return to Japan?  I hope I do.  I think it would awesome if I could go teach there.  Just imagine: me, teaching little Japanese kids!  I bet all of you are laughing right now just imagining it.  I know I am, because I know how much fun it would be and how much I would gain from it.


I wonder what my life will be like in 5 years.  I have no idea where I'll go once I graduate.  If I don't go to Japan, I would really like to teach in a small town.  I don't know why, but I just really like the idea of knowing every single person in town and having a personal relationship with them.  You are all thinking I'm crazy, I know.  Well, you really already think I'm crazy, right?  Right.  I don't think I've met a weirder person than myself, but that's another story.


Here's to looking to the future!

Chapter 10

So.  It's been over a month since my last post.  And I feel bad for not having kept up with it.  Anyway, I assume I should catch you all up.  My mission trip to Japan was an amazing success, and I plan on returning with the same crew next year.  There are just so many things to write about, I think I'll have to write a separate post...but I'll do that later.  School has now started, and  believe it or not, I love each and every one of my classes!  I never though it possible, but it is in fact true.  I especially love my Japanese class.  I decided it would be a good idea to improve my Japanese before I went back, so I enrolled in Japan 191 aka Japanese 1.  So far, it's absolutely awesome.  The first and beginning of the second week had me struggling, but I think it's going smoother now.  In only 2 weeks, we have learned all of the Hiragana characters, how to introduce ourselves, talk about the weather, ask for others names and phone numbers, and express our likes and dislikes.  I'm starting to understand the general sentence structure of the Japanese language, and it's a lot easier than I had thought.  Maybe that was because I didn't know the essential basics..whatever the case,  I can now carry on a simple conversation in Japanese.  I feel thrilled for having learned so much in such short a time, but that's just how intense this class is!  I'm also happy because I can legitimately speak in sentences in a different language.  Nobody can make fun of me anymore for using single Korean or Japanese words, because I can now speak whole sentences!!  That's right, all you CFC members, no more mocking Kelsey, the crazed Asian-obsessed white girl.  Just kidding.  No seriously.




So a large Cats for Christ group this year seems very promising.  We've had many newcomers that have returned, which doesn't normally happen...I've always wondered why, while at the same not needing to wonder why..but that's for another post.  Welcome Week was highly successful, and we have recruited a large (between 5-15) cluster of newcomers.  This has everyone excited for the semester, including myself.  I am overjoyed with the opportunity to reach out to our newcomers, and possibly build lasting relationships.  That's about all I've got say this post.  Hopefully I'll write an entire post about my Japan mission trip soon.  We'll see.  Later gater!

Chapter 9

So.  I'm traveling to Japan in three days.  I feel the anxiousness, but I don't think reality has hit me quite yet. I'm very excited to meet the Japanese people we'll be working with as well as the children and middle school - college age students.  The one part about this trip that has me worried is the initial interaction between myself and the Japanese.  I'm normally not the person to approach someone I don't know first.  I've always waited until they have come to me.  On this trip, I will have to be starting the conversation.  I think in my head, what am I supposed to talk about?  Should I ask them about the weather?  Or maybe what their favorite color is?  I asked my aunt how I should start conversations, break the ice, etc.  It was then that she told me I would probably have something in common with the older students.  I asked what she meant, and she explained that I could very simply break the ice by asking them if they watch dramas and if they've ever heard of my favorite one.  This particular drama (I won't go into detail here) has been so popular in Asia that it has been made not only into more than 1 version, but 5 versions!  I'm glad I now have a topic in mind to talk to them about, considering how worried I have been.  That said, even though I feel a little more comfortable, I'm still very nervous about it.  I'm also worried about the one-on-one English lessons.  I'm worried that I either won't be able to explain something well or I'll use the wrong words and therefore end up confusing the student.  I know the passing of these worries will only come with prayer to God, and I ask that anybody who reads this will pray for God to speak through me.  If I have access to internet, I'll update you all as the trip progresses.  Thank you all for your prayers and continued support.


In Him,

Chapter 8

You know what's phenomenal?  The talent of composing music.  I was reading my favorite book series while listening to movie soundtracks, and noticed that in Avatar, there are multiple other soundtracks combined to make it what it is.  Intertwined in Avatar are EPIC compositions from the following movies:

• Braveheart
• Glory
• Zorro
• Titanic
• The Perfect Storm
• Field of Dreams

If you listen closely, you can hear a theme from each of the above movies in Avatar.  These soundtracks were also all composed by the same person--James Horner.  He is among my favorite composers, which include but aren't limited to:

• Michael Giacchino
• James Newton Howard
• Mark Mancina
• Thomas Newman
• John Williams
• John Barry
• Steve Jablonsky
• Nick Glennie-Smith
• Rupert Gregson-Williams

I am constantly downright baffled at the pure genius of these men.  How do they create the essence of emotion?  Sadly, I'm not one who has this mind-boggling gift.  To be able to create emotion the way they do...it's high on my list of wishes.  I wish I were like August Rush; a musical genius.  And only 10 years old so I would have my whole life ahead of me to create movie soundtrack masterpieces.  Maybe I'll be reincarnated as a music prodigy.

Chapter 7

If you're reading this and do not like listening to my obsession with Korea, stop reading NOW.  It will only cause displeasure to you, the reader.  Don't get mad and don't make fun; you've been forewarned.  What follows is something that makes me smile just thinking about it. :-)


Ack!  I so dearly wish I knew how to dance.  And I'm not talking about ballet, tap, jazz, swing here - although that would be nice - I'm talking about hip hop.  And to be more specific, Korean Hip Hop.  I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to it; I don't believe it's just because of my love for the Korean culture.  I think it's because as each band tries to out-do one another, their dances get more and more complex, and this just fascinates me.  A lot of times, a dance move that looks super cool will be pretty simple, in terms of the individual moves that make up the whole.  What makes it so cool and difficult is being able to execute every part so well that it flows together and looks like something ridiculously complicated.  I started learning 3 dances recently, and hopefully I will be able to pull them off after A LOT of practicing.


 I consider two of these dances to be very cool, and even though the third looks cheesy, I feel compelled to say, "Bring on the cheese!!"  Now I know most of you are not on board with me about this, but I could really care less.  Different cultures are my passion, and if you dare to make fun of me for it, I will say (as is so common in Korean dramas, "You shouldn't live your life like that".  It's not your passion and it's NOT you, so don't worry about it!  On the other side of things, if you happen to secretly think I'm the cool one with all of my amazing knowledge, don't worry about 'losing face'.  You should get some courage.  I think I've gotten my point across, so with that said, I will withdraw.  Thank You for indulging the essence that is Kelsey.

Chapter 6

So the semester has finally ended.  I'm actually a little sad to see it go, considering how well I was doing in my classes.  And, because I have nothing to do today, I decided I would blog.  Overall, this semester has been one of my finest so far.  Finally, after the 4th semester, I have discovered how to handle my classes and for the most part, kick butt at it.  Now, this isn't to say that I can't do any better, because I can, but it's definitely a start.


Our last Encounter was 2 weeks ago.  I had planned on devoting an entire post to talk about the past semester, but haven't had time until now, but now I don't particularly remember what I was going to say.  Only that I wish it had been better and that I'd gotten more out of it.  Oh well, you can't please everyone.


Japan is only 2 months away!  I can't believe I'm really going...ack!


I seem to be making each post shorter and shorter.  Maybe it's because I have nothing to say, or when I DO have something to say, I don't have time to write it down.  Oh well, we'll see what happens in the future.

Chapter 5

This post is going to be all about Japan. I'm so excited for it that words just don't express my feelings. I feel that God is taking me on a trip, and not only to Japan. I think this trip is really going to affect my spirituality, and I sincerely hope it does. I feel that I am ready to take this physically draining but spiritually uplifting challenge head-on. I feel like climbing stairs to the roof of a building to yell 'Hallelujah!' or 'Bring it on!'. But maybe that would be a bit too much. Regardless, I am meant to go to Japan.


I just met a girl through Facebook who will also be going on the trip with me and go figure, her name is also Kelsey. What's creepy is that we have an unusual number of things in common. She plays flute and piccolo, just like I did in high school. She also plays the piano, which I do. But the weirdest of commonalities by far has to be our love for the Asian culture. Not only does she watch Korean and Japanese dramas, but her favorite Korean bands are also MY favorites! How does a thing like this happen? I never thought I'd meet another who would share my passion, let alone someone with the same name as me. Having learned this, I am not only stoked to meet this girl in person, but also to be on the trip with her in Japan. I truly feel that God has had a hand in this. And I'm thankful.


That's really all I had to say this post, so until next month...

Chapter 4

I think I'm going to write only once a month from now on, mostly because I forget and don't have a big enough time period to devote to writing a post every week. We're all back from spring break, and as happy as I was to get a week away from school, truthfully I almost would have rather stayed at school than gone on the Chicago mission trip. It would be best for me to say it was a good trip, but that it did not hold up to my expectations. And I don't mean to say this to be negative, however, there were many things about the trip that I didn't agree with and therefore made me frustrated. Now, I know you can't please everyone and that the whole point of a mission trip is to take a step out of your comfort zone to help others, and that's what I did, but I don't think it was gone about in the right way. To avoid just complaining about what I didn't like, I'm just going to stop there, and eliminate any possibilities of being immature and making others angry.


Now, to talk about other matters. Recently, I've been getting into small arguments with another person. Let's name him BLANK. It's been really hard opening up to BLANK because of the way he acts. It feels like he's trying to be my friend just to say he's my friend. Like it's a game. That would frustrate you too, right? I'm proud of myself for the way I've been handling it, however. I haven't made it a big deal and I've tried very hard to be truthful to BLANK about why he's irritating me. It hasn't solved the problem, but I feel much better about the situation now that I've explained to BLANK my problem with him.


I can't think of anything else to write about, so until next time..

Chapter 3

Wow, it's been a while. I haven't really been in the mood to sit down and commit an hour to writing a new post, so I haven't. Right now I'm sitting at home home watching a movie with my parents. The movie? Love Happens. It's about a guy who writes a book about overcoming hardships, but in reality doesn't practice what he preaches. As I watch this movie, it makes me think about the way that I've been living my life. It sounds cliche, yes, but I think a lot of people don't practice what they preach. Including myself. In fact, I think I've been lying to myself for a while. Who wouldn't? When it's easier just to smile and say "I'm great!". Sooner or later, we all have to come clean with what's really on our minds. Either we face it ourselves first, or we're called out on it later by friends who care about us. I would choose the first option, although sometimes it means more when others bring attention to it. Sometimes we just need to take a break, sit down and really decide what we're committing ourselves to, and if we can accomplish this task.


Talking about committing to things, this makes me think about an upcoming mission trip I might be going on to Japan. We'll be facilitating an English-Japanese VBS and teaching English using the Bible. I'm thoroughly excited about this, and, as scared as I am about going to a different country where I don't know the language, I'm surprisingly ecstatic. I've always wanted to go overseas, but never had the chance. And now the opportunity has finally arose. Who knows, this might be the start of a lifetime of overseas mission work. Before I go, I'm required to take these training lessons online. The first part of every lesson is to watch a short presentation and answer questions about it. The second part requires answering, explaining and correcting English sentence or grammar mistakes to a pseudo-student from Japan using the Bible as the textbook. As I started the first lesson, I had no idea how to explain why you wouldn't use the letter 'a' when describing objects, but after I answered a couple of questions, the answers just kept coming. In addition to that, I was also able to explain concepts from the Bible that might be hard to comprehend from a person's standpoint who had never heard of God, Jesus Christ, or the Bible. It felt very satisfying, knowing I would be providing the same service for other Japanese people when I go on my trip. Let me just end with this: I think I was meant to be involved in foreign missions. That is all.

Chapter 2

So after writing almost an entire paragraph on why I like Korean music and tv, I decided it would be better if I just said I liked it and stop right there. Nobody enjoys my fantasies of my Korean shows, so I won't write them down here and bore whoever might be reading this.


This week has been successfully productive. I know I said in my last post that I'm proud of myself, but I really am. I am thankful for the determination and will that God has given me. I'm still in the transition period of being at school because I want to learn, not to earn good grades, but I think I'll reach my final destination soon. At this point in time I'm reminded of why I have so much time for school: because I'm single. This semester Encounter is focusing on passion, pursuit, and purity. The past few weeks we've been discussing what being single means, and why it's not a bad thing. It's been helpful for me, who's been struggling with a break-up. At first I was angry, sad, and hurt, but now I am content with just being me. And by me I mean God and I. I no longer have to worry about anybody else but myself, in a sense. Of course, I'll always have friends who I care about and want to be with, but the relationship with them and the relationship with God are completely different. So I've never been worried about God not being there for me. My real problem is giving up control. So far in my life, I don't think I've ever successfully surrendered control. I'm a control freak and am full of pride, so someone telling me to give all of my troubles to Him and not worry about anything sounds crazy. Most of the time, I don't think I consciously keep God out of my bubble. Giving up control is something I hope I will be able to achieve by the end of this semester. I know it's not an easy thing to do, but I know that if I stay committed to this, it'll happen.


And I fully plan on being committed. That's another thing I'm working on this semester. I didn't realize until now the importance of setting a goal for yourself, and I'm taking full advantage of it now. I found that setting goals for myself give me the determination and focus I need to carry out those goals. It's almost like a light bulb went off in my brain saying, "Well duh, why didn't I think of that sooner?" This new found light (or God) has given me feelings of admiration, happiness, and a strength that I didn't know existed. I feel like I've just started in a relationship. Not a physical one, but a spiritual one, with the Big Man Upstairs. Now that I think about it, I guess I'm not single after all, and never will be again if I can help it. Who would want to give up this feeling of awe, love, joy, and fulfillment? Not me!

Chapter 1

Wow. It's cold outside.


Where should I start today? Well, I'm really only writing this because I have nothing better to do, considering my first Chem lab was today and we only talked about safety and the like, which took all of 20 minutes of what would be a normal 3-hr lab. So now I have an additional 2 1/2 hrs on top of my regular 3 hr break before my last class of the day at 230p. I think I might watch a couple more episodes of Shining Inheritance, eat some food, and probably squeeze a nap somewhere in there. I don't really remember where I was going with my last post, so maybe I'll finish that at another time. Who knows.


As I was looking at my planner last night, I realized how organized I am this semester. I haven't forgotten to do any homework or readings, and I actually have remembered to read them ahead of time, meaning more than the day before it's due. I feel proud of myself for having achieved this feat. After 3 semesters at college, I have finally discovered how to handle my classes. Better late than never, I presume.


Also last night, I went to a friend's house for our weekly life group. Normally I go to the one on Sunday night, but I've decided that I'm going to go to the Monday night one this entire semester. I think it's a way of me committing myself to something I should have been doing before, although I always went to the other one. When I arrived, I found that I was the only one who showed up, and that this was how it normally was. This led me to feel a little disappointment, maybe because I didn't get to socialize with my friends, but mostly I think because of the fact that nobody comes to this meeting yet the leader still waits for people to show up, if only to have a short discussion with one person. He asked me what I would like to talk about this semester, and at first I didn't have any ideas. And then they just came out of nowhere. I'd like to talk about trust; putting it not only in God but also in other people, which is something he and I decided had been lacking in our close community of friends. I then began to wonder why it's so hard to trust. Even after thinking about it, I still don't have an answer, and probably won't have a solid one for a long while. I've always wondered why it's so hard for some people to trust others. Of course it has to do with what they've experienced, but shouldn't every new person you meet be given a chance to have your trust put in them? Nobody is the same, therefore everybody should be given an equal chance at 'winning' your trust, right? Why is it human nature to be suspicious of others? People constantly put up 'walls' that are so thick it's almost impossible to break through, myself included. I guess I'll have to dig deeper into myself to answer this question.


I believe that's all I can write for now.

Introduction

So here I am, writing my first entry on my very own blog. It feels a little weird, having this website full of my thoughts written by me that can be read by anybody, anywhere. I'm not starting this so other people can read it. Rather, I'm doing it for myself. I have a lot of opinions on things, but never feel I should express them for fear of my views being challenged by another. Hopefully, this blog will be my opportunity to overcome that fear.


Even as I'm writing this, I feel somewhat stupid for starting a blog. I mean, what are you really supposed to write in these things? I guess I could start off with a topic I never grow tired of: music. Music has been my passion since before I can remember. I enjoy listening and observing other musicians, and occasionally performing myself. I'm not sure what it is about music that interests me so much, but I know it's not something I would be able to live without. And how simple is music, really? It could be just one voice; completely a capella. Or it could be a choir and full orchestra combined. What is it about music that brings out the emotion in people? Quite often I find myself listening an instrumental piece and wanting to cry, for the pure beauty of sound that is being created. If I could but bask in the glory of music for hours upon end, I don't think I would ever tire of it. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world who sees music like I do, but I haven't come across very many. It saddens me to think that other people don't hear music like I do, that they just go through life not even knowing what they're missing.


I'll continue this later, when I am much more awake and ready to explain myself more clearly.
Hope you enjoyed my nonsense, if you were bored enough to read this.