You say China, I say I'm worried about your students

One of the jobs I'll be starting on Monday is as an afterschool teacher at the local Kaimuki HS, literally a hop, skip and a jump away from home.

These afterschool global studies classes are run out of an organization called Pacific Asian American Council, and essentially they're a seemingly pretty cool nonprofit that promotes greater understanding between international affairs as it relates to Hawai'i's state, economically, politically, socially, and otherwise.

I went to a conference they put on today, just for the heck of it - if I'm going to be a part of this and meet great people (mostly older, white teachers - that's haole folk, for the local language-impaired, like me) I might as well take what they can offer.

Long story short - the conference was on China - 4 workshops on different topics. One of them was on the pop music culture in China, and I swear, there was this one teacher - a few even - who was saying the most ridiculously ignorant things. Things like, "what? Rock music? I didn't even know Chinese people did stuff like that!" or "yeah, I think Chinese students - quiet, you know, whatever, but they're totally not all punk like this!" or, my personal favorite - "when I saw your name, I thought you'd be you know, a typical Chinese professor, but then you walk in with your long hair and your Aloha shirt...."

I was seriously ready to shoot someone.

(in the figurative sense of course - you never can be too careful with these blog expressions)

It just made me think, at first reaction, what the fuck are these people doing here then!? You have these horribly stereotyped images of your students, and you expect to be able to teach them anything!?

I was disgusted.

I admired the lecturing professor for addressing her directly, acknowledging her dumb comment, and saying "then it's YOUR job to undermine those assumptions and stereotypes." I was just like, THANK GOD, but I would've been happier if he just told her she was an idiot.

Anyhow, so as not to socially and openly alienate everyone else there, I cooled myself down and tried to tell myself they just had a lot to learn, and were probably doing good work at their respective high schools.

Whatevs, I just had to share. Welcome to adjusting to White people in Hawai'i. It's a shame the educational system here is so problematic they have to bring more of them in here!



hahaha am I racist or what!? well shit. At least I can admit it.

Tomorrow for me, Today for you

my horoscope. things are looking up!

For the common good

***

Valid during many months: During this time gradual changes will take place in your life that will make you more aware of the external and internal forces that make your life move in certain directions. You will gain great psychological insight into yourself and others at this time, and you will go below surface appearances to seek out the fundamental elements of any issue. This is also a time when you may gain power over others in some way, either in your personal or your professional life. You may be given the authority to direct a project or a group of people working together. However, you should be aware that you are acting as an agent of forces that transcend your own individuality, and that everything you do must be for the common good, or it will be to no avail. Sometimes the power can take a form that has nothing to do with authority. It may be that your own personality becomes powerful from within, making you a person of moral influence. Without even being aware of the process yourself, you speak with wisdom and others heed what you say. People may be drawn to you, fascinated by your energy and power. Of course this confers the greatest possible responsibility upon you, because you can misuse this power, but the consequences for you would not be good! Under this influence you may choose to undergo psychotherapy or work with other mind-expanding disciplines in order to increase your self-understanding. In your professional life you may feel that you have a very significant task to perform at this time, one that is far more important than your usual work. You feel that your work could transform the whole nature of your career, not only for yourself but for others in the same field. You have a much greater sense of purpose in your work than usual. If you take the time to communicate this in detail to others, you can be really effective. But if you assume that your insight is obvious and that everyone else sees what you see, you will become isolated from those who could help, and therefore you will be ineffective.

The first transition post.

Since this blog has become so important to me this summer, I decided I would continue it (with a new look!), both to keep my mind working like it did back in LA, and so that I stay sane. I'm the type of person that fancies herself a writer at times, and so what if I'm no pro!? When I'm walking and thinking about writing a piece on myself walking in a Hawaiian Island downpour, I think it's brilliant.

SO. Hawaii so far. It's been almost two weeks, and I haven't had a hint of homesickness yet. David and Kelsey are amazing, and the taiko folks are very warm and welcoming. It's just going to be a lot of adjusting, what with two jobs and having to learn an entirely new set of repertoire. At least I can read music.

I definitely miss the organizing piece back in LA, since it's been hard to locate anything specifically of interest here. For now, I'll have to settle for an afterschool teaching job and a law office receptionist position, along with taiko, to satiate my needs. It's definitely not community work...but maybe I'll run into something along the way.

The plan is to read some radical, progressive books while I'm at it to keep my mind fresh.

At risk of making this first entry unbearably long, I'll stop here. But look at my celebrity lookalike collage below! I LOOK LIKE ASHTON KUTCHER! How. ridiculous.

Miss you all, LA friends and loved ones.




PS I'm cameraless since it got lost at my goodbye party, so don't expect many exciting pics anytime soon! Sorry.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Pedigree - Yad Vashem research

Oh lordy lord, WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN

Martin Bashir is gross.

If that doesn't gross you out, I dunno what does. I just don't get why people think it's okay to make comments like this, in very public speeches, nonetheless. At least he looks like a fool forever.

I'm blogging lots this week because I'm done in like 3 days!

Here's a pic for your viewing pleasure: (and NO it's not PRON) --> that's the online euphemism for porn



Even I can hear myself laughing in that pic.

Trying not to kill myself

In the most figurative sense of the phrase, of course.

BUT WHO KNEW that putting together an introductory training for high school girls on advocacy could be so difficult!? I haven't had to think this hard in--

SINCE I started social justice work!

Youth organizing will definitely be the challenge of my life if I ever decide to take it on. This training on Friday had better be bomb or it means I fail at activist life.

Now THAT would suck.

::edit - I meant, an introductory advocacy training for high school girls. "high school girls on advocacy" sounds like it's some kind of drug. HAH. I'm funny. ::

I think someday soon I want to get into youth organizing

It's my last week! I can't believe it. This was the last NAPAWF staff call I was on - although I'm not too involved, I'll miss hearing everyone talk about their work, what the org is up to on a national level, all that sort of thing.

Work consists of: finishing factsheets, finalizing chapter Voter Engagement calendar, and as the biggest project, get together that training for YLW (Young Leading Women) that will happen on Friday. ahhh! Lots of work to do, and even less time to do it.

Other things I have to do/finish this week:
--> JA Grant Project on leading activist women in the JA community (I have a TON of work left on this one)
--> Pack for Hawaii
--> See everyone before I leave
--> Write that intro!

hahah that's right. Sorry folks, I just got super caught up this weekend and didn't have time to do it. Even after I wrote that email promising I would finish it! But I will don't worry, hopefully I can work on it for a bit sometime today and at least get a draft out to you all via google docs. I was kind of in this weird haze this whole weekend - when I try to think back on it, it's all a blur because I dunno, I think I was just all over the place.

Meanwhile, will have fun gchatting with you folks, esp Megan, and try and make the most of my time left here. Can't wait to see Nessa again! And Hannli and Kirstie, I hope we can do Office Depot shopping soon. I think Hannli is the funniest impulse buyer/nonbuyer I've ever seen, and Kirstie is the most decisive!! She knows what she wants. hahahaha GOOD TIMES.

I'm scared that once I get to Hawaii I won't have a community to work in! I dunno what I'd do without an outlet for my activist passions.

Glad I will get to see you all tonight, that will be fun! LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.