A Disaster Waiting to Happen

This week, besides regular language study and the birthday of one of my children, has been consumed by my preparations for a presentation I have to give next week.
As part of my training, I have the chance to study more in depth each week, in English, about the region where I will be posted with others who are going there. I think I've written about this in a previous post, but there you have it again. As part of our study we each have the opportunity to do some kind of independent research and present it to the rest of the class. We are supposed to pick something about that part of the world, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines, in our case, and also pick something, hopefully, that relates to the job.

This whole week and all day Saturday I have been spending any spare moment gathering more information and putting it together for the presentation I will give on Natural Disasters in Maritime Southeast Asia. It is hard not to get distracted watching YouTube videos of volcanoes exploding or hearing again about how when Tambora exploded it lowered the average temperature of the world that year which had all sorts of consequences around the world. This was the biggest volcanic explosion in recorded human history and it happened in 1815 in Indonesia.
One of the most interesting consequences of Tambora exploding, in my mind, is that the summer of 1816 was especially cool in New England and many farmers even had crops fail because of late frosts. It was a contributor to a lot of problems around that time. (There was also a big financial crisis about that time in the U.S.) What is so interesting about this to me is that this is one of the main reasons the Smith family moved west to Palmyra, New York. They moved there and rented some land that they began to work to try to dig themselves back from the failures they had suffered. Part of the problem was caused by maybe the largest volcanic eruption in human history, which they knew nothing about. But they were put right where the Lord wanted them so that Joseph could begin the work of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The chain of events is just so fascinating to me. Amazing. The Lord can always make something good come of any natural disaster if we will listen to Him and follow Him. Something to think about.

Fun Rocks

For my job right now I am learning a language. I do it all day every day, except on Tuesdays. On Tuesday afternoon I have to participate in a part of my training called, "Area Studies." I get to learn, in English, about the culture, history, economics, you-name-it of the area of the world where I will be working when my training is done. My area is Insular Southeast Asia, which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, and of course Indonesia. Usually, it is just about Indonesia since most of us in the class are going there and it is the largest of the countries in the area. Mostly there are guest lecturers, but each of us also has the opportunity to do some research and present it to the class. Well, mine is coming up. I learned long ago that it is best if you pick something somewhat interesting to you when doing research, and I also had to pick something that relates in some way to my work and that part of the world. I am presenting on natural disasters in maritime southeast Asia. It is more difficult and time consuming than I though it would be however. It is very hard to put together, but I have had a couple of breakthroughs this week. If anyone has a good source of info to recommend, I would welcome it. The fun part is that I have to do research on something that I would like to know about but probably would not have enough time to research if I didn't have to find the time. I hope it goes well. I really want a good video of a volcano exploding or something to spice it up, but we'll see.
It was really fun to see my youngest son break some boards in his martial arts class this week. I have always wanted to do that myself. The closest I have come is when we were doing some remodeling in the house I grew up in and we got to destroy the wall between the kitchen and dining room. That was really fun breaking the drywall.

On Saturday as a family we went to a local National Park called "Great Falls National Park." We had a lot of fun looking at the falls, walking on the trails through the trees, going over bridges and rocks, and especially putting on our hats and hiking shoes and Camelbacks. At one part, we hiked down a little descent to a cove that was half sea shells instead of sand and was surrounded by really interesting rocks. Some of the rocks had holes in them filled with water. Some of them only had a little water and some of the holes were as big as me. We had a great time playing on them and jumping off some of the rocks onto the soft sand/shells. We had a bunch of complaints when we let the kids know we were going there, but I heard almost every one of them say that that was one of the best days of their life while we were there. They all want to go back. Funny how that is sometimes. Fun rocks.

Tidak Pernah Sebelum

I really like it when I get to do things I have never done before. Sometimes I don't like it or it's painful, or whatever, and I don't really want to do it or taste it or experience it again and sometimes I do. But it's exciting to find out and I always like to find out more about things and about myself.
I did several things for the first time this week. Some I will have to do again even though I don't want to and others I enjoyed but will probably not do again and some that were in-between or I want to do again. Maybe that last sentence is confusing, but I'll leave it anyway.
Some specifics:

I went to a Harlem Globetrotters game for the first time in my life. (I didn't go alone, in case you were wondering. The whole family went together.) I have wanted to go to a Harlem Globetrotters game ever since I can remember knowing that they existed. It just seems like so much fun. I was happy to fulfill this dream with discount tickets thanks to the Boy Scouts of America. Our seats weren't bad and it was fun to watch. They really can do some amazing things, and the Generals, who they play, really aren't too bad themselves. It did move a lot slower than I expected, but maybe I'm just used to all of the things that are action-packed these days. It was relaxing and enjoyable and I am happy I went and probably won't go again. But if you get a chance, it's fun.
While we were in town in DC, we walked around since it was a beautiful day and ended up going to the Postal Museum, among other things. They had a really fun sorting game that was timed that everyone in our family liked. I also saw the duck stamp collection. My cousin, Dan, made a painting of Ducks that was in the competition for the stamp a few years back, and it may not be his, but one of the stamps looked a lot like what he paints. It was nice to imagine it was his, if it wasn't.
I also went to a local Farmer's Market, where all of my children now want me to buy sausage every time they go now. I also had fun riding my 5-year-old's scooter even though he didn't think that was very cool.
I also did what we call "consultations" with my supervisor on Wednesday. She is also here in language training and invited me to come along. It was pretty interesting and I'll have plenty of times to repeat this type of activity. Basically, it's a good idea before going out to post, (out to the place out of the country where I'll be working), to make contact with, meet, and get updates on the particular area of interest of some key employees here in Washington with whom I'll likely be making contact regularly. It's easier to work with someone if you understand a little what they deal with day to day, what the current issues are, and meet them face-to-face.
And the last experience I'll write about might be a bit of a revisit: it's taxes. But I have never filed taxes for another state before. Since I technically work in Virginia, I filed non-resident taxes for Virginia, which also meant that I needed to revise my Utah taxes and file an amended return. It turns out that I'll be paying just a little bit more than I would have otherwise, but not much. The really tricky thing is that I'll need to do it again next year and Virginia likes you to pay estimated taxes for the next tax year or they give you a penalty. So I will also be sending in something for that since I haven't had it coming out of my paycheck for Virginia. It will be much easier for 2011 taxes since I will just need to file Federal and Utah. But Utah still wants my taxes even though I am overseas. It's a complicated life, but someone's got to do it, and I'm glad it's me.
That's it. Oh, in case you are wondering, the title means "never before."

Spring has sprung

The kids were all on Spring Break this whole week. The days were beautiful. The trees are showing signs of life. One of the great benefits of having a nice wife and kids out of school is that I had a ride to work and pick-up service after work. That was really nice. Now when my wife drives up to the guard gate, she rolls down the window and the guard says, "Here for a drop-off?" before she even says anything. It's also nice to escape at the end of the day right when my afternoon class is done at 4:30 instead of getting the 5:10 shuttle since my head is usually pretty cloudy by that time and tired from concentrating. And just in case you are wondering about my schedule, I usually have more than enough studying after work, which is my work right now, so it's not like I'm really done. But when the kids are out of school and the sun is out, you have to take advantage of it. I played some basketball with my two oldest, watched all of them play by the stream and around the bridge in the little park by our place, and spent a little time outdoors.

On Saturday, we went to the local Easter-egg Hunt in the morning and the Farmer's Market, and then in between sessions of General Conference we went to a bigger park a short drive from our place. We played a little Frisbee, played on the swings, and walked through the forest. The forest all around the park is so thick, it was really fun. We thought we were going to find to Terabithia or something. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that on my morning run a dog ran up to me from the side and bit a hole in my nice running pants! Luckily I saw the dog just before it attacked me and it just got my pants. Crazy!
We had a fun Easter weekend and enjoyed conference. Our older children actually listened to quite a bit of it this time, and we were able to watch it on a local cable station! I was thinking about next year in April and how if we can get the satellite of the Priesthood Session of General Conference live, it will start at 7:00 Sunday morning. That will be fun for my oldest and me to attend for his first!
At work, my language class is down to 4 people, including me. This is actually still a little on the larger side for language classes at FSI. We have such a short time to increase our proficiency that we're all trying to help each other but also competing for time with our teacher in class. Unfortunately, I am sure I am the back of the class now. The others seem to know and spit out so much more vocabulary than me; it's sad. My teachers sometimes ask if I'm okay or wonder why I am quiet. I am just having a hard time getting a word in. Some of it may be that not one of them has family with them, like I do, but I'm sure they also have plenty they have to take care of after work. I'll learn it, but I just know that I don't learn it the same way as many others. When I was learning Russian, I never felt like I was the top of the class, and on my mission I felt like it took me a while, but by the end I spoke well and clearly and with a good accent and I certainly didn't have to think about anything in order to say it right. Hopefully that will begin happening with Indonesian. Diligence and patience!
Happy Spring!

Visitors and visited

It's fun to have visitors. The company is great and it spurs me on to do other things, too.

Some friends of ours spent time this whole week at our place. They had a huge list of sights to see, and I think they must have seen the majority of them! They were really busy.

I was lucky enough to be able to join them on some things. Some of what I saw I have seen before and some I haven't.
I went to the "Crime and Punishment Museum" -- good but a little disturbing, too. I don't like anyone getting hurt or being taken advantage of and that's what criminals are all about, right?

We visited the National Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the first drafts of the first Amendments to the Constitution, and as a bonus, one of the original copies of the Magna Carta that is the beginning of the system of English Common Law upon which our system is based, (and it is almost 800 years old). The great thing about seeing these things is not the things themselves, (old pieces of paper), but it's like being in the presence of greatness. Ideas in physical form. And those ideas have endured for generations and proven to be good.
Thanks to my friends, I was able to go to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was really interesting to see the $100 bills being made. It was a pretty amazing site but also just like any other factory I have been in. Kind of reminded me of other factories I have been in or worked in and how most of the time we just use or consume whatever it is and don't even think about what came before it came into our hands. One of the workers was having a little fun with us and tossed up to the viewing window a brick of $100 bills about the size of a large book while holding a sign asking if anyone wanted $100,000 dollars. Don't worry, he was completely closed off from us and technically it doesn't become official currency until it passes into the possession of The Fed and is authorized.
We also visited Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. It was interesting to see everything and reflect on our founding fathers. I am always amazed to walk in places where important people also walked many years ago. One of my favorite parts was walking through the woods at the estate. It was beautiful and the view over the Potomac was beautiful, too.
We also went to Jefferson Memorial and Roosevelt Memorial and walked around the Tidal Basin and saw the beginnings of the cherry blossoms. I really like some of the Jefferson quotes; I think they are really inspiring. With only a few small changes, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, which is definitely amazing. I'll end with one of the quotes at the memorial: "Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds; that Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion . . . No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively."

Really warming up

It has felt so good to have warmer weather and sun!

I have tried to take advantage of the sunshine and warm, (but not hot), weather as much as I can. I have done some studying outside, I walked home some of the way from work, I walked with a co-worker during lunchtime to get some food, and other outdoor activities.

Some friends came in to town and we have had fun spending time with them. We have played games and gone out to dinner and visited the National Zoo. The picture is not me, it's the Orangutan walking on the ropes above our head over the sidewalk at the zoo. It was exciting, (and it stopped before getting to the other side and urinated down onto the sidewalk where all the people were walking). Today we visited the temple grounds and visitor's center after our stake conference. (Our stake presidency changed and our bishop is now one of the counselors.) We have had a good time so far. It is really fun to have them visit.

This past Tuesday I took a "progress test" in Indonesian. It took an hour and a half and I did okay. I still struggle a little with saying things because it's difficult to recall the words that you need quickly if you haven't used them a lot. I did fine, though. The test involves several different parts. One part is just speaking with a native for a few minutes without any kind of script. Another part is interviewing a native and reporting in English on the conversation. There is also a part where you choose a subject from among a group they give you and then speak for 5-10 minutes on the subject and answer questions. The other part of the test is reading. They give you a chance to read a shorter article for a few minutes and then report on what it is talking about. Then it is a similar format but with a longer reading. I felt better about the reading part. They tape the whole thing and analyze it. I don't know the result until this coming week, hopefully.

Still studying hard. The warm weather and sun helps the mood, but I'm not sure it will help the studying!

Moving fast

Sometimes things just move fast.


And sometimes, like this week, there is a fast move.

We moved to a different apartment this week. At the end of this week we were notified of a possibility, which I declined because it didn't seem like it was putting us in a better situation. Then we agreed to a move the next day after being told that the place was bigger than we thought. And then we were offered a bigger place on Friday if we could move in on Monday! Since we don't have any of our furniture to move and felt we could do it, we took the offer. My wife spent Friday night and some of Saturday gathering our things and packing them in a dozen medium boxes. Some of our neighbors helped us move on Monday after work. The place was even better than we expected. We have more space and our children especially have more space and privacy and actual beds! Thanks to those who helped us! We're grateful to be able to be here even though we're sad we're not closer to friends we made at our other place. The good part about that is that we are less than two miles away from our other place, still in the same ward and the same school district, and close to some other friends of our children. Since my wife is so organized and doesn't wait to get things done, the move went very fast. Everything was unboxed and put away very soon after we moved, too. Fast.

I can't believe it's been less than a week since we moved in. The weeks just seem to fly by, but also it seems like we've been here longer. Also, we are almost exactly at the halfway point of our time here in the Washington DC area. It has moved fast but also seems like it's been a long time.

My language training is going pretty fast, too. I am close to the halfway point for that training and I have a "progress test" this Tuesday. It goes for a couple of hours and they assess my current abilities in speaking, listening and reading in Indonesian. I have a long way to go, but am amazed when I look back that I can understand things when a few months ago I couldn't understand anything. I had a 45-minute one-on-one with a new teacher that was pretty exhausting, but possible.

The winter weather, thankfully, seems to be moving on fast, too. This week has been a lot warmer than the last couple of months. It was even sunny during most of the week, even though it is rainy this weekend, but the sun and warmer weather is really encouraging.

So many things this week really do seem to have moved fast. I even had one of the supervisors at my next post ask me about my training schedule since they want me to get there as soon as possible so the person I'm replacing can move to his next post sooner. A number of people in Indonesian right now are leaving very soon or have already left. Just a reminder that it is coming up fast.

And last, but not least, happy pi day! That's a picture of the chocolate pie I made to celebrate pi day today (3.14).