a math problem with a social studies conclusion

Problem: 
Each dog poops 1-3 times every day. If there are 100 dogs in the neighborhood, how much dog poo is there after 1 week? 


Conclusion:
...?

ponderings on the point

people get it all backwards. repetitively and continually. all serious about this life, they take That One for a joke. no wonder they are stressed, depressed, and confused. i am, too, when i lose touch with reality: That Life is the one to be taken for real, and in this one only those things matter which reach through to That One. everything else may well be a joke.

i find more and more that stuff i see as The Point is almost always just a side effect, and what i take for side effects almost always turns out to be The Point. such a liberating experience, getting a glimpse of The Point.

what is and what might have been

here's a story a stranger told me on the train ride to berlin.

"the war in vietnam ended in 1973, but saigon fell in 1975. i was 5 years old and we lived in saigon, so our family were considered 'traitors' by the communists. when the communist army was approaching saigon, my parents decided to get out. everything was very secret, even my grandparents didn't know we were taking off. we left home in the middle of the night, dressed like clochards to avoid being noticed. my mom had paid a fortune to get us on a ship. we were lucky - there were thousands of people fleeing and many could afford no more than a seat on a dinghy. most of those people died at sea. our ship sailed across the south china sea seeking refuge at one harbor after another, but none of the countries would take us. i remember that the adults tried to damage the ship, so we wouldn't be sent away; once our own people even set fire to the vessel to force the country we had reached to receive us. sometimes they would make the women and children jump overboard... i remember being held by my mom as she jumped into the deep sea. we were fished out by the local coast guard (which was the point), but they soon returned us to our ship. we tried at singapore, brunei, and many other places. we were at sea for about a month, i think. i was little, so to me it was a great adventure, though i was often hungry or annoyed by the monotonous diet (we usually had to settle for a scoop of some indescript gray pulp made of rice.) my best memories are from brunei. the ship was damaged (again), and while the local government was having it repaired for us, we spent a week at the beach. we were dry, had fresh air, lots of space, and great food every day. it was like vacation! we were at last offered temporary asylum in indonesia. we stayed in a refugee camp there for about 6 months. there were lots of other kids and we passed our time playing games and sharing our exciting stories. germany was the first country to offer to receive us and my parents decided to take this first opportunity, though we hadn't been taught a lot of great things about that country. when we arrived, though, we found everyone very helpful, and the community did a lot for us. back in saigon, we had been rich - my grandfather owned a tire factory, and the whole family was well off. now my parents had to work in a factory and it was hard to make a living, but they said freedom was worth the sacrifice."
me: " do you think that experience still somehow affects your life?"
stranger: "yes. i often wonder what kind of life i would have now, had we stayed in saigon back then, or what kind of person i would be. it's almost like there are two of us, in two different worlds - this one and the one who might have been. that definitely affects my life."

independence day

poland celebrated her independence today. november 11, 1918, has been chosen as the date to celebrate - the end of world war I, and the re-birth of independent poland after 123 years of russian, german, and austrian occupation. but never mind history right now.

a national holiday, today happened to be the only chance for me to visit with some friends and family. as i traveled through town, looking at flags fluttering everywhere, i thought with some regret of the celebrations i was missing. add a little irritation for running late, and getting stuck in traffic did not help my spirits... traffic on a national holiday? we had to let pass hundreds of people marching - not in a parade, but to manifest their nationalistic attitude and reach back to pre-world war II extreme rightist traditions. not something most poles like to brag about, as far as our history goes. that didn't make me happy, either. then i thought: it's independence day.  people are taking their liberty and speaking out what they think is right. and i am free to disagree with them. i live in a free country. suddenly i was just so thankful for this independence. and i didn't even have to go anywhere to celebrate. just sitting there on that bus, basking in this freedom, was total celebration.

hoops and landslides

it's this time again. poland turns out not so gracious to a prodigal daughter. so far, my education doesn't count, because it's american, my resume is too strange for anyone to bother with, and my near 7 years of work in hungary doesn't count towards my social security, because a clerk in the office doesn't think so and her interpretation of EU law stands, because she's in charge. today i knocked on a couple of doors and spoke with a couple of stuck up clerks. first i was told to call another office and make an appointment. on the phone i was told no appointment was necessary, but i wasn't entitled for unemployment benefits anyway. i decided to go talk to them face to face and get something in writing.  by the time i got there i was losing it. they told me an application had to be made, but all sorts of documents needed to be attached, which - of course - i didn't have, since all the information they gave me on the phone was that 7 years was too long. all that was left for me to do was take their friggin' forms and get out of there. as i rode the bus home, choking on angry tears, i had a phone call - a small job i had signed for just yesterday morning, fell through. at home i found out my friend's father in another country had been killed by a car at a crosswalk. it's time to end this day so nothing more can happen. i'm thinking of the doctrine of things again - all things are for your sake, all things are yours, all things work together for good with those who love God, i can do all things through Christ...

it's about time

i decided it was about time i started writing again. my life and my country both look completely insane - what better time to take notes? no promises, though.

this week i'm trying to find out why my 7 year's work in hungary doesn't count to the polish social security system, if they're both eu countries. reading eu laws... good training before the beginning of this academic year? oh, yes, because this week, i am also taking my first quivering steps to enroll in an MA in political science program, interviewing for a job, teaching the first english lesson to my friend's 7-year-old... and trying to breathe.  figuring out who i am - really the same person i was last year - though this life feels so different. trying out what i've been teaching - can i live galatians 2:20 in "normal" life? testing, testing...