Folding Paper for Japan

Many young people are aware of news events that they have observed in the media, but these remain distant until students themselves are asked to take part in making solutions to the issues that they see. At Baylor school, the mission statement of the school is to “Make a positive difference in the world.” My group of advisees recently took these words to heart when we learned about the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan last month.

For my ninth-grade Advisory group at Baylor, I had each advisee read one of a series of newspaper articles about the way people have responded to the disaster in Japan silently. Each student was to then present and summarize the content to their peers. In response to each article, we discussed the concepts that the articles invoked, and what effects these actions could have on the victims, the actors themselves, and the society at large. I allowed the students to explore the ideas themselves and take leadership of the majority of the discussion, which they did quite well.

Then, we discussed ways that we can “make a difference”.

We found a charitable organization in Seattle that had pledged to donate $2 for each paper crane they received for disaster relief in Japan. That same day, we started folding cranes, and continued to fold them in advisory class and in our free time. This is a great way for students to feel involved in making a difference without having to have a lot of money or special skills.

We were able to get traction for the project and two of my advisees, Jake Shuptrine and River Cole, made a presentation to the general student body in an announcement at chapel. They explained that we would collect the cranes and send them in a package together in the name of our school to the “Students Rebuild” project in Seattle, Washington. Thereafter, several more students got involved, including a student from Japan, Hiroko Omura, who gave assistance and advice for folding the cranes and stringing them together, as well as folding over two hundred cranes herself. Several other international students got involved as well, including Korean students Sofia Lee and Angela Lim, who gave a workshop to their peers on how to fold the cranes at a table in the dining hall where students could learn to fold the cranes themselves. Hundreds of students took part in this group effort to bring this effort to fruition. This weekend we will send the cranes, which, in a flock of 1,000, are said to bring good luck. We are proud to have achieved this, and the exercise has brought a true sense of accomplishment to the students as well as a feeling of connection and compassion toward the wider world. .

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/papercranesforjapan


Students can seek details about the program at: http://studentsrebuild.org/japan/

Address to send cranes:

Students Rebuild
1700 7th Avenue
STE 116 # 145
Seattle, WA 98101

Animo Abi--thoughts for Eric Abidal

El jueves pasado, le sometieron a cirugía de emergencia el defensor francés incansable de Barcelona Eric Abidal para extirpar un tumor de su hígado. Esta noticia fue un shock, como Abidal siempre se ha destacado como quizás el jugador más atlético de lo que muchos consideran el mejor equipo de fútbol de la historia.
Sus compañeros de equipo y los aficionados del club han sido un gran apoyo durante estos momentos difíciles, y la noticia de la sala de recuperación es que Abi esta: "bien, contento y muy animado."
Para mí, esta noticia fue un golpe fuerte. Aunque alguien pueda parecer completamente sano, nunca se sabe lo que yace bajo la superficie. Abidal, a 31 años de edad, y en la mejor forma de su vida, fue diagnosticada con un tumor peligroso como resultado de un examen cotidiano. De mi parte, envío pensamientos positivos a este jugador magnífico, y esperamos verlo de nuevo donde le toca: en el corazón de la defensa blaugrana.

This past Thursday, Barcelona’s tireless French defender Eric Abidal underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor on his liver. This news came as a shock, as Abidal has always stood out as perhaps the most athletic player on what many consider to be the best football team in history.

His teammates and the supporters of the club have been very supportive through this difficult time, and news has come from the recovery room that Abi is "bien, contento y muy animado."

To me, this news served as a wake-up call. Though someone might seem healthy, we never know what lies under the surface. Abidal, at 31 years old, and in the prime shape of his life, was diagnosed with a threatening tumor as the result of a routine checkup. I send out healing thoughts for this magnificent player, and look forward to seeing him once again where he belongs: in the heart of the Barcelona defense.

Animo Abi!--Thoughts for Eric Abidal

International Day Banquet Address, March 1, 2011

Welcome to Baylor School’s International Day banquet. I’m Elijah Anderson Barrera, and I teach both Spanish and English as Second languages.



As a lifelong student myself, I have always enjoyed traveling and meeting travelers, because I think that there is something extremely valuable in the act of faith that travel demands: in intentionally scrambling our own assumptions about the world, and by extending ourselves to deeply appreciate people who have a different point of view from our own.



When I was younger, I had the good fortune to travel a bit, to see different parts of the world, learn new languages, and meet people who experienced a very different world than I had known growing up in California. I can say without a doubt that the experience of living and traveling abroad has made my life a richer one, and the reason has much to do with the people that I met along the way. As James Baldwin once said after a trip abroad, “I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.”



Tonight, as we celebrate the international at Baylor, we will get to know some of the international students who have traveled so far to study here. We may also learn something new about the local students and faculty who, after having studied foreign languages and cultures, have taken the further step of interacting in the world outside of the gates of this school, to breathe life into Baylor’s most sacred mission: to make a positive difference in the world. I am grateful to these students for traveling beyond their comfort zones tonight to share their experiences with us.



Thanks also to the staff of the dining hall who go out of their way, not just today, but every day, to sustain our bodies, and to every member of the Baylor community who came out tonight to show our appreciation for and value of Baylor’s place in this ever shrinking world. Thanks for being here.

International Day

¿Para qué correr? / Why I Run.

¿Para qué correr?

Hasta hace dos años, nunca me entrenaba a correr. Yo corria en un 5K local cada año, contando con la forma residual que había construido durante años como futbolista. Lo hice bien, cruzando el final entre los 22 y 23 minutos. Bastante bien, pensaba.



Cuando empecé a entrar en carreras más largas, me dolía. Me di cuenta que me tendría que entrenar. Así que he entrenado. Poco a poco, he empezado a correr más rápido, y mas importante, he podido correr distancias mas largas.



Desde que empecé a correr al edad de 36, me encontré liberado de los fantasmas del pasado. Para mí, no había, días de gloria en el pasado. Conozco algunos amigos que recuerdan correr 5.000 metros en 16 minutos cuando eran más jóvenes, y ahora están decepcionados cuando terminan en 20. Para mí, si me raspe la línea alrededor de 20 o 21minutos, es record personal, y me alegro.

A medida que mi cuerpo se ha vuelto más capaz de sostener el abuso, he pasado a los 10 km, las 10 millas y el Medio Maratón, y he comenzado a viajar más lejos y más lejos para competir en las carreras.



He ganado mi grupo de edad en una carrera local de vez en cuando, pero realmente soy corredor ordinario, con un gran chorro de corredores delante de mí y otro atrás. A pesar de mi formación, nunca voy a ser el corredor más rápido en ninguna carrera, y nunca lograre vencer a los corredores jóvenes y bien formados. Afortunadamente, la carrera es sólo conmigo mismo.

Correr me da una la meta de perseguir. Correr me promesa mejoras incrementales: correr un poco más rápido, o un poco más largo. Mientras el cuerpo y la mente aprende a empujar a través del dolor y la duda, las barreras ya no me limitan como antes. En el entrenamiento, y sobre todo en las carreras, cuando me puedo cavar más profundo de mí mismo, me parece que hay más allí de lo que había pensado a la primera vista.



El dolor de correr es la medicina misma que me fortalece y me cura. Sin la lucha y el dolor, correr no pudiera traer esa sensación distinta de logro y alegría. Como Kahlil Gibran dijo de dolor en su librito El Profeta, su dolor es la ruptura de la cáscara que encierra su comprensión. La resistencia que he adquirida en el correr se ha traducido en muchas áreas de mi vida, y me ha permitido reforzar mi determinación y sobrepasar las barreras que en el pasado parecían imposibles.



Estoy agradecido con el acto de correr para seguir dándome patadas, ya que cada día me reta a hacerme hombre mejor.

Why I Run.

Until about two years ago, I never trained to run. I would run one local 5K a year, which I finished on the residual fitness that I had built for years as a soccer player. I did ok, coming in between 22 and 23 minutes. Pretty good, or so I thought.

When I began to enter longer races, I hurt. I realized I would need to train. So I trained. I got faster, and I began to run longer.

Since I started running seriously at 36, I was freed from the ghosts of the past. For me, there were no “glory days.” I know some guys who remember running 5,000 meters in 16 minutes when they were younger, and are now disappointed when they run it in 20. For me, if I scrape across the line around 20 or 21 minutes, that’s a personal record, and I’m overjoyed.

As my body has become more able to sustain it, I have moved on to the 10K, the 10 mile, and the Half Marathon, and have begun to travel farther and farther to compete in races.

I’ve won my age group in a local race here or there, but I’m really a middle of the pack runner, with a long stream of finishers before me and a long stream behind. In spite of my training, I’m still not the fastest runner out there, and I’ll never beat the young, well-trained runners. Fortunately, however, the race is only with myself.

Running gives me something to work toward—a goal for myself. Running provides me with the promise of incremental improvements, to run just a little faster, or a little longer, as my body and mind learn to push through the pain and self-doubt, the barriers that limit me. In training, and especially in races, when I dig deep within myself, I find that there is more there than I had at first thought.

Though running hurts, the pain is the very medicine that strengthens and cures me. Without the struggle and the pain, running could not bring such a feeling of accomplishment and joy. As Kahlil Gibran said of pain in The Prophet, your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. The endurance that I have gained from running has translated into many areas of my life, and allowed me to strengthen my resolve and push through barriers that had once seemed impossibly daunting.

I am grateful to the act of running for continuing to kick my ass as it challenges me to be a better man.

New Year’s Resolution Special: A guide for the irresolute. Resolución de Año Nuevo: Una guía para los indecisos.

1-1-11

Cada primero de Enero, la gente Estadounidense suele hacer un "Resolución de Año Nuevo." Éste es un compromiso de cambiarse la vida para que el próximo año sea mejor que el anterior. Se necesita un poco de determinación convertir una resolución en la realidad. A continuación ofrezco algunas sugerencias para el desempeño de las metas que ha establecido para sí mismo.

Elige una resolución con cuidado, y en palabras positiva. En lugar de resolver a "dejar de comer como un cerdo," articular la meta en una manera positiva. Otro error común es establecer resoluciones que son muy nebulosos, tales como: "Voy a comer alimentos más saludables." Esta meta es demasiado abstracta. En su lugar, haga su resolución muy específico, por ejemplo: "Voy a comer cinco frutas y verduras cada día."

Establezca una meta que es difícil, pero accesible, y establece una línea de tiempo específica con metas más pequeñas a lo largo del camino. Por ejemplo, si usted está planeando reducir su consumo de gasolina un 20%, aumenta el nivel de forma poco a poco pero constante, tal vez andando en bicicleta en lugar de tomar el coche una vez a la semana. A medida que se acostumbre a este nuevo cambio en su rutina, puede aumentar el nivel de su compromiso.
Algunas personas lo encuentran útil dar a conocer su objetivo a sus ajenos. En la articulación de la resolución, se puede contar con el apoyo de su comunidad a lograr su objetivo. Otras personas prefieren hacer sus objetivos sin publicarlos, pero llevan un diario en el que registran su progreso. Haga lo que funciona mejor para usted.

Espere los obstáculos, y tenga un plan para eludirlos sin perderse la meta. Si llueve el día que se decidió a montar su bicicleta, tal vez puedas compartir el viaje con un compañero de trabajo. Haga un plan para superar los retos que siguen surgiendo, pero no se preocupe en exceso si se tropieza de vez en cuando.
Prémiese. Si usted ha comido sus cinco frutas y verduras al día durante todo un mes, tómese un helado como premio de tus logros.

Lo más importante es divertirse. El motivo de la resolución es un desafio a mejorarse. Disfrute de la satisfacción de lograr su objetivo. Le deseo todo lo mejor en el nuevo año.

Each January first, people in the United States typically make a “New Year’s Resolution.” This is a commitment to make a change in their lives to make the coming year better than the last. It takes some determination to turn a resolution into reality. Below I offer a few suggestions for meeting the goals you set for yourself.


Choose a resolution carefully, and word it positively. Instead of resolving to “stop eating like a pig,” articulate the goal positively. Another common mistake is to set resolutions that are very nebulous, such as, “I will eat healthier food.” This goal is too abstract. Instead, make your resolution very specific, such as, “I will eat five fruits and vegetables each day.”


Set a goal that is challenging but reachable, and set a specific timeline with smaller goals along the way. For example, If you are planning to reduce your fuel consumption by 20%, build up to that level steadily, perhaps by riding your bike instead of taking your car once a week. As you become accustomed to this new change in your routine, you can increase the level of your commitment.


Some people find it useful to publicize their goal. By articulating the resolution, one can rely on the support of their community to achieve his objective. Other people prefer to make their goal private, but keep a journal in which to record their progress. Do what works best for you.


Expect obstacles, and have a plan to bypass them without losing sight of your goal. If it rains on the day you decided to ride your bike, perhaps you can carpool with a coworker. Plan to overcome challenges as they appear, but don’t get too upset if you stumble now and then.


Reward yourself as you make progress toward achieving your resolution. If you have been eating your five fruits and vegetables a day for a month, you might want to take yourself out for ice cream.


Most importantly, have fun. The idea of the resolution is to challenge you to be your best self. Enjoy the satisfaction of achieving your objective. I wish you the best in the New Year.

Felíz Navidad/ Happy Holidays

En esta época del año, llevamos la luz y el calor a nuestros hogares mientras la luz se desvanece en el mundo exterior, y tierra retira del sol. Hacemos un acto de fe en esta época del año comprobar que la oscuridad y el frío si van a pasar, como en cada año, y el sol volverá a despertar a las semillas donde duermen en la tierra, retornando el mundo (como Perséfone) al calor y la abundancia.

At this time of year, we bring light and warmth into our homes as light wanes from the outside world, as the earth retreats from the sun. It is an act of faith at this time of year that the dark and cold will pass, as in every year, and the sun will return to waken seeds where they lie sleeping in the earth, returning the world (as with Persephone) to warmth and plenty.

Muchos celebran en esta ocasión del solsticio de invierno tradiciones que conmemoran los aspectos de la fe religiosa, como un nacimiento milagroso en Belén (Navidad) o una llama que sobrevivió a su aceite (Chaunakah). Estas historias simbolizan la esperanza y la calidez que todos anhelamos: la estrella, el establo calentado por los animales, la Menorá, los alimentos calidos, incluso las medias colgadas por la chimenea – cada uno un símbolo de la esperanza, la luz y el calor en este temporada de frío y oscuridad.

Many celebrate this time around the winter solstice with traditions that commemorate aspects of religious faith, such as a miraculous birth in Bethlehem (Christmas) or a flame that outlasted its oil (Chaunakah). These stories symbolize the hope and warmth that we all long for: the star, the stable warmed by the animals, the Menorah, the steaming food, even the stockings hung by the chimney--all symbols of hope, light and warmth in this cold and dark time.


Disminuimos la distancia física y emocional en nuestros hogares, buscando maneras de reconectarse con la familia y amigos, y reafirmar la convicción de que, aun cuando los días se hacen cortos y el frío y la oscuridad reina, hay un mensaje de amor y esperanza que perdura: los más altos ideales, tanto entre los religiosos como en una sociedad secular. El cuento del nacimiento de Jesús, el Príncipe de la Paz, que encarna en esta época del año, es una historia que nos recuerda de nuestra propia divinidad, de ser un hijo, nacido puro y nuevo en un mundo de sufrimiento. Jesús más tarde llamaría a sí mismo "Hijo del Hombre," y cada uno de nosotros un "hijo de Dios". En una época de oscuridad, en un mundo de tinieblas, una llama se enciende, brilla una luz, y perdura la esperanza.


Physical and emotional distance lessens as we huddle together in our homes, seeking ways to reconnect with family and friends, and reaffirm the conviction that even as the days grow short and cold and darkness prevails, there is a message of love and hope that endures: the highest ideals both of a religious and as a secular society. The story of the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who incarnates at this time of year, is a story which reminds each of us of our own divinity, our own child nature, born pure and new in a world of suffering. Jesus would later call himself “Son of Man,” and each of us a “child of G_d”. In a time of darkness, in a world of darkness, a flame is ignited, a light shines, and hope endures.

Actualmente, frente a la destrucción ecológica y el sufrimiento humano generalizado a niveles que fluctúan desde el tipo molestado que te dio un codazo para llegar al "doorbuster" en la tienda a la atrocidad temible de la guerra, afirmamos que la temporada de sufrimiento tambien pasará, la luz volverá a la tierra, y una vez más nace la paradoja de ser siempre hijo de hombre e hijo de Dios a la vez. Llevamos la luz a las vidas de nuestros hermanos y hermanas, recordando que todos nosotros, al final del día, somos nada mas que luz.

In our own time, facing ecological destruction and widespread human suffering on levels varying from the guy who elbowed you to get to the “doorbuster” on Black Friday to the shocking atrocity of war, we affirm that the season will turn, the light will return to the earth, and once more we are born into the paradox of being simultaneously son of Man and son of G_d. Let us bring light into the lives of our brothers and sisters, remembering that all of us, at the end of the day, are made of light.

En su canción Navideña en 1985, José Luis Perales invoca el concepto de la esperanza en el desierto helado de la soledad y el aislamiento, Cantando, " Marinero, marinero/ haz de tu barca un altar/ Caminante sin hogar, ven a mi casa esta noche- - y deja su alforja llenar / Ven soldado, duerme ya,/para curar tus heridas,/para prestarte la paz. / porque la Navidad ha llegado ".

In his Christmas song from 1985, José Luis Perales invokes this concept of hope in the frozen waste of loneliness and isolation, Singing, "Sailor, sailor-- build an altar on your boat/ Wanderer without a home, come to my home tonight-- and fill your satchel with food/ Come, return soldier--cure your injuries and receive peace/ because Christmastime has come."

Video del viaje, verano 2010

Guardiola Llora/ Guardiola Cries

Hace un año, muchos meses antes del Clásico histórico de la semana pasada en que Barca venció a Real Madrid 5-0, el 9 de Diciembre de 2009, Josep (Pep) Guardiola soltó lagrimas. Este evento extraordinario tuvo lugar en Abu Dabi, después de ganar el Mundial de Clubes. No fueron lágrimas de tristeza--al contrario, este momento muy especial fue burbujas orgánicas saliendo al superficie de una charca serena, el resulto de un año de gran esfuerzo por su parte y por parte de su equipo campeón, Barca.  Era una expresión honesta y completa de un gran amor para el club y la catarsis que experimentaron el técnico y los jugadores en el campo de juego ante ganar su sexto trofeo después de ganar este año la Liga de Campeones, la Liga española, la Copa del Rey, y las Supercopas española y europea. 

On this day last year, many months before the recent and historic Clasico last week, in which Barca defeated Real Madrid 5-0, on December 9, 2009, Pep Guardiola let his tears flow freely in Abu Dabi, after winning the Club World Cup. These weren’t tears of sadness—on the contrary, this moment was more like bubbles rising to the surface of a pond organically,  the result of a year of great effort on his part and on the part of the team. It was a honest and complete expression of the great love has for his club and it was a catharsis that the coach and players on the field of play experienced upon winning their sixth trophy that year, adding to the trophies they had already won in the La Liga, the Champions league, the King’s Cup, and the Spanish and European Super Cups.

Todo que ha logrado Barcelona bajo el mando de Guardiola es testamento a la filosofía del juego ‘blaugrana’ que el mismo había aprendido en La Masia de joven.  Toda su vida se ha dedicado a la institución de FC Barcelona y hoy es el mas destacable proponente de su filosofía.  El estilo de FC Barcelona hoy y del año pasado parece un juego complejo de ajedrez, requiriendo que cada jugador este completamente presente en todo minuto del partido, anticipando el próximo movimiento o pase. Después de darle todo por su equipo, vemos a un hombre de verdad que llora y se emociona repasando los logros de un equipo que había llegado al éxito--imposible y inevitable-- a través del trabajo duro, el apoyo mutuo, y la dedicación a un estilo de futbol bonito y cerebral.

All that Barca has achieved under the guidance of Guardiola is a testament to the philosophy of the blue and red ‘blaugrana’ which he himself had studied as a youth at the Barcelona academy, La Masia.  He has dedicated his entire life to the club, and today Guardiola is the most visible proponent of their own brand and style of play.  The way that Barcelona plays today, just as it was last year, is best described as a highly complex game of chess played at great speed, requiring that each player be fully present  at each moment of the game, anticipating the next movement or pass. Spent after giving everything for his team, we see man who lets tears of joy flow as he replays in his mind the achievements of a team that reached a level of success--impossible and inevitable-- as a result of hard work, mutual support, and dedication to a style of football that is both beautiful and cerebral.

Todos, como profesionales en cualquier cosa que hacemos, soñamos con llegar al punto en nuestras vidas y carreras en que no podemos contener las lágrimas después de ver los frutos de nuestra labor y ardor. Es un Gran placer poder ser testigo a un momento así, inexpresable en palabras, que solo puede comunicarse en la lengua de las lágrimas. Así es una vida de pasión.

All of us, as professionals in whatever we do, dream of reaching the point in our lives and careers at which we can no longer contain our tears after seeing the fulfillment of our labor and dedication.  It is a true pleasure to be a witness to a moment like this, inexpressible in words, which can only be communicated in the language of tears.  This is truly a life of passion.