Internationalmatt's Blog

This blog is about my international friends and their inspiring stories

Tired of Winter- Picnic scenes from last Summer

In the midst of a long cold winter most people are ready for Spring to come, unless of course you are in the Olympics in Canada. We may feel that way but consider winter through the perspective of our international friends who come from places where it never snows and never gets cold. Consider winter through the view of someone who comes from a place where it does not get as cold as it does here even though they have winter.

Yang and Ya Ting at a picnic at Holmes Lake last summer

My friend Ya Ting is from Taiwan where it never snows and it is warm all year. I was a table host at a welcome dinner for new students at UNL in January 2009. Ya Ting was at my table and while we were eating it began to snow. It was the first time she ever saw snow in her life. She thought it was interesting and beautiful, but now I think she is tired of it and is ready for Spring to come.

friends from Vietnam playing outside at a football party last September

I have many friends from Vietnam where it also does not snow. Some came here last summer and saw snow for the first time in October only 5 weeks after we had our football party. Many of them are weary of all of this cold and snow. They want summer to return, so they can enjoy time outdoors again.

Yes it has been a long cold winter. Perhaps we are all ready for Spring to arrive. The cruel joke in Nebraska is that we sometimes have our biggest snows in late March when the calendar tells us Spring has begun. We have had snow in April as well. I even remember a snow on May 5th one year when I was a child. When I share this with  my friends who come from warm climates, their eyes get big and a look of dread comes over their faces. These pictures from last summer remind me that summer will come again. Perhaps it will be hot and then we will want winter to return.

February 18, 2010 Posted by | Experiences of international friends, International Friendships, Internationals, summer, Vietnamese friends, winter | Leave a Comment

Tired of Winter- Scenes from last summer- My Karen friends

This has been the hardest winter in a several years. It seems like we get some snow every day. I like winter, but even I am tired of the snow and ready for a change. If I feel that way, imagine how my Karen friends feel. They come from a country where it never snows and they have winter. They come from a place where it is warm all year. In the summer they love to be outside all day. Last summer I went to the apartment buildings where they live to spend with them each evening during my break. I was impressed by how much fun they had with what little they had. They have a makeshift volleyball net they use to play volleyball.

their makeshift volleyball court

My Karen friends love to hang out outside in the summer. In the winter time they hide inside and try to stay warm. Those evenings last summer were memorable for me because of the special times I had interacting with my Karen friends during those warm summer evenings. It was an enjoyable summer because it did not get too hot. It was warm, but never too hot like most Nebraska summers. One of the most enjoyable parts was my time with my Karen friends. They are a warm and caring people who are easy to get along with.  After you spend time with them it is difficult to believe anyone would wish them harm, but the military dictatorship government of Myanmar (Burma) does. It is very gratifying for me to spend time with them and help in anyway I can.

some of my Karen friend hanging out outside

a Karen father with his son

I am actually looking forward to summer, not because I enjoy heat waves, but because I am looking forward to dropping by for more visits with my Karen friends. A sign of Spring is when the Robins return. A sign of summer is when my Karen friends come out to enjoy warm evenings.

February 17, 2010 Posted by | Cultural Ambassdors, Experiences of international friends, International Friendships, Internationals, summer, The Karen people, winter | Leave a Comment

Summer fun at the Pinewood Bowl last July

The sun peaked out for a brief moment while I was eating lunch with friends at church today. I saw a small patch of blue but it did not stay very long. It seems like it has always been cloudy or foggy, so when I looked through some of my pictures I stopped at my pictures from when I took a small group of my international friends to an outdoor summer musical at the Pinewood Bowl in Pioneers Park. An outdoor theater, on a summer night, warm weather, it is a pleasant memory in the midst of a long stretch of gray days.

my friends sitting on a blanket at the Pinewood Bowl

We sat on a blanket which seems strange at a time of year when people want be sit under a blanket. We ate our dinner a combination of food we bought and a delicious dish of rice that was cooked in a pineapple. I was with friends from China and Taiwan.They enjoyed watching the people walking around before the musical began. They also had fun looking around the outdoor theater.

me with my friends

We all enjoyed the musical which was a theater version of the movie footloose. My nephew Craig was the stage manager and he came over to meet my friends. It was a wonderful time on a nice warm summer evening. Looking at the pictures reminds me that summer will come again and who knows maybe it will get so hot I will want winter to come.

my nephew working on stage

The stage

The Pinewood Bowl musicals are always fun and I plan to take another group of friends next summer, but for now I will appreciate my international friends even during a long streak of cloudy winter days.

January 24, 2010 Posted by | Chinese friends, Experiences of international friends, International Friendships, Internationals, summer | Leave a Comment

A fun picnic last September with some of my international friends

Another cold foggy day in what seems like an endless series of cold, cloudy and foggy days causes me to think about warm sunny days such as the day last September when some of my international friends joined the college group from my church for a picnic at Holmes lake. It was on Sunday evening and it was a nice sunny day.

the group in front of the volleyball net

We barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs and had all kinds of junk food as well as watermelon. Yes everyone wore shorts that day because it was a wonderful late summer day. Some of my friends from China and Vietnam came and enjoyed a picnic and games.

firends from Vietnam

friends from China

Some played volleyball while others learned how to throw a baseball or an American football. One group went for a walk around the lake to enjoy the sun and nature. It may seem like a long time ago that we walked around while listening to crickets and frogs. Winter will not last forever. Spring will arrive and before we know it it will be a hot summer day and we will wish for cooler weather, but for now I will reflect on those summer days I shared with my international friends such as the fun we had that day at the picnic.

January 23, 2010 Posted by | Chinese friends, Experiences of international friends, International Friendships, Internationals, summer | Leave a Comment

    Next Entries »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 54 other followers