Dor Livin' Life
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Had my first Cantonese speaking therapy session yesterday. Actually, it was more like I spoke Chinglish and my client spoke Chinese. It was a really powerful experience for me because it confirmed in my heart why I want to work with the Chinese population. Basically, she's been having problems for the past 4 years, but never sought any help because she didn't think that White American therapists would understand her experience and she didn't feel like she could accurately express herself in English. When she learned that she could see a Chinese speaking therapist, she felt relieved. I could tell how much our session yesterday meant to her. She couldn't stop pouring out her heart to me, both with words and with tears. For her, it was nice to connect with another Chinese person (seeing that there aren't many in Denver) and to know that someone understands her experience of being a non-White American. I can't imagine how many more Chinese people are out there who are suffering and could benefit immensely from therapy, but haven't sought help because of the language and cultural barrier. My hope is to bring Western psychology (or a modified version of it) into the Chinese community.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Who ever thought that a one day trip could be a roundtrip from Denver to Los Angeles?! After yesterday, my definition of a one day trip has changed. Lawrence works for Frontier Airlines, that means that he gets to fly for free anywhere that Frontier flies and he gets buddy passes where his friends can fly for dirt cheap. So yesterday, we spent a day in LA. We went from cold, snowy Denver to hot, sunny LA, and back to cold, snowy Denver. It was awesome! Saw the Hollywood sign, ate good chinese food, rollerbladed along the beach. What a perfect day 
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Don't confuse grade with your worth in God.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I've been back a week and my schedule is already crazy as can be. How is it that everytime I try to give myself room to breathe, it never happens?! Yesterday, I was reminded of how important self-care is. As a result, I've decided to stop being an overachiever and drop a course. Let me tell you, it felt good! 
So life has changed for me. I'm now a visiting student at Denver Seminary. I love it here because God is brought into the classroom! In both my classes, we share praises and prayer requests and then we pray. Then, throughout the class, what we learn is linked with our knowledge of God and the Bible. Last week, I was reminded that I am a child of God! I'm also not single anymore. God has blessed me with a wonderful partner. It's so awesome to have a God-centered relationship! I have already seen fruit as a result of this relationship. Another change is that I've moved again, but this time, with a housemate. It's been both a blessing and a challenge to live with someone again. I was just starting to get used to living on my own. More change? Yup, more change. I'm taking a more active role at my church. Right now, I'm taking a leadership training course as I've decided to work with the youth group this year. Tomorrow will be my first meeting with the kids. I'm also continuing to serve on the praise team. A final change. I've got a new placement for this year. I'll be working at Asian Pacific Development Center. I'm really excited about this opportunity as I would like to work with Asians in the future. I'm also excited to be working in an environment where hopefully, I'll feel comfortable in, as most of the people there are of Asian descent. Hmm...does this explain why my schedule hasn't gotten lighter?! haha...I'm still the pencil-you-in type of gal. 
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Home sweet home.
Friday, August 19, 2005
I finally updated my photos.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
According to Marti Olsen Laney in The Introvert Advantage, introverts are more likely to:
- keep energy inside, making it difficult for others to know them
- be absorbed in thought
- hesitate before speaking
- avoid crowds and seek quiet
- lose sight of what others are doing
- proceed cautiously in meeting people and participate only in selected activities
- not offer ideas freely, may need to be asked their opinion
- get agitated without enough time alone or undisturbed
- reflect and act in a careful way
- not show much facial expression or reaction
- Introverts think and talk differently - extroverts think and talk all at one time. it is effortless to them. in fact, things become clearer as they speak out loud. introverts, on the other hand, need time to think and don't speak with spontaneity unless it's a familiar subject. introverts can appear cautious or passive to extroverts. extroverts are so used to speaking off the top of their heads that they may be distrustful or more reticent introverts. when introverts speak with hesitation, extroverts may feel impatient. introverts require time to form and articulate opinions.
- Introverts are unseen - when introverts appear reluctant to speak or speak slowly, they often don't engage extroverts. extroverts may think that the introverts don't have anything to contribute. introverts dislike interrupting, so they might say something softly or without emphasis. other times comments made by introverts have more depth than the general level of the conversation; because this may make people feel uncomfortable, they ignore the comment. the introverted person feels unseen. from the outside, many introverts give no hint about the mental gears grinding and meshing inside. in social situations their faces may look impassive or uninterested. unless they are overwhelmed or they really are disinterested, they are usually just thinking about what people are saying. they will share their thoughts if asked.
- Introverts pressure extroverts to stop and think - it unnerves extroverts when introverts suggest that they slow things down, plan, think about consequences, and focus longer before acting. extroverts can already see the end of the project. slower-paced introverts, by contrast, like to stop and smell the roses.
In the mind of...