CIRCLE DAY
For Circle Day this month, we had a visit from our adopted soldier, Brian Daniels. Brian is a 2005 GLHS graduate. Last Fall, he came to visit us a week before he was deployed to Iraq. In October, he surprised this class (3rd hr. World Studies) with a phone call from camp Tahji, Iraq. He told us of his adventures and what his daily routine was like. Then in November, we were horrified to hear that our favorite soldier had been terribly wounded in a deadly explosion while doing his daily rounds. In December, he returned to Grand Ledge and we got to see him in on the local news. He was awarded a purple heart for his bravery and was engaged to his now fiance, Michelle (also a GLHS alumni), at Christmas.
We were privilaged to hear first hand, the efforts of the US army in Iraq and were able to ask many questions about things that we hear and see in the news daily. His emotional story made us realize that war ain't a tea party.  

Brian told us stories of his experiences in Iraq. Especially eye opening, were his view on the Iraqi culture. Amber, Chris and Sarah listen with interest. 

We shared an emotional moment as Brian shared the death of his army brothers and best friends when his truck was attacked by a burried explosive. Brian was the only one who survived the attack. 

MSU MUSEUM WITH LATTICE
This afternoon (2/9), while I was away from ROOM 103 and you played with my sub, I went to the MSU museum in East Lansing to meet my friends from the Lattice group. Lattice is a multi-cultural organization that meets monthly to exchange resources, study culture, discuss global issues and reach out to local and international communities thru charity and outreach projects. At the museum, we went to study a new exhibit called "Weaving of War: Fabric of Memory" and "Siyazama: Traditional Education in AIDS in South Africa". The exhibit had collections of art that had themes of war, conflict and AIDS education. I love going to Lattice because I not only meet my good friends but I come back to ROOM103 with a bag full of ideas and a brain full of inspiration. So be prepared to hear a lot about the affects of War and AIDS (2 topics that are currently very prominant in the media). In this picture, you can see the group listening to the welcome remarks by the museum curator. If you look closely at some of these carpets from Afghanistan on the wall, you will see helicopters, granades, tanks and machine guns.

My good friends Nomalanga(South Africa) and Rennta (Pakistan) and I had a lot of laughs together. Rennta will be having a baby soon and that will be a lot of fun. 

The stories of the women behind these embrodaries are compelling. Here are two of my friends mezmerized by the stories if the plight of the Hmong. 

The Hmong are a mountain tribe in Asia. During the Vietnam war, they were not only allies but very reliable guides thru the treacherous mountains to the US army. When the US soldiers moved out, the vietnamese armies turned on the Hmong and began to systematically anahilate them. The US recued many Hmong families and took as many as would come with them. Many who stayed suffered horribly in the hands of Vietnamese. Many made it to refugee camps in Tailand where they where able to get papers to leave Vietnam. Because of the monotonous nature of the refugee camps, camp organizers gathered people, especially women to tell their stories. They were asked to depict a day they would never forget. With donated fabric and threads they were able to create these embroidered war memories. This piece depicts a group of Hmong people (in black) fleeing their village just before the Vietnamese soldiers (in green) arrive. They cross the Mekong river with banboo canes under arm or with intertubes to find safety on the coast of Tailand. Lansing area has a large population of Hmong Americans. 

This detail shows the Hmong getting in planes to come to America.