Thank You Love for Making Me To Be a Strong Man

Ahilla thank you for your news update and I would like to say a big thanks for Emma for your welcome to me.

I do not realize that this month (June) is my time to share my story for you all my friends everywhere around the world. Truly , it is my hard times to pass all my days after my father passed away. Lost him like a very broken heart but I realize it’s God’s will and we cannot stop his destination to the heaven I believe. 

I did remember this story as part of my river flow in port folio. I passed it through slow water, water fall and also big stone. I have to be strong man.

After came back from Hawaii, a lot of work to be done in my work and life. A lot of responsibility to safe all thing. I have to put myself as a watcher at “balcony”. Stay calm for six months to find the best solution from the toxic leadership.

I always maintain good relationship with my students and college. They are very happy when I come back on campus. They think I am a safer from this toxic situation such as full of manipulation, corruption, and dishonest. 

I always give keep spirit come back again to all my students through sharing, laughing, crying and joking. Return them confidence for facing their life.

Feel the fresh air with different place is one of my favorite’s things. Having chance to be a presenter around Indonesia and foreign countries and to be a ambassador of Australian university are my opportunity to involve and enhance my academic, knowledge and my leaderships skill through sharing experience and story.Several cities and countries,  I have visited such Yogyakarta, Semarang, Jakarta, Singapore and Malaysia.

Living around with my friends, students and family who have full of love make me to a stronger man. Never give up for keep smile and transferring my spirit and soul for all of them.

Lost my father, it does not  mean I lost all of thing, it makes me stronger and keep optimism for making my dream come true.

Sorry my friends this month,  my story as a mellow story.

Thank you for your kindly support for making me strong

Love and Hug for you all from Aceh

Saleum

Aloha Ismail

Aloha from Hawaii! My adventures this month end in Honolulu for the Hawaii International Social Science Conference. Its been a blast reconnecting with the beautiful sites and people here.  This is my last blog post and as such I would like to welcome Ismail who will take over for the month of June.  It's been fun sharing my experiences with y'all.

Take care!

Emma

View from the top of the Diamond head crater

Moments from Geneva

A beautiful form of leadership.  The lady above tripped on the cobblestone just
before I took this picture.  To protect her he slowed his gait and walked behind her.  Old Town, Geneva.

Random photo with some tourists I met outside of St. Peter's Cathedral

I couldn't resist. Love the expressions on their faces!  Minus the cigarette of course.

Inside WHO

I'll admit I was confused, now I understand that the first floor is  labeled
 0!

Geese, Teaching, and Switzerland!

Ahila - thank you for the warm welcome!

Mon Mon -  it was nice to hear about  the  New Year in Myanmar.  

Wow, where to begin. Well as a number of you know, I successfully completed my doctorate last year and am now teaching at UNF in Jacksonville, Florida.  So, instead of frequenting campuses with feral cats (UH) and rolling mountains (ETSU), I am surrounded by geese (see below). Pictured below (picture 2) is a goose that just gave birth to an adorable bunch of goslings.  I tried to get a close up  but papa goose was not having it - he actually started charging me as I got closer!

Geese Takeover!

Can you give my lady some privacy?  My woman just gave birth!

Currently, school is out for summer and as such campus is rather quite these days. Given that I am not teaching in the first summer session, I have some time to work on course preparations, research, and travel.  My week thus far has consisted of attending instructor workshops on how to convert face-to-face courses into online formats  and learning how to successfully redesign a course for better student learning outcomes.  I almost feel like I'm a graduate student again with my reading lists and assignments but this time I really appreciate being in this space of the instructional designer behind the learning experience.  

College of Health

When I think about my APLP days I realize how much of the curriculum has had an impression on me (second to the great people I met of course!).  What struck me the most about the APLP curriculum was the opportunity for us to go out in a new context to test the information gained in the classroom  to different cultural settings. I will never forget my experiences in China, from hiking part of the Himalayas as part of the fab four (shout out to Dina, Megan & Rangi)  to meeting the various entrepreneurs and thought leaders at the round table sessions were such fun and insightful times.  

It is in this spirit of experiential learning, I applied for a study abroad development grant through  current university to take a group of students  Geneva Switzerland next year.  I chose Switzerland because it  home to some of the world's most influential public health and social justice organizations in the world.  Not only do I want students to be immersed in one of the world's hubs for public health leadership but also I want them to be able to interact in a different culture.  Ultimately,  I hope to inspire and challenge students to tackle public health problems locally but also to think about how they can work towards improving health on a global scale.  Next week, I will head to Geneva to start planning this trip! 

In terms of life in Jacksonville outside of school, things are going well.  I love Florida weather, it sure beats Canadian climes at this time of year! I am also slowly adjusting to the area and I've made some really good friendships so far. I am still trying to keep active in sports by playing recreational soccer. For today's blog post I leave you with a picture from a marina that I pass by on the way to my soccer games.  

'Til next time!

E

Marina in St. Johns County

Blog host in May: Dr. Emma Apatu

In April, we met up with Mon Mon and she shared with us the rituals around the most important festival in Myanmar - the New Year and the associated 10 day water festival.

This month, we move on to Florida to meet up with Dr. Emma Apatu who is currently University of North Florida's assistant professor of public health.

Happy Myanmar New Year

Happy Myanmar New Year' to you all my beloved friends….!
This is the first time I start writing the blog and significantly it is on the Myanmar New Year Day for Myanmar Era 1376…!!!
Although it is normally very hot, April is my most favorite month of a year as we have the longest holiday (officially 10 days) of the year to celebrate the Myanmar New Year period. The whole country is occupied with the excitement of welcoming the New Year and is busy with the enjoying the most enjoyable holidays of a year.  
During long holidays, people are normally busy with plans; some go back to native towns, some take trips, some relax at home. Some more religious people (not like me) go to meditation centers, some(men) enter into the Buddhist Monkhood for a number of days, providing offertories to the elders from the neighborhood and enjoy making Myanmar traditional food and share among one's neighborhood.  
However, no other activity is more significant than enjoying the Thingyan Water Festival during the holiday period. According to Myanmar calendar, a lunar based system, which is much similar with some other South East Asia Nations such as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, there are normally four-day period, five-day at every three years, which we call it "Thingyan Period". The word "Thingyan" is originated from Sanskrit, meaning "transforming" from one stage to another. We play throwing water at each other for those (four/five) days.  The intention of throwing the water on people is to wash the bad things of the older year and to welcome the New Year to come with clean, peaceful and energetic inspiration.  Many believe that throwing water is the gesture of blessings and good wishes to others. The Water festival has many different names around our neighboring countries; Songkran in Laos and Thailand, Chaul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia. 
Almost everybody enjoys the Water Festival; significantly it is the happiest time for kids and teenagers. No school, no homework, and no readings, and just enjoy the festival. In the cities and large part of urban areas, people build make-shift wooden platforms, called "man-dat" by Myanmar language, or pandal , affixed with music facilities some even with the live bands, some put traditional music band, while other put all rock music bands, dancing floors, lightings, and most important of all, the water pipes to enjoy the festival. Some "man-dat" are as big as it can accommodate 300 people.
While those are busy with throwing water, some others are also busy with driving around the city to enjoy the water throwing. In the biggest City like Yangon, thousands of cars of various sizes, packed with people are driving around the city to enjoy the water throwing.

Actually, building "man-dat" is not cheap. No doubt that such an event is the prime time for big companies to throw their products commercial, through sponsoring to various "man-dat". Lately, the festival becomes commercialized by the various fast-moving-consumer-goods businesses like beer, beverages, some consumer goods, together with telecommunication companies and airlines.
The immediate next day of the Thingyan Water Festival is Myanmar New Year day. The New Year day could be said that "the day of doing meritorious deeds".  On the day, young people pay respect to the elders, grandparents, providing offertories to the elders from the neighborhood. In some areas, even around my neighborhood, people set up the make-shift shelters and provide the various kind of food to everybody; we call it "Satuditha". People of rich and poor, can enjoy food as much as they can at those shelters. Some people release the fishes into the rivers or natural ponds, while some others let free the caged-birds, as a part of meritorious deed at the New Year day. While they are releasing the fishes or birds, they call for a prayer and wish "I release you once, I will be released for ten times". Isn't it too greedy..???
The intention of doing those meritorious deeds at the New Year day is aimed to start a new year with good actions. It means that we want to clean our souls of the past year and have a new fresh start for New Year with clean, enriched and energetic mind.
The meaning of Thingyan Festival is not completed without mentioning the flower named, "Padauk- Gum-kino Tree(Pterocarpus macrocarpus)". Padauk is tiny fragrant yellowish-gold colored flowers. It   is well-known for its loyalty to New Year and all Padauk trees bloom at the same day. Padauk requires the first rain shower to burst forth into bloom and the first light shower of April usually herald the Thingyan Festival and bring the Padauk to bloom in all its beauties.  
 I am so excited to see the Padauk flowers from the tree in my compound blooming when I wake uptomorrow morning…

Introducing April's Host, Mon Mon!

The last time I met Mon Mon was in April last year when GISTers gathered together in Yangon. Yangon's April in my memory was very very hot and all the plants thrived in the hot weather. I was so glad to see Mon Mon again, especially in her country. The traditional dress suited her very well and she looked so confident and elegant.

Time flies. One year has been passed. Miss YOU very much! Let us know your updated statues, Mon Mon. We are looking forward to read your articles in the thriving April.