Quotes & Proverbs

"When elephants fight it is the grass that suffers."

- African Proverb

Imagine how much destruction to the grass and small plants would happen when two animals as big as elephants get in a fight. The  war in Afganistan could be used as an example of this proverb in the real world. The media focuses on how the war is between the US and Allied Armies are fighting against terrorism and the Taliban government. In this example I think the elephants would be represented by the people in positions of power such as political leaders or army commanders from both sides. The grass would be represented by the army troops and civilian men, women and children whose everyday lives are threatened by the reality of the war around them. The elephants (political leader etc) are safe sitting behind desks in fancy offices fighting with each other while the grass (men, women, and children) are getting their lives destroyed.

You must be the change you want to see in this world

- Mahatma Ghandi

This quote is a powerful statment that challenges everyone to become a better person. I find it frustrating to listen to people complain about society when they do nothing to change it. I remember one day when I heard a few people arguing about what were the biggest "problems" in society. One person felt that greed was the biggest problem and the other person said violence. When they asked my opinion I responded that apathy is the biggest problem in society. The fact that very few people feel convicted to do anything about their problems is, in my opinion, the most depressing thing about society today. Ghandi's quote is a great inspiration to change!

Songkran - Thai New Years!

During the Thai festival of Songkran the entire country shuts down and engages in a three day water fight in the middle of April (13th-15th) to celebrate the coming New Year. From sunrise to sunset people use super-soakers, buckets of water, and water hoses trying to soak anyone and everyone around them. There are festivals in every sized village, town or city but the largest celebration is in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Thousands of tourist, both foreign and Thai, head for Chiang Mai to join the million in the water-logged chaos. For three days there is music and bumper to bumper traffic in the streets. Most of the vehicles are trucks with about 10 people and a large barrel of water in the back firing pails of water at everyone around them. People are even selling large blocks of ice to put in the barrels to make sure the water is freezing cold for extra effect!

Songrak was tradionally a spiritual holiday when people visited the local wat (temple) and spent time praying and giving alms to the local monks. It was also a time to visit family and respect the elders and leaders in the community. During this time they would often pour water over the buddha statues as a means to gain "good luck" for the new year. Eventually, people began throwing water at each other as a means to symbolize the spreading of good luck to everyone. Thai people used an analogy that the water "washing the bad away" from the old year so that people could "start anew" for the new year. As April is the hottest time of year with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius it is no wonder this traditional caught on. As the years pass by there is less and less of a connection with the historical and spiritual history of the holiday and more of a focus on the neverending water fight.

Although the three day water fight was one of the most enjoyable times of my life I think it is sad that some day the Thai people may lose the connection with the "real" reason that Songkran began. The concept of having one time during the year where people can "re-focus" and make positive changes for the upcoming year seems like a very important thing. Hopefully schools and families will continue to teach the historical background of Songkran so it doesn't become only a waterfight.

Mr. Wiebe's Re-occurring Dreams....

The following is a short description of a re-occurring dream that has bothered me for many years.

Close your eyes and imagine you are dreaming the following……

It is the biggest hockey game of the year. You are playing against the biggest rivals in the league and it is really important that your team wins the game. Everyone else is on the ice and warming up to play and you are still stuck in traffic on the way to the game. For some reason your car just doesn't drive fast enough. Finally you get to the game. It has already started and your team is already down 2-0. Your heart races and you start to feel anxious because you know that once you get on the ice you can help your team win the game. You race as fast as you can to the dressing room only to find that you have forgot to get your skates sharpened and you are missing one of your hockey gloves. You can’t seem to get anything right….the man who sharpens skates is taking forever and the glove you borrowed doesn't fit right. When you finally do get on the ice the game is almost over and to make matters worse when you look down and realize that your hockey stick is right handed and you are a left handed shot. It always seems like there is some external force that is preventing you from playing the game and helping your team win.

I have the dream above, or a dream very similar, many many times over the past 15 years. The general theme of not being able to play sports to the best ability stays consistent but the context or sport changes in each dream. Sometimes the dream is about a volleyball game and I am wearing very slippery shoes and I keep slipping on the floor. Other times I dream about golfing with right handed clubs or a golf ball that doesn’t seem to go anywhere when it is hit. In all the dreams I am very frustrated that I can never get prepared and ready to play the sports at the level that I know I can. The anxious feeling I have in my dream is always similar to the feeling that I have when a deadline at work, school, or university is approaching. This makes sense because I always seem to have the dream when I am stressed out. Perhaps my mind is taking the subconscious feelings of anxiety (about meeting the deadline) and expressing them in a way in which I can understand.

What do you think?

Short Story Setting

The strange colored rays beamed down between the clouds and struck my face with an intensity unlike anything I had experienced before. The warmth was comforting and for what seemed like hours it was all I could think about. I was in a peaceful place, that I knew, but beyond that I knew not where I was. The surrounding landscape was new to me but at the same time seemed stragely familiar as if it was an amalgamation of all of my favorite memories. The dramatic peaks of the mountains stretched out for eternity in all directions and somewhere in the distance was the crashing sound of water as it fell effortlessly from a cliff to a stream below. Slowly, the light that brought such comfort began to fade away and a wall of ominous storm clouds formed on the horizon. Immediately the comforting feeling left me. As the shadows crept across the mountains toward me I could hear the booming voice of thunder as the impending storm approached. With every crash of thunder and crack of lightning the sky was yelling at me. I tried to run but I was paralyzed by fear. The warmth I had felt had vanished and been replaced by a cold sharp pain in my chest. The thundered screamed again, "CLEAR!" and with a flash of brilliant lightning I awoke.

Mr. Wiebe's Keepsake Items

Favorite Memory
My motorcycle goggles remind me of several of the best memories of my life. While living in Asia I bought a motorcycle and took every chance I had leave Bangkok and see as much of God's wonderful creation as possible. Perhaps my favorite memory on my motorcycle was in the summer of 2009 when I spent a week with Mel and two friends exploring the mountains in norther Vietnam. We tried as hard as possible to get away from the tourist trail and experience and see the "real" Vietnam. Meeting the local Vietnamese people and village kids was an incredible experience. The picture to the right is some local kids playing with my goggles.  The real Vietnam is unbelievably beautiful but not without it's share of dust, rain, and bugs. It is the real Vietnam that made me need my goggles!

Something Important - Blankie!

I'm not embarrased to admit it, I still have my baby blanket and it is one of the most important things to me right now. It is actually the second baby blanket that I have used in my 30 years of existence. The first one was stolen by some maids in a hotel room in Sioux City, Iowa. My blankie goes everywhere with me. It accompanied me on all my road trips, sporting trips, family vacations and it has been to over 40 different countries. I still remember my university volleyball coach looking at me with confusion as I sat on the airplane with my blankie wrapped around my head. He just shook his head and said "there is one of you on every team!" I don't care. I'm not embarrassed, I feel safe and comfortable with my blankie wrapped around my head. It's one of my most prized possessions and I will keep it as long as it still holds together.

Passport- hopes and dreams!

I love to travel. Ever since I was 10 years old and my parents took me on a world trip I have had the travel bug. My total of countries visited already is between 40-50 and I hope that someday I will reach one hundred. The last passport I had filled up completely with stamps and visa's so I had to replace it two years before it expired. My current passport has extra pages at the back so I don't have to worry about filling it up. Last summer I spent three weeks in Europe and got to add Croatia to my list of visited countries. This coming summer I hope to go to South America, maybe visit Peru, Argentina and/or Chile. My passport represents my love of travel and my hopes and dreams of seeing more of God's beautiful world!

Wiebe's Nightstand Books

One book that I currently have on my nightstand is called "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran. It is a collection of inspirational poetry that discusses topics such as life, death, love, children, work, and friendship along with many many other topics. Gilbran is an author who is very studied in the sacred texts of all world religions such as the Bible, the Koran, and Buddhist writings. During reading it is very easy to see how his writing and morals have been influenced by the Bible. Throughout my life I have used the Bible shape my morals about the topics listed above but I also find it very interesting to learn about how other people, in other parts of the world, make important moral decisions.

If I am honest with you I have to admit that my other common reading material before bed is http://www.espn.com/. I guess it's not really a book, but my laptop computer could be on my nightstand, abd besides, I'm the teacher and I can make the rules....haha! Anyway, I love sports and I could read about them for hours. After a busy day at work and at school I enjoy just turning my mind off and updating myself on the current developments in the sporting world.

Mr. Wiebe's Bucketlist....Things to do before i die!

10. Visit at least 100 different countries 
I have been lucky enough to visit almost 50 different countries already and I am only 31 years old. I figure that if I keep travelling I should be able to get to the 100 mark.

9. Get Published
Growing up in high school I hated writing. However, as I grew older, read more books, and studied interesting topics I began to enjoy writing. Someday I hope to get a piece of my writing in a book or journal.

8. Scuba Dive the Red Sea
My scuba diving log book has 125 dives in it. I have been diving in Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Croatia, and Fiji but never in the Red Sea. The Rea Sea is regarded as the best place to dive in the world.

7. Get a hole-in-one
I love golf! I would golf everyday if possible. Before I die I want to get a hole-in-one at least once. I think if i am 90 years old and have still not got one I will buy 1000 golf balls and just play a Par 3 over and over and over until I get one.

6. Attend the Olympics and/or World Cup
For most of my life I have been a huge sports fan. The Olympics and World Cup are the two biggest sporting events on the planet. I think it would be amazing to attend, be a part of the festivities, and see all the world class athletes.

5. Finish a Marathon
I HATE running but every year I go and watch the Manitoba Marathon and get jealous of those people that finish the marathon. The look of relief, pride, and joy that is evident when they cross the finish line must make all the pain and anguish worthwhile.

4. Get myself organized
I have to be one of the most disorganized people I know. I seem to always lose my wallet, passport, credit cards, or anything else that people of my age are not supposed to lose. One of these days I'll learn my lesson.

3. Have a 50th Wedding Anniversary
I'm 31 years old now and about 2.5 months into married life. If all goes well Mel and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary when i am 81 years old. We are going to throw a huge party and invite all our friends that have helped up along in our lives.

2. See my Son or Daughter achieve their goals
I can't think of anything more rewarding than seeing my children reach their full potential. I don't even care if they love the same things that I do, or did at their age, as long as they are happy.

1. See my former students achieve great things!
Similar to my kids, I hope that in 10 years I can see some of my students making a difference in the world. It would be amazing to watch the news and say "wow, they discovered a cure for....." or "whoa, it's great that they are doing such great things..." I know my students are capable and hope and pray they reach their potential!