Volunteer/Internship Opportunities
Be a part of an exciting new social network in your community while providing important services that otherwise would not be available. The Naperville Cultural Center is the only area not for profit that endeavors to engage populations from all walks of life and from all around the world in international cultural arts and language programs, and special events. The Naperville Cultural Center is currently looking for volunteers/interns. You can find our volunteer form at http://www.naperculture.org/Documents/VolunteerApplicationForm.doc. Please contact us at (630) 696-4177 for more information.

Collecting International Books
In order to enrich our knowlege of other cultures around the world, the Naperville Cultural Center is now taking donations of international books in foreign languages for both children and adults to expand our current cultural library collection.

Join The Mosaic Club
Be a part of the new "Mosaic Club" and you can receive a special deal of $20 discount on your next mosaic project! After joining the "Mosaic Club", you will receive a Mosaic Club Punch Card. You can drop in during any of our open studio times to work on a mosaic project of your choice. For each time you spend $20 on a mosaic project, we will punch a hole in your card. Once you have finished the Mosaic Club Punch Card, you will receive an amazing $20 gift certificate for your next mosaic project!

Figurative Drawing On Thursdays
If you enjoy figurative drawing, then come by the Naperville Cultural Center on Thursdays! We offer open studio times every Thursday from 9:30am to 12:00pm. Please contact us at (630) 696-4177 to make your reservations! 20 students maximum.

Indian Dance Class
You now can drop in for our adult Indian Dance classes on every Saturday mornings from 10:00am to 11:00am. Not only is this a great cultural experience, but it is also a fun and exciting way to stay in shape! You can have a great time learning the ways of exotic and graceful Indian Dancing. For more information on the Indian Dance classes, please visit our website at www.naperculture.org or contact the Naperville Cultural Center at (630) 696-4177.

Until next time,
Xiaowen Sabaj

Ray's Chinese School offers a number of classes beyond just language. They also offer art, music and martial arts. They have been in existence for 16 years. There is a principal and 9 board members who are in charge of running this school which currently has no permanent home.

I am very impressed by how very genuinely friendly the people are. And I hope to visit the school again during the school year.

Mapo chef making noodles.

The children (and adults) enjoyed multiplying to keep track of how many noodles the one strand could become... and how thin!


A representative from the Chinese Consulate's office came to address the audience. He took some time to speak with Mayor Pradel as well as Katie Wernberg who attended also.

The students put together a very educational display about true Chinese cuisine, it's history, the recipes and the healing properties of some foods.

Whatever that is... right... so to heart of the matter.

Understanding God is understanding yourself. It IS understanding that you are in control of your destiny to some extent. It's called free will. And that People are important.... that means YOU. Maybe the idea of God also is supposed to help us understand that we are teeny in the 'big picture', but I'm not yet convinced my children get that from weekly service. The pastor is far away, we have to sit in pues, we have to be quiet (because we're supposed to listen).... and it's one dreaded day per week.

Daily, young people these days get carted around from place to place. Sometimes they get to make decisions: where they go or what they participate in. But do they realize their impact? Are they thankful? Are the aware that what they say - both good and bad - will have a butterfly effect on the recipient? They are important. Not just because if you tell your kid - then yea, ok, mom told me I'm important.. blah blah.. ok. I'm important. They really are because they grow up and affect - and will continue to affect - the world around them.

But what is it to be Thankful? What does that mean? It only means what it means to the extent that goes hand in hand with self awareness. Who are we? Afterall we could be grateful for our blessing regardless of what they are: natural talents, a good home, friends, good looks, athletic abilities, insightfulness, innocence.... food on the table. Gas in the car. Thankful for life. Thankful for the unexpected kindnesses and smiles. It's the idea that there is something for everyone. Open yourself to the good things ~ and the good things will find you! Have Faith. Be thank-ful.

So prayer is out of school, but if the students were asked to pause, for example, before tearing into their short 20 minute lunch period. Maybe for a moment of silence and thanks. Maybe if they were given a little time to follow the home rules like washing hands before and after lunch. Maybe save 60 seconds before walking out the door after classes are over to just exchange a last pat on the back to the kids, a thanks, a last smile, an affirmation that a lot happened in the day both good and challenging encouraging these great young people to be thankful for the good, not fear that which is challenging and live a life in grace.

It's my happy thouight fo rthe day~ See ya around the hay stack!

Hasta,
Michelle

Contact: Kim McCullough, Public Relations Director, 630/637-5307

Feb. 13, 2008––North Central College will host “Social Entrepreneurship and New Visions of Community Building,” a forum on applying business principles to effect social change, on Thursday, Feb. 21.

Open to the public, the free forum will feature:

• Gerald Thalmann, associate professor of accounting at North Central College, speaking on “Coffee, Chocolate, Students and Free Enterprise.” A certified public accountant, Thalmann co-advises North Central’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization. Among its activities, SIFE works with coffee and artisan cooperatives in Latin America and Africa to provide a profitable, socially conscious product line of jewelry, textiles, tote bags, T-shirts, coffee and other goods that has generated more than $10,000 in revenue for the overseas producers.

• Cliff Parish, CEO and founder of RemoteLink and RemoteLink Philippines, Inc., speaking on “Frontline: Computers, the Church and Education in the Philippines.” Parish is also director of The NewThing Network-Asia, which works to multiply Christian missions in Asia. An active member of the BBL Forum for Christian chief executives, he has been a catalyst for new church plants, Christian schooling and adult education in the United States and the Philippines.

• Kristin Dean, president of the Homan Square Community Center Foundation, speaking on “Homan Square: From Sears & Roebuck to Complete Community.” The Homan Square project, a $200 million redevelopment of the 55-acre former Sears, Roebuck and Co. headquarters on Chicago’s West Side, has won numerous local and national awards including the Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence and two Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards.

• Keynote speaker Esther Benjamin, director of resource development for the International Partnership for Microbicides that works to provide retroviral drugs and training to women in the developing world, speaking on “Education for Social Change.” Benjamin, a 1990 North Central College alumna who serves on the College’s Board of Trustees, is a fellow with the U.S.-Japan Foundation and the U.S.-Southern Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values. She also is a member of the Echoing Green Foundation, which provides grants to social entrepreneurs and encourages careers of social service.

Thalmann, Parish and Dean will speak beginning at 4:30 p.m. in Koten Chapel at Kiekhofer Hall, 329 E. School St. Benjamin’s keynote remarks will begin at 7 p.m. in Heininger Auditorium at Larrance Academic Center, 309 E. School St.

For more information, contact Richard Guzman, North Central College professor of English and director of the master of arts in liberal studies program, at 630-637-5280.

Founded in 1861, North Central College is an independent, comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences that offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and graduate programming in six areas. Located in the historic district of Naperville, Illinois, which was rated by Money magazine as the nation’s second “best place to live,” North Central College is just 30 minutes from Chicago’s Loop. With more than 2,000 full-time undergraduates and nearly 550 part-time undergraduate and graduate students, North Central College is committed to academic excellence, a climate that emphasizes leadership, ethics, values and service, a curriculum that balances job-related knowledge with a liberal arts foundation and a caring environment with small classes.

North Central College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is recognized as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report; ranked as “a college for high-achieving students” by Peterson’s Competitive Colleges; and among a select number of schools profiled in Kaplan’s Unofficial Insider’s Guide to the 320 Most Interesting Colleges.

Why Why Why.

That's when I realized that when we ask why we DO care - and a plethora of mottos started rushing to my head. The greats like Make Love Not War, Guns for Plowshares, Question Authority.

So where are we today? Are there indeed enough people who value LIFE - not just being but the QUALITY of LIFE to make the hard decisions - to BUY the GREEN stuff (I meant environmentally safe... by the way) - to DROP OUT of society and live for happiness not money? Honestly I doubt it. I don't think people in general are willing to bust a**... Because that is what it takes. Believe me... and I don't do a fifth of what I'd liek to be doing.

Brings to mind two concepts. One from someone I miss dearly - it is the concept of 'All In'. Like the poker term. All In... All the time though.... What and interesting concept I thought and wondered how many of us live like that? It doesn't mean - to me at least - that we live self indulgently. I believe it means to take risks. Now how about this: Taking Risks BECAUSE it is the Right Thing To Do.

How many people do you know that do THAT? Now those are our Hero's. That is exactly what a hero would do. And we can do this every day with even the littlest of choices - THINK ABOUT IT.

The Other fellow I met "Lost his Shirt" persuing some endeavor. What it brought to mind is that this is exactly what springboards investors - yes I mean YOU - to say bet on something Safe; buy that thing that came out of the coal burning plant because They pay their workers a penny per pound and it's cheap and the profits are HUGE ...HALLELLUJA!

Hmm.... what the heck does this have to do with the shooter in DeKalb?

The answer to that question is embedded in the subtlies of Quality of Life. Are we *medicated* because we're depressed? Are we *consuming Junk*? Do we make time to *meditate and relax*? Are we *Kind* to strangers? Do we *encourage* kindness? I mean as a society... Who are we? Where are we going? And how did we get Here?

Just thoughts.

When I think about social programs, the ones that have to do with diversity, the promenent ones, tend to pop out in my mind as extreme. As I've traveled along on this little "art project' of mine better known as the cultural center (I should write a dissertation about it!), I have discovered people who want to remind me that I am American afterall you know. I call this my art project because this is the thing that I would like to sculpt to make my world a more beautiful place. This is simply an art project because it is an aesthetic creation. Living public art that you can experience... and hopefully it will be a good one! Anyone can come here and take art or music or just sit around - too bad I don't have a little cafe! Maybe one day! If I were to make a wish list it would include a sitting area with refreshments, an exhibit area with lecture space & plenty of classrooms for languages and the arts. Now how beautiful would that be?!

I had an interesting email from an "underground" artist recently - that was interesting too. I never felt more pleased that I was not organized by a large beauracracy! Although, financially it's a whole heck of a lot safer. Whatever that is. So anyway - it went like this:

Would be nice to join if as the social underground would stop hinting that only blacks with the Obama skin type are really welcome, even if your social IQ is less than expected.
The question is: Is "diversity" now a commercial mantra?

me: Not sure what you are asking - but commercial mantra or not - you are a part of society. And the society you are a part of has a diverse population.

That may be true from a sociological perspective, but in current real-time existence, those of us who have our mental fingers on the pulse of society are aware of pockets of gradual unraveling of traditional social structures. This means that these changes are below the "mainstream radar screen", and the resulting social entity incurs the social risk of not just linguistic and national diversity, but racial diversity, which is a national joke in the greater Chicago. I am trying to simplify what was unclear when I referred to the "social underground".
Certainly by default we all are a part of society, but society is like a Set Construct, and within that Set, there are subsets-(culture/subculture), which are pretty well established understandings of social fabrics throughout the Western world.

{The question is: Is "diversity" now a commercial mantra? } It was really intended to be a rhetorical question, but to amplify its meaning: Where is the reality behind the ‘diversity’ banner, or is it just a slogan to enhance a commercial image? Resipsaloquitur

You discretely or wisely ignored the Obama comment.

Any thoughts?

The website for the film is pretty fun. Go to the website and click on daemon, then click on meet your daemon. Controversy over these terms is really to me just silly arguement over semantics. These "daemons" really are merely an expression of our emotions revealed. Often we cover these, or hide them. But this story examines the idea that our emotions hold truths about who or what we are. If that is so, or not, is irrelevant. The idea is something we all know and experience often enough.. Now, go to meet you daemon - your own personal animal guide and attendant - :^)
Enjoy~

As I am an Aquarius, I notice that my horoscopes always prescribe to my dilemas a day late and a dollar short ~ Todays read: Watch out for the donuts. Thanks.

Last weekend I went to a Shamanic Journeying session conducted by Dr. Esther Geitner, shamanic practitioner & Hyptnotist (maybe she can help me with my donut problem?) Esther was a student of Michael Harner, founder of the foundation for Shamanic Studies. While there we bundled up and carefully placed eye pillows over our eyes and laid back while listening to drumming rythms. About 220 beats per minute to be exact which is meant to bring the meditator to a 'shamanic state of consciousness'. I'm very interested in this idea of natural living and healing - but I cannot brag about being very disciplined. I was spoiled when I was a child, I guess. I feel I've seen the long term effects of what could be called Un-natural healing & it's just not pretty. Let me think of a few examples, hmm, Elvis.... Liza Minelli... Jackson's (your pick)...

Very creative these shamanic practitioners. The don't prefer to call themselves *shamans* because they say this is an aboriginal word best left defined by those who are decendants of past shamans. I looked into this. It seemed to be quite controversial: a little shamanic drama I reckon. Not even shamans can escape the tabloids.

So I listened and relaxed and was told to travel into an imaginary garden and wish for an animal spirit to visit - it was very clear and very beautiful - there was sagebrush and desert and birds - and depending then on how this animal spirit felt it could be what the core shamans call a power animal - the power animal is the animal guide. It's pretty cool actually. I like animals - they're cute and and cudly and live purely. The idea is like that of finding a 'totem' - that the attributes of this animal are your attributes. Mine was the coyote. I didn't really know what that meant so Esther told me to look it up - Here's what I found:

Coyote is the antihero whose antics make it easier to see ourselves.

Coyote's Wisdom Includes:

Understanding that all things are sacred--yet nothing is sacred
Teaching that only when all masks have fallen will we connect with the Source
Intelligence
Singing humans into being
Childhood trust in truth
Teaching us how to rear our young
Brings rain
Ability to laugh at one’s own mistakes
Placing the North Star
Shape-shifting
Teaching balance between risk and safety
Illumination
Stealth

Well, I didn't really get the part about 'singing humans into being' but the rest brought words to the way I'd been feeling lately. It's fun anyway. I wonder if coyotes eat donuts?

This was the 5th school we've been in this year participating in multi-cultural fairs. Like other schools, the children were given 'passports' they'd have to get stamped at each station they went to. There was a variety of of tasty ethnic foods, colorful booth displays, and interesting performances.

Nine years ago Miss Bartolotta, the LRC Director at Mill Elementary, conducted the first multi-cultural fair in the Naperville elementary schools - she suspects North Central College may be the first among Naperville schools in general. However, this seemed to be the start of an exciting new trend. They are well organized and fun and the people of our town love it because not only it is all about us and our own heritage, it teaches about so many beautiful and compelling places around the globe. Each of the places have a story to tell that often enough engages us on a level we have not reached enough.

Miss Bartolotta and I talked several times about the difficulties of peer pressure and the struggles of growing up. It can be easy to question without care when one child dresses differently, or eats a food that smells differently, or perhaps has a bindi, or doesn't practice the same holiday traditions. Children don't intend to be hurtful or accusatory when the questions come out - but it can be intimidating to get asked the questions because it points out that child as being different.

Multicultural fairs provides an occasion for questions about the variety of traditions we practice, foods we eat, clothes we wear or languages we speak to be asked and explored in a non threatening way. It provides a time when kids are allowed to ask the questions. We are all different from one another. And our world and lives are in constant motion. It was very encouraging to hear the types of conversations parents and children were having - and the enthusiasm in the voices as they were involved in the process of discovery.

Diversity
If you google diversity you can everything from anti-hate education to how to improve your work dynamic (through the benefits of the individual and specialized knowledge of a diverse work group). I become surprised often enough by the announcements of 'first timers' every now and again such as Lovie Smith, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Katherine Hughes, Muriel Siebert, and others. Perhaps this person is the first woman CEO or the first Japanese MVP, or whatever. I wonder if they even thing about that at all. Yet it is marked in the history books. Their mark. Their acheivement. That brings a smile. I cannot really imagine living in less than the open society we have today. Being told I cannot do something not due to lack of ability but because of a preference or superficial characteristic. I cannot imagine it.

I had the pleasure of hosting some friends the other night. Buckets of fabulously interesting stories filled the air. I intended to treat everyone to an art project. Who knows what could happen if one were to mix a little wine with mosaic making. Well, we never even got to it. I had to remind two young ladies to fill the plates they'd been holding for a good 20 minutes or so. You'd think their tummies would have rumbled at some point. But during the discussions I realized we had about 20 different countries represented in the room. At least.

The very next day a girl friend of mine came in who organizes and founded Seeds of Grace (yet other great opportunity for helping humanity!) and she suggested how interesting it might be to have some sort of geneology workshop. I thought of Jeffrey Bockman immediately. Currently his book can be found at Anderson's as well as here at the center. I never really checked it out - but thought it to be a good foundation for someone's search for their own history. How did we get to talking about that? Oh yea, identity. It is amazing how such a little thing can impact a person. Maybe not immediately - I'm certainly not saying it is a panacea - however - I have seen how knowing our personal histories have impacted our self esteem, our kindness, our relationship with others. Think about it. Some of us know our geneology very well - and others have had it hidden or stolen. For myself, the story goes that my grandmother was Irish, but adopted by a German family - the Rubens - who immigrated to America. The records were not kept and the history was lost.

There is another side to this arguement, however. It has to do with living in the present moment. Being Present. Awareness. But that never kept the questions or longing from popping up. I just curb them by remembering that, well, it isn't the mailman's fault the records were lost, and worrying about it isn't going to help me get my kids lunch made and ... well... it's in the past. Finally at 35 years old... I can let somethings remain in the past. I know. It takes me a long time! I've come to believe that this Identity thing must be one of those things that people either Really care about - or perhaps don't care about at all.

I think I've made up for my blogging silence for the past 4 months...

Volunteering
Volunteers are the backbone of any not-for-profit organization. It truly takes a community of support to provide the kind of enriching programs not-for-profit organizations have to offer. And the best part is there is something for everyone. You can support local agricultural efforts through Illinois Green Pastures. You can volunteer at the hospital, church, PADS, food pantry, pet shelter, symphony, or children's museum. And that is not to mention the programs at the schools. To be most effective as a volunteer, find something that suits what you are passionate about. This is something that can be done with your parent, or children or friends. Set goals and define timelines that you can stick to. Don't be unrealistic about the time you can commit. The organization you are volunteering for most likely would rather be able to trust your commitment than get excited about an over commitment that is unkept. Remember that stepping forward as a volunteer means you are there for them and that they will be reliant upon you. Volunteering is a fabulous way to meet new friends, be a part of the community and foster happiness. Just keep it simple.

The Grounded Theatre is currently looking for board members who are interested in marketing and fund raising. This board only meets a few times per year to discuss the two major performances they produce at the Comedy Shrine. Board members do get comps for shows. Cuurrently working on: Crimes of the Heart from March 8th to April 19. For more information contact Karen Rosenberg.

Downtown Parking
Please be aware, construction has started across the street from the Main Street Promenade on the corner of Main and Van Buren in the flat lot. Although it only held 51 parking spots, this can often be an interruption to our routines. Take extra time to get to where you want to get to around town. There are two other large flat lots, a parking deck, and street parking all around the Main, Van Buren and Benton Street area if you are headed to the Promenade or around the North side of downtown. 2 hour street parking is allowed across Benton on Main, on Benton, and on Webster. There are two other CBD parking decks also: one is on Chicago Ave., the other is at the municipal building.

Cheers~
M