Studying in Hawai'i

"Hawai'i? You go there to study or play?" Haha, I get that a lot of times before I left for exchange. Here is proof that I'm studying.. and how busy it can be!

 Particle Physics - The Kinematics (centre of momentum vs lab frames) are killing me... sigh~ well it is physics... I'm used to it.. at least it is familiar... pages of equations haha!

Computational Physics.. never dream that i would be learning programming! This is C programming and it's only my third week. Imagine the pain I had to go through in the last few weeks to learn this! Thanks to Billy for helping me from Singapore!

I went into Hawaiian Studies class today and saw everyone looking intently at this map... then it suddenly struck me "oh no! dun tell me it's map quiz today!! yes i didn't study for it and i had 5 mins before the lessons start. what to do... take out the map and try to memorise as much as i can... i am proud to be the product of a decade of training under the singapore education system.. manage to get most of the islands and a few cities... at least i get about half the points...

Hawaiian studies have been very interesting. you don't usually get a chance to hear the native perspective and their side of the story. their pride in their heritage and genealogy (helps me to understand the Jewish mindset towards genealogy too since i'm studying Matthew). Learnt about their pacific voyages and so much more... Westerners were seen as oppressors. They occupied the land, thinking they are bringing order to these 'primitive savages'. It challenges many notions of what we learn from media. The Capitalist system and trade they brought.. is it really good? The westerners were blamed for bringing diseases which killed many hawaiians.

Sadly in the midst of these environment and emotions, Christianity got tangled up and identified with colonialism. together they are seen as western bringing their way of life and thought system. Missionaries are seen as arrogant, dismissing the hawaiian gods and calling the hawaiian primitive and pagans. to some extent we will be doing that if we were to share the truth of the gospel to anyone. but to do so arrogantly rather than a love of the ppl and an effort to understand the ppl's culture... that is not just sharing the gospel but imposing your own culture's baggage upon another entirely different culture...

Note to self: The mistakes of our missionary forefathers should not be made again today! Don't get me wrong. They were admirable for their efforts and sincerity (well most of them). Sadly today we carry the consequences of these actions - Christianity seen as western religion and seen as a threat to lost of culture. Well, re-thinking about it, the gospel will be rejected either way if a person chooses not to accept Christ and nothing can hinder a person coming to know God because salvation belongs to God alone.

sorry mind not thinking well to refine my post... u get the idea lah =) need to sleep le...