Yesterday I completed 'The Sissy Test.' Here it is again for those not familiar.
Burpees / Swings
1 / 25
2 / 24
3 / 23
4 / 22
5 / 21
6 / 20
7 / 19
8 / 18
9 / 17
10 / 16
11 / 15
12 / 14
13 / 13
14 / 12
15 / 11
16 / 10
17 / 9
18 / 8
19 / 7
20 / 6
21 / 5
22 / 4
23 / 3
24 / 2
25 / 1
*Done for TIME with as little rest as possible.
I completed it in 45:39 which was a two-headed dragon for me(Swings done with the 28kg). One head is that this is pathetic as an instructor at the standard I want to be held to. The other head is that anything over 10 reps is reaching max cardio/anaerobic threshhold for me. I dislike (rather 'hate') anything other than lifting heavy objects or punching/kicking things or choking things. That is the way I roll now. 13 years ago was a different story when I ran 6-8 miles daily and was very competive in track 1600m and 3200m and 5K cross country. No more.
2 Lessons in this:
#1 I must do what I don't like to do once in a while because I know it is relatively good for me as I evolve as a person
#2 Mental Toughness. These types of sessions test your mettle more than the physical. It brings everything together and to see what you're made of.
Amazing what putting a CLOCK to it will do. Add in a couple of friends--preferrably next to you competing & also some friendly competition nationwide--and you now have a great recipe for some Humble Pie.
By the way, my heart rate 2 minutes after completion was still 144 BPM. And one more thing, I had one of my clients try this right after me with a 12kg and she BEAT me by 9 seconds. Her only goal was to beat me (that goes back to the friendly competition thing and having something to reach for). Good for you Jill! We will revisit this one again.
This particular 'Test' spurred some sadistic dreams of coming up with more 'tests.'
Stay tuned for "The Baker's Dozen" ;)
20080101
NEW! Kinetic Edge Tees
Cast Iron Balls
100% Cotton Long Sleeve American Apparel T
*These will shrink slightly in the dryer
Sizes available = M, L, XL men's
$31 including S&H
Cast Iron Balls (front)
Cast Iron Balls (side)
Primal
55% Cotton/45% Polyester Long Sleeve American Apparel Baby Thermal T
*These will shrink slightly in the dryer
Sizes available = M, L, XL men's
$31 including S&H
Primal (front)
Primal (back)
These will be up on my website soon: www.kineticedgeperformance.com
Order NOW by emailing me at info@keperformance.com
100% Cotton Long Sleeve American Apparel T
*These will shrink slightly in the dryer
Sizes available = M, L, XL men's
$31 including S&H
Cast Iron Balls (front)
Cast Iron Balls (side)
Primal
55% Cotton/45% Polyester Long Sleeve American Apparel Baby Thermal T
*These will shrink slightly in the dryer
Sizes available = M, L, XL men's
$31 including S&H
Primal (front)
Primal (back)
These will be up on my website soon: www.kineticedgeperformance.com
Order NOW by emailing me at info@keperformance.com
2700 ft of Prime Beatdown Space
Everyone's been asking for these. Sorry for the delinquency!
This is THE place to train if you are in the Twin Cities metro. The ULTIMATE indoor playground!
This is THE place to train if you are in the Twin Cities metro. The ULTIMATE indoor playground!
The Sissy Test
Kinetic Edge welcomed the New Year with a special branding today. 8 willing subjects participated in a new style of 'fun.' This was so great I think we'll make it a staple!
Here's how it went:
Burpees / Swings
1 / 25
2 / 24
3 / 23
4 / 22
5 / 21
6 / 20
7 / 19
8 / 18
9 / 17
10 / 16
11 / 15
12 / 14
13 / 13
14 / 12
15 / 11
16 / 10
17 / 9
18 / 8
19 / 7
20 / 6
21 / 5
22 / 4
23 / 3
24 / 2
25 / 1
*Done for TIME with as little rest as possible.
Here are the results:
Name / Time / KB in kg
1 Dena / 34:44 / 14kg
2 Scott B. / 37:29 / 32kg/28kg
3 Nicole 38:39 / 16kg
4 Kathi B. / 43:40 / 16kg
5 Paula / 43:42 / 12kg
6 John B. / 45:26 / 16kg
7 Steve F. / 49:32 / 20kg
8 Steve R. / DNF
Great showing by everyone!
Here's how it went:
Burpees / Swings
1 / 25
2 / 24
3 / 23
4 / 22
5 / 21
6 / 20
7 / 19
8 / 18
9 / 17
10 / 16
11 / 15
12 / 14
13 / 13
14 / 12
15 / 11
16 / 10
17 / 9
18 / 8
19 / 7
20 / 6
21 / 5
22 / 4
23 / 3
24 / 2
25 / 1
*Done for TIME with as little rest as possible.
Here are the results:
Name / Time / KB in kg
1 Dena / 34:44 / 14kg
2 Scott B. / 37:29 / 32kg/28kg
3 Nicole 38:39 / 16kg
4 Kathi B. / 43:40 / 16kg
5 Paula / 43:42 / 12kg
6 John B. / 45:26 / 16kg
7 Steve F. / 49:32 / 20kg
8 Steve R. / DNF
Great showing by everyone!
20071210
Zep Reunion Concert
The ULTIMATE band plays again. Let's pray to the gods of rock they decide to tour in the U.S!
They pick up right where they left off. Here's the set list:
Good Times Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time Of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Under Foot
Nobody's Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed And Confused
Stairway To Heaven
The Song Remains The Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Encore:
Whole Lotta Love
Rock And Roll
Good Times Bad Times (What a way to open the reunion!)
Stairway
Kashmir
Black Dog
They made and re-made history with this concert.
They pick up right where they left off. Here's the set list:
Good Times Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time Of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Under Foot
Nobody's Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed And Confused
Stairway To Heaven
The Song Remains The Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Encore:
Whole Lotta Love
Rock And Roll
Good Times Bad Times (What a way to open the reunion!)
Stairway
Kashmir
Black Dog
They made and re-made history with this concert.
20071204
Research Studies...
The following article appeared in my inbox this morning. I'm not going to lie, this is a slight rant. There might be touches of sarcasm throughout the article. I still have yet to decide why we, as a society, feel the need to spend money on 'research studies' to tell us some logical conclusions that most 5th graders are able to discern. You'll see what I mean when you read this current study based on organic vs. non-organic food. I'll post my own conclusions at the bottom. I also added the bold & italicized comments below throughout the article.
--------
The Proof is In: Organic is More Nutritious
By Deirdre Dolan Updated: 11/15/2007 2:36:02 PM
Ask an Organic Mom
It seems like every day someone emails me another news story about the hidden dangers of plastic.
I usually stop whatever I'm doing to read it, more convinced with every each new study and infertile rat that we're doomed to extinction by plastic. When I'm done I usually look up to find my one year-old daughter trying to stuff something plastic into her mouth, despite the variety of brightly colored non-toxic wood toys lying around her on the floor.
So I was happy to read something good this morning about something that plays a big part in my life —they've proven that organic milk is better for you! All the money I've been spending on the stuff — and it's up to $15 dollars a day because I'm pregnant and it really helps my heartburn — is worth it. The same goes for organic food.
For the past seven years, the organic food lobby in England has been trying to get the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to change their claim that organic food isn't safer or healthier. And now, after a 4-year, 12million pound, European Union-funded investigation led by Newcastle University that shows organic foods have far more nutritional value, they may soon get their way. The study isn't over yet and the results will be published over the next year, but the hope is that the FSA will change its claim that "the balance of current scientific evidence does not support" the idea that organic food is more nutritious than conventional.
The Quality Low Input Food project, the biggest of its kind, took a 725-acre farm in north-east England, grew conventional produce (like cabbage, lettuce, potatoes and what) next to organic produce, and compared the results.
The biggest contrast was found for milk. The study found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than conventional milk (60% to 80% more nutrients in the summer than conventional milk, and 50% to 60% more in the winter). Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E, and 60 percent more antioxidants and desirable fatty acids. Antioxidants help with a healthy circulatory system and help keep cancer and heart disease away.
Other highlights:
1 Fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients if they are grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. (what a concept!)
2 Up to 40% more antioxidants could be found in organic fruit and vegetables than in those conventionally farmed. (that warms my heart.)
3 Potatoes, kiwi fruit and carrots were among the organic produce found to be higher in vitamin C.
4 Higher levels of minerals and antioxidants were found in organically- farmed lettuce, spinach and cabbage. Organic spinach and cabbage have more minerals. (you mean I don't get adequate levels of antioxidants from DDT? thanks for telling me 20 years later!)
5 Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients lacking in many people's diets.
6 Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties. (And all along I thought steriods and growth hormone given to little cows to grow into big cows were laced with Calcium)
7 Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 per cent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables. (where have I been the last 25 years of my coherent life?)
Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu are the authors of The Complete Organic Pregnancy. They write the Ask an Organic Mom blog for The Daily Green.com, where they answer your questions about how to raise a toxin-free baby.
www.thedailygreen.com is the new consumer's guide to the green revolution. From saving money to saving the planet, you'll find ideas, recipes, news and more every single day.
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
--------
I guess the powers that be in other nations have managed to model the U.S. government when it comes to wasting money doing studies that provide useless conclusions...unless they are 'providing jobs' which is an entirely different rant (which will becoming soon :)
My conclusion: The only thing that is left in our progressive world is 'uncommon' sense. Now go consume some high-vitamin/mineral-potent-organic-food! It may just help you gain some 'uncommon' sense :)
--------
The Proof is In: Organic is More Nutritious
By Deirdre Dolan Updated: 11/15/2007 2:36:02 PM
Ask an Organic Mom
It seems like every day someone emails me another news story about the hidden dangers of plastic.
I usually stop whatever I'm doing to read it, more convinced with every each new study and infertile rat that we're doomed to extinction by plastic. When I'm done I usually look up to find my one year-old daughter trying to stuff something plastic into her mouth, despite the variety of brightly colored non-toxic wood toys lying around her on the floor.
So I was happy to read something good this morning about something that plays a big part in my life —they've proven that organic milk is better for you! All the money I've been spending on the stuff — and it's up to $15 dollars a day because I'm pregnant and it really helps my heartburn — is worth it. The same goes for organic food.
For the past seven years, the organic food lobby in England has been trying to get the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to change their claim that organic food isn't safer or healthier. And now, after a 4-year, 12million pound, European Union-funded investigation led by Newcastle University that shows organic foods have far more nutritional value, they may soon get their way. The study isn't over yet and the results will be published over the next year, but the hope is that the FSA will change its claim that "the balance of current scientific evidence does not support" the idea that organic food is more nutritious than conventional.
The Quality Low Input Food project, the biggest of its kind, took a 725-acre farm in north-east England, grew conventional produce (like cabbage, lettuce, potatoes and what) next to organic produce, and compared the results.
The biggest contrast was found for milk. The study found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50% and 80% higher than conventional milk (60% to 80% more nutrients in the summer than conventional milk, and 50% to 60% more in the winter). Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E, and 60 percent more antioxidants and desirable fatty acids. Antioxidants help with a healthy circulatory system and help keep cancer and heart disease away.
Other highlights:
1 Fruit and vegetables contain up to 40% more nutrients if they are grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. (what a concept!)
2 Up to 40% more antioxidants could be found in organic fruit and vegetables than in those conventionally farmed. (that warms my heart.)
3 Potatoes, kiwi fruit and carrots were among the organic produce found to be higher in vitamin C.
4 Higher levels of minerals and antioxidants were found in organically- farmed lettuce, spinach and cabbage. Organic spinach and cabbage have more minerals. (you mean I don't get adequate levels of antioxidants from DDT? thanks for telling me 20 years later!)
5 Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients lacking in many people's diets.
6 Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties. (And all along I thought steriods and growth hormone given to little cows to grow into big cows were laced with Calcium)
7 Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 per cent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables. (where have I been the last 25 years of my coherent life?)
Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu are the authors of The Complete Organic Pregnancy. They write the Ask an Organic Mom blog for The Daily Green.com, where they answer your questions about how to raise a toxin-free baby.
www.thedailygreen.com is the new consumer's guide to the green revolution. From saving money to saving the planet, you'll find ideas, recipes, news and more every single day.
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
--------
I guess the powers that be in other nations have managed to model the U.S. government when it comes to wasting money doing studies that provide useless conclusions...unless they are 'providing jobs' which is an entirely different rant (which will becoming soon :)
My conclusion: The only thing that is left in our progressive world is 'uncommon' sense. Now go consume some high-vitamin/mineral-potent-organic-food! It may just help you gain some 'uncommon' sense :)
20071126
The experience of a lifetime...
Back from Romania. In one word: Perspective. Perspective on another culture. Perspective on life. This is my first experience abroad so those of you who have traveled already know some of this.
Thanksgiving was given an entirely different meaning than any of my previous references towards it after this trip. It changed a lot of lives including my own in the process.
This post will be radically different from most of my other posts on here based on what I just experienced for 7 days in Romania. I was there on a mission trip with my girlfriend's family and Starkey Hearing Foundation based in Eden Prairie, MN. If you haven't heard of them or of the Founder Bill Austin, I will do my best to describe what took place throughout the entire week.
The trip began with a 7.5 hour flight to Amsterdam on Saturday night Nov 17th. 2 hour layover. 2 more hours of flight time into Bucharest, Romania. Thank God for Z-Health! We were graciously greeted at the airport by Mihai (Romanian Starkey Rep) and Emi (Turkish Starkey rep) eagerly ready for the 'Americans.' TA was about 8:00am their time on Sunday.
We were greeted outside the airport by sleet and a wet cold that cuts through us. Made Minnesota weather look balmy! The drive from the airport to our hotel was interesting. At first, it looked somewhat the same as the U.S. Billboards, some stores like IKEA, and then it definitely was different. Traffic. insane. 99% of the cars are the size of Honda hybrids here and people drive so close to each other in traffic lanes that it's amazing at least 50% of the cars don't have side-swipes. Pedestrians. They just decide to walk across the street...and there is no 'pedestrian right-of-way'...the cars just honk! I can't tell you how many times I thought our bus driver was going to nail pedestrians...and he was 'courteous' compared to most of the other cars we saw. Drivers just honk when they want to get in and start moving over without looking hardly ever. This scenario in the U.S. would result in road rage beatdown approximately every 1000 feet ;) Definitely a different way of driving communication, yet universally understood in this country.
Traffic is also 'special' in another way: Round-a-bouts (RABs). RABs that go both directions and multiple lanes of traffic. For you Twin Cities' natives, picture Spaghetti Junction (I-94/I-35E/Hwy 52/Downtown St. Paul) having 2-3 lanes going each direction on EVERY ramp with no regard for stoplights. This just begins to explain the mess they have in Bucharest.
On to the mission...
Starkey Hearing Foundation
'So The World May Hear'
Day 1 Monday
We arrived at this huge gov't building later to find out that it is the currently the 2nd largest building in the world (next to our own Pentagon) called the Palace of the Parliament. This is where all gov't meetings are held for the Romanian people. Later we would come to the conclusion that this is a HUGE deal for us to be in this building utilizing one of the great halls for installing hearing aids and an even BIGGER deal for the kids and their teachers to enter this building at all ...think more dictatorship-type country even though Romania become a 'democracy' in 1989 after a major revolt. So this they are relatively young when it comes to rights and all of the political goings-on that comes with it.
We entered the Great Hall just after 9am to witness one of the most structured things surrounding kids that I had ever seen: 150+ of them sitting in chairs and you could hear a pin drop (short-term memory reminded they were borderline deaf and could not hear any pitches we can :) The Romania/Germany Starkey team also greeted us and were anxiously waiting to get started.
The Hansen family broke into 5 'teams' ...the rookies (I was included in the rookie category) were paired with their significant others to learn the ropes. Let the fun begin.
The first 4 or 5 that I personally got to work on was where the SIGNIFICANCE of this trip began to set in. Even though there was more than a language barrier (not only do I not speak Romanian, I have yet to learn sign language as well) but thank goodness for the Romanian interpreters. Yet a worldwide universal language was the default:
1 smiles
2 high-fives
3 thumbs-ups
4 hugs
5 and sometimes secret handshakes (some they would show me and some they would show me)
The first crew of kids ages ranged approx. 4-10. 99% of the kids could read lips very, very well which is a huge props to their teachers. 75% of them have never had hearing aids and have never heard any sound whatsoever. So to be the first person to witness a huge smile when they heard the first sound ever in their life cannot be described without witnessing it live. Incrible doesn't even begin to explain it. The facial expression and the excitement in their mannerisms was nothing like I have ever seen and definitely formed an impression in me of something that I doubt will be duplicated in my lifetime until another mission like this one. Most of them were very excited to receive something from 'the Americans' even if it was a piece of candy. We also handed out a medal on a lanyard that was the color of the Romanian flag to EVERY kid we saw. We were celebrities in their eyes in more than just 'Americans'.
After the first crew of about 100 we went to lunch as we were waiting for other schools to arrive. Then it happened. I walked in to the 'toaleta' where recently graduated deaf kids could now hear running water and automatic hand dryers for the first time in their lives. Something that we take for granted more than once a day for sure. What a sight to see the delight on their faces...high-fiving, thumbs up and smiling from ear to ear!
Day 1 Total kids fitted with hearing aids: 262
-------------
Day 2 Tuesday
More of the same. This day was the first 'performance' we were given: their way of thanking us for what we were doing. Most of the these '5-10 minute thanking sessions' were traditional Romanian dance. Pretty cool to see 5-10 year old kids who formerly had to watch their teachers and go off vibration for steps finally be able to hear the music somewhat...they were not in sync :) because it was the first time they had actually heard the music!
Towards the end of the day we fitted some older adults in their 60s/70s/80s. Most of them have had hearing aids but cannot afford them. They were more than grateful.
Day 2 Total: 260
Today we finished early so we went on a walk around a 10 block radius of our hotel. We continued to be amazed by how poor the city was...run down row-houses (like Boston and New York) and were introduced to 'street dogs'...dog after dog after dog that were wild scavengers looking for food, filled with fleas. They told us that Bucharest has thousands of them due the lack of money of the people which does two things: no spaying or neutering and no family pets. This makes for one canine multiplying mess. Really sad that all of these dogs were skin and bones and mangy with no home. Just one more humbling experience to add to the trip and appreciating what we have in the U.S.
-------------
Day 3 Wednesday
Today was the first day that we had some extremely deaf kids who could not hear anything on the highest powered hearing aids that we had. This was frustrating for us, yet at the same time the kids were happy to receive their medal and candy as if it was no big deal for them.
Day 3 Total: 270
Leaving the Palace today was interesting. Apparently the President had a meeting some type of gov't meeting scheduled. So when we left the room where we had been all morning, we were greeted by men in uniform holding swords (their version of our marines). When we walked out the building there were about 30 Secret Service in full on SWAT type gear standing at the front of the building with a helicoptor parked in the lawn and about 10 black BMWs parked strategically around a couple of vans. The difference between their Secret Service and ours was drastic. Ours wear suits, ear pieces and conceal weapons under their coats. Theirs wear everything visibly to everyone...vests outside their clothes, guns strapped to their legs...everything was visible and much more powerful and intimidating. Not sure if this was the purpose or they just do it different. You knew they meant business and nothing was discreet. They would not allow us to stay in our van to watch him leave which we would have had front row seats all to ourselves watching him right out the front doors.
-------------
Day 4 Thursday...the final day
Today was the most frustrating day of all...Jordan and I had 14 kids who we had to turn away because they could not hear any sound whatsoever on the highest hearing aid available. This was hard and I really felt for them as they wanted to hear so badly yet it wasn't going to happen.
Day 4 Total: 270
-------------
Overall, this was the most humbling experience of my life. I would do it again in a heart beat and look forward to a similar trip next year.
Final thought: The Romanians we befriended as translators had some interesting comments on Americans: "You all look so 'fit' (the Hansen family)." They thought this was very out of place based on what they see on TV...severely overweight and obese people. Sad that is the perception of Americans to foreigners, yet exactly why I do what I do.
Now that you've read this far...my blog will be back on track with regular scheduled rants!
Thanksgiving was given an entirely different meaning than any of my previous references towards it after this trip. It changed a lot of lives including my own in the process.
This post will be radically different from most of my other posts on here based on what I just experienced for 7 days in Romania. I was there on a mission trip with my girlfriend's family and Starkey Hearing Foundation based in Eden Prairie, MN. If you haven't heard of them or of the Founder Bill Austin, I will do my best to describe what took place throughout the entire week.
The trip began with a 7.5 hour flight to Amsterdam on Saturday night Nov 17th. 2 hour layover. 2 more hours of flight time into Bucharest, Romania. Thank God for Z-Health! We were graciously greeted at the airport by Mihai (Romanian Starkey Rep) and Emi (Turkish Starkey rep) eagerly ready for the 'Americans.' TA was about 8:00am their time on Sunday.
We were greeted outside the airport by sleet and a wet cold that cuts through us. Made Minnesota weather look balmy! The drive from the airport to our hotel was interesting. At first, it looked somewhat the same as the U.S. Billboards, some stores like IKEA, and then it definitely was different. Traffic. insane. 99% of the cars are the size of Honda hybrids here and people drive so close to each other in traffic lanes that it's amazing at least 50% of the cars don't have side-swipes. Pedestrians. They just decide to walk across the street...and there is no 'pedestrian right-of-way'...the cars just honk! I can't tell you how many times I thought our bus driver was going to nail pedestrians...and he was 'courteous' compared to most of the other cars we saw. Drivers just honk when they want to get in and start moving over without looking hardly ever. This scenario in the U.S. would result in road rage beatdown approximately every 1000 feet ;) Definitely a different way of driving communication, yet universally understood in this country.
Traffic is also 'special' in another way: Round-a-bouts (RABs). RABs that go both directions and multiple lanes of traffic. For you Twin Cities' natives, picture Spaghetti Junction (I-94/I-35E/Hwy 52/Downtown St. Paul) having 2-3 lanes going each direction on EVERY ramp with no regard for stoplights. This just begins to explain the mess they have in Bucharest.
On to the mission...
Starkey Hearing Foundation
'So The World May Hear'
Day 1 Monday
We arrived at this huge gov't building later to find out that it is the currently the 2nd largest building in the world (next to our own Pentagon) called the Palace of the Parliament. This is where all gov't meetings are held for the Romanian people. Later we would come to the conclusion that this is a HUGE deal for us to be in this building utilizing one of the great halls for installing hearing aids and an even BIGGER deal for the kids and their teachers to enter this building at all ...think more dictatorship-type country even though Romania become a 'democracy' in 1989 after a major revolt. So this they are relatively young when it comes to rights and all of the political goings-on that comes with it.
We entered the Great Hall just after 9am to witness one of the most structured things surrounding kids that I had ever seen: 150+ of them sitting in chairs and you could hear a pin drop (short-term memory reminded they were borderline deaf and could not hear any pitches we can :) The Romania/Germany Starkey team also greeted us and were anxiously waiting to get started.
The Hansen family broke into 5 'teams' ...the rookies (I was included in the rookie category) were paired with their significant others to learn the ropes. Let the fun begin.
The first 4 or 5 that I personally got to work on was where the SIGNIFICANCE of this trip began to set in. Even though there was more than a language barrier (not only do I not speak Romanian, I have yet to learn sign language as well) but thank goodness for the Romanian interpreters. Yet a worldwide universal language was the default:
1 smiles
2 high-fives
3 thumbs-ups
4 hugs
5 and sometimes secret handshakes (some they would show me and some they would show me)
The first crew of kids ages ranged approx. 4-10. 99% of the kids could read lips very, very well which is a huge props to their teachers. 75% of them have never had hearing aids and have never heard any sound whatsoever. So to be the first person to witness a huge smile when they heard the first sound ever in their life cannot be described without witnessing it live. Incrible doesn't even begin to explain it. The facial expression and the excitement in their mannerisms was nothing like I have ever seen and definitely formed an impression in me of something that I doubt will be duplicated in my lifetime until another mission like this one. Most of them were very excited to receive something from 'the Americans' even if it was a piece of candy. We also handed out a medal on a lanyard that was the color of the Romanian flag to EVERY kid we saw. We were celebrities in their eyes in more than just 'Americans'.
After the first crew of about 100 we went to lunch as we were waiting for other schools to arrive. Then it happened. I walked in to the 'toaleta' where recently graduated deaf kids could now hear running water and automatic hand dryers for the first time in their lives. Something that we take for granted more than once a day for sure. What a sight to see the delight on their faces...high-fiving, thumbs up and smiling from ear to ear!
Day 1 Total kids fitted with hearing aids: 262
-------------
Day 2 Tuesday
More of the same. This day was the first 'performance' we were given: their way of thanking us for what we were doing. Most of the these '5-10 minute thanking sessions' were traditional Romanian dance. Pretty cool to see 5-10 year old kids who formerly had to watch their teachers and go off vibration for steps finally be able to hear the music somewhat...they were not in sync :) because it was the first time they had actually heard the music!
Towards the end of the day we fitted some older adults in their 60s/70s/80s. Most of them have had hearing aids but cannot afford them. They were more than grateful.
Day 2 Total: 260
Today we finished early so we went on a walk around a 10 block radius of our hotel. We continued to be amazed by how poor the city was...run down row-houses (like Boston and New York) and were introduced to 'street dogs'...dog after dog after dog that were wild scavengers looking for food, filled with fleas. They told us that Bucharest has thousands of them due the lack of money of the people which does two things: no spaying or neutering and no family pets. This makes for one canine multiplying mess. Really sad that all of these dogs were skin and bones and mangy with no home. Just one more humbling experience to add to the trip and appreciating what we have in the U.S.
-------------
Day 3 Wednesday
Today was the first day that we had some extremely deaf kids who could not hear anything on the highest powered hearing aids that we had. This was frustrating for us, yet at the same time the kids were happy to receive their medal and candy as if it was no big deal for them.
Day 3 Total: 270
Leaving the Palace today was interesting. Apparently the President had a meeting some type of gov't meeting scheduled. So when we left the room where we had been all morning, we were greeted by men in uniform holding swords (their version of our marines). When we walked out the building there were about 30 Secret Service in full on SWAT type gear standing at the front of the building with a helicoptor parked in the lawn and about 10 black BMWs parked strategically around a couple of vans. The difference between their Secret Service and ours was drastic. Ours wear suits, ear pieces and conceal weapons under their coats. Theirs wear everything visibly to everyone...vests outside their clothes, guns strapped to their legs...everything was visible and much more powerful and intimidating. Not sure if this was the purpose or they just do it different. You knew they meant business and nothing was discreet. They would not allow us to stay in our van to watch him leave which we would have had front row seats all to ourselves watching him right out the front doors.
-------------
Day 4 Thursday...the final day
Today was the most frustrating day of all...Jordan and I had 14 kids who we had to turn away because they could not hear any sound whatsoever on the highest hearing aid available. This was hard and I really felt for them as they wanted to hear so badly yet it wasn't going to happen.
Day 4 Total: 270
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Overall, this was the most humbling experience of my life. I would do it again in a heart beat and look forward to a similar trip next year.
Final thought: The Romanians we befriended as translators had some interesting comments on Americans: "You all look so 'fit' (the Hansen family)." They thought this was very out of place based on what they see on TV...severely overweight and obese people. Sad that is the perception of Americans to foreigners, yet exactly why I do what I do.
Now that you've read this far...my blog will be back on track with regular scheduled rants!
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