The world has tears of gold

The media seems to be in contrast lately between wonderful Olympic coverage and reports of tragedy around the nation. I do not understand how Missy Franklin a young, grounded Olympiad can be from a town miles away from where a young man plotted a massacre at a midnight playing of Batman. During the Olympics, the news is filled with reports of athletes striving to be their best and proud to represent their country. They compete along side the best of the best in each country and for a couple weeks the differences and distances are set aside as people unite in a common goal. Yet only miles away from my family and friends their is a shooting in a temple possibly a hate crime against a different religion and way of life. Today was a day of Ohana (family), my Wisconsin family, my growing Hawaii family and my world family. I was extremely excited to attend a UW Madison Alumni Association event in Hawaii to congratulate the scholarship winners and to send off the new freshman to Wisconsin. I met the Madison alumni some originally from Hawaii, one from Illionis and others from different walks of life and ages but we all gathered for one goal. We smiled and laughed as we all came together to reminsce of our common uniting education. Two of the Junoir Madison students had received scholarships as incoming freshman for a program called First Wave. They presented one of their works for us and it was breath taking to hear a girl from Hawaii poetically describe the difference yet beauty of UW Wisconsin campus to incoming freshman. Contrasting the serene call of the beach compared to the calming Mendota Lake, bundling up for the Wisonsin cold yet feeling and seeing snow flakes for the first time. I wish I could write as elegantly as this young lady and she wrote it that day, outstanding. The other student who has performed on broadway, an opportunity yielded via a First Wave competition, had a bouncing monalog describing first love in card playing terms from the game of hearts and not able to play unless hearts are lead, go fish, and more. The comparisons were unreal and how someone can think this story up is mind boggling. It made me proud to hear that First Wave is a program that only UW Madison has which gives outstanding young leaders in the high school performing arts the opportunity to enhance that talent through an education at a big ten school in whatever major of their choosing. I was able to hear another young lady explain what attracted her to Madison and her excitement to start as a freshman this fall. She also had only known Hawaii as her home and went to Madison and was sold that she wanted to be there for her education. It was a proud night to be an alumni and Wisconsinite. Yet to continue with the media contrasting trend their was an elephant in the room as we discussed the positives of Wisconsin. Unfortunatly today was not just a day to have Wisconsin pride due to the shooting in a Wisconsin town a little over an hour from campus. It tainted the spirit of the evening and came up in discussion a couple times. As I discussed where I worked in Wisconsin being the level one trauma center someone recognized the name of the hospital from the news reports of where the victims of the shootings were taken for their trauma care. Once again the contrast of a celebration of young intelligence on their way to Madison being in the same presence of a horrible ignorant crime. As I think about the Olymics, I think about how far I have come in the last four years. Visiting nine countries in this time, I was not narrow minded before but my eyes have definitely been opened wider. As I watched the opening ceremonies I was excited to see the representives of the countries I have visited, the countries I can not wait to see, and the countries people I have met along the way, call home. I wanted to know how many contenders each country was sending. As I watched the events unfold, I obviously bask in the USA victories but I also am excited for the fast men and women of Jamaica and to see Britain medal in individual gymnastics and the duchess talk with the USA gymnasts. To me this Olymics was about the common love for the game that all the different countries share. People working hard to achieve greatness and how humbling they congratulate each other when they win and when they lose. It makes me miss my Filipino friends, my Fiji friends, my diving collegues the Brits, Scottish, Canadians and Irish. Four years ago the Olymics to me was about the USA great and now it is about the world's best and celebrating each countries' journey to gold, silver, and bronze. As the media has been in contrast I appreciate the Missy Franklins of the world that are in the media for the journey to make her country cry tears of happiness not the tears of tragedy. Her smile, her motivation, and her victory. That is what I would want to go down in history for. I hold my blanket closer, my husband tighter, and extra "I love and miss you to family and friends".