Change of Plans

Well, the last three months have brought with them many things...

Here, writing in this blog, I do not intend to put on the facade I have been trying to maintain in almost every other area of my life. Disclaimer: This post might be over-sharing... But to put it simply, without going into unnecessary detail, last year around this time, I went through an incredibly traumatic experience. Unfortunately, this trauma was basically extended, and it continued into December. What to say about this? Frankly, it has changed my life.

Over the last three months, I hit a low of unprecedented proportions in my life. I wasn't even functioning at one point. I wasn't going to my classes, I didn't want to go to work but I did (gotta pay rent somehow, right?), I distanced myself from friends and family, and I started backing out of my activities in the honors program and with the GRC. The trauma I had experienced was taking over my life.

So I made the decision to try to get some help. I reached out to a professor I've had a few times who is also my academic adviser for my English major when I missed his class for about three weeks straight towards the end of last semester. And he recommended that I get in touch with the Dean of Students. I didn't. I thought I could deal with it. I didn't want anyone else to know.

But over the break between semesters, things just got worse. I can't describe with words the way I felt, but it was agonizing. I would've given anything to just disappear forever. But one day, I was driving (I forget where), and I just desperately wanted, needed someone to help. So I went to the Dean of Students office. Why there? Because it was the first place that popped into my head because of my professor's advice. Long story short, they helped. They connected me with the counseling center, and now I'm working through what's happened.

Now that I'm not feeling like the living dead anymore, I feel like I can write about other things that are going on. A lot of things have changed since my last post...

First off, I am still pursuing writing my honors thesis in some sort of ESL curriculum for the Global Refugee Center. However, it seems I probably won't be going to Lithuania with ILP next semester. Nor will I be going to the Philippines. Yeah, to be blunt, that kind of sucks. I was really looking forward to it, but some other things have happened, and it just doesn't look possible financially right now. On the bright side, staying here next semester gives me more time to get the last of my classes in next academic year. Also, I've recently applied for admission into both Sigma Tao Delta (the English honor society) and the McNair Scholars Program, and it'll be good to stay and be active in those programs. Last but not least, I start facilitating with Soliya on Tuesday!! I am very excited for this opportunity.

Ultimately, lots of things have changed... Well, you just gotta roll with the frosting! (inside joke)

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

Why, Hello Again!

Well, I haven't written anything since October. This past semester ate me alive. With 20 credit hours, 2 jobs, my AmeriCorps work at the Global Refugee Center, my Soliya training, and all of the church things I'm involved in... where has the time gone?!

Nevertheless, here's a little summary of life in my world lately...

My work at the Global Refugee Center is going amazingly well! I cannot even describe to you how much of my heart each of my little people have. They are wonderful, special little darlings, and I adore every one of them!

To the right is a picture of a few of our kiddos (Reyubeni aka Batman, Julie, Valeria, Rosemary, Sae Meh, and Lex) and some of my wonderful volunteers (Marcus, Krista, Brittany, and Martin).







In November, I got the opportunity to represent the Global Refugee Center at the Engaged Scholars' Symposium at UNC. I was so excited and nervous about it! I ended up getting to have two tables side by side, one for the GRC and one featuring my project there, the Little Learners! It was such an honor to get to represent the GRC in the poster board presentation part of the symposium.

If that wasn't enough, I also got to help Tsigereda, the case manager at the GRC, represent the GRC at the round table discussions.

Also, I will be doing my honors' thesis as an applied project at the GRC. This is going to be a ton of work, but I am so excited for it! After attending a training session for the International Language Program, I had the idea that a method similar to the one they use might really help our beginner ESL students at the GRC. I'll post more about this topic later!

In other news, I just completed my Soliya Advanced Facilitator Training. It was truly an amazing experience. This is definitely a program I believe in and fully support, and it is so great to get to be a part of it! I could be facilitating in the spring! We shall see!

Last piece of news: a youth pastor of a church in the Philippines that is associated with my church contacted me recently to see if I would come to help with their youth camp! I am beyond excited for this, and I'm desperately hoping I'll be able to go! If so, I'd be there for a week in April. Hope and pray with me that it'll happen!

Until next time...

~~~I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring~~~

Accidental Lie

My last post (way back on September 18) said I would write more on Saturday. I didn't mean to lie, I promise! If you could see my planner (the little book that holds my life together), you might understand. Page after page of little cramped handwriting means a very busy life.

But anyway, here's a few updates, in the order listed in my previous post, for anyone interested:

-We're back in session at the Global Refugee Center!

 Things are going great at the GRC. This is our sixth week.

It would be fantastic to get more volunteers, but we're making do with who we have for now. The first week was full of tiny people crying for their parents, but now they're used to being in the day care.
I love these kiddos. But I think they know they have me wrapped around their fingers!






-My Basic Training for Soliya has ended... Advanced Training started today!!
I learned a lot in my basic training, but it was only about 6 meetings. I enjoyed getting the chance to practice facilitating, and I think I did alright.
I actually just finished my very first advanced training session. Let me tell you, it is great to have a training session a little later in the day and not one that starts before the sun is up!! Seems like I have a great group! Nine more weeks and I just may be invited to be a facilitator in the spring. Regardless, I'm learning a lot and enjoying the experience.




-Volunteered at a study abroad/world expo event on campus... I want to go somewhere asap! 
So here's a little problem... I was at this event and looking around and the Center for International Eduction coordination says, "You want to go again, don't you?" Well of course I do!! I think I'm a bit addicted to travel... Anyway, I've already made peace with the whole 5 year plan instead of the 4 year for my undergrad degree. One of those years was community college, and not all of my classes counted. Then I was a bit mixed up with my major. Upon figuring it all out and deciding on a double major in English and International Affairs and a double minor in Business Administration and Cultural Anthropology, I decided 5 years was acceptable. And I have been killing myself ever since. The fact that this past summer I took 15 credit hours and now I'm taking 20 is a testament to that. I have something like an internship lined up for next fall, so I won't be taking many classes then (I'm thinking between none and 1-2 online). UNC has this requirement that the last... I think it's 90 credits of the undergrad must be completed at UNC. So, if I study abroad again, I add time to my undergrad and may be looking at a 6 year plan. Oh, but it may be worth it! Considering it... Offer advice if you have any!

Now, last but not least...


-I got my official acceptance to teach abroad next fall!
I will be teaching English at the Vilnius school in Vilnius, Lithuania through ILP!! Yep. See? I knew I'd go back!


Now, I do have some other thoughts I've been wanting to post about, but that's all for now... I'm going to try my hardest to post again within the next week, but no promises! :)

Quick Update!

So much to share!!

-We're back in session at the Global Refugee Center!
-My basic training for Soliya has ended and advanced training will begin soon...
-I'm loving my classes this semester (most of them anyway).
-Volunteered at a study abroad/world expo event on campus... I want to go somewhere asap!
-I got my official acceptance to teach abroad next fall!

I don't have much time to tell about these things now, but I plan on writing more about all this on Saturday!!

4AM

It was about 10:00 last night when I realized I had to drive to Denver. Yeah, I wasn't too excited.... Monday evening I was in Denver for a family dinner for my cousin who left yesterday to go to Bible college in California (bye Melly!!). I drove back up to Greeley Tuesday (yesterday) morning, got the the Global Refugee Center by 9:00, worked until about 2:45, went to a physical assessment (for my job with ABC doing before and after school care) at 3:30 (although I didn't get seen until after 4:00), went to a Universal Precautions, CPR, and First Aid class at 6:00, got done a little after 9:00, rushed to Starbucks to write a paper, and finished by 10:00 when they close. I don't have internet in my apartment in Greeley yet, so it was then that I realized there was no way I could log in to Soliya for my first facilitation training meeting the next morning (Did I even mention that I'm doing facilitator training for Soliya??). To Denver! I got to my grandparents' house a little after 11:00, got to bed by midnight, and work up at 3:30am to get ready for my 4:00am session. So I am tired!!

My trainers' names are Jo and Katharina. In the group training for facilitator positions with me are Marielle, Maaike, Robb, and Joe. While I have to admit, I am excited about continuing my involvement with Soliya, it is another thing to do. I'm working hard to balance my schedule, but we'll see how this next semester goes. I'm definitely nervous about it. Still, our session today went very well. We talked about why facilitators are necessary, what they bring to the table, and what their purpose is.

When I think about facilitation in this context, I think of someone who forms a bridge between people, who brings them together, who creates a safe place where they can try to understand each other. Excuse my terrible drawing to the right, but I wanted to find a way to show you all what I have in mind. This is not to say that facilitators have all the answers or are at perfect peace, but there's just something about being able to respect and accept others' thoughts and beliefs even if you don't necessarily agree with them.

I'm really looking forward to this opportunity training with Soliya. I can't wait to see how it helps me grow personally and what I can offer to others through it.

Global

As I write this post, I am sitting in the conservatory (a bridge/lounge between two parts of a hotel...also the only place I have found free wifi!!) of the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. These last few weeks have been busy to say the least. Last week I was in Pueblo, Colorado for a Ladies' Conference (with church), and the week before that I was in Branson, Missouri for Junior Bible Quizzing nationals (I coach a team). To add to that mix, I am also currently taking two classes online, both Global Issues and Global Systems. I should say I was taking - the classes both ended yesterday.

Though my crazy schedule really did prevent me from putting my all into the last bit of my classes, I feel that I've learned a lot through them. So here, for a post, I'd like to say some first about globalization and then about global citizenship.

Globalization poses so many interesting questions. While it is undeniable that it brings about many positive developments, I think many would agree as well that it has a lot of negative consequences. Now, I just studied to death about all these forms of globalization, economic, cultural, political, etc. so I won't go into trying to explain each. However, I would like to speak a little more generally and really, more personally on the issue. See, I think we're all part of globalization. Look at where your clothes were made. Probably not in your own country. Look at where your laptop/tablet/iphone/whatever was manufactured. Again, probably not in your own country. The car you drive is likely from another country. Even the food you eat might be from another country. All that being said, clearly globalization affects us all. Globalization might create more jobs, it might make products cheaper, it might provide more opportunities. This doesn't sound too bad, right? The other side of all this, I think, is the cultural element. Some critics of globalization would say that cultures die because of it. When a western country like the United States saturates the market of another country, its influence may indeed be detrimental to that culture. However, to me, "globalization" and "westernization" don't have to mean the same thing. I don't think a country should have to become westernized to take part in the global community. When you look at this world, I mean, really look at it, think about the 7 billion people here, think about all the countries, ethic groups, and personalities, why would we want to lose that unique beauty? I wouldn't. So in becoming globalized, I think it's extremely important that people also hold on to their own unique culture and values. Ultimately, in globalization, as in many things, it's just crucial to find the happy medium.

Now, global citizenship, it seems to me, can be a key to finding that happy medium. Global citizenship is ultimately about seeing oneself as a citizen of the world. This idea is transcendent to the fact that I'm from Denver, Colorado, USA. See, I'm just from the world, just like everyone else reading this page. That idea tends to bring a certain unity and peace. I have readers from China, India, Russia, the United States, Lithuania, Indonesia, and more, and we are probably all experiencing globalization to some extent, like I said before. But while we should hang on to our own unique cultures, embracing global citizenship allows us to embrace each other, celebrating our differences. This all presents us with a unique opportunity: a global commonality that can lead to a global friendship.

A couple weeks ago, in my work at the Global Refugee Center, the children had a "world culture" themed week. On Friday, I let the little ones paint a mural together to celebrate the beauty in our differences. If children can appreciate this idea so much, I think we all can.

I don't usually get many comments on my post, but I encourage you to comment on this one. I have it set up so you can even do so anonymously. I just want to know your thoughts on this... How has globalization impacted you? What does it mean to you? What do you think about it? Do you see yourself as a global citizen? Thoughts?

Expedition Yucatan (part 4)

6/24 DAY 9

The time with the kids went so quickly. I knew from the beginning that these kiddos would find their way into my heart. I worked with kids last school year, and when the end of the year came, I couldn’t imagine having to leave them. After only a short five days with the kids in the village of Yunku, I couldn’t imagine leaving them either. Someone once said that everyone should be seen as a teacher, and there’s really a lot of truth to that. I have to say, I hope I got to teach these children even half as much as they taught me. They are truly little miracles that have touched my heart and blessed my life.

During the day, we all got together to write thank you letters to the families in Yunku which we would deliver when we dropped the kids off at the end of the day. Our time with the kids involved a piñata and cake, both of which they obviously loved. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many children so excited in my life. It was absolutely adorable.

6/25 DAY 10

Although we did spend the night in the hacienda the night before, we had to be up and ready the next morning for Uxmal. Uxmal is another archeological site with Mayan ruins, and I have to say, it's my favorite site we went to. Miguel, our fantastic guide, told us the story of the first pyramid you see when you enter the site. It's called the House of the Magician or the Temple of the Dwarf. Legend is that there was once an evil and tyrannical king in Uxmal, and there was a prophesy that he would be overthrown. Nearby, on the south end of the site, there was a witch who hatched an egg in an ash pit, and out came a dwarf. The king felt threatened by the dwarf, but gave him a series of tests to try to prove that he was human and not a magical being after all. The first test the king gave to the dwarf was to tell him how many leaves were on a great tree in Uxmal. The dwarf by night sought the counsel of the gods, and the bat god told him how many leaves were on the tree. When the dwarf reported this to the king the next day (and I'm not really sure how the king knew if he was right), the king gave him another test. The dwarf was to build a great temple in one day. So the dwarf went into the corn fields and sought the help of alux'ob. Once the temple was built, the king gave the dwarf yet another test. He was to crack the seed of a cocoyul (not sure if that's spelled right) on his head. Knowing that the cocoyul was very hard, the dwarf sought the help of his mother, the witch. She somehow magically infused the shell of a tortoise under his scalp but over his skull, and the dwarf was able to crack the cocoyul. When the king tried it, he killed himself, and the dwarf then took over Uxmal.

Although we didn't get to climb the Temple of the Dwarf, we did climb the Great Pyramid, and that was amazing. We left Uxmal in the afternoon, got a late lunch, and then returned for the sound and light show that evening. Seeing as how the entire thing was in Spanish, there was lots of music, lights, and echoing, it was very hard to understand. It was still great though, and coconut ice cream made the experience even better. We returned to the hacienda rather late.

6/26 DAY 11

We had to get up really early to head to Coba. I have to say, Coba was not too exciting for me. The site was in a very ruinous state, more so than anywhere else we had been. Also, there was a ton of walking because the site is so spread out. We didn't even see half of it, but everyone was exhausted by the end. My favorite part was right before we left. We climbed a huge pyramid, bigger than the one at Uxmal. I admit, I scooted down while sitting instead of chancing falling down those steep stairs. Mayans must have had great legs!

 After Coba, we had to change from our lighter clothing into pants and long sleeve shirts. It was absolutely miserable in that humidity, but we were going to Punta Laguna where Dr. Vick works. She set up a spider monkey reserve and has been working there since 1996. As we would be going through the jungle in the lagoon areas, we were promised several mosquito bites. Here, we also saw the cenote of the skulls where over 200 human skulls were found.

6/27 DAY 12

We made it to Puerto Morelos the previous night after Punta Laguna. We would be spending two night in a little hotel on the beach. When we got there, we went and got late dinner and then worked on homework until 2am. The trip was coming to a close, and we were all making every effort to complete our anthropology journals.

On day 12 we went snorkeling. I am definitely not the best swimmer, but I did it anyway, and I was very glad I did. After that, we had the day free to walk around Puerto Morelos. We had a nice dinner together at the end of the day, and we finished it off sitting on the balconies overlooking the beach and doing... more homework.

6/28 DAY 13

I woke up early to go see the sunrise on the beach. It was a spectacular sight, but I'll have to add pictures later. A little before noon, they took us all to the airport. The trip really did fly by. It was a non-stop, crazy, exciting adventure, and although pieces were tough, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.