Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Livin' Large...
I am moved in and mostly settled in Las Tablas. I miss my dog and my rancho and the cool weather. Cat calls everyday...not so much. Heat and I are not friends. Like seriously, I don't know what people did before fans. And my house is pretty fancy. Best things about electricity...fridge and washing machine. Ahhhh such happiness to have food that doesn't go bad right away and not washing my clothes by hand. BUT I love my new job. I feel so much more productive and useful and professional. I am movin' on up!
Thursday, July 18, 2013
67 Ways to Change the World
67 WAYS TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Think of others
1. Make a new friend. Get to know someone from a different cultural background. Only through mutual understanding can we rid our communities of intolerance and xenophobia.
2. Read to someone who can’t. Visit a local home for the blind and open up a new world for someone else.
3. Fix the potholes in your street or neighbourhood.
4. Help out at the local animal shelter. Dogs without homes still need a walk and a bit of love.
5. Find out from your local library if it has a story hour and offer to read during it.
6. Offer to take an elderly neighbour who can’t drive to do their shopping/chores.
7. Organise a litter cleanup day in your area.
8. Get a group of people to each knit a square and make a blanket for someone in need.
9. Volunteer at your police station or local faith-based organisation.
10. Donate your skills!
11. If you’re a builder, help build or improve someone’s home.
12. Help someone to get his/her business off the ground.
13. Build a website for someone who needs one, or for a cause you think needs the support.
14. Help someone get a job. Put together and print a CV for them, or help them with their interview skills.
15. If you’re a lawyer, do some pro bono work for a worthwhile cause or person.
16. Write to your area councillor about a problem in the area that requires attention, which you, in your personal capacity, are unable to attend to.
17. Sponsor a group of learners to go to the theatre/zoo.
2. Read to someone who can’t. Visit a local home for the blind and open up a new world for someone else.
3. Fix the potholes in your street or neighbourhood.
4. Help out at the local animal shelter. Dogs without homes still need a walk and a bit of love.
5. Find out from your local library if it has a story hour and offer to read during it.
6. Offer to take an elderly neighbour who can’t drive to do their shopping/chores.
7. Organise a litter cleanup day in your area.
8. Get a group of people to each knit a square and make a blanket for someone in need.
9. Volunteer at your police station or local faith-based organisation.
10. Donate your skills!
11. If you’re a builder, help build or improve someone’s home.
12. Help someone to get his/her business off the ground.
13. Build a website for someone who needs one, or for a cause you think needs the support.
14. Help someone get a job. Put together and print a CV for them, or help them with their interview skills.
15. If you’re a lawyer, do some pro bono work for a worthwhile cause or person.
16. Write to your area councillor about a problem in the area that requires attention, which you, in your personal capacity, are unable to attend to.
17. Sponsor a group of learners to go to the theatre/zoo.
Help out for good health
18. Get in touch with your local HIV organisations and find out how you can help.
19. Help out at your local hospice, as staff members often need as much support as the patients.
20. Many terminally ill people have no one to speak to. Take a little time to have a chat and bring some sunshine into their lives.
21. Talk to your friends and family about HIV.
22. Get tested for HIV and encourage your partner to do so too.
23. Take a bag full of toys to a local hospital that has a children’s ward.
24. Take younger members of your family for a walk in the park.
25. Donate some medical supplies to a local community clinic.
26. Take someone you know, who can’t afford it, to get their eyes tested or their teeth checked.
27. Bake something for a support group of your choice.
28. Start a community garden to encourage healthy eating in your community.
29. Donate a wheelchair or guide dog, to someone in need.
30. Create a food parcel and give it to someone in need.
19. Help out at your local hospice, as staff members often need as much support as the patients.
20. Many terminally ill people have no one to speak to. Take a little time to have a chat and bring some sunshine into their lives.
21. Talk to your friends and family about HIV.
22. Get tested for HIV and encourage your partner to do so too.
23. Take a bag full of toys to a local hospital that has a children’s ward.
24. Take younger members of your family for a walk in the park.
25. Donate some medical supplies to a local community clinic.
26. Take someone you know, who can’t afford it, to get their eyes tested or their teeth checked.
27. Bake something for a support group of your choice.
28. Start a community garden to encourage healthy eating in your community.
29. Donate a wheelchair or guide dog, to someone in need.
30. Create a food parcel and give it to someone in need.
Become an educator
31. Offer to help out at your local school.
32. Mentor a school leaver or student in your field of expertise.
33. Coach one of the extramural activities the school offers. You can also volunteer to coach an extramural activity the school doesn’t offer.
34. Offer to provide tutoring in a school subject you are good at.
35. Donate your old computer.
36. Help maintain the sports fields.
37. Fix up a classroom by replacing broken windows, doors and light bulbs.
38. Donate a bag of art supplies.
39. Teach an adult literacy class.
40. Paint classrooms and school buildings.
41. Donate your old textbooks, or any other good books, to a school library.
32. Mentor a school leaver or student in your field of expertise.
33. Coach one of the extramural activities the school offers. You can also volunteer to coach an extramural activity the school doesn’t offer.
34. Offer to provide tutoring in a school subject you are good at.
35. Donate your old computer.
36. Help maintain the sports fields.
37. Fix up a classroom by replacing broken windows, doors and light bulbs.
38. Donate a bag of art supplies.
39. Teach an adult literacy class.
40. Paint classrooms and school buildings.
41. Donate your old textbooks, or any other good books, to a school library.
Help those living in poverty
42. Buy a few blankets, or grab the ones you no longer need from home and give them to someone in need.
43. Clean out your cupboard and donate the clothes you no longer wear to someone who needs them.
44. Put together food parcels for a needy family.
45. Organise a bake sale, car wash or garage sale for charity and donate the proceeds.
46. To the poorest of the poor, shoes can be a luxury. Don’t hoard them if you don’t wear them. Pass them on!
47. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen.
43. Clean out your cupboard and donate the clothes you no longer wear to someone who needs them.
44. Put together food parcels for a needy family.
45. Organise a bake sale, car wash or garage sale for charity and donate the proceeds.
46. To the poorest of the poor, shoes can be a luxury. Don’t hoard them if you don’t wear them. Pass them on!
47. Volunteer at your local soup kitchen.
Care for the youth
48. Help at a local children’s home or orphanage.
49. Help the kids with their studies.
50. Organise a friendly game of soccer, or sponsor the kids to watch a game at the local stadium.
51. Coach a sports team and make new friends.
52. Donate sporting equipment to a children’s shelter.
53. Donate educational toys and books to a children’s home.
54. Paint, or repair, infrastructure at an orphanage or youth centre.
55. Mentor someone. Make time to listen to what the kids have to say and give them good advice.
49. Help the kids with their studies.
50. Organise a friendly game of soccer, or sponsor the kids to watch a game at the local stadium.
51. Coach a sports team and make new friends.
52. Donate sporting equipment to a children’s shelter.
53. Donate educational toys and books to a children’s home.
54. Paint, or repair, infrastructure at an orphanage or youth centre.
55. Mentor someone. Make time to listen to what the kids have to say and give them good advice.
Treasure the elderly
56. If you play an instrument, visit your local old-age home and spend an hour playing for the residents and staff.
57. Learn the story of someone older than you. Too often people forget that the elderly have a wealth of experience and wisdom and, more often than not, an interesting story to tell.
58. Take an elderly person grocery shopping; they will appreciate your company and assistance.
59. Take someone’s dog for a walk if they are too frail to do so themselves.
60. Mow someone’s lawn and help them to fix things around their house.
57. Learn the story of someone older than you. Too often people forget that the elderly have a wealth of experience and wisdom and, more often than not, an interesting story to tell.
58. Take an elderly person grocery shopping; they will appreciate your company and assistance.
59. Take someone’s dog for a walk if they are too frail to do so themselves.
60. Mow someone’s lawn and help them to fix things around their house.
Look after your environment
61. If there are no recycling centres in your area, petition your area councillor to provide one.
62. Donate indigenous trees to beautify neighbourhoods in poorer areas.
63. Collect old newspapers from a school/community centre/hospital and take them to a recycling centre.
64. Identify open manhole covers or drains in your area and report them to the local authorities.
65. Organise the company/school/organisation that you work with to switch off all unnecessary lights and power supplies at night and on weekends.
66. Engage with people who litter and see if you can convince them of the value of clean surroundings.
67. Organise to clean up your local park, river, beach, street, town square or sports grounds with a few friends. Our children deserve to grow up in a clean and healthy environment.
62. Donate indigenous trees to beautify neighbourhoods in poorer areas.
63. Collect old newspapers from a school/community centre/hospital and take them to a recycling centre.
64. Identify open manhole covers or drains in your area and report them to the local authorities.
65. Organise the company/school/organisation that you work with to switch off all unnecessary lights and power supplies at night and on weekends.
66. Engage with people who litter and see if you can convince them of the value of clean surroundings.
67. Organise to clean up your local park, river, beach, street, town square or sports grounds with a few friends. Our children deserve to grow up in a clean and healthy environment.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
I'm done....
Anyone who is reading my blog probably knows that I don't cry and I hate crying and even more so I hate crying in front of people. Yet at my going away party I cried in front of everyone in my community.
Two years is a long time. Los Virotales is my other home. As much as the people and work made me crazy sometimes, I love them dearly. I like it here, obviously I am extending as regional leader. But I did not expect it to be so difficult to leave my community. I am not going that far away. I can visit whenever I want. But it won't be the same. It won't be MY community. There will be someone else living in my ranchito. Someone else taking care of Ollie. Someone else working there. And it hit me like a ton of bricks in front of everyone.
I know as Peace Corps Volunteers we can't change the world in two years. But maybe we can start something. Maybe we can make friends that won't forget us and we won't forget them. Maybe our lives will change more than we can possibly imagine.
I am ready to begin the new chapter in my Peace Corps life, but not quite ready to close the old chapter. But here I come Las Tablas, ready or not.
Two years is a long time. Los Virotales is my other home. As much as the people and work made me crazy sometimes, I love them dearly. I like it here, obviously I am extending as regional leader. But I did not expect it to be so difficult to leave my community. I am not going that far away. I can visit whenever I want. But it won't be the same. It won't be MY community. There will be someone else living in my ranchito. Someone else taking care of Ollie. Someone else working there. And it hit me like a ton of bricks in front of everyone.
I know as Peace Corps Volunteers we can't change the world in two years. But maybe we can start something. Maybe we can make friends that won't forget us and we won't forget them. Maybe our lives will change more than we can possibly imagine.
I am ready to begin the new chapter in my Peace Corps life, but not quite ready to close the old chapter. But here I come Las Tablas, ready or not.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Praying for Rain
I was all for the long summer. I am not really into heavy rains for days where you can't leave the house. Until I realized how much we really need it. I have practically no water at my house. When I do it is a trickle. It takes forever to fill up a bucket. It takes forever to wash clothes. We went to see the water source. Almost bone dry. The little stream...dry. The little well....1 inch of water. And this 1 inch of water is for me, my neighbor, and the school.
And I have it easy. Some people have to carry water from a nearby stream. Some people's nearby stream is totally contaminated and they can't use it. So they are pretty SOL.
In Chitre they are putting restrictions on water and electricity use. Its serious.
So do a rain dance or say a prayer....because we need RAIN!
And I have it easy. Some people have to carry water from a nearby stream. Some people's nearby stream is totally contaminated and they can't use it. So they are pretty SOL.
In Chitre they are putting restrictions on water and electricity use. Its serious.
So do a rain dance or say a prayer....because we need RAIN!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Balance
"There is no such thing as a work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life." —Alain de Botton
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Campo Warrior
Imagine this. Darkness. Rustling in my penca roof. Headlamp.
Broom in one hand. Machete in the other.
Oh yea. I wish I had a camera. That is my campo warrior
gear, fighting off tarantulas!
The first time I was unsuccessful. I was not properly
prepared. The monster just hid in between the palm leaving me for a sleepless
night. Second time is a charm. I woke up to a rustling bag. I figured a frog
had gotten in my house again. Wrong! After a few deep breaths and a few machete
swings. My tarantula intruder was no more.
Now for the creature in my latrine….
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