Hey Y'all

This is Amanda Price! I am blogging from Atlanta, Georgia, where I am staying for the next few days because of the Truman Fellowship interview. There is a pre-interview dinner tonight, and then tomorrow I and the ten other finalists will be interviewing in front of the regional panel at Georgia Tech. It took almost 24 hrs. of traveling yesterday to get here from Oxford, but now that I'm here I don't really have much to do...I should be prepping or something...but instead I'm blogging...

I am really enjoying this semester abroad, although I do miss everyone at Stetson. I still get the emails from all the groups--Bonner, the Coalition, etc.--which helps me to feel still connected. I really appreciated the card, although it took me a while to find it in my mailbox!

Oxford is fun, although the term is way too short--there are only eight weeks of tutorials (one-on-one meetings with your tutor), and only two tutorials each week. I kind of wish I could start over again knowing now the expectations and how to do it...eight weeks is really only long enough to get a tantalizing taste rather than the full experience. I am almost positive that Oxford is where I want to go for grad school now, whenever I get around to going to grad school. I am going to be really sad when they make me leave...I've already gotten the email about my email account and library access expiring. How sad! The libraries are amazing.

I haven't gotten the chance to do hands-on service like I am used to doing at Stetson. There has just been too much going on, what with tutorials, lectures, this whole Truman thing, and rowing. By the way, I rowed this semester for Magdalen, my college (Oxford is made up of a bunch of small colleges rather than one 'Oxford' college). Last week was our championships an our boat came in second in our division! It was the lowest division, but still! :-)

I've been able to see Matt about once a week at his college, Green Templeton, at a discussion called Welfare and Wine. We talk about controversial issues like medical information privacy, judgment, and animal rights, and eat crackers/drink wine. It's pretty fun. I figure what with these discussions and my tutorials on ethics and prosocial behavior I'm getting the more abstract service experience this semester. Or at least that is my justification. Hey, if I win the Truman scholarship that'll count as my service for the semester! ;-)

I'm going to go now to think about what I'll say tomorrow. Hope all is well with everyone! Please wish me luck and keep me in your prayers tomorrow with this interview. I am pretty nervous. Thanks! Hope you are enjoying Spring Break!

Best wishes,

Amanda

Almost Home

Hello all!

 

It was 24 degrees this morning when I left for work. Yikes. By noon, it had warmed up to... 33 degrees. Seriously? It is most definitely time to come home to the Sunshine State! 

I just got back from Ecuador. What an incredible experience! We visited the capital, Quito, where we saw an orphanage, heard from The Nature Conservancy, and saw microfinance projects...for starts. In Otavalo we saw an organic water sanitation project and Ecuador's largest market. In Tena, which is in the jungle, we visited a village and learned about the impact of oil companies on their lifestyles. In the Galapagos we heard from the National Park Service and the impacts on tourism and fishing on the fragile ecosystem. It was a whirlwind tour in which I learned so much. 

My experience in Washington, DC has been incredible. The Washington Semester Program is one that Stetson works with, so your scholarships easily transfer. I highly recommend it to anyone, there are programs other than International Environment and Development which might tickle your fancy. I had better go, there is lots to be done before I board that plane on Friday. May you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! 

I am sometimes hesitant to write. While I am having a wonderful time and learning so much, very little of what I am learning is positive. I straddle wanting to find something up-lifting to share, but yet wanting to be honest about my experiences. 

I am studying International Environment and Development, a class, in my opinion, should be a requirement for every college student. In both fields, things are pretty dismal. Every organization I visit whether it is the USAID to the Ocean Conservancy painfully admits that the last eight years have been a detriment to environmental initiatives and developmental projects on the both the international and domestic stage. While strides have been made for HIV/AIDS, every other area has fallen behind. They are currently 30 armed conflicts, not including violent gang "wars." These conflicts reverse development, halt education, and destroy the environment. 1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water and 6,000 children die a day from diarrheal diseases that are 90% preventable with clean water. 1.2 billion people also live on less than $1 a day; when people are starving education is not a priority, nor is the environment. 

And while I, and others have the tendency to dwell on this dire situation, we must remind ourselves that change is possible and great strides have been made in the past 50-100 years. People's minds can change and culture is malleable. 

Internationally, life expectancy around the world has doubled, mother-child mortality rates have more than halved and the use of substances harmful to the ozone has been almost completely eliminated. The United Nations has set forth eight Millennium Development Goals and many of them are seeing vast improvements. Domestically, a woman is a legitimate candidate for VP (legitimate in that she could actually win), when only 30 years ago this was unfeasible. Only 40 years ago, cops were setting dogs loose on African Americans, but today a black man could obtain the highest office in our country. This final example alone could also spark great changes internationally as the global community looks to the US to see where we will next step. 

There is hope for improvement if we look for it in the right places. We must also individually continue to do our little share. "What use is a fine house if we haven't a tolerable planet to put it on? -Thoreau 

Gentry

Pictures from El Convento del Buen Pastor

Crazy lil' girls

Doing some intense homework

Sarah and her mad spanish skills at work

The homework table

Crazy Julieta

Hola Bonneritos!

I hope you all are getting ready for Halloween and eating as much pumpkin flavoring as you can! For those that know me, pumpkin is my favorite, and I'm barely getting by without it. : )

Some of you may find it creepy, but I've fallen in love with the picture above, "Catrina," by one of my favorite artists, Posada. It's been a constant reminder of that recurring theme here, of making the most of every moment in life, so I thought I'd share it with you all as well. Not to mention, it carries a bit of that Day of the Dead-spirit with it. 

I've continued tutoring at the Convent along with Sarah and Meghan, but just wish I could build closer relationships with some of students. It's really difficult to build the trust between them when the girls aren't always present, there is always a surplus of volunteers, and of course the restraints of the language barrier. However, their sincere hugs and desire to learn keep me coming back. Like Meghan, I want these girls to have the opportunity to go to college and pursue their own passions. 

Speaking of passions, I have really delved into mine recently. This past June I was in Guatemala with Dr. Hallum's NGO, AIR, and after witnessing their success, I felt the need to help them expand to other needy parts of Latin America. So, I've begun the grant writing process for AIR to receive more funds to begin a new branch in the Honduran community of Mico Quemado (burnt monkey). At first I was so overwhelmed and intimidated by the amount of paper work required, but after finishing my first grant proposal I know this is what I want and need to be doing with my service. 

There is an essay, called "To Hell with Good Intentions," by Ivan Illich, that was a major factor in my decision to help AIR or not.  Who knows if it was meant to be a satire or not, but it sure does provoke some controversial questions concerning Americans' "voluntary" involvement in Latin America. He claims American volunteers hurt most of these places more than help, because our attempts to do good are corrupted by our values of democracy, equal opportunity, and free enterprise. With different values than us, Latin Americans are incapable of profiting from our 'help,' and we ultimately just cause them  more problems. AIR's unique approach to conservation is that their staff is all native; therefore, before larger American organizations cause more disruption, I think it's important to promote AIR and other native run, American funded programs.

I'll step off the soapbox now. But, if you all want to read the essay I mentioned, you can here at http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm

Miss you and I send my B-love!

Heather

P.S. Here's the first couple lines from a Pablo Naruda poem that I hope is a bit of motivation for us all...

Muere lentamente quien no viaja,

Quien no lee,

Quien no oye música,

Quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.

Muere lentamente quien destruye su vida propia,

Quien no se deja ayudar. 

Hey! How is everyone? I know you all just had a Fall Break -- while you were enjoying your break, I was having my own little mini Fall Break with some friends, here in Mexico. We went to Puerto Vallarta, sorry I have to rub it in. It was heaven on earth, the best 2 days I've spent since I arrived (I mean Mexico, in general, is pretty cool, but Guanajuato is in the dead center and the nearest beach is 10 hours away, so I was beyond happy to see the ocean).

Well I have 6 weeks left in the G-T-O it's amazing to think about that considering I arrived on July 27 and started classes in the beginning of August. Some of my classes are finished in November --- beyond excited! It's bittersweet though, as much as Guanajuato has changed me for the absolute best I do miss home, miss the little things. Like I posted in my first entry, you walk everywhere here, yeah there's public transportation but the majority of the locals walk walk and walk. And so do I. Therefore, it's obvious to say that I miss the luxury of having my car. And some days I just want to throw in the towel (no not from walking) but I always pull myself together, cry on the inside or vent to a friend and move on. Besides, it's not perminent, I will return to the great US of A. And once I do calm down, breathe in the air and look around, I can't help to think how LUCKY I am to be abroad, to experience and see all the wonderful things Guanajuato has to offer. This experience has been absolutely life changing!

I have a quick little story about my work site, I would love to share. First the convent is far from my house, so the days I go, I miss comida (lunch) with my host family and eat around 4 (meals here are at really weird times, 7:30 breakfast, 3:00 lunch and 9 pm dinner) by that time I'm starving. ANYWAYS ... once I get to my work site, I'm so happy. I love hearing the girls say my name, some of them can't say Meghan instead they say Maggie. They're excited to see all of us and I'm excited to see them. They brighten my day! Well one day, I met a girl there we started talking and sharing basically our dreams and passions. I told her how I was a student at the Unviersity of Guanajuato and she went on telling me how she sits on the steps of the university and dreams about the day when she's an university student. Of course, me being very sentimental had to swallow and hold back the tears. But I couldn't help but think how this 15 year old girl in front of me, who does not have the financial means or family support to go onto college sharing her ultimate goal in life with ME ... a complete stranger. At the end of the day, she wrote me a letter which basically said how much she enjoyed our conversation and how she's never met anyone who cares about HER. I did not write this story to brag but simply to make all of you realize that you could be the most important person in someone's life, even if its just for a minute! And I truly believe our organization is the epidome of what mentors and leaders should be. I hope and pray that she finds away to get to college.

I hope all is well in good 'ol Deland.

BONNER LOVE SIEMPRE
-Meghan

Hola Todos!!



This is Sarah, not Meghan. I'm kinda a dinosaur with this stuff so I have to use her profile lol. I'm studying abroad in Mexico this semester and loving every second of it... I'm already dreading when December comes even though I miss all of you and can't wait to meet the new Bonners. I studied here in Guanaujato last summer and came back to spend more time here and its defeintly "vale la pena por seguro" (worth it for sure!).

I'm volunteering at La Casa de Buen Pastor, its a convent that runs a home for girls that have a lower economic status. It's really cool. I was nervous at first because I was afraid the youth would be so use to volunteers coming and going for short time periods that they wouldn't really take to us, but it has turned out really well. We're there on Monday and Wednesdays in the afternoon tutoring. Sometimes in can be really hard because of the language barrier and sometimes their homework is a little harder in Spanish than I can do. i really like working with the elementary school youth, especially since I can rock that kindergarden Spanish homework! There's one little girl Julieta that I try to do homework with, but she's not very into doing her homework so that can be quite the challenge. The girls are all really nice and its a fun position to have here in Mexico. It is definetly harder finding volunteer work than I thoguht it would be, like Heather had said also.

Besides volunteering, I am on the intrafalcon (intramurals) basketball team for la escuela de idiomas. oh, and do we represent La Idiomas! We lost our last two games por un masacre... pero fue divertida! It's fun playing basketball and trying to speak spanish running up and down the court... its pretty entertaining to say the least:) i'm also taking lots of dance classes trying to learn how to have rythm and its getting better. and besides that I'm enjoying just exploring the city, trying spicy food on the streets, and spending time with Mexican friends (and International too!). I think I may be learning more spanish slang than formal spanish, but that's ok. it's all a part of the expereince and so far it has been an incredible experience!

I hope everything is going great in DeLand and with each of your service sites!

Hasta Luego,
Sara con hache (Sarah)