Girl Scout Urban Campout

Last Friday, a bunch of Rotarians got together to volunteer at the Girl Scout Urban Campout fundraiser.

The patriotic themed event was just getting started at the time of my arrival.  I was assigned to be a flagger during the live auction, which wasn’t until the end of the program.  So this gave me an opportunity to enjoy the festive atmosphere and meet different people who were there to support the cause.

I think my favorite part of the program was the dancing presentation put on by a group of Native Americans.  I haven’t had a lot of exposure to their culture, and I found the choreography and clothing fascinating.  Following the dancing and some singing, it was time for the auction.  This was where the big bidders got a chance to donate and send young girls to camp.  The best prize was a small terrier puppy that I was inclined to try and run off with myself!  Completely adorable.   Very generous offers were made on all the prizes and it seemed like the event was a huge success.  I look forward to hopefully lending a hand at next year’s Urban Campout.

Providing a New Place of Learning

This month’s trip to Casa de la Esperanza left us very dusty and sore.

Our goal at the Tijuana orphanage was to restore the children’s library to a condition where it was safe and accessible.  The hope is that with an organized library, the children would be allowed to enjoy the books and promote their reading and learning skills.

When we first opened the abandoned room, there was a layer of dust settling on massive piles of books covering the shelves and table.  I think it was a bigger project than most of the volunteers had anticipated, and I was positive that we wouldn’t finish in the amount of time we had allotted.  But by pulling together we somehow plowed through the work.

We sorted the piles, removing books we thought wouldn’t be used and reorganized the remaining books onto the newly cleaned shelves.  At the end of the project, I was amazed at the result.  We actually managed to create a decent place where the children could come and expand their knowledge.  I think that the only issue now is making sure that the orphanage administrators continue to provide access and support some kind of reading program.  I have a feeling we’ll have to take it one month at a time.

Giving a Thousand Smiles

My New Friend, Leslie.

The Thousand Smiles Foundation is an amazing Rotary-sponsored program that has given thousands of children a new chance at life.

Last week, a group of five of us headed down to Ensenada, Mexico to contribute our time and services to the cause.  Thousand Smiles volunteers meet there every quarter to provide dental services and to operate on children who suffer from severe facial deformities.  They also provide follow up and several other necessary services that other similar organizations tend to overlook.

While the dentists and oral surgeons examined the children, the other volunteers and I organized and made the children at home.  Many of them had been coming to the clinics their whole lives.  One little patient, named Leslie, asked me to draw a picture with her and proceeded to give me a Spanish lesson.  I gave her a lesson in English.  She was my little sidekick for the rest of the day.

I never understood why people became dentists.  Now I can see it.  You can literally see the lives you are changing.  You can see the parents’ faces as you bring their child out of the operating room.  You can hear them thanking you for making their child beautiful.  It’s an amazing thing. A beautiful thing.

Check out photos from the Thousand Smiles clinic!

Finally a Member of Rotary International

It’s official!

I’m finally a member of Rotary International, one of the largest service organization in the world.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to become involved in continuous service projects, and hopefully be able to contribute some innovative ideas of my own.

I look forward to the oncoming challenges and hope that I am able to live up to my commitments and really make a difference.

Quilting for Humanitarian Aid

The Quilting Party is Just Getting Started

Today, a group of men and women got together to sew and mark over 70 quilts for donation.  Something I discovered very quickly…I am not very talented at sewing.  Knowing that marking quilts probably took less precision, I quickly volunteered and grabbed some chalk and a ruler.  After about an hour of marking I started to get the hang of it and after that, my partners and I started going through quilts very easily.  With the addition of interesting conversation with new acquaintances, three hours of work few by.

This is a huge, statewide project that is coming to an end.  There are still many quilts to make, so we will be regrouping on Thursday to try and complete as many as possible.

The quilts will go to Deseret Industries, a welfare organization comparable to Goodwill.  From there they will be distributed when the necessity arises.

Casa de la Esperanza Orphanage

Today I fell in love with 50 boys and girls in a Tijuana orphanage.

Around 14 volunteers woke up this morning and headed across the boarder towards Casa de la Esperanza, one of the few orphanages in Tijuana.  I hadn’t been to Mexico since a service trip I took during my junior year of high school, or even an orphanage since I was in France in 2006.  I completely underestimated the impact that these young children would have on me.

We arrived after the children had finished their breakfast.  At first, there was no sign of life outside of the bright yellow buildings.  But soon the sounds of boys and girls running and playing filled the air.  Several of the volunteers went to a nearby field to play kickball with a couple dozen energetic boys.  I took a walk around the facility to meet some of the orphans and observe the atmosphere.

Most of the other volunteers spoke Spanish and were easily conversing with the children.  With my background being French, I had to rely more on eye contact and facial expressions.  Luckily, that appeared to work.  Although we couldn’t understand each others words, we were able to share laughs and the experience of the day.

One of the trip’s leaders came prepared with an art project, which the boys and girls enjoyed and shared with one another.  The project leader told me that she was a part of an international art exchange.  That art is a universal language.  Watching the children create their personal works of art gave me a glimpse of who they are, where they’ve been and who they hope to be.  I pray that they find the opportunity to follow their dreams.  It breaks my heart to think that they might not.

After the art project, they gave the volunteers a presentation of song and dance.  The young Mexican boy to my left became a photographer as he used my camera to excitedly document the festivities.  I held a young Alejandro on my lap, completely content with the idea of taking him home with me.

Following a lunch of pizza baked fresh from their oven, it was time to leave.  I think my favorite memory was Alejandro smiling up at me when I went over to him to say goodbye.  This is a monthly service trip, so I hope that I get to see him again.  I hope that their drawings come true.

Check out photos from the Casa de la Esperanza service trip!

Meeting the New Generation of Rotary

Service Committee Meeting

Service Above Self

I have always had a great respect for the Rotary Club, an international service organization dedicated to goodwill and peace.  When I was in high school, they helped fund Interact Club service projects and humanitarian trips.  It was also the organization that sent my sister to Germany to study and foster intercultural understanding.

I had always wanted to contribute and “pay it forward” as a member of Rotary.  However from what I had observed, the generous members tended to be business owners of greater financial means.  Then a close friend of mine mentioned that there was a new evolution of the organization.  Clubs that tailored to a younger group of working professionals, with fresh and innovative ideas.  This was exactly the kind of group that I had been looking for.

Last night, I visited the Rotary Club of La Jolla New Generations to see what they were all about.  As with the other clubs I had seen, it was full of kind and motivated people who were very welcoming.  They discussed business and shared what they had been blessed with in their lives.  There was a very helpful and humorous guest speaker that we all enjoyed.  Afterward I stayed to check out the Service Committee meeting, since serving the community is my primary goal.  There was a huge list of possible and in-progress activities that benefited not only our immediate area, but people internationally as well.

I look forward to the next meeting and getting more involved!

My Hiatus is Finally Over

Over the last month and a half many things have changed in my life.  I needed some time to adjust and get on track for the upcoming months.

Unfortunately, due to the financial status of the country, I will be unable to make my Tanzania trip in January.  It’s just too hard for people to help at this point, and the cancellation has also relieved a huge financial burden from me.  This in no way means that it will not happen in the future. In the meantime, I will definitely continue my service work here.

I really appreciate all the love and support that you have given me and look forward to sharing my future adventures with you.  And trust me, I have some great ones in the works!

My Tanzania Destination: Rau Village!

I finally found out where I’ll be stationed during my service trip to Tanzania!

Rau is a low-income village with a population of nearly 12,000 that has a beautiful view of Mount Kilimanjaro. There is a large market nearby, where once a week vendor come to sell everything from second-hand clothing to local crafts.  People come from all over the region to do their shopping.

Rau is near Moshi, which during the colonial times, was once one of the economy giants of Tanzania.  On the outskirts you can enjoy waterfalls streaming from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, coffee plantations, and houses from the local tribe of Chagga.

Just a reminder that I still need sponsors.  Please click here to contribute!

UPDATE: I was unable to secure funding due to the state of the economy. Thanks for your support and stay tuned for more adventures!

The Black Rhinoceros

In preparation for my Tanzania adventure, I have been researching the history and culture of the region. One of my greatest curiosities in this continent is the the amount of incredible animals of which, in the United States, we are unfortunately only able to observe in captivity. I wanted to start with some of the more popular species in the African culture. I previously posted on the lion, and next on Africa’s Big 5 list is the Black Rhino.

One of the most notable traits of the Black Rhino are the two (occasionally three) keratin horns and the front of its skull. The largest known horn ever recorded was five feet long. That’s as tall as I am! They also have horrible eyesight, leaving them to rely on their sense of smell and hearing. In fact, they have large ears that rotate like satellite dishes to detect any possible threats.

Black Rhinos have a reputation for being EXTREMELY aggressive. Yet they only attack out of fear, panic and confusion. With their poor eyesight and highly excitable nature, they have been observed to charge tree trunks and termite mounds. Oddly enough, they aren’t aggressive toward others in their species and rely more on bluffing their threats when the occasion arises.

There was a time when the Black Rhino was the most numerous of all the rhino species, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Sadly, they have been nearly pushed to extinction due to poaching and loss of habitat. The horns of the poached animals are used in traditional Chinese medicine, and are said to have the ability to revive comatose patients and cure fevers. These effects have not been confirmed by medical science.

There are now about 3,600 Black Rhinos existing in the world today.