There are some people that are not here who have had a profound impact on my experience that need to be mentioned....
Amanda Moore-My amazing boss and mentor. You put a lot on the line letting me come here. As usual you put others before yourself, and gave me the amazing chance to grow. I know that my absence has not been easy for you this summer, but I plan on making it up to you when I return!
Antonio Merino-We have not met in person yet, but that will change very soon I hope. I do not know how many people applied to be a part of this experience, but the fact that you chose me to represent the YMCA of the USA this summer still humbles me. I promise that I am determined to make sure that this opportunity wasn't wasted and I plan on repaying you and the YMCA of the USA for your faith in me.
Jorge Perez-I met you 6 years ago when I was a student at Butler University. You believed in me then, and you believe in me now, even though we haven't seen each other in over a year. You recommended me for this, and I will never forge that.
All of the staff and members of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis: It is an honor to represent you, and I hope that I can give you back half of what you have invested in me!
Audrey, Leslie, Melanie, Matt, Kristen, Brittany and many other friends....you talked me through the tough times, and you believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself.
This summer wasn't about my experience...It's was about all of you. The amazing people who couldn't share it with me. I will never forget what you all have done for me, and as I prepare to come home there are so many things I am excited to share with you all. Thank you for believing in me and I look forward to everything we are going to accomplish together!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Taking a Leap of Faith
It's almost over. It's been 3 months. I can not believe it...3 months ago I seriously contemplated not coming because things were so complicated back home. Now I can't imagine my life without this experience...
On our final canoe voyage across to Gambier, Viki came with us. Viki was one of the YPNers who was deathly afraid of the water at the start of the summer. Everyone else was so excited to jump off of the pier, Viki was content just to watch. However when we arrived we forgot about the time of the tides...The water was a good 10 meters below the pier...Many people were hesitant to jump when they caught sight of it. Somehow I was able to make the jump and made quite a SPLASH! But everyone else was still nervous to follow me in. Then from the water I saw Viki climb to edge of the pier....
Of all the YPNers, Viki was the one to take a leap of faith!!!! After that everyone was inspired to join us in the freezing water!
It has been such a long summer, and we spent so much time apart during camp, that I forgot how much these 17 individuals inspire and motivate me. Juliene doing a canoe flip, Maru introducing new games, Marco and Chari motivating their campers, Juliana and Iuliia winning the Trifecta award, Elizabeth improving her English... I remember now why I signed up for this, and I why took a leap of faith in coming here this summer. I left my job (and my poor boss all alone!), my apratment, my family friends and even a boy to be with these amazing people from all over the world. And I would do it all again...Because it's not about what I gave up anymore, but what I can give back when I go back!
On our final canoe voyage across to Gambier, Viki came with us. Viki was one of the YPNers who was deathly afraid of the water at the start of the summer. Everyone else was so excited to jump off of the pier, Viki was content just to watch. However when we arrived we forgot about the time of the tides...The water was a good 10 meters below the pier...Many people were hesitant to jump when they caught sight of it. Somehow I was able to make the jump and made quite a SPLASH! But everyone else was still nervous to follow me in. Then from the water I saw Viki climb to edge of the pier....
Of all the YPNers, Viki was the one to take a leap of faith!!!! After that everyone was inspired to join us in the freezing water!It has been such a long summer, and we spent so much time apart during camp, that I forgot how much these 17 individuals inspire and motivate me. Juliene doing a canoe flip, Maru introducing new games, Marco and Chari motivating their campers, Juliana and Iuliia winning the Trifecta award, Elizabeth improving her English... I remember now why I signed up for this, and I why took a leap of faith in coming here this summer. I left my job (and my poor boss all alone!), my apratment, my family friends and even a boy to be with these amazing people from all over the world. And I would do it all again...Because it's not about what I gave up anymore, but what I can give back when I go back!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Say What You Need to Say
Imagine NEVER being able to communicate with the people around you. Imagine having all these amazing ideas and no way of saying them. Imagine being in a room full of people laughing and talking and having no idea what is going on.
As usual I am in awe by the amazing people in this fabulous program. Elizabeth is from Ecuador. Her first language is Quichua, a native Inca dialect. Her second language is Spanish which she learned growing up. English is her third language. It was very obvious in the beginning of the program that her English is the weakest of anyone's in the group. I have gotten to spend a lot of time with Elizabeth these past two weeks, acting as her personal translator in a way, and I must say she rivals me in terms of energy. She is ALWAYS smiling, laughing and dancing even if no said anything funny or if there is no music. She never complains, never feels sorry for herself (though she is constantly saying sorry for her English...) and never gets frustrated.
Every time I feel like I'm about to lose it I think of Elizabeth. Whatever is bothering me CAN NOT be as frustrating as what she goes through every day here.
Make a point of finding the people around you everyday who may be new or not fully understand or comprehend what's going on and go out of your way to make them feel at home.
As usual I am in awe by the amazing people in this fabulous program. Elizabeth is from Ecuador. Her first language is Quichua, a native Inca dialect. Her second language is Spanish which she learned growing up. English is her third language. It was very obvious in the beginning of the program that her English is the weakest of anyone's in the group. I have gotten to spend a lot of time with Elizabeth these past two weeks, acting as her personal translator in a way, and I must say she rivals me in terms of energy. She is ALWAYS smiling, laughing and dancing even if no said anything funny or if there is no music. She never complains, never feels sorry for herself (though she is constantly saying sorry for her English...) and never gets frustrated.
Every time I feel like I'm about to lose it I think of Elizabeth. Whatever is bothering me CAN NOT be as frustrating as what she goes through every day here.
Make a point of finding the people around you everyday who may be new or not fully understand or comprehend what's going on and go out of your way to make them feel at home.
Back to Reality
The final week of camp...And Elizabeth and I are in charge of Global Adventures, the heart of the YPN experience. A chance to really showcase your country and culture to Canadian youth. At the beginning of camp Viki asked told me "Culture? The United States doesn't have any culture!" Throughout the summer other counselors have been interested in how I was going to teach campers about issues in the United States.
Elizabeth and I had a different plan. Teach about other global issues and bring the conversation back to life in Canada. That's how we came up with our two biggest activities. "Perceptions" and "Waste Not, Want Not"
"Perceptions" is an activity that I learned from the Peace Learning Center back in Indianapolis. It required me writing 3 very different sets facts about myself on 3 different pieces of paper. Afterward, these facts were taped to the wall and the children were told each set was somebody. The children (and their counselors) had to guess exactly what kind of characteristics each different person had. At the end I would reveal that they were all the same person, and they were actually me. Children and counselors alike were surprised to find out that that someone who has a tattoo can also sleep with a stuffed duck...
"Waste Not, Want Not" is a activity that Elizabeth and I found while browsing through Peace Week binders. It is a stimulation about water conservation that entails team building. Each cabin group was given a bucket of water to do a list of 8 activities that varied from drinking to gardening. There is not enough water in the bucket to do all 8, so some of them have to be done with dirty water or not at all. The group has to decide. It is pretty similar to what children in Africa have to deal with every day. The children are even more amazed to learn that you use 40 liters of water every time you brush your teeth and leave the tap on, and only 2 if you turn it off...
It's probably the teacher in me but my favorite moment this week was when I sat at Marco and Toni' table for lunch. Their cabin invited me to site with them after our global session. Jacob was the one who got the pitcher of water. He very carefully brought it over to the table and placed it in front of and said "This is how much water they get in Africa. We aren't going to waste it!". I was so touched and impressed by how the message sunk in! Learning CAN and SHOULD be fun!
Elizabeth and I had a different plan. Teach about other global issues and bring the conversation back to life in Canada. That's how we came up with our two biggest activities. "Perceptions" and "Waste Not, Want Not"
"Perceptions" is an activity that I learned from the Peace Learning Center back in Indianapolis. It required me writing 3 very different sets facts about myself on 3 different pieces of paper. Afterward, these facts were taped to the wall and the children were told each set was somebody. The children (and their counselors) had to guess exactly what kind of characteristics each different person had. At the end I would reveal that they were all the same person, and they were actually me. Children and counselors alike were surprised to find out that that someone who has a tattoo can also sleep with a stuffed duck...
"Waste Not, Want Not" is a activity that Elizabeth and I found while browsing through Peace Week binders. It is a stimulation about water conservation that entails team building. Each cabin group was given a bucket of water to do a list of 8 activities that varied from drinking to gardening. There is not enough water in the bucket to do all 8, so some of them have to be done with dirty water or not at all. The group has to decide. It is pretty similar to what children in Africa have to deal with every day. The children are even more amazed to learn that you use 40 liters of water every time you brush your teeth and leave the tap on, and only 2 if you turn it off...
It's probably the teacher in me but my favorite moment this week was when I sat at Marco and Toni' table for lunch. Their cabin invited me to site with them after our global session. Jacob was the one who got the pitcher of water. He very carefully brought it over to the table and placed it in front of and said "This is how much water they get in Africa. We aren't going to waste it!". I was so touched and impressed by how the message sunk in! Learning CAN and SHOULD be fun!
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