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Showing posts from June, 2013

Building People, Not Monuments

I really like building things. Whether that is with Legos in the middle of my mom's livingroom floor with my little brother, or with matboard and tacky glue in the drafting classroom with my fellow techies, or with 2x4s and power tools in the scene shop with a crew, or with concrete blocks and rough cut lumber in the jungle with Embera guys. But there is something cooler than building Lego Forts, pretty models, moving scenery, and composting latrines. It is a lot harder, a lot messier, and definitely more complicated, but infinitely more rewarding and fun. And that, is building people.             It's a Peace Corps catch phrase, 'We build people, not monuments', and as a trainee, it is one of the many things tattooed to your brain, along with the symptoms of intestinal parasites and the importance of community integration. Like the symptoms of parasites, you don't really realize what that means until it happens to you. 'Ohh, so THAT is what they mean by expl

Shock, Awe, and Gratitude

There are no words to express how exciting it was to open my donations page this morning and see that in the last three days we have made over $1000 for my project! I cannot wait to go home this afternoon and share with my community the good news! Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated. It is easy to feel like I am working on this alone out here in the jungle sometimes, but it is moments like these that remind me that is in fact never the case. There are so many wonderful people supporting me every day of this adventure with their thoughts, prayers, emails, and pocketbooks. I couldn't do this without you. Thank you. We are nearly halfway there, but if you haven't had a chance to share this or donate yet, do not fret! We still need $3,297 and the ever elusive link to my project is right here! https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-525-021 Thank you so much for making my day, I hope you have a fantastic we

This is Where I Ask You for Money. No Really.

No really. I need $5,347.00 for my project. This link   https://donate.peacecorps.gov/ index.cfm?shell=donate. contribute.projDetail& projdesc=13-525-021   will take you to the site that allows your money to go to my project. I will get every penny you send, none of it goes to website hosts or taxes or weird admin fees. Every penny of it goes towards buying materials to build more latrines in my community. If I have already convinced you to donate to my project, by all means click the link above and I thank you for your support. If you aren't sold on it yet, please continue. This video is a 5 minute summary of the project: if that video didn't work, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ photo.php?v=2103229143200&set= vb.1319610634&type=3&theater Need more convincing? Keep reading. For the analytical, quantitative, statician, here we go. Of the 262 people in Playona, we had 92 reported illnesse in my communityin ONE MONTH, over half of which were stomach rela