It’s really here. I’m leaving tomorrow. My life is packed into one bag and a backpack. I’m ready.
I’m nervous about a lot of things, mostly because there’s a lot I don’t know, but more than that, I’m excited and hopeful. The final word appears to be that I’ll be doing work with the microfinance program to ascertain the reasons for the differences between people who have received loans and pulled themselves out of poverty, and those who have received loans and not pulled themselves out of poverty, as well as photography work, as mentioned in my last post. I’m excited about the opportunities to interact with the people that I think this kind of work will provide. But as always, who knows what will really happen!
While I’m gone, email and skype will be the best (only?) ways to reach me. There is only a two hour time difference (three, for you Washington folk), so finding convenient times should be fairly easy. I would love to hear from you!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
La Pasantía, Parte 2
Yeah, all my titles are in Spanish. Deal with it. I like Spanish.
I've been emailing back and forth with my contact at the Fundación and it sounds like they haven't really decided what work I'm going to be doing. Their newest idea that I would be working with a microfinance project called IKATU and actually doing photography work in an effort to complete an ongoing project they've been working on to connect their clients with their lenders through things like google earth and photos and such. I think this is another great idea! (I'm pretty sure I'd be excited about whatever they threw at me though...) I think what I'm really getting from this is that I'll do whatever they need me to do when I get there and that might remain undefined until it happens. But this is okay. I'm adaptable.
I've been emailing back and forth with my contact at the Fundación and it sounds like they haven't really decided what work I'm going to be doing. Their newest idea that I would be working with a microfinance project called IKATU and actually doing photography work in an effort to complete an ongoing project they've been working on to connect their clients with their lenders through things like google earth and photos and such. I think this is another great idea! (I'm pretty sure I'd be excited about whatever they threw at me though...) I think what I'm really getting from this is that I'll do whatever they need me to do when I get there and that might remain undefined until it happens. But this is okay. I'm adaptable.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Preparaciones
I’m leaving in eleven days. That’s really soon. There’s still a lot to do, but I’m closer than I was before! So, here are some random and mostly unconnected updates.
Brazil: I have a visa! This is exciting. And to my knowledge, I won’t have to part with my passport again for some time. This is good for my nerves. Thanks again, Aunt Anne. You’re awesome.
The internship: I have a little more information! It sounds like my main focus while I’m there will be in the agricultural school that they have there. Farming, anyone? No, I’m kidding, I’m not going to be farming. From what I understand, I will be helping with the public health program, sex education, teaching English, and organization of the school. If you recall last time I mostly focused on microfinance. Like I've said, Fundación Paraguaya is a mainly microfinance organization, so despite my focus on the school, I imagine I’ll still have some exposure to the microfinance side of things. And, to be quite honest, I’m still really excited about what I’ll be doing. From what I know of the organization, everything they do is hugely beneficial to the community, and this is the most important thing to me. I have no doubt that I’ll have many great opportunities, be learning a lot and getting very valuable experience.
From what I understand, I'll be living in a house with other interns, who come from different parts of the world and stay for different lengths of time. I'm having a hard time believing it, but apparently this house has wireless internet, cable, and cleaning services. I'm just going to throw it out there, but of those three amenities, internet is the only one I have in my own home here in good old Boulder Colorado. Looks like moving to a developing country might actually improve my standard of living!
In other news, I can move my leg again! Oops. You didn’t know I couldn’t. I’ll back up a little. I injured my knee playing Ultimate Frisbee more than three weeks ago and after two weeks in a brace and on crutches which resulted in a shrunken atrophied right leg, I’m now doing intensive physical therapy so that I can be fully functional by the time I leave. I don’t have any pain anymore, I’m just trying to get my range of motion and strength back, and I’m almost walking limp-free now! Knees are tricky joints, so despite having been a difficult and sedentary month, I'm grateful it's not worse than it is. I’m hoping I’ll even be able to run by the time I leave since my bike obviously isn’t coming along on this trip, and I’m rather a fan of endorphins.
That's it for now. I'll try to update one more time right before I go with anything else I may have learned and how I can be reached while gone.
Brazil: I have a visa! This is exciting. And to my knowledge, I won’t have to part with my passport again for some time. This is good for my nerves. Thanks again, Aunt Anne. You’re awesome.
The internship: I have a little more information! It sounds like my main focus while I’m there will be in the agricultural school that they have there. Farming, anyone? No, I’m kidding, I’m not going to be farming. From what I understand, I will be helping with the public health program, sex education, teaching English, and organization of the school. If you recall last time I mostly focused on microfinance. Like I've said, Fundación Paraguaya is a mainly microfinance organization, so despite my focus on the school, I imagine I’ll still have some exposure to the microfinance side of things. And, to be quite honest, I’m still really excited about what I’ll be doing. From what I know of the organization, everything they do is hugely beneficial to the community, and this is the most important thing to me. I have no doubt that I’ll have many great opportunities, be learning a lot and getting very valuable experience.
From what I understand, I'll be living in a house with other interns, who come from different parts of the world and stay for different lengths of time. I'm having a hard time believing it, but apparently this house has wireless internet, cable, and cleaning services. I'm just going to throw it out there, but of those three amenities, internet is the only one I have in my own home here in good old Boulder Colorado. Looks like moving to a developing country might actually improve my standard of living!
In other news, I can move my leg again! Oops. You didn’t know I couldn’t. I’ll back up a little. I injured my knee playing Ultimate Frisbee more than three weeks ago and after two weeks in a brace and on crutches which resulted in a shrunken atrophied right leg, I’m now doing intensive physical therapy so that I can be fully functional by the time I leave. I don’t have any pain anymore, I’m just trying to get my range of motion and strength back, and I’m almost walking limp-free now! Knees are tricky joints, so despite having been a difficult and sedentary month, I'm grateful it's not worse than it is. I’m hoping I’ll even be able to run by the time I leave since my bike obviously isn’t coming along on this trip, and I’m rather a fan of endorphins.
That's it for now. I'll try to update one more time right before I go with anything else I may have learned and how I can be reached while gone.
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