Going Beyond Borders 2009

Life after Beyond Borders

2009-10-16T19:15:00.004-04:00

This is another guest post I've written for Akhila's blog "Justice for All" as part of her "Be the Change" series.

I’m going to break the news: I now work in the corporate world.

I guess with all the posts I’ve written on my blog, it is understandable for one to assume I would look for a job in the non-profit sector after graduation and go “save the world”.

Look, this is where it gets tricky. I would love to work with like-minded individuals on community projects directly, but at the same time there is a big pool of untapped Gen Y talent out there that I feel the world could benefit from. The main reason why I haven’t blogged in awhile is that the ones who read my blog are also extremely passionate and, for the most part, agree with what I have to say. Trust me, it feels really good to have people comment, “Ruby, you’re so right. I too feel the same way and I’m so glad you wrote this…etc.” But what’s the point of preaching to the choir that already cares? I know I need to be doing more.

This is why I ventured out to the “dark side”, so that I can stand up to people who challenge my idealism, bridge the gap between for-profit and non-profit, explore market-based development solutions through enterprise, understand the impact of social capital, design human-centric systems that are resilient and responsible, and at the same time acquire the practical skills needed to truly effect change.

I believe all of us do care about one another and the world, but not all of us have an outlet to translate that into real actions. Muhammad Yunus said in his book, “Many young people today feel frustrated because they cannot recognize any worthy challenge that excites them within the present capitalist system. When you have grown up with ready access to the consumer goods of the world, earning a lot of money isn’t a particularly inspiring goal.” I see myself as that point of contact, for those who want to be involved but are unsure how, those who wonder how they can make money and change the world at the same time, or those who just want to be pointed to the right resources to learn more.

Everyone has a different battlefield and at the moment, this is mine. I will tell you the truth – it’s sometimes hard, real hard, to get up every morning to face the world. It is uncomfortable, and I get hurt sometimes. But I am still determined to change some minds and hearts, one person at a time. Not one day when I am rich, not one day when I retire - just right now, everyday, and I will do what I can. This is me stepping up, in hopes to be joined by many others in my generation, so together we make the world a better place. I feel so restless seeing the gap between my vision and the current reality, but for now, we just got to keep going.

Appreciating All That We Have

2009-09-20T19:12:00.002-04:00

This is a guest post I've written for Sam's blog "Life is like a Box of Chocolates" as part of her Appreciation Evolution.

Before I begin, I would like to extend my appreciation to Sam for inviting me to be a part of the Appreciation Revolution. Thank you for not forgetting me even after I have disappeared from the blogosphere for months.

As I write this, I’m sitting on an Air Canada flight, 30, 000 feet above the ground, four more hours until I return home. Working in Botswana this summer has been an emotional roller-coaster ride for me – challenging, humbling and rewarding all at the same time. While I am still trying to figure out all the lessons I have taken from this experience, I want to share why, after the summer, I am even more appreciative of all that I have.

Those of us in this part of the world take a lot for granted. Really, we take a lot for granted. By that, I don’t just mean the excessive material “things” that we want. I’m talking about opportunities, self-worth, and dreams.

Since I was little, I was asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Then I was taught to set goals, work hard, believe in myself, and by doing so, I would be able to realize my dreams and achieve anything in life. An education, a career, a loving family and plenty of friends – all unquestionably occurred to me as part of life. However, people I met this summer have brought me to realize what a luxury and privilege it is to be able to think and feel that way.

During the summer, I interacted with OVC (orphan and vulnerable children) who did not seem to care about anything. Not because they were lazy, but because they were never given guidance. Unlike us, basic life skills were never taught to them. Personal development was unheard of. It was harsh to witness them living their lives without goals and dreams, without people motivating and believing in them, without knowing they are all special and could achieve great things. Nobody ever told them that.

I also met students from a refugee camp in Malawi who received scholarship to study in Canada because of their outstanding grades, determination and aspiration. At first, they excitedly told me how precious of an opportunity it was for them to receive a post-secondary education. Slowly, they revealed their worries about not being accepted in a new society and needing to flee somewhere again. They were sad about leaving their parents or siblings behind and never seeing them again. I will never forget the look on one of the student’s faces when he turned around and said, “There is nothing I can do. I need to continue my education.”

For us, opportunities are abundant and are easily accessible, such that we can afford to do things at our own time whenever we “feel like it.” We think we’re young and the world awaits us to be explored. We have elders and mentors tell us how proud they are of us. Most importantly, we don’t have to flee our own countries, not having a home we belong to, and having to pick between loved ones and our survival.

What makes us truly fortunate people is the fact that we can choose who we want to be and decide what we think is worth living for. So, take a moment to appreciate this freedom, a privilege we “won” at birth.

Service Learning Matters

2009-09-13T19:25:00.002-04:00

Now that I’m home and had a bit of time to wind down and reflect, I am blogging a little more now to reflect on this year-long experience.

The beginning

The reason why I decided to join the Beyond Borders program and spend this summer abroad could not have been clearer. I have decided early on in my years at Waterloo that I want to contribute to the society in whatever way I can for the rest of my life. I just didn't know exactly how to go about doing that. I have been one that lived with a vision, but not a lot of actions.

Being in the Beyond Borders program gave me the chance to learn to live that vision. Whether it's fundraising, blogging, learning, teaching, being abroad, working with different people, criticizing, accepting, doing all of these have allowed me to pull all the skills and strengths I've developed over the years together in my final year at university. This is my understanding of what service-learning means.

Service-learning isn't a program or a course. It's a mindset, way of thinking. It is a process of [input + reflection + output]. We first hear or see something. Then we internalize our thoughts to try to perceive and understand. Finally we apply it to a context as we see fit, discovering ourselves and our places in the world along the way.

Some friends have questioned my decision to go on an international volunteer placement at this point in my life. They believed people should work to establish themselves first, so they have the necessary power and resources to make a bigger impact. They say to me, “If I go now, I may be helping to tutor 10 kids. If I go after I’ve become rich, I could donate a lot more money, I could build a factory so that I can hire thousands of people”. I see where they’re coming from, but I couldn’t agree with the “I’ll get to it later on in my life” mentality. Just as wealth needs time to accumulate, so does wisdom. You need to be in the middle of it all right from the beginning, in order to truly understand, to truly feel, to truly make it matter in your life.

How Service-Learning Mattered

1) Learning is frustrating. You're not frustrated, you're not learning. Trust me, it's so frustrating.
2) We cannot single-handedly right all the wrongs in the world. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Who do we think we are to go in and turn everything around? We are a part of the movement, a part of people who are not willing to accept “this is how things are” and are willing to stand up to challenge the status quo. When it reaches a tipping point, a transformation will happen.
3) Conversations are essential to create relationship and understanding
4) It helps us develop a strong heart, discover about ourselves and people around us, our true calling, who we're meant to become, and all the opportunities in the world. It puts things in context so we can define our own path for ourselves.
5) You make friends who you can depend on for life, who share the same passion, and who will understand you and support you through the things you will go through together in life. As the saying goes, "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me, and be my friend. " - Albert Camus
7) Puts you responsible for your own education - take ownership, be curious, ask question, share, don't sit and wait for answers. "The banking system” doesn't work.
8) People will help you if you want something enough. Don't be afraid to ask for support. Believe that people do care about you
9) Volunteering overseas do sound very cool, but often our battlefields are in our very own backyard (for example: The Working Centre)
10) Giving your time and making the world a better place is not a "volunteer job" that only "nice people" do, it's an obligation of every single person. Just remember, "It's not that we can make a difference, it's that we do make a difference." - Julia Butterfly Hill

Let the future unfolds

I remember panicking on several occasions during my summer in Botswana, especially towards the end when I knew I was going to have to leave soon. I kept thinking to myself, “When will I get a chance to do this again? I just graduated, this summer was my last opportunity to go abroad like this.” For someone who has always tried to stay in school for as long as she could, finally moving onto the next stage of life is a big deal. I’m very excited about the new stage of life I will be starting. Yet, deep down I am afraid I would be stuck from now on. But then I did finally realize, if I had want to devote my life to make the world a better place, it would be my responsibility to ensure I incorporate that mission in whatever I decide to do with my life, career, money and time. If I was being true to myself, and if I want to make my life matters, “I can’t because I need to grow up and get a job” would just be another excuse. I should not be afraid of “being stuck” because I need to start working full-time, instead, I should full embrace all the opportunities that are opening up to me because I’m finally venturing into the “real world”.

As I begin the next chapter of my life, I’ve set some resolutions for myself:
1) I will make actions as important as reflections. My blog will continue to be a true reflection of my decisions and actions as I continue to focus on my battlefields and do my best.
2) I will not think the only way I can contribute is when I'm oversea just because it sounds “more important”. There are many communities back home that I can join and issues that I can learn about. I would like to learn more about our Native Canadian issues. I also want to help ensure all young people have access to information technology and experience the power of the web.
3) I will learn more about different religion as it is one of the most important aspect to understand others around the world. I also want to continue to explore the plan God has for me.

The end of every journey is also the beginning of the next... how true.

It’s kind of difficult sometimes

2009-09-11T19:00:00.003-04:00

As I share my experiences in Botswana with people back home, slowly I’m able to articulate my lessons learned and challenges faced much better. I’d have to say the ones that had the biggest impact on me were the following:

1) I’ll be honest - Working with other volunteers hasn't been the easiest. Working with so many volunteers who all have different idealism was even more difficult. I normally consider myself a good team player. I offer my two cents, and I listen to others’ point of view. I am willing to collaborate and compromise at times so we are doing what is best for the situation. In a school or work setting, it’s usually quite easy to resolve as the measure of success is standardized. A high grade or profit indicates level of success and as long as the end results are the same, the process of getting there matter less. On the other hand, iit's very different when you’re working in the development field. You deal with some of the most passionate and determined people around. Also, how you go about doing certain things matter a lot - things like what you teach people and how you interact with them. At times I’m really mad at myself for not being able to work with them better, because I can only begin to imagine how valuable it will be to have such diverse people working together. I don't even know if what I just said made any sense.

2) From reading the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, we learned the importance of learning with people instead of imposing our own ideas onto them. We also learned that our role is to facilitate discussions so that they come up with their own questions and answers. At the same time, changes happen very, very, extremely slow. For those of us who are used to the North American pace of doing things, we need to jam pack our schedule and at the end of the day need to have a list of to-do’s ticked off in order to feel like we had a productive day. Sometimes it’s tempting to just complete a lot of the tasks myself, but I know that isn't necessarily the best method of dealing with the situation. By the end of the term, I was left feeling like I have not done anything, which is how I SHOULD feel, because true leadership is that when a goal is reached, people walk away proudly saying that they’ve done it themselves. But the world around us is all about results and metrics. Difference made is being quantified. How should I deal with that internal struggle? How do I response when people ask, “So, what did you do in Botswana?”

3) Before I left for the summer, I meant to video document the work that other volunteers and I will be doing. Video blogging is a great way for telling stories that needs to be told. But once I started working, I soon realized the challenges that many development workers have to face – there is simply no time. As much as actions and reflections reinforce each other and both are equally important, sometimes it’s simply impossible to have the time and energy to be working in the field & writing/reflecting/documenting all at the same time. Another thing is that people don’t want to be recorded. You don’t want people to get offended. You don’t want to reveal people’s vulnerabilities. But at the same time, those are the stories that should be and need to be shared. The level of trust and understanding that need to be built is beyond my imagination...

4) It is so easy to go home at the end of the day and just feel like you want to cry because you realize how much there is that still needs to be done. You’re then left wondering whether all the effort that you have put in was worth it, left wondering what difference that has made, and whether that little of you have done would ever, ever matter. But we often fail to recognize and celebrate the small achievements and differences that we make everyday. It’s so important for keeping our sanity...but it's really easier said than done.

Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. What is difficult to me may not be to someone else. But it is what it is, and I tried my best to face them and took every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. I can't say I have a solution and answers to all my own questions, but I promised to be raw and honest, so here they are.

Checking In + What Matted

2009-09-10T19:34:00.013-04:00

I have been back for 3 weeks now, and Africa feels so far away already. During the last week in Botswana, I just spent time with the people that mattered to me the most. I miss them a lot, and I wish they were still in my everyday life...

me and Oratile, my host mom/sister whom

me and Olefile in front of the WUSC house

me with Zuku, Keneilwe, and Louisa at ST

After our placements ended, Matt, Maryam and I went exploring for 2 more weeks before coming home. Seeing different parts of Africa made us really appreciative of how intimately we got to know Botswana. Matt summarized our trip itinerary on his blog, and here...photos speak a thousands words :)

PART I - VICTORIA FALLS: Bungi-jumping + River-rafting

PART II - MALAWI: Field visit to Refugee camp and Water Sanitation project

PART III - Waterloo in Africa, meeting up with Kristina who was volunteering in Malawi this summer, and Fatema, who is an international student from Tanzania and currently studies in Waterloo

Oh..I miss Africa :(

Pre-departure Mini Crisis

2009-07-28T06:28:00.010-04:00

Last Friday I had a mini crisis. I came back from the Y Care walk, sent Amy off to the airport, was dying from a cold, sat down at my desk, and started feeling sorry for myself. I realized I had only one more week here in Botswana, and all of a sudden I couldn't help but felt I have done nothing, learned nothing, and did not utilize my summer here well enough. While I know that is not the case, I'm only human and I'm subject to the same fears that everyone else is. I am afraid of being useless, I'm afraid I didn't try my best, I'm afraid of not being good enough. I was panicking. I was confused. I was sad.

I decided to re-read the book Getting to Maybe, hoping it will remind me some of the important things I have forgotten during my time here. I'm glad I did.

I was reminded that social transformations are not about heroic actions by one person. Instead, it's a system intertwined with complex relationships. During my time here, I saw what needed to be done, and I did what I could do at the moment. I made the interactions I needed to make. The lessons learned, the friendship built, the understanding created...were all part of what I was meant to do here. Whether or not the system has shifted because of my actions, I don't think that can be easily measured by a simple formula. What matters was, I was part of that system.

"Prepared to learn means, to be disappointed, to be energized, to be up and down, and most of all, to allow for imperfections. The universe gives us extra chances. Every person, contributing what he can, can make a difference, but no one can claim resposibility." - Getting to Maybe

My summer has not been perfect, but it's the imperfections that make it raw, make it real.

Special thank you to:
*Renjie, for reminding me that at the end of the day, it's about them, not me.
*Maryam, for reminding me to not get caught up in the glamour of international development and social innovation.
*Kristina, for reminding me everyone has a different battlefield. focus on what's right in front of me.

I survived 110km

2009-07-27T09:23:00.006-04:00

I can't describe the Makgadikgadi Pans in words. So I'm just going to post photos. The walk itself was tough. The original route was wet so the alternative route we took was only 110km. We couldn't imagine walking for 40 more km....
The money raised will go towards local NGOs and supporting the youth leadership programme.
Thank you to all Y Care supporters:Elyse Redden, Marc Nameri, Grace Boyle, Susan Pogorzelski, Renjie Butalid, Nathalie Meurens, Tong Ziming, Samantha Karol, Carlos Miceli, Ben Huang, Pingbu Loke, Gertrude Wong, Alfe Clemencio, Myroslaw Tataryn, Hsiao Tung Lin, Shuxian Lin, Andrew Sin, Patrick Cheung, Nick Petten, Ali Suleiman, Stephen Perelgut, Fion Ho, Charles Chan

Each of you made a difference.

Fundraising with ChipIn

The least I can do for ST

2009-07-14T09:52:00.003-04:00

Before we all left for the summer, I made a video for the Beyond Borders group, just talking about our hopes and fears for the summer. I remember saying I was most afraid of “just started on projects, getting the hang of it, and then I would have to leave.” Well, that’s precisely what I’m feeling right now.

In the month of June, I managed to finish doing the survey study. I spent 2 Fridays just going up to people on the street with questionnaires, along with help from Emmanuel and Sharon. Surprisingly people were much more cooperative than I thought. I had a sample size of 40 – 20 working professionals, 20 university students with a 50/50 male female ratio. It’s not the most extensive survey, but it’s all I could manage in the amount of time I have here from designing questionnaire, to collecting the data, to putting the report and presentation together. The result from the survey study is what I have expected. Very few people know about ST and a lot of people don’t understand why they should recycle. I can’t emphasize enough how important I think it is for ST for reach out to the community, be more visible and do more education. I talked to them about starting a blog and have them write about programs/events that ST takes part in, or general news in the environmental field relating to this area. We also talked about inviting faculty members and senior students from University of Botswana to guest post. I hope to get that started before I leave. I was really hoping to help revamp the website and add a new resource section, but due to challenges relating to our web hosts, I was unable to do so. I’m confident the student coming next term will be able to follow up on this though.

The workshop and cleanup event I was working on together with Matt went really well as well. On Wednesday Emmanuel and I made our way to Stepping Stones, bringing along with us the recycling bins that ST is donating to them, labelled glass, plastics, tins and paper. This time we primarily talked about why they should recycle and what happens to things after they get recycled. We also talked briefly about the kind of jobs that are available in the environmental field. The kids seem interested and Stepping Stones wants ST to go back and do more presentations in the future. These kids already have to take care of an organic garden and make necklaces from paper beads to sell. Our visit and presentation only reinforces the idea and hopefully sparks their interest in considering a career working with the environment.

Then Saturday was the cleanup day, which was also a big success. We met at Stepping Stones, and more than 70 kids showed up that morning. We were split into 4 teams, each responsible for one area to clean. The kids were super diligent in picking the litter and were separating the recyclables into different garbage bags. We met back at Stepping Stones at 11am where the kids were served lunch. WUSC was kind enough to support us by giving us funds to buy food for this event so we decided to have a braai (aka BBQ)! I heard everyone had a good time eating and playing soccer. Unfortunately I couldn’t be there for the lunch because one of the kids in my group got a really deep cut by broken glass so we had to take him to the clinic for stitches. Poor kid, no tears, not a single word. I liked him a lot too... when he was shown affection, he would have this shy smile on his face. I was sad that I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him. But all in all, I’m very proud of the workshop and cleanup event we put together. We have received nothing but positive feedback from people about the collaboration between ST and Stepping Stones. Hopefully this will continue and they will be able to do even more in the future!

I’ve only written about work twice on this blog but it’s already time for me to start writing handover notes and end of term report. The Y Care walk is coming up this weekend and I have less than 2 weeks left at work and in Botswana. It’s so easy to start doubting I’ve not done enough and did not utilize my time here well enough. But maybe that’s okay too. I came expecting to learn more than to contribute. I reminded myself this summer was not going to about me and what I have accomplished. Rather, I came to be humbled and to experience first hand the frustrations. I did what I could. Was there room for improvement and things I wish I did? Of course - and that will be for next time, hopefully. I miss home lots and cannot wait to be back in the comfort zone with family and friends again....

workshop at Stepping Stones

cleaning up the community

very proud of the event

Botswana Beauty

2009-07-07T09:03:00.006-04:00

We finally got to see some Botswana beauty last week. Cathy, the regional director of WUSC, was nice enough to take all of us up to Maun and Shakawe for an “educational trip”.

I got to see Jason and Sabrina again, the 2 volunteers that I met at the beginning of the trip. They went up to Shakawe to work with TOCaDI after first week of orientation and it was really nice to see them again. I also met a new girl, Giulia. She is from Sicily, studies in the UK, and currently working on her master thesis trying to find out whether developing tourism will have any impact on the San communities.

The whole week has been so eventful. We visited a San community and bought jewellery made by them; we climbed the Tsodilo Hill, a World Heritage Site full of rock paintings drawn by the San people thousands of years ago; we visited Shakawe, the northest part of Botswana bordering with Namibia, we hiked on a trail that TOCaDI is working on, rode on a donkey-cart from one village to another, watched villagers perform traditional dances, slept in tents right by the Okavango Delta with the sounds of hippo, woke up the next morning and depart on a Mokoro boat right by where we slept, and ended the trip with a game drive in the Moremi safari.

The purpose of this trip was for us to experience Botswana culture that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise in the capital city. At the same time, it was also for Sabrina and Jason to get feedback on how the whole trip itinerary would be like. ToCadi is an NGO developed to help with community-based tourism in the delta to ensure people in the villages know their rights as well as using their resources appropriately. What we did last week, would be what the tour operator would bring tourists through in the future.

It is so interesting to be able to see the beginning of all of this. I remember one of the guys saying to the villagers, “This is what tourism means. People come visit our village and we show them our culture.” There are awkward moments when both sides didn’t really know what to do or what to say. But that’s okay, we are all learning. The community we visited felt as though they weren’t as prepared as they could to show us all their culture. We were also worried whether we were acting appropriately and wanted to make sure we weren’t intrusive in the way we entered the community. Everything on this trip was so real and raw. No other tourists, no tourist traps, no people getting drunk. Being in the middle of villages and the wild just felt so surreal at times. In a way, it’s sad to know that this place might not feel the same anymore after tourists start visiting from all parts of the world.

As a country that has depended its last 40 years of development on its mines, the government of Botswana has come to realize the importance to diversity its economy. Expanding its tourism industry is one of the biggest areas that they are focusing on right now. Some guys from the Department of Tourism were on the trip with us. It was very interesting to hear them talk about the need to have Maun accept international flights, to have BTC to be able to route international collect calls, to ensure communities are protected and not exploited by tour operators, yet not too controlling such that they give enough room and freedom for the private sector to thrive as well.

All in all, it was such a good experience and we all had so much fun on the trip. We owe it big time to WUSC and Cathy for giving us this opportunity to see parts of the country that even the locals have not had a chance to.

Y Care Pt.1 - bonding up on Kgale Hill

2009-06-29T03:11:00.001-04:00

When I first found out about Y Care, I only knew about its neat name and the 150km desert walks. After this weekend, I realized apart from raising money to help organizations in this country, Y Care is also playing such an important role in empowering and supporting young leaders.

On Saturday, we have been invited to join a team building event with the youth from the Old Naledi Secondary School to climb the Kgale Hill, one of the highest in Botswana. It was not the easiest climb – some had trouble getting to the top. But with everyone’s encouragement and support, we all made it. When we got to the top, we just hung out and enjoyed the breathtaking view overlooking Gaborone. After everyone is well rested, it was time to get to the real purpose of the climb - team building. The youth were asked to share how they felt after climbing the hill and what they’ve learned from this experience. One after one they told the group how they never thought they would have been able to climb that hill but they were proud of themselves that they did. We then played games, we sang, we danced, and we laughed.

All of this was organized and ran by the Y Care YLP (Youth Leadership Program) team. Two years ago, after the success of the walks, Y Care has decided to start an YLP program to get more youth involved. They recruited students from the University of Botswana (UB) and put them through 4 modules: a Journey of Life workshop, psychosocial support counciling, leadership training, and an Outward Bound excursion.

The YLP team we met today included Sharon, Mel, Rubin, Thabo, Cynthia, and Warona. Each of them is instilled with energy and passion, cares deeply about people and the world around them, and aspires to succeed as both an individual and as a team. They not only inspired the kids – I was close to tears at one point in time when Mel told the kids, “I hope you take the lessons you learned today and applied it to school work. You are going to feel like you want to give up, but at the same time there are other people you can depend on for support. When you go back to school on Monday, I want you to remember these lessons. Don’t be lazy anymore and give excuses like I have no pencil and no paper. If you don’t have them, I will get them for you. I will push you. I won’t be around forever, but then you guys have each other.”

I told them, that I believe every single one of them is special, that I know they all have a dream, that they can all be somebody. I also tried to pass along the wise words Joanne used to tell us all the time, “I know there are times when you feel what you do don’t matter. But it does. Your life matters if you make it matter.”

Ever since I got back from the climb, I have not been able to stop thinking about how I can continue to stay involved with them after I leave Botswana. How can my icare team be involved in this? Do you think we can bring ycare to Canada? Across the world? Wouldn’t it be cool if we have ycare chapters across nations, and bring everyone together to an annual conference every year? This Christmas, how can I do something with ycare? I have so many ideas yet no idea.

I learned as much as the kids did. Not only did I get to know true leaders who aspire to become more, I also witnessed them inspiring others to become who they want to be. I feel so privileged to be a part of this with them, and I feel so fortunate yet again to have build friendships with so many incredible people.

Botswana is relatively safe and well-off in comparison to other countries in Africa. Water is safe to drink from the tap. Education and health care are accessible and free. In many ways, it cannot be considered a “third world country” anymore. But that doesn’t mean we can stop there. I wholeheartedly believe Botswana has the potential to become so much more. The infrastructure is in placed. People need to step up, believe in themselves, and know that they can build the future of this country with their own hands. I’m so proud of YLP, now we just need more of them. I cannot wait until the 150km walk to meet more Y Care people.

climbing to the top

team building and bonding

global citizens

In the middle of it all

2009-06-22T08:01:00.010-04:00

Everyday is a test, everyday is a new lesson. A little overwhelmed indeed. Dealing has taken up all my energy and time. Bad, bad idea – because doing is only half the experience, reflecting is the other half. I haven’t written for so long - feeling very out of shape now.

Living…

I moved out from Oratile’s house 2 weeks ago. We were the first batch of volunteers in Gaborone that had the chance to live with a host family, and for that, I’m forever grateful. How else could we have integrated into the culture so quickly and made friends in a foreign land? I definitely miss our Milo and Pick n’ Pay fries moments.

I now live with Maryam and Spojmai, also volunteers from Canada. I must admit I underestimated the power of having like-minded caring people by my side. They laugh with me, cook with me, see through me, break me down, yell at me when I’m unreasonable, hug me when I’m weak, teach me important lessons, and push me to become the person I want to be. We didn’t always get along, but everyday we are here for each other, everyday we love each other for who we are. Being here with them is one of the best things that could’ve happened to me. Sometimes I wonder how I came to be so lucky in life.

We also met some volunteers who were here and I cannot say their contributions have always been positive. Sometimes I couldn’t understand why they were here in the first place. But Maryam insisted that we shall not judge. We are here for the people, be it the Batswana or whomever. Maybe people need to find their worth, maybe people want to feel a sense of belonging, maybe people need to feel appreciated. Everyone has a story behind them.

We have not been sick at all. On the contrary, all of us have been eating and gaining weight like crazy. Perhaps it’s one of our many coping mechanisms. The harassing is still very annoying and upsetting – on my way home, at NGO events, oh and by a cop. Although it is a little better now that I don’t need to take the kombi anymore. No more “Emahoo Stoppel” (that’s how we stop the mini-buses) and cracking people up.

gotta love having an older sister like Oratile (and the brother-in-law Nico)

cooking & eating have become our way to cope, stay sane and wind down

Working…

Work is fine, making progress, slowly. I’ve setup a framework for an activity calendar, now waiting for the other environmental officers to fill in their parts. I have drafted a new volunteer description for next term, now waiting for our director to approve it. I want to print educational material, now waiting on cheques for donor funds that were approved since March. Notice a pattern here? It’s a lot of waiting. You wait this week, you wait one more week, and then you wait some more.

You see, NGOs here rely 100% on donors - nationally, regionally or internationally. Spojmai wrote in one of her emails back home, “Working with an NGO here in Africa is making me doubt the saying ‘Money is not everything.’” When an organization is completely dependent on someone else, of course money is everything, of course you have to wait forever, of course results matter more than understanding (via Kristina’s blog).

This is why I really want to support Y Care. I don’t think my previous post about the Y Care walk did the organization justice. Yes, Y Care is still a charity fund, it’s still using a handout approach, but at least it’s mobilizing local resources. Plus, I see a lot of potential in them helping to train young leaders, build capacity, foster collaboration, and transform NGOs into self-sustainable organizations. Other than diamonds and HIV/AIDs, a lot more can happen in Botswana. I was at a "Journey of Life" workshop with Holy Cross Hospice last Saturday. These kids have big dreams. People in this country need to believe in themselves more.

Ending on a more positive note, I had my midterm review meeting with the WUSC coordinator and our director, both of them seemed very happy with the progress and contributions I’ve made. It’s always nice to get some reassurance and validation, especially at a time when I’m doubting a lot – in my ability, in my approach, in my contribution. I don't want to do the work for the people, I want to do it with them.

kids at "Journey of Life" workshop; sharing dreams and being taught what it takes to reach their dreams

I'm walking 150km for Y Care

2009-06-19T03:45:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone, hope life is treating all of you well. Today I’m writing to ask for your support for a fundraising walk I will be taking part in this July. This walk is an initiative of a charitable trust called Y Care, started from an inspiring dream of Dr. Nomsa Mbere to raise funds for organizations in Botswana after seeing the challenges they face when donors restrict how the funds could be used. Y Care Charitable Trust aims to support community projects by empowering local leaders to determine how the money could best fit their needs.

I will be doing this walk with the other Students Without Borders volunteers from WUSC: Spojmai who is working at Cancer Association of Botswana, Maryam from Holy Cross Hospice, and Matt from Stepping Stones International. My best friend is also visiting from Hong Kong and spending part of her annual vacation to do this walk with us. The 5 of us, along with 40 other participants, will be walking 150km on the Makgadikgadi Pans (Kalahari Desert!) over 3 days. Each of us is required to raise CAD 1000 to participate. I would really appreciate your sponsorship for me to do this walk and so the people can continue to do the amazing work they are doing in this country. The name of my personal blog is “I care”. I truly believe if everyone cares a little more, we will have a better world. “Y Care” – together we can show the world that somebody does indeed care.

If you’re interested in being part of this, you can click on the ChipIn widget below and donate via PayPal. Alternatively, I can give you bank information for direct deposit. If you’re unable to donate, please still leave a message and say hi. Messages from back home mean the world to me. Thank you for reading and take care.

Fundraising with ChipIn

OK, about work this time

2009-06-03T09:06:00.008-04:00

I have been at work for almost 2 weeks now. So it's time to talk a little more about what I do and the real reason why I'm here for the summer. The organization I'm working for is called Somarelang Tikologo (Translation: Somarelang = conservation, Tikologo = environment). Its mission is to educate and encourage people in Botswana to protect their environment hence improving the quality of life. It is a member-based NGO, with an approach to empower local communities to take ownership and responsibility managing their waste and resources.

Our office is located within an Eco Community Park at the centre of Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. The eco-park is the first of its kind in the country, integrating urban planning principles on uses of public open space and showcasing our various green initiatives under one roof. We have an organic garden, an eco-café, the country’s only recycling drop-off centre, and a Green Shop, where we sell locally made products from recycled material.

ST has been an important player working to transform Gaborone into a greener city. They fought for the plastic bag legislation, run the city’s only recycling centre, hold waste management workshops with community members in villages, build eco-schools, and just had their first annual fashion show.

Main "buildings" of the Eco-Park: Green Shop & Eco-Cafe

Children's playground and our office at the back

I was originally assigned to work with the PR and fundraising department. However, having been here for 2 weeks, I found myself getting involved in all areas, especially with developing educational material and a better communication strategy. I finalized my work plan last week and here are some of my key objectives:

Conduct a survey study to understand people’s awareness of ST ‘s programs and attitude towards environmental protection
Develop an online communication strategy to ensure ST is leveraging the web effectively to reach a greater audience
Work with Matt and other ST officers to deliver a junior version of workshop to kids at Stepping Stones International
Assist with planning community outreach (+ fundraising) events including a photo exhibition, a cycling competition, family clean up days, eco-film field trip for high school students
Look to see if ST may benefit from using a wiki

If anyone has worked in any of the above areas, please contact me. I would love to learn from your experience and leverage resources I have back home to help ST grow.

I am only here for a short period of time. Whatever I do, I always try to keep in mind that the most important thing is to build capacity and transfer skills. At times it’s hard when I just want to take the easy way out and implement my own ideas. So everyday before I start my day, I say to myself: listen, understand, and collaborate.

A family weekend

2009-05-25T09:31:00.007-04:00

I had a really good weekend. Nothing too exciting, just spending quality time with my host family, bonding and sharing.

It's normal that you hear people attending a wedding or funeral every weekend. Last weekend I attended Oratile's friend's sister's wedding. This weekend I attended Oratile's mom's family friend/colleague's dad's funeral. About 200 people were there. It doesn't matter how distant these relationships are. As a community, it's important that people are present to show support.

The funeral was in Francistown, a 6 hour bus ride from Gaborone. The ride wasn't too bad. I was sitting in between Oratile and her mom, Ma' Matshego, spending half the time reading The Blue Sweater and half the time entertaining them with my Setswana. We stayed the night over at Oratile's cousin's house. She is a teacher at a secondary school, so is Oratile's older sister, so I got to learn about the system here a little bit. Teachers are very often transferred around the country from one school to another, regardless where their spouses work. I couldn't understand why people were okay with it.

The funeral itself was about 3 hours long, with lots of singing, prayers, and speeches. The city counciller of Francistown was also there, and Oratile translated part of his speech for me. He urged the young people that it's vital that they take care of their parents, after witnessed many cases of children growing up, moving to the city, earning good money while leaving their parents in the village and never visited. The children would spend lots of money on expensive coffins, ceremonies, and food for guests, when their parents have really died from hunger. The city counciller reminded everyone that as stated on Botswana Vision 2016, becoming a compassionate nation doesn't only mean relationships with other nations, but also within their very own boundaries.

Spending time with Ma' Matshego was the best. All the way she was so motherly to me, telling me not to read on the car, defending for me when I got pushed to the side by crowds. Later I found out that she was the first woman in Botswana to become a police officer. She had the position of Senior Assistant Commissioner before she retired 2 years ago. Google "Annah Matshego", you'll find her. Amazing woman, so fierce yet tender at the same time, raised 3 kids without a husband and now spends her days at her beautiful garden and sits on about a dozen community councils and boards. They joked that I'm their adopted little girl - Teboga Matshego ;)

Oratile and I continued to find many similarities between us. Only 3 years apart in age, we shared childhood stories such as eating Milo and turning them into chocolates, crying the whole day after being told our intestines will stick together or turn into a pregnant woman after swallowing a gum; our future such as how small we want our weddings to be and what a comfortable life means; discussions such as the lack of accountability, research and evaluations in most NGOs....etc. The more we chat, the more we feel that it's no longer "your values" or "my traditions". We are all the same people and share so many of the same aspirations and frustrations.

Everyday is an emotional roller coaster ride. I can go from feeling extremely happy to extremely lonely within a span of a couple hours. It also seems like I go through a little break down at the end of every week after long days of observing and listening. Fortunately my support network is always accessible and I have them to reach out to for some wisdom and love: emails from my mom & 3E, movies from my brother, daily morning calls from PB, offer to run a coaching session via Skype from Immi, and wise advice from people I respect and rely on...

"Take everyday as is without any expectations of how it "should" be like...."
"Build trust..learn from and learn WITH them..."
"Motivate one at a time..exactly like how you'd be doing it at home..."

"If you can't teach, learn. You'll find your place..."

Thank you so, so much. I owe so much to all of you, and I guess the only way I can return all the favours is in my service to others.

Leave me alone

2009-05-20T15:49:00.001-04:00

I'm still amazed by the amount of blogging my other Beyond Bordians have been able to do already. I am so grateful that everyone is all sharing so I can be a part of their journey.

Here in Botswana, I don't have the language barriers. My host family doesn't try to feed me a feast every night. And it's not hot at all here. But we have our fair share of frustrations.

Whenever I go I'm pretty much pointed, stared, and laughed at by people. Yesterday was my first day of work. Nico was nice enough to drop me off in the morning as my workplace is very near Oratile's. After work though, I have to take kombi home. I'm completely okay with these mini buses, the squishing, and yelling out where I want it to stop. What I'm not okay with, was the constant harassment I get from the men. "Hi baby, how are you? Are you married? Can I have you phone number?" When I tell them, "Yes I'm married, and no, I don't have a cell phone.", they continued, "Can I give you my number? Can we hang out? Where are you from? I want to bring you to Zimbabwe". Honestly, 5pm-6pm is the most stressful part of my day. Having to rush home before it gets pitch dark, trying not to get lost (I already did twice), nervous about the laptop and cellphone I have in my bag, and having to deal with the arm grabbing and hi how are you baby.... ahhh!!

And you think it's only on public transport? Nope. Another came to the office this morning. Same thing, "What's your number? Do you work here everyday? Would you like to hang out? Can I give you my number?" OFFICE!! Leave me alone!

There is a lovely children playground at where I work. Today's weather was really nice so I decided I would eat lunch there and read my book. I was also looking forward to playing and chatting with the kids, thinking they're innocent and naive and fun like all other kids. The moment I sat down, they immediately surrounded me, started poking me, going in circles around me... I couldn't eat my lunch so I had to get away from them, in such a rush that I forgot my camera. This boy ran after me and gave me back my camera. Just when I thought how nice he was, he looked up and asked for a kiss! I gave him a disapproval look and turned around. He then hugged me from behind, whacked my bum, giggled and ran away. He's six!!!

It's so annoying. And sometimes scary. Wait for Matt and Maryam to share their versions of being chased down the street and marriage proposals.

Dumelang!

2009-05-18T08:44:00.003-04:00

Dumela is how you greet people in Botswana - first thing we learned when we arrived, very important here. I have been in Botswana for a full week now and it has definitely been an emotional roller coaster ride. Although I am physically rested, mentally I am exhausted. Each night we have to be home right after orientation because it gets pitched dark after 6pm and it's dangerous to be wandering around. There is no internet access at where I live, and I usually fall asleep right after dinner every night. But I have been writing in my journal diligently so let me share some highlights from last week.

Apr 23 - May 10 - Last minute prep + Departure + Visiting old friends in Germany
After I wrote my last exam on Apr 23, I am officially a graduate! It was so nice to spend some time with my family before their trip and catch up with friends. I had dim sum with my grandpa the morning of my departure day and did last minute packing before my best friends sent me to the airport. I also bided Jen and Jessica farewell quickly before I headed to the gate. I was on one of those new planes from Toronto to Frankfurt and had to resist watching movies to force myself to catch a few hours of sleep for the long days ahead. I took the train to Stuttgart and spent an awesome day with Immi , Christine and Madeleine. Good old times. I intended to start reading The Blue Sweater on the plane but really I just passed out all the way from FRA - JNB - GBE. It was a long journey, but I am so grateful to have all the wonderful people I have in my life.

May 11 - Arriving in Gabs + First Impression
Compare to the super modern airport of Johannesburg (newly renovated for upcoming World Cup), the Gaborone airport is much smaller and is outdoor like most in Africa. Passing through custom wasn't a problem, except that they wanted everyone from Canada, USA, Germany etc to fill out a form stating that we don't have swine flu (!!) Thankfully my luggages and Olefile, the country coordinator were already waiting for me. He gave us a quick orientation on our way to the WUSC office, let us freshen up a bit at the WUSC house, then drove us around all afternoon to get cell phone, change Pula (Botswana currency), and extend our visas (and passport photos taken on the side of the road). Finally he took me to meet my host family, which I will be staying with for a month before I move into the WUSC house with Maryam . They're a young couple in their late 20s: Oratile and Nico. Gaborone (or Gabs) is a very developed city. The mall we were at today is called River Walk, which is as nice as the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo. Grocery stores are comparable to No Frills. Toilets are as clean and water pressure is as strong. I wasn't too surprised because I had my research done before I came (thanks Joanne!). What shocked me though, was how reserved and serious people seem to be. I was expecting the big smiles and warm hugs that Katie got in Ghana. Instead, I was greeted by cold handshakes and formal introductions. Even the weather is cold, and I hear it's going to get colder (winter now in this part of the world!) In the evening, my host family and I ate dinner in silence. I tried to initiative conversations but was getting one-word responses. People also seemed surprised to see a Chinese as they were expecting a white person from Canada. I went to bed feeling disheartened and disappointed. Oh expectations and assumptions ...not good.

May 12-15 - Orientation Week
WUSC has prepared an extensive orientation to give us an overview of the country, its culture, and different organizations that are working to improve communities. In just one week, I have learned:

how to greet people, business hours, deal with persistent men, safety, social life, expectations...etc
how to pronounce my Setswana name. (Olefile gave each of us one, telling us how important it is to use them and greet people the local way so our colleagues get comfortable with us as soon as possible.) Mine is Tebogo (ta-boh-kho), it means thankfulness.
how to take the kombi - van-like bus that fits 16, from my house to work, how to stop them, where to get off, and how to pay them.
that the way we introduce ourselves in North America feels to them like an interview, ie. "What school do you go to? What program are you in? How long are you here? What will you be doing? What are you doing after? etc" It's better not to be so intrusive when first meeting someone and just let things naturally come up in conversations.
some volunteers applied to WUSC placements and write in their cover letters that they want to "save Africa" - Olefile joked that they come here and he needs to save them
media only shows the richest side of America giving the impression that every white person has a lot of money and power, and only shows the poorest side of "Africa" giving the impression that Africa is just like one big country and everyone is uneducated and live in slums
lots of Chinese here, and they do what they do best everywhere else in the world - sell fake DVDs, have their own shopping complexes, and work in construction.
primary and secondary education, university tuition, health care, drugs, dental, HIV test, anti-retro viral (ARV) drugs = all free, covered by the government with the money made from diamonds
government only owns some of the lands in the country, the rest of them are owned by village chiefs
Botswana having the 2nd highest rate of HIV/AIDS could be due to 1) country's small population, 2) free access to ARV drugs so more people remain HIV positive (instead of AIDS), 3) country reporting stats diligently vs. other countries not reporting; Biggest cause of the high HIV infection rates is concurrent multiple sexual partners; culturally it's hard for people to divorce so they remain in marriage despite both parties being unfaithful - became "acceptable" (especially among mine workers, police, truck drivers etc); Lots of teenage pregnancies (11-year-olds sleeping with 50-year-olds in exchange of cell phones, youngest mom in Botswana was 9 years old); High death rates, regular funerals - "City of Broken Hearts"
History of Botswana: used to be very poor, Brits only colonized because they want to build railway going from South Africa to up north, never invested any resources to develop this country, Botswana discovered diamonds a few years after independence, everything this country has is built upon the profits from the diamonds, the indirect control of Brits in early days worked to Bot's advantage as they don't have class systems set up like other British colonies, Pula is the strongest currency in Africa, but economically still dependent on South Africa because land is too dry to grow food
Botswana toursim: market itself as being very exclusive and intimate vs. South Africa etc
People hear have lots of pride - don't want to be seen as third world, dress really nicely for work, buy expensive cars (on loans and at the expense of basic necessities), got so rich as a nation overnight and was introduced the concept of money, infrastructures, TV, then the American culture....confused?

I'm so grateful for all the work that has been put in by Olefile to organize the orientation. The background info allowed me to have a much deeper understanding of the people and culture here in this country. He kept telling us to blend in as quickly as we can and stop looking like tourists (ie. no backpack, no maps, no cameras). So I didn't take any pictures for the entire week :S

On the last day of orientation, we met Kathy, the regional director of WUSC and Chillie, another WUSC staff who manages the Canada Fund. After dinner, I had to part with other WUSC volunteers who will be heading up to Maun and Shekawe. We're hoping to meet up again for Canada Day to do some exploring together.

May 16-17 - First weekend
The weekend has really made a difference for me. We went to a soccer game (we won 12-2!) and I was learning how to count my numbers in Setswana each time my team scores. Everyone was laughing at me. I brought home a Setswana language book and began learning it. Nico loves to quiz me and gives me looks of disapproval when I can't remember what he taught me. :) We also visited Oratile's sister in Moshupa, went to Mochudi (Oratile's hometown and also where Matt stays), met Oratile's mom and her beautiful humongous house, went to the fields, picked mais (and burned half of them when I tried to cook them), saw Matt's place, grocery shopped, watched movies and be lazy. Oratile and I chatted about student life at university, dream wedding, salary and rent, how men need to help out more with housework, relationships, and loved how despite cultural differences, men are still men wherever they are in the world. After this weekend, I'm finally pronouncing Oratile's name more correctly than my first couple of days here and got much closer with them. I love how they're around my age, dislike cooking as much as I (so we take turns making dinner), yelled "Tebogo wake up!" at 7am on a Sunday morning, and we are more like housemates now than my host family. I'm waiting for them to bring me to milk a cattle, go camping during the desert race weekend, and have more debates about men vs. women.

picking corn on the fields

-------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry for the novel! It was important for me to share but of course I don't expect you to read everything....comments would be appreciated though :) It was hard during the first few days..just trying to adapt..leaving a good impression and making sure people here like me. It takes a lot of effort and very tiring. I missed everyone a lot and was always on the verge of tears when writing emails back home. But everyday gets better and now I’m looking forward to start work on Monday!

Some photos!

Chille and other WUSC volunteers

Oratile - my host mom (or sister)

Oratile's place in Gaborone, where I'm saying for a month

See more photos here .

More on: Botswana. Somarelang Tikologo

2009-03-29T11:41:00.017-04:00

Making of Botswana (data extracted from Gapminder)

Click on the "play" button

Taking a closer look...

1966 - 1992: #1 fastest growth rate in the world. "Thank God for the Diamonds..."

1992 - 2007: 2nd highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world. "1 in 3 adults are HIV positive..."

Now what?

View more presentations from Ruby Ku.

Fighting climate change for the sake of the poor? read more

We hear about climate change all the time - but how much do we really know when it doesn't affect us on a daily basis? Watch this video.

Botswana is a water-stressed landlocked country. The development of the country is heavily dependent on its natural resources.

Working with Somarelang Tikologo this summer:

View more presentations from Ruby Ku.

To be continued...in summer 2009.

Sources:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/botswana_30386.html
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15108/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4318777.stm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200902200012.html
http://www.plusnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=83054
http://www.cfr.org/publication/15108/
http://discovermagazine.com/
http://fex.ennonline.net/29/effectsofhiv.aspx

Overwhelmed

2009-03-19T02:20:00.008-04:00

Why do we do what we do?

My friend, Venus, wrote this for a paper in her Critical Thinking class, "Egocentric biases occur usually when someone is overconfident about themselves. People as I mentioned earlier become so proud of themselves when they believe they have done something they believe are right, something they believe will contribute to the environment like recycling. However they do not realized that these are actually just things they should do. We need to distinguish the differences between responsibilities of the society and individuals, and actual real “good moral deeds”. "

There is a difference between doing something because you feel it's a responsibility, and doing it because it makes you feel that you're a better person. Does it become a selfish act when we like that personal fulfillment? the recognition? the pat on the shoulder telling us we did a good job? I feel guilty for feeling good!

But where do we draw the line? Are we even aware of our true intention? Can we? How?

Do we feel good when we have "done the right thing"? When we see others who don't care, we judge and feel better about ourselves because we care?

How do we stay humble while "doing good"? How do we continue to give without judging others?

I remember a question Scott asked us last term - Who are your heros? Why are they your heros? Mother Theresa? Gandhi? Martin Luther King Jr.? Because they do great things? But if the capacity to love is what makes us human, then why aren't we all doing what they do? Is it them who are doing great things? Or just us not measuring up? Why is caring not normal, and the "road less traveled"? What makes us human then?

Some days I feel afraid to read the news, attend talks, write on my blog - there are so much to learn, so much to know, so much to care, so much to fix. It's so overwhelming. My heart aches.

Joanne keeps telling me that I can't fix the world. I KNOW that - but I can't help to feel all the weight on my shoulder and yell why DON'T I have the solutions.

There's no point to this post. Just some random thoughts on days when I can't breathe. No answers, just lots of questions.

Quote of the day

2009-03-17T19:33:00.001-04:00

Dedicating this quote to my Beyond Bordians who are so passionate, loving, and courageous.

"Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe." - Winston Churchill

Complexity, Relationships, Questions, Resilience

2009-03-16T23:05:00.014-04:00

From a workshop on Innovation and Community Change, I've learned from Dr. Frances Westley that problems we face can be put into 3 categories. The 1st category is simple problem, such as baking a cake. A recipe can be followed, and if everything was done right, one can expect a good probability of success since the steps have worked in the past and should continue to work in the future. The 2nd category is complicated problem, such as sending a rocket to the moon. The system design is sophisticated and the degree of certainty has to be perfect such that success in sending one rocket almost guarantees the next will also succeed. The 3rd category is complex problem, such as raising a child. One can read as many parenting books as available but there are no clear rules to guarantee success, even if they have worked on the previous child. That is because every child is unique, is constantly growing, must be understood as an individual, and building relationship is the key.

A success story was presented to us to demonstrate the need to see problem in its complexity and the importance of interactions amongst people. In 1990, Brazil had almost twice as many cases of HIV/AIDS as South Africa, and a World Bank study predicted that Brazil would have off-the-chart infection rates by the turn of the millennium. The researchers even told Brazil to focus on prevention and simply be prepared to lose all those already infected. By 2000, 1 in 4 people were infected in South Africa, while Brazil's infection rate had dropped to 1 in 160. I was fascinated when I learned that this miracle happened because Freire's theology from Pedagogy of the Oppressed had infused the Brazilian culture, which believed the importance of empowering the poor and creating liberty for all. There was no charismatic leader, just Brazilians at all levels from government to local community leader joining forces in the service of one guiding principle: no person, no matter how poor, insignificant or illiterate, could be written off as beyond cure. They were successful because of the way they worked together and engaged everyone, instead of isolating and looking down upon those who were infected. They asked the right questions with a mindset of abundance. They focused on preventive treatment and educating at-risk youth. More details on the case can be found from the book Getting to Maybe. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, has earned my deepest respect when I read his article on "The future of human beings is what matters" on Financial Times last week.

Putting this back to our context, it's similar to what Rebecca was saying last week - it's hard to really define what The Working Centre's model is. There is a clear direction and vision, but at the end of the day most of it is dependent on the community and its dynamics. Every case is different, and policy doesn't account for that. The focus needs to be on the people it serves and their challenges, rather than "scaling up" the Centre or replicating it elsewhere - because it can't. We work with people, not for people.

My takeaway from all this is: nothing really remains "sustainable" forever as long as the world and its habitants are evolving; and nothing really remains "innovative" forever as long as the human brains are at work. There simply isn't an one-size-fit-all solution that can fix all of world's complex problems as much as we long for one. Quoting from Joanne, the world has always had problems since the dawn of time - be it natural disasters or human destructions. Ending one war does not mean there will never be another war. The AIDS epidemic is the "new plague". When we solve the global warming crisis, something else will already be waiting for us. But we will figure something out if we all work together - we've always had. This is why we need to stay resilient as human beings - continue adapting to changes, entering solidarity with others, fighting for the values we stand for while restoring the world to what we think it should be. Why fight, one may wonder, if eventually someone/something is going to ruin it all again - I think because that's just our human nature and innate ability to survive, create, love and care for one another and our future generations.

Photocredit: phinaphantasy

What Inpires You?

2009-03-12T20:26:00.005-04:00

I keep another blog and named it "i care. do you?", with a vision to show people in my generation the different opportunities to involve themselves and the potential in all of us to make a difference. I was recently invited by another blogger to be a part of the "What Inspires You?" project that she is featuring on her blog . I don't usually mix content between my blogs but I'd very much love to hear from my fellow Beyond Bordians of what inspires you and makes you wake up in the morning. Keep it simple. You can view my guest post here and I invite all of you to share your stories either through leaving comments or on your blog. Cheers =)

Good News & Bad News

2009-03-10T22:30:00.018-04:00

Just got the confirmation! - Same with Jen and Jessica, I'll be leaving Toronto on May 9th at 5:30pm (maybe I can meet them at the airport?!) My parents will be in Hong Kong then, so I am asking my good friends to send me to the airport. Wagma from WUSC was so awesome that she helped me arranged my flights to enroute via Frankfurt so I can see my friends in Germany. =D

I remember a conversation I had with the group earlier this term - it's the same pattern regardless of how many times you've been away from home - you will feel desperately homesick for the 1st month; then you will start forgetting to call home in the 2nd month because you're having too much fun; by the 3rd month it's a mixed feeling between missing home again and feeling attached to your host family & new friends you've met.... ;)

I totally anticipate this emotional roller coster to happen to me again. I cried on all my first nights when I went abroad. But this time is different - unlike my previous trips, I won't be alone when I arrive in Botswana. I will see Matt and Maryam who would have been there for 2 weeks already. It's so exciting! It's likely that the 3 of us will be living together but working at different places. Every evening we can dine together and share our stories. Maryam is already having dreams about how our apartment looks like and walking together to cafes to read after dinner :)

All day today I was so excited to the point where I couldn't imagine writing my last set of final exams in April. But as I read Krista's post just now, all of a sudden I felt very emotional because it reminded me that the end of this term also means the end of this class. It means I won't be seeing my BB group regularly anymore. It means we'll be all over the world this summer. It means we'll meet again for 3 days in August and then we are all going off onto our own paths...........I really do treasure these friendships I have made over the past 7 months. I've become very attached to my group by now and I miss them already (we aren't even leaving yet and I'm seeing them on Thursday). This sucks =(

For everyone who is reading this: The Beyond Borders 08-09 group is still fundraising for our summer volunteer placements. If you feel this is a great program and would like to support us with donations, please kindly send me an email at rubyku85 at gmail dot com. We appreciate your generosity sincerely.

Listen to your heart

2009-03-07T13:25:00.013-05:00

I was at the SJU lecture last night with my fellow Beyond Bordians. Before the lecture began, Joanne let us go up to the stage to promote our pancake breakfast fundraiser. I loved how we all stood in a line, yelled our names and the countries we're going to, with huge smiles on our faces, as if we were little ambassadors who are being sent by the school to make friends with the rest of the world. It reminded me of drama shows from elementary school :) A wholehearted thank you to my group - for your hard work, for your spirit, for your energy, and for being present.

Last night's lecture was on "Celebrating the Life and Work of Jean Vanier", presented by Dr. Whitney-Brown. I must admit I'm not very good with night classes. There's something about after 7pm and my ears not receiving as well as it should. Like Dr. Whitney-Brown said though, the words I hear when I wake up - that's my pathetic moment :)

That's exactly what happened to me. In between moments of thinking about sushi and pancakes, Dr. Whitney-Brown's words suddenly invaded my central nervous system, kicked away all the thoughts about food, as if I was meant to listen to these words. She said that very often people feel they should check in with themselves, have their lives together and become very self-aware before they can contribute to their communities, and later make a difference in the world. More often than not, people don't get past that self-awareness stage. However, when she looks at Jean Vanier's life, it seems as though he did it backwards. He was born into a diplomatic family, he went to military school, then later founded L'Arche, lived with people with mental disabilities, and finally it was through the individual relationships he had with people that changed his heart.

Those words really resonated with me. I feel that my life is going in that same kind of direction. I have been traveling since the first time I stepped on a plane at the age of 2 and hasn't stopped ever since. I jumped at every opportunity of studying, working and volunteering abroad all through high school and university. I don't normally worry too much or ask a lot of "what if's" either - I have always just thrown myself in situations and figured things out along the way. At the same time, despite all these experiences, I felt that something was missing. I wasn't able to talk about why I did what I did in a way that I wanted. I felt that my soul is still constantly searching for who knows what.

This is how the Beyond Borders program has changed me so far. When we were asked to go to The Working Centre at the beginning of this term, that's when I realized I have always thought about going overseas to be inspired, to understand things on a broader scale, to have bigger impact... etc, but never for a moment have I thought of doing anything in my very own community. It's kind of silly when I think back now - why did I use to think more/bigger/broader is better? I was always moving around since I was either on co-op or exchange, so I never feel extremely integrated. These two months I got to know more people who live in Kitchener-Waterloo outside of campus, and for the first time in 6 years, I feel that I'm part of the community.

Then there's this blog. I have always felt that there is a very clear distinction between a personal journal and a blog. My private feelings remain private in my journal, and that's that. Blogging, on the other hand, is something completely different. I see it as a place to process my thoughts, to examine my life, and to discover my own voice.

There is something about reading other people's blogs, learning about their lives, and feeling connected to them. There is something about putting thoughts down in words, and feeling like I finally know how I feel and what I'm talking about. There's something about opening up for people to read my thoughts and inviting them for a conversation and exploration about their own reflections, their own moments and their own courage.

Before I go off topic again, all I wanted to say was - I went from going all over the place and always just wanting to do something, to slowing myself down and taking the time to get to know the people around me, to sitting down and sharing my thoughts in words with the world. This journey, so far, has taught me how to listen more closely to my heart.

Photocredit: cosmicsoda

Developing our own hypothesis

2009-03-06T16:38:00.022-05:00

Once in awhile I meet professors who not only are passionate about their research, but also genuinely care about their students' academic career and challenge us intellectually to think beyond textbooks and course notes. They make me feel very lucky and want to stay in school forever to keep learning. They make me forget about the pain of having to memorize textbooks and the dread to finish lab reports in the middle of the night. I'm a nerd like that.

This term I'm taking a course on "Evolutionary Biology" (BIOL 359) with professor Jonathan Witt, and he is one of those professors who really do care. At the beginning of every class, he spends 5 minutes to introduce 2 "words of the day" to us, because he thinks science students don't know enough vocabularies. In almost every other class he in one way or another tells us he thinks evolution is the most fascinating thing and he is convinced that he has one of the best jobs in the world because not only does he gets to study it, he gets to teach it to us. In today's class, he said the following:

"Evolutionary biology is the glue that defies all biology, behavioural sciences and life sciences. So when you're studying biochemistry, or molecular cell biology, try and think about evolutionary consequences of what you're learning about . And try to ask questions. Because when you start asking questions, you might develop really neat hypothesis that you might at some point go out and test, and that's how science proceeds. But not only that, evolution is what I think a much broader and much wider inquire - and that is change. Change is pervasive; change is fundamental to everything on planet. Everything changes and evolves. So if you start thinking about evolution, not only biological of change, but in the whole modern context of change, then you will see that your life will become very interesting.

For example, when I walk into a grocery store, I don't just walk up and down the aisles. I look around and think about change. Our global food distribution system has evolved into a just-in-time system. The result of that is there's no more demand for canned food. Who would buy it when you get fresh food from California, Chile, even China? The consequence of that is our food stock in Ontario today has never been lower than there has been in the past. We are now supremely vulnerable to a shock that could come out of nowhere. Who knows what it'll be, but when you think about change, it's these shocks that bring down our societies."

I really like what he said because I think that can be applied to every course in every discipline. We cannot get away from exams and paper, but what we can do is to keep asking questions. I like how he brings things together and asks us to formulate our own hypothesis. Because if we don't have questions, how much are we really learning? At the same time, we can't always just sit here and expect someone to give us all the answers. Education is about that constant curiosity and inquiry about why things are the way they are, then going out to find answers. Albert Einstein once said, "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." Now this makes me think, what kind of hypothesis do I

want to develop for the placement this summer? What kind of things do I want to investigate? What kind of background research do I have to do before I go to prepare me for my "experiments"?

Professor Witt also recommended a book, "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond, and wished that we would read it over the summer. "It's a book about change," he said.

Making it personal

2009-03-01T12:37:00.008-05:00

As the other Beyond Border students are posting entries about their motivations for enrolling in the program and what they hope to gain from the experience, I am also thinking about what mine are. I keep thinking that, aside from the obvious reasons such as understanding the challenges people face in a less developed country and putting myself in those situations, there should be something more. I mean, those are good reasons - but they are still a bit vague. Going back to what I learned in my Science & Business class, the question to answer now is, "So what?" I would like to have a clearer understanding of what is it that I want to take away from the experience and what that is going to do. "I'm going to learn" isn't a good enough answer for me anymore. I've also realized that I can't advocate unless I am absolutely in tuned with myself. Then I found some answers as I read Me to We, a book written by Craig and Marc Kielburger, the founders of Free the Children .

In one of the sections, it talked about how we tend to do one of the two things when we look upon others' suffering and overwhelmed by our own response to it. The first reaction is avoidance - we want to remove ourselves from the situation so that we relieve our pain (ie. when we see images of poverty on TV, we want to quickly change the channel). The second one is defending ourselves by dehumanizing those people (ie. telling ourselves that "they" are different from "us") and blame them for the way they are (ie. lazy, addictions, evil, etc). Sounds familiar? I'm the first to admit I have used those techniques to make myself feel better. (Over time I feel that I sound more and more like the oppressor in Pedagogy! sigh...)

However, it's also our human nature to wish that others experience more happiness and less suffering. "Everyone has the ability to feel empathy, but there is a difference between reading about a large number of people dying from a disease and listening to an interview with one person suffering from that disease and learning about its impact on her life". Ultimately, the empathy we feel has to come from learning about the suffering of an individual, not nameless, faceless statistics. When we are able to humanize statistics, then we feel a natural empathy, follow by feeling angry about the injustice and an urge to respond. When someone we know personally is suffering, we no longer feel comfortable turning a blind eye to the injustice that we see.

That message gave me incredible insight. I often think about the kind of work I want to do through the Beyond Borders program, and I know that sharing stories and encouraging others to care are some of my biggest objectives. One question I always ask myself is how I can put things into perspective for my readers. Then I came to realize what I can do is personalize injustice and suffering. People can't care about numbers, and we can't take in too much all at once. Very often we only have the capacity to care about people that we have relationships with - a friend, a friend's friend, or even a friend's friend's friend. When our beloved friends are in trouble, we go a long way trying to help because we care. It's so much harder to respond when we are distant from the situation. By going oversea this summer and building relationships with people, they become Ruby's friends, with names and faces, and no longer "those poor children in Africa I read about who are infected with HIV and live on less than $1 a day". It becomes personal, and we act in a less selfish way.

This is one of the ways I see the experience this summer is going to invoke changes in myself and those around me. This is also one of the ways I see myself making difference as one person.