These past few weeks have flown! They have been filled with letter writing, fundraiser organizing, graduation party planning, GRE studying, visiting with friends and family, and thank you writing, not to mention actually attending my grad party, fundraiser, and taking the GRE. It has been tiring, but at the same time, it has been so filling.
I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of all the people who have sent me donation letters, notes of kind words, attended my party and fundraiser, and shared their support and encouragement with me. This outpouring of support has virtually erased any doubt I may have had about my decision to volunteer in Africa. The simple words and selfless gifts have affirmed me in my decision, and I am more motivated than ever to begin this journey and pour myself out to serve with the people in Malawi.
I leave for St. Louis tomorrow, and I think I'm ready. I have my bags packed, I've said "see you later" to most all of my friends, and I've tried my best to spend quality time with my family. I am excited to begin this adventure, and I'm ready to run. I don't know what to expect when I get there, and I'm sure I'll be shocked by all the newness. But I'm excited about all that. I think the one thing weighing on me right now is how this journey of mine is going to affect the various people in my life, particularly my family. I know it is easy for me to get so focused on my mission, on the things I'm working towards, that I forget to include the people in my life who aren't close in proximity to me. It will take a good deal of effort for me to keep in close contact with the ones I love here, but I am placing that contact as one of my top priorities. I don't want to disappear for two years and come back feeling like I don't know anyone here and feeling like no one here knows me. It will take work, but I'm willing to make it work. It is the least I can do for all that these beautiful people have given me.
The next time I write, I should be in St. Louis. I hope to give you all an idea of what our orientation is like. Stay tuned. We're just getting started. :)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Something small and simple...but with so much meaning
With the weekend of my big graduation party and major fundraiser drawing near, I am so incredibly encouraged by the support I have received from friends and family for this mission I am taking on.
Though I am not yet near reaching my fundraising needs, I have received a generous amount of donations. The willingness of these friends of mine, new and old, to offer what they can is incredibly humbling; in fact, it is quite overwhelming!
It has become quite clear to me that I cannot fully express my gratitude to the individuals who have donated. Yes, money is just money; it is not important when considering the big picture. However, in this case at least, it does mean something. It takes a certain degree of intention to make the decision to give some of the earnings for which you have worked hard to someone because you believe in what they are doing. This is the overwhelming part for me. With each check I receive in the mail, and each envelope someone hands me, I am humbled by the belief people are placing in me; I am also inspired by it.
In a meager attempt to express some degree of gratitude, I am using a friend's idea as a simple way to remind myself of all those who have placed their hope and encouragement in me. I plan to write down each name of the people who have donated, and place those names on the walls and spaces around me while I am in Malawi: in my bedroom, at my desk, in my closet, in my classroom, etc. And when I see those names, I will pray a small prayer of thanksgiving and request that they may be blessed in the abundant ways that I have.
I cannot thank you enough.
Though I am not yet near reaching my fundraising needs, I have received a generous amount of donations. The willingness of these friends of mine, new and old, to offer what they can is incredibly humbling; in fact, it is quite overwhelming!
It has become quite clear to me that I cannot fully express my gratitude to the individuals who have donated. Yes, money is just money; it is not important when considering the big picture. However, in this case at least, it does mean something. It takes a certain degree of intention to make the decision to give some of the earnings for which you have worked hard to someone because you believe in what they are doing. This is the overwhelming part for me. With each check I receive in the mail, and each envelope someone hands me, I am humbled by the belief people are placing in me; I am also inspired by it.
In a meager attempt to express some degree of gratitude, I am using a friend's idea as a simple way to remind myself of all those who have placed their hope and encouragement in me. I plan to write down each name of the people who have donated, and place those names on the walls and spaces around me while I am in Malawi: in my bedroom, at my desk, in my closet, in my classroom, etc. And when I see those names, I will pray a small prayer of thanksgiving and request that they may be blessed in the abundant ways that I have.
I cannot thank you enough.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A Surprise at Milano's
This past weekend I stopped in Dayton on my way to visit the UDSAP house. (UDSAP [University of Dayton Summer Appalachia Program] is the service program I participated in last summer, and each summer the UDSAPers host three visitors weekends for family, friends, and former UDSAPers.) On my way down to Kentucky, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Dayton and catch up with a few friends. A few of us decided to meet up at Milano's right off of UD's campus, and so I headed there last Thursday evening.
When I walked into Milano's I was greeted by a huge smile on the face of Matt Maroon, the student who graduated from UD two years ago and was the first volunteer to travel to Karonga, Malawi to work with the Marianists. He's the one who established the volunteer site that I will be working at for the next two years. I've had a few opportunities to speak with him about Malawi, but I was nonetheless excited to see him. He and I ended up speaking for the rest of the evening, and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.
Matt's face beamed with energy as he spoke to me about the excitement he has for the work in which I am about to engage. I was surely reassured by his excitement for me. As we spoke, I had the opportunity to ask him a number of questions, but I had no idea that I would walk away feeling as eager to begin my work as I did. Matt's answer to one of my questions settled an internal debate that I've been having since I've considered going to Malawi. I've been debating the value of someone like me going to Africa to volunteer. Surely, there are qualified people there who perhaps would have an easier time doing the work that I will be doing because they are already familiar with the culture, the climate, the people, the languages, and so on. So what value do I bring?
The instant I asked Matt that question, his eyebrows raised, his head leaned back, and his shoulders opened. "Huge! You bring huge value," Matt replied. "You can't even begin to imagine the value you bring." Matt went on to describe the way that the education I've received here in the U.S., particularly the type of education I received at UD, is extremely rare there. Furthermore, the access to information I've had here in the U.S. is exponentially greater than the access to information the people there have. He insisted that the information that I have seen, heard, and read in my life time, and the perspective I have of the world because of all that information, will be of tremendous value there; so much so, that I probably won't understand it until I get there.
I don't think I yet understand the disparity Matt described. It couldn't be that great, could it?
Matt's insistence, however, assured me that I will be of use there--that I won't be some wealthy, white American on a tourist trip to the third world, bringing along my funds as the only valuable characteristic I have. He believes the information, perspectives, and understanding that I possess will be of incredible value to the people with whom I will be working; talk about motivation!
When I walked into Milano's I was greeted by a huge smile on the face of Matt Maroon, the student who graduated from UD two years ago and was the first volunteer to travel to Karonga, Malawi to work with the Marianists. He's the one who established the volunteer site that I will be working at for the next two years. I've had a few opportunities to speak with him about Malawi, but I was nonetheless excited to see him. He and I ended up speaking for the rest of the evening, and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise.
Matt's face beamed with energy as he spoke to me about the excitement he has for the work in which I am about to engage. I was surely reassured by his excitement for me. As we spoke, I had the opportunity to ask him a number of questions, but I had no idea that I would walk away feeling as eager to begin my work as I did. Matt's answer to one of my questions settled an internal debate that I've been having since I've considered going to Malawi. I've been debating the value of someone like me going to Africa to volunteer. Surely, there are qualified people there who perhaps would have an easier time doing the work that I will be doing because they are already familiar with the culture, the climate, the people, the languages, and so on. So what value do I bring?
The instant I asked Matt that question, his eyebrows raised, his head leaned back, and his shoulders opened. "Huge! You bring huge value," Matt replied. "You can't even begin to imagine the value you bring." Matt went on to describe the way that the education I've received here in the U.S., particularly the type of education I received at UD, is extremely rare there. Furthermore, the access to information I've had here in the U.S. is exponentially greater than the access to information the people there have. He insisted that the information that I have seen, heard, and read in my life time, and the perspective I have of the world because of all that information, will be of tremendous value there; so much so, that I probably won't understand it until I get there.
I don't think I yet understand the disparity Matt described. It couldn't be that great, could it?
Matt's insistence, however, assured me that I will be of use there--that I won't be some wealthy, white American on a tourist trip to the third world, bringing along my funds as the only valuable characteristic I have. He believes the information, perspectives, and understanding that I possess will be of incredible value to the people with whom I will be working; talk about motivation!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The First One!!!
I received my first donation in the mail today!!! Woohoo!!! :) :) :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It's very exciting to see something start to come from all this hard work!
I never realized how hard it is to raise funds. It truly takes a lot of time, preparation, commitment, and hard work to even try do it adequately. Also, the simple idea of approaching people, calling people, or even sending a mere letter to ask them for money is challenging in itself. I had a hard time even starting the process because I was so scared to do it wrong. I didn't want to offend people by asking them for money, especially since the economy is not in its best position right now.
It is a daunting task, but I've gotten the first set of letters out there, I've starting contacting people, and with the generous help of my sister, I've made plans for a fundraising event (more info on that soon!). I've gotten the wheels rolling, and today, I saw the first fruits of that work. I already feel incredibly grateful for the way people have supported me in this venture; the blessings abound!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It's very exciting to see something start to come from all this hard work!
I never realized how hard it is to raise funds. It truly takes a lot of time, preparation, commitment, and hard work to even try do it adequately. Also, the simple idea of approaching people, calling people, or even sending a mere letter to ask them for money is challenging in itself. I had a hard time even starting the process because I was so scared to do it wrong. I didn't want to offend people by asking them for money, especially since the economy is not in its best position right now.
It is a daunting task, but I've gotten the first set of letters out there, I've starting contacting people, and with the generous help of my sister, I've made plans for a fundraising event (more info on that soon!). I've gotten the wheels rolling, and today, I saw the first fruits of that work. I already feel incredibly grateful for the way people have supported me in this venture; the blessings abound!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
And So The Story Begins
(Below: A child in Malawi. Taken by Ryan Dugan.)
Hello and welcome!
These blogs have proven to be a popular and effective way to keep people updated on what's going on in someone's life, so I've decided to start up my own as a way of sharing with you the rich experiences in which I will soon be submerged. I've already been hard at work preparing for my volunteer experience, so the story has already begun!
As you may or may not already know, I will be spending the next two years of my life in Africa. I will be volunteering with the Marianist Volunteer Program (MVP)with four other UD graduates and one teacher from Iowa. Together, we will be supporting the Marianists with three major programs that they are running in the town of Karonga, Malawi in South-Central Africa. The three programs include Chaminade Secondary School, M.I.R.A.C.L.E. Technical College, and the Women's Empowerment Program.
Chaminade is an all boys boarding high school that hosts about 350 boys from various parts of Malawi. M.I.R.A.C.L.E. is a trade school for female and male youth between the ages of 17 and 27 who never completed their formal education. All of the students at M.I.R.A.C.L.E. have lost at least one parent, many of them to AIDS. And the Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) is a microcredit program that provides small loans to women of the surrounding area, working to bring them out of extreme poverty and empower them to have a stronger position in society; the WEP is an incredible program, and I'm excited to contribute whatever I can to help it continue to succeed.
My specific placement is as a teacher of Biology and Social Studies to first year students at Chaminade. Chaminade's headmaster has also expressed an interest in me assisting in the development of a counseling program for the boys. Such an endeavor would undoubtedly be a significant challenge, but I am extremely excited by the prospect of already putting to use the knowledge I've gained from my UD education and engaging in a project that could directly help the boys in the school.
If all that doesn't already sound like enough to fill my plate, I am also already working with Matt Meyers, one of the other volunteers, researching Permaculture gardens. Permaculture is a way of designing gardens that utilizes the many aspects of a particular ecosystem in order to develop highly productive, self-sustaining, and environmentally friendly gardens. Not only do these gardens have the potential to produce much needed nutrition for the students, but their design actually has the potential to improve the quality of the soil and the environment. Permaculture is an extremely exciting movement that is emerging throughout the world. Google it, and check it out; it's really cool stuff!
As I have gained more and more details of what I will be doing in Karonga, I have become more and more excited about my decision to dedicate over two years of my life to volunteering. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with the eleventh lowest per capita Gross Domestic Product. In addition to those economic challenges, Malawi faces one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world with about 14% of the population living with HIV/AIDS. These issues combine with some serious educational inadequacies, definite environmental concerns, and troubling cultural inequalities to make Malawi a country in true need of help.
(Above: Malawian children - Ryan Dugan)
With all of those challenges facing this country, I know that I am going to face many challenges as well. In those challenges, though, I know I will have so many opportunities to grow, and that is what excites me about this commitment. There is so much I can learn through this experience. My simple hope is that I can give something to the people who I know will be teaching me.
Right now, I still have a great deal of fundraising to accomplish, so I am working hard on staying focused on that task and trying not to spend too much time looking into the things I will be doing once I'm there. I have to keep reminding myself that I have to raise the funds to get there before I can start doing any of the work.
With that, I should get off here, and quit daydreaming about the exciting adventures ahead.
If you are interested in making a donation to make this work possible, you can contact me anytime at taube.andy@gmail.com, or you can send donations to:
Hello and welcome!
These blogs have proven to be a popular and effective way to keep people updated on what's going on in someone's life, so I've decided to start up my own as a way of sharing with you the rich experiences in which I will soon be submerged. I've already been hard at work preparing for my volunteer experience, so the story has already begun!
As you may or may not already know, I will be spending the next two years of my life in Africa. I will be volunteering with the Marianist Volunteer Program (MVP)with four other UD graduates and one teacher from Iowa. Together, we will be supporting the Marianists with three major programs that they are running in the town of Karonga, Malawi in South-Central Africa. The three programs include Chaminade Secondary School, M.I.R.A.C.L.E. Technical College, and the Women's Empowerment Program.
Chaminade is an all boys boarding high school that hosts about 350 boys from various parts of Malawi. M.I.R.A.C.L.E. is a trade school for female and male youth between the ages of 17 and 27 who never completed their formal education. All of the students at M.I.R.A.C.L.E. have lost at least one parent, many of them to AIDS. And the Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) is a microcredit program that provides small loans to women of the surrounding area, working to bring them out of extreme poverty and empower them to have a stronger position in society; the WEP is an incredible program, and I'm excited to contribute whatever I can to help it continue to succeed.
My specific placement is as a teacher of Biology and Social Studies to first year students at Chaminade. Chaminade's headmaster has also expressed an interest in me assisting in the development of a counseling program for the boys. Such an endeavor would undoubtedly be a significant challenge, but I am extremely excited by the prospect of already putting to use the knowledge I've gained from my UD education and engaging in a project that could directly help the boys in the school.
If all that doesn't already sound like enough to fill my plate, I am also already working with Matt Meyers, one of the other volunteers, researching Permaculture gardens. Permaculture is a way of designing gardens that utilizes the many aspects of a particular ecosystem in order to develop highly productive, self-sustaining, and environmentally friendly gardens. Not only do these gardens have the potential to produce much needed nutrition for the students, but their design actually has the potential to improve the quality of the soil and the environment. Permaculture is an extremely exciting movement that is emerging throughout the world. Google it, and check it out; it's really cool stuff!
As I have gained more and more details of what I will be doing in Karonga, I have become more and more excited about my decision to dedicate over two years of my life to volunteering. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with the eleventh lowest per capita Gross Domestic Product. In addition to those economic challenges, Malawi faces one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the world with about 14% of the population living with HIV/AIDS. These issues combine with some serious educational inadequacies, definite environmental concerns, and troubling cultural inequalities to make Malawi a country in true need of help.(Above: Malawian children - Ryan Dugan)
With all of those challenges facing this country, I know that I am going to face many challenges as well. In those challenges, though, I know I will have so many opportunities to grow, and that is what excites me about this commitment. There is so much I can learn through this experience. My simple hope is that I can give something to the people who I know will be teaching me.
Right now, I still have a great deal of fundraising to accomplish, so I am working hard on staying focused on that task and trying not to spend too much time looking into the things I will be doing once I'm there. I have to keep reminding myself that I have to raise the funds to get there before I can start doing any of the work.
With that, I should get off here, and quit daydreaming about the exciting adventures ahead.
If you are interested in making a donation to make this work possible, you can contact me anytime at taube.andy@gmail.com, or you can send donations to:
Andy Taube
10022 S. Malta St.
Chicago IL, 60643-2121
MVP has recommended that any checks be made out to me, and then I can collect them all and write one final check made out to them. If you are interested in receiving a tax deduction you can make a check out to the Marianist Volunteer Program and send it to me. I can then contact MVP and ask them to send a letter to you as a receipt of your donation.
Thank you for your support and for being a part of this journey with me!
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