So. I'm around that three month marker. Financially, this is where I stand:
Goal- $4,450
Raised- $0
When you think about it though, money really has no value. What is a dollar? It's just made up. It's 'value' changes daily. It could die out one day. Essentially, having zero dollars is about as good as having four thousand of them. Plus, in my mind I have all the money raised already, and, as the saying goes, it's the thought that counts.
I'm golden.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
What it is
The voice of reason is standing next to my laptop on my desk, arms folded, toe tapping, shaking her head in exasperation. We've been at it all night.
'Hey, I think I'm going dancing tonight,' I said.
'You can't,' she spit.
'Why not?'
'You have too much to do. Support letters to write, forms to fill out.'
'Meh.'
'Not to mention you work two doubles for the next two days...'
'But I have to live it-'
'...and an overnight after that...'
'Yes, but I-'
'CHRISTA! You need to sleep.'
'I know but-'
'Stop justifying yourself and be productive. Or just go to bed!'
Things went like this for a bit, but luckily, since the voice of reason is just a figment of my imagination anyway, I won the battle, kicked her to the curb, and hit the road.
Now here I sit almost five hours later. I burned a little gas, a lot of calories, and had the best cha cha dance of my life during that time. Plus, as a bonus, I got to dance with someone half a foot shorter than I am who bounced when he danced like a bottle bobbing in the ocean. Whenever I messed up, he gave me this huge grin and a nod as if to say, 'Right on!' Even when I clocked his jaw (by accident!) with my entire forearm during a wild spin, he enthusiastically assured me it was his fault, and compared the incident to a soccer ball hitting his face. He said he used to play pro soccer, so what had just happened was nothing. Even if I gave him a black eye, it wouldn't be as bad as that time he was on bed rest for weeks because of a playing injury.
Spectacular.
Speaking of soccer, guess which sport is not the national sport in Nicaragua? You got it! Baseball is actually their cup of tea. I personally find soccer a bit more exciting, so I think I'll advocate for some change while I'm down there.
For those who wanted a bit more detail on what I'll be doing and where I'll be working while I'm in Nicaragua, here goes:
I will be volunteering as a (non-licensed) social worker at the Isaiah 29:18 Christian School for the Deaf, founded by the Assemblies of God denomination. The school provides educational and vocational training to about 75 students. The majority of the students live outside of Managua, where the school is located. During the week they stay at the school, going home on the weekends. The school receives a lot of assistance from outside organizations and sponsors, but these sponsors do not know about the specific needs of the students. The job of the social worker is to help research and provide the socioeconomic information of the families, so that the sponsors and other outside organizations might be able to better meets the needs of the students and their families. In addition to this, I may be responsible for any of the following: home visits, intake interviews/surveys, analysis of data collected, counseling of students, organizing contact between students and sponsors, and a few other things.
The school needs a social worker but cannot afford to pay for the position, hence why MCC sends a SALT volunteer. The SALTer raises funds and is supported by folk back at home so that the school in Nicaragua can afford to better serve its population. Yay! Hopefully I can be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people with whom I come into contact.
I'm really getting tired now though and I sense that anything else I try to write won't sound cohesive, so off to sleep I go. Stay tuned for more information on MCC, raising money, y mucho más!
'Hey, I think I'm going dancing tonight,' I said.
'You can't,' she spit.
'Why not?'
'You have too much to do. Support letters to write, forms to fill out.'
'Meh.'
'Not to mention you work two doubles for the next two days...'
'But I have to live it-'
'...and an overnight after that...'
'Yes, but I-'
'CHRISTA! You need to sleep.'
'I know but-'
'Stop justifying yourself and be productive. Or just go to bed!'
Things went like this for a bit, but luckily, since the voice of reason is just a figment of my imagination anyway, I won the battle, kicked her to the curb, and hit the road.
Now here I sit almost five hours later. I burned a little gas, a lot of calories, and had the best cha cha dance of my life during that time. Plus, as a bonus, I got to dance with someone half a foot shorter than I am who bounced when he danced like a bottle bobbing in the ocean. Whenever I messed up, he gave me this huge grin and a nod as if to say, 'Right on!' Even when I clocked his jaw (by accident!) with my entire forearm during a wild spin, he enthusiastically assured me it was his fault, and compared the incident to a soccer ball hitting his face. He said he used to play pro soccer, so what had just happened was nothing. Even if I gave him a black eye, it wouldn't be as bad as that time he was on bed rest for weeks because of a playing injury.
Spectacular.
Speaking of soccer, guess which sport is not the national sport in Nicaragua? You got it! Baseball is actually their cup of tea. I personally find soccer a bit more exciting, so I think I'll advocate for some change while I'm down there.
For those who wanted a bit more detail on what I'll be doing and where I'll be working while I'm in Nicaragua, here goes:
I will be volunteering as a (non-licensed) social worker at the Isaiah 29:18 Christian School for the Deaf, founded by the Assemblies of God denomination. The school provides educational and vocational training to about 75 students. The majority of the students live outside of Managua, where the school is located. During the week they stay at the school, going home on the weekends. The school receives a lot of assistance from outside organizations and sponsors, but these sponsors do not know about the specific needs of the students. The job of the social worker is to help research and provide the socioeconomic information of the families, so that the sponsors and other outside organizations might be able to better meets the needs of the students and their families. In addition to this, I may be responsible for any of the following: home visits, intake interviews/surveys, analysis of data collected, counseling of students, organizing contact between students and sponsors, and a few other things.
The school needs a social worker but cannot afford to pay for the position, hence why MCC sends a SALT volunteer. The SALTer raises funds and is supported by folk back at home so that the school in Nicaragua can afford to better serve its population. Yay! Hopefully I can be the hands and feet of Jesus to the people with whom I come into contact.
I'm really getting tired now though and I sense that anything else I try to write won't sound cohesive, so off to sleep I go. Stay tuned for more information on MCC, raising money, y mucho más!
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