Enrichment #4

For my fourth enrichment activity I went to the round table in the center for spirituality.  I work there so after work the talk was starting and I decided to join in.  The talk was about SOA and the group form NDNU that went to protest in Georgia.

The talk was headed by those students and faculty who went to Columbus, Georgia to protest.  They joined the group SOAW (school of America watch).  Every year they meat around the same time to protest and host a vigil at the school.

The schools of America are schools that were established in different countries mostly Latin American countries.  The schools took citizens and trained them.  It was a military school that trained soldiers. The protesters claim the school took Latin Americans and turned them against their own country.  The school partook in brainwashing the students.  The claim was the schools were apart of the U.S's over reaching imperialism.  The schools were used to force the U.S democracy system and able to control other countries.  The schools graduates are accused of rapping, torturing, and murdering their own people.

The protest was also about a prison they went to where human rights were violated.  Human's due process rights were violated.  The issues of soldiery confinement and the ethics behind that were discussed and the use of torture was discussed.

The students that went said the event was not organized that well, but was still an eye opening experience.  They said they learned a lot about social justice and the over reaching power of the U.S. government.  Those who went participated in different workshops that sounded fun and educational.  The people at the event were either college students are older retired folks.

After hearing about the trip, I became interested about the SOA and the social injustice that is taking place.  I have gained interest in the trip and hopefully maybe will go next year.

Enrichment #3

For my third enrichment I went to Tammy's talk in the chapel.  I was able to get most of the cross country team to go with me, which was great.  It was good team bonding.  Tammy's talk covered many areas. The team and I learned a lot from her talk.

Before the talk, I had a preconceived idea what it meant to be disabled.  I thought they were in cable of doing normal people stuff.  They were somehow not able to function in normal society and needed to be watched and taken care of.  To me they used to seem like a burden on other people.  They needed to be taken care of and babied.  I used to think they were subordinate to normally functioning human beings.

Going into the talk I thought it was going to be a comedy act or some sort of improv act.  The way the fliers were written and the way people talked about it gave me that idea.  She always would be introduced as Tammy who does improv and is a comedian.  So, going into the talk I expected an improv act intergrading what it would feel like to be disabled.  I thought it might be a comedy talking about disabilities in an educational manner.

During the talk, I realized it was going to be nothing like what I had expected.  Her talk was more of an interview style, very professional, with a Q and A after.  I found this method of relaying information more serious and emotional.  Tammy was able to make connections to me and the rest of the audience with her analogies and stories about prom and dating.  Those analogies kept my attention and kept the talk lively and exciting as well as emotional.

Her talk taught me everyone has equal value and no one is superior to anyone else.  I learned that those with disabilities still have many capabilities and things to offer.  She also taught me that no one is perfect everyone has their own disabilities whatever it may be.  This really stuck a cord with me.  From the talk I walked away with a new idea of what it means to be disabled.  I know see them as equals and no longer a burden to those who take care of them.  They have just as much to offer the world as anyone else.  I also learned not to baby people with disabilities.

The talk was very educational, as well as, inspiring.  I am glad I went and think Tammy was a perfect person to have talk for disabilities week.  I had the opportunity to meet her more later on that week and enjoyed every monument of it.


 

Earth Abides Farm

     The trip to the farm was quite long, but it was worth it.  About the way I got to run along a semi-paved road.  I felt bad I made everyone wait longer in the cars, but the run was amazing.  The path was wide and had tall forested trees on both sides.  The weather was cool and I was able to see cows and deer on the run.  The run was very hilly and the cars kept me from going slow so I had a good workout.  Once there I played with the three dogs! I love dogs! It made me miss my own. The farm was quite large and not exactly what I expected.  They only had chickens and some small beds to plant veggies.  I expected cows, pigs, horse, and large areas of land planted.
     The work day was short.  I helped dig for soil to put in one of the planters.  My group also helped rebuild a green house that the wind had partially destroyed.  After that I went running.  The trails were amazing.  I ran to the top of a hill where I was able to overlook the valley and see another mountain.  The nature running for me was the best part of the trip.  Running in nature was so meditative and peaceful.  It was also a great workout.
     The food was really good.  I had fun making the food as well.  During the trip I learned a lot about working with women.  Being the only guy was hard.  I learned women approach things much differently then women do.  Preparing the food and rebuilding the green house was frustrating but I learned how to work with women better. I still prefer working with guys.  Guys approach the task head on just by doing and figuring things out as it goes. Women like to think about it and are much slower to action then guys are, at least that was my experience.
     The one complaint I had was the trip seemed a bit too religious at times, and it seemed to have an underlining Catholic tone.  I work for Amy and I know that issue comes up among the interns.  It is just something to be mindful of.  The spiritual stuff like the sunset, meditating, songs, and certain passages are fine: they are more spiritual then religious. Some comments and certain things may have struck a cord however.  There were lost of talks about god and some atheists might have been uncomfortable at certain moments and I came close to speaking up a couple of times, but I don't think anyone was too affected by it.
     Overall I learned a lot about the catholic worker movement and what it stands for.  I thought it was great chance for the class to bond and get to know each other more.  I am really glad I went.

Tammy's talk to the class

Tammy's talk in our class was quite interesting to say the least.  I found her story to be very motivating and powerful.  What I got out of most from her talk to the class was to never give up and always push on.  I found that the way she tried things out of her normal comfort zone to be inspiring and encouraged me to open up a little and to try new things.  I learned a lot about her disability and was able to understand it quite well.  I think she was a great person to have come talk for disabilities week.

Josh's class visit

 Josh's class visit was not what I was expecting.  I expected at least ten nonverbal children to come visit NDNU who suffered from certain disabilities.  I thought we were going to sit around in a circle and hum a few songs.  Instead, Josh brought three adults who were verbal, but had some disabilities.  We did not sit in a circle and do what was planned out, instead we went up a hill and sat on some benches in a nice part of campus.  My class watched as the three visitors ate their lunch.  I along with the others in my class were unaware to bring food, so it was a little awkward standing there watching them eat.  While they were eating my class got to know a little about each of them.  Personally, I wish we would have kept with the plan and ate on the grass in front of the mansion.  Where we ate was nice, but there were beer bottles behind the benches and one of the students Josh brought kick one.  That could have possibly been a dangerous situation and all together probably wasn't too professional.   Once they were done eating we all went to walk the 5k course.  Walking the course was fun.  Everyone spread out which allowed my class more time to talk and socialize with Josh and his class.  We walked to the top of the hill where we waited for everyone else to catch up.  That part was a bit unorganized.  At the top of the hill we didn't know where the rest of the group was and some of us had to leave for our next class.  Overall I learned that sometimes plans change and being able to adapt to the situation is important.  I enjoyed spending time with Josh's class and was even able to learn some sign language.

Sitting by a Tree

While the rest of my FYE class went camping, my homework was to sit by a tree.  I sat by the same tree I sat with at the beginning of the year.  During this time I reflected upon my life and contemplated many things.  It was a peaceful time sitting out in nature with the tree.  I felt at peace and and relaxed.  For that time sitting I felt very close to nature.

NicaArgo 5k Reflection

Now that the 5k is over I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  Planning and preparing for the run was a lot of work and consumed much of my time.  The event went well for the most part.  I was disappointed that Josh's class did not come, it made everything we did in FYE feel like a waste.  We were able to raise 1,400 dollars through so that was great! Hopefully that money will make a difference and help out the sisters in Niagara.