Day by Day...

"Graduation is only a concept. In real life, every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference." Arie Pencovici

Each day I wake up and enjoy some fresh air before getting ready to go to class or my ELL practicum at the elementary school. For most of the year, I ran in the mornings. Lately I've been taking walks. Regardless, the feel of soft earth and grass beneath my feet, the songs of the birds, the colorful flowers and chance to glimpse a cardinal, baltimore oriel or a fox, and the fragrence of the long row of lilac bushes along the backside of campus...All these things are a beautiful welcome to the day.

I am looking forward to my college graduation and the opportunities the await me afterwards, but sometimes have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy this time too. There is a saying: "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift; that's why it's called the present."

This semester's history has been filled with both good times and tough ones this semester. I have been busy with classes (some that I love and some that I must endure), work and running as well as maintaining relationships with friends. This track season has not been what I hoped it would be, but I've been blessed in many other ways. I received a Fulbright grant to teach English at teacher training institutes in provincial Peru in 2013. I also ran my quickest half-marathon and enjoyed a more liesurely one with a friend in Lincoln. I also got to spend some time with a wonderful cousin in Omaha over Easter weekend.

The mystery of my future awaits, although I have a few hopes for it. Just this morning, I was struck with the realization that in less than 5 weeks I'll graduate and in 6 weeks and 1 day I'll be on my way to Kenya! I know very little of what awaits me there and the joys and challenges I will encounter, but I look forward to the experiences and learning through them. I'm also hoping to do the Lincoln marathon in 2.5 weeks with one of my cousins.

Presently, I'm taking each day as it comes, working little by little on the term papers I need to complete, loving the weather and remembering that no matter how excited I am to finish up with these classes and formally graduate, each day we begin again and end by graduating to a new day with the knowledge and experiences we've acquired throughout that one.

This spring...

Spring is in the air! I love waking up to the sounds of birds chirping and being able to go for a run without wearing a bunch of layers and having it be light by the time I get home, with still plenty of time before I have class or my practicum.

This semester I'm staying busy with classes and am doing a practicum in an ELL (English as a Learned Language) class at the local elementary school as well as continuing to run, work and do adult ESL classes two nights per week.

Some of my classes include social psychology, medical Spanish, Spanish and German language methods, a senior honors research seminar (for which I am researching the affects/effects of the Spanish influenza at Doane College and how the college's president dealt with the issue), American literature and modern poetry.

This weekend I will have my first half-marathon of the year at Fremont. I'm looking forward to it, although I am not sure what to expect of myself for a pace since I took indoor track season off. It should be fun anyway.

I'm looking forward to graduation in 2.5 months. Hope you're having spring weather too and that it's brightening your days.

AHADI means promise

I've been picking up a few Swahili words in my spare moments, since Swahili and English are the official languages of Kenya.

Ahadi means promise.

Tumaini means hope.

Uhuru means freedom.

Amani means peace.

Upendo means love.

And finally a simple sentence: Maji ni maisha. Water is life.





A few inspirational/motivational quotes (all in English of course =D )that I've come across in the past few weeks that I'd like to share follow.

*Mankind's greatest error is to try to take out of the mind that which will not leave the heart.
...If you're passionate about something, go for it! Even if it's not easy.

*Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain.

*When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

*Forgiveness: The perfume a flower leaves on the shoe that crushed it.

Expanding horizons

I plan to depart for Kenya on May 30th--although I won't arrive at my destination until 2 days later. Sometimes I am really excited about this opportunity to explore a new culture, an unfamiliar country (not to mention continent) and new languages, but I must admit that that isn't how I always feel.

I've been asked, "Aren't you scared?"..."Aren't you nervous?"..."Why would you want to go there?" The answer to the first two questions is "yes": Yes, I am scared and nervous, but I also feel like it is what I need to do. Why go to Kenya...to rural and impoverished Kenya...to a school where several of the children likely have HIV? There is so much in this world that I do not know or understand and so many who are less fortunate that I am.

When asked about the specifics of what I will be doing, its exact location and my other arrangements...my answer is, "I don't know." Lame, right? For a person who likes to be feel in control of things and to know what is going on, that seems bizarre. Yet, although I have anxious moments, I feel at ease about this journey.

In May I'll graduate. 1 1/2 weeks later, I will put my education and other experiences to the test to see how well they serve me in the "real" world.

Below are two websites that will give you more information about Kimori Academy and AHADI if you are interested.

http://www.bridgetgallaghersfairtrade.com/Gallery.html
http://www.ahadicommunity.kbo.co.ke/

A Quest for Understanding

After graduation I have an opportunity to travel to and work with a non-governmental organization (NGO) for six months in Kenya. The NGO, Academic Health and Agricultural Development Initiative (AHADI) is located in Rift Valley province and supports Kimori Academy, the school at which I plan to do my volunteer work.

Kimori Academy has approximate 450 students between the ages of 5-15 years, many of whom are AIDS orphans or come from marginalized communities. AHADI works to provide the children with spiritual, emotional and physical assistance as they pursue their education. Poverty, disease and lack of quality education continue to plague the region. Through sponsorships, Kimori Academy has been able to provide many children with an education making a brighter future with a college education possible for them.

I am excited for this opportunity to serve in Kenya while deepening my understanding of the country, its people and cultures as well as a better understanding of the issues facing the people there. My goal on this journey is to learn—to learn how little I know, to learn about the subtleties in life, to learn that change comes slowly, but hopefully learning that we can all make a scratch on the surface. I am not going to solve Kenya’s problems. I am not going to change things. I am on a quest for understanding in hopes to make a difference in the lives of some children.

Upon my return I hope to work with immigrant and refugee populations in the United States.

Ghandi once said, “If the cause is right, the means will come.” If you are interested in making a financial contribution to me to fund this service project or would like to make a donation directly to AHADI or to sponsor a child at Kimori Academy, please contact me at aprill.bodlak@doane.edu for more information.

Below are some photographs of children at Kimori Academy:






A few statistics about disease, education and poverty in Kenya:

*Approximately 20% of Kenya’s 40 million people live on less than $1 per day.

*HIV/AIDS, diarrheal disease, respiratory disease, tuberculosis, malaria pose major threat to Kenyans’ health with HIV/AIDS being the leading cause of death.

*Nearly 5% of infants die before reaching their 1st birthday.

*According to the CIA’s World Fact Book, approximately 1.5 million people in Kenya are living with AIDS/HIV- making it rank 4th in the world for most prevalent HIV/AIDS. (The United States ranks 9th). Kenya ranks 6th for death rate caused by HIV/AIDS.

*Approximately 85% of the population of literate- with significantly fewer women being literate than men. (CIS’s World Fact Book).

Ponder your actions for a moment...

Yesterday, the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was celebrated across the United States. As a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King’s attitude and efforts impacted people in this nation greatly as well as people throughout the world. Reflecting on this notion of impact, one of my professors asked us to consider how we as individuals might have an impact the world in our futures. I ask you, too, to consider how what you are doing affects others and the impact you are having on our planet.

Ok. I realize that it may sound a little dramatic and exaggerated to speak of our dents on the world when there are approximately 7 billion people on Earth, but each of us does have an effect on others through our actions.

To recycle or not to recycle? To shop at Walmart or not at Walmart? To eat fast food or not to eat it? How to spend ones time: Facebook? Reading? Playing Angy Birds? Working? Conversing? We make many decisions each day and although we often times do not directly see the effects, they do exist. I myself and guilty of some of the scenarios I am going to describe, but I think it is a good reminder for us to be aware of what our actions are doing. Recycling and reusing materials cuts down on waste materials and is beneficial to our planet. Shopping at Walmart is often times more convenient and cheaper than other stores, but it is not good for local business owners and often puts them out of business. Besides, Walmart’s items are rarely as good of quality as those of local shops. Fast food is not good for your health, which may in turn affect those around you. Buying clothes from the Gap contributes to poor working conditions of millions of people in sweat shops in Latin America. This is an undesirable result, yet, without the sweat shops, many would be unemployed.

We may not impact the world in the same way as Martin Luther King Jr. did, but we do make our marks. Make sure they’re the ones you want to be making!

Giving Thanks...

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I've so much to be thankful for.

Tyler, Eric, & Ryan
Helpful people
Autumn
Nature
Knowledge
Shoelaces
Great cross country season
Ice cream
Vegetables
Irises
Nights to sleep
Golden leaves