Moved my blog over to Word Press. You can find me there for new updates from now on:
www.erinlm.wordpress.com
Peace out Blogger. It's been real.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
i don't sleep anymore so here's my latest project
This is what happens when I don't have a set work schedule - I'm up til 4AM, sleep until 11AM and my days are completely random! Anyway, I've been doing more self-educating on photography lately and learning more about photo-editing, which is fun. My friend also just recommended some photography classes and one-day workshops you can take on the cheap at the Botanical Gardens here, which I think I might start soon.
Anyway, some fun foto projects for you. The plan is to make some cheap little wood boxes, paint them black, have good ol' Kinko's print these on matte board, and then spray glue the fotos onto the boxes to give my poor empty walls some dimension. I'll post more fotos of the project soon, assuming it goes well.
These are just some of the older fotos I've been playing with. I may use more recent ones for the actual project, but these ones were good for practice.
Peace.
Anyway, some fun foto projects for you. The plan is to make some cheap little wood boxes, paint them black, have good ol' Kinko's print these on matte board, and then spray glue the fotos onto the boxes to give my poor empty walls some dimension. I'll post more fotos of the project soon, assuming it goes well.
amazon river, peru 2008
bondi beach, summer 2003
new zealand roadtrip, summer 2003
sydney bridge, summer 2003
These are just some of the older fotos I've been playing with. I may use more recent ones for the actual project, but these ones were good for practice.
Peace.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
tales of the funemployed
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Or something like that. Since I hear it's a recession, I decided it would be a good time to quit the old J.O.B. There were many reasons: weird organizational changes (see previous post), issues with the administration (sometimes I like to be paid for the work I do, crazy I know), and unmet expectations (I was promised the opportunity to have a home, and that was quickly taken away).
Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Maybe it was a little impulsive. I'm not gonna lie, there was a glimmer of regret for the first 48 hours, thoughts of crawling back, pleading temporary insanity and begging for my job back. But then I got to thinking about what I could do with all my free time and suddenly the regret was gone, replaced by sparkly ideas of beaches and bike riding and more traveling traveling traveling. =)
The more people I talk to, the more stories I hear of others doing similar things - people who have been laid off and are taking advantage of the opportunity to do things they wouldn't normally have time to do. Oaxaca Lindsay was a great example - lost her job, spent three months in Mexico, learning Spanish and backpacking around. You can do it on the cheap, and what better time to do it?
The funemployment* plans are already starting. I'm technically still employed through mid-September and then have a few options for September - December contract work, either with the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (school programs coordinator) or the National Youth Leadership Forum (faculty advisor in DC).
That means the funemployment doesn't technically start until December, but I'm still excited. Luckily my friend Vanessa is also funemployed starting in January, so we'll be finding some adventures together. Right now the plan is to WWOOF ** in Kauai during Jan/Feb, then head for New Zealand to work in a vineyard that Vanessa knows of, and finally finishing in Thailand, hopefully shacking up with my friend in Chiang Mai before heading back to the states.
So stay tuned for upcoming tales of the funemployed! I leave you now with this video of some surfing chica in Kauai. Give me 4 weeks and I'll be making surfing videos of my own. =)
Peace and aloha (that means Hawai'i love, right?).
*Funemployed: I've heard others use this term, but google searched it anyway to see what was floating around on the interweb, and apparently it's an actual thing - check out the LA Times article for more.
**WWOOF: WWOOFing or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, is super popular right now. In almost any country throughout the world, people can exchange 2 - 4 hours a week, 4 - 5 days a week of farm work for room and board. I've been dreaming of moving to summerland forever, and I have failed for 26 years. Funemployment might be just the thing to kick my butt into gear and WWOOFing would be a great way to get to Hawai'i and figure some things out.
Maybe it wasn't the best idea. Maybe it was a little impulsive. I'm not gonna lie, there was a glimmer of regret for the first 48 hours, thoughts of crawling back, pleading temporary insanity and begging for my job back. But then I got to thinking about what I could do with all my free time and suddenly the regret was gone, replaced by sparkly ideas of beaches and bike riding and more traveling traveling traveling. =)
The more people I talk to, the more stories I hear of others doing similar things - people who have been laid off and are taking advantage of the opportunity to do things they wouldn't normally have time to do. Oaxaca Lindsay was a great example - lost her job, spent three months in Mexico, learning Spanish and backpacking around. You can do it on the cheap, and what better time to do it?
The funemployment* plans are already starting. I'm technically still employed through mid-September and then have a few options for September - December contract work, either with the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (school programs coordinator) or the National Youth Leadership Forum (faculty advisor in DC).
That means the funemployment doesn't technically start until December, but I'm still excited. Luckily my friend Vanessa is also funemployed starting in January, so we'll be finding some adventures together. Right now the plan is to WWOOF ** in Kauai during Jan/Feb, then head for New Zealand to work in a vineyard that Vanessa knows of, and finally finishing in Thailand, hopefully shacking up with my friend in Chiang Mai before heading back to the states.
So stay tuned for upcoming tales of the funemployed! I leave you now with this video of some surfing chica in Kauai. Give me 4 weeks and I'll be making surfing videos of my own. =)
Peace and aloha (that means Hawai'i love, right?).
*Funemployed: I've heard others use this term, but google searched it anyway to see what was floating around on the interweb, and apparently it's an actual thing - check out the LA Times article for more.
**WWOOF: WWOOFing or Willing Workers on Organic Farms, is super popular right now. In almost any country throughout the world, people can exchange 2 - 4 hours a week, 4 - 5 days a week of farm work for room and board. I've been dreaming of moving to summerland forever, and I have failed for 26 years. Funemployment might be just the thing to kick my butt into gear and WWOOFing would be a great way to get to Hawai'i and figure some things out.
Monday, August 17, 2009
a lot is happening
So a lot is happening with work and things here. It's very frustrating, because while I love the heart of what I do, the bureaucracy is completely messing with things (doesn't it always?). My organization, which has set itself apart in the international education industry as a service-learning and international development organization focusing on sustainability, is completely abandoning everything that makes it good in order to make money. Which sucks.
I understand we need to make money, and especially now, with the economy as bad as it is, some sacrifices may have to be made. It's just sad that they are willing to sacrifice the integrity of our projects.
We have always prided ourselves on the fact that our projects are sustainable - that we are onsite year round to work with our host communities, become a part of our host communities, to collaborate to come up with innovative and culturally-appropriate solutions to issues and really promote true grassroots development. It's been a huge learning experience for me and a great intro to development.
Now that we've teamed up with this generic study abroad company (which shall remain nameless, but it's pretty much the anti-us in every way), our integrity is going out the window. I was recently working on the design of some of our new promotional materials, and noticed that in addition to our seven regular host countries, they wanted me to add on about 10 more countries for our group opportunities - countries which we have never had projects in, where we don't have staff, etc., etc. I asked my boss today about this, and he said that the execs feel that we have strong enough relationships with other organizations that we'll be able to offer "quality" programs, despite the fact that we are not planning on opening offices in any of these countries.
It's just hard for me to believe that this goes along with our mission of "sustainable development." We have always said that we are not like Cross Cultural Solutions or Projects Abroad or those other organizations because of our program model - we don't just come into a community with a group of students for 10 days and then leave; we are there 365 days a year, working with these communities, gaining their trust and respect, and because of it, creating some great projects. We are highly respected by our host communities and countries - the Pan American Health Organization funds our projects in Latin America; the Belizean Prime Minister came out to applaud our efforts to improve education in the Cayo District; National Geographic named us in the Top 10 Best Adventure Travel Organizations on Earth based on our sustainability model; the Environmental Protection Agency recognized our work to reduce carbon emissions in Peru. When I wear my gear around in Mexico or Peru, or I mention where I work, people know who we are. Community leaders come to our office, asking to work with us. How can we say that we're going to deliver the same "quality" projects and programs in countries where we are doing the type of "development" that we have shunned for the past 11 years?
Again, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about and the execs, I'm sure, know what they're doing, but it just seems hypocritical and sad that this is the direction that we're moving towards. I really hope that it's not, but if it is...well, I'm not sure how I feel about that. Sigh...
Ok, I'm done with my rant. Off to a wine and cheese party. Hopefully that will lift my spirits a bit.
Peace.
I understand we need to make money, and especially now, with the economy as bad as it is, some sacrifices may have to be made. It's just sad that they are willing to sacrifice the integrity of our projects.
We have always prided ourselves on the fact that our projects are sustainable - that we are onsite year round to work with our host communities, become a part of our host communities, to collaborate to come up with innovative and culturally-appropriate solutions to issues and really promote true grassroots development. It's been a huge learning experience for me and a great intro to development.
Now that we've teamed up with this generic study abroad company (which shall remain nameless, but it's pretty much the anti-us in every way), our integrity is going out the window. I was recently working on the design of some of our new promotional materials, and noticed that in addition to our seven regular host countries, they wanted me to add on about 10 more countries for our group opportunities - countries which we have never had projects in, where we don't have staff, etc., etc. I asked my boss today about this, and he said that the execs feel that we have strong enough relationships with other organizations that we'll be able to offer "quality" programs, despite the fact that we are not planning on opening offices in any of these countries.
It's just hard for me to believe that this goes along with our mission of "sustainable development." We have always said that we are not like Cross Cultural Solutions or Projects Abroad or those other organizations because of our program model - we don't just come into a community with a group of students for 10 days and then leave; we are there 365 days a year, working with these communities, gaining their trust and respect, and because of it, creating some great projects. We are highly respected by our host communities and countries - the Pan American Health Organization funds our projects in Latin America; the Belizean Prime Minister came out to applaud our efforts to improve education in the Cayo District; National Geographic named us in the Top 10 Best Adventure Travel Organizations on Earth based on our sustainability model; the Environmental Protection Agency recognized our work to reduce carbon emissions in Peru. When I wear my gear around in Mexico or Peru, or I mention where I work, people know who we are. Community leaders come to our office, asking to work with us. How can we say that we're going to deliver the same "quality" projects and programs in countries where we are doing the type of "development" that we have shunned for the past 11 years?
Again, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about and the execs, I'm sure, know what they're doing, but it just seems hypocritical and sad that this is the direction that we're moving towards. I really hope that it's not, but if it is...well, I'm not sure how I feel about that. Sigh...
Ok, I'm done with my rant. Off to a wine and cheese party. Hopefully that will lift my spirits a bit.
Peace.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
reunited and it feels so good
No, really, it feels really good. For the first time in four years, the ladies of MSU were fully reunited. It felt great to see everyone all together for Jenny's wedding and crazy to think we've been out of the E.L. for FOUR YEARS. In those four years, five have married, three are homeowners, one is engaged, one has a kid. And then there's me and Rosemary, who have a lot of stamps in our passports, but not a whole lot else to show for it! Haha. But it was good seeing all the girls and dancing the night away.
Oh yeah, and Jenny and Jeremy got married. Congratulations to them!
Peace.
Oh yeah, and Jenny and Jeremy got married. Congratulations to them!
Peace.
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