It has been a month since I got back from Nicaragua and so much has happened. I moved right back to campus adn went through RA trainning for two weeks. I am a resident advisor for freshman at the University of San Francisco. They are in a livign learnign community which means they take a course together about rhetoric, writting, and public speaking with a focus on poverty and social justic ein San Francsico. They are really great. For example I was sick the last week and they offered to make me tea, give me emergen-C or run to the cafeteria for me. We have already had sushi night and other great bonding experiences like volunteering at the San Francisco Food Bank. It is an all womens floor, so we are pretty close. It has been such a time saver and rewarding experience living on campus and meeting new people in my dorm, Hayes Healy. Living with Freshman also really makes me realize how much my friends and I have grown over the last four years. Most of them have serious relationships and are so smart and articulate and well traveled and extremely passionate. We all have so much in common it is amazing, especially after all these years. It is nice to live with the women I live with and be able to recognize and relate to their issues that I went through at one point, but it makes me so glad I am here, where I am at now after much experience and growth. I wouldn't change anything!
Well, I am also an ACE (Advocate for Community Engagement) under the office of service learning at USF. I am a liaison between a community partner organization called Glide and students at USF who do service learning in classes they are taking. I facilitate their volunteer work basically helping them in the process to learn and reflect upon their experience. Glide is a pretty famous organization in the tenderloin and they do such great work. I am excited to have hands on work experience, especially coming straight from Nicaragua where I was out there in the community. Going from that to into the classroom where we learn about a lot of theories is a little tough, but I am staying busy.
Then, the Not For Sale Campaign has been keeping me busy with in Internship entitled "Internship: Global Advocacy." I am workign on expanding the High School movement within the campaign while giving speeches and presentations throughout the Bay Area adn actually in Georgia. The Ignacian Network has conferences in Georgia every year to teach activist about effective ways to work as well as educate them, so I will be presenting Not For Sale's work and then going to the School of the America's protests they have every year there. This will be Novemeber 21st to the 23rd I believe. I am also going to DC to do DC advocacy days raising awareness about trafficking and furthering the movement. I love traveling, is all I can say! We got a new office in a new building at school so we are becoming official compared to two years ago when we were all figuring the campaign out when I was with Erasmus.
I am taking 18 units (16 is a regular load and 12 is comsidered full time student)though two of those units is the internship. I am taking the Global Economy, Intro to Globalization with this amazing anarchist Yugolavian man whose mentor is Noam Chompsky, Math to graduate and Political Economy of the Developing Nations. They are all good, except for math, but I am hoping John my brother will help me out more now that he is pretty much moving to San Francisco.
Mj and I have been planning my Birthday party as well with the theme being "aroudn the world." I want to celebrate all the places and organizations I have been to and worked at over the last year and half. This includes, Cambodia, Spain, DC and Nicaragua. So everyone comign to the party will bring 21 dollars instead of a gift and will pick the organization of their choice to donate the money to. We will have pictures, food, music and drinks from each place celebrating all different cutlures. I cannot wait!!
Well, that's the update. Now that I am in school back in the bay area and pretty busy I will be writing less frequently...see you on the flip side!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I am a Senior!
I received this today after registering officially to graduate!
Hello, Devon Davey!
Congratulations, you have successfully submitted your Application for Graduation and Commencement to the Graduation Center. Seven to eight weeks prior to your scheduled Commencement Ceremony, you will be notified in writing regarding your eligibility to attend the Grad Finale event and the Commencement Ceremonies.
Thank you,
Graduation Center
Hopefully you can celebrate with me in May of 2009!!
Hello, Devon Davey!
Congratulations, you have successfully submitted your Application for Graduation and Commencement to the Graduation Center. Seven to eight weeks prior to your scheduled Commencement Ceremony, you will be notified in writing regarding your eligibility to attend the Grad Finale event and the Commencement Ceremonies.
Thank you,
Graduation Center
Hopefully you can celebrate with me in May of 2009!!
Coming home
Adjusting to the luxury, consumerist, privileged life in the US, the life I was brought up in, was not as hard as I thought it would be. But that is something I have really thought about since I came back...how I want to live my life differently. Living in a poor and underdeveloped country for the summer, I have a good idea of how to change my lifestyle in little ways to live more sustainably, more practically and more green. The challenge will be making those changes last forever.
Now I am back in San Francisco and love it. I am getting to see all my friends I have not seen in a year and I am an RA for Freshman on campus. They are great so far. I also got a job working as a student assistant to the office of service learning, so I will be working with the Nicaragua summer program for next year. I am super excited...thats the update for now!
Now I am back in San Francisco and love it. I am getting to see all my friends I have not seen in a year and I am an RA for Freshman on campus. They are great so far. I also got a job working as a student assistant to the office of service learning, so I will be working with the Nicaragua summer program for next year. I am super excited...thats the update for now!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Pictures...finally!
In Managua during our orientation week, we went to a museum outside on the top of a little mountain with a great view, but also pictures and information on Augusto Sandino, a revolutionary and important political figure who was assasinated.
Here is a view of Managua from a view point above the museum we went to.
Here Emily and I are sitting in our first, abuelitos, rocking chairs in Nicaragua. We will soon learn just how much time we will have spent in those great chairs.
This is the main street in Ciudad Sandino. My friend Jolie lived in the pink house on the left. It was challenging taking pictures in the town because everyone stares at your and knows you are wealthy and a foreigner, therefore we do not have a lot of good ones.
This is my front porch near la calle principal, the main road. We were on a dirt road. How we described where we lived, since there are no street names or addresses is by the main elctronics store called El Gallo Mas Gallo. So we would say, I live two blocks north of gallo mas gallo and one half block to the south.
This is just outside my room, the little back yard with the pila, where Dona Maura washed the dishes and cloths.
This is the outside of my room. I had a little furnished room that was not attached to the little house. It was nice to have so much privacy.
This is my host cousin of the house who lived a couple blocks away named Fanny. She is 23 and has a two year old son. 18-22 is the typical age to have kids in Nicaragua, if not younger. She I and were very close and I miss her so much.
Here is Fanny and her son Gabriel. He is a terrorizer!
Osmar, my little four year old host brother with his cousin Gabriel...how adorable from afar!
This is my amazing host mom Dona Maura, she is 65 and cared for the whole house and family. This picture was taken by osmar..he needs to work on his photography skills!
Here is Osmar with the crayons I brought him when I arrived. Kids have such few resources for education and creativity and kids need both to be healthy and successful.
A good Nicaragua friend, who worked for the Foundation for Sustainable Development, had me over one sunday all day and this is her family. They were so sweet, with four girls...imagine. I had a great conversation with her dad about the US and Nicaraguan cultural and lifestyle differences.
Here I am with Anabelsy all the way on the right and her family.
Here is a view of Managua from a view point above the museum we went to.
Here Emily and I are sitting in our first, abuelitos, rocking chairs in Nicaragua. We will soon learn just how much time we will have spent in those great chairs.
This is the main street in Ciudad Sandino. My friend Jolie lived in the pink house on the left. It was challenging taking pictures in the town because everyone stares at your and knows you are wealthy and a foreigner, therefore we do not have a lot of good ones.
This is my front porch near la calle principal, the main road. We were on a dirt road. How we described where we lived, since there are no street names or addresses is by the main elctronics store called El Gallo Mas Gallo. So we would say, I live two blocks north of gallo mas gallo and one half block to the south.
This is just outside my room, the little back yard with the pila, where Dona Maura washed the dishes and cloths.
This is the outside of my room. I had a little furnished room that was not attached to the little house. It was nice to have so much privacy.
This is my host cousin of the house who lived a couple blocks away named Fanny. She is 23 and has a two year old son. 18-22 is the typical age to have kids in Nicaragua, if not younger. She I and were very close and I miss her so much.
Here is Fanny and her son Gabriel. He is a terrorizer!
Osmar, my little four year old host brother with his cousin Gabriel...how adorable from afar!
This is my amazing host mom Dona Maura, she is 65 and cared for the whole house and family. This picture was taken by osmar..he needs to work on his photography skills!
Here is Osmar with the crayons I brought him when I arrived. Kids have such few resources for education and creativity and kids need both to be healthy and successful.
A good Nicaragua friend, who worked for the Foundation for Sustainable Development, had me over one sunday all day and this is her family. They were so sweet, with four girls...imagine. I had a great conversation with her dad about the US and Nicaraguan cultural and lifestyle differences.
Here I am with Anabelsy all the way on the right and her family.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Home Safe and Sound
I got home last night after a three hour flight from Managua to Houston and a four hour lay over and then another 2 and half hour flight to San Francisco. The whole tim eI was thinking about NIcaragua and all the great adventures I had. I am so sad not to speak and hear spanish all the time now. It was great seeing my whole family a the airport though. Even bailey my dog was in the car. The last two weeks in Nicaragua flew by, there is no way i could explain everything so I will be putting up pictures so you can see for yourself! I am glad to be back in california, but will miss everything about the last three months. I called my host Mom Dona Maura last night when i got in and she practically screamed she was so excited to hear from me. She ssaid ohhh my doll I am so glad you are with your parents and safe...It is amazing how I made my life there for three months, my job, my family and my friends and that tim will never be forgotten!
Friday, July 25, 2008
My last two weeks in Nica
So much has happened...the revolution celebration was last saturday and thousands of people were at the plaza celebrating, some of my friends went and said that the President spoke and a bunch of the presidents from other latin american countries were there like, from paraguay, guatemala, honduras, costa rica and venezuela as well as the wife and daughter of Che Guevara. He is a augusto Sandino are huge revolutionary figures here. Their faces and names are on everything here.
That day, I spent it with a friend named Anabelsy and her family. She actually work with FSD as kinda a program assistant and is 22 years old and adorble, she speaks english but is very shy. I am happy we spent like 8 hours together sharing pictures watching La Patito Feo, a show with the famous song here Patito feo. That and the Divina song is very popular, I hear them both at least once a day. She has three sisters, and since I have none it was really fun talking with them and getting to know them. It felt good speaking in spanish the whole time.
This week, I went to evaluations of my organization that happens twice a year and every department reviews what has happened in the last semester, in the last six months. I definitely feel like I know my organization very well which makes it even harder to leave. We watched two inspirational movies (in english with spanish subtitles which was nice for me) called the Secret about the secret of life and one called the Cosmic Universe. They bohth really related to our work in being motivated in life and forming connections since the whole world a universe is connected. It was interesting too, at the start of each day we all help hands in a circle and prayed. I am not very religious but I participated and it was very intense, religion is a huge part of their lives here. Wednesday night I went out with Fanny, she is one of the granddaughters of Doña Maura, my host mom. She is so adorble and I love hanging out with her. We went to see the movie Hancock at plaza inter, one of the centers in managua, and we shopped around. She is 23 and so sweet. She was like I am free, she has a two and ahalf year old son named gabriel who she cares for while the father works all day but since mauricio, the father has this week off for vacation she was able to go out with me. Then we had pizza hut dinner which was a treat for her since she mostly eats gallo pinto too. Since i invited her out, i felt like i should pay and since I can and have the means to, she was very grateful and I am gonig to be so sad to leave her. Especially since we are still jsut getting to know eachother now. If I coudl bring one person home with me, I would bring her!
Then after dinner I met my friends at a nice mall called Las Galerias where we all went to this club called Moods. Needless to say it was ladies night and I paid nothign the whole night it was amazing! There were like ten of us and it was a blast! Though I was tired the next day!
Today Friday, we have out last meeting in Managua with the entire group of FSD and all the interns. It is for a talk we are having on the Novemeber elections in Nicaragua. Then we will all eat together after and probably go out again.
Since this is my last week I have plans almost every night to see everyone I knwo and say goodbye. I also ordered a chocolate cake today for my family to celebrate the last night before I leave. Saturday night I have plans with Gabi and Lesbia my coworkers for dinner and dancing in Managua. Sunday morning I am going to church with Fanny for the first time then I want to do some shopping in the market with her. I want to buy some presents for people here. Like the neighborhood kids play soccer with this old deflated ball, so I want to buy them a new one and like a new toothbrush for Osmar, my host brother since he loves brushing his teeth. Then monday I am goin again to las comarcas with my supervisor nelly and then am going to her house for dinner. Tuesday I am eating dinner at Fannys house just to spend more time with her. Then another coworker convinced me to go out to dinner with her on wednesday and thursday is jonnys birthday, a cousin of the house I live in and that is also my last night so we will eat cake....sad.
Well, have a good weekend!!
That day, I spent it with a friend named Anabelsy and her family. She actually work with FSD as kinda a program assistant and is 22 years old and adorble, she speaks english but is very shy. I am happy we spent like 8 hours together sharing pictures watching La Patito Feo, a show with the famous song here Patito feo. That and the Divina song is very popular, I hear them both at least once a day. She has three sisters, and since I have none it was really fun talking with them and getting to know them. It felt good speaking in spanish the whole time.
This week, I went to evaluations of my organization that happens twice a year and every department reviews what has happened in the last semester, in the last six months. I definitely feel like I know my organization very well which makes it even harder to leave. We watched two inspirational movies (in english with spanish subtitles which was nice for me) called the Secret about the secret of life and one called the Cosmic Universe. They bohth really related to our work in being motivated in life and forming connections since the whole world a universe is connected. It was interesting too, at the start of each day we all help hands in a circle and prayed. I am not very religious but I participated and it was very intense, religion is a huge part of their lives here. Wednesday night I went out with Fanny, she is one of the granddaughters of Doña Maura, my host mom. She is so adorble and I love hanging out with her. We went to see the movie Hancock at plaza inter, one of the centers in managua, and we shopped around. She is 23 and so sweet. She was like I am free, she has a two and ahalf year old son named gabriel who she cares for while the father works all day but since mauricio, the father has this week off for vacation she was able to go out with me. Then we had pizza hut dinner which was a treat for her since she mostly eats gallo pinto too. Since i invited her out, i felt like i should pay and since I can and have the means to, she was very grateful and I am gonig to be so sad to leave her. Especially since we are still jsut getting to know eachother now. If I coudl bring one person home with me, I would bring her!
Then after dinner I met my friends at a nice mall called Las Galerias where we all went to this club called Moods. Needless to say it was ladies night and I paid nothign the whole night it was amazing! There were like ten of us and it was a blast! Though I was tired the next day!
Today Friday, we have out last meeting in Managua with the entire group of FSD and all the interns. It is for a talk we are having on the Novemeber elections in Nicaragua. Then we will all eat together after and probably go out again.
Since this is my last week I have plans almost every night to see everyone I knwo and say goodbye. I also ordered a chocolate cake today for my family to celebrate the last night before I leave. Saturday night I have plans with Gabi and Lesbia my coworkers for dinner and dancing in Managua. Sunday morning I am going to church with Fanny for the first time then I want to do some shopping in the market with her. I want to buy some presents for people here. Like the neighborhood kids play soccer with this old deflated ball, so I want to buy them a new one and like a new toothbrush for Osmar, my host brother since he loves brushing his teeth. Then monday I am goin again to las comarcas with my supervisor nelly and then am going to her house for dinner. Tuesday I am eating dinner at Fannys house just to spend more time with her. Then another coworker convinced me to go out to dinner with her on wednesday and thursday is jonnys birthday, a cousin of the house I live in and that is also my last night so we will eat cake....sad.
Well, have a good weekend!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Update!
So I am in Masaya right now and sooo much has happened. Ometepe was good I was with
emily and we had fun together and met a bunch of cute guys, Austrailians who gave us a ride from one side of the island to the other and another cute Nicaraguan who let us ride in the back of his camioneta (truck). There was not a whole lot to do and the weather was ok so we didnt really want to climb either volcanoes but we did do some hiking and went to ojo de agua, this little swimming water hole. Then wade and angie met us at monkie island an awesome hostel with a cute old nica man running it with his family and it was two dollars a night for stay in a dorm room, it was awesome.
Then i came home straight from ometepe and everyone else went to San Juan Del sur
because i had a fatty mirgrane. So i spent sat night in my bed crying,
i felt so horrible. i wanted to throw up even though my stomache didnt
hurt and i talked to my dad which was nice adn I felt a little better. Later that night Doña Maura gave me acetomenofin and i felt a lot better but it was really
really bad. then julie, the director of service learning at USF, the
woman who sent us here, came to Ciudad Sandino randomly. We knew she was in
managua and visiting but she was supposed to stay with emily the next
day. She is also a board memeber of FSD. so she ended up staying at my
house for 2 days, though and she doesn´t speak a lot of Spanish so i had to be with her helping communication. Then she saw my organization and fell in love and saw where jolie and em work too. She is awesome, a single woman who is almost 40 she runs marathons...So monday i painted a mural at the hospital in CS since we did not have class...well i spent the majority of my time painting a tooth on the ortho room. That was fun.
Julie said she thinks i have the best spanish and i was happy, but then
again she doesnt know spanish so i dont know how that works. then
monday when julie was with jolie and Emily, I went to masaya to shop and
take a break from CS. i got a shirt that says gallo pinto on it i love
it! I think it is super funny because gallo pinto is the traditional dish her and it is just beans adn rice, really nothing special but they have shirts with a picture on it. I also had the best pizza at the plaza with wade in Masaya.
what else...yesterday, thursday, the english professor didnt show up
so i took ALL her classes ALL day. it was amazing. i had no plans but
we worked on vocab and pronounciation playing games like hangman and
simon says. then with the older groups i just talked to them about my
life and the US adn they were all really interested. i was exhausted
after but it felt really good. i am really still trying to make the
most out of my job but it is hard, especially since my project did not get funded
and since i took all last week off. so i dont feel super productive.
Daniel Ortega is speaking at this huge plaza celebration tom. for the revolucion anniversary. I dont know if i wanna go, itll be hectic with drunk dancing people crowded together in the center of Managua. whats
hah there is this joke with my supervisor at the school, her name is Nelly, the director that she wants me to stay in nica she wants to adopt me and marry her son because i have lighter skin than his gf. LIghter skin her means you have more money, though that is not always the case, but it is what people generally think. I think that is one of the major reasons people always stare at me on the streets here. Same with any foreigner.
All my friends here all ask when I will come back and im like i dont know i havent thought about it.
emily and we had fun together and met a bunch of cute guys, Austrailians who gave us a ride from one side of the island to the other and another cute Nicaraguan who let us ride in the back of his camioneta (truck). There was not a whole lot to do and the weather was ok so we didnt really want to climb either volcanoes but we did do some hiking and went to ojo de agua, this little swimming water hole. Then wade and angie met us at monkie island an awesome hostel with a cute old nica man running it with his family and it was two dollars a night for stay in a dorm room, it was awesome.
Then i came home straight from ometepe and everyone else went to San Juan Del sur
because i had a fatty mirgrane. So i spent sat night in my bed crying,
i felt so horrible. i wanted to throw up even though my stomache didnt
hurt and i talked to my dad which was nice adn I felt a little better. Later that night Doña Maura gave me acetomenofin and i felt a lot better but it was really
really bad. then julie, the director of service learning at USF, the
woman who sent us here, came to Ciudad Sandino randomly. We knew she was in
managua and visiting but she was supposed to stay with emily the next
day. She is also a board memeber of FSD. so she ended up staying at my
house for 2 days, though and she doesn´t speak a lot of Spanish so i had to be with her helping communication. Then she saw my organization and fell in love and saw where jolie and em work too. She is awesome, a single woman who is almost 40 she runs marathons...So monday i painted a mural at the hospital in CS since we did not have class...well i spent the majority of my time painting a tooth on the ortho room. That was fun.
Julie said she thinks i have the best spanish and i was happy, but then
again she doesnt know spanish so i dont know how that works. then
monday when julie was with jolie and Emily, I went to masaya to shop and
take a break from CS. i got a shirt that says gallo pinto on it i love
it! I think it is super funny because gallo pinto is the traditional dish her and it is just beans adn rice, really nothing special but they have shirts with a picture on it. I also had the best pizza at the plaza with wade in Masaya.
what else...yesterday, thursday, the english professor didnt show up
so i took ALL her classes ALL day. it was amazing. i had no plans but
we worked on vocab and pronounciation playing games like hangman and
simon says. then with the older groups i just talked to them about my
life and the US adn they were all really interested. i was exhausted
after but it felt really good. i am really still trying to make the
most out of my job but it is hard, especially since my project did not get funded
and since i took all last week off. so i dont feel super productive.
Daniel Ortega is speaking at this huge plaza celebration tom. for the revolucion anniversary. I dont know if i wanna go, itll be hectic with drunk dancing people crowded together in the center of Managua. whats
hah there is this joke with my supervisor at the school, her name is Nelly, the director that she wants me to stay in nica she wants to adopt me and marry her son because i have lighter skin than his gf. LIghter skin her means you have more money, though that is not always the case, but it is what people generally think. I think that is one of the major reasons people always stare at me on the streets here. Same with any foreigner.
All my friends here all ask when I will come back and im like i dont know i havent thought about it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Three Buses, Two Taxis, a Boat and a Motito Later...
After about six hours of public transportation, Emily and I finally arrived to La Isla de Ometepe on Wednesday after lunch. We had so many adventures...and the pictures will tell all when I put them up! We stayed in Charco Verde the first night, A place near Merida the second night (at Hostal Monkie Island) then near Balgue the third night. Angie and Wade met up our second night, which was great. None of us saw what we expected...the island is very spread out and outdoorsy. There are no real towns by any means but beautiful views nonetheless. I think my favorite part was climbing up this viewpoint called Mirador Del Diablo, either that or the old Nicaragua man who was talking to me on the boat ride over (they call the boats Lanchas) and he would repeat everything he said to me every ten minutes...he had a little short term memory problem, but I learned a lot about the Island!
I got home Saturday night and actually had a huge migrane and felt really really bad but I am doing much better now and Julie Reed, the Director of Service Learning at USF (the woman who basically create dthis program for us and who sent us here)is visiting us all here. So she is staying with me at my host family´s house. It is great to be able to share this with her and then take back our experiences to SF to talk about them.
Well, I am going to Masaya today, since we are still on vacation from class. Wade lives in Masaya and it is known for being an Artesan town. They sell amazing hammocks too so we will see what I come back with!!
I got home Saturday night and actually had a huge migrane and felt really really bad but I am doing much better now and Julie Reed, the Director of Service Learning at USF (the woman who basically create dthis program for us and who sent us here)is visiting us all here. So she is staying with me at my host family´s house. It is great to be able to share this with her and then take back our experiences to SF to talk about them.
Well, I am going to Masaya today, since we are still on vacation from class. Wade lives in Masaya and it is known for being an Artesan town. They sell amazing hammocks too so we will see what I come back with!!
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