Heather's Harmony

If you only read this one post...

Why I blog. Because I believe I have a story worth telling. A perspective unseen. Insight unknown.  I also know that not all my thoughts are diamonds, I know that not all my posts are thrilling and life changing. I like to think some of them are, since they in some complicated and tangled way have changed my life. My post today is one of those posts.

The kind that change your life.

Some of you may know that I am an avid believer in Human Rights. My research & thesis is on how hate is bred, specifically how that hate is used to facilitate genocide. Even more specifically in the country of Rwanda. Africa is a country that has been exploited for every possible commodity imaginable in every way imaginable.

This video is about such exploited commodities. I hope you have already seen it & if you haven't I sincerely hope you take the time to watch it. NOW. If at the end you feel unchanged you will have served a purpose still. You can share, discuss, comment and at the very least you will be one of the vast who has given up time in your life at the cost of another.

It is easy to feel hopeless & helpless when exposed to such atrocities that are in this movie. My purpose is not to overwhelm you with these feelings, it is my purpose to make you aware.

Aware of life.

While visiting Palestine inside the boundaries of the state of Israel an older gentleman who has known war & oppression his entire life changed me forever.

I asked everyone we interviewed if they had one thing for me to bring back & share what it would be. He simply stated, To live. To live for those of us who can't. To take them with me in my heart & when I see marvelous places, enjoy beautiful things, when I am surrounded by happiness & love to remember them and to share it with them.

I took them with me while I swam with turtles in Hawaii, I took them with me when I walked in my graduating ceremony, I take them with me when I hug my family and when I laugh with friends.

Experiences like these don't translate. I can never share with you the vast emotions that course through me. I can never share the best moments of my life. The same way yours don't translate and make it impossible for you to share. That is why each of us must live.

To live.

The director of this movie, Jason  Russell, comes as close as most can to sharing these life altering experiences and I would beg you to allow yourself into this conflict. Allow the emotions to take over and course through your veins.

To be aware of life so that you too may live & keep them with you always.

 

 

Below are 5 articles I found about this film, so you may learn more if you choose to.

Kony 2012 sheds light on Uganda conflict

The film focuses heavily on the issue of child soldiers, with Kony’s LRA reportedly having up to 30,000 boys and girls who are used as soldiers and sex slaves. 

Kony is alleged to have fathered over 200 children during his 26 years on the run from the Ugandan government. Found Here

__________________________

'Kony 2012' Aims to Raise Awareness of Joseph Kony

An American filmmaker is determined to use social media to make Joseph Kony famous.  Jason Russell doesn't want to win Kony any fans. He wants to educate the world "to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice." Found Here

__________________________

The Problem With Invisible Children's "Kony 2012"

Recently, a new video produced by the American NGO Invisible Children focusing on Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been making the rounds. Having just returned from the Acholi region of Northern Uganda myself, where the LRA was born, I thought I might share some of my thoughts on the subject, for what it's worth.

I think it is easy for Invisible Children and other self-aggrandizing foreigners to make the entire story of the last 30 years of Northern Uganda about Joseph Kony, but there is a history of the relationship between the Acholi people from whom the LRA emerged and the central government in Kampala that is a little more complicated than that.

Kony is a grotesque war criminal, to be sure, but the Ugandan government currently in power also came to power through the use of kadogo (child soldiers) and fought alongside militias employing child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, something that Invisible Children seem wilfully ignorant of. Found Here

__________________________

Making Joseph Kony visible in 2012

Grace Nimaro visited Weber State University with countless cards, posters, stickers and bracelets promoting the Kony 2012 campaign.

But this was no presidential candidate she was promoting.

Nimaro hails from the northern part of Uganda and grew up during Joseph Kony’s rebellion in her country. Kony has been waging a war for 26 years in Uganda, Congo and the Central African Republic, kidnapping children, forcing boys to become child soldiers and forcing girls into sexual slavery. During this time, many of Nimaro’s relatives and friends were killed or abducted by Kony’s rebel army. Found Here

__________________________

Joseph Kony 2012: Testing the true power of the social web

The social web has overcome geography, culture, even language to connect billions of people. Yet the primary use of this gift is still diversion. This year you and I will be tested to see if, indeed, there is a greater purpose to this amazing gift. It is the #KONY2012 project. Found Here

__________________________

Please share this video, this post, your feelings, your knowledge and your life.

We all appreciate your support!

If you only read this one post...

Why I blog. Because I believe I have a story worth telling. A perspective unseen. Insight unknown.  I also know that not all my thoughts are diamonds, I know that not all my posts are thrilling and life changing. I like to think some of them are, since they in some complicated and tangled way have changed my life. My post today is one of those posts.

The kind that change your life.

Some of you may know that I am an avid believer in Human Rights. My research & thesis is on how hate is bred, specifically how that hate is used to facilitate genocide. Even more specifically in the country of Rwanda. Africa is a country that has been exploited for every possible commodity imaginable in every way imaginable.

This video is about such exploited commodities. I hope you have already seen it & if you haven't I sincerely hope you take the time to watch it. NOW. If at the end you feel unchanged you will have served a purpose still. You can share, discuss, comment and at the very least you will be one of the vast who has given up time in your life at the cost of another.

It is easy to feel hopeless & helpless when exposed to such atrocities that are in this movie. My purpose is not to overwhelm you with these feelings, it is my purpose to make you aware.

Aware of life.

While visiting Palestine inside the boundaries of the state of Israel an older gentleman who has known war & oppression his entire life changed me forever.

I asked everyone we interviewed if they had one thing for me to bring back & share what it would be. He simply stated, To live. To live for those of us who can't. To take them with me in my heart & when I see marvelous places, enjoy beautiful things, when I am surrounded by happiness & love to remember them and to share it with them.

I took them with me while I swam with turtles in Hawaii, I took them with me when I walked in my graduating ceremony, I take them with me when I hug my family and when I laugh with friends.

Experiences like these don't translate. I can never share with you the vast emotions that course through me. I can never share the best moments of my life. The same way yours don't translate and make it impossible for you to share. That is why each of us must live.

To live.

The director of this movie, Jason  Russell, comes as close as most can to sharing these life altering experiences and I would beg you to allow yourself into this conflict. Allow the emotions to take over and course through your veins.

To be aware of life so that you too may live & keep them with you always.

 

 

Below are 5 articles I found about this film, so you may learn more if you choose to.

Kony 2012 sheds light on Uganda conflict

The film focuses heavily on the issue of child soldiers, with Kony’s LRA reportedly having up to 30,000 boys and girls who are used as soldiers and sex slaves. 

Kony is alleged to have fathered over 200 children during his 26 years on the run from the Ugandan government. Found Here

__________________________

'Kony 2012' Aims to Raise Awareness of Joseph Kony

An American filmmaker is determined to use social media to make Joseph Kony famous.  Jason Russell doesn't want to win Kony any fans. He wants to educate the world "to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice." Found Here

__________________________

The Problem With Invisible Children's "Kony 2012"

Recently, a new video produced by the American NGO Invisible Children focusing on Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been making the rounds. Having just returned from the Acholi region of Northern Uganda myself, where the LRA was born, I thought I might share some of my thoughts on the subject, for what it's worth.

I think it is easy for Invisible Children and other self-aggrandizing foreigners to make the entire story of the last 30 years of Northern Uganda about Joseph Kony, but there is a history of the relationship between the Acholi people from whom the LRA emerged and the central government in Kampala that is a little more complicated than that.

Kony is a grotesque war criminal, to be sure, but the Ugandan government currently in power also came to power through the use of kadogo (child soldiers) and fought alongside militias employing child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, something that Invisible Children seem wilfully ignorant of. Found Here

__________________________

Making Joseph Kony visible in 2012

Grace Nimaro visited Weber State University with countless cards, posters, stickers and bracelets promoting the Kony 2012 campaign.

But this was no presidential candidate she was promoting.

Nimaro hails from the northern part of Uganda and grew up during Joseph Kony’s rebellion in her country. Kony has been waging a war for 26 years in Uganda, Congo and the Central African Republic, kidnapping children, forcing boys to become child soldiers and forcing girls into sexual slavery. During this time, many of Nimaro’s relatives and friends were killed or abducted by Kony’s rebel army. Found Here

__________________________

Joseph Kony 2012: Testing the true power of the social web

The social web has overcome geography, culture, even language to connect billions of people. Yet the primary use of this gift is still diversion. This year you and I will be tested to see if, indeed, there is a greater purpose to this amazing gift. It is the #KONY2012 project. Found Here

__________________________

Please share this video, this post, your feelings, your knowledge and your life.

We all appreciate your support!

The 15 Day International Travel Challenge: Day 14

Day 14 – What did you learn from traveling abroad?

Geeze! How do I answer that question? I'd have to tell you to read my blog, all the content has been influenced by what I’ve learned from my travels.

 

However I will tell you this. You never really know someone until you travel with them.  

When was the last time you were in a completely foreign place? Language? Transportation? Food? Schedule? Culture? Food? People?

In my experience, those are the moments when you’re completely yourself. I believe we are all a product of our environment, but who are you when you’re no longer in your environment?

When contemplating on what made me happiest in this world, most my memories were while I was traveling, that’s not to say traveling doesn’t come with its own set of challenges but I thrive in those circumstances. I didn’t know that until I traveled.

In my Buddhism class we discussed harmony, the way we live when we find something we are passionate about and it promotes a beautiful harmony between what you’re feeling and what you’re doing. Well, when I travel I am my favorite version of myself.

I’ve been sitting here staring at my computer screen contemplating how to best explain what I am trying to say and then it occurred to me I am just trying to explain passion, and that is like trying to explain a color or a flavor and all you have are adjectives cause experiencing food or sight isn’t translatable, its an experience, and experience is too personal to share exactly like it is.

So instead I will tell you what traveling taught me, it taught me what passion is, and passion drives my life. Without knowing that passion I can’t tell you what my life would become.

Travel teaches me to live.

WildJunket's: 8 Things I’ve Learnt While Living Abroad

BootsnAll: 10 Important Life Lessons You Learn From Living Abroad

D Travels Round: Travel lessons from the Merchant Marines

_______________________________

Day 01 – Favorite place(s) you’ve been to?

Day 02 – Where you’d like to travel next?

Day 03 – An adventure/challenge you had while traveling or living abroad.

Day 04 – A picture of you in another country.

Day 05 – What do you bring with you when you travel?

Day 06 – What does “home” mean to you?

Day 07 – Besides people, what did/do you miss from home?

Day 08 – A favorite food from another country/culture.

Day 09 – A favorite foreign movie.

Day 10 - A song you like from another country/language.

Day 11 - Did you have any milestones or “firsts” while traveling or living abroad?

Day 12- Someone who influenced you to travel abroad. 

Day 13- A favorite travel quote.

Day 14- What did you learn from traveling abroad?

Day 15- Advice to someone who’s thinking about traveling to another country? 

The 15 Day International Travel Challenge: Day 14

Day 14 – What did you learn from traveling abroad?

Geeze! How do I answer that question? I'd have to tell you to read my blog, all the content has been influenced by what I’ve learned from my travels.

 

However I will tell you this. You never really know someone until you travel with them.  

When was the last time you were in a completely foreign place? Language? Transportation? Food? Schedule? Culture? Food? People?

In my experience, those are the moments when you’re completely yourself. I believe we are all a product of our environment, but who are you when you’re no longer in your environment?

When contemplating on what made me happiest in this world, most my memories were while I was traveling, that’s not to say traveling doesn’t come with its own set of challenges but I thrive in those circumstances. I didn’t know that until I traveled.

In my Buddhism class we discussed harmony, the way we live when we find something we are passionate about and it promotes a beautiful harmony between what you’re feeling and what you’re doing. Well, when I travel I am my favorite version of myself.

I’ve been sitting here staring at my computer screen contemplating how to best explain what I am trying to say and then it occurred to me I am just trying to explain passion, and that is like trying to explain a color or a flavor and all you have are adjectives cause experiencing food or sight isn’t translatable, its an experience, and experience is too personal to share exactly like it is.

So instead I will tell you what traveling taught me, it taught me what passion is, and passion drives my life. Without knowing that passion I can’t tell you what my life would become.

Travel teaches me to live.

WildJunket's: 8 Things I’ve Learnt While Living Abroad

BootsnAll: 10 Important Life Lessons You Learn From Living Abroad

D Travels Round: Travel lessons from the Merchant Marines

_______________________________

Day 01 – Favorite place(s) you’ve been to?

Day 02 – Where you’d like to travel next?

Day 03 – An adventure/challenge you had while traveling or living abroad.

Day 04 – A picture of you in another country.

Day 05 – What do you bring with you when you travel?

Day 06 – What does “home” mean to you?

Day 07 – Besides people, what did/do you miss from home?

Day 08 – A favorite food from another country/culture.

Day 09 – A favorite foreign movie.

Day 10 - A song you like from another country/language.

Day 11 - Did you have any milestones or “firsts” while traveling or living abroad?

Day 12- Someone who influenced you to travel abroad. 

Day 13- A favorite travel quote.

Day 14- What did you learn from traveling abroad?

Day 15- Advice to someone who’s thinking about traveling to another country? 

geeking out at the archives at the USHMM

 

 Week 3 on BootsnAll's travel challenge is about studying and learning abroad. Its a braod question that to answer completely would require you to tell you to read my blog, afterall thats what its all about, what travel has taught me, how its effected my life.

Although I will tell you I have been on a couple trips that were more for research than to vacation or to be a tourist in both Washington DC & Israel but I am going to focus on my trip to the United States Holocaust Museum.

This trip may have never been possible without a little educational intuition and I can't imagine who I would be if I hadn't taken my History of Genocide course at UVU. I was given the opportunity along with several other classmates to spend our spring break traveling to Washington DC to research at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. How could drinking on a beach somewhere compare right?

Now doesn't that picture make you feel great about our generation? Wrapped around a conference table, searching and searching for the documentation each of us spent the week looking for to support our final reseach papers due at the end of the semester.

 

Okay, so I am totally going to geek out in this post, but seriously would you take a look at these bookshelves? We actually had to be instructed on how to use them since they move, usually you'd have to crank each different row by hand but these were fairly new and if you weren't careful you'd smoosh someone in them, luckily they also have sensors so you couldn't accidentally hurt someone. 

Room after room, row after row, shelf after shelf and book after book. Magical. For anyone who knows me well I used to work for a paper company and LOVE the smell of freshly printed paper, book stores, and the inside of antique books. weird right? They just have this one of a kind smell and it causes instand happy nostalgia in my brain... good old olfactory system!

Beautiful! The archives of the USHMM aren't seen too often by the public, not that they are overly restricted but it would have never occured to me to ask for a visit to the archives while wandering through the exhibits...

Lucky me, even luckier that I loved the experience!

What do you geek out about?

geeking out at the archives at the USHMM

 

 Week 3 on BootsnAll's travel challenge is about studying and learning abroad. Its a braod question that to answer completely would require you to tell you to read my blog, afterall thats what its all about, what travel has taught me, how its effected my life.

Although I will tell you I have been on a couple trips that were more for research than to vacation or to be a tourist in both Washington DC & Israel but I am going to focus on my trip to the United States Holocaust Museum.

This trip may have never been possible without a little educational intuition and I can't imagine who I would be if I hadn't taken my History of Genocide course at UVU. I was given the opportunity along with several other classmates to spend our spring break traveling to Washington DC to research at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. How could drinking on a beach somewhere compare right?

Now doesn't that picture make you feel great about our generation? Wrapped around a conference table, searching and searching for the documentation each of us spent the week looking for to support our final reseach papers due at the end of the semester.

 

Okay, so I am totally going to geek out in this post, but seriously would you take a look at these bookshelves? We actually had to be instructed on how to use them since they move, usually you'd have to crank each different row by hand but these were fairly new and if you weren't careful you'd smoosh someone in them, luckily they also have sensors so you couldn't accidentally hurt someone. 

Room after room, row after row, shelf after shelf and book after book. Magical. For anyone who knows me well I used to work for a paper company and LOVE the smell of freshly printed paper, book stores, and the inside of antique books. weird right? They just have this one of a kind smell and it causes instand happy nostalgia in my brain... good old olfactory system!

Beautiful! The archives of the USHMM aren't seen too often by the public, not that they are overly restricted but it would have never occured to me to ask for a visit to the archives while wandering through the exhibits...

Lucky me, even luckier that I loved the experience!

What do you geek out about?

What educational intuition has done for me...

Intuition: a) The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.  b) Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.  c) A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression. 

I could talk for days about all the intricacies fate and intuition has had in my life but this post will focus mainly on my educational insights. My mother learned the value of education through challenges her life presented to her. This shows that I was raised with the encouragement of education and after a couple years of putting off my pursuit of a bachelor’s degree I came to the personal truth that I would never be happy with myself if I did not complete my degree. This truth is the #1 bottom line why I went back to school & how I have managed to stay in college. Without this personal drive I can’t say that I would definitely finish.

However, after personal reflection I can say that there are hundreds & thousands of reasons why my college experience has been invaluable to my life. I would also say that the vast majority of these reasons are still unknown to me. They are such a part of me that I don’t recognize their effects within myself and my life. So here are just a handful of intuitive decisions that led me to a better more passionate life.

This post is directed for those of you who need a reminder of why you finished your degree, are about to start spring semester & those who still aren’t sure college is for you. I believe college isn’t for everyone, but I do believe everyone has something to gain by attending even if they never finish

.

I have always thought I’m a pretty intuitive person. I don’t know how my skills compare to others or what factors play into it, but the bottom line is that I have been ‘lead’ to certain opportunities, people, experiences and places because of intuition.

• Just days from my 16^th birthday I decided to eat lunch at Arby’s, having only been once before & not caring for the food it was an unusual occurrence for me. While there I noticed a couple managers and thought to myself that I should ask for a job application. They had me interview later that day and my start date was set for the week after my 16^th birthday. I worked there for two years and saved money for my first year of college.

 

• Weeks before I was meant to start attending college at the University of Utah (Go Utes!) I had the impression that it would lead to a life I wouldn’t ultimately want and instead I made the arrangements to attend Snow College instead. I met the first love of my life & discovered International Language Programs which lead me to teach English in Voronezh, Russia for 6 months at just 18.

 

• After returning to college to complete my bachelor’s degree in Communications I came to the realization that I didn’t have the drive for my classes the way I did while getting my Associates degree. Looking for a new class led me to plenty of class I could take but none pulled at me until I saw The History of Genocide in the Twenty-first Century. I wanted this class, upon receiving a cautionary warning from the teacher that this was a writing intensive senior level course and not to be taken lightly I joined the class. This led me to a paid research trip in Washington DC & ultimately into pursuing a degree with History.

 

• While taking my History of Genocide class I was taken aback by our professor Kat Brown who inspired me. She is the one who took me to Washington DC, taught me in a one on one research course, she is on my thesis board and she is always ready & willing to challenge me. Among her many influences in my life she also recommended I take a Public History course by Abby Chandler.

 

• Professor Chandler’s class was a mystery to me but I trusted Kat Brown’s opinion, enrolled in the class and my life was changed. Here I learned the importance of Public History, how information is presented, the challenges of modern museums, the value in volunteering and that while History is a liberal art there are thousands of career opportunities available no matter the field we’re interested in. She also had a way of expressing her value in me, she let me know that I had potential and that I had the ability to pursue my dreams. Invaluable quality in teachers!

 

• When enrolling in classes I noticed an Integrated Studies course titled US/ Mexico Borderlands and felt compelled to take it. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from the course, it taught me to recognize my ignorance when it came to immigration, foreigners, culture and integration. This course taught me more than I could EVER share, it was an experience and those just can translate literally. This class led me to find the degree that I could be passionate about.

 

• I’d enrolled in a Peace & Justice course, quite honestly because it sounded interesting without appearing to be a super difficult course. I was wrong. It was difficult, deep and philosophically challenging. I was completely in over my head but felt I should remain in the class and learn as much as I could grasp. This course led me to my current belief that killing humans is wrong. (Yes, in all circumstances)  I’ve attempted on several occasions to express how and why I believe this and as of yet, have failed miserably to translate my experience in this class with someone else. Too much goes on during class time, the readings and feelings that come with truly life altering classes.

 

• In my Peace & Justice course mentioned above I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic people. I say opportunity because if I had not pursued the opportunity to become friends and not just class mates then I would have missed out on one of the BEST experiences of my life. There was a boy named Aaron who I am still beyond impressed by; I used to sit in awe over his insights and perspective. I pursued a friendship with him and ultimately received an invitation to travel to the West Bank of Palestine with him.

 

• During my last semester at Utah Valley University where I will be graduating upon completion of my senior thesis; I took a Buddhism & Science course which discussed the correlation between these two subjects. Why I enrolled in this course wasn’t so much about intuition as it was merely because I’m interested in Buddhism. The course is taught by Wayne Hanewicz, a wildly interesting man whom I could spend days with just listening to his stories. The subject was so deep & complex that it would be over my head and on several days we would walk out of class dumbfounded, enlightened and wishing the class was hours longer. This course only further instilled my love for a simple life, my wanting to distance myself from attachment to possessions and desire to learn more about Buddhism.

In closing I would like to say that my college experiences are priceless. I will NEVER be able to share what I have learned because it goes beyond the education I received. This may be the single largest reason I encourage others to attend college. With student loans coming due soon I can say with complete assurance that the high cost (while painful) is already completely worth it!  There aren’t any words to express my absolute love for what going to college has done for me.

 Have you had experiences like this? Do you have anything you'd tell a hopeful college graduate?

What educational intuition has done for me...

Intuition: a) The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition.  b) Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.  c) A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression. 

I could talk for days about all the intricacies fate and intuition has had in my life but this post will focus mainly on my educational insights. My mother learned the value of education through challenges her life presented to her. This shows that I was raised with the encouragement of education and after a couple years of putting off my pursuit of a bachelor’s degree I came to the personal truth that I would never be happy with myself if I did not complete my degree. This truth is the #1 bottom line why I went back to school & how I have managed to stay in college. Without this personal drive I can’t say that I would definitely finish.

However, after personal reflection I can say that there are hundreds & thousands of reasons why my college experience has been invaluable to my life. I would also say that the vast majority of these reasons are still unknown to me. They are such a part of me that I don’t recognize their effects within myself and my life. So here are just a handful of intuitive decisions that led me to a better more passionate life.

This post is directed for those of you who need a reminder of why you finished your degree, are about to start spring semester & those who still aren’t sure college is for you. I believe college isn’t for everyone, but I do believe everyone has something to gain by attending even if they never finish

.

I have always thought I’m a pretty intuitive person. I don’t know how my skills compare to others or what factors play into it, but the bottom line is that I have been ‘lead’ to certain opportunities, people, experiences and places because of intuition.

• Just days from my 16^th birthday I decided to eat lunch at Arby’s, having only been once before & not caring for the food it was an unusual occurrence for me. While there I noticed a couple managers and thought to myself that I should ask for a job application. They had me interview later that day and my start date was set for the week after my 16^th birthday. I worked there for two years and saved money for my first year of college.

 

• Weeks before I was meant to start attending college at the University of Utah (Go Utes!) I had the impression that it would lead to a life I wouldn’t ultimately want and instead I made the arrangements to attend Snow College instead. I met the first love of my life & discovered International Language Programs which lead me to teach English in Voronezh, Russia for 6 months at just 18.

 

• After returning to college to complete my bachelor’s degree in Communications I came to the realization that I didn’t have the drive for my classes the way I did while getting my Associates degree. Looking for a new class led me to plenty of class I could take but none pulled at me until I saw The History of Genocide in the Twenty-first Century. I wanted this class, upon receiving a cautionary warning from the teacher that this was a writing intensive senior level course and not to be taken lightly I joined the class. This led me to a paid research trip in Washington DC & ultimately into pursuing a degree with History.

 

• While taking my History of Genocide class I was taken aback by our professor Kat Brown who inspired me. She is the one who took me to Washington DC, taught me in a one on one research course, she is on my thesis board and she is always ready & willing to challenge me. Among her many influences in my life she also recommended I take a Public History course by Abby Chandler.

 

• Professor Chandler’s class was a mystery to me but I trusted Kat Brown’s opinion, enrolled in the class and my life was changed. Here I learned the importance of Public History, how information is presented, the challenges of modern museums, the value in volunteering and that while History is a liberal art there are thousands of career opportunities available no matter the field we’re interested in. She also had a way of expressing her value in me, she let me know that I had potential and that I had the ability to pursue my dreams. Invaluable quality in teachers!

 

• When enrolling in classes I noticed an Integrated Studies course titled US/ Mexico Borderlands and felt compelled to take it. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from the course, it taught me to recognize my ignorance when it came to immigration, foreigners, culture and integration. This course taught me more than I could EVER share, it was an experience and those just can translate literally. This class led me to find the degree that I could be passionate about.

 

• I’d enrolled in a Peace & Justice course, quite honestly because it sounded interesting without appearing to be a super difficult course. I was wrong. It was difficult, deep and philosophically challenging. I was completely in over my head but felt I should remain in the class and learn as much as I could grasp. This course led me to my current belief that killing humans is wrong. (Yes, in all circumstances)  I’ve attempted on several occasions to express how and why I believe this and as of yet, have failed miserably to translate my experience in this class with someone else. Too much goes on during class time, the readings and feelings that come with truly life altering classes.

 

• In my Peace & Justice course mentioned above I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic people. I say opportunity because if I had not pursued the opportunity to become friends and not just class mates then I would have missed out on one of the BEST experiences of my life. There was a boy named Aaron who I am still beyond impressed by; I used to sit in awe over his insights and perspective. I pursued a friendship with him and ultimately received an invitation to travel to the West Bank of Palestine with him.

 

• During my last semester at Utah Valley University where I will be graduating upon completion of my senior thesis; I took a Buddhism & Science course which discussed the correlation between these two subjects. Why I enrolled in this course wasn’t so much about intuition as it was merely because I’m interested in Buddhism. The course is taught by Wayne Hanewicz, a wildly interesting man whom I could spend days with just listening to his stories. The subject was so deep & complex that it would be over my head and on several days we would walk out of class dumbfounded, enlightened and wishing the class was hours longer. This course only further instilled my love for a simple life, my wanting to distance myself from attachment to possessions and desire to learn more about Buddhism.

In closing I would like to say that my college experiences are priceless. I will NEVER be able to share what I have learned because it goes beyond the education I received. This may be the single largest reason I encourage others to attend college. With student loans coming due soon I can say with complete assurance that the high cost (while painful) is already completely worth it!  There aren’t any words to express my absolute love for what going to college has done for me.

 Have you had experiences like this? Do you have anything you'd tell a hopeful college graduate?

Why 2012 is My Year

2011 has been a year of slow progress which I find frustrating in the day to day but that only leaves so much more for 2012 to accomplish!!

January- I have a hard time remembering that far back, I do know that I started my Buddhism in Science course at UVU and it changed my life!!

February- Listed my condo for sale. Bittersweet! It's still for sale & has been quite a process but hopefully the latest offer will go through!

March- Mexican Cruise with one of my best friends & crossing off 'go on a cruise' from my bucket list!

April- Participated in the walking ceremony for my college graduation (but not actually graduating)

May- A trip to Northern California, nothing bring my spirits up like California!

June- I finished 1 of 2 math classes I need to ‘officially’ graduate

July- Going to Breckinridge Colorado with my family & playing with a dear friend I taught English with in Russia.

August- Started my last semester of attending college!

September- I had my 25^th birthday & made a birthday list!

October- Had my first Halloween party & best scary season to date!

November- Spent thanksgiving with my family for the last time in who knows how long!

December- Finished the 2^nd of my math classes I need to complete my degree and now I’m working on my senior thesis and then I’ll be ALL DONE!

 

Right now my main two focuses’ are:

-          finishing my senior thesis, to complete my degree

-          preparing financially to leave the country

What to expect in 2012

 

Each year I like to dream of all the things I'm going to accomplish. However, I have NEVER been more excited for any single year of my life as I am for twenty twelve!

I WILL sell my condo. I live simply now (for the most part), but I can barely wait for the day when I move into a basement bedroom in the home of a dear friend. I love to de-clutter & lose excess material items.

I WILL finish my bachelor’s degree in Integrated Studies with emphases in History & Political Science.

I WILL no longer work in the Medicare insurance industry. However, it’s still undecided when we will no longer be needed at our location.

I WILL get a permanent front tooth! I embraced my toothless grin and the humor & conversation piece that it is. I’ll almost be as sad when I can’t share my inner-hillbilly at a moments notice, almost.

I WILL leave the United States to pursue my passion for travel and other cultures. I’ve got ideas of where I will go . As other factors begin to resolve themselves I will have a better idea of where & when.

___________________________________________________________________

There is loads of work to be done, plenty of patience to be had and even bigger moments ready to sweep me off my feet! 

I love getting to share my dreams and I’m thrilled you’re here to share what is sure to be one of the most thrilling years of my life!

 

Why 2012 is My Year

2011 has been a year of slow progress which I find frustrating in the day to day but that only leaves so much more for 2012 to accomplish!!

January- I have a hard time remembering that far back, I do know that I started my Buddhism in Science course at UVU and it changed my life!!

February- Listed my condo for sale. Bittersweet! It's still for sale & has been quite a process but hopefully the latest offer will go through!

March- Mexican Cruise with one of my best friends & crossing off 'go on a cruise' from my bucket list!

April- Participated in the walking ceremony for my college graduation (but not actually graduating)

May- A trip to Northern California, nothing bring my spirits up like California!

June- I finished 1 of 2 math classes I need to ‘officially’ graduate

July- Going to Breckinridge Colorado with my family & playing with a dear friend I taught English with in Russia.

August- Started my last semester of attending college!

September- I had my 25^th birthday & made a birthday list!

October- Had my first Halloween party & best scary season to date!

November- Spent thanksgiving with my family for the last time in who knows how long!

December- Finished the 2^nd of my math classes I need to complete my degree and now I’m working on my senior thesis and then I’ll be ALL DONE!

 

Right now my main two focuses’ are:

-          finishing my senior thesis, to complete my degree

-          preparing financially to leave the country

What to expect in 2012

 

Each year I like to dream of all the things I'm going to accomplish. However, I have NEVER been more excited for any single year of my life as I am for twenty twelve!

I WILL sell my condo. I live simply now (for the most part), but I can barely wait for the day when I move into a basement bedroom in the home of a dear friend. I love to de-clutter & lose excess material items.

I WILL finish my bachelor’s degree in Integrated Studies with emphases in History & Political Science.

I WILL no longer work in the Medicare insurance industry. However, it’s still undecided when we will no longer be needed at our location.

I WILL get a permanent front tooth! I embraced my toothless grin and the humor & conversation piece that it is. I’ll almost be as sad when I can’t share my inner-hillbilly at a moments notice, almost.

I WILL leave the United States to pursue my passion for travel and other cultures. I’ve got ideas of where I will go . As other factors begin to resolve themselves I will have a better idea of where & when.

___________________________________________________________________

There is loads of work to be done, plenty of patience to be had and even bigger moments ready to sweep me off my feet! 

I love getting to share my dreams and I’m thrilled you’re here to share what is sure to be one of the most thrilling years of my life!