On day two, I continued shadowing Olivia with our group from the day before, debriefing them on their experience of staying the night in the Global Village.
The villagers had just finished their breakfast which included: a basket filled with a container full of oat mill, one of sugar and a handful of raisins that they had cooked over a fire they had built and prepared down in the Urban Slums. They met us back up at the Global Village Barn and Josh and Olivia each took a group (one took Guatemala, the other took the Urban Slums) back to their dwellings to complete their chores for the day. I stayed behind with a few from each group to wash all of the dishes that they had used to cook their meals the night before.
Some of the chores that the villagers must complete are: cleaning-up their area, the fire pit and the squat toilets. Then, they water the crops in Zambia, Thailand and Guatemala. After that, they feed the chickens, goats, ducks and then walk and feed the goats. After the chores, everyone meets back at the Global Village Barn and we begin the debriefing process.
Debriefing consists of asking a series of leading questions about their experiences in the village and relating them to how they compare and contrast to their lives back home in the ‘real world.’ Then, we do a few activities before releasing them to shower-up and head to lunch.
After lunch, I met up with Jacob at Metzger to meet the rest of the Ranch staff and tour Metzger and where the office supplies and material that I will be using for the duration of my summer education volunteer program, or Summer Action. Then, Jacob gave me a stack of training DVDs that covered most of the practices and policies that I missed during the two-weeks of training.
I met back up with Jacob around five and he and I drove into town to pick up some groceries, beer and socks (the latter of which I had forgot to pack in my suitcase before flying here).
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environment. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Little Over a Month Before I Leave for "The Ranch"
On May 15th, I will board a train in Los Angeles, California and set out on a 54 hour journey to Little Rock Arkansas. From there, I will catch a ride an hour and a half away, to a little place called Perryville. From May 18th until August 15th, I will live and work as a resident volunteer on the 1,500 acres that is Heifer International's Learning Center or "Heifer Ranch."
Heifer International is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1944 by Dan West, with the goals of “Ending Hunger and Caring for the Earth.”
Dan West served as a relief worker, feeding hungry children during the Spanish Civil War
The rations of milk that he was giving out was not enough to fulfill the profound need of the people who were dying off in large numbers due to starvation. Dan West said, "These children don't need a cup, they need a cow!"
With that in mind, West Returned home to form Heifers for Relief, whose goal was to provide the starving families with livestock and training to enable impoverished people to lead sustainable and dignified lives.
In 1944, West started donating heifers to needy families, who would in turn agree to donate the offspring of the donated cow to another needy family, thus “pass[ing] on the gift” so that the gift of food is never ending. The goal of Heifer International is much like the old proverb; Give a person a fish, them for a day. Teach a person to fish, they can feed their self for a lifetime.
Heifer International's Headquarters is located in Little Rock, AK and has provided aid to families in need in over 120 Countries for almost 60 years.
As a summer resident volunteer, I will "help carry out Heifer's mission by facilitating educational programs, assisting with farm operations, hosting drop-in guests and filling vital administrative roles."
It is going to be a huge adjustment going from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood to rural Perryville, Arkansas and the farm life on Heifer Ranch, but it is an experience that I am very much looking forward to and believe it will be an educational and spiritual experience of a lifetime.
While there, I will keep a daily journal, that I will publish to my blog every night with photos and videos of my experiences on the ranch and more information about Heifer International and the work that they do both domestically and abroad.
Cheers.
Heifer International is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1944 by Dan West, with the goals of “Ending Hunger and Caring for the Earth.”
Dan West served as a relief worker, feeding hungry children during the Spanish Civil War
The rations of milk that he was giving out was not enough to fulfill the profound need of the people who were dying off in large numbers due to starvation. Dan West said, "These children don't need a cup, they need a cow!"
With that in mind, West Returned home to form Heifers for Relief, whose goal was to provide the starving families with livestock and training to enable impoverished people to lead sustainable and dignified lives.
In 1944, West started donating heifers to needy families, who would in turn agree to donate the offspring of the donated cow to another needy family, thus “pass[ing] on the gift” so that the gift of food is never ending. The goal of Heifer International is much like the old proverb; Give a person a fish, them for a day. Teach a person to fish, they can feed their self for a lifetime.
Heifer International's Headquarters is located in Little Rock, AK and has provided aid to families in need in over 120 Countries for almost 60 years.
As a summer resident volunteer, I will "help carry out Heifer's mission by facilitating educational programs, assisting with farm operations, hosting drop-in guests and filling vital administrative roles."
It is going to be a huge adjustment going from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood to rural Perryville, Arkansas and the farm life on Heifer Ranch, but it is an experience that I am very much looking forward to and believe it will be an educational and spiritual experience of a lifetime.
While there, I will keep a daily journal, that I will publish to my blog every night with photos and videos of my experiences on the ranch and more information about Heifer International and the work that they do both domestically and abroad.
Cheers.
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