I’m starting to wrap my head around the idea of going to Argentina now and I’ve begun doing some research. I am extremely fortunate because Joanne was in touch with a student from Calgary who is working with Fundación iDeas right now and I have been able to email her to ask some questions. She told me a bit about Córdoba city, the Fundación and the people of Argentina. As far as I know I will be living about 30 minutes north of the city, but there’s a bus I will be able to take in. Córdoba is the second largest city in Argentina, but according to Katie (my new pen pal) you get the vibe of a small city because everyone is so friendly and welcoming. Once you’re in the city centre you can walk everywhere you’ll want to go and there are plenty of internet cafés so I will be able to keep my blog up to date! I’ve also been told by both Katie and Joanne that it’s pretty safe. I am not sure what it is that she is working on but I am assuming that because she is working in the heart of the city and I will be working in one of the villages we probably won’t have the same job. However, her experience with the Fundación so far has been a positive one. Katie has praised them for being very flexible and accommodating. The one thing I’m looking most forward too though, and Katie confirmed this, is the people! She said that they are very open and ready and willing to befriend you. Hearing details like this get me so excited! Once I find out what I need to pack I won’t be able to calm myself down (because as boring as it is, it’s the one thing that gets me most excited!)!!
Before I get ahead of myself though and start making a packing list, I still need to complete RS 383! One component of this course is finding a volunteer placement in the local KW (Kitchener-Waterloo) area. This past Monday we all travelled to the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre! This is a place geared mainly to new Canadian immigrants. As we found out, arriving in Canada (especially under refugee status) is a very difficult process but then trying to accustom oneself to the culture can be even more difficult! These individuals or families need to find a family doctor and a job and fill out numerous forms, which can be made even more difficult when they don’t speak English. So among their programs such as settlement counselling, job search services, job search workshops, community outreach program, library settlement program, internationally trained physicians project and documentation, they offer a one-on-one tutoring program to teach new Canadians English. I am hoping to be accepted as a tutor for the centre, it would be an extremely rewarding experience. I have been working on learning Spanish since September now so it would be good practice if I was able to work with Spanish speaking individuals. For a more detailed look at the centre check out the website at http://www.kwmc.on.ca/ .
Another task that must be completed before I can hop on a plane is FUNDRAISING! Fundraising is a great opportunity for you to interact with your community and to get those who support you directly involved in your experience. So far we have had limited success with our group fundraising efforts but they have been opportunities for us to learn and improve. Last term we organised a bake sale and a band night, we tried to sell our cause through Friday night lectures here at St. Jerome’s and through 10 000 Villages (a store here in Waterloo) and submitted a proposal to the Arts Endowment Fund. Some were more of a success than others, but learned more about fundraising and about our group throughout all of them. To try and get the ball rolling Jacquelyn (follow her blog at http://beyond-my-borders.blogspot.com/ ) and I started Bracelets Beyond Borders as our own fundraising initiative. We make lovely bracelets and sell them to YOU for an amazing price of $4 (if anyone is interested!). This coming week we will be selling them at Arts Lecture (AL) here on campus at Waterloo! Come out on Monday and Thursday from 12:00-3:00p.m and check us out! Here are some photos of our work:
Hopefully we will start up some more group fundraising initiatives and use our honed fundraising skills to rake in the dough!Thanks for tuning in! Chau!
No comments:
Post a Comment