Although the University is closed this evening due to the weather conditions--and therefore we do not have work tonight--I felt compelled to write a short blog about my trip that begins tomorrow. First, however, I'd like to put everyone on notice: you're reading the blog of a Champion; a UT Tyler Intramural Champion, more specifically. Our team, the Rooster Farmers, (horrible team name, I know, it wasn't my idea) won the intramural basketball championship last night very handedly. While that is not something that is necessarily noteworthy, Cedric James's blog will be. He recorded live video from the game and a few clips from after the game of us talking about who knows what. But he promised me it was pretty funny so I thought I'd put the word out there that he should have an entertaining video blog posting up soon! I'll keep you posted.
Okay, now onto the more important topic. In a recent blog that I wrote entitled "Can a gesture of goodwill have the adverse effect?" I mentioned that I would be traveling to Nicaragua soon and that I would provide you with more details of my trip. As promised, here is more information concerning the details of the trip and the origin of our project: in June 2008 during a meeting with UT Tyler's SIFE (the world's largest student organization) team of 4 students at the time, we discussed ideas that we had on how to impact the lives of others seemingly a world away. We brainstormed several project ideas from AIDS information seminars here in Tyler to inform our students about the epidemic in Africa to microfinance operations that we could begin to loan money to poor citizens in other countries. However, one idea was voted on by our group and stuck: a clean water campaign. Familiar with the enormous problem of the lack of access to clean water in several developing and third world countries, we decided to initiate a project at our university to help out in any way we could.
After months of potential collaborations that would seem to give us hope and then dampen our spirits once we found out that we could not achieve the level of success that we envisioned, we finally found a partnership that allowed us to impact others on a level commensurate to that which we hoped for. The UT Tyler SIFE team raised funds for, and paid for the delivery of, 65 ceramic water filters to be sent to a small village in Nepal which resulted in providing 150 families with clean water. What a difference that must have made for those families who were unable to access clean water before! And what a impression it left on those of us in our student organization to know that we can have such an impact on the lives of others by simply remaining persistent and committed to our cause!
Tomorrow we have yet another opportunity to make a substantial impact on the lives of others in need of assistance through a collaboration with the non-profit Amigos for Christ. Tomorrow at 1pm, 6 members from the UT Tyler SIFE team and the Dean Harold Doty of the College of Business and Technology will fly-out from Tyler to Nicaragua in order to build water distribution systems and dig deep water wells alongside local members of the community. After enduring the annoyances of receiving shots for Hepatitis, Typhoid, Tetanus, and the common flu and taking these odd-tasting, pink Malaria pills that give you whacked-out dreams (no lie), we are ready to embark on our 5-day service trip to Nicaragua. It feels good to know that we will be doing our part to help others, but what feels great is knowing that this project began with us; students that wanted to make a difference. And here we are, about to help in a very minor way, but help nonetheless.
During our trip, Cedric and I plan to take plenty of pictures and record some of our experience on video to share with you once we return back to UT Tyler. I look forward to sharing with you our experience, and I hope that it can provide some inspiration, hope, or tangibility to those who have an idea to help others and are looking for a way to make your idea become a reality.
If you have any questions for me, or if you would like to contact me while I'm in Nicaragua, feel free to leave a message on my Facebook page and I'll get back with you as soon as I'm able to do so. Y'all have a great week and weekend, and I will talk to you next Tuesday!!
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