Amurica

I am overwhelmingly excited, nervous, anxious, and nostalgic all at the same time as today is my second-to-last day in the land of the free and the home of the brave. My two formal duties while in Colombia are to teach English at La Universidad Libre and conduct microfinance research with ACCIÓN. Luckily I am neither a trained teacher nor an experienced researcher. But I feel I’m right for the job. My greatest asset is most likely that I am American: a real, live, breathing, thinking, acting component of American culture.

Travel has taught me that some people love us, some hate us, some can’t decide, but either way almost all are interested. So what do I say? What is it like to be an American? Daily life, education, music, movies, language, friends, family, food, geography. So much to consider. “America is part of the human condition, within its borders there is vast variety of interest, amusement, goodness, evil, humor, absurdity, and all the other human attributes” (Alistair Cooke). Could we please be more vague?

One thing I know for sure is that I’m proud to be an American. Proud to call this place my home. Patriotic not just because I was born here, but because of the simple fact that we don’t need to rely on others to tell us that sometimes we need change. America is a self-critical nation. Read any newspaper, magazine, journal, you name it, the evidence is clear. America is in constant struggle to “be the change [it] wishes to see in the world” (Gandhi). I can pay my country tribute by doing the same.

Soo enough of my sappy America shpeel; I head out Sunday morning. Colombia’s first impression of me will be too much luggage (trying desperately not to over pack but I feel it’s inevitable), along with my broken nose, stitches, and fat lip. Cute. I’ll let ya know how it goes and more importantly what I learn along the way.

From Shiny Ceilings to Shining Seas

     Volumes upon volumes have already been written about all of the wonders that I have seen and learned about during our first week here in Italy.  Sooo, I’ll leave the Roman history, Pompeii excavation, and Renaissance Art to the experts.  From what I can tell, Italy has got it goin’ on.

     Given that I have primarily traveled throughout Central and South America, and now Italy, I have toured a number of Catholic churches in my day.  None as extravagant as the Basilicas in Italy, most constructed hundreds, some thousands of years ago.  St. Peter’s Basilica for example is bar none the most ornate building that I can imagine existing, anywhere.  The genius of Michelangelo ceases to amaze me.  These churches are jaw-dropping, huge (I mean huge), ceilings covered in gold, famous sculptures galore, frescos frescos frescos, marble floors.  In a word: excessive.

     Perhaps they are as such to demonstrate the power of the church, the power of one’s faith.  Or perhaps it’s a lesson in humility, like standing next to the ocean.  Maaaybe they foresaw that years from now they would be an endlessly profitable tourist attraction.  Either way, something about it makes me uneasy. 

     Are not the values and virtues of faith sufficient to attract and mai

ntain followers?  Is belief not enough?  Do I need a golden roof over my head to pray?  The contradictions are distractingly evident.  Or maybe I should just thank the Pope for contracting Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel for my viewing pleasure.  It most certainly is incredible.

     Of even greater beauty is the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy.  Beautiful villas overlook dramatic coastlines, which meet a bright blue, shining sea.  From shiny ceilings to shining seas.  I even got to take a quick dip in the Grotta Azzurro.  The views, the people, the food… everything is beautiful in Sorrento.  Life is good.

More on Florence, Tuscany, Vienna, and Milan to come.

Arrivederci! 

Girl Power

Growing up with three brothers has (admittedly ironically) led me to like ‘boys’ even more. They possess an element of simplicity. A self-assuredness. A conviction. It’s charming. That being said, thank heavens for ‘girls.’ Last week I read Greg Mortenson’s second book Stones Into Schools and for the first time fully digested the potential for women to drastically impact our social, political, and economic quality of life. “Simply put, young women are the single biggest potential agent for change in the developing world – a phenomenon that is sometimes referred to as the Girl Effect” – Greg Mortenson. Wow, bold statement.

The data speaks for itself. A number of studies conducted by the World Bank and The Council on Foreign Relations demonstrate that investing in girls’ education boosts a community’s income growth, farming productivity, and women’s empowerment while decreasing malnutrition and the fertility rate. One major conclusion strikes me as I read that list of improvements: women (perhaps more so than men) utilize their education to directly benefit the family and their community. Their resources are immediately reinvested in continued social and educational development. It’s a win win.

One of the more discouraging things that I have read about higher education in developing countries is that often, these countries and/or communities lose their most well-educated demographic to already developed nations. With a strong education and an eagerness to see the world, many of these nations’ best and brightest leave the country to pursue work in other areas where they can enjoy more freedoms. Can you blame them? However, while I haven’t any data to back this up, I would guess that educated women are more likely to return home. I’m not sure whether it’s due to the matronly/care-giver gender role that women have developed over the centuries or what, but it’s sure hard to ignore the direct social impact generated from women’s education. It’s more like a springboard for the overall health and education of their families and local communities.

If you don’t know anything about Greg Mortenson or his mission throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan, look him up. It’s an inspiring story and one that will make everyone cherish their education, however little or much he/she has. So cheers to education in all corners of the world to men and women alike, and cheers to the important balance that our differences create.