Just be You

Before I leave for Botswana tomorrow, I just wanted to post one last entry sharing some of the most important things I've learned in Pt.1 of my 2009. It's very raw, and there's no conclusion. Just my reflections, and an invitation to you all to share your thoughts as well.. 

Sometimes we forget to be who we are

I realize I had a lot of difficulties writing bio. When I wrote my guest post for Grace's "What inspires you" series, my bio was "I'm just another 20-something Gen Y who cares, blogs, travels and loves meeting people.". For Matt's "Inconvenience of Change" series, I wrote "A 23-year old that blogs at I care. Inspired by individuals who care and loves it when people email me and tell me they care. Love learning, exploring, and eating. Want to use everyday as an opportunity to make the world a little better and life a little easier for people that I love." To be honest, writing that bio almost took as long as writing the actual post. Reason being I didn't think telling people what I studied at school and where I will be working at were as important as what I care about and values I stand for. 

Coincidentally, Renjie and I had a similar discussion a couple days ago around the way we were taught to introduce ourselves. We feel that the school we attended, program we were in, company we work for, titles that we have, don't necessarily reflect who we are as a person. He said, "It just happens that is what we are doing at the moment. Instead, what we really should care about when meeting people for the first time is what they're passionate about and what they're driven by. Like you know...them, not what they do for a living, not how much they make..." 

I remember a time when I told Joanne, my Beyond Borders prof, how I feel stressed and incompetent because I just want to do so much more. I wish I was a better speaker, a better writer, a better etc etc. And she told me, "We look at people like Mother Theresa and think they are perfect. But they also have their weaknesses. We need to get over the idea that we need to be perfect, and it doesn't make us have less to offer just because we're not perfect. It's about accepting who we are, discovering who we want to be, exploring different possibilities in life, and just becoming ourselves. Not "higher achiever, better writer, better speaker". But to be you. You want to become you." 

The more I think about it, the more I realize this is so important when working in the social change sector. There are times when I assume certain people don't care, won't change, and will behave a certain way. But the moment I make these judgements, I am creating a gap between "me" and "them". This barrier then leads to further misunderstanding, miscommunication, people putting up guards and feeling defensive. Almost always, these judgements are unnecessary and based on nothing. Working with each other, instead of against each other can go a long way.

While I learn how to become me, I must also really listen with my heart, be fully present, and accept others as them, with flaws and all... I'm not very good at it yet, but I am learning. 

Adventure starts tomorrow

Pt.3 of my Beyond Borders program begins tomorrow. It's my transition summer before I start working full-time, and my first time actually working on the ground with an NGO. In my mind, it's really the perfect way to wrap up my student life and I am excited and nervous all at once. I may disappear for awhile. When I get internet access again, I may blog here, or over at my Beyond Borders blog. I don't know :) 

Thanks for reading. Take care...till next time!

I'm not trying to change the world

Hi! Sorry for falling off the face of the Earth for so long. I have been busy doing stuff offline in the last few weeks. They include: graduating from university , moving back home to Toronto from Waterloo, saying goodbye to my parents since I won't see them again until August, driving my brother to and from school everyday, meeting old and new friends and having too much coffee, and.... reading for pleasure ! In other words, no time for blogging :) Okay they are excuses, but at the same time, it was a much needed break and I really enjoyed just spending some time reading and being around friends. Let me tell you - life without exams feels ridiculously good.

This last term has definitely been the best term in my entire university life. The things I learned and the people I met have really pushed me down the path I will be embarking on from this moment on. As I was reflecting and trying to let everything sink in, the more and more I realize how much my thinking has been shifted after reading the Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire .

I had to read that book for the Beyond Borders class, wrote an essay exam on it over the Christmas break, and have written several blog entries related to the book over the last term while volunteering at The Working Centre. Yet, I feel it has impacted me much further that I have become a lot more conscious when using phrases such as "helping poor people", "inspiring others" or "changing the world". I noticed how I was getting more and more unwilling to say/write those words and uncomfortable with the idea that we seem to unconsciously put ourselves in a "better class" than others sometimes. 

I don't feel that I'm going out there to "help the poor people". I just want to be together with them, allow us to understand and learn from each other, and build real human connections. I don't feel that I'm doing what I'm doing to "inspire others". I just want people to know that if I, as one person, with no special talents nor 72 hours a day, could potentially make a difference in both a good or bad way through every action that I take, everyone could. Finally, I don't feel that I'm trying to "change the world". "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." I simply think it's a duty of care , an obligation, a responsibility.

I'm idealistic? Maybe? But I don't think I am. We're faced with a lot of pressing societal issues today, but the thing is, there has been issues since the dawn of time. We're not the first generation having to deal with problems of the world. Plus, everything is a cycle - we solve climate change now, another problem will already be waiting for us. But that's the nature, no? As much as selfishness and greed are part of human nature, so are selflessness and sympathy. We need to take care of one another. 

So instead of thinking how we can or can't change the world, I am choosing to focus on making sure my everyday actions reflect conscious care, leaving the world a little better than it was yesterday and life a little easier for people that I love. Nothing extraordinary, just that. Simple, no?

YouthBuild: Re-building lives

A few weeks ago, I posted a video on Women's Bean Project , a non-profit that employs chronically unemployed and impoverished women to make packaged products, and putting them in a program so they learn life skills that will allow them to find permanent job and become self-sufficient.

Tonight I came across another empowerment project. Dorothy Stoneman, a Skoll Uncommon Heros, started YouthBuild to create a positive future for low-income young people. By re-enrolling them in alternative schools where they complete high school and build affordable homes for their neighbors, they're given the opportunity to transform their own lives.

Stories like this keep me going. Being there to make things a little easier for each other, isn't that what life is all about?

A call for leadership, for the sake of the world

One of my favorite bloggers on this entire planet is Akhila Kolisetty. I know, you guys have heard about her already. But she really is awesome and I find myself bringing her name/her blog up a lot. Anyways, last week she invited me to write a guest post for her blog, so I spent many many hours writing something that I have always wanted to tell the world.

Here's a preview...

"....Then I discovered Brazen Careerist earlier this year and the talents I saw around me grew exponentially.... I can’t help but wonder, how much good they could do for the world if they were willing to devote more time in building solutions for the betterment of the world.... sometimes I feel we are all living in this bubble... How often do we actually get right down to being fully present with the people and try to understand what they’re going through? I think we prioritize weird... I know people care....Legacy isn’t defined by the size of your company, it’s by the number of lives you have truly touched and made a difference in... What about trying the 80/20 Google rule? So many talented people with so much to offer. We need a better way to harness the creativity and talent we have in the Gen Y blogsphere to create social change and push for a better world. Why is it not happening?"

We're having some great discussions in the comments, would you like to join? Go here.

Agents of Change Pt.3

In the last 2 posts of "Agents of Change", I have featured individuals who will all be traveling this summer to somewhere far away from home. However, one of the most important things I have learned this year is that we don't always need to go far. There are Agents of Change who are making differences everyday, in their own ways, in their very own communities.

Grace Boyle (Blog: Small Hands, Big Ideas Twitter: @gracekboyle)
Grace is the source of a lot of my inspirations. When I first discovered her blog, I spent the whole night going through all the entries, amazed by her creativity, energy and sincerity. She is an amazing person that knows what she wants in life, driven by the right values and caring about the right things . She's busy and involved - having two blog/online projects on top of her full-time job, working with Ladies Who Launch, helping her mother market her women's retreat to Italy, and attending meetups. On her blog, you can read about the "What Inspires You" series, her "A Photo A Day" project , and everything else that she finds interesting or touching in life. Grace loves connecting with people in the most authentic sense and if it wasn't for her who reached out to me, I wouldn't have met the many other amazing people that I know now as well. My words can't do her/her blog justice - go read it yourself.

Fion Ho (Blog: Everyday Living... Twitter: @fionho)
Fion is one of my closest girlfriends and I've come to know her intimately over the years. She is one passionate girl with a burning fire buried deep inside in her heart. She also believes that greatness is everywhere and we just need to pause and believe in it. Currently doing her Master of Environmental Studies, she specializes in urban planning and aspire to (re)build communities to help connect individuals. Involved with Big Brother Big Sister, she spends lunch with Kayla, a 9-year-old, every Tuesday. Fion has recently renovated her blog, decided to live the life she wants to live, and for the first time, stepping out of her comfort zone and being excited about the unknowns . Let's wish her all the best as she finishes her master thesis, looking for opportunities to teach English in China, and making big jumps for her bright future.

Eudora Lee (Blog: Dreams Work Twitter: @euds)
Eudora is one of the most resilient girls I know. You won't always find optimism in her blog, occasionally she complains and gets mad, but it guarantees nothing but authenticity and honesty. I knew her since high school, and I love her for always saying what needs to be said without wasting time worrying what others will think of her. Finishing her Master in Education, she believes that "Education without love is merely a lengthy instruction; without wisdom, propaganda; without hope, a history; without example, a joke." Eudora currently teaches English through drama in Hong Kong. She's definitely an important role model for these young girls she teaches and I like that she's showing them there are more important things than being pretty and popular. For the rest of the year, she will be working on other community projects, using drama to teach, to heal, and to inspire. Oh, and she told me she wants to publish a book and change the world.


This concludes my "Agents of Change" series for now. The take-home message is that if you want to see change, you must be change. The good news is, there aren't rules - just be yourself, do what you can do, read and talk to people, find your passion, try your best everyday, then repeat that the next day. Remember, we all have a lit candle and it's our job to spread it. I imagine a part 4 to this series as I meet more new people or convince more Agents of Change to blog, whichever happens first. Thank you for reading. =)

Agents of Change Pt.2

In my last entry, I mentioned that I'm doing my summer volunteer placement through a program called Beyond Borders. Over the past 8 months, I've had many other amazing individuals going through this learning experience with me. Together we took courses that required us to read Pedagogy of the Oppressed, challenging us to rethink what education means and the importance of dialogue. Together we served the local community by volunteering at The Working Centre, pushing us to get out of libraries and classrooms to get right down to being full present with people. Together we exhausted all our resources to raise money for this volunteer trip, knowing we are going to come back being completely broke. And together we share our excitement, passion, opinions, frustrations, laughs, cries and most importantly, friendship.

Each of us came from different walks in life, studies a different major in school, and will be going to different countries working at different placements this summer. But we are all similar in that we share the same commitment of learning more about the world with an open heart & mind, making little differences, every day, in every way.

I'm featuring some of their blog posts here - all of them a first-time blogger. Please note that these blogs are written for a course so you may see entries where we are all writing on the same topic and making references to the same books/people over and over again. Here we go:

Matt Fox, an aspiring math teacher, shares his encounter with the homeless, his view on our inabilities to take actions, and that laziness and selfishness aren't the only options. Katie Cowie, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies, challenges what you would differently if you could do it all again and read this to see if you have Social Justice Leprosy. Maryam Woldeyohannes, an aspiring doctor, shares her view on why we can't simply accept the way things are, why smiling at strangers matters, and her frustrations when her friend told her all she aspires for was her own happiness and her life. Read Sabrina George's honest testimony about her recent lost and how gr.2 kids melt her heart. Krista Hundt, a soft-voiced but courageous girl, shares her lessons learned from volunteering at the Speak English Cafe. Jessica Vorsteveld, a wonderful writer, is a firm believer in small things count and the importance of dialogue . Marissa Taggart summarizes the the essense of our journey thus far, while Jess DB aspires to grow her own food and repair her own things after volunteering at The Working Centre. Jen Deweerd, whose entire blog is full of creativity and inspiration, reminds us that through our ordinary actions, we really can make a profound impact.

Preview of "Agents of Change Pt.3":

One of the most important things I have learned from the Beyond Borders program is that we don't need to go far in order to help or make a difference. In my next post, I will be featuring some Agents of Change who are affecting change locally in their own meaningful way.

Agents of Change Pt.1

I want to start April with a series of posts featuring some Agents of Change - the incredible people I have around me that are committed to making the world a better place, the people who realize there are things that are more important than a well-paying job and a luxurious lifestyle, the people who care beyond themselves and are using their blogs as one of the ways to affect change......

I am starting the first post by introducing to you 3 girls I've gotten to know over the course of March. Coincidentally, they will all be traveling and working with a NGO this summer. Definitely follow their adventures through their blogs and connect with them if you're on Twitter, they are some of the most inspiring, adventurous, motivated, energetic, and intelligent people I've met.

Photocredit: Allegra V.

Kristina Lugo (Blog: moni malawi Twitter: @kristinalugo)
Kristina is an University of Waterloo undergraduate majoring in Operations Research. After graduating this April, she will be going to Malawi this summer through Emmanuel International. She will be leading programs that range from teaching English, promoting awareness for HIV/AIDS, as well as working on projects in water sanitation, agriculture, and microfinance. Her work will consist of doing field visits, monitoring, and reporting back on the status of these projects. Covering her own costs of the entire trip, Helen Dyck from Emmanuel International Canada just commented on her blog, "The poor can't afford to hire you, so thank you for offering your services." Passionate about social change and dedicating her life to international development, Kristina is going on this trip with an open mind and heart, hoping to find a more clear direction in "how a girl like her and others in North America can effectively help end poverty".

Akhila Kolisetty (Blog: Justice for all Twitter: @akhilak)
Akhila is a Northwestern University undergraduate double majoring in economics and political science. Currently on exchange at London School of Economics and Political Science, she will be spending her summer in Geneva working with International Bridges to Justice. IBJ works to fight for justice and end torture by improving the criminal justice systems in developing countries, focusing on training and empowering public defenders, local police force, and judges using a bottom-up approach. Akhila will be working to promote a project called JusticeMakers, a competition that encourages innovations in criminal justice reform in developing countries from people around the world. Aspiring to be a lawyer to end human injustice with a belief that law can be innovative, this summer is her opportunity to "combine her passion for innovation, law, human rights, and social media all at once".

Nisha Chittal (Blog: Politicoholic Twitter: @nishachittal)
Nisha is currently finishing up a degree in political science and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Illinois. After graduating this May, she will be going to Cambodia to start up a branch for AIESEC, an international exchange organization which provide internships abroad for students. Her work will involve working with Cambodian college students and businesses to help build programs. Learning to embrace uncertainty and instability, fighting the urge to applying to jobs with big firms like her friends, Nisha is stepping out of her comfort zone because she wants to do what she really loves, live on the edge, take risks with her life, and turn them into huge learning opportunities. Why? Because "If you're not growing, you're dying."

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby Ku (Blog: Going Beyond Borders Twitter: @rubyku)
And then there's me (not the incredible person part, just the traveling & working for NGO part =)). I am in the Science and Business program at University of Waterloo and I graduate in a month. This summer I will be going to Botswana working with Somarelang Tikologo. ST aims to promote sustainable environmental protection by educating and empowering students and communities. I am really looking forward to exploring the possibilities of using mobile technology and social media as a vehicle to promote public awareness, as well as how women selling products made out of recycled material at the Green Shop might benefit from microfinance. Making a difference is definitely one of my biggest objectives this summer. Moreover though, by working side by side and building relationships with people, I hope to personalize injustice and suffering for my friends here in North America. I want people to feel that this is personal, not just some numbers or random people they hear on the news, and that it matters, and that they need to care.


Preview of "Agents of Change Pt.2":
I got this opportunity to volunteer oversea this summer through a program called Beyond Borders. There are 13 of us and you will be finding out more about them in my next post.