CrowdVoice.org: Protests in Syria

Think local. Act global. Learn more about the Peace Corps

Friday, September 30, 2011

Vote for Manna Project International

This post does not concern my work in Jordan or with the Peace Corps, but it does represent a very important opportunity for another organization that I have been deeply involved with:  Manna Project International.

As most of you know, in 2007-2008 I spent 13 months in Ecuador as a founding Program Director on Manna Project International's second international site in Quito, Ecuador to go along with the original site in Nicaragua.  Due to our successful expansion of Manna Project into Ecuador, Manna has since expanded again to Guatemala in July of 2010, a site where I spent a month last summer supporting the new founding Program Directors get their feet on the ground and flesh out their community development philosophy.

The reason for which I am currently discussing Manna Project International is because Chase (Bank) Community Giving is currently holding their "American Giving Awards".  Five charities in each of five categories (Educators & Mentors, Champions of Health & Wellness, Heroes & Leaders, Community Builders, and Youth Developers) have been nominated for the chance to win up to $1,000,000.  Chase will be giving awards of $125,000 to the organizations that garner the most votes on Facebook in each of the five categories.  You are allowed one vote in each category and I encourage you to vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

Furthermore, the last time that Chase Community Giving held an online vote, Manna Project International earned enough votes to qualify for a $25,000 prize, and thus has now been honored with an invitation from Chase Community Giving to participate in this year's "American Giving Awards".  Please vote soon, however, as voting ends October 5th, 2011.

A link to the voting page on Chase Community Giving's Facebook page is available here.  Please click on it, "Like" Chase Community Giving, and vote for Manna Project International in the Youth Developers category.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

marHaba! (!مرحبا)

Hello and welcome [marHaba (مرحبا)] to my Peace Corps Jordan blog.  From here I'll be posting updates, stories, and pictures from my work and adventures in Jordan and the Middle East.  Please feel free to subscribe, follow, and/or share with anyone else who might be interested to receive regular updates.

For those of you who do not know, I will be arriving in Jordan on October 21, 2011 to begin my service as a Peace Corps Trainee (PCT).  During my first 2.5 months I will receive job-specific, technical, linguistic, cross-cultural, health, and safety and security training.  Also during my time as a PCT, I will be living in a home-stay somewhere near the city of Al Mafraq.  Upon my successful completion of Pre-Service Training, I will be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) right around the New Year.

Starting in January I will begin my work as PCV as an English Teacher Trainer.  This basically means that I will be working with current teachers of English to Jordanian children to support these teachers in their teaching as well as their English skills so that they may serve their students as effectively as possible.

Some of you may have been wondering why the title of this post has a capital "H" in the middle of marHaba.  This is because when Western, English-speaking linguists decided to transliterate Arabic script into Roman script they discovered that spoken and written Arabic has 2 distinct letters which, to Western ears, sound just like the letter "h".  For this reason, one of those letters is transliterated as "h" whereas the other, used in this case, is transliterated as "H".

Unfortunately for me, this not only happens with the letter "h", but also with each of the following letters:  "s", "t", "d", and "k".  Furthermore, Arabic has 3 different sounds that Americans equate with the "th" sound.  This all may sound plenty difficult, but I cannot forget that in addition to all these couplets there are at least 4 more letters/sounds in Arabic that do not exist in American English.

Suffice it to say I've got my work cut out for me, not to mention the fact that I am moving to a culture that is so foreign to Westerners in so many ways.  I will have to learn to make considerable adjustments in my lifestyle, all the while attempting to communicate in one of the world's most difficult languages to learn for an English speaker.

Nevertheless, I couldn't be more excited and intrigued for this next step in my life.  I am utterly grateful for all the support that so many of you have provided to me throughout the years.  Although I go to Jordan looking to forge new relationships with new people in a new culture, I will always remember and hold a special place in my heart for the people I've met and the relationships that I have developed over the years across the United States and throughout the Americas.  Finally, I have to thank my family for always supporting me and encouraging me to live my life.
Instagram

Popular Posts