So cheers to our new blog guys! Thanks to those of you who have already posted, I love reading about your summers. Ok, I’ll be honest, I already added the SOL blog to my bookmarks…perhaps I should add it to my interests on fb (kidding, sort of).
Karmel, I perused the conference, it looks awesome! I can’t wait to get an update about how it went. And, I also enjoyed your letter home. Anything with Harry Potter is usually pretty awesome (and yes, I am counting down to the next book, but shh).
Christian, good to hear from you. I am having a lot of similar struggles to yours. How about an update on what life is like in Tanzania. I can’t really even imagine. I mean, I was unprepared for a lot of aspects about life in Costa Rica. Even though I knew I wouldn’t have a cell phone or Internet most of the time, life without the Times every morning has definitely taken some getting used to. Laugh, but really, it’s been a an adjustment
So finally, I got my IRB approval. I started my interviews this week. The hardest part of doing the interviews, besides speaking in Spanish, is actually just finding the place. For example, to interview an association of organic farmers, I had to go to the “Beneficio.” Ok mind you there are no street signs here, and address? Haha come on, everyone just knows where things in this town are….well, except for the gringa. Anyway, It’s the rainy season in Costa Rica, so the torrential rains have rendered my speedy little red bike rather useless. So I have been taking taxi’s to my interviews, and trying to find the Beneficio is the best story yet.
The taxi I hired, George number 324, had to run through a fence, cross a coffee field, go up a hill seemingly in the middle of the rain forest to reach the Beneficio—a barn in the middle of a field. The shiny little red taxi actually got stuck in a mud puddle on the way. It’s a good thing that I know how to drive a standard because I actually had to drive the taxi while George, the grisly taxi driver, pushed the car out of the mud.
Anyway, I have about two weeks left! And Frances is coming to visit this weekend! I can’t wait to see her again! Ok keep the updates coming people.
Ciao!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Random sights from the city
Hello beautiful people. Wanted to give you a few random sights from the city; the first is a shot from my cell phone (excuse the quality) of the pigeons that reside under the EL stop at State/Madison. Every morning, regardless of what time I walk by, they've just been mysteriously fed. 
This is the bean (original name: "Cloud Gate") -- so my office is actually the building just to the left of the Bean in this picture (nearly 40-stories tall) that resembles a (cough) phallic object. So when I'm in the office and look out from my cubicle through my boss's window, I can make out the bean in Millienium Park. The bean does resemble a pinto bean in shape, and I can't help but theorize that Chipotle is somehow behind this.
I didn't actually take this picture, but check out Christian Bale in the new Batman. The movie has been in production close to my office off and on the last few weeks -- I tried following signs for the 'Extras' hoping to get my big shot, but they said that they had enough.. w/e, their loss. Talk soon folks!! 
This is the bean (original name: "Cloud Gate") -- so my office is actually the building just to the left of the Bean in this picture (nearly 40-stories tall) that resembles a (cough) phallic object. So when I'm in the office and look out from my cubicle through my boss's window, I can make out the bean in Millienium Park. The bean does resemble a pinto bean in shape, and I can't help but theorize that Chipotle is somehow behind this. 
I didn't actually take this picture, but check out Christian Bale in the new Batman. The movie has been in production close to my office off and on the last few weeks -- I tried following signs for the 'Extras' hoping to get my big shot, but they said that they had enough.. w/e, their loss. Talk soon folks!! 
Saturday, June 23, 2007
halfway point
Hey everybody, here's an excerpt from an email i sent home today... hope everyone's doing well!
so as of today i havebeen here exactly one month. I have exactly 3 weeks and 2 days left! Time has gone by relatively quickly here... it feels like a month has goneby, but not really... i dunno. on thursday we had a good meeting with mr.mapunda and the manager of SEDA (small enterprise development agency), a local organization. it was good because after our presentation to the social workers on tuesday, it felt like we had hit a plateau and didnt really know where to go from there. but on thursday we did some brainstorming and came up with ideas to do for the rest of our time here. we'll be having focus groups and more meetings with the people who have participated in the programs of other organizations, in order to get the perspective of the actual participants. we interviewed yesterday the lady who sells bananas to Amani. her child used to be at amani, and she's been selling bananas to them as her only business since 2004. its sad though because although she seems to be in a good position (as the only seller of bananas to a large organization), she only works one day a week and only makes a profit of $4 per week. except she has 8 children. that kind of blew my mind. its basically 50 cents per child per week, with nothing left over for her. that's just crazy. she was a valuable source of information, because we were able to ask her all about her business, her neighbors, her village, and whether or not people can cooperate together in her neighborhood to advance together. it kind of challenged some of the assumptions we've been making, especially the idea of having groups of families start businesses together, because she said that people don't really trust one another and that even though people may be excited initially about such collaborative efforts, that they usually break down when people sit down to settle out the details. that's kinda sad, and signals a need for more education and training of the people. i asked her what she thought would help the people of her neighborhood, and she said animals projects (like pigs or chickens) which was exciting because we've already been planning for that. however, our idea was for families to run these projects together, but she said it would work better individually because people take responsibility for their own things much more than when they are in groups. i hope all of this works out and we can find a way for people to take ownership of their business.
------
saludos a todos!
so as of today i havebeen here exactly one month. I have exactly 3 weeks and 2 days left! Time has gone by relatively quickly here... it feels like a month has goneby, but not really... i dunno. on thursday we had a good meeting with mr.mapunda and the manager of SEDA (small enterprise development agency), a local organization. it was good because after our presentation to the social workers on tuesday, it felt like we had hit a plateau and didnt really know where to go from there. but on thursday we did some brainstorming and came up with ideas to do for the rest of our time here. we'll be having focus groups and more meetings with the people who have participated in the programs of other organizations, in order to get the perspective of the actual participants. we interviewed yesterday the lady who sells bananas to Amani. her child used to be at amani, and she's been selling bananas to them as her only business since 2004. its sad though because although she seems to be in a good position (as the only seller of bananas to a large organization), she only works one day a week and only makes a profit of $4 per week. except she has 8 children. that kind of blew my mind. its basically 50 cents per child per week, with nothing left over for her. that's just crazy. she was a valuable source of information, because we were able to ask her all about her business, her neighbors, her village, and whether or not people can cooperate together in her neighborhood to advance together. it kind of challenged some of the assumptions we've been making, especially the idea of having groups of families start businesses together, because she said that people don't really trust one another and that even though people may be excited initially about such collaborative efforts, that they usually break down when people sit down to settle out the details. that's kinda sad, and signals a need for more education and training of the people. i asked her what she thought would help the people of her neighborhood, and she said animals projects (like pigs or chickens) which was exciting because we've already been planning for that. however, our idea was for families to run these projects together, but she said it would work better individually because people take responsibility for their own things much more than when they are in groups. i hope all of this works out and we can find a way for people to take ownership of their business.
------
saludos a todos!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
what's happening in DC
Hi, I'm at the office now, just came in from lunch at this awesome (but cheap) restaurant at Dupont Circle. Quick post - the festival that I'm putting on is this weekend! I'm going to be working with several child artists with Polaroid cameras. Check out http://www.icaf.org/worldfestival.
Yay, hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far.
Yay, hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far.
And we're off..
Hello all and welcome to the unofficial-official blog for the Duke SOL students. There are twelve of us in the amazing program (through Hart Leadership Program at Duke). We are all over the world and studying some fascinating social issues. I don't want to steal everyone else's thunder so I'll let them tell you where their research has taken them and what sort of work they're doing.
Guess I'll get the ball rolling on these posts. My name is Matt Zafirovski and I'm doing research for the Golden Apple Foundation in Chicago, IL. I'm studying their Scholars program -- the nation's largest pre-teaching support program that gives out 100 scholarships a year to students who wish to become excellent teachers in schools of needs. As the program is about to celebrate its 20th year anniversary, I'm specifically trying to what enables success for a Scholar -- i.e. what are the personal and organization factors that shape a successful Scholar.
Besides being incredibly rewarding and eye-opening work, I get to be in Chicago. I spent my last few years of high school in the Northern Suburbs, but besides ball games, the random field trip, and Second City shows, I never really got to experience this place. When I visit a new city, the first thing I'm likely to do is lace up my Asics and go for a walk or run, sans iPod, to begin to get my bearings.
That's been my mindset as I find myself taking a slightly different route on my walks to and from work. By altering my routes, I'm consciously building a mental 3-D map of the city and rejecting routine. It's not that I necessarily fear routine, rather I fear ending up like Michael Bolton from Office Space, except with not as good of a conversation-starter name. I do appreciate the constants in my walk though, such as the flock of pigeons under the El stop at State/Madison fighting for the bread crumbs that always seem to appear just before I get there; the Italian restaurant owner who waters his flowers at the same time every morning; and the mood of the man peddling newspaper that is dependent on the outcome of the Cubs game (read generally not very happy).
As I wonder through the grid of gorgeous skyscrapers and buildings that pioneered the modern architecture movement, it's tough to fathom how such a beautiful and wealthy city can condone such a low performing school district. Chicago Public Schools graduates 44% of its students in high school and out of those college-bound students, 6% graduate from college. This should be considered a crisis, yet to show the the state of things, leaders appluad the 44% rate because it's an improvement!
I attended a talk by Pedro Naguera, the director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education in NYC, who addressed this very issue. After extensive research in Barbados, and comparisons of the U.S. education system to relatively stronger ones in Slovenia, Cuba, and Canada, he argues that the difference is the lack of a public will in the U.S. to educate. Take Canada for example: they lack the economic prosperity and development of the U.S. but they've put education and health care as their top priorities and becuase of that, you see a more equitable society.
A few hours after this talk, I found myself on a train chatting with Shawn, a fragance consultant (who by day works for the state government) and Jose, a Puerto Rican immigrant. (Shawn is not relevant to the story, I thought I'd just share that I met a fragance consultant). Jose boarded the train with four kids, his wife, and a stroller. His gold chain, white beater, and bevy of tattoos (some more hardcore than others, but my favorite: "I LOVE MOM") did little to express the compassion that lay within. Jose is a college dropout whose kids for the past few years have been attending Chicago Public Schools. He's in the process this summer of moving his family out of the city in order to find a school system that can better educate and look after his kids. One of his sons is diabetic and the school was unsupportive and unwilling to properly address his health needs. Jose has taken on extra jobs and is seeking a third job in order to finance the move. His sacrifice though, in his eyes, is worth it so that he can give his kids opportunities that he never had.
Jose's resolve and determination to better his family is nothing short of heroic. Yet shouldn't we expect more out of our public schools, regardless of what district they're in? True Chicago Public Schools are a different tax base than suburban schools, which drastically affects funding. Yet by not prioritizing equal opportunity in the education system, we are systemically discriminating and further contributing to the growing inequalities.
Guess I'll get the ball rolling on these posts. My name is Matt Zafirovski and I'm doing research for the Golden Apple Foundation in Chicago, IL. I'm studying their Scholars program -- the nation's largest pre-teaching support program that gives out 100 scholarships a year to students who wish to become excellent teachers in schools of needs. As the program is about to celebrate its 20th year anniversary, I'm specifically trying to what enables success for a Scholar -- i.e. what are the personal and organization factors that shape a successful Scholar.
Besides being incredibly rewarding and eye-opening work, I get to be in Chicago. I spent my last few years of high school in the Northern Suburbs, but besides ball games, the random field trip, and Second City shows, I never really got to experience this place. When I visit a new city, the first thing I'm likely to do is lace up my Asics and go for a walk or run, sans iPod, to begin to get my bearings.
That's been my mindset as I find myself taking a slightly different route on my walks to and from work. By altering my routes, I'm consciously building a mental 3-D map of the city and rejecting routine. It's not that I necessarily fear routine, rather I fear ending up like Michael Bolton from Office Space, except with not as good of a conversation-starter name. I do appreciate the constants in my walk though, such as the flock of pigeons under the El stop at State/Madison fighting for the bread crumbs that always seem to appear just before I get there; the Italian restaurant owner who waters his flowers at the same time every morning; and the mood of the man peddling newspaper that is dependent on the outcome of the Cubs game (read generally not very happy).
As I wonder through the grid of gorgeous skyscrapers and buildings that pioneered the modern architecture movement, it's tough to fathom how such a beautiful and wealthy city can condone such a low performing school district. Chicago Public Schools graduates 44% of its students in high school and out of those college-bound students, 6% graduate from college. This should be considered a crisis, yet to show the the state of things, leaders appluad the 44% rate because it's an improvement!
I attended a talk by Pedro Naguera, the director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education in NYC, who addressed this very issue. After extensive research in Barbados, and comparisons of the U.S. education system to relatively stronger ones in Slovenia, Cuba, and Canada, he argues that the difference is the lack of a public will in the U.S. to educate. Take Canada for example: they lack the economic prosperity and development of the U.S. but they've put education and health care as their top priorities and becuase of that, you see a more equitable society.
A few hours after this talk, I found myself on a train chatting with Shawn, a fragance consultant (who by day works for the state government) and Jose, a Puerto Rican immigrant. (Shawn is not relevant to the story, I thought I'd just share that I met a fragance consultant). Jose boarded the train with four kids, his wife, and a stroller. His gold chain, white beater, and bevy of tattoos (some more hardcore than others, but my favorite: "I LOVE MOM") did little to express the compassion that lay within. Jose is a college dropout whose kids for the past few years have been attending Chicago Public Schools. He's in the process this summer of moving his family out of the city in order to find a school system that can better educate and look after his kids. One of his sons is diabetic and the school was unsupportive and unwilling to properly address his health needs. Jose has taken on extra jobs and is seeking a third job in order to finance the move. His sacrifice though, in his eyes, is worth it so that he can give his kids opportunities that he never had.
Jose's resolve and determination to better his family is nothing short of heroic. Yet shouldn't we expect more out of our public schools, regardless of what district they're in? True Chicago Public Schools are a different tax base than suburban schools, which drastically affects funding. Yet by not prioritizing equal opportunity in the education system, we are systemically discriminating and further contributing to the growing inequalities.
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