Before I Traveled.

My mom found this today.  This is the speech I gave to the Kernersville Rotary Club!

The Importance of Service in our Community, Nation and World 

 

    Community service has always played an important part in my life.  I have always felt that one of the best things a person can do is to donate their time. There are so many different ways available to fulfill one’s commitment to service; from volunteering at  school to helping an elderly person or simply picking up trash. Service not only helps out others, but gives us the opportunity to show people we care for our environment and citizens around from all parts of the country and the world.   It gives us the chance to show leadership and to be a role model to younger persons.  If someone, especially a younger person observes you helping another, it could inspire them to imitate you. Service can spark people to action in meeting the needs of their communities, nation and world. 

    My personal favorite opportunity was when I went to the Dominican Republic with my church youth group on a mission trip.  My small group went to a very poor village called San Pedro de Macoris.  There were very many needs among the people in this village.  We had the opportunity to work in both the school with helping the children to learn English and in the library helping to sort, catalogue and shelve books.  We also assisted with putting a new tile floor in the sanctuary of the little Episcopal church.  We each packed an extra suitcase and brought school supplies, books and toys with us.  The best part of the visit was simply playing with the kids and showing as many as possible, undivided attention if even for a short period of time.  I was fortunate to have had this opportunity and I feel that it will impact my life for a long time. 

    I have also been privileged to participate in several other community service opportunities.  I have helped out several times over the years at the Second Harvest Food Bank.  The most meaningful time was when I helped out after Hurricane Katrina sorting and packing donated food for shipment to the Gulf.  It was nice to be able to help out people with such a great need. Every year I do the World Vision 30-hour famine collecting pledges for famine relief.  This allows me to see if only for a short time, what it feels like to go through a day with little energy to do what I need to do and to go to bed hungry as so much of the world does every night.   

    I have been blessed with lots of occasions to be of service and they have been an important part of my own personal journey.  I hope to be able to continue my commitment to service into my future.  The best news is that I have received the opportunity of a lifetime starting in July.  I am going to delay college for a semester.  I have been accepted into Up With People Cast B 2008.  I will travel for six months with 109 others from 23 different countries.  We will be traveling from Mexico to the Philippines to all around the United States while putting on public performances with all proceeds going to non-profit organizations, such as Ronald McDonald Houses and Habitat for Humanity. In each community we visit, we will be doing various service projects and Community Impact, which is visiting schools and teaching students about multiculturalism. and doing a community service project each week.  I’m looking forward to this for than I have ever done in my life.   I’m applying for this scholarship for help with college tuition as everything that I have saved is going towards my Up With People experience. 

    Service to ones community, nation and world should always play a significant role in how one spends their time.  There will always be people who are in need and to whom even the simplest act of kindness will make a difference in their life.  Not only in their life, but in the life of the volunteer as well.  

New Beginnings

Well, i haven't wrote a post since i left the Philippines. I will say that the night everyone in the tour split up was the hardest night of my life. It was like leaving a family i have known for all my life.  I love every single one of those beautiful, kind hearted friends that have made me see a more desirable part of life. That is to achieve happiness by helping those people in the world around you.  I have more people in my life than i could ever imagine that will always be there for me and understand me.  I will never forget anyone from Cast B 2008 or the families i lived with. They all opened my heart and mind more than i ever thought i could.  It has been a year and a half since we were on tour.  I really do miss foreign cultures, our inspiring shows, making a difference in someone else's life,  my wonderful families and most of all my 107 friends from all over the world.  It's cliche, but it will be an experience that i will always remember and i keep gaining from everyday even when so much time has passed by already.  

I am now attending the University of North Carolina and Greensboro and figuring out what exactly i want to do with the skills i have gained over my whole life and Up With People has definitely helped make those skills possible.  I am happy where i am. 

Gawad Kalinga Taguig Village

I´m having a little bit of a difficult time right now. I am having a constant battle in my mind that of which is between wanting to just go home or stay here. I feel as if i am just so ready to go home. I am so tired mentally and physically. I am ready to have a normal life again, sleep in my own bed, have my own schedule, be with my family and everything else that has to do with Belews Creek. I think about how home is just around the corner and that makes me just ready to go back to my family and friends there. BUT then there is Taguig village which in fact has a piece of my heart. This place is what is in fact keeping me sane while being here. The people are so loving and welcoming. The kids make me incredibly happy and i want to take them all home with me( i know i said it in my last post too, but im serious). I feel as if i have established this amazing connection with this village that i am not at all ready to leave.

I do think that this amount of time left (a little over 2 weeks) is perfect though.
I do also think that it feels impossible that our tour is almost over. I cant believe that the end of Cast B 08 is over in 2 weeks. I have many feelings about this that i don't feel like writing about them because i just want to make the most of these next weeks and get everything out of it i can and not talk about leaving until it happens!

So just a random thought, but i just want everyone who reads this know that everyday counts for something and you should never waste it.

LOVEEEE KELLY

The Incredible Philippines

So i am now in Manila, Philippines and it is just mind-blowing.
Really, i absolutely LOVE it.
Except for the fact that the first 4 days i was here i happened to catch strep throat on the plane maybe. Lets see, but where to start. Well on our journey here we left Monday and got to Manila on Wednesday, so we got to skip a whole day of our lives. It was pretty interesting too because it was Shawna's birthday! When we go there i already knew i was going to like it because the weather is just wonderful. Anyway, on with this blog. Basically the driving here is crazy! I felt like i was going to die trying to cross. Mcdonald's delivers, the shopping here is extremely cheap and the people here are rediculously nice!
I got to my host families house and come to find out, they aren't even Flipino, but Iranian and German! They are very nice though, so it's awesome.
So then i got sick and stayed home for 2 days because i could hardly lift my head off the pillow. I felt so awful though because i just wanted to do communiy service with everyone, but i had to get healthy first.
Saturday was a reagional learning day where we got to learn the history of the Philippines, learn about the people we are helping (http://www.gawadkalinga.org/gkinthenews.htm), (go check them out, it is just amazing what this organization is doing for the people here.) and interact with one of the villages, and then go to a dinner.
I decided to go even though i still felt sick. I just had to get out of that house and go out and see everything. I just don't want to miss a minute.
So speaking more of our communtiy service, we are working with Gawad Kalinga. A little bit about them, Gawad Kalinga (GK) translated in English means to “to give care”, and it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.
I feel so lucky that i get to be a part of this incredible organization and i'm so excited to help out as much as i can.
Today i finally got to go to CI and it felt good to be able to see the village we are helping. (We are all split up into several different groups from the cast and working with different villages.)
It really is so sad though. The difference here in the Philippines is rich or poor. The slums here are just awful. It smells bad, trash is just overflowing in the river, and the houses are made out of anything possible. With the help of GK and volunteers, things can be built into something better for the people here.
The people are so happy that we are here to help. They greet you so greatfully and love to just see you smile at them. The kids are just adorable and i want to bring them all home with me. hahah but i got to interact with the people of the village and teach them dances.

Thats all for now, i'm so very tired.
goodnight!

Halloween

So i know i haven't been on here since ABQ, but i honestly have been so busy. I have definately realized that i just don't have any time for the internet. This is the first time i have even been on since about 4 weeks ago.  I'm very sorry to anyone who comes to my blog and there's nothing new. I can promise you though that i have been having the best time ever during the rest of our U.S. tour.  Here i have put up some pictures from our Halloween party last night. Just for fun :]

      I got to see my family last weekend in Cheyenne, and it was beyond amazing. It really felt so unreal because i hadn't seen them in so long. It was so wonderful to be with my family again.  I have realized how much they mean to me and how much i appreciate what they do for me. They are my blood, life and heart.  It was sad that i only got to spend about 24 hours with them, but at least i saw them :] 

     For our community service we have been going into schools and doing our Stand For Peace projects.  I love doing this because it's wonderful to get to teach children about diversity and how we should work together and just getting to represent Up With People and what we are doing!  I love working with kids too, so its just fabulous!  Also i got to work with this organization called community action. I got to help repair and build houses for homeless veterns.  I really felt so helpful during this and like i really made an impact. It's such a great feeling.

     We have a diversity fair tomorrow so i really need to go to sleep.  i hope to write again soon!

We do only have 2 weeks left in the U.S. though.  I can't believe it!

-Kelly

The Balloon Fiesta

Honestly i can't even describe to everyone how incredible today was. It is just something that you'd have to be at to understand. All i know is that the Balloon Fiesta seriously blew me away. I mean i was just amazed. I have never in my entire life ever seen something quite like this. It was just the COOLEST thing i have ever experienced. It's so awesome because Hans, Anna, Neele and I got to take part in making this possible for the whole cast. And i can definately say that this will be one memory that the cast will NEVER forget. I mean i personally will never forget this day. Just real fast to explain what happened last night, we had our show at the zoo, went back to our facility, had a sleepover for about 3 hours, woke up to some people screaming at 3am(but the only voice i really heard was Han's LOUD mouth), went to the balloon fiesta (all of us on NO sleep), worked for make a wish foundation, helped lauch and chase balloons, if you were lucky enough GO in an air balloon, go BACK to the event palace for an alumni pot-luck lunch, go home and pass out. That's basically what happened. I am quite happy with how smooth everything went in H.A.N.K.'s city. ABQ was definately beyond fabulous and i am quite sure the cast loved thier week here. The show was at the zoo and it was AWESOME! My cast did so well at the show. I mean it was just one of the coolest places to perform, i think. I mean it's pretty cool to have zoo animals all around where they were performing. There was a lot of people and i was very happy with the results of the show. So many families came and it was just incredible. Espescially to just be able to sit down and watch. Watch my cast. It felt so awesome while i was sitting there watching them perform. I was so proud to say that they were MY cast :] I just love them all so much and i was so glad to have helped set up ABQ for them. I actually am going to write more later because i have a lot to say about my advance work experience, but since i got about an hour of sleep last night, i need to go to bed.
Goodnight.
and here are some pictures from the Balloon Fiesta!

Mexico Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Mexico


At the fire department in Culiacan:]



Playing games with cute kids in a poor area of
Los Cabos.
i have different thoughts about this.





The famous Arch in Cabo!



School boys of La Paz


I thought this was the coolest wall ever.
I took this when i was working with Mobilized Mankind
in La Paz.


La Paz Nursing home :]


La Paz Beach