I am officially enrolled for my volunteer trip to South Africa! My roommate Lyndsay and I begin our program May 30, 2009 and will be in Cape Town for three weeks. We are volunteering through an organization called Cross Cultural Solutions. It's a great program, very reputable and fitting to what I envision this trip to be. When searching for programs, I wanted to ensure that I would have the kind of experience which will be most beneficial to me, but also fitting to my purposes in going abroad. I want to experience new things, learn and grow on a personal level, gain valuable teaching experience in a different country and culture, and as cheesy as it may sound...make an impact. I feel that with this program, I can do all of these things. This has been a very conscious and reflective process for me. I have looked at myself and what I believe in, and I am taking a very large leap but one that I think will be well worth it. I truly believe that education is a right for ALL human beings, and that peace will come through giving everyone a good and equal education ( not just the "opportunity" ). I hope that I can be an agent and an advocate for all learners to ensure that they get that education. Of course, I have all of these grandiose ideas and whatnot, I just hope that I can put my words and beliefs into action during this trip and throughout my teaching career.
So, I'm incredibly excited for this trip but there's just one draw back: money. It's costing my $3219 to pay for the program itself- not including airfare, passport, immunizations, communication to the US while I am there(phone and internet service), etc... Essentially, the money I put into the program goes directly to my living there; it covers food and safe housing for the entire time I am there. It also provides money to the local organizations with which CCS is partners to help them sustain their work. With some carefully budgeted student loan money I get for this year, I should be able to pay for about 2/3 of my total cost of the program. I am hoping to fundraise $2000 to cover the rest of it because there is no "money back". The money I have already raised would just be put on file as "credit" towards another trip. Thus, I am doing some aggressive fundraising! I am including files of my general letter to potential contributors (with which I also include a personal letter as well) with the hopes that my readers might pass it along to people they think may be interested. *hint hint!* I certainly am not begging for money, but I feel so passionate about this cause and not only do I need financial assistance, but I really just want to spread the word about what I am doing and what others can do to help. The great thing about the contributions is that it is all tax deductible and you can pay with credit card very easily on MyCrossCulturalSolutions by looking up my username "SarahMenger" in the "sponsor" section and providing my email address: mengersa@msu.edu.
I will continue to update this blog with my thoughts and concerns, current news about my trip, and more importantly during my trip so that not only can I keep reflective notes on my experience, but so that you all can find out what I have been up to! Please do not hesitate to contact me about ANYTHING, whether it is how to get involved and volunteer or how to make a contribution!
For my letter see:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7974617/For-SCRIBD-AdaptedCCSLettersarahMenger
