Qué tal, a rundown on the MDGs

I know its been a WHILE since I have last posted and so many things have happened. I had a wonderful two weeks in Burlington filled with Maple creemees, biking and friends. Then I headed home for 3 short days to prepare for my trip to Ecuador. Well it´s been two and a half weeks and I am here, in the coastal port city of Guayaquil.

Since I cannot upload my pictures to share, I thought that a brief description of those lovely goals the United Nations calls the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) would be fitting. Between the group of people that I work with (including professor, awesome fellow blogger and hiker extraordinare, Trish Siplon) the term MDGs is thrown around a lot. For those of you readers who are not entirely familiar with the objectives that the UN would like the developing world to accomplish by 2015, this is how they break down:

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

Accomplishing these goals would signal the beginning of the end of worldwide poverty. In a perfect world these objectives would be attainable through the work of government and non-state actors. However, this is not the case and there are considerable roadblocks that are inhibiting progress. If you would like more information about how the targets and indicators for these goals, check out the UN´s MDG website: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/poverty.shtml. That´s all for now, I can´t wait to share with all of you what it is exactly that I have been working on. Stay cool!

Climb every mountain

Happy almost summer!! A few days ago I went on my first hike of the summer. For those of us who live in the northeast, we know what everyday rain and thunderstorms for the past two weeks feels like. It feels gloomy and wet. Sunday was a decent weather day, and I have been experiencing the trail-itch for months now, so it was time for a hike. After packing my usual PB & J, plenty of water and a camera off my sister and I went.

Ever since I was little my family has been hiking, camping, kayaking and exploring the great outdoors. I am fortunate to live in the Adirondacks, where the hiking is virtually endless. The Adirondacks do not form a connected range like the Rockies, instead there are over one hundred summits scattered in one region. With less than an hour's drive I am able to climb the area's 46 peaks (they are over 4,000 ft in elevation). They take upwards of six hours to complete, but they are well worth the effort.

My sister, Lauren, and I hiked Ampersand Mountain, which is not a high peak, but is a decent hike. It is 3352 ft in elevation and about a five and half mile hike. Sunday was a foggy day, but the view from the top was beautiful.








Here we are at the top:



I am so happy that I FINALLY was able to go hiking, and it was great to spend time with my sister. I don't think there is a better feeling than sitting at the summit and enjoying the views. It is just the best. Now I must finish packing to go live in Burlington for a few weeks and then after that is Ecuador!! Here's to hoping that everyone's summer is filled with outdoor adventures!

Buffalo Chicken Wrap in Alliot!!

I think we all know that no dining hall can compete with food from the comforts of our own homes. At school the food is mass produced, you eat with at least 200 other students, and more often than not the meal is rushed. However, there are some dining hall favorites that can make even the weariest student forget that mom didn't make their meal.

1. The infamous BUFFALO CHICKEN WRAP- Just this morning close friend and fellow blogger, Michaela, texted me to say that we absolutely must go to lunch to enjoy this classic. It's delicious, trust me.

2. Banana Bread- Even as a banana bread connoisseur I find the Alliot version delectable. Especially with chocolate chips. You have to get it while its hot, because in 20 minutes it may be gone.

3. Scrambled with (cheese)- Some mornings I wake up with an awful craving for scrambled eggs. I wake up, stumble over to Alliot and walk up to the egg counter and the day is instantly better. I promise.

4. Vegan Mac and Cheese/Vegan Chili- My friend Ari thinks that these options are the cat's meow. Every night for dinner there are special options for all of the vegans amongst us. The falafels are good too.

5. Granola- Alliot makes their own granola, which I find impressive. I'm not sure what exactly they put in this magical cereal treat, but whatever it is, it sure does taste good.

This post has made me hungry! I sincerely hope that everyone enjoys their meals today, it really does improve your outlook on life.

Summer, Kind of Wonderful

The grass is green and the sun is undeniable. There are less than three weeks left in the second semester of my junior year. I am finding this very hard believe, but what I find even more unbelievable is that in less than two months I will be boarding a plane to Ecuador. I will be conducting research about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals there with another student. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), are the UN's attempt to combat some of the world's biggest problems like hunger, poverty, gender inequality and HIV/AIDS by 2015. There are eight MDGs, and some have had greater success than others.

We received a Provost Grant from St. Michael's that will allow us to research the effectiveness of these goals in much greater depth. The Provost Grants were created a few years ago in order to give students and professors an outlet for conducting research together. Students, with help from their professors, can apply for these summer grants in March. Examples of Provost-grant funded research varies from studying water scarcity in Jordan to the circulatory systems of North American leeches.

With the help of my professor, friend and fellow blogger, Trish Siplon, Jerry and I have begun the planning process for Ecuador. Our tickets have been bought, and I will be headed back to the southern hemisphere on June 13! First off, I am looking forward to being able to spend a few more weeks in Burlington, doing some pre-research before leaving. And then I will be back in South America, eating mangoes and close to the Andes. I am so grateful to have this amazing opportunity to independently research the things that I think are important (and to be paid for it!).

Showing up for the shut down

On Thursday 55 members of the St. Michael's College community (myself included) left the lofty mountains of Vermont to protest in front of the state department in Washington D.C. Joined by some of Burlington's Congolese community, we held signs advocating for increased attention to the violent conflict in the Congo. Some of the signs read, "Peace in the Congo," and one of my favorite Martin Luther King Jr. quotes: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The Burlington Free Press covered the Dear Hillary for the Congo event. Here is a photo of the rally taken from fellow blogger Trish Siplon:



Here I am with Alexsis and Sam, fellow SGACers:



Besides the rally, some members of the Student Global AIDS Campaign were in Washington to lobby on behalf of global health funding. Eight of us met with staff members representing Senator Patrick Leahy (VT, and a graduate of St. Michael's College), Senator John Kerry (MA), Senator Susan Collins (ME), and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH). During these meetings we discussed the importance of global health initiatives that would fight world AIDS.

However, we were told that global AIDS was not really a priority at that moment. That is because Friday April 8th was an especially strange day to be in the capital. Congressmen and women were trying to come to an agreement on 2011 fiscal year budget. All major news channels were warning of a complete government shutdown, and there we were, sitting amidst the decision making. Just a few of the ramifications of a government shutdown include- the closing of the Social Security office, tax refund would be delayed, passports would not be expedited, and National Parks and the Smithsonian museums would close. The last time this happened was in 1995.

Every open door in the Senate buildings showed meetings that were in progress. Staffers appeared frazzled while watching CNN reiterate what they already knew. Fortunately, the government shutdown was averted, at least for this week. We will see what happens on Wednesday, when the new-new deadline comes.

No Spain, No Gain

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting one of my oldest friends in Spain. I bought my tickets months ago and I had been looking forward to this trip ever since I returned home from Peru. Rachel lives in Santiago de Compostela, a beautiful city in Galicia, in the northwest. Here we are:



I had the chance to visit a cathedral that houses James, the apostle of Christ. If that's not an indication of how old it is, the last renovation this cathedral underwent happened ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO.



I was in Santiago for seven short days. Within this time I hiked, took a day trip to Finisterra (people used to think this was the end of the world!), ate delicious seafood (octupus and mussels), played apples to apples with Rachel's international friends, and had some chocolate with churros. In all, it was a wonderful trip and it meant a lot to me to visit Spain, the motherland of my favorite language.

Going to Spain, Central America (Nicaragua) and studying in Peru have all been vastly different experiences. I tried picturing myself studying in Santiago, living how Rachel was in an apartment with Spanish speakers. I just couldn't picture it because of its stark difference from my experience. While I would inevitably enjoy the Spanish life, I don't think that I would have learned as much about myself by living there.

I know that I am very young, but I still think that it is important to reflect on the things that I have done. Going to Spain was the best thing that I could have done. It was amazing to reconnect with Rachel and validate my time in Peru. Even though it was never easy, I know that I made the right choice by studying there. I hope that all of you can look back on your lives and pinpoint certain actions that you know you did right by. It really is a great feeling.

A Day in the Life

I know it's been a while since I've last written, but I thought I would write about what an average student (me) does during one day at Saint Michael's College.

8:00- Wake up and have breakfast with a friend. Scrambled eggs with cheese in Alliot are the best!
9:30-Go to the gym where I see at least three of my friends at any given times. There are new treadmills that make indoor running a lot more fun.
11:30- Early lunch with my dad (he came for the day) at the Penny Cluse Cafe, a Burlington favorite.
1:00- Principles of Microeconomics, where I learned how to measure satisfaction (it's in utils, if you were wondering).
2:30- Global AIDS Pandemic also known as my favorite class.
4:15-Hang out in Alliot with my friends for an early dinner snack. Tonight there was live music to celebrate Mardi Gras.
7:00-Student Association, where an on campus organization, Fix it With Five presented. Fix it With Five takes $5 from every student's activity fee, which together makes $10,000, and this money is donated to a charity. However, the charities have to present and express why they deserve the money.
8:00- GLEE. Enough said.
9:00- Write a blog post in order to procrastinate the studying process.

Goodnight!!