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Post by madm002 on May 28, 2024 13:05:17 GMT -5
Before he goes to the classroom it would be great for him to get some real life experience and perspective. College unfortunately does not do that. Serving some real poor people will give him a real world perspective, to build on what he has learned at college. There is nothing like looking a really poor scared person with no resources in the eye, while you have on your $80 pair of jeans, and $100 boots, with an iPhone in the back pocket.
In Colombia right now, the street is lined with them. Breaks my heart
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Post by johngalt on May 28, 2024 14:09:51 GMT -5
Before he goes to the classroom it would be great for him to get some real life experience and perspective. College unfortunately does not do that. Serving some real poor people will give him a real world perspective, to build on what he has learned at college. There is nothing like looking a really poor scared person with no resources in the eye, while you have on your $80 pair of jeans, and $100 boots, with an iPhone in the back pocket. In Colombia right now, the street is lined with them. Breaks my heart You’re right. Americans really don’t know what poor people are. No one here is rummaging through landfills looking for something to eat or living in abject squalor. Here it’s bad cellphone reception or slow internet and it’s a horror show. Or no McNuggets available and it’s the end of the world !😳
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Post by madm002 on May 28, 2024 15:02:59 GMT -5
Before he goes to the classroom it would be great for him to get some real life experience and perspective. College unfortunately does not do that. Serving some real poor people will give him a real world perspective, to build on what he has learned at college. There is nothing like looking a really poor scared person with no resources in the eye, while you have on your $80 pair of jeans, and $100 boots, with an iPhone in the back pocket. In Colombia right now, the street is lined with them. Breaks my heart You’re right. Americans really don’t know what poor people are. No one here is rummaging through landfills looking for something to eat or living in abject squalor. Here it’s bad cellphone reception or slow internet and it’s a horror show. Or no McNuggets available and it’s the end of the world !😳 It is a tough juxtaposition here. Guys pushing carts through the streets gathering cardboard, families begging for food, and BMWs moving briskly about their business. I usually make sure I have a good amount of small bills when I hit the street but it only goes so far and you do not want to stand out here at all.
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Post by serotinouscones on May 30, 2024 9:38:36 GMT -5
I was in the Peace Corps for 2.5 years (Ecuador) in the mid-2000s. Amazing experience. I was in my early 20s and just wanted to go on an adventure and do some meaningful work. I had never traveled outside of the SE US; had never even been on a plane before. I spoke very little Spanish.
I lived in the Andes for 4 months, then spent the rest of my time in a small city on the coast. I worked mostly in forest conservation/management, and started a tropical dry forest conservation project that continues to this day. I also taught every grade from 2nd - 10th, and worked on many other projects. In the process, I discovered my love for forestry, ecology, and teaching -- which later led me to grad school and a career that I truly enjoy. I became fluent in Spanish.
I never witnessed a major crime and never felt unsafe. As someone mentioned, they won't send you anywhere that is very dangerous. And they have a plan to get you out very quickly if the shit hits the fan. My Ecuadorian friends are like family. I speak with them regularly, and still do a little bit of work down there. Peace Corps is also very challenging. I witnessed - and to some extent experienced - extreme poverty. I came down with many of the common tropical illnesses (giardia, dengue, etc.). I was pretty skinny when I went down there, and I came back 30 pounds lighter. While some of my projects were very successful, most of them failed. In hindsight, I learned a lot from those failures. But it was frustrating at the time. All in all it was an incredible experience. Highly recommend it.
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Post by madm002 on May 30, 2024 13:10:50 GMT -5
I think a requirement to get into Ivy league colleges should be as described above. Profs would hate it, students would actually have been places and done things.
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Post by 4ward on May 30, 2024 15:51:03 GMT -5
I was in the Peace Corps for 2.5 years (Ecuador) in the mid-2000s. Amazing experience. I was in my early 20s and just wanted to go on an adventure and do some meaningful work. I had never traveled outside of the SE US; had never even been on a plane before. I spoke very little Spanish.
I lived in the Andes for 4 months, then spent the rest of my time in a small city on the coast. I worked mostly in forest conservation/management, and started a tropical dry forest conservation project that continues to this day. I also taught every grade from 2nd - 10th, and worked on many other projects. In the process, I discovered my love for forestry, ecology, and teaching -- which later led me to grad school and a career that I truly enjoy. I became fluent in Spanish.
I never witnessed a major crime and never felt unsafe. As someone mentioned, they won't send you anywhere that is very dangerous. And they have a plan to get you out very quickly if the shit hits the fan. My Ecuadorian friends are like family. I speak with them regularly, and still do a little bit of work down there. Peace Corps is also very challenging. I witnessed - and to some extent experienced - extreme poverty. I came down with many of the common tropical illnesses (giardia, dengue, etc.). I was pretty skinny when I went down there, and I came back 30 pounds lighter. While some of my projects were very successful, most of them failed. In hindsight, I learned a lot from those failures. But it was frustrating at the time. All in all it was an incredible experience. Highly recommend it. Thank you very much for sharing your first hand info. Your experience is exactly what he(Owen) is looking for.
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Post by serotinouscones on May 30, 2024 19:24:44 GMT -5
4ward, I sent you a private message with my contact info. Feel free to share w/Owen. I'm happy to answer his questions if he has any.
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Post by TRTerror on May 30, 2024 19:49:25 GMT -5
Is there any Hash down there..? Just askin
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