today i went on google maps, typed in my new wisconsin address, and proceeded to "walk" around racine, wisconsin. i "walked" to lake michigan, through residential streets, and to main street.
google maps is so great. i was able to see the community that i am going to be living in and the rumors are true- no farms! :) from what i saw, the area looks a little like some areas of new haven that i have been through. i am much more at ease now and i think that living in wisconsin will not be as terrible as i originally imagined it.
and for all the skeptics out there, try it yourself! go to http://maps.google.com/ and type in 1109 Douglas Ave, Racine, WI 53404- comments, questions, and concerns are welcome!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
if i want to save the world, i have to start somewhere
so i never thought i would say this...but i will be moving to wisconsin
i spoke with lasallian volunteers last week and they said that they had found a placement for me for next year. as the site was being described to me, it sounded really good. the population i would be working with would be mostly latino, i would be able to serve as a mentor to students, help with tutoring, create my own public health type of program for students in the schools, and plan events for the community. no location was mentioned, but i figured with a population that was mostly latino, i had to be in a big city, right? WRONGGGG...i heard the word wisconsin and i pretty much stopped listening to the entire conversation after that.
i told the woman i was speaking with that i didnt really picture myself in a place like wisconsin and explained how important living in an urban environment was for me. she promised that she was not sending me to a farm somewhere, and there were would not be cows living outside my house, and that i would be surprised at how urban a city in wisconsin could actually be. and then she apologized for "surprising" me :)
so i thought about it. cried about it. talked to some people about. and then i decided that i just need to do this. although wisconsin is not my ideal location, it would be selfish and unfair of me to not be of service where i am needed because of location. i thought about why i wanted to spend a year doing volunteer work and the reason was never because i wanted to live somewhere "good". if my job is what i want to be doing and i have really decided to volunteer for the reasons that i said i was volunteering for then wisconsin it is!
my mom told me that i just have to learn to adapt and that its only one year of my life. she's right. everyone else said that i can make the best of it and that if anyone can live in wisconsin, its me. they're right too.
the initial shock of it all is starting to wear off and i am excited to have the opportunity to visit and see what wisconsin is all about. if i want to save the world, i have to start somewhere. and maybe in the middle of the united states is a good place to start...
i spoke with lasallian volunteers last week and they said that they had found a placement for me for next year. as the site was being described to me, it sounded really good. the population i would be working with would be mostly latino, i would be able to serve as a mentor to students, help with tutoring, create my own public health type of program for students in the schools, and plan events for the community. no location was mentioned, but i figured with a population that was mostly latino, i had to be in a big city, right? WRONGGGG...i heard the word wisconsin and i pretty much stopped listening to the entire conversation after that.
i told the woman i was speaking with that i didnt really picture myself in a place like wisconsin and explained how important living in an urban environment was for me. she promised that she was not sending me to a farm somewhere, and there were would not be cows living outside my house, and that i would be surprised at how urban a city in wisconsin could actually be. and then she apologized for "surprising" me :)
so i thought about it. cried about it. talked to some people about. and then i decided that i just need to do this. although wisconsin is not my ideal location, it would be selfish and unfair of me to not be of service where i am needed because of location. i thought about why i wanted to spend a year doing volunteer work and the reason was never because i wanted to live somewhere "good". if my job is what i want to be doing and i have really decided to volunteer for the reasons that i said i was volunteering for then wisconsin it is!
my mom told me that i just have to learn to adapt and that its only one year of my life. she's right. everyone else said that i can make the best of it and that if anyone can live in wisconsin, its me. they're right too.
the initial shock of it all is starting to wear off and i am excited to have the opportunity to visit and see what wisconsin is all about. if i want to save the world, i have to start somewhere. and maybe in the middle of the united states is a good place to start...
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