2013-2014, My Second Year
I decided that this year I would do my year in review in video format and have it be a sort of video diary reflection. I think that sometimes when I just write things out, they tend to sound too formal and lose some of the feeling that I mean for people to take from it. I also thought that since it is an informal way to reflect on my year that it would be a better representation of how comfortable I have become in my place at UC and my place in honors. I'm not gifted at all when it comes to video editing, unfortunately, and it took a bit of fighting with iMovie and YouTube to even put this together. I somehow ended up actually winning that battle, but I discovered that I'm not nearly a pro when it comes to making videos.
As far as the trip I mention in my video, here is a link to the GIVE Tanzania excursion website: http://www.givevolunteers.org/africa.html
The trip is mainly focused around sustainable development in the country and involves projects to provide better infrastructure to the community. One of the projects that they typically do is build wells in villages out of used bottles that they find on the beaches to help provide these communities with cleaner water, which is what I want to focus my future career on. The trip is also sponsored by the Tanzanian government because part of our volunteering will be to teach English to children in the village schools. Though Swahili is spoken more frequently in Tanzania and Zanzibar, the country's national exams are in English. Due to a lack of qualified English teachers, the passing rate for these exams is less than twenty percent. Along with the volunteering aspect, I will have the opportunity to explore the natural landscape and culture of Tanzania and Zanzibar through trips to conservation areas, national parks, and tribal communities.
As far as the trip I mention in my video, here is a link to the GIVE Tanzania excursion website: http://www.givevolunteers.org/africa.html
The trip is mainly focused around sustainable development in the country and involves projects to provide better infrastructure to the community. One of the projects that they typically do is build wells in villages out of used bottles that they find on the beaches to help provide these communities with cleaner water, which is what I want to focus my future career on. The trip is also sponsored by the Tanzanian government because part of our volunteering will be to teach English to children in the village schools. Though Swahili is spoken more frequently in Tanzania and Zanzibar, the country's national exams are in English. Due to a lack of qualified English teachers, the passing rate for these exams is less than twenty percent. Along with the volunteering aspect, I will have the opportunity to explore the natural landscape and culture of Tanzania and Zanzibar through trips to conservation areas, national parks, and tribal communities.
Another side note, the little bit of background music in my video is taken from Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)".