My hometown burns...

The place where I was born is burning and I resent that my writer's block is jolted into action by this disaster.

One of my archaeology professors at UCCS, a High Plains specialist, taught us that a drought lasting 200+ years is to blame for the extreme dryness of our region.  I never knew how dry it was there until I moved away, but I really can't imagine a wetter Colorado.  My body prefers the dry cold nights and powdered snow.  But apparently, there is evidence to support a naturally greener Wild West.

In Charles Mann's book 1491 he wrote that American Indians periodically burned the landscape to keep the forest floor from accumulating too much debris, to prevent wildfires from getting out of control.  Mann criticized cultural icons like Smokey the Bear and wildfire images from Disney's Bambi, and the modern approach of avoiding fire - because ultimately in such a dry region there will be a fire, and without clearing debris through controlled fires, a wildfire will have a rich source of fuel to feed it for a long time.  My archaeology professor added to this theory by telling our class about a certain pine tree that requires extreme heat to procreate.  Without fire, the tree would be extinct.  Interesting.

Enough about history.

Colorado Springs is my homeland and I miss it so very much.  I have been suffering from an extreme case of topophilia since I moved away 542 days ago.  Can you blame me?  I spent 95% of my life there, so naturally I miss it terribly.  Hundreds of thousands of people love Colorado Springs as much as I do.  It is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.  People can't get enough of the fresh air and sunshine.  Those who love it can't say enough about how wonderful it is to live there.

The wildfire that is currently burning my beloved hometown has in four days consumed an unknown number of buildings and 15,000+ acres of forest.  Since Tuesday, I have watched from afar as 800+ firefighters and experts from Idaho battle the flames, and national media describe the event as a freak firestorm of nature.  All I can do is watch this coverage along with amateur YouTube videos and seek updates from my commiserating Colorado-loving Facebook friends.

In case you didn't already know this, my in-laws and some friends have been forced to evacuate their homes in Woodland Park.  Our tenants in Crystal Park evacuated our property in the middle of the night on the second day of the fire.  This is a nightmare that robs me of sleep and breaks my heart.

What a disaster.  I can't stop thinking about those who lost their homes and businesses, and residents who want to help but can only watch in horror, and people who are seeking shelter at the YMCA and in public high school gymnasiums and praying for rain, hoping that the fire doesn't consume their livelihood.

I feel so helpless.  Some of my favorite places are burning and nobody can do anything about it.

What a better way to end this gloomy post than by sharing a link to some very high quality but disturbing photos.  P.S., I recognize every location in each one of these 200+ photos, and I am still in disbelief:  Click here

I love my job!

My internship at World Relief is exposing me to the nonprofit sector and also enabling me to gain experience in social work, career counseling, and marketing.  My supervisor is having me brainstorm a plan of action to create an improved employment development program for our clients.  As I think about this project I have consulted Dusty about international affairs, a subject he is passionate about, to help me understand the various situations that our clients might be coming from.

Most of our clients are from Somalia, and others are from Iraq and Nepal.  They haven't been in our country for very long.  I tagged along to the airport to pick up a Somali individual who arrived in Columbus straight from a refugee camp in Malta.  I have met clients with limited English skills, and some who are fluent.  World Relief offers refugees assistance as they learn to become contributing members of our society.  My work directly involves placing them in jobs, and getting them ready for those jobs.  This is a challenge especially for those with limited English.

The Columbus branch of World Relief is bran new.  It just opened in February and has a very small number of employees and clients.  I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to assist with the development of this program.  It is a very rewarding experience, and also a great way to learn valuable skills for the job I get after getting my BA (class of 2013! Woohoo!!).

My Summer Plans

Spring quarter is over, and Summer is in full swing.  I'm growing pumpkins in the front yard, and in the backyard are raspberries, blueberries, basil, and mint.  I take pleasure in mowing the lawn with our sittin' mower.  Without the all-consuming homework load I finally have time to get boxes unpacked and rooms organized in our home.  School begins again in mid-August, and then in October I will take the GRE.

I've had the amazing opportunity of joining World Relief as a summer intern.  We work with refugees to help them acclimate to their new lives in the U.S.  Our staff spends time teaching them skills like riding the bus and shopping for groceries, helping them apply for jobs and arranging English language training.  We spend a lot of time working within the large Somali population in Columbus.  It's rewarding work and I'm very grateful to be a part of it.

2012 Goals; Midway Update

Wow, I've been away a long time.  I seem to only come back here to update my lists.  How I love lists. Speaking of lists, I've begun indexing the 1940 U.S. Census.  I do it for fun, and you can do it, too!  Just visit FamilySearch.org for more info.  Meanwhile... I've updated my Goals for this year.

1. post these goals on my blog (January 1)
2. give an update after my birthday (June 16)
3. give a final report at the end of the year
4. write as many blog posts as I wrote last year (3/44)
5. begin a regular exercise program 
6. plant a flower garden
7. plant a veggie garden
8. build a snowman  
9. fly a kite
10. carve a jack o'lantern
11. read 12 books
12. go on a day-hike of 5+ miles 
13. visit a zoo 
14. visit an art museum 
• Columbus Museum of Art (January 5) 
• Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati (January 16)
• Wexner Center for the Arts (June 14)
15. visit an aquarium  (April)
16. finish painting the bathroom 
17. unpack all of our boxes 
18. put a guest bed in the guest room 
19. bake goodies and give them away for no particular reason 
20. donate to NPR 
21. pick another borrower to lend to on Kiva.org 
22. buy or rent a canoe and take it out on a lake (and tip it!)
23. join a club at school 
• English Language Partnership Program
• Women's Glee Club
• Adopt-A-School
24. take a road trip to Niagara Falls and cross the border into Canada for the first time
25. visit my beloved Colorado (May 24 - 29)
26. play on the beach (any beach!)
27. mail four unexpected letters/cards
28. visit five unique parks, museums, historical sites, etc. 
• Columbus Museum of Art (January 5) 
• Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati (January 16) 
• The Topiary Park, Columbus (January 17)
• Garden of the Gods (May 25)
• Wexner Center for the Arts (June 14)
29. go camping
30. volunteer 25 hours (27/25)
• 10 hours as a Classroom Assistant, tutoring 7th Grade English
• 17 hours as the Match Grant Intern at World Relief Columbus, assisting refugees with job readiness training and placement
31. enter a photo contest
32. attend an American Indian gathering 
33. add five counties to my list of U.S. counties visited
34. complete 12 courses at OSU (9/12)
• Music Cultures of the World 
• Women's Glee Club (x2)
• Phonetics 
• Intro to Fiction 
• College Survey 
• U.S. Colonial Literature
• British Literature
• Disability Studies
35. maintain 3.0+ GPA 
36. attend the Circleville Pumpkin Show
37. preserve some of the harvest to enjoy during the winter 
38. vote in November elections
39. complete all Christmas shopping by November 30th
40. decorate the outside of the house with lights for Christmas
41. mail all Christmas presents by December 15th
42. register for and begin practicing for the GRE  
43. apply for graduate programs
44. take the GRE (October 4)