As it turns out, only one other student attended... another fellowship guy who had to be there... and while he's quite friendly and I find him to be a nice guy, he has a tendency to be a bit of a know-it-all and is definitely an over-achiever who loves to spout on about his intellectual prowess and myriad travel experiences. He also came off as slightly smug when recounting his amazing ability to wake up at 5am every morning to start his day in the healthiest way possible (ie: going to the gym, bike riding, yoga, and doing schoolwork before the sun rises)... blah blah blah... as I still lay festering in bed at 7am.
In addition, all of the Arabic students in the department have to memorize an Arabic poem for class this week. To my knowledge, most of us are in the beginning stages of looking at these literary pieces. However, he informed me that not only has he finished memorizing his poem, he SANG it on video as a song for the teacher to grade already. I guess it's not enough to just recite the damn thing.
Arabic Poetry Back-Up Band... maybe I should use them too?!?
With every passing high-energy success story of his (and there were many), I began to feel more and more like a half-witted three-toed sloth...
This was my mental vision during today's Arabic club:
Student #1 (that's me, on the left): I am such a slacker. Perhaps I should use this claw for something more than flipping channels on my remote control as I laze my days away?!? Poking out an eye might be a worthy alternative...
Student #2: Woo hoo!! School!!! I love it! I love it!
Speaking of achievers, I recently got an e-mail from my friend Lizzy McCartney, who was a good friend of mine and fellow Bedrock Billiards Ladies Club member in DC. She just got her Master's in Education from George Washington U. (congrats, Lizzy!), and now she's moving to New Orleans with her lawyer boyfriend to start a non-profit for hurricane relief efforts. She's well-versed in the world of non-profit fundraising, having been the director of a computer center for low-income children in SE DC for several years.
I'm including her e-mail so you can see what they're doing:
Hello!
I have some exciting news...Zack and I are moving to New Orleans to start a nonprofit organization for residents in St. Bernard Parish. (Plans to move to SF are on hold.)
Here's a quick overview...My mom, Zack and I volunteered in St. Bernard Parish (just outside of New Orleans) during the month of February. We worked at Emergency Communities, a non-profit that provides food and community space. We were struck both by the devastation - 100% of the homes in the Parish were officially uninhabitable - and by the strength and resiliency of the people. The residents were kind, hopeful and open. They also survived hell - barely. After spending time there, we decided that we had to do something! And so was born The St. Bernard Project.
The St. Bernard Project is a grassroots, nonprofit organization that will provide direct support to families in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana who were displaced and devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our mission is to break down barriers related to employment, housing, transportation and education and help families and the larger community rebuild. The St. Bernard Project includes the following programs: Adopt a Family Network, Tool Co-op, and Support SBP Schools Initiative.
The St. Bernard Project is a volunteer-led, community-based effort run by me, Zack, Marion (my mom), Matt, a volunteer we met while working in the Parish, and, hopefully, lots of other volunteers in the near future. An all-volunteer staff will significantly reduce our overhead and ensure that the maximum amount of donations goes directly to the community. Our collective experience in law, nonprofit management, education, health care, communications and construction give us the skills and know-how to effectively contribute to the rebuilding efforts. (Or so we hope.)
At this point, we are finding families in need (not too hard) and getting lists of things that will help them rebuild their lives. We will be calling on our friends and family to fund the families' needs which will be posted on our website. (The site should be up and running within two weeks.) At that point we will increase the amount of families we will serve and kick our fundraising into full gear.
In the meantime, if you would like to donate to our cause we are accepting cash donations and gift certificates (to Lowe's, Walmart (sorry), and Home Depot). All donations are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to The St. Bernard Project and sent to:
The St. Bernard Project
3809 Kanawha St. NW
Washington, DC 20015
Liz is the blonde chica in the middle.
No comments:
Post a Comment