One of the hardest things about being an idealist is that many times reality hurts. A lot. When I heard about the attack on a caravan of activists in Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago, which resulted in the deaths of both a Mexican and a Finnish activist, it hurt. I don’t know either [...][...]
Author Archive
March 2nd, 2010 - 1:13 pm § in Mexico, Tips & Resources
Don’t Forget to Breathe! Why Yoga is Useful for Travelers
The sun comes up right as we do our sun salutations, like magic. There’s nothing like doing yoga outside in the morning, under trees filled with flitting hummingbirds, to start one’s day. One of the reasons I decided to volunteer at Tashirat, an orphanage located in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico (a[...]
How to Fundraise With No Funds
This week I was really impressed by another volunteer here at Tashirat. Some of us (myself included) are intimidated by fundraising events, by the thought of all the time, energy, and resources spent resulting in little or no money raised. And, being in a rural community in Mexico, one may think: If[...]
A Lesson in Life: Accepting the Unknown
One of my fellow volunteers here at Tashirat is having a hard time. She’d never been to Mexico before and crossed the border with ideas of “efficiency” and “order” that just don’t apply here, let alone in a struggling nonprofit organization. I love her presence because it’s helped me r[...]
The Perks of Being a New Volunteer
I’ve been at the Tashirat orphanage just outside of Tepoztlan in the state of Morelos, Mexico for about a week and a half now. Tashirat is a very interesting place, because not only is it an orphanage, it’s an ashram and a school as well. They are also beginning an ambitious garden/greenhouse pr[...]
Just Like the Mariposas!
At my thesis defense, just prior to my university graduation in December 2006, my professors asked me what my post-college plans were. I told them I planned “to de-institutionalize for a while.” After almost five years spent in an academic setting and working with NGOs in my spare time, I had be[...]
