Final Project

I do apologize for falling behind its been a busy past two weeks.

But anyways, This project has been a different one for me. The structure of this class alone was very different for me and I have really enjoyed that learning is encouraged at one's own pace and direction. I have learned a lot about service learning and I hope that through my own research and my social work courses I can continue to learn how to help communities.

I have also realized that trying to organize the information may be more difficult than I presumed. We may have been a little overambitious in our tasks that we wanted to complete, well at least in my part. But I have also realized that certain aspects of a project may take longer than other aspects.

Another realization that I have come to see is that I will need to continue to work with the Volunteer Management committee to help them continue to improve TL trainings and ways to increase service learning. It has been interesting bouncing ideas with Amory, the committee, and my own project group.

I hope that tomorrow's presentation goes well, and I am eager to hear what everyone has done!

Wasteland

During the film of Wasteland there were many moments where I saw myself in Vik's shoes whenever he made a more personal connection. Whenever I first started doing volunteer work I knew that it was required of me to attend these agencies and volunteer. What I did not expect to happen was the personal connections and realizations that would come with the experience. I had never volunteered in the types of agencies I chose, so I did try my best to enter each setting with open eyes and no judgement. I was eager to help as much as I could, and in a sense I think it opened me up more to being able to make a personal connection.

Each new situation in life allows you to make a decision on how you respond and what you will do for yourself. I truly respected the Jardim Garmacho crew because although they had all been dealt different cards in life they did what they could to still strive for a good life. But we would have never learned of their situation if Vik had not gone down there and displayed their lives. For me this was the most special moment, because Vik took what they knew and used it to help them. Instead of coming in with the all-mighty know-it-all attitude, he used items they knew and could relate too.

Lastly this film reminded me of the blessings that I do have, and receive on a regular basis. I have been able to live a good life, and have a family that supports my decision. Seeing the struggle of these people reminded me that not every person in this world has as easy going a life as I do. 

A Wicked Problem

This is uber late, so sorry about it! I went home for the weekend and got caught up in the festivities.

So something that I was thinking about while driving back to Austin was how big the city was and how there were a lot of people and a lot of cars in the city. Which led me to think about how crazy it is that we fit all those people and their cars in one place! Coming from a small town I am used to a city being much more spread out, and that there is never a worry about whether one can park or not. n Austin there is also a concern about where you will park and that you will have to pay for that parking spot. For citizens commuting in and out of the city not only do they pay for gas but they must also get a parking pas to ensure that they will have somewhere to park their car and not get towed.
Transportation is a huge ordeal and issue around the city because depending on where you live, and whether you have access to resources that you are in need of. There is the option of city buses, but one must plan for extra commuting time to ensure you get to where you are going on time.
Transportation is a huge issue for many, and planning for it can bring up problems as well. Because there is only so much more space to add highways, or more bus routes due to funding and space. How do we make it more comfortable for citizens without extending the areas of cities, which in turn puts people farther from their job.
Also for students there are resources placed closer to where they are living for the semester, but are in turn more expensive because of their convenience. So a student may decide to take a trip to an HEB or Wal-mart, but if they don't have a car will have to ride the bus which will take up hours of their day.

Transportation is very important to our society, but living in bigger cities can restrict how close or far away from the resources. Or living in a smaller city can also restrict how easy it is to access a resource.