Thursday, July 26, 2012

PLACEMENT...and more fundraising!

This past Sunday was a pretty exciting day for my preparations for Mexico!

I gave the "Ministry Spotlight" at Pointe of Grace, a partner congregation to my home congregation.  It was my first time visiting Pointe of Grace, but my visit went great!  I was able to talk to a lot of different people about YAGM and what I knew so far about my service in Cuernavaca, I added several people to my email list, and raised over $600!  This puts my fundraising total at right about $4000, which is great news!

I am feeling so supported by my communities, and I'm excited to be able to share my stories from Mexico with everyone.

On to other news...my placement!  After coming home from church on Sunday, I received an email with my work placement from Andrea, which just added to my great day!

I'm going to be working part-time at two different organizations.  My first site is the Centro de Estudios, Difusión e Investigación en Sexulidad Humana A.C. (CEDISH, aka the Center for Studies, Spread, and Investigation of Human Sexuality).  CEDISH is a new organization (I'll be the first YAGM volunteer) that provides workshops on sexuality to different parts of the population.  Lately, these workshops have focused on working with people with Down Syndrome and the deaf population.  The workshops mainly focus on the connections between human rights, gender, sexuality, disability, and violence.

My second site is Autonomía, Libertad en Movimiento (ALEM, aka Autonomy, Liberty/Freedom, and Movement).  ALEM is a sort of community center for many people with disabilities, and they also make wheelchairs.  I will possibly be helping to develop some sort of exercise routine that people can do sitting down or in their wheelchairs.

I'm a little nervous about these placements, as they seem a little outside of my comfort zone and unlike anything I've ever done before.  But I'm also excited!  They seem challenging, but I'm hopeful that, with my supervisors, we can find a good fit for me.  My placement is also making my upcoming year in Mexico a lot more tangible, as I now have a better idea of what I will be doing for most of the year.  While this helps fuel my enthusiasm, it also adds to the anxiety of such a huge life change, because this is all becoming so much more real!

Less than 3 weeks to orientation in Chicago, and less than 4 weeks until I will be landing in Mexico City!

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