Kicking off the 2010/11 School Year

We are about a month into the 2010/11 school year and the new cohort is getting settled into the program. We started off the year with a potluck at Lynne’s house, and ended up with at least three kinds of pie plus several other desserts. Cohort VII is apparently full of good bakers!

The cohort is full of diverse interest and students are taking electives in nonprofit administration, counseling techniques, linguistics, natural resource conservation and more. Keep an eye on the blog for profiles of the new IYFD students over the coming months!

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At the beginning of the year I sent out a call for information from all IYFD alumni. It was great to hear everyone’s stories about where they served their intercultural internship and where they have ended up in the meantime. Check out the map of internship locations so far...




More reports are coming in every day, so I’ll continue adding stars as I hear from people. In addition to keeping the blog current, the information sent in by former students will be used to update the program’s History Document and is posted on the office bulletin board. Thanks to everyone who responded for helping with this!

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June 30 and trying to fill in for Cammy....

Well here we are in summer and Cammy's no longer here to keep us all up to date. I've got to learn 21st century stuff eh? Other items of note: We are proud to announce 09-10 grads: Bradly Midyet, Nathan Dudley, Johnnie Newton, Felicia Kruh, Waganesh Zeleke, Rebecca Stumpf. Upcoming grads: Lynn Debilzen,and Rebecca LeBlond. WOW - lots in the past year, from an accumulation of years. Abigail Rivenbark, who did Peace Corps in Malawi before entering the IYFD in the first cohort, has earned her Juris Doctor this year.

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Passing Off The Torch

Another year is coming to a close with another group of eager and dedicated students heading out into the field. Students from Cohort VI are headed to Liberia, Israel, South Africa, Moldova, Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, Philippines, Seattle, and a few more exciting places yet to be determined. Thanks again to our wonderful IYFD professors for their guidance and encouragement throughout the year and into our upcoming internships. Congratulations to Cohort VI, and best of luck to the incoming Cohort VII.

The passion of Cohort VI for international and cross-cultural work is clearly evident. In honor of Cohort VI and the IYFD students before them:

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

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Featured Cohort VI Student of the Week: Danielle Carpenter

Hi, my name is Danielle Carpenter.  I am originally from Billings, Montana.  I grew up in a very large family which includes five brothers and two sisters, which makes me the oldest of eight children.  After high school, I moved to Bozeman, MT where I completed my undergraduate degree in Health and Human Development.  While working on my undergraduate degree, I was able to travel to a number of different countries.  During my travels, I was able to attain a glimpse of what life was like within a few different cultures.  It was those small flashes of insight that changed my life.  Before I traveled around the world, other cultures seemed very distant and far removed from me, yet I am now very passionate about working in some form of international development.  I believe I would like to work in North Africa with children who do not have a family system.

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Street Yoga Training

Three current IYFD students from Cohort VI, Paula Weisman, Rebecca Moss, and Laura Stanley, participated in a street yoga training in Seatle in November.  Their experience was documented in the Campus Corps Newsletter of the AmeriCorps program.
Click Here to Read A Copy of the Article

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Reflections from Ethiopia

 Becky LeBlond of Cohort V is currently completing her IYFD internship in Ethiopia.  The following is an excerpt from her reflections on her time in Ethiopia:

Dear Friends and Family,

As you know, different cultures have different perceptions surrounding
time. Living in Japan made me a very prompt person (for the most
part). Living in Ethiopia currently threatens to unravel all that. I
would not go so far as to say that the idea of rushing does not exist
here, only that it is very, VERY different than the one that most of
you are familiar with. Allow me to paint you a picture.

About a month ago, I had asked the Field Manager, who oversees the
movement of IRC vehicles, if a car could take me to the small town 30
minutes away so that I could check email and get a few things. He said
"no problem" and that I should be ready at 2pm. Knowing that 2pm could
very well mean 3pm, I got my things together and went to wait by the
canteen. I was sitting in the shade (where I try to spend most of my
time), reading my book when one of my Education Program colleagues,
Efrem, came up to me. A conversation unfolded as follows:

Efrem: Becky, do you have a plan to go to Sheraro this afternoon?
Becky: Yes, I do.
Efrem: Okay, are you ready? Because we must hurry.
Becky: Yes, I am ready.
Efrem: Do you need to get anything because the car will leave very soon.
Becky: I have everything right here, ready to go.
Efrem: We must leave right now, it is an urgent matter.
Becky: No problem, we can leave immediately.
Efrem: Okay, just let me eat my lunch.
Becky: EFREM!!!
Efrem: (Smile)

The timing issue is further complicated by the fact that Ethiopians
begin counting the hours of the day at 6am. So 9am is actually 3:00 in
the morning. Noon is 6. 11pm is 5:00 in the evening. It can be quite
important to ask for clarification as to whether someone is referring
to faranji or habesha (local) time. When, while on a staff retreat to
Lalibela, I was told that we would be leaving at 5:00 in the morning,
I responded with confidence that this would be habesha time, correct?
No, no, no faranji FIVE. Did we really leave at 5am? Well, that's
beside the point. For the most part, my colleagues are pretty good
about using faranji time with me, but I always get a kick when I
glance at someone's watch, see the time, and then have to work it out
in my head.

Becky

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Featured Cohort VI Student of the Week: Tyler Pickle

Tyler J. Pickle is a young man hailing from the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. To escape the rain and cold, he moved to Hawaii where he completed his undergrad in Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu. It was here that international work began to pull at his heart. After working with Native Hawaiian children and working summers as a Residential Youth Counselor for troubled boys, he could no longer deny his call to child development. While searching the Peace Corps webpage, he was amazed to find such a perfect program in the IYFD MA. Upon completion of the course work, he hopes to travel to the Middle East or Northwestern Africa where he can use his passion and newly acquired skills to make a difference.

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