Rotary District 6760 Group Study Exchange 2009: Argentina

Formosa: Part 1

2009-05-22T20:52:00.002-05:00

Clorinda

2009-05-19T15:54:00.002-05:00

A big Gracias to our host families in Clorinda. It was a quick trip for us, but in a short time they welcomed us like old friends. There was a conference and presentation in Clorinda when we first arrived, so we were joined by some important local Rotary officials. Below is the District Governor of 2008-09.Melia and Tonya's host dad, Walter, invited our group to eat a typical Argentine asado (barbeque) with the local coast guard. Here is Walter preparing the meat.

The Jefe.

Las Lomitas

2009-05-19T15:38:00.003-05:00

The Formosa Rotary Club os 9 de Julio accompanied our team on a trip to the rarely visited town of Las Lomitas. On our way, we were stopped on the road by a protest. We had to wait for almost an hour for the road to open up again (the protesters took a 30 minute lunch break).
We visited a school that the local Rotary Club is helping support. The children performed a local dance for us.Next we drove to the stunning Bañados de los Estrellas. It was one of the most unique places we've ever been. It was a surreal landscape, like a mix between Middle Earth and Dr. Seuss.Finally, we ended the evening with dinner and dancing until 4 am with the Rotary Club of Las Lomitas. The woman with the microphone is the founder and director of the school that we visited and the following photo is the president of the Las Lomitas club..

General San Martin

2009-05-18T18:14:00.012-05:00

Thank you Rotary Club San Martin for a wonderful visit! We had a great time dancing and visiting with the club that's proud to be the youngest in the district.
Our visit with some city officials.

There is a big Carnaval celebration in San Martin and we got to try on the costumes.

Melia and I stayed in a house by ourselves in San Martin. The owner was a single guy and he let us have full reign for the two days that we were there. When we first arrived we noticed that he had stocked the kitchen and refrigerator with bread, cheese, soda, crackers, meat, dulce de leche, etc. I was feeling hopeful that there might be more goodies (ice cream!) in the freezer so I flung open the door...

Welcome to Argentina! :)

The Legend of Gauchito Gil Lives On

2009-05-12T00:20:00.005-05:00

What can we even say about this man? We`d seen the shrines. We`d heard the name. We`d almost bought the yerba mate brand. But in Mercedes we finally learned the legend. Apparently Gauchito Gil is Argentina`s version of Robin Hood - a cattle rustler who robbed from the rich to take care of the poor. As the story goes the man who finally captured and killed Anotonio "Gauchito" Gil was told by Gil before his execution, "When you return to your household your son will be dying. He will not survive unless you return to the place of my execution and beg forgiveness." The man killed Gil and returned home to find that his son was indeed gravely ill. He rushed back to the beheaded body of Gauchito Gil, buried him, and begged forgiveness. When he returned home the second time his son had been healed. And thus the legend of Gauchito Gil`s miracles began. Now, built around the supposed execution and burial site of Gauchito Gil a strange and eclectic homage has been built up to honor this man.

People travel from all over the country to make promises and ask for miracles. Here you see the candles that are lit, and just a few of the thousands upon thousands of plaques honoring Gil. Each year, on January 8th, up to 150,000 people make the pilgrimage to this sacred place in honor of this beloved hero.

People bring all types of offerings to Gil, from wedding dresses to soccer jerseys, bicycles to weapons, and even cars!

But this place is not only for the giving, it is also for the receiving. Because who can leave this sacred place without a plastic souvenir statue, sticker, t-shirt... or perhaps some rosary beads?

Mercedes, thank you for sharing this legend with us!

Mercedes

2009-05-11T23:58:00.004-05:00

The Rotary Club of Mercedes received us with a fun, warm welcome - waiving banners for our arrival!

We toured the "tranquilo", small city and walked through their cultural center, but the main attraction of this visit was a place called "Esteros de Ibera". This is the second most important wetland in the world. We got up close and personal with the wildlife - crocodiles, capybaras (carpinchos - the world`s largest rodent), and at least a zillion different kinds of birds.

A great shot of a crane snacking on a pirahna. Buena suerte con su almuerzo!

We also had our first glimpse of a true gaucho, the Argentine cowboy. Yee haw!

Mercedes is the only club we`ve seen that owns their own meeting space. It was adorned with rotary banners from all over the world.

We ended our visit to Mercedes on a sweet note - CRE-MO-LA-TI!! You scream, we scream, Rotary screams for ice cream!

Thank you Resistencia!!

2009-05-11T23:54:00.003-05:00

Thank you to all our host families, Rotarians and new friends in Resistencia. You truly made our stay enjoyable!

Melia`s Birthday!!

2009-05-11T07:37:00.006-05:00

While in Resistencia we had the great pleasure of celebrating Melia`s birthday with her! We started celebrating with cake and ice cream at the Resistencia presentation and dinner, when the clock reached midnight. Here she is with one of the Resistencia club presidents, Hector (better known by his friends as Flaco).

Then she went to bed, woke up and it was still her birthday! We celebrated again at lunch that day, with the owner of the restaurant we went to, Don Abel.

Then she woke up from siesta and it was STILL her birthday!! We walked around downtown, had some more ice cream, and then Sara, Miranda`s host mom bought Melia a beautiful purple scarf as a present.

We had dinner that night at a great little restaurant that was filled with all sort of art, yet another birthday cake (you can see the new scarf)...

and we even got to see Tonya`s impressive Tango skills!

Hope it was a good one, Melia, we sure loved celebrating with you!!

Más de Resistencia

2009-05-10T14:50:00.006-05:00

We've seen and done so many amazing things on this trip. Here's a glimpse of a few highlights from Resistencia.

It's fun having a team of four girls (well, at least WE think it's fun, Tom might have a different word to describe it). One of the Rotarians owns a beauty salon and she offered to give us all manicures, pedicures and have our hair done for FREE! What a wonderful and relaxing gift it was after a lot of traveling and living out of a suitcase.

Another Rotarian is the Director of a Forensics lab. They are in a brand new building, and we were able to take a tour to learn about everything from DNA testing to identifying fake license plates. We were accompanied by other Rotarians on the tour.

Another local Rotarian is the owner of a bio diesel plant. He is an innovative business man who used to be a high school teacher. Now he runs a successful business designing and manufacturing machines that convert all different kinds of oils into fuel. He has a truck that runs on bio diesel that is over 10 years old with over 1,000,000 kilometers on it and has never been repaired. Absolutely amazing. Lindsey and Tom were interview on one of the local news shows about our Rotary exchange. It's scary enough being interviewed on TV, but imagine having to do it in Spanish. Then again, Tom's a television pro and Lindsey's Spanish is great. Thanks for representing!

Finally, we visited a couple different technical high schools in Barranqueras. We were very impressed with the student projects we saw, especially taking into account the lack of resources they have.

Below is Melia showing off her mad wood-carving skills. You might not have known, but Melia is a very skilled furniture maker. Ok not really, but she looks like she could be, right?!

Isla del Cerritos

2009-05-05T20:54:00.007-05:00

We visited the Isla del Cerritos (Island of the Little Hills) which has a population of 2,000 people. The Rotary Club has initiated a health education program serving the youth on the island. Dental hygiene was the topic covered the day we visited.

For lunch, we enjoyed the catch of the day, surubi, with queso roqueforte.

Paso de la Patria

2009-05-05T19:46:00.007-05:00

A relaxing day at the beach along the Parana and Paraguay rivers with our wonderful host families from Resistencia...

Rotary Projects in Resitencia

2009-05-03T14:12:00.003-05:00

The first morning that we were in Resistencia, we were able to observe one of the projects funded and run by the The Rotary Foundation called el Centro de Alfabetizacion. This program teaches adults to read and write who never had the opportunity or resources to do so before. They also provided glasses for those who had trouble reading. Some of the women also shared other projects like quilt making with us. We loved seeing some of the influence that the Rotary Clubs are having in their communities.

City Tour in Resistencia

2009-05-03T14:00:00.002-05:00

Iguazu

2009-04-29T13:19:00.005-05:00

We had an amazing time in Puerto Iguazu! Not only were the natural sights breathtaking, but the hotel we stayed at was beautiful. We had lots of group bonding time since there was just one local Rotarian who accompanied us.

It rained quite a bit the first day we arrived, but the next days were perfect for visiting the waterfalls.

Here we are at the place where you can see Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

The Devil's Throat Waterfall.

Luis Perez, the Rotarian who planned the trip and accompanied us.

Iguazu is where the movie, "The Mission", was filmed.

We also took a tour of an animal reserve where we saw many native animals including the largets rodant on earth, the carpincha.

Vice Intendente y la radio

2009-04-29T12:40:00.007-05:00

While we were in Corrientes, we had the pleasure of meeting the vice mayor. Surprisingly, he is only 29, a young age for someone to be elected into such an important position so we had many questions for him. He has high hopes for Corrientes and also for his own political career. Below is a picture of Tonya and Miranda showing their support for the upcoming mayoral election.
At the vice mayor's office we met Alexei, a rotary member who works closely with the vice mayor. He has a radio show and invited our group to be guests. When we were on the air we were able to explain about our trip and also give a proper thanks to the families and clubs that were hosting us. Thanks again Corrientes!

We're still alive!

2009-04-28T16:00:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry that we haven't been able to post anything for quite some time. It's actually a little overwhelming thinking about everything that's happened that we haven't written about yet. I'm really not sure when I'll have a chance to post pictures and write about what we've been doing, but I will do my best!

We are have an AMAZING time!!! La gente de Resistencia es rey buena! We are super busy--I'm talking every minute from 7:00 am until 1:00 am (sometimes until 4:00 am) we are doing something. It's great and we have many many stories and pictures that we will hopefully post soon. Thanks for checking in on us!

Miranda's visit to St. Patrick's

2009-04-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

For my first vocational visit, I went to a private bilingual school. Since I've taught English to adults and children before, this visit was related to teaching positions I've had in the past, not my current job. I was really impressed with the students that I met and observed. They were 11 and 12 years old and they could speak English really well. They asked me so many questions (all in English) about the U.S. and my life. Some of their favorite topics were music (one kid really liked Guns and Roses and kept asking me what my favorite song of theirs was--I had no idea), famous people (when I told them that Nicole Kidman lived in my town they were really excited), and Obama (they knew a lot about Obama and had a lot of really good things to say about him). My favorite part, though, was when this kid randomly asked me what I thought about cloning. Like he thought that since I was from the U.S. my opinion on cloning was somehow important or something?! I don't know, but it was funny and it I had no idea how to answer. I think I just mumbled something really fast in English and moved on. All in all it was a fun day and the kids wanted me to come back the next day. Kids are great!

Lindsey's Visit to CADIM

2009-04-23T15:21:00.002-05:00

My first vocational visit was to an organization called CADIM (Comision Ayuda al Discapacitado Mental). It's a place where very low income families can bring a loved one with a mental disability to participate in educational activities, while they get a break . And it's completely free for the families! This helps mothers and fathers still be able to work and their children get to socialize with friends, while learning about things that will help them in their daily lives. Right now they have close to 20 people who come daily from 8:00 to 3:30, but their future goal is to be a place where up to 60 people with special abilities could all live together. It was an incredible visit to see the work being done and the community pulling together to help each other, and we were also able to swap some ideas for fundraising! Below you'll see a sign talking about their construction project, the main two buildings, and then a picture of all of us in the main room, about to celebrate Ivan's birthday. What a great day!

Primera Presentacion: Corrientes

2009-04-20T11:49:00.001-05:00

We taught the Rotary Club members how to do the "Tush Push"! They loved it.

Corrientes City Tour

2009-04-19T11:18:00.000-05:00

Corrientes is a beautiful city (the capital of the province of the same name) that lies on the banks of the Parana River. One morning, we took a tour of the city to learn about its history , visit plazas and admire the colonial architecture. Corrientes is known as the city of murals.

Una cena maravillosa en Buenos Aires

2009-04-17T19:04:00.000-05:00

I promise that we've done more than just eat! This was a memorable team dinner in Buenos Aires at Las Lilas restaurant in the Puerto Madero area. It was a great start to the trip.

¡Hola chamigos!

2009-04-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

We made it safely to Argentina and we're having a wonderful time so far. We flew into Buenos Aires on Friday morning and the five of us spent the day walking around the city and seeing the sites. We visited the famous Recoleta Cemetary where Eva Peron is buried and we sipped coffee at a typical outdoor cafe and watched the stylish people of Buenos Aires pass by. On Friday night we sat outside along the river at an amazing restaurant called Las Lilas. I (Miranda) am not normally a big meat eater, but Argentina has some of the best beef in the world and that night I had the best steak I've ever eaten in my life. Seriously. Unfortunately I don't have the picture right now, but someday I'll show you and tell you the story of the tenderloin :). Perfection. Now we are in Corrientes having a great time. Right now my Correntine "brother" is urging me to finish so we can go see some more sights so I have to leave, but I will write more again soon.

Este es el dia!

2009-04-16T09:31:00.003-05:00

We'll fly out of Nashville around 4:00 pm, stop in Dallas and then head to Buenos Aires. I think we arrive early tomorrow morning in BsAs. After one night in BsAs, we'll fly to Corrientes. The next four weeks we'll be traveling throughout the green section on the map below. The next time you'll hear from us, will hopefully be from Argentina! We're not sure how often we'll be able to update the blog, but we'll do our best. Keep checking in and leave your comments so we know who's following our journey. Chau y hasta luego!

2009-03-19T21:18:00.006-05:00

Tonya taught the rest of us a few line dances so that we can end our group presentation with a little boot(y) shakin' :). For obvious reasons (mostly because it will be fun to translate into Spanish), we settled on the "Tush Push" as the line dance that we're going to teach to the Argentine Rotary Clubs. Argentina, meet NashVegas! After a little "Dixie Chicks" and our sweet moves, they're not gonna know what hit them!

Meetings shouldn't be this much fun!

2009-02-23T17:28:00.015-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of meeting with past GSE members and Nashville residents from Argentina. We asked a lot questions about the GSE experience and also about life in Argentina. All the new information helped to make us even more excited about our travels! We heard stories about GSE trips in Austrailia and France and also tasted local Argentine wine and yerba mate. We are sure to have a fantastic time this Spring! Take a look at the photos below for evidence of our fun-filled evening. A special thanks to Tonya for arranging and hosting the event and also thank you to all our guests.

From left: Yuri, Diana, Cristina giving insight into Argentine culture

Miranda tasting the food contributed by both team members and guests.

Cristina and Melia raising their glasses

Bill and Lindsay chatting about the details of the trip.

Meet Tom

2009-02-05T18:21:00.001-06:00

Rotarian Tom Turk is a former television producer and retired arts administrator. He was executive director of the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission from 1993 to 2003, and then served three years as executive director of Tennesseans for the Arts, a statewide advocacy organization.

Between 1981 and 1993 he directed creative and performing arts centers in Temple and Texarkana, Texas. From 1963 to 1981 Turk was Fine Arts Producer at Michigan State University’s WKAR-TV. He graduated from DePauw University in Indiana, where he studied creative writing, and the MA degree in radio-television-film from Michigan State University. In his professional work he has traveled in Europe, Central and South America, and in North and West Africa.

He and his wife, Judith, have two grown children. He became a member of Rotary in 1981 and the Rotary Club of Nashville in 1993.

El Rotario Tomas Turk es jubilado de ser productor de televisión y administrador de artes. Él era director ejecutivo de la Comisión Metropolitana de los Artes de Nashville a partir de 1993 a 2003, y entonces servió tres años como director ejecutivo de una organización estatal de la defensa que se llama Tennesseans para los Artes.

Entre 1981 y 1993 él dirigió centros de las artes creativos e interpretativos en las ciudades Temple y Texarkana de Texas. A partir de 1963 a 1981, Sr. Turk era productor de las bellas artes en WKAR-TV en la Universidad de Estado de Michigan. Él graduó de la Universidad de DePauw de Indiana, en donde él estudió la escritura creativa. Recibió su MA en radio-televisión-película de la Universidad de Estado de Michigan. A traves de su trabajo profesional, él ha viajado a Europa, América Central y Sudamérica, y en el norte y las Áfricas occidentales.

Él y su esposa, Judith, tienen dos niños crecidos. Él se hizo miembro del Rotatorio en 1981 y del Rotary Club de Nashville en 1993.

Bienvenido Tom!

2009-02-05T18:07:00.002-06:00

Tom Turk has assumed the role as our new 6760 Team Leader. We are sad that Ronnie is unable to continue with us on this journey, but we are excited to have another kind and capable Rotarian (I'm sensing a pattern here...) as our new leader. Welcome to the team, Tom!

Lunch with the Nashville Rotary Club

2009-01-26T17:49:00.000-06:00

Today the team (minus Ronnie) had the pleasure of visiting the Rotary Club of Nashville which meets every Monday for lunch at the famous Wildhorse Saloon. The Rotary Club of Nashville was founded in 1913, was the 94th Rotary Club established by Rotary International and is currently the 20th largest of the 32,000 clubs worldwide with almost 500 members. It was a wonderful experience for us to join this club for lunch and speak with some of Nashville's most influential leaders. Thanks Tom and Bill for having us!

From left: Lindsey Peterson, Tonya Miller, Melia Arnold and Miranda Runcie

From left: Tom Turk, Lindsey Peterson, Tonya Miller, Melia Arnold, Miranda Runcie and Bill Alexander

Meet Miranda

2009-01-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

Family: I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Nashville, Tennessee a year and a half ago to live closer to my family. I have one older sister who has lived in Nashville for over 10 years. She and her husband have twin daughters who are three years old. I came to Nashville to be near my sister and nieces and a few months later my parents decided to join the rest of us. I live in a house (with two other girls) close to downtown Nashville and my sister and parents live about 25 minutes away. This is the first time since I graduated from high school that I’ve lived near my family. I love it!

Education: When I graduated from high school I decided to travel for a year before going to a university. I went to Switzerland and lived and studied at an independent study center called L’Abri. At L’Abri I studied Christian theology and philosophy. After one year out of the U.S., I returned to Missouri and enrolled at Truman State University. I received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Spanish. During my third year at Truman I studied for one semester at the International Institute of Seville in Seville, Spain. Most recently, I received my Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) certification through the TN Foreign Language Institute in Nashville. In the not too distant future, I hope to return to a university to receive a Masters degree. I’m still undecided on exactly what I want to study (languages or writing perhaps), but ultimately I hope to teach at the University level.

Professional History: After I graduated from college, I spent a year in Ecuador teaching English (to adults and children). When I returned to the United States, I moved to Nashville, TN and began working at the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute (TFLI) where I am currently employed as the Assistant Director of the Foreign Languages Department. My main duties include arranging private and group foreign language classes, administer language proficiency exams, observe and evaluate our foreign language instructors and order foreign language textbooks and materials.

My Passions: I love being involved in my church which is located in an area of Nashville that has a lot low income families and a reputation for crime. The main mission of the church is to work towards unification of people of all races and economic statuses in East Nashville. My other interests include teaching English to Spanish-speakers, being outside (hiking, biking, swimming, climbing, etc.), traveling, cooking, photography, and writing.

Professional Interests: I would like to visit English or Spanish language schools such as the Leaders English Language Centre (in Corrientes). I am also interested in finding out more about the Education or Humanities departments at the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (Corrientes and Resistencia). Although it does not pertain to my current vocation, I would be interested in finding out more about the National Park system in Argentina and what other steps are being taken to preserve the natural environment of the country. I’m interested in organizations that serve the poor in the area. Also, if there are any professional photographers or writers available to meet, I would like that as well.

Nació el 7 de octubre del año 1982 en Jonesboro, Arkansas y creció en St. Louis, Missouri. Cursó estudios de Teología Cristiana y Filosofía en la famosa escuela L’Abri del pueblito Huémoz en el Cantón de Vaud, Suiza, y luego de completar un semestre en el Instituto Internacional de Sevilla, España, se graduó de la universidad estadounidense Truman State University de Kirksville, Missouri con su Licenciatura en Inglés y Castellano. Posteriormente, enseño inglés por un año en Quito Ecuador. Toda su preparación anterior culminó en la obtención del puesto de Subdirectora de Idiomas en el Instituto Estatal de Idiomas de Tennessee, y hace poco, logró su licenciatura en la Enseñanza del Inglés como Segunda Lengua. A largo plazo, Miranda desea cursar el magíster en alguna materia relacionada con los idiomas o la redacción para llegar a ejercer una cátedra universitaria.

Hace más de un año que Miranda se mudó a Nashville, Tennessee para estar cerca de su hermana y sobrinas gemelas, quienes ya tienen más de 10 años de vivir en esta ciudad. Así también, sus padres se trasladaron al mismo lugar. A ella le gusta mucho dedicarse a su iglesia, la cual tiene el noble propósito de integrar a personas de diferentes etnías y niveles socioeconómicos en la comunidad. De primordial interés para ella es visitar algunas escuelas de idiomas y humanidades como, por ejemplo, Leaders English Language Centre y la Universidad Nacional del Nordeste de Corrientes. Además de esto, le gustaría visitar los parques nacionales y enterarse de los programas en curso vinculados a la conservación del medio ambiente.

A Miranda, le gusta estar al aire libre, excursionismo, montar a bicicleta, nadar, escalar a las rocas, viajar, cocinar, fotografía, y escritura.

Meet Tonya

2009-01-26T10:54:00.000-06:00

Tonya was born on the seventh of September, 1974 in Adrian, Michigan. She studied in MTSU and Belmont University, where she graduated with Marketing and Spanish degrees. She won the prestigious National Security Education Program scholarship, which allowed her to complete her studies at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina as well as an internship in the Commercial Section of the American Embassy. During her stay in the capital, Tonya began dancing tango. Later, she worked as an investment advisor, a life insurance agent, a loan officer, and after all, returned to trading futures on the CME.

She could not ignore her desire to help the Hispanic Community, so she decided to become a Spanish and English interpreter. She works everyday in courts, hospitals and conferences. Through her good public skills, she became the Community Affairs Director for the local TV station, Telefutura’s Channel 42, where she does her show, Medical Minutes, informing the public about health and well-being. Tonya is considered in professional and social circles as the true spirit of multicultural, peaceful coexistence: by being a host mom for international students studying English, by being an interpreter with the fundamental purpose of promoting equality and trust, and by being a TV presenter to inform and care for those who want to achieve the American Dream in the U.S.

Nacida el 7 de septiembre de 1974 en Adrian, Michigan, Tonya cursó sus estudios universitarios en Middle Tennessee State University y Belmont University, donde se recibió de Mercadotécnica y Castellano. Ganó la prestigiosa beca del National Security Education Program (Programa Nacional de Educación y Seguridad) para completar sus estudios en la Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina, con pasantía en la Sección Comercial de la Embajada de los EE.UU. en dicho país. Durante su estadía en la capital, Tonya aprendió a bailar el Tango. Posteriormente trabajó de asesora financiera, agente de seguro de vida y encargada de préstamos hipotecarios para luego dedicarse a la compraventa de futuros en la bolsa mercantil de Chicago.

Impulsada por su deseo de ayudar y sacar adelante a la Comunidad Latina en los EE.UU., Tonya decidió convertirse en intérprete de inglés y castellano y ahora trabaja a diario en los tribunales, hospitales y conferencias internacionales. Debido a sus conocimientos y experiencia en el sector público, Tonya llegó a ser Directora de Asuntos Comunales del Canal 42 de Telefutura, un canal local de TV, donde tiene su propio programa Minutos Medicales, a través del cual informa al público sobre la salud y el bienestar. En los círculos profesionales y sociales Tonya es considerada como ejemplo del verdadero espíritu de una pacífica coexistencia multicultural, tanto en su papel de “madre” de los estudiantes extranjeros que viven con ella mientras estudian al inglés, como en el de intérprete, cuyo propósito fundamental es promover la igualdad y confianza entre los diferentes sectores de la población y por último, en su papel de locutora mediante el cual informa y vela por los que quieren hacer realidad el Sueño Americano dentro de los EE.UU.

Meet Lindsey

2009-01-26T10:50:00.000-06:00

Born May 29, 1982, in Aurora, Colorado, and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Lindsey lived with her parents and two brothers, Erik and Matt. She completed her studies in sociology at a Christian school in Texas, Abilene University. With her church, she taught English for two years in Santiago, Chile, which is where she learned her Spanish. Upon returning, she found her next avenue for making the world a better place and became the Program Coordinator, Development Assistant, Helpline Coordinator, and Office Manager for the Tennessee Respite Coalition, which is a non-profit group that provides Home Care Services to allow caretakers and families of disabled folks to rest. Lindsey is very interested in Argentina’s social work, especially for the caretakers of disabled people and the services available to them. She would also like to see how charitable donations are raised and the events designed for those.

Lindsey is driven by her dynamic community spirit in all facets of her life: professional, social and spiritual. She appreciates this opportunity to not only travel, but to also immerse herself in the daily culture. Family and church are very important to her. Lindsey is ready to try new things and will gladly try anything once.

Nació el 29 de mayo del año 1982 en Aurora, Colorado y creció en Springfield, Missouri. Lindsey vivía con sus padres y dos hermanos, Erik y Matt. Cursó estudios de sociología en la escuela cristiana Abilene University de Texas. Enseñó inglés por dos años con su iglesia en Santiago de Chile y allí es dónde se aprendió su español. De regreso, encontró su vía nueva de hacer del mundo un lugar mejor y se convirtió en la Coordinadora de Programas, Subdirectora de Desarrollo, Coordinadora de Servicio Telefónico de Asistencia y Gerente de Oficina para la Tennessee Respite Coalition, lo cual es un grupo sin ánimo de lucro que ofrece programas de respiro/desahogo familiar para el cuidador habitual y la familia en general de personas con discapacidad. A Lindsey, le interesa mucho el trabajo social de Argentina, haciendo hincapié en los cuidadores de personas deficientes y los servicios ofrecidos para aquellos; y además de eso, le gustaría ver como se busca donaciones a obras de caridad y los eventos diseñados para ellas.

Lindsey se anima por su civismo y cumple con su dinamismo de servicio comunitario en todas facetas de su vida: profesional, social y espiritual. Le agradece la oportunidad de no solamente viajar, sino de sumergirse en la cultura cotidiana. Le importa mucho a su iglesia y a su familia. Lindsey está dispuesta de probar cosas nuevas y con mucho gusto probará cualquier cosa una vez.

Meet Melia

2009-01-26T10:24:00.000-06:00

Family: I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. but Nashville, Tennessee has been my home for the last nine years. I have one sister that lives in Kentucky. My parents and the rest of my family live on the west coast, in California, Oregon and Washington state.

Education: I graduated from a small college in Ohio, where I played soccer and ran track. My major was communication studies and my minor was women’s studies. Six years after graduating from college I travelled to Costa Rica to learn Spanish and to travel for three months.

Professional History: I have been in the National Service field for over 10 years. I began my service as an AmeriCorps member in Arizona. AmeriCorps is our domestic version of the PeaceCorps. I continued my service within other service agencies as a youth advocate, outreach coordinator, trainer, and administrator working with women, children and senior citizens in Arizona and in Washington state. I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to direct an AmeriCorps program at Vanderbilt University, working with the elderly. For the last four years I have been working with Volunteer Tennessee, the state service commission. Our office supports AmeriCorps programs and service-learning initiatives across Tennessee. I direct a service-learning leadership program called Aspire. I work with diverse groups of high school students across the state providing leadership training. These students address issues in their schools through service to create a positive school climate. I love what I do and the students I work with.

My Passions: I love travelling and meeting new people! I really enjoy spending time learning about other cultures and countries. As our world feels “smaller” as technology allows us the ability to connect at higher rates of speed I believe it is increasingly important to make connections at the human, personal level.
My other passions include anything athletic. I am very active and enjoy being outdoors. I love to run, mountain bike, adventure race, play soccer, hike, and camp.

Professional Interests: I am interested in change through service at the local, national, and international level and my professional mission is to foster youth leadership development through service. I want to learn how schools and communities in Argentina use the service-learning (aprendizaje-servicio) methodology as a learning tool and how they encourage their youth to serve as agents of change in their communities and country.

My unrelated interests are alpaca breeding and wine making – yes, really! I do not have experience in either of these fields, but I am very curious to learn more about both of them.

Nació el 30 de abril del 1974 en Washington, D.C. Cursó estudios en una universidad pequeña, The College of Wooster, en Wooster, Ohio, dónde se graduó en Ciencias de La Comunicación y Estudios de La Mujer. Unos seis años después, viajó por San José y la comunidad de Durika, Buenos Aires, Costa Rica unos tres meses para aprender al español. Posteriormente encontró su vía en servicio comunitario nacional por la AmeriCorps, la cual es igual al Cuerpo de Paz, sólo centrándose en temas dentro de los EE.UU. Durante los últimos diez años, Melia ha servido como Defensora de la Juventud, Oficial para la Ayuda Comunitaria, Entrenadora, Administradora Encargada de Mujeres, Niños y Adultos Mayores, y ahora tiene cuatro años como Directora de un programa de aprendizaje-servicio, dedicado a desarrollar liderazgo en los estudiantes del secundario por todo el estado de Tennessee. Su programa se llama Aspire y es parte del grupo estatal, Volunteer Tennessee, que promueve voluntariado y servicio comunitario. A ella, le encanta su trabajo y a los estudiantes quienes usan el metodología de aprendizaje-servicio para crear un ambiente positivo en sus escuelas.

Melia disfruta mucho conocer de varias culturas y países. Ella cree que mientras la tecnología facilita nuestras comunicaciones, valoramos las conexiones personales de cara a cara. Según su propósito principal de fomentar liderazgo de la juventud por aprendizaje-servicio, le interesa cómo, dentro de la práctica docente de Argentina, alienta a los alumnos a que se encarguen de sus comunidades y de su país.

Melia le gusta mucho estar al aire libre, jugar al fútbol, hacer excursionismo e ir de camping. Otros intereses en el futuro incluye la cría de las alpacas y de producir el vino.

Meet the team

2008-11-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

Ronnie Strickland, Lindsey Peterson, Melia Arnold, Miranda Runcie, Tonya Miller