Muddling Through Life.
15 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Doing Good, Mental Diarrhea, Personal, Uncategorized
Really, what do we all do but muddle through life to the best of our abilities? Here and there we pick up something new – a pine cone, a new skill, a shiny bit of ribbon, a half-cobbled together something we can use, and we try to make that a part of us, so we can be a little bit better, and do more cool things.
How can I use this crumpled bit of tin? Oh hey! I can do _______ with it – that’s neat!
You need to do _________ ? Well, I can help you do ____ and _____ and ______ … not perfect, but sort of!
Yes I have a _________ … do you need it?
But it’s not perfect. There’s only so much I’ve acquired, only so much I can do with what I have. I try to do as much as I can, but the resources are asked to do more than they’re supposed to know how. Overclocked. Off-label. Which is pretty cool. But not perfect.
So when I make mistakes, forget, screw up, disappoint, forget…
Forgive me.
Like this:
The Greeting Fluency Initiative Launch – Sam Sullivan and the Global Civic Policy Society
23 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Doing Good, Linguistics, News, Simon Fraser University Tags: Global Civic Policy Society, Greeting Fluency Initiative, Linguistics, multiculturalism, Sam Sullivan, SFU, Simon Fraser University
A story:
Once upon a time, there was a very small child who had just learned to speak. This child had a perfectly sound vocabulary for a three year old, and on sunny days, would talk to other kids in her neighbourhood, using every phrase she knew. It sounded something like this:
“Hello. Good morning! How are you? I’m fine, thank you. My name is Beverly Wu.”
Then, horror of horrors, she ran out of things to say, for you see, this child’s first language was Cantonese, not English. In a valiant effort to continue the conversation, she wracked her brain for any other English she had ever learnt:
“A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z…”
… 
I mention this story because today, I attended the launch for Sam Sullivan and the Global Civic Policy Society’s Greeting Fluency Initiative. How did I manage that? I went representing Simon Fraser University’s Linguistics department, as my Mam (Mayan language spoken in Guatemala) professor, Susan Russell, couldn’t attend the event.
A little about the project’s mandate from the flyer they handed out at the meeting:
The greeting Fluency Initiative seeks to encourage citizens to learn simple phrases of greetings in the languages of their neighbours. This simple act communicates a profound respect for other cultural groups and opens a window onto the rich cultural experiences that ar a part of our own community.
I think this is a great idea. It’s a small effort that can go a long way in making people more comfortable in many different contexts, even if only a few phrases. If we can all get super comfortable and lose all our shyness about using these few phrases, it will be a very good start.
I mean, a lot of us know how to greet people in several different languages…
“Hi, how are you?”
“Bonjour, comment ça va?” (French)
“Ni hao” (hello, Mandarin)
“Jo sun” (good morning, Cantonese)
“Salaam” (hello, Farsi)
“Namaste” (I greet the divine within you, Hindi)
“Konnichiwa” (good afternoon, Japanese)
“An nyoung ha seh o” (hello, korean)
“Jeeka, ma tzuula!” (oh, you’ve arrived!, Mam)
but personally, I’m super shy about actually using them when the time comes! Why?!
I could talk for an hour all on the challenges of Second Language Acquisition, but I’ll save that for my undergraduate honours essay (starting September!). All I know is that even though I’ve learned so much about SLA during the course of my degree, it doesn’t make it much easier when it comes to actually bearing down and trying to learn a language, as I’m doing with Mam this semester at SFU Surrey (FNLG 231, if any of you are interested.)
So, long story short, it would be very exciting if we could all leave our language inhibitions at the door, and just try. Imagine if our children grew up with these phrases as part of learning their first language as babies! That would be truly wonderful.
…
On a side note, apparently it was THE lunch to be at for all sorts of politicians, philanthropists, and other important people today. I met Sam Sullivan and my MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, Harry Bloy. It’s good to finally meet, in person, the people who have, or are currently representing our cities/neighbourhoods in public office.
Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take a photograph of something, anything at the event, so this post will be unfortunately not all that visually pleasing to look at.
Check out the Greetings Fluency Initiative, at http://grettingfluency.org
xoxo
-b
@EnvisionSFU – #SFU Rowing NCAA: The Story, The Dream.
10 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Doing Good, Rowing, Simon Fraser University Tags: 2011, enVISION, rowing, SFU, Simon Fraser University
envisionSFU
@beverlywu Beverly, what are your passions which #SFU can improve upon to make your #SFU experience unforgettable? #shapeSFU ^rl
Dear EnvisionSFU,
The short answer: I am passionate about the SFU Rowing Club. The Women’s crew is among a few clubs being considered by SFU Athletics as the next team to move up to the NCAA. I want this for the crew. Ever so much. Please, if you have any influence with the people at Athletics, tell them my crew’s story of seizing opportunities to become athletes at the university level, even if we weren’t handpicked out of high school or granted scholarships. It’s about building strong athletes out of untapped talent. It’s about paying your own way, training hard, learning to win.
The long story: In September 2008, I returned to SFU to finish my undergrad degree. Looking for something extracurricular to do, I signed up for the Rowing Club’s Learn-To-Row program at Clubs Days in September 2009. The athletic and personal discipline and opportunity that the club makes available to all students, staff, faculty, and alumni is part of why I now love the team so much. One does not need to start out a star athlete recruited from high school. One can be really athletic or a little unfit to begin with, but as long as the drive and commitment is there, all can be made into competitive athletes. A new sport is learned. The SFU Recreation Centre becomes one’s second home. One develops strong bonds with one’s fellow athetes, each pushing another to be their very best. One competes against rowers from other universities with fully funded Varsity programs – most often UBC and UVic. The fully funded programs arrive at regattas with beautiful boat trailers and shiny equipment and SFU straps on a couple of boats and some oars to car roof racks for a trip to Victoria.
Left: SFU. Right: UBC. March 2011.
If only we were fully funded. The endless fundraising efforts get tiring, but I’m not complaining. I want to show you what our crew does with what we have.
What other varsity athletic team at SFU offers to teach its sport to other students, and does so, every year, without fail, at the beginning of Fall semester?
What other varsity athletic team welcomes all who aren’t already 10 years deep into the sport into their fold as one of their own?
Rowing does. Rowing will.
Opportunity. Take a look at SFU’s inaugural yearbook: 1965-1966. You’ll find that the rowing club started up in Spring 1966.
SFU Rowing Club in the 1965-1966 Yearbook
Opportunity. I have teammates who are or were dancers, skiers, snowboarders, cyclists, curlers, triathletes, and late bloomers who didn’t participate in extracurricular sports in high school. I played volleyball on my school team from grades 6-12, and would never have dreamed of competing in sport at the university level (I’m 5’2″ and going on 25 this year)…until rowing.
Opportunity. SFU Rowing has trained National and World level rowers in the past, and we can do so again. We’ve recruited an amazing head coach this year who is leading the charge, building the team to be competitive with other university programs.
Opportunity. April 3rd, 2011: SFU Women’s 4+ wins Gold at Duelling Over a Grand @ Elk Lake, BC (I’m on the far left):
My crewmates are amazing people who strive to achieve their best, and push others to do the same. They are amazing, beautiful people who work together to build something special. There is camaraderie, there is competition, but there is no bitter rivalry.
I am proud to be SFU Crew.
Take a look – Visit http://www.sfu.ca/rowing to see how much I care about SFU Rowing. I asked for, and got an SFU themed blog. I’ve written all of the content for the blog for the past year. I started http://facebook.com/SFURowing and http://twitter.com/SFURowing to get the word out.
In short, being able to say that I was part of the team that brought SFU Rowing to the NCAA would make my experience at SFU truly unforgettable.
About me: I am a second generation SFU student whose parents met at SFU in the 1970s. Then when I went to school, I met my husband in an undergrad class at SFU. He now works at SFU too…so I consider myself quite thoroughly SFU blooded. I intend to continue supporting SFU Rowing for a very long time.
Why the 15th is My New Favourite Day of Each Month
15 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
in Doing Good, Peculiarly Awesome Tags: Kiva, microcredit, microfinance, microfunds, microloan, money
The 15th is my new favourite day of the month because it’s Kiva repayment day. Bits of your various loans come back and then it’s time to send the money out again!
Weird & wonderful how the same $25 can go help someone else far far away through re-loaning.
For example, the money that came back today from:
1 individual in Lebanon
3 individuals in Afghanistan
2 groups in Paraguay
1 group in Mexico
just helped fund $25 towards a group in the Dominican Republic.
Yay money recycling!
Wow. I hope somehow the message gets to the borrowers that they are helping people on the other side of the planet…
$199,373,025 in loans made through Kiva as of early this morning. Will you be the loan that tips it over the $200M mark?
Visit http://kiva.org to get started.
And I’m at http://kiva.org/lender/beverly.
And I’ve found Team CANADA http://www.kiva.org/team/team_canada to be a really fun and helpful team – feel free to ask questions on the team message board if there are things you are wondering about that the Kiva site doesn’t answer for you.
First Foray into Lending with Kiva Microfunds – kiva.org
03 Jan 2011 2 Comments
in Doing Good, News, Personal Tags: 2011, arts, Cambodia, crafts, donate, gift card, gift certificate, goal, housing, Kenya, Kiva, Kiva.org, knitting, Lebanon, Mexico, microcredit, microfinance, microfunds, microloan, Mongolia, motorcycle, paraguay, peru, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, team canada, vegan, vegetarian, weaving
So whatever happened to that Kiva gift card that Steve gave me for Christmas?
See http://www.kiva.org/lender/beverly for more information.
The entrepreneurs I chose to support:
1. Villa Universitaria Group in San Ignacio, Paraguay – Retail: To buy meat, vegetables, dairy products and others. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261074
2. Fortunata in Huancayo, Peru – Retail: To purchase mixed vegetables and cheeses, products that are in great demand in the capital. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261218
3. Marilou Landao in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Retail: To purchase more stock to sell in her general store. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261243
4. Amarjargal Suren in Hovd, Hovd, Mongolia – Food: To purchase flour in bulk from Ulaanbaatar for her bakery. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261267
5. Sharito Group in Tecoanapa Guerrero, Mexico – Food: To invest in buying more groceries such as: milk, oil, soft drinks, eggs, pasta, rice, sugar, salt, water, toilet paper and soap for their grocery stores. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261473
6. Jawaher in Nabatieh, Lebanon – Services: To buy special-price textiles for her tailoring business. http://www.kiva.org/lend/261485
7. Munafa Group in Kabala, Sierra Leone – Food: To buy food to resell in the food market. http://www.kiva.org/lend/258705
8. Mikoroshini Group in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania – Agriculture (Poultry): Increase the capital of the business and buy new broiler chicks. http://www.kiva.org/lend/257141
9. Jane Nyambura in Thika-Town, Kenya – Arts: To buy yarn and buttons for her knitting business. http://www.kiva.org/lend/258330
10. San Mom in Khsach Kandal district, Cambodia – Arts: To buy weaving materials. http://www.kiva.org/lend/262473
For those who received Kiva gift cards for Christmas: Hold on till 12:01am January 1st! (er, note for next year…) It was interesting to see that ALL LOANS quickly got funded after Christmas, but Kiva posted a bunch of new loans on January 1st, and apparently do so the first of every month.
Over 98% of Kiva loans have been fully repaid. There is some currency exchange loss or default possible, but all in all, its nice to get most of the loan money back so you can loan it out to someone else or withdraw the funds to your PayPal account.
From a donor’s point of view, it’s very refreshing to not have your money disappear into an abyss of good intentions. The microfinance model encourages and respects ability and accountability, and I think these are wonderful things. Also, it allows you to lend in $25 increments so as make the financing on the part of the lender accessible, to be part of funding a larger loan of anywhere between ~$200 to $10,000.
And, you can choose to loan to the interests you have:
support women: lend to female entrepreneurs
support men: lend to male entrepreneurs
the arts: lend to craftmakers or weavers or knitters (I’m super crafty so this is my special interest)
the vegans: choose to not contribute to butcher shops or animal farming
the motorcycle enthusiasts: choose to help someone purchase a motorcycle for personal or business transport
if you had help from friends and family in buying your first home: help someone with personal housing expenses
etcetera etcetera.
And you can join a team from your local geographical area, university, etc that supports your interests.
Some teams formally or informally set lending goals as well – not to pressure people in any way, but to have something to work towards for those who are able to spare the dough.
For example, some members of Team Canada http://www.kiva.org/team/team_canada have informally set a goal to reach $1 Million in total loans for Team Canada by the end of 2011, and members can participate (or not) as they see fit, whether they are able to financially contribute more, or perhaps re-lend the money they have previously lent out that has been paid back, as many supporters of Kiva are themselves on fixed incomes.
A member of Team Canada has also recently set up a Facebook Fan Page called “Team Canada – Kiva Lenders”, so make sure to join that too, if you are interested in connecting with other Kiva lenders from Canada.
The first repayments from the loans I just made should start coming back in February 2011. While microfunds/microloans/microcredit/microfinance is/are not perfect (and I’m sure there is opportunity for corruption), I think it is a charity model worth supporting, and am hoping to be able to continue to do so in the future.
Kudos to Kiva for making it so easy for average people to participate in microfinance!
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