Where do I start? Remember the zoo project I did with the kids in Bolivia last year? Well, my old school decided to start a GIN group to present at the conference in Lima, and they chose to work on biodiversity, and education and focus their efforts at the Zoo. As you know I no longer work at that school, but I have kept in touch with many of the students and teachers there so I was in on their project. So then I come to my new school and am going about my own business when I read in the weekly announcements that they are sending our high school librarian to "scope" out the GIN conference. Wait, what? I KNOW what's happening! I immediately contact my principal to see if I can help in any way and possibly travel to Peru as well. After two weeks of no news I find out that the school doesn't have enough in their budget to send me. I had told my former colleague, but not any of the students, so I just decided to accept the answer and not worry about it. Yes, I know, it's unlike me. I'm not sure why I reacted that way, I chalked it up to maybe learning something over these years of making lots of mistakes, or maybe I was just so busy thinking about school that I didn't have time to worry... regardless I let it go.
Then 4 days before the flight I get a message that the person they were supposed to send from our school has dengue and under doctor's advice can't go. Wait, what? You mean I AM LEAVING FOR PERU IN FOUR DAYS??? Yessssssssss
This is perfect! Not too much time for me to tell all the Bolivia kids, so maybe I could make this a surprise! Yes! So long story short I got to travel to Lima, Peru to "scout" out the conference and hang out with my kids!
The conference was super amazing. It is based on a book that was written 10 years ago about the 20 global issues that we have to solve in 20 years. Well, it's been 10 years and ALL the issues have gotten worse. Issues like poverty, access to clean water, biodiversity, deforestation, air quality, waste management, etc... You know, global issues. The goal of the conference is that student groups present their projects and that by empowering high school students to make sustainable changes in their communities they will make a difference globally.
The conference was organized by an international school association of South American schools, and most of the groups were from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil. There were several well known and respected key note speakers in addition to the student run presentations.
I cherished every moment I had with my kids!
The conference was truly inspiring...
What are you doing in your life to help? Do you feel helpless? What can you do? Don't shy away from these questions. It's ok to feel overwhelmed and like your small part doesn't matter. It's ok to feel like a hypocrite and to feel frustrated that you live in a world filled with contradictions. This past week we reached 7 billion people on earth. 7 billion. How much is 7 billion? I found this...
1. Seven billion M&M’s would almost fill three Olympic-size swimming pools.
2. There are probably 7 billion bacteria in your mouth right now — or maybe even more!
3. Americans consume 7 billion bananas, the nation’s most popular fruit, roughly every four months.
4. If the Wizards played a game every night at Verizon Center, with every seat full, it would take 950 years to play for 7 billion fans.
5. When you are between 31 and 32 years old, you will have lived for 1 billion seconds. To reach 7 billion seconds, you would have to live to be 220 years old!
6. If you stacked up 7 billion sheets of copy paper, the stack would be 504 miles high — about the distance to the international space station and back again!
7. The Earth measures 24,900 miles around the middle. To travel 7 billion miles, you would have to circle the globe nearly 300,000 times.
That's a lot and difficult to imagine for our human brains. Population is a problem.
As the conferenced neared the end I knew, without a doubt, that I would see this group again. You know me, I get attached to my students, we become a family, but there is something special about this group, something unique. I will see them again soon!
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