A World We Dare To Imagine Part 3

Helping Hand Hospitals Organization

Our mission is to bring healthcare and aid to as many people and communities as possible who do not have the resources or skills to care for themselves.

Ever since I worked in a charity hospital in Cambodia, I have had a passion for providing people basic healthcare rights. In Cambodia, people have large, debilitating acid burns and birth defects that prevent them from living normal lives because they are shunned from society. Other people live too far from any hospital that they can afford to get taken care of in time, so they end up with amputations or even death that could have been prevented by more accessible healthcare. These are the people that our organization will help.

Hospitals have started in Africa and East Asia and will continue to spread to places that have the highest need for local hospitals. This includes in rural villages with no other options when they need surgery or something only Western medicine can heal.

The organization provides donated materials to build hospitals with the minimum amount of space and tools to function. Basic wound care is provided, and with every new hospital in the rural areas they are built, volunteer doctors from first-world countries start each hospital and take care of patients. Medical students from Europe and America will be able to use these hospitals as part of their school credit and can learn from the doctors while also helping those community members who will be trained to help their people.

This organization is unique because it allows established doctors from the community, who have already completed medical schools, to enter a training and shadowing program with these volunteer doctors. The training program allows those members of a community or living nearby to train with the volunteer doctors and learn how to care for their own people. Knowing basic care and certain operational procedures is crucial to saving lives, and the local doctors will learn how best to tend to the more specific problems of the country and local community.

These hospitals are life changing for the people that are helped. The training program for local doctors allows the locals to have some say in how things are run and can know what is best for their local people. The Western doctors are essential in building a relationship and educating the locals in more ways than they have been schooled in their own country. People who need healthcare immediately no longer have to walk for two weeks to see a doctor, but rather they can find a local charity hospital where they can be taken care of in time before they develop worse, incurable diseases. People in unfortunate circumstances still deserve the chance at a healthy life, and the Helping Hands Hospitals organization will give it to them.

This organization’s first goal is to care for the people involved. In order to keep the hospitals less of a burden on the community, the hospitals are green and are created to be sustainable. People giving charity and time is how these hospitals are run, and as long as some people are generous at the beginning, once they are established the locals should be capable of running it smoothly and needing little from outside help once it is started.

World We Dare To Imagine

To make the world a better place I would start by creating charity hospitals around the world so that people have access to some form of healthcare, even if it is the most basic healthcare. Ideally we could get American doctors to train the local doctors, and if people donated equipment, the local community could eventually learn how to take care of themselves. A hospital in Cambodia was started by a doctor from America and began including Cambodian nurses and doctors, who were eventually able to go study in Europe and come back and apply their knowledge to the small hospital. Hospitals from other countries would donate equipment like an ultrasound machine. Rather than just donating these machines without knowing if the hospital staff knew how to use them, the hospitals would send doctors to that hospital for a few weeks and they would teach the Cambodian staff how to use it. This took time, but it was possible and I think more initiatives could start in other parts of Cambodia and other countries that do not have easy access to wound care or any other healthcare. The problem with many of the people I encountered at this hospital was the distance so many rural people lived from the hospital in the capital city. It took them months or years to finally reach healthcare, and by then it was often too late.

Doing work in the garbage dumps of Mexico City and other impoverished areas is good because they aren’t just donating money or supplies. The people working spend weeks there finding out what they need, and bringing equipment and supplies there such as glasses and dental care to help these people at least short term. But short term is not enough to change these people's’ lives long term, so there needs to be a program where people can stay for months or years, or continue to return to the same community, and really understand how they live and what could help them and their lifestyle. Rather than giving a kid one set of glasses once in his life, knowing his vision will change, the best thing to do is to create a program where the same community will get revisited often and have access to at least semi constant healthcare. Basic healthcare is so important, and If we give these people the tools to help their own community, more will be accomplished in the long run and people will stop dying from completely curable problems.

The Blue Sweater 2

The second part of Jacqueline’s book continues her journey in Rwanda and finding out about the women from the bakery. Jacqueline goes through many trials with getting robbed, finding out her friends had been killed, and learning that people aren’t always who she thought they were. People like Agnes and Prudence helped Jacqueline see that humans are not perfect or consistent, and the Rwandan Genocide taught her a lot about human nature. Through the many loans given to women, she learned that solving poverty isn’t just about giving money, but each situation requires different solutions. She realizes that we can be more helpful if we see everyone as a single unit, and base our poverty eradicating strategies on promoting human dignity. Jacqueline creates the Acumen Fund and attempts to support institutions rather than projects. The Acumen Fund has done some amazing things, and what I find most interesting is how Jacqueline discovers that the best way to solve poverty is not with sympathy, but with moral leadership that comes up with solutions from the point of view of the poor, rather than imposing grand ideas onto societies that work differently from what we might be used to.

Jacqueline’s experiences reminded me of my time working in a children’s hospital in Cambodia. I saw so many things I never even imagined were possible. We saw villages built on stilts on a river, and people with no money who traveled for weeks to get to the hospital. I wanted so badly to help everyone that it was really hard to realize there was no way that I could everyone I saw. And I knew that my few weeks with them, and any money or knowledge we could give them wouldn't last very long. But I also realized a lot of the things that Jacqueline discovered. Sympathy and charity weren’t going to help these people in the long run. They needed a system that could sustain them and manage the issues constantly, not being dependent on monetary donations. What was really important was not only the Western doctors who visited the hospital for a few weeks to help with patients, but the Cambodian doctors going to Europe to study from better doctors, so that they could come back and apply what they learned to best help their own people. Only the Cambodians truly knew what would help the poor and sick the most, and even though the money was important in starting these hospitals and programs, what was most beneficial was training the Cambodian people to take care of their own when the charity wasn’t always there supporting them. Education was key to getting those in poverty to move into better situations.

The Blue Sweater

It is so interesting how Jacqueline’s experiences with the blue sweater and the women in cote d ivore gave her meaning and taught her so many lessons at the beginning. She learned that compassion wasn’t enough to help these women, and that it might be more complicated than it seemed at first. I think we all start off thinking that way, that if we just care enough and give them monetary support or something similar than we can help them and their lives. But it takes knowing these women and having specific goals that they are on board with to actually start making a change.

Jacqueline realized that giving these women loans gives them responsibility and holds them accountable for helping themselves. She learns that the women aren’t running their businesses like they should be, and desires to help them learn sustainability and not to rely just on financial contributions. Jacqueline gives these women dignity, and along the way of helping their business become successful, she realizes that there is still so much for her to learn.

During her time in Kenya, she saw many things go wrong because the women weren’t trained to run the programs successfully. She realized they need more than just donors and money to start projects, but also someone to teach them how to sustain the practices even after the money donations disappear. Even after all her years in Africa, learning to be like the women and following their customs, she is still trying to find a balance at the end when the guard steals her belongings. She goes to business school when she gets back to America because she still has the desire to help the less fortunate, but she is trying to do it in a different way.

Kiwi Words That Confuse Americans

Recently I read an article about New Zealanders (or “Kiwis”) having certain words they use that Americans just don’t understand. Having lived in New Zealand for 6 months, I thought I would put in my two cents about the phrases I heard the most. Some phrases are so cool I think Americans should start using them. But some words just make no sense to anyone not from Down Under.

Chur: They mean it like “thank you,” but it’s a little harsh to the ears. Try saying this to the next friend that does something nice for you and see what response you get. I’m not sure where this came from but this is one term I didn’t understand. It’s probably more of a British English thing, like a relaxed “cheers”.

Yeah...Nah: Talk about being vague and confusing. This is supposed to mean “no,” but if people have to take a few seconds to think about what you’re really trying to say, shouldn’t you just give a straightforward yes or no?

Wop Wops: My Kiwi friend would always say she lived in the “wop wops”, which refers to the middle of nowhere. New Zealand has a lot more open space and places deemed to be the middle of nowhere so it’s understandable they’d have another term for this. But this is something I think should be used whenever it can logically be fit into a sentence. It’s such a fun phrase to say.

Togs: This is their word for “bathing suit,” but does it make any sense? It seems like a very British English phrase which is fitting for being part of the Commonwealth, but since it’s plural how do you clarify that you just want the top to the bikini?

Jandals: Their word for “sandals,” which honestly I loved because it sounds more laid back for some reason. But they think Americans are extremely weird for calling them sandals and I don’t know how either term came to be. Get ready for a crazy look from Kiwis if you ever say you’re looking for your flip-flops.

Heaps: It means the same thing in both countries, but Americans don’t seem to use it nearly as much as Kiwis when describing something. When’s the last time you said there were “heaps” of something? But try using it anytime you want to say “lots”. “I’ve got heaps of homework.” “There were heaps of people at the beach.” Doesn’t it make everything seem that much more dramatic?

Lolly: This is what Kiwis call any kind of candy. And I mean any kind. They don’t have half the variety of candy we do, so they heap it all together and it leaves Americans quite confused at times. “Lolly cake” is a bakery favorite of theirs, but what exactly is in a candy cake? Even they can’t tell us. It’s just some green stuff.

Sweet As: Last but not least, my favorite term that I think every person should pick up and use in everyday language. This basically means “cool,” “great,” “awesome,” or anything involving something you like. The great thing is that Kiwis add “as” to anything they’re saying just to emphasize it. “Easy as,” “hard as,” “ugly as,” and any other adjective can be used and it just adds a whole new level to making something a big deal but sounding really chill about it. It’s often followed by “bro”.

There are probably a million more terms, and I’m sure New Zealand isn’t the only country with phrases that Americans would have no clue about. But there’s something about New Zealand English that makes me feel super casual, free and easy. New Zealand does seem to have a more laid back culture than we do in general, so it’s not for everyone. And as similar as the two countries are in terms of language and society, there were heaps of times I was at the dinner table with my Kiwi friends where I said something and they all stared at me in silence. And it worked both ways. Did you know they don’t have normal marshmallows, but only strawberry and vanilla flavors? And that Cherry Coke and premade cookie dough just do not exist and they’ve never even heard of half of our food items? They don’t refrigerate their eggs. A box of any American cereal like Lucky Charms costs $20, and they couldn’t even imagine a cereal that was pure sugar. I could go on and on, but the takeaway message here is that no matter how small New Zealand is (4 million people and a 4:1 ratio of sheep to people), they love living in ignorant bliss of all the American terms and foods that they don’t know they’re missing out on. And maybe Americans just have too much stuff we don’t really need.

Kurtwood Farms

The second half of Growing a Farmer is about Kurt's experience raising and slaughtering animals. He explains how he raises pigs and chickens and the different things to consider when taking care of them. These animals each make their own contributions to his farm in different ways. His goes into a very gruesome detail about the slaughtering and butchering of his animals. Kurt finishes with talking about the current state of his farm and what they produce. Kurtwood Farms is home to vegetables, fruits, cows, and other animals. He is able to sell the cheese and keeps the rest of his food to serve at Sunday dinners that people come to eat. He explained why his other endeavors didn't and couldn't work on his farm and still make him a profit. But cheese is something people are willing to pay for. His weekly dinners that he cooks for people is all food from his own farm, and other than a few ingredients like salt, is fresh comes directly from his soil. He is very proud of his farm's growth and the food he produces, even though it is not the biggest or most profitable.

I am impressed at everything Kurt tried when he started his farm. He tried different plants and animals and he failed a lot. But he kept working to make things better and figured out better ways to do things. He was able to settle into a routine on his farm, but only after spending years finding out what didn't work and what he liked best and was capable of doing with his skills. He taught himself how to be a farmer, and it is really admirable how he was able to start something so impressive from scratch. This book made me realize that anything is possible if you are motivated enough and realize you have to work for everything you want.

A Tale of Bay Area Hockey

A Tale of Bay Area Hockey

How One Player Forever Changed the San Jose Sharks

Ever wonder what it’s like to carry a team and a city on your back? And to be thought of as a curse to the people you’re trying to please? Patrick Marleau knows exactly how that feels.

In the past, hockey has been overshadowed by other more American sports like football and baseball. But that is starting to change. The San Jose Sharks and other teams like them are transforming the status of the National Hockey League. In the Bay Area of California, hockey is on the rise. And the Sharks can thank one man: Patrick Marleau.

This article is about the rollercoaster ride of the San Jose Sharks franchise, and how one man shaped the team’s identity. Marleau’s presence has propelled the Sharks’ popularity and success, but he is also at the center of the most controversial disagreements among Sharks fans. I will explain how the Sharks were born and the era of Patrick Marleau, how he and the team have thrived through periods of condemnation, and how they have emerged from judgment and are blazing a new path to make a name for themselves in the hockey world.

A New Era - Starting From the Ice Up

The San Jose Sharks began their franchise in 1991, playing in the Cow Palace. At the time, the Cow Palace was more known for the rodeos it housed than the hockey team playing there. The team started out as a joke, going 17-63 in its first season -- the worst record in the NHL. But no matter how rough the city was and how badly the team played, the people of San Jose immediately became loyal to the sport and the team. The Cow Palace was sold out every night and merchandise sales were the highest in the league (Sports Illustrated). The next few years had some ups and downs. They made the playoffs and surprised everyone with an upset win, but couldn’t keep that momentum up. The year of 1997 was the year everything changed. The Sharks drafted Patrick Marleau as the 2nd overall pick. He was 18 years old and still a kid, but people thought he was the next big thing. He had his good and bad moments like any 18 year old who had the pressure of a new team on his back. Marleau came under intense scrutiny as soon as he was drafted, but he improved his numbers every season. He was named captain of the team in 2003, a huge honor in hockey. The fans loved him because he was humble, kind, and led by his actions (San Francisco Chronicle). But he was never consistent enough to please the fans. People kept asking: is Marleau a future superstar or a too-young burnout? People thought he could be a real turning point in the Sharks’ unpredictability, but every year fans were disappointed (The Hockey Writers).

Judgment and Condemnation

Despite Marleau’s work ethic and leading the team to playoff appearances in his first 5 seasons, people were never completely happy with him. While the team stuck behind Marleau, fans were quick to throw him to the dogs. Yes they loved him as a person, but he wasn’t producing what the fans thought the team needed. The Sharks never made it past the third round of the playoffs. So, in 2010, they demoted him and took away his captaincy. Rumors spread that he was soon to be traded and these rumors swept the news for years. Every season people were more certain that they knew what was best for the team. Unfortunately for Marleau, what people thought was best was to not have him around (Kawakami, 2012). He wasn’t what the Sharks needed to win the championship. His nickname changed from “Hat Trick Patrick” to “Pointless Patrick” in one season (Purdy, 2011). Still, the Sharks coaching staff kept him around. Through all of this, Marleau kept his head down and powered through, playing his heart out every night. But this constant fear around the trade deadline divided the fans. There were those that thought he was a curse on the team, while others couldn’t imagine the Sharks being the same without him. Most Sharks fans were as loyal as they could be, but everyone questioned what the general manager was thinking. These issues plagued the Sharks, and the entire league even questioned the Sharks’ future. The fans were subject to embarrassing criticism from other fans around the country when the Sharks made the playoffs every year and then choked. Their leaders almost completely stopped producing goals or making any impact. The Sharks fell apart at the end of each season and no one knew why, so they blamed Marleau. But it all changed in 2015 (Purdy, 2015).

The Future of the Sharks

In 2015, Joe Pavelski, a new face in hockey, was named captain of the Sharks and rumors about Marleau being a plague on the team ceased. The controversy surrounding Marleau in 2010 dissolved and a new age of the Sharks surfaced. With the addition of Joe Thornton -- the 1997 1st overall draft pick coincidentally -- the Sharks continued to improve. With minor setbacks, today they have crafted a newer, younger team. A new coach this 2016 season did the impossible and led them to the Stanley Cup finals. They have overcome adversity and harsh condemnation from teams and fans throughout the NHL (New York Times). By making the decision to remove Marleau from high-pressure leadership positions, they have allowed him to lead through experience, letting the younger generation take over (Purdy, 2010). The Sharks are still yet to win the Stanley Cup, but they have tremendous potential. They continue to surprise (and disappoint) San Jose fans, but the cheering has not quieted. The years of doubt surrounding Marleau made the Sharks and their fans stronger. It hasn’t been forgotten, but people have moved on and the Sharks have proven they’re more than just one player. Every year the Shark Tank comes back louder than before, and the sold out stadium continues to believe that this could be the year they win it all. They know how to fail. Now they need to learn how to win.

Citations

Bensch, Andrew. "No Reason to Panic on Patrick Marleau." The Hockey Writers. N.p., 01 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. http://thehockeywriters.com/no-reason-to-panic-on-patrick-marleau/

Cooper, Tony. "It's Taking Patrick Marleau a While to Adjust to the NHL, but the Sharks Feel They've Landed a Big One." San Francisco Chronicle. N.p., 4 Jan. 1999. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.

Kawakami, Tim. "It’s Time for San Jose Sharks to Part Ways with Patrick Marleau." Mercury News [Oakland] 23 Apr. 2012: n. page. http://www.mercurynews.com/2012/04/23/kawakami-its-time-for-san-jose-sharks-to-part-ways-with-patrick-marleau/

Pollak, David. "Penguins Finish Off Sharks to Win Stanley Cup." New York Times. N.p., 12 June 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/13/sports/hockey/pittsburgh-penguins-finish-off-san-jose-sharks-to-win-stanley-cup.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSan%20Jose%20Sharks&action=click&contentCollection=hockey&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0.

Purdy, Mark. "Mark Purdy: San Jose Sharks Need More Soon from Pointless Patrick Marleau." The Mercury News. N.p., 07 May 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. http://www.mercurynews.com/2011/05/07/mark-purdy-san-jose-sharks-need-more-soon-from-pointless-patrick-marleau/

Purdy, Mark. "Purdy: Why Patrick Marleau Will Remain in Sharks' Teal for Awhile Yet." The Mercury News. N.p., 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/11/12/purdy-why-patrick-marleau-will-remain-in-sharks-teal-for-a-while-yet/

Purdy, Mark. "Mighty Marleau Silences the Doubters." Oakland Tribune 08 May 2010: n. http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15048798

Prewitt, Alex. "Sharks Tales: First Season Was Classic Exercise in Futility." Sports Illustrated. N.p., 06 June 2016. http://www.si.com/nhl/2016/06/06/san-jose-sharks-original-team.

Growing a Farmer

Growing a Farmer, by Kurt Timmermeister, is about his journey from life in a big city to the adventure of becoming a farmer. Being a restaurant owner, Kurt began to take an interest in food and where it came from. The more Kurt saw the meat being delivered and the food being prepared, he was fascinated by how it all came to his restaurant. He soon realized that he wanted to try to grow his own crops. Kurt wanted to be a real farmer. He bought some land on an island nearby and started to tend to his land. He tried many things, bought tools, read books, and eventually learned the best ways to do things. He was still reliant on his restaurant’s income, but eventually he was able to sell it and focus on the farm. One of his big projects was raising bees for their honey. He hit a lot of speed bumps on the way, but eventually he learned the most effective way to get what he wanted. Then he tried making hard apple cider from apple trees. But deer ate his trees, and he had to adjust. So he instead made vinegar and apple juice. Kurt thought he needed animals on his farm, so he got a sheep. He explained it as a gateway animal, the first animal that farmers get because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to take care of. But what Kurt really learned was that the lambs are what make raising sheep worth it. They are cute animals, but also provide meat. Since sheep only produce offspring once a year, Kurt discovered early on that he needed to save the lamb meat more carefully. Kurt thought that in order to be a real farmer, he needed a cow. So he bought a cow from someone, and began raising cows. He loved having something he had to get up for every day. He learned a lot about the physical aspect of being a farmer when he milked his cows by hand. He had to learn some basic medical procedures, giving cows medicine when they got sick. This is when Kurt learned he was going to be a dairy farmer. While this book is about Kurt learning how to grow his farm and be a farmer, it is also filled with many successes and failures. Kurt learns the hard way that being a farmer takes patience, time, and sometimes just luck.

I think this book is incredible. I find it interesting because I can really relate to Kurt Timmermeister. I love the idea of growing your own food, doing things with your hands, and working hard for a product. I admire the way he overcame the many obstacles he faced. He didn’t quit as soon as he experienced setbacks, he kept on going and worked harder to find solutions. It was very courageous how he quit his steady job in the city to make his dream happen. Even though he didn’t have any experience with being a farmer, he was smart and determined. He writes in such a way that it is easy to read. He makes me want to read more because I want to know how he solved his problems and what idea he had next. It is interesting when he goes into a lot of detail about things he does. He explains how the tractor works, how to put bees in a hive, how to milk and care for cows. While these may not seem that interesting at first, he has so much passion for what he does that it’s hard not to be intrigued. I want to learn how he does all these things even if I may never do them. While it is in some ways an autobiography, he also teaches the reader. I feel like I have learned a lot just by reading what he has done on his farm. He’s not afraid to admit his mistakes. This book has made me realize that when people set out to do things, no one really knows what they’re doing at first and that’s okay. What’s important is being patient and willing to learn.

Why Tigers are the Best

Even though tigers might not be the most interesting or funny-looking animal, there is something about tigers that make them so majestic. They are the biggest feline, and have tons of power and strength which makes them a fierce and potentially dangerous animal. But they are also beautiful and they look so cozy and fuzzy sometimes I think cuddling one would be awesome. Especially the adorable cubs. Siberian tigers are the most numerous, but there are still less than 2,000 in the wild. Today, tigers are only found in South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian far east. Tigers are mostly nocturnal, live in a variety of habitats, and use their stripes as camouflage. They kill their prey with a bite to the neck, and are normally solitary animals, except during mating season. They are also really good swimmers. Cubs don't leave their mothers until they are about 2 and a half years old. The Siberian tiger is the biggest and my favorite subspecies. It might just be because the Siberian tiger's habitat is much colder and thus more snowy, so pictures of these tigers make them look even more magical and incredible. What I admire most about the Tiger is the way that they are a very intense predator, but unlike sharks (which I believe are naturally man-eaters, whether I'm totally wrong or not), they very rarely attack any humans unless they are sick. I like that in some places people can go pet a tiger because they can be gentle creatures if in the proper habitat. I've never heard of anyone cuddling a shark.