Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Other people's 'opportunities'
Jillian's insight:
"When Brian was talking about us here [in America] 'discovering' what we want and our dreams in life... I kept thinking, what about people in these other countries that don't have a chance and have horrible jobs." (Like day-laborers who crush rocks by hand 10 hours a day).
(reference the previous Road Trip Nation post for background info).
"When Brian was talking about us here [in America] 'discovering' what we want and our dreams in life... I kept thinking, what about people in these other countries that don't have a chance and have horrible jobs." (Like day-laborers who crush rocks by hand 10 hours a day).
(reference the previous Road Trip Nation post for background info).
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Road Trip Nation
I'm on again, off again with the whole filming a video deal. It's way too easy to make a really really bad video--so I hate to make that part of our trip, but I just met a really cool guy who did video very wel.
Brian Mcallister and the "Road Trip Nation." They traveled around after graduation and talked to lots of different people about what they found in life. People like Michael Dell, lots of CEO's and a fisherman in Maine. Madonna's fashion designer and the man who cracked the human genome too.
I'm going to India. Talking to Brian and watching their (very good) DVD has helped me to learn of more ways to "suck the marrow out of life." This is a good thing.
My goal is to travel, to experience the people. To live with a host family and to help children. I want to work with Jillian to create art with the children. I wan to publish their work in American and I want to meet software companies in India to discus how they see India changing.
I want people back at home to know what another country is like and to be inspired to do cool, fantastic, and difficult adventures.
My new ideas about my trip after taling to Brian are:
* journal lots of thoughts, experiences, etc. Starting now. (hence the blog)
* possibly do this through film. It worked for them. I'll need to get a camcorder
* I need to meet and interview people
Okay, camcorder here I come. Carl my video buddy, I'm going to use your help.
Brian Mcallister and the "Road Trip Nation." They traveled around after graduation and talked to lots of different people about what they found in life. People like Michael Dell, lots of CEO's and a fisherman in Maine. Madonna's fashion designer and the man who cracked the human genome too.
I'm going to India. Talking to Brian and watching their (very good) DVD has helped me to learn of more ways to "suck the marrow out of life." This is a good thing.
My goal is to travel, to experience the people. To live with a host family and to help children. I want to work with Jillian to create art with the children. I wan to publish their work in American and I want to meet software companies in India to discus how they see India changing.
I want people back at home to know what another country is like and to be inspired to do cool, fantastic, and difficult adventures.
My new ideas about my trip after taling to Brian are:
* journal lots of thoughts, experiences, etc. Starting now. (hence the blog)
* possibly do this through film. It worked for them. I'll need to get a camcorder
* I need to meet and interview people
Okay, camcorder here I come. Carl my video buddy, I'm going to use your help.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Welcome to the blog of our journey
One month and a few weeks ago I thought it would be appropriate to travel to India after graduating and before an internship and then full time work in software consulting.
To try and answer the question "why did you decided to do this?" Perhaps it's that I enjoy seeing what I can learn from other cultures, I yearn for adventure, I read stories about suffering in other countries--and I want to be more grateful for what I have. I've got to thank two friends as well for pushing me over the edge to actually do this: Eryn Leach and Jillian Longheier. Eryn for talking about how she was going to go to Thailand (and then I started searching online for a place to visit) and Jillian for creating art that's about issues the world finds unpleasant (illegal child trafficking, forced labor, genocide, dirt stuff "surburbanites" don't enjoy hearing). I've also got to thank my grandfather Poppy for taking me down the Amazon river swimming, fishing and photo-snapping when I was in 4th grade. Let the adventures continue!
I'm also lucky enough to have Jillian the artist and amazing girlfriend (http://www.jillianlongheier.com/) join me on this adventure. First I was going to go with an organization and work in orphanages, etc. However when Jillian teamed up with me, we had to find something that was less expensive than $1000 for 3 weeks of volunteering. Our brainstorming led us to this idea:
* create art with children focusing on how they view themselves
* meet people from all walks of life to see what we can learn from them
So I've been contacting lots of non for profits in Chennai and Bangalore so we can work with various socioeconomic groups of children--from the poorest to middle class students who will one day to go places like my university (and soon to be alma matter) Purdue.
To try and answer the question "why did you decided to do this?" Perhaps it's that I enjoy seeing what I can learn from other cultures, I yearn for adventure, I read stories about suffering in other countries--and I want to be more grateful for what I have. I've got to thank two friends as well for pushing me over the edge to actually do this: Eryn Leach and Jillian Longheier. Eryn for talking about how she was going to go to Thailand (and then I started searching online for a place to visit) and Jillian for creating art that's about issues the world finds unpleasant (illegal child trafficking, forced labor, genocide, dirt stuff "surburbanites" don't enjoy hearing). I've also got to thank my grandfather Poppy for taking me down the Amazon river swimming, fishing and photo-snapping when I was in 4th grade. Let the adventures continue!
I'm also lucky enough to have Jillian the artist and amazing girlfriend (http://www.jillianlongheier.com/) join me on this adventure. First I was going to go with an organization and work in orphanages, etc. However when Jillian teamed up with me, we had to find something that was less expensive than $1000 for 3 weeks of volunteering. Our brainstorming led us to this idea:
* create art with children focusing on how they view themselves
* meet people from all walks of life to see what we can learn from them
So I've been contacting lots of non for profits in Chennai and Bangalore so we can work with various socioeconomic groups of children--from the poorest to middle class students who will one day to go places like my university (and soon to be alma matter) Purdue.
