Now until mid-June: I'm working to save for Uganda and beyond (more below) at a CD store called CD Source in Dallas (Lovers and Greenville for those who live or visit here). I highly recommend visiting and shopping there even if I'm not working there. It is by far one of the best places I could imagine to work retail. Great people, huge selection and fun atmosphere. They buy used CDs and DVDs so if you need cash or would like to exchange CDs or DVDs you no longer use for ones you might, stop by! www.myspace.com/cdsource.
I need to make the decision ASAP, but I may cram for the GRE and take it briefly before leaving. Speaking of leaving...
Mid-June (perhaps June 18th-23rd, for sure 21st-23rd): I'll be in New York City. The 21st-23rd I will be with AJWS for orientation before departing for Uganda. I'm hoping to go a few days early to see friends, maybe audition for Who Wants To Be a Millioniare (I'm a loser, yes) and who knows what else....let me know if you'll be up there!
June 23rd to August 12th: Uganda!!! (well plus travel) If you notice that not just 1 or 2, but 3 exclamation points worth of excitement. I think I'll post a separate entry on Uganda and more details, but here are the basics:
I'm going with college students and perhaps other recent grads and we will be working in a rural village in eastern Uganda close to the city of Tororo in a village called Ramogi. We will be building a school for orphans served by Uganda Orphans Rural Development Programme. These orphans have been effected in some way by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
I'm sure I will go into length about this in my more detailed post, but I still need a bit more help to ensure this plan is a reality. If you can spare anything please visit https://donate.ajws.org/03/service. Please make sure to include my name, Uganda and Volunteer Summer. I estimate if I can raise another 1,000 dollars I should have no problem at all going. At this moment I'm fairly determined to go either way, but your help would be incredibly appreciated.
August 12th-August 20th? (Unsure exact dates): As soon as I return to NYC from Uganda, I will be rushing up to Boston to join with the US Public Interest Research Group training for new fellowship associates. For more information on the job visit this site. Essentially I will be either a field associate helping to run an office and working on many issues or an issue associate, still at a field office, working on one specific issue. I hope to see some of my Boston friends while up there and get to see Boston since I've never been. Perhaps a visit to Tufts Fletcher School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government!
August 20th-August 31st 2011: When I leave Boston I may have some time off, but very soon after I will be starting at a PIRG office somewhere in the US. Of course I will blog about it when I get there as well as I reach out to any of you who might be living there. I'd love to add more details, but I don't know any at the moment!
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That's the next 2+ years in a nutshell. As mentioned, I will try to do better with the blog about both Uganda and my job with PIRG as well as life in general. After August 2011, I will try to work in human rights advocacy, do some traveling or get some Hill experience. If no opportunities appeal to me or I strongly desire to, I will being grad school. I may also stay with PIRG. Of course more on that stuff 18+ months.
I want to thank you all for the love and support in the past, in sorting out this stuff in the present and for the well wishes for the future. I will continue to do my best to keep in touch regardless if I'm in Uganda, Boston or Texas and I hope you do the same.
Weebale (Lugandan for thank you),
Leran
