Every day is a new day

I got to keep the necklace for this month of November 2014. As soon as the necklace arrived, it brought back sweet memories along with it. I tried to follow the rules and did something that I have never done before. Since I am the Vice President of the student organization "MavsGoGreen" on campus, we got an opportunity to weigh the food wasted from our cafeteria services. Collecting the food waste and educating the students on the same was such a fulfilling experience.

My reflection on life based on my experiences with the traveling necklace . Here it goes..

Every day is a new day

Learn from struggles

Accept new challenges

Mold yourself

Like a butterfly emerging out of a cocoon

Revive from the ashes

Like the Phoenix rising from the dead

For

You are the vast sky

No fist is big enough to hide you

You are the waterfall

No rock is huge enough to block your path

You are the sun

Darkness slips away at the sprint of your shine

You are the World

For everything begins and ends in YOU.

With lots of love,
Tharani Devi Krishnakumar 

Friends are like Bras..

Close to your heart and there for support! 

My friends, miss you a ton! Just wanted to leave some love for you, and let you know that I miss our long, stimulating, conversations. Sigh. I was going through some pics and found these! :)

Our last day in DC! 

Definitely a unique experience in NYC!

Love you girlies! 

XOXO

Blanca

Strong but soft; Tough but kind

The necklace has finally made its way to me. It will accompany me in my life's journey for the exciting month of October. Blogs you read will be very casual, updating what is new with Blanca. Thoughts, reflections or simply comments will be shared with much love.

It has been about 2 months after our amazing summer experience in DC, and I still feel I am transitioning into my life in Brownsville. Life has been coming at me quickly and I don't know if to panic or be excited, or maybe even both. As a result,  I've had several moments of true solitude to reflect on life. Precious moments to take a good look at myself, inside and out: who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. This task has been incredibly difficult, but necessary to take the next steps in my life. Another birthday has passed. More dreams to fulfill and goals to create. I will strive to make this year as great as the last. However, missing my Archer family on my birthday was hard...our sisterly love, our friendship. I don't have sisters, which might explain why friends in my life normally turn into family.

The first week, after I received the necklace, was busy and also an emotional roller coaster. Wearing the necklace, I started the week off with a second job, found out I will be graduating in May and not December, and ending the week off with some jazz was very interesting. To begin with, I am an emotional person, some might say dramatic, but I will stick to emotional. Feelings ranged from excitement and confidence, to disappointment and sadness, to resignation, acceptance, and happiness. I was definitely in for the ride! One of these days, I had a long moment of solitude. I was still. Gave myself time and carried on.

I love wearing the necklace! It is golden, simple, and beautiful. Reminds me of the amazing people I spent the summer with. I am amazed at everything I learned from the Archers! I will take my sister's strength but softness; toughness but kindness wherever I go. Don't think for a second I will just forget about you.

XOXO
Blanca

The "Good" in Goodbye

UPS says "Your package has shipped. Expected delivery Saturday." Next stop: Blanca Davila's residence.

As I say goodbye to the necklace I can't help but be excited for Blanca and her adventures with the necklace!

My last day with the Necklace

“Somewhere I read …how important it is in life not to necessarily be strong ...but to feel strong.”

I am currently enrolled in a course called Man’s Impact on the Environment. As a part of our participation, we have to discuss articles relevant to the topic of studying that week. This week happens to be Environmental Toxicology. A classmate of mine posted a really interesting article regarding the death of Christopher McCandless as depicted in the book and film, Into the Wild. The article challenged the idea that Christopher died from “apparent starvation” and instead suggested that Christopher died because he ingested large quantities of seeds from wild potatoes (which no one knew was potentially toxic until recently). This idea got me thinking back to Christopher’s journal entries, and how strong he had to have been going through the excitement and challenges of living in the wild.

Earlier today I taught my first class for the Women’s Fund this morning. Today’s lesson was on positive thinking and self-confidence. The 15 ten year old girls in the room loved the lesson and the activity. They had their own pink journal. They wrote about their triumphs and struggles too.

Coincidence or not, I think it was a reminder to acknowledge other people’s struggles and to appreciate our own. I think it is really a skill that we must learn and continually practice to think positively and remain resilient through life’s up’s and downs. The girls in class today are off to a fantastic start. They will have many more times to practice “accepting their mistakes and the mistakes of others” and to “focus on the happy things.” And while Christopher’s death is sad, he realized the importance of this skill as well.

I think the uncertainty of life events, the roller coaster of highs and lows, keeps us all looking forward to each day. Variety is the spice of life, right? And it is not possible to have light without darkness. We attempt to control life. Plan every day and plan each trip. And plan, plan, plan. Goals are important but sometimes I think it’s great to let go of that control. You can’t really control most of what happens to you any way. You can only control how you react to the things that happen (and even then it can be difficult because if something is deeply rooted you might respond with emotions/actions from the primitive brain).  In my opinion, our energy should be spent taking control of our emotions and reactions, training ourselves to find the positive in every negative situation, and re-framing our thinking around situations out of our control which may not be in our favor.

I think Christopher McCandless has it right; it’s not as important to be strong as it is to think and feel strong. So today, regardless if you are having a great day or a terrible day, know that it is just one day. Tomorrow will be different. And  feel strong and be strong.

Birthday part duex! Happy Amy Day!

Not to be forgotten, today is Amy's birthday! September gives us back-to-back birthday wonderfulness. Happy birthday, Amy! I have officially decided that next September we need to try and get together to celebrate the two of you and your wonderful presence in the world. 

Make a wish and may your dreams come true!

Happy Birthday Blanca!

Happiest of birthday wishes to our Brownsville Archer Sister, the one, the only, the beautiful Blanca!! I wish we could all be together to celebrate your birthday. At least we'll always have the internet! 

I hope your birthday wishes come true :)

The Gray Zone

Tonight's social at school was called the "Brewsters Social" and co-host with Dr. Spike, an ethics professor at UT. After almost everyone had left, a few officers and I stood around Dr. Spike commenting on the success of the social and discussing ethics. Dr. Spike explained, "It can be difficult teaching ethics because some students want a 'it's right or it's wrong' answer.  But often it's not that way. Life is interesting because usually there isn't an obvious answer." Life is rarely black and white. Most of the time it's gray.

His words lingered in my mind as the conversation continued. I thought back to my last post when I posted about not having a plan for after graduation. I suppose Dr. Spike is right, life would be less interesting if I knew what I was going to be doing next.

In addition to class, work, and the social, I also attended a TEDMED talk hosted on our campus. It was being live streamed from Washington DC. The talk was called "Don't Talk About It" and discussed sensitive and controversial ways of looking at problems in health. Many of the speakers also questioned the ethics of our health system.

Nostalgic about my summer in DC, I listened attentively in the school auditorium but secretly wished I could have been there in person. Even over ITV the stories were powerful and each message was tied to the idea that we should think "outside the box" and approach things in an atypical way.

Caught in a memory, I found myself on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial gazing at the reflection pool and Washington Monument in the horizon. Our Archer Center professor's words were suddenly booming through my mind, "You have to look at what everyone else looks at and see what no one else sees."

I felt as though each speaker on the TEDMED talk was doing that by providing us with a unique perspective and shed light on topics most feel uncomfortable discussing. There are very clearly issues in our preventative health and our health care system. The other details such as why the system fails and how to fix the broken system aren't as clear. Those answers are more like gray, than black and white.

Attempting to "look at what everyone is looking at and trying to see what no one else sees",...

The uncertainty in life is stressful. And frightening. But it is also exciting. And empowering. It can be discouraging. Yet it can be confidence building by transitioning through change. There are many times when uncertainty is unwelcome however, there are other times when uncertainty produces unexpected creativity and growth.

As an author, Alissa Finerman, on Positively Positive wrote in 2012, "Many people condition their mind to view a change in their situation as a bad thing when in reality it’s neutral. The event only takes on a positive or negative spin when we classify it. Typically, we are excited for “positive” events and uncomfortable with “negative” events because they fall outside our comfort zone. Feeling unsure or being in the uncertain phase is similar to being outside your comfort zone. People who turn ideas into action agree that the magic happens outside your comfort zone."

It seems that we need an element of uncertainty in both our personal and professional life because it’s the fuel that helps us reach for our highest potential. Uncertainty requires courage, strength, patience, and, most importantly, flexibility. Each of these can become lesser or greater and it all depends on our mindset during our circumstances.

You and I both look at the "gray zone" in our lives. You might see threats. I, on the other hand,... I see opportunities.

"Wounded Healer"

I was assigned a reading, Fostering Public Health Leadership by Howard Koh and Martha Jacobsen, for class this week and I found a quote from the article to be very interesting:

"Leaders in public health are generally driven by a profound and fundamental sense of mission. A sense of purpose motivates them to leave the comfort of the sidelines and wade into controversy, despite the uncertainty of outcomes. Many are ‘wounded healers’ who have suffered greatly but channel their pain into power for the common good. Their souls swell with both the passion and compassion of those who have seen suffering and want to stop it."

I have been repeatedly asked by curious family and friends, "What are you doing next?" I have had an incredibly hard time answering that question. And while I do have a number of options I am considering, I find it helpful to attain some "stillness" in all the chaos and demands of the world, to think about why and how I even got this far. I think it's at least partially because I am a "wounded healer." I have a number of...let's just call them unfortunate experiences in life so far. The best "wounded healer" example I can give you deals with death. In 2007, my best friend Morgan was killed by a drunk driver. Until that point in my life I had never known that kind of despair and loss. I was frustrated and angry because the whole thing could have been avoided. From that day forward, I believed in prevention. Not only did I believe in it, I advocated for it. As the quote also states, I did many presentations and media interviews in the midst of controversy and criticism. Believe it or not, there are individuals out there who don't feel there is "anything wrong" with booze cruising or driving after drinking/while intoxicated.

I liked the last line of the quote the best: "their souls swell with both the passion and compassion of those who have seen suffering and want to stop it." Everyone you meet is afraid of something, has lost something, and loves something, right? I think we all also have something that excites us. I am genuinely eager to help others, to relate to others, to grow myself, solve problems, seek resources, create change, end suffering, and the list goes on.

After spending a summer in DC and listening to many backgrounds of influential leaders, one of the most valuable pieces of wisdom left behind was that it's very rare for a person to have a direct path to the "perfect" job. By choice or not, life is messy, complicated, and things change. I noticed that each person had an element of their passion that remained constant through every job and every opportunity. Based on that discovery, I think, as I begin applying for things I should not be asking "Do I fit this description?" but rather "Does this description fit me and does this (job/university/program) allow me to insert elements of my passion?"

The article states though, "successful leaders must move beyond passion. In regularly tapping the realms of social strategy, political will and interpersonal skill, these individuals must also develop sophisticated, tactical leadership techniques that extend beyond running any single organization."

I cannot tell you what I will be doing this time next year. I can't even tell you in which city, state, or country I will be in. All I know is that as long as I keep working on building my skill set, following my heart and head...where ever I am will be right where I am supposed to be. Though struggling a bit to develop a concrete plan, I am eager to watch my life unfold!

Amy's Week 1 Update

I have been a little hesitant to write my first blog post. I am a little nervous, even with all of my social media experience I got this summer while interning at the National Women's Health Network. ;)

My week has been exhausting in the best way possible. I have met far more people than I will ever remember the names of (this is my apology in advance), submitted assignments, gave speeches, hosted events, gone to meeting after meeting after meeting, and worked at my new job!


Saturday, September 6
Highlights: I had a awesome night out with friend! 
Low-lights: I got caught in a Texas torrential downpour on the interstate while in seven lanes of traffic
Newsworthy: Smoking is banned in more than eight out of 10 U.S. homes - nearly twice as many as two decades ago, according to a new government study.

Friday, September5
Highlights: I made my first call to a study participant and received a book I ordered in the book, Lean In.
Low-lights: I have been thinking for over five minutes and I can't think of anything. My biggest struggle today was actually walking in my black edge shoes (DC friends, you know exactly which one these are because I tripped more often than usual in them).
Newsworthy: As stated on the radio, "There is a video you have to see! A dog wears a spider costume and it'll scare your pants off!"


Thursday, September 4
Highlights: I gave a speech with perfect marks, ate Chipotle and with the help of my fellow officers, hosted a hugely success student social and met many energetic first year students!
Low-lights: I got so busy that I missed a meeting.
Newsworthy: The University of Nebraska Medical Center will be admitting and treating an American missionary patient with Ebola.



Wednesday, September 3
Highlights: I was "cleared" at my new job so now I can begin calling study participants and collecting data!
Low-lights: I saw three cockroaches when checking my mail. Gross, gross, gross!
Newsworthy: Japan's Prime Minister picked 5 women for new Cabinet, tying record, to promote female leadership




Tuesday, September 2
Highlights: I passed my Ethics quiz and watched a beautiful sunset! Oh, and I cooked a delicious vegetable medley inspired by my DC roommate, Tharani.
Low-lights: My apartment building was graffiti-ed Monday night. Up until this point I felt I had lived in one of the safest, cleanest apartment complexes.
Newsworthy: TEDMED is going to do a live stream of a presentation from Washington DC in the SPH Auditorium next week.

Monday, September 1
Highlights: I Skyped with my family in Nebraska! Baby Sophia is learning or at least trying to jump (or that's what we think she was doing...maybe she was just being silly)
Low-lights: It's the not even the second week of class and I am already plagued with hundreds of pages of reading. Hello, Graduate School!
Newsworthy: My school, the University of Texas Health Science in Houston School of Public Health, welcomed the new Interim Dean.

Welcome

On behalf of my Archer Center Sisters, I would like to welcome you to our blog!

Today marks the first day of our adventure together!

Prior to moving to Washington DC, I did not know Blanca, Sara, Tharani. When you live with someone for three months, how much you know about a person changes very quickly. We all happened be housed in 233 so I was able to spend quality time with each of them. This summer, we had seven additional roommates living in 233 and seven more classmates who lived elsewhere, however, only four of us decided to continue to be connected through this necklace.

Tharani was one of my bedroom roommates. She probably knows more about my sleeping habits, my makeup routine, and how many times I change my outfit before I leave, better than anyone else in Texas. I loved it when Tharani would spontaneously start dancing! Tharani is, by far, one of the sweetest girls I have ever met.

Blanca and I, both Libras, relate to each other on many things but the most surprising are on past relationships, ways of perceiving and interpreting the world, as well as taste in music. I loved it when Blanca would give hugs and our Chipotle dates! Blanca is, by far, one of the most contemplative girls I have ever met.

Sara and I share a fiery passion for women's rights and women's healthcare. We can also identify with each other's struggles. I loved when we would share our disgust for certain politicians decisions and squeal with excitement for the things happening which advanced women's rights/health! Sara is, by far, one of the most interesting girls I have ever met.

I hope you enjoy our adventures with the necklace and check back often (or subscribe to get our blog posts sent directly to your email) to read about our experiences. I anticipate that you can expect a mixture of thoughtful reflections, witty remarks, deliberations using hashtags, insider jokes and phrases from the summer, as well as the the "good" posts along with the "bad" posts. And, with the help from our professors this summer, minimal passive voice.  Welcome and thank you for reading!

Sincerely,
Amy