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Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 21 May 2013

I‘m Sarah, the other volunteer coordinator from Yorkshire, England! I’m a recent graduate from the historic town of York in the UK. I studied English and Politics and I was doing volunteer teaching work in Costa Rica when I became involved with Costa Rica. I still remember trying to use a mixture of clumsy Spanish and international hand gestures to translate the finer points of Tico timekeeping! I was in the Costa Rican jungle as a volunteer teacher, but was taught more by the Ticos than I could ever have taught them. Having seen first hand how much potential there is in GA projects for both community and volunteers, I am delighted to be a part of the team. I am very excited to be cast even further afield with other GA volunteers and always look forward to meeting like-minded people! I have traveled extensively in Europe and spent summers living in Spain and Costa Rica, doing things as diverse as waitressing to creating a turtle hatchery. Since I graduated this year I have stayed in the UK and qualified as a TEFL teacher. I spent this summer living with and teaching overseas children, which was an enjoyable but tiring experience that involved a lot of silliness and singing, often far too early in the morning!! While I have less controversial hobbies like reading, traveling and horse riding, I am passionate about politics. Most recently I was a volunteer at the European Social Forum, which is a celebration of the belief that ‘another world is possible’. I met people from all different backgrounds, from all over the world who shared numerous experiences about how to turn in this belief into a reality. It is one of the reasons I want to volunteer my time to GA and why I am currently applying for my MSc in Development Studies. I hope both will lead to many more meaningful adventures, with a good dose of laughter along the way!

Details

Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 21 May 2013

Hi there! I was born in Mexico City and raised in Dallas, Texas. When my parents left Mexico, they left their parents and siblings behind. To avoid the loss of my cultural background, my parents sent me every summer to my grandparent's home in Monterey. So, growing up, I spent all my summers in places such as, Xtapa-Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Baja California, Mexico City, and Monterey of course. After having been exposed to the Aztec and Mayan cultures, I was hooked on Cultural awareness. So I sought out places in Mexico such as Talum, Chichen Itza, and Tenochtitlan and other remote places. Most, if not all, my travels have been driven by my desire to learn and understand new cultures. Before I started leading Globe Aware programs, a couple of years ago, I spent a couple of weeks in Cuzco, Peru in search of learning about the Inca and found a beautiful countryside and amazing people. My travels also include Puerto Rico, Austria, Germany, France, and England. I studied at SMU in Dallas and chose to focus on International studies in Oxford, England and Salzburg, Austria. Most of the jobs I have held have maintained or sought out the development of International relationships and appreciation of different cultures. As I continue to practice my interest in cultural awareness, I look forward to growing and sharing that interest with others. I’ve really had some fantastic experiences with Habitat for Humanity and Hearts and Hammers – great ways to feed the soul! - and hence am excited about the wonderful work we get to do with Globe Aware. I’m bilingual: Spanish and French. I’m really looking forward to meeting you! 

Details

Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 21 May 2013

David is a Dallas native, and current Los Angeles transplant – but still a committed Cowboys fan! His background is colorful and varied. He has been through Globe Aware volunteer program training, and is one of our leaders to the GA Thailand program. His past travels in Asia have included: Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, China (including many remote areas). Favorite color is blue. Past careers, including but not limited to: navy pilot training, insurance broker, dog walker, financial advisor, waiter, and actor (numerous national television commercials, theater, improv, and stand-up). The eventual plan is to faze out one of those last 2 options- guess which one? Throughout all of these careers, he has been a volunteer in a variety of capacities - from candy striping at hospitals in various states, to Children’s Memorial in Chicago, where he was the host of TV shows broadcast throughout the hospital, to his current volunteer gig as the complete storytelling program for pediatrics at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles. He was an African-American history major at Amherst College, where he played rugby, sang in Glee Club, which included tours of the former Czechoslovakia and the former Soviet Union, and even managed a semester abroad in London at Queen Mary College where he was affectionately known as “Dave, the American” by the QMC Rugby Club. His pet names include Blacky, Tammy, and Mortimer. These are names of his pets - not pet names for him. Those friendly Thais couldn’t help but name him Smiley.  

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Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 20 May 2013

I was born deaf to a hearing family on April 18th, 1980 in Illinois. After attending public schools from aged 3 to 18, I moved to Washington, DC. There, I graduated from Gallaudet University, the only deaf university in the world. I doubled-majored in Spanish and Communication Studies and double-minored in Family Studies and Sociology. During my 6 years at the mecca for the deaf, I was able to go to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico. As a result of my travels, I picked up Costa Rican Sign Language (LESCO) and Mexican Sign Language (LSM). I enjoy photography and have several albums to prove it. Along with my thirst for traveling, I also have a thirst for learning about new cultures and languages as I have for as long as I can remember. When you learn more about other people, you become a true person yourself.  

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Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 20 May 2013

I was born in Ontario, Canada in a town named Renfrew, population just under 10,000. It was from this small setting that my desire to see the world was born. Growing up I was admittedly a ‘Map Nerd’ and could recite a number of countries and capitals at a young age. My favorite subject in middle school was Geography but it was my skills in math and science that excelled me to the University of Ottawa, where I majored in Software Engineering at Canada’s only officially bilingual University. Recently, I spent 10 months traveling South-East Asia and Australia, an experience I will never forget. In Thailand I had a chance to spend time living and learning from the Karen Hill Tribes near the Myanmar border. In Vietnam, I travel to visit the Sapa Hill Tribes in the north, and to see how families lived in the Mekong Delta in the south. In Australia, I traveled for 21 days across the Australian Outback learning about the culture and heritage of the Aboriginal people who live in the vast Northern Territory. Being of Native Indian decent myself (Metis band) I have strong interest in the indigenous peoples in the world and their struggles to exist in today's societies. My other travels have taken me to Cuba, across the Trans-Canada Highway from Vancouver to Montreal, and a brief stint in the extreme wilderness that is Texas! I currently work based out of Toronto, Ontario for a software company named Workbrain, Inc. I travel four-five days a week as a consultant, and have seen a large number of restaurants, hotels and airports all across North America. I'm very active in my companies culture, including volunteer opportunities such as United Way, Junior Achievements and Second Harvest. The opportunity to further my volunteer experience was the number one reason I became active in Globe Aware; being able to help people in developing countries is a winning situation for everyone involved. This summer I'm helping out with the Care for Cusco program - which means having a great time in Peru, and having a very positive affect on a number of very needy children at the same time! My team, the Liverpool Football club, lives by the motto "You'll Never Walk Alone", and that I try to keep with me in my everyday live; everything is more fun when you are with good company! I look forward to seeing you all!  

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Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 20 May 2013

I was born in New Jersey but I tell everyone I'm from New England. I suspect that is because I feel like a New Englander down to my toes. My ties to the area are great, however. I spent the 1st 25 summers of my life on Cape Cod, graduated from the University of Massachusetts (BA Elementary Education) and Wheelock College in Boston (MS in Education) and worked as a flight attendant for Air New England (now Air No Longer) every summer during college and after graduation. Today, after living in Texas for 22 years I suppose one might call me a Texan, but anyone familiar with the state knows you're not a true Texan unless you were born here. I have spent 20 years working with children in hospitals and the last 2 as a kindergarten teacher in Corpus Christi, my home since 1985. I have a Master's Degree in counseling and in a few years I hope to be working as a school counselor. I volunteered as a mediator at the local courthouse for 17 years and loved it, but mediations are now scheduled during the day so I had to give it up. For fun I read, play the piano, cook, and play tennis. One of the highlights of my life so far was my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras in the early 80s (one week before I left the US Newsweek magazine's cover asked, "Honduras: The next Vietnam?" Not one of my family suggested I stay home!). The impact it had on me was enormous and although it has been more than 20 years, the memories of my life in Gracias ("Thanksville" the Honduras called it"they had had quite a few volunteers over the years) and my travels to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico afterward are crystal clear. I am very excited about visiting Costa Rica again with Globe Aware volunteers and discovering its magic. 

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Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 20 May 2013

I was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. I also went to college there, studying LAW. I got my J.D. in 1996 and practiced Law for two years. In 1998 I moved to New York City to start a graduate course. Initially I thought of a Master in Law, but because I could not afford such a course, I ended-up going for an MBA in financial accounting. I lived in New York from 1996 to 2002 and this experience made me fluent in English, though it didn’t do so much for my soul. In 2002, almost a year from the 09/11 attacks, I decided to move back to my home country and to start a new life near my siblings. After my return to Brazil, I was hired by a Jamaican Hotel Chain, called SuperClubs, where I was an assistant controller. The Globe Aware experience for me started totally by accident. I was returning from a trip to Cuba and at the airport, while trying to check-in, I met a wonderful person from Globe Aware. She told me that GA was trying to run a program in Brazil and I said I would love to help them establishing such a program. So she did and I became the Brazil program coordinator. I look forward to seeing you all in beautiful and festive Brazil. 

Details

Category: Coordinator Staff

Published: 20 May 2013

I was born and raised in Dallas. Growing up, I saw it as my duty to keep my parents on their toes. In addition to engaging in adventure sports at an early age, I was dyslexic, with Attention Deficit Disorder; there were times I wondered if I’d ever get through school. My parents may have forced my priorities a bit when I was younger, but with their insistence – er, encouragement, I became an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts (my final project had to do with reforestation of inter-city parks). I went to college at SMU in Dallas, majored in Communications, then became a Microsoft Certified Engineer (though I was perhaps more dubiously visible as the official SMU Peruna mascot). Now I’m a thirty-something guy, working on my M.B.A. with an emphasis on Information Assurance and Personal Finance. After graduation, I worked for a number of medical software companies in an IT capacity. I have also volunteered with autistic children in the Dallas Public School System, and helped out with various groups, such as Sustainable Dallas, and donated web developing services to a variety of nonprofit organizations. Sports in school: triathlon and competitive swimming (have official lifesaving certification, but let’s not test that!). I also really enjoyed one summer spent as a raft guide in Colorado. I am now also a landlord of sorts with a few rental properties. I enjoy hands on projects, and have enjoyed refinishing floors, putting in new fixtures, etc, and being a landlord gives me plenty to do in this regard. I’ve traveled extensively in New Zealand, Suriname (Dutch Guyana), Mexico, Germany, among other places, and conducted exploratory missions with volunteers in South America, including to Costa Rica, where we researched available projects, needs, and resources; (I have also worked with the Urban Oasis project against urbanization with Globe Aware). In addition, I organize yearly adventure ski programs in Colorado where I teach (without monetary compensation) people how to ski. At various times, I’ve also made Seattle, Houston, and Colorado my home. Hobbies have included construction work and woodworking projects (from heavy duty to making items such as an amateur electric guitar). I particularly enjoy people to people programs that expand people’s minds. For example, I founded a Dining Club to bring people together to sample new cuisines. I love kids, dogs, people, and the outdoors. My girlfriend lives in College Station at the moment, and is on her way to being a veterinarian; she’s the greatest! I love the concept of Globe Aware, particularly the idea of “Having Fun and Helping People.” I got involved via one of the founders in February 2002 and I just can’t wait to meet each and every one of you! GO TEAM!