Last month I was able to spend some time in the states visiting family, friends and a few universities. During my visit at Augustana College I was invited to share my experience with the student newspaper. Last week they published the story, read the opening or click on the link below to read the whole thing.
"In May 2008, with a degree in her hand and a dream in her mind, Augustana alumnus Katherine Burdine stumbled upon the Web site www.idealist.org, an online directory of non-profit jobs and volunteer opportunities.
Two months and two short e-mails later, Burdine packed her bags and boarded a plane to El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras to volunteer with the Organization for Youth Empowerment (OYE, pronounced oh-yay, which means "listen" in Spanish).
Having traveled abroad before, Burdine was excited for another adventure.
"It was kind of this strange, spontaneous thing," she said. "But I knew I wanted to do some sort of volunteer work, and I knew that I needed to have an adventure. It was never really questioned why."
Speaking little Spanish, Burdine spent her first month in Honduras in a village learning the language. After 30 days of intensive study, she headed to her new home.
For Burdine, El Progreso, with a population of about 100,000, felt more like a small town than a big city. By day, the center of town thrives with open-air markets and commerce. By night, the vendors retreat back to their home communities, which can be several miles away, Burdine said.
"It's brilliant," she said. "I love my little town..."
See the whole article at The Mirror, and Kat Burdine.
Thank you Megan, and the Mirror for posting this story!
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