~ Dear Me,~

So I was walking through a bookstore the other day and I came across a book called “Dear Me,” and it was basically a collection of letters that different people had written to their 16 year old selves. Well, I started thinking, “what would I tell myself?”… this lead to me wanting to write my own letter, just to see what came out. I decided to make it a letter to my 15 year old self, you know, just to make it an even 10 years haha so here goes….

Dear Elise,

Let me start off this letter by telling you that I am writing it to you from South Africa! Yes, my friend… we’ve made it to Africa! That’s all I’m going to tell you though… you gotta figure out how to get here just like I did, all I’ll say is no, we aren’t in Peace Corps… maybe someday, just not yet.

Now, I don’t want to give away too much, but here are some tips for you, just so that maybe by the time you get to where I am now you’ll have a little more figured out.

First off, you’re about to start learning how to drive… it’s gonna be frustrating and there will be times you’re going to want to punch Dad out, but don’t! Just make sure you’re actually in first gear, cause you’re probably actually in third (don’t worry, it’s a common beginner mistake).

High school doesn’t get really awesome until junior year, but you end up having an amazing time! Don’t worry though, freshman and sophomore year are pretty legit. Don’t listen to your freshman year soccer coach, she’s not worth the time, just work hard and get better… Team Evanston junior year is where you’ll shine, make sure you thank Julie for all that she does for you. Take Intro to Sports Medicine sophomore year! It’s a life changing class for us! Oh, and take Statistics senior year a little more seriously please, it’s really not as hard as you think. And… the guy… take your shot, but it doesn’t really work out for us, he becomes a great friend though, so don’t push him away. The guy in college though, we mess that up, so try not to the second time around haha… just quit over-thinking everything! J

Cut Mom and Dad some slack on the whole move to South Carolina thing, it’s really not the worst thing ever and it’s nice having them close by during college and grad school (yes we go to grad school… just accept it). Besides, we’ll always be a Chicago girl! We just add a lot more southern over the years!

As far as college goes it’s going to be a rough four years but you will have more fun than you ever thought possible! Junior year will be awesome and tough at the same time. Senior year though… is epic.

Tips for college:

1.       Study harder for Science of Nutrition and Anatomy 1, please!

2.       Just take Biology sophomore year, it’s easier with that professor and you get to know Jackie better!

3.       Oh, beware of Jackie’s 21^st bday… that’s all I’m gonna say about that

4.       Remember what I said about the guy

5.       That pain in your stomach on Lindsay’s bday junior year is more than just a stomach ache, it’s our appendix… accept the pain meds when the doc offers them the first time

6.       Avoid Target!!!

Soak up senior year… you have the time of your life, but it goes by entirely too fast. As far as grad school goes, don’t do anything different as far as where you go… just get a roommate first year, it’ll save us so much money! And let Marla get you the cat, ‘cause he’s awesome! Grad school overall is an interesting experience, but you’ll have an amazing time, especially second year! Get ready for a crazy ride!

We will always have our weight struggles, but instead of worrying so much about the number on the scale, focus on building confidence in what we got! We tend to lose sight of our positives, we need to work on that cause we’re cooler than we give ourselves credit for! Also, when someone is your friend and tells you that they care about you, stop looking for constant reassurance! If they didn’t want to be around you, they wouldn’t be… so have trust in your friends… they love you! You will always be someone who does a lot for other people and loves so much, and that’s ok… it doesn’t make you weak no matter what people say!

Also, call family more… especially Grandma, Gammer, and Gaffer… trust me.

Stop wearing sweatpants all the time.

Convince Mom and Dad to get you contacts sooner!

Try not to talk so much.

Wear your hair down more.

Drink more milk.

Overall, we do pretty good! A lot of things that we want to happen don’t, and things that we never thought would be a part of the plan end up making things incredible! Trust yourself, follow your gut, and balance your checkbook! J

Love,

Me, you, us

So… that’s what I would tell myself… what would you tell you?

~ Changing your view about climate change ~

As many of you do or do not know quite a big conference was just held in Durban. I’m talking about the COP-17 conference that is held by the United Nations every year. The point of the conference is to bring together the world’s top scientists and most influential politicians to discuss the ever growing problem of climate change. The goal by the end of the conference is to create a plan to try to help “fix” this problem that the world faces. Each government in attendance must agree to the plan, thus creating a binding document for each country to abide by, so that the problem of climate change is addressed by our global community.

I will admit that I was one of the world’s citizens that was unaware of this COP-17 conference. It is the 17^th of its kind and besides the Kyoto agreement of 1997 (which most major players are trying to back out of) no binding agreement between the world’s governments has yet to be reached and agreed upon. I was introduced to this conference by the faith based organization KZNCC that I am currently working for here in Pietermaritzburg. As part of my work in developing the KZNCC youth branch we were asked to create awareness among the youth and young adults of the province and mobilize them to take action in asking the governments that will be in attendance to finally come to an agreement. We put on educational workshops for the youth in the townships and were able to generate interest on this issue as well as educate these youth and I have to admit, I learned a lot myself. I learned that even though Africa (as a continent) contributes to carbon emissions the least it will be the most affected by the effects of global warming. In fact it already is, the recent drought and famine that devastated the eastern horn of Africa can be directly linked to the side effects of global warming. Dry seasons are becoming longer and turning into famines and rainy seasons are also lengthening and becoming more severe creating floods and doing just as much damage as the dry seasons that precede them.  However, as Americans we don’t have to look too far to see harsh and bizarre weather conditions. The tornados that devastated Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri this past year were considered some of the worst storms in American history and effected many people in the southeast whether it was directly or indirectly. My best friend Jackie, her fiancé Richard and their roommates were living in Tuscaloosa at the time and lost everything, making them victims of climate change. We have to realize that weather conditions like the tornados in southern America and famine in eastern Africa can be linked to global warming because of their severity.

I personally believe that the first step is to educate people on the issue. We don’t have to become experts by any means, but if we call ourselves lovers of this earth in any way shouldn’t we educate ourselves on the effects our existence is having on the earth and how we can help? The second is realizing that every bit an individual can do makes a difference, whether it is picking up trash in your neighborhood, encouraging your community to recycle, or even just shutting the refrigerator while you unload groceries, every little bit can help. Eventually those small steps will get bigger and will make a difference. We must get past the idea that if we aren’t getting noticed by CNN than we aren’t making a difference. The third and most crucial step is getting people to care. If someone doesn’t care about what is being hurt then they won’t do anything to prevent further harm. This will involve simply showing people the beauty of this earth or showing them how their favorite animal is affected by the destruction of their habitats. I wish that I could take every person I know to the Drakensburg Mountains. My group here in South Africa recently went into these mountains for a thanksgiving retreat and went on a couple of hikes. Words and even pictures do not do these mountains justice. The magnitude of the range is incredible and the deep colors of the grass and the sky and the different wild formations of the rock are beyond description. If seeing beauty like that doesn’t inspire one to try and save it, I don’t know what will.

During my time in South Africa and while getting more involved in climate change issues I have become more aware of the theological point of view involving the care of the earth. The main point that keeps resurfacing is that God put us here on the earth to look after his creation, to care for the earth and the animals that share this place with us. But, what we have done is attempt to dominate the earth. I don’t think it is a malicious attack on the earth or anything, but it has become an irresponsible use of power. So, it is up to us to take a step back and see how we can start guarding this earth as we were asked to do in the first place.

If I could deliver one message to the world, especially the US and South Africa, in regards to climate change it would be this: don’t let the excitement around COP-17 begin on November 28^th only to die and fade away on December 9^th. But, instead, let it be an instrument of inspiration to take action and a tool of education about these issues. The change in the world’s climate will not stop on December 9^th 2011 and neither should the people’s passion to help make a difference.

who wouldn't want to save that?