Numero 2

Dear World,

Thirty-five days since my last post. Nine days until I depart for Chile (!!!). I have spent the past 35 days doing precisely what I previously (in # 1) indicated I would be doing: finishing up Rotary paperwork (Rotary Travel Service booked my airfare to Santiago and the first half of my scholarship disbursed… there’s no stopping me now!), tying up loose ends in law school (pro bono hours are almost complete… aaaaand thus far that is the extent of my 'tying up'… more to come in the coming days), ‘packing’ (so like, not literally packing, but definitely packing in the metaphorical sense… like in my mind, I am packing...), and spending time with my family and friends (I have whole-heartedly devoted myself to this important task!).

Speaking of spending time with family and friends, I am a self-designated socializing sensei (Mom, you can attest to that, can you not?). In the absence of the responsibility of law school, I have taken my socializing prowess to new and unexplored heights. And, in the wake of the horrifying earthquake that shook the lives of the people in Haiti, I decided to capitalize on my socializing talents and help organize a ‘Help Haiti’ fundraiser. Thirty e-mails, 1 awesome flier, 1 facebook event (with well over 1,500 invitees), 3 facebook messages, 7 days and the seamless efforts of 6 people was all it took to raise nearly $2000 on behalf of the Haiti earthquake relief efforts. From the hearts of the people of Miami, into the hands of the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund and FISH Ministries Haiti relief efforts, and ultimately into the hearts of the people of Haiti. This experience, the almost effortless orchestration of the Help Haiti fundraiser, gives me yet another reason to place faith in humanity's capacity to do and, more importantly, be good.

And now, please allow me to digress. I am so impressed by much of the world’s reaction to the earthquake – the genuine, urgent outpouring of tremendous compassion and generosity. We have relied on social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs...) to garner awareness of the need in Haiti; we have utilized communications technology to donate (by telephone, on the Internet, by text messaging, by adding a dollar or 2 or 50 to payments at grocery stores…) to the organizations contributing to relief efforts. These are creative solutions to the challenges faced by the people of Haiti and the people of the world, as we work, united, to rebuild the shattered country and shattered lives. These creative solutions – using modern technology to educate and facilitate strategic action – are the ones on which we will rely as we continue to solve the great challenges of the modern world.

And now, allow me to continue the digression. We live at an incredible time. Social consciousness is trendy. Generosity is cool. Volun-tourism is the new tourism. People are connected in ways that no generation has ever experienced. What I once previously saw as blazing apathy is now being replaced with the idea that people are instead filled with forgivable ignorance. And these very people, when presented with simple opportunities to help, will help, help and help some more. The world’s outpouring of compassion and generosity these past few weeks gives me reason to maintain my unyielding optimism. I hope, perhaps, some of you feel the same way.

Okey dokey… that’s enough social preaching out of me (though I can assure, this will not be the last you hear/read…). I’ll end this blog post with an admission/apology. In an effort to entice my family and friends to actually follow my blog, I had previously informed them that this blog would be comprised of a series of short, postcard style entries, accompanied by photos of my envy-evoking travels. I renege on this offer. Sorry, friends. It’s just that I value, far too much, the simple act of writing. If I lose readers because of it, so be it (those of you to whom I direct this apology probably did not make it this far anyway… cough cough, Gabriela!). So, please allow me to disclaim/warn/toss in a caveat: this, blog Numero 2, is one of many verbose blog posts to come.

From Café Demetrio, Coral Gables, Florida, EEUU, your friend, Natalie