Raping it up!

    This trimester is almost over and I'm glad to say that I feel proud of my accomplishments. It's been a long and I have experiences both failures and accomplishment that have helped me grow. I will start with each Monday. 

    I wrote about my accomplishments on Monday how I created the question and spoke with the 10th grader of about the opportunity. Then on Wednesday I end up talking with the 9th graders because I had so many things going on on Tuesday that i forgot to go to their science class to talk with them. However it was a lot more fun the speak with the 9th graders because they all said that they wanted to nominate Dennis and they were all saying why he should be the best option. I really liked that because it should how much they support each other and how wanted him to have this opportunity. I also really enjoyed myself talking to them because Dennis kept raise his hand and asking questions because he was really excited. It brought me a lot of excitement and joy to know that I'm giving students like Dennis this types of opportunities. 

    Then later that day, I went through a challenge of my own. I'm normally a shy person, but through CAS I have been able to get over it in  may way because I get to interact with more people. Also because most of the time I'm the one behind events I'm not used interacting with people directly I'm writing emails or planing things with people that I see often. However on Wednesday when I went to collect the tickets that were in Nimbu Spa, I can to the realization that I was not selling any tickets, I though that at least they would sell a few, but only the girls from the salon got some. Went I got to the car I really didn't know what to do and I did not feel like going to ask people if they wanted to buy raffles because I don't like to interact with people that way, I feel shy. But I was talking to my mom and she told me that I had no choice and I this was my project and if I wanted to get more money I would have to talk to people and ask them to buy me raffle tickets. I felt really uncomfortable because I don't really like to ask for money, which is why most of my fundraiser get money in an indirect way. But I just told myself that I had to and I remember what my first mentor told me, "if you are asking anything and it's for a good cause, just ask and don't be afraid because you are helping someone." and that was what helped me get through the first shops around the commercial center where the Salon was. There weren't many and I sold a few and I was glad that I sold more, so my mom told me that we should go to Flamingo at the commercial area and ask there because that way I would sell more tickets and there are more commercial centers.  Again I didn't like interacting with people and selling more tickets but I told myself it was for a good cause. 

    To help me, my mom told me to go first to the places where I knew someone, so we went to Petite Paris, the Salon I go to and I sold some there. Then we went to each shop in there and it look a while but each time it was easier to tell people about the project and if they were interested. It was fun at the end because I started to see different behavior with people when I asked them. Some people bough tickets because they didn't know how to say no, some people would say that they didn't have cash, other would say no with a guilty face. Other people would be really interested about the project and I would end up talking with them for a few minutes, then there were people who really wanted the price so they would get two or three tickets. At the end I spoke with around 30 people and sold 50 tickets more, which made a very big difference. I was glad after all to go around Flamingo because it was about half of all the tickets that were sold. 

    Thursday! The big day, at school I ended up selling a few which was a good relive and many people where asking me questions about it, like if they had to be there to claim it,  if they could still buy tickets and things like that. Overall it was a long day for me so I didn't plan much. After school I had dance until 4:30pm and then I had to go home shower and get ready, eat and get all the tickets and count the money. At the end it was 5:30 and I didn't have time to count the money because I had to go the wellness activity. There I had a time to relax and reflect on my community with other students. And at the very end I got a big bucket and mixed all the tickets. Mr. Abel let me give a little speech and I talked about the project and how it was my passion and I could feel my eyes shine when I was talking and that was just another reminder that I love this project.

    The draw of the ticket was a little simple, I got a volunteer and he got the ticket. It was a little dull because nobody really knew the winner expect myself. The overall winner was Karin, from the saloon Petite Paris. I called her the next day and she was really excited and surprised because she was one of those people how just bought a ticket to help out. She was not working on Friday so I mom will be delivering the IPad on Monday because I will be on my way to a IB field trip on Monday after school. On Thursday night I was so tired from the day that my mom ended up counting the tickets that were sold and counting the money for me. I had dinner and just went to sleep after that because I had to rest from a long week.  

    Then I've been waiting to get emails from students how are interested in the Camp because the dead line is tomorrow at 8am. So far I have two emails, one from each class and they are the candidates that are the most passionate in each class and I'm very glad to have the emails. I couldn't wait to read them tomorrow so I already read them and will do it again tomorrow with Miss Kellie and Selene to discuss it a little bit more. Now I have a lot of things to do to get both of the candidates to go! And I need to find a lot of this about passports because one of the candidates doesn't have a passport and need to help him get one and all the arrangements for him to be able to go! I can't wait for the next trimester to finish the last details of this because I will be working a lot during vacation on my next fundraiser!

Oh I almost forgot, I sold 107 tickets which is 214,000 colones which is about  $428, leaving a profit of $278. It's not the amount of money that I intended to get but at least its something. Next time I will see if I can get the price donate from Gollo or Cope Guanacaste (it was my dad's idea, a little late but I will defiantly do it for next time)

Meeting with Miss Kellie

     Today during lunch I met with Miss Kellie to discuss about  the students that will be chosen for the scholarship. Miss Kellie said that is was a good idea to open it to all the 10th and 9th graders because maybe there are students that are interested and we don't know about. We decide to have them write a response to the following questions (at the end )and send them to me by the end of the week. Then on Monday we will be choosing (hopefully Selene will be there and Miss Kellie of course). 

   I felt that the talk with Miss Kellie was very important because it motivated me even more to keep this project going. At first I was terrified because honestly I thought that the students wouldn't show any interest and if there was no interested then why would I be doing this project? And it would really be a waste of my time because I have many things do so thing school year and I'm taking my time to create a scholarship for students to take and experience the opportunity that I had. The sciences are my passions, they are what make me happy, and the camp was such as eye opening opportunity for me because there isn't many people in school that like the science the way I do and many ways I feel like an outcast because I'm the science nerd. But when I was at camp I had a bunch of weird and unique people like that used to watch animal planet when they were in Elementary school and liked to look at bugs for fun. I was with people like me and it also showed me all the amazing opportunities that student like us can get. I want this opportunity to mean a lot of the students and show them that there are a lot of opportunities out there for you if you follow your passion and what you like because the world is huge and there are people similar to you out there. 

   I was scared that the students would take it for granted  and there would be nobody representing the school at the camp. And that would have been disappointing because I have been speaking with Laura (the camp director), Jim (project and camp founder) and my counselors about my project and all the work that I've been doing to have to tell them, sorry guys nobody in my school is interested. It would also look bad because they have helped and supported the school a lot and it would be disappointing that the students are not showing interest. 

   So during an entire period I kept think in my head: what if they don't like it? What if they think it's weird? What if they just ignore my presentation? What if this was a waste? I was expecting the worst so I won't get disappointing afterward. So during the last period I went in the 10th grade science class and with help of Miss Kellie I told them what I was doing. We told them about the questions and I told them a little bit about the camp. At this point I was a little less nervous because they were all very focused on what I was saying, it wasn't until they started asking questions that I was able to finally breathe and calm down. What are some activities? What else do I need? Could be talk at lunch about it? Could you bring me a brochure? It's all payed?!? That was when I knew that at least some of them where interested. Then when I got home I got messages asking about the website, my experience and process, which just brought a huge smile to my face because I'm doing this for them and they showed me that they want it. The last message I got today about it was: "I hope I can go!". That is my motivation, sharing my passion with people that have the same one, helping people with unique opportunities. I always want to go to a Camp and last year my dream came true and it was way better than the ones I read on book and movies because it had my passion and just knowing that I will help students have the feeling that I felt bring a joy and self satisfaction to myself. 

   Then tomorrow during 3rd period I will be speaking with the 9th graders. At first I was not going to tell them because I'm hoping the the 10th grader that will go will take charge of the scholarship fund, but maybe that won't happen and I also want to open the opportunity for them. Another issue that I had is that I think that are still a bit young, but Miss Kellie talked to me about a specific student that would be very interested and it was only fair to open the door for all the 9th graders. The way that Miss Kellie talked to me about Dennis gave me chills, I felt like she was talking about a male version of myself but better! And I know Dennis, he is in my advisory and I adore him, he is just a loving and caring and not smart or intelligent, he is a every day learner. There is no way to describe the way he loves to learn. And when I think of him I get the memories of when I was his age and I had this huge desire to help and I look at myself now I ask myself when did learning become so monotone when it used to be so fun and entertaining and fulfilling before. In a way I feel burned out but still running on some energy because I don't want it to feel monotone and today I felt that energy come back when I was speaking with Miss Kellie about Dennis. My memories came back of that time in high school when I wasn't worried about SAT, IB, Bachillerato Nacional, Colleges, Financial Aid or how to get my GPA up; the only thing on my mind way to enjoy my high school days and learn. And I've been trying to find that feeling in the past two weeks and now that I have it back I don't want to let it go, because it's my most valuable source of energy. 

   And choosing Dennis will be so amazing in so many levels because he is Tico, he is a scholarship student and who knows when an opportunity like this will come up for him again, he is like a sponge that absorbs knowledge and uses it, he will get out of the country for the first time, he will practice his English and will meet a different culture. Also if he really likes it, he can take over my project next year for CAS as a 10th grader and I can be a mini mentor and help him with the program to send another student next year. Of course that if we choose him there are many things that we need to consider like getting a passport and paying for it if he needs the help and small things like that, but I won't let money be an issue because I want the student to feel my passion and my excitement towards this. Now I hope that tomorrow he is interested and "applies", because it will be a great opportunity for him. And I also need to be neutral, which is every important and which is why I'm not the only one choosing. I hope I get as much excitement from the 9th graders tomorrow as I got from the 10th graders!

CAMP APPLICATION QUESTIONS

• Why do you want to go to the camp?
• What is your passion and how does this opportunity relate to it ?
• What makes you the best candidate to go to the camp?
• What do you hope to learn from this experience?
• How will you use the knowledge you've gained to give back to your community?
• Is there anything else you would like us to know?
• Other information to add:
  
  • Is your passport up to date? (It cannot be within 3 months of its expiration)
  • Does your passport give you permission to travel on your own?
  • If you have a residency or student visa, do you need special permission from the government to leave the country?
  • Do you have a US visa?

Learning Outcomes Reflections!!

Planning and initiating an activity

     During this trimester I have to sit down and plan different ways to fundraise for my CAS project. I had two activities, I had one family dinner, which took place February 22 and I'm currently in the process of the end of the raffle tickets. 

    Both activities involve different amounts of planning, but both needed a significant amount of advertising. For the family dinner I had to check again with different parents and see how was the most interested. The one who responded the most and was willing to help was Mauro, the owner of Bamboo sushi. We communicted through email at first but then we exhancged phone calls. During the phone class I explained to him with more detail my project and what I had in mind about the dinner. Then we set a date to meet with each other and finalized the deatils. My mom and I met with him about 3 weeks before the event and he offered to give 10% of the sale that only came from La Paz Families. I liked the amount and the fact the restaurant was open from 11am-10pm and the families could come at anytime that day. 

    I really wanted people to go so I decided to focus on the advertismnet to the La Paz Commity, I had it be incluede in teh newsletter, I kept amnoucing it in community meeting, I had a table with the information of my project and the dinner during the Land and Sea show case a week before and it was also in the CAS bullitin board with information about it. One thing that I did forget to announce it was in at the Families of La Paz Facebook group. Another thing that I took into consideration was that the Catalinas Triathlon was going on that same day and several people attended 

     It was a dissapointing becaue not many people went, only 5 families. But at the same time I feel bad because my family didn't go either...We had family over and we went to Rio Celeste and we took longer than we planned and got home late, when we had planned to stop there on our way back home. I was also expecting more people to go because of my advertising, I even told Tanya to announce it during the community council, where many parents attend.

    Then doing the raffle has been a longer process and more complicated. It took me a while to find a program that will make me more than 100 tickets and that I could add all the different things that I wanted to include in the ticket. Then I had to learn how to work with the program and do in another website all the fonts because the ones from the program where to small. 

     I had the tickets ready for the 17th of February. It also took a long time to cut them and put them in booklets. I did that during my breaks and recess the week before and Diana helped me with the ones I didn't finish. I also choose and cheap price that way people would buy more. I've adveritise it a lot which is why I'm even more dissapointed because I've barley sold any. I went to the coffee house and sold some, but not as many as I expected... For the adverstiment I announced it in 4 different Facebook groups, the Potrero Garage Sale, Tamarindo Garage Sale, Students of La Paz and Families of La Paz.  Also I announce it every community meeting that I think people are getting bored of hearing me saying it to much!

    I planned this fundraiser with my mentor because we though it would be a succes, but I'm worried it will not. I just hope that more people buy raffle tickets this week! And I made sure to plan it and sell it after the bike raffle and I put it out in the community so more people could get them and sold them cheaper, becuase I considerd the challenges that the bussiness class to improve them with this raffle.

Challenges and success

    I've had many challenges with my fundraisers and that really disappointing me and gets me mad and frustrated because I dedicate them a lot of time, well at least enough time. 

    With the dinner I'be had the challenge to people to go. I decide to do this type of fundraise becuase it's a different way of fundraise and it's not like teh type of fundraise that asks for money, it asks for money in an indirect way and it's also adverstise the different restaurantes of La Paz Families. I also have choosen  pricy restuarante but they are the ones that generate more money and the ones that actually agree to help. I did get a good profit with Season, I got $150 dollars even when it was a really pricy restaurant. But Bamboo Sushi was not that pricy and not many people went. Mauro has still not made the deposit becuase he is out of town but he sent me the receipts of La Paz and he told me that we will make the deposit some time this week. Hopefully that will help me cover the Ipad cost. The main challege of the is to get people to go, because the information is out there, people just don't go and I don't know what else I can do to reach the parents, it's just harder becasue many of them are busy working and they don't check the newsletter or Facebook that often. 

    Again I'm having the same problem with the raffle people are just not buying tickets!!! I think I'm going to go crazy trying to fundraise. I'm try to do different things buts it's not working. So all this week I will go during lunch announcing the raffle tickets, hopefully that will work.

    Hopefully my last and final fundraiser will be a success! There is a saying in Spanish that says, " La tercera es la vencidad." It translates something like it will work on the third type. It will be the third type of fundraiser and hopefully it will work. I will be planning it during vacation and the advertise it when we come back to school.

Mentor Meeting

     I'm a little less worried today about the arrangement for the transportation and stay of the students when they get to Pennsylvania. 

     I had a meeting with my mentor Jim and we spoke about our ideas and process. I was telling him how the raffle isn't going as well as we thought it would be even though I'm advertising it and working hard on it, I'm still not selling the amount of tickets that I wanted to sell. Then I told him about my second fundraiser and he said it was a good idea and that hopefully that way I will be able to fundraise the money that I'm targeting for. 

      Then he told me how he asked a few of his friends and unfortunatley none of them can help with the transportation and stay...However he came up with another person, that might be willing to help, while we were brainstorming. April was one of Jim's first students at Allegheny College many years ago and now she helps out with Creek Camp by giving the campers talks about reptiles and then go with them on a salamander and helbender hunt. She lives in Pitsburg, near the airport and she might be able to pick the students up and let them stay at ther house. Then the next day the students can leave with Laura to Meadville (where the camp takes place) becuase she also lives in Pittsburg. We wond't want to ask Laura or Wendy becuase they are vey busy planning the Camps and we don't wnat to put another weight in their shoulders. 

      Also other option is ask other creekers (college students from Alleghany or Pittsburg) to take care of the La Paz Students. The only problem is that they arrive the 5th of July and many people have 4th of July weekend plans. 

     After talking with Jim I became less worried because he is not worried at all and he says that we will soon find someone to help out and that all of this will be solved. He said that he will brainstorm with Wendy and she goes down to Osa with him for the week and they will let me know what they come up with. 

      Now my task is to email Kelsey and Brogan, my counselors and also ask them for the help and see if they can do that or they brainstorm. Hopefully get something soon so I can have everything planned out for when we choose the students and explain to their parents how it will all work out.

Arrangments

      Well this week I focused on the general arrangements that have to be done for  this project to work. I emailed a couple people about the Camp arrangements and I decided a date for my other fundraiser. 

      Regarding my raffle tickets I found out on Friday that there is a La Paz parents, who has been selling raffle tickets! I was really surprised because I haven't given any to anyone expect Sandra, Jenny or Dianna. Kathy Arrieta is the parent who has been selling them, she works with my parents and that is how I found out that she was selling them to all her friends and community member from Brasilito! My dad told me about it on Friday because she offered him some. I emailed her to thank her and let her know that I was in charge of it and that I had more tickets if she needed more. I'm happy that she is helping me and that tickets are being sold!! Yay! This is a big relieved because I was worried that i would end up loosing money instead of gaining.

     I emailed Jim to see if he had spoken with people that he know about picking up the student(s) from the airport and to the college. He said that the two counselors that he had in mind can't as well of a friend of his but he will keep coordinating. Also he said that Wendy, the new head of Creek Connection (she took Jim's place when he retired at the end of last year) will be coming to CR this month and she might come to La Paz with Jim and we will get together and get something set. Maybe she could pick up the student and stay with her family, and are really nice and like to hang out with the campers every once in a while. I cross my finger that we manage to figure something out.

     Then I emailed Laura, she is in charge of Creek Camp letting her know that we will for sure send a La Paz student and if we manage to raise enough money we will send two. I told her that we will pay the camp fees once we get the money and to save a spot for one or two students. I also ask her about ideas about the transportation and stay of our La Paz students. I emailed her Friday night so I expect to get a response sometime early in the week.

     Then regarding the students who will go I brainstormed ideas with my parents on how to choose them. We came up with two, they are a little extra work, but if they really want to get this opportunity they will not complain about it. The first idea is to have them write a little essay or a couple of paragraphs (like you would for any scholarship) stating why they want to go and why they are the best option. Then the fun idea was have them do a contest about their abilities and knowledge on water qualities. They were recently doing water test with the equipment that we brought down which is the same one that we use in camp. If they know how to handle and use the equipment, then they will represent La Paz very well and demonstrate that we are part of creek connection. Also I want to choose the student with help of Selene because she went there last year with me and with Miss Kellie. We will decide at the end of the trimester, so next trimester they can help me in a few things to finish getting them money to get them there, that way they also work for it and appreciate it more. I emailed Miss Kellie my ideas and I will me with her during lunch next week to talk more about it. 

    Miss Amy told me to set a date for my fundraiser and start working towards that date. I looked at the school calender and figured out two things... The night of the arts is the 20th not the 21st of March. I remember checking it during February and it was the 21st! I wanted to draw out the raffle at the Night of the arts because there will be a lot of people. Now I don't know if I should draw it one day before or draw it on Friday 21st, but there is no activity for my to draw it at...Also it will be confusing to people because I've been say March 21st, at the Night of the Arts. I really need help deciding what to do about this....

      Anyways back to my original point, I decided to do the adult dinner on May 10th or 11th, either a Friday or Saturday night. We come back from vacation on the 21st, with gives me about 3 weeks to advertize it and finish planning it. I want to do most of the logistics and basics planning this trimester for example, the day, time, place, price of tickets, music. Then when I come back I can plan the details like food and drinks, advertize it more, dress code, set up and clean up (volunteers or hiring people), waiters (volunteer or hiring people). I know there is a lot to do so I will get myself going starting on Monday. 

    To start on Monday I will email Natasha, Miss Genneva and Jaime and let them know my plan and see which of them will be leaving to help me out more with this. Also ask them about the date because it's a week after Ruta La Paz and if maybe I should wait one more week to do the event. And hopefully start right away!

    One last thing. I was checking earlier today to see the prices of the tickets and they are still around $700 dollars a round trip, so it's still accessible. I hope I get enough money to buy at least that one plane ticket with the raffle money. http://www.kayak.com/flights/LIR-PIT/2014-07-05/2014-07-12

Wish me luck!