- M
- N
Dear Friends, Family, & Supporters,
It doesn't come easy for me to ask for money. Talk to either of my parents, they'll tell you that I ever since I completed my undergraduate degree, I have prided myself on being completely self-sufficient. I must admit, I've been very lucky to have gotten to do some very fun and exciting things with my life thus far, but all my adventures up to this point have all been made possible by my hard work and saving.
However, I don't exactly make big-bucks in my career in the social service field. And in this next case, I will be volunteering my time free of charge in Guatemala. In this instance, I am asking for your help. Please help me with the cost of 6 months of minimal living expenses and Spanish language lessons.
For me, the career choices I have made thus far in my life have always been about the needs that I see. In high school when I worked in a day care I saw a need for quality early childhood education so I became a preschool teacher. As a teacher I saw a need for mental health services for my students with emotional difficulties due to stressful life events so I became a therapist. Then as a therapist I saw a need for stable and nurturing home environments for foster kids and so I became a foster parent. My latest need that I see myself fulfilling is that of comprehensive mental health services to our growing Spanish-only speaking population.
In order to fill that need, as many of you know, I came down to Latin America at the beginning of December planning to stay 3 months in order to learn Spanish to use within my work as a therapist. However, I quickly realized that 3 months is not nearly enough time to become advanced enough to provide someone therapy in Spanish.
So now that I have some basic Spanish down, I plan on extending my trip to acquire more language skills and volunteer my time at the organization, Mentes para el Futuro (Minds for the Future). This organization was founded by a woman from Boston, Allison Kempson Aparicio, who lives in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala with her family. She is a Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working as a psychotherapist with immigrant populations.
Alison conducts therapy in her home and offers services and scholarships to local children attending the public school down the street from her home. She has invited me to work with her and her other volunteers and is excited to incorporate my expertise of Dance/Movement Therapy into her practice. After almost a year of hiatus, I am also very excited to get back into the swing of my profession and in my new skill/language of Spanish, nonetheless.
The only problem with my grand plan of extending my stay and breadth of my work is that I only budgeted enough money for 3 months of travel and language courses. This is where I need your help. I'm not asking for much. Cost of living down here is quite low, even if all you can give is $5, that will cover my food for at least a day. All I need is enough to live like a local, to provide a roof over my head and food on my table, and enough to pay for my inexpensive language courses. Anything you can give will help me immensely and will be truly appreciated. Please help me fulfil my dream of becoming a bilingual therapist.
With love and gratitude,
Kirsten
P.S. If you want to learn more of my experiences check out my blogs.
http://withinthethickofit.blogspot.com/ was written about my experiences working as a therapist on a behavioral medicine floor of a non-for-profit hospital as well as my experiences as a foster parent
&
http://kirstenincentralamerica.blogspot.com/ documents my experiences thus far navigating and exploring the world of Latin America.
It doesn't come easy for me to ask for money. Talk to either of my parents, they'll tell you that I ever since I completed my undergraduate degree, I have prided myself on being completely self-sufficient. I must admit, I've been very lucky to have gotten to do some very fun and exciting things with my life thus far, but all my adventures up to this point have all been made possible by my hard work and saving.
However, I don't exactly make big-bucks in my career in the social service field. And in this next case, I will be volunteering my time free of charge in Guatemala. In this instance, I am asking for your help. Please help me with the cost of 6 months of minimal living expenses and Spanish language lessons.
For me, the career choices I have made thus far in my life have always been about the needs that I see. In high school when I worked in a day care I saw a need for quality early childhood education so I became a preschool teacher. As a teacher I saw a need for mental health services for my students with emotional difficulties due to stressful life events so I became a therapist. Then as a therapist I saw a need for stable and nurturing home environments for foster kids and so I became a foster parent. My latest need that I see myself fulfilling is that of comprehensive mental health services to our growing Spanish-only speaking population.
In order to fill that need, as many of you know, I came down to Latin America at the beginning of December planning to stay 3 months in order to learn Spanish to use within my work as a therapist. However, I quickly realized that 3 months is not nearly enough time to become advanced enough to provide someone therapy in Spanish.
So now that I have some basic Spanish down, I plan on extending my trip to acquire more language skills and volunteer my time at the organization, Mentes para el Futuro (Minds for the Future). This organization was founded by a woman from Boston, Allison Kempson Aparicio, who lives in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala with her family. She is a Social Worker with over 20 years of experience working as a psychotherapist with immigrant populations.
Alison conducts therapy in her home and offers services and scholarships to local children attending the public school down the street from her home. She has invited me to work with her and her other volunteers and is excited to incorporate my expertise of Dance/Movement Therapy into her practice. After almost a year of hiatus, I am also very excited to get back into the swing of my profession and in my new skill/language of Spanish, nonetheless.
The only problem with my grand plan of extending my stay and breadth of my work is that I only budgeted enough money for 3 months of travel and language courses. This is where I need your help. I'm not asking for much. Cost of living down here is quite low, even if all you can give is $5, that will cover my food for at least a day. All I need is enough to live like a local, to provide a roof over my head and food on my table, and enough to pay for my inexpensive language courses. Anything you can give will help me immensely and will be truly appreciated. Please help me fulfil my dream of becoming a bilingual therapist.
With love and gratitude,
Kirsten
P.S. If you want to learn more of my experiences check out my blogs.
http://withinthethickofit.blogspot.com/ was written about my experiences working as a therapist on a behavioral medicine floor of a non-for-profit hospital as well as my experiences as a foster parent
&
http://kirstenincentralamerica.blogspot.com/ documents my experiences thus far navigating and exploring the world of Latin America.