Summer Reflections

When people ask how my summer was, I stammer and inevitably turn my eyes skyward as I search for words to describe an experience that has enriched my life in more ways than I can count, let alone express in a single word. Spectacular, amazing, awesome...these words are but a shadow of the truth, for working as an Assistant Instructor for the Ecological Leadership Program in Kyrgyzstan this summer was not just exciting and enjoyable, but also intensely challenging. From learning Kyrgyz, to writing and formatting student handbooks, to navigating divergent opinions and approaches among instructors, the ELP forced me to stretch to the very edges of my ability and learn quickly. I have grown as a leader, researcher, student and global citizen, and the skills I have developed will be invaluable resources that I can draw upon for the rest of my life.

There are many tasks that I am more comfortable performing having completed the project, such as writing lesson plans, facilitating focus groups, and organizing gear distribution. I received the majority of our funding through academic grants and secured sponsorships from companies that supported the ELP through equipment donations. During the program, I organized and sorted these donations, planned and organized program food, and supervised gear cleaning and turn in. These responsibilities taught me widely applicable skills in gear, food and money management. However, my position taught me much more than logistics.  

Working with Nathan and Patrick to ensure that the students were safe, happy, and engaged throughout the ELP gave me practice working through conflicting views and approaches while balancing competing responsibilities. I received valuable feedback about my lack of situational awareness that has already impacted my approach to leadership and increased my self awareness. Furthermore, working with Kyrgyz students strengthened my cultural competence and anthropological research skills. I was responsible for planning and executing research on gender dynamics; the focus groups, interviews and countless conversations I had with the students and instructors about gender dynamics and Kyrgyz culture radically challenged my worldview and helped me to understand my own cultural context in a way that the social justice trainings I have participated in at UVM never could have.

In short, I return from Kyrgyzstan humbled, inspired and eager to continue to engage in work that challenges my every fibre. Looking back on my grant applications and internship contract, I was surprised to realize we met most of our objectives. In the moment, the project often felt chaotic. Almost half of our students dropped out, and we ran the program on an extremely tight budget. Partnerships with the Ala Archa National Park never developed and longevity of the project in its current form is unlikely. Nevertheless, the students’ presentation during the closing ceremony dispelled any doubt that every dollar, microspike and word of encouragement contributed to the ELP was well utilized. Each of the students came away with many skills, momentous realizations and memories that they will probably have for the rest of their life. The immense gratification of playing some part in supporting their journey is an honor I have yet to find the words to express.

In particular I would like to thank the Office of Undergraduate Research at UVM for granting me the Carl Reidel Summer Research Scholarship, the Rubenstein School for the Kate Svitek Award, SGA's Professional Development Fund, Kroka Expeditions for donating tents and backpacks, Kahtoola for donating microspikes, Nalgene for donating water bottles and eating containers, Black Diamond for donating gloves and headlamps, Diva Cup for donating Diva Cups, the American Alpine Club, Jayne, Nancy, Julie, Suzanne, Gordyn, Carolyn, John, Bill and Nancy, Christopher, Dulce, and many others who contributed to the ELP through monetary donations, and words of encouragement or advice. The project would never have been possible without your support.

Follow this link to read an article published on the American University of Central Asia's website about the ELP! 

Taking Experiential Education to the Next Level: Ala Archa Eco-Leadership Project

It's been over a year since I've written; I guess I must be having fun as a college student. The days certainly do fly by. There are always long lists of assignments to finish, events to attend, and people to stay in touch with. I have a habit of taking a full course load and getting involved with clubs on campus, so I tend to be rather busy. However, I do feel that I have managed to find somewhat of a balance these past two semesters.

Most weekends, I worked at the Anchorage Market and Festival

I spent this past summer in Alaska working for Kahiltna Birchworks, the world's largest producer of birch syrup (similar process to maple except that it takes 110 gallons of birch sap to make on gallon of syrup. The sugars and minerals are also different, so it doesn't taste anything like maple). It was a fabulous job, my bosses were kind and generous, and though I was working 50+ hours a week most of the time, I did get to explore Alaska a little bit.

RA bulletin boards...

I am back in school now and working as a Resident Advisor (I am responsible for building a community on my floor and enforcing policy in the dorms). The RA position is relatively time consuming, but I am compensated with room and board which is awesome; despite the bad rep, I also thoroughly enjoy being an RA and I am glad to be in school. The opportunities I am afforded as a student are remarkable and I am so grateful that I have the privilege of studying at the University of Vermont. 

On that note, I recently began an internship with one of the graduate students in the Rubenstein School for Natural Resources and the Environment. Over the next few months, we will be fundraising, planning and organizing for an outdoor leadership program with the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) in Kyrgyzstan. In August, we will lead a two week experiential education course for nine students from the AUCA at the Ala Archa National Park, just outside of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The course will combine best practices from a variety of outdoor education programs such as Kroka, NOLS, Crow's Path, and Outward Bound in an effort to operationalize ecology and conservation. The students will be challenged to adjust to the rigors of high elevation trekking and mountaineering, establish goals to implement ecology in their daily lives, and become effective leaders in Kyrgyzstan's sustainable development. 

The Eco-Leadership Project  will be in Ala Archa National Park

Needless to say, I am stoked. Being a part of a project that integrates my love of academics, experiential education and cultural exchange is truly a dream come true. Not only will I get to trek in gorgeous mountains and be immersed in a new culture, but I will also be a part of shaping the experience for the Kyrgyz students who attend. Leading breakout instruction sessions, teaching outdoors skills, and fostering students in their development as ecologically conscious citizens and leaders in the movement towards sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan, will allow me to take my passion for sustainability to the next level; I am not a participant on this expedition, but a leader. 

If you would like to read more about the program, or contribute to our fundraising campaign, please visit our GoFundMe site or watch this video about the project !

Hope y'all are doing well, whoever you might be that still read this blog, 

Peace, love and adventure,

Sonya 

I bought my brother a plane ticket to Alaska for his fifteenth birthday

...

Talkeetna, the town where the retail shop for Kahiltna is located, is only sixty miles South of Denali National Park. The local flightseeing business offers free (you have to pay for fuel, but that's all) tours to people who work in town in the tourist industry, so I got to fly around the mountain in little plane.

Life is life

 First, a brief update on the tail end of my ride...

Meeting up with my family on the last few days of my ride, in Greenfield Massachusettes, at my Grandmother's house, was fantastic, and my mom biked with me for the last few days on the way home. She was incredible, and wouldn't stop saying how surprised she was to be biking 30, then 50, then 65 mile days. We stopped at the Kroka Vermont semester graduation in Marlow, NH, on the way back, which was a perfect way to bring the ride to a close and reconnect with the people that inspired it in the first place. 

It has been four months and six days since I last wrote, roughly the same amount of time I was on tour for. It's a strange thing to think about, but the truth is, my life has been just as fulfilling in these last four months as it was during the time that I was biking. Though I've been doing the least unusual things I could possibly be doing, working during the summer, and now studying at the University of Vermont, I have come to appreciate the way in which many of the beautiful principles of human kindness exist everywhere, not only on rain drenched nights in Eastern Tennessee when the only camping option is swamp. 

And yes, the speech did eventually get written. 

Over the summer, I spent a lot of time with two little girls who live down the road from me. We went to horse camp with our neighbor Nancy some weeks, and other times we had the week to ourselves. We swam a lot, made fairy houses, and even spent a few nights out on the Green River Reservoir. The time I spent with them was an extremely valuable lesson for me in the enormous amount of energy it takes to be a parent (or at least a substitute parent) as well as complete joy. We had so much fun together, the girls' parents paid me well, so I was able to make a decent amount of money this summer between babysitting, gardening, house cleaning, and other odd jobs. 

I was also able to participate in most of the Village Harmony Session II touring camp, interning as a food coordinator in exchange for tuition, which was a complete joy. Village Harmony is a world music singing camp that I have done for seven summers now. It is such an important part of my life, and I have had the wonderful opportunity to work for the organization as a food coordinator/chef/odds and ends person the past two summers which has been a real gift because I would not have been able to afford to go either summer. 

Home sweet home...the beaver pond by our house. 

Between working as much as I possibly could, Village Harmony, and a brief trip to Acadia with my family at the tail end of the summer, my first days at the University of Vermont came up quickly. It has been an odd but relatively smooth transition into college, though being a part of an institution that is very much a corporation has been difficult. I am in the Rubenstein School for the Environment and Natural Resources which is fabulous, the mission of the school really resonates with me and I have a few particularly wonderful professors from the school. 

I am taking Natural History and Field Ecology, Race, Culture and the Environment, Accelerated Biology, Fundamentals of Calculus, The Pursuit of Knowledge, Music in Live Performance, and Orchestra, which is kind of a lot of classes to be taking. It means that I have to plan my time very carefully and spend most of my day doing schoolwork, which is a bummer when it is beautiful out and my bike is feeling lonely. Nevertheless, the coursework has been engaging and I am glad to be doing it. 

In short, I am glad to be where I am in my life right now, and I thought I ought to let y'all know since I have been silent since the end of my bike tour. 

Peace, love, and simple joy,

Sonya