One Day Without Shoes

Today is the Toms sponsored day without shoes. Toms is an organization that makes shoes, and whenever someone buys a pair of toms, they are also paying for a second pair that is sent overseas to a child that does not have any shoes. To raise awareness, many people all over the country are not wearing shoes today. As the last day to write a blog post, I thought this would be a wonderful way to end, and take a look at something that people are doing to really make a difference. This whole organization started when one man decided he needed to do something for children without shoes. I personally own probably more than 30 pairs of shoes, and yet there are so many people that don't even own one pair.

If you're interested in learning more about Toms, or perhaps buying a pair for yourself and a child, check out http://www.toms.com

So, to close out my blog, I have really enjoyed enacting a personal change in my daily life, and the fact that I chose several small things really opened me up to being able to slowly add more things. So, even though I started with just reusable bags, a water bottle, and less eating out, I have now expanded to much more than that, and have also expanded my awareness to many other things. If I wasn't looking for ways to make a change, I don't know if I would have learned about today's day without shoes. And so I look forward to all the new changes I can learn about in the future. What a successful semester project!

YogaBerry--again!

I got off work about an hour and a half ago, and just came to the realization that YogaBerry has had more unexpected bonuses than I thought it would.

First--I learned how to make the yogurt last week, and everything that goes into it is natural, organic, fat free, and glutton free. People ask me all the time what's in the yogurt, and it's great to be able to answer now, and know that I'm telling them things that are healthy also.

Second--I am now a master fruit cutter. Since one of the main attractions of getting yogurt at YogaBerry is the fresh fruit toppings, I'm constantly cutting up fruit, and have gotten quite fast at it. At home, I'm always hesitant to buy different fruits that I'm not used to, because I don't know how to cut them or know if they're ripe, or have the time to figure it all out. No longer a problem! New fruits will be entering my diet very soon!

Third--As an employee, I get a discount on our yogurt. Because of this discount, it is now the cheapest dessert for me, and it's still delicious and not too bad for me. Since getting the job about a month ago, I have not eaten any ice cream, but only frozen yogurt. This is a wonderful added benefit that I did not foresee when starting my personal change.

So, in addition to learning more about organic and natural foods, I have also cut my consumption of ice cream, which really doesn't have anything beneficial in the first place. My personal change has expanded so much throughout the semester!

Ward's

Before taking this anthropology class, I had never heard of Ward's. I've always considered myself a healthy-eater, but never really put too much thought into local or organic food. However, this semester has taught me so much more than I thought there was to know, and I'm slowly adding different habits to my daily life.

On Friday night, Zach and I attempted to go to Satchel's Pizza for dinner, since we've been in Gainesville for almost 2 years, and somehow haven't gone there yet. On the way there, we passed Ward's, which I remembered talking about in class, but had very soon after forgotten to look up where it was. And so, by accident, I now know where Ward's is, and can't wait to make a trip out there! I guess the next step will be to convince my stubborn boyfriend that in addition to taking reusable bags on our grocery trips, we should also stop by Ward's and see what they have.

Reusable Bags, among other changes

Overall, things have been going well. I have continued to eat out less and buy drinks out less, as well as use my nalgene bottle. Unfortunately, there is not anything very exciting to say about those things, as they are just small daily events.

However, there has been one major exciting change recently, and that is in regard to reusable bags. As I said earlier, I have convinced my mother to get and use reusable bags when she goes shopping, which I think was great. However, I still cannot convince my boyfriend, Zach. He is stubborn, and doesn't think it's worth his time to remember them. And since I am just getting used to having reusable bags, it is often not until we are almost to the car that I remember that they are still upstairs. It's often hard to convince him that it is worth the time to go back up to the fourth floor, but I do. So, here is where the exciting change comes. This past week, I was unable to go on our usual Sunday afternoon grocery trip, since I got scheduled to work. And so Zach made the trip by himself. And, to my wonderful surprise, I came home from work to see that the reusable bags got used, even without my prompting! So, I have now officially influenced 2 other people to stop using plastic bags, and start using reusable bags. What a start!

Clara

In this post, I wanted to include a scan of some of the pictures I have received in the mail from Clara, but unfortunately my scanner is not cooperating. However, I was able to find a picture of Clara already online, so that will have to do.

Clara is 7 1/2, and lives in Bolivia. Throughout the letter writing I've learned that her favorite activities are playing dolls and tag with her friends at school. She does very well in school, and she especially loves math and PE. She loves the flowers in spring, and playing with her dog, Osito.

Clara's family is supported through her father's occasional job as a bricklayer, and Clara helps her mother sells candies to the school children. Other than this, Clara and her siblings are enrolled in the Compassion program, where people like me send support to her and her siblings to provide for their schooling.

I love that I've been able to help Clara, and every time I receive a letter from her, I get to learn even more about her. Over the past year, I've received 8 letters, as the transportation and translation can take more than a month. Just recently I received a letter that was written in November of last year.

Every letter I receive from Clara talks about how thankful she is for her schooling, and how much she loves writing with me. If none of my other personal changes extend after the semester (which I do not anticipate to be the case), at least I know that I have directly influenced one person's life in a way that they could not have done themselves.

Donating Blood

A few weeks ago, I donated blood at one of the bloodmobiles on campus. I used to try to donate every 8 weeks when I was allowed to again, but I had some health reasons recently to prevent me from doing so. So I was really excited to be able to give again. After the fact, I was thinking about blood donation, and how this all tied into changing the world, and giving to other people. So, I think this will be another element of my personal change. I cannot pick just one thing that will help me make a great enough impact, so I suppose the more small things I add onto my list of changes the better.

Another thing I have added, but have forgotten to write about, is shortening my showers. Recently, UF campus housing put 5 minute timers in all of the showers, to make people more conscious of the water they're using. Initially, I ignored the timer. Then, I started using it to see how long I was taking, which was usually 10-15 minutes. And now, I have gotten to the point where (unless I have to shave my legs) I spend less than 5 minutes from water on to water off.

So, as an update, I am now:
-Donating blood as often as possible
-Taking much shorter showers
-Using reusable bags, or reusing the plastic bags I get when I forget
-Using a reusable water bottle, or reusing my Smart Water bottles
-Cooking in more and eating out less, including buying drinks out less
-Sending money in support of Clara through Compassion International
-Working at YogaBerry to promote healthier organic eating

Spring Break doesn't mean taking a break

So, even though I've been on Spring Break the past couple of days, I've been conscious of my personal change. It hasn't been too difficult to keep up with, since I just went home for break, and have spent much of the week at home with my family. My mom did our grocery shopping for the week, but I have convinced her to start using reusable bags, and she now has almost enough for her whole week grocery run. Also, since being home, I do not go out to eat in restaurants, and rather help my mother cook. My younger sister has recently become vegetarian, and so my family has been learning more vegetarian recipes. Over the course of the week, I helped my mom out with many meals, and learned how to make homemade bread, which I was the most excited about.

The bread is Oatmeal Molasses Bread.

Combine 1 cup uncooked regular oats and 2 cups boiling water, stirring well. Let stand 20 minutes or until 115 degrees. (Putting in the freezer can speed up the process if on a time crunch.)

Combine 2 packages active dry yeast and 1/3 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand for 5 minutes.

Combine yeast, oats mixture, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, and 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and mix well. Add 2 cups of whole wheat flower and stir until smooth. Gradually add an additional 4-5 cups of all purpose flour until dough is soft and smooth.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes). Place in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. (A good place to let rise is in a slightly warmed oven.)

Punch dough down and divide in half; roll 1 portion into a 14x7 inch rectangle. Roll up dough, starting at the narrow end, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch ends to seal. Place dough, seam side down, in a well-greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Repeat for the second portion of dough. Brush loaves with a lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of oats. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately and let cool on wire racks.

The whole process takes about 2 hours, and yields 2 loaves of delicious bread!