Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Reflections on Heifer International






Last week the 7th grade visited Heifer International's Overlook Farm.  Led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic group of education and farm volunteers, students learned about Heifer's mission to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth through games, discussion, work on the farm, and global problem-solving simulations.  Assigned to country groups by lottery, students also learned how to light and cook over an open fire, barter for food in a market, and work together to solve critical incidents based on real-life problems that individuals in each assigned country can face.  As a teacher I was incredibly proud to see so many of our students step outside of their comfort zones and work together to meet these fun, but also challenging situations, head on with (mostly) positive attitudes and patience.

Students, for this week's blog post please respond to the following questions about your Heifer experience in 2-3 paragraphs.  As always, please make sure that your paragraphs and sentences are complete (use TAGGS!) and descriptive - please write more than one sentence.  Use the following questions to guide your commentary:

  • What country were you assigned to in the global village?  How did the quality of life compare to the standard of living in the country you were assigned?  Remember, quality of life refers to individuals' levels of happiness and fulfillment, while standard of living refers to the resources available like food, shelter, and general physical comforts.  As we discussed at Heifer, an individual's standard of living might be fairly low, for example, while at the same time their quality of life and overall happiness could be generally high. 
  • What surprised or impressed you about your overnight in the global village?
  • What is one highlight from the experience that you will always remember? 
  • What is one thing you learned during our group discussions or activities about fighting hunger and poverty?
  • What is one thing you can do to contribute to Heifer's mission to fight hunger and poverty in your school or community?

50 comments:

  1. The country I stayed in was Poland. The quality of life compares to standard living by we were happy that we got the big house with beds that everybody could sleep in. Also we all felt comfortable together because we could get along. What impressed me was that we could get along and make all of our meals without arguing and yelling at each other.
    One highlight that I will always remember is when I woke up Tamir was staring at me. One thing that I learned from Heifer was that they had an animal for just about any situation.
    One thing I can do to contribute to Heifer’s mission is to stop wasting food and make a compost bin or I could give it to someone who needs it. Also I could stop going to the store for fruits and vegetables when I could find a place to grow it.

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  2. I was assigned to the family that lived in Poland. The quality of life was much better than the standard of living because even though the house looked nice it wasn't the same when people lived there because it became very hot and the beds weren't comfortable as it first looked and the food we got was very little and not so good but I felt happy we had a roof and atleast food that would take our hunger away.

    What suprised me was that some people in other villages had less food but no beds or roffs.

    A highlight I will always remember is the way other people live in th other sid eof the world.

    I learned they harvest their own food to eat and that sometimes they don't a roof or even food to eat becuase they are poor.

    We can spread the word and ecourage people to be thankful of their resources they have and not to waste it and try to convince them to make their own garden to grow and harvest thier own food such as vegtables and fruits.

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  3. When I went to Heifer, I ended up staying in Kenya. While me & my group experienced what it was like to stay in Kenya, I also noticed why so many people in Kenya have a hard time living. Its because the parents work hard all day long then go home to do more work & with all of the bugs there that carries diseases, can get to them without anyone noticing. The people that was in our group made “national phone calls” from Kenya to Poland or Poland to Kenya! It was our way of being creative & talking to our friends in other countries.



    The 1 thing that highlighted the whole trip for me was when I found out that Ilker was “pregnant”. It was just too funny for me. The best part about Ilker being pregnant is that he had the baby like 5 times. I learned that not everyone is as wealthy as the U.S. & to be more mindful about the stuff I use & do. My family members can donate found to shelter.

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  4. The country i was in was also Poland. We had very little money but we managed to make dinner and breakfast. For diner we had stew, it wasn't at all what we had all expected but it was something to fill our stomachs with. After we ate dinner we checked our real life situations where our beehive had been destroyed twice and we had to seek help from our fellow members who refused to help us the 1st time.
    Our living situation was pretty good, we had beds, a fire but we had little money. It was freezing during the night but we managed in our sleeping bags. I was pregnant so it was kinda difficult to take care of my baby and everyone else. At the end Jeffer ended up murdering Anastasia (my child).
    During the discussions I learned the different populations of every continent. I found out that North America is only 5% of the worlds population, but North America consumes 25% of the worlds consumption.
    One thing I'm going to do to contribute to Heifer's mission is help people notice the amount that they consume, and that they should only consume what they NEED instead of what the WANT. I am going to start by doing that my self.

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  5. I lived in Colonias (which is basically Mexico.) I was fairly happy with where I was put. At first I was disappointed that I didn’t stay in Poland, but then I was glad that I stayed where I was because I heard that Poland was very hot. But Colonias was the perfect temperature. It also had a great view of the stars (which we’re beautiful.) So the quality of life was pretty good. The standard of living wasn’t that bad. The food was okay, the house was good (except for the ants on the wall, I killed them though), the beds where comfortable. We had enough food to feed one and a half families. The one thing that surprised me about the global village is that our “elders” took us on a hike and I could swear that I saw some four-legged creature down the hill, it scared me a lot. One highlight: sitting outside in a nice, peac…… looking at the stars, embracing them saying to myself, “Better enjoy it while it lasts.” I learned that sometimes there aren’t enough resources to go around all the time, and when there aren’t, we have to rough it out. Be appreciative of what we have and help others in need while we can.

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  6. I was in Poland, we didn’t have much to eat, and what we did have was bland. I didn’t mind it, but I can’t say the same for the rest of my group. I felt safe, I think I would of had a better time if I was with people I knew better. I was surprised of the peacefulness at night, even tough the day was so busy, I loved seeing all the stars. I really enjoyed going, and feeding this lam named Wilson, he was so cute, and fluffy.

    I learned a lot about the percent of people/countries that don’t have enough money compared tho the population. I would really like to donate to Heifer, or other charities. I think I should be more thankful for what I have, and try to waste less food.

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  7. The country I stayed in was at Poland. It was very argumentative because people no names, does not know how to mange money. So my group ended up starving because we had no flavor to our soup that was made with uncooked carrots and potatoes. but at breakfast I started the fire and I was the only one with experience with fire, and other styles to make a nice and fast fire. One thing I can do to contribute to Heifer’s mission is to stop wasting food and make a compost bin or I could give it to someone who needs it. Also I could stop going to the store for fruits and vegetables when I could find a place to grow it, or go to my closest farmers market. Also it was tough because me and Amnai had to sleep in the same bunk but we keep warm while the others did not. A lot of people was starving because the food was nasty and they kinda of what other kids felt in those types of places.

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  8. I was assigned to the country Poland. The quality of Poland I though was excellent compared to other countries. It had beds and a dining room and unlike most countries I seen, it is a big house. But this country had its weaknesses too. For one thing the floors smelt highly of wood. It wasn’t a pleasant smell either. And in terms of food...we had didn’t have much. Even though our country may have had a nice house, there wasn’t a lot of money to spend for food. So we ended up eating soup...sort of. We ate 2 small carrots with 1 small potato both cut up and put in water. It was cut up and put in water. Then on the issue of cooking. I personally thought it would be simple...it turned out to be a nightmare. It took at my estimate 30 minutes just to collect the sticks and other stuff. Then it took another hour to get the fire to start. And it took a lot of blowing and paper. We even resorted to hair and leaves to start the fire up. After we got the fire done I was a mess. My pants were black and charred. I then saw that the water was boiling so I took it off. I looked inside and to be honest didn’t want any of the soup. So when I got it I tried some then pour some out...only because it was bland. Later we got to use the bathroom and I changed. I got back to my house and people were discussing bedding issues because there were 6 beds, 8 people and the teachers couldn't sleep on the floor because “their back hurt.” After a while of bickering, arguing, moving and shouting we came to a consensus. Amani and Sied would sleep together and Brandy and Danielle would sleep together. I was just glad to get to sleep, but I couldn’t because it was literally boiling. So I had to do something. I asked to go to the bathroom and when I came back I couldn’t sleep because it still was so hot. So Tr. Lynn was very nice and allowed me and Amani to meet animals. When we came back we made the fire and it didn’t take long. We then made oatmeal, ate and finally packed up.

    What surprised me was the sleeping comfort. This because I thought it would be comfortable on the foam beds. It was, but being on foam made it hot. Plus the air was boiling, so I couldn't sleep. One highlight was when Amani pulled Danielle off the bed because it was funny. ne thing you learned during our group discussions or activities about fighting hunger and poverty was that not everyone can eat on a daily basis. I also learned that we can help out by donating money or other resources to fight hunger and poverty. I think I can probably not waste food or water because I now know that not everyone has that luxury. Overall the trip has taught me a lot and was a wonderful experience.

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  9. I was assigned Poland as my global village house. I think the standard of living was low, but better than most, and the quality of life couldn’t possibly get any better! I had so much fun in Poland with all my friends, and there was so much excitement in tending the fire. We had plenty of wood, which was good for us, and we also had plenty of tinder in the small back area we had.
    Realizing people live like this every day impressed me, because I think it would be difficult to make a fire three times per day, twenty one times per week! So for that, I congratulate the Polish, because I don’t know how I could possibly do that for the rest of my life!
    I will always remember milking the goats, and picking up a chicken to hold it. The chicken made a cooing noise when I petted it. I thought that was just adorable. (I’m getting chickens in August.)
    I learned that no matter how different the food is, you should always try it. I’m saying this because the barley and potato soup we made was undercooked, and there was nothing we could do about it because we were all hungry, and we had already put the fire out. So once I had some, and got used to it, it actually tasted pretty good. I’m just glad I don’t have to eat that everyday!
    I think I could possibly get a community garden going. I have plenty of nice neighbors to help me with that. Also, I might do a fundraiser to donate some money to Heifer. ALSO, I plan on definitely going back to Heifer and having more fun!

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  10. 1.How long did it take y'all to get to Heifer?
    2.What was all the countries y'all had to stay at?
    3.What could of food did y'all eat?

    It sound like that everybody had fun at Heifer,joy living in different country.

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  11. I was assigned to Mexico with Asiah b Eric Andres Donta daniel aliyah,the place was okay but it did not have much space the bed’s were okay better than the first night were ii had to sleep on the cot. I was happy there because it had a nice bed but crowded and we had plenty of food to eat so we could not be that hungry,what surprised me was the beds because i thought they were not going to be commutable but when i got on i fell right asleep after 10 min and when i woke up my back stop hurting because it felt better, The things i will remember was when Tilly attacked me and when honeybee tripped tr.Vivian and feeding Wilson and seeing the pigs.i thing i learned is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to help the earth and how animals the right way.and how to milk, the food was alight but i liked some of it but on the first day when we was about to eat there was no more food left so i had to eat lunch with other half we had a son but it died his name was Pablo jr and always will be remembered

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  12. In the global village I was assigned to the Poland house with Brandi, Danielle, Jeffer, Sied, Michaela, and two teachers. The quality of life compared to the standard of living because since we had a big house that had nice beds and was warm inside for when it was cold at night. What surprised me in the global village was that everybody thought that Poland was the best house but at night it was really hot and we didn’t have all the money we needed to eat. What impressed me in the global village was that we had a big dining room and everybody worked together. One highlight from the experience that I will always remember was when I had to be pregnant in the global village and I couldn’t give birth until after I was done eating. The worst part about it was that if the baby pops the whole family will have to morn for an hour also it was so cool to start the fire so everyone an eat. I learned that the Heifer International goal was to help stop hunger and poverty and help the Earth. One thing I will do to help Heifer’s mission is I will recycle more and not waste food.

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  13. I staid in Mexico colonies. The quality of life was fair. We were Happy. There was no noise and and the comfort of the house, was O.K. When we were at the market we try to find a way to bargain. All of use didn’t know how to read and only one person knew how to read. Also i knew how to cook the foods we bought because my parents are from Mexico. I was one of the people who were injured and it was hard to do the things i wanted to do. When i visit Mexico i enjoy it. Because i have a nice house and my quality of life is calm. There’s nothing wrong or bad when i go. What was surprising to me overnight was that how many people need to live in this stander condition and how there quality of life is. A highlight i like was having fun and doing my best in every activity. Something i learned about ending poverty and hunger how heifer started and how be it is now and how important it’s to the people. Some thing i can do to end poverty and hunger is to give to the less fortunate.

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  14. 1. What was one thing you liked about Heifer?
    2. What kind animals did you see?
    3. What kind of food did you eat?
    4. Was Heifer fun?
    5. What country did you like the most?

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  15. The country I assigned to in global village was Mexico. We have food for us to eat (even though it’s not enough to fill my stomach), we have water for drink, and wash dishes, and we have little salt for our food. I kind of comfortable with resources we have. We have fun in there, just there is a lot of bugs there. We live in cabin with bed in it. It is kind of comfortable, I just need to check carefully if there is spider around my bed before I put my stuff on the bed, because I don’t want to sleep with spider. Over all, it was really fun. What I surprised about overnight in global village was the portion of food people had, and how they have to cook their own by building fire, how they need to manage and plan for little money they had to meet their daily need. One highlight from this experience that I will always remember is when I play and get close to animals, even though I mostly scared. One thing I learned during group discussion or activities about fighting hunger and poverty is I should not waste food, I should be thankful that my mom still cook good and healthy foods for me, so I won’t starving and I still have good stuff in my house, I have electronic, and much better life than people in the other side of the world. One thing I can do to contribute Heifer’s mission to fight hunger and poverty in my school and my community is not wasting food and give money or help the poor.

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  16. The country I assigned to in global village was Mexico. We have food for us to eat (even though it’s not enough to fill my stomach), we have water for drink, and wash dishes, and we have little salt for our food. I kind of comfortable with resources we have. We have fun in there, just there is a lot of bugs there. We live in cabin with bed in it. It is kind of comfortable, I just need to check carefully if there is spider around my bed before I put my stuff on the bed, because I don’t want to sleep with spider. Over all, it was really fun. What I surprised about overnight in global village was the portion of food people had, and how they have to cook their own by building fire, how they need to manage and plan for little money they had to meet their daily need. One highlight from this experience that I will always remember is when I play and get close to animals, even though I mostly scared. One thing I learned during group discussion or activities about fighting hunger and poverty is I should not waste food, I should be thankful that my mom still cook good and healthy foods for me, so I won’t starving and I still have good stuff in my house, I have electronic, and much better life than people in the other side of the world. One thing I can do to contribute Heifer’s mission to fight hunger and poverty in my school and my community is not wasting food and give money or help the poor.

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  17. I was assigned Mexico and it just felt like I was camping in the woods with my friends. But there were no tents, we had bunk rooms with no doors. I was happy with where I was living and who I was living with. We felt like a big family. I was the cook and made most of the food but the morning oatmeal took many tries to perfect. I was surprised at how I forgot that I was at Heifer and it just felt like I was camping. I was impressed at how we all worked together to make a fire and take care of the “toddler” (a.k.a T. Nick). One highlight that I will remember is that how hard Teacher Nick was to take care of. Also I will remember how to make a fire. I learned that you don’t need to be full to be nourished.I will remember that I don't need to be full to be nourished. I will always remember Heifer!

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  18. The country that I was assigned was Mexico.The standard of living that I had was a little wood cabin that didn’t have a door but it had a net to keep away the bugs.The quality of life was good because was had bunk beds and everyone had a bed to sleep in.I had a good time one as with my group,we went on a nature walk with the other Mexico group.And we also had all stayed up and watch the stars and talked around the warm fire,having less I can still have fun.
    What Surprised me about the over nigh global village is that only one person could read and be the head of the family.What also surprised me was that the teachers couldn't’ help us,we had to ask them yes or no questions.What impressed me was that people that I never talk to or work with before,I actually worked really well with them.
    One experience that I will always remember how I got to milk a goat,and how I got to feed a baby one as well.I will also remember how the whole two homerooms came together to herd the goats back into the barn after the all got out.One thing that I learned is that we take so much that we don’t need when other countries have more people and have less than what they need.
    I think I can educate others about my experience in Heifer,and how I can be thankful for what I have because some people might have the things that I have but they still have happiness.

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  19. The country that in was assigned to was Poland .I think the quality of life in Poland was not very good because there was not much food. Standard living in Poland was not good either because they had a big space but people had to fit tons of people into one room also they had very little food but a lot of hungry people to feed. And it’s very different than here because we get what we need most of the time. Also what surprised me was how different other peoples lives were compared to us money wise, food wise and clothing wise.


    I will remember the part were we had no meat the whole time in our global villages and how we had to cook our own food. I learned that we really are privileged because people around the world are going through hard times and some kids can’t even go to school. I learned that a lot of people couldn’t eat with out heifers help. I also learned the 7 ms. 1 thing that I can do to help my community is to do community service.

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  20. The country that in was assigned to was Poland .I think the quality of life in Poland was not very good because there was not much food. Standard living in Poland was not good either because they had a big space but people had to fit tons of people into one room also they had very little food but a lot of hungry people to feed. And it’s very different than here because we get what we need most of the time. Also what surprised me was how different other peoples lives were compared to us money wise, food wise and clothing wise.


    I will remember the part were we had no meat the whole time in our global villages and how we had to cook our own food. I learned that we really are privileged because people around the world are going through hard times and some kids can’t even go to school. I learned that a lot of people couldn’t eat with out heifers help. I also learned the 7 ms. 1 thing that I can do to help my community is to do community service.

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  21. The country I was assigned was Poland. Honestly, I wasn't very happy about getting Poland. I thought it would be too easy (staying in a nice cabin and all) and that I wouldn't get as much of an experience as everybody else would (I actually preferred Guatemala). Overall, Poland was alright. One of the bad parts about being in Poland was that we didn't have alot of money. We couldn't afford any of the meals (cabbage soup or dumplings) that were in our booklet so we had to think of our own food to make. After a while, we decided to buy 2 Bouillon cubes, one carrot, and two potatoes. Apparently, our dinner turned out much better than the other Poland groups because they only bought one potato and two carrots (carrots were the most expensive vegetable), and not the cubes. They ended up having mushy, watery vegetables while we had the broth with ours. They kept trying to pick off of our food when Tr. Lynn wasn't looking. Something even worse than that is that it was EXTREMELY HOT that night. Something to top it off was that there weren't enough bed so I had to share one with Daniela. Anywho, so because of the EXTREME HOTNESS, we had to open the window and let all of the mosquitoes in. Of course the breeze felt AWESOME so we didn't have our sleepingbag covers on so we let them bite us all night. The oatmeal was OK. Yes, it would have been alot better with sugar and all that fatty deliciousness but what really irked me was how much people COMPLAINED about it. Soli, Luisa, and I woke up earlier than everyone else so we decided to make breakfast for everyone. Once everyone woke up, the oatmeal was just finished. All they did was look at it and said "Ewwww!!!" or "Ew. I'm not eating that."

    Haha I must say some highlights were:
    1: One of the goats practically tackling down Tr. Vivian, making her fall on her butt. (We'll never let her forget that)
    2: When Pudge, the dog, chased the poor chicken all around the field.
    3: Gazing at the stars with my tent-mates
    4: Jeffer murdering our/Luisa's baby, Anastasia.

    At this trip, I learned the 7 m's. Milk, manure, material, muscle, meat, money, and motivation. I also learned the difference between malnutrition and starvation. (Malnutrition is when you're getting enough food but not the right kind and starvation is when you don't get enough food).

    One way I can contribute to the world is to compost instead of throwing away all my food. Like Luisa, I could think more about what I need instead of what I want. I could do community service or contribute to Heifer by donating to it

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  22. Heifer was a FUN trip!!
    I went on the second trip, with Tr.Lynn's class. I got assigned Los Colonias(Mexico). I was with 10 other people including two teachers. It was different cooking over a fire instead of a stove. Not having electricity was hard to. The qualitie I missed was having air and funerture. I think not having those qualities made me and my friends closer. It was fun but hot.

    I was suprised that Mexico was actually fun. I wanted poland at first and didn't want Mexico at all. When I got there it was fun. The people in my group even made it better. We even got to take a little hike at night.I was impressed that it got much cooler at night.

    I'll always remeber when we got to tell scary stories at night. We tried to scare each other but finally I told a story that scared people then it was funnier because Tr.Kate scared my group then Tr.Nick scared them more 3 seconds later. Another one was when the boys scared the girls by trouing a rock at the roof of our house. It was funny at the end.

    I learned it's really hard living in Mexico. Sometimes it's really dangerous for certain people. When it comes to difficult cituasions you have to choose the right answer for your hole family. Sometimes only one person in our family can read or write. I also learned you cant trust certain people with your baby. The thing I would do is try to donate more food to people in need. Maybe teach other people how to read or write.

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  23. I was assigned to the country of Kenya. I think standard of living should have electricity, air conditioning and beds. In my country we did not have any electricity, air conditioning and only had one bed. So Kenya’s standard of living is not good. I think the Kenyans quality of life is not happy or fulfilled because their lives are harder. How can a large group of people happily live in a small house? How can food with no flavor be fulfilling? They have small houses and I think Kenyans would not be able to survive that long under these conditions.

    What surprised me about my country was that such a small house came with a large amount of money to spend at the market. One highlight that I will always remember is how I learned to make a fire. This skill will help me in other camping or survival situations. One thing I learned during the group discussions and activities about fighting hunger and poverty is that many families in the world do not have what we have in America. People fighting hunger are living with a small amount of food for a great amount of people. Families do not get the care for their injuries that we can get at a hospital here. People have to mostly rely on drinking tea to cure their illnesses. One thing the ICS Community can do to help contribute to Heifer’s mission to fight hunger and poverty is to start a garden at school. We can get a vegetables and fruit from our garden instead of ordering it from a food company. This is what I learned about in Heifer and how to help stop fighting hunger and poverty.

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  24. I was assigned to the country of Kenya. I think standard of living should have electricity, air conditioning and beds. In my country we did not have any electricity, air conditioning and only had one bed. So Kenya’s standard of living is not good. I think the Kenyans quality of life is not happy or fulfilled because their lives are harder. How can a large group of people happily live in a small house? How can food with no flavor be fulfilling? They have small houses and I think Kenyans would not be able to survive that long under these conditions.

    What surprised me about my country was that such a small house came with a large amount of money to spend at the market. One highlight that I will always remember is how I learned to make a fire. This skill will help me in other camping or survival situations. One thing I learned during the group discussions and activities about fighting hunger and poverty is that many families in the world do not have what we have in America. People fighting hunger are living with a small amount of food for a great amount of people. Families do not get the care for their injuries that we can get at a hospital here. People have to mostly rely on drinking tea to cure their illnesses. One thing the ICS Community can do to help contribute to Heifer’s mission to fight hunger and poverty is to start a garden at school. We can get a vegetables and fruit from our garden instead of ordering it from a food company. This is what I learned about in Heifer and how to help stop fighting hunger and poverty.

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  25. 1.How long did it take you to go to Heifer?
    2.What countries did everyone stay at?
    3.What could of food did everyone eat at the countries?
    4.What country ate the best food?

    It sounds like everyone had fun at Heifer

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  26. In the global village I was in Poland group #1.We had all the resources we needed but our happiness in life was not good. We didn`t have enough money to buy the groceries we needed to feed all six of us so we had to choose wisely. The bigger your house was the less money you got. Because Kenya and the rest of them got extra things.What had surprised me is that Poland was a big house and we had less money than a standard family living in Kenya would have.
    Another thing that impressed me is that we were could have our own beds and have not slept on the floor..One experience that I will always remember is that you have to take a step back and see what you have before you see what you want.
    I also learned that I can enjoy life with only the simplest things in life.One thing that I learned about fighting hunger and poverty is that you can make a change in that starting with something small even if you just give everyone a penny and just do that. Another thing that I learned is that people may not even be able to feed themselves but the key is to help others before helping yourself.One thing that I can do is start by donating clothes that I would usually throw away and instead do a drive for kids all over the world and give it to them even if the clothes are beat up.

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  27. The country I assigned to was Colonius and overall I hated my standard of living and my quality of life. When I first got there, I was surprised to find the room to be small and only able to hold six people. Thankfully, there were only six of us or some people would have had to sleep in the same bed. When we cooked outside, we made Mexican Pinto beans. Since it is not a normal dish for me because I normally do not eat peppers, tomatoes and onions, I did not like the dish. After we were done cooking, I thought the food would taste good though, but I was very wrong. The food had no taste and I still felt hungry after the meal.

    The most surprising part of the trip was the Global Village breakfast. I thought the lunch tasted horrible. The breakfast tasted so horrible and so gross that decribing it is hard. I cannot completely blame the camp for the horrible breakfast. Maybe it tasted so foul because we only added water to the oatmeal before eating it. You might have guessed that when we left the Global Village I was very happy.

    I feel I learned a lot from the experience I had at the Global Village. I learned that many people all over the world live differently than me. Many people barely have a house to live in; like in parts of China, some people live in tents. I now also realize that not everyone gets to eat great-tasting food all the time. When we lived in Colonius, we ate food that most of us did not enjoy. Now, I understand people's lives around the world.

    I must say the best part of the trip was doing the chores, since I was able to work with animals. It really showed me the experience of a farmer. I also like how they taught me about poverty and hunger around the world; I learned that not all people get everything they want when they need it. I feel that because I have experienced how unfortunate people's lives can be, I will try to help people in need by either donating to Heifer or to an organization that helps people in need. My goal is to help make a positive change for the future.

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  28. On our trip to Heifer International Program I lived in Colonias which was basically Mexico. Quality of life for us that we had lots of money even though we was some what poor we had no tv’s,computers or electronics. Standard living for us was that we had to live off of the supplies that was given to us. What was surprising to me was that our global village was nice and cool at night. What impressed me was that we managed to walk around at night with no light and it was very dark in the village. I will always remember making our own dinner and working together to help each other out. I learned that instead of always taking things that I do’nt that people in other parts of the world would die to have I should only take things that I need. I can tell people about world hunger and I will give the less fortunate things that I have just to have that I do’nt need.

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  29. I was assigned Poland. Honestly, I was kind of upset that I got Poland. I thought that because I thought it would be too easy (living in a big cabin and all) and that I wouldn't get as much of an experience as everybody else would because living there would be somewhat like living at home. Although alot of people didn't realize it, there were a few big issues with it. First of all, we couldn't afford either of the meal in the booklet we recieved (cabbage soup or dumplings), so we had to make up our own dish. At the end, we bought 2 potatoes, 1 carrot, and 2 Bouillon cubes. Unfortunately for the other group, they bought 2 carrots and 1 potato without the Bouillon cubes so they had watery vegetables for dinner. Another problem I had with Poland was that it was EXTREMELY HOT that night. We had to open all of the windows and let all the mosquitoes in. Though the perk for being in Poland I was also the leader (or whatever they call it). I was happy to be allowed to bargain at the market. The best part of staying in Poland, though, was telling scary stories that night (even if we got yelled at by Ryan). It was funny when Luisa was in the middle of telling her story and Sied randomly opened the door and we all screamed!

    Memorable moments:
    1: Tr.Vivian getting tackled by a goat and falling on her butt
    2: Pudge chasing the poor chicken
    3: Gazing up and the stars with my tent-mates the first night at Heifer
    4: Jeffer murdering our/Luisa's baby, Anastasia

    At Heifer, I learned the 7 m's (motivation, meat, muscle, material, manure, money, milk). I also learned the difference between malnutrition and starvation. After Heifer, they realized to make me focus more on what I need, not what I want.

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  30. The country I was assigned to in the global village was Poland. When we first saw it everyone wanted that house because it was big, had bunk beds and it seemed very comfy. The standard of living was that people also thought it was the best place to live. I really enjoyed the house and everything about it. It was comfy, but we could have had more food for everyone. Everyone was only able to get a small amount of food. It had heat and was the only house with electricity. It was really a good house overall and was harder than life in Philadelphia because everything was just more easy and complimentary. What surprised me was that I had a good night sleep and I was proud because I made a fire. What impressed me was that I was chosen to be the leader and a father.
    One highlight I will always remember and take with me is me doing animal chores. One thing I learned about how heifer tries to prevent hunger and poverty was a lot. The build farms and donated animals. One thing I can do to contribute to Heifer’s mission is to try to build a garden & have some of our school produce come from there and therefore be all natural.

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  31. I was assign in colonies Mexico. The quality of life was o.k. It depend on the people who uses the stuff. Some people on Mexico lives in low quality of things and is happy or the opposite and also the same for the high comforts. I was i surprise that the houses look different to each other and how they were during there hard weather. One highlight was when the dog almost ate the chicken. One thing i learned about heifer fighting hunger and poverty is there’s so many places were there doing this organization. A thing i can do is spread the word of heifer international and how it works and doing small things that can mean a lot.

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  32. markeem , lebron d wade heatJune 6, 2011 at 7:15 AM

    There are a lot of things I wish I knew before I went into seven grade. First I think information on NHD day would have been helpful. In my computer class a lot of people projects wasn’t successful. If you want a good and strong project you should pick people in your group. You shouldn’t pick anybody that will goof off or keep you off topic. You should also work at home so you can get ahead. Another thing I would have like to know is how to study. Some people don’t need to study, but I’m a person that needs to. When in class you should take notes in class, that way you’ll be ready to go over everything that you learned in class.

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  33. Standard living is way better than living in our global village. The global village I lived in was Kenya. We only had one bed and and a baby , our mother was sick, and our sister had a broken leg. It was hard for me to not take showers because I am not used to being sweaty and not washing up.I was not used to eating certain things at Heifer that I would usually not eat.The thing that surprised me at Heifer was that I was able to sleep on the floor without complaining and that the bugs did not irritate me that much.The highlight that I will remember is all the connections I had with the animals.I learned that United states has 5% of population of the whole world.Also I learned about how they pass the gift so all the other people in their country in need get food and drinks that they need.You can plant crops or donate money for cows and other animals to get sent across the country to all those in need.

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  34. I was assigned to live in Guatemala. None of the people I was with that night didn't like the small house we stayed in. But none of them were overjoyed with the conditions we had to live in. You could say we were satisfied. In Guatemala, I was surprised because of how comfortable the beds were. Also because the amount of shelter they had. If there was a bad storm outside or it was raining really hard, they would be completely covered and they wouldn't be affected by it. There were 2 doors and they stayed shut and they're house was made of stones/cement. One highlight I will try to remember about the trip is how to cook over a fire. If that kind of situation comes up again.
    During the group discussions my group had at Heifer, I learned the 7 m's: Meat,Muscle,Milk,Manure,Money,Motivation, Material.
    One thing I'll try to do to help Heifer's cause is actually think about what I'm throwing in the trash.

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  35. In Heifer I was assigned to live in Kenya. The quality of life was really fun but the standard really low. We made it really fun even though we slept on the concrete floor. I was surprised about how much fun I had because I thought you had to have everything you wanted then you would be happy but really you can have nothing not even a bed and you can still be happy. I think my highlight would be cooking over an open fire. I thought it was really cool to do that. ( Cool fact: If you cook over an open fire 3 times it is equivalent to smoking 3 packs of cigarettes.) Another highlight was seeing our teachers be loose and having fun with us.

    I learned that you are only starving when your body starts to eat you fat. And that even if you are poor you can have a really fun time and be poor and be bored out of your mind. To help Hefire we could have food drives to raise can foods for people that can’t by their own. Or a penny drive to raise money to buy an animal from Heifer so that they can donate it to a family that could us the profit.

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  36. I was in the Guatemala, a little like Mexico but the house was made of concrete and wooden bunk beds with tiny creative jars being put around the house. The quality of life was more like at my modern home in Philly. But it was also difficult because some members of the family were either disabled, was unable to read, or was pregnant. Now to the standard life, it was also difficult working together, there were problems making fire and buying food. A lot of people were not happy having very little of food and getting dirty. But the rest of the experience living in Guatemala was just like home. The thing that impressed me was that we actually made a pretty good dinner only out of black beans, garlic, onions, and dough. I would always remember having a great time with the workers and my friends at the trip. It was an amazing trip to experience the life of other countries. We learned about the 7 m’s. I will try to spread the word to make more farms around the world, stop taking other land properties for our usage on technology and other creations.

    The whole experience was to learn how it feels to live with out your t.vs, your McDonald, and your video games that you play on the weekend. The first day we did a little chores and played games afterwards. The second day we do even more chores and had some group discussion and activities. At night we told stories and other people across tents were making noises.

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  37. The Country I was assigned to in the global villages was Kenya and I was the head of the house. It was a big responsibility because I was only person that could read in my house. So when we had the booklet that had a dish for dinner in it, I really didnt know like what we had enough money for and what we really needed to buy. What interested me that we only had little space and one bed for one person to sleep on, we still had fun and we were full at night. Our progress on the fire was great because we all helped doing something. Even the injured person and the pregnant one. If we needed help we would ask the elder of our country. One highlight on the trip was getting to know the animal better and to see how different animals live. What I learned when I was at Hefier was the 7 m’s which is: milk, muscle, manure, money, motivation, meat, and material.

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  38. Daniel "MANN" LaMar-HardawayJune 6, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    I had to live in colonias or Mexico. I could see that the people in my group were not happy and I wasn’t either. It was hard for us to get the resources we needed to eat for standered living. There was a big difference between the quality of life to me, and the standered living for my group. One thing that had attracted me was when me and about two more students went outside at night and looked up at the stars. I guess my highlight of the whole thing was when our group made dinner at the global village. One low light would be when we went in the woods. It was fun but we had to go back because if we went any further someone might slip because it was a LITTLE muddy, party poopers.

    I learned that most people in the world don’t just wake up, go to their bathroom and take a shower, or go down stairs (if they have stairs) to eat breakfast or dinner. People around the world have to use the resources that were given to them. I could think more about the way I eat by not just eating things our buying things I don’t need. And that’s one of the problems around the world because people buy, and buy, and buy, and when they’re done with that thing you know what they do, buy some more. Also humans are the only mammals that eat when they’re hungry, and when they’re not hungry.

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  39. The country I slept in was Poland. My country was big and roomy but it was also hot. We had potatoes and carrots in water. In Poland was Danielle R, Brandy, Amani, Sied, Jeffer, Micahaela Tr.Lynn, And Tr,Vivian. We only had a little bit of food because our head of household didn’t tell us we could barging for food so I starved. Since we couldn't start our fire we used my weave which made a fire. Everybody slept in beds which was very comfortable. I was surprised it was hot in Poland because it was so big and nice. I didn't get any sleep until morning because it got colder in the morning and I cant sleep when I'm hot. The one thing I will always remember is milking goats and feeding different animals. I learned that hunger and poverty is all over the world not just in certain areas. I can try to donate money to the poor and serve in a soup kitchen or something like that.

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  40. I had a great time at Heifer and enjoyed doing chores even though they might sound bad it was fun because we got to feed the camel milk the goats and even feed the goats and sheep. My favorite thing that happened at Heifer was when Pudge chased the chicken around the coop.

    I had to live in Poland and it was extra hot in there because we couldn't open the windows because of the mosquitoes. Also I learned that not everyone has super great living conditions or enough money to get food for breakfast lunch and dinner(and snacks too).

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  41. When I was in Heifer I got stuck in Poland. I was really happy at first because I just really wanted to sleep on a bed (way better than those military beds). The first thing that got me down when I got Poland was the way to the house because I had to somehow carry my stuff while carrying the plates and all of that. Later when somehow I got to the house I had to put everything on the beds and settle the plates in the kitchen, then I had to go to get the water bucket filled but thanks to Ryan I didn’t have to carry that which by the way was very heavy. Then Danielle started to bargain to buy the food which we planed to be dumplings and not cabbage soup. The bad thing was when me and Ryan came back to the store, from putting the water bucket in the room, because we found out that we didn’t have enough money for nothing in that booklet. At the end we ended up buying baby food for our/ Luisa’s future to be Anastasia, 2 baby potatoes, 1 carrots and 2 Bouillon cubes. All of the people in our “family” helped in different ways for example even though Soledad had a “bad hand” she somehow broke big sticks and kept the fire going and not burn out. And thanks to the chef in my “family” we didn’t eat bad soup. I’m proud of all of the Poland family #2 (the one with tasty soup) because the soup was actually really tasty. I feel sad for the other family because they only bought baby food, 2 carrots and 1 potato and their soup was that with boiled water. That night It was really HOT so we had to open our only window which meant to let the mosquitoes in (I slept with bug spay that night). The sad thing was that me, Danielle, Soledad and Luisa sacrificed our own bed to let tr. Darean** (sorry if spelled wrong) and the other three students get their own bed. That sadly meant that me and Danielle shared a bed and Luisa and Soledad shared their bed, which made that night even hotter. The next morning most of us slept in and Soledad, Luisa and Danielle did breakfast. That was a not so good morning for me because I threw up.

    What I learned in heifer was a lot of things. The first thing I remember right now is that North America has 5% of the worlds total population and it consumes 32% of the worlds consumption. I also learned how to milk a goat. Also the 7m’s a animal can give you which are milk, money, muscle, motivation, manure, meat and material. Something I found really surprising was when I got home I just wanted a simple plate of cereal. The trip to Heifer made me think that people in the world can’t always have what they want and sometime can’t even have what they need.

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  42. The global village I was assigned to was Poland. The standard of living in Poland was O.K. We had a big and stable home but little food to feed a full house house of people. Some Polish people are religious and in Poland they have all rooms but a bathroom. We had to walk like five minutes to use the bathroom.
    What surprised me was that since Poland has a big house I would think that they would have a lot of money, but Poland was one of the countries with the least amount of money.
    I will always remember the time Tamir was pregnant and when he was going threw labor. That was the funniest moment there.
    I learned that sometimes its better to grow your own food because you can make your own ingredients and you will know what you put in it.
    As a school I think that we should raise money and give it to people in countries that are very poor and as a community I think we should go to different countries and make a garden for those who need it.

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  43. I was assigned to the Mexican global village. I played the part of the injured person with a family. One person was pregnant, some members could not read, one had mental challenges and one could only speak Spanish. The houses looked like two big boxes with windows and in each house there were around four beds. The walls were covered with floor runs.
    The standard of living in our village was poor and hard working. The quality of life was bad and the members were not happy. We had to cook our own food which was horrible. It was basically beans, sauce and fruit in a small tortilla.
    What surprised me about the trip was how real it felt. But when it comes to interacting with the other members it felt like being in school.
    I learned about how poor this country is and how little food they have to eat. They also had to work very hard to get it. I can donate money to help keep the Heifer farm going.

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  44. I was assigned i the global village of Guatemala,I think that the quality of life compared to the standerd of living in the country that I was assigned was. The standard of living that I had was a bed for everyone and a roof over our heads. And the quality of life compared to it because the standerd of living reflects back to the standerd of life. Like if our livig conditions were bad then mabe the quality of life would be very differnet.

    What suprised me or mabe even impressed me from the experence was that. All the work that I did at heifer and energy that I put into into all that work helped me realize just how lucky and thankful i am for what I have.And for everthing that I shall recive in the upcomming future.

    I thinj that one highlight that I will always remember from the trip is. How good I was at cooking and doing other things in that nature to survive. And another thing was how good I was working at the farm.

    I think that one thing that I learned doing the activities was. That there is a difference between starvation and poverty,starvation is not being able to eat and you will eventyoually starve to death. And poverty is basicly what heifer is all about.

    One thing that I can do to continue to contribute to heifer is to use compose for everthing that I did not eat and to try and not eat so much.

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  45. n Heifer, i was assigned to Colonias, Mexico and having to cook your own food I learned that there are many people who don’t have the everyday supplies that we have. Is also very hard that people have to walk so much to just go to the bathroom or get some water and food from the market. Some thing that really surprise about was that i didn’t see any horses there. There were camels and alpacas but not horses. That was a pretty big shock for me. I’ll remember this whole experience just because of the amazing view and the activities I got to do. I didn’t want to complain because people actually do this every single day, month and year. I learned that on top of making your food, having no electricity, your family goes through other things. For example, a new family member comes into te your life and that means that you have to gather more food. Same with a family member that has been injured.

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  46. I was assigned to the Colonials with Tr. Julie, Andrés, Asiah, Daniel, Dontá, Dontae and Eric. Daniel was our leader and the only one who could read. Him being the only one who could read made it hard for me when we were trying to decide what to do about our problem. I wanted to read the book myself so I could understand the choices better but I "couldn't" read. Anyway, my standard of living wasn't that bad, but it wasn't great either. We had a house with seven beds and no door. My quality of life was very high but I think if we were really in Mexico it would be pretty low. It's hot in Mexico, and I'd rather live somewhere that's cold or cool. 

    I was surprised at how high my quality of life was. I was impressed at how good my group was at bargaining. I had many highlights during our stay at Heifer International. One highlight from my experience was enjoying the view of mountains in the day and stars at night. Another highlight was hanging out with teachers like Tr. Chris, Tr. Julie, Tr. Darlene and Tr. Lynn. It was also nice being able to breathe good air for a change. Some lowlights were me having to deal with people who didn't want to enjoy nature. Tr. Julie and Tr. Chris took both Colonial groups for a nightwalk and people were being such drags. It was so beautiful out there, I can't understand how people could be upset. I saw a bat fly right over all of our heads. I'm glad no one else saw because they probably would have ran or screamed. 

    I learned that 60% of the population lives in Asia, 5% lives in North America and North America still spends more. I've been having trouble understanding those numbers ever since I've heard them. I also learned that 15% of the population lives in Africa, 0.5% lives in Oceana and they both spend 2%. I just don't get it. 
    One thing I can do to help end poverty and hunger is donate food and money to homeless shelters. 

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  47. The country I was assigned to was Colonials Mexico.In Mexico they had half bunk beds I slept on the bottom which was a mattress on the floor under the top of the bunk bed.then we had to make our own fire to make our dinner which I had no idea how to do even though somebody taught me Because I am used to cooking on a electric stove.And we had to bargain for our food but in the united states you either buy it or not.But id much rather barge ain for my food than not get what i need i mean if i need it of course I'm going to buy it but only for a good price.But now I understand the quality of life in Mexico and in the united states in Mexico i don't think they would be really happy about their living conditions.But in the united states they just take advantage of what they have they just think “Oh I have what i need so i am okay”. But not always Now that I've had that experience I feel the need to make a change and start helping out and donating.and in Mexico in the not so wealthy part they just have to deal with what they have like their houses they get what they get and have no other choice but to live there.But in the united states you can go to an architecture and tell them how you want your house to be built.What surprised me was the houses because I actually thought that Mexico was a very wealthy country.

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  48. The country I was assigned to was Colonials Mexico.In Mexico they had half bunk beds I slept on the bottom which was a mattress on the floor under the top of the bunk bed.then we had to make our own fire to make our dinner which I had no idea how to do even though somebody taught me Because I am used to cooking on a electric stove.And we had to bargain for our food but in the united states you either buy it or not.But id much rather barge ain for my food than not get what i need i mean if i need it of course I'm going to buy it but only for a good price.But now I understand the quality of life in Mexico and in the united states in Mexico i don't think they would be really happy about their living conditions.But in the united states they just take advantage of what they have they just think “Oh I have what i need so i am okay”. But not always Now that I've had that experience I feel the need to make a change and start helping out and donating.and in Mexico in the not so wealthy part they just have to deal with what they have like their houses they get what they get and have no other choice but to live there.But in the united states you can go to an architecture and tell them how you want your house to be built.What surprised me was the houses because I actually thought that Mexico was a very wealthy country.

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  49. Aaliyah, great job remembering all of those statistics - that activity was very shocking.

    I wish I had been on that night hike. It sounds beautiful.

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  50. * I was assigned Poland for my village house. The house was some what big but we didn't have that much food or money well we could of had alot of food but are head of house hold didn't barging at all so we got two carrots an one small baby potato so i didn't eat. In the morning when Tr.Lynn ,Tr.Vivian ,Jeffer, Amani,and Michaela got up to make the fair they didn't have enough paper lucky i had drop my weave on the grown and they used me and Danielle Ross weave to make the fair and i still didn't eat so i gave it to are baby.It was a little hard because we lived in a house with two groups and we could not talk to them at all or help them. What surprised or impressed me about my overnight stay in the global village? was that they had a hole argument about who is sleeping were and that the teachers could not sleep on the floor but they could they just didn't want to still at the end of the day i was going to have a bed and i did 4 people in my group had to share a bed because there was not enough beds but i was not one of them. One highlight from my experience that I would always remember is when i was milking the goat and feeding the other animals.


    One thing I learned during our group discussions or about fighting hunger and poverty

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