Last One Before Tanzania!!!

Hello all,

I am 2 months away from my trip and I am so excited to finish off the journey I started at the beginning of the year. Thank you to all who have helped me reach my fundraising goal and donated supplies towards Tanzania. From now until my trip I will be finishing up in school and start working on lesson plans that can be put into action once I am in Tanzania. Every year I have done these trips, they sneak up on me and then they are over in a blink of an eye. I cherish the moments on these trips that much more because of how quick they are gone. I know the memories I will be making in Tanzania will stick with me and be shown in my everyday life afterward.

Edwards Colorado is the tiny town outside Vail in which I was born and have been raised. I know that if I was not surrounded by this community and the people within it that I would not be who I am today. I believe that this community has really impacted who I am as a person and who I am yet to be. Being surrounded by diverse people since I was a kid has really opened me up to so much more in this world. I believe that because I was surrounded by diverse cultures from a young age, acceptance to changes and differences have been easier to come by. I think our community is really good at giving everyone opportunities in camps, or internships or programs in school.  An obvious way in which the community has impacted me is the opportunity to learn a second language. Earlier this year I presented in front of a board and received a nationwide award of my Seal of Biliteracy. I believe that without the influence of other cultures and languages within our community learning Spanish in school would not have been as crucial. I love being able to talk to my friends in Spanish at school, or on the soccer field. The looks I get when a gringo is speaking Spanish is hilarious. My brother also speaks Spanish and we use Spanish as our code talks when we don't want our parents to eavesdrop and I can say it works quite well. Learning Spanish has really opened me up to everyone in our valley and lead to easier friendships. I thank my community and friends for providing me and challenging me with these amazing opportunities. Another key thing about this valley that I really appreciate is the sense that we are all family. Many people in this valley step out of their way to help others and provide relief which is a trait that is hard to find especially in one person, so the fact that a whole community demonstrates it is inspiring. The fact that we are a small town and everyone knows everyone from some connection contributes to that. I believe this leads to a friendlier environment and more united community as a whole. These traits that the community demonstrates make me want to contribute my time and effort back to the community as it is helping not only me but everyone, as everyone in the valley contributes. Edwards is a strong and stable community that should be a model for other communities throughout the world. Edwards will always be my home and my people.