This “goal,” this “journey” that I am about to embark on has been about a year in the making. Quite hard to believe. About a year ago, the beginning of my last year at Cardinal Stritch University, I finally began to understand what I wanted to do when I graduated. I realized I was not seeking a job in the United States where life would be predictable. I knew I loved the Spanish language, and even more so, the people, culture and lifestyle of Hispanic countries. Thus, I knew that I wanted to live in a Spanish speaking country where I could enjoy the culture, improve my language skills, as well as serve upon ...Read more
20 July 2010, 5:42 pm
A New Beginning
Thunder rolling over the house - old windows trembling in their frames - and camera-flash lightning last night. It started again before lunchtime today, Memorial Day. (Someone nearby was having a barbecue, weather be damned; I could smell the savory smoke.)
Today was a stay-at-home kind of day, a reading and writing day, and the email from Marcia said, This is our blog and we'd love to have y'all write more on it next year, because as you can see, we haven't been great about keeping it up. And I love to read blogs, so maybe it’s time to put my own words (such as they are) into the sphere. <...Read more
Cap Corps volunteers gathered for their first retreat this December and January in Michigan, Nicaragua and Perú. Most of the Cap Corps year is full of "doing": going to work, making dinner for the community, following the chore chart, making new friends, exploring life's meaning. Retreats provide each volunteer the opportunity to just "be" for a while. Volunteers take a step back from doing and rest, relax and reflect on their service experience and life in c...Read more
29 December 2009, 12:12 pm
New Faces, New Places!
As 2009 winds down, we give thanks for all the blessings that the year brought to us!! This summer we "graduated" 3 volunteers to alumni status, while the other 5 of our 2008-2009 volunteers renewed their term of service to continue in the program. Fifteen new folks joined the program at orientation in August, and our blessings just continued into the fall, when we welcomed two new members to the domestic program!
In this new feature of Captivate, we highlight excerpts from the blogs of current and former Cap Corps volunteers. Enjoy!
Some of you may remember the phrase ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! from high school Spanish. It does indeed mean Happy Thanksgiving. Being the nerd that I am, though, I like to think about the translations and how the words that are used in different languages imply different practices. Well, in all honesty, Thanksgivin...Read more
21 October 2009, 12:08 pm
Reflections on the Jeffrey Express
by Krystyna Soljan, Cap Corps Chicago 2009-2010
I hopped out of Cap Corps house this morning and opened the big wooden gate, thump- thumping my way down the driveway and across 99th Street. Passing by, I said good morning to the crossing guard as I watched the children gather in the playground by the school. I only waite...Read more
11 September 2009, 9:39 am
20 Cap Corps Volunteers Commissioned
Cap Corps commissioned 20 new volunteers this August. Nine of our new volunteers will serve abroad in Central and South America for 18 months, and 11 volunteers will serve domestically in Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee for 12 months.
We will profile each volunteer in the coming months so you can get to know them and the good work they will be doing.
Enjoy the end of summer (or winter if you are in Lima, Peru like three of our volunteers)!!
"Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe." Thomas Berry (1914-2009).
Pictured: Gwen proudly displays the harvest from Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit.
Anyone who has helped to nurture a plant from seed to flower or fruit can certainly speak to the wonder of it all. So far this year, my own gardening has been focused on tree removal - I've had to dig out some volunteer trees that were too close to our house's foundation. A different kind of awe sprung up in me as I battled with the root systems of t...Read more
26 May 2009, 3:52 pm
Ripple Effect
I had the pleasure of sharing in the joy of Todd and Janice, a Cap Corps alumnus and his college sweetheart, who celebrated their wedding this past weekend. Todd served at the St. Francis Natural Park Foundation in Wacuco, Panama for 18 months after graduation, where he planted rice fields, built potable water systems, and smoothed out the Pan American Highway - well, parts of it anyway. Janice supported him during his 18 months abroad and beyond, visiting him in Panama and loving him through the process of returning back to the US.Read more
...
