Some Structural Logistical Info

Classes are informal. I generally have my shoes off and we can lounge in whatever position is most comfortable. Sessions are two hours with a break halfway through. Some weeks have four classes, others have one or to. We have reading assignments, 6 short essays and a research paper. Everyone is in a country committee and a student committee. I'm in the Morocco group and the Thank You Committee. We refer to our teachers by their first names and they ask for our honest opinions about what they say. We have three teachers: Paddy, Virginie, and Eddie. Paddy is from Ireland and takes a more conceptual, big-picture view of climate change. Virginie is from France and she is the youngest of the teachers. She specializes in disaster risk reduction, looking specifically into how people are affected based on their gender. Eddie is from Berkeley and teaches the history course. He's got an endearingly nervous/excited/jumpy personality and assigns long but interesting readings. He is half Chinese and I am grateful for his inclusion of racial perspectives in his courses. He is my adviser for my research project studying how class disparities determine awareness, access, accessibility, and affordability to resources and sustainable practices. I am most interested in looking into access to clean water within different classes. Having international teachers and a couple international students reinforces the comparative nature of the program.

It's empowering, humbling and terrifying to think about the fact that we are a part of a small group of people who are actually trying to do something about climate change. Back in California we visited several of the key organizations that are trying to make a difference. Because there is such a small following, all of the adults are taking us students very seriously and are offering us future internships and job opportunities. Our opinions and thoughts are all considered carefully and it is clear that they expect us to be a part of this movement well after the program is over. I am constantly fluctuating between overflowing with hope and excitement or having absolutely no hope at all. There is so much to be done and so many people-largely/only in America-that are trying to shut progress down. At the same time, I am inspired by those who have already done so much in their communities. In the end the determining factor is how much faith I'm currently feeling towards the good of humankind. Generally it's not much.