Save the Turtles

Like many states, North Carolina allows motorists to choose special-issue license plates. Perhaps you'd like to proudly display you're a Purple Heart recipient. North Carolina has a license plate for you. Or maybe you're a proud UNC-Chapel Hill fan. For a mere $49.95 a year, you can wear a tar heel on your license plate. (Yuck).

I came across one just the other day - Save the Turtles. While thinking about this great cause and what I could do to help save the turtles, I thought back to some international friends that went to school with me. Among the many cultural quirks they experienced in America, one of the most amusing to them was the obsession Americans have with their causes. We seem to have an organization for anything you can think of - Race for the Cure (breast cancer), March of Dimes (premature births), PETA (anti-fur), Pro-Life, Pro-Choice, Greenpeace, Cropwalk, Autism Speaks...the list can go on and on. So why so many causes and why does this appear to be somewhat unique to us Americans?

Perhaps having passion for a cause, and rallying others around it, is part of the human condition. How that manifests itself may be more a factor of environment. The Taliban has passion for a cause and rallies others around this cause. In history, the same was true for the Crusades. Maybe in America, where the government is stable, people have disposable resources and people are relatively happy, we find other causes to get involved in. We could rally around religion or politics, as you find in other countries, but since we are relatively happy in our current state, we don't want to tip the balance too far. So we get more granular. More, well, frivilous. And our passion and causes get more and more segmented.

Which brings us back to the turtles.

I would like to save the turtles. I really would. But how can I save the turtles? And what am I saving them from? And why stop at turtles? I would like to save the dolphins, the oceans. The air, the unborn babies (yes, I said it. So what? I'm a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n roll), the rainforests, the poor. Basically, I would like to save the world. Can I get that on my North Carolina license plate?

I suspect we're saving the world from one another, from ourselves. If that's the case, then our cause seems fruitless and much too large for any one person (or even a big group of us) to tackle. Maybe that's why we segment: if we can find a group of people that feels passionately about turtles, then maybe we can help save just one piece of our planet. Maybe it's more than just belonging to a group, giving money, and getting others to believe in your cause. Maybe it starts with each one of us, for us to save the turtles, the babies, the world, from ourselves. Little things we could do everyday to make a small difference. Between a campaign of one and a campaign of many, perhaps we can save the world.

That would be a cool license plate.

Another graduation in the family

This weekend, my sister graduated from Notre Dame. It's hard to imagine that this little person that I grew up with (we're six years apart) donned a cap and gown and is now going out in the real world. To do what, we don't know yet. But she's officially out of school! (What's the saying?..."You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here").

What I find so interesting about graduations is the wave. We've all done it. I did it last week. In the mass of families and friends present at graduation, we, the graduates, struggle to find the people we know in the crowd. And the family is just as guilty. They are waving like crazy to their graduate, somehow thinking that, among the thousands of people in an arena, their baby is going to spot them. And how did we accomplish this goal before cell phones? This weekend, along with everyone else around me, I stood on a bleacher, cell phone glued to ear, talking to my sister on the floor.

"See Section 110? The bleachers above the purple seats? Go up three rows. See me waving? No? Ok, now I'm jumping up and down? See me? Ok, see the woman in the bright pink shirt? I'm just to the left of her. See me now?"

And then the magic moment, when we spot each other. That click, that somehow, we stand out to someone. That someone knows exactly where we are, can find us, and that makes us feel a little better. That we are not just a blob among a sea of strangers. Someone loves us. Someone cares. And someone is always watching out for us.

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

I'm not sure about the healthy part, given that I've been too lazy to work out these past couple of weeks. And given that I have student loans out the ears, I can guarantee the wealthy part is non-existent. But I now have concrete proof that I'm definitely wiser...no thanks to the $80,000 I just donated to Duke.

My wisdom teeth are coming in.

That's right, I'm 27 (going on 28) years old and my wisdom teeth are just now coming in. And no, I never had them taken out when I was a teenager, despite the urging of many dentists through the years. I don't like surgery to begin with, especially when it comes to the mouth or eye area. My adult molars didn't come in until my early teens, and the dentist had to go in and cut out my baby molars to allow the adult ones to come in. There was a lot of cracking and extracting. And bleeding. It seemed like major surgery to me. So you can see why I was always reluctant to have the wisdom teeth taken out. Plus, I'm a weenie when it comes to pain. And I went through enough of that with braces.

So now I'm teething like a little baby. Somebody pass the Ambesol, please! The bottom right tooth is surfacing and the upper right is just starting to poke through. So my dentist told me the bad news...that I need to have them taken out. "Don't worry," he said. "It's not that bad." I may be a bit naive, but I'm no teenager. I've heard from my friends about the dry sockets, the drooling, the chipmunk cheeks, the having to sip food through a straw for a week. Don't lie to me. I can take it like a woman. Maybe.

The good news is that it's not an emergency. The doc said I could wait another six months, maybe even a year. So I'm praying that the new additions don't screw up the thousands of dollars of orthodontics my parents shelled out (thanks, guys) and that they stay clean and under the radar. I made it this long - the last thing I want is to have my wisdom teeth removed.

Plus, I'm kind of liking this whole "wiser" thing.

Finished!

I've done it! I've graduated from Duke and officially have my Masters!

The ceremony was yesterday and my family and in-laws came in to help us celebrate. The ceremony was really nice and then we had a little get-together at our place with our family and friends. It was a nice to way to cap off two years of hard work.

I'm also a bit sad that it's all over. I came to school a bit insecure and doubtful of how I would do among so many talented people. There were some low points during the first year, when I struggled to understand concepts and do well. Looking back now, I think I surprised myself. I'm happy with how I did and feel I learned a lot. I got involved in many activities and am proud of my accomplishments, even though they were small.

Most of all, I'm sad to leave so many friends behind. We're going to scatter ourselves across the country and it's sad to close another chapter and move on, with the hope that we'll all keep in touch. So I'm excited to be done and to start back into the real world, but I'm also a little blue. I guess that's normal, right?

Cheers to all my fellow Duke MBA graduates this weekend, and to all the other graduates who are ready to close one chapter and move on to the next!

Si, Senorita

We're back from our trip to Costa Rica and it was a blast! We had beautiful weather, despite going during the "green" (read: rainy) season, saw magnificent beaches and wildlife and had a blast with our friends Abby and Nathan.

We started our trip in San Jose, where we spent the night and and had some great Tico food. Then early the next morning we were off by bus and boat to Tortuguero, which is on the Caribbean side of the country. This area is very remote. We did a zipline through the trees, saw monkeys in the distance, birdwatched, and just generally chilled. It was so humid in Tortuguero - my hair has never been so curly!

After a few days here, we left by plane to Corcovado, which is the southernmost pennisula on the Pacific side of the country. The plane ride itself was an experience...no security, no ID checks, no cockpit door, no airport (unless you count a 300 square foot room with plastic patio furniture an airport). But definitely an adventure!

In Corcovado, we stayed at Bosque del Cabo, which was a beautiful resort. Not as humid here and beaches that were gentle enough to swim in. The shoreline was breathtaking, and we hiked around the area, went horseback riding, and saw tons and tons of monkeys, macaws and tucans. There was so much wildlife all around, and the food was delicious! We loved our resort - we stayed in a hut that was open air and looked out onto the Pacific ocean. The best part was the shower - it was outside, but private and you felt as though you were showering in the jungle.

Of course, no vacation is without its hiccups. The airline lost Abby and Nathan's luggage...for four days! Luckily, we're all about the same size. And Scott and I got a bit sick for one day each. But we recovered, the luggage was found, and we had a great time nonetheless.

I have to highly recommend CentralAmerica.com for planning our vacation. All our transfers were smooth and flawless, the places we stayed were great, and everything went off without a hitch.

Now it's time to plan our next vacation...

Cipro? Check. Chloroquin? Check. Bug Spray with 25% DEET? Check. Cost Rica, here we come!

Happy May Day!

Enough about Fuqua and cheating. That's old news. Let's move on to something more important and exciting....

We leave in the morning for Costa Rica! Scott and I have done a great job of packing a week's worth of clothing, toiletries, and other necessities into less-than-25-pound-bags. I even broke out my back-packing gear that I haven't used since my European trekking after college graduation. We're packed, medicated, Ti-Voed and ready to go!

Of course, I didn't forget my camera. I plan on taking lots of - what else? - monkey pictures to post on the blog! We're very excited and can't wait to share all our adventures and pictures with you. If I can make it to a cybercafe while I'm there, I'll be sure to share stories!

Until next week...