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My Experience Volunteering with Bridges Across Borders

This is an opportunity I had been hoping for for a long time. I always wanted to come back to Florida, especially because I wanted to see Carol Mosley again, who is like my second mom, and to work with her at Bridges Across Borders. Now I am here to share with other people my experience in Colombia and to tell everybody about my country and my projects, like the little library “Books to Dream.” I think that for youth, it is very important to read because it is the opportunity to know others and to know different things. I sponsor a small, one-room library in Bogotá, Colombia.

Now I’m older than the first time I came to the U.S. when I was 16; now I’m 22 and it was a different and exciting birthday. It was spent tabling at the S.O.A. (School of Americas) Vigil, where many soldiers are trained for war in my country. This has been an excellent opportunity to practice my English. Now it is better… I hope so! I visited a lot of places and groups and met very kind people. I went to the beach again because six years ago I met the sea for the first time. Another thing that was very significant was to find to people that I met in my first trip.

The holidays were very fun. We shared with a lot of people who now are like my other family. I ate different kinds of food (Korean, Italian, Chinese, Thai). It was great!! Now I’m fatter but it’s not a problem…

Now, I will go back to Colombia, but I’m very happy because I have many plans. My library, my university, my family and my next trip to Jaque, Darien…that will be great!

I hope to come to the USA again soon and to continue learning new things and sharing with others.

Thank you for this wonderful experience.

God and Pacha Mama bless you!!!

NEW BAB STUDENT GROUP AT UF: Bridges Across Borders is very excited to announce the creation of a new BAB Student Group at the University of Florida in Gainesville. After a year of paperwork and headache, BABUF has finally become official on campus! Complete with four officers and a growing base of members, BABUF is quickly becoming well-known on the UF campus as well as in the community. But even though the process of becoming official was long, it didn’t take them long to get into the swing of things! They have already put on two yard sale FUNdraisers and played an integral part in planning and working our 2^nd Annual Viva La Mujer event!

2ND ANNUAL VIVA LA MUJER: HONORING THE STRENGTH OF WOMEN EVENT: We are pleased to announce that our 2^nd Annual Viva La Mujer event was a huge success! This year’s event was a concert and dance party that once again held at the historic Thomas Center in downtown Gainesville, Florida. The event featured the amazing 12-piece Umoja Orchestra and Colombian-American singer/songwriter Marce and her band. As with last year’s event, we had information tables for BRIDGES and other local activist organizations, focusing particularly on groups that deal with women’s issues. We were also successful in selling many Fair Trade crafts as well as refreshments including Fair Trade organic coffee, homemade hot chocolate and cider, food donated by local independent businesses, and many items from a bake sale put together by our BABUF student group. In between our musical performers we presented a slideshow on BRIDGES’ work in Latin America, a raffle and our famous “The Rock” awards presentation to local women who exemplify the rock-steady dedication that is needed to make powerful, positive social change. We hope you will join us next year!