Cool new Organization

One of the coolest parts about my internship is the fact that I get exposed to hundreds of different organizations that are doing great things around the world. I am genuinely surprised each day, because many of them are extremely innovative, most work with the extremely poor, and they are all passionate about changing the world. I guess I’m more used to hearing about organizations working in Africa, Asia or Latin America, mostly because the issues they deal with and the level of poverty in those regions is much more visible than anything in the United States. Recently, however, I began paying attention to some great local organizations. I am currently taking a Microfinance class at Stanford and have therefore been exposed to economically oriented organizations (like Opportunity Fund and C.E.O. Women) and today at work I found another really interesting organization.

The Edible Schoolyard (ESY), a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, is a one-acre organic garden and kitchen classroom for urban public school students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. At ESY, students participate in all aspects of growing, harvesting, and preparing nutritious, seasonal produce. They incorporate math and writing (they keep journals they must complete after every gardening class) with gardening, and teach the children valuable health and environmental lessons. In a time when a very high percentage of children are obese, this initiative fills a very important gap. The lessons these children are learning are extremely valuable, and I’d be willing to bet that the innovative ways in which writing and math are being integrated into the gardening project and proving quite effective.

It’s really cool to see what a small group of people with a common vision, a big heart, and a little bit of money can do. The coolest thing about this project is it can (and it should) be easily replicated. We need healthier and more environmentally conscious children if our generation is to solve the great myriad of issues that lie ahead; I’d say this is a great step in the right direction!

What I learned this past week:

Vegetables and fruits with the most color are healthiest for you.
I need to stop spending on hats and jerseys
I need to learn more about the situation of oppression in Burma; Burma VJ is a documentary worth watching
Blueberry cinnamon muffins are amazing
Set the top of the oven at Low and the bottom at Medium to avoid burning pastries
That even though Cap and Trade is one of the best solutions out there to address our environmental problems, it is only “marginally better than terrible” and we should stop conforming with that.
That everyone should watch the Story of Stuff. Annie Leonard is amazing! www.storyofstuff.org
I hate the rain. I can’t do any work when it’s a rainy day. On the same note, “el Niño” is ruining Spring quarter
That Barcelona is the best team in Spain (old news, but whatever)
I am addicted to cookies and gummy worms
I could eat a cucumber every single meal – also, cucumbers are 94% water
“Fail fast and fail forward” – go into a new industry, follow your passion, and failing is not a bad thing, as long as you keep looking to the future.
Thursdays are my new “hump day” – going to work after happy hour doesn’t make me particularly happy
My new favorite organization in Guatemala: Long Way Home. Check them out at ww.longwayhomeinc.org
A large percentage of the waste and recycling that the US produces is shipped to India and China. Plastic, which is reusable, is many times only partially recycled
My favorite thing about Happy Hour in EBF is the fact that, because it never gets super crowded, I can dance freely. Unless, of course, Cattle Ranch is playing
Dan Gratch would be the best roommate ever
ESPN is the worst. I hate their world cup coverage…blah!
I have terrible paddling form because my lower back is way too sore after our canoe trip
You can buy plans/layouts to build your own tree house for $40 online….or you can just figure it out by yourself.

Esther Duflo: Genia!

Primero quiero empezar por hablar sobre TED, una organización sin fines de lucro que se dedica a difundir ideas valiosas en ámbitos de tecnología, el medio ambiente, pobreza, política, etc. por medio de conferencias y videos. TED ha crecido muchísimo, y, aunque muchos no pueden ir a su conferencia anual, tienen un website impresionante e interactivo en donde se puede escuchar a expertos y personas con pasión discutir diferentes temas, ideas, nociones, etc. Las charlas son generalmente cortas (15-20 minutos) pero muy impactantes. Son una manera excelente de empezar el día, especialmente porque todos los temas son expuestos de una manera muy simple y accesible. Yo por lo menos no solo veo charlas que tengan que ver con la pobreza, el desarrollo u otros temas que me interesan, hace poco vi uno sobre modelos matemáticos! Les recomiendo muchísimo seguir el blog de TED (blog.ted.com) ya que, después del mío, es de lo mejor que hay!

Segundo, Esther Duflo, en una charla para TED2010, habló sobre lo difícil que es medir el impacto que tienen las diferentes organizaciones sin fines de lucro y caridades alrededor del mundo que buscan combatir la pobreza e desigualdad. En Africa, por ejemplo, aunque el porcentaje de ayuda monetaria que reciben ha incrementado dramáticamente, el GDP y los índices de pobreza no han cambiado mucho. Es por esto que ella se ha planteado dos cosas: que tipo de programas sirven? y como saberlo? Esther Duflo asegura, y estoy 100% de acuerdo, que lo que se debe hacer para determinar la eficacia de los programas es pruebas al azar "randomized control trials" parecidas a lo que se practica en la industria farmacéutica hoy en día (con las pastillas de "placebo"). Este tipo de pruebas son las que van a poder determinar si en realidad las microfinanzas pueden ayudar a combatir la pobreza o si simplemente son un alivio económico momentáneo. Que tan cierto es todo lo que dice Muhammad Yunus? Espero que, después de ver los resultados de estas pruebas (que deberían ser mucho más extensas) se pueda trabajar en áreas en donde sepamos que funciona y que no. Las donaciones que recibió Haití fueron monumentales....pero, les sacaron el jugo? Hubo gastos innecesarios? (seguramente) Cual es la mejor manera de distribuir todo el dinero que recibieron y como se debe implementar un programa de recuperación? Estas son todas preguntas que reciben una variedad inmensa de respuestas de parte de varios "expertos", pero lo que necesitamos es evidencia, como la que Duflo busca.

En fin, ya hablé demasiado sobre ella, les aconsejo que vean el video acá

Y....todavía no se...no soy suficientemente escéptica como para pensar que toda la ayuda internacional que ha recibido Guatemala no sirve para nada (al contrario, he tenido el placer de ver los frutos de varias organizaciones muy especiales) pero sí estoy de acuerdo con que los países del primer mundo tiran y tiran dinero sin saber como llevar a cabo un proyecto que verdaderamente genere un cambio (USAID por ejemplo, recibe muchísimas críticas) y que todavía no sabemos cual es la mejor manera para tratar de resolver problemas como la pobreza, el hambre y la educación. Por eso no basta con innovaciones e ideas con mucho potencial (nuevamente, Microfinanzas), si no necesitamos ideas innovadoras cuyo impacto esté comprobado.

So my Birthday is on the last day of finals....YES! Everyone is invited to EBF's "End of the World Party". Festivities will begin at noon with sloshball and a bouncy house (my request) and will continue through the night (we have several DJs thanks to Tomasito).

My Birthday is shaping up to be freaking amazing, so here's is my wish list! (Familiares asalareados por favor tomar nota):

Books:

"The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities of our Time"

"Dead Aid: Why Aid is not working and there is a better way for Africa"

"The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good"

"The Power of Half"

"The Power of Unreasonable People"

"The No Asshole Rule"

"The Monk and the Riddle"

Can all be found at www.amazon.com

Hats:

TMNT Mad Face Flatbill

Cookie Monster Flatbill Hat

Both can be found at www.spencersonline.com

Vans Classic Patch Trucker Hat (in Sun/Royal and White/Black)

Can be found at shop.vans.com

Because every day is Earth Day....

I came across a list of “50 easy ways to help the environment” and I thought I would share the ones I think are easily applicable in either a dorm or our homes. Please notice my attempts at adding witty comments at the end of each one (they are in bold). I will not be translating this into Spanish…way to much!

1. LIGHTBULBS MATTER Switch from traditional incandescent lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (C.F.L.). If every American household replaced one regular lightbulb with a C.F.L., the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing one million cars from the road. A 30-watt C.F.L. produces about as much light as an ordinary 100-watt bulb. Although the initial price is higher, C.F.L.'s can last 12 times as long. C.F.L.'s are available at most home-improvement stores and at bulbs.com. – OK, we get these for FREE. Change the light bulb on your desk lamp, it’s easy. Or, don’t use a desk lamp.

2. DITCH PLASTIC BAGS Californians Against Waste (cawrecycles.org), a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, estimates that Americans use 84 billion plastic bags annually, a considerable contribution to the 500 billion to one trillion used worldwide. Made from polyethylene, plastic bags are not biodegradable and are making their way into our oceans and waterways. According to recent studies, the oceans are full of tiny fragments of plastic that are beginning to work their way up the food chain. Invest in stronger, re-usable bags, and avoid plastic bags whenever possible. You don’t need a stupid Stanford bookstore bag when you buy textbooks, instead just bring your backpack and start getting used to carrying them around! And if you’re buying skittles, don’t get a bag, please.

3. RINSE NO MORE According to Consumer Reports, pre-rinsing dishes does not necessarily improve a dishwasher's ability to clean them. By skipping the wash before the wash, you can save up to 20 gallons of water per dishload. At one load a day, that's 7,300 gallons over the course of the year. Not to mention that you're saving time, dishwashing soap, and the energy used to heat the additional water. I have no clue as to how water efficient hobarts are….

4. FORGET PRE-HEATING Ignore cookbooks! It is usually unnecessary to pre-heat your oven before cooking, except when baking bread or pastries. Just turn on the oven at the same time you put the dish in. During cooking, rather than opening the oven door to check on your food, just look at it through the oven window. Why? Opening the oven door results in a significant loss of energy. Hmmmm, I’m attempting this over snack bake next week….

5. A GLASS ACT Recycle glass (think beer bottles, jars, juice containers) either through curbside programs or at community drop-off centers. Glass takes more than one million years to decompose; Americans generate almost 13 million tons of glass waste a year. Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20 percent and related water pollution by 50 percent. Go to earth911.org for local recycling information. Stanford has recycling and compost bins EVERYWHERE. It’s the easiest thing you can do.

7. HANG UP YOUR DRYER It goes without saying—clothes dryers are huge energy gluttons. Hints to reduce energy use: Clean the lint filter after each load (improves air circulation). Use the cool-down cycle (allows clothes to finish drying from the residual heat inside). Better yet, abandon your dryer and buy some drying racks, if you don't have a clothesline. Generally, clothes dry overnight. This is harder because people feel like their clothes will get stolen….at EBF a couple of people dry their clothes on the stairwell…..

9. GREEN PAINT Most paint is made from petrochemicals, and its manufacturing process can create 10 times its own weight in toxic waste. It also releases volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.'s) that threaten public health. (V.O.C.'s are solvents that rapidly evaporate, allowing paint to dry quickly.) They cause photochemical reactions in the atmosphere, leading to ground-level smog that can cause eye and skin irritation, lung and breathing problems, headaches, nausea, and nervous-system and kidney damage. The best alternative? Natural paints. Manufactured using plant oils, natural paints pose far fewer health risks, are breathable, and in some cases are 100 percent biodegradable. Remember: Never throw your paint away. Check out Earth 911's "Paint Wise" section for re-use programs in your community; earth911.org. We are currently re-painting some walls in EBF, have we looked at this?

12. PLAY IT COOL Avoid placing your air conditioner next to a TV, lamp, or other electrical appliance that generates heat. A heat source will confuse the unit's thermostat, causing it to misread how hot the room is and make the air conditioner run longer than it should. You can also program an air conditioner to start running 30 minutes before you arrive home (as with heating). There is no need to cool a home if no one is in it. OK, Stanford needs to learn to turn off the heaters and fix the knobs on a bunch of them, because many run on high all of the time.

13. FOOD MILES MATTER Food is traveling farther than ever. Once upon a time people ate seasonally—artichokes in the winter, cherries in June. Now you can buy most fruits and vegetables practically year-round. The average American meal contains ingredients produced in at least five other countries. The transportation of food and agricultural products constitutes more than 20 percent of total commodity transport within the U.S. To help reduce CO2 emissions (released from trucks, airplanes, and cargo ships), it's best to buy food that's in season, organic, and grown locally. Go to ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets to find the farmers' market nearest you. Our KMs already do a great job at this

14. GO VEGETARIAN ONE DAY A WEEK To produce one pound of beef requires 2,500 gallons of water—that's 40 times more water than is used to produce a pound of potatoes. Before buying beef, think about the immense cost of energy used to raise cattle and to transport meat to your supermarket shelf. Besides all this, cows consume enormous amounts of antibiotics and are a prodigious source of methane, which is the number-two greenhouse gas; livestock are responsible for almost 20 percent of the methane in the atmosphere. Not even football players need steak 7 times a week.

15. BUY EGGS IN CARDBOARD CARTONS Cardboard egg cartons are normally made from recycled paper, which biodegrades relatively quickly, and are also again recyclable—Styrofoam or plastic cartons take a much longer time to biodegrade and their manufacture produces harmful by-products. Jesus, never even though if this before

18. TAKE SHOWERS, NOT BATHS The average American household consumes about 60 gallons of water a day from showers and baths. To reduce this number, take quick showers and install a low-flow showerhead that uses fewer than 2.5 gallons of water per minute, as compared to about 5 gallons with an older showerhead. Baths are relaxing, but it can take 50 gallons of water to fill a tub. Fact: There is no correlation between shower length and cleanliness.

19. STOP THE WATER By leaving the water running while you brush your teeth, you can waste 150 gallons of water per month—that's 1,800 gallons a year! Turning the water off while you brush can save several gallons of water per minute. Also pay attention to this water-saving principle while shaving or washing your face. Easiest thing on this list

22. DON'T BE A BUTT TOSSER About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year—making them the most-littered item. The myth that cigarette filters are biodegradable is just that, a myth. Although the filters do eventually decompose, they release harmful chemicals that enter the earth's land and water during the decaying process. There is nothing earth-friendly about the breakdown. If you must smoke, carry a 35-mm. film canister to store your used butts in until you can properly discard them. People should stop doing this not just because Jim Olsen threatens us.

23. DON'T JUST DUMP Envelopes come in huge quantities for free every day. If you are careful when opening letters, you can use the envelopes again by simply putting a label over the original address. This saves money and trees, while reducing waste. Try to re-use jars and plastic containers—for example, when taking your lunch to work. (Doing so prevents waste, and making your food at home is less expensive than the alternative.) Ask your office manager to buy re-usable mesh coffee filters instead of bleached paper ones, which may contain dioxins. They are tree-free and should save your company money. I had never thought of this before, sweet!

25. GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN In 1826, J. C. Loudon wrote in An Encyclopaedia of Gardening, "For all things produced in a garden, whether salads or fruits, a poor man that has one of his own will eat better than a rich man that has none." To start a vegetable garden costs nothing but a few packs of seeds and rudimentary garden implements, and it saves enormous amounts of money, to say nothing of the food miles and the packaging that go into supplying you with fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, a vegetable garden is only productive for part of the year, but it is amazing how long that growing season lasts and how much you can produce from one small patch. Yay!

26. BUY RECYCLED PRODUCTS There has to be a market for products made with recycled goods. Support this movement by purchasing recycled goods—you will save virgin materials, conserve energy, and reduce landfill waste. Recycled paper products include toilet paper (which is no longer scratchy, like it used to be), copy paper, paper towels, and tissues. Look for garbage bags and bin liners labeled "recycled plastic," and buy recycled toner cartridges for your fax machines and printers. Fact: recycled toilet paper is better for your butt.

31. TURN OFF YOUR CHARGERS Most cell-phone chargers continue to draw electricity even when the phone isn't plugged into it. If your cell-phone charger averages five watts per hour and is plugged in all the time, that means a total of more than 40 kilowatt-hours every year, or about 93 pounds of CO2. The same problem applies to your other electronic equipment—your laptop, iPod, digital camera, and BlackBerry. Unplug all your chargers when they are not in use. Use a freaking power strip and turn it off!

32. RECYCLE YOUR BATTERIES Although the number of electrical gadgets that use disposable batteries is on the decline, each person in the U.S. discards eight batteries per year. Overall, Americans purchase nearly three billion batteries annually, and about 179,000 tons of those end up in the garbage. Batteries have a high concentration of metals, which if not disposed of properly can seep into the ground when the casing erodes. Avoid disposable batteries by using your outlets whenever possible. If you can't do without batteries, use rechargeable and recycled ones. You should also have your batteries collected and recycled. Go to rebat.com for a list of companies that participate in battery reclamation. Did you know Stanford recycles batteries?

33. TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER WHEN YOU LEAVE AT NIGHT While computers do require a power surge when you first turn them on, they don't need enormous amounts of electricity to function for lengthy periods. Also, you can set your computer on "sleep" mode, which uses about three watts per hour, if you are going to be away from your desk for more than 15 minutes. Again, suuper easy

34. GET INVOLVED Recycling at home doesn't get you off the hook at work. If your office doesn't recycle, or recycles only paper, find out why. If you work in a small office, call your local authority to discover what recycling equipment and services are available. These may include storage containers and compacters as well as collection. If you work in a larger office, ask your building-services coordinator why there are no recycling facilities and whom you would need to speak to about starting a recycling program for paper, glass, metal, and plastic. For more information, visit earth911.org.

35. PRINT DOUBLE-SIDED American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper every year, 175 pounds per office worker. For a quick and easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option to print double-sided (duplex printing). This has the added advantage of halving the paper pile on your desk. To further cut your paper wastage, make sure you always use "print preview" mode to check that there are no overhanging lines and that you print only the pages you need. Other ways to cut down on paper before you get to the printing stage include using single or 1.5 spacing instead of double spacing, and reducing your page margins. Oh ResComp

38. RECYCLE YOUR NEWSPAPER There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S.; 44 million, or about 69 percent, of these will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.

39. PLANT A TREE It's the simplest thing in the world to gather acorns, chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, and sycamore seeds in the autumn, plant them immediately, and forget them until the following spring. The success rate for acorns is not as high as for the other three, but in a good year about 40 percent germinate into oak trees. There's little that will stop the others from growing into healthy trees within the first year. Start saplings in Styrofoam coffee cups, which can be split with a knife so that the roots aren't disturbed when you plant them outdoors. Keep the saplings for four or five years, then plant them in your own garden, offer them to friends, or return them to nature. It may seem like a very small contribution, but if 5 percent of the U.S. population were to germinate one tree in one year, there would be almost 15 million extra trees absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. For more information, visit arborday.org. Plus, it’s really fun!

42. WALK OR BIKE Always consider alternatives to driving, especially for journeys under two miles. It's better for the environment to walk, cycle, or even take the bus than to hop in your car. Currently, only 2 percent of employed adults walk to work in the U.S. Walking adds to life expectancy, is safe, helps with mental and physical health, and, best of all, is completely free. Cycling is another way to get around and has recently become more popular, what with more bike paths and cool new gadgets like L.E.D. lights for riding in the dark. New kinds of folding bikes have been specially developed for the commuter. Surprisingly, recent studies have shown that bicyclists in cities are less exposed to air pollution than people in cars and taxis. I know I’ve driven from EBF to the housing office because I was lazy. That is going to stop.

46. DISCOVER YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT If you think you're already pretty green, determine your carbon footprint: a measurement of how your lifestyle choices affect carbon emissions. Your footprint will take into account your habits, the food you eat, your gas and electricity usage, your car and air mileage. Your score will be compared to the average figures for your county. These online tests aim to help you estimate your own carbon emissions and calculate how much of the planet's resources are required to sustain your lifestyle. They may motivate you to make changes, helping you set simple goals to reduce your negative impact on the planet. To learn about your carbon footprint, go to carbonfootprint.com/calculator.html. Pretty cool stuff

49. RE-GIFT GIFT WRAP Help cut down on the consumption of paper and plastic by re-using wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and gift bags. These items should be good for at least one more wrapping. If you are feeling creative, use old calendars, pages from magazines, or even newspaper to wrap gifts.

I'm lucky :)

Hace poco me comentó un amigo “Ceci, no sabés como te envidio, ya que estas en Stanford y Silicon Valley. Yo ya no aguanto mi país, quisiera vivir allá”. Su comentario me dejó reflejando….tanto que hasta ahora (varios meses después), escribo algo:

Cada vez que regreso a Guatemala la situación está peor. Entre la violencia, la corrupción, el tráfico, la contaminación y hasta los pésimos coros en misa (ningún coro canta como los de aquí) verdaderamente Stanford parece el paraíso. Sin embargo, ver todo eso simplemente me motiva a regresar a ayudar. No me creo Madre Teresa ni creo que pueda yo cambiar Guatemala solita, pero si no lo intento se que voy a haber desperdiciado todas las bendiciones y oportunidades que he recibido, las mismas que me celaba mi amigo. No saben cuantas veces he contemplado tomarme un año libre de la Universidad para regresar a Guatemala y no solo voluntarear, sino irme a meter con instituciones públicas. Porque la caridad, por más buena que sea, no va a cambiar un país tan violento, inestable y corrupto. Hace poco pasé una hora viendo pasajes para Haití, pero eso es una historia diferente…..en fin, el comentario de mi amigo me hizo reflejar que, aunque la lógica dicte que me debería quedar por aquí cuanto más pueda, no puedo parar de pensar en regresar a Guatemala y hacer algo, no se que, pero algo. Tengo u proyecto de reciclaje pero esa es una historia larga….Espero que estos sentiemientos no sean solamente algo que digo por decir, sino que verdaderamente me ponga a trabjar.
Verdaderamente estoy agradecida por estar aquí. No solamente porque mis maestros son los que escriben los textos que usan en otras universidades ;), ni porque facebook está aquí cerquita y conozco personas que trabajan en google, en realidad estoy más que todo agradecida por las personas que he tenido la oportunidad de conocer. Stanford lo que hizo fue presentarme una diversidad de personas, creencias y perspectivas incredible, y gracias a Dios eso hizo que la “burbuja” en la que vivía explote. Más que nada yo creo que estos tres años en Stanford me han hecho crecer como persona. Los valores y creencias por las que me guío y que mi papas siempre fomentaron en mi casa no han cambiado, pero si ha cambiado mi habilidad para entender a los demás, y mi curiosidad por aprender. He conocido a personas de mi edad que están haciendo cosas verdaderamente increíbles, y eso es algo que me abrió los ojos y me inspira muchísimo.

Mi amigo tenía razón que Stanford es un lugar de envidiar, pero estaba equivocado también, ya que Stanford no es un lugar al que hay que ir para escaparse de la realidad de un país, es un lugar al que hay que ir para aprender, exprimir hasta no poder más, y crecer como persona para poder regresar y cambiar ese país que muchas veces es frustrante. Así en un futuro a nuestros nietos les van a decir los gringos “Cómo te envidio, quiesiera vivir en Guatemala”.…..cambiaría el conocer a Messi por ese sueño!


Not that long ago a friend made a comment that stuck with me for a long time “Ceci, you don’t know how much I envy you because you go to Stanford and you live in Silicon Valley. I want to leave my country as soon as possible, I can’t take it anymore and would love to live there”. I finally have the time now to discuss what I reflected on after he commented on my “good fortune”.

Every time I go back to Guatemala the situation is worse. Between violence, corruption, traffic, contamination and even the terrible choirs at church (really, no one choir there is pretty), Stanford truly seems like paradise. However, seeing all of that simply motivates me to go back and help. I don’t think I’m Mother Teresa and I also don’t think I can change Guatemala by myself, but I do know that if I don’t try I will have wasted all of the blessings and opportunities my friend was so jealous of. You have no idea of how many times I have considered taking a year of and going back to Guatemala not to volunteer, but to somehow get involved with politics. Because charity, as great as it is, can only go so far, and in a country rotting with corruption and instability, we need long lasting change. Not long ago I looked at plane tickets for Haiti, but that is a different story…..anyways, my friend’s comment made me reflect that even though logic dictates that I should stay here as long as I possibly can, I cannot wait to go back and do something. I don’t know what, but something. I’ve been recently working on a recycling project, but more on that later….I hope that these feelings aren’t just something I say and then forget about, I hope that I actually begin working towards changing “the Guat”.
I am truly grateful about the opportunity of being here. Not only because my teachers are the ones that write the textbooks everyone else uses, or because facebook is right here and I know people that work at Google, but because of the people I’ve had the chance to meet. What Stanford did was expose me to a diverse set of people and perspective, and thankfully that popped the comfortable “bubble” I was living in. More than anything, I think these three years at Stanford have made me grow as a person. The values and beliefs my parents instilled in me when I was younger haven’t changed, but what has changed is my ability and willingness to understand others and my curiosity and desire to learn. I have met people my age who are doing incredible things, which is something eye-opening and inspiring.

My friend was right, Stanford is truly an enviable place, but he was also wrong because Stanford is not somewhere where people should go to escape the reality of a country, it is somewhere where people must go to learn, make the most of everything and grow as a person in order to return and change a country that seems so frustrating. Then, in the future, “gringos” will tell our grandchildren “I envy you so much, I wish I could live in Guatemala”….I would trade meeting Messi for that dream

Decepción en Milán

Inter 3 Barcelona 1

Desde el momento que le tocó a el Barca viajar en atocar hasta Milán (15 horas en bus), tenía un mal presentimiento sobre este partido. El Inter es un equipo fuerte, y simplemente nos plantearon un mejor partido que otros equipos. Es decir, nos jugaron al contragolpe y les funcionó. Aclaro, no estoy diciendo que jugaron"mejor" porque creo que casi nadie en el mundo puede argumentar en contra del hecho que el Barca es el equipo que "mejor y más espectacularmente" juega. El Inter, sin jugar de una manera más bonita, creativa o fluida ganó, y al final eso es lo que importa. Aunque es lindo que tu equipo te haga disfrutar con su fútbol tan seguido.....Lamentablemente el Barca no pudo desplagar su mejor Barca como sí lo hizo en la ronda de grupos....como "hincha" siento frustración porque yo se que el equipo es capaz de jugar mejor y que fácilmente nos podríamos haber llevado el empate.

No me gusta alegar de los árbitros porque muchas veces el Barca se ha visto beneficiado por los árbitros (por qué no admitirlo, el partido contra el Chelsea, por ejemplo, aunque ya nos habían pitado un partido completamente en contra a la ida, pero todo esto es argumento de el año pasado y ya perdido....) pero honestamente que arbitraje más malo. Las pocas veces que Messi juega mal se pueden atribuir a 1. Que le corten inteligentemente los espacios y lo presionen sin darle un centímetro (lo que hizo el Espanyol) o 2. Porque lo están masacrando en el campo y el árbitro no pita nada. Se comió un penal claro a Messi y varias faltas que no vieron ni la amarilla, por ejemplo, cuando Cambiasso (si mal no recuerdo) le fue a patear la cara. Encima el segundo gol llega después de una falta clara sobre Messi y queda Puyol con la tarjeta (que encima se pierde el partido de la vuelta gracias a la tarjeta). El tercer gol es claramente posición adelantada, y todavía tiene el descaro de sacarle tarjeta a Dani Alves al recibir la falta....les dejo el video en que se ven estas acciones para que juzguen ustedes....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIsa0tm9Ixs&playnext_from=TL&videos=ONEV4oCxDuU&feature=sub

Ahora, a pensar en el partido de la vuelta! Yo confío 100% en el equipo y en el poder de 98,000 "hinchas" alentándolos, y, para un equipo que tiene tantos jugadores con hambre de gol, un 2-0 no es imposible. Obviamente espero que Pep plantee un partido en que los jugadores salgan a disfrutar y que busquen no un 2-0 sino un 5-0 si es posible. Quiero la final en el Bernabeú y estoy segura que quien gane esta semifinal sera campeón de la Champions. Visca Barca!