Me

I love cookies.

I tend to take things to heart. I am serious about our need as a country, world, and individuals to do something about poverty, discrimination, and upholding rights of all individuals. I think people need to care more. People think I care to much. I cry easily. I have worked with abused, neglected, and abandoned children. I personally know people who have been trafficked. I have seen mothers sell their children to survive. I found Roma (one such child). I lost Lenuta (another). I have friends who have died of AIDS alone in hospital rooms in secluded wards. I plan to spend my life trying to right the wrongs I feel in the world. People always comment that they don’t know how my mother lets me do this stuff. To them I say 1- how could she stop me, 2- she doesn’t want to stop me, she is my biggest cheerleader, 3- why do people always think of the mothers… my dad cares too.

I do believe that one person can make a difference. I know that I have to.

I love to go out dancing. Most of the time, I stay home and read books. I am lazy. Sleeping is my vice. Kopp’s ice cream in Milwaukee is the best anywhere. Outside of Milwaukee I settle for Ben and Jerry’s half baked or dulce de leche. In the summer, I could live on fresh tomatoes and smoothies. I love food. I think I inherited my mom’s affinity for food.

I find myself ever changing. I am introspective as of late. At school, I pushed myself to exceed expectations and move beyond my own boundaries. I am no longer afraid of research. I worked on a research project on asset building in Uganda. It was fascinating. Even the data analysis.  I continued to work in research with Fulbright.

I finished my Fulbright in Chile, where I had a research grant to look at the risk that street children in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar have for being trafficked and exploited. I decided to stay for a while upon completion and work in community health.  I finished that project too. Then I took a job which is allowing me to travel the world and work in developing countries.  I finished a two year assignment in Kazakhstan (although I worked in all 5 central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan).  Now I am working in Albania.

My daughter, little elephant, was born June 2011.  She has become the center of my (ever moving) world.  She shows up here a lot.

This blog is a compilation of my thoughts. A lot of it is about work, about human trafficking, about ethical issues I run into, about my frustration and the hope I see. Some of it is Photo Wednesday– a weekly photo that inspires me to question, think or just sit in awe. Some of it is about food– because, let’s face it, I love food. Some of it is random, stuff I run into or do while procrastinating.

I welcome comments. I welcome other people’s thoughts and questions. I will not take bigotry or hatred on my site. I will erase any comment that I deem inappropriate. Feel free to poke around.

Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.

Also, feel free to email me at ClareSays at gmail dot com.

-Me