Checking My List

For the past few months I've been working hard to get all my ducks in a row for my Fellowship to Jordan. I've been relocated to different offices twice, even before I've stepped foot in the country and I've even started looking for an apartment to stay which hopefully won't be too far from the office where I'll work. Fortunately I've had to sit down and use my organizational skills to prepare myself as best as possible. Here is a small list of just a few things that I'm working on.

Study Arabic:
Studies show that Arabic is the second hardest language in the world to learn behind Mandarin. If you've never tried to learn a new language on the fly before - let me tell you that it isn't easy depending on your language. I started taking an Arabic class a few months ago but it seems pointless since the class only taught modern standard and for this trip I'm going to need to learn colloquial Leventine Arabic.

If you don't know much about Arabic and how it goes I'll give you a small break down. Imagine learning a language in which you can speak to people and everyone understands roughly what you're saying, but in turn you have a hard time understanding them. I'd be able to read my reports coming in from the field as student information comes in, but I'd have a hard time conversing with a lot of the people around me.

I've been studying Arabic from a ton of books that I've bought and I'm finally getting comfortable speaking to many of the Arabic speakers at my job. I'm still a long way from having a meaningful conversation, but you have to start somewhere. Just like the old saying goes, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!"

Fundraising:
The fundraising efforts have been a true test of endurance. I first mentioned my trip to a crowd of people at the Code Poetry Night event in July and collected just under $200. A month later on August 15 I put the marathon task in high gear. So far I've collected 3/4 of my goal from recycling bottles, donations from community members, old friends, new friends and anonymous people who believe in the cause of education and microfinance.

I've worked on so many campaigns including making bean pie, writing fundraising letters, creating a website and working on a fundraising video. So many donations have come with heartfelt letters from people I've met over the years and some I haven't seen in a long time. It's really a great feeling to know that so many people support the project I'm working on.

Fortunately I'm only a few thousand away from my goal of $7,500 and I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of donors. I'll be sure to keep all of you posted as thing move along. If you haven't already done so, DONATE!

Microfinance:
A couple of months ago I downloaded and began learning about microfinance formally through an online course through the United Nations Capital Development Fund. Thanks to the power of the internet it seems that resources are endless, but with these endless resources comes the challenge of finding the time to read and digest all the information.

Thanks to a chance meeting with microfinance enthusiast Drew Meyers - I've been put in contact with some amazing people including former Kiva Fellow and Social Entrepreneur Sloane Berrent. Both of these people have helped me find renewed motivation throughout the process of working toward my Fellowship. During those time of doubt about raising money and the huge task of starting a new REGIONAL program, their blogs reminded me of the mission ahead and the possibilities it will hold.

Learning about the process of microfinance has proven to be interesting to say the least. There is so much to learn and so many areas to cover, from savings to insurance. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to see all of this in motion while working to create a new area in which this MFI can utilize. I'm not an Economist or a banker by training, but I'm a student of life and learning something new is my biggest motivation to crack open my UNCDF book. In this case, a little motivation can go a very long way.

Activism at Gunpoint

Growing up in Middle America wasn't nearly as boring as many of my friends in California think. Although it wasn't nearly as glamorous as living in Los Angeles, we found many ways to keep active while remembering those in need through constant interactions. I remember participating in community service activities at church as my planted the seed of communal responsibility in the fertile soil of my consciousness at a very young age. Ever since I entered college I've worked to bring about change in the lives of others through any means possible. It can be a struggle and very taxing emotionally to do the right thing sometimes, but in the end the reward outweighs all the time put into it. Often times though picking up the torch to be a "Good Samaritan" can be just as dangerous as it is rewarding, but we owe it to ourselves to give what we can whether it's what little money or time we have. One story in particular from my college days reminds me of just how fragile the lives of human beings are, both those trying to help and those who need it.

Years ago in college I was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (Upsilon Chapter) where I participated in a multitude of community based projects from highway clean-ups to youth mentoring programs. Since those college days have swiftly passed one of the greatest lessons that still resonates with me is a phrase stated as one of the founding purposes of the fraternity which is the "love for all mankind." A certain project in particular stands out in my mind called "Project Homeless Alpha" where members of the fraternity slept and lived on campus for a week to simulate the lives of the homeless population living in our small college town of Lawrence, Kansas. To make things as realistic as possible we only equipped ourselves with our school books and the clothes on our backs. We couldn't eat anything unless someone on campus gave us food and we had nothing to sleep with unless people donated blankets and pillows. Our objective was to raise awareness about homelessness in the city and raise money for the local shelter to continues their much needed operations. To say that it was a very humbling experience does not do this project any justice.

The year prior to my joining the fraternity during one of the first nights of the project, a homeless man wondered on campus to the site where my friends were sleeping under the stars. He crept over to their location ever so slowly in the dead of night and woke everyone up as be began to loudly ramble to himself. As everyone woke from their uneasy slumber in the midst of a chilly night the man removed a gun from his pocket and began pointing it at the five young men who sat motionless on their beds of concrete. As he flashed his weapon mainly for show he gazed deeply into their eyes and began to pour his heart out about the lose of everything from his job, his home, his family and his dignity. He believed he had nothing left to live for and saw no hope in sight. After a few hours of talking he was emotionally spent and flopped on the cold hard concrete exhausted from the defeat that had become his life. Soon he gathered his thoughts and his gun and disappeared back into the night where he emerged from.

Visibly shaken everyone took stock of the recent event but pushed on with the rest of the project despite their fears. At the end of the week when all the money had been collected and given to the shelter their lives went back to normal. Back to the hours of studying in their warm dorm rooms and partaking in generous portions of food in the cafeteria. Although this story is one of fear and frustrations, there is something to be said about those that need hope when all else fails. My friends chose to take the road less traveled to help others in need. They didn't just visit the shelter that housed these people once a year or hold a one-time rally on campus where other students could bring their homemade signs, but rather they lived the life of those they wanted to help.

In the end they were able to go back to living their lives of college student "luxury," but a connection with the homeless population was made on a much deeper level. This is what giving back should be about instead of participating out of guilt or obligation to satisfy some kind of service requirement. It's easy to often forget about those people we all want to help, but we should strive to plant the seeds of volunteerism, action and the idea of giving back in the consciousness of the youth because one day they might be doing something to help us. Giving back should be something we all do on a regular basis instead of waiting for some event once a year to make ourselves feel better. While you are reading this in a nice warm room others are still living on the streets because they are homeless everyday, not just on the days people come to help. I challenge everyone to go out and make a difference at your community center, a youth group or even a senior home. Sometimes doing the right thing can be dangerous or exhausting, but the rewards that come from it are things that will shape you for a lifetime.

The Dreams of A Man

"The most dangerous man in the world is the man with nothing to loose. You don't need ten or twenty such men to change the world. One will do."

-The Honorable Elijah Muhammad


This month marks one years since a major turning point in my life. The point when all my contacts in the entertainment industry dried up and I was left with nothing and little direction. After frantically calling every contact I had, I felt the time had come to make a choice and choose my path. Is there ever a time when it's too late to dream? Is there ever a dream that seems to far out of reach?

The answer of these questions might be different for everyone, but I believe it's never too late to dream. I chose to follow a dream that I'd put off for way too long but no longer. I decided to walk the path of a social entrepreneur and change the world, or at least my little corner of the world. Although it can never be said that my timing isn't great, I still believe that this is my time and I'm not running away from the challenge.

Choosing the worst possible time to do this with the economy failing, I took the label of "social entrepreneur" to heart. I've struggled to find work since this reinvention began, having to take a job that put me in more debt then anything else. I have attempted and failed many times to save and go back to school and it feels as if I've gotten nowhere. I've written eassys for scholarships and tried to study for the GMAT on my own, but I'm thankful that I'm able to stay in Los Angeles where I'm able to reach many communities. With all the ups and downs, hits and misses, ins and outs of reinventing myself I've learned that the struggle of life never ends, but rather changes forms as we age.

Like so many other people, I voted for Barack Obama with much joy. But unlike so many people, I'm never upset or disappointed when he enacts a policy I don't agree with. I voted for him because I believe in the idea of him. Not a black man being President, but rather someone who gave hope to millions of people that they should follow their heart and their dreams. I voted for him, because I AM him. I don't wait for him to change the world, instead I do it myself. This is the reason that I work with youth and strive to give others a chance to go to college. I believe that by doing these things I'll make the world a better place and hopefully get some good karma to make my goals come into view.

I'm hoping that with a new direction of my blog that I can reach even more people to spread the word and bring about the winds of change and hope. Hope comes from the people and not one man in Washington.

2010! A Change is Gonna Come

A song I remember hearing once as a kid spoke to me. A song by a special young man named Sam Cooke. The song was, "A Change is Gonna Come." The first time I heard it was while watching the movie "Malcolm X" with my parents. "I was born by the river, in a little tent. Oh and just like the river I've been running, ever since"....the song starts out. I seemed to grasp metaphors from a young age, but this lines stands out in my head. Sometimes I feel that it speaks to me, even today.

It's been 11 months since I last worked in television and since then I feel like the old Nathan has floated down stream, but he planted a seed along the banks before he left. Now the new person begins to grow so close to the river. Although the roots are solid, the river could sweep me away. If I were to sit here and tell you that my life has been easy, I'd be joking. If I were to tell you that its been hard, I'd be severely understating. I have a job and I think Allah for it even though sometimes I'd rather die then go into work. But if it's one thing I've learned is that God willing, a change in gonna come.

I'm saying this because I have to believe it. If I didn't my soul would die on a daily basis knowing that nothing better is in sight. In the past I've been running like the river looking for something to fulfill who I was, even though I wasn't even sure of who I was. I'll give you a brief breakdown of the last few years. 2004 & 2005 kicked ass, since I finally got to travel the world. 2005-2008 were great because I moved to LA and fell in love with sunny SoCal. 2009 was the worst since I lost my job and had to take one that...well lets just say I'm counting the days until something better comes along. 2010 has to be the year. The year of Nathan! The year for change!

I'm giving myself a deadline. I have to find a new job by Ramadan or it's back to Iowa. I'm not happy with the situation, but honestly I'd be a fool to stay somewhere that I don't belong. A friends father once told me, "being a man means you have to do a lot of things you don't want to do." Well I'll add to that by saying that being a man means knowing when to stay and knowing when to go. I hope I can stay, but I need to prepare to go and run with the river.

Who is the Unbreakable Leo?

The name should say it all, but it doesn't. Unbreakable Leo is only a part of me, but a large part none the less. For some it might be easy to tell, but I an a Leo and proud of it. Born in the month of August to two free thinking intellectuals.

Being a Leo is unlike most signs. Not being a person who fully subscribes to the idea of horoscopes, I better understand each year what people mean when they say I have a fire sign. All my youth I felt that I made it to where I am today by the grace of God and a strong will and determination. I take much pride in being a Leo, mainly because until recently I considered myself unique due to the fact that I'd come in contact with few other Leos'.

But I'm sure where you'd never guess where I got the name "Unbreakable." On April 28th at 2:30am I crossed the burning sands into the land of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As is tradition we all give each other nicknames that speaks to each brothers personality. A few of my close friends gave me the name "Unbreakable." They said it was because I refused to break under the pressures I face. But I think it's better to say that I bend and don't break.

So there you have it, the reason for my name. Nothing profound. No knowledge to be dropped. With any name this rose would still smell just as sweet.