The Unbreakable Leo

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.