The KWC crew onboard the ship.

KWC alumni Rev. Tom Eblen ’68 (center back) and his daughter, Catherine Eblen Sherrard ’95 (center front), join Captain Ayers (far left) and the crew for a day of sailing in the Virgin Islands. Tom is a member of the KWC Board of Trustees. (Click the photo for a larger version.)

Old pals -- Ken Ayers, left, and Tom Eblen.

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Read all about them in the latest issue of KW Today, our alumni magazine. You can also read the rest of the magazine on our website. Happy reading!

Last night, Jessica and Chaz got to renew their marriage vows on stage in front of 10,000 people at a sold-out Train concert in Nashville. The group has been the Allens’ favorite – Train’s music has been a soundtrack for their lives together, so Jessica entered a contest to win a chance to propose on stage during Train’s hit song, Marry Me.

Even though they were already married, their story moved the band so much the Allens won the contest. Here’s a video of the Marry Me part of the show last night — you’ll see the Allens at about 3:20. Jessica gets to share part of their story and the couple gets serenaded by Train. Good stuff:

USA Today picked up the story and ran an article about the event in today’s paper. You can also read Jessica’s take on the night on her blog, The War of a Wounded Warrior Wife, and you can see photos of the evening on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GoTeamAllen.

Follow Team Allen on Facebook to stay updated on their inspiring journey. Go Team Allen!

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Chesterfield is also a historic market town. I didn’t really know what that meant when I first arrived, but every day of the week is a different “themed” (for lack of a better word) market day. Some days the market will sell only fresh fruits, vegetables and other forms of vegetation (flowers, trees, shrubs). Other days will be filled with manly sales such as tools, hunting gear (except guns – Americans are over-privileged in this right), old metal things, and I’m sure there are more trinkets and things, but I’m not a man, so I really don’t know what else is sold.

Thursdays are my favorite market days. It’s flea market day! I tend to take longer lunch breaks on Thursdays to dig around peoples’ old junk. It’s very interesting. I’m surprised at how much Elvis memorabilia there is – DVDs, photographs, paintings and even fake Elvis money (in pounds of course). For some reason, I had the stereotype that all English must love everything from the Beatles and nothing else. Oops. I was wrong, and I formally apologize to the English nation and its people.

A cool site to see in Chesterfield is the Crooked Spire.  The picture below shows the Crooked Spire in all of its glory, plus it shows the countryside in the background. Chesterfield feels a lot like Kentucky (which helps with the homesickness) because of the rolling hills, fresh air and the small-town feel of being close to your neighbors.

The Crooked Spire in Chesterfield, England

I know what you’re thinking though. Why is the Crooked Spire crooked? It’s because the guy who was commissioned to build it ages ago (I don’t know the name… but I’m sure Google does!) bought the wrong type of wood to build it with. About half-way through building it, he realized his mistake. Yet, like a real man, he stood up, took responsibility for his actions and then finished the project. But then later he was so embarrassed that he hanged himself! Or so I’ve been told. 

Either way, I feel the man who built it should have been proud. The Crooked Spire is now a landmark of England and a popular topic of discussion among the Chesterfield civilians.

This just goes to show you, you never know what accomplishments you will achieve in life until you’ve done them … even if they are mistakes! A mistake may in fact be your greatest and most grand achievement! Be proud!

I’ll be in touch.
-Shanna

Hello all! 

I’ve been very busy lately. The magazine that I work for is free. These types of magazines are really popular in England. They’ve been given the title “freemium,” which sounds really cool if you ever get the chance to say to someone “I work for one of the largest freemium magazines in the county.” You should try it.

Since the magazine is free, they make money from the advertisements sold. My job title is/was the New Media Executive, which basically means that when a sales executive makes a sale or goes to a consultation or when a photographer goes to shoot pictures for the adverts, I tag along and pitch for web marketing and social media marketing. It can even get as abstract as a scratch-and-sniff print add (think restaurant, not plumber).

I’ve been to a few formal events. To be honest, I am kind of shocked and very honored (or honoured as the English would spell it) that the magazine would send someone as new as me to these events. I’ve been to grand openings of hotels where I, get this, get PAID to dress up, drink champagne, and chat with the millionaires that own the hotels. No big deal. Work isn’t necessarily always work. 

It’s moments like these that make me glad that I went to school. Being a young, American female can work for me and work against me. People are always interested that I’m from America. They want to know where I went to school, what I studied, what I plan on doing, etc.

But because I’m young, I think a lot of people (I’m speaking globally, not just the English) find it easy to assume that I don’t know what I’m doing or what I’m talking about. Youth is unfortunately interchangeable with inexperienced. I think that is why the magazine sends me out to these events. One it gives me experience in business matters and social events, and two, other people can see that the magazine hires people from all places and backgrounds. Young people aren’t always naive. And of course the third reason I go to events is to market new media because that’s my job!

But I’m glad that I went to school. Moments like these give me the opportunity to continue learning, but also to prove that I actually DO know some stuff about business. I love the look on people’s faces when I understand the meaning of B2B transactions, the bottom line, margins, turnovers and venture capital. (Don’t know the meaning of these terms? Try taking a few Kentucky Wesleyan business classes!)

Also, another great benefit of being a recent graduate is that I am used to working under the pressure of impending deadlines. Magazines revolve around deadlines. Procrastinating for a few weeks, then working like crazy for the last two weeks is something that college has groomed me for.

Earlier I said that my job title is/was the New Media Executive. What I meant by “was” is that a colleague and I have decided to expand our services into a new project – a sister company, if you will. I really don’t want to go into too much detail yet, because a part of me doesn’t want to jinx the whole thing. I’ll fill you in when I can.

- Shanna

Hello all!  Life is great in England. I’m working hard and playing harder. I couldn’t ask for more. I feel obligated to provide a back-story as to how I came to working in England. So here it goes:

Upon graduating in December, I decided that I needed some freedom (because living away from home for four years – well, three and a half – and then graduating early wasn’t enough). I booked a three week trip to England.

Why England? The pound is a bit weaker than the euro (take Financial Management and International Business, you’ll learn these things) so I wouldn’t deplete my bank account that I worked so hard to build. I didn’t want working at the mall long nights, early mornings, and dealing with kids during the Christmas season to be for nothing.

Also, there isn’t a language barrier. I’m bold enough to travel to another country for three weeks alone, but I am NOT brave enough to do it in a country where I can’t understand anything!

Before I left, I made sure to book in a few places that I definitely wanted to see. London was of course one of them. But, I’m from a small town in Kentucky. I’m not bred for places like London. So I called up a few marketing-oriented businesses all over England. I had a marketing degree, and I wanted to use it.

Luckily, I found a publications office (who I won’t name just in case there are legal issues – I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, but it’s just easier to avoid situations like that before they even begin) who was between employees at the time. They didn’t want to fully train someone new, but they run a magazine, so one thing is important: Deadlines! Deadlines! Deadlines! I was immediately accepted in the short term.

All of this was arranged pretty close to my departure; therefore I didn’t have enough time to fill out a work visa. So I worked as a freelancer, which is the polite way of saying I was paid under the table (See! I knew there was a reason not to name the business I work for!!)

After the three weeks was up, I returned home.

Something they don’t tell you is that it’s HARD to find a job. Well, maybe not. But for someone like me, I just didn’t know where to look. Something else they don’t tell you is be wary if you use careerbuilder.com. It’s full of very few real, decent jobs and completely saturated with crappy jobs that they spin and word it to make you feel like you’re moving into the right direction, even when you’re not.

I finished my resume (with the help of the Career Development Office at KWC – thanks for that, by the way) and posted it online. After a few interviews for jobs that I was sure I didn’t want, I felt pretty low. I even went crawling back to working at the mall a few days a week. I’m very thankful they had me back, but it’s just not something you want to be doing especially after graduating college.

In March, I got a Skype call from England. Word to the wise – get Skype immediately. You can call anywhere for a few cents a minute. Also, if you have a phone, you can buy a local Skype number for less than $20 for three months! My family can call me for free, and I’ve already paid for the three months, so it’s nothing extra. If you’re traveling internationally, Skype is a MUST! OK, I’m done with the commercial …

The publishers I worked for in January were calling. They asked if I was interested in returning for a few months. It would be a similar deal as in January, but for an extended amount of time. I said “YES!! I’ll pack my things.”

I did ask for one favor. Since I signed up for the Spring Break trip to NYC (another fun adventure provided by KWC), I wouldn’t be able to travel in March. And then my graduation ceremony was in May. I thought “Well, I’ve waited this long to work, might as well wait some more.” Plus, you only get to walk in your graduation once, unless you are ambitious and get more degrees. So I asked if I could stay until graduation.

The rest is pretty obvious. I made it to the UK, started working and now I’m writing this!

If I anyone takes anything from my blogs it should be this: don’t be afraid to throw yourself into an adventure. Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want to do in life, so until then, just do everything.

- Shanna

Welcome Home!

O-F-Z-Q-P – I flew through the eye chart with my left eye. I was in the middle of my close-of-service physical exam, and it seemed impossible that my two years were already up, but here I was just two days from flying home.

When I switched to my right eye, everything looked blurry – really blurry. Since I’m the last remaining member of my family who is not yet sporting a pair of glasses or contacts, this made me nervous, but Karen, the Peace Corps Medical Officer, assured me my vision was fine.

What I was soon to discover when reaching home is that I was now going to see things clearer than I ever had before. That’s what happens when you spend two years in a foreign country and come home. You see things differently and notice details that have gone unnoticed for years.

Now I was going to see things clearer than I ever had before. That’s what happens when you spend two years in a foreign country and come home.

I left Uganda on April 28. There were walk-to-work demonstrations going on in Kampala that day, and I was a little bit nervous about getting from Kampala to Entebbe to catch my flight, but the Peace Corps driver got me safely there in plenty of time. My flight was from Uganda to Amsterdam, where I quickly devoured a lot of cheese during my layover, and then flew to Detroit.

In Detroit, my sister Kelly surprised me at the airport. It was my first time back in the U.S. for more than two years, and the first time I had seen anyone from my family during that same period of time. I was stunned (in a good way) that she flew from New York to meet me.

The two of us flew the last leg of the journey together and were met at the airport by my Dad, Mom and sister Lisa. As soon as I saw my mom, I started to cry. It had been a difficult week saying goodbye to the friends I had made, the work that gave me such a sense of fulfillment and the country I had grown to love, but now I was home!

What I Learned
The number one thing I’ve been asked about my experience with the Peace Corps is if I am glad I did it. The answer is a resounding YES! I learned so much from this experience. I learned how much I take for granted every single day while people on the other side of the world are so grateful for the very little bit that they have.

I was greeted with enthusiasm, acceptance and joy almost every single day while I was in Uganda, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Certainly things in Uganda were not perfect, but the things that bothered me while I was there seem so insignificant now that I am home, I can’t imagine why I let them bother me so much at the time.

I was greeted with enthusiasm, acceptance and joy almost every single day while I was in Uganda, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

I also learned a lot about the challenges that women face in other parts of the world – domestic violence, an inability to exercise their reproductive rights, unequal access to education and good jobs, and I could go on.

I learned about life for children in Uganda where many children are treated like property, or neglected, or sexually abused, or fail to receive an education, or are living in poverty, and yet they are so light hearted and full of joy. I became good friends with a little girl who was HIV+ and learned a little bit about the challenges people who are HIV+ face as well as their families and communities. I even learned a little bit about myself along the way, too.

What You Can Do
I have enjoyed sharing my story with the KWC community. The Peace Corps was a wonderful experience for me that I would recommend to any students finishing their academic career. You will learn about the world, about yourself, and develop important skills that will help you in your future careers no matter which path you chose. To learn more about serving in the Peace Corps, you can go to their website at www.peacecorps.gov or you can feel free to email me at lauraleach38@yahoo.com.

Thanks for reading!

Laura. Uganda. Kids. Perfect.

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A new director has taken over the Haven, and in the past month, most of the children who had been at the Haven for a long time have been resettled. In some cases, I felt nothing but relief and joy that the children were getting to go home. Josephine was one of those cases. Josephine had been staying at the Haven for a year, and she was so homesick. She always greeted me with big smiles and hugs except on the days that another child got to go home. On those days I knew someone had gone before everyone had arrived to the classroom just by the expression on Josephine’s face. Josephine’s parents came in for some counseling, and then they were reunited with Josephine. I wasn’t there when they took her home, but I can imagine the joy and excitement surrounding that trip home.

Regina was another girl who stayed at the Haven for a long time. There is just something special about Regina. You can ask anyone who worked with her, and they will tell you the same. She has a big heart. She was the little helper at the Haven. I remember one day I arrived wet because it started raining while I was walking there, and Regina went and made hot tea to serve to me to help warm me up. No one told her to do it…that’s just the kind of girl she is. Regina loved story time, and heaven help any of the kids who acted up or talked during the story. Regina was quick to let them know they needed to be quiet and listen.

When Regina was going to be returned home, I asked if I could go along. It was an interesting day because it turned out that almost everything I thought I knew about Regina wasn’t true. Regina was a runaway, and I thought her mother wasn’t alive and her father didn’t have the means to care for her. I didn’t get that story from her, but one of the counselors had shared it with me. The truth was that Regina has both her parents. They had been separated, but had reconciled while Regina was away. I didn’t meet either of her parents, but I did meet her grandfather who is a fisherman in Mayuge district. We ended up leaving Regina in the care of her grandfather. That was a difficult day because Regina had gotten used to the Haven and the people there, and she was not happy to go home.

I talked to her grandfather about her education, and he took me to meet the headmistress at the local primary school. I went back to visit Regina a week later to take her some things and check in on how she was doing. It was a great visit, and I hope to go back one more time before I leave and keep in touch once I’ve returned to the U.S. (a challenge since her grandfather doesn’t have a phone or immediate access to a computer, and the closest post office is about an hour away).

The difficult aspect of working with the Reginas and Josephines is that although each girl is unique, there are so many girls in Uganda that have stories exactly like Regina and Josephine of abuse, neglect, being treated like property and like they don’t matter. It is a huge problem here and in other countries around the world, and it is a problem that we all need to work together to solve.

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I started going to the Haven last June. The Haven is an emergency shelter for women and children who are experiencing domestic violence and need a safe place to stay while their case is being sorted out. While the idea was that it would mainly be used by women and their children, there ended up being a lot of children placed there on their own. These children have faced problems such as defilement, incest, physical abuse, and some are runaways.

Laura with The Haven girls during Christmas 2010.

Such cases are not easy to resolve in Uganda. According to a survey done by the Uganda Bureau of Statistic in 2005, the Ugandan police are considered the most corrupt service provider in Uganda. Part of the problem is lack of resources, and part of the problem is poor ethics and a culture where corruption is commonplace.

In some cases when a child is defiled and the case is taken to the police, the family of the perpetrator will offer a bribe to the police to make the case go away. If the child’s family can’t come up with their own money to pursue the case, then that child will never receive justice.

Another challenge is that girls are treated like a commodity here. Their value rests in how much their parents receive for bride price when they wed. If a child is defiled, her parents will often settle the situation by accepting some payment from the defiler, because the girl is now spoiled and won’t command a bride price if or when she weds.

Some of the cases prove challenging just because of geography. Right now we have a girl who is from Bwindi which is in Western Uganda, so the challenge is researching the situation and finding family who can take her in, and then getting her there. Due to these challenges and others, the children were staying at the Haven for extended periods of time, and there was no programming in place for them.

During my first visit with the children, they greeted me as a visitor and recited their alphabet chart and number chart. I quickly went from visitor to Teacher Laura, spending a couple hours with the children every morning. We read stories, color pictures, solve math problems, play games, sing songs, and generally have a good time together.

The most important thing I try to do with the kids is instill confidence in them and make them feel loved. But in truth, I feel like I receive far more from the children than I give. Every day when I arrive, they come running to greet me, grabbing my purse and bags to carry in for me. Every day when I leave, I am engulfed in hugs and well wishes. The truth is, they’ve increased MY confidence and made me feel loved by them. What a great gift.

Next time: two individual stories of girls at The Haven …

A Big Move
Although I was excited that the VSLA was doing well, I was still feeling very isolated from my organization and underutilized. In December of 2009, I went and spoke to the director of MIFUMI about how I was feeling. He agreed that the physical distance between me and the office was serving as an obstacle, and they would look for a place in Tororo town for me to stay.

I was pleased by how our talk went, but I refused to get my hopes up because at one point there had been discussions of moving me to Nagongera, and that had fallen through. Most things tend to take quite awhile to organize and execute here, so I was really surprised when I was moved into my new apartment in Tororo town before the end of the year. Everything was about to change.

Laura's home in Tororo: "The middle doorway with the gate is mine, and it is a small front room that I use for my kitchen. The back part of the room is where my bed is, and I have a bathroom with a Western style toilet, shower (cold water only) and sink."

VSLAs Expand
When I made the move to Tororo town, they switched my counterpart at MIFUMI as well. Now I was going to be working with Dinah Atim, who at the time was the head of organizational development, but soon was switched to the head of enterprise, and later was promoted to the programming officer for the organization. Dinah and I worked together to get VSLAs started within each women support group MIFUMI works with.

 When I came to MIFUMI there were only 10 advice centers, but during my first year here, they expanded their service so that there was an advice center in each sub-county. This meant there were 21 women’s groups that needed to start saving. I ended up doing most of the VSLA training because Dinah was busy working to transition the groups to community based organizations.

 Instead of my earlier fear coming true of not having enough members interested or able to save, the opposite actually occurred. By the time I got one group trained and underway, they would have the next 30 women lined up to start another group. This is a terrific problem to have because it meant the program was popular and spreading, but it also created a challenge for me because I couldn’t disengage from one center and move on to the next.

 So far I have made it to 14 sub-counties and am working with 37 VSLAs. One of the highlights of my service was when that first group in Nagongera completed their first savings cycle last September. I got a gomesi – the traditional dress worn by women of Uganda – made for the occasion. The women laughed and clapped when I arrived and stepped out of the vehicle in my gomesi. It was a fun day with a lot of laughter, hugs and a few tears of joy as well.

A Ugandan woman named Betty hugs Laura during the ceremony marking the successful conclusion of the first savings cycle of the Nagongera VSLA.

As I sat there and watched each woman receive her savings, I thought back to that first meeting I had in Nagongera and how overwhelmed I had felt that day by the weight of the women’s problems. I’m sure many of those problems still exist, but they weren’t there that day. I am so proud of the women of Nagongera mostly because their accomplishment was their own. They were not given the toolkit – they bought it. They were not given any money – all of the money saved and used for loans was their own. They just needed me to give them a little guidance, and I needed them to find my sense of purpose here in Uganda. In the end, we all walked away a little richer from the experience.
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