Im in Cambodia!!!

CRAZY!!!! Still cant believe I am here. It is 9:30 on a Saturday. Officially 11 hours ahead of NYC time. I have been here for 5 days now and its been amazing. I pay roughly $3 for a meal and $7 for western meal. My roommates and I take a tuk tuk to commute which runs us a $1 each. The main mode of tranportation here is a moto. The street here are full of them. Its is pretty scary to walk down the street or even cross them. Its so funny we have to wait for an opening and pretty much rush to make our way across...I know it sounds pretty dangerous but the people here dont seem to mind. Everone wears long sleeves or long pants even when it is boiling hot outside...Me, I have been sweating my a** off!!..lol. Its hot and humid with patches on rain since we arrived. We went to tour tiny toones this week and got to see where I would be working for the next 2 months. Its a dope atmosphere but the condidtion of the space has me weary..but I'll have to make do. We also went to a performance by Tiny toones. They had some bboys from Paris who helped run the show. It was a really good show and cant wait to meet them all on Monday. We were lucky to catch the show because they only do 1-2 shows like this a year. I will be posting some of the videos today. This weekend I hope to go sight seeing and make plans for the next couple of weekends. I love skype..I payed $7 to make unlimited phone calls to the US and get to text from my yahoo account. Gotta love technology!! It helps me from getting too home sick. Cant wait to start work and share all my crazy experiences. Peace

Almost There!!

Well, the LIVE TO EXIST EVENT was a success!! I raised $840 and had an amazing time!! I have raised about $2700 and with my $1000 grant from the One World Foundation I have officially raised enough to cover my participation fee...:-) Anything I collect now will be for living expenses in Cambodia. I am leaving in a week and everyday I get a little more anxious to leave. I am really looking forward to this experience. Thank you everyone for all ur support and love!!!!

Hope every one can come out and support my last opportunity to raise funds and hang out with all my people before I leave. See you then!!

Its On!!!

I finally got a venue for my fundraising event!! I love it!! It has a great vibe, its great for performances and to party!! Now I have to confirm the artists/performers. Its my only event to raise money and one of the only nights I have left to party with all my friends and supporters before I leave. I am so excited and just look forward to hanging with everyone who made this trip possible. Much love to everyone and save the date, its going down on Thursday, May 6th from 8-12pm at Ooba Lounge in Williamsburg on 617 Grand Street (between Lorimer St & Leonard St). Thanks again for all your help & support!!

On the hunt

Well I have been trying to look for a venue to have a fundraising event in that will not charge me for the space. This is not as easy as I thought it would be. No time to personally walk around and go into the many new hipster lounges in Williamsburg and cannot afford to rent a space out. Slowly losing faith of this event happening. Got to stay strong and keep the faith and pray something will come up. Struggling with all the projects I have to finish and accomplish before I leave, school..(yikes), summer program prep, Breaking event May 22, and making time to hang with friends and family. The donations are slowing down so I am a bit worried..but try not to let get me down. Thats why I love tax returns, my back up plan and hopefully my last resort..:-)

My Fundraising Letter

Hello to all my friends, family and colleagues,

I hope you are all in good health and spirits and that the New Year is treating you well. I have wonderful news to share with you. I recently applied to The One World Foundation of New York and I have been selected to participate in their Summer Program. I will be spending 8 weeks during the summer in Cambodia as a Youth Leader from June 1st - August 1st!!!!

The One World Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission to empower young people from minority and indigenous backgrounds with an opportunity to gain training and fieldwork experience in international human rights and development. . One World Foundation seeks to equip younger generations with the tools necessary to affect social change on both domestic and international levels. The 8 week program is divided into two phases: a one-week Leadership Training on Human Rights and Development, and a seven-week internship with.a local or national non-governmental organization. You can view their site at http://theoneworldfoundation.org.

I am fortunate enough to be working with a group called Tiny Toones. Tiny Toones uses breakdancing, Hip-Hop music, and the contemporary arts as creative tools to empower the youth of Cambodia to live healthier lives free of HIV and drugs, build a more promising future by furthering their educational opportunities, and become positive role models for their community. You can also view their site at http://tinytoones.org.

Gaining all this great experience comes at a price but the outcomes will be worth every penny. I have to pay a program fee of $3,500. This covers my round-trip transportation from Washington, DC to the host country, housing, medical evacuation insurance, training sessions, and a food and bottled water stipend. I am humbling myself in asking anyone who can afford to donate funds to contribute to my efforts in becoming an international, well rounded and experienced leader. If everyone can donate at least $40 I am sure I can raise this amount in no time. I will be thankful for any amount donated, great or small. I hope to learn from this experience and bring back as much as I can to improve the lives of our youth here in NYC and Cambodia. Anyone interested in donating please email me at rpiedra@elpuente.us so that I can give you more details about my trip plans and where to send the funds.

Because of my dedication, passion and intensive background in human rights and youth development due to my work with El Puente, I believe influenced The One World’s decision in selecting me out of the overwhelming applicants who applied. I have been working in my community for over 12 years and with youth for 7. Starting as a young person to now a woman I look back and smile at all that I’ve accomplished thus far and all the obstacles I’ve had to jump through to get here. I look forward to my journey ahead and this trip is just the beginning. With that said I want to thank everyone who has ever supported me and my efforts to grow. I want to especially thank my husband Richard Scott who is supporting me 100%. Thank you all so much and God Bless.

Thank you,

Rosa Scott

My First Blog

Wow, alot has happened since I got the acceptance email to go to Cambodia. I recieved a $1000 grant from the One Wold Foundation and fundraised $1000 so far. $1500 to go!!

Here is how this trip came to be. I recently began asking myself "Am I working towards my goals and dreams" and my answer was yes, but I could be doing alot more. I recieved an email from a co-worker about The One World Foundation and their summer program. After I checked out their website and read more about the program I knew it would be a great opportunity. I submitted my application with the hopes that I would be considered. The following week I participated in my first conference call with the program founders and organizer. I was so nervous that my husband held up a sign to remind me not to use ummm in my conversation..lol. Thanks Babe!! I had to wait two weeks before I got a response and remember telling Richard that I didn't think I would be picked and him saying "yeah right". When I told my mother I applied she cried out of fear for my safety. I told her to relax because I hadn't got picked yet but she said "you get picked for everything" and shortly after that I got the good news. I stared at the email for what seemed like forever and it slowly hit me that this was really happening. To be honest the first couple of days were filled with mixed emotions. I was excited, sad, anxious, nervous and scared all at the same time. After having many encouraging conversations with my husband, a lot of praying and finally recieving my trip packet about the details of my trip did I feel more at ease. Now I can't wait to go on my trip and wonder about all the new experiences I'll encounter. I also look forward to sharing my getting ready for Cambodia adventures and keeping you all posted. Right now I am planning a fundraising event and will let you know how thats going in my next posting. Peace and Gob Bless