Final thoughts on service experience

The video below explains what I learned from my service experience.

Final Thoughts

Sadly, my time working with the Carnegie Center has come to an end. It was a great semester working some really interesting events there. To conclude my Service Learning experience, I have given some of my final thoughts in the video below.

Ted Talk Analysis

     Tim Doner is a polyglot, which is a person who knows and uses several languages. His TED talk happened about two years ago. Two years prior, the New York Times published an article about his talent of language learning, called Adventures of a Teenage Polyglot. He begins by explaining how the media twisted his story, making it essentially a sensational about a neat trick he could do, on a level with "a skate boarding bulldog in a baby suit." 

     Next Doner explains his real interest in language. He claims that, contrary to the popular opinion among linguists, language is very strongly tied to worldview, and thus to culture. He wants to learn about other cultures and world views, and that is one of his major reasons for learning languages. 

     Doner was immersed in language diversity from a very young age, being a child voice actor. His family and friends found that he had a knack for accents and inflections. Next, throughout middle school and high school, he studied Latin, French, and Arabic. But he was having trouble with them. After several years of a language, he was still not comfortable conversing in it. This made language learning frustrating. Essentially, he had only thought of language as lists of rules and grammar. 

     So, he tried a different method. In an effort to learn about the crises in the middle east, he began learning Hebrew. Instead of the usual method, he began watching television in Hebrew. Within a short amount of time, he could converse in Hebrew. This is often called an immersion method, which focuses on learning in the context of conversation. So, his success led him to try another language, and then another, and then another. 

     Another method he used to help him learn used Youtube. He posted videos of him speaking in various languages, and invited comments. Many who already spoke those languages would give him tips and encouragement. Essentially, he found a way to converse with people in languages which he could not usually. 

     Next he went over various methods for keeping vocabulary straight, and basically the logistics of learning languages. As a student of Latin and Greek, this was helpful for me! I really appreciated his tips, but I and the audience were more effected by his main point. He explained that languages are dying. He claimed that every two weeks a language dies, and with it, a culture. This is very sad to any linguist. And he calls the audience, not to fix the dying, but to learn languages as a way to open and expand your worldview. Learning about other cultures makes us good citizens and friends, but it also improves our understanding of the world and ideas around us. 

Doner giving his TED talk. A year ago, he knew twenty languages!

     Moving on! Doner's execution of the speech was excellent. He tastefully included humor, and his audience clearly enjoyed it. He also included an excellent call to action, appealing to the emotions and reason of his audience. The only area I can see for improvement would be that he could benefit from seeming a little more humble. Despite the fact that he has reason to be very proud, humility of speech appeals to audiences more.

     As a lover of languages and of learning about culture, I strongly appreciated this TED talk, and encourage anyone to watch it!

Video blog reflection

I am now a little over halfway through this service learning course, and I have to say it is going a lot better than my previous experience with service learning, but there are also some things about it that i'm not so fond of, as I explain in my video reflection. I think that if I had voluntarily chosen to do work with the Carnegie Center, and wasn't trying to squeeze in volunteer hours around my classes and psychology research, that I would have had a much better experience. The experience that I have had so far has been very limited, as I have only attended one event, but it is very evident to me that the Carnegie Center is a great place for children to go if they need help outside of school. They have a passion for helping children and a love for literature that I have never seen before. Unfortunately, I am not able to attend the event they will be hosting this saturday, but if you are viewing this blog out of curiosity and want to see what great work the carnegie center does, I HIGHLY recommend that you check out this event; It should be fantastic, and carnegie classics are only hosted once a year.

Artistic representation of the classic novel "Fear and loathing".

The image above should give you a sense of the aura created by the book, which should be present this saturday at the carnegie center as well. I will be helping turn the inside of the carnegie center into what looks somewhat like the setting of the book. I believe that those who decide to attend this saturday are in for a treat.

Video Reflection

Having worked one event thus far, my experience with the Carnegie Center is far from complete. However, we are also pretty far removed from our orientation and initial event, and this time has given me ample opportunity to reflect on my experience as a whole and prepare for my upcoming experiences with the Carnegie Center. In this video, I share some of my thoughts and opinions on the service learning project and the Carnegie Center specifically.

 Their annual book-themed party is occurring this weekend and preparations will be hectic. .

The novel for this year's event at the Carnegie Center is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter Thompson. The 70's settings in the novel should make for an interesting and exciting event Saturday night.

This event has been a huge success in years past and I am excited to help continue its success over the next few days. 

Midterm reflection

Although I have only had the opportunity to be a part of one event hosted by the Carnegie Center, it is already evident to me what a large impact the organization has on the Lexington community. Upon entering a service learning class, it is clearly explained to each student how important it is to be involved in the various events that happen on and around campus for the good of the community. At that point in time I knew that my actions in the class would end up being beneficial for others in some way, because that is generally what comes to mind when people think of charity or volunteer work. After having spent a few hours at the Carnegie Center helping children do crafts in honor of national peace day, I now understand that doing volunteer work is not only good for others; it is good for me as well. When looking to learn from an experience, you have to take all the details into consideration. Keeping this in mind, I carefully payed attention to the children as they worked on their peace day projects. I noticed how they shared things, and helped each other by providing useful feedback and ideas that could be used to improve their creations. The children were unknowingly demonstrating the meaning of peace and harmony right in front of me. What was meant to be a lesson for the children had also become a lesson to me.

                                                          Children working together and with parents on crafts
 I can definitely say that this was an eye opening experience, and I can't wait to see what other fun events the Carnegie Center has in store for the remainder of the semester.

Midterm Reflection

A service-learning class is something I have never participated in before and I was extremely excited to choose my site and begin volunteering as the course began; however, I have unfortunately not been able to volunteer yet and it is already half-way through the semester. Looking through the list of possible sites, I was immediately drawn towards the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. I have always enjoyed working with children and have spent the past five summers tutoring a young girl so I knew a site that dealt with education and young children was perfect for me. I was ecstatic when I discovered I was given my first choice and could not wait for my first visit. It was difficult to find a day our whole group could go together because of our conflicting schedules. We eventually found a day four of us could go, but unfortunately, it was the four members of the group without cars. After a long debate of whether we should walk or attempt to figure out the bus system, we decided to try the bus. We managed to miss our first bus and ended up having to walk half-way across campus to get to another bus stop. We waited at least forty minutes in the blazing heat for a bus with no idea if it would actually show up or not.

                                          Waiting for the bus to take us to the Carnegie Center.

The bus eventually pulled up and we all climbed on, eager to escape the heat and finally make it to the Carnegie Center. However, we were greeted with glares and rude comments from the bus passengers. None of us were expecting to get harassed on public transportation that day so we hopped off on the nearest stop and walked the rest of the way. Once we finally made it to the Carnegie Center, we met with Erica, the volunteer coordinator and she explained our roles for the semester. The organization did not really need volunteers until late October and November because that is when they host their main charity event. They expressed how important it was that we were available to volunteer for many hours during those few weeks because there is lots of preparation that goes into this event. After discussing our volunteering roles, Erica gave us a tour of the Carnegie Center. It was very interesting getting to see first-hand how their organization helps children and adults in the community. 

Although we had a difficult time getting there, we were all impressed with the Carnegie Center and were excited to start volunteering. I am very excited to finally get the chance to actually help with the Carnegie Center during the next week by assisting with their charity event. I look forward to finally getting the chance to having a first-hand effect on this wonderful organization. 

My Midterm Service Learning Reflection

My experience thus far at the Carnegie Center has been extremely positive. I have only worked one event so far, but I have been impressed by the sense of community that I feel around this place. Building a true sense of community anywhere can be difficult, but especially so in a place where so many people are strangers to one another. The staff has done an excellent job creating an environment in which strangers can come together, connect and learn from another. They take pride in building a strong community, and their joy is infectious. I also felt a sense of pride and joy knowing that I had been able to contribute to the sense of community that the Carnegie Center creates.

This is the aftermath of a dinner preceded by an event meant to promote peace and community and is an example of one of the many ways in which the Carnegie Center brings people together.

I was unsure of what to expect going into the service learning experience. When I was told that part of what we would be doing may involve transporting books and helping set up for events, I was worried that I would not be able to take much away from the experience. However, after being given the opportunity to interact with the people that come to the Carnegie Center, I have been very pleased with the experience. It was incredible to watch children illustrate through bracelets and art activities their understanding of peace. Their illustrations of peace have served as a reminder to me that peace often comes down to simply respecting who other people are. The children did not care about the ethnicity or background of the people they interacted with and their ability to interact without any sort of prejudice inspired me to reflect upon myself and try to rid myself of any prejudices that I hold. 

These children interacting so freely with one another is a great example of what peace truly is and helped me reflect on how I can follow their examples in my daily life.

Going forward, I intend to use the lessons about peace and community that I have learned through my interaction with these people in my own life. I am excited to go back and help with their upcoming events and hopefully gain more invaluable experiences working in such a genuinely heartwarming environment.

International Eating and Reading Night: Midterm Reflection

    Last week, I attended the International Eating and Reading Night at the Carnegie Center. I volunteered as an event assistant, greeted guests, and helped with cleanup afterwards. Even though I have communicated with Erica, the program consultant at the Center, I had never gotten to visit the building before. It is a beautiful building, and very old. Its high ceiling and chandeliers are particularly elegant. I enjoyed just walking around in the century old building. Below is a picture of the meeting room.

The Carnegie Center holds an International Eating and Reading Night every year, inviting special readers as well as leaving the floor open for any guest to speak.

       I found out that until 1989, the building which now houses the Carnegie Center was actually the Lexington Public Library. According to, the plaque in front of the building, it was "the first Library west of the Alleghenies".  Below is a shot of the sign taken by photographer Vladimir Kopolovich. 

Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist and famous philanthropist, donating millions of dollars toward many charities and programs throughout his career. 

       I love the building, but the Eating and Reading part of the night was intriguing too. The thirty or more guests each brought various dishes from their homelands. There was everything from Turkish Delight to West African dishes. There were plenty of delicious dishes, and eating together is the perfect place to make new friends. 

     After the meal, various speakers read poetry and some prose in their various languages. Between German, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, and many other languages, no one understood the meaning of all the readings. But the sounds were beautiful. The intricacy and grace of language constantly amazes me. What a great way to educate one another! I am excited to serve at many more of such events. 

Saving Culture- Initial Reflections

     We live in a culture filled with zombies. We wonder around with our eyes glued on our phone screens and our minds driven about by every advertisement and flashing light. This aimlessness dulls our minds and our hearts. The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning fights this ever increasing trend in our culture. According to its mission statement, the center's main objective is essentially to help people learn about the literary arts and imaginative learning so that they can voice their own thoughts. I believe that this kind of learning is absolutely key in fighting the epidemic our culture is facing. 
     Their programs, centered around writing and literature, include classes in creative, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry writing as well as several language classes. For example, starting on the 30th of this month,  Renia Belmadani, a professor who believes strongly in the power of education, will be holding an Arabic class through the Carnegie Center. 
     There are also writing contests fairly regularly at the Carnegie Center. Below is a picture taken during the Gabehart Prize winner's reading. 

This photo was taken from the Instagram account of a volunteer at the Carnegie Center. 

     I have not yet gone to the center, but I am looking forward to working with such a unique and powerful program. You can learn more about this center through their Facebook, Twitter, and of course their website. 

First impression of the Carnegie Center

                The service organization that I am going to be dedicating my time to this semester is the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. I have not yet been able to visit the Carnegie Center, but I look forward to attending my orientation on Thursday, September 17. From what I have gathered online, my volunteer work will consist mainly of organizing bookshelves, helping with crafts, and assisting with an event that will be held at the Carnegie center on November 7^th called “Carnegie Classics: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” inspired by the classic novel written by Hunter S. Thompson in 1971. The event features a band called “The Other Brothers” who will be playing psychedelic rock from the 70’s, a drag show, and other activities inspired by the novel.

The goal of the Carnegie center is to help people grow and expand their knowledge of culture and literacy as well as express themselves through art.  They offer lessons in foreign languages, tutoring, and have numerous groups for writers, book lovers, poetry enthusiasts, artists, and much more. 

 I look forward to my volunteer work at the Carnegie Center because I think it will be a great opportunity to reach out to the Lexington community and get to know some people outside the university. I also think that it is a great way to learn skills that I can use later in my college career that I may not have the ability to learn in a classroom setting.