February 2010 Distribution Day

February 22nd, 2010

 

On February 19th, 2010 at 9:30 AM, I returned to El Talon since my first distribution on July 18th, 2009.  Everyone knew that I was going that day because I contacted the community leader, Dolores, the day before.  I let her know only one day in advance due to security reasons.  When I went to El Talon, the kiosk where I did my first distribution was already packed with chairs and a long table that Dolores let me borrow.  My family and I began to prepare the kiosk with all the donations, which were taken by family members in their large van.  The Colombian National Police in Turbaco had been in El Talon since 8 AM waiting for my arrival.  They had dividers to block the road just for my distribution, and many officers were there to avoid any issues.  Everyone in El Talon remembered me and they were all very happy when they saw me; it felt great to know that so many people were happy to see me because they knew I was going to help them.  I was speaking to many people that I originally interviewed in December 2008, and they all couldn't believe how faithful I was with them and my promise, which was to return to El Talon with help.  I took out my large Colombian flag, and set it on top of the table, to express how proud I am to be of Colombian descent.  I wanted to put an American flag, but unfortunately, I left it here in Orlando.

The event was now scheduled to begin at 11 AM, since Miss Colombia was running late.  However, by 10:30 AM, I had a Gaita group (folkoric music of the caribbean coast of Colombia) already playing so the people of El Talon could have music while we waited for Miss Colombia.  At 10:45 AM, we began with the speeches; I officially spoke first, followed by my cousin and contributor, Teofilo Del Rio, the commander of the Colombian Civil Defense, and Dolores.  During this whole process, the Civil Defense gave free haircuts to the children of El Talon, they took people's blood pressure, and healed small injuries. 

At 11 AM, I was informed that Miss Colombia would arrive in a short amount of time, and I informed the police and the Civil Defense.  It was very cool because the Civil Defense lined up for their arrival.  When they arrived, the chaperone, Gilma, wanted me to receive them as soon as they got out of their vehicle.  Their vehicle was surrounded by police officers, since they are important personalities in Colombia.  The first to get out was Leydi Viviana Gomez, first runner up in the Miss Colombia pagaent and representative of Colombia in the Miss International pagaent; she was very kind to me when she presented herself and not to mention beautiful.  After her came Natalia Navarro Galvis, Miss Colombia 2010; she will represent Colombia in the next Miss Universe pagaent.  When she got out of the vehicle, she gave me a huge hug and seemed very happy to once again be in my event.  As soon as she hugged me, she showed me the bracelet I had bought her for all her support!  Natalia was extremely humble, and she was just as nice as the first distribution when she was Miss Bolivar 2009.  After I greeted them, she introduced me to Father Rafael Castillo, a priest who helps the needy in Carmen de Bolivar (Bolivar, Colombia); he was with them because after my distribution, they would go to Carmen de Bolivar for another social cause with the priest.  We then walked to the kiosk through the lined up Civil Defense members while the Gaita played to celebrate their arrival.  The crowd was very excited to see them; they surrounded the beauty queens to get their autographs, and they gladly gave them all the autographs people asked them for.  There was even a lady that wouldn't stop hugging Miss Colombia, and at that moment I knew that I had to get them out of the crowd as soon as possible. 

They went into the kiosk, and both gave very good speeches supporting my campaign.  I noticed how Natalia turned around and showed Viviana all the donations that I took: "Look at everything he brought...unbelieveable..." said Natalia to Viviana.  Both were asking me about my campaign, and were happy to see it growing.  We then took pictures, listened to the live Gaita, and they began to leave.  There were many photographers, especially from the press. 

As soon as they left, we began to prepare for the actual distribution of donations.  Similar to my first distribution, every bag had the name of a representative of one whole family.  That person was called, had to sign their name for my records, and show me their ID (cedula).  After an hour or so, not one family in El Talon was left without a donation, and that meant that my mission had been completed.  We then began to clean up the kiosk, and when I write we, I mean my family, the Civil Defense, and the Colombian National Police. 

We all went back to my family's home in Turbaco where I had cousins cooking rice and chicken (arroz con pollo) for every police officer, family member, and Civil Defense member that helped me with my campaign.  The police officers were very happy to be able to help me out with my cause, and they stayed for almost an hour simply talking with my family and I.  They have a small radio station which gets coverage throughout Turbaco, Arjona, Turbana, and other municipalities in the area, and they wanted to interview me.  At around 6 PM, I went to the police station and participated in their rush hour show, and they even wanted me to speak English on air. 

After my interview, I was informed that RCN had aired an interview nationwide; they interviewed me two days before my distribution.  That same night, I was also informed that an article would be published on El Universal, Cartagena's largest and most important newspaper.  The following day, I had to go to Cartagena at 9 AM.  I was already on the street, when my cousin called me back and told me, "Supposedly, Raimundo Angulo is on the line...but I think it's your dad trying to mess with you...", and I went back and took the call, thinking it was my dad trying to pull a prank on me.  When I took the call, I was about to say something along the lines of, "Stop messing with me, I'm in a rush...", but as soon as I heard his voice, I knew it was Raimundo Angulo, President of the Miss Colombia Organization (Concurso Nacional de Belleza).  He called from Bogota to congradulate me for my successful distribution, and to let me know that the beauty queens were very satisfied with their visit to El Talon.  He also informed me that he would continue to support my campaign due to my honesty with him, and everyone in his organization.  Finally, he told me that he was very proud of the fact that I made headlines on El Universal.  Of course, I was very happy with his call, and relieved that I didn't say anything to him thinking it was my dad.  After I hung up, I went to Cartagena's walled city, and bought eight copies of El Universal, and I noticed why Raimundo Angulo had called me earlier that morning.  I made the third page of their Saturday edition, and it was almost a full page.  As soon as you opened the newspaper, the first thing you saw was pictures of my event...I had no idea that my event would have so much coverage. 

After having lunch with my cousin in Zeno's Pizza in Boca Grande, I went back to Turbaco.  When I got there, everyone was congradulating me for my campaign, and I can honestly say that most people know me in Turbaco because of my social work.  I had a party that night to celebrate my campaign's success, and I hired a Vallenato group; they even dedicated songs to my social work.  The reason why I am writing all this, which is somewhat personal, is because these are all examples that show why I am so proud of being of Colombian descent; everyone showed me their appreciation for my work, and that to me was my prize for all my work in Colombia.  Many people ask me, "You have two jobs, go to school full time, and are always working on your campaign...is it even worth it?", and my response is always YES.  I admit that all my work is very tiring, but it is all worth it at the end.  The next day (Sunday, February 21st, 2010), I had to return to my native country.  I left with a sense of satisfaction, and I couldn't help feel proud of my work.  My cousin asked me on the way to the airport, "Are you leaving satisfied?", and I responded, "Of course I am; I helped a whole town, I took two national personalities to a needy community, I was featured on El Universal, one of my interviews was aired nationwide, I have the satisfaction of knowing that my family really cares about my cause, and I have many supporters...how can I not leave satisfied?"  Colombia has opened its doors for me, and I am proud of that.  I can honestly say that this month's distribution was excellent, and I cannot wait to return over the summer for another distribution. 

Thanks to the following for all their support:

• My whole family in Turbaco, Bolivar (Colombia).
• My parents, Hugo and Lourdes, and my sister, Carrie.
• Timber Creek High School students and staff.
• Valencia Community College students and staff that donated.
• The central Florida community that donated all the clothes, toys, and shoes to everyone in El Talon.
• The central Florida media that allowed the central Florida community to get informed about my project.
• The Miss Colombia Organization (Concurso Nacional de Belleza), especially the President of the organization, Raimundo Angulo Pizarro.
• Miss Colombia, Natalia Navarro Galvis:  this beauty queen has been so kind and involved with my campaign, I have a lot of appreciation for her.
• First runner up in the Miss Colombia pagaent, Leydi Viviana Gomez.
• Samuel Alvarez from El Universal.
• The staff of RCN in Cartagena.
• The whole Colombian National Police in Turbaco, Bolivar (Colombia).
• The Colombian Civil Defense of Turbaco.
• Tampa Cargo in Miami, Florida and Barranquilla, Colombia.
• U-Haul in Orlando, Florida.
• Castle Creek Elementary School in Orlando, Florida.
• Nancy at the Customs and Border Protection office at the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla, Colombia.
• Everyone in Turbaco, Bolivar that helped me with my campaign.
• Finally and most importantly, the people of El Talon that allowed me to go to their community.

"Que viva Colombia..."

Preparation for Distribution Day

February 18th, 2010

After all the donations from central Florida were picked up in Barranquilla on February 15th, 2010, they were taken to my family's home in Turbaco, Bolivar where I began to prepare all the donations for the distribution.  Every night, for the week that I was in Colombia prior to my distribution (February 13-18), I was organizing the donations for the people of El Talon with the help of all my family.  My family stayed up with me for many hours just to help me with my donations.  We organized them by using the July 2009 census that I had from July 2009.  Every family recorded in the census had every family member's size of shoes, shirts, and pants...as well as their ages and gender.  The bags that the donations were put in were black for a specific reason: we did not want anybody in El Talon seeing through the bag to avoid conflicts.  We packed clothes for over 600 residents, and as mentioned, it took four nights to pack them all.


During the day


When I wasn't packing donations with my family, I was planning and organizing my distribution event.  During the day, I spent most of my time in Cartagena; I had to get my Beyond the Wall distribution day poster custom made, I was interviewed by El Universal and RCN News, and many more preparation errands.  As of Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 4 PM, my distribution was scheduled to be on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 10 AM.  In fact, Miss Colombia 2010, Natalia Navarro Galvis, had made a video for me supporting my distribution and apologizing for not being able to go that day due to her busy schedule.  However, that quickly changed when I had to go to the Miss Colombia Organization headquarters (Concurso Nacional de Belleza), and I met up with the President of the organization, Raimundo Angulo Pizarro.  He confirmed that Miss Colombia and the first runner up, Leydi Viviana Gomez, would be able to attend my event, but on Friday, February 19th, 2010.  This immediately changed all of my plans, since I had one day less to prepare for my event.  Of course, I accepeted the fact that the beauty queens would be able to participate in my event, and I began to prepare for the distribution at a faster pace.  Every evening in Turbaco, before I began organizing the donations, I was organizing security with the Colombian National Police in Turbaco.  At the police station, most of the officers knew me, so they were all very cool.  I also had to organize everything with the Colombian Civil Defense, who are located near the police station.  When I entered the Civil Defense headquarters in Turbaco, they had pictures at the entrance of my last event in July 2009.  They all greeted me with an applause and with much respect.  After many hectic days, I was finally ready for my distribution by Thursday night (February 18th, 2010).

Schedule change

February 17th, 2010

The distribution in El Talon that was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, February 20th, will now be held on Friday, February 19th at 10:30 AM in El Talon (Turbaco, Bolivar- Colombia).  The change of plans is due to the fact that Miss Colombia, Natalia Navarro Galvis, will be able to participate only on that date, as well as other presenters.

A day in Barranquilla

February 15th, 2010

On Monday, February 15th, 2010, the donations for El Talon were picked up by some of my cousins and myself in Barranquilla, Colombia.  There was absolutely no issue, unlike last year (I had to pay many unnecessary fees!).  The city was in the middle of their Carnaval de Barranquilla, declared by UNESCO as a "masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity," and everyone seemed to be in a good mood, since everyone helped me out.

I departed Cartagena on a bus at 6 AM and arrived Barranquilla at 8 AM with two cousins.  At the bus terminal, we met up with another cousin, and we all went to the Barranquilla cargo terminal at the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport.  At the Tampa Cargo office, we filled out the necessary paper work, had a customs agent inspect the donations, and that was it!  We later hired a small cargo truck to take us to the terminal, but in order to save some money, we were advised to catch the bus at a bridge where busses heading to Cartagena had to pass by.  However, there was no room for all of us inside the truck, so my cousin and I were forced to stand up in the back of the truck with the donations.  When we got there, we had to carry all the boxes into a bus in the middle of the street with temperatures at around 90°.  The bus operator only charged me $40 USD to take all the donations with me.  When we got on the bus, I was expecting air conditioning, like most busses that travel between cities in Colombia have, but this one didn't.

About 15 minutes after leaving Barranquilla, a bus operator assistant began charging passengers for the ride, and she tried to rip off a couple of passengers.  The passengers began arguing with the assistant, and everyone started yelling and giving their opinions.  With the good attitude that identifies Colombians, eventually everyone started laughing and making jokes about the situation.  An hour later, we made a stop, and we had arepa de huevo.  When we made it back to Cartagena safely, we had to carry all the boxes off the bus and wait an hour for a cousin with a large vehicle to pick us up.  After an entertaining yet very tiring day, we eventually made it back safely with all of the donations.

2010 Service Learning Conference

February 14, 2010

On February 13, 2010, I was invited to participate in the 2010 Service Learning Conference at Timber Creek High School, as mentioned in an earlier post.  My workshop was a success!  It began at 8:30 AM and ended and 10 AM.  Unfortunately, I was unable to participate in any other activity after my workshop because I was scheduled to fly to Colombia at 2:30 PM that same day.  I want to thank Mrs. Doromal for her invitation and congradulate her for her successful annual conference. 

Donations on their way to Barranquilla

February 12, 2010

On Thursday, February 11th, I picked up a U-Haul truck I booked in order to transport all of my donations to the Tampa Cargo heardquarters in Miami, FL.  The next day, I departed to Miami with my donations at 4 AM, prepared for a four hour trip.  I successfully delivered the donations, and they were ready to be flown to Barranquilla the next day.  I delivered the U-Haul truck in Miami, and I was supposed to go back to Orlando in a van that transports people between the two cities.  My designated pick-up time was at 11:30 AM from the Miami International Airport, but the van never got there. 

As I waited for another van to take me to Orlando, I had lunch and watched a Carnaval de Barranquilla presentation at the Avianca Airlines ticket counter.  After leaving Miami at 2:30 PM and passed through traffic and rain the whole way, I got back to Orlando at 7:45 PM. 

2010 Service Learning Conference

February 8th, 2010

On February 13th, 2010, the 2010 Service Learning Conference will take place in Timber Creek High School in Orlando.  The conference includes workshops that mostly high school students and service learning followers present.  At the conference last year, I presented the Beyond the Wall Campaign for the first time; it was at that conference that Beyond the Wall was officially presented to the public.  This year, Wendy Doromal, the conference director and my Service Learning Council teacher during high school, has invited me to present a workshop about the Beyond the Wall Campaign.  I will speak about the campaign's beginnings, how it is ran, and what projects are coming in the near future.  My workshop is scheduled to begin at 8:30 AM and it should end at around 10 AM. 

Timber Creek High School is located on 1001 South Avalon Park Blvd, Orlando, FL 32828-7764.  For more information, please visit the Service Learning Council website:
http://www.servicelearningacademy.blogspot.com/.

I will not be able to participate the whole day since I will travel to Colombia that afternoon.

Donations ready for Colombia

February 8th, 2010


After a period of delays, the Beyond the Wall Campaign continues its final steps for a successful distribution in Colombia.  The donations were originally planned to be sent to Colombia on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010.  However, due to many inconveniences, I had to postpone the shipping for Friday, February 12th.  The donations will be sent via Tampa Cargo, the company that sent my donations in July 2009.  I will take the donations on a U-Haul truck to Miami on the morning of the shipping.  They will arrive Barranquilla, and I will personally pick them up.  I am scheduled to travel to Colombia on February 13th in the afternoon, after the Service Learning Conference.  The video above shows all the donations being sent to Colombia before they were packed, and the video below shows all the donations packed and ready to go. 


Stay tuned for more information this week!

Beyond the Wall prepares for distribution in Colombia

February 1, 2010

The Beyond the Wall Campaign once again prepares for a distribution in El Talon, Turbaco, Bolivar (Colombia). On January 31st, 25 boxes began getting filled with donations; over 4,000 clothing items will be sent to Colombia. This preparation is due to the distribution that was postponed in December. All the items
will be shipped on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010. The distribution is scheduled to take place in El Talon on Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 9 AM (Colombian time).