Spread Some Love With Chocolate Truffles

These divine truffles are not exactly the most easy thing to make but they are worth every little stain on the kitchen counter and your clothes! These scrumptious Truffles are the perfect Winter-Time Guilty Pleasure and also great for sharing with friends/family or giving as gifts on the 'special' days!

Once you get a hang of the basic melting, cooling, shaping and coating procedures, the sky's the limit in terms of variations in the basic Ganache mixture as well as the toppings/garnishes that can be used to coat the truffles!

So get a sturdy spatula, lots of patience and you shall be rewarded immensely! 

Chocolate Truffles Recipe For Beginners (Makes about 30 Small Truffles)

INGREDIENTS: 

For Ganache:

Dark/Semi Sweet Chocolate (chopped) - 300 gm (Can NOT use Milk Chocolate/Must use Cooking Chocolate) 
Double Cream/Tetra Pak Cream - 200 ml
Unsalted Butter at room temperature (sliced) - 75 gm 
Sugar (if using dark chocolate) - 2 tsp
Optional but (definitely) recommended:
Nutella/Peanut Butter/Hazelnut Spread - 5 to 6 tablespoons 

For Coating: 
Dark/Semi Sweet Chocolate (chopped) - 150 gm
Unsalted Butter - 50 gm
Vanilla Essence - 2 drops 

For Garnish/Toppings: (As Needed)
Chopped+Roasted Peanuts or
Chopped+Roasted Almonds or 
Cocoa Powder or
Desiccated+Roasted Coconut or
Sprinkles or 
Shredded Dark/Semi Sweet Chocolate 

METHOD:

First of all, spread old newspapers on the kitchen surface so that you wouldn't have to clean all the mess that will be made during the cooking process. Once you make the truffles, simply roll up the newspapers and discard them. 
I would also suggest using a spatula during each stage of the recipe as it helps minimize wastage and wipes every bowl clean easily! Now let's get on with the method:

A. For Ganache and Toppings:

1. Chop the chocolate as fine as possible so that it melts easily. Put it a microwave/freeze safe bowl (any glass or good plastic bowl). Add the sugar if using dark chocolate. Also add the sliced butter to the bowl. 
2. Pour the cream in a pan (preferably nonstick) and heat on a slow flame till the cream starts bubbling. 
3. Use a spatula to gradually transfer the boiling cream to the bowl with the chopped chocolate. butter and sugar.
4. Keep stirring the mixture with the spatula to ensure melting of the chocolate and butter. A shiny mixture should be formed. Add and mix in the Nutella/Peanut Butter/Hazelnut Spend if using. 
5. If all the chocolate/butter is not melted, microwave the mixture for 30-40 seconds. Continue to stir with spatula until everything is mixed well with no lumps. 
6. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Now cover with Cling Wrap and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. This is your ganache. 
7. In the meantime, prepare the toppings. Chop any nuts finely and roasted them in an oven using a baking sheet or on a hot, dry pan for a few minutes till they are fragrant and golden. BE CAREFUL or you will burn them. 
8. Put each topping on a separate plate or bowl to be used during Section C.
9. Line a tray or baking sheet with wax paper or a piece of clean newspaper. Take out the Ganache from the freezer. It should have a semi-solid consistency. 
10. Using a pair of spoons, dollop/drop small lumps of the Ganache on the tray. If the Ganache starts melting, put it back in the freezer for a few minutes. Continue to divide the Ganache into small amounts on the tray using the spoons. 
11. Put the tray with the lumped portions of Ganache in the refrigerator now for 15-20 minutes so that the Ganache soon-to-be balls are set further. 

(a little visual cue from Google)

B. For Coating:

1. Five minutes before taking out the tray, start making the coating for the truffles. Melt the chocolate either directly in a pan on a VERY low flame or use a double broiler (Google this). As soon as the chocolate melts, take it off the hear, add the butter, mix until combined and shiny. Chocolate can burn very easily so be very careful during this stage! 
2. Add and stir in the Vanilla Essence as well. You can create variations by adding different essences or extracts such Peppermint, Lemon essences etc.
3. If the coating is too thick to be used, add a bit of cream or a few drops of milk to loosen it up.

C. Forming the Truffles

1. Take out the tray from the fridge. Take each lump of ganache in your hands (use gloves if you want to) and using the palms of your hands, slightly squeeze the lump and shape it into a nice spherical ball. Put it back on the tray.
2. Continue rolling each lump of ganache in your palms, till you get a batch of rounded truffles.
3. Put these truffles back in the fridge for a few minutes so that they stay firm.
4. Now take them out again. Reheat or Microwave the chocolate coating made in section B so that it is fairly runny again. 
5. Now comes the messy (and extremely fun) part of coating the truffles with the chocolate coating and rolling them in the toppings.
6. It is easier to use your hands to do this although they will get covered in chocolate very soon. Take a small amount of the coating in your palm (make sure it is NOT TOO HOT), put each truffle in your palm and roll it with both hands until it is totally covered with the chocolate mixture.
7. Now immediately, put the chocolate-coated truffle in the plate or bowl desired of desired topping and roll around till the truffle is covered completely. The molten chocolate on the outside helps the topping to adhere to the truffle. 
8. Coat, roll and garnish the truffles to your hearts content! Once they are completed, leave them at room temperature for a few minutes (don't put them in the fridge or they'll go soggy) and then quickly put them in an airtight container. These will last a few days if kept dry!
9. Make sure you share them with others after you make them. Depending on your speed and experience in the kitchen, these can take quite a lot of time but they are totally worth it!

Please post any comments or suggestions to make the recipe better!

Enjoy! 

The Gift of Mughals: Bombay Biryani (A Recipe)

This dish is no doubt one of the most favorite among people of the subcontinent. Its heartiness, aroma and the tantalizing amalgam of flavors often remind many of their most cherished childhood food memories. Following is my step-by-step take on this all-time favorite delicacy. To reduce the complexity of this already-arcane recipe, I like to use a ready-made Biryani masala. As you read ahead, just remember not to be overwhelmed by the steps involved. Keep a cool head while reading (and making) this recipe and you shall be awarded immensely!

Ingredients (Serves 5 to 6):

Chicken - 1.5 kilos
Basmati Rice - 1 kilo (4 Cups)
Onions - 6 medium
Oil - 6 to 7 tablespoons
Tomatoes - 5 medium
Yogurt - 250 to 300 gm
Green Chillies - 3 to 4 (or according to taste)
Ginger/Garlic Paste -  3 Tablespoons
Any Biryani Masala - 1 Packet
Potatoes - 3 Medium
Lemon Juice - 7 to 8 tablespoons
Mint + Coriander/Cilantro - Half a bunch each

Method:

0. Read the whole recipe before starting to cook. There is a lot of multitasking involved in order to save time.

1. Start by rinsing the Rice with water repeatedly till the water runs clear. Be gentle so as not to break the Rice. Soak the rice in water just enough to cover it.

2. Slice the onions in half-moons. Heat the oil in a pan/karahi/handi/wok till hot. Put in the sliced onions and fry on high heat till they become translucent and lose most of their water. Keep stirring occasionally to prevent burning (or use a non-stick pan). Once translucent, turn flame to low and let the onions color to reddish-brown.

3. Once this color is achieved, Remove the onions with a slotted spoon. Reserve almost 1/4th of the fried onions in a plate with kitchen towel/tissue paper. Transfer the rest to a blender in a which you have already put in the yogurt, tomatoes, ginger/garlic paste (if  paste not available then use around 5 large cloves of garlic and a square inch piece of ginger) and green Chillies. Blitz till a near-smooth paste is formed.

4. Now in the same pan/wok/handi as you fried the onions in, add a little more oil (if needed) to fry the chicken. Once hot enough, gently put in the chicken and fry till the chicken loses its water and color, and is slightly browned. Keep flame controlled so as not to burn the pan and stir occasionally.

5. Add in the blended paste, put a cup and half (400 ml almost) of water in the blender, rinse and then put this paste-water in the pan as well. Give a stir. Turn heat to a medium.

6. Put in the Biryani masala. Stir once more. Taste to see if you'd like more salt (generally it's just right). Cut the potatoes in quarters if small or medium-sized chunks if the potatotes are medium to large. Put the potatoes into your curry or quorma. Bring to a boil and then cover while turning the heat to medium-low.

7. On a separate stove, put a large pot with water on heat. Cover with a lid to accelerate the boiling process. (In the meanwhile, your quorma will be cooking - stir it occasionally). Once the water is boiling, add in a tablespoon heaped of salt. Drain the soaked rice and add it in the boiling water. Keep the flame medium-high.

8. Meanwhile prepare the lemon juice. And remove the mint and Coriander leaves from the stalks.

9. Boiling the Rice right is crucial to an excellent Biryani so pay close attention to the rice. In 5 to 8 minutes, the Rice will be boiling such that they will rise to the surface of the pot. Take out a grain of rice with a spoon and rub it between two fingers. If it is just about right, you will need to apply a little bit of pressure to break the Rice. You do NOT want over-cooked or under-cooked rice. Overcooked will make your Biryani mushy while undercooked is obviously a no-no. As soon as the Rice reaches the above-described stage (called aik-kanni in urdu), strain out the Rice completely from the pot in a colander. Shake to remove excess water.

10. By this time (around 15-20 minutes), your quorma should be almost done. The oil will start separating and will come to the top. Test if the potatoes are tender by using a knife or fork. Do a final taste check if needed.

11. Now it's time to layer! Work fast to avoid the Rice sticking together. In the pan that you boiled the Rice in, put in a small knob of butter or a tablespoon of oil. Flame should be very very low. Put in half of the boiled Rice. Put half of the quorma in (meat+potatoes+gravy). Evenly distribute half of the mint, Coriander/cilantro, fried onions and lemon juice. Now put in rest of the boiled rice, the quorma and the rest of the layering materials.

12. Tightly cover the pot with a lid. If an oven is available and the pot can fit into it, put the pot in the oven-preheated at 180 C for 15 minutes. Otherwise just keep the pot on a very very low flame for 15 minutes undisturbed.

13. After the 'dumm' period, remove the lid and very carefully mix the whole Biryani together with a slotted spoon to evenly distribute the masala. Try your best to reduce patches of white rice.

14. Serve the Biryani in a dish along with some Kachoomar Salad (cucumber+tomoatoes+bell pepper+cabbage+onions diced into small cubes with lemon juice and salt pepper) as well as some Ratta (whisked yogurt with a little bit of cumin powder+Coriander powder+salt pepper) or green chutney (half bunch mint leaves+half bunch Coriander leaves+2 cloves of garlic+5 tablespoons yogurt+1 tsp cumin powder+salt). 

Notes: You can also add in roasted cashew nuts, raisins or almonds while layering. If you'd like, use orange food coloring during layering as well to add a more vibrant color to the dish.This dish is all about time management and multi-tasking; don't panic and keep hydrated during the cooking process.

Good luck and Enjoy!

Marshmallows, Creativity and Entrepreneurship @ YES Alumni Tech Innovation Camp, 2014

The past three days have given the participants of the YES Alumni Tech Innovation Camp so much to think about, to learn and to improve in themselves. From big fancy words and essential Social Entrepreneurship concepts like Human Centered Design Thinking to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD for short - basically what we studied in KG/or maybe not) to keynotes from impressive individuals like Faisal Khan (An Entrepreneur who turned his life around at 40) and Jeremy (An awesome Aussie guy who decided to stay in Pakistan and help provide solar energy to far flung rural areas) - we have done it all in just three days so far.

Unlike the above sentence fortunately, all of these learning experiences were broken down for us bit and bit by our amazing Trainers so that the content would not be too overwhelming. We, the participants, were engaged in activities that build upon our previous experience and learning but at the same time had us scratch our heads in wonder as we tried to answer the critical questions asked from us during pitching our business plans (which we eventually did) or worked  on the Javelin Experiment Board. It's amazing how at the end of everyday, the content just made so much sense to us and the business models and strategies presented felt so easily accessible and doable.

For example, we had an activity yesterday which was apparently about spaghetti and marshmallows (two of my most favorite foods) but which in reality was based on much deeper lessons for us. What struck me most about today's Marshmallow Tower activity was it's utter simplicity yet sheer effectiveness of instilling the knowledge of important corporate and entrepreneurial skills in us. It was not just about finding the solution to the given problem (building a Spaghetti tower), it was about identifying the problem to begin with. To be honest, it was truly one of the most fun and engaging team-building activities I personally have ever participated in. And the Tech Camp has been full of such activities so far!

And so that's what the Tech Innovation Camp is about - equipping us with skills, resources and insight into what/where/when/how we can create, pitch and execute ideas for sustainable long-term projects that benefit our communities for years to come. What makes it better than other such Conferences? Simply the fact that it is Tech-centered and Innovative in its approach to achieve the above stated goals.

Thank you to the IEARN Network, US State Department and the trainers for making this amazing opportunity happen for us. I personally am certain that now equipped with all the experiences of #IEARNTECHNOVATE, I am ready to make a sustainable project happen!

Ps. The hotel and the food weren't too bad either.

Quite Grateful,
Moiz Rehan.

Social Activism: #EnglishWeek Improves English Ability And Confidence in Rural Kashmir

‘I never thought that learning English could be so much fun!’ – said one student from Bilal Gul Shaheed School, Pallandri in Kashmir after participating in two days of an immersive and intuitive English Language Improvement Workshop organized by a team of YES Alumni and volunteers. This student was one of more than 130 students from three different schools that benefitted from such Workshops under the broader project titled ‘#EnglishWeek’. Accessibility to English language through a new perspective on learning language, using available resources to the greatest extent and having fun alongside were the core ideas behind #EnglishWeek.

Funded by the US State Department under the WYLTE Program (http://www.americancouncils.org/programs/workshop-youth-leaders-teaching-english), ‘#EnglishWeek’ comprised of 3 Workshops and benefitted 9th-10th graders in the rural area of Pallandri – a small town in the province of Kashmir from August 7^th-13^th, 2014. The basic purpose of this project was to help boost the confidence and self-dependence of these students in English which will ultimately help them in their professional and personal lives for years to come. These students are geographically cut off from the rest of the ‘developed’ Pakistan – they had neither the exposure nor the confidence to speak, write, read and practice fluency in English language. Through #EnglishWeek, these students learned the necessary tools to become self-independent in acquiring (not just learning) fundamental and some advanced skills of English language. Through extensive sessions on each sphere of language (Listening, Speaking, Writing, Pronunciation, Grammar, Tenses and Reading), #EnglishWeek provided the students with the necessary impetus that they can utilize to compliment the learning of English language in their classrooms.

The sessions presented during the Workshop were based upon hands-on activities and intuitive ways that helped the students overcome their fear of learning English as a language and not just as a subject. Such activities included ‘Jumping Words’ and ‘Fill in The Blanks’ that used song lyrics to improve listening and vocabulary; ‘Ultimate Picture Description’ and ‘Proverb Charades’ that improved overall communication skills and ‘Written Pandemonium’ that improved students’ communication skills, vocabulary and writing skills.

By conducting #EnglishWeek, I along with other YES Alumni intended to make a difference in the lives of the students that certainly deserve better particularly in the field of English language. This project provided them with the attention and care that they needed to become confident as English language learners and exposed them to an innovative approach towards learning English. These students belonged from schools where English language is not taught effectively and #EnglishWeek provided them with the lift they needed to become independent language learners. I did not need any more encouragement to conduct this project than the fact that Kashmir with its high tourism potential and culturally-rich population needs to have its youth with a strong base and fluency in English to prove their worth.   

The beauty of this project is that it will not only benefit these students but also their families. During the Workshops, the students were encouraged to become independent learners of English language as well as leaders in teaching and disseminating their learned knowledge in their communities. The ripple-effect created will be long-lasting and will benefit a major demographic of the young population of Pallandri. The team of this project is also planning to hold Book Drives in our communities to collect books for the libraries in these schools which we found were quite underfunded. We would also like to urge other Alumni to hold such workshops in their communities all over Pakistan as they are very easy and cost-effective to organize and super-effective for English Language Improvement. 

This project invited English teachers and other WYLTE Alumni and YES students to join the conversation on effective English language teaching by using the #EnglishWeek on Twitter and received an extremely positive response on all social media. Testimonials were also recorded from many students and will uploaded in the form of a documentary on this project soon!

For complete picture albums of the Workshops, please visit:
1^st Workshop at Bilal Gul Shaheed Shaheen School: on.fb.me/1kW4e9Q 

2^nd Workshop at Fauji Foundation Model School: on.fb.me/1A7ssRx 

3^rd Workshop at Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan School: http://on.fb.me/1p9YGrq

To follow the WYLTE Program, please go to:
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WYLTE_DC

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1owPleD

Presentation materials for the Workshops can be requested by sending an email at moizleo1@gmail.com with the Subject “English Workshop Materials Request”. 

Community Service is the Way of Life

“Is community service really a way to give back to my community or is it a requirement that my program has imposed on me?” – this was a question that I debated upon when I first came to Chicago and had to answer when I first looked into doing a community service project. I still remember my very first American community service experience; going to Temple Sholom on a crisp Monday afternoon before school had even begun and needless to say, feeling a bit apprehensive about what was going to happen. For you see, my anxiousness did not stem from the fact that I was going to a place where I hardly knew anyone and neither was it caused by the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about working in a soup kitchen (which I would later find out was a really remarkably easy and satisfying thing to do), but it actually came from the fact that I was going to a Jewish synagogue for the first time. Coming from a country that is 97% predominantly Muslim and where you never really hear anything positive about Jews (well technically you don’t hear about them at all), it was hard for me to really relate to the place I was going to. Then again, the thought of hearing all my Pakistani friends comments about my time in a synagogue wasn’t the most appealing option either. But at that time, I realized how my exchange year was going to help me go to places I would never normally go to, meet people from backgrounds that I had no prior knowledge of or wouldn’t get the chance to meet otherwise and discovering things about myself that I never could’ve done back in Pakistan.

The three hours I spent at the Temple were filled with a lot of activity: rinsing crisp lettuce for salad, shedding a few tears due to chopping onions for a Noodle Soup, getting praise for my chopping skills (I have chopping stuff for five years now) and finally being ushered into the hall where there was going to be a restaurant-style, banquet-ized soup kitchen. Standing with my Temple Sholom cap and apron in that hall and watching people file into the room silently, groggily and in most cases eagerly made me realize how important Monday Meal was for the 65 ‘guests’ that were being served the Meal today. These people were there for their own reasons: homelessness, low income, mental challenges or simply for a chance to eat a whole hearty meal since many of them couldn’t even afford to eat one three times a day. The feeling of being able to connect with people that were so very different from my own background and of being able to help my community at my own level was a feeling that I would cherish for the months to come.

The same feeling came back to me the first time I went time to the Chicago Lights Urban Farm as well. I still the remember the chill of the morning when I went down to the Urban Farm and my host mom gave me a ride down there. So many feelings were going through my mind during that time – excitement of meeting new people and trying something new, my passion for gardening, and just being surrounded by a lot people with a similar passion as well. I got out the car, said goodbye to my host mom and walked through the entrance to the Farm and…no one was there. 

For a second I thought that I might’ve come to the wrong place or something, but then the Volunteer Coordinator came out of a door (that I didn’t even notice before), welcomed me and gave me a short orientation and I realized that a group of 10 people that was supposed to be there hadn’t come and there was a probability that I was going to be the only person there that day. Anyway, as it turned out I was given the job to plant new Red Lettuce saplings, Swiss chard and picking out ripe tomatoes (one of them was called Rose Plum and it tasted so good!). Apart from the botanic aspect of it, Urban Farm also opened me to another facet of community service: doing community service for correction hours due to minor offenses. Over the next few times that I volunteered at the Farm, I got to meet a lot of people who were there due to this reason and it was really an experience to learn about their experiences. Also I remember the carpenter that was working on repairing a shed who gave me a Ghost Pepper (the hottest chili pepper in the world) and shared his passion for growing chilies with me.

 In March when the Urban Farm closed for winter, I went to the Iron St. Farm in the South side and that in itself was like going to a different city.

As I set off for the Iron St. Farm that day, I was expecting to be in a place really similar to the Farm in the city. Having disregarded my host mom’s warnings about the South side (‘People get shot there!’), I went aboard the Red Line and noticed how the scenery around me changed the further South I went. The buildings became worn out, the parking meters turned rusty; the general atmosphere seemed to have an air of neglect and the color tones around me turned darker and darker. At that time I realized that Iron St. Farm was going to a much different experience than what I was expecting.
But as it turned out the experience was an enriching, satisfying and certainly physically engaging as the Urban Farm. I met new people, was given a really informative orientation about ‘green’ farming, making compost with worms (which I participated in), making fertilizer with coconut husks and Aquaponics – a self-sustaining symbiotic relationship of fish and plants that greatly increased my knowledge. 

I would say that if there is one thing that community service gives you is knowledge: knowledge about practical ways to help your community, knowledge about things that seem really out-of-place and finally knowledge about yourself. During the time that I volunteered at events like the Chicago Marathon and the Shamrock Shuffle Expos as well as the MLK Day Event at a church in Lake Zurich, I realized that I was becoming more friendly towards people, more tolerant to diverse views and was developing a balance between speaking and listening and when to do both of them and when to do neither. I was developing an innate desire to smile whenever I met new people, to ask how they were doing and if I could help them out in any way. 

These skills were put to the test when in November just weeks before the elections; I decided to volunteer with the Obama Campaign. I had never worked at a call center before (strangely enough this is something that I always wanted to do) and the experience of calling random people from all over Chicago and mostly getting shouted at was something that I definitely could’ve lived without. Most of the numbers that I dialed were not even answered and the people that did answer mostly replied in venomous tones and I had to stifle my laughter half the time.
Again the experience of going to Janesville, WI to canvass for the Obama Campaign was also one that I immensely enjoyed even though I got really frustrated while doing it since more than often I got lost and couldn’t find an address. The person that I was working with was a middle-aged lady that I connected with so well in just a matter of hours that she took me to a Burger King and paid for me to get a burger there. Even though it doesn’t seem such a great deal, at the time I was really touched by that. I mean it’s not everyday that you meet a person for the first time and in just a matter of a few hours, they like you enough to buy you lunch!
That day too I went to different people’s houses, knocked on their doors and urged them to vote and answered any questions that they might have about the process of voting. Again some people weren’t the most cooperative but that too was a good skill to learn: negotiating with people who might not really be interested in what you have to say.

And I just realized that I had a lot to say about my community service experience during the year and for good measure too. The values I gained, the people I met, the skills I learned, the many times that a strong sense of compassion took hold of me and the fact that this compassion kept me urging to participate in more community service activities until I have completed more than a 180 hours of service is definitely the highlight of my exchange year. I know for a fact that I’m going to use all the experience that I gained here back in Pakistan so that I give back to the community and put all the opportunities that I have been blessed with to use. Community service is a wonderful thing and as a Pakistani philosopher once said: “To live for others is the real art of living”.

Community Service - The Greatest Part of my Year

I can’t believe it but it’s already been six months into my exchange experience and between all that has happened to me and is happening (including the Spring Musical - due to which my life is 100x more busy), it’s hard to put into words all that I’ve experienced so far! Especially the fact that I’m done with more than 100 hours of community service is just too much to handle! 

I remember the first time that I went to Temple Sholom for my first ever community service experience; I was nervous but really enthusiastic about doing all I could in order to fulfill my duties at the Monday Meal. It was a great experience to say the least! I felt compassion like never before and from then on I knew that I had to do more of community service to quench my thirst for community service (and again the 100 mark was something that every quintessential exchange student should achieve). So from Temple Sholom, I moved onto Chicago Urban Lights Farm, then onto Chicago Lights Tutoring, then a few one time events like the Chicago Marathon Fitness Expo, going to Janesville, WI to canvass for Obama and also doing a call center gig for Obama Campaign. By this time, I was really comfortable with going to random places for community service and just not caring what happened but always being ready for some kind of adventure and a mixture of compassion and a strange sort of satisfaction that community service always brought me!

I then realized that community service had just become a really essential part of my experience. Through community service I met tons of new people, made new friends and enjoyed different kinds of activities that not only further enriched my experience but taught me something new every time. Helping out with all of my community service adventures was ofcourse Parker’s Community Connections teacher Ms. Havens who helped me decide what I should do and got me in touch with CAIR (Council of American and Islamic Relations); I even went for an interview, we were going to decide what I was going to do there, I sent them an email...but never got a reply back from them. And then Spring Musical happened. Although I couldn’t be in the Musical because of the fact that I am going to San Diego for the Better World for Better Understanding conference during performance week (which SUCKS!), I decided to get involved anyway and gain as much theatrical experience as I could. As it turned out, I was chosen to be an aidee or more professionally an “Assistant Director” and I had to (and still am) stay at school at an average of 9:30 pm. That is when I called my AFS coordinator and asked her the question that knew would make my life MUCH easier: Can I use my hours of Spring Musical Rehearsals as AFS Community Service hours? And guess what? She said YES! 

That is when I knew that this was just perfect! I was getting community service hours for spending more than 6 hours each day during the rehearsals and what could be better? Well, to say the least it’s been really tough to keep myself mentally sane during the past few weeks. What with getting bankrupt (i didn’t get my AFS money for the past month) and starving for almost a week, this wasn’t entirely the most enjoyable experience at times. But I can say this: IT HAS BEEN AWESOME!!!

As my exchange experience comes to an end, I’m still really excited about further volunteer opportunities. I have already attended an orientation to volunteer with Misericordia and have signed up for Bank Of America’s 4K Marathon Event, AVON Breast Cancer Walk, (maybe CAIR) and good old Monday Meal!

I am finally beginning to understand the community service is not just about spending a few hours at a soup kitchen or just taking notes during Musical rehearsals; it’s about everything and anything that stirs your heart towards good and makes you want to do good for the community. It’s about the connections that you make when you see a homeless person on the sidewalk and you say to yourself: “Maybe I can’t help you right now, but I’m doing all I can to make it better”. I never would’ve been possible to make these connections had it not been for the Parker Community Connections Program and I can’t thank them enough for it!

The Sad News...and the Ray of Hope

I haven't felt so sad in quite a while. I know that I haven't done a post since God knows when, but what happened last night forced me to write this post. A beautiful soul has been lost, a gem has been thrown in the waters of a deep sea; an abyss from which the gem will never shine again. I am talking about the death of the grandmother of my host sister, Debby Struve. She was one of the most amazing people I have ever met, no doubt about that. What saddens me most that I met her only for a very short period of time and even in this short period she has become one of the most inspirational people that I have ever met. This post is dedicated to a wonderful lady who according to my loving host mom Robin was: "a heck of a lady". And be it known that this statement is definitely true!

She was there the first day I stepped into the enchanting world of Chicago. We were sitting outside in the balcony eating baby carrots and humus, and she was complimenting my English speaking abilities. I was struck by how awesome it felt to be in her presence. She reminded me of my grandmother who had died a year ago. I felt like my exchange experience was complete; I had somehow got my own grandmother back. I was amazed by how intellectually deep she was, her conversations and way of speaking carried their meaning well across to anyone who was listening to. I will admit that for the first day of my exchange experience in Chicago, I already felt a sense of belonging to the Struves.

And over the span of four months that I have spent here already, I saw Debby quite a number and she time she managed to amaze me with her powerful personality and the vast treasure of knowledge she possessed. I don't know much about her background and frankly I don't care about it either...For me Debby was a person who symbolised strength, love and I have only words of admiration for her. I can definitely connect the deaths of my own grandparents to Debby's death, but in my opinion Debby's death has actually saddened me more. As I am writing this post, my eyes are full of tears and my heart is aching with the pain that the Struves are feeling at the moment. But I know that I was blessed and honoured to meet Debby in my lifetime and spend some time with her, I know that that death is an inevitable fact of life and that we must accept it as it is, I know that Debby has been immortalised in our memories and thoughts, and I also know that loss of a loved one is a hard thing for all of us.

But there is one thing that I believe should be known: If you are deeply saddened by the loss of a loved one, it not only means that you love them dearly but also that the loved one were an amazing person. And Debby was blessed with every virtue a good, kind, loving and caring human can ever possess. This post is not just about mourning the loss of a person that will stay in my memory forever, it is about celebrating her and all that she achieved in her life, all the people that she impacted and all the things that made her one heck of a woman! I have words in my vocabulary to describe how sad I feel at the moment but at the same I know that Debby will stay alive in our hearts forever. She was indeed a great woman and I feel no need to elaborate this any longer.
Rest in Peace Debby & May your soul be blessed!!!!