Japan '09!

Ladies and Gentlemen: Your attention please!

I've thought long and hard about how to address this "note" that I am sending into circulation with such high hopes. I've decided that I'm not going to over formalize and I'll just tell you like it is... in somewhat brief terms.

I'm looking for money, or money making ideas that I have the time or recources to actualize. The INCREDIBLY worthy reason is as follows:

I am currently pursuing a General Studies major. In case you are unfamiliar with the major's requirements, I will briefly explain. In addition to some core major requirements, each major is allowed to choose three areas of emphasis. The first requires 18 credit hours of upper level courses, the second requires 15, and the last, 12. I want to have a career that allows me to move between writing freelance fiction and writing from a journalistic standpoint. I want my work to inform people, in a relatable way, about issues that concern me, including diversity in religion and tolerance of culture and race. My primary area of emphasis is Creative Writing and Journalism. This is followed by Religious Studies and Anthropology.

I recently (only yesterday) finished a paper for my GENS 2000 class outlining my I chose these areas of interest. Creative Writing was to be able to captivate an audience in my style and write effectively. The other two were to build the ground work for beginning a life long search of information on both religion and culture. (What a statement! What is culture without the existence of these many religions?... but they are very different it just amazes me how they interweave.) I wrote that I felt the majority of my knowledge in my secondary fields would come from field work and immersing myself in the culture and experiencing it firsthand.

Well, my "Religious Violence and Nonviolence" is going on a trip for 5 weeks in the summer to Japan with the Religous and Philosophical Studies department. There is room for 15 students to go along because the teachers feel that it is imperative that we live in homes with Japanese families rather than in dorms with more of our own, and only 15 families have signed up. Two classes will be offered on the trip Japanese language (1, 2 ,or 3) and Japanese Religous Ideology! Need I say more, no. However, I can't help myself! In this class we would spend the majority (at least 70%) of the time in field study, out of the classroom. Traveling to visit monks and to Hiroshima discussing Violence in religion and terrorism as its lovechild with textual literalism (among other things). We will delve into Shinto, Buddhism, and Taoism as primary religions... how wonderful!

When I told my mom about this she was thrilled! All universities have programs like this but how often are they so perfectly suited to you that it would be a sin not to try going?! She told me that I should raise what money I could and we would have to get a loan for the rest. I am going to post this on my blog as well... I'll offer any service at all that I can... I write, paint, sing, make jewelry... and I can learn to do anything else. You can even pledge to pay me one dime for every mile I walk around campus. I'll buy a pedometer. I'm really looking forward to this trip... PLEASE help me out! I'll blog everyday that I'm there, it WILL NOT fail to be interesting, I can promise that!

I've have had an argument going on in the back of my head while writing about whether or not to inculde the total goal amount and I decided it shouldn't matter. If it does matter to you, email me... I'm happy to share. I will keep you posted on the %age of the goal that I've accumulated!

I love you all!

Mary

maryconklin.blogspot.com
mfosheec@hotmail.com
678-877-5143