Amanda's GSE India Trip 2009

Amanda's Bio

My name is Amanda Ferguson. I am 36 years old, and have lived in the small town of Cottage Grove, Oregon, for the last 10 years. I am married to my high school sweetheart, Davis N. Smith, who grew up with me in Annapolis, Maryland (forty miles from Washington, DC). My husband just started law school at the University of Oregon School of Law. Davis and I live in a small historic cottage in “downtown” Cottage Grove with our four cats. Our families live on the east coast, over 3,000 miles away. Our time and energy are devoted to our friends and our passion, theatre.

Amanda & Davis

During the day, I am a City Planner for the City of Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove is a small rural city of 9400 people. My job duties include: long range planning on urban & rural development, historic preservation, transportation planning, park design, water quality, natural resources, historic preservation, and urban design, and short range planning (building permits, compliance, site design). I work with the City Council, the Planning Commission, property owners, architects, engineers and builders on all types of building projects in Cottage Grove, including subdivision layouts, commercial design, restoration of historic buildings, parks and recreation planning, and home construction. I learned my field in graduate school at the University of Georgia (Historic Preservation) and Oxford University, in England (Town & Country Planning).

South Sister

Davis and me on the top of the South Sister mountain

I also studied Theatre Production at the University of Georgia, and have volunteered or worked for community theatres for over 20 years. Most of my time is spent at Cottage Theatre, an all-volunteer theatre in Cottage Grove that is located in a $2 million building (all paid for by community donations and sweat equity). I am Cottage Theatre’s Executive Producer and a member of their Board of Directors.
We produce 3 musicals and 3-5 comedies or dramas per year. I also work as a lighting designer at CT and the Very Little Theatre in Eugene. I have designed lights for over 60 shows at in the last 7 years.

Alexandria

My sister-in-law, husband & mother-in-law in Alexandria, Egypt

I also dance and sing in musicals. I love all forms of live performance – music, dance, theatre. I competed as a Scottish Highland Dancer for 13 years, and have taken 8 years of modern/jazz dancing. I dance with the DAC Nooners, a dance “company” of older dancers (+30 – 65). We have a passion for movement and music of all kids, and it shows in our dance.

My other hobbies include watching movies, sea kayaking, hiking, reading and traveling. Davis and I own sea kayaks that we don’t take out nearly often enough. We love to float the rivers, estuaries and bays of Oregon and southwest Washington State.

I am very excited to visit India. I hope to learn many things about the culture, town planning and economic development in India that I can bring back to apply to my job and profession. I dream of exploring the architecture and historic sites of India, experience theatre and dance, and maybe even visiting a film studio. But mostly, I want to meet the people of India and make friends that will last a lifetime.

Can’t wait!

Posted by Amanda Ferguson at 1:46 PM

Namaste- India

My name is Carmen Matthews, and I will be traveling to India in January of 2009. This is part of Rotary Internationals Group Study Exchange program (GSE). I will be documenting my travels, and providing information about the GSE program. I will also provide a glimpse of who I am.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

More FYI:)

Hello again to everyone! I hope this post is finding you in the best of spirits. I just wanted to develop the picture of myself a little more. As I said in my earlier post, I live in Oregon. To be more specific, I live right on the coast and have a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean right out of my front window (see the picture). I live down the street from where I grew up, and where my Father and little sister still reside. I have a big, beautiful family and I feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful experience. My Mother battled cancer for five years, but lost the battle in 2005. I still think of her everyday, and her love is what keeps my head up. My Father is a multi-talented and amazing human being who I look to as a role model. Both of my Parents were teachers, and someday I might decide to follow. My little sister is a beautiful dancer (just like her mother, who was a dance instructor), and a very respectful person. I love watching her grow up, she makes me so proud. I also have two older sisters, and a older brother who all live in Oregon and have families of their own. Family for me is the number one priority.

For employment, I am a regional manager for the Dutch Bros. Coffee company, and I love my job. I work with fun people, meet all kinds of people, listen to music at work, and serve up great coffee. Can you believe they pay me for that?! I do a lot of running around, but I still get my customer time, which is the best part. I have been working here for 7 years now, and I still get pumped to go to work. Keep on Kickin!

I am also the president of a non-profit organization. The organization is the Oregon Coast Music Association, and we provide musical performances and education to our area, including a two-week festival every year. Our festival has just celebrated its 30th annual season, and it was a huge success. The highlight of our festival is the festival orchestra, which is a group of 80 musicians who travel from all over the United States to be a part of our celebration. I am extremely grateful to be a part of this organization.

With my travels to India, I hope to get to experience some of the musical culture of India.I love to play music, and I hope to learn about their native styles of music. There is a picture here of the guitar and mandolin that I play. I think I will bring my mandolin with me to India, it travels better than the guitar. I also hope to learn about their management philosophies and the roles of non-profit organizations there. It would be amazing to see some orchestra performances, but that is shooting for the moon. I know the trip will be amazing, meeting the people and seeing them in their own culture will be a once in a lifetime experience. I can't wait! Talk to you all soon, Namaste.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Hello to all! My name is Carmen Matthews, and I live in Coos Bay, Oregon. I am beginning this blog to share my experiences with friends, family, and the world. The experience of a lifetime is coming my way, and I am eagerly waiting to depart. My destination-India. I have been interested in the culture of India for quite some time, and I have always wanted to travel to that part of the world. Recently, I was granted the opportunity to make my dream come true. Rotary International has a program called the Group Study Exchange (GSE), which sends a small group of people to other countries to broaden their experience and expand their outreach. This is a wonderful program, and I am so gracious for the chance to participate. I hope to provide a in-depth look at my journey India, as well as provide additional information about the GSE program. You will also get a glimpse of who I am as well. I can't wait to share more! For now, I will exit with my sign-out "peace and music." Talk to you soon!

Kate's Rotary India Trip 2009

My name is Kate Wilkinson and I am a lawyer, a mother, a big sister and an involved community volunteer in Eugene, Oregon.

My family

My family includes my son, Benjamin, who is sixteen. Ben is a junior in high school, so he will be (hopefully) heading to college in two years. He enjoys playing lacrosse so I spent a lot of time in the spring watching games and helping raise money for his team.

I am the oldest of four and have three younger brothers. We have always been, and remain close. I have four nephews and one niece, and love being an Auntie! I am blessed to have many close friends here in Eugene.


My son and I after a lacrosse game


My work

I have been a lawyer for ten years. For the first two years, I worked as a law clerk at the Oregon Court of Appeals. That Court hears all appeals of trial court decisions here in Oregon.

A law clerk researches, helps to draft, and edits the Court's opinions.

For the last eight years, I have been a civil trial lawyer working in private law firms. I work on all types of civil cases -- contract disputes, employment issues, intellectual property matters, and fights over property rights. Most of my cases settle before a trial -- as do most civil cases in America. Litigation is often expensive and stressful, but sometimes the only way that people can resolve their disputes peacefully.

I also teach at the University of Oregon Law School. For the past several years, I have taught a course on "Interviewing & Counseling" which helps law students develop communication skills.

I am very active in my community. For the last two years, I have been a member of Eugene's first Civilian Review Board. Our Board review internal investigations into complaints about police misconduct. The process is part of a civilian oversight system for the police. Through my work on this Board, I have become very interested in issues of police oversight and reform.

Another area of interest is the role of women in the legal profession. In Oregon, we are lucky to have an active women's lawyer group, Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS). I served on the Board of OWLS for several years and was elected the state-wide President.

Goals for the Rotary Exchange

First, I am so excited about our trip to India! I look forward to visiting this beautiful country, learning more about its history and culture and sampling the delicious spicy cuisine -- including Aavakaaya and biryani.

Professionally, I hope to learn more about the legal profession in India. Specifically, I hope to study and exchange information on the role of women in the legal profession, and how Indian lawyers balance the demands of the profession with family life.