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!