Feliz Cumpleaños Isa!

Today is Starfish co-founder Beth's birthday! (Beth goes by Isa in Ecuador).  We hope you have a great birthday and thank you for your commitment to a brighter future for our Starfish scholars!!!

Maria, Taylor, Ashley, Steve and Jenn with their birthday cards!

Jenn and Anabel are Barcelona fans, but because it's her birthday we love Beth even though she's an Emelec fan!

Marlon, Jenn, Anabel and William with their birthday cards!

My backpack weighs more than I do!

Check out this video from an Ecuadorian television station about the crazy list of supplies many Ecuadorian schools require!  The "No-ticias" program from Gama TV is known for purposefully "mis-informing" and making parodies of the news.

This particular video is extremely relevant to Starfish as it makes fun of the lists of supplies that students in Ecuador are required to buy at the start of each school year.  I for one can attest that I was never required to buy half the amount of supplies for school that Ecuadorian students are required to buy...factor in the difference in average salaries and we are talking about an impossible amount of money for many families to afford.

I am learning this year that the best students who are elected leaders of their classes are often required to purchase things such as music speakers and other expensive things explained in this song.  Another interesting fact - students take regular public buses to school, meaning they also pay a bus fare as opposed to the yellow school buses most of us took through high school!

Starfish scholarships for 2012-2013 represent $216 worth of supplies, while an average monthly salary is about $280!  This parody is done to the tune of a popular song "Una vaina loca" (loosely translated - a crazy nuisance).  Translated lyrics below!

Que hago? Esta está caro                               

Seguro quiere estudiar mijo?                         

Una lista loca la que piden ahora                    

Yo no creo que un niño gaste todo esto en un año escolar

Piden calculadora y hasta computadora

Y mi guagua este año recien va para el prescolar.

What do I do?  This is expensive.

Are you sure you want to study son?

What a crazy list they require now.

I don't believe a kid will use all of this in one school year.

They require a calculator, and even a computer

And my kid is just going to preschool!

Para los ninos empiezen las clases

Y si no tienes plata que haces

En la escuala te sugieren donde tienes que comprar

Me pidieron 4 uniformes

para que no gaste ropa dice los rectores

terno y bano para un paseo que van a hacer.

School is starting for the kids

And if you don't have money, what do you do?

The school suggests when you should buy

They required 4 uniforms

"So you don't waste your clothes" said the directors

suit and bathing suit just for one field trip they're gonna take.

Una vaina la que piden ahora

tanto papel de color le alcanza hasta la Universidad

como 40 carpetas

frijol, fideos, lentejas

debe ser para arte porque lonche ya me hicieron pagar.

What a crazy nuisance they require

So much colored paper it'll last until college

Like 40 folders,

Beans, noodles and lentils

It must be for art class because they already made me pay for snack!

Oigame porque me piden la computadora

si mi hijo no sabe leer senora

eso le dije yo a la profesora

si no te gusta buscate otro colegio ahora.

Listen, why do you ask me for a computer

If my son can't even read miss?

I said this to the teacher

"Well if you don't like it, find yourself another school now"

La mochila esta full

pesa mas que me hijo el Raul

y ahora que hago hay que cancelar 3 meses de bus escolar.

The backpack is full, 

It weighs more than my son Raul

And now how am I going to pay for 3 months of the school bus?

Pura vaina loca la que piden ahora

y que al coca barriga el seguro debo comprar

ya quede chiro

prestame don Ramiro

que al medio ano seguro han de querer el aula pintar.

Such a crazy nuisance what they require now,

I'm already broke,

Lend me money Mr. Ramiro

Because halfway through the year I'm sure they're going to want to paint the classroom

Una vaca loca me pidieron ahora

para el dia de professor de donde el billete voy a sacar

que a una gringa loca contrataron ahora

es la teacher de ingles y un bono extra toca pagar.

Now they asked me for a crazy cow for teacher's day

where am I going to get this money?

Now they hired a crazy gringa

She's the English teacher and we have to pay an extra stipend!

Mi Colegio by Dayanna.

Dayanna shares with us a little bit about her high school and her experience as a Starfish scholar.

Yo me llamo Dayanna Zuñiga Salas.  Estudio en el Colegio Dr. Juan Modesto Carbo Noboa del curso 4/2.  Soy una señorita aplicada en mis estudios.  Yo con mis amigos (Espinoza, Maldonado, Davis, Yagual) somos muy aplicados.  Mi colegio es de 2 pisos y pide muchas cosas y cosas que son muy cara.  A veces no pido por el temor de perder la beca y despues digo yo mismo "no, si no pido saco 0" y me decido pedirlo.  Gracias por su ayuda!

My name is Dayanna Zuñiga Salas.  I study in the high school "Dr. Juan Modesto Carbo Noboa" and I am section 4/2.  I am a hard-working young lady.  My friends (Espinoza, Maldonado, Davis, Yagual) and I are very attentive to our studies.  My high school is 2 floors and asks for us to buy a lot of our own materials that are very expensive.  Sometimes I don't want to ask for so much because I don't want to lose my scholarship but then I tell myself "No, if I don't ask, I will get a 0" and I decide to ask for it.  Thanks for your help!

**Note** In many high schools, students in their last 3 years of high school are required to do internships and/or practicals for which they are required to supply their own, sometimes very expensive materials.  Dayanna has done practicals "prácticas" so far in accounting, mechanics and chemistry.  Without the help of her scholarship, she would be forced to sit out these classes and receive a 0 for the assignment as she has done in past years.

Dayanna (above, far left in jeans) with her Starfish friends at one of the monthly meetings.

"One Fairfield's alum's fight against poverty in Ecuador..."

Check out the awesome article about The Starfish Foundation in last week's issue of The Fairfield Mirror. Co-founder Jenn Zocco graduated from Fairfield University in 2010, and it's safe to say her Fairfield education played a big part in motivating her to do all that she has done for The Starfish Foundation so far. Starfish is grateful to Kelsey from FU for writing this beautiful article! Be sure to check it out on pages 10-11.

http://issuu.com/fairfieldmirror/docs/fairfield_mirror_9-19-2012/9

Thank you, Emily C. Specchio Foundation!

Co-founders Jenn Zocco and Beth Awalt have been selected as the 2012 Emily C. Specchio Foundation Ambassadors.

We are so appreciative of this opportunity. Throughout the next year, the Emily C. Specchio Foundation will provide Starfish with mentorship, an initial monetary award and a matching grant - totaling up to $8,500 at most! Beth and Jenn are busy putting together speaker's kits and promo videos for upcoming speaking engagements.

To learn more about the program, visit http://emilycspecchiofoundation.org/wordpress/ambassador-program. Let any Virginia Tech students know that there are opportunities for them as well! Emily had a great passion for social justice, especially abroad, and we are honored to be chosen to represent her foundation this year.

Make sure to check out the video from A Night with an Angel 2012, featuring many past and present scholarship winners, as well as The Emily C. Specchio Foundation webpage, to learn more about or donate to the organization.

La pasé posi...I had an awesome time!

Today Jerson, a Starfish scholar from Guasmo, shares with us what he liked about Sunday's day of fun where our scholarship students from Flor de Bastión finally got to visit Guasmo!

• La comida estuvo bueno.
• El postre también.
• Decorar las plumas.
• Jugar con los juegos de mesa.
• La pasé bien con los chicos y las chicas.

Que se reúnen otra vez con los de Flor de Bastíon.  La pasé posi ayer.  Me gustó la reunión y quiero que se suban las fotos al Facebook!

• The food was great.
• The dessert was great too. (*note, Starfish volunteers Ashley and Taylor made rice krispie treats and puppy chow so the kids could try some delicious treats from the U.S.  Thanks!!!)
• We decorated pens.
• We played board games.
• I had fun with the other kids.

I hope we can meet again with the kids from Flor de Bastión.  I had an awesome time yesterday.  I liked the meeting and want to see the pictures on Facebook!

Jerson (above, left) receiving homework help on a drawing assignment!

A Starfish Reflection in the Words of a Scholar!

Today Steve had already finished all his homework so our volunteers asked him to spend his time writing about his experience with Starfish to share with all of us!

Lunes, 17 Septiembre

Ayer la pase muy bien con los de la Flor de Bastión.  Se nos cerró una puerta y no podiamos salir por un rato y ahi vinieron y abrieron la puerta y salimos.  La pasamos muy bien con Ashley y Taylor en Estrellitas del Mar.  Me paso haciendo deberes y recibiendo clases de música.  Tengo que estudiar más para el futuro porque de grande quiero ser un policia.  Quiero que sean más reuniones y que nos llevan de paseo para distraernos!

Monday, September 17

Yesterday I had a great time with the other students from Flor de Bastion.  During the meeting a door got locked and we couldn't leave the auditorium for a little bit, but then someone came and opened the door and we could leave.  We have a great time with Ashley and Taylor at The Starfish Foundation.  I do my homework and go to music classes.  I have to keep studying more for the future because when I grow up I want to be a police officer.  I can't wait for more meetings and I hope they bring us on field trips so we can have fun!

Steve (yellow shirt) dancing and having fun at the June Integration Day in Flor de Bastion!