Banker to the Poor

This month in Oxford we got invited to meet Dr. Muhammad Yunus. We heard him speak in the famous Sheldonian theater in Oxford on Poverty and Social Business. He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. But beyond the fame he is a humble man that loves the poor. Muhammad Yunus has often said, "Humans are not born to suffer the misery of hunger and poverty; they suffer now as they did in the past because we turn our heads away from this issue." Professor Muhammad Yunus established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1983, fueled by the belief that credit is a fundamental human right. His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty by providing loans on terms suitable to them and by teaching them a few sound financial principles so they could help themselves.
From Dr. Yunus' personal loan of small amounts of money to destitute basketweavers in Bangladesh in the mid-70s, the Grameen Bank has advanced to the forefront of a burgeoning world movement toward eradicating poverty through microlending. Replicas of the Grameen Bank model operate in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Us & Muhammad

World's First Fair Trade School-We Love Fair trade Coffee

Our university in Oxford is the world's first fair trade school. Fair Trade pretty much means exactly what it says. It is all about making sure that products exported internationally from “developing” countries to “developed” countries are produced under fair conditions. That means promoting the payment of fair prices, safe and healthy working conditions and responsible environmental practices. Here are some of the fair trade murals we see daily all over our school and quotes from local farmers...





More info on Oxford Brookes University Fair Trade:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/about/facts/environment

Neighborhood Sheep Apprehension...

Good thing we saw these along our way. Otherwise who knows where we would be with a cup tea.

Development and Emergency Practice Classmates

This is a picture of our entire class including extra Architecture students that our taking this program as a minor. Students in our class represent 30 nationalities. Everywhere from Zimbabwe to St.Lucia to Saudi Arabia.

Windsor Castle and Bath

Part 2 of our weekend excursion: After we dropped off our friend in London (yes, Ian did drive in and out of London) we then took a day trip to Windsor Castle and Bath. Windsor was a cool castle but expensive to go in and tour around so we stayed outside its walls and split a Moroccan dish on some steps that overlooked the castle. We watched men holding machine guns by the gates and thought it was strange but then realized they were protecting a national treasure. (FYI-Police here do not carry guns or knives, accept when protecting national treasure sites). One of our friends who is a policeman, told us that criminals know this a are more reluctant to carry pistols because they knew police don't have them often times. By sunset we made it to a beautiful city in the countryside called Bath. A city originally discovered by the Romans who found hot springs there. In addition to the ancient Roman baths, there is also the National Jane Austin Centre. Unfortunately, the centre was was closed by the time we got there but we loved Bath so much we are planning a trip back. Here are some highlights...

Windsor Castle


Bath

Roman Baths


Overlooking Bath

Cotswolds & Wales

This past weekend we felt a nudge to get out of Oxford. Sometimes you go to a new place and never explore its beauty and surroundings. We did not want that to be true for us... so we spontaneously decided with a friend to rent a car (on a cheap autumn deal) and go. Of course Ian was the driver and he was 'keen' to be driving on the left side of the road with a manual stick shift! The road systems (even on major highways) here are comprised of one traffic circle after the next which makes driving feel much like a rollercoaster. Public restrooms are almost non-existent even on major thoroughfares, so we had to be creative (we will not offer the details - for your own good). Driving through the Cotswolds was like driving through a place where time had stood still. As we passed through the beautiful and quaint Cotswolds we finally drove into Wales and stayed at a lodge overnight within the Brecon Beacon National Park. Wales was spectacular. It was rugged and wild. The next morning we woke up and scouted out a day hike in Brecon Beacon. The landscape of Wales was reminiscent of New Zealand as we drove and hiked through the Coed y Rhaeadr (Welsh for Wood of the Waterfalls). It was a beautiful trip...

Cotswolds

Driving

Wales- Woods of the Waterfalls (Sgwd yr Eira)







Sgwd y Pannwr Waterfall

Our first month in the UK...

Our first evening in London was wonderful. We stayed with our friend Jennie at her flat, 5 stories above the streets of beautiful of Kensington, a very lovely borough of London. We took a stroll the following morning, wide-eyed and taking in the new sights and interesting smells of Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Notting Hill and the surrounding area. It's strange - everything smells older here. A few weekends later, we would return to London for an all-day jaunt along the River Thames with family from NC and Belgium.

On to Oxford...

Oxford has the excitement of a multi-cultural hub, while retaining the quaintness of a hobbit hole. It truly is an international crossroads. We are living in North Oxford, home to all of the professors and 'Dons' of the 39 Universities that make up Oxford University as well as our professors at Brookes. We are virtually the only couple that live at the North Oxford Overseas Centre (international & affordable long-term hostel for postgraduates) that are going to 'that other college in Oxford.' Oxford is the most studious place we've ever been. We see people everyday, literally walking to their classes with their noses in their books. Monica and I, naturally having the upper-hand on our bicycles, must watch out for many of these intellectual pedestrians, for they are not watching out for us!

Other than walking, the preferred mode of transit in Oxford is the bicycle (thank God for the wheel - we couldn't wait to stop walking and start riding). So, everyone, from the toddler strapped to the back carrier of her mother's bicycle, to the business man, tie trailing behind him as the tails of his frock coat blow in the crisp, Oxford breeze, - EVERYONE ride's their bicycle.

We are in our 3rd week of classes at Oxford Brookes. Our program is surprisingly well respected, even rivaling Oxford University's Development program. The classes we are currently enrolled in are as follows:
World of Refugees, Human Rights, Development (Theory of Practice), Armed Conflict, and Group Project Solutions to Problems of Urban Planning in Developing Nations - quite a mouth full! There are 35 of us in the Development & Emergency Practice Program, and our colleagues are just as experienced as our tutors and professors. We feel a strong connection with many of our fellow classmates, despite the fact that we all come from very diverse backgrounds. We have a wonderful connection with a couple from Norway whom we have dinner with regularly and play my new favorite board game 'Carcassonne.' We also have developed relationships with some locals who have encouraged us deeply. We are involved in a prayer community right across the street from our flat at a local church.

There is so much more to share, but we've got to get to our studies:)

We miss you all so much and can't wait to update again soon.
Blessings,