Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum
by Emma
The walk to the bus stop proved almost more than I could handle in the wet, cold, day of this field study. My nose was running constantly and something in my hip was bothering me. Five minutes in I was already sidestepping puddles and was glad I’d worn my old Converse. They day was typical for Portland, one of the examples people give for not moving to our city yet, or one of the days real Portlanders are always out in-- walking dogs, riding their bike, or just walking for the fun of it. We got on the bus happy to be out of the drizzle but then having to find a seat next to someone we didn’t know. Going on a city bus is always a gamble because of the smell, sometimes it is like cleaning products, sometimes the smell vacuums make when the bag is full, but more often then not it smells like urine and wet sidewalks. We were blessed with a reasonably un-smelly ride on the way to the church but it was only five minutes so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. When we got off the bus I was slightly disoriented because we had to walk some distance before getting to the church. That walk was fine in the beginning but soon we started to see the evidence of a wet night: worms. Worms are a large phobia of mine so every time we saw one I would jump to the side and hold in a girlish squeal.
The outside of the cultural center was short, wide, and extended far to the back as well. The bricks were light in color and alternating darker, that combined with its squat shape gave it a more welcoming look than most churches. The building had many protrusions and rooms that extended beyond the perimeter of the rest of the building, giving it a misshapen look like someone had dumped it quickly from a jar it had spattered on the ground. We were invited in and sent to a large room that used to be a gymnasium with lines still painted on the floor. A nice lady waited for us there and began a presentation about Greek art in its many time periods.
We then walked up stairs to the exhibit. A woman briefly explained some artifacts and a man there played a traditional Greek instrument. After that we visited the church part of the center. The pastor invited showed us around the church and explained a little about Greek Orthodox. The church had high ceilings on which were carving and stained glass depicting scenes from the Bible. I really appreciate the center letting us come and learn more about Greek culture.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Persuasive Letter
Dear Prime Minster of Australia:
Kevin Rudd,
Why is it that the people who contribute least to climate change are the ones affected by it first? As you already know, there is a string of islands near Australia called Kiribati. Every day, due to climate change, Kiribati is becoming smaller and smaller, the islands are being consumed by the ocean. Buildings that were once on the coast are now out at sea. These people’s homelands are disappearing and Australia needs to give them a place to live.
A climate change refugee is a person who has to leave their home because the land becomes unlivable either because of a receding coast line, contaminated fresh water, disappearing food sources, or storms becoming more frequent or severe, these things are caused by climate change. In the past, land being submerged under water was never a problem, but now the problem is all too real. Every year sea levels rise about three mm. It may not seem like much, but if you think about how large the ocean is and the amount it will add up to in the next decade, it’s a lot. The UN predicts that 250 million people will be displaced by climate change in the next 50 years.
The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has thought long and hard about Kiribati disappearing, the last thing he wants is to move his country. But the more he learns, the more it is confirmed that even if we miraculously managed to drop our Co2 emissions to zero, there is no saving Kiribati. That is why he is asking for the help of other countries to allow his people to take residence on their land. The people of Kiribati need a place to go, and it would make sense for them to go somewhere within their region, (i.e. Australia). So far Kiribati has had to move twenty-one homes, a church, and their soccer field because of rising tides. Also taro (their main food source) is harder to grow, fish are becoming scarce, and the coconut trees are dying. But one of the scariest things is that wells are drying out and salt water from the rising ocean is contaminating the fresh water. Some scientists believe that the people of Kiribati will die of thirst before the island disappears completely.
The problem with Kiribati’s request is that other countries will not see the urgency of Kiribati’s situation until it hits them. When Kiribati presented its case in front of world leaders, other countries said making climate change the top priority would put the economy in a downspin. New Zealand has made an effort to help by selecting seventy-five people a year by lottery to come take permanent residence in New Zealand. But seventy-five people isn’t much compared to the hundred thousand people living in Kiribati.
The Prime Minster of New Zealand and yourself, the Prime Minister of Australia, say that you will not “put up the white flag” just yet. You want to try and slow climate change before we have to move people around. But unfortunately it is too late for that. Kiribati is shrinking, if we put in a big effort we may be able to slow the process, but we can’t stop it. The only thing to do now is to make plans for the future. To do this, Australia needs to give the people of Kiribati a place to take residence when the time comes for them to move.
Time is running out, you must act now. The sea levels are rising and with it the fears of a nation. Land is disappearing and food and water are becoming scarce. No one is willing to understand the urgency of this situation and soon these people will have no where to go. We do not want to see a Nation lost to climate change, so we must help these people now.
Before I go, I wanted to leave you with one last thought. It may be too late to save Kiribati, but it isn’t too late for the rest of the world. We need to do everything we can to slow climate change; we are the ones who have the power to do something about it. Together, we can save the world. Thank you for reading this letter, I hope you make the right decision.
-Sophia
Sunnyside Environmental School
Portland, OR USA
Kevin Rudd,
Why is it that the people who contribute least to climate change are the ones affected by it first? As you already know, there is a string of islands near Australia called Kiribati. Every day, due to climate change, Kiribati is becoming smaller and smaller, the islands are being consumed by the ocean. Buildings that were once on the coast are now out at sea. These people’s homelands are disappearing and Australia needs to give them a place to live.
A climate change refugee is a person who has to leave their home because the land becomes unlivable either because of a receding coast line, contaminated fresh water, disappearing food sources, or storms becoming more frequent or severe, these things are caused by climate change. In the past, land being submerged under water was never a problem, but now the problem is all too real. Every year sea levels rise about three mm. It may not seem like much, but if you think about how large the ocean is and the amount it will add up to in the next decade, it’s a lot. The UN predicts that 250 million people will be displaced by climate change in the next 50 years.
The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has thought long and hard about Kiribati disappearing, the last thing he wants is to move his country. But the more he learns, the more it is confirmed that even if we miraculously managed to drop our Co2 emissions to zero, there is no saving Kiribati. That is why he is asking for the help of other countries to allow his people to take residence on their land. The people of Kiribati need a place to go, and it would make sense for them to go somewhere within their region, (i.e. Australia). So far Kiribati has had to move twenty-one homes, a church, and their soccer field because of rising tides. Also taro (their main food source) is harder to grow, fish are becoming scarce, and the coconut trees are dying. But one of the scariest things is that wells are drying out and salt water from the rising ocean is contaminating the fresh water. Some scientists believe that the people of Kiribati will die of thirst before the island disappears completely.
The problem with Kiribati’s request is that other countries will not see the urgency of Kiribati’s situation until it hits them. When Kiribati presented its case in front of world leaders, other countries said making climate change the top priority would put the economy in a downspin. New Zealand has made an effort to help by selecting seventy-five people a year by lottery to come take permanent residence in New Zealand. But seventy-five people isn’t much compared to the hundred thousand people living in Kiribati.
The Prime Minster of New Zealand and yourself, the Prime Minister of Australia, say that you will not “put up the white flag” just yet. You want to try and slow climate change before we have to move people around. But unfortunately it is too late for that. Kiribati is shrinking, if we put in a big effort we may be able to slow the process, but we can’t stop it. The only thing to do now is to make plans for the future. To do this, Australia needs to give the people of Kiribati a place to take residence when the time comes for them to move.
Time is running out, you must act now. The sea levels are rising and with it the fears of a nation. Land is disappearing and food and water are becoming scarce. No one is willing to understand the urgency of this situation and soon these people will have no where to go. We do not want to see a Nation lost to climate change, so we must help these people now.
Before I go, I wanted to leave you with one last thought. It may be too late to save Kiribati, but it isn’t too late for the rest of the world. We need to do everything we can to slow climate change; we are the ones who have the power to do something about it. Together, we can save the world. Thank you for reading this letter, I hope you make the right decision.
-Sophia
Sunnyside Environmental School
Portland, OR USA
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Snowed Out Again!
Unfortunately, today's field study was canceled due to the weather. Our tour guide for the visit to the Oregon Holocaust Memorial was snowed in at her home. It does not seem that we will be able to make it to this wonderful memorial tucked away in Washington Park. If you have time and please go visit and report back to the class.
More information can be found by clicking on: Oregon Holocaust Memorial
More information can be found by clicking on: Oregon Holocaust Memorial
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