Dancing With A Message of Reality Coupled With Hope

My performance on 1/11/11 for the preliminary portion of the competition for the title of Miss America happen to fall on National Human Trafficking Awareness day, an awesome coincidence. You can watch it through this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgrnA0SlOYo&NR=1

Lying on the floor inside the dance studio of my youth, I am mentally and physically exhausted. Memories from within the walls merge with challenges of the present as I struggle to catch my breath. My mind races as interview prep spins through my head. Should Julian Assange be tried for treason? Should we allow a mosque to be built on ground zero? What is the greatest challenge facing our nation’s youth? Then my focus shifts. Ryan’s corrections of my dance routine surface. “Point your toes. Change your focus. Softer there. Stronger there. That arm is ugly; we need to fix it.”

“Okay, enough thinking,” I tell myself. “Get up and do it one more time… you need to run through your dance one more time…” I’m almost too tired to peel my body off the floor, but I get up. I do it once more.

Looking back, I suppose preparing for the 10 days I spent in Las Vegas competing for the title of Miss America was a lot of work, but it hardly felt like it at the time. Truth be told, that was probably because I was enjoying it in the deepest part of my being. I had been given an excuse to dance, to study world issues, and to speak to organization after organization on a topic I am passionate about: the imminence of compassion and our ability as individuals to make this world a better place, whether they choose to focus on human trafficking or another issue close to their heart.

I could never have imagined that I would get the opportunity to use all of the years spent in my little studio in Bay City—Perry Woodard School of Dance—as a powerful tool in sharing an important message of reality coupled with hope. The piece I performed on the Miss America stage this January was an artistic expression of my journey coming to understand the injustice taking place in our world. Every single movement in the routine has a story, a name, and a face, and each time I am given the opportunity to perform it, I am hardly in the room. My mind takes me back to the villages, to the slums, to the people from different corners of the world that have changed my perspective on life. My body continues to move with a strange out-of-body strength, as I once again look deep into the beautiful eyes of those facing an unfair life filled with suffering and challenges that are unimaginable and unjustifiable. Starving children; people living in shacks with no beds, showers, or stoves; children’s brothels operating in broad daylight. There is a great deal going on in our world that need not be, and it has been a blessing to be able to use music and dance to give others a glimpse of its reality and maybe, just maybe, inspire a few to take action.

The experience competing for the title of Miss America and spending time with these young women from across our nation was truly incredible. It is always a blessing to share a piece of yourself with a group of strangers, but to share it with a group of inspiring, kind, internally beautiful and driven women was beyond words.

May Every Sunrise Hold More Promise,

And Every Sunset Hold More Peace.

~Blessing~

A Ray of Light

Sitting at my computer inundated with emails to respond to, talking points to prepare, and a never-ending list of articles waiting to be read and analyzed; I look down at my screen to read “Anurada Koirala is the CNN Hero of the Year.” Tears stream down my face as I momentarily find myself in a place of bliss thinking “It’s happening, good things are happening.” I welcome the tears of joy as the light at the end of the tunnel begins to brighten just a little bit more. Smiling from the inside out I pick up the phone to call Joe and Brigitte. “Katie Lynn!!!,” Joe yells out in his usual fashion, “We are in L.A. The presentation, it was beautiful. You should have seen.”

Anuradha, is a ray of light in a place of darkness. This 61-year-old woman who spent her young adult years as a primary school English teacher now fills her waking hours with the task of rescuing, rehabilitating and empowering young girls out of a life of sexual slavery and into a place where they are not only strengthening themselves but their entire nation . Anuradha is living proof of what the vision, perseverance and courage of one person can do. After 16 years of hard work she has managed to rescue more than 20,000 Nepali women and girls. (For further information go to www.friendsofmaitinepal.org)

I have been so lucky to fall under the sweet guidance of the beautiful couple I mentioned above, Brigitte Cazalis-Collins & Joseph Collins. They are two incredibly compassionate souls that have spent the last 20 years living intermittently in both the US and Nepal working closely with Anuradha Koirala for the girls of Maiti. In October of this year they were so kind to make their way to Michigan to serve as the keynote speakers for a Gala I had envisioned and they helped bring to reality. Funds raised at the 2010 One World One Future Gala, an event that I hope to repeat in the years to come, translates to slightly more than one hundred lives being saved from a life of torture, torment, and sexual exploitation. It is important to mention that it was not only the dollars raised that evening that counted but also hearts and minds opened to a harsh reality of international injustice that is taking place in our world. Anti-trafficking organizations, supporting corporations, student groups, and community members from throughout Michigan came together for this cause and message of hope. As Miss Michigan it is one of my goals to raise $25,000, the sum necessary to fund one Border Transit Shelter (See previous blog for more details). This may seem to be a simple pursuit, a relatively small amount, but this sum becomes so much more when the dollars are translated to lives. The cost to save a daughter, a sister, a mother is 100 dollars. The simple amount of 100 can rescue, rehabilitate and empower a life.

There are times that we find ourselves impatient for progress, longing for something tangible to validate our hard work. As silly as this longing for 'validation' may be, there is something about the way in which progress serves to fuel more progress. It is so rewarding to see a genuine woman of compassion like Anuradha recognized and put forth for the world to see and to be inspired by. It is the people like her that bring about the positive ripple effect necessary to end something as dark as human trafficking. Where one finds a place of hope, more of the same is always waiting to emerge.

"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else 
will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Jane White of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force; Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008; Brigitte Cazalis-Collins of Friends of Maiti Nepal

I’ve Been Given The Tools..Oh Boy, Now What?!?

Last week on a trip to Boston I had the wonderful opportunity to have another lovely visit with Brigitte Cazalis-Collins and Joseph H. Collins. They are two incredibly inspiring individuals that have done amazing work for the past 12 years addressing the issue of Human Trafficking in the small landlocked country of Nepal. In partnership with One World. One Future, I will be working with them throughout the next year and beyond in an effort to best utilize the gifts and opportunities which I have been presented in this moment, in this year, in this life. There is a strange connection that I have come to feel in my heart and in my gut to these girls, my sisters in a sense, that are facing a life so different from the life of abundance that I have come to receive for a reason I refrain from even trying to understand.

More specifically I will be working to raise the funds to establish a minimum of one Transit Shelter, at a cost of $25,000, and potentially a solar energy system. The lack of a reliable energy source in Katmandu makes this source of solar power something that the girls are in great need of to properly run the rehabilitation center. For more information you can visit www.oneworldonefuture.org.

The organization Maiti Nepal was established in 1993 by Anuradha Koirala, to combat the trafficking of girls and women, to rescue and rehabilitate victims, and to fight for the welfare of women and children in Nepal.

Working with Nepalese police, Maiti Nepal both prevents young women for being sold and rehabilitates those who have been victims. They assist in intercepting young women at border crossings before they are taken into India, by providing surveillance at the border points. Maiti staff members also rescue trafficked girls and women in Indian brothels, repatriate them to Nepal, where they rehabilitate them. Maiti provides food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and a hospice. For the young women whose physical health can be restored, Maiti provides vocational education and micro-loans to help them start small businesses. In addition, Maiti provides legal and psychological counseling, public awareness campaigns, and it lobbies for tougher trafficking laws in Nepal.

This journey is just beginning and amidst the chaos there is a certain calm that I feel. A calmness derived from the certainty that no matter what this year brings, I was right in following that indescribable instinct that said it was right to compete for the job of Miss Michigan. It sure is funny, what our heart and mind will tell us if we just take the time to listen…

“Do what you can where you are with what you have.” ~Teddy Roosevelt

The Job of Miss Michigan Begins

As my goofy and intelligent pals chanted “Vegas, Vegas” backstage after the show on Saturday night I smiled under a newly acquired crown and title thinking “If people only knew”. I will tell you that I have already faced what will be the best part of my year and that was spending time with the incredible young women that I was given the opportunity to compete with. There is something to be said about the kindness, selfless support and love that goes on behind the scenes of the Miss Michigan pageant; and I mean that from the depth of my being. Nothing supersedes the love and support of your pals.

What a whirlwind… I already know for certain from the past four days that taking on the job of Miss Michigan is going to be more of a blessing than I ever fathomed. I have moved in with my new host family and they are wonderful beyond words. From the laughter pains I have already endured there is no question that the next year with my director, Shelley Taylor, is going to be a hoot.

They always say something along the lines of “It takes a village to raise a child”. Well, I will tell you that it has taken the hearts of quite a many incredible people to turn this 5’3'' (and that’s rounding up) frame into a Miss Michigan ;0) To those who have showered me with undying love and support (and you know who you are) I will never be able to say thank you enough.

On a serious note, I wish to assure you that this year is not about me. It is about the beautiful men, women and children that are facing a life that shouldn’t be from within and beyond our borders. As many know, the service component of this organization is what brought me to compete and I know in my heart that the strides that this title will enable me to make over the upcoming year will be something quite lovely.

On that note I have listed below a few upcoming events and I will be doing my best to keep up on Twitter, Facebook and the blog throughout the year.

Love, Smiles & High-Fives,

Katie Lynn :0)

“Never doubt that a group of committed citizens can change the world because indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Mead

Upcoming Events:

• The Human Trafficking Awareness Gala is still set to take place on October 24th in Lansing. You can keep up on the details of that, our project to fund a shelter for young women, as well as other events through the One World. One Future. webpage (www.oneworldonefuture.org).
• Teachers and principals, we are planning a human trafficking awareness week for all schools throughout the state of Michigan in the month of October. For further information please email me at miss2010@missmichigan.org
• If you or anyone you know is interested in requesting an appearance, performance, or presentation on human trafficking you can make a request on the Miss Michigan webpage (www.missmichigan.org).

Olga Murray & NYOF

Dinner and then coffee in Katmandu with an awe inspiring woman has left me consumed with excitement and ideas…

Olga Murray, to keep it brief, has single-handedly saved the lives of over 6,000 young girls of Nepal, not to mention the thousands of children and mothers she has educated and saved from malnourishment. She has been on Oprah, was asked to be on Greg Mortenson’s board of directors (the author of the book Three Cups of Tea), and has more accomplishments than there is time to list.

Her organization NYOF works in the rural areas of Nepal where girls are sold, as young as six, by their poverty stricken families for $40-70 into a “bonded” life of slavery. (They are often feed scraps, given away as wedding presents, treated as possessions.) Olga addresses this issue by providing the family with a goat or pig (which is far more valuable than the money that they would recieve) in exchange for the girl. She then sends the young girl off to school to be provided with an education. With $100 she is able to rescue a girl, pay for a year of education, and compensate the parents with the animal. Just $350 pays for 6 years of schooling, which enables them to complete through grade 10 (equivalent to graduating high school).

The girls, educated on their rights, return to their communities where they organize clubs, write and perform plays for community awareness, and are now turning entire communities away from the practice entirely. If they find that a father in the village is going to sell his daughter they will march up to the door of his home in their school uniforms to confront him…incredible. Olga started this organization just a short time ago and she is already well on her way to empowering an entire nation of women. The key fact is that she has set it up so that after she is gone what has been brought to these villages through her organization will carry on forever through the women, their children, and their children’s children.

Olga is now 84 years old and upon her retirement in 1992 she began this career. The message in this is that it is NEVER too late.

“I feel so fortunate,” she humbly says smiling and sipping on coffee, “I am now happier than I have ever been.” I can’t help but smile myself as I am mesmerized by her kind and still vibrant eyes… What a lesson. What an inspiration.

Lots of Tea

So I am sitting here sweating like crazy while writing away in my handy journal. This sweating issue, you see, is partially due to the fact that I am wearing a long sleeve shirt that I can't remove because all that I have underneath is a tank. A woman bearing her shoulders in these parts seems to be the equivalent of walking around naked. This spicy fried Nepali food and warm milk tea are not exactly working to decrease the temperature too much either. (On a side not: I recently discovered that this lovely milk tea contains 15-20 grams of fat per serving. For fear of offending the wonderful people I am drinking the FIFTH cup given to me today while mentally plotting how I can start kindly turning down this Nepali staple.) While gazing out the window of the little hut I spot some adorable children bathing and playing in the river below and can't help but smile while feeling overtaken with the interesting beauty of this remote place. It is so different from what I know…. Our ride should be here soon.

So here I am packed with 15 others on to benches in the back end of a jeep/truck with an additional 8 people clinging to the ROOF. I chuckle at the strange comfort I have acquired with this constant layer of dust that always seems to cover me these days. It is quite apparent how tough of a time the vehicle is having with all of this weight and, yep, more so now that I am watching a Nepali man shove rocks under the tires to get us up the hill. Dust is flying and surrounds me like a thick cloud. I now clutch my scarf to my mouth in an effort to filter the air, squeeze my eyes tightly shut. Hmm, is walking still an option? My Little mom would kill me if she saw this!

Ten hours of travel has passed and our destination has finally been reached. As greetings of “namastes” and smiles fill the air I hand the woman who has opened her home to us a bag of cookies. I do my best to say thank you in broken Nepali while receiving instructions to go wash my hands and feet to prepare for dinner.

Sitting cross legged on a square rug I look down at the massive amount of food placed in front of me and with my hands being to eat (This is the traditional way to eat, no utensils my friends!) Taking a deep breath I struggle to swallow the last bit of curry, beans, and rice, when, to my surprise, she piles MORE food on my plate. Then, while filling a cup with milk from the buffalo that is five feet away, she instructs me to “eat, eat”. It is unacceptable to leave any food on your plate, so, miserably stuffed, I follow directions. After dinner, feeling blown up like a balloon and exhausted from the day’s dusty journey, I happily close my eyes as I lay on a firm straw bed and cover up with a cozy yak blanket. I think I just ate a dinner cooked over buffalo dung…

Some of us have the perception that village life is one of idealistic bliss, emersion into pure culture and the harmonious simplistic life of living as one with the environment. While this tranquil perfection is semi-existent in some communities it is far from complete…

In many villages throughout the world:

Health:

There is no hospital near and if one is sick they may have to walk hours to attempt to get treatment at a place that has few, if any, supplies. Many can’t afford 20 cent vaccines, a mosquito net to protect them from malaria, or the dollar a day it costs to treat HIV… If a serious drought takes place starvation sets in for men, women, and children…

Equality:

There may no police and the open abuse of women is often common and accepted. There are many places where women are viewed as mere possessions, hold roles as 4th wives, and even physically punished for something a man in their family did. There are places were girls as young as 6 are sold at the market by their fathers into a life of slavery for as little as $50… (more on this later)

Education:

If a village has a school, teachers are often not equipped to teach and supplies like books and pencils are nonexistent. The kids are needed at home to help with daily chores and an education, while highly valued, does not supersede the necessities of survival.

Don’t doubt that my stay in the village was incredible. The people of this place were beautiful and kind, and treated me like family. Still, problems associated with village life can be heart breaking. The main issues of concern, of course, differ from place to place but needed improvements in health, equality and education seem to remain constant throughout the world, even in those highly industrialized nations.

"Let us pray for mutual understanding, that hearts will be opened, so that borders can be opened," ~Pope Benedict XVI

Culture Shock

My dear friend Mike and I ventured out to visit a rural village this past weekend. It never fails to astound me how these people who have so little are so eager to give. It really is quite a beautiful thing and truly something for our culture to learn from. I had many interesting experiences on this last adventure but one scenario can’t leave my mind. I will try to describe it for you through my eyes.

Night has fallen and next to me lies a young woman who is pregnant and in excruciating pain. While working she fell from a latter and now faces internal bleeding and it looks as though she may have broken her arm. We are hours from the closest hospital with no mode of transportation. It quickly becomes apparent that I, with my $14.95 first aid kit, happen to be the most medically equip individual in the village. They ask me to please massage the arm that may be broken and in failed attempts at Nepali I try to explain that massaging the arm is not a good idea. I quickly realize that I am going to be of zero help and that the excitement I saw in their faces upon my arrival will quickly fade when they come to the same conclusion. So… I sit there gently wiping the hair out of her face and observing the pain in her eyes. The utter frustration that accompanies my knowledge that there is nothing I can do but bask in this utter sense of hopelessness is a bit more than I can handle. It seems as though I can almost physically feel her pain if that makes any sense at all.

Inundated by the situation and the ease to which the people of the village accept what is going on I begin to feel what I have come to identify as culture shock. The realization has once again hit me of how immense and real the issues of this world truly are…

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion."
~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama