Saera

A lot's going on in my life, so this is just the highlights. Guess you can ask me if you want to know more. I'm ending my second semester at UMass. It's serving me pretty well. I changed my major from the Bachelor's Individual Concentration Program to a double major in Anthropology and Geography. There are a lot of reasons why and it was a long process, so I'm not gonna go into it here. This summer I'll be looking at scholarships and gradschools and travel abroad programs for the educational end of things. I'm still working towards the village concept... I think I've mentioned that here before. My life's work, etc. This summer I intend to do quite a bit of activity around community-building and connecting people with each other.

Buddhism is a potent force in my life. It's amazing how much it inspires me to grow and pursue my true self and my grandest dreams. Along with two other young women, we've been busy building the presence of Nichiren Buddhsim and the Soka Gakkai International on campus. We unfroze our club this semseter, renamed it the Soka Buddhist Club, and hosted a series of lectures on Buddhism. Today was our fourth lecture. We had about 12 guests and about 25 people total! Last weekend, our Region opened a new activity center. I also hope to do a lot this summer to build unity with the organization. 12 million members practice this Buddhism in 192 countries!

This summer I have the opportunity to volunteer/work for my friend Tom, who owns the Three Sisters farm near Northampton. I hope to learn a lot from him, since we have similar ideas and ideals about agriculture. For the Fourth of July, I'm travelling with Daniel to see his parents and relatives in Flordia. I also hope to go there later in the summer to the SGI's Florida Nature and Culture Center, which has retreat weekends for members.

Just a few things left for school and then this is my summer. Wishing all of you an enlightening, inspiring, and value-creating summer!

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Saera