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Vance Walstra

Location: Portland, USA
University: Montana
Regions of interest: Asia, Latin America
Skills: work with children, teaching, fundraising, environmental issues / alternative energy, economic development, construction
Volunteer Activity:
Helping Hands December 01, 2008 - June 01, 2009

Stories by this Volunteer

Fuel and Money Saving Wonderbags!!! Keep cooking after you turn off the stove!

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

February 02, 2012

Hello all volunteers and partners! A volunteer with Alimentar Enseniando just shared this with me and I thought I should share it with you all. These bags save money, fuel and time! They are recyclable too! Check it out:http://inhabitat.com/amazing-fuel-saving-wonderbags-keep-cooking-food-long-after-you-turn-off-the-heat/

Reflections of a Successful Outreach Bicycle Tour

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

November 11, 2011

The success of any project can't be measured within the moment of the experience... What we take away from our experience is where the real treasure lies. Completing the mission wont always provide closure or self-satisfaction, but you prove to yourself that you can finish what you start. That is a skill that we can apply to almost any facet of life...­.When things go well, its easy to be grateful, is easy to be proud...When things go wrong, sometimes we mis-place faith or lose site of the dream.We can plan things and its ok to have expectations, but through volunteering I've learned the value of adaptation. We are faced with challenges that we could never dream would happen. We find weaknesses in ourselves, far greater than the weaknesses of the world...

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Stanford, Sonoma State, UC Berkeley and Laney College

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

November 08, 2011

StanfordStanford went very well. Probably the best tabling of any school on the tour. The event was a fair for studying and traveling abroad, so the attendees were naturally interested in the information that we had to offer. Also, I was joined by Omprakash team member Lacey Worel. With the help of Lacey, Carlo and Adele... we were able to connect with more students at once. At any given time, there were 4-5 people at our table wanting to learn about the opportunities that Omprakash could offer. I took some time to walk around and learn about the other organizations at the event. There were a few that were similar to Omprakash, in their intention, but most charged fees for placement. I also ran into Anisha, a student from Pacific Ridge School near San Diego. I met...

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Volunteering

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

November 02, 2011

Since I last wrote I have traveled a fair distance. My presentation at HSU, in Arcata was very relaxed. I was pretty tired, so I will admit that it wasn't my most lively talk... nonetheless, It was good and I got the point across. In fact, I over heard a girl whom attended the presentation re-iterating everything I said to a friend who came late. She explained Omprakash to her friend in great detail and with much enthusiasm, as if she couldn't believe something like this existed. I was also surprised by my friend Denise, who lives in Chico, CA. I met her in Nevada this past summer doing an archeology job. She had been following my stories on the Omprakash website and decided to come for a surprise visit to my...

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life on bike

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 27, 2011 | 1 comment

Its been a while since we left Eugene. Riding everyday, with the exception of yesterday. Yesterday we took the day off and hiked in the redwoods. I camped out with some other touring cyclists last night. I am now outside Arcata, sitting in a Laundromat. I have a presentation tonight at HSU. The riding has been wonderful. The weather... unbelievable. I thought I would share some photos from life on the bike...

Oregeon State [Corvallis], University of Oregon [Eugene], and the filming with European Comrads!

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 21, 2011 | 3 comments

OSUCorvallis was a good stop. I held a table on the quad in the middle of the campus. It was a sunny day and spoke with several individuals. The presentation went very well and I had some very good questions from the audience. I met a guy named Dan who was driving a pedi cap through campus. We got to talking and he invited me to camp in his yard. I spent the afternoon exploring the town and the waterfront. I later took Dan up on his offer. When I arrived to his house, I met his Peruvian wife and their 1-year-old boy. John, their son and I practiced the alphabet with those little refrigerator magnets, in both English and Spanish. They had chickens in the backyard and good sized garden. Dan was really into "not...

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A Wonderful Ride Down the Willamette Valley -[a Photo Story]

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 18, 2011

My ride down the Willamette Valley was magnificent! I'll let these photos tell a story about my trip, as I rode south to OSU in Corvallis...

Lamda Alpha Anthropology Honors Society and leaving Portland

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 18, 2011

I am alittle behind on keeping the world up to date. Last Thursday, after presenting to the Applied Anthropology class at PSU, I was contacted by Ridhi, one of the grad students from the Anthropology department. Ridhi, asked if I would like to join the Lamda Alpha Anthropology Honors Society meeting to talk about Omprakash the following day. I met with the students and it was a nice meeting. It was great to be around students who were  so collectively passionate about their studies. They were really receptive to what Omprakash had to offer and I'd say over half of them took my contact information and followed my talk with questions. The next day, I left Portland and slowy made my way down the Willamette Valley. I stopped at my friend Caitlin and her familie's house...

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PSU: Applied Anthropology and Occupy Portland

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 13, 2011

PSU [part 1]The Applied Anthropology class at PSU was awesome! It was a full class and this particular day was facilitated (lead) by the grad students. I started the period with a 15 minute presentation about Omprakash. Everyone seemed very attuned and attentive. I spoke for about 10 minutes and then I used the projector to walk people through using the website and searching the volunteer opportunities database. I showed them how to find the skills desired in volunteers from various organizations, as well as how to filter your search by geographic preference or by your skill set. At the end, I asked if there were any questions... to my surprise, there were zero questions. I was hoping this was because my presentation was clear and there were no confusions,...

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The University of Portland, visiting a Christian school, followed by 'getting a Cleu'

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 13, 2011

The University of Portland (Christian) College was a great success. I hosted a table for over 4 hours in the student's common area near the cafeteria, in the Pilot building. I definitely spoke and connected with more students here than in all schools combined thus far on the tour. People were very warm and friendly. A simple smile, “hello”, or even eye-contact and people would stop on their path and come talk with me. Many people were eager to ask questions. I noticed a pretty diverse cultural demographic amongst the students that I exchanged words with... Not what I expected when I thought about going to a Christian school. I met a Portuguese girl, a nice woman from Saudi Arabia, and heard students speaking in Mandarin and Spanish among one...

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Reed College! A fine institute, but what about for the Steve Jobs of the world...

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 12, 2011 | 1 comment

Lets face it. Its the 21st century and an education is pretty essential to pursuing a career in United States. However, there are exceptions, and Steve Job's failure to graduate from Reed college is the perfect example. His life's story brings up a valuable point and as I hosted a table and a presentation at Reed College today, these thoughts ran through my mind. Why do we have to go to college? And why are we targeting college students on this outreach tour? Well, more than the education that we receive (which is not to be under-valued or under-appreciated), I believe that college is an opportunity to meet aspiring young adults and inspiring spirits. It is also a great place to find a significant body of thriving individuals who seek mind-opening experiences. So,...

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Olympia, Totten Inlet and the road to Portland.

by Vance Walstra

October 11, 2011 | 1 comment

After Tacoma, I made my way to Totten Inlet, about 15 miles NW of Olympia where I stayed with Alex's parents. The day was filled with clear skies, rolling hills and dreaded dependence on google maps. Lets just say the great weather outweighed my two dead-ends that I met via google maps (which required 5-10 extra miles). I mentioned in my last story that Alex had attended my presentation at UW-Seattle and connected me with his parents who lived on a beautiful body of water located to the east of the Olympic peninsula. My time there was very rewarding on both a personal and on well-being level. The Mondaus (Barb and Fritz) were awesome! Their house was right on the water. They fed me like a king. We shared great conversation. They were very interested...

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Industrial Rain leads to Warm Showers...

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 08, 2011 | 4 comments

Today, I awoke on a couch at an apartment in Tacoma, where Sean lives. Sean is a new friend that I met through a website called warmshowers.com. Yes, it does sound like a pornography site, but its actually an amazing resource for bicyclists. If you've ever heard of couchsurfers.com, its very similar, but geared specifically towards touring cyclists and helps riders find a free place to stay all around the world.Yesterday, I road from Seattle to Tacoma. When I left Seattle in the early morning it was still dark. I made my way through downtown, passing skyscrapers and coffee shops by the dozen. There was a steady rain, but to be more accurate in my description, I would call it a drizzle. Just enough to keep you wet, but not put you in a fowl mood....

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and so it begins...

Omprakash, by Vance Walstra

October 05, 2011 | 2 comments

 Two days ago, I took an over-night train from San Francisco to Portland. Yesterday I awoke in Portland, began packing my things to head to the station where I had planned on boarding another train to Seattle. Upon arrival, I was notified about a mudslide on the tracks, which would require me to take a bus to Seattle. I felt a scary sense of 'foreshadowing' as this was the beginning of the 40 day adventure and already there were obstacles. Nonetheless, I made it to Seattle within a few hours.I have been running around like a mad-man preparing for this tour. I have spent hours preparing my bike and the garb that is to dangle from it while I ride. I have spent countless brain cells stressing and planning for...

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The Omprakash Outreach Bicycle Tour

by Vance Walstra

September 26, 2011

On October 3rd, I will embark on a 40-day bicycle ride from Seattle, Washington to San Francisco, California. The purpose of this bicycle tour is to raise awareness about an organization called Omprakash. My own experiences through Omprakash have subjected me to an entirely new understanding of our world. I have developed a new faith in human potential that has both empowered and humbled me. Today, my perception of our world is magnified by my curiosity to discover, seek and share new experiences. Omprakash allows me to fulfill that curiosity and share it with others.During my 40-day ride, I will be giving presentations about Omprakash to colleges and Universities along the route. Through this trip, I hope to connect the passion and potential of individuals who seek to make a...

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Beginning the Development of a New School

Helping Hands, by Vance Walstra

March 04, 2010

Through Omprakash, I was able to connect directly with Helping Hands of Cusco, Peru. After planning a volunteer project with Helping Hands, I was awarded a grant to travel to Peru. While in Peru, I was able to fundraise over $5,000 to begin the development of a new school. I also had the pleasure of traveling around the country and establishing more partnerships for Omprakash with various grass roots organizations who could benefit from such a relationship. I now continue to support Omprakash and the organizations in Peru by fundraising and talking with high-schools and colleges around the United States about service-learning and volunteering globally....

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