#getting involved

The City Nature Challenge 2025 is due to kick off in a few weeks, April 25-28, a one-weekend challenge to go out and observe and record as many living, wild things as possible. As a researcher recently pointed out to me, we are creating data points. We are providing hard evidence that this species was right there, on this day. There literally aren't enough scientists in the world to do this kind of research, let alone the funding. And who knows, maybe you'll discover a new species!

All you need is an iNaturalist account accessible through an app or browser, a camera, and access to the world we live in.

I challenge each of you to check your own cities to see if they are participating, or join the global challenge in the link. Take your camera and go outside - look at bugs and plants and animals and mold and fungus. Look at the lichen growing on the fence you pass everyday - what kind is it? What kind of ants are carrying the crumbs away at the picnic? What kind of squirrel is making that racket up in the tree? Pick a plant you walk past everyday, a weed or grass, something you've dismissed a thousand times - what is it?

Without getting overly specific, the Board of an Association (like a neighborhood association type deal) type thingy was looking for more members and for Some Reasons has been eyeing me as a potential candidate for almost 2 years. To do my part, in my hyper local way, I finally bit the bullet and ‘ran’ (no one opposed me, I was affirmed in like 5 minutes at the annual meeting). I have seen horror stories about Associations pulling bullshit to oust people based on immigration status or whatever and now I am there to make a fuss if some bullshit happens, whee!

So I am on The Board. I am the youngest person on The Board by… 20-30 years. It’s all retired guys who used to run businesses or construction projects or things like that.

As my first official act I Entered a Motion to … start sending Association communications by email instead of snail mail whenever possible. ‘Just look at the budget? Why are spending so much on paper, printing, and postage, when most of the members (if not all) have email addresses?’

The Board looked at me in mild awe. ‘So, you would send out the emails? From your email address?’

Me: ‘No, I think we should set up an email address for the Association. That way when the Board changes, everything is saved in one spot, we just pass on the log in information.’

*Board, mild awe* ‘And you could set that up?’

Me, a hero: ‘Yes, yes I can.’

Y’all. I, who grew up without any grandads, now have now been adopted by half a dozen or so grandads/old uncles. I am, at times, their personal tech consultant. They, in turn, teach me about financing building & repair projects, vetting contractors, making decisions about cheaper vs. longer lasting materials, getting people in the Association to JUST VOTE UGH (we have to get 80% member ratification on a lot of things), and more.

… This is all very amusing and honestly a bit touching and sometimes annoying. No one has pulled any bullshit yet.

If that's you, then you can't really participate in a boycott past e-mailing the companies (Which is still something! E-mail them! Tell them what you think!) that are actually being put under pressure. But you can always find another way to get involved! Since most of you will be familiar, BDS has a helpful tool that will pull up their affiliated organizations based on what country you live in, and those are not just doing boycotts!

Oakley the Mio

Romanian Rescue, Helping or Hindering?

We adopted our dog four and a half years ago without knowing anything about him or his breed, background or anything. We were given very little information from the charity.

We completed an online form, they called us, asked us some questions about our family and home and we were told we could go and collect him, and so we did.

Looking back that raises so many red flags for me.

No in person home check

No initial visit with the dog to check compatibility

When we collected him, he was just handed over outside of the gates of where he had been staying and told he had a cut near his eye

He was incredibly anxious in the car and barked for the entire journey home. When we got him home we saw that the cut was severely infected, his hair was terribly matted and unkempt and he was filthy. So the next day we took him to the vet and the groomers, we also discovered he had an infection in both ears. We contacted the dog charity and explained the situation and they said they would deduct the vet fee from the adoption fees. But that didn’t explain how a dog that had been in their care for the last few months could be in such a state.

We were added to facebook group for people who had adopted dogs from this charity and with a quick search I discovered that we weren’t Oakley’s first adopted family. I sent a message to the previous owner and asked about Oakley and why they sent him back to the charity. They told me that they couldn’t handle him and he didn’t get on with their other dog.

So with that information we contacted the charity and requested more information about Oakley’s history and this is what we were told.

Oakley was found at roughly three months old tied up in a village in the Carpathian Mountains region of Romania, next to a pond. It was assumed that he had been left by sheep farmers because he is quite small for his breed so he would have been the runt of the litter. Mioritic Shepherd dogs guard thousands of sheep in large packs and are known to fight wolves, bears and lynxes to protect the herd.

He was then neutered at roughly four months old and then when he was six months old he was packed into a van and made the long arduous journey to the UK.

When he reached the UK he was placed in a foster home with nearly forty other dogs, with no segregated facilities for him to have his own space, they were all fed together and basically left to their own devices.

At home with us Oakley showed some food aggression particularly when it involves bones and other fresh food. He was also very underweight. He also had not developed bite inhibition. He would also find gaps in fences and bushes to jump through into the neighbours garden.

He would spend hours hiding under the table trying to be invisible. He detested going in his crate, to the point he injured himself destroying it to get out. To which I said to my husband no more crate. He had serious separation anxiety and would chew on my oak chairs and table.

For months we had to show endless patience and compassion and slowly he began to settle in to his new place with our family.

The one thing he never did was mess inside the house.

He is a very vocal dog and if he needs something he will let you know, whatever the time is, much to the annoyance of our neighbours, who have even suggested that we should have him debarked, to which I replied you get your voice surgically removed then!

The barking is breed specific and nothing can change that, so we figure out what it is that he wants and then he is fine.

Even now he is still an anxious dog especially when it comes to going out in the car. So clearly the journey over here traumatised him and left him scarred for life.

Yet Oakley is classed as one of the lucky ones because he didn’t come from a life on the streets or worse a kill shelter.

So the question I am asking is knowing the trauma Oakley has experienced and the resulting anxiety that he has been left living with, what about the other dogs who have experienced trauma from before the journey from either living on the streets or worse in a kill shelter is it worth adding to that and bringing them over to the UK and expecting inexperienced owners take on these challenges?

All the vets that I have spoken with have said that it is cruel to put the dogs through this and that the journey from Romania to the UK is much more traumatic than living on the streets.

I have a friend from Romania who told me that in the villages the stray dogs are seen as the village dogs, people feed them, children play with them. They don’t keep them inside.

So are we getting involved where we don’t need to be? Are we forcing our beliefs of how animals should be kept as pets onto others? In the farming communities dogs and cats are not pets they are part of the community and they have jobs to do. Cats catch mice and other pests. Dogs herd and protect the sheep and other livestock.

I am not picking a side I am merely providing food for thought.

What’s Happening in Texas

If you live in the United States you are probably familiar with the phrase “I’ll believe in climate change when Texas freezes over.” Well, folks, the time has come. Texas has frozen over. I won’t go into the politics of climate change here. That’s not my style. But I do want to talk about what’s going on, why it’s important, and how you can help. Winter storm Uri hit Texas this month, burying…

Starting college is exciting. It can also be a bit nerve-racking especially now with a global pandemic. In a recent post, I went into depth about why I am returning to campus in the fall. A key mindset to build is recognizing that things may not be perfect but will surely provide an amazing opportunity to learn and grow as a person. This mindset is not overly optimistic but does focus on the real learning opportunity that any challenge brings. 

College is all about balance. It’s about believing in yourself, but not thinking you're the best. It's about working hard but not to a breaking point. And the real art to having a successful college experience is in learning to balance all of the responsibilities and opportunities. These responsibilities are all-encompassing and include academics, extracurricular activities, work, and personal well-being. College is different from high school in that you have more control over your time and energy. And with balance comes setting the right priorities and goals. You need to acknowledge upfront that quite honestly it would be impossible to fully take advantage of everything that college has to offer. 

Next week, I will be focusing on academic advice! If you have specific questions, feel free to ask me directly or to submit a question to the entire Smith by Smithies team of bloggers.

In terms of what to bring to college, check out my full guide here. Given the nature of this academic year, my advice to be selective with what you pack is particularly relevant. I will also reiterate my point about bringing things that make you smile. Since the on-campus portion of the fall semester is shortened, I don’t think boots and a winter jacket will be necessary but you’ll definitely want a warm sweatshirt. 

As for making friends, its really about getting involved in some way or another. I personally found that attending house events was really important. Again this is really where balance comes in. Don’t overwhelm yourself by participating in every possible social event, but definitely make an effort to connect with other students. In addition to other first-years, be sure to engage with older students. 

Getting involved with clubs is a lot of fun. You can start exploring the Social Network now, but there will also be a virtual org fair in the fall. While this doesn’t sound ideal, the Social Network was essential for me in finding extracurriculars of interest. We did have an in-person org fair last year, but I found it to be extremely overwhelming. This was in large part because it had been moved indoors at the last possible moment. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to stick with every extracurricular that you try. While your first year is likely the easiest time to get involved with a new organization, it is definitely not the only time. As for leadership roles, even as a first-year you can run for house council or organization board positions. For instance, last year I was the treasurer and POCheese Coordinator for my house. POCheese it is basically a time/space/event organized for Smithies of color. Another space/resource for students of color is the Mwangi Cultural Center. In terms of the organizations that I am currently involved with, I am the treasurer of Smith’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Uke Club. I will also be a part of Residence Life as a Community Advisor.  

 Kara doesn't expect to find James on her doorstep a week after Valentine's Day. She especially doesn't expect the heavy set of his features, or the troubles turmoil in his eyes. She lets him inside, and doesn't speak until they've drifted to the kitchen bar. "What's wrong?" "Lena and I broke up." Kara swallows, struggling to keep her shock hidden away. She hadn't seen anything that suggested they were even having trouble, let alone cruising towards a split. "Oh. I'm sorry." "Me too," James returns honestly. He leans on his elbows, shaking his head. "On Valentine's Day, no less." "Really?" That doesn't sound like Lena at all. Neither does the fact this is her first time hearing about it. Lena's private, but she's also considerate, and Kara's surprised that she hasn't been warned of the change in their group's dynamic. "You didn't mention it before..." Kara mentions gently. James shrugs helplessly. "I dunno, I guess-- I hoped she might change her mind after she cooled off, after she'd had time to mull things over more.I thought she might change her mind. I haven't heard from her since." Kara pushes her glasses up her nose, tilting her head as she tried to find words that didn't sound like she was choosing sides. "I've been replaying it over and over in my head," James continues. His gaze turns troubled. "Kara, it just doesn't feel right."