Dear Mr. Julius Malema

That last essay I received a fairly decent grade on and was given some very good feedback from my professor.  With the feedback and the next assignment, I developed this next essay.  We were required to target a specific audience and extend the length of the essay to five pages.  It would be great if Mr. Julius Malema actually read this essay:

Again, if you have any additional information you would like to pass on, please email me.  I am in the process of writing a seven page essay on this similar topic and will have a 12 page essay to write later in the semester.  Thanks for reading!

Categorical Proposition Assignment

I just turned in an assignment for my upper-level english class.  The prompt asked for a categorical proposition.  Not gonna lie, I had to look that one up.  After reading a couple things on the internet about what a categorical proposition is, I was able to write this essay:

click to read

Please post your comments below.  If you have additional information or would like to correct me in my assessment of the South African situation, comment below or email me at trevin.hoekzema@gmail.com. Some of my claims may be a bit brash as I am purposefully taking a stance in one direction.  South Africa is certainly not better off under apartheid, but the economic situation of many citizens has yet to change.  I will continue to develop these thoughts and arguments as the semester progresses so please pass along any information you would like to part with.  Thanks!

Six Months!

I can't believe its been more than six months since I've back from South Africa.  So much has happened since!  I completed the fall semester at UMD and just this week applied for several internships.  If you aren't aware, I am pursuing a major in International Development and applying for internships that deal with sustainable aid, specifically micro-financing.  Two of these micro-financing organizations are:

Both of these organizations are Christian-based, micro-financing, non-profit organizations.  HOPE is located in Lancaster, PA and Opportunity is in Oak Brook, Illinois, but has an internship opportunity in Washington, DC.  Feel free to click on their logos and check out their websites.

On a totally different topic, I just received news that the township that I spent most of my time in South Africa just got hit with a fire yesterday night.  By the time the fire was put out, 36 shacks had burned down.  They said about 100 people are out of a home right now, stranded in the heat of the African summer.  Below is a picture of the aftermath; clicking on the picture will take you to the site where Lourens describes the tragedy in greater detail and respectfully asks for our assistance.  Please join me in praying for them and sending them financial support.

Thank you for your continuing your interest of South Africa with me.  I definitely still feel like my heart is being drawn back there and hope to find myself in a long-term commitment there after I graduate from college.  If you would like to keep up with South Africa through the eyes of another college-aged American, feel free to follow Michelle Klassen's blog- she just arrived in South Africa and will spend the next 6 months there.