Alma College

Communication

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One of the reasons I was a Communications major at Alma is because of my interest in new media and its benefits we enjoy.

New media has become a great way for people to stay in touch, especially for those living overseas. All of the services listed below are free for you to use and an easy way to follow what I am doing in Peru. Some might require you to have your own account to see my communication, but others like Flickr and Vimeo do not.

Flickr
Where all my photographs are hosted.

Vimeo
Similar to YouTube, just better. I’ll continue uploading videos to this site.

Skype
The epitome of Internet communication – video, voice and chat all in one free program. My Skype name is katebruder and Skype Number is 313-444-6585. This is a free and local call from your land-line or cell phone, which will be rerouted to my computer for voice calls. (If you do not already have Skype on your computer, you will need to sign up for a free account and download the program if you wish to video or voice chat.)

Twitter
Follow my tweets to see what I’m doing, where I am working and what is going on. This is the best way to see what is going on a daily basis. If you do not already have a Twitter username, join the conversation by signing up for an account here.

Facebook
The ultimate social networking site.

Blog
You can always stay connected here on my website, A Life in the World. If you would like to receive email updates when I post a new story, click here to sign up.

And of course, you can always reach me via email: katebruder (at) gmail . com.

I would also ask that you would use one or more of these methods of communication to stay in contact with me as I live and work in Peru. I definitely want to follow what you are doing and know what is going on in your life!

Alma Accents

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Last October, I was contacted by the Public Relations department at my alma mater, Alma College, asking for an interview about how I am applying what I learned – both inside and out of the classroom – during my four years at Alma to life after graduation.

After going back and forth through emails and phone calls, the article was finished and the magazine has finally arrived. Yesterday, I came home to find the newest Accents issue sitting on the counter and my article on page 24.

To read the article, click on the article image (or here) to download a PDF version.

Read the entire Winter 2011 issue of Alma Accents here.

O’Farrell Hats in Santa Fe

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It has been an interesting past few days.

Sandy & Janie (the Alma professors) and Maggie (NG photographer) are not quite sure how they want to run this class, which is a little disconcerting since it is only lasts 6 days. After a few meetings and professor discussions, they finally settled on a topic for us to follow.

Our assignment from National Geographic was to tell a story of Santa Fe. After spending an afternoon wandering around the main part of Santa Fe, we were instructed to select something that interested us for the story.

This assignment turned into me spending a day at the O’Farrell Hat store in downtown Santa Fe, just 1/2 a block off the main square. A one-of-a-kind store, O’Farrell Hats are custom fit and custom made to their owner, produced with beaver fur and made right in the basement of the store. I was lucky to spend a day in the store and basement workshop following the process from conception to completion.

Now owned and managed by Scott O’Farrell, the company was began in Durango, Colorado by his father, Kevin O’Farrell. After many years in Durango and the split from a bad business deal, O’Farrell moved his hat business to Santa Fe, where it has existed for the past 13 years.

After a slow start in the morning and watching the three “hat builders” create one-of-a-kind custom creations in the basement, business picked up in the afternoon.

Photos from my day at the hat shop can be found here.

Many thanks to Scott and the others for allowing me to shadow them for the day.

Sunny Santa Fe

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Today the other Alma students arrived in Santa Fe. After a week of lounging around the city, taking in the beautiful mountain ranges, wide open deserts and dark nights, I am ready for a little interaction with college kids.

The best way to describe Santa Fe is as a tourist town for the wealthy. Now, I enjoy the architecture and turquoise jewelry that is everywhere, but there is a point when you just can’t look at another art gallery. As for someone who enjoys art and art museums, I was done after making one pass down Canyon Road – the mecca of art galleries of Santa Fe.

Tomorrow we begin our class with National Geographic photographer, Maggie Steber, at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. The Alma professors, Sandy (photo) and Janie (Communication) can be quite eccentric so this week should be interesting.

Itinerary:
Santa Fe until Saturday, May 3rd
Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu from Saturday until Tuesday.

“Knowledge is power, knowledge is safety, knowledge is happiness”

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– Thomas Jefferson

This is so simple, but yet again quite profound. Without knowledge or an understanding in some common idea, one is weak, unprotected, unworldly, unknowing, and not living a full life. One cannot participate in conversation, interact with culture, or understand the nature of life without some basic understanding and knowledge learned.

One might be able to live a functional life without knowledge, but it would not be as complete, easy, or enriching as another that is educated.

Anyway, knowledge does bring happiness – unless you know about something you shouldn’t!