List ten things that make you feel human:

• Feeling the warmth on my skin on a quiet, summer day.
• The exhilaration of finally summiting after a long hike in an unfamiliar place.
• Laughing uncontrollably with my friends to the point where I am out of breath.
• Feeling lonely.
• Feeling stressed and worried about things that are out of my control.
• Forming genuine connections after meeting new people and listening to their experiences.
• Living life moment by moment instead of thinking about things that have already happened or have yet to.
• Walking around unfamiliar places and having the time to thoroughly explore them.
• Catching up with friends that I haven’t talked to in a while.
• Spending time with my family and remembering how lucky I am for all my experiences that have shaped who I have become.

Articulate your philosophy of engagement as it pertains to your work with GSIF:

Oxford dictionary defines engage as “to succeed in attracting and keeping someone’s attention and interest.” With my work in GSIF my philosophy of engagement is to fully immerse myself into the project and develop relationships with key stakeholders. I envision myself forming relationships beyond the realm of being “Brianna from GSIF.” I hope by the end of it, I will have a deeper connection with said stakeholders, where our conversations are personal in addition to professional. Knowing people more personally makes for a more conducive working environment, one where I am more familiar with people’s work ethic and style. I also do not want to be regarded as a “Western savior” during this project. I would much rather have a role of being their peer working with them, instead of someone working to save them. They do not need saving – this is a mutually beneficial project. I am engaging  because I want to make copra processing more efficient to help Filipino farmers economically benefit.

I must engage in ways that make them feel comfortable and that are not condescending. In order to accomplish this, I must take approaches where I speak to the farmers as equals. I am coming from a perspective where I am curious about learning about their culture. I am not criticizing it; I want to work with the women collaboratively to find a solution to optimize their profits. Of course there will be challenges along the way, such as cultural differences, but if I prepare and educate myself about the cultural differences before the field work, it should minizine any potential chances of offending the women. Additionally, being gracious and acknowledging any of my behavior to upset these women is vital in being able to properly engage. Considering my philosophy of engagement if my epitaph read, “Brianna Cimaglia: friend to all” I would be happy. I truly hope to engage by establishing friendships and a sense of comradery.