Karibu!

Abby and I arrived to Kilimanjaro Airport safe, sleepy, and with a full belly of airplane food, around 8:30pm on October 17th. We were herded through the “terminal” by all the arriving tourists (mostly climbing Kili or doing safaris), and without any organization or formal line, waited what felt like an hour to pay $100 (US citizen pay double) to receive our Tanzanian entry visas. Imagine the shuffle to get to a crowed bar, but without any music and large backpacks in your way.

By the time we received our visas, very surprisingly, all four of our checked bags were waiting for us. We loaded each other up like mules, one backpack on our back, one on our front, and one being pulled behind us, and headed out to what we hoped was the front of the airport to meet our ride. Thankfully, Mama Lynn herself, along with her youngest son Marcus, and Light in Africa’s only current volunteer Polly greeted us.

On our drive from the Kilimanjaro airport to the Light in Africa Tudor Village in Boma, Mama told us a little about what we can expect. For our first week, we would be sleeping in a tent – yes tent – to try and “wipe out all preconceived notions, help us understand some of the poverty around us, and break down our Western habits”. After she gave us that little “talk” we had about 10 minutes to digest before we arrived, and let me tell you – there was some definite nervous laughter coming from us.

Even though the tent was about the size of a bedroom, our first night was a shocking one for sure. What felt like all night, I heard too many roosters who don’t understand their job of waking people up only at sunrise (i.e. cock-a-doodling ALL night), neighboring goats, LIA’s pet donkey Dolly (who they just noticed is actually a boy), frogs, many new bird sounds, and thankfully – have encountered minimal bugs.

Baby Shower?

People don’t really surprise me too often, but over the weekend, I was blown away. My parents were nice enough to throw me a going away/birthday party, and we had a very nice turnout of friends and family bearing gifts. The gifts were not for my birthday however, (which was perfect – I’m not 12) the gifts were for my unknown African babies. In all actuality, it turns out I hosted a co-ed baby shower with a keg of bud light and a bonfire.

People brought school supplies, story books, coloring books, board games, soccer balls, diapers, shoes, shirts and almost everything in between (see picture). I can not wait to see the look on everyone’s face when I open up the suitcase, and I’m able to tell the kids about the wonderful people across the ocean that care about them enough to buy them presents, without ever meeting them.

As Abby mentioned earlier – we not only reached our donation goal of $3000 for Light in Africa, we were able to surpass it. We still have not decided how we are going to allocate the funding, but we are very anxious to get to the facilities, see what the needs are, and go from there. Please consider helping out, if you haven’t done so already, and I promise we will do our best to make sure you are able to witness the positive results right along with us.

Overwhelmed

Last week, I had my last day in my department at Siemens. Leaving with mixed feelings (great department with great colleagues, but ready for a new challenge), I was overwhelmed by the support of my fellow coworkers. I received many gifts for LIA - from teddy bears, to games, to bottles, to office material for the LIA staff. I am so grateful to have such support from all areas.

Also an overwhelming experience yesterday - we reached our fundraising goal! We have set out chipin (the widget on this page) higher, and really excited about what we be able to do with the funds. Stay tuned - Sara has more overwhelming updates to come :o)

Fundraising....With Four Weeks to Go

Our Tanzanian departure date is fast approaching, and I’m trying not to think about it too much. It’s my personal method for dealing with stress. However, as much as I’d like to avoid thinking about everything I still have to do and buy before I take off on 10/16, I can at least feel good about a few of the things we’ve accomplished.

Combined, Abby and I have raised about $1500 – only $500 short of our volunteer fee. Abby has already dropped €300 at the pharmacy on vaccinations, and I’m up next week. I’ve slowly been picking up random supplies for the trip, like antibacterial wipes, sunscreen, shorts long enough to be appropriate in a predominately Muslim community, and bubbles. Yes, bubbles.

The Volunteer Coordinator at Light in Africa let us know of some supply needs the orphanage has, as well as some gift suggestions that could help make a kid smile, which is really what this whole thing is about. Abby and I are both hoping to bring over an extra bag full of presents, and so far we’re off to a great start. A very generous co-worker of Abby has given some items for the kids, and my aunt and her cute little quilting club have made MANY blankets and quilts for us to share on their behalf.

Thanks again for all the support – holy crap, I’m going to Africa in four weeks. See map below for where exactly.

View Larger Map

Tollwhat? ....

Tollwut! Or the German name for Rabies. Yes, my friends, in just three short weeks, I will be eligible for such a dog tag. Amazing...

The decision to get vaccinated for rabies was not easy and I was actually told by some, I don't need it. Well, 160 euros later, I will be getting it. And should I get bitten, I still have to do to a doctor right away -- hmm... Maybe I just wanted more stickers in my "Impfbuch" (this is the German term for vaccination book - I know have one)

On Wednesday, I got vaccinated for yellow fever. Not just any doctor can give the vaccine and it is supposed to be quite tough to take and can have side-effects. Until now, I am fine and have not yet turned yellow. But will keep you updated.

Otherwise I will be getting cholera and meningitis - the vaccines that is. I made this mistake in German, telling a colleague - "Ich habe Tollwut bestellt," meaning I ordering rabies. She got quite a laugh. Who know which vaccines one really needs, if any, but the Impfbuch is starting to look quite colorful.

Sara and I are still trying to decide on Malaria pills - any suggestions?

"It's not okay with me" & "Just six weeks"

It's not okay with me....Is the name of a book I recently read at the recommendation of a friend. The book, more of a blog on printed on paper and available from used book sellers at Amazon, is written by Janine Maxwell, a former exec of a successful company, who dedicates her life to various causes in Africa after being emotionally uprooted due to the 9/11 attacks. At first, I wasn't completely thrilled with the story. God (in either all caps or normal) appeared in nearly every paragraph and the writing didn't seem like writing, rather someone lecturing me on Africa - and I had had my share of lectures. Not that I didn't want to read about her spiritual journey, but I also didn't want to read her version of the new testament.

Getting more into the book - I was able to connect with Maxwell on a level right at the surface. She helped me realize a good point. When thinking of the continent, we (society) too often tend towards, in her words, "It's too much. It's too big. It's impossible." Of course, Maxwell credits her favorite 3-letter word for helping solve lots of these problems, but she really highlights the stigma most individual face "What difference can one normal person really make?"

Not all of us are Oprah or Nelson Mandela or Bill Clinton - so how can we as individuals help? I found myself falling into this mentality when speaking of our trip - saying yeah, I'm going to volunteer "just for six weeks." Really downplaying something - that shouldn't be. These mere six weeks CAN change something and CAN create resonance - no matter how small the frequency. Just think what can happen in six weeks - entire ecosystems can be destroyed from millions of gallons of oil or on a lighter note, and with the right commitment, entire villages can be brought back to life.

So, I will be keeping that in mind - no more "just for six weeks," because who knows what "just for six weeks" can bring. I am confident to find that one person can make a difference, even if it's becoming fully convinced of Maxwell's message: "It's not okay with me."

Conicdently, on the occacion of this blog post, I found an interesting story about one guy started with helping out just a little - his "just six weeks" - and ended up dedicating a lifetime to helping causes that were too big, too much. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/12/cnnheroes.marysmeals/index.html?hpt=C1

Fundraising has begun