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

"Hakuna Matata - What a Wonderful Phrase"

As a welcome to Abby’s and my blog – we each wanted to give a quick personal introduction as to why we are going to work at the Light in Africa orphanage this fall.

Abby has given her perspective and reasons for this decision recently, and now, I am going to attempt to bare my soul (which anyone who knows me well, realizes how terrible I am at it, so please bare with me).

As Abby details below – this whole little volunteering in Africa thing is her fault, errr idea. I’ve always wanted to do something a little more important with my life than having a good time, and traveling the world is high up on my priority list, so this little trip seemed like the perfect option. Plus, I’m way too chicken to do anything like this on my own, so traveling with my favorite person to a new place is a no brainer for me.

To be very simple about my life adage, I believe in having fun - plain and simple. Luckily I have been very blessed to have a great family and friends who generally are right on board with this train of thought. So, in the language of my soon to be temporary home, I believe in the life motto of "hakuna matata" (for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of watching the Lion King, “hakuna matata” is Swahili for "no worries").

It could be because of this “no worries” mentality I generally have, that I feel it is so important to help those who have nothing but worries, and have no opportunity to change their life. I have been fortunate enough to have a life that is for the most part easy and trouble free, and it is probably because of its ease and lack of real pain, that I feel giving back to those who have absolutely nothing, and no one, is so important to me.

So, with all this in mind, we have each taken on the challenge of getting ourselves to Tanzania, and raising $1500 to hand to Light in Africa on our arrival. Our goal is for this blog to be your opportunity to take this journey with us, meet the people we meet, and understand the experience as we go through it.

Love and thanks,

Sara

What is this? What are these two up to now?

Hi Family and Friends and whoever may have happened upon this blog,

As most of you know, I have been blessed with having not only a great support network including families and friends, not to mention a wonderful best friend, Sara. We met nearly 8 years ago in a shared dormitory bathroom at CSU. Despite a ocean in between us for 4 years, we have remained the best of friends and even taken a trip together in Europe for the past three. This year, we have decided to invest our time and efforts to a better cause and volunteer with an organization called Light in Africa in Tanzania. This blog is devoted to this experience - from our way there, our time there, and our experience after the fact.

Why? might you ask that I decided to embark on a volunteer journey? That is something I have been asking myself and can clearly remember one clear moment. At home in Colorado, visiting my family, I was talking a walk - to Starbucks of course - and couldn't shut the thoughts up in my head - Will I get a good job? Was doing my masters abroad going to pay off? Where will I end up? - then it dawned upon me for some reason - on this walk to Starbucks - that I am extremely lucky for everything and everyone I have. Although nearly nothing in my life has worked out according to my original plan, it has all worked out and quite well, for that matter. So why all these worries about material, frivolous STUFF? I'd been so worried about getting a late start in my career, so worried if I made the right decisions, that I had forgot how lucky I really was. I wanted - needed - a wake up call.

That's how I came to the idea of going to Africa - there on that walk. Why Africa? Well now I can say because of the dire need, because of the expected 43 million orphans on the continent, because of the 30,000 children that die each day in sub-Saharan Africa, however, this FACTS were unbeknownst to me at the time. Something drew me to Africa - something drew me to give back. Maybe it was my recognition of how lucky I was - lucky to have great parents and a great support systems, let alone running water, food or modern medicine. So it was set in my head, I was going to Africa.

The next day, I reunited with Sara and told her of my plans. She teared up, said how much she missed me, and was onboard from the start. We found Light in Africa, an orphanage in Kilimanjaro, through friends of mine, who had volunteered there before. We applied, and were accepted. Now, you're nearly up to speed on how this came about and please stay tuned for more information on the organization, our way there, fundraising efforts, and most of all, the experiences we encounter in Tanzania.

Thanks for the constant love and support,

Abby