Fundraising-o-rama

So as a reminder let me tell you that my job here is to plan and execute fundraising trips that support the various programs of Global Alliance for Africa, a non-for-profit located in Chicago. We are now working on a trip from Georgetown University, Loyola University, a bike trip, and yoga trip and an Art Camp. Those 5 trips will be coming before July....thus far this year we have had an Art trip and a Kili climb with another arriving in less than two weeks. We have a lot of momentum going...our goal was 6 trips this year...and we will easily surpass that. This trip coming in February is by far the biggest fundraisng group of the year. Shawna and I have both been working with this group since early last year. It is a wonderful mix of highly accomplished people with a drive to both help GAA and climb to the roof of Africa. I want to give you a bit of background on the group because this blog will be the home of their journey. We plan to document their ascent (and descent) up Kili. and give descriptions of their journey. You can log in here to see how they are doing and where they are on the mountain. So I am going to introduce each of them over the next few blogs to give their journey a more personal feel.
First there is Shawna, Shawna is my great great friend and a wonderful supporter of Global Alliance. This will be her 3rd attempt on Kili...she was successful in her first two tries. She does triathlons, skis, bikes....and I would say is generally happiest when outdoors. She is a leader on this trip. Both Shawna's sister Nicole and her father Jim will be joining us this year. I already feel emotional at the thought of the three of them doing this together. Kili brings out a lot of different emotions in people and for them to share this wih each other will be very powerful...Jim has been trainig really hard and has set the bar high for the rest of us. Rumors of his efforts have already come to Africa....ankle weights, heavy backpacks...he's gunning for this mountain!!! Nicole is an accomplished althlete and a natural runner. She is leaving behind her husband and beautiful daughter to join us. As I've told her and the other parents on the trip...the effect their climb will have on their own children is as powerful as the effect it will have on the kids here.
I'll finish my focus on our line up in my next blog so stay tuned....there will be 15 of us doing the climb beginning on the 11th of February....this group leaves Chicago on the 8th and will spend a day getting ready and visitng the programs of GAA...for a littel pre-climb motivation.
My mom comes this Sat....she willbe staying wth my kids while a travel with this group...this is about the 10th trip she has taken this year. She's been in Indonesia, Brazil, and many other foreign locales...so i think she'll easily adapt to our life here....we can't wait to see her!!! Yeah Gamma!!!
More soon!!!!
Sarah

Shit Sandwich

Let me preface this blog with the fact that I know I am swearing and there is swearing involved...hope no one takes offense.
While hiking on Sunday, I had an interesting conversation with Pearl. She had recently seen a movie called Gracie. (this movie was left behind by my Christian friend) The movie is about a girl whose brother dies. She tries to replace him on the soccer team. She has to work and train very hard and eventually wins the game etc. She struggles a lot to get to this point. At one part of the movie she is having a conversation with her mother and her mother basically tells her that "women have to, at some point, take a bite of a big shit sandwich" that it is part of our inequality etc. Gracie was discouraged by her mother's attitude and vowed to prove her wrong.
Pearl asked me if my mom had made me take a bite of a "shit sandwich". I know she doesn't know what shit is and doubt she grasped the metphorical aspect of this comment. But it did lead to a great conversation about how "no, I was raised pretty equally to my brothers and always encouraged to compete". I told her under no circumstances would she ever be made to take a bite from me...hopefully not from other influences in her life. I told her I was raising my daughters to be humans....in a global world and to understand that we can all be equal and should be compensated as such. May have gone over my 5 year olds head...but she was trudging through the mud nodding...listening...
When I reflected on this later...I realized I have to vote for Hillary. I have to vote for her for no other reason than to have a woman in power, for that to exist in my girls lifetime. Of course I LOVE Barack...loving African men....but I never want my girls to take a bite of the shit sandwich.

Waterfalls and Banana Beer

Today Nell and Pearl and I and three other friends went for an amazing hike up to a glorious huge waterfall. The day began with a slippery drive (me driving) up towards Kili to a village called Uru. It was lightly raining which made getting up there in my sedan type car a bit of a feat. Then we fond some local kids to take us into the area where the falls are...
I need to first tell you what a typical Sunday is like in a village like this. Sundays start with church in the villagers Sunday finest and end in a drunken stumble home. Pretty hilarious....so while we were hiking in, many people were just leaving their services...in heels and nice shoes in the sloppy mud. These people use leaves as their umbrellas. The Banana trees are so huge that one leaf can provide shelter for two or three people. This sight alone....the bright bright green mixed with the bright colors of the church clothes was a sight to absorb....the people greeted us happily. As is the norm...Nell and Pearl are the center of attention. People stop them...want to look at them....talk to them...they are mini rockstars here. By the time we were hiking out hours later, the entire village had consumed a lot of banana beer. Even the old "mamas" were wasted....it's pretty funny to see these people stumbling down the path. Add to this spectacle the HUGE snail Nell was carrying on a banana leaf and you have a sight to behold. the villagers were essentially falling down laughing (drunk) at the sight of this Mzungu (oh so very white one) carrying a snail. what they didn't know is that she named it Gary...ala Sponge Bob. I didn't mention that Nell did the entire hike barefooted...very much like every other Tanzanian kid we saw...that child is made to be outdoors! Pearl in the meantime was charming everyone by picking up a few Chagga phrases and greeting the parties as we descended...she spent most of the day on someones shoulders...mainly mine. They were both such a pleasure to take on this adventure and always add to everyone elses humor. Neither complained being in the mud and rain....they loved the mud squishing through their toes...being free etc.
Great great day!!!!
Peace,
Sarah

We're baaaaaaack!!!!

Ahhhhhhhhh.....that's a huge sigh of relief and appreciation I feel at being back here. I just cannot express how strange it was being home...on so many levels. Probably the hardest thing was the question "how is Africa"....how do I answer that....usually I said "great" a la Nell. But we have been so changed by this experience....but it seemed strange once we were back in our familiar city. In some ways nothing had changed....but us. I think also the fact that we were home at xmas, was an added intensity factor. So much consumerism and excess. I felt like I was constantly at odds with my surroundings and many times the people as well. How should I appreciate the huge lighted xmas tree when I know 90% of the people live without power here everyday....how do I answer the questions about financially protecting my children when they are already set....how do I not squirm at the waste, the packaging, the excess....the fatness. I really struggled with how to feel comfortable in that environment. Don't get me wrong....I ate about 75 Filet o Fishes....had room service brought to me many mornings....slept in warm beds with nice sheets....I enjoyed myself...but always with a sense of what others don't have. I am not so much annoyed by the people who have....just those who have and don't appreciate or get their place in the world. I now know that Nell and Pearl get it.....their comments were amazingly insightful and on target. Coming back here felt like a relief to all three of us. Our life is simple...has a purpose that we all believe in. We feel life in it's rawest form....not the drama's that rich bored people create. Yesterday our rabbit gave birth to 6 babies....they all died...it was a hard time for Nell especially who had been anticipating their birth....she watched the whole thing happen. She cried and then buried them....she has been experiencing the life cycle here....sees that we are mortal....life is short.....enjoy it in whatever way gives you happiness and inner calm...whether that be a new marriage....an acceptance of your sons' brothers' exhusbands' choices....whether it be moving to a 3rd world country.....finding new love....sharing it with your family and friends....it's all individual and i am rambling....
Just wishing everyone an inner peace that the girls and i have expereinced here and a hope that we will be able to incorporate it in our life at home.
PS....there is a new girl in Pearl's class.....named...Pearl.
Love to you all!
Sarah

It's CCCCCCCooolllllldddd

Wow the cold is a shock...the xmas lights wrapped around the lightposts....on top of the lighted streets are a shock....the retail chaos is a shock....
But we are happy to be here. I am realizing by the kids reactions that we have done a major thing by being in Tanzania....they are so easily amazed and happy here. They seem deeply appreciative of seeing their cousins, grandma...friends....SNOW.
I had sushi last night....and a grilled cheese and bacon for lunch today....YUM.
I've been easing into this whole thing by just hanging with one person thus far....which has ben nice...but tonight commences the friend parade....I am ready to see them ALL!!!!
It's good....we are happy.
Sarah

ok....here goes nothin!

Tomorrow we start our journey back....and it aint a short one....we've made our game plan. Swim all day tomorrow to wear ourselves out and enjoy the warm weather. Then home eat a lot...cab to plane...to dar salaam....to amsterdam....to chicago...
Arriving Sunday noon!
Love to you all.....see you soon!!!
Peace,
Sarah

A Day in the Life

So just give you an idea of our day to day existence...thought I'd give you the run down of the next few days for us. This morning started with breakfast as usual...packing of the backpacks, snack, homework, hat, swimsuit, reading books, Read-athon lists. Girls must have a hat if they want to play outside at break time...
Then I went running...pretty much the highlight of my day always...I run from school and head down hill then run back up with a full clear amazing view of Kili...great motivation and inspiration. The elevation is pretty high here so I do some good breathing.....Love listening to my ipod, running by the banana ladies, on the soft dirt roads...
Then on to the office...although today I had to stop at the school bookfair(!!!!)...the girls had huge lists and are used to getting their book needs filled..it was hard for me to indulge as the books are about three years old and about 6 times the price in the US...but I know it is the experience of loving and coveting books that I need to indulge. SO after paying about 25 US dollars for three paperbacks...it was off to the office. Pole sana....no power. So typical...our office is on the 3rd floor and I trudge to get up there....then nothing...ug...trudge downstairs...up the hill to the internet cafe...with the sticking keys if you can't tell.
I'll leave after writing this to go to the second hand clothes market...Pearl is to be an Elf and Nell a child prepared for winter weather for the school xmas sing on Thursday. Pretty funny to be buying cold weather clothes while sweating from every pore...
Nell is participating in a Read a thon and read for 79 straight minutes last night....she is sure she can outdo herself tonight , then Friday she is to dress like her favorite book character. Nell wants to dress as Nancy Drew's boyfriend....note...not Nancy...but her boyfriend?! Pearl hasn't decided...let you know on that. Hoping for power at home for all these preparations...but if not we'll use candles and headlamps. I was reading about the ice storms there and how there were power outages...so weird to think about now...they are an everyday event and I have finally stopped groaning when they happen...
Day in the life....see you all soon!
Peace,
Sarah