I'm here!!!!!

I have been for two weeks now, but this is the first working computer I have come across! Ayyyyy where do I begin?

I am very happy. Haha, overall the past two weeks here have been eye-opening like no other experience I have ever had - even more so than I expected - in both good ways and - not bad, but uncomfortable. However, it's the uncomfortable situations that are making me feel so good about being here (visiting a tribal area where female mutilation is still practiced, travelling on a bumpy dirt road in a taxi with enough seats to fit 10 yet 25 are squeezed in there with chickens and children and the guy is filling the gas tank by putting gasoline into his mouth and spitting it into the car, making bricks - totally not my forte, etc. etc. etc.)

Our whole group is working together to keep eachother sane, safe, aware, helpful, open-minded and educated. We have all become so close so fast - as environments like this tend to encourage - and have eachother's best interest at heart (every morning at least one person shouts out "MALARIA PILLS!" for anyone that may have forgotten to take them...)

Here we are known as "mzungus" (moo-zoon-goos) - a non-derogatory word (?) for white people - and we can hear it being shouted from the hills as we pass through our village, especially from the mouths of children who are always soooo excited to see us. Some come running up to come shake our hands, some kneel as they do, while the others run in fear - tears streaming down their adorable faces. Of course, I'm constantly running around looking to hug them all and since it's about a 25% chance you'll get a cryer - I've since recieved the nickname, "mzungu monster". Someone has already taken the title from me with a triple-whammy (making three cry in a row) but I'm sure I'll grab it back some day, haha.

So our daily schedule is 8-5 building a volunteer house for FDNC - the organization we are working for here. The organization is amazing, the people are light-hearted and helpful. The site we work at is a vocational school compound, including a special needs community, a children's band that plays all over town, tailoring school, beauty school, and a comptuer science school. We're having a blast with all of them who are making us feel so welcome, and completely immersed as people - not just crazy mzungus (and they totally do think we're all crazy) haha.

This past weekend we went to Sipi Falls (which I thought was Sleepy Falls until we got there) and sat behind waterfalls, hiked up mountainsides, climbed into a bat cave (gross but awesome) and while I was sitting next to one waterfall I found myself in the middle of a rainbow!!! Full circle, streams of color surrounding me - ah, what a spiritual experience that was, and really hard to explain in words.

Ok time is running out but I will write soon. I really want to get into words how I feel about my true purpose being here but I am changing my mind about that every day. Maybe I'll save that for the last post.

OH and OF COURSE! The donations. OMYGOSH if you could only see the reactions from those soccer balls... I have never seen bigger, brighter smiles. I laugh as I walk the mile (uphill, cough cough) to work every day and I see one of the balls come bounding across a field. They've infiltrated the community and even though they seem simple material objects - those balls have helped to keep the people light-hearted despite the intense poverty and hardship that truly devestates this area. So thank you thank you thank you. You have brought smiles to some of the most precious faces I have ever seen.

And as for the school supplies - I am bringing them up next week. I decided the best use for them was to the Special Needs school because they literally have nothing. And unfortuantely, the special needs kids as a group have been rejected for years (not unlike the U.S.) and the people that are running it are having a hard time finding sufficient support. And these kids. wow. All kids come running and laughing - but this community comes leaping. They love people, singing, and talking with empowerment about conquering their disabilities which ranges from physical to mental and everything in between. I've learned a little sign language to be able to communicate with the three deaf girls (one I have not met, because she can't afford to get to school all the time - this is common everywhere).

In conclusion, thank you all for your support. This trip is pushing my comfort levels in all sorts of intense, necessary ways and I am happy as a clam in the sea (or a white girl in Uganda) haha.

Much love to all!

A nation united

NYC
Outside the UN building
Inside the UN building
On the balcony, the Uganda group #2!!! Our leader is the farthest left.
Corryn and I outside the front of the UN building at the beginning of the day.

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One for all and all for one! Solidarity is our motto or so it seems to be for now. That was one of the messages I soaked in from today's mass...a compilation of prayers for all of the traveling groups and a celebration of the past 50 years of successful Crossroad groups! There were speakers from past years - including one guy from the first year of Operation Crossroads' birth! 1958! Very cool. After a mass filled with dancing, singing, gospel choirs and motivational speeches we made our way to the UN Delegates Dining Room for a celebratory dinner. It was so moving to be in an area where people have made decisions that have changed the world so drastically. The whole experience reminded me of all the reasons I am participating in this program.

Some "celebrities" showed up like Miss Liberia and Malcolm X's daughter - who was a past Crossroader herself. We had food from all over the world - Red Snapper from East Africa, Avocado from South Africa, coffee from Kenya and delicious delicious treats... that we WON'T be having for the next two months. Apparently I'm looking forward to a lot of rice and beans. (Which I can't really complain about...yet) :)

We leave tomorrow at 11 p.m. for Dubai. Then a quick sleep in a hotel and another flight to Uganda. I'm so excited and will be in touch asap. Included are some pictures of my Uganda group at the UN and the rest of the day. Enjoy! Best wishes to all and peace (in solidarity!)

THE ROCK SPOT

I was waiting outside Borders for friends today on the corner of 7th and 36th? I think. Somewhere around there. I heard a lil rumor that Chris Rock was inside so I ran - of course - to the 2nd floor, spotted the man himself behind a shelf and shook his hand! He was really sweet and dealt politely with me bothering him during his book search. Then he paid for his stuff, with gawking eyes all around him, walked outside and into his chauffeured shiny car. Twas totally cool. :)

A quick hello

So I haven't made it too far yet... Garden City to be exact. We're in the city/Long Island for the weekend until our flight leaves Sunday night for Dubai! We spend a night there - and from what I hear, there we get a hotel and free food! YAY! Then we're off to our destination for the following two months: Mbale, Uganda.

I've met our group: 8 girls, 1 boy. (poor kid...or not? haha) They're great. We're all ready to adventure, ready to explore, ready to help, see, listen, build, blah blah blah. No decisive plans on what our one-week travel experience will include butttt we're thinking safari, white-water rafting, waterfall climbing, etc. I'm realllly looking forward to that trip! For now, we're focusing on our goal: to build a house, start to finish, while we are there. THINK WE CAN DO IT?!?!

Haha, I hope so. We shall see... stay tuned for more updates. I won't have internet access in the compound we are living in, but I will be able to go into town sometimes and use it. So I'll make sure to make updates here when I do. Thats when the pictures will come... the good stuff. :)

TAKE TWO

OK so we're trying this again. Or should I say, I am trying this again. Ah, growing up and owning up. This is my second attempt at starting up this blog. Despite my mom's persistent requests for pictures and stories, I couldn't get this thing up in running. After a long and strenuous battle to set this thing up IN SPANISH, I still couldn't frequent it enough. I could blame it on the annoyingly intermittent internet situation in Spain but a more appropriate blame can be placed on my reflex to go run and play in the Rio in Valencia rather than wait four hours for pictures to upload. SO I deleted the previous posts in an effort to clean slate.

And on to new adventures...

After five glorious months of running around Europe, lucky little ol' me gets to run around Africa for two months this summer. I have an slight feeling the two trips will differ... just a tad? I have mentioned to my mom a few times in the two weeks I have been home, that I am currently in a state of transition: from total "me" time to total "them" time (whatever that means... we shall find out!) And I couldn't be more thankful for it. Europe was AMAZING and self-indulging in every eye-opening, academic, expensive, fun, delicious, playful sense of the word. I learned so much and I'm sure my experience in Africa will only make me more thankful for having been able to have it. 

As for my future "jaunt" (not quite so sure if the blog's name is any longer on-par with the meaning behind my volunteer trip but I guess the shoe could fit if I shove it in there) -- I am first and foremost thankful to my family for putting up with my coming and going and all the requests for help in between. Secondly and very importantly, Bob Iger, for making this trip possible for me. This opportunity is just one more reason I consider enrolling at Ithaca College the best decision I ever made. Thank you Mr. Iger, the Simmons family and everyone in Park, especially Dean Lynch and Melissa Gattine for their support.

And I can't forget all the WONDERFUL people in Delmar, New York who donated everything from school supplies to deflated soccer balls to send down to Uganda with me. I hope to return the favor with plenty of photographed moments of these items being put to good use.

Much Love to all, and expect the upcoming posts to include more detail on my actual trip in Uganda -- as I will be there! June 25 - Aug. 11. No promises of any better internet connection than Spain - probably worse - BUT I have learned my lesson from the disappointed faces back at home whom are just simply curious to my where-abouts and whos-abouts. So I will do my best to keep in touch through this.

For more information on my program, here are some websites if interested:

www.operationcrossroadsafrica.org

www.fdncuganda.org