Hiking Half Dome

A week ago today I made a checkmark on my bucket list. Number 10 on my most current list was to hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in California.

About a year ago I had a couple of friends mention that they had hiked Half Dome, I had been to Yosemite for a day back in 2000 with my current roommate (she was visiting me in Sacramento) and my then boyfriend. As a flatlander from the Midwest I was amazed that there were people climbing and SLEEPING on the side of El Capitan and I bet at that time I didn’t even realize you could hike to the top of Half Dome.

The older I become the more risks I take, which is typically the opposite, but I’ve come to the conclusion you got to die sometime, so why not live life to the fullest, ride a mini cart down the side of the Great Wall, sit on top of a van in Murchison Falls 15 feet away from lions and get out into those woods and find a BEAR DAMN IT!!

If you’re facebook friends with me, you’ll know that I’m on the hunt (figuratively speaking) to see a bear in the wild. A word of advice don’t ever go bear hunting with me, you’ll never find one.

But let’s get back to Half Dome….a few months ago, I ring up my good friend Melissa and casually say “hey I have a trip to Hawaii at the end of June, why don’t I stop over in LA and we can go to Yosemite, maybe climb Half Dome?” We both google “Hike Half Dome” and collectively say, “oh shit…did you see those cables?”

So we start working out…errr I mean so Melissa starts working out and I occasionally climb some stairwells in whatever hotel I’m staying at and occasionally do some pushups. About 3 weeks before the hike, I get back on the Prepare for hiking half dome website…step one Start working out 2 months prior to your hike…well uh…let’s move on to step 2.

10 days before we head out to Yosemite, Melissa and I go on a hike with Mrrrrr (I’ll get to that story in a minute) at Sandstone Peaks in Malibu. It was 6 miles, there were a few times I clearly thought I’m out of my damn mind to be hiking Half Dome in 10 days. So I tell Melly later that day, I’m totally in for Yosemite, but the hike up Half Dome, ehhh doubt I’m in, I don’t want to be a casualty on the trail and drag everyone else down with me.

Mrrr decides a few days later he’s in for going to Yosemite with us. I tell him I’m not sure I’m going to do Half Dome; he says you can totally do it just pace yourself. I’m sure at the time he didn’t realize pace yourself would be a snail’s pace.

Before I get to the day of the hike I’ll explain why Mrrrr is called Mrrrr. Mrrr is in a witness protection program, that’s why I can’t refer to him by his real name. Just Kidding. His initials are M.R.R. and I said MRR huh? Kinda like Grrr…every time you’re crabby (or act crabby) we are going to MRRRRRRRR you…oh boy did we get a lot of mileage out of that…and were Melissa and I cracking up every single time.

The morning of the hike, we woke up at 4:30AM, made some breakfast, coffee and headed out from the North Pines campground to the trailhead. There were 5 of us to start, two of Melissa's friends, Stephanie and Melanie, Melissa, Mrrr and myself. Stephanie and Melanie are super cool girls….super cool girls who are like 25 and weigh 105 pounds on a bad day and who had been climbing all over the Yosemite Valley for the past 3 days and were now going on a 16 mile hike. Yeah you get the point they were way more fit than my old fat ass.

Within the first ½ mile the self-doubt was kicking in to full gear. Wow self-doubt is really a powerful thing. I was hiking along thinking- are you kidding me you dumb ass you’re not going to hike 16 miles in one day. You’ll never keep up with the rest of the group. This sucks I can’t breathe! Really why did you ever put this stupid goal on your bucket list…you should just go back to camp go back to bed and then sit in the river all day long.

I call out to Melissa and Mrrr overhears and I say, “I’m going to turn back. I don’t want to hold the group back. Nor do I want to be a casualty on the trail”. Mrrrr, sweet Mrrr says just make it to the waterfall. I say ok fine just to the waterfall. Mrrr was super sweet in that every 10 feet or so he’d peer over his shoulder just to see if I was still back there. I’d give him a wheezy smile.

We all made it up to the top of Vernal Falls (700 stairs later) thru the Misty Trail, and then up to Nevada Falls (another 700 stairs). By the time I got that far, I had decided I was going all the way albeit at a slow and steady pace, the thought of going back down the trail myself was more unappealing than pushing forward. Plus I wanted to be at the top of Half Dome!

There were all shapes, sizes and ages on the trail. Grandparents, grandkids, people in sneakers (which is really not advised for the granite part), people who’d made it to almost the top before but not the cables, people without water (which how they did it I’m not sure).

I’m not going to lie the last 2 miles up felt like an eternity, the last 3 miles down at the end of the night may have felt like an eternity and a half. It’s a toss up really.  The final push before you get to the cables is another 700 stairs cut out of the granite, with very little shade, some open terrain and then finally the cables.

The cables are one lane with two way traffic and what feels like a 90 degree angle, people coming off the cables said it had taken them over an hour to get up to the summit (from the start to the end of the cables is a little over 400 feet…which seems easy until you realize that’s the equivalent of a 40 story building). It’s like a bad game of leapfrog or chicken on the side of the mountain. The rock climber girls had been up and down by the time we got that far, so one of them let Melissa use her harness. Mrrrr went first, then me, and then Melly behind clipped in, so if I did tumble down the side of the mountain maybe she could grab me by the nape of my neck.

As we start the trudge up the side of the mountain, I really focused on my breathing, my grip on the cables and tried to look only a few feet ahead of me, not the drops looming to either side of me. Twice people’s water bottles that had not been secured in their backpacks fell out and went “ting ting ting ting” down the side of the mountain. I’m pretty sure that’s when I said to Melissa “I think I might pass out”, but the fear and logistics of dealing with someone unconscious on the side of a mountain kept me standing on two feet. The people coming down the mountain were amazing with “you’re almost there. You have great upper arm body strength (which I said thank you but laughed at). You’re doing awesome” etc. really gave us the boost to push ahead and get to the top.

Being at the top of Half Dome was amazing, I said to Melissa and Mrrrr if I was a crier, I’d be crying right now. Those 8 miles up taught me a lot about myself, the push to persevere, how the encouragement of close friends, friends you’ve just met and strangers on a trail can give you the strength to carryon. I really feel like I can accomplish anything now, as long as I push the voices of self-doubt far out of my mind, keep a positive attitude and if you focus on just a few steps at a time, not the whole 8 miles it’s a lot easier to reach your goal.

We spent about 30 minutes up top and then cruised down the cables pretty quickly (not as many people coming up by that time of day). At one point as the sun was starting to drop Melissa “eh it’s about mountain lion feeding time”, while that encouraged us to move faster, we still ended up in the dark with our headlamps on. The last 3 miles were switchbacks down the John Muir Trail; while I was happy to not be taking the stairs past Vernal Falls and getting soaked again, those switchbacks were a bitch.

I’m going to do the Half Dome Hike again….I’m thinking next year but 20lbs lighter and with a harness and carbineer, so I cruise on the outside of the cables and skip the line like those bad ass 25 year old rock climber girls. Who's coming with me?

Mr. Russell and the 'Noog

A few weeks ago my roommate, Jen and I decided to get up early and head down to Chattanooga for the day.

What a fun little city!?! I totally dug it!! 

We spent about 6 hours there: walking around, shopping on Main Street and the North Shore, having lunch at Mud Pie and snapping photos of Tyler Russel’s old 1950 Chevy Truck.

The trouble with spontaneous trips, is sometimes you miss out on cool things and sometimes you hit the jack pot.

One of the cool things we missed by a day was the Four Bridges Art Festival, we had discussed going back the next day but our weekend was too busy.
After we got back to Nashville I was reading through one of the ‘Noog’s (that’s what the locals call Chattanooga) independent papers and saw we also missed out on a couple of cool shops too! Oh well, better for my pocketbook I suppose and a reason to go back to the ‘Noog in the future.

We made our way into Hanover Gallery on Frazier Avenue and struck up a conversation with the owners, David and Missy. Missy does a 3 hour painting class where you can bring in 5 or 6 of your friends and your favorite adult beverage and learn how to paint. Jen and I are all about taking this class, there is a place in Nashville that does the same thing, except you paint with up to 20 strangers and that class only last two hours. I’m definitely going to have to do the smaller, longer, more hands on version, because I can not paint to save my life. Maybe if I drink a couple bottles of wine that would help?!

After we left Frazier Ave, we headed for the Warehouse Furniture Row, Jen and I were both disappointed in the few stores that were located in the building. Such a fabulous, old rehab warehouse, but with a handful of very expensive stores, it was a bit of a let down.

Jen plugged in Antique stores into her Garmin and twice we were taking on a wild goose chase…the second chase led us up Signal Mountain into a residential neighborhood (we wondered if the people knew the Garmin was leading us to their house). It was a nice drive up Signal Mountain at least.

The first set of bad directions however, did introduce us to Tyler Russell and his 1950 Chevy Truck. Jen and I were driving down the street and there was this old beat farming truck. I yelled for Jen to stop so I could hop out and get some shots. As I’m walking around the truck snapping out walks this guy and I say “hi is this your truck?” And he says “yes it is.” I say “aww I just love this truck. My name is April, what’s your name?” He says, “I’m Tyler Russell. I’m 80 years old.” I then said “get out of town…you don’t look a day over 50”.  We had a nice conversation about what he did, how there was no way he was 80 (he even showed me his driver’s license to prove it). I then asked him for his mailing address so I could send him a few of the shots I took of him and his truck.

That weekend I printed the photos out for Mr. Russell and dropped them in the mail. A couple days later I received a call from Mr. Russell, unfortunately, I had missed his call but he left the sweetest voicemail “Miss Gulley- thank you so much for the photos of me and my big truck”. I loved hearing the appreciation and awe in his voice.

I have yet to call him back, but I hope to this week. I’d love to be there in 20 years for his 100^th birthday. 

World Malaria Day

My apologies to posting this blog a few days late, but better now than never:

This morning I was checking Twitter, it’s only been a few months since I started using Twitter but I love it. I follow some of my favorite News sources, fellow travelers, photographers, non-profit organizations, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), a few athletes (yes Apolo), a few celebrities (Jamie Oliver and Ellen) and even a girl who is a traveling stripper.

I noticed today a lot of my NGOs and news sources were talking about Malaria, and then I remembered today was World Malaria Day.  Two days ago GOOD magazine posted this video on their Facebook page. It created a bit of controversy. As you see it is in fact a “fake” news story, about an outbreak of Malaria reaching a town in California. There were some readers that were absolutely appalled at the fact that GOOD would resort to “scare tactics”, some thought that GOOD would have done a better job by showing real footage of real people suffering from Malaria.

I personally thought it was an excellent video driving home the fact that if Malaria was killing 3,000 American children a day like it does in Africa, we as Americans would be doing something about it.

I also feel that if GOOD had gone the way of showing the true faces of malaria of African children and Haitian children dying, most Americans would be immune to just another video showing the effects of the poor, sick and suffering in a country very far away from the world they live in. If one American child was dying EVERY 30 SECONDS (like it is in Africa) from Malaria there would be a DEMAND to eradicate or at least find ways to prevent Malaria.

While organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are working towards a Malaria vaccine, there are many organizations who are handling the immediate need of providing bed nets to those who live in Malaria stricken countries. Sweet Sleep provides bed nets to every child they give a bed to, bed nets cost $10.00.

Last summer Sweet Sleep gave beds and nets to the Greater Life Orphanage, while we were there in December, they mentioned that the number of Malaria outbreaks had dropped tremendously.  Just $10 can save a child’s life, a $10 bed net can prevent a working adult from getting malaria, can keep them employed, can keep the economy of their country moving, forward, ten bucks that’s it?!

In December during the three weeks I was in Uganda, we developed close relationships with approximately 30 people. Thirty people who we saw more than once, knew their names, still know their names, will see when we go back to Uganda. Six of them had malaria, six of them who admitted out loud to us that they were sick with malaria while we were there. Who knows how many countless others we came in contact over those three weeks who were sick with malaria, but we didn’t know about it. 1 in 5 of the people we know had malaria while we were there. Here are some of the their stories:

Patrick is 13 years old and lives in a orphanage. The first day we met him, he was sick with malaria, with a fever, with the shakes, and lethargic. Candis the director of the orphanage was going to take him to the local clinic on her way to dropping us off at our hotel. The local clinic was jam packed and Beth a woman we were traveling with offered to pay for Patrick’s treatment at a private clinic. Patrick ended up having cerebral malaria, that could have killed him in 48 hours had he not received treatment. He spent 2 days in the hospital, had three IV drips and $11 later. Yes that’s right $11 and Patrick  was back to being a healthy 13 year old. $11 between life and death.

Godfrey the manager of the hotel we stayed in, came down with malaria while we were there, he missed 2 days of work. It was the fourth time that year he’d had an outbreak.

Sharon, Catherine and Fa Fa all girls from the same orphanage as Patrick sick with Malaria while we where there.

Rose, a woman who was our interpreter and guide to the six IDP camps we gave beds to, so sick one of the days we went to camp, we had to pull over twice so she could vomit. We had to rearrange our schedule for the next few days, so she could recover from this outbreak.

To most Americans, Malaria is a disease that happens in far off exotic countries, inflicted by a mosquito bite, so how bad can it be? Malaria kills ONE CHILD EVERY 30 SECONDS in Africa. Malaria impedes the economies of these developing countries, sick adults miss work, the economy slows, the forward moving motion of change, slows, sick children, miss school, miss opportunities to improve the living situation they are in, until a malaria vaccine comes on the market or malaria is eradicated, a $10 bed net can make the difference between life and death.

The purpose of this blog today isn’t to guilt you into buying a bed net, though if it worked sweet! The purpose of this blog today is to bring awareness to the reality of Malaria and how it effects millions of people a day and the importance of eradicating this disease sooner rather than later.

April vs. the Tick

The other day a colleague of mine said “you know what the main cause of death is for people in our demographic, household accidents”.

As someone who has lived alone or spends a lot of time alone in hotel rooms and even now with a roommate, I’ve definitely had those moments where I’ve almost choked, or almost slipped and fell in the bathroom or almost maimed myself in some way, where I’ve thought yup this is how I’m going out. They are going to find me dead in the bathtub of a concussion. Luckily tonight's episode didn't kill me but if someone had been videotaping what was happening I'm sure ya'll would be finding it HI LARIOUS!

Tonight as I was getting ready for bed, I decided to put some jojoba oil in my hair, all of a sudden I felt a bump back behind ear. I knew almost immediately what it was, but it’s right in a spot I can’t see in the mirror, so I grab my camera and a snap a picture of the area and sure enough, I have a tick on my head. I have a tick on my head. OH MY GOD…I HAVE A TICK ON MY HEAD!!

TSA at PHX

TSA you slay me almost every time I fly.

I fly 2 to 10 times a month, in and out of various airports across the country.

My favorite is when you’re going through security and you have a few TSA employees barking over and over again “take out your liquids. They need to be in a plastic bag. Nothing over 3 oz. can go through security. If you don’t take out your liquids you could be delayed further”. You know the last time I put all my liquids in a baggy and took them out of my carry on luggage….2 years ago. I don’t travel with any liquids over 3 oz because those are actually easy for TSA to spot. I do have eye drops in one bag, copious tubes of lip gloss in about 14 different spots, hand crème at the bottom of my bag, Neosporin in another spot…you get the picture.

Today going through PHX they are barking the same liquid rhetoric, I once again do not do anything special with my liquids. I do pull out my laptop in it’s security friendly case where I do keep an iphone cord and my wireless card in there. Note: 1 in every 10 flights someone from TSA may actually tell me my bag is no longer “friendly” because I have said contraband cords in my bag. Today was one of those days, so I had to pull the cords out and drop them in the bin. In the process I’m being sassy to the TSA lady saying, it’s one in every 10 flights TSA says anything to me….she says “well it took PHX TSA to do something about it” Her counterpart says “it should make us feel good we enforced the rules”….UH HUH….

Meanwhile my bags go through security liquids in all their various spots in my carry on, along with my box cutter I keep in my office supply bag….and no one says a thing…

Way to do your job PHX TSA!

My Spontaneous Act of Kindness to A Stranger Challenge

A few weeks ago I blogged about the 29 Days of Giving. I love the concept. I can not commit to anything at all. I lasted 5 days. That could be the longest thing I've ever committed to, I'm sort of almost not kidding you.

I get bored. I lose track. I get interested in something else. I hop on a plane. I decide I can't take it any longer and I have to have a piece of chocolate...I've NEVER been able to diet EVER in my entire life.

I also struggled with the concept of what "giving" entails. In my mind I already do a lot of giving to friends, family and strangers, it is in fact in my nature. I'll buy dinner when I'm out with friends. I'll help a mom traveling with kids on a plane get situated. I'll let people make a left turn in front of me. You get the point. Don't get me wrong I'm hardly anywhere close to St. Theresa. Part of the reason why I fell off the 29 Days wagon was because in fact I was in a completely shitty mood on Day 6. I'd been out of town for a month and it was my first day home. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to smile at anyone and I sure as hell wasn't going to do anything nice for anyone that day, thus my tumble off the wagon.

Getting back on the 29 Days wagon has been weighing on my mind in the last week or so and I was trying to determine when I should maybe give it another go.

Today presented that opportunity. I'm in Phoenix on business. This morning a few colleagues of mine and I went for a walk and then stopped at a Safeway. We all wanted to pick up a few items for our rooms. This Safeway has a Starbucks in it...I'm trying to kick my Chai latte habit...but that whole commitment thing got in the way...so there I was standing in line waiting for my turn. I was off in my own little dream world, when I tuned into the girl 2 people ahead of me placing her order and then subsequently realizing she'd left her card in her car. Embarassed she started to tell the cashier, she'd have to be right back. As I realized what was happening, I knew what I had to do. I said "I'll pay for your coffee". The girl, probably about 20 was stunned, speechless. I said "yeah I got it. I hate when that happens. Just do it for someone else sometime" She thanked me about 85 times. I was like really it was 2 bucks. It's my pleasure. Have a good day. You would have thought I had just performed CPR on her dog, ok that might be an exaggeration.

How many times have you ordered something and then realized your cash or card was left in your pant pockets, other wallet or not where it should be at that moment?

My challenge to you is to commit a spontaneous act of kindness to a stranger this week. It doesn't have to cost you anything and it doesn't have to be a tangible item. But can you create just a little bit of sunshine into someone's life, who least expects it in the next 7 days?!

I want to hear your stories!!

xox

Off the 29 Days Giving Wagon

I was going strong for the first 5 days. Really enjoying this little experiment and then I came back to Nashville on Monday. It was actually Tuesday that I fell off. Typically when I come home after being on the road, I don't like to leave my house. I don't like to talk to people and my communication level is close to zero.

What to give loomed over my head all day...I had a few ideas in mind but they were going to require effort I just wasn't feeling like giving.

So I have to start all over again....I'm going to start tomorrow.

Puzzles and Patience- Day 1

Today is day one of my 29 days of giving. I should start out with a disclaimer, I already knew what my gift for today was going to be, I’m not totally sure if that’s cheating or not. I intend on counting it as my first gift, but should an opportunity present itself that could be considered another gift I think I’m going to run with it.

In January, when I came back from Uganda I sent out an email to a lot of my friends letting them know I was back, thanking them for their support and including a link to my photos. I received a reply back from an old boss and dear friend of mine- “Great Work April. Family Video would be proud. My life sucks at the moment- Ben died last week…”

You could have knocked me over with a feather as I read Stuart’s email. In fact as I go back to read the email for the purpose of this blog, I’m feeling a little light headed and over come with tears.

Stuart’s youngest son, Ben had been suffering from epileptic seizures for as long as I can remember, many times being air lifted to the nearest hospital after an episode of seizures. Stuart had included a link to Ben’s obituary along with Ben’s Caring Bridge website. It’s there I learned of Ben’s last few weeks here on earth. His CaringBridge website is also where I go back to read more about Ben and his amazing spirit, along with the joys and sadness the Gilpins have been experiencing during the past few months.

One of Stuart’s entries he mentioned that Ben was a big fan of puzzles and as a tribute to Ben they would be collecting puzzles of 100 pieces or less. Passing them along to school, nursing homes, etc in his honor. I read that and decided I wanted to participate. I would buy a few puzzles and send them onto Stuart doing my part in recognizing Ben’s short life and spreading a little joy to the recipients in Tyler, TX. Last week I purchased the puzzles, I’ve been carting them around in my car for the past week, knowing that I was going to start the 29 days soon and wanting to include these puzzles as part of my 29 days.

Yesterday, I sat outside on my sister’s back patio, soaking up the sun and said a short little prayer, asking God to give me the right words to bring some comfort to the Gilpins. I’m notorious for misspeaking or mis-writing (is that a word?). Miraculously the words came and I was content with my message.

Today, I headed off to the post office with letter in hand and puzzles in the car. I first go to the Post Office and none of the boxes would fit this one puzzle I had purchased. It was a hard wood puzzle of the US and State Capitals. (I felt that was appropriate coming from me.) So I left and went to the Postal Connection down the road, let me say I hate going to a FedEx or a Mailbox Etc….it never goes fast, ever! My patience begins to wear thin as I’m trying to make this wood puzzle fit in a box without spending a stupid amount of money on a box for a 3 dollar puzzle to fit in!! As my patience is wearing, I’m reminding myself of the purpose of my being here and I take a few deep breaths. I eventually decide that the wooden puzzle will not be making it’s way to Tyler and ship off the other 6 or so puzzles to Stuart. I then stand in line waiting for the cashier to finish up with the customer in front of me, which you would think was taking 45 minutes the way my patience was again wearing thin….ask me where I had to be?? Nowhere….nowhere at all hell I could still be standing in the line..I don’t have any pressing engagements this week in Verona, WI. Finally, it’s my turn…finally I’m giving her my address and then Stuart’s address and then telling her what’s in the box….which I found really intrusive to be spitting out two addresses along with the contents of the box in front of a bunch of people. I am in fact in small town, USA so the chance of someone taking my Nashville address and committing a malice act is probably slim to none, but really!?!?

All the while I’m berating myself in my head “Gulley- what the hell is your problem!?! Why are you so irritable!?!” I left the Postal Connections deciding the next 28 days shouldn’t involve mailing anything…..or maybe they should…so I can learn patience.

I’ve spent the morning at this great coffee shop in Verona, Tuvalu Coffee House. I had an awesome chat with the owner, about the amazing chai they have here, she’s even willing to sell some to me in bulk. Along, with picking her brain about doing business with Fair-Trade items, we’ve exchanged information and I’m looking forward to working with her in the future.

After I had placed my order, I could either sit on the side of the cafe with no kids or the side with kids and a screaming baby. I chose the screaming baby side…I also chose to put my earphones in ☺ As I’m typing up this blog, I go back to that wooden-puzzle in my car that didn’t make it to Tyler, TX and I look over at all the kids toys here at the cafe….and I just realized my second gift of the day.

29 Gifts

In November of 2009 as I was raising funds for my trip to Uganda a friend of mine told me about a book she was reading “29 Gifts” by Cami Walker. Cami was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis a couple of years ago.

Cami had probably had MS for more than a decade but it wasn’t until shortly after her honeymoon she was diagnosed. As she struggled with the symptoms and implications of MS her attitude, physical well-being and spirit diminished. A former neighbor and spiritual advisor, Mbali (pronounced Em-bali) suggested she was essentially having a severe pity party for herself, taking all of that negative energy and exacerbating her MS. Mbali recommended a prescription of sorts: to give 29 Gifts conscioully and purposefully everyday for 29 days.

The gifts did not have to be expensive, did not have to be tangible, they just have to be given purposefully. Some of the gifts Cami gave:
- 30 Minutes Free to a client she was consulting
- Letting her husband choose the movie they were going to see
- Cooking Dinner and Doing the Dishes (her MS had really limited her abilities to help around the house but as she refocused her energy to helping others and being grateful for what she did have her MS symptoms started to dissipate)
- Mbali also gave her two specific assignments: To buy a meal for a homeless person and give them 7 dollars. And to part with something she didn’t think she could live with out.

As I read this book I went through all sorts of emotions:

Loved the concept, but wasn’t sure how I felt about self promoting my good deeds.

I also think that I’m a pretty giving person naturally…the other night I was at Applebee’s with my Crazy Sexy Cool girlfriends, they were picking out necklaces from Uganda. A server said “ooh I love those, are you selling them? Could I buy one?” I insisted she have one….yesterday at the dog park a girl was walking 3 dogs, one had gotten off it’s leash and she looked like she was struggling with holding the two on leash while trying to grab the other one. I offered to hold the leashes of the two, while she tracked down the other.

However, there are days where my lack of grace and forgiveness is apparent…put me in the driver seat of a car with a bad driver in front of me and a sailor would be ashamed at the verbal assault that can come out of my mouth…

Put me in an airport security line with people who clearly don’t travel as much as I do…grace goes right out the window.


When it comes down to it, I love the concept of taking 29 days in a row and consciously and purposefully giving whether it’s to friends or strangers. I’m inviting you to join me for the next 29 Days to give and see how the positive energy of giving can change your outlook on life.

I’m starting tomorrow, April 1st. I won’t blog everyday, but I will blog about the pivotal or poignant days.

You can check out the 29 Gifts website here to see if this is something you would like to participate in.

I also have a copy of the book. I’d be happy to send it to the first person who would like it…however, I just ask a two things: Please read it and Pass it along in a timely manner.


Cheers,

April

My Photos from Gulu in new Sweet Sleep Video

Check out some of my photos from Sweet Sleep's new video. About 75% of the still photos are mine...the video that was shot took place during most of the time Jen and I were in Gulu this past December.

Click Here to watch the video.

Back in the States

I landed back in the States 3 weeks today from Uganda. I’ve been home 3 days, the rest of the time has been spent on the road working. My world 3.5 weeks ago is a lot different then my world tonight.

3.5 weeks ago I was in a hotel, like I am tonight, but that’s where the similarities end. Hotel Roma had about 25 sleeping rooms in Gulu, I was in a room with a queen size bed. Did I ever mention that Beth and I shared a bed for the 2.5 weeks we were together in Gulu. Did I mention there was no air conditioning and we slept often in our skivvies because at night the air would be so still and stifling, that our fan brought us little relief. Or that we were arrogant and lucky enough to be on Malarone, a $6/day pill that wards off Malaria, that we didn’t bother to sleep under our mosquito net because it just made it hotter. Or the day after we left Gulu, they didn’t have power for 3 days, THREE days, not because of a major catastrophe but because it’s Gulu and often the infrastructure fails.

In the past three weeks, I’ve been in a Westin, a Hyatt and a very large Vegas hotel. I have had a king size bed every night, a thermostat at my fingertips to adjust the temperature of the room, lamps within reach to make the room, lighter or darker…oh and the bathtubs and dual headed shower heads. I heart Westin shower heads! The first morning at the Westin, I had only been back in the states four days and I giggled with glee as I stepped into the shower, not only would there be hot water, there would be water pressure from TWO shower heads. But the giggling only lasted but a few seconds as I remembered only days before what a shower was like in Gulu.

Tonight I ordered room service, French onion soup, and a sparkling water, my meal with service charge, tax and gratuity came to over $20.00. Christmas Eve, I bought lunch for 16 people in Gulu for less than $20.00.

The paradox of the life I live is not lost on me. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to do some amazing things because of my job. I’ve stayed in phenomenal hotels and dined on fancy dinners and drank expensive wine that I haven’t had to pay a nickel for. I’ve met famous athletes, singers, actors and actresses, been to the NBA All Star Game, worked Four Super Bowls and been to two of the games. I went to China for the Olympics, I’m going to Vancouver for the Olympics. I played on Torrey Pines South…and I don’t even GOLF! I’ve been to more closed theme parks for private functions than I can shake a stick at and yet I’m plotting. Plotting to do exactly what and exactly when that’s all being worked out, but if someone said to me today “April you can walk away from all your financial responsibility and choose what life you want to live” I’d choose Africa, with cold showers, rice and beans and lots of kids in ratty clothes to hang out with, don’t get me wrong I’d long for those nights in fancy hotels, high count thread sheets and room service with expensive wine. I am still in fact American.

Photos from Uganda

Finally photos from my trip!!

Grab yourself a drink and enjoy!!

The photos were all snapped by me...unless of course I'm in them.

Click here on April's Photos

Sweet Sleep Begins Emergency Bedding Campaign for Haiti

This is a press release going out in Nashville...please pass along to any people you know in Middle Tennessee and of course if you want to donate monetarily please do.

NEWS Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jon Merryman
615-730-7671
jon@sweetsleep.org

URGENT: BEDDING DRIVE FOR ORPHANS IN HAITI EARTHQUAKE

Sweet Sleep Collecting Blankets, Mats, and More for Thousands of Displaced and Newly Orphaned Children

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 18, 2010) – Right now, the people of Middle Tennessee can help the youngest victims of the earthquake in Haiti by donating bedding supplies to the island nation’s many orphans. Sweet Sleep, an international nonprofit organization headquartered in Nashville, is hosting an emergency bedding drive at two locations in Williamson County.

More than 2,000 displaced or newly orphaned children are currently being moved to a safe location on six acres of land outside of Port-au-Prince by The Global Orphan Project. Sweet Sleep is a partner in this effort and is now collecting blankets, sheets, mats (camping, yoga, school, straw, etc.), and other bedding items to be delivered to these children so they have a place to sleep.

BEDDING DRIVE FOR HAITIAN ORPHANS

Location #1: CoolSprings Galleria
Sears Parking Lot
Franklin, Tenn.
Wed., January 20
10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Location #2: Brentwood Baptist Church
7777 Concord Road
Brentwood, Tenn.
Today – Wed., January 20

All donations should be new or in like-new condition. Bibles will also be accepted. Items will be shipped to Miami, where they will be loaded into a freighter for Haiti on Friday.

Even before the earthquake, there were an estimated 800,000 orphans in Haiti, which is why Sweet Sleep expanded its global mission to include the impoverished nation late last year. The organization’s work with these children is not limited to the earthquake recovery effort but will continue for years to come.

Middle Tennesseans who are unable to participate in the bedding drive can still assist the effort with a monetary donation. Simply visit www.sweetsleep.org/donate and type “HAITI” in the special comments box.

Sweet Sleep is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Sweet Sleep is a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), which is dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to their standards of responsible stewardship. Sweet Sleep is registered with Guidestar, which provides information that advances transparency in nonprofit practice in order to encourage charitable giving.

Sweet Sleep is a Nashville-based nonprofit organization which provides beds to the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. According to recent estimates there are more than 210 million orphans worldwide, and every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Sweet Sleep works closely with indigenous staff as well as U.S. churches and businesses to provide beds and bedding with a goal of providing “a bed for every head.” Since 2003, Sweet Sleep has provided thousands of beds for orphans in Moldova, Haiti, and Uganda.

For more information about Sweet Sleep, visit www.sweetsleep.org.

Gulu Wrapped Up

Tomorrow will mark exactly one week since I left Uganda, wow time flies quickly doesn’t it!?!

Here are a few final stories to wrap up the trip…I said wrap up the trip, I didn’t say finish the blog. I’ll continue to blog about Uganda, about my travels, about social responsibility, about whatever is on my mind and heart, you may or may not agree with what I’ll talk about, I don’t care. In fact I kinda like it when people don’t agree with me, intelligent debate is thrilling to me. But back to Uganda….

Sunday afternoon came upon us too quickly, the hotel staff was sad to see us go, Jerry and Candis were sad, William the Internet Café guy was sad, we were sad, while it seemed like we had been in Gulu forever, our trip seemed too short all of a sudden. Our trusty driver Jack, had driven up from Kampala that morning to pick us up and whisk us back to the city.

That morning a few of us were sitting on the front veranda, when these 3 little girls walked past Hotel Roma. I had met them before, as they live down the street on the corner, that Beth insisted on cleaning up not once but twice. You see in towns and cities of many third world countries, garbage pick up isn’t on the priority list, hell I don’t even know if it’s on a list. But this corner, really got on Beth’s nerves, so Christmas morning, she went down there and started her own “Beautifying Gulu” project. These three girls who were walking past us lived in a house on that corner and they had been roped into the project the first day Beth cleaned up and then again on the second day. Now I’m not knocking Beth I think what she did was admirable, but I’m also afraid it was futile (that corner is right across the street from a bar- which generates a bit of trash), you do have to start somewhere, and that corner is where Beth decided to start. Anyway, this damn story isn’t even about the trash pick up…get to the point Gulley. So on the second day of Beth’s clean up, she and I were headed to Home of Love to hang the swings, finger paint, etc. I went down to see if Beth was ready to go, these three little girls were helping Beth clean up. The littlest girl (she is probably 4 and I now know her name is Nile) drops the box she is holding, runs over and hugs my knees, totally spontaneous, first time I’ve ever met her. I of course was like “oh my god- I want to take you home with me” then bent down and gave her the biggest hug. Fast Forward to our last day in Gulu, these same three little girls are walking to church on the other side of the road. I get up and walk into the road to call them over and say hello…Nile comes blazing across the street (look for cars what?- I almost had a heart attack as she was running across the street), I bend down and she gives me the biggest hug. My heart totally, completely, utterly MELTED. I picked her up and we chatted for a bit and took a couple of photos, which I then printed and took to her mom. Here’s one of the photos, couldn’t you just eat her up!?! So sweet.





After our final lunch of you guessed it Rice and Beans, we packed up the van and were getting ready to leave for Kampala. I’m sitting up front with Jack and I realize he is talking to someone at his window telling them “no”. I then see it is this boy who actually had approached Beth and I not once but twice…while we were walking through Gulu in past weeks. There is a fine line between helping and enabling, the first two times Beth and I encountered him we ignored and continued to walk on. When I realize who it is, I holler to one of the guys who is riding back with us to Kampala to dig a granola bar and some cookies out of a box we have in the back. I hand them to Jack who hands them to the boy, I then proceed to watch him devour the granola bar and then start on the cookies. I am ashamed that this was the first time we had fed him, he has crossed my mind regularly since last Sunday.

Our trip back to Kampala was almost uneventful, until we got a flat tire about an hour outside of the city. We pulled over to the side of the road, luckily Jack is a pro, but we also had Lou in the van who is another driver for the Adonai house. While they expertly changed the tire, I snapped photos of all the children who lived right along where we stopped, it was so fun watching them watch us.







Monday morning comes and Jack picks me up so I can be dropped off at the meeting spot, to hop on the Rafting outfitters bus to get to the source of the Nile in Jinja. I was excited and nervous. I’m in a boat with 3 Americans, 2 Germans and a Canuck guide. Two of the Americans are National Guard guys, so of course they are like go extreme, woohoo and I’m thinking in my head “oh lord, how many times am I going out of the boat?” We go barefoot, because if you go in with your shoes on, you’re probably coming out with them off. My little princess feet are not cut out for long walks barefoot, but I lived. As soon as we get in the boat there is a small class 2, our guide wanted to see what we were made of, so he intentionally flipped us. I got stuck under the boat, which is okay because there are air pockets, but when you’re cruising down the Nile and you’re stuck under a boat it’s kind of hard not to panic. We all got back in and continued down the Nile. We then came upon Bujagali Falls, which is a Class 5, next thing I know the front of the boat is coming towards the back of the boat and we all get dumped in. When you flip you’re supposed to hold onto the rope of the boat, but that is sometimes easier said than done…I ended up cruising down the river on my own for a little bit. The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, we didn’t see any crocs or hippos, which apparently don’t hang out too much in that part of the Nile, thankfully. We did receive the tip that if you do encounter a hippo when in the water, to swim down to the bottom of the river and hold onto some weeds, apparently hippos can’t see under water…just a little tip for you if you’re ever in the unfortunate situation of being in the water with a hippo at the same time. The safety kayakers did say they saw a cobra in the water, we never saw it though…a few times when we went swimming in the water, it took a bunch of nerve not to freak out at the thought of what was swimming around in the river.
I’m so glad I rafted the Nile that day, Uganda is building a dam that is set to open September 2010 and all of the rapids I ran will pretty much be gone after it opens.

Tuesday was my final day in Uganda. At the beginning of the trip it felt like I was going to be there forever, but by the last day it was hard for me to believe it was all over. The first thing we did that morning was head to Greater Life Orphanage, where we were greeted by screaming and clapping children before we ever reached the gate. I swear people in third world countries have a secret way of communicating a person’s impending arrival. These kids didn’t know we were coming, yet they were standing at the front gate bounding around way before they could even see our van coming up to the gate. As soon as I got out of the car I had many small hands anxiously looking to grab on to mine, so I gave a finger to each kid that was near me to hold on to. Sweet Sleep took a mission team to Greater Life this past summer, so Jen and Stuart wanted to drop in to see how the beds, nets, blankets were holding up and how the kids were sleeping. While they were researching, I was playing “head, shoulders, knees and toes”, along with snapping lots of photos of the kids.

At one point Jen says to me this is where Tasha and Bernie live…here’s the backstory this summer the photographer that was traveling with Sweet Sleep took this great picture of these two little kids, wearing dresses holding hands. My sister Katie and I decided to give them names, Tasha and Bernie. So I of course start scouring the crowd for the rockstars Tasha and Bernie….I see this wee one wearing a super holey shirt, with no pants on and his little wee wee hanging out…I go uh Jen I think this is Bernie and Bernie’s a boy. I was sooo excited to meet him, hug him and play with him…I seriously want to take “Ernie” (as Katie now calls him…since Bernie doesn’t work out so much anymore) home with me. Tasha as we call her wasn’t at the orphanage that day, so I only got to meet one of the famous duo. But it was a great way to end my trip to Uganda.

Ernie formerly known as Bernie


The afternoon took us to lunch and then I hit the market by myself, while Jen, Stuart and Josephine went to a meeting. I bought a great piece of artwork (Yes Mom- I bought it for myself but you can have it) and met the artist. He took me to the framer’s shop, which was done the street, around a corner into a bit of a shoddy back alley. I of course get off on adventures like this, but it was pretty uneventful. Ashraf the artist assisted in helping me get a boda boda and I was off on the streets of Kampala on my way to meet up with the rest of the gang. I realize bodas are dangerous and in the US I’d never get on one with out a helmet, but there’s something about being on a motorbike in insane traffic, dodging and weaving that makes me feel so alive!!

That night we headed to dinner with Josephine, her husband Jonathon, their children and Jack. Jack and I were sitting next to each other and I asked him what he was going to order and he said the tilapia (which was 16,000 shillings or $8US). He then said “oh is there pork on the menu?” I said yes there are pork chops so I show him what page they were on and he says “oh no I can’t” and I said “why”. He points to the price 20,000 shillings or $10US. I said “ah who cares Stuart is paying”. I finally convinced him I would eat some and he should order the pork chops if he wanted them. This 5 minute dialogue has stuck with me over the past week. What a different world we live in, to consider not ordering a dish because it’s $2.00 more than another. Unlike America, many people in this world eat out of a necessity to live. It’s not an event like most of us make it, here in the states.




It was sad to say goodbye to Josephine and her family, plus Stuart and Jen at the Adonai House. Jack and I got stuck in a jam on the way to the airport, it was a little nerve racking, but I was leaving it up to the universe if I didn’t make my flight, but I did. After giving Jack a big hug and a promise to come back to Uganda, I was on my way back to the States. While waiting at the gate, I started chatting up with this guy sitting next to me, I was telling him how I had spent the past few weeks in Gulu. He had grown up in Kampala but lived in Belgium, he was highly impressed I had been to the North. He said “Gulu is like the end of the earth to me I’ve never been there. You don’t go there”. He then thanked me for the time I had spent in the North. I was humbled by his appreciation.

My trip to Uganda was amazing and I loved every minute. Even when it was hot and we didn’t have electricity and I was eating rice and bean for the third time in two days. Some people have said to me “wow what a trip of a lifetime” or “that was a once in a lifetime trip”. And to some it may have been once in a lifetime, but for me it’s just the beginning….

I promise there is still more to come!!

Oly Otya!!

I've been back in the States for 3 days, but to be honest today was the first day I didn't nap- hey it's 20:40 and I'm still up, that has to count for something.

I've started to go through my photographs...there's a lot, over 2,000. So far I've decided about 300 are good for viewing..I also have to tell you all about rafting the Nile, meeting Bernie (who's actually Ernie) and my flight home and interactions with a few Ugandans from Kampala while flying home.

Since I've been home, I've been working through all the emotions, you go through after traveling to a third world country and having such a pivotal experience, the main thing that keeps circulating, is how can I still be involved and how soon can I go back...

Thank you thank you to all of you who have followed along, kept me in your thoughts and prayers during the months of December and January...other than two MINOR vehicle issues (dead battery at Murch Falls and a flat tire on our way back to Kampala) our trip was flawless, no illnesses and no injuries (as long as you don't count the wicked bruises I got from rafting the Nile). A very deep and heartfelt thank you.

Stay tuned!!
xo

The New Year in Photos- Gulu

Napping by the fire, while "momma" cooks at an orphanage.


I was spinning around with the kids...here is the aftermath.


Clothes drying on the beds, while their mattresses dry out in the sun. Most kids in orphanages are bed wetters, the need for vinyl covers is tremendous.


Baby Crib


Staples in Gulu: Approximate cost in US Dollars- Sugar $1.05 Salt $0.25 Soap $0.60 Posho (like a really thick Cream of Wheat) $.70


New Year's Day


Lots of Baggage- No Shoes


In every country, happens at least once but usually more...little kids think they have to get super close to the camera..always produces funny photos.


Gulu Market


Counting Beans


Watching TV


this old guy had been chopping wood...I was like oooo you're strong!!


Reading his Christmas Card on his new bed


All Smiles


Kitchen


So happy for her new bed!


Kids at the last camp we visited.


Gulu Sky

Happy New Year from Gulu!

Happy New Year from Gulu!

The other day I was going to start my blog “and then there were two”, but really there are four now in Gulu. On Wednesday, we waved goodbye to Beth and waved hello to Stuart and Josephine. Stuart is Sweet Sleep’s VP of Operations and Josephine is SS in country staff person, she lives in Kampala, but came up for a few days.

Before Beth left, she and I hopped on Boda Bodas (motobikes) and cruised on over to Home of Love. Boda Bodas are always an experience in any third world country. I like taking them, but they can be dangerous, Uganda is no exception. You always see families on a two person boda boda, Dad, Mom, four kids and a chicken, it seems, but they are an experience you should have, if you get the opportunity.

Beth wanted to hang the swings she had made and I wanted to do some finger painting and drawing with the kids one last time. I’m sad to say that Patrick and Fa Fa had been picked up by their mom for a few days, so we missed them, but all the other kids from Christmas were at the orphanage. Now I know you are wondering what these kids from an orphanage are doing with their mother, but she is basically unfit to take care of them, however she has the right to pick them up for a few days if she wants. I’d love to tell you more about these kids but in the interest of not exploiting them, I can’t tell their story.

Beth is in the process of getting the swings hung with Bosco (HOL’s full time social worker and all around great great guy). I’m in the nursery school getting the paints and paper out with Catherine, Moris, Junior, Alan and little Moses. I’m demonstrating doing hand prints when I realize I have nothing to wipe my hand on, so what do I so just wipe them on my pants, the kids thought that was hysterical. I told them to wipe their hands on my pants, until we could get a bucket of water for them to wash their hands. Catherine, Moses, Alan and Junior all did some great painting…Little Moses (who I found out is 2 and seriously eats like an NFL linebacker thanks to ringworm) proceeds to pick up a jar of paint (I have my back turned to him), unscrews the lids and dumps almost the entire contents onto the concrete floor. About 10 minutes later, I’m helping Jasper with a painting, so I set my camera down, I then say “oooh Catherine, I want to take a picture of you with your painting”…”where is my camera?”…oh yeah about 2 millimeters away from being in little Moses grimy hands….I’m like slow motion “noooooo”. Later on Bosco is sitting with Moses, oh yeah moses is eating some blue colored pencil….I’m like Bosco- Moses is eating colored pencil… got some great shots…err I mean snaps of blue pencil oozing out of his little mouth.

Once Stuart and Josephine arrived from Kampala, they were picking up Jen and then heading out to HOL, to drop some of the bedding supplies they had brought with them for HOL from Kampala and pick up Beth and I. I didn’t have my phone, so Bosco had to text Candis (I’ve been spelling her name wrong in this blog the whole time btw) to get Jen’s number (I wasn’t sure Jen knew how to get out there), then he didn’t have any airtime. Quick side note- in Uganda, no one has a phone plan, you have to buy airtime, X amount of Shillings at a time. They sell airtime all OVER creation here. HOL is a bit out of town, so I say to Bosco, I’ll give you 5,000 shillings, can you go buy airtime. He says “yes I’ll be right back” I kid you not he was gone for less than 10 minutes, where in the world he bought that airtime I have no idea, but it’s funny to me that airtime is so readily available anywhere in Uganda.

The team made it to HOL, we offloaded mats, nets, bibles and blankets. The mattresses for HOL are due to arrive on Tuesday, unfortunately we will be back in Kampala and won’t be able to help with the installation of the beds. BUM-MER!

We then said goodbye to the kids, unfortunately, it will be the last time we see them this trip. However, I’m traveling with an AWESOME photo printer and just printed off about 50 snaps to give to Candis and Jerry to give to the kids.

We also had to say goodbye to Beth, but not before she tracked down the only vet in Gulu to get eyed drops for a dog named Wendy down the street. Beth has the biggest heart for all animals, you could call it a curse and a blessing. Beth pet and attempted to feed every stray dog that we came across. Along with picking some MONGO- ticks off one dog with her bare fingers….grrrrroooosss.

So it’s not Saturday night and I’m just getting back to working on this blog…so let me summarize the past few days.

Thursday, Jen, Stuart, Josephine and myself headed to the Obiya camp with the Village of Hope crew to deliver our last 110 beds to the IDP camps. The hardest part about giving these beds away in the camps, is not everyone gets one. The kids who receive the beds from Sweet Sleep are enrolled in Village of Hope’s program, so there are many kids who are still in the camps, yet don’t receive anything from us. I think that is one of the hardest things being over here. The need is so immense but you have to focus on one need and then you can’t give it to everyone, because the funds simply do not stretch that far.

We celebrated NYE here and boy did we go all out. I blow dried my hair and put on my jeans with my Merrells that give me just a little lift. We had dinner at Kope Café and then went back to Roma for a round of Phase 10, while the rest of Gulu drank their faces off and bumped the bass like nobody’s business. Seriously, Gulu has no infrastructure and sometimes we don’t have electricity, but these people know how to “pump up the jams” via generator. You really have to hear it for yourself, to hear exactly how loud it can be. As the clock struck midnight, three different locations shot off fireworks….for those of you following along closely, you know that it’s only been a year-ish since the LRA stopped all the fighting up here and there’s still a risk…the first firework went off and Jen and I jumped so high and then almost hit the ground. It was sorta funny and sorta not.

New Year’s Day we were invited to Candis and Jerry’s house and then we played a few games of Phase 10. It was pretty low key. Oh Jen did pluck my eyebrows for me, she was sick of looking at the caterpillars growing on my forehead, you know they are bad, when Jen is offering to pluck them for me.

This morning we went to an orphanage to check out their beds and needs. Until you see it for yourself, your comprehension of what it’s like to be raised in a third world orphanage, is hard to even fathom. Don’t get me wrong, I think this orphanage is doing the best they can with the resources and funds that are available to them…BUT….well BUT.
We were greeted as we got out of the car by a bunch of 3 and 4 year old who were excited to shake our hands, hold our hands, yearning for some kind of loving touch, along with looking at themselves in the rear bumper of the car. Brenda this little girl immediately latched onto my hand and walked with us into the Matron’s office. As soon as we had met the Matron, I asked if I could take photos, but she said she wanted to chat first which is understandable, before I started snapping. While we were in her office, I put Brenda on my lap and had so much fun just hugging her and bouncing her around. We then walked around the orphanage looking at all the beds, bedding etc. We had about ten 3-4 years olds following our every move…during that time I pulled a button out of a little boy’s mouth, that he was chewing on, a piece of wood from another one and a rock from another. Is it because of their age they all had something in their mouth or is it because they are hungry? I’m not sure I can answer that question.

This afternoon, we headed out to the Amuru district to learn more about the people who are still in the IDP camps out there, who are still waiting to be resettled. We were greeted by approximately 20 senior citizens, I was honestly shocked by how old some of them were, due to the fact there has been a war going on in this part of the country for the past 20 year. Some were as old as 90….most were women and all of their stories were the same: taking care of their grandchildren or other orphans, there own daughters and sons “slaughtered” by the rebels, not killed, not murdered, but slaughtered. There’s something about the word slaughtered that sends chills down my spine. Things they need: shelter, food, water, they aren’t asking for much but, the Amuru district is way the heck out in BFE and I’m not even kidding, even if these seniors were in shape to make a living, I’m not sure what they would do, the gap between old and young in this area is tremendous. The kids aren’t able to go to school out there yet, because there isn’t a teacher to teach them, as you can see you’re head could spin off your neck if you started to look at all of the needs there in Amuru District. Yet as we were coming into town, we passed a Boda Boda with a big ass speaker and sound board strapped to the back of it….at least the NYE party was bumping 

Not today, but in the next week or so, I’ll discuss my opinion on the NGOs working in Gulu and the importance of SUSTAINABILITY when working in a third world country.

It’s midnight here in Gulu and I’m tired. My hotel room is one gigantic hot mess and we leave around noon tomorrow for Kampala.

Today I was looking at my photos and my heart was heavy, I’m looking forward to being home, but I’ve definitely left a piece of me here and I suspect I will be back, hopefully sooner rather than later.