I’m beginning to realize that raising $20,000 was the easy part.
I leave for Uganda in 6 days. Life keeps going while I attempt to prepare for this trip. Loose ends to tie up, decisions to be made, complications, surprises, and meetings are still being scheduled up to the day of departure. I’m told I “don’t have to deal with it.” And part of me fully understands that there is no one to blame but myself. That all it takes is some assertive behavior on my part to say, “I can’t deal with this right now. Remind me again in March.” But sometimes I let the mundane issues overtake me and I can get very wrapped up in that drama. I’m stressed! And it is required that I de-stress for this experience. I must be present and centered to serve others. I must be ready. I don’t think I am.
Please know that it is my intention to be as honest as possible in this blog. Not only to share the positive experiences, but the challenging moments as well. Preparation for this adventure has held some very uplifting, magical moments. I’m just more prone to write when the negative arises.
My intuition tells me all will be well once I get there. I just need to get there.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Things I'm Worrying About...or...Thank you, Dad.
I leave for Uganda in 9 days and here are the things that I'm worrying about...
1. Getting lost in airports/missing flights on the way to Uganda
2. Losing my luggage
3. Not packing enough of what I need
4. Getting robbed or hurt
5. Getting sick (sinus infection, diarrhea, flu, etc.)
6. Getting malaria or AIDS, etc.
7. Not being physically prepared for the work we'll be doing
8. Not being able to handle what I witness, emotionally
9. Not knowing enough about the culture or country
10. Missing Christopher and not being able to contact him
11. Encountering snakes, spiders, crockadiles, etc.
12. Not being able to afford my mortgage when I return and racking up credit card bills again
13. Fear. Fear of inevitable death and horrors.
Not saying that I think I'll die on this trip, but fear of death certainly manifests itself through all of the more petty and irrational fears listed above. I am practical, cautious, and CRAZY all at once. And, often, I totally miss the point of why I signed up for this journey in the first place: To serve others and change my own life in the process. Perhaps that is what I'm most afraid of. The real probability that I will come back a different person, and what that will mean for my current commitments and relationships. Yeah. That's pretty scary too. Where did all of my excitement go? I fluctuate faster that I know, between the extremes of excitement and fear.
It's time I offer this up to the Universe and start trusting in the divine path laid out before me. Much better chance of getting a good night's sleep.
<3 Megan
1. Getting lost in airports/missing flights on the way to Uganda
2. Losing my luggage
3. Not packing enough of what I need
4. Getting robbed or hurt
5. Getting sick (sinus infection, diarrhea, flu, etc.)
6. Getting malaria or AIDS, etc.
7. Not being physically prepared for the work we'll be doing
8. Not being able to handle what I witness, emotionally
9. Not knowing enough about the culture or country
10. Missing Christopher and not being able to contact him
11. Encountering snakes, spiders, crockadiles, etc.
12. Not being able to afford my mortgage when I return and racking up credit card bills again
13. Fear. Fear of inevitable death and horrors.
Not saying that I think I'll die on this trip, but fear of death certainly manifests itself through all of the more petty and irrational fears listed above. I am practical, cautious, and CRAZY all at once. And, often, I totally miss the point of why I signed up for this journey in the first place: To serve others and change my own life in the process. Perhaps that is what I'm most afraid of. The real probability that I will come back a different person, and what that will mean for my current commitments and relationships. Yeah. That's pretty scary too. Where did all of my excitement go? I fluctuate faster that I know, between the extremes of excitement and fear.
It's time I offer this up to the Universe and start trusting in the divine path laid out before me. Much better chance of getting a good night's sleep.
<3 Megan
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
What Will You Do Next?
Whoa dudes...Can't believe we're leaving for Uganda in 18 days!!
I took a workshop with Seane Corn at Yogaphoria in New Hope, PA last weekend. She is a co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World, the organization that made this fundraising and travel opportunity possible. Seane is leading the trip to Uganda, along with Suzanne Sterling (another co-founder), and Sally Brown Bassett from Peace Through Yoga. I know we will be in good hands simply being in the presence of these incredible women.
Last year, around the same weekend, I was studying with Seane at Yogaphoria and she mentioned the Uganda Seva Challenge. When I went home that night, I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about the challenge. I knew in my heart that I had the time and resources to call my community to action and raise the $20,000. The next morning, over breakfast, I told my boyfriend, Christopher, I was going to Uganda, knowing next to nothing about the country at that time. He supported me without hesitation. Later that day, I called my parents and told them about my new, exciting endeavor. They were not as enthusiastic. Of course, concerned for my sanity and future safety, they cautioned me to think it through. Impatience runs in my blood (thanks, Mom :) and that evening, I signed my letter of intention on OTM's website. I started writing letters to family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. I created a facebook group, email list and blog. We planned 20+ events. We made shirts. In 8 short months, the money was raised and my life was forever changed.
Christopher recently asked me, "What will you do next?" I thought about it, and remembered that cold, January night, exactly a year ago, when my intuition interrupted my dreams so abruptly and clearly, that I couldn't ignore the call. I responded, "I think I'll just know what to do next when it's time for me to do it."
For now, I've "rehearsed-packed" for the trip and am proud to say that ALL of my personal items fit into my carry-on bag with room to spare! I've also been connecting with several of the participants, exchanging ideas about what to bring and how to prepare. Facebook has become a wonderful resource for pre-trip connection. I imagine it will also be a nice way to maintain friendships after this journey has come to it's completion.
Til' next time, keep on lovin' and listenin' to that voice that keeps you up at night.
<3 Megan :)
I took a workshop with Seane Corn at Yogaphoria in New Hope, PA last weekend. She is a co-founder of Off the Mat, Into the World, the organization that made this fundraising and travel opportunity possible. Seane is leading the trip to Uganda, along with Suzanne Sterling (another co-founder), and Sally Brown Bassett from Peace Through Yoga. I know we will be in good hands simply being in the presence of these incredible women.
Last year, around the same weekend, I was studying with Seane at Yogaphoria and she mentioned the Uganda Seva Challenge. When I went home that night, I couldn't sleep. I just kept thinking about the challenge. I knew in my heart that I had the time and resources to call my community to action and raise the $20,000. The next morning, over breakfast, I told my boyfriend, Christopher, I was going to Uganda, knowing next to nothing about the country at that time. He supported me without hesitation. Later that day, I called my parents and told them about my new, exciting endeavor. They were not as enthusiastic. Of course, concerned for my sanity and future safety, they cautioned me to think it through. Impatience runs in my blood (thanks, Mom :) and that evening, I signed my letter of intention on OTM's website. I started writing letters to family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. I created a facebook group, email list and blog. We planned 20+ events. We made shirts. In 8 short months, the money was raised and my life was forever changed.
Christopher recently asked me, "What will you do next?" I thought about it, and remembered that cold, January night, exactly a year ago, when my intuition interrupted my dreams so abruptly and clearly, that I couldn't ignore the call. I responded, "I think I'll just know what to do next when it's time for me to do it."
For now, I've "rehearsed-packed" for the trip and am proud to say that ALL of my personal items fit into my carry-on bag with room to spare! I've also been connecting with several of the participants, exchanging ideas about what to bring and how to prepare. Facebook has become a wonderful resource for pre-trip connection. I imagine it will also be a nice way to maintain friendships after this journey has come to it's completion.
Til' next time, keep on lovin' and listenin' to that voice that keeps you up at night.
<3 Megan :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Itinerary!
Day 1 - Friday, February 5, 2010
Participants will fly from their hometowns to Kampala, Uganda.
Day 2 - Saturday, February 6, 2010
Participants will arrive at Entebbe International Airport on the shores of Lake Victoria, which is about an hour away from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. You will be met by a transportation representative holding a large sign - "Uganda Seva Challenge" to take you directly to the Sheraton Kampala Hotel.
Sheraton Kampala Hotel is ideally located in the heart of the capital city of Kampala. The hotel is within walking distance of many main attractions including the National Theatre craft market, Uganda Golf Course, Nakasero and St. Balikuddembe market, shopping malls, as well as many dining and entertainment spots.
Your trip leader and Mission Coordinator, Sally Bassett, will meet individuals at the hotel as they arrive. Bags will be taken directly to your room before getting a GOOD NIGHT SLEEP!
Day 3 - Sunday, February 7, 2010
8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Morning yoga is located in a separate room in the hotel's health club.
9:15 a.m. A healthy buffet breakfast awaits you on the second floor of the hotel.
10:30 a.m. A welcome briefing is scheduled outside on the hotel property under a private covered area. We will have individuals from the Acholi Quarters along with several other speakers. After lunch we will go to the Acholi slums to meet with families and distribute food.
When the outbreak of fighting in the north occured in the 1980's, thousands of members of the Acholi tribe moved to Kampala looking for safety and work. The King of the Buganda donated land for the Acholi to settle, which has become the Acholi Quarter. Approximately 10,000 tribe members who had fled to the Quarter in the 1980s to escape the war-torn north still live there.
6:00 p.m. Dinner will be at a local restaurant followed by group processing.
Day 4 - Monday, February 8, 2010
7:30 - 8:45 a.m. Yoga followed by breakfast.
9:30 a.m. The group will transfer to the Youth Aids office in Kampala for a detailed briefing of the situation in Uganda.
11:30 a.m. A visit to the Invisible Children's satellite office will be made before proceeding for lunch at a local restaurant.
1:30 p.m. A visit to the Kasubi Tombs (a UNESCO site) and Uganda Museum will be made before returning to the hotel. Situated on Kasubi Hill, within Kampala, the Kasubi Tombs site is an active religious place in the Buganda Kingdom. To the Buganda, the Kabaka is the unquestioned symbol of spiritual, political, and social state of the Buganda nation. As the burial ground for the previous four Kabakas, therefore, the Kasubi Tombs is the place where the Kabaka and others in Buganda's complex cultural hierarchy frequently carry out important centuries-old Ganda rituals.
The Uganda Museum is the biggest and oldest museum in Uganda which started in 1908 at Lugard's fort on Old Kampala Hill in Kampala City. It later moved to Makerere University at the school of industrial and fine arts and lastly to Kltante Hill where it stands today. The Museum has different sections including traditional music, archaeology, independence pavilion, ethnohistory, and palealontology.
6:00 p.m. Dinner will be at the hotel this evening followed by group processing.
Day 5 - Tuesday, February 9, 2010
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga followed by breakfast. Place luggage outside your room that you wish to leave at the hotel during our two night stay in Kasana.
9:30 a.m. Depart for Kasana in the Luweero District, which is about an hour drive from Kampala. We will check-in to a guest house before proceeding to the current birth clinic just five minutes away.
11:30 a.m. The Seva participants will talk with registered midwives about birth in Uganda, spend some time with the HIV women, participate in "buying day," of their beads and learn how to roll beads, work at the current birthing center, possibly participate in yoga sessions with them and have lunch at the Volunteer House.
7:00 p.m. The group will be divided up to have dinner in the homes of the women we met today.
Day 6 - Wednesday, February 10, 2010
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga will take place in a fenced grassy garden area followed by breakfast of tea, fruit, and omelets.
9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Depart for the new Birthing Center for a full day of work on the back of a motorcycle (latte is option). We will begin with a discussion with local community leaders about the history of war in Luwero District. The actual construction taking place will depend on what phase of the project is taking place with the local workers. The group will participate in a project with the local community. Lunch will be served on site.
7:00 p.m. Dinner followed by music and dancing in the evening.
Day 7 - Thursday, February 11, 2010
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga followed by breakfast
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Work at the Birthing Center site and learn about the solar system and water filtration systems.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch before saying farewell to our new found friends
2:00 p.m. Depart for Kampala and check-in to the Sheraton Hotel.
The remainder of the afternoon is free. Enjoy time at the hotel pool, a site often see in the movie, "The Last King of Scotland."
6:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel followed by group processing
Day 8 - Friday, February 12, 2010
6:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel
7:30 a.m. Transfer to Jinja for a half day of river rafting on the Nile! White water rafting at the source of the Nile River is one of the most fun adventure activities that you can experience. Upon arrival at the Nile, you will be given a briefing on your safety which will be followed by practical training prior to the start of the rafting trip.
Mid-day you will stop for a wonderful buffet lunch on the river before transferring back by bus to the original location.
Return to the hotel late afternoon.
6:00 p.m. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 9 - Saturday, February 13, 2010
7:30 - 8:45 a.m. Yoga followed by breakfast at the hotel
10:00 a.m. Depart the hotel for the New Hope School and Orphanage. A fun filled day is scheduled with the children at New Hope. We will have enrichment stations where the children can rotate and participate in games, educational modules, crafts, fluoride treatments, English lessons, and other activities based on the talent and interest of our own group.
12:00 p.m. Box lunch will be served.
New mattresses will be brought to the school and participants will help create a community garden at the school which will be used both for food and to generate funds for the school.
4:00 p.m. Return to the hotel.
6:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel followed by group processing.
Day 10 - Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day! Sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast!
10:30-12:30 p.m. Yoga Class
12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Buffet lunch
Enjoy the afternoon at the pool, have a massage, or catch up on emails.
6:00 p.m. This evening we will enjoy traditional dancing and music at the Ndere Centre. Ndere Centre is home to the well-known Ndere Troupe, Africa's dancing encyclopedia. In Africa, written words did not exist thus Africa's cultural history, literature, knowledge and wisdom were recorded and passed on to succeeding generations through the medium of performing arts, music, dance, story telling and poetry. In efforts to salvage and conserve African heritage, Ndere Troupe performs a repertoire of more than 40 authentic Ugandan dances and songs accompanied by various indigenous percussive, stringed and wind instruments. the Troupe engages in various projects aimed at keeping African generations educated about traditional entertainment and also uses their art to spread knowledge about such current issues as modern farming techniques and HIV/AIDS. A delicious buffet of traditional Ugandan cooking compliments the evening's performance.
Day 10, Monday, February 15 - Day 12, Wednesday, February 17, 2010
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Yoga followed by breakfast.
9:30 a.m. Travel to Nyomero (approx. one hour from Kampala) to work at the OTM/Building Tomorrow school. the academy will hold 325 students in grades 1-7.
Vegetarian box lunches will be served each day. The group will be involved in a variety of activities depending on the building phase at that time. Volunteers will meet many of the community children who will attend the school and assist with any remaining construction projects, side-by-side with the community. Dinner will be at the hotel the evenings of February 15 and 16 followed by group processing. On Wednesday night a farewell dinner is scheduled at a local restaurant.
Day 13 - Thursday, February 18, 2010
The work has ended. Now it's time for the Safari adventure!
Depart early morning taking a panoramic drive north-west through the famous Luwero Triangle and Masindi Town to Murchinson Falls National Park. Check in for the night at Paraa Safari Lodge, FB.
Day 14 - Friday, February 19, 2010
Go for an early morning game drive to search for giraffes, lions, hart beasts, elephants, Cape buffalo and many other mammals. Birds include the Black Chested Snake Eagle, Blue Napped Mouse birds, the Secretary bird, Swallow Tailed Bee-eaters and the Silver Headed Agama. After lunch, enjoy a two hour boat ride on the placid Victoria Nile to the foot of the magnificent Murchison Falls where the Nile plunges through a narrow crevice and over a 40 meter drop. En route, you may see the Nile crocodile, pools of hippo, water bucks and a variety of bird species including the rare Shoebill Stork. Dinner and overnight at Paraa Safari Lodge, FB.
Day 15 - Saturday, February 20, 2010
After breakfast, visit the top of the falls before returning to Kampala.
Fly home in the evening, to arrive in Newark, NJ on Sunday, February 21st at 12:30pm.
Traveling with a Purpose
From our travel book...
"Grateful for the opportunity to experience the world and serve children as a global volunteer and because peace begins with the individual, I affirm my personal responsibility and commitment to:
Journey with an open mind and gentle heart.
Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter.
Revere and protect the natural environment which sustains all life.
Appreciate all cultures I discover.
Respect and thank my hosts for their welcome.
Offer my hand in friendship to everyone that I meet.
Support services that share these views and act upon them.
By my spirit, words, and actions encourage others to travel the world in peace."
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Journey Begins
This journey began on January 15th, 2009, the day I decided to raise $20,000. Though, I could also say it started in August of 2006, when I first stepped onto my yoga mat, or, perhaps I've been on this path all along. Either way, here I am, now preparing for the trip of a lifetime, and I'm equally excited and terrified. This blog will document the inner and outer journey. If you are a donor, friend, or simply an interested reader, the purpose of this blog is to take you with me to Uganda.
Uganda is home to the longest-running war in Africa. Over the past 23 years, millions of families have been displaced and children are still being abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army. We will be traveling to the capital, Kampala, and the surrounding rural areas to assist in the development of a birth center, school, and sustainable farms for these facilities.
Twenty-one people successfully raised $20,000 in 2009 and we will all be traveling to Uganda from February 5 - 21, 2010. Between all 160 participants, we raised $570,000 and counting. The goal this year was $500K, and with the state of the economy, the outcome of our efforts is simply outstanding.
I've already started packing! We had a conference call (all 21 participants on the line) to connect and answer questions pre-trip. One suggestion was to lay out everything we want to bring now and gradually make the pile smaller throughout the month. My hope is to bring a large suitcase of donations and a small carry-on bag for my personal items. This will be a challenge for me!
Below is my packing list. Perhaps this list will be helpful for others traveling in the future, or maybe you have suggestions for me!
Yellow card with proof of Yellow Fever vaccination
Clean, crisp, $50 bill printed after 2006 for a visa
Filled prescriptions of Cipro (Traveler's diaherrea), Malerone (Malaria pills), and Ambien (flight)
Regular prescription meds
Pepto Bismol, immodium, anti-motion sickness pills
Multi-vitamins
Ibprofen
Bandaids, gauze, tape, neosporin
Anti-itch cream (insect bites)
Sigg water bottle
Insect repellent + insect repellent for clothes
Sunscreen
Side bag and inner fanny pack
Copies of passport, ID, bank cards etc (leave one copy with family member, one copy goes with me)
Jacket/sweatshirt for chilly evenings
Poncho
Yoga paws (better than traveling with mat)
Yoga clothes
Light, loose, long shirts, pants and skirts
Socks, underware
Sneakers, sandals
Phone and charger
camera and charger
converter and 3 prong adapter
Ear plugs, eye mask, chapstick, Ayr (for flight)
Work gloves
hat, sun glasses
Flashlight and extra batteries
Hand sanitizer
Snacks
Roll of toilet paper?
Soap, shampoo, conditioner
Razor
Toothbrush, paste, floss
Cough drops, eye drops
Bathing suit
Books, journal, letters to me
Spending money printed after 2006, no rips or stamps
Donations for school and birth center
Travel time for me will be a total of 19 hours in the air, 25 hours total if you include layovers. There's not enough Ambien in the world to make that experience pleasant. If you have tips for me, I'm all ears!
Until next time,
Xoxo
Megan
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