Running!

I want to spend a post on a great new organization I've recently been working with called Girls on the Run. It's a national organization with chapters in many cities across the country that empower girls through non-competitive running programs. The idea is to instill the idea of healthly living in girls while they are still young, while also boosting their self-image and confidence.

Today was their annual Lollipop run-- a 1 mile or 5k run in Golden Gate Park. I was a "Running Buddy", meaning I was teamed up with a girl to run alongside during the event. My buddy was named Mika, and she was incredible! I had such a great time running with her, encouraging her. Her father and brother did the run, too, and it was so great to see them all cheering her on! I mean, I couldn't have run a 5k when I was 8 years old!

The organization is so inspiring, and they do a great job of making the girls feel proud of themselves. I had such a great time, and I definitely encourage anyone to get involved with them! Find your local chapter here!

Delinquent

Clearly I'm not great at this blogging thing. I can't decide if I want it to be a personal blog, or a blog that reflects what's happening in the world. And, I suppose, you can't really separate the two...

This is a really bizarre time in our country's, and nation's, history. I'm thrilled to say that Barack Obama won the election, making him the 44th President of the United States. I think his election represents a collective desire for major change in this country, and I am proud of that desire. However, he is up against a lot of serious odds: a slowing economy, a seemingly endless war, and, perhaps worst of all, ridiculously high expectations. I am confident that he will manage these expectations well and do his best to steer the country in a healthier direction, towards a healthier image in the world.

It's the Thanksgiving holiday, and even though I'm very thankful for my life and everything I have, I'm saddened by a lot of things in this world. Namely, the horrific attacks that have been occurring in Mumbai over the last 48 hours. Close to 150 are confirmed dead, and hundreds more injured. It's tragic that people can inflict such pain on others.

I offer my thoughts and prayers to those in Mumbai and around the world that are suffering from these attacks. But as I watch and read the barrage of news stories covering the event, I continuously ask myself-- will such violence and hate in this world ever end? The realistic answer is, of course not. But how will things get better? I can only hope that this is a low point in the history of our time, and that things can-- and WILL-- change.

A day of hope...

Today marks what I hope will be a pivotal day in this country's history. Election day. A day, when after 8 years of questionable, if not horrendous, leadership, we have a chance to vote for CHANGE. A change for the better. A change that will hopefully get out out of this terrible economic crisis and even more terrible war.

Fingers crossed for a new Obama administration and new hope for this country...

The "after" shot...

I love it... and I love the idea that I'm contributing to a program that supports cancer survivors.

Home... and other musings...

So it's been forever since I've last wrote, and it seems like a lot has happened. Not just with me, but with the world...

Coming home was nice-- it was great to see everyone and to get settled back into life here. The first thing I did was to attend my 10 year high school reunion, which was so great. Not just because I got to see my old friends, but also because I got to connect with a few people I WASN'T friends with in high school but who are amazing people. I'm really impressed with my former classmates. Personally and professionally, they all seem so happy and successful! It was really great to see. And people had taken such different roles-- mother/father, career ladder-climber, traveler, academic-- seeing how happy everyone was in THEIR path confirmed to me how happy I was in MINE. I definitely question that sometimes, but in my heart I know I've made the right decisions for me.

Being back home is great. Seeing family and friends, having my own bed, thinking about next steps. It's been nice having some time off before I start my job, and although I DO like being on vacation, I'm excited about what's to come! Nervous, of course, but excited!

Speaking of that... my IMMEDIATE next step is in the physical realm-- my hair! I'm planning to cut off 10 inches to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a program that gives free wigs to cancer survivors. I'm excited about it! I've never had the discipline before to wait until my hair was long enough to cut. So here are the before pics... stay tuned for "after"!

All good things must come to an end...

I've spent the last 4 days in the tropical paradise of Zanzibar, having a wonderful time. It's been so great to just relax and zone out for a bit. I know what you're thinking... "Um, haven't you been doing that for 3 MONTHS?" But Uganda was definitely a stressful and emotional trip, with the Bodas for Life work and the whole emotional connection I have with the place, so Zanzibar has really been a time to reflect on the whole trip and think about what's ahead.

With the help of some hard workers back home, I managed to get my ticket changed so that I'm leaving today and heading to Ohio for my 10 year high school reunion before I go to California. For some reason, it was really important for me to go to this event. Perhaps because I haven't been to Marietta for awhile, or because my parents don't live there anymore so there's less of a reason to go-- whatever the reason, I REALLY wanted to go, and now I am going! It should be an interesting weekend, and I'm keeping an open mind about the experience!

More reflections (and pictures!) about the trip to come when I get back home to a faster internet connection!

Some pictures...

The Blum Fellows are all hard at work here in Kampala, compiling our data and findings and putting together our final deliverables. Until more, here are some pictures of my weekend visit with Stella, which was amazing!

The evaluation process...

The past two weeks in Kyenjojo District have been really interesting. The purpose of this trip has been twofold: to evaluate the Bodas for Life project first, and then to try to create a sustainability strategy if it is deemed beneficial. Both of these tasks are challenging, particularly because there is no real control group and it is difficult in any instance to evaluate health outcomes over a short timespan. But we have been doing the best we can, crunching data about utilization of both the program and the health centers to which we are trying to provide improved access. It's been both exciting and frustrating, because although I have a gut instinct that the program is at least doing SOME good, I have no idea how to definitively show it or to quantify it. Also, I'm not sure if the resources injected into the project justify the outcome. In any case, we have another week to analyze the data and try to come to some conclusion.

The whole exercise reminds me what I love about development work, and what makes it so challenging and interesting to me-- there is so much potential for impact, but you have to be creative about how you implement projects. A clear baseline is necessary in order to properly evaluate a project, and evaluation measures need to be in place BEFORE the project begins. Everyone who works in development knows these things, but often they don't happen for various reasons-- the project needs to be implemented in a hurry, funding is limited, etc. It's very complicated, even for a simple and subtle project like Bodas for Life.

I've also confirmed that I want to further explore the role of technology in development. This has always been what I wanted to do, given my engineering and development backgrounds, but I am learning more firsthand that this field is perfect for me. I think I will get the chance to explore both technology and health at Bain, so hopefully it will be a perfect learning opportunity for me.

But now it's the weekend, and I'm on my way to see Stella. A total different experience, but just as great! Stay tuned for cute kid pics!

Back in Uganda!

It feels so great to be back in Uganda. It always feels like home here, between knowing the language and culture, getting to see Stella, and really loving the work. It's been a week and we have done so much already. With the Blum Fellows, I spent the last week in Kyenjojo District collecting data and doing field-based interviews of the Bodas for Life participants. It's really exciting-- the project is going really well in the district and there are a lot of interesting take-aways. I'm looking forward to two more weeks in the district, and then a number of follow up meetings here in the capital.

We spent the weekend in Jinja, the "Source of the Nile." It's a beautiful place, and the others went rafting (SO fun- I did it when I was in the Peace Corps) and I relaxed in Jinja and along the banks of the Nile. I found out that some of Gandhi's ashes were scattered there, so I went to the memorial as well. It was a little understated, with the "SPONSORED BY BANK OF BARODA" sign larger than the Gandhi plaque itself! Ironic...

Two more weeks in Uganda... next weekend I plan to see Stella and the kids! Yay!

Man are my legs tired...!

More on the climb later, but here's the synopsis:
... it was cold
... it was very challenging
... it was incredibly beautiful and amazing and WE DID IT!

Enjoy the picture in the meantime! This is Eric and I on our second to last day after the summit.

Getting ready for the climb...

So here we are, at the base of Kili in Arusha town. On the flight here the pilot pointed out the mountain, and the plane was flying at the same height as the peak! Holy moly! I can't believe I am going to climb that beast!

We start tomorrow, and I can't wait. I have all of my long underwear, mittens, gaiters, etc ready to go, and I'm tramping around Arusha trying to further break in my boots. This should really be the culmination of this trip, and I'm so stoked!

More later in 7 days after we summit and descend!

Much love...

The end of Phase I

We moved from the beach to Ubud last Saturday, after recovering from JT's birthday celebration (which was fun and boozy but remarkably tame, due to Seminyak's strangely quiet nightlife).

Life in Ubud... this place is a little inland, about 2 hours from the beach towns that we were hanging out it.. but the island is so small, it feels like we barely moved...

The big deal in Ubud is that there was a major cremation ceremony there while we were there. Apparently it was the biggest event in Bali in the last 30 years, and we had no idea it was happening! 2 members of the royal family passed away and so they were having a big cremation ceremony. It's a 5 day+ affair, where they build these huge plaster bulls (like 40 feet tall and 100 ft long) and put the bodies on floats and parade them through the streets out of town and then burn them. The actual cremation was Tuesday (the day that I left) so we watched a part of it before I sent myself to the airport. Basically it was EVERYONE from Bali on 4 city blocks of Ubud, craning their necks trying to get a view of the 200 guys carrying the bull-floats on their shoulders.

Monday in Ubud was actually REALLY fun. We went on an "eco trek," which my friend Amanda said she went on and loved. It involved a 1 hour drive, then breakfast with a view of Mount Batur (which we had climbed at 2am on SUNDAY morning during a "sunrise" hike, not-so-aptly named, as we didn't even see the sun due to fog!). Then we stopped at a model plantation, where we sampled tamarillo, passion fruit, mangos, oranges, and drank coffee from Balinese coffee beans. MMMM!!!

Then we got on bikes and road 25km (about 90% of it was downhill, which is so that the tour can be offered to all sorts of people!). THEN we did an optional 10km which was all uphill, and kinda tough at times, especially since my gears kept slipping (eventually my poor guide just traded bikes with me!) But the whole ride was SO beautiful-- rice paddies, villages, local temples.

Our guide on the eco-trek was hilarious. His nickname was Jering (which apparently means spikey hair, which was TOTALLY appropriate!) and he loves Rancid and Green Day and Blink 182... so funny. He was 19 but looked not a day over 15. But an AWESOME guide. He told us so much about Balinese culture and homelife, etc. Really interesting.

My last days in Bali were bittersweet... leaving the girls was sad, and I will definitely miss them, but I'm excited for the next phase of my journey.

I'm now in Dubai with my Uncle, Aunt, and cousin, who are showing me a good time in the 100+ degree heat! My uncle was so sweet and picked me up at 4am, even though he had to wait because the airline lost one of my bags (the one with all of my Hoi An creations, too! Eek!)

More details on Dubai (and whether or not I got my bag!) later!

(Sorry, Pictures are not uploading! All I have are some monkeys at Uluwatu temple in Bali.. Enjoy!)

More Island Paradise...

Ok, so I'm officially in heaven. Bali is almost perfect. The beaches are beautiful, the weather is temperate, and the people are gorgeous and really nice. I know, life's tough.

We've been here almost 5 days and I'm loving it. The journey from Chiang Mai to Bali was a 48 hour sleepless endeavour, so the paradise-like surroundings were a welcome change. Our hotel is beautiful, right on the beach in a less crazy part of the island, but NEAR enough to the craziness that we can still partake if we want.

We've spent our days taking advantage of the chill scene. I've been running and doing yoga, Christy and I went surfing twice, which was awesome. The first time, we were a little scared because the waves looked huge and we weren't familiar with the area. But we didn't want to take a lesson because both of us had had enough lessons before. So we just paid this local Balinese "instructor" (a liberal use of the word-- he also rents out beach chairs in between instructions to his students!) who we called the big Kahuna (because of his mullet and pot belly) to just go out with us and basically supervise for awhile. It was perfect. We built up our confidence as he occasionally shouted out to us, "Now, paddle paddle!" and then we were off on our own. SO fun.

Yesterday all three of us went on a dive trip to Tulamben, on the eastern part of the island. It's the site of a shipwreck from WWII; I had seen some wrecks while diving in South Africa, but this was unbelievable. The sealife had taken over the ship, and it was really beautiful. An easy but really fun dive.

Today was more yoga and relaxing, and then tonight (because it is Janet's birthday- HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANET!) we are going to have a nice dinner and go out on the town! A few more days here on the beach, and then we're heading to Ubud, in the middle of the island, the cultural capital, for art, yoga, dancing, and hiking!

I don't want this trip to end!!

Last days in Thailand...

We're winding up our last day in Chiang Mai and our second to last day in Thailand. Today we spent the whole day at the best cooking school in Chiang Mai. It was amazing-- we went through 6 courses throughout the day, of course eating our creation after every single one. The school was really great, they started with a thorough intro to Thai ingredients, even telling us what we could substitute in our own countries if we couldn't find the exact thing. They gave me special substitutes for all of the meat dishes, too. We got cookbooks, too, so that we could recreate everything at home. SO good. At the end, I was so full I could barely walk!

Tonight we are taking an overnight bus (eek!) to Bangkok, where we plan to while away the day before we head to Bali tomorrow night. Bali! So excited. It's supposed to be amazing beaches, food, and people there. In fact, I've been warned a number of times how mezmerising the Balinese can be... Hmm....

Some pictures from Banteay Srei in Angkor Wat, Ko Phi Phi and the cooking school...

In north country...

A lot has happened in a few days! I don't even really know what day it is anymore...

After Ko Tao we headed over to Koh Phi Phi, another island off of the southern coast of Thailand. This journey involved another (eventful) boat ride. Christy had an unfortunately timed bout of food poisoning, and was puking off of the dock until we boarded, but trooper that she was, she hung in there and 12 hours later we were lounging in an air conditioned hotel room and Christy was passed out. Poor girl.

Koh Phi Phi was... great. It was our first real BEACH time (laying out, reading, etc), but it was nice for a day. The first night, we had drinks at the Sunset Bar (watching the sunset, duh) and met a crew of people, including some Brasilians who appeared to know life on the island well. They introduced us to amateur Thai boxing, where they incentivize drunk tourists to "try out" Thai boxing on one another for the reward of free drinks for the winner. Smart idea. You know another smart idea that they invented on Koh Phi Phi? Fire jump roping. Yup, drunk people love to do that, too...

The next day, we did a sunset boat ride, which may have been a highlight of my trip. We went snorkeling on a beautiful reef, kayaking, and best of all, we saw THE beach. Like, from the movie, The Beach. Now, some of you may know that this is one of my favorite movies, and I was SO excited to go there. I thought it would be touristy, and crowded, and probably a total letdown. So I was completely shocked when it was one of the most BEAUTIFUL beaches I had ever seen. Practically untouched (it's a national park), and virtually no tourists (only our boat of about 15 people). The water was as warm as bathwater and as blue as sapphire. Incredible. Best 400 Baht I ever spent!

After Koh Phi Phi we spent a day in Phuket Town, just for a change, and then headed up north to Chiang Mai, one of the cultural centers of Thailand. Today we went on a "jungle trek," which included elephant riding (cheesy but kind of cool), waterfall (pretty), and rafting (nothing compared to Bujugali in Uganda!). All in all, a pleasant day...

Tomorrow we are in an all day cooking class... yummm!!!!

Depth = 30m, Visibility= 15m,

Just a quick note from the beautiful island of Koh Tao!

The journey TO Koh Tao was very interesting though. We came from Koh Samui, the island where we flew to from Cambodia. Koh Tao is supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour boat ride away. Little did we know, we chose the day of the biggest storm of the season to make the trip. About 30 minutes into the trip, the boat started rocking and turning, and soon we were in a full-on downpour. Christy, Janet, and I were on the top, where we thought we would benefit from the fresh air. Well within minutes we were drenched and half of the boat was puking into white trashbags. Janet turned white as a sheet and spent the rest of the ride with her head on my shoulder; I was holding her head down so she wouldn't get tossed out of her seat with every pitch of the boat. Christy held it together for awhile, until she started getting physicaly tossed around the boat (she was standing). She spent the rest of the trip near the trashcan. Shockingly, I held it together, probably solely because I went into mother mode with poor Janet almost passed out beside me. Four hours later, we made it to the island, exhausted.

It's been worth it thoguh... for the past 3 days , I've been diving in the most gorgeous water. I already had my PADI Open Water Certification, so I decided to get my Advanced Open Water, which allows me to dive to deeper depths (up to 30m) and which taught me how to properly navigate using a compass and dive computer. We also did a night dive, which was amazing, if only because it was a completely new experience for me. Overall, it was amazing and I'm so glad we came!

Tonight we take another boat (eek!) to Krabi, on the other side of the peninsula. More beach paradise!

Scenes from Angkor Wat

The journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap was surprisingly hassle-free, thanks to a little greasing of palms and a great road in Thailand. We made it to our hotel in 12 hours, which was considerably better than planned.

Siem Reap is an interesting little town, sprung up about 10km from Angkor Wat with the sole purpose of servicing the tourists there. It's a cute place, with lots of French influenced street and alleys and amazing Khmer cuisine. They ONLY accept the dollar, and it's expensive here!

But... WELL worth it. This has been one of the most amazing days of my trip so far. Christy, Janet, and I woke up at 4:30 to catch sunrise over the main temple at Angkor (Angkor Wat), and I luckily found a slightly secluded place from which to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful, and even better were the few hours that followed, wandering in silence and near solitude through the amazing halls of the temple. There were beautiful and intricate bas-reliefs depicting images from the Mahabharata, and I could have spent all day just looking at those! But throughout the day we moved from temple to temple, exploring the vast buildings and grounds.

After lunch, a bit Watted-out, we lounged in the shade of one particular temple. As usual, a group of kids approached us and tried to sell us trinkets-- bracelets, postcards, little Buddhas. We ended up buying a few bracelets ("Cheap! Three for one dollar!") and then talking with the kids for hours. Did they study? (Yes, but only in the mornings-- in the afternoons they sold goods to the tourists.) Why were they selling at the temple? (The cops would punish them if they were selling near the actual shops.) How did they learn English? (From the tourists, of course!) What did they want to do when they finished school? (Become a tour guide! It pays well and allows them to meet many foreigners.)

They were so cute, they reminded me that kids are kids everywhere. They all love playing simple games, getting attention. They all fight with their siblings. It was the same with the kids who I came to really love in Uganda. The kids at the temple kept asking us if we would come back to the temple tomorrow to visit. And we had so much fun that we think we are going to! It was really a highlight of the day.

Finally, we watched the sunset from a mountain temple, which was also beautiful but not QUITE as serene with about 1000 tourists around us. Still, not a bad way to end a long day.

Just returned from a yummy Khmer dinner (coconut pumpkin soup and veggie spring rolls!), and planning to head back to Angkor tomorrow. Some pics from the day, including some of the kids!

"One night in Bangkok..." (Or three...)

Well, we've been all over since the last post. From Hue, we flew to Hanoi (the city where my friend Mike used to live and where I visited him). We had an, um, interesting first few hours! We got into major fights with our hostel, ended up moving after hauling our bags up 5 flights of stairs, and landed at a cosy little guesthouse at a much better price. Whew. We saw the city for a few days (not including Uncle Ho's body, which unfortunately was "resting" for the day) and then we headed to Ha Long Bay.

I have to say I didn't love Hanoi this time around. I had a great time last time I was there, I think because it really helps to be like a local-- speak the language, etc. I mean, I think this is typically true, but especially in Hanoi. Ha Long Bay was meant to be a break from all of the city life. And it was.

The bay was really beautiful... calm waters with huge jagged rocks jutting out. Amazing. We spent one night on a boat with a crew of Brits, Danes, and Aussies, and we had a blast! It was great to hang out with other travelers. We spent another night on Cat Ba Island, which is about 20 km south of Ha Long city in the bay. It was kind of your average Island town, but very touristy and crowded.

Finally, Monday we headed off the island for a long journey to Bankgok. Bus to boat to another bus to a taxi to a plane to another taxi. And then we landed in the tourist wilds of Khoa San Road in Bangkok. This is the typical tourist trap that you see in movies about Bangkok, with hawkers everywhere trying to sell you t-shirts and boat trips, and "exotic shows." Very interesting!

Our first day in Bangkok landed us in the most textbook tourist scam artists-- the tuk-tuk drivers. Long story short, we fell for it (only for a minute!) and ended up looking at what the driver called the "marble temple," which strangely wasn't made of marble. We realized our folly and jumped ship.

Bangkok is really interesting. My observations:
- There are a million 7-11s here. Seriously. They are like Starbucks back home, with at times two across the street from one another!
- The Thai people are generally very warm, and willing to help you. However, at times these warm people are actually very good scam artists in cahoots with the likes of the tuk-tuk drives. Beware.
- Thai draft beer is way more expensive than Vietnamese beer!
- Street Thai food is yummy and only 75 cents a plate, usually!
- May Khadee's is the best vegetarian Thai food I have ever had-- SO good!

Tomorrow we head to Cambodia. I won't describe the proposed journey here, but suffice it to say it'll make the Cat Ba to Bangkok journey seem like a 1st class flight!

Some pictures of Ha Long Bay and the Ho Chi Minh city area...

The adventure continues down and up the coast...

While based in Ho Chi Minh City, we headed down to the Me Kong Delta for a day. Although touristy, it was really nice to be in a slightly more rural part of the country. We ate tropical fruit, tasted honey, and rode bikes through the villages. We also opted out of the busride back and took a speedboat instead. A brilliant idea! Beautiful vistas! Wind against my face! Cold beers! All perfect, until the beers took their toll and we realized the ride was 3 hours long with no bathroom... eek!

We also spend a day at the Cu Chi tunnels, a system of underground rooms the Viet Cong used when fighting the Americans. Very interesting...

We had a day of sartorial madness in Hoi An, a shopper's dream. Seemingly endless streets filled with tailors ready to make ANYTHING you want. I spent $200, but got 5 dresses, 2 shirts, a pair of pants, and a coat. Geesh. Did NOT leave room in my bag for that, but I'm ready for my first week of business casual at Bain, that's for sure!

Now we are inland in a town called Hue. Once again, very different. The people seem almost surprised to see tourists, even though this is on the tourist trek. Some Vietnamese tourists ask to have their pictures taken with us, which reminds me of Africa, where that is very common. The main attraction is a citadel, again a part of imperial and colonial history. It's very beautiful and imposing. We spent the day trekking the city, taking lots of pictures. It's definitely an architectual sight.

Short time here, tomorrow we head up to Hanoi where we plan to spend a few days before heading to Ha Long Bay. Very excited to see another Vietnamese city!

Here at last!

Arrived in Vietnam last night, and it feels great to be back. Saigon is a little different from Hanoi (where I visited my friend Mike in 2002), but it has the same feel. Throngs of 20-somethings on scooters wearing facemasks to protect them from the dust, older women selling coconut water wearing traditional sunhats, noodle houses on every corner. Saigon does have a more… laid back feel than did Hanoi, which is apparent in the many urban parks that I passed today.

Christy and Janet got in last night (yay!) and we are all staying at Mme Cuc’s, a hostel in the most happenin’ part of the city. Lots of backpackers from around the world, and a super cute staff of Vietnamese women who like to read over my shoulder and shove noodles and eggrolls down my throat.

Today we did (and ATE!) everything! We started off with my favorite Vietnamese breakfast (thanks Mike, for introducing me!)—streetside egg sandwiches with cilatro and chilli sauce on a perfectly baked baguette. A whopping 10,000 dong (about 80 cents). Delicious. We ate—I mean made—our way around the city… the Reunication Palace and the War Remnants Museum (both which remind me how sordid and turbulent Vietnam’s recent past was), the local city market, Notre Dame Cathedral… and Pho, Sinh To (a delicious fruit smoothie), weasel-feces coffee (don’t ask) and streetside waffle cakes. The French occupation was obviously a tragedy, but it left a lasting impression on the cuisine, that’s for sure.

The day ended… strangely. With backs aching from the 20 hour journey here, we decided to get massages at the Vietnam Traditional Massage Institute, coincidentally a few doors down from our hostel. Little did we know the Institute is co-located at a school for the blind, so I just got one of the strangest massages of my life from a blind Vietnamese women. Non-verbal/non-visual communication at its best! Very interesting, but I definitely feel more relaxed!

Onto the Mekong Delta tomorrow…

My "last" big trip... yeah right...

Tonight I leave for my big post-MBA trip. Since I don't start my job until October, I figured I should take the opportunity to do a big around-the-world adventure. Of course, I keep saying, "This is the last chance I'll have to travel!" but it's totally untrue. I think I'll keep finding opportunities to travel the world, I just get the travel bug too often!

Well, this trip should be a great one. I hope to have some time to reflect on the past two years and on the next steps of my life, as well. I get to travel with some really great friends to some amazing places. 3 months is a long time, but I'm sure it's going to fly by. And it's going to be a journey, that's for sure!

Stay tuned for more!

My upcoming trip plan!

View Larger Map

Rockin' in the Free World...

Some people may know that I started singing/playing in a band this year. It's been one of the most amazing parts of my time at Haas, and I truly love the guys who I play with. We are all going our own ways this summer, so I guess "the band is breaking up," but who knows? Maybe a reunion tour in 2018?

We played an amazing show for a huge group of friends last week. Here are some pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11325246@N04/sets/72157604985228817/

And, on a slightly different topic, a video that my friends Jeff and Monty and I put together with a bunch of Haasies...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNc6gjGpJSQ

A few big things!

The last few weeks have been a little crazy-- but generally in a good way! The big event in my life was the Napa Valley Sprint Triathlon that I did last weekend. To most athletes, this event isn't a big deal, but due to my crazy fear of water, it was a huge goal for me. I've been trying to do a triathlon for about 2 years now, but always managed to find an excuse not to. Finally, in my last semester of business school, I actually did it.

It was an amazing and fun experience, and I'm glad I got to do it with about 20 of my Haas classmates. The day was beautiful and I had a great time. I think I may actually want to do another one!

This really proved to me that if I set a goal and work really hard, I can accomplish it. Not exactly profound, but I guess I thought that might not apply to certain things (like Triathlons!)

Above are a few pictures to remember the day by...

Resolution-- the shower of flowers!

Whew! Somewhere during the 5 days of flower power, I solved the puzzle. I won't reveal the culprits here, only that it was truly an act of kindness initiated by a number of people.

I had a great birthday, too-- I'm trying hard to resist that typically sentiment about feeling sad about getting older. I actually think it's great that I'm getting older-- life just keeps getting better!

Third day of flower madness...

Okay, people. This is too much!

Tuesday I returned home to another gift of flowers (from the now-not-so-secret giver of the first ones!), and then today I had another bouquet delivered to my door.

This has been one of the best weeks EVER!

Thank you thank you thank you!

Random acts of kindness...

It's always a little strange coming back to the US after time abroad, especially after being in a place like Uganda. But it's been great being back and getting back into my final few weeks here at Haas. At times it's stressful, but I really love it here.

Case in point: Yesterday, after my first day back, which was filled with classes and homework (and a nasty little stomach bug that I brought back as an African souvenir), I came home in a slightly sour mood. I was just feeling really behind on things and that I was letting people in my life down-- friends, professors, myself. However, when I got home, I found these beautiful flowers on my front porch, with a note that read:

"Just because... with love..."

Wow.

I asked around it wasn't any of the people I initially and immediately suspected. It was truly a beautiful act of kindness and it was SO meaningful to me.

So whoever did this-- if you read this blog-- thank you so much for brightening my day! It really meant a lot to me...

Homeward Bound... for now, at least

As this trip to Uganda is winding down, I have some time to reflect on my time here. It's been interesting. It's great to know that I am still connected to this place. As my travel buddy Amanda said, I'm "so lucky to have a home here." And it's true. There are always people I can call, visit, stay with. There are always people who will welcome me into their lives.

But at the same time, I feel frustrated. The disconnect between my life in the states and here is vast. Our project here, Bodas for Life, is a great example of that. The project is very simple in nature: Certain designated Boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers here are trained in emergency first response, and then their cell phone numbers and names are posted on fliers and posters which are located in heath centers and trading centers. When people need emergency transportation, they call or send for one of these boda drivers. Even the health centers can call them if they have a referral case to a bigger health center. The drivers wear bright yellow jackets with "Boda for Life" written on it, and carry first aid kits (see the picture below) so they are easily recognizable.

The drivers carry patients at subsidized rates; in exchange, they get a 10,000 USH fuel voucher for every 10 rides they give. More importantly, it's a huge point of pride for these drivers-- they experience increased self-esteem and they love helping the community. And the program is relatively cheap to operate-- just the helmets, jackets, log books, and voucher payments. Best of all, Amanda and I have spent the last few weeks talking to drivers, patients, and health workers, and all of them seem to love the program. And I know what you all are saying—of course they say they love the program, but do they really mean it? But the way we asked questions and presented ourselves shows me that they really do benefit from it—at least in some ways.

However, even though the idea essentially came from the districts themselves (we presented a menu of items to them last summer and they JUMPED on this one), they are so reluctant to own the program themselves. I can understand this; Uganda is so used to getting money thrown at them from foreign aid, why would they agree to take on a program when someone else might offer to pay for it? But the problem is that the Blum Center has to pull out of this program sometime. Soon.

So our next task, now that we’ve created this interesting, seemingly useful program, is to find a way to sustain it from within.

Um. I’ll let you know when I have a solution. Thoughts?

More pictures...

For your viewing pleasure...

The ups and downs of working in Uganda...

It's only been a few days, but I feel like we've done so much since we've been here. So far, we've met and gotten to know our Mbarara University counterparts (two bright students who are both studying a field of medicine), visited both our pilot and expanded projects in Nakaseke District, and done a LOT of...um, constructive criticizing of the program. It's been frustrating at some times, especially getting honest, thorough, and meaningful information and feedback from our stakeholders. But I think Amanda and I have done some good thinking about the program and its potential future here.

But onto the fun stuff--- KIDS KIDS KIDS! I spent the day with Stella, her sisters, and a very LARGE crew of kids. I decided to treat them to a fun day out on the town. They are always so preoccupied with cooking, cleaning, etc-- I didn't want them to work at all. So we went to Garden City, the most muzungu place in Kampala. A real shopping mall, complete with food court, movie theatre, and overpriced shops. I decided to take them to the food court to let them sample a variety of bazungu fare, and they got SUCH a kick out of it! Afterwards, we took the kids to a little playground that was in the mall, which also had a bounce house there. They had SO much fun! It was great. At the end, they were all passed out. I even took Stella on her FIRST escalator ride! (She was SO scared-- so cute!) After that, we all came back to my hotel where I gave them the gifts that I bought them (see pics for ADORABLE matching outfits!) After a long day, they went home. It was great, but a little bittersweet. I never know how Stella really is, or what I can do to make her life better, short of throwing money at her. And not just her, but her whole family. There are so many of them, and they all have problems. She just told me that her nephew-- a little boy who I met last summer because he was staying with her-- died last week. AIDS is the suspect. And she thinks his mom (her sister) has AIDS, too. It's so hard...

But it was nice to give her a day of laughs. To see her smiling watching her kids traipsing around the playground. Maybe it's not enough. But it's got to be something, right?

Until later...

Back in the Motherland...

Getting off the plane is always a slightly surreal experience... delirious from fatigue, uncertain about how it will be, and excited to see my friends, I stepped into the hot, humid, Uganda air. The trip was long, but not as long as it has seemed in the past-- the world truly is a small place! I couldn't believe that I got onto a large mechanical device, and 24 hours later arrived across the world... crazy...

I'm so happy, albeit dazed, to be here. We decompressed in Kampala today, charging our phone cards, setting up meetings, and even going for a swim at a local hotel (I know, I'm DEFINITELY not a Peace Corps volunteer anymore!). Tomorrow we head to the villages for a few days, and back in Kampala for the weekend. And with the weekend comes... STELLA! She's coming to Kampala with the kids to see me. I can't wait!

More updates later... now back to my ice-cold Tusker beer!

May she rest in peace...

Today was a hard day for my family. After a number of years of struggling with Alzheimer's and heart disease, my paternal grandmother passed away. I found out this afternoon, and immediately went to my uncle's house in the East Bay to see her one last time-- I'm so glad I hadn't left for Uganda yet...

I think she had been in pain recently, so I am happy that her end came quietly and relieved her from this pain. Mostly, I am sad for my Dad, uncle, and aunts, who really feel the sadness of losing their mother. As we all gathered to mourn the loss of my paati (the Tamil word for grandmother), her kids shared some stories about her, and mostly about her life in India. It was nice hearing about her as I'm sure she would like to be remembered-- happy and at peace.

On the road again... soon...

Spring break is coming to a close, but I am actually getting ready to embark on another trip-- to Uganda! I am so excited to go back. I never dreamed that I would be going back so often, so soon!

This trip is once again in conjunction with the Blum Center project I was working on last year-- we are doing a follow up on this project. The project has expanded from Nakaseke District to Kyenjojo District in Western Uganda, and I'm really looking forward to checking out the expanded program. It's a short trip, though, and I don't know if I can even see Stella and the kids! That makes me sad, but I will be back this summer, so hopefully I can visit more substantially then.

Every time I go back to Uganda, my perspective changes a bit. In a way, I feel more and more distant from my experience there. But at the same time, I realize the importance of my time in the village. I want to try to reconnect with the people and the culture there. I also want to reconnect with who I WAS when I was there.

It'll be interesting to see how this trip goes. I'll definitely keep updating! (Above is a reminder of Patience! Hope I get to see her!)

Blog-- Reincarnated!

Ok, so I realize it's been almost a year since this blog has been set up. But I got distracted by my other blog, and by my life, and by a million other unimportant things, and I let THIS thing go. But now it's time to renew it!

I'm currently on Spring Break during my 2nd and final year of business school. I can't believe how fast time flies! As I pass through yet another transition period, I hope to continue to discover new things about myself and the world around me.

Thanks for visiting the blog and taking this journey with me!