A Different Mindset

One particular relationship stands out to me during my time in Ghana. In my consulting project, I worked with Esther, one of the first Ghanaian

women who joined the organization. During these five weeks, I had the privilege to hear her story and walk a little bit of life in her shoes.

Esther’s story opened my eyes to a very different perspective on life…

The youngest child of nine children, Esther’s oldest sister raised her after her mother died shortly after childbirth. Esther went to school until she was 15 and then quit school so that she could attend a vocational school to learn a trade and begin earning money. Her uncle help fund her schooling, and Esther started sewing out of her sister’s apartment when finished.

She struggled for several years to save enough money to buy her own hand-powered sewing machine; a significant investment of 100 cedis (approx. $65). Slowly but surely, her business grew to the size it is today. Esther’s business is now flourishing, and she has six employees

and one apprentice working consistently.

By Western standards, we’d say that her store is an initial success. We’d start looking into additional production options, untapped market opportunities, and other money-generating expansion plans. We’d also start saving the profits for business capital and personal profits. Maybe save up for a car, new house, etc. Sound normal? This isn’t a bad approach, per se, but it is a typical Western mindset; our goals tend to focus on an individual accumulation of personal wealth.

Not Esther.

Even having a tough childhood, struggling through obstacles in her past, the thought hasn’t even occurred to her to spend the money she earns on enhancing the comforts of her own life. Instead, what is her passion?

Giving back. The minute she reached financial stability approximately two years ago, she founded her own NGO, a non-profit organization targeted at improving the lives of villagers by teaching basic handicraft skills. She pours all her time and finances into this organization, making countless trips to local villages, meeting with local businessmen, and establishing an initial training program. Mind you, this is a woman who never finished high school.

Her vision for the NGO is incredibly inspiring. She envisions this organization as a stable, international business that is financially viable, creating market

demand for products from multiple (10+) low-income villages throughout Ghana, positively and permanently impacting the lives of the women and—by result—their families and villages, while also sourcing national and international volunteers to build up the organization and business knowledge. (This vision was fleshed out and established following a brainstorming session that I conducted with her; see picture for result.)

Esther’s story and passion holds true for many of the women I have met here. I am in awe at these women; they are unswervingly passionate about reaching out and supporting other women to help them succeed as they have—but their definition of success is so different from America!

That is, once these women's businesses are generating enough profit to pay for food, water, and housing (i.e., basic life necessities), they start using the additional funds to help those much less fortunate. There's no aspiration to become rich, move into a bigger house, own multiple cars (or even one), or anything else similar to the "American dream" of material possession. Instead, they start an NGO to improve impoverished villages. Incredible.

This mindset has the potential to have an incredible impact on Ghana. Why are we in the Western world missing out on this impact? The people here prioritize relationships and “being” first; I’ve found that the Western world typically prioritizes stuff, money and “doing” instead. The Ghanaian priorities mean that life moves slower here, but is that necessarily bad?

During this project, I’ve been challenged to ask myself, “How would my life and the lives of those around me be different if I sought to put people first? How would my life change? And how would the world be different?” It’s a question worth pondering.

Globalization Juxtapositions

From eating in a Pizza Hut at the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt to listening to the Spice Girls play at the Great Wall of China, the trend of globalization is creating a broad palette of cultural juxtapositions. Here are a few of my favorite from Ghana...

Memory 1:

On our trip last weekend to the Nzulezo stilt village, we had to take an hour-long canoe ride to reach the village. After an incredible experience walking on what felt a bit like a Venice of Ghana, so to speak, we begun the canoe journey back. We were crossing a wide lake with dark green, tree-covered hills surrounding us with stormy clouds hanging overhead when…


...a cell phone rings. It’s not mine or any of my American companions; instead, it’s our canoe guide’s! We proceeded into the dense marshes while listening to him chat away on his phone in Fanti (the local language).

Memory 2:


While visiting the stilt village (a tiny community of 400 people living in huts entirely built over the lake), we met with the village chief. We were sitting in a circle around the chief, listening to his recitation on the history of the Nzulezo people, when…


...a nearby radio starts blasting the local Ghanaian favorite pop song, “Big Booty Girl”.

Memory 3:

Leaving the office one day last week, I was walking with my boss down the tiny streets of Cape Coast. Lined with sewage gutters and old squat buildings and huts, we passed some children playing in the dirt on the side of the road. Our hearts completely melted when…


...we saw this adorable little Ghanaian girl carrying a Barney doll, wrapped in the Ghanaian “baby swing” on her back.

A Mini Case-Study: Challenges of the Tourism Industry in Ghana

We took this weekend to explore the West Coast of Ghana. Covering 100+ km to Axim, we visited the famous village on stilts, Nzelo, before heading towards Axim, location of the most renowned beaches in Ghana.

The sweeping beaches were just as said: spreading towards the horizon, the mist from the pounding waves covered the lingering palm trees. The “resort” we stayed at was by far the most advanced/polished service experience that I’ve had in Ghana.

A quick description of the property:

• 35 rooms—chalets, dorm, and rooms
• Can accommodate up to 76 people
• 25-30% average occupancy throughout the year
• Two restaurants with bars, a business center
• They even had a swing set!
• Market: expats and volunteers, some international visitors, very little Ghanaian business

During our breakfast the next morning, the resort’s owner/manager came to welcome us, and I took the opportunity to investigate his perspective on the tourism industry in Ghana. As a local Ghanaian and a hotelier since 1990, Jonas had much to share on the topic.

He identified several key challenges unique to Ghana:

• Cost of flying/travelling to Ghana—Once Ghana Air (the national airlines) declared bankruptcy years ago, there is no low-cost option of traveling to Ghana. Even for Europeans, who are directly north of Ghana, it is cheaper to fly to Thailand (300 pounds) than to Ghana (700 pounds). This high cost is a primary factor in many lost tourism revenue opportunities; who can afford to spend their entire holiday budget on the flight?

• Lack of national transportation infrastructure—it’s nearly impossible to get to many of the primary tourism destinations even once you are in Ghana, because of poor roads, limited access, and unreliable transportation. For example: Mole National Park is the biggest tourism destination aside from the slave castles in Ghana. The only way to reach this park is through an 75km, completely treacherous road.

• Under-developed marketing for Ghana as a tourism destination—While several African countries are aggressively targeting international marketing opportunities (i.e., Kenya and South Africa), Ghana’s tourism board has done little to nothing to increase Ghana’s mindspace. This cripples the hotel owners, since who will come to Ghana if no one knows about it?

I was struck by the underlying source of many of these problems: the government. Even if the government didn’t “cause” the problem (take, for example, the lack of knowledge internationally about Ghana as a tourism destination), the problem has continued to exist or grown bigger through lack of action (e.g., Kenya has an incredible mindspace for Western tourists as the safari country of East Africa… but what is Ghana known for?).

Much of this problem is caused by the short-term focus prevalent in politics and Ghana. Why try to generate revenue and development when your party may not be in power to harvest and claim the results? Additionally, people want to vote for politicians who create immediate results, and it’s harder to invest in the long-run.

On a local level, Jonas wrestles with hiring and training the local community, because many of them would rather work towards the quick money from the fishing industry instead of the steady work at the hotel. The staff that does work there is fantastic, however. Modeled after the Asian style of hospitality and service, Jonas trains his staff to deliver excellent service in their Ghanaian style. To positively impact the local community, Jonas hires locals for brief maintenance jobs and tries to source all of his products locally. He’s also taken the initiative to build his own road to the resort and paid for street lights to be built in Axim’s city center, since the government wasn’t going to develop that any time soon.

It was striking to realize that for Jonas and the Axim Beach Resort, the biggest challenge and business limitation was the government. I hadn’t considered that for some places, you need to have enough initiative to overcome ordinary challenges and lack of governmental support. How much greater a challenge is that situation? How would you work to solve it as one individual?

Tourism is predicted to surpass gold and oil as the top source of the Ghana’s GDP soon. The question is, will it happen in time to develop the infrastructure, enact the laws, and preserve the habitats that are the destination?

The streets of Cape Coast

I will have such a difficult time leaving Ghana. Just walking the streets here in Cape Coast, and everything feels familiar.

The smells are refreshing and striking: the slight misty ocean breeze mixes with the smell of fresh bread baking and the local tilapia fish roasting on the grill. Walking over malodorous sewers, you’ll catch a whiff of the fried plantains and savory goat soup coming from the alleyways and homes behind.

The streets are covered in a hodge-podge of short buildings framed by the red cliffs behind them. Every building is covered in ads for one brand or another—especially Vodophone and MTN ads, since these two major cell phone companies competing for leading market coverage. You can just hear the waves crashing against the sea shore before the bustling fishing port.

Heading for my favorite shops, I see Francesca, a Global Mama (the name of the Ghanaian women associated with my organization) who sells the highest quality beads and jewelry in Cape Coast. After stopping in for a chat, I pick up half a pineapple to munch on from my “abubera”—pineapple seller—and wave at her little daughter, Blessing. A quick visit to greet my Rasta friend, Ahmed, and my friend from the Volta region, Kwame, along with a short lesson in Ghanaian artwork, on the way back and I’ve nearly covered a third of Cape Coast.

I’m walking back when I catch a glimpse of a bobbing plastic crate on someone’s head down the street. Is that polo (aka, the delicious Ghanaian coconut cakes)? It’s an incredible snack—almost like coconut cake meets trail mix bar. Chasing her down, I spend 10 pesawas (approx. $.066) for a huge bar. Mmm! The streets are covered with people selling every type of food imaginable—and all off the top of their heads. I’ve tried nearly everything in sight, with one item left: snail kabobs. They’re supposedly a delicacy here…

It’s small, warm, content world here in Cape Coast, and I’ll be sad to say goodbye in a few short days. If I can take just a sunbeam of the light and happiness and grace I’ve found here back home with me, along with the 3,000+ photos I’ve taken, I’ll be thankful.

More to come soon….

Perspective: Environment in Ghana

While at the Mountain Paradise Lodge last week, I had an opportunity to speak with the owner and manager, Mr. Toni. A true hotelier, he not only understood hospitality, but he was also very passionate about the environmental preservation of the surrounding area. 

I asked Mr. Toni for insight into the Ghanaian perspective on the environment. His answer was sobering; he said, specifically, that many people here see the environment as “Nature’s gift to be consumed unsustainably.” Why, I asked. Toni summed up the problem to lack of education: essentially, a lack of training and education on why and how to sustain the environment for their kids and their kids’ kids. Some of the problems, for example, include:

• Deforestation—because no one replants the trees that are cut down for firewood
  
• Inorganic chemicals and harmful fertilizer—because it’s easier and quicker to spray chemicals than to weed, and no one realizes that farmers are dying at an earlier age each year because of the exposure to these chemicals
• Poison hunting—the easiest way for hunters to now hunt game is through poison: they simply set the traps and then take the animals. Since the hunters are selling the meat to others, the safety of the meat isn’t really a concern to them.
  

Toni said that many of these problems permeate from governmental issues. Specifically, no politician wants to be the one who presents an expensive, energy-intensive and long-term focused solution when the profitable quick-fixes are available today. Thus, some politicians encourage the use of chemicals for farming. Others just avoid the topic altogether.  

To only increase disadvantageous solutions, there is also international political pressure. Take, for example, the Volta Dam Project. China is funding a dam and hydro-electric plant to be built in the lush, tropical area of the Volta region that will flood and harm/destroy much of the surrounding habitat. 

What’s the solution? When I asked Toni this, he responded that help needs to come from inside and outside. An internal education initiative is needed with outside support—financial and political.

Looking back, it was a conversation to remember. It was incredible to meet someone in my industry who is truly passionate about making a long-lasting, positive difference in the world. And Toni acts on these passions—he’s started up a volunteering initiative with a local village, has adopted nearby land to protect it, and more. Pairing passion to make a difference with the action to get there—a goal for many of us. 

* Online article on Ghana's environment from a privately owned Ghanaian newspaper

Note: Apologies on the lack of external support—it was extremely difficult to find online information about Ghana’s environmental conditions.

Monkeys, waterfalls, Togo, oh my!

It’s 10PM at night, and we’re finally safely back at our home residence in Elmina after a three-day excursion through the eastern region of Ghana. What did it encompass? Many adventures: crazy tro-tro rides, swimming in waterfalls, feeding monkeys, and perhaps a visit to Togo. Read on….

Four of us girls set off early Friday morning to head to the Volta region in the east of Ghana, an area known for its tropical rainforests and lush environments. After six hours of tros, taxis, and buses, we were thrilled to finally arrive at our first destination: the village of Wli (pronounced “vlee”). The final leg of our journey was bouncing up a pothole-ridden road in a taxi that held four of us in the back with a family of five and the driver in the front.

Our first night was spent camping on the grounds of this beautiful lodge that looked out across the light fog and dark green hills to see Wli Waterfall, the highlight of the region.

 

On our hike to the waterfall the next day, it felt like an expedition into a true rainforest. Our guide quickly pointed out the first wild pineapple I’ve ever seen; it was a mini revelation! Here was the source of so many of my meals… He quickly moved on to a cocoa plant and pulled off a cocoa pod, oblivious to my increasing joy. I couldn’t believe that I was holding the fruit from which chocolate comes. As if that wasn’t enough, before we were halfway through with our hike, the guide gestured toward a coffee plant. At this point, I seriously contemplated if I should even leave this rainforest.

    

Wli Falls was spectacular. The highest waterfall in West Africa, its water shoots off the cliff side far above you to land crashing into the cool pool at your feet. Its incessant roar along with the wind and mist created from its crash-landing makes for an awe-inspiring site. It took all our courage to walk straight under the falls, inching backward as the water droplets flew against us like a hailstorm.

 

An hour and several hundred pictures later, we headed for our next destination: Mountain Paradise Lodge. Our tro dropped us off at the entrance to the road that led to the lodge. Our guidebook said it was only a 5km, 45-minute walk, so we happily set off down the pretty path, excited to explore a new destination.

It never occurred to us that the lodge’s name may have been inspired by its location.

Our walk turned into a hill which turned into a steep slope, and far too quickly we were trekking up the side of a mountain. The surroundings of palm trees, tropical birds, and beautiful views were wonderful, until we realized that the sun was beginning to set.

It’s amazing how fast you can hike uphill with two backpacks on (one for the stuff, one for the camera) when you start seriously trying not to contemplate all the scary movies that start at dusk.

The hike went on for what seemed like hours. Step by step, we inched forward as the sun sank lower in the sky. Each turn in the path just led to another switchback and another hill! Sweat dripped into my eyebrows, from my arms, and my feet moved on. Looking behind us at one point, we could see far below the village we had so blithely left behind us just an hour ago, blissfully unaware of the traumatic climb that lay ahead.

As we trekked around yet another curve in the path, the brush cleared slightly, and suddenly we could see the lodge!

We saw it…. sitting on the top of the far ridge on the other side of the valley.

By the time we made it to the entrance sign for the lodge, Bethany expressed our feelings best: running toward the sign, she said, “I could just marry that sign.” I’m pretty sure that dinner of chicken and rice with fresh mangos and bananas may be one of the most-deserved meals I’ve had. We had even arrived at the lodge in time to see the until-then dreaded sunset.

Mountain Paradise Lodge was just that: a paradise. Nestled away on a hill overlooking the rainforests and valleys of the Volta, you could just see Lake Volta gleaming on the horizon. No sounds where present save that of the rainforest, and it was heaven to fall asleep to bird songs and rain drops on our tent.

Our tro ride the next day may have been the best one yet. There may have been one (several) points during the ride where I couldn’t stop laughing. We had fit 19 people in a car meant to hold 10, and our fellow car members include a slightly tipsy funeral party who were gaily serenading us throughout the ride, an adamant American and marijuana fan, and a rather friendly, French-speaking Togolese. After a marriage proposal, several songs, and an offer of marijuana, we were thrilled to alight from the car. However, I quickly realized that we were actually parked at the border between Ghana and Togo. Hmmm…. How could I turn down an opportunity like this?

So, I went to Togo.

It’s really amazing where a smile and some sign language can get you. (For those of you who worry, don’t research the safety of the country of Togo.)

Moving on, we trekked our way back across Ghana today, and I am now happily back in my little village outside Cape Coast. 

Ajumako – a village adventure

City life versus life in the village? My 6-hour experience was just a brief taste of how different these two lifestyles are here.

I left Cape Coast this morning at 9AM with a co-worker, Patience. We were headed up to a village a few hours away called Ajumako to meet the organization’s weavers: women who reuse the discarded fabric scraps from the seamstresses to create braided potholders and rugs. If only I had known how far away this village really was…

…It took two hours, two tro-tros, and one taxi to finally reach our little village. (More on definition of Ghanaian transportation options later.) It was mindblowing to leave from Cape Coast’s Kotakraba market--a packed market mecca of food, goods, and people—and to arrive just a few hours later to a tiny village at the end of a red, pothole-ridden road. My environment went from a raucous setting with people shouting to buy their goods to the peaceful sounds of goats bleating and children laughing.

The women we went to meet were fantastic. So many beautiful faces and big smiles. I couldn’t fathom, however, what it must be like to live in this little village. And yet they were so content. What can I bring to them? How can I make a difference? Do they even need me to? My brief observation of these women, as they sat on a little porch braiding their rugs and overlooking the village square, was that they were happier than many people who the world defines as “better off.” I’m blessed with the resources, education, and lifestyle that I'm born into—but I know with that I am also held more accountable.

My two hours in the village was full of laughter. I met the village chief, shot a few hundred pictures, and was chased by children shouting “’bruni!’” (Obruni is Fanti for “white person”). It was priceless. And sadly, one of the little children started crying when he saw me—he hadn’t seen someone as light as me before.

Our ride to the village was in a tiny taxi with a backseat full of filled gasoline containers. The ride back was just as adventurous. On the way, we were lucky enough to get picked up by a van that died in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear. The solution? The driver simply floored the van to 4th or 5th gear—on every road. And let me tell you, these roads were not built for those speeds (if you even call them roads).

That’s all part of the adventure! And that’s exactly why I love traveling—to meet and live life with the people who are that place. Pictures will be added soon.

Seamstresses and photoshoots

While I am in Ghana, my volunteer work includes three projects:

1. Photography—In addition to shooting pictures whenever possible, I’m also developing portrait shots of the women for the website and new posters

2. Business consulting—I’m working with one of the women to improve her business, apply for small-business loans, and work on branding

3. Teaching—I will be teaching the computer class to several women, in addition to revising the textbook

In regards to Project 1, I held my 2nd photo shoot today. Working with Deborah, one of the seamstresses, I got to capture a little bit of her life. Deborah has two children, lives a little outside Accra, and is just starting to work with Global Mamas (the Ghanaian name of the organization I’m working with) a few days ago. Her goal? She joined Global Mamas in hopes that she can save enough money to open a sewing shop and put both her children through college to become doctors. 

Perhaps my favorite part of photography is the opportunity to get to know the person in front of my camera and the challenge to capture their story inside the camera. My theory: ratio of odds. If I take several hundred pictures, I have a much stronger chance of getting a good picture! Here are a few of my favorite (out of the 150 that I shot):

Obama Sighting

I expected many new experiences while here, but I did not expect to see my president while on the opposite side of the Atlantic. However…

You may not have heard in the news (at least in the U.S.), but Obama visited Cape Coast on Saturday on his way back from the G8 Conference in Italy. His arrival was broadcasted everywhere. From 30-ft tall billboards and radio announcements to pop songs written and little children shouting, everyone was talking about Obama.

Well, I couldn’t miss this experience! So, with a few of the other volunteers and some local Ghanaian friends, we scoped out our options (which was way harder than expected—any standardized announcement or other communication about when and where Obama would be speaking was nonexistent) and planned our strategy.  

Saturday morning, the day of his arrival, came around, and we took off bright and early. By the time we made it in to Cape Coast, people were already swarming the streets. Food vendors maneuvered the crowds, adeptly balancing huge loads of popsicles, beans and rice, or peanuts on their heads while taxis swerved through the massive crowds, miraculously managing to avoid the people. It didn’t help that the annual Bakatue festival occurred this weekend too, which meant we had to navigate through a parade of chiefs decked out in their gold and finery and followed by their retinue of women, children, and canopy bearers. 

We made a bee-line for the main street where we thought Obama would pass. Somehow, no one was there yet! I realized later that it was because we showed up 4 hours before his car would pass. Ah well. As the time drew closer, our little square grew increasingly packed. Have you ever been on the front line at a mosh pit? Try it Ghanaian style—instead of a fence, I was standing in front of a huge gutter that… well, wasn’t exactly clean and hardly smelled like roses.  

Then, the distant sound of a helicopter came and the crowd went crazy! It was the most surreal experience, hearing the native Ghanaian language of Fanti spoken all around me and recognizing “Obama, Obama” every few seconds as the shouting grew louder and louder. 

 
After two more Air Force One helicopters and a few other false alarms, the riot police really started clearing the street. By this time, hundreds of Ghanaians were crowed around me, packed as close as they could to the American president. My friends and I held our ground, giving back just as much push—I wasn’t giving up the spot that I had staked out for 4 hours! 

We heard the crowd streets away go wild before we could even hear the car engines. Then, the speeding police motorcycles transitioned to large, black SUVs (yep, they use them in real life, not just in movies), and, finally, the armored limousines. The cars sped by, and we erupted in fist pumping and cheers. We just caught a glimpse Obama’s hand as he waved at the screaming, shouting crowds outside his air-conditioned, quiet limo.  

Another 4 hours later, the crowds reacted in like pandemonium as we saw his other palm, waving goodbye as he left.  

Interested in the why? The political theories behind Obama’s visit are interesting. My Ghanaian friends have said that it was very important that he visited Ghana on this trip. Why? Apparently, Kenya is claiming Obama as their president, so to speak. By purposefully visiting another improving, democratic African country on his second visit to the continent, he is portraying himself as a friend and ally of all Africa, and not just Kenya. At least, this is the impression that many here believe.  

Want to hear his speech? Check out this link: 

  (Link will be posted as the Ghanaian Internet allows...) 

It’s funny—as I’m typing, I can here the radio talking, yet again, about Obama. The fervor hasn’t died down at all, even 4 days later. I’ll never forget the sight I saw yesterday evening. While I was sitting in a local chop bar looking outside at the street and neighboring shacks, a helicopter passed overhead. At the sound of it, five or six little children ran through the yard, little fists pumping and legs jumping, while they screamed “Obama! Obamama! Obama!”

Touching down in Ghana...

It's the afternoon on my second day in Ghana, and already the new experiences are piling up! I'm currently sitting in a little internet cafe off a dusty street on a hot, humid afternoon. From seeing Obama speak yesterday to climbing along a rickety rope bridge 100+ feet off the ground, there are many stories and pictures to post. 

For now, however, I simply wanted to let you know that I did leave for Ghana and I did land safely. An early flight out from Sea-Tac airport with a short layover in JFK, and I was landing in Accra, Ghana the next morning at 8:30AM. Within just a few minutes of landing, I learned that Accra is actually pronounced "uh-CRAW", with the emphasis on the second syllable.

And this trusty Compaq computer (which is probably older than one of my little sisters) is letting me know that my time is up...

Needles, needles, and more needles

It is unbelievable just how many immunizations you need to go to Ghana. I just spoke with the Travel Clinic and checked the CDC's website (Center for Disease Control, the #1 spot to check for health risks) for the immunizations I'll need to enter Ghana.

Check out this list:

- Hepatitis A, shot #1

- Hepatitis A, shot #2 (30 days after #1)

- Hepatitis B, shot #1

- Hepatitis B, shot #2 (30 days after #1)

- Hepatitis B, shot #3 (90 days after #2)

- Meningococcal

- Typhoid

- Yellow fever

- Malaria

Woah. Anyone still want to go to Ghana?

The good news is that I've already gotten all these immunizations for previous trips--so all I need to do now is a quick trip to the doctor for an updated malaria prescription, and then I'm good to go!

Needless to say, I'm excited to be avoiding the needles for this trip...

A grand entrance... for the visa

I am very excited to say that my Ghanaian visa has arrived! No big deal, you say? Actually, it is. You see, I mailed in my visa to the Ghana Embassy in Washington, D.C., last week. Although my departure for Ghana isn't until July 8th, I'm leaving the country for a family vacation before: on June 27th! Which means that... I had only two very short weeks to have my passport back in my hands or else I was missing the vacation.

Needless to say, I was stalking the UPS website, tracking the progress of my package nearly hourly. "What would happen? What if my passport is stuck in the embassy for two weeks and I'm stuck in the U.S.?" were the thoughts racing through my mind for three agonizing days.

And then, unbelievably, my passport arrived at the embassy and was turned around in only 12 hours. It went out the very next day, and is now safely back in my hands. I have no plans to let it go any time soon! Check out the pictures of this sherbet-colored little visa :

Oh, and you may notice that I choose the "Multiple Entry" option, which means that I can go in and out of Ghana for the next five years... just in case.

Climb aboard!

Climb aboard....

My trip begins July 9th and continues until mid-August. I am volunteering with an non-profit organization, "Women In Progress", applying business skills in a developing nation as I learn from those I am teaching. My project will include teaching basic business concepts, assisting with the organization's marketing efforts, and, of course, documenting each and every moment through photography. Above all, it will be a journey of learning.

Check back soon--my date of departure is racing closer each day, and with it the many stories to come.