A Thing of Beauty

I come from a family of surprisers.  My parents and siblings love to do the unexpected and especially love to plan surprise visits.   They're not as common anymore now that there are lots of kids involved, but there was a time when "dropping in" for a visit, despite living thousands of miles away, was a semi-regular occurrence.    When you've been surprised a lot though, it makes you pretty hard to surprise.  

This past week,  however, our youngest daughter completely and totally surprised us with this beautiful gift she'd been working on for weeks. 

It's a painting she's been working on  in her art class.  She based it on this photo--one of our favorites--from our trip to Uganda.      

It literally took my breath away and I'm still in awe that a child of mine had the artistic capacity to capture such beauty and emotion.   Now we just need to find a place to get it framed...

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“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Favorite Memories from Uganda PART 1

I thought it would be fun to publish a collection of favorite memories from our trip to Africa.    Here are two memories written by two of my kids.   I'll publish more as they come.   :) 

Written by Emma: 
I step off the cool, air-conditioned bus, squinting in the bright African sun. There are a few village kids watching our group shyly as we make our way to the large pile of bricks and begin passing them down our human assembly line. After a sweaty hour or so hauling bricks, I take a quick water break and notice the growing group of kids again, just watching. A few other volunteers and I make our way over to say hi and high-five the little ones. Before I know it, a little girl grabs my hand and we start to throw a ball around, more kids joining in as we play. I see a small baby strapped to the back of his (also young) sister and hold my arms out to hold the baby, hoping the little girl would be able to go play without having to feel responsible for her brother, even just for a few minutes. And a few minutes was all it was before the baby started crying and his sister immediately came back to take him.

The next few hours are a blur of “patty-cake,” nail polish, and “duck, duck, goose.” Everything we do attracts more and more kids to play with us. Others though just sit and watch, laughing at me when I slip every time I run around the circle for “duck, duck, goose.” When I go to rest under the tree, some of the moms come up to me and try to talk in broken English. I can’t understand what they’re saying, but they keep laughing and stroking my hair and my arm, so I think they must have just been wanting to touch a “mzungu”.

As we leave the village, I reflect on what I just experienced. I keep thinking about the joy they have. They don’t have much. Pretty much just basic necessities. That’s why they got so excited even to just get a single crayon and coloring sheet. They didn’t need stuff to keep them happy. They had each other. They had us.


Written by a child who wishes to remain anonymous: 
It's hard to imagine needing to overcome such simple and yet overwhelmingly important obstacles like how to collect enough water for your family or what to do with the baby while you cook dinner; yet unfailingly locals we interacted with approached these with a smile and word of encouragement to us, when by all accounts it should have been the other way around. The particularly strong example of this that comes to mind is a boy who lived in the village where we were building a school. He came up to me and wanted the same things all the other kids wanted- a hug, a shoulder ride, even just a smile or to hold our hand for a bit. But after we had introduced ourselves to all the kids and split off to work on different projects for the day, this young boy followed us around wherever we went and wanted nothing more than to help us with our work. It's so easy to look at the people we were helping and see them based on what they didn't have, but the more time we spent with them the more I realized that the list of intangibles they possessed was not only much longer, but far more valuable.

Stay tuned...more memories to come!  

Getting Ready for Our Humanitarian Trip to Africa

In this post, I told you a little about how our humanitarian trip to Africa came to be and in this post I told you about what we did on our trip.  Since we didn't find out for sure that the Family Humanitarian expedition to Uganda was going to happen at Christmastime until mid-October, it was quite an adventure trying to get the 8 of us living in 3 different states prepared for it in such a short amount of time!  Thankfully, we had decided early on that if the trip came together that it would be in lieu of any Christmas presents, so at least we weren't Christmas shopping on top of all that too!  😏

So, here's a little glimpse of the tasks that we needed to accomplish, along with our packing list and  some tips in case anyone out there is planning a similar trip! 

Plane tickets--This was, by far, one of things I was most stressed out about.  We are normally super budget travelers, only going places when plane tickets are rock bottom cheap. (Click on this link to see where we find our deals) We pack light, eat cheap, and stay in cheap places.  With this trip, though, I knew  that I was going to have to set aside those cheap tendencies and embrace the cost as part of the experience.  Because of the kids' school and Glen's work schedules and the expedition requirements, our dates were totally inflexible, which meant that there was only so much deal finding to be had anyway.   Combine that with the fact that this required  buying tickets for an overseas route at arguably the most expensive time of year to travel and there wasn't much to do.   I did incessantly check Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia  for a week or two,  watching the prices and routes, but ultimately we just bit the bullet and bought the cheapest tickets we could with the fewest amount of stopovers.   We flew on Kenya Air and had a very positive experience.

Visas--Because we were visiting both Uganda and Kenya, it was more economical to get the East African Tourist Visa, than to get separate visas for both.  You can apply for the East African Visa or just the Ugandan Visa here.  The website is a little glitchy and it does take some time for everything to be approved, so I recommend applying for these about  3-4 weeks before your trip. 

Vaccinations--The yellow fever vaccination is required to enter Uganda and Kenya, so that was something I needed to make sure everyone got.    At the time we were getting our vaccines, there was a shortage of it available  in the US, so it was only offered at certain clinics.  If that is the case when you're looking too, I  recommend checking the CDC website for a list of places in your area that offer it.    Be forewarned, that the vaccine is not cheap ($100+ ).   Hopefully when the manufacturing issue that is causing the shortage is taken care of, the price will drop.  Luckily the yellow fever vaccine offers life-time immunity, so at least it's a one-time thing.   Don't forget to bring your yellow fever certificate with you on your trip--they absolutely do check at the borders--for both Uganda and Kenya.   We tucked them right into our individual passports.

Check the CDC website for other vaccines that may be recommended for your trip too.    For us,  it was also recommended that we get the typhoid vaccine and get everyone up-to-date on their routine vaccines.  For me that meant also getting the flu shot, hepatitis A & B, meningitis, and tdap.  I felt like a pincushion by the time I got them all!  

Anti-Malarials and other just-in-case medications--Malaria is still rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, so you'll definitely want to be taking an anti-malarial.   We were mostly prescribed Malarone (Atovaquone/Proguanil), because side effects are minimal and it only needs to be taken for 7 days additional days after the trip is over.  I did get a slight headache with it, but otherwise we didn't have any issues or side effects.  The hardest part was remembering to take the pills once the trip was over.    Doxycycline was prescribed to one of my kids (I guess that's what happens when everyone ends up going to different doctors all over the country).   Doxycycline is also considered highly effective with minimal side effects, however it needs to be taken for an additional 4 weeks past the end of the trip, so it's less appealing for that reason.    She's done fine with it and has had zero issues. 

Because traveler's diarrhea is so common in Africa, we were also prescribed Azithromycin to take just in case it was needed.   About half of us ended up needing to take ours, the other half ended up fine without it.   Because we had the Azithromycin and Imodium (see below), nobody got sick to the point where they couldn't participate with the activities of the day.  

We also packed prebiotics, probiotics (to help our gut stay as preemptively healthy as possible), Travelan (a natural dietary supplement used to help prevent diarrhea), Imodium (otc antidiarrheal), Zofran (an anti-nausea pill prescribed by the doctor), Benadryl , Electrolyte powder packets, and standard painkillers (Aleve, aspirin, etc).  We put all of them to use on the trip except the Zofran.     We also brought antibiotic ointment , hydrocortisone cream, assorted bandages, and lots of wipes.  All of this was used liberally too.   See below for more of what we packed.  

Packing--We normally pack very light (these are the awesome backpacks we usually pack in).

It's part of traveling cheap and it doesn't even phase us anymore.   This trip was different in that we had two free check-ins per person, we were bringing lots of books to donate to the school, and had more incidentals (like medicines, snacks, etc) to pack than usual.   In the end, although I think I overpacked a little, there were a lot of items we don't normally bring on trips that I was very grateful to have, so I have no regrets. 

Here are some things I'm glad we packed:

Non-perishable snacks--granola bars, nuts, meat sticks, trail mixes, flavored drink powders, etc.   We were fed well on the trip, but still found that for long bus rides or days spent serving, that having plentiful snacks available was necessary for everyone's happiness.   I made sure that everyone had picked some favorite snacks beforehand to include in the stash.

Hand sanitizer--I recommend getting a travel size hand sanitizer for everyone to attach to their day bags, so everyone has it when they need it.  Then bring a 1-2 bigger ones for refilling purposes.

Wipes--get everyone their own travel size pack of wipes, plus a few for backups.   We used these all the time, because running water generally wasn't available when we were away from our accommodations.

Toilet paper--I recommend collecting half-used rolls before the trip.  Why half-used?  So it doesn't take up as much space in your bag.  You will 100% need your own toilet paper if you're ever leaving the hotel in Africa.

Sunblock --Uganda and Kenya are right on the equator and even if you're normally not super prone to sunburn, you'll be glad you have plenty.    Additionally, most anti-malarials make you more prone to sunburn than usual, so there's double reason to be prepared.

Insect spray-- The bugs were actually not as bad as we expected, however there were still some and because we didn't want to contract any weird mosquito borne illnesses so we were still grateful to have plenty of spray.  Thankfully everywhere we stayed had mosquito nets over the beds, so there's no need to bring those.  They recommended one made with 30-40% DEET .

Electric travel adapter--  For Uganda and Kenya, you'll need the type G travel adapter (same as the UK).  This will work great for charging cell phones, etc.   It will NOT work for hair dryers, irons, etc.

Quick drying travel towels--The places we stayed had towels for showering, but we had some activities and rainy days where we were glad that we had our own towels.   These got used for drying up messes and as yoga mats.  We were glad that they could be handwashed and dried pretty quickly. 

Quick dry clothing--If you have the budget, I highly recommend going to an outdoor store (we got ours on sale at Columbia Outlet) and getting some light-weight quick dry clothing before your trip.   I will seriously never travel without it again to any destination, but especially somewhere like Africa.  I love that this type of clothing will quickly dry after getting wet, which served us well on a rainy day and a day we got soaked by a waterfall.  I also love that they can be easily spot-cleaned or fully washed in the sink and dried overnight. 

Materials to wash clothes--Part of packing light means rewearing the same clothing multiple times.   To avoid appearing/smelling/feeling grungy, I highly recommend bringing a way for you to wash your clothes on the go.   You'll want a good bar soap for laundry (so it doesn't end up taking up your precious liquid allotment on the plane), flat drain cover (to allow yourself the ability to fill up a sink or tub with water), and a travel soap case .    Washing clothes generally works best if you're staying in the same place for a couple of days.   Unless your clothing is all of the nice "quick-dry" variety I mentioned above, you'll probably need at least 24 hours for them to fully dry.  And even longer for jeans or other heavy items.   If you have access to a fan in your hotel room, that will help reduce the drying time significantly. 

Extra toothbrushes--When you're somewhere where you can't use the water for drinking, you also want to keep your toothbrush away from it.   We found that not putting your toothbrush into the stream of running water is an exceedingly difficult habit to break though, so we were glad to have back-up toothbrushes, so the ones we tainted accidentally could be tossed without guilt.

What not to bring:  
Don't bother bringing jeans or other bulky items of clothing.  Not only do they take up a lot of room in your luggage, but they'll take forever to dry if you need to wash them.

Don't bother bringing hair dryers, irons, hair straighteners, or curling irons.  Your  travel adapter will NOT work with them anyway (you will need a more expensive electric travel adapter AND converterfor that) and if you do try it with just the adapter, you're likely to fry your electronic.   If you're staying in a nice hotel, they might provide them for you, but if you're like us, you may just have to forgo having cute hair and ironed clothes for the duration of the trip.   And that's okay!

Have you ever done a trip like this before?  What tips do you have to share?   Do you have any questions?  Send me a note!  

What We Did on Our Humanitarian Trip to Africa

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”   Margaret Mead

I've had a ton of people ask us for more details about the humanitarian trip to Uganda our family participated on this past Christmas. It was an incredible, life-changing experience, and I don't think my words or pictures could ever do it justice, but I thought I'd try to share a little glimpse of it here for those who are curious.    (Read this other post if you're interested in hearing about how this trip came to be)

We went on this trip  with high expectations and it exceeded them all.   We'd forgone our Christmas presents to help make the trip possible and I have to say that it ended up being the perfect mix of work and play, especially for the more hesitant of us in our family. Just when we were completely exhausted from the long days of service, we had the opportunity to do something fun. I thought that the organization we worked with (Family Humanitarian) has the right idea--get people to the country, introduce them to the locals, and get their feet wet in doing some good. Though the work we did was focused on a small group of people, I wholeheartedly feel that the work we did was impactful for the people we interacted with AND now they've got a whole big group of vested people who care and are looking for ways to continue to contribute and make a difference. People who have been on the ground, seen the problems first hand, and developed a love for the people are ones that are poised to make an even bigger impact in the future.

Uganda has one of the highest birth rates in the world, and only 22% of the population has access to electricity and about 30% have access to clean water. Most of their population lives in rural, agrarian communities, and as such very few Ugandans are able to attend school for very long. They’re needed for help taking care of household tasks and with the care of their siblings (I can’t even tell you how many young kids we saw taking care of babies).

  One day we sat with a family to de-kernel corn with them--a task which was surprisingly difficult for us--and watched with amazement as their 4-year-old daughter was able to do it far more efficiently than we could! She'd clearly had plenty of practice.  And I have to say that after helping a family tote their {very heavy} water jugs from the local well about 1/2 mile away I was humbled to think how little thought we give to turning on a faucet here at home while they spend much of their time and energy getting the water their families need.    Additionally, many of the adults we talked to lamented that their families had not been able to pay their school fees and thus had their education cut much shorter than they wanted. Just like any parent anywhere, they wanted more for their children.

We had two main objectives in our service (in no particular order).

1.  help a local Uganda-based organization with clean water training and water filter installation

2.  help with projects at a school  that is being funded by Family Humanitarian but is being built primarily by local skilled labor


 Here's a glimpse in a little more detail what each of those looked like...

OBJECTIVE #1:  Clean water and hygiene training:
We worked with a Ugandan organization on this project. The local organization had a structure in place, as well as a list of who in the community hadn't received the training and the water filters yet. They had us, from Family Humanitarian, teaching a series of lessons on hygiene and clean water to small groups of locals. Because we were in small groups, we had the opportunity to be interactive and to answer questions. They shared with us some of the struggles they face accessing clean water and how heartbreaking it was for their children to be sick with diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, all of which still kill people in Africa regularly and can be prevented with better access to clean water. It was eye-opening and humbling.

After the training, we were able to work one-on-one with people and show them how to use and install a simple water filter affixed to a bucket. Though these water filters are simple, they are also durable, effective, and 100% operable and maintainable independently by the families that received the filters. They last about 10 years and filter out 99.99% of harmful pathogens. The families we left the filtration units with can simply pour their water (straight from the river, community well, or wherever) into the bucket and VOILA clean water comes out through the filter ready to drink. Family Humanitarian donates the buckets and water filters and coordinates with the Ugandan organization to distribute them. The people are absolutely thrilled to receive the filter and bucket and many expressed how much it meant to them to know that their families would have clean water now.

OBJECTIVE #2:  Help with projects at a primary school being funded by Family Humanitarian:

"EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO REDUCE POVERTY AND IMPROVE HEALTH, GENDER EQUALITY, PEACE AND OVERALL STABILITY." 

 Quote from Family Humanitarian website 

The school is being funded by Family Humanitarian but is actually being built by locals. We were there to help with several projects related to the construction and preparation of the school to be opened.

 

 We helped move some heavy materials to where they needed to be (many hands make light work), we helped build the latrine, built and stained some bookshelves, and most meaningful of all...got to help fill those bookshelves with books we'd brought from home! Family Humanitarian believes strongly in education over handouts and we were thrilled to be able to contribute to that school's ability to provide an education for the children in their community.

The community members were so EXCITED about that school being built and we talked to several proud parents who were thrilled that their children would have the opportunity to go to school for the first time. In fact, interacting with the members of the community that lived around the school was one of our very favorite parts about our time there. At any given time, some or all of our group was holding, entertaining, and playing with the children who swarmed us the second we stepped off the bus. We weren't allowed to give them food, candy, toys, or handouts of any kind, so they weren't clamoring for things, as much they were just clamoring to be held or talked to.  We colored together, painted their nails, played ball with them, sang songs and danced with them, read books, and just played like all kids everywhere like to play.

 

 

 Most of the younger kids did not speak English yet and wanted to just hold our hands or jump into our arms and snuggle. Most of the older kids spoke at least a little English  and they seemed just eager to be near us and to talk to us. As a family full of introverts, being surrounded by people for so long was tiring, but our exhaustion was tempered with the awe we felt. These people had so very little--and were still glowing with happiness.

 
I feel like I need to be honest that this trip did not come without difficult emotions. From the moment we arrived, it was painful to be confronted with our own privilege in such a stark way. It hurt to be surrounded by so many hungry children while we had backpacks full of snacks to eat between our three square meals every day. Thoughts of “are we really doing any good” were ample as we returned to our gated, guarded lodging (complete with a private chef and running water) each night while the kids we spent the whole day with went to sleep on the dirt ground. I can understand why so many people have concerns about "voluntourism" and whether humanitarian trips such as this one actually do any good. To people with those concerns, I would like to say two things:

•  We were very intentional about choosing an organization  that aligned with our ideals and did what we believed was the "right" kind of service. Family Humanitarian is very cognizant of making sure that the service they support is impactful, sustainable, and does not foster dependence. They work side-by-side with Ugandan based organizations to make sure their service is making a difference where it matters and really focus on educating and empowering the locals to improve their own lives. I loved that they hire locals to lead the expeditions. Our expedition leaders, cooks, drivers, etc. were all locals. The actual builders and director of the school they are building are locals too.

• Despite choosing the best organization we could find, we still felt our share of guilt and constantly wondered if we were really doing the most we could to help the people we were serving. I think that’s the whole point of trips like this; in battling these emotions we found an increased empathy for people who really aren’t so different from us. In the discomfort of facing our privilege, we were able to break down cultural barriers and exist with the Ugandan people in their reality as they welcomed us into their homes, communities, and lives. It is obvious that we gained just as much if not more from the people we were serving than they did… and I think that makes the importance of this trip even more obvious. We don’t serve just for others, we serve to change our own hearts.

We left our time there with blistered hands, clothes caked in the red dirt, and our hearts and eyes opened to the beautiful Ugandan people. I don't think anyone needed us to be there to accomplish the work that we did, but we needed to be there to let these experiences and people sink deep into the chambers of our hearts. We needed to see how much we take for granted in our comfortable lives. We needed to see that the people in Sub-Saharan Africa are just like the people everywhere else in the world. They are intelligent, loving, hard-working, and just want a better life for their children. We didn't change the world, but I believe that we absolutely did make a difference in the lives of the people with whom we were fortunate enough to work.   If you ever get the chance to do this kind of trip with your family, jump at it.    You'll never be the same.

“Do a little bit of good where you are. It is those little bits of
good put together that overwhelm the world.”   Desmond Tutu