EVER EVOLVING

For those of you just reading this for the first time page down and click on the link for previous posts otherwise you may fail the quiz given later. (Kidding of course however it's a clever idea) For those of you who have been reading these all along you're going to love the developments taking place from this little trip. (This trip of a life-time was sponsored by http://www.jaxbusinesssolutions.com/) Quick Recap: >> The idea to volunteer in Africa mixed with Dave & Kevin left scrambling to figure out who could replace the best smelling D-8 forward on our hockey team for six weeks.  >> Spending 36 hours getting to Cape Town from New York with Virgin Atlantic Airlines and not wanting to leave the Terminal 3 Lounge at Heathrow Airport because it was just that fabulous.  >>  Arriving in South Africa a few days before the volunteer stint began to enjoy the jet lag  >>  Climbing Table Mountain hanging out on the wanna-be Miami known as Camp Bay  >>  Traveling to the volunteer house which would be my home for the next several weeks  >>  Meeting "my babies"  >>  falling in love with these amazing children  >>  trying to learn how click when I speak  >>  a new sweater made by the African mosquito's  >>  meeting people from around the world and making life long friends  >>  Living without STARBUCKS  >>  African Safari  & waking up to elephants in the front yard  >>  living in sardine can conditions and finishing with the One & Only resort in Cape Town. The best hotel I've ever stayed in... eva! (please read that last word with a Brooklyn accent) >> back to the ice & snow only NYC can offer... "an then what happened ??? " ... Shortly after returning I had to repair a broken foot and while I was forced to bed rest & watched every movie On-Demand I put together a children's book with pictures taken at the little school, wrote a few rhymes in the book without any help from a rap artist or JK Rowling. 

Had a little book party to raise awareness for "my babies" and now through Facebook and Blogspot the awareness is spreading. I'm currently submitting for a 501c non-profit with the idea to sponsor young people from the U.S. who cannot afford such an adventure but have lots to offer the children around the world. The process of starting a charity is not easy and will take some time but eventually it will happen. I've sent over boxes of clothes and copies of the book to the director of the volunteer service who then personally brought it into the village and gave it to the children. Many people ask me how they can get involved and possibly volunteer...please reach out to me directly and I'll walk you through it and give you my top five picks for the best mosquito repellent. More to come in tiny effort to change the world.

CELEBRATE THE CHILDREN'S BOOK EVENT (PARTY)

My, my, my has this evolved. I wanted to invite everyone who followed along on the African adventure to my little children's book celebration party.  Thursday, June 9th @ 7pm at the BELGIAN ROOM. 125 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A. (For those of you outside of the NYC Metro area please map quest this). ha! Drinking and eating always compliment a children's book anyway. See you there!

A CHILDRENS BOOK PRODUCED & PUBLISHED

To all my friends and family... Thank you so much for your support and following along. Everyone said this trip would change my life and it did. Not only do I now know what it's like to fly in Virgin Atlantics UPPER-CLASS section of the plane but I've been a part of helping these wonderful babies learn their A,B,C's which will in turn form English words and a language that will assist them in pulling themselves out of this cycle of poverty. Though the "click click " has got to be the coolest language on the planet it's also the least spoken. This means even if they learn how to read and write in their native tongue it doesn't do them any good outside their tiny village. Think about it, more people speak Latin (pig dialect) than they do "click". Besides horses (click, click, gitty-up!)  If you haven't guessed it by now with all of the "words, language & reading," foreshadowing...YES, there is a BOOK...Just when you thought THE DA VINCI CODE was the last greatest book ever written, here comes my nursery rhyme page turner... SMILE WITH AFRICAN CHILDREN .  There are lots of pictures for those of you who find it difficult to follow along with my first-grade level writing style.  (This trip & book was sponsored by http://www.jaxbusinesssolutions.com/ and to find out about travel arrangements www.twitter.com/travelwithjax)

A FEW PICTURES

GRAPHIC DETAILS ABOUT TOWNSHIP

Just a heads up to everyone I have NO pictures of the actual township I was working in so I will be as detailed as possible explaining the scene. Though I have pictures of the children inside the small gated area with the nursery school (or cinder blocks with colored paint) I was not able to take any photos of what I had to walk around in on a daily basis 100% due to safety issues. Each morning I arrive very early by catching a van which rides up and down the streets simply picking up people randomly. (mostly local people) for 5 Rand (equal to 68 cents USD). Kind of like leagalized hitch-hiking. The van would drop me off to the entrance of a tiny town made up of shacks putting it mildly. It looked like a refugee camp in some ways because it was tin sheets bound together in some clever fashion. The only electricity was from stolen car batteries, gas powered generators or illegally connecting to power lines. No pathed roads or stores, definitely no take-out or delivery. Once I got out of the van I hurried my ass down two very dangerous streets not making any eye contact and always with a stern angry look on my face to give false confidence. Truth is everyday I wonder if "Today is the day??" The racial tension is un-like anything I've ever been witness to. I never took out my phone or slowed down for a second until I got to the children. Oddly enough these little 2 to 5 year olds were my protectors. It was the little ones who were guardians and they didn't even know it. The children belong to the towns people & though the parents do not like the idea of a "white girl from America" being around them and their children they did understand without me & the other volunteers these children would never learn to read, speak English or ever have the opportunity to live safely somewhere else. So I was left alone just enough to work for part of the day then I had to be out of that area each day by early afternoon. The further into the day it got the more dangerous it became for long blond hair and blue eyes. Walking out of the township was the least favorite part of my day because the stares & glares were even heavier AND I had to walk down the main road for only five minutes but when you're in constant fear of having your throat slit or becoming the date of the towns men the walk can seem like hours. Not to mention the time spent waiting for the "random" van to drive by and hopefully stop to pick me up. I admire the people of these dangerous and less desirable places because they know how to survive. Think about it...if any of us did not have electricity, microwaves, cars, cable, play-station, cell phones, Internet and over all structure with a general sense of safety and well being...what the hell would we do? For those of you in NYC when we had the black out just imagine this times 100000000000000000.
More to come!

WAKING UP TO ELEPHANTS IN THE FRONT YARD

Imagine pulling up the blinds in a little stone hut to see elephants just outside your door. That's one of the joys of staying on the game reserve while on safari in Africa. Aquila Game Reserve is where  Tabs & I went to do a little lion taming and live like National Geographic photogs. All you could hear were the "camera shutter" sounds of all the on-lookers in the truck for the driving portion of the safari. You would have thought Lindsey Lohan was hiding in the bush or something...Some of these people practically had the Hubble Telescope lens on their camera meanwhile I'm busting out with my cell phone camera. (Hey, whatever works). We saw elephants, rhinos, lions, elk, zebras. hippos, and ants... LOTS of ants. It wasn't the large animals which kept our butts on the truck yet the millions of red fire ants all over the ground for miles. That's guarantee for of security for trespassers. The outdoor shower to our little hut was a bit more ready for "YouTube" than I would have liked so I showered with my bathing suit on just in case I decide to run for office one day & my Adam & Eve picture suddenly surfaces. The next day I went out on 4-wheelers aka quads or ATV's. THAT WAS SOOOO MUCH FUN. We were able to go to many different places within the reserve that we could not go to in the truck. Riding full speed on the dunes and rocks in the middle God country Africa was another experience set in my memory hard drive. I don't have my thesaurus so I can't even think of words to describe this. Please everyone do this once in your life. There are also wine vineyards around the reserve so you can easily spend a few days just in that area. It was nice to have a real bed and bathroom (even is the shower was outside) for one night...then back to the Volunteer house (bunk beds) and some polite drinking among the group.

More to come!

TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY KIDS I CAN BRING BACK

My class of 2 to 5 year old African children seem to teach me something new everyday. Today the small jungle-gym they had was torn down (not sure why) so we had to line up all 40 children and walk them through the dangerous streets to an open dirt lot filled with broken glass, garbage, shady characters hiding out in the far corners & one half filled with air basketball. They had a blast. It was old-school play time. Before video games, sports teams, MATTEL & Barbie...there was imagination. (Soon to be ancient history).
We played chase, catch and take the dirt out of mouths. Those of you who are parents already should re-introduce play time without all the gadgets of today. Bring out the "clever".
The routine for the day is standard...1) breakfast (bread & fruit) 2) toilet 3) wash hands 4) singing 5) story book time 6) active play with donated toys 7) hand sanitizer 8) play outside 9) snack 10) lunch (small piece of potato, rice & beans) 11) toilet/ wash hands 12) nap time (most of the children begin to fall asleep before they finish their rice)
The schedule was slightly shorter before I got there but "washing hands" repeatedly is an absolute must! I bought them a new concept called soap and they seem to like it. Even the other teachers are getting in on the washing hands thing.
Tonight I'm going to Cape Town where the World Cup was held and going to watch U2 concert.
Full report on that later.
More to come.

OUR FIRST VOLUNTEER WAS ROBBED

Holy smokes... first one down. One of our volunteers was robbed today. Him & I actually work together in the same project. We usually ALWAYS walk out together for safety reasons but today I had to leave the village slightly earlier than him so I walked out by myself and no problems...(It must have been because I'm wearing my Sled Dogs hat and T-shirt... no one wants to rumble with hockey playin' dog!)
He said they came up to him demanding his "SIM Card"?? I'm glad he's technically advanced because I didn't know what that was until now. I would have said..."Can you rob me in English please?"
He didn't put up a fight he just handed over his phone. I'm not sure what I would have done. Little do the thieves know but his pre-paid time on his phone was all used up so the SIM card they got was useless.
Have to admit, I've been letting my guard down because I've been here for so long. This incident just snapped my ass back into high alert or code red for those using the color alert method.
I'm going to get a few mouse traps and rig them to go off in my back pack when you stick your hands in...this came recommended from the "Boobie Trapping you Backpack" guide for 2011.
More to come!

SUNBURN, INSECT BITES, TOYS & NELSON MANDELA

Does anyone know if there is a sunblock 200 out there? It seems even when I cover myself with solid lead the sun still manages to burn me like turkey dinner. I could have saved some money and skipped getting my roots done before making the trip here because the African sun has bleached my hair white. Along with the white hair & sunburn I now have little insect bites all over my arms & legs. (Someone call Karl Lagerfeld & The House of CHANEL, I have the new look all the designers are trying to come up with)
Speaking of famous men we all know...I went to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner along with several other political leaders for decades. The tours are given by former prisoners and LOTS of pictures were taken so be patient. The area around the ferry everyone takes to Robben Island is quite nice and Hallmark-ish. Hard to believe there is a prison less than a mile across the water. Those of us born into a free country are incredibly fortunate. I could not imagine being put into this place just because I spoke my mind about our president and government...I mean, what would become of cast of Saturday Night LIVE?
This brings me to my little "sweet-peas" I'm working with right now. Today I made them all honorary bratty, get something for nothing, American-ized kids....yes, that's right...I bought them all tons of toys!! Before they ate their lunch, before they cleaned up their little areas and washing hands was optional. I bet you can figure out what the English phrase of the day was..."SPOILED ROTTEN". Now that they know their A,B C's & 1,2,3's as well as "gimme", "mine" and "playstation". (ok, maybe not playstation because there is no electricity...but as soon as Thomas Edison finds his way here, watch out!)
HA! More posts soon!
This trip was sponsored by http://www.jaxbusinesssolutions.com/ and travel info provided by www.twitter.com/travelwithjax

LIFE IN THE VOLUNTEER HOUSE

Toss out luxury and personal space. Living in our volunteer house is very different from my high-rise in NYC. We have two large houses next door to each other and bunk beds, yes bunk beds in each room. The bedrooms on the other hand are totally NYC size so that part was not a shock. There are four bathrooms for about 20 people. The hot water goes fast so whoever is second, third & fourth in line will only need to turn the "cold" knob. It's always hot in the house so the cold shower ain't so bad. There are no fans and do I need to say this... no AC. It's 80 degrees during the day and 50 at night. We can't leave the windows open because of the creepy-crawlers which will take up residence in your bed & clothes if they get in the house.
The people in the house are all incredible. I'm happy they are here even if we have to pee in shifts. They are from all over the world and ages range from 17 to 68. It's like THE REAL WORLD: United Nations Season. Being only 3 feet away from any one person at any given time is making us all pick up each others accents. By the time this is done I think we all will have started a new dialect of the English language.  We all have different projects we're working on & enjoy talking about our day when we get back to the house. A group of us usually go to the beach (hope this makes you jealous NY) and enjoy the sun & vitamin D. We went to the beach one day & great white sharks had been spotted near the people swimming so a siren goes off and a warning flag is raised and everyone gets out of the water. ...I will NEVER go into the water here. Last week a man was eaten before everyone could get out. That's one way I do not want to lose my fat.
More to come!!

BRAD & ANGELINA...I kinda get it now

OK...UNCLE...Yes, it's official I'm a mush when it comes to these children. I'm working in a severe poverty stricken area here in Africa however these children are unlike any other human beings I've ever come in contact with. They exude LOVE and affection. All they want to do is show you how much they appreciate you being there for them. Let me set the scene a little since I can't upload pics just yet... The children I'm working with at the moment are between the ages of 2 & 5. I have 36 children in my class w two helpers. NO ONE SPEAKS ENGLISH. They all understand each other but have different dialects. Just like the National Geographic Documentary...they "click" when they speak... it's the coolest language ever. (I chew gum sometimes when I teach so I hope it doesn't throw them off) AND I too am learning their language...they have only a small amount of children's books so we go over them many times a day...I point to the dog & say "DOG" , they repeat it and say it in their language for me..I try my best to "click & speak" at the same time but so far I bit my tongue twice and spit all over the place.
All of the children have runny noses, coughing, sneezing and rotten teeth, YET THEY SHOW UP FOR SCHOOL EVERYDAY ON TIME...What are sick days?? Other volunteers in the past have built a small school for them w running water and a bathroom (I have yet to use in case you're wondering..I hold it all day). However there is no soap and when they go to the bathroom they do not use toilet paper. I feel spoiled just typing this. I asked the nursery school go to person to write down a list of things they need for the school and walked into town and got them everything on the list. I think it was equal to $50 USD. To those of you who donated clothes...they were a smash hit! Thank you & please tell your children how much they helped the children here. And, my blond hair, as soon as I sat down to their level they began to make a funny "Woo" noise and "click, click, click" everyone took turns stroking the locks. I hope my hair dresser is reading this.
more to come!
JAX

Time Change catch up & FUN FUN in SA (Blog 4)

Keep in mind there is a 500 hour time difference in South Africa. Glad I decided to get here a few days early. At 1am (a.k.a. 5pm in NYC) I was awake and ready to go...I met up a hottie who I met on the plane (here in South Africa for business) and with one of the volunteers here to change the world with me. Ali, (one of the other vols) is from Iran and if our political leaders could see us together it would start a question..."Why don't we like each other again?" We have been laughing and cracking jokes about all the stereotypes about each others cultures. He's never met anyone from the United States, I'M THE FIRST!! (I'm not sure if that's good for our nation or not). He's cool as hell and says I should go to Iran and visit....hummm..JAX for political ties & bringing peace to foreign lands???
We went to an area called "Camps Bay" yesterday...What an unbelievable scene. This place is magical to say the least. Majestic mountains with clouds wrapped around the tops and palm trees at the bottom with the beach clear (but very cold) water. Perfect weather. Reminded me of Miami in a way with all the outdoor restaurants, music and various people from all over world walking around (or SoHo Manhattan if had a beach and Miami section). Lots of people sit on the rocks and watch the sunset but no sooner when the sun goes down and God himself says good night...YOU GET OFF THE BEACH!. Keep in mind this is a high poverty/ crime area. The very poor begin to circle around those who may want to stay on the beach a little longer. You can tell you're being sized up. Also stay around the restaurants on the strip because you will get surrounded by the most desperate of people begging for money & will do anything to get it. It's human nature to want to help them and throw some Rand (local currency) their way but then it will start a frenzy. 20 Rand is equal to $4 USD.
I thought it was interesting when a DJ mixed sound bites of Obama speeches in with his music. It was actually very cool and amazing how this country wants so much to live the American dream. When I tell the locals I live in New York City, their eyes light up. This is when Brad, Angelina and  Madonna should walk in.
More to come later...PS, having problems uploading the pictures...I hope to have this corrected so those of you who can't read can follow what's going on.

Just getting here Blog 3

Sheeww, finally here in Cape Town. What a long time. For anyone traveling here give yourself at least 2 full days for travel. 12 hour lay over in London was only manageable because I was allowed in the private clubhouse lounge through Virgin Atlantic. WOW, what a place. Three levels, including a SPA, hair salon and movie area. Sushi made to order and every drink you could possibly think of, great music even better atmosphere. This place was like an airport "resort". And... there's no bill... it's all included in the ticket. If you ever get the chance to hang out at the Virgin lounge in Heathrow airport it's highly recommended.
Then on to another 12 hour flight from London to Cape Town. Not to sound like an infomercial for Virgin Atlantic but this airline has it right...Even the flight was fun because they have seats arranged everywhere in the cabin and they promote the passengers to mingle with one another. There is a bar with bar-stools, a handsomely dressed bartender and the staff though they do not drink will hang out and chat with you. The 12 hours only seemed like 11 when we arrived. The seats turn into a proper bed at the push of a button. The airline staff goes around to each passenger and offers pajamas and will tuck you in. Too bad I didn't bring a copy of Green Eggs and Ham with me so we could have story time. So far everyone seems very nice in SA but then again everyone also knows most of us tourist tip. My first hotel I'm staying at for the next few days is Pepper Club. Nice hotel. Centrally located. Amazing view of Table Mountain very small pool area but the over sized shower with rain effect shower head makes up for it. My only gripe is my cell phone service or lack there of. I paid extra for international service and zilch. This could be looked at like a blessing but it would be nice to have contact when you want it. Going back out to enjoy the weather... 80 degrees...Eat it NY!!!
More to blog later.

TODAY IS THE DAY! (Blog 2)

I'm so happy about the ice-storm on the day I have to fly out because now the pilots get to try out their new sooper-dooper wing-defrosters. I've been stalking Virgin Atlantic most of the morning making sure they know how important this trip is and the plane takes off. I think they recognize my number when it pops up because a few times it went to voicemail after only three rings.
Speaking of voicemail, Verizon Wireless customer service associates are always a joy to deal with. It seems they have no relationship with any cell phone companies in Africa and if I use my phone over there I will need to take a loan against my 401K to pay for the bill.
Big shout to me ladies, Sonda, Kim-ber-lie, Lisa and Randi for donating clothes for me to smuggle over for the "little ones" I'll be working with. Have to admit I got a little misty eyed packing them up and thinking about just how even a pair of shoes can change a life. (I'm sure Mr. Choo & Mr. Blahnik can also share life changing shoe stories).
The support everyone is giving has been easing the nervous feelings of lack of safety to the area  I will call home for the next month. It is a dangerous area and don't have room in my suitcase for my hockey equipment for protection. If I get kidnapped then hopefully they will see the same annoying qualities in me ex-boyfriends have seen and they will let me go. Instead of bringing my wallet I'm bringing my bills. This way if I get robbed the jokes on them.
Going to head out to the airport soon for a little game called "hurry up and wait" however when you fly Virgin Atlantic they always greet you with "Hello Gorgeous!". I love it...it makes me want to go back in line so they can say it again. I'll arrive in London tomorrow morning hopefully Prince William came to his senses and dumped that Kate girl and be waiting for me with day old flowers but just in case he's not my plan B is to have lunch and catch with friends there then much later in the evening back to Heathrow airport and will be squished in the "first class of cargo" known as economy for about 12 hours...ahhh. BUT WAIT...I was able to get bumped to first class. Thank God I didnt wear my sweat pants.
More posts to follow. (This trip was sponsored by http://www.jaxbusinesssolutions.com/ and travel arrangement info www.twitter.com/travelwithjax )
JAX

Planning the trip of a lifetime..Geez who knew ?

Ok, so most of you who know me as more of a SPA & golf resort kind of gal. When I began to tell people about my journey to South Africa teaching children how to read and right or is it write? (joke) everyone first laughed then said with disbelief ..."What made you want to do that?" Maybe it was all those years of watching OPRAH and being brainwashed by the Angel Network but something got in my head.  The volunteer organization I'm going through is i-to-i. http://www.i-to-i.com/ They have volunteer services all over the world. The trip was sponsored by http://www.jaxbusinesssolutions.com/ and Masiphumelele township  http://www.kevandton.com/id1.html is where I 'll be part of the time. For info on how to arrange a trip like this one go to www.twitter.com/travelwithjax
Planning for this has been consuming to say the least. The flight itself is quite long and it will take me two days to actually arrive in Cape Town. I've arranged to fly Virgin Atlantic (my ab-fav airline in the world) Wednesday Feb 2 from NYC to London stop off there and meet up w friends then much later that night fly from London to Cape Town arriving Friday Feb 4th around 10am local time. I'm getting there a few days before my teaching young Africans the English language or at least a deep south /New Yorker/ all-American version of English. First words: "ya'll" and "forgetaboutit". I've decided to treat myself a little and stay at two luxury hotels, Pepper Club Resort and One and Only. (google). Just a few days before we have to head out to the Volunteer house and out of civilization as I know it. The other volunteers and I have been chatting via email & Facebook getting to know one another before we actually meet. (God I love technology) They are from all over the world. I think I'm the only one representing the good ole U.S. of A. ...Manhattan & Columbus, GA in da hooouse!
Everyone will be happy to know I passed my background check to work with children (pause for re-read of last sentence) so lets see if I can make it through customs with my stash of AMBIEN. Usually a hepatitis vaccine is required to travel there but I already had one during my medical school years & a pill is taken for malaria. Playing hockey for the SLED DOGS means I've already had my flea & tick shots.(woof..SD humor).
My local advisor there said because I'm white, blond, blue eyes, American & tall (yes, tall...working with small children automatically puts an adult in the TALL category) I will get the most attention because it's so rare in the villages where I'll be working. Rare?? Humm, maybe I should bring some hair bleach & blue contacts for everyone instead of books. I mean everyone should not only have the right to read but also to have golden locks. HA! Keep watching out for more posts...JAX