tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8572576251427633042024-03-12T18:23:08.988-07:00Turning Miles into SmilesRebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-37255713753051693652013-07-26T07:07:00.002-07:002013-07-26T07:07:29.194-07:00Friday July 19, 13 7:30pm - Heading home<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Wow – what a night.
So you know how in every group there are always some personality
conflicts? Well our group was no
different except that EVERYONE got along great EXCEPT 2 people – a couple who
started off the trip on day 1 with the husband declaring “I don’t want to go
with the group”… not one time but 3 times.
We even went out of our way to go pick him up when he missed the ferry
to Zanzibar (due to a lack of personal responsibility in looking at the times
for his little adventure that was definitely NOT part of our travel
plans). Through the entire trip he was
abrasive, offensive, and rude to the local people telling them that their homemade
wares were “not worth” what they were charging.
And you know what – our purchases weren’t about buying something that
was “worth” the dollar amount. They were
about giving to a community who took the effort to make beautiful hand-made
unique wares. The $15 for a bracelet
that we could make with safety pins and beads was valuable because that $15
provided food for a family for a few days!
UGH! So we get back from an
amazing journey through Ngoro and he proceeds to exit the vehicle and verbally
bash all the work that was done on the trip because his add-on trip that begins
the next day didn’t suit his schedule.
He and his wife had us constantly rolling our eyes, walking away out of
embarrassment that someone might think WE were his wife, and the best part… his
profession is working with companies to help improve their customer service
experiences. Basically he was, is, and probably
always will be a self-absorbed a$$.
Because I’m a good person, I’m not about to say his name but no worries
– his business won’t be getting a single referral from my professional
network. Mean people should just go
away!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
End rant.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So after getting back to the hotel we all took showers after
2 days of safari driving. It took me 3
body washes and 2 hair washes to get the water to run clear I was so filthy. Still 24 hours later I still think I feel
dust in my hair. The shower was great
and the wine among my new friends was wonderful. We dined, shared memories, exchanged email
addresses, and I know that most of us (except self-absorbed couple X) will stay
in touch. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0warZS3qi70/UfKCAUZ82bI/AAAAAAAAAQs/FjdY8n8ndYc/s1600/IMG_1969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0warZS3qi70/UfKCAUZ82bI/AAAAAAAAAQs/FjdY8n8ndYc/s320/IMG_1969.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie, me, and Joyce at the last stop where I got my ring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today everyone left for his or her respective journeys by
8:30am and it was just I. Joyce, our
trusty guide, picked me up from the hotel and took me on a downtown Arusha
adventure complete with riding the dali dali (bus), walking all over downtown
bargaining for a futbol jersey for John, a Masai Shuka for me, and a Tanzanite
ring for my anniversary (Thanks Richard!!). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A guy followed us until I turned around and made eye contact letting him
know that I saw him and I wasn’t afraid.
He backed off but then the local guys noticed what we were shopping for
so they started harassing my guide Joyce.
She’s a tough cookie and I was so glad to have her. Arusha was fun but NOT somewhere I would have
walked without someone who knew the language and the town. I much prefer Moshi to Arusha. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWYjKsU9m44/UfKCAecZI3I/AAAAAAAAAQo/y6AZTO7t9TM/s1600/IMG_1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWYjKsU9m44/UfKCAecZI3I/AAAAAAAAAQo/y6AZTO7t9TM/s200/IMG_1972.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 15th anniversary to me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
We made it to 5 jewelry stores and finally on the 5<sup>th</sup> one I found
the ring I wanted. It is a beautiful
Tanzanite band to go under my solitaire in memory of my trip and my 15<sup>th</sup>
wedding anniversary. I love it and since
I haven’t bought a fancy piece of jewelry in 15 years this should hold me over
for a while. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well – when I got to the airport in Dar Es Salaam the security
guys started giving me a very, very, very hard time about some rough tanzanite
I had in my souvenir bag. They said I
had to have papers from the Minister of Minerals or something that said it was
ok for me to take this out of the country.
Seriously? I bought it at a
tourist shop taken to by our guide and NO ONE told us we needed papers to ask
permissions to take the stones. I was
glad that I didn’t buckle – I did my best to convince the guy I was an honest
person and had no idea and eventually I asked to talk to someone higher. He came over and at this point I was shaking
I so didn’t want to leave my $80 of stones behind. They really weren’t going to let me take them
– thankfully I got the guy to agree that if I showed him my receipt for my new
ring (which I was NOT wearing) he would let me take the stones. I showed it to him and he started to
hesitate. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then after asking why I was
here again I explained that we had gone to hospitals, what Smile Train does
they said, “you are good for us”. I was
in tears and shaking – partly out of anger, part out of frustration and a
little bit of thanks that I didn’t have to leave my stones. I really think these guys were trying to
hustle me and because I pushed and pushed and had a receipt for my ring they
realized it wasn’t going to work. The
funny thing was at the end of the episode one of them told me something along
the lines of ‘you can never be too safe.
Always ask for a manager because some of these guys are just trying to
get money out of you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plane ride to Zurich – excellent as was the last flight on
Swiss. They have amazing food, amazing
customer service, very calm and friendly.
Now I’m on a United flight from Zurich to New York and yep, the world is
right, the United flight service leaves much to be desired. Sorry.
The attendants were very abrupt with the international passengers, not
taking the time to make sure they understood the answers to their
questions. Just not as nice as they
could have been. Then I finally got to Newark airport, so happy to only have 1 flight left to get home. After traveling for 30'ish hours and being awake for the last 40'ish hours I was eager to be in Raleigh. Not so fast... apparently at 9am that morning United had cancelled my 4:15pm flight to Raleigh due to 'weather'. I call foul! They booked me on the next flight leaving at 8am the NEXT DAY! No voucher for a meal, no toothbrush, no t-shirt since all my clothes were filthy, no hotel. They actually told me that I had to spend the night at the airport, it wasn't their problem. NOT how I wanted to end my trip so after lots and lots and lots of tears, I got a hotel room and went to bed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made it home Sunday morning at 11am to my happy kids (Roy didn't recognize me for a few hours!) and a happy husband. No place like home!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-56812785688715926942013-07-26T07:00:00.004-07:002013-07-26T07:00:36.053-07:00Thursday, July 18, 2013 3:45pm - Ngorongoro Crater
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<span style="text-align: center;">Our evening was spent at the Rhotia Valley Tented Camp;
however, we were here for less than 12 hours so we didn’t see much. What I do know is that this camp/lodging was
built by 2 doctors from the Netherlands who own and run a children’s home for
orphans supporting 36 kids on site and 14 more in the village. They provide them with food, clothing,
education, and job training so they can be productive Tanzanians in their
town. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Driving out of the hotel we saw
all the children in town walking to school – the children in primary (standard
1-7) usually walk up to 45minutes to get to school and the secondary school
(middle/high school) can sometimes walk 1.5 hours to school each way. Walking is a way of life here – everyone does
it and no one complains. There are buses
but still, many people walk. I was
surprised to see children as young as 4 or 5 walking to school completely
unattended!</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0F_qRDSKKjw/UfJv-rAVytI/AAAAAAAAAPU/lyJyr63-cns/s1600/IMG_1855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0F_qRDSKKjw/UfJv-rAVytI/AAAAAAAAAPU/lyJyr63-cns/s320/IMG_1855.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masai doing a welcome dance</td></tr>
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Thursday we spent the day at the Ngorongoro crater on a
safari and saw amazing sights! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCxRhF88H4I/UfJwCTtQ0bI/AAAAAAAAAPk/58lt-QVPfac/s1600/IMG_1873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCxRhF88H4I/UfJwCTtQ0bI/AAAAAAAAAPk/58lt-QVPfac/s200/IMG_1873.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmal_ydSS10/UfJv-Tyap2I/AAAAAAAAAPM/-3YutNL00x0/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmal_ydSS10/UfJv-Tyap2I/AAAAAAAAAPM/-3YutNL00x0/s200/IMG_1866.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got to dance with the women!</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmal_ydSS10/UfJv-Tyap2I/AAAAAAAAAPM/-3YutNL00x0/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>We
started out going to a Masai village – called a Boma – where we each paid $20US
(30,000Ts) and were greeted at our car door by a Masai man. Our guides name was Titika (spelling?) – he
was 37 and had lived here his entire life.
The village did a traditional welcome dance and song and invited us to
join them. The ladies let us wear a
necklace and held our hands while we jumped.
It was so kind of them to include us – I was smiling the entire
time. After that we were taken into the
walls of their community – well fence really – and into a home. The home we
went in was that of a man where he lived with his Mama and Papa. He said he has 25 children but I’m not sure
if he was saying he personally had 25 children or that there were 25 kids in
the village.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-27auG3ahuZ0/UfJwDfGA5OI/AAAAAAAAAPs/kTw0lj1kspI/s1600/IMG_1882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-27auG3ahuZ0/UfJwDfGA5OI/AAAAAAAAAPs/kTw0lj1kspI/s200/IMG_1882.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet babies, cold feet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Jn2VrxR2A/UfJ_GKyMeVI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/0_AEkw0ByR0/s1600/IMG_1883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T1Jn2VrxR2A/UfJ_GKyMeVI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/0_AEkw0ByR0/s200/IMG_1883.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was about 1 year old<br />and so happy to see us!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SehsUan3Qgk/UfJ_GgaIEHI/AAAAAAAAAQU/flyslJlPyKs/s1600/IMG_1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SehsUan3Qgk/UfJ_GgaIEHI/AAAAAAAAAQU/flyslJlPyKs/s200/IMG_1888.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were about 5-8 little babies some wrapped on their
moms back and some toddling around. All
of them smiling and their Mamas were happy to let us take pictures. We were escorted to their school where
there was one teacher with about 25 kids.
They sang us a song and then showed us how they can count to 10 and then
by 10’s to 100. Their chalkboard had a
100-grid, the ABC, and the multiplication table for 3’s. Our group was all smiles the whole time and
we were able to make the Masai smile too!<br />
<br />
After we were done they walked us back and were interested in our watches – I
was out of money so I offered to trade them my watch for 2 necklaces! 3 members of our group traded their watches
for jewelry – probably not an ‘even’ exchange but knowing that we were
supporting their village and how much they appreciated the watches was worth
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Minutes before we left our guide, Titika, told me he wanted
to ask me a question. He said, “Do you
mind it?” pointing to his village?
Grinning from ear to ear I said “no” and then as we walked I asked him
if he had children and he said “no” – we added “not yet” and he smiled as he
told us “that’s why I wanted to ask you a question”. I never knew Masai men flirted <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> It was extremely
flattering. Upon getting in the car we
compared notes and he had been asking all the ladies if they were married! What would he do if someone actually did want
to stay!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TubwGINCY8o/UfJwBl_l3AI/AAAAAAAAAPc/1vIKIdojh5E/s1600/DSCN1868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TubwGINCY8o/UfJwBl_l3AI/AAAAAAAAAPc/1vIKIdojh5E/s200/DSCN1868.JPG" width="150" /></a>The game drive was different from the day before mostly in
the terrain. To reach the crater we had
to drive over a mountain, through very thick clouds, and descend from
2700meters. The Masai village was about
½ way down and was still very chilly but the bottom of the crater was warm and
sunny. It felt light a scene from a
movie! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePYcbXnvoZo/UfJv8lvGDsI/AAAAAAAAAO8/zFgKPWD4Y6w/s1600/DSCN1851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePYcbXnvoZo/UfJv8lvGDsI/AAAAAAAAAO8/zFgKPWD4Y6w/s200/DSCN1851.JPG" width="200" /></a>Ostrich, hyena, jackal, zebra,
wildebeest, hippos, a pride of 12 lions – 2 of which were hunting, so many
birds… and more – I’ll remember more when I get my pictures printed. Throughout the trip I’ve been having the idea
to create an animal photo book for Roy with animal pictures I’ve taken
here! That should be fun to look at.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G9uRILCsA4w/UfJv9pTAnzI/AAAAAAAAAPE/CrpsxkXLkFs/s1600/DSCN1858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G9uRILCsA4w/UfJv9pTAnzI/AAAAAAAAAPE/CrpsxkXLkFs/s200/DSCN1858.JPG" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I loved the land in the crater because it was so
peaceful. At our zoos we always see the
animals divided but in their natural habitat the zebra, wildebeest, warthogs,
gazelles, ostrich are all living peacefully – until the lions come to
town. The crater was such a serene place
– I see know why people don’t want to leave here. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
We now have a 4 hour drive back to Arusha, overnight at the
African Tulip, and then tomorrow I don’t have a flight out until 3pm – I’ll be
at the airport by about 1pm – so no idea what I’ll do until then! Everyone is leaving very early so it will be
just me. If I don’t have anyone to go
around with I’ll just stay at the hotel and watch movies in the lobby!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-47079921803153861672013-07-26T05:45:00.003-07:002013-07-26T05:45:56.900-07:00Wednesday, July 17, 2013 – Game Drive at Tarangire
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TFAqYvr5dHY/UfJtxgqv38I/AAAAAAAAAOU/BIAtbKt5XxU/s1600/DSCN1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TFAqYvr5dHY/UfJtxgqv38I/AAAAAAAAAOU/BIAtbKt5XxU/s200/DSCN1754.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Baobab trees<br />(pronounced bobo) are over <br />1,000 years old</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBUiyfwqo20/UfJtyw1ia-I/AAAAAAAAAOg/CjOMnZthjBQ/s1600/IMG_1824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZBUiyfwqo20/UfJtyw1ia-I/AAAAAAAAAOg/CjOMnZthjBQ/s200/IMG_1824.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant skull at the<br /> entrance to Tarangire</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Our guides, Joseph and Alfan, met us at our hotel and
picked us up around 9:30 for the 2-½ hour drive to Tarangire. On our way out of town we stopped at a shop
to buy some Tanzanite. I already wished
I had purchased a fancy ring for me but even better – I got 3 pieces of raw
Tanzanite and 2 pieces of green Ruby for John to put in his rock tumbler. Once one of the Tanzanite stones is tumbled
I’ll take it to a jeweler and have it made into something I can wear on a necklace
every day to remind me of my trip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSGEGUp2IPI/UfJtw-0h8XI/AAAAAAAAAOI/6mbUFTf91rg/s1600/DSCN1818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSGEGUp2IPI/UfJtw-0h8XI/AAAAAAAAAOI/6mbUFTf91rg/s200/DSCN1818.JPG" width="200" /></a>We made it to Tarangire and had a box lunch before beginning
our game drive. The landscape at Tarangire is amazing – many Baobab trees around the park some as old as 1,000 years! It's all a bit
surreal… it felt like we were just at a state park so I had to keep reminding
myself we were in AFRICA and these animals were not brought here, they live here,
migrate to and from here, this is their true home. We saw many zebra and wildebeest and got
extremely excited when we finally saw elephants. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IvU-mHjLRd8/UfJtugdDlAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/KkVtvn6LbKc/s1600/DSCN1807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IvU-mHjLRd8/UfJtugdDlAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/KkVtvn6LbKc/s200/DSCN1807.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Suck2ECCa8k/UfJtuJBLaAI/AAAAAAAAAN4/65T9yYDDqaM/s1600/DSCN1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Suck2ECCa8k/UfJtuJBLaAI/AAAAAAAAAN4/65T9yYDDqaM/s200/DSCN1774.JPG" width="200" /></a>I have to pause as I am writing this on our way back from the game drive and we are at a road and the Masai and
crossing with their cattle – the Masai are pastoralists so they herd goats and sheep
around Tanzania and Kenya. They wear
traditional red robes and all carry a big stick to prod the animals along. Most of the Masai we passed waved but one
lady threw a rock at our bus from a distance.
All in all, they didn’t seem to mind the tourism. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did learn that the Masai babies born with
clefts are usually killed or left in the wild, abandoned, discarded, thrown
away. How incredibly sad – Smile Train
is trying to educate and get the word out as much as possible (possible being
the key word here) so that they can see that this isn’t something that happened
by superstition but can be fixed. It is
a big hurdle to get the native folk living in their native mind set to come
into town and even more go to a hospital, and more so to have surgery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gRJHE6nPPLU/UfJtzM9GgBI/AAAAAAAAAOk/JQa-l1UBVB0/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gRJHE6nPPLU/UfJtzM9GgBI/AAAAAAAAAOk/JQa-l1UBVB0/s200/IMG_1830.jpg" width="200" /></a>Back to the game drive, the elephants at first were far away
and we were taking pictures through our binoculars (or just I was I guess) but
by the end of our safari we had more than one opportunity to watch them no more
than 20meters from our car. Amazing! We saw a family of baboons crossing the river
and heading up into the palm trees for the evening. Many of the babies were riding on their mamas
back and one was even taking a nap. They
reminded me of Roy. I was given a very
nice scarf/wrap by the Smile Train Africa team and can’t wait to get home and
practice wrapping Roy on my back like the women here do. The kids look so happy and I can’t think of
anything better than having him smooshed up against me all day long <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I miss my family but we are staying so busy that when I miss
them it is more in the context of “I wish they could see this for
themselves”. You never really ‘get it’
until you see this first hand. Photos
don’t do it justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GoA7z6FAT4c/UfJtxW8rCGI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/AMX8IswQ6eo/s1600/DSCN1836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GoA7z6FAT4c/UfJtxW8rCGI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/AMX8IswQ6eo/s200/DSCN1836.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with Eva & the bracelet she made<br />out of cow bone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the game drive was over we were heading out and we saw
some warthogs but they didn’t feel social as they rooted in the mud so no good
pics of them. We left the Tarangire Park
and went to a shop that sold things by the local women and I bought a bracelet
made by Eva out of cow bone. I will be
wearing this ALL the time and when the string breaks – I’m restringing it. I specifically asked Eva to show me something
that SHE made and this is what she picked out.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Oh yeah – earlier in the day on our way into the park we stopped in a village
and Adina wanted some chapati – no idea what that was – so we saw a young mom
and her 2 kids and our driver, Alfani hollered out the window. She brought us a bag of hot chapatti for 500
shillings (about $0.30). It was this
delicious flour-based pancake almost like a crepe cooked over a hot
griddle-type thing and oh my, it was delicious. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The food here is wonderful, but I’m not eating any meat. The first day 2 people in our group came down
with stomach issues so I’ve been going vegetarian while we are here. All the food is ‘real food’ – greens, rice,
beans, chicken, goat, cow (they don’t call it beef), bananas, potatoes – you’ve
never tasted a better potato! Their
chips (fries) are ah-mazing… like nothing we have in America, anywhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we are heading to the Rotia (ro-tee-uh) Valley tented
camp for the evening. This is yet
another wonderful place – a children’s home for kids who have been orphaned.
The tented camp was created to provide financial support for the children’s
home. I’ve got 3 bags of clothes and
shoes for them too so I’m sure it will go to good use.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another observation, there are not gender stereotypes with
clothing. Little boys run around in pink
jackets, rainbow hats, girls wear boy’s shorts, whatever fits. I saw an adult man on a motorcycle wearing a
pink sparkly puffy coat. I just love
that – clothing is only functional. So
as you have clothes you don’t want, I have an address in Tanzania where we can
send them for good use, gender doesn’t matter.
In one village there was a lady walking down the street in what was
surely someone’s prom dress with a mermaid bottom. It was just a skirt to her –
beautiful probably – but still just a skirt. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just saw a Masai man on the side of the road talking on
the phone… cell phones are HUGE here.
Since areas are so remote and electricity isn’t easy to find you can’t
guarantee that everyone has a phone in their home and few have TVs. Radio is very big for communicating too. The cell phone stores all have cards like
lottery tickets where people can buy prepaid minutes and scratch off the card
and have a code to add minutes to their phone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This also allows them to transfer money to people – they
call it m-pesa – and Smile Train uses this to help pay for transit costs for
patients who can’t otherwise afford the bus fare. They will send them money via SMS, the person
goes to an m-pesa shop to collect their money, and it’s so easy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-43266475178056541592013-07-24T18:00:00.002-07:002013-07-24T18:00:17.734-07:00Tuesday July 16, 2013 11am - Arusha
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We just left the Plaster House, which is the boarding house
for the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center.
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0efO7yZWZM/UfByWRZnXcI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/gUnSst21ZIs/s1600/IMG_1728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0efO7yZWZM/UfByWRZnXcI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/gUnSst21ZIs/s320/IMG_1728.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Mama and one of her children at Plaster<br />House. They do amazing work providing food<br />and shelter to children recovering after surgery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the Plaster House they do not turn any child away – after patients
are treated they are sent to the Plaster House for after care so there are
children with many disabilities – burns, orthopedic patients, clefts, and
more. The moms of the babies are allowed
to stay with the children so there was a wide range of people at the home.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arriving with toys, colors, Legos, note pads, erasers, and
balls (all brought by Sue) was a great idea – it was an ice breaker with the
kids because kids in any country still are the same at their core – smiling,
playful, curious, yet a bit reserved. A few of the children had been to school before and were great artists so they were excited to have paper, pencils, and colors to use.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pGJprHyxYM0/UfByUad6OWI/AAAAAAAAAL0/OJElRz3NWUY/s1600/IMG_1729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pGJprHyxYM0/UfByUad6OWI/AAAAAAAAAL0/OJElRz3NWUY/s200/IMG_1729.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a Mama from Plaster House. <br />She had 2 of her 4 children with her. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhdDApPgyRg/UfByZFZB58I/AAAAAAAAAMw/yqCkyzQngcg/s1600/IMG_1740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rhdDApPgyRg/UfByZFZB58I/AAAAAAAAAMw/yqCkyzQngcg/s200/IMG_1740.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet little guy enjoying<br />his new crayon and paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was one Mama who had 4 children, 2 of which were at the center. One was 7-years old but the size of a 2-year
old. He seemed to have both physical and
mental developmental delays and her other child had a clubfoot. Her daughter with the cast on her foot was my
best friend. I taught her “hug” and we
colored, played on my phone looking at pictures, and her Mama was eager for me
to take her picture. The Mama enjoyed looking at my photos on my phone of the
two of us together and then the pictures of my babies. As with children, Mamas in any country are
the same… proud of their babies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ta0E_t8MB6E/UfByU3Ew3MI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UUTdboX_1YU/s1600/IMG_1737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ta0E_t8MB6E/UfByU3Ew3MI/AAAAAAAAAMI/UUTdboX_1YU/s200/IMG_1737.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mama little girl I taught<br />to say "bye" and "hug". She<br />mastered the iPhone camera!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seeing the babies was a very emotional experience for
me. These mamas all sitting around with
their little babies – one was a 3 year old named Paulina and another 7-month
old baby boy. Using our guide Joyce I
was able to tell the Mamas that I too had a little girl named Pauline and a
7-month old baby. Hopefully they felt a
bit of a connection, however, the people of Tanzania are a very low key, soft
spoken people so excitement is hard to come by.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t want to leave.
It’s not that I felt pity for these children, but playing with them,
tickling them, teaching them to blow raspberries with their mouths, just felt
so right – helping these kids be kids for a minute and not a kid with a
disability. If I could have given them
everything I had I would. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How I wish I
could do more for all these children but I know that the care they are
receiving at the Plaster House is amazing.
There are 5 house moms who work for 4 weeks then go home for 1 week
caring for all these children. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zI90lIhGY6Y/UfByUjUc43I/AAAAAAAAAMA/SwKsfGKmn0k/s1600/IMG_1731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zI90lIhGY6Y/UfByUjUc43I/AAAAAAAAAMA/SwKsfGKmn0k/s200/IMG_1731.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loved seeing his face<br />on the camera!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Plaster House is currently an 18-bed facility with 49
children, at least 10 Mamas, and 4 house moms.
The communal courtyard seemed to be the hang out area as mattresses were
stacked high in the corner. They are
building a new facility that is a 50-bed house so I imagine as soon as that
opens they will have well over that number since no one is turned away. The children can stay here as long as they
need to –whether that is a few days for a cleft patient or months for patients
requiring plaster casts to be replaced weekly.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What a blessing to have my eyes opened yet again to the
‘real Africa’. Our Hotel is amazing but
it’s not Africa – this was Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up, a patient village in Moshi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mgFyl-h48vc/UfByX6Ts2zI/AAAAAAAAAMY/WBJohMd1Kbw/s1600/IMG_1750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mgFyl-h48vc/UfByX6Ts2zI/AAAAAAAAAMY/WBJohMd1Kbw/s200/IMG_1750.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Angela's home. <br />3 families share this <br />common cooking/<br />washing area.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alRr-0UkwVY/UfByZHVMojI/AAAAAAAAAMs/bDpC73wYPJ0/s1600/IMG_1753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alRr-0UkwVY/UfByZHVMojI/AAAAAAAAAMs/bDpC73wYPJ0/s200/IMG_1753.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got to go see Mama Ana and her daughter Monica who is 3 ½
years old. They live on the border of
Tanzania and Kenya outside of Moshi.
When Angela was born her mother was very sad, as she had never seen anything
like this before; Angela also had a congenital issue with her eyes that
required surgery. A friend of Mama Ana
told her to go to Arusha and it could be fixed.
She took a bus into Moshi and another into Arusha – which after being
here I realize that is such a huge venture away from their home. To us a 90-minute drive is nothing, to them
it’s another world. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y5BzuIYkrEc/UfByYv-tCAI/AAAAAAAAAMg/8X4xzzN4I2Y/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y5BzuIYkrEc/UfByYv-tCAI/AAAAAAAAAMg/8X4xzzN4I2Y/s200/IMG_1755.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angela's friends and sister in the way<br />back of the picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Angela was
extremely shy and afraid of all of us so I don't have any pictures of her. I would have been too – but her Mama
was very quick to invite us into her home.
They lived in a room they pay $4 for; Mama Ana and Angela, her sister
age 7) and her father. Inside their home
are a queen size bed, 2 chairs and a few posters on the wall. All in all their house is about a 10x10
square. Running water is non-existent as
is electricity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The kids in the neighboring houses were excited to see us
and play games and learn how to throw a Frisbee. By the time we left Angela was smiling and
happy to smile for us – as long as we stayed on our bus <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hljJeoYIO-I/UfByd0Orx1I/AAAAAAAAANA/gQcUII1_AqE/s1600/IMG_1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hljJeoYIO-I/UfByd0Orx1I/AAAAAAAAANA/gQcUII1_AqE/s320/IMG_1774.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our youngest patient with her 2 sisters<br />and brother (and me). They did smile<br />but not for my picture :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAjDBYP8EUI/UfBycJA-o_I/AAAAAAAAAM4/EO2EAgZkJRY/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAjDBYP8EUI/UfBycJA-o_I/AAAAAAAAAM4/EO2EAgZkJRY/s200/IMG_1767.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Gitahi teaching her to<br />say "welcome" in English</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C0MqO__WqWg/UfByid7DClI/AAAAAAAAANo/m-TsD5B2JeY/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C0MqO__WqWg/UfByid7DClI/AAAAAAAAANo/m-TsD5B2JeY/s200/IMG_1778.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Gitahi greeting Grandma,<br />who lived just up the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next up was a visit with another sweet little girl & her brother (14)
and 2 sisters (ages 10 and 7). She was about 3 and had her surgery in 2012. The repair was done so well, it was hard to tell it had even been done! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These kids were all very kind but very reserved and a bit protective. Again, the language barrier was present and I wish I had words to tell them thank you for letting us take their picture. Hopefully they saw it in our eyes. Their home setup was more expansive than others as they had a stable with a cow, a bunny, many chickens a goat and some crops. It was a bigger house with what looked like 2 rooms and Grandma living up the hill. In order to reach this house we had to hike about ¼ mile through a single track trail that would have been considered a ‘hard trail run’ if I had my running buddy, Callie, with me. This is the walk her family makes daily to go to anywhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHYrL2kWHao/UfBygE2_vsI/AAAAAAAAANY/QNgAEpXycZs/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OHYrL2kWHao/UfBygE2_vsI/AAAAAAAAANY/QNgAEpXycZs/s200/IMG_1786.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little boy, probably 7 or 8,<br />doing what boys do... showing<br />off for the camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2T3jz4fqoLM/UfBygFhZ6jI/AAAAAAAAANU/17SBRcLeP78/s1600/IMG_1791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2T3jz4fqoLM/UfBygFhZ6jI/AAAAAAAAANU/17SBRcLeP78/s200/IMG_1791.jpg" width="200" /></a>Upon leaving this last house there was a group of about 12 kids
sitting on a hillside one of them doing handstands. I went back and got him to do it again and
took a picture to show him. The bigger
boys sitting behind him were saying, “photograph” so they obviously were in
school. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One other boy and a girl were
curious about the photo and he decided to do a little showing off so I made a
movie of him walking on his hands and showed him. That got a good laugh out of them all. As we were leaving their Mama was calling to
them; hopefully I didn’t get them in trouble.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Driving through Moshi and the rural areas is an
experience. Children as old as 5 are
herding animals on the road side, everyone is walking no more than 1 foot from
the road where cars are driving, passing each other, weaving, and honking. I was told that car accidents are the #3
cause of death here. I see why. I did notice some Masai men walking along the
road in their red robes/gowns/wraps and getting on the bus to go back to their
villages. There is definitely a culture
of hard work here.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gYBMzlEsBE/UfByfVeeOnI/AAAAAAAAANI/O05vgGwl18Y/s1600/IMG_1784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1gYBMzlEsBE/UfByfVeeOnI/AAAAAAAAANI/O05vgGwl18Y/s200/IMG_1784.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 wonderful workers from the<br />Arusha Lutheran Medical<br />Center & Plaster House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Between lunch and the home visits we got to go to the market
and do some shopping. Our guide, Joyce,
took us for a traditional Tanzanian lunch served buffet style. I opted for cooked greens (kale &
pumpkin), rice, beans, and potatoes/fries.
It was delicious! The drink Coca-Cola
is everywhere. I remember years ago seeing a Coke ad that showed people all around the world drinking Coke and one of
them was an African man in red traditional attire; now I know that was a Masai
man and yes – they do drink Coke too.
That wasn’t a marketing gimmick. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So the shopping was fun. Since we didn’t plan on going to another store
for shopping I did most of my shopping there.
While I wanted to buy everything I just got a few small things realizing
that even though everyone wants lots of ‘stuff’ back home more ‘stuff’ is the
last thing we need. I tried to get
usable items that weren’t just going to sit; that’s just so wasteful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My biggest take away from this trip is how much excess we
have in America and I’m as guilty as anyone of having too much and wanting too
much. We could learn some lessons from
the people here – be content with what we have, live a life that is wholly
focused on family and not focused on the family next door or anyone else’s
things or opinions. The Africans here
are a very content people, happy to invite us into their home without apology
or excuse. Things are tiny and tidy with
just what they need, no more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Onto dinner. We ate
at Bay Leaf and had an amazing meal in African time. Dinner was ordered around 7:30 and at about
8:15 our appetizers came, around 9:15 our dinner, and around 10:15
dessert. It was a very pleasant way to
spend the evening visiting with everyone. We also celebrated Jane's (from Smile Train Africa) birthday - yummy cake!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-65499004246575031522013-07-23T16:18:00.000-07:002013-07-23T16:18:10.823-07:00Monday, July 15, 13 11:15pm Arusha, Tanzania
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<br />
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What a whirlwind of a day!
But let’s recap last night. My
flight arrived into Dar Es Salaam and our fabulous tour guide, Joyce, met me at
the airport and escorted me to the Serena Dar Es Salaam hotel. Being that it was 9:30 when we arrived I
didn’t get an idea for the town. Dinner
with Adina and Sara (See <a href="http://www.sadiesmilefoundation.org/Welcome.html">Sadie Smile Foundation</a>) then a shower and it was
bedtime for me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3n6bdSV0tfM/Ue8M7PoyA7I/AAAAAAAAAKk/HrKAwD99Y4U/s1600/IMG_1683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3n6bdSV0tfM/Ue8M7PoyA7I/AAAAAAAAAKk/HrKAwD99Y4U/s200/IMG_1683.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sue, from the UK - me - <br />Sara, from Virginia!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7am came and my natural caffeine had me hopping out of bed,
dressed, and downstairs for breakfast where I got to meet Sue from the UK – an
amazing person who has climbed Kilimanjaro and is training to climb Everest –
all for charity as she has a son who was born with a cleft. Kristen and MaryAnn, the sisters from upstate
NY as well as Lori & Bill had all gotten a chance to meet each other at
the welcome dinner the night before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our Smile Train Africa program managers, Dr. Gitahi, Dr.
Ester, and Jane were ready to hit the road. Around 8:30 we made it out into town and my
first impression was that it was more lush than I expected. Palm trees and other shorter shade trees
provided the backdrop for a very busy town.
Cabs and buses beeping, people crossing the street whenever they needed,
kids going to school, wagons being pulled selling everything you can imagine. At one stoplight we were greeted by a parade
of vendors selling brooms, soccer balls, coffee mugs, cashews, apples, you get
the idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-toCHaOPman0/Ue8M8j79G8I/AAAAAAAAAK0/y5Qb0jzNIJ0/s1600/IMG_1687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-toCHaOPman0/Ue8M8j79G8I/AAAAAAAAAK0/y5Qb0jzNIJ0/s200/IMG_1687.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Brenda from CCBRT</td></tr>
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As we made our way to the hospital, CCBRT, we passed the
water – this is a beautiful waterside community but I was reminded that since
it was a Monday and a school day the beach would be empty. Upon arriving to CCBRT we were greeted by
Susan, from the Netherlands, Brenda, and Abdul to guide us. There was an amazing presentation educating
us about what CCBRT (Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania)
does on a daily basis, the medical and social issues they solve, and the
creative programs they’ve implemented to draw more people into the hospital to
treat clefts. Now they don’t just do
cleft surgery – they also do eyes, orthopedics, prosthetics, and fistula (a
very serious and often times ostracizing casualty of long child birth). It was eye opening to see the parents and
children sitting around waiting to be checked in, seen by Dr., or waiting for
their child to come out of surgery. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the wards we went through had 6 children (maybe more)
born with clefts. The one that stands
out the most to me were twin baby girls 4-months old. Only one twin had the cleft and what a
blessing that her parents heard of Smile Train.
There was baby Janice, 1 year old, who was more than happy to hug on the
stuffed giraffe I took, and so many other children that were shy at first but
excited for a toy. I would say a ‘new’
toy but to most of these kids they don’t have toys like our kids do, much less
shoes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were a few amazing fathers there with their children
as the mother left them after the birth of their baby born with a cleft. These dads lit up when Sue showed pictures of
her son as an infant before surgery and now as a 5<span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span> grader. Knowing that this wasn’t just something that
was happening to them here but around the world must have helped them
somehow. One precious girl actually had
a cleft but also a hole in her head – I don’t know how else to put it. Where her nose was there was an open cavity
and you could see right into her skull. She
was there for nose reconstruction and, in time, many more surgeries. We saw babies with hydrocephaly, clubfoot, as
well as one baby born with no fingers on her left hand. When you discover one issue, another follows
behind it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Walking through the wards felt a bit uncomfortable with our
crowd (6 tourists, 3 Smile Train people, 3 photographers, tour guide, and CCBRT
staffer) as it felt like we were invading their space. There was such a sense of community among
these people that I wish I could have been able to converse with them more than
just saying “ashante” – thank you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moving on we were able to sit in on a surgery, Sue and
I. Sue was able to see Zahara (age 9) as
she was being taken in and speak to her mom via translator to let her know that
she understood. Zahara’s surgery was
fascinating to watch. The surgery itself
took no more than 20-30minutes and her life was forever changed. The Dr. that did the surgery worked with the
skill of…. well… a surgeon who has done this countless times. His efficiency and dexterity was inspiring, I
would love to be able to do that! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The surgery itself was amazing – the most eye opening was
their surgical center. After being in
there I wonder, do we over do a little bit in the US? Yes we do have amazing healthcare but we are
such a litigious society – is the reason for so many precautions out of fear of
a lawsuit? I think so, yes, but there is
a happy medium. These Drs. and nurses
make the most of what they have available and change lives doing what they
love. They have a gift and they are
certainly using it to its fullest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ul3C_MAQirU/Ue8OZZdK9II/AAAAAAAAALc/0osCqE8pDQQ/s1600/IMG_1693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ul3C_MAQirU/Ue8OZZdK9II/AAAAAAAAALc/0osCqE8pDQQ/s320/IMG_1693.jpg" width="239" /></a>After the hospital we made our way to meet Hassan, a bright
eyed 6-year old boy who had his surgery last year. He lives with his mom (she fries dough) and
his dad (a taxi driver) in a house that is 1 room and about the size of Polly’s
bedroom. Mama Hassan was all smiles and
more than happy to let us see her home, she would have made us tea but they
assured her we didn’t have time and there were too many of us. She led us to Hassan’s school where we got to
meet his classmates – and you know what – Kindergarteners are the same in every
country. Smiley, wiggly, energetic balls
of kindness. Sue had brought a bag of
toys, coloring books, big-block Legos, Frisbees, jump ropes, beach balls, etc.
so we took those out and played with the kids.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-08BwnbcpVNE/Ue8M9unudyI/AAAAAAAAALE/A9Rj5tmgjC4/s1600/IMG_1695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-08BwnbcpVNE/Ue8M9unudyI/AAAAAAAAALE/A9Rj5tmgjC4/s200/IMG_1695.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a friend of Hassan's at<br />their school</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was fortunate to have been able to give Hassan a race medal,
which he seemed to wear with pride – calling out how special he was. There was also another little boy looking at
the toy football I was holding so I pulled him to the front of the room and we
practiced tossing the ball and catching it.
Then we got the beach ball and I showed him how light and bouncy that
was so we played a bit of catch. If I could have had my choice we would have
just stayed there and gotten a game of kick ball or soccer going with the kids
but we had to move on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lhs5ZnbT4uI/Ue8M-MaXAnI/AAAAAAAAALM/4babH7dxgQ0/s1600/IMG_1711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lhs5ZnbT4uI/Ue8M-MaXAnI/AAAAAAAAALM/4babH7dxgQ0/s320/IMG_1711.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabina (middle between Sara and me) <br />with her neice and nephew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lunch at a quick pizza joint was followed by a truly
eye-opening experience as we drove to the slums of Dar just behind the airport
fence. There we met Sabina, a 14-16 (she
doesn’t really know how old she is) girl living with her Auntie as her mom left
her and her father passed away. She is
not in school and stays home and cares for her niece and nephew (both 4-5 years
of age. She will never go to school and
right now has no trade, it would cost $2000 to send her to trade school which
is unimaginable. Their house is a room
barely big enough for the queen size bed that they all 4 sleep on together, a nightstand,
and a cabinet for their belongings.
There is no door, just a cloth across the front. Water is brought in with buckets from a
common spigot in the center of their area.
About 4 rooms are in their building and outside the front area is a
small cooking patio – about 20’ x 6’ where many of the ladies cook
together. Just across from their cooking
area is the community washroom. There is
no running water, no electricity, just happy children eager to see us and
color, hard working families doing anything they can to get by. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After our visit with Sabina we went right to the airport and
by 10pm we were in Arusha approaching our hotel. What a contrast our hotel is. Sara said it best in that the hotel where we
are is Africa as seen in the movies and children’s books. It is very manufactured. We feel like what we saw today was truly
Africa – the poverty, the hard work doing anything (frying dough) to get by, and
the contentedness with so little without expecting anyone to help them get
more. That is the reality in Africa for
so many. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I would love to live here but I think the only
way I could live here was IF I could have a job somewhere like CCBRT where you
know that what you are doing on a daily basis is changing someone’s life. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">I can’t wait to get home and show my children
what I saw, how these people lived, and how not one of the people we saw at the
hospital or in the slums held out their hand asking for anything. I want, I want, I want… as my kids know my
answer to “I want….” is always “wanting gets you nothing”. </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Right now I want to simplify, I want to give
more to help, I want to make sure that every day of my life is spent doing
something for someone else – as much as I can.
Giving to someone deserving is the best feeling in the world. Tomorrow is another day full of adventure. Night night.</span><div>
</div>
</div>
Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-40775985221573546342013-07-23T16:04:00.000-07:002013-07-23T16:04:29.310-07:00Sunday, Almost there!, July 20, 2013
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
8:30am Zurich time/2:30am Raleigh time<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Long flight, uncomfortable seats but good movies! I had no idea they had new movie selections
so I never had to pull out my iPad once during the flight. I’m up to date on Identity Theft (mediocre
and I LOVE Jason Bateman, by the way) and Admission (just ehhhh…). It was nice for a few hours the lights were
turned off and I could pretend to take a nap but then right about midnight CST
the lights were on and cheese-toast was served.
My blanket promptly went over my head and I zoned out for as long as I
could. When that didn’t work, The Host
was the next movie on my list. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I was sitting at the airport in Toronto having sushi
for dinner I chatted with a gal who had been to Tanzania and was on her way to
Nairobi, Kenya and she knew about Operation Smile, which is NOT the same thing
as Smile Train but still another wonderful charity working to eradicate and
educate about cleft lips in these poor areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After deplaning in Zurich I had to go through security again
and I think our TSA agents could take notes from the agents here. No taking off
shoes, no pulling liquids out of bags, just laptops and iPads came out. They couldn’t have been more pleasant. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’m already realizing how much of an ‘American’ I
am. Only speaking one language and
essentially never having left the continental US. Everyone here speaks multiple languages
including the kids. I felt for the
parents flying with little kids on our flight but wow – to be able to give your
kids the opportunity to travel, or better yet LIVE overseas (Shillings burgs,
Bentleys, way to go!!) is such a huge gift.
It may be inconvenient for a little while but the exposure can surely
outweigh the tiresome flight. And here I
am only having experienced this from people watching in the airports <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My only big oops so far on my travel is walking into the men’s
room in the Zurich airport. The sign
said toilets and I didn’t notice the picture of the guy/gal on the sign. Sorry to the one guy – hopefully he didn’t
see me. I just made sure I stayed in the
ladies room long enough to not pass him in the hallway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Swiss Air just made an announcement offering a cash card
worth $750US if we offered to go to Dar via Istanbul. Tempting but I’m ready to get to Africa and
start the real adventure outside of the airports!<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-63129859620529014152013-07-23T16:02:00.005-07:002013-07-23T16:03:16.229-07:00Toronto, Saturday, July 13, 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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2:50pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXfw-11a7Xg/Ue8KzOl6EJI/AAAAAAAAAKE/cS4Iz5iTmhg/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MXfw-11a7Xg/Ue8KzOl6EJI/AAAAAAAAAKE/cS4Iz5iTmhg/s200/IMG_1680.JPG" width="200" /></a>I’m already tired and it’s only the first day away… it could
be from the 3 hours of non-stop walking around downtown Toronto. I took a shuttle downtown (so easy!) and
walked down to the water. It was
beautiful! There was an outdoor art
exhibit near the Harbor and they were setting up for a cool outdoor festival
too. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I did notice one thing… perhaps
they don’t have Target here because the logo for the Harbour and Target are the
same! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3m9WCMPz0g/Ue8KzEphMnI/AAAAAAAAAKA/rW48QvOZ1Mg/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3m9WCMPz0g/Ue8KzEphMnI/AAAAAAAAAKA/rW48QvOZ1Mg/s200/IMG_1678.JPG" width="200" /></a>Next sight to see was the CN tower and the sports
arena. I was surprised at how many
residences there were in downtown Toronto – actually, Toronto reminded me quite
a bit of NYC without the mess, homeless people, and crazy cab drivers! I made my way to City Hall where there was a
Taste of Thai going on – super neat but I didn’t want to eat any crazy
food. Right before I begin 17 hours of
flying is not the time to experiment with new foods. </div>
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While I was walking I noticed a big castle
looking building, it was the Queen’s Park so I made my way up there. A very small parade was going on – not sure
what it was for but there were many marching bands, some bagpipe guys, an aging
drum major twirling his drum major staff thingy, and lots of people wearing
Orange. The thing that stood out the
most to me was how clean the downtown was.
I didn’t see one single person begging or panhandling – it was very
nice! The strangest thing I saw a full
Italian restaurant in Toronto’s China-town.
It made me smile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So by 2pm I was back at the Toronto Airport with hours to
kill so it’s time for some quality American filmmaking. The thing I already miss the most? ICE!
Everyone around here drinks things without ice or sells bottled beverages
– I just want some ice to crunch on. Is
that an American thing?<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-51985354235451806452013-07-13T06:25:00.003-07:002013-07-13T06:30:13.024-07:00Toronto... first impressions... I want to live here!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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8:50am eh!</div>
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Made it to Canada, eh, and the short flight from Raleigh to
Toronto was another great start. I sat
next to a very interesting mand named Jeff Seymour who is a Financial Planner
in Cary, has published a book (Greedomoter) and has been on CNBC and the
Canadian version (BCC or something like that).
Anyway, we had a very enlightened discussion, using that term loosely as
he did most of the talking, about the current state of our economic system and
the markets. Once again reconfirming my
desire to go anywhere but here is not to far from a good idea. I love America but I don’t love our economic
policies that have led us to our current sad state from a
monetary/budget/economy perspective. But
enough of that… this is not ‘that kind’ of post. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our flight attendant, Fredreich, was incredibly friendly and
able to help us in English, French, German and Swiss German – I didn’t even
know there was a langue called Swiss German!
Regardless, he gave me a list of places to go downtown, things to see,
places to eat and how to get there. He
even gave me his email address so I could send him a message if I had any
questions. I can’t wait to explore
downtown Toronto. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I get off the plane and go through customs they ask me
how long I’m here – only about 10 hours for coffee and a book store, as I told
the sweet customs agent, even though I don’t drink coffee. Exit customs and my first impression of YYZ
is how wll planned and organized it is.
The song playing over the sound system – nothing other than the
Smiths/Morrissey – flash back to middle school with my friend Stacey Kayem and
many weekends spent in Galveston with the Smiths and Violent Femmes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is so out of my comfort zone and I love it. I wish I had the nerve to take the bus and
subway but I’m a bit of a fraidy cat when it comes to public transportation so
I’m taking the shuttle downtown for a day of adventuring. In an attempt to not look like a total
tourist and to not look 2 years shy of 40, I have my iPod (from 2008) in my
pocket, headphones in my ears, and my sunglasses on. Here’s to never being too old to feel young
and as my daughter has started saying… time to shine like the diamonds!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As a side note, and I’m sure there will be lots of them,
this is going to be a stream of consiciousness so read at your own risk. It’s
my blog and I don’t use it very much at all as you can tell from my last post
years ago. And apparently I forgot to
clean off my playlists as I’m sitting typing listing to “Where are you
Christmas” possibly from the kids Christmas playlist… so I’ll end with “Christmas
is here, everywhere, if there is love in your heart and your mind you will feel
like Christmas all the time”. So true, I
feel you Christmas today! Today is a
gift and I can’t wait to open it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-84207653782740864072013-07-13T06:24:00.001-07:002013-07-13T06:24:24.367-07:00And I'm off! Africa here I come... via Toronto & Zurich
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<br />
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Preparing to go to Tanzania was easier than I thought! The hardest part was figuring out what I was
going to take for me that I could also give away when I got there. So I am allowed to bring along 2 checked bags
and 2 carry-ons which means that I needed to get all my personal stuff in one
of my carry-ons so I could stuff, really overstuffed, 2 duffle bags with things
to leave in Africa. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So 2 months of cleaning out my clost, the kids closet, and
Roy’s baby clothes I am waiting at the ticket counter to see if my bags made
weight. Let me also say that I did spend
$20 on one of those suitcase weighing gadgets and I’m so glad I did. My first bag – the monster green duffle
weighed in at… 49.5 lbs which means I could have fit one more thing on
there! My other bag – 44lbs. But really, there wasn’t room to spare on
either bag. When I return I hope that
one of these bags is filled with treasures from Tanzania. If you are in my family, just guess where I’m
doing my Christmas shopping this year!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now I’m not a big traveller – not because I don’t like to
but I’ve just not had the opportunity.
The times I’ve left the US… does Nuevo Laredo, Mexico count across the
Texas border? No… I didn’t think so.
Then we are left with 2 trips to Grand Cayman but they have Wendy’s, take US$,
and there is a direct flight from Houston.
The only other time was going to St. Lucia back in 2001 when we went to
a Sandals resort with Thane. No passport
needed then. I guess we can consider that this is my first international
trip! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here’s to 30hours of travel.
I’m stocked with 2 magazines (Lucky & In Style) to be left on the
airplane, a book in my hands (Cutting for Stone about a Dr. in Africa), a book
on my iPad (Clan of the Cave Bear, part 2), and movies out the wazoo ;
Bridesmaids, The Host, Safe Haven, the entire Twilight series, The Messenger,
and one more I can’t think of. Along
with that is my iPod filled with music and my phone completely empty to allow
for as many pictures as possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Back to the airport – security was busy but I guess a
Saturday morning departure is pretty popular in the summer. I saw Chris & Christina and their son as
they headed out of town too! Always nice
to see friends you know at the airport but even more special to see Chris as
last year he did my race and had a hard day and a crazy year. It was wonderful to see his smile and to see
him enjoying life with his beautiful wife and son. A great send off from the US and I go to
Toronto.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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First stop, Toronto from 7:45am – 6:10pm – that is a 10 hour
layover! I looked into tours, hotels,
fun runs, etc. but I’m not committed to doing anything. I may just get there and find a book store
and read and people watch in Canada, eh!
After Toronto it’s an overnight to Zurich then a short stop there
until we take another long flight to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania arriving at 8:30am
Tanzania time (or as my son says it Tan-ZANE-ia).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hugs to my family! I'll miss you!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-31667464625964779262009-04-12T18:05:00.001-07:002009-04-12T18:11:30.776-07:00Turning Miles into Smiles is growingI'm so excited that this year my little fundraising program, Turning Miles into Smiles, will be growing to produce The Smile Train Triathlon as well as The Buddy Run 5K.<br /><br />I got an offer this past week to take The Smile Train Tri on the road to Columbia, SC in 2010. I'm so tempted to do it because this is why I started this race - to spread the word. But with any opportunity, there is risk. What if I don't get enough sponsor money, what if it takes too much time from my kids, what if, what if, what if.... Of course - my husband is a horrible 'what-ifer' so that doesn't help.<br /><br />I don't have to decide today but this is a big step. So far my premise for Miles into Smiles has been to send 100% of the registration fee directly to a charity that will use the money immediately to change lives. This requires A LOT of sponsor money for each race - about $15,000 for the Columbia race. If you know anyone who has a spare $K, send them my way!<br /><br />Decisions, decisions, decisions....Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-86685261916799039752009-02-20T11:20:00.000-08:002009-02-20T11:26:09.240-08:00Pinki & The Smile Train at the OscarsI am so excited to tell you that a beautiful little girl named Pinki will be going to the Oscars to represent The Smile Train.<br /><br />A few months ago I received a preview copy of the "Smile Pinki" DVD from a friend at The Smile Train and when I saw this documentary about The Smile Train it brought me to tears. You can watch a 3 minute trailer of Smile Pinki right now at our <a href="http://www.smiletrain.org/site/R?i=lx3xdMyst8u8KONyIWkoiQ.." target="_blank">web site www.smiletrain.org</a> and you can also register to find out where you can view the movie or get a copy of it.<br /><br />This beautiful 6-year-old (same as as my daughter Polly) little girl lives in one of the poorest parts of our world. Her family was hesitant to go see The Smile Train because it would mean not working and it would cost the money family in food to eat on the way. They got it worked out and little Pinki (barefoot) and her father began their journey on foot to find The Smile Train.<br /><br />Well, this little girl is 8 now and in New York on her way to The Oscars to hopefully accept an award for The Smile Train.<br /><br />Have you been feeling like the economy is getting you down, you don't have an extra penny to spare, maybe you can't take that trip you had planned for this year. Remember how blessed we are that we even have those options and that yes - health is a gift!<br /><br />Donate to The Smile Train at <a href="http://www.milesintosmiles.com/">www.milesintosmiles.com</a> and give a child a second chance at life. I've personally commited to donating $25 a month. It doesn't seem like much but over the course of a year it adds up to $300. Donate what you can!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-39752233003311699412009-02-08T16:11:00.000-08:002009-02-08T16:16:33.444-08:00Ahhhhh warmth!!So it's February in North Carolina and I'm from Houston, Texas. I don't do cold - ever - don't like it, don't like being cold, not even chilled. I'd rather sweat and fry any day (but yes, when it is summer I'll say it's getting too hot!)<br /><br />Anyway, on to my news! <br /><br />I've discovered the greatest thing for a cold long-run since layering! The other morning I was in a hurry to get my Gatorade made. Yes I make my own at home in 1 gallon jugs with the powder because I'm frugal. So I've learned that if you make it with hot water it dissolves faster and you can put it in the fridge and go right to bed without congealed Gatorade at the bottom of your bottle. <br /><br />Well - I made my gatorade, dissolved the powder then poured it in my backpack/hydration pack that I carry. I must say - I've never enjoyed warm Gatorade as much as I did on that run! I actually WANTED to drink it because with every sip I got all toasty inside.<br /><br />I'm lovin my new discovery! It's like eating a warm dessert on a frigid cold run! Try it and you'll be amazed. Who'da thunk it - hot Gatorade actually can taste good!! Just don't try this on a 100mile ride in July!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-87006275825061272962009-01-28T17:06:00.000-08:002009-01-28T17:12:03.995-08:00Signing up for spin classes... come on folks!!!Ok - now a little rant... sorry, it has to be done.<br /><br />Does the Y really have to have a sign up sheet for Spin classes? Yes they are often full but get real. Many other Y's in much larger cities have finally gotten rid of the sign up sheets.<br /><br />Here's my pain - feel it!<br /><br />The spin classes have sign up sheets for them - they are open for sign up 3 days before the class. For me I like the Monday and Thursday classes which means I have to sign up on Friday for the Monday and on Monday for the Thursday - got it?<br /><br />So I call at 8am on a Friday, remember the sign up sheet was just opened at 5:30am that morning - and it was already full! That's great! I'm so glad that so many people want to come to the classes. Here's the pain - sometimes I get to those classes (on the odd chance I actually get in) and there are empty bikes - but not all the time.<br /><br />Of course there are going to be people who sign up and don't go - that's reason enough for me to trash the sign in sheet and just let people come on a first-come, first-served basis.<br /><br />Oh and the Thursday spin class that opens on Monday gets full by 7am because all the people from the Monday spin class sign up for Thursday so if you don't call the Y by 7'ish you'll be left out - once again.<br /><br />So here's my advice to the Y - squeeze as many bikes in that room as you can. We can easily fit 6 more bikes in the spin room at The Factory Y. Then tell people "no sign up sheet" and reward those folks who actually want to AND WILL get up for a 5:30am spin class. <br /><br />Ahhh - I feel better - or I will feel better when I can actually get into a spin class!!!!!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-65569535634065526942009-01-28T16:53:00.000-08:002009-01-28T17:06:09.169-08:00Time flies!Has it really been a month since I posted on my blog? Wow - that went by quickly! Before I knew it Polly was turning 6 and we were off to Texas for some quality famliy time, Tex-Mex food and the Houston Marathon!<br /><br /><strong>The Houston Marathon</strong><br />The Houston Marathon was great fun! After the IT band issues I've had recently I knew I was going to be unable to run it in its entirety so I had my husband, Richard, on call when I had to stop. Literally - I had my phone in my pocket and we played the "where are you game" from mile 13 to 16.5 so he could pick me up.<br /><br />I was surprised that I lasted to mile 16.5! I felt pretty good. My knee was a bit achy so I made sure to pick up some ice at the medical tent at mile 16. I probably could have gone to at least mile 18 but my brain made me stop (my heart wanted to go!!!) <br /><br />This is a race I would love to do every year. Being that it is my home town the whole course is like running in my back yard. The only thing better than doing this run every year would be living in Houston so I could run there every day! I love that city!!<br /><br /><strong>OOPS</strong><br />My biggest mistake of the day was being in such a hurry to get back to my parents that I didn't stretch. What was I thinking! I haven't been sore after a long run in years - really - years. But the next day I remembered what people were talking about with soreness after a run. I'll NEVER do that again (ok, at least not until I forget again) - always stretch after a long run especially if you've been injured.<br /><br /><strong>YOGA</strong><br />So in the 2 weeks since I got back from Texas I've been taking it easy. I started slacking on my IT band exercises and can tell a difference so I'm back to 3 times/week doing my exercises and hoping to get a Wii Fit so I can start to incorporate some yoga into my routine on the early mornings when I don't do something else. YES - I don't like or know how to do yoga so I'm dependent on someone telling me what to do and for how long and if I'm doing it right... YOGA IS BORING but oh well.<br /><br /><strong>My 2009 calendar</strong><br />I've been getting lots of questions on my 2009 training calendar so here is my schtick. I'm not doing many tris this year because honestly, getting on the bike to ride is harder this year. My weekend rides are harder to get in than my runs because I will run when it's dark so I can be done running by 8 or 9 am sometimes! <br /><br />I do, really, really, do want to do Ironman Louisville again but it likely won't be until 2010 - maybe- because I have to get my husband up on my training again and he's enjoying the break. I will continue to NOT do it for a time and just do it for fun so my goal will be completion until my life is a bit less crazy - likely when I am 50. <br /><br />Until then, I'm just focusing on running and swimming. I've got to keep building up my distance on my run and drop some of this winter-weight! ;)<br /><br />Happy trails and Skirt on!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-67440350786882221592008-12-26T17:30:00.000-08:002008-12-26T17:33:15.168-08:00Half Ironman Training - Rebecca's WaySo I seem to get a good number of emails from friends and others who are interested in the sport. I thought I would share my opinions in case it helped anyone else. Beware, this is a rambling stream of consciousness and I'm in no way certified or trained to coach, this is the world according to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Rebecca</span>:<br />- - - - -<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ok</span> - so I've been pondering your question - and I may not have a good answer for you. Everything I am going to say here is just my way of training - and may (or may not) be the same as a coach. I've just learned what I can do that works.<br /><br />Training - use January/February to start getting your body used to 8-9 workouts per week (3-bike, 3-run, 2-3 swim) where you do at least 3 of these workouts on the weekend have have at least one day each week of total rest - not even a stroll, resting! Preferably after your long day (Monday seems to be good off day). <br /><br />Distances - not much help on swimming, that's a no-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brainer</span> leg of the race for me and I really don't train too much for it b/c no one wins a race because they are a good swimmer. Ask Tracy - she'll have better ideas here.<br />Biking - start out your long ride on the weekend with about a 15mile ride working up to a 50 mile ride by 3 weeks before your "A" half-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IM</span> distance race. Since your goal is completion, just work on putting the miles in and going at a nice pace but remember - no coasting on your bike. Ride it the whole time - even on the down hills. Learn how to use your gears really well so that on the down hill you are going strong and can coast up part of the up hill. Practice eating on the bike - I'm partial to PB&J, the new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">PowerGel</span> circle block thingies, and G<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">atorade</span>. Drink Gatorade - NOT water - you need the electrolytes.<br /><br />Running - start out your long run so that an 8-9 mile run isn't so terrifying ;) Then work up to a good 13-15 mile run. I think it's a good idea to push the run a little longer than your race distance here b/c your legs are going to be BEAT after riding for a few hours so they get used to running tired. Be sure that whenever you do a long bike ride you get off your bike and go run - even if you just run down Marshall Farm to Chalks and back. Just enough to get used to running a few miles slowly on tired legs. Eating - bananas, oranges, power bars, that sort of stuff. I wear my Skirt Sports <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">tri</span> top and Skirt so I have pockets (one on my top, 2 on my shorts) then I take advantage of the rest stops for fluid. During training I use my camel back hydration packs religiously. I never ever drink water while I'm training b/c of the electrolytes - you need them so get used to running and hydrating often. You shouldn't have to pee much during your training b/c as you take it in you are using it. <br /><br />Diet - yeah... diet... eat when you are hungry. You WON'T lose weight training for an endurance event. Your body will need to consume a good number more calories than you are using now. Just eat when you are hungry, eat smart - no junk - no fast food - just good food whenever. Develop a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">pre</span>-long ride, long-run nutrition plan for the day before and stick with it. Ex: I always eat the same thing the entire day before my long run so that I can be sure on race morning or long-ride/run morning my tummy will be the same. I didn't do this 1 time and ended up making potty stops 5 times on a run b/c my system was so used to it's routine. Drink lots of fluids - don't ever be thirsty - carry your bike bottle with you every where and keep it full. <br /><br />Clothing - Be comfortable. Get used to wearing a swim suit or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">tri</span> shorts during your ride and wear the same ones during your race. If you aren't a visor junkie yet, get a few visors. They are better than hats b/c they let the heat escape your head but not squinting while you run will be helpful on a 13mile hot summer race.<br /><br />Coaching - there are tons of coaches out there - I don't use them b/c honestly, my life won't change if I'm an hour faster or not. I'd rather just do what works for my body, work it hard, stick to my schedule but also realize that life is busy and if I have an off week. If you ask others they'll say they need a coach to keep them focused. <br /><br />So this is lots of info - tell me if you have more questions - I love to talk about this (go figure) but remember I'm not a trainer, coach, or specialist in any way.Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-65875058710894133452008-12-17T17:59:00.000-08:002008-12-17T18:06:47.995-08:00Focus, focus, focusEver been so overwhelmed with something that you don't know where to start? I'm there - or should I say - I was there yesterday. It's Christmas time which for me means time to start planning my 2009 fundraising for The Smile Train, planning my 2009 event calendar, time to start making cookies with the kids and relaxing.<br /><br />I want to do that - I really do want to relax but how! There is work (real paying-job work - not fun, non-paid Race Director work) to be done and working from home I have the down side of always having work at my fingertips whether I want it there or not.<br /><br />Finally I hit a breaking point. A few choice words to my poor, sweet husband who tells me "it's my job" when I vent at him (I say at him because he never gets a chance to talk), a few tears, a few "don't cry mommy" from the kids and I'm better now.<br /><br />So my magic solution to getting over this hump? Reprioritize and realize that work is just work - do the best I can do, work smart, communicate what can (and can't) be done and then just do what you can do. Make time for the fun stuff because that is what keeps you going.<br /><br />I've been really good, so far, of balancing work - races - fundraising - training - family - church (not in that order of course) and I'm not going to let a few overwhelming weeks stop me. I'm inclined to believe that a lot of my self-imposed stress is me trying to please everyone which we all know never happens and also NOT being able to do my number one stress-reliever - RUN.<br /><br />My new outlook for the next month while Polly is tracked out of our funky year-round school system - prioritize, work super-smart, do what I can and if something isn't getting done on time, know that I did my absolute best and that is always good enough.<br /><br />Night night.Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-60819578498659792142008-12-13T04:02:00.000-08:002008-12-13T05:06:00.053-08:00Finding what you love to do!My IT band is still mad at me however, now it's my left one. I've been going to Physical Therapy, doing my exercises, NOT running when it hurts and now my left knee/IT band hurts. This is probably the most frustrating experience I've had in my training EVER. <br /><br />Coming off Ironman Louisville I was looking forward to spending my 2009 running and doing a few triathlons just to keep my biking legs going. Now I can't even run 2 miles - better yet - I walked 1.6 miles and it started to ache.<br /><br />So what am I supposed to do now? I can swim but the thought of doing Masters Swimming just sounds boring. Don't get me wrong - I'm a capable swimmer; I've been in the pool since I was 4 but I'm realizing it's not what I love to do - running is!! I can do spin classes, and I am, but it's not the same feeling as going on a 2-hour long run. And it's cold and dark so the only time I can do a good ride is on the weekend in the cold mornings. <br /><br />I JUST WANT TO RUN! But I'm not - I'm being a smart athlete and realizing that I can run now and not run the rest of the year or I can take this as a break, enjoy (ha!) the recovery and hope that biking will keep my legs strong.<br /><br />I may not be the fastest runner out there but I love how I feel during a run and after a run. I can give up a few weeks of what I love so that I can do it for a lifetime, but it is hard!<br /><br />The refreshing thing about this is that I've figured out what I really love doing - not because I'm fast (because I'm not) but running is my favorite sport in triathlon. I have big biker legs that make it so I can actually enjoy the run during most tris without losing too much ground, but for me it's not really about the speed as much as it is the team and the training. Knowing that what I am doing is making a difference for someone - even if that is only me somedays.Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-17852454301473327002008-12-01T18:19:00.000-08:002008-12-01T18:22:01.236-08:00Mega Skirt SaleWow - I get to give all my friends a mega 25% off at <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/">www.SkirtSports.com</a>! Use the discount code <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">REBECCAW</span> and save through the end of 2008!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.skirtsportsoutlet.com/">www.SkirtSportsOutlet.com</a> also just moved most of the 2008 spring and summer line to the outlet so the prices are amazing. My favorite dress, the Footloose Running Dress, is only $25! That's a steal! <br /><br />Go shopping!!!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-45507050387375129402008-12-01T18:12:00.000-08:002008-12-01T18:19:03.095-08:00I'm coming up for air!So I've disappeared the last month and wow - time has flown! I've been heads down working my real job (you know the one that pays the bills) and moonlighting as a race director getting all the info needed for the 2009 running of The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BASF</span> Smile Train Triathlon at Heritage Wake Forest.<br />It's going to be another amazing event! We modified the bike out/in just a bit to avoid a slight incline that was causing some trouble and we modified the run course to be an out-and-back so you can see everyone in front of you (and behind you) to cheer them on.<br />But my training... that has suffered. After the City of Oaks Half Marathon <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">debacle</span> I finished the race with a nice and easy time and an achy knee. I let it rest but for the next few weeks it hurt after all my long runs.<br />So I went to my friends at Triangle Orthopaedic and they told me I hurt my IT band. I thought I had but didn't really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">know</span> what to do to help it and how far to run or not run. I love those guys, except that they told me to take 2 weeks off. I know it's good for me but I have to say I miss my long, slow, runs on the weekend!<br />I'm doing my physical therapy like I'm supposed to and hoping that my IT band won't be so mad at me and I can successfully complete the Houston Marathon. That race is one I've always wanted to do since it's in my home town and my family and grandma can come watch. We'll see what happens!!<br />I'm looking forward to a fun and race-filled 2009 so I better do what I can to get healed and stay healthy. I've got things to do!Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-13115149866254291552008-11-02T17:01:00.000-08:002008-11-02T17:28:43.146-08:00Last race/run of the season!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQ5TYtLvvmI/AAAAAAAAADc/EN5o2FQSG0g/s1600-h/046.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264236698353516130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQ5TYtLvvmI/AAAAAAAAADc/EN5o2FQSG0g/s320/046.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ahhh - what a nice feeling to have the last real run of the year over and what an awesome year it has been! </div><br /><div>I did City of Oaks Half Marathon today (Sunday) and just enjoyed the run. I must admit, I felt pretty whimpy just doing the half - I know, don't tell me, a half is a good distance, it's not whimpy... I know. </div><br /><div>I had signed up for the full and the something kicked in at the end of this week and I just got sick. John had it first so I guess kissing my little germ factories didn't help me to stay well. </div><br /><div>So anyway, I had to go to packet pick-up and down-grade my registration. I know it was the right thing to do but man that was hard. It does make me feel better that my training program for the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February actually started today and it called for a 13mile run so at least I stuck to that.</div><br /><div>The run was super fun! I wore my green SkirtSports Footloose Dress (green is the official marathon color) and 2 strands of beads representing last years race and this year along with a tiara. In addition, I made some rocking arm-warmers that drew some comments. I had to opt for the hat b/c the tiara and sunglasses was too much stuff behind my ears. I gave out lots of Skirt Entourage cards with my Discount Code (REBECCAW) to some sassy women at the race.</div><br /><div>I don't know what my time was but I think it was somewhere around 2:06 which isn't a PR but I was supposed to be just doing a long run so that's fine with me.<br />It was pretty cool to finish the race and get to see the fast guys. About 20 minutes after I finished the 1st place finishers of the full 26.2 mile distance were coming in so I took a picture with them. He didn't think Christine and I were as cool as we thought he was.</div><br /><div>So I'm pooped! Between last weekends ultramarathon, this week getting an allergy attack or something and a half-marathon, I'm ready to hit the gym and recover a bit. </div>Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-82524466001254584392008-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:002008-10-27T18:10:26.975-07:00My first ultra marathon... good times and lessons learned!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQZj69_5JJI/AAAAAAAAADU/1z5nNcwSmhU/s1600-h/014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262003079355114642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQZj69_5JJI/AAAAAAAAADU/1z5nNcwSmhU/s320/014.JPG" border="0" /></a> <p>Yeah, so this past weekend I took Polly back to Kansas City, MO to see our friends there. During our 49 hour visit my former running buddy Jenn and I got to experience our first ultra marathon.</p><p>The Blue Springs Runners club had a 50mile/50k/26.2mile run on Sunday so we signed up for it a few months ago. </p><p>Now a word 'bout Jenn. She's a fast runner - like a sub-3:30 marathon in the pre-kid days - so she knows all about competition. She also, one year ago today, gave birth to her 2nd son so she's not just a runner, she's a sleep deprived, working mommy of 2 little boys. Here she is in full drama :)</p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQZgCX9QC5I/AAAAAAAAADE/3C4bdAIAMaw/s1600-h/012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261998808535927698" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SQZgCX9QC5I/AAAAAAAAADE/3C4bdAIAMaw/s320/012.JPG" border="0" /></a> <p>We <em>both</em> had to constantly remind <em>both</em> of us that this was only about having a fun time, running with an old friend, and tackling a new distance (or as much of it as we could) and still being able to drive home.</p><p>We wake up at 4:15am and get ready for the run. We are prepared for running in freezing temps until the sun rises and bracing ourselves for the cold. Silly, us - the weathermen are always wrong, remember! It was a nice 48 when we got up! That meant we could whip out the Skirts! So after a complete wardrobe verhaul, we were ready to go. We had the car loaded up like we were driving from Missouri to Oregon!</p><p>Our supply list for our first 50K:</p><ul><li>Skirts - I opted for the Gym Girl Ultra with 2 pockets on each leg that I shoved full</li><li>Vests - I'm such a fan of the vest for cold weather running</li><li>Longsleeve heavy technical shirts</li><li>Kleenex and wipes to keep us clean</li><li>Hats, gloves, ear warmers</li><li>iPods which we didn't use b/c we talked nonstop for the whole run</li><li>Fluids - 2 gallons of gatorade, 2L of Mountain Dew (just in case we needed a little jolt!)</li><li>Camel back hydration packs</li><li>Lots of food - pb&j, gu, trail mix, gum, bananas, candy</li></ul><p>We get to the race and see all these people with head-lamps on. We're thinking, what are they doing? They need head lamps to get their stuff organized? Whatever. Then we hear a 10-9-8-countdown. Yikes - the 6am start is going and we're not there! So we slap on the camel backs knowing that in 4.5 miles there will be a rest stop and in 9 miles we'll be back at the car so we can reload.</p><p>Ahhhhhhhhhh, running in the night, on a trail, with the moon, and NO HEADLAMP! We get it ok! The head lamp is so you can see on the trail at night? I'm such an urban runner. There are street lights whereever I go. So we decide to mooch some light off the guys in front of us and follow in their footsteps. It was very Blair witchy running through the trail. Stealing light is good, it's a nice option.... until they stop to pee in the woods! </p><p>Thank goodness for the iPod = it gave off just enough light for us to catch the next group. Mr. Flag Man and another lady. Meanwhile, Jenn and I haven't shut up yet. We're having such a great time not being interrupted by kids when we try to talk! </p><p>Oh wait... do I have to pee... yeah, we forgot to do that at the start because we were so hurried. And oh yeah... there aren't porta potties on this course every mile are there. So we realize that this is what you do on trail runs and ultras. You run, get by yourself, pee, then catch the crowd. Repeat as often as needed.</p><p>So right about 6:45 we start seeing people (fast people) coming the other direction so the turn around must be up there. We say "hi" to everyone but they don't all say hi back and then we decide that we are going to be "the happy girls in their skirts". We look so totally out of place on this run. First of all, we are women (mostly men here), in our mid-30's (mostly 50+), and we are wearing Skirts. </p><p>We totally think they are looking at us thinking "there's no way they'll finish" - little do they know how determined we were. Anyway, we make it a point to say "hi" to EVERYONE we pass and smile and try to do it in unison (accidentally) when we can. </p><p>After the turnaround we notice that the 7am start group is gaining on us but we continue to remind our selves that we aren't here to compete, just to have fun and finish by 1pm so I can get on an airplane.</p><p>So I can sort of skip over the next few miles and get to Mile 27 - it's the same thing - run, see the car, refuel, see a rest stop, eat some candy, pee, repeat. At Mile 27 we hit the cars again and only have 5 miles left! We stop to take a picture on the trail we were running called the "Trail of Death" - how's that for inspiring confidence and Jenn realizes that her foot is really hurt. </p><p>I heard someone say in regards to injuries, do you want to run for the next 2 weeks or the next 20 years. Well, Jenn will be running her whole life so she takes the smart road and stops. I shuffle along for the next 5 miles by myself and continue to say "hi" to everyone. Especially the friendly ladies running the 50K the week before their friends 50th birthday! That totally rocks!</p><p>I finish the run and got my light-switch-cover medal. I love this race, this distance, and these people. They are all so supportive, kind, friendly, and motivating! I can't wait to do this race again next year and maybe after a few years of doing a 50K, I'll take the plunge and do a 50-miler. Until then here are my lessons learned from my first ultra marathon:</p><ul><li>Layering is a good thing</li><li>iPods while running are totally overrated</li><li>Running with a good friend and talking about everything without fear of judgement is the best thing</li><li>If you are an urban runner (like me) and want to do a trail run expect some post-race discomfort</li><li>Cheese before a run, not good</li><li>PB&J before and on a run, perfect</li><li>Saying "hi" to everyone on the trail is an easy way to stay motivated</li><li>Walking breaks during an ultra are encouraged</li><li>Corn husks can work as TP but they tend to shred and that is no good</li><li>Arnica on sore joints and muscles is wonderful</li><li>Having the support of your family and friends on a run makes it all worth while</li></ul><p>The day after the race I'm feeling ok but I am more achy than after my Ironman. I know I trained enough, my shoes aren't old, and I wasn't sore after my IM. I think that the trail messed with me a bit. My IT Band is a bit flared up but I've got some arnica and a will of steel so I'll rest up and get ready for next weekend.</p><p>On November 2nd we've got the City of Oaks Marathon. I'm signed up to do the full, but I'm going to make it a game day decision about whether I do the full or half. I hate to not do the full marathon distance if I know I can but it's not worth permanent injury. Besides all my friends are running the half so at least I'll have someone to trot with! In a dress, no less!!</p>Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-12610875609475760082008-10-12T17:01:00.000-07:002008-10-12T17:10:33.343-07:00Would you want someone to help you if this was your family?<div><a href="http://www.bripardun.com/">http://www.bripardun.com/</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A friend of mine from Kansas City, MO (where we lived before moving to Wake Forest, NC) forwarded this to me. It's the story of a young family with 3 beautiful little boys. In the past few weeks they found out that the oldest 2 sons have a life-threatening condition known as "Niemann Pick Disease Type C" or also known as "Childhood Alzheimer's". Over time the children "forget" how to walk, talk, and function. The estimated life expectency of children with NPC is 9-15 years.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SPKRylJ3YfI/AAAAAAAAAC8/V7MKEdEn9CM/s1600-h/header.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256424013247767026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SPKRylJ3YfI/AAAAAAAAAC8/V7MKEdEn9CM/s320/header.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>This disease is always fatal which ultimately rob's innocent children of their life's!</div><div></div><br /><div>On their website is an area where you can donate to help them. The money will go straight to the family to cover their costs for therapeutic equipment, medical expenses, or whatever the family needs. </div><div></div><br /><div>Please consider giving a financial gift to this family. I know if these were my children I would be praying for a miracle. Maybe we can't provide a miracle cure, but we can take some stress off the family so our combined help can be a financial miracle for them.</div><div></div><br /><div>Please consider helping. Every penny counts.</div>Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-55197622631483134132008-10-06T05:42:00.000-07:002008-10-06T05:46:59.993-07:00If I run slowly I could run forever!Saturday morning I got up and started my run at 5am. Did a nice 10-miles then met up with the new Heritage Running Club that is starting up in my neighborhood. The other folks out there were looking for a 10/11mile routes so the 10miler I had mapped out worked nicely for the group. I had my running buddy, Kristie, there with me so I did the 10-miler again and felt great.<br /><br />I really wish I were faster but I can see that I'm getting there little by little. I actually like my long runs and look forward to them. I'm a slow and steady runner but in the end I finish my runs feeling good (fatigued but hey, I just ran 20miles, I'm entitled to that!) and looking forward to the next one.<br /><br />Speed is nice sometimes but the reality of it is that my life won't change if I'm fast or slow so I'll just enjoy my long slow workouts, the time to myself to think, and the joy of watching my neighborhood wake up slowly on Saturday mornings.<br /><br />If you live in Heritage, FYI - there are owls on the new side of the neighborhood across Rogers Road. They'll hoot at you in the dark and it's kinda spooky... especially at Halloween time... ooooooooooo. :)Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-71839403197974964542008-09-29T03:47:00.000-07:002008-10-06T05:40:04.388-07:00Who says you can't run in a Dress? Picking up some speed!!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SOoHHKFSISI/AAAAAAAAAC0/xaEIgDF5aas/s1600-h/footloosedress-pc-200.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254019734828097826" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SOoHHKFSISI/AAAAAAAAAC0/xaEIgDF5aas/s320/footloosedress-pc-200.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The City of Oaks Marathon and Half-Marathon push to run in a Dress is picking up some speed! Spread the word! Here's the info:<br /><br />At the <a href="http://www.cityofoaksmarathon.com/" target="_blank">City of Oaks Marathon or Half Marathon</a> on November 2, 2008 in Raleigh, NC we are pushing for every Skirt-alicious woman to really break free here.<br /><br />Run in a dress and have fun doing it!The unofficial-official attire for the <a href="http://www.cityofoaksmarathon.com/" target="_blank">City of Oaks Marathon or Half Marathon</a> is the <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/products/SP08-footloose-dress.cfm" target="_blank">SkirtSports Footloose Running Dress</a>.<br /><br />If you've tried the Skirt then move on up to the Dress. You thought running in a Skirt was freedom - think about having NOTHING rubbing on your waist line, riding up, riding down - no riding at all.<br /><br />On Race Day, we'll meet at the Starting Line under the Announcer's Podium at 6:15am for a photo. Be there in your <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/products/SP08-footloose-dress.cfm" target="_blank">SkirtSports Footloose Dress </a>and be ready to rock the course for a great run!!!<br /><br />Go to <a href="http://www.skirtsports.com/" target="_blank">http://www.skirtsports.com/</a> and use the Discount Code REBECCAW to get your dress (and something to wear under it) for 15% off. Wear it on some long runs before the race and get ready for a Dress Revolution!<br /><br />Personally, I'll be there in my favorite Footloose "little black dress" complete with some sparkly earrings, and necklace. See you at the starting line!<br /><br />Skirt on!</div>Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-857257625142763304.post-27441698048573937562008-09-24T16:55:00.000-07:002008-09-24T17:50:14.333-07:00Shoes tied, clothes folded, bike ridden - the path to growing up!So this has been a big week in the Warriner household. Polly, our 5-year-old, has mastered some real big-kid things! <div><br /><div>We did our standard "Fall Fashion Show" where we get out <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SNrU4TzYfcI/AAAAAAAAACk/eP6x4Kds6Fo/s1600-h/DSCN0139.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249742379507285442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SNrU4TzYfcI/AAAAAAAAACk/eP6x4Kds6Fo/s320/DSCN0139.JPG" border="0" /></a>all her fall and winter clothes and try <em>everything</em> on to see what still fits. Looked like we needed to get some new church clothes so some shopping was in order. </div><br /><div>Sunday we went to our favorite store, Super Target, and did some serious shopping. We made it to the fitting room with over 20 things to try on. After making some hard decisions (do we go with the red plaid skirt or the pink... so tough) we made it home with lots of mix-and-match pieces very appropriate for a little girl that is trying to grow up but her mom isn't as ready as she is.</div><br /><div></div><div>Our ground rules - nothing with Hannah Montana, Camp Rock, or High School Musical, and we both had to agree on it. That's it - shopping was actually so much fun with her! She's got the pink/black preppy/punk look going on and I love it!</div><div></div><br /><div>Then as we are trying to put her clothes away (usually done with forceful stuffing into her drawers) she decided she should fold her pants and showed me how she could do it! Very nice, we'll see how long that lasts. Most of her stuff hangs up so stuffing - whatever - as long as it's not on the floor.</div><div></div><br /><div>Monday comes around and she comes home from school saying "I can tie my shoes! I can be the shoe tie helper!" She really can tie her shoes now. We've practiced maybe 5-8 times total and each time she insists she doesn't want to learn. It all has to be in her own time. That's just Polly!</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SNrf0tOkHwI/AAAAAAAAACs/oulQg_rwnI8/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249754412240609026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I3OK_VLCC24/SNrf0tOkHwI/AAAAAAAAACs/oulQg_rwnI8/s200/004.JPG" border="0" /></a>Then Monday afternoon we finally got to put the pedals on her bike and she got on it and rode without a single minute of help! I must say, we got the Trek Float bike and it was so great. For the last few months she's practiced "riding" without pedals so she could get the idea of balancing, braking, coasting, and picking up her feet. It was the easiest bike training I've heard of. </div><div></div><br /><div>Every day after school she's coming home and riding all around the driveway and around the block pretending like she's doing a triathlon! I've got a short video of her growing up and her little brother following in her footsteps! </div><br /><div></div><div>Funny John story - he tells us that when he grows up he's going to "be a big girl and go to Kindergarten too" - too cute!</div></div>Rebecca Warrinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01335381090569767516noreply@blogger.com0