Lukas' first Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby was this past weekend and let me tell you, it was quite an experience. He still has a long way to go in the good sportsmanship skill area, but he is learning that even losing can be fun.
Here is a little glimpse into the excitement....
Dad and Lukas - the creators of the car!
Lukas and Christopher - his partner in crime :)
The cars....
Since any of us fascinated with design know how all important the grid system is, thought I'd share this wonderful resource that I stumbled across today......
A Photoshop 4-column grid template for those of us who start our website design with PS!
And a wonderful little FREE XHTML/CSS Template to go with it :))
Recently people have told me, “you’ll get over it, it’s just a dog,” or “that’s a lot of money for just a dog”.
So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog", just smile.... because they “just don’t understand”.
text by Richard Biby
photo - Justus (Winter - Feb 2008)
a boy and his dog!
Well here we are again in decision mode. Seems like every few years or so we find ourselves trying to figure out what best to do with our lives, what's best for the kids, etc. etc.
I guess I never was the kind of person to stay put for too long or keep up with the status quo, so I guess I'm staying true to self!
Still haven' t heard anything back from France on the final offer, I guess we'll see what fate brings us!
As for the last week it's been crazy busy. Last weekend we went downtown with the Schnackenberg family (Lukas' best friend Chris) downtown to the Mag Mile Festival of Lights which ends with the parade lighting Michigan Ave. After the parade, we went to Gino's East for good old Chicago style deep dish pizza - yum! We stayed overnight right next to the Rock n' Roll McDonalds and in the morning we went over to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Thankfully, we were treated to nice warm weather on Sunday. It turned out to be a perfect weekend, but we were a bit wiped out by the end of the day.
On Monday, we had to go retrieve Justus who was being babysat by Grammy in Rockford. Tuesday was playdate heaven with Ben Castro and Chris Schnackenberg going back and forth between the houses.
Wednesday we went to see Planet 51, again with Chris and Peyton.
Thursday Thanksgiving at my Aunt Joette's house in Rockford with the rest of the family.
Friday, Black Friday 4:30am shopping frenzy with Pam Castro, then Christmas tree hunting at Oney's Tree Farm with Grammy, Grandpa and Max's family (we just ran into them there!), then the Crystal Lake Holiday Parade with Lukas in the Cub Scout Pack 347 float with the Grinch.
Saturday shopping at Nordstrom's for shoes for the boys, lunch at P.F. Changs.
Sunday, finishing up the Christmas decorating, yummy moules marinieres for lunch with red wine, swimming at the club, the bowling league for the boys at 6pm.
Do you think we kept busy enough during the Thanksgiving break?? I can only imagine what Christmas break will be like!
Now it's headlong into the month of December with tons on our plate. Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping, Lukas First Reconciliation, Chris' birthday, Cub Scout Breakfast with Santa, holiday parties, visiting relatives, etc. etc. never a dull moment :)
.....and today, we added another member to our glasses club (so far Noah and I have been in the club)!
Isn't he cute??? Of course, they are red, his favorite color!
Two weeks after returning from Tanzania, I had the pleasure of visiting Lukas' classroom to give a little talk to the kids about my trip.
They were absolutely fascinated with the images and videos of the children at ICT's Morogoro Project. Seeing the Tanzanian students with their letters in hand made it all very real to them.
With this little presentation, I was able to give these suburban Chicago kids a basic understanding of how other kids around the globe live and learn. Hopefully, I was able to open their minds to the fact that not all children are as lucky as they are in life. They were shocked to learn that these kids had to struggle to be able to attend school and that sometimes they only get one meal a day.
Hopefully, before my children are too old, I will be able to bring them to a developing country so that they can see first hand what life is like in other, less fortunate parts of the world. I think that this is one of the most important gifts that I can give them - an understanding and a respect for ALL the people pf our world.
Click to listen to Tanzania Yetu while you read!
Well, the day has finally come. I wake to a beautiful sunrise over the Indian Ocean this morning. The first thing on my agenda is some nice coffee and brekkie, then swimming in the ocean. Before I head out though, I take a few minutes to sit on the porch and look out over the ocean. If I could have gotten my coffee here, I would not leave the room so soon! I decide that it's probably not a bad idea to re-organize the old bags and pack everything up before heading out.
Breakfast is relaxing under the open-aired thatched roof restaurant. You can listen to the gentle waves slapping the shore and smell the ocean air. It doesn't get much better than this. Everyone is a little subdued at breakfast, most likely the fact that we leave today is sinking in and maybe the effects of last night's festivities. Quite a few people are staying on in Tanzania. Some are going on to a safari, lots are going to Zanzibar to relax on the gorgeous beaches, and a few more are going to Malawi. Next time I come to Tanzania, and I WILL be coming back here (hopefully with Karim and the boys), I am NOT missing out on Zanzibar. It looks absolutely amazing.
The swim in the ocean is perfect, lots of us are bobbing around out there. We get a chance to get a little last minute chatting done before we have to think about packing up and heading out again. We need to be out of our rooms by 11am, even though we are not leaving until 1:30.
All that's left to do is lay around in the sun and drink a little more and eat a little more before shoving off.
Thank goodness for Maggie and I, Lisa offers to let us use her room and shower since she is staying on here another night. That means we don't have to rush. So we drag our bags through the sand to her place and take our time getting ready.
Once it's time to go, we all get back in the buses (those nice little air-conditioned buses have magically re-appeared , same drivers and all) for the ride to the airport. Even though our plane does not leave until 20h00, we get an early start. We now know that the traffic is pretty bad on the airport route and that the airport might not deal so quickly with checking in a group of 30+ people.
The traffic is indeed slow going, which gives us our last opportunity to see and smell the city of Dar. It's Saturday and the streets are full of busy people going here and there. We make our way back to the here we get a much better view of what we are riding on. It was pitch black last time. On we go to the ferry. For some reason (maybe because the buses are smaller?), we don't have to get off this time. I'm sort of glad to be able to stay (somewhat) cool.
I have a super long journey ahead. The bus ride ends up taking a few hours (even with the ferry), then we wait at Dar airport for about an hour, do a little shopping and a little lunching. Then a flight from Dar to Nairobi via a short stop in Kilimanjaro. We are all supremely bummed that it is dark already and we can't see Kili from the plane - now I guess I HAVE to come back as one of my dreams is to see Mt. Kili in my lifetime (maybe even climb it!).
Then we have a several hour wait in Nairobi. Many of us decide to fork over a few dollars and rest in luxury in the first class lounge with big overstuffed couches and free food and drinks plus internet. It's a good decision as there is still LOTS of travel ahead for us (at least us Chicago folks). The flight from Nairobi to London Heathrow is 8h30. All of us continuing on have to go through customs in Heathrow with the locals. This gives us a chance for big hugs and goodbyes, we've been through quite a lot together as a group. Hopefully I will see some of these people again in my lifetime!
We Chicagoans, grab our bags and head out to find our next flights. We part ways with Marlies, who is going on to Amsterdam. Then Marty, Dawn and Josh make their farewells as they are flying American. Now it's down to just me and Antje, going on the same United flight to Chicago O'Hare.
After 4 more hours of waiting, a nice breakfast together, a little independent shopping and a little Facebooking in the Internet Cafe and it's finally time to jump on the LAST portion of our journey together.
After another grueling 9 hours of airplane, I finally step foot onto US soil. Customs and baggage are fairly quick - thank God - as I am exhausted and slimy and ready to see all my boys!
I exit out the customs and Lukas and Noah run yelling into my arms. I have been to the other side of the planet, I have seen and experienced so much over the last 12 days....but nothing is as good as having my babies in my arms! Welcome home Mommy!
and a sad Farewell, but never Goodbye Tanzania !!
Well, today is the day that this whole adventure has really been about. Supporting the important work that International Childcare Trust (ICT) does in concert with the Faraja Trust in the Chamwino slum area of Morogoro, Tanzania.
I can't begin to fully describe what this moment is like for me.
I have been working so hard to get here for more than 9 months. Nine months of fundraising and awareness raising. Nine months of working to convince people around me how valuable this work is and how badly ICT needs our help. What started out as a suggestion from my good friend Maggie, turned into Team Chicago, a group of 6 very different individuals all united under a single cause and goal. So much effort went into trying to secure donations and trying to convince several large corporations to support our cause. And of course, let's not forget all the hours away from my family devoted to cycling in order to prepare myself for the challenge itself.
Every last bit of it was worth the effort. Today everything is payed back when I look into the faces of the kids at the Project's school. When I see how ICT has actually changed the lives of these children and given them a better future, it is so worth it all.
I know that I do not only speak for myself when I tell you that I am HONORED to have been a part of this challenge and to have been a positive force in the lives of these vulnerable children - I speak for all 45 of us.
We wake up this 9 October, 2009 to a relaxing start. No more riding for us, we can actually take a shower and stay clean. We have a calm breakfast and a relaxing chat next to the pool before preparing to board the buses for our ride through Morogoro to the Chamwino slums.
As we arrive at the project, we see crowds of people all lined up to greet us, holding a big Welcome sign aloft for all to see. We all all so excited to get out of those buses and go see the children. We all file into the classroom to see so many children with shy grins on their faces. The teacher in the front of the room leads them in a song for us, and their sweet voices fill the warm air as we snap photo after photo.
Once we are settled, Victor, from Faraja Trust, comes in to explain to us what exactly the work is that they do in this school.
The Faraja Street Children Rehabilitation Project was established in 1997 in Morogoro Municipality in response to the plight of children affected by HIV and AIDS. Owing to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the Morogoro region experienced an alarming growth in the number of orphans and street children. As a result of the epidemic many children were forced to drop out of school and start working to support the family. The project seeks to rehabilitate and re-socialize vulnerable children (orphans and street children) by involving the family and community institutions. Its ultimate purpose is to provide vulnerable children with an opportunity to leave the street and to re-establish connections with their families and communities. This is done through promotion of positive values, family counseling, and the creation of a network of community resources and services in support of the children.
We are told that these children, because of this plight, did not receive their first few years of primary education. The school we are visiting is a special school devoted to reintegrating these children into the state education system. The children spend anywhere from 1-3 years in this school catching up on all they have missed until they are able to sit government exams. The goal is then to reintegrate them into the regular school system.
The children are housed with foster families while at the school. Although the foster families receive some financial support to house these children, they still frequently find the extra person under the roof difficult to support. Children are sometimes sent out into the street again to generate family income. Most of these childrens only food during a 24 hour period is the lunch they get at school, as foster families often cannot feed them.
He goes on to explain that in addition to the school Faraja also runs a community center where these children can have a safe place to play and receive psychosocial support.
We then have a brief moment, that I have been looking forward to for weeks. My son Lukas' 2nd Grade class has prepared friendship letters for the children in the Chamwino school. Victor explains to the kids what the letters are as I hand them into outstretched hands. The look of amazement and happiness on those childrens faces is absolutely priceless. Those letters become prized possessions and are clutched very tightly as they are shared with others. I feel so lucky to be able to offer this small token of caring and friendship to these kids. I simply cannot wait to share this moment with my children on the other side of the world when I get home. I truly believe that the first step in helping others is to understand other people's situations. This is a small step in that direction.
After hearing about the work, Victor introduces the program that some of the older children have prepared. A group of girls perform a traditional dance accompanied by boys on drums. After the dance, we see a small skit about a typical social situation that these kids may face. A young girl is forced into an early marriage against her will. After marrying, the girl contracts HIV/AIDS from her husband and is then blamed by his family for making him sick. Although we don't understand the words spoken, we clearly receive the message of despair from the girl and the impact this sort of situation has on the community.
At the end of the program, we leave the school and get an explanation of the water project that ICT is also funding. We look on as the work continues right in front of our eyes as the men dig the trenches for the pipes. We make our way slowly through Chamwino, many of us holding hands with the kids. Once again we are warmly greeted by smiles and waves and the antics of kids along the way. We are going to the local football (soccer) pitch to have another friendly game with the locals.
Everyone gathers round to watch the game against the backdrop of the mountains. Kids swarm everywhere, kids from the project school , but also LOTS of other kids. The game goes off so well, our guys hold their own, but of course they don't win! We are reminded again of what an amazing thing it is to have the opportunity to spend the afternoon playing soccer with a bunch of Tanzanian kids!
I really just can't say often enough that this experience was one of the best of my life. I highly recommend anyone thinking about doing an ICT challenge to jump in with both feet and go for it! It is an amazing experience top to bottom.
Finally, it was time for us to say our goodbyes. We pile into the buses one last time and head back to the hotel. We will apparently be taking a luxury (large) coach on to our lunch spot and then finally back to Dar. We are told that the journey back to Dar es Salaam will take about 3 hours.
It turns out that the coach is not air-conditioned. After a long week, none of us is too excited about a non-AC 3 hour ride (which we know will probably not be 3 hours). Lunch is at a small restaurant outside of Morogoro. It is really nice to sit and eat all together with the Ahsante guys again. We get an opportunity at lunch to thank Ahsante as a group and present them with a bonus tip for all the hard work of the week. They are very grateful and of course break out in a bit of a song and dance for us again. After a football style line up, where we all get to shake hands and hug all of the guys, we load back into the bus for the ride back.
As per expected, the ride back to Dar took more than 5 hours. The trip gave us plenty of time to reflect back on our week, see some last bits of scenery in Tanzania and catch up on some sleep. We had thought that the adventure for the week was complete - not so! As we got into Dar es Salaam proper the traffic became completely blocked. To get to our beach resort (the Kipepeo), we need to get to the far side of the bay. The road around the bay was at a complete stand-still.
Simon announced that we had an alternative. Apparently there is a ferry that crosses the bay in about 20 minutes, saving LOTS of traffic time. We decided to take the ferry. We all needed to unload from the bus and go into the ferry by foot and the bus drove on separately. Needless to say, it was Friday night and rush hour time and from the way it looked the ferry was a VERY popular means of getting across that bay. The crowds were very thick as we piled out of the bus. We made quite a spectacle, 50 or so white people on a ferry full of locals. We were pulled into the mob and pushed along like all the rest of the people. What an experience. At some point, one of the cyclists (Sophie) was handed a baby to hold. There were countless women managing several children on their own, I guess this mom felt Sophie looked like a safe helper! Despite being a little crazy, it was fun. I made my way up to the top and had a nice view of the city skyline as we crossed the bay with a beautiful breeze blowing over us. At the end of the ferry ride, we all got back onto the bus and headed for Kipepeo and our celebration dinner.
We found Kipepeo shortly after. It is a wonderful beach-side resort that's really only a step above camping. Lodging is in woven bungalows along the beach, some (like mine) were raised up on stilts with the whole front opening out to the sea, lovely mosquito nets over the beds (believe me, we needed those) and a little porch with a hammock. So very relaxing after a long week riding. It's too dark to take photos, we can t=do that tomorrow.
Dinner was great, with live traditional entertainment and dancing had by all. Then Maggie handed out certificates to us all and crowned each rider with a special title. Some titles were riding related like "King of the Hill" or "Queen of the Sprint". Others were less traditional, like "King of Romance" and "Queen of International Child Relations" (that last was mine :). It was great fun, and a wonderful way to end the week. Many of us stayed up until the wee hours partying and apparently having a little too much fun. I hit the hay at around 1am, knowing that I had a serious day (or tow) of travel ahead.
check out that lovely shiner on Maggie (remember the railroad???)
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