A more upbeat post - A message from Africa

[shack]

Soon after I found out about the young girl we knew passing away last night I received and email from my daughter. It raised my spirits some. :D As some may have read here, she is on an 11 week trip to Africa. She spent the first two weeks in Egypt. She saw the pyramids, rode a camel, swam in the Nile, spent 2 days on the Nile in a felucca (sail boat), swam in the Mediterranean, visited the Sahara Desert, slept under the stars at an oasis, climbed a mountain, hiked in the desert and a bunch more stuff. Now she is in Kenya, volunteering at an orphanage for a few weeks before she goes to Tanzania to see some wildlife and Madagascar to snorkel in the Indian Ocean. In the meantime, she will be “roughing it” just a little.

Here is the email I received:

Well I'm finally in Kenya. And boy what a different world this is. The children are wonderful. So far I've visited their school, took a ride into town and helped with the dishes and laundry. Speaking of laundry I plan on wearing like 3 outfits the entire time I'm here. There is so much red clay and I figure I'll just leave them behind when I leave. The accommodations are interesting to say the least. I am in a "dorm" with 8 other people. We have no electricity and have to use mosquito nets for when we sleep. The toilet consists of a hole in the ground and the shower in a bucket of warm water that you heat over the fire. I'm pretty sure I might starve here. All meals have a mixture of rice, potatoes, cabbage, kale, and beans. Not really a lot of nutrition. But I did get to go to the grocery store - I'm talking like a real grocery store where they have cold milk. I cannot wait to get some of that. So far I think I'm going to be helping out around the orphanage with the work and teaching some of the locals how to use the computer. I'm already missing Egypt and all the group members. Well gotta run. Love you all and I'll send out a weekly email to keep y’all up to date.

Lauren

[steveinaz]

Wow, what a fantastic adventure. Cool stuff Shack.

[appadv]

Wow,

I can definitely relate to that. Was in Tibet last year filming a documentary with my friends, and I thought I was going to starve.

Seems like she is having a lot of fun !

[shack]

Was in Tibet last year filming a documentary with my friends, and I thought I was going to starve.

Only 5-6 more weeks of the rice, potato, cabbage, kale and bean diet. I believe they do have a cow to milk. Not very cold milk though. I bet even McDonalds will seem like gourmet fare when she's done. ;)

Seems like she is having a lot of fun !

I'm sure she is. She called and talked her mom an hour or so ago. She was able to purchase a cheap calling card and use a land line. Much cheaper than the $4.00 a minute to use her cell phone. Texting is reasonable though at 50¢ per. She has to go to a small town nearby to use an internet cafe to send emails.

[janmike]

What a great trip for your daughter Steve. I bet this will change her outlook on life and what she has.

[shack]

What a great trip for your daughter Steve. I bet this will change her outlook on life and what she has.

Probably will...but this is not a first for her. This may be the poorest area she has been to, but she worked with kids in one of the poorest areas of Mexico City a few years back and a year and a half ago she and her classmates helped to design an orphanage in El Salvador. She made two trips to that ophanage and got fairly attached to the kids. Both were in areas of poverty, but probably not to this extent and definitely not for this length of time.

[appadv]

She called and talked her mom an hour or so ago. She was able to purchase a cheap calling card and use a land line. Much cheaper than the $4.00 a minute to use her cell phone. Texting is reasonable though at 50¢ per. She has to go to a small town nearby to use an internet cafe to send emails.

Wow, they have phone service over there? In Tibet we didn't have any electricity, water, or phone service; heck, the toilet was a hole in the ground and there was barely any food.

The electricity became an issue halfway through the trip, as we couldn't recharge our camera batteries and most of my batteries had run out.

As for the food, well, let's just say I lost 20+lbs!!

[pearsall001]

That's so great that she's getting out to see the world & to be able to help other folks. I'm sure it's a real eye-opener for her to see just how rough others have it.

The majority of kids here just don't have a clue how lucky & spoiled they are.

Good for her...that 11wks will be over before you know it & she'll be home safe & sound. Those memories will last her a life time!

[Keiko]

What an amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing Shack, thats great!

[zombie boy 2000]

I'm so glad that my college required us to study abroad for at least a semester. Where many chose places such as London and Paris, I consider my adventure to Quito, Ecuador to be one of the greatest choices I have ever made.

Way to go Shack... it really sounds like you're raising some unbelievable children.

[Early B.]

Actually, the food your daughter mentioned is very nutritional, although short on variety. It's much better than McDonalds, though.

[shack]

Actually, the food your daughter mentioned is very nutritional, although short on variety. It's much better than McDonalds, though.

Not to bad. Missing some of the nutrients some of the fruits and vegatables will provide and some and the beans will offset the lack of meat. Acceptable, but not the well rounded diet that is optimal.

[janmike]

You have one amazing daughter Steve. Congrats to you and your wife on a great job. I will see how we have done in about 10 more years.

[George Grand]

Great stuff Steve!

[joeparaski]

If you manage...try to get a picture or 2 posted here.

Joe

[appadv]

The majority of kids here just don't have a clue how lucky & spoiled they are.

To a large extent, that may be true. However, everyone has different personal circumstances so such a blanket statement might not be the case with kids in the US. Case in point: A friend of mine unfortunately has a very difficult disease to live with and isn't in that great health. Her parents buy her everything - she has a Lexus, gets a new computer every 9 months, etc. But her health is what matters in the end.

About what you said though, I actually like the simple life better. When I was in Tibet, everyone was happy and it really touched me to see kids living in such poverty yet so happily. Its almost as if the more we have, the more we get caught up in things so I really enjoyed the 6 weeks with no electricity, plumbing, A/C, etc. Backpacking in the village was lots of fun and even though there wasn't much food to eat, it made us appreciate things that we take for granted. I did this trip when I was...18. It taught me a lot and I hope Shack's daughter enjoys her trip!!

[shack]

If you manage...try to get a picture or 2 posted here.

Joe

She tried to send a couple but the internet she was able to use was just too slow to download the pic files. When she can send a few I will post them.

[SolidSqual]

I'm jealous!

[bobman1235]

Actually, the food your daughter mentioned is very nutritional, although short on variety. It's much better than McDonalds, though.

I know, I'm so sick of all the stories about the fantastic health and nutrition they get in Kenya. All you ever see is pictures of strapping, healthy kids from that region. ;)


All kidding aside, awesome for your daughter shack. Both for the experience for her and the help she's providing to people who need it.

[Sherardp]

Awesome read Shack, been to Kenya and some other parts of Africa while I was in the Corps. Lots to see for sure.

[shack]

If you manage...try to get a picture or 2 posted here.

Joe

Since Joe asked...She was finally able to send a few...

Lauren is the brunette in the pictures...

As a side note...a couple of Irish guys show up as volunteers who had some electrical skills and were able to set up some of solar panels so their dorm where she sleeps now has electricity.


The Pyramids

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2646192300_b89f108c52_o.jpg

Riding a Felucca on the Nile

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2645364637_fd1d6ca04e_o.jpg

A Desert Fox in the Sahara

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2645364569_ea7be2f277_o.jpg

The Siwa Oasis

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/2646192428_7cd151c0cf_o.jpg

A few from the orphanage in Kenya....

The menu of potato, rice, beans, cabbage and maize is not the most appetizing and boring having to eat it everyday...however the kids eat it to survive...and are just glad to have enough to do so. Many aren't so lucky.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2646192466_c8d582105b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/2646192348_d950c4766e_o.jpg

He just got new glasses...he can see clearly now even though the picture is blurry.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2646192120_bc0e432eb3_o.jpg

[jflail2]

Awesome stuff. Kudos to people like your daughter!!