We love & believe in YOU, Camp Addis!

It was a super quick trip to Ethiopia but time did not limit the ability of the Camp Addis team to fill my heart and utterly impress me with their thoughtfulness and incredible dedication to camp. The purpose of this trip was to do a criteria visit which assesses the quality and safety standards of the camp program. And this team set the bar high!

I flew in late Monday night, where I made a friend, Lual, in the airport parking lot. Neither of our hotel shuttles were anywhere to be found and neither of us had local phones, so we put our heads together to figure out a ride...and eventually we did thanks to a taxi driver who let us borrow his phone! From Tuesday to Thursday we were at the site. The camp site is about an hour (more like two with traffic) from Addis Ababa. It was an honor and such a joy to join in the sweet Camp Addis magic, pick up some new dance moves (eskesta, traditional shoulder dancing), eat my first bites of Ethiopian food, and learn 'thank you' in Amharic...amase ganulu :)

Back in Addis, the criteria team ventured out for a full Ethiopian meal including a fasting platter, a taste of tej, coffee, and espris. Tej is a honey wine and espris is a layered fruit drink with avocado, mango, guava and banana.

Right now, Haley and I are waiting in the star alliance lounge waiting to head to Istanbul. #friendswithbenefits

I'll post again soon when I'm in Turkey!

Hugs,

M

Baby duck egg adventures!

With one final weekend in Phnom Penh, I've successfully found a balance between work, relaxation and fun. Saturday morning I slept in a bit since I had seen Emma off to the airport around 4am. Then I had my favorite Villa Langka breakfast (muesli, pancakes and a croissant with mango jam). The rest of the morning I spent in front of my laptop or in the pool. I got a message from a camp colleague to go on a baby duck egg adventure at 3pm...and so off I went with Chanthy and her sister Chantha. First we went to DreamLand, a small amusement park close by. The girls experienced their first Ferris wheel ride while I experienced my first 'foreigner entrance fee' which was 6x the price! At the park we splurged on street food including baby duck eggs. There were more feathers than I remember from last year but the flavor was great! Of course, I made sure not to consume too much street food for fear my system would reject it! Once we felt like we got our money's worth, we went to an arcade for some air hockey, hot shot, and claw games. When the girls dropped me off, they came in and we had ourselves some smoothies to put off having to say goodbye. After they left it was around 8 so I took a dip in the pool and stayed in for dinner. 

This morning I started the day in similar fashion and my afternoon excursion consisted of getting a pedicure and mochi. It was the best $5 pedi ever! Pretty sure my feet and toes are as fresh as when I popped out of the womb! And the mochi, my second time ever, was delectable. Although I learned the hard way that you can't take your time to savor each bite because it IS ice cream and it DOES melt.

After finishing some more work and getting the visa that I just realized I need for Turkey, I decided on Terrazza for my final meal in Cambodia. It's an Italian spot that opened last year and since I wanted something filling, I thought why not some delicious pasta and bread! So here I sit outside (beautiful night but the bugs are attacking!) enjoying delicately pan seared eggplant. One more dip in the pool when I get back and a shower to feel refreshed before a day of flying :)

Enjoy the pics from the past couple days and before long I'll be posting from Africa!

hugs

M

Back in the Kingdom!

First off, apologies for the delay. It has been over two months since my last post and I've been traveling for about 3 weeks without blogging about it! Thanks for being patient, and as always, thanks for actually reading :)

Like all trips, I leave from home in the States, but this time I left from the west coast. I was lucky enough to go to one of my college teammate's wedding in Capitola, CA, near Santa Cruz. It was simple, elegant, relaxed and just plain fun. On top of a fabulous wedding, it was a mini team reunion--so nice to catch up and see what everyone is up to!

The morning after the wedding I hopped on a plane to Korea and landed in Phnom Penh on a Monday night. It was a quick turnaround to jump into leadership team training on Tuesday, but our team was ready to rock. With all of us SeriousFunners back together for a second year, we picked up right where we left off. Everyone was excited to be back together again and we had fun facilitating some new sessions. Of course, we kept to our routine of lunch at the Boat Noodle where we feed 10 for $20. Once again, we savored every bite of Villa Langka's breakfast and in the evenings headed to our fav food spots, sometimes sitting at the same table as last year. A new spot we tried was Dine in the Dark, a restaurant that trains people who are legally blind to work as waiters and waitresses. Unlike activities that are intentionally in the dark (haunted house, movie theater), this was a routine experience turned upside down by taking away our vision and forcing our bodies to use every other sense. The three of us could not stop giggling as we were led to our table in a conga line. Throughout the meal we would burst out with excitement whenever we identified a taste--we said bacon a lot! And we laughed at the fact that all of our mouths were probably 2 inches from our plates! We also discovered a coffee shop that has doughnuts and bacon, egg & cheese bagels...and we ate a lunch consisting of 80% French bread. Can you tell what food we miss?!

The next two weeks flew by. Some of the highlights include Emma climbing up to her treehouse bed, finding delicious pumpkin risotto, and sharing the weeks with Silvia and Saranya from Camp Rainbow Bangalore, who were on Staff exchange to learn from the Camp Lotus team. Together we marveled at the beauty of the Camp Lotus site, giggled at lunchtime mime skits and ate many-a-bowls of white rice. On the weekend we strolled through the Night Market (found angry bird pjs) and ate dosa together (a South Indian spot right around the corner!) 

The Camp Lotus team has grown so much since last year and it was very special to see them take initiative and be so confident in their roles during the camp session. Stage Night is always an incredible night, however this year at Camp Lotus, it was particularly powerful for me. After lunch that day, the energy was different--there was a constant hum that was slowly building. At dinner, I could feel the jitteryness of camper's nerves and nearly see the level of excitement rising inside of them. On stage and in the audience, they were bursting! Even campers who had been hard to contain or content to sit out of activities during the week, were so happy to be in that moment and did not want to be anywhere else! The Camp Lotus team does a phenomenal job with entertainment and evening programs, helping campers realize they are unique and THAT deserves love and praise.

More to come on this multi-part journey with Ethiopia and Turkey still to come! A cold and congestion to start the trip, and a hold on my debit card that is hopefully solved, have been the only slight hiccups. Fortunately, I am surrounded by wonderful people who help it all work out and remind me how lucky I am!

Now...off to find a baby duck egg to cap off Camp Lotus round two!

hugs

Mary

Photos from Italy

A few classics from Fiave where we did farm things and Venice where we did...well, Venetian things ;)

Ventisei in Venice

So many reasons to be grateful for amazing friends! Here are two: they take you into their homes and love you like their own; and they are the best companions for going on spontaneous adventures! On May 6, I arrived in Fiave, Italy to visit my friend Sofi who I met while working in India and Cambodia in 2013. We talked about a visit to her side of the world and in less than a year, we made it a reality! After a few days of relaxation, fence-building (yep, we built a fence, no big deal), and farm fresh food, we left the altitude and mountain air behind and headed to the coast. Twenty-six hours in Venice! It seems short, though it is easier to remember all the funny and intricate details of a trip when there are only twenty-six hours to remember. Here it is...

We arrived via train from Verona after dropping Sof's boyfriend off at the airport. We also indulged in a sweet Nutella crepe...to minimize the MTA (meal time aggression), obviously. Once we hit the island, we stopped at Al Piave for a drink--an asian cafe that played 50 cent in the background. No lie. With no schedule and full freedom, we continued on to our airb&b, frequently pausing to check out a store, take in a view, or investigate a potential dinner spot. After several (hundred) extra steps in various directions, Paola's airb&b was in reach. A narrow alley led us to a garden oasis and the door to our room was right beside a beautiful rose bush. With a comfy bed, sufficient space, and soon-to-come delectable breakfast (with Nutella!), our airb&b was everything we needed. We later learned we were the inaugural guests of 'autentico b&b in cannaregio,' which I think is pretty exciting stuff! The neighborbood, Cannaregio, turned out to be our favorite, with more locals than tourists and all the essentials of daily life--panificio, birreria, fruit stands, gelateria and an abundance of vino. Across the south-side canal from our area was the Jewish ghetto, marked by abandoned military checkpoint towers-turned-souvenir shops. And a twenty minute walk brought us to the famous Rialto and San Marco.

Eager to cross as many bridges as possible, we dropped our bags quickly and headed out. First stop: Paradiso Perduto where we lost ourselves in a paradise of fresh seafood and vegetables including squid, octopus, scallops, king prawns, stuffed tomatoes, asparagus, salmon, and carmelized onions. Next, we made our way to the center, first taking in the Grand Canal from Campo di San Sofia (fitting, right?) and then ascending the steps to the top of the Rialto. You could find two types of yellow arrow signs throughout Venice. One said 'Per Rialto' and the other said 'Per San Marco.' These signs helped me navigate better than any tri-fold map and led us to San Marco to see the basilica, piazza, and bell tower. After multiple attempts, Sof and I were able to snap a few decent selfies with these UNESCO heritage site landmarks in the background.

Around 6:30 Sof headed towards Castello to visit a friend for dinner and I set out to get beautifully lost in the maze of canals. Without realizing it until the next day, I managed to explore three neighborhoods and made my way from Arsenal in Castello to the train station in Santa Croce--more than half the distance of the entire island. In between these points, I saw Doge's Palace, la Accademia, Basilica de Santa Maria della Salute, and Chiesa de San Sebastiano, along with countless other landmarks and inscriptions dating back over 500 years. From 6:30 to 8:30, there were two hours of sunlight for this Venice virgin to soak up the magic of the city; to have that initial a-ha moment of being in a place that has no cars or motorized vehicles and truly transports you back in time. It felt like I was walking around a movie set. 

Just as the sun was setting, dark clouds rolled in and a thunderstorm threatened. At this point I didn't really know where I was, my flip-flops were proving to be a horrible choice on the slick stone pathways, and of course, it was dark. While all of this crossed my mind, it didn't phase me one bit. I had no where to be and it's an island, how lost could I get? ...I feel like I'm setting you up for some crazy climax here. I'm not! The rain drops started falling faster and the breeze picked up, canal water dancing up onto the walkways. I called Sof and we decided to meet at San Marco, only for me to realize ten seconds later that I was on the other side of the Grand Canal and it would take me forever to get to San Marco. Eventually we reunited at Rialto and ventured onto our own version of a wine tour. First stop, a hole in the wall called I Rugheti, where we enjoyed a delicious local red and I tried lard for the first time. I know, lard, sounds gross, but it's not-- it tastes like a better, saltier version of American cheese and deli-sliced turkey breast combined.

Moving right along, we found an old mattress factory reincarnated as a restaurant four years ago. The owner had traveled quite a bit before settling in Venice, including a long stay in India. For this reason, he had a map of India hanging and several inspired dishes on the menu. So many reasons to like this place; unfortunately the wine we had wasn't one of them. It was also at this restaurant that we realized we were not heading towards our b&b and were, in fact, farther from our b&b than when we had started. Back on the right path, Sof spotted an old favorite from her earlier days (I would say glory days, but she's still in the midst of those!). We had no choice but to enjoy a nostalgic drink at Devil's Forest. Like many places throughout the city, this bar had free wifi for customers so while Sof reminisced, I skyped my family at home who were together celebrating Mother's Day!

Soon hunger was at the forefront of our minds. Our leisurely jaunt back to the b&b turned into a mission to find some grub. Sadly, it was getting late and not many places, or at least kitchens, were open. A nice man, Peter, offered us free wine as he was closing his cafe, and we accepted, though our ravenous selves wished there was some bread to accompany the wine. Exhausted and anxious for breakfast, we closed the books on an epic first seven hours in Venice.

Refreshed from a good sleep and cool shower, I was ready for day two. Fresh coffee, croissants, granola & yogurt, and Nutella greeted us in the garden. As I happily filled up on more than enough carbs, we decided to explore the ghetto then get on a vaporetto to the smaller islands. On our walk to the water taxi we passed by a glass bead workshop and stopped in to pick up a few beads for Sof's mom. Our quick stop turned into an excavation of glass beads and story time with a passionate artisan named Mauro. He actually showed us the process for making a bead--one rod of glass is melted around a more solid glue-like piece then different colors (rods of glass) are melted in to make designs. Mauro also explained how to make the molds for shaping the beads, first by sanding and carving down a piece of metal to the full shape (not hollow shape). Then that is used to stamp into a block to create a mold. When two molds are finished, they are each welded onto one side of metal tongs. Mauro was such a joy to listen to, sharing the history of the shop and telling us about his curiousity as a boy while watching his mother make the beads. A true master of his craft!

Mauro is also a master of being awesome! Not only did he give us a discount on the beads we bought, but also recommended a great spot for fried seafood. So delicious! Fried just the right amount; a very light breading with uber fresh squid, shrimp, and fish.

For the remainder of the day we cruised around the islands on vaporettos, stopping at Burano to soak up the sun and bright colored houses in the sleepy fishing town. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water, basking in the sun. When we returned to the mainland, we enjoyed a final walk through the city and grabbed sandwiches for lunch on the way. The sun was beating down especially hard, sucking out every drop of hydration we didn't have--so we were exhausted by the time we reached the train. Of course, testing our luck for the second time, the next train was leaving in 5 minutes! Using whatever energy we had left, we bought tickets and ran to the train in lickity-split, record-timing! Once we were on the train we had a solid hour to relax and nap before the drive from Verona to Fiave. As we climbed in elevation on the ride home, my heart filled up with happiness--to be with a beautiful friend in a beautiful place.

Amore,
Mary

P.S. Photos will be posted in a separate blog post

To love and be loved...

I'm going to preface this blog post with, 'this is going to be a long one!' Ten days ago, Camp Rainbow Bangalore finished its first ever season of camp. As we were seeing the bus of campers off, watching it grow smaller down the road, I broke down in tears. It was like someone just flicked a switch. I believe the tears came from the overwhelming emotions of pride, happiness, and even a little bit of shock...the intense pride for the special people who took camp in Bangalore from a vision to a reality in just 7 months, for the determined leadership team in Bangalore who recruited a wonderful group of staff and campers in record time and simply made it happen, for the staff team, especially the activity leaders who I worked closely with, and for our GPP fellow who single-handedly made each day brighter than the last. It was a first for many people at Camp Rainbow Bangalore--including my first field consultant assignment. The month of April 2014 will certainly be one of my most cherished!

Now, after reading this, you are probably thinking it cannot get much better than this...wrong! The day after we finished in Bangalore, I hopped on a train with one of my favorite camp travel buddies and we set off for Chennai, for more camp and for more milestones at Camp Rainbow Chennai. In its fourth season of camp, the team here is independent, facilitating 100% of Staff Training. And not only are they doing it on their own, they are doing it on their own at a remarkably high level--playful professionals at their finest, paying attention to details and doing it all with purpose. On top of this, they are hosting their first Staff Exchange participants (folks from another GPP), managing 3 camp sessions on their own, and having their first ever criteria visit! Criteria is a massive milestone, one that requires focused preparation while also managing camp. Having the opportunity to support this team through their criteria process up to this point has been the most rewarding experience of my career (young career, yes but this is going to stay at the top for a long time!) I am so proud of this team and I know they are going to knock a lot of socks off in a few weeks, including their own ;)

So, with all of these amazing moments filling my mind and heart, I was in the car today driving back to Chennai, reflecting on the past 6 weeks and coming to terms with leaving India, a place that has quickly become near and dear to my heart. About halfway between Pondicherry and Chennai, when my eyes had just dried up from 'goodbye Rochelle tears,' I see a rainbow to the right. Again, it gets better... its a double rainbow. Now, I try not to read too much into things, but here are the facts: in India, camp is called Camp Rainbow and this year we have two Camp Rainbows, Bangalore and Chennai. How beautifully symbolic is this! Watching this double rainbow made me smile inside and out, and brought such nice closure to this trip. This Camp Rainbow journey reaffirmed my values and I will always carry it with me-- it will motivate me to continue setting the bar higher, and remind me to appreciate and praise the people around me.

Jim Valvano, a former college basketball coach, gave an inspirational speech at a sports award ceremony and is famous for this quote in particular: 'To me, there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think--spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions move you to tears. If you laugh, think and cry, that's one heck of a day.'

I can confidently say I did those three things each day for the past 6 weeks and Valvano was right--it was one heck of a time!

Over (the rainbow) and out,
Mary

Happy Easter from the Garden City!

For me, Easter and spring symbolize birth and renewal. From Bangalore, I'm proud and happy to bear witness to the birth of a new GPP, a new Camp Rainbow, a new wonderful place for children!

Two days ago we wished our first group of campers well and saw them off, with less tears and more smiles. Our staff team did a fantastic job bringing camp magic to 26 minchuva nakshatras (shining stars)! We had campers leading yoga sessions, performing almost every night of the week, sharing so many funny moments, and discovering new role models and friends.

Our SeriousFun/YRGCARE team said our farewell to Tim, our fearless leader, on Friday afternoon and are now gearing up to finish off the final stretch! We've used our time this weekend to indulge in some western food, sleep, and even fit in a little church for Easter. Yes, church, shocker for me, I know! It was packed and had a Christian rock boy band--it was awesome!

The photos attached are in no order, but give a nice snapshot of the past few weeks. Yes, we fit all of camp in the back of a small truck and yes, we fit four of us in an auto! Enjoy :)

I wish you happy stomachs, full of jellybeans and peanut butter eggs! Hugs!
Mary

Elephants, SPF 45, and the coolest Achievers

Today we finished leadership team training in Chennai with the Camp Rainbow team and boy, what a week! Early in the week during a session on 'finding our strengths' we learned that many of the team members exhibit strong 'Achiever' characteristics and following this there were such thoughtful discussions and so many signs of growth in this team--these achievers are more than ready to take on camp independently. I am overflowing with love, pride and admiration after this week and looking forward to returning for another week with this team at the end of April! The week also marked personal growth as Tim and I tag teamed to facilitate the trainings, including many new variations which we developed. Tim and I just celebrated the close of our week with dinner at Papa Johns ha! Now next up is Camp Rainbow Bangalore for 4 weeks--a first year program which will mean lots of enthusiasm, learning and laughter.

Let me backtrack a bit to last Thursday and Friday. Tim and I were in the north of India, in Jaipur to be exact. We visited Fatehpur Sikri temples and palace, Amber Fort and Palace (by elephant ride), and we did a full elephant experience on Friday. This included feeding, riding, painting, and bathing our elegant, Masakalee. She was such a gentle giant and pretty playful with us. We also enjoyed a wonderful homemade lunch at the home of the elephant village owner's mother.

Saturday evening we touched down in Chennai and coming back to the guesthouse felt like the comforts of home--where we could finally unpack our bags and not worry about packing and moving the next day. Even with the heat, getting up to 90% humidity one day, I managed to go for a few runs along the beach. It only takes about 20 minutes to work up a good sweat! Tim and I enjoyed some of our fave dining spots, cooked dinner a couple nights and for the first time rode in autos with the locals! We wouldn't have had any problem doing this in the past, but we didn't know we could! The ride is equally comfortable and folks are usually curious about us, and it's cheaper. Why not have some friendly chat and save money at the same time?!

Of course my favorite part about Chennai (second to the Camp Rainbow leadership team) are the sunrises and sunsets. The sky manages to blaze a pinkish orange color that I have never seen before and at sunset there is an added lilac touch. So much beauty here, starting with the smiles of the people I work with.

Attached are some of my favorite photos that I took on my phone :)
xo

Golden Triangle-Day 1

It's about 730pm and Tim and I are ready to call it a night (and quite an incredible first day!) We flew out of JFK at 11pm on Monday, landed in Delhi at 2:30 am Wednesday, and then toured from 11 to 3 pm.
We saw a beautiful sunrise on our drive from Delhi to Agra--the sun was huge and looked like a solid sherbet orange dot in the sky. As we entered the outskirts of Agra, we could see the hazy outline of the Taj Mahal and the massive red Agra Fort. We also stopped to feed some monkeys a few sweet treats and hard candies which they unwrapped and popped in their mouths.
Walking through the gateway and seeing the Taj Mahal, framed by the gateway arch, is absolutely breath-taking. With a bare backdrop and the contrast between the blue sky and white marble, it really is a magnificent site. Then as we walked the grounds and moved closer, we learned how it was actually built and what the 20,000 workers put into each day of those 22 years! One of the fascinating bits of info is that the Taj Mahal is actually a 42 acre grounds including 3 gates, 1 gateway, 1 mosque, 1 mausoleum, and a few additional buildings. The memorable white marble mausoleum is the most photographed though the surrounding red sandstone buildings are also impressive feats. Each archway, of multiple buildings but particularly the mausoleum, has chapters of the Koran written. Also there are 4 towers at each of the 4 corners of the mausoleum, and since they were built to fall away from the mausoleum (if they ever fall), they are at an 87 degree angle instead of 90....actually maybe 83, something in the 80s!
We had a tour guide who provided us with great fun facts on the Taj Mahal mausoleum, which he called 'a noble tribute to womanhood.' He was also an enthusiastic photographer who had us posing all over the grounds! Most pictures were taken with our cameras but I took a few today with my phone which are uploaded here.
After Taj Mahal, we visited a marble handicraft studio where we learned about the decorative ornamentation that we saw on parts of the Taj Mahal buildings. All the colorful decorations are gemstones; one artist carved out the marble and one artist shaped gemstones into fine pieces to fit in place. Since they are gemstones, they don't fade, which they would if just painted. The process is very precise and detail oriented, and big pieces of the decorated marble take years to make. Three special components of the white marble are 1) it is non-porous due to the crystals in it 2) it is translucent and 3) the minerals in it make it strong and scratch-resistant. The art is so specialized, they even measure young children's fingers to see if they'd be the better marble artist or gemstone artist.
Lastly, we hit Agra Fort, and I'll be honest, I was getting tired so I didn't retain as much information there. It was essentially a walled-in city, massive grounds and many sections including some red sandstone and some white marble. I do remember that part of it was a concubine for 5000 women and there were areas for people to be on house arrest (with a nice view of Taj Mahal, pretty spiffy). Also, it has a wet moat and a dry moat with about 4 different gates to pass through to actually get in!
Ok, that's all for day one as I am utterly pooped in Uttar Pradesh! Tomorrow we take on Jaipur...

PS I also saw one of the big five that I missed in Botswana--check out the water buffalo crossing the street!

Bangalore: Food Edition

Tonight we went to a spot called Rahhams about a 15 minute walk from where we are staying. First we stopped at a place called Kebab Manor, but there were no kebabs on sticks like I was hoping for and having my mind really set, the group felt it was necessary to continue walking until we found kebabs on sticks. I could not ask for a more supportive team :) Anywho, we ended up at Rahham's where there were beautiful kebabs hanging in the window! We ate kasturi kebab, kebab sholi and some chicken spring rolls with a phenomenal sauce. We also had a bottle of water that had a questionable cap. Fortunately, we had our camp mama, Rochelle, grill the waiters to make sure it was actually a sealed bottle. The bottle also advertised 300% more oxygen, so it could either make us very sick or increase our breathing capacity three-fold! And of course we ended the night with some form of ice cream--this time gelato. Fer Rocher to be exact. It tasted just like Nutella. Deeelightful!! Fun fact learned at the gelato spot: gelato was first invented in the north of Italy, close to the Dolomites. Folks would pack snow in their basements and then use it to make gelato to sell to tourists and visitors in the summertime.

So here's to food, our favorite hobby, and the wonderful people I get to share this hobby with. Thanks to India for all the intense flavors that make eating so fun and adventurous. And thanks to Ferrero Rocher and Nutella for existing!

Beauty in Bangalore!

After a wonderfully successful visit to Camp Rainbow Chennai, filled with innovative ideas for camp, some serious(ly fun) documentation sessions and only one trip to Bella Ciao--home of questionable beverages that has quickly become infamous for our SeriousFun team....anyway, after all of this magic, we are now in Bangalore. It's a very pleasant city, a bit calmer than Chennai (I know what you're thinking; wait until you go to Bombay). Just yesterday we met the team here for the first time and we are quickly seeing the incredible potential of this leadership team and this new partnership. There is a lot to be excited about--I just need to remember to soak up the whole process and journey along the way :)

We have tried some new foods on this trip including a baby corn dish, garlic chicken, ragi dosa, sev puri, and kesari bhat. While in Chennai though, we went to some of our favorite spots: Azurri Bay for Thai, Rochelle's for an amazing home-cooked meal, and Drizzle...with a stop at Baskin Robbins on the way home.

This trip in Bangalore has already been filled with Rochelle's happy giggles, Becs' enthusiasm for everything including early morning workouts, and of course Tim's witticisms. I am very much looking forward to being back in a short 5 weeks!