Touched down in Chennai

We landed around 8:30 and arrived at the guesthouse a bit after 9:30. I was greeted by a bird pooping on my head, which raised the question, is that really good luck? Whether it is or not, it smelled horrible. It also added to the long list of reasons why I needed to shower ASAP! The guesthouse got many upgrades from last year including new AC units, which was beyond exciting. However, the temperature here is pretty perfect and there was even a cool breeze.

Welp, here goes an attempt at getting some good zzz's. Tomorrow morning we'll try to motivate to do a workout of some sorts, get some groceries at the grocer on the corner and then head over to meet with our partners!! We'll also welcome Becs to Chennai when she gets in tomorrow night :)

Hello Tomorrow!

So here we are in 2014 and here I am back at Dubai International Airport. Leaving New York, we were a little delayed because of the 3-4 inches of snow dumped during the morning hours, however it worked out in our favor because it meant a shorter layover in Dubai (4 hrs versus 6). There's definitely some déjà vu as Tim and I had the same breakfast sandwiches in the airport pub at JFK, flew the same route and will be on the ground in India again--same and yet better. We're all another year wiser, more creative and more experienced. And as the whipped cream and cherry on top, we get to share this year with GPP's newest fellow, Becs, and help launch a new program in Bangalore!

Hello Tomorrow is Emirates slogan which I've been visually bombarded with this morning. It is also a perfect phrase to capture my excitement for what is ahead in this year! Next post, we will be in Chennai :)

Don't blink, for you might miss a magical moment

Wow! It's been an unbelievable 2 months in the field! What a wonderful adventure ending with an adorably thoughtful send off from our team here in Cambodia, complete with homemade super staff awards, a framed photo from our modeling shoot, and a NHCC tshirt...all to remind us we are a part of their special family. Such an honor and a dream to witness camp lotus and be part of their magic.
There is a camp-time continuum where the days go by fast but when you look back, things feel like forever ago...June 14th feels like last year yet I have so many vivid memories of the past 8 weeks...being a part of our first year program in Botswana, going on safari, eating kudu and baby duck eggs (tasty, just can't think about it), toilet paper tosses, LT modeling shoots, lightning plans, epic stage nights, the most adorable little humans, Cape Town, sprinting through airports, colleagues and friends that fill my heart with so much love and my life with so much happiness.
To those back home, get ready 'cause here I come! Thank you for your love and support from afar and I look forward to sharing stories and catching up.
Enjoy the photos, a compilation of my favorites!
Love
Mary

Good to be back!

Today is day 7 in Phnom Penh, where I am back for training and camp programming. We had a great week with the leadership team and they are so prepared. They have been planning and preparing for camp since May and have the camp prep list all checked off (this is not typical!) The team is young so there will be opportunities to build their leadership capacity and management skills, which I am very excited about. I also hear this is a really special program with a strong family vibe and deep connections so I can't wait to see it and be part of it!

Today is our off day and we are spending a portion lounging by the pool! We'll do a little exploring in Phnom Penh and try a new restaurant for dinner. Tonight, I'll catch up in some documents and emails as well as Skype with family back home.

This place is so friendly, pleasant and relaxing....ahhhhh :)

M

Quick one from Abu Dhabi

Hi all,
Just a quick update before my flight to Bangkok (one step closer to Cambodia!) For the past week, I had a wonderful Cape Town adventure that included Stellenbosch (South Africa's Napa valley), Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a massage, Simon's Town (penguins), the Cape of Good Hope, and a heck of a lot of laughs! Traveling solo is empowering but traveling with a buddy is SO much better...thanks, Hil.

Fun facts we learned along the way: the ocean south of Africa is actually the India Ocean, not the Arctic. Also, the penguins in Cape Town are not from Antarctica...sad, I know. Elevation of Table Mountain is about 3,500 feet and it has a rotating cablecar, one of 3 in the world, that can take up to 65 passengers at one time. We stayed at a great place, Hippo, off of Kloof Street and I recommend it to anyone!

Enjoy the photos and I'll be posting again soon,
Mary

So long Gabs, hello Cape Town!

Woo-eee! What a day it has been! Two days ago, on July 11th, Camp Hope Botswana finished its 2013 season serving 100 campers! We had a successful departure day and then debrief meetings with the staff and leadership team. In the evening the SeriousFun team celebrated at News Cafe where I had eggs Benedict and the world's best hollandaise sauce-no lie. It was an early night and we all slept in, getting about 12 hours sleep--that's the end of camp for ya! We went for a buffet breakfast at Mma Ramotswe's tea room and tooled around Main Mall looking for crafts and souvenirs. Around 3 we left for the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, about 30 minutes outside downtown Gabs. There we went on a great evening game drive (saw rhino incl. a baby, giraffe, hyena, zebra, warthog, eland, hippo, and wildebeest) and had a grand finale dinner. Hilary was finally able to order gluten free pasta, Zac and I enjoyed $3 Windhoeks (note they were .5 liters) and the girls had amazing butternut soup! It was such a nice way to celebrate the last month and soak up the last moments in Botswana.

Now onto today! It was sad to say goodbye and we had to say it to Zac first, who had a flight at 1 pm. The 3 girls had some downtime since our flight didn't leave until 4:30 so Hilary and I got some extra layers for Cape Town and we found a wifi cafe to do some work. At the airport, right as we thought we'd be boarding, we find out the plane has a hole...somewhere, and we are delayed 2 hours. This wasn't much of a problem for Melissa since her flight from Joburg was at 11 pm but for Hilary and I, it meant we'd miss our connection to Cape Town. Fortunately though, we made it! After a vwry quick goodbye to Melissa, lots of sprinting, sweating, telling the SA Airways people they are ridiculous, and dropping over $250, we sat safely on the plane. Everything shut down as soon as we had gone through; ticket counter, bag check in, security checkpoint! When we got on the flight, we were both in middle seats but the nice lady next to me offered to move and let Hilary sit there. She reminded us that there are good people in this world! Once we relaxed, the flight was great; wine, chicken curry, and some solid girl chat. When we arrived at the airport, so did our bags (thank goodness) and the driver from the hotel was waiting...to take us to the most amazingly awesome and affordable boutique hotel in Cape Town, complete with Mexican and Thai restaurants right downstairs, heated bathroom floors, speedy wifi, and a bath tub! Oh and by the way, Table Mountain is unbelievable..you look left and see the far of a mountain, you look right and see the ocean. I am in love and it isn't even daylight :)

Enjoy the photos from the last days in Gabs and keep it classy state-side,
Mary

PS Zac got us all elephant figurines to thank us and always remind us of this trip...quite possibly the cutest thing ever (see photo, sideways)

Camp Hope 2013 Staff Training

It is in the books! Yesterday we had our closing with 23 wonderful, super energetic staff and on Sunday we will all welcome the campers! The days were long (yet it flew by) and the staff learned a lot of new concepts, but their energy never let up. They were all appreciative of the new techniques they learned for working with children and many shared this during nightly colour group chats. The local Leadership team members did really well taking the lead on the training sessions with our support planning and co-facilitating. A solid foundation has been laid and will continue to be built up over the next two weeks!

The food at camp is so-so, nothing to write home about though, which is why we were really craving western food last night. The whole week we were looking forward to the Mugg & Bean and it certainly satisfied, especially the chocolate cake at the end :)

Photos below include the packed camp van, all of our flip charts showing all that we accomplished during the ST week, and the cake!

Stay cool,
Mary