Fatal Freeze Numbs Europe

After reading the headlines in the complimentary issue of USA Today; I realize I'm lucky to be here.  Sitting in the lobby of the Comfort Inn Suites at JFK, waiting for the shuttle to take me back to the airport, I'm on the tail end of my commute back to Washington D.C.  My quick visit to Kate before the holidays coinciding nicely with a large winter storm that has taken northern Europe by surprise.
Yesterday's nightmare at Dublin airport some how substantiated by the printed word before me... my own 12 hour wait at  Dublin's airport,  a paltry comparison to some of the other scenarios captured in today's news.  Traveling stand-by is nerve racking even in the best of circumstances... throw mother nature's climate disrupted fury in the mix and you've got a recipe for an anxious, yet inactive day.  It does however, give me time to reflect on the wonderful time shared with Kate.


 Kate met me at a hotel near the train station where we had a nice lunch and ditched the bags, to head down town for a beauty treatment...the perfect mother- daughter activity.

She and Eion (pronounced Owen) have just moved to a new flat that's absolutely adorable.  It's a bit further out than the old apt. (a fact very much noticed on the day we had to walk home from down-town due to the weather related shut down of public transit).  Kate took a couple of days off from her job at a major department store to spend some quality time with her mother....YAHOO...!

Preparing to head out into the cold.

   We didn't arrive at the new flat until dusk... my initial viewing of the neighborhood a picturesque one because of the snow.  We spent the next couple of days shopping, laughing, eating, and catching up on each other's lives.  We tried to do some sight seeing, but the public transit was basically paralyzed by the weather and before too long, we were forced into a local pub for some famous Irish hospitality.

 While shopping we found some killer snow boots for Kate, even though it never snows in Dublin.  They add a fearlessness to her step that is worth every centime. We spent some quality time in the new apartment.  There's a warm comfortable feel to the place and it was easy to settle in with a nice cup of tea and solve all the world's problems.

Liffey River

Ireland looked different under this layer of whiteness. It's as though some one's gone in and erased all the color.  I'm glad to have had the chance to witness the change from the usual multiple shades of green.  And  more thankful to have been able to leave while the snow was still unique and pristine.  Because I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon and become a nuisance.  But for now... just in time for Christmas...and from a distance... I think it's kind of cool.

Baile Atha Cliath means Dublin in modern Irish

For more photos go to Picasa album by clicking on small photo below:

Visit to Ireland Winter 2010

Back from Cameroon

We're back from our Habitat build in Cameroon.  After having been inspired by one of the other team members there, I decided this would be the best time to start the blog I've been wanting to write.  I know everyone's doing it, and it's taken me a while to join the techno masses... but  I feel like it's the right forum for the things I want to say and share...so Voila!  Think of it as a better presentation than those silly masse emails I'm always sending.  My goal is to continually update it, so you can tune in as frequently (or infrequently as the case may be) as you would like -- it's up to you.  My hope is once you read it, you'll be hooked.  It's a way for friends and family to stay current with my whereabouts...hence the title.




This year's trip to Africa brought all the familiar longings and appreciations for running water and electricity, a kinship with my fellow team members that became my family for  two weeks, an understanding of cultures vastly different from my own, and lots of lots of aching muscles and bug bites!

Situated in the bustling town of Buea, the Harlglena hotel (a name derived from the names of the owner's three children:  Harley, Glen, and Lena) was our home for the duration of the build.  We grew to love the staff and endure the shortages of running water that came with predictable frequency.

The actual build was hard work, with lots of digging, moving of concrete blocks, mixing concrete and mortar for the walls, cutting and assembling rebar, landscaping in it's most primitive sense, crushing of rocks, and general overall site cleanup -- all in very hot and humid conditions. (We were, after all, less than an hour from the Equator.)  But soon the walls started going up and we could see real progress.  Not to mention, yours truly got really good at mortaring those concrete bricks into walls.

At the end of each day, we were all sufficiently tired and dirty -- a fact noticed no doubt by the locals as we headed back to the hotel each evening.

We did have some down time...on the Sunday between the two weeks of work...and we went to the coastal town of Limbe (about a forty-five minute drive south). We explored the Botanical gardens and the black sand beaches, and lunched at a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean.  A nice breeze offered a cool respite from the heat.

During the work week, some of the team took the opportunity to visit a couple of the local schools.  The kids were absolutely adorable, and some of them had never seen a white person before so they had lots of questions!

The dedication ceremony at the end of the build was both thought-provoking and emotional, with the most inspirational words coming from our team leader.  We felt lucky to be a part of it all, and, as always, each of us gained so much more than just a few calluses.  


After the build, some of the team stayed on for an R&R that included camping in Korup National forest.  Let's just say I'm glad we've ticked "camping trip to equatorial rain forest" off our list.  

The best part was the suspension bridge going into (and out of) the park.  And I think that with the right equipment, it might have been a different experience... and it was beautiful...in that lush, verdant kind of jungle way.  But the reality for me was, the hot sticky heat, the attacking ants that actually bit you and had to be physically removed from your skin, the leaky tent, the unending heat and humidity, the endless rain (it is a rain forest after all) and not just a little rain shower, we're talking deluge type rain...and did I mention how hot it was...?  Note to self:  menopausal women should not visit equatorial rain forests and expect to be comfortable.


It's all a memory now, and you know if you asked me would I do it again...I'd probably think for a minute and say...ABSOLUTELY!  I'd pack a little differently, but I'd do it again.

For more pictures of our trip to Cameroon click on small photo below:

Cameroon 2010

I hope you enjoy reading this half as much as I did creating it for you.  Until next time -- in a new location...


Lots of love to each of you...I miss you...Betsy (aka Elizabeth)