Fundraising

Fundraising is hard! I'm not the kind of person who is comfortable harassing people for money (which is why I'd never make it in sales) and I'm not very creative; so I find it difficult to come up with interesting and effective fundraising ideas. 

 I will be holding my used book sale in about a week now and I'm getting excited for that. I have had some people donate books so the stack is getting much bigger. I have a couple of friends who will be away for it so they have done some early shopping. I hope a lot of people show up and buy a lot of books!

  Other than that, I have some other fundraising ideas, but everything is so much harder to implement here in China than it would be back home. I can't just hold an impromptu car wash or a big bake sale (Chinese people aren't big on sweets). I'm thinking of doing an Canada/Independence Day party but then I need a venue. 

  Basically, fundraising is exhausting and stressful and I wish I was rich. If anyone has any suggestions on fun or interesting fundraising ideas, please be sure to let me know! 

Why Africa?

   When I tell people my plans for Uganda, a lot of people wonder why I choose to go to Africa when I could stay nearby here in Asia. The truth is, I would probably be happy anywhere, but Africa is the continent that calls to me the most; and it always has. Every since I was small, I dreamed of visiting Africa and in 2007, I finally achieved that dream. Along with a high school friend, I joined a tour group that spent 6 weeks overlanding and camping from Cape Town, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya, traversing through six other countries along the way. It was still the most amazing experience I have ever had. 

   Every new panorama was more beautiful than the last. Every smile brightened the day and every child's giggle of delight at seeing a white person warmed my heart. We met traditional bushmen tribes in Botswana and learned how they have survived for thousands of years. We met people who live in the unforgiving environment of the Namib desert, people who live on the plentiful shores of Lake Malawi, and traditional Masai villagers. The breadth of Africa's diversity, both environmentally and culturally, is endlessly fascinating. From Cape Town's comparatively modern coast, to Namibia's deserts and adventure sports; to the tranquility of the Okavango Delta and the lush rainforests of Malawi; to riding elephants and walking with lions in Zimbabwe to the massive roar of Victoria Falls; and from the sober history of Zanzibar to wild game drives across the Serengeti. Every corner, every village, every person has a unique and interesting flavor that just doesn't seem to compare to the relative homogeneity of other places I have been. 

  I visited the Olduvai Gorge, the so-called Cradle of Humanity, and stood before the place where we first began. It is humbling and a bit unbelievable to think that these people began in these harsh conditions and survived to bore the entirety of humankind.  Everything about Africa is humbling; from the size of its lands to the size of its animals and to the warmth, generosity, and joy of its people. I never once felt threatened or in danger. I never once failed to see the smiles on the faces of the people we met. I never once thought I would never be back. 

  I cannot wait to return to Africa and stay in one place for a long period of time. I can't wait to try to dig deeper into the culture, learn and understand the history, and help in any way I can. I don't see Africans as poor people incapable of progress or helping themselves; I see them as resilient, intelligent people who have been afforded a different lot in life and are trying to make it work. I have no doubt I will enjoy each and every minute I'm granted on that wonderful continent.

Up and running!

  This past week has been great as my first donations have come in from friends, acquaintances  and even a stranger (well, a stranger to me). I want to say thank you first of all to all of you who have gotten my fundraising up and running by donating, or just by sharing my page with others (especially since most people are much more popular than I on Facebook). My Go Fund Me page is officially 'live' now so hopefully others can search and donate as well (check it out here).

 I also sent out the first call for book donations to my co-workers and plan on posting flyers and asking for donations in the foreigner-heavy area of Shekou.  A lot of people have committed to donating books so I think I'll have a really good selection and hopefully make a lot of sales. I have also been brainstorming other ideas for how to fundraise but if anyone reading this would like to provide suggestions, they are more than welcome!

  That's the most recent news for now so I won't bore you all with another super long post. Please keep telling other people about my cause and if you're in the Shenzhen area, come to the book sale! It'll be Tuesday, June 4th with more details to follow! Thanks again everyone for your wonderful support :)

How this next adventure came to be

As most who are reading this probably know, I have spent the past two and half years in two cities in China. I graduated at the end of 2009 with a Bachelor's degree, majoring in Sociology/Anthropology with an added Psychology extended minor (totally useful in the real-world, I know). After graduation, I didn't really know what to do but had always wanted to live abroad so I looked at my options. The most blatantly simple option was to teach English. It seemed like everyone was doing it, it was OK money, and it didn't seem too difficult. After about a week of searching around the web, I came across a school called Langston in the Northeastern city of Shenyang. This particular school caught my eye because they offered an internship program for 3-5 months, learning the ins-and-outs of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) as well as providing Mandarin Chinese lessons. This was the perfect option since I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy teaching (I'm not very patient) and I didn't want to be locked in for a year-long contract.

In November 2010 I arrived in Shenyang and began my China adventure. I heard many stories before I left of friends/family members my friends knew who went to teach 'for a year' and were still in their respective countries 3, 5, even 10 years later. I figured I'd never be one of those but four months turned into a year, and then a city change and job change has put me at two and a half. By the time I leave for Uganda, I'll have been in China for almost three years and that is mind-boggling to me.

I can't really remember how I imagined China would be, but I can say that what I imagined isn't even close. There are a lot of differences between Shenyang and Shenzhen (the city I am in now) but although they are geographically and culturally different, everyday life remains pretty much the same. Friends ask me about the strange things I encounter but the differences between here and Canada shrink by the day as I get used to them, or absorb them into my daily life or routine. There are some obvious differences always mentioned by foreigners, such as lax smoking laws, spitting in the streets, children going to the bathroom on/beside the sidewalk, and the language barrier, but most of the other things I have adjusted to with ease.

I think one of the biggest reasons I have adjusted so well is that I can communicate quite well in Chinese now. Normal struggles that foreigners face when arriving here with no language base don't affect me. It also helps me to understand the culture better and interact with people on a deeper level. I have had a great three years in China and will miss it when I go. The main reason I'm leaving is to pursue my chosen career, not because I don't enjoy my life here.

I am ready to move on from teaching now. My patience is starting to wear thin and I don't feel fulfilled in my job. I have always thought that international development would be a good fit for me: different cultures, working abroad, challenging, and helping others. I have a lot of worries about this field (to be discussed in a later post), so before I pursue it as my career of choice, I wanted to assuage (or confirm) my fears and the best way to do that was by finding and internship or volunteer opportunity.

I searched for months to find a suitable internship and the amount of options available were both a blessing and a curse. I wanted something that would truly immerse me in development work so I wouldn't just be around as an extra pair of hands for building a school or something. I also preferred Africa because I've had a fascination with the continent for as long as I can remember. I didn't want to have to pay (or not have to pay too much) and I wanted to be in the field for about 6 months. There are countless pay-for-voluntourism opportunities through companies like Cross-Cultural Exchange but I felt that I wouldn't get the depth through their programs. I had narrowed it down to a small NGO based in Ghana called Challenging Heights who works to fight against child labour and help former child slaves, and FSD. In the end, although FSD was more expensive, I felt the experience I would get from the training, hands-on focus, and established network would allow me to make a well-informed decision.

 So that has brought me to this point: in China and on the verge of Africa, figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. I hope this experience will help me figure it out; but if not, there's always tour guiding, flight attendants, becoming an accidental millionaire...