Thank You

I can’t believe there are only two more weeks until I embark on my exciting adventure. After months of preparation and apprehension it’s finally happening. The time for speculation and wondering is over. I’m going to get to see and experience Tanzania for myself and I can’t wait!!! But this time I’m the teacher, not the student. I don’t have the safety net of coming back to the U.S. and starting the next semester. This is real life…when did that happen? I will be living with a vastly different perspective than I have on previous adventures. And teaching English no less…not an easy feat by any means. I sure created an uphill climb for myself this time…not that I’m one to turn down a hike. But before I start a new chapter in my life, I think it only fitting to say thank you.

First I want to say thank you to my friends, family and mentors for their love and support over the years. There is no way that I would be who I am and do the things that I do without all of you. Knowing that I have the most amazing support network in the world is what gives me the strength & courage to try my best to make the world a better place somehow. I quote Barbra Cooney’s book, Miss Rumphius, “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” After growing up with this principle, it’s finally time to follow through. That is how I rationalize traveling to a far away place and working for free to my friends and family, who are both worried and anxious about my health and safety. I’m only following the examples and lessons that they have taught me.

Second, I want to thank my WESLI/MTTP teachers for bestowing their wisdom and knowledge on me. Without you I would be arriving in Tanzania completely lost and scared to death of a classroom. However, in the last 2 months you have shined a light on the English language and have provided me with the skills to not only spread knowledge but also build bridges between people, countries and cultures. You can all expect tons of e-mails from me over the next year that are full of questions and stories.

Next I want to thank my family at the Villari’s Martial Arts Studio. Not only have you all whipped me into shape, but you’ve also given me the confidence and knowledge to handle myself in all sorts of places and situations. All of you made me look forward to kickboxing every week and created a safe and fun place where I could be myself and forget about any negativity that was weighing me down. I absolutely plan to continue learning Martial Arts in the future and maybe one day even teach my own kickboxing class.

Lastly, I want to thank my amazing Ancora co-workers and customers for making this one of the best and most memorable years of my life. Without your help and support I would never have had the means to take this position. I have truly enjoyed getting to know all of you while I served you your daily doses of caffeine. You kept me on my toes, that’s for sure! Without all of your extremely generous donations, I would have no materials for my classroom. At this time our Ancora customers have raised over $375 and over 200 lbs. of school supplies. I can’t even begin to say how thankful I am. You have truly restored my faith in humanity and you should all be extremely proud that you are part of such a socially conscious and caring network. Also a special thanks to George and Sue, as well as Christy, Ryan, and Becky who allowed me to allow all of you to be involved in something truly special.

I sincerely hope to hear from as many people as possible. If you have a thought, comment, question or anything else to say, please post a message to my blog or send me an e-mail (Kelso1187@gmail.com), I would love to hear from you. If you would like more information on where I am going and who I am working for, feel free to go to the Janada L Batchelor Foundation For Children (JBFC) website: www.jbfc-online.com And I strongly encourage any of you who are interested and have the means, to come visit me and volunteer. You are all welcome at anytime and THANK YOU SO MUCH once again! Stay tuned for the next post!!

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Part of trip: JBFC Tanzania

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