TravelForAChange

A 13-hour flight means 6 movie attempts, 4 in full, 2 which need to be mentioned! a) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, and the dude from Slumdog Millionaire b) The 2nd Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Same as above, but with Richard Gere this time I’d never heard of these films, and being a fan of Dame Judy Dench (ahem, M, 001), I decided to give them a go. I was pleasantly surprised. The films paired two of my favourite quotes of all time, “If not now, when. If not us, then who?” and “In the end it will be okay, and if it’s not okay, it’s not the end” with some life lessons and experiences, and I was gifted with a new perspective, something I’ve really always known, but never ... read more

Mushrooms, Onions & Chickens, Oh MY! Today, we visited the mushroom group to complete our initial business assessments and also to see the mushroom cage in construction. About 4 weeks ago, we visited the same site to get an idea of where the cage was going and today, we had walls and a roof! It's so exciting to see something that was once a faint idea, become fully tangible right before your very eyes. We carried out our first business assessments to get an idea of the group in general, to introduce ourselves and see how we can help their businesses thrive. With the help of our fellow BTC colleague, Ancy (who translated in Swahili), we now have a much better idea on how to plan and strategize as well as maximize our time here. On ... read more

My very own “canopy bed” It’s taken my body just a bit over 2 weeks to get used to the idea of living in Africa. I don’t fall asleep at 930pm anymore, nor do I get up 3 hours before everyone else on the weekends, it’s amazing. My “canopy bed” feels like my own now.. so much that I don’t even make it anymore. That makes it definitely mine. The cacophony of barks at 3am still has me convinced that Voodoo, Majiki and whatever other dogs are up at that time are barking at spirits though. At least now I’m used to it. 10 am chais & dada daycare One of the million things I love about being in Africa and especially at Anza is the 10am chai time. Our lovely dadas make it for us ... read more

But first, a word of thanks! Hi everyone! As many of you know, this Saturday September 20th, I will be moving to Moshi, Tanzania. It is located on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, just south of Kenya in EAST Africa. Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshi,_Tanzania For 6 months, I will be working with a UK-based NGO called TEACH (Time to Empower Africa's Children), specifically in their "Be The Change" Programme; a youth leadership and entrepreneurship program. Website: http://www.teachafrica.org.ukFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachTimetoEmpower Our online fundraiser along with today's garage sale raised a total of over $1500! ALL funds raised will go to TEACH and their programs. On behalf of TEACH, I wanted to thank each and everyone of you for your support, prayers and well wishes as I start this new chapter in my life. It is def ... read more

Some thoughts before tomorrow My parents always said that I can 'hold my own' in a conversation with CEOs. Today, I alone shared a lift and had a short conversation with our CEO from the hq in LA. INSERT SARCASM HERE. so exciting. END SARCASM. He's a regular person, folks. One of the ladies here insists on putting execs and the like on pedestals as if they were gods or idols. They're regular people in a corporate job. They just earn more money than the average person, but they are people too. They have allergies, upset stomachs, cavities and have to clip their toenails and trim nosehairs just like everyone else. They are not better than anyone else, certainly not better than you and not better than me. This is why I don't bat an eyelash ... read more