the last summer

seattle

2011-07-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

After a 36 hour journey from Kampala to London to Paris to Seattle, I'm back! Unfortunately, my suitcase didn't make it. No word from Air France on its whereabouts... if any of you folks want souvenirs, you'd better hope it turns up...

view from my after-work run yesterday

2011-07-08T01:17:00.003-07:00

I'm going to miss this place...

dangerously bold

2011-07-06T04:48:00.000-07:00

Educate! founder Eric Glustrom (Amherst '07) recently won a Doritos Do

Something grant for Educate! His mug will grace 40 million bags of chips.

For the past month I've been a volunteer consultant for Educate!, an NGO run by two Amherst friends. I've been helping Educate! restructure their finance systems, redefine job roles and titles, and hire an accountant. I've loved my time here, and have been consistently impressed by the spirit and determination of the staff and the organization's commitment to exponential empowerment.

A little overview of Educate!:

Educate! has created a new model of education that capitalizes on the huge, untapped potential of youth to become the solution to the social challenges Africa faces. Educate! teaches a two year socially responsible leadership curriculum. It is not a traditional curriculum, rather one focused on the skills and experience students need to find solutions to poverty, violence, disease, and environmental degradation. The teachers are not traditional teachers, rather mentors who build powerful relationships that give youth confidence to lead change. And the classroom is the community itself, where the Educate! students start initiatives that work for the rights of all. Today, Educate! is working with 830 high-school aged youth across Uganda and developing a model of education that can be applied universally.

Through the Educate! program, high school students in Uganda, called Educate! Scholars, are empowered to start sustainable initiatives in their communities. Though a two-year social change curriculum, long-term mentoring, and alumni network, Educate! lays the foundation for students to become the next generation of socially responsible leaders.

once upon a time in london

2011-06-24T00:35:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks. Just got back from two days at Sipi falls in Eastern Uganda. Pictures coming soon! In the meantime, let's backtrack. I've been meaning to post some photos from my fun four days in London in June. Hilights included an afterhours tour of the Tate Britain, birthday dinner with my sisters, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Nick, a hilarious stand-up/dance show, and catching up with my great friend Alex Henson. Lowlight: accidently sending a pigeon to its death at Borough Market. The details are too painful to mention here. Ask me about it. Actually, don't.

Out late @ Tate.

VIP access, nbd.

An afternoon cocktail at Mary and Nick's.

Herring soufflé. Aunt Mary takes "every day gourmet" to the next level.

Neil's Yard Cheese Shop. Heaven on earth.

Funky Friendly Society Bar, Soho, London.

Fancy drinks w/ Alex and Stephanie

High-energy birthday celebration.

cultural safari

2011-06-16T08:20:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my friend Chi, who works for the Uganda Community Tourism Association, I got a great deal on a "Cultural Safari" two weekends ago. What is a "Cultural Safari", you may ask. Well, in addition to seeing some amazing animals (see previous post), we met a number of locals who are working to develop sustainable tourism projects, and explored the different crafts and traditions of the region. I and my six companions did a (half-priced @ $192) "trail run" of the trip, and gave feedback to the different activity leaders, guides, and performers that we met over the course of the four-day weekend. The fact that we were providing valuable feedback saved the trip from feeling super cheesy. We spent a night at an amazing little camp in Rubona, a village nestled in the Rwenzori mountains, and two nights at a rustic lodge near the entrance to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Beatrice learns how to make beeswax candles at the BCC Bee Colony in Rubona

Tanya learns how to dye basket-weaving raffia using flowers and and roots.

As we walked to the trailhead for a hike in the Rwenzori Mountains, we passed a number of men traveling in large pack and wielding machetes and other weapons. We asked one of them what was going on, and found out that a wild animal had been attacking and killing goats all over the village. The man didn't know the English word for the predator and when we guessed "hyena," he said that it sounded right. They were on a mission to find and kill the hyena.

Four hours later, on our walk back to our camp post-hike, we noticed a huge group gathered in a field. Had they captured or killed the predator? We approached to find out. We were shocked to discover, in the middle of their cluster, a small, dead... dog! Apparently jungle dogs will latch onto the udders of goats and bring them down. Yikes.

Salt lake mining.

Quick stop at the equator.

On the way back to town we swung by safari adventurer

Beatrice's childhood home and met her super cool mom.

nature

2011-06-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I saw a ton of animals.

from roadside baboons....

...to salt lake flamingoes....

...to (female) lions...

....to friendly chameleons.

(this is the same chameleon 30 seconds later!!)

just another day at lugogo mall

2011-06-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but these storks are at least 3 feet tall. One could totally physically dominate me if I got between it and its garbage/food.

Apologies for the dearth of posts. The internet here is uber slow- pictures take hours to upload if I'm lucky. Just got back from an amazing four-day "cultural safari" that included hiking, basket weaving, candle making, jewelry making, and a land and water safari. I REALLY hope to be able to share some pictures in the next few days!

hi uganda

2011-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Kampala, Uganda late last night. I'll be spending the next 5 weeks here working for Educate!, a non-profit started by an Amherst friend. Stay tuned for updates as well as photos from my five days in London!

family times in budapest

2011-05-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hasznaltcikkpiac Steet Market

Mangalicas

St. Stephen's Basilica

view from the Hungarian National Museum

dinner on the terrace

hungary update

2011-05-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of Hungary posts! I've spent the past week in Hungary with my family. Right now we're at Lake Balaton, which is gorgeous and amazing. Last week we were in Budapest. Expect some posts in the next few days with insights and photographs!

View from the Hungarian National Museum.

market with alex

2011-05-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

the market

with alex

forget your whites?

2011-05-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Le Loft has got you covered.

the big event

2011-05-20T04:11:00.001-07:00

Last night was the amfAR Cinema Against Aids event that I've been helping produce! I actually missed a lot of the action because I was prepping for and then working the door at the afterparty, but here are some press pics.

Milla Jovovich sings "I want to be loved by you" on stage at the seated dinner.

Gwen Stefani on the red carpet.

Fashion icons: Karl. Carine. Kenneth.

Kirsten Dunst seemed chipper despite her director, Lars Von Trier's, big Cannes scandal.

Kanye was there too.

Who knew Frida Pinto was robbing the cradle with her Slumdog costar? Not me but I kind of love it.

great night

2011-05-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

Last night Miranda (Andy's assistant at AAB), Keirsti (part of the amfAR production team) and I escaped the office and went out to dinner on the Croisette.

View from our table

Caprese. Quinoa + salmon crostini. Oysters. Keirsti. Yum.

Glamourous folks heading into a late-night screening.

We were walking along the Croisette behind Ryan Gosling when the fireworks started. Not a bad nightcap.

iphone pictures from my run this morning

2011-05-16T08:36:00.001-07:00

coming soon: pictures of people

vintage cannes

2011-05-16T04:28:00.000-07:00

I found some lovely old Cannes photos while poking around the internet today.

Brigitte Bardot gets her hair did by Kirk Douglas in 1953

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin stroll along the beach in 1974

Paparazzi ready for action, 1962

Alfred Hitchcock in 1963

(doesn't that disembodied arm make it look like he's on his cell phone?)

Ginger Rogers fixes her hair on the beach, 1956.

Esther Williams throws autographs down to fans from a balcony in 1955

Easy Rider cast (Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson)

doing the Cannes Cannes in 1969

Arnold flexing, 1977

cannes day 2

2011-05-15T08:16:00.001-07:00

Here are some views from today's production meeting at the Hotel Du Cap, where the party will be held on Thursday.

super frenchy snack attack table

2011-05-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

cannes day 1

2011-05-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

CANNES, GO! I'm going to be helping coordinate the afterparty for the amfAR Cinema Against Aids event at the Cannes Film Festival. I landed in Nice a few hours ago, and right now I'm in our office at the Hotel de Paris getting the scoop on the event and enjoying our super Frenchy snack attack table. It's a rare, uber rainy afternoon, but weather.com predicts sunshine for the rest of my time here. It also claims that it's partially cloudy right now with a 20% chance of rain...

As you know if you're reading this, I've decided to start a little blog to document my last summer of freedom before becoming a bona fide businesswoman. Some of you may remember Rives' and my Search for the Magical Frijoles last Spring. This blog will be VERY different. Sike... it'll probably be pretty similar.