The World We Live In

By the magic of technology I have world headlines instantly updated on my home page. Right now there are two headlines, one underneath the other. The first one reads “Mumbai Jewish Center Hostages Die; 200 Others Freed” the second one reads, “Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death.” Is this the world we live in? Where on one side of the world people die because of fundamentalism and on the other they die because of consumerism? There is no way to deny that this is our world, and that it is a terribly sad place in many ways.

Studying with people from around the world brings the differences of realities into sharp focus. Right now one of my good friends is waiting for news of a friend trapped in a hotel in Mumbia, his home town. The attacks occurred at the same time as we were celebrating his birthday at a curry restaurant in Bradford. A few weeks ago another friend from Somalia told us, in an off handed way, that he knew many of the 26 people killed by a bomb attack. Another friend, this time from Guatemala, recently got news that one of his best friends was kidnapped, but managed to escape though severely injured. This is the world we live in.

Last night we took time to also celebrate the creativity and diversity of our world. My two remarkable friends, Vanessa and Helen, organized a Culture Cabaret. Students from the department shared their cultures through songs, ceremonies, poems, dances and food. The highlight of the night was a Bollywood dance performed by students from India, Holland, Taiwan, Canada, and Tajikistan. It was the ultimate expression of cross-cultural fusion. I think of my brave friends twirling and gyrating to the cheery Bollywood tune and I think, thankfully, this is also the world we live in. It’s a world of creativity, of friendship, of sharing –and it might just be what saves us from the dustructive forces of fundamentalism and consumerism.

Mount Kenya, Starbucks and Street Kids

I want to take you back in time, to three months ago. Three months doesn’t see very long in the grand scheme of things but for me (sitting at my desk in chilly but lovely Bradford UK) it is hard to imagine that just three months ago I was standing on top of Mount Kenya. So I want to revisit the journey with you in a way I couldn’t previously.
Our guide woke us (Mom, Dad and I) up at three am for hot tea and biscuits. We had been working our way up the mountain for the last three days and my body ached with stiffness as I pulled on my warmest clothes. As we left the hut the nearly full moon shone down on the ridge above us. Our guide explained that we ‘just’ needed to get to the top of the ridge and then “up over the top” we would go.
So we started placing one foot in front of the other up the sleet mountain. At 5000 meters above sea level the air is freezing and thin especially, it seemed, at three in the morning. Half way up my lungs started to constrict with asthma. We stopped so I could wheeze into a glove till my lungs relaxed. All I could think of was “I’m not going back down. We have to go to the top.” We resumed our painfully slow footsteps. The closer we got to the top of ridge the larger it became, and so the farther it seemed we had to go. As my breathing became more labored my thoughts became depressed: “This is the stupidest thing I have ever done. Why would I, someone with asthma, decide to climb a mountain. I’m an idiot.” If it wasn't for my quitely encouraging parents I would have sat down and cried.
In retrospect I know that such defeatist thoughts often inflict most of us at our most challenging moments. In the last few years that I’ve worked with Emmanuel Rescue Center, in Nairobi Kenya, I’ve often felt helpless, useless, and definitely stupid – and it has only been because of the people working with me that I have encouraged me otherwise.

However, I honestly wasn’t (for once) thinking about Emmanuel Center as I trudged up the mountain. I was thinking “breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out.” By a mircale I made it over the ridge. As we nestled into a crop of rock, out of the wind, to catch our breath my mobile phone (which I had forgotten was in my pack because there was no reception in the valley) beeped. I instantly remembered that I was expecting a message from Daniel letting me know if we had been successful in a grant application. There was no time to check the message as we pushed for the final summit.
The sun’s first rays were starting to peak out of the clouds bellow us. We pulled ourselves over the final ledges, and I was suddenly exhilarated. The sun rose through the clouds and the site of the Kenyan flag in its first rays made my heart jump. I dug through my pack for the phone and read a message that said “Good job, we got it!”
Two months ago the team at Emmanuel Center had submitted a proposal to the new Starbucks Youth Innovation Fund. The text message meant the fund had just accepted our proposal, which in turn meant that 30 street children who would otherwise go without a meal will receive lunch five days a week; hundreds of youth will have access to a community library and computer training, and there will be new resources for HIV prevention, counseling and drug rehabilitation for street kids.
On top of Mount Kenya, the weight of this realization lifted me above the clouds, and I burst into tears. The sun was shinning on a new day, and despite the rough start, I was on top of the world.


Three months later (after all the paper work has been signed so I can make the grant public) I sit here and reflect that the work of Emmanuel Center is much like climbing a mountain in cold thin air. Sometimes we want to give up, and though parts of it are fun, it is always hard, but good company pushes us on and the success of reaching new heights is worth it. The generous support of Starbucks is a new peak in Emanuel Center’s work, but as long as there are growing numbers of street children in Kenya, the long hard hike goes on.


I am intensely grateful to Starbucks for joining us on the journey and offering a helping hand.

Taste Testing Dublin

I didn’t really plan to go to Dublin. About a month ago I got an email from a friend that said, “We just bought tickets to Dublin for 40 quid. We’re leaving the day we hand in our first essay. Wanna come along?” I glances through the door and asked Vanessa “Want to go to Dublin with Yvette, Yula, Pedro and Philip after we hand in our essays?” She said yes and we bought the tickets on line all in a matter of minutes.
We then reimbursed ourselves in essay research and writing. We also had the Rotary Peace Seminar to distract us. So all of a sudden my finished essay was handed in and I was in a taxi with my five friends headed for Ireland.
We arrived at the Ashfeild Hostel (very nice and affordable) late Thursday night. First stop the next morning was Trinity Colleague to see the Book of Kells. The book is an illustrated copy of the gospel story created in 700 AD by Irish monks. The calligraphy and Celtic patterns are remarkable, as are the still preserved colours. As we walked the ancient library corridor I could almost smell the history radiating from some of the oldest books in the world.
Later we wandered the streets and we just happened upon a castle and a number of ancient cathedrals. Our stomachs began to growl and we learnt our first lesson we learned about Dublin - cheap food does not exists. Dublin is by far the most expensive place I have ever been in my life.
That night we headed out to the famous Temple Bar, a region famous for the night life. As we bounced through the bars we met all sorts of lively characters from Ireland and abroad.

The next day we headed for the Saturday markets which were honestly a bit tiny and disappointing. That night we headed out again to the Temple Bar area, where we first listen to some rather bad hard rock band, and then later much better Irish folk music, and had a few pints.
On Sunday we went to church at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The giant church’s vaulted ceilings and stain glass awed us as we sat shivering in the drafty cold. Luckily the priest quickly warmed our hearts. It was Remembrance Sunday (like Remembrance Day for you Canadians) and his topic was ‘the abolition of war.’ It was the perfect rallying cry for a bunch of Peace Studies students like us.
After church we decided to see some Irish country side and headed out of the city on the train to the suburb where the guide book said Bono (the lead singer of the famous rock band U2) lived. However, when we got there we were told he did not. The disappointment continued. The map clearly marked a castle but everyone we asked for directions raised their eyebrows and said ‘castle?’ so we gave up. Oh well, with the poring rain and swirling wind it was the best kind of day to drink tea in a café anyways. That evening we heard some great Irish folk music (mixed in with modern classics like ‘Summer of 69’)at a lovely pub.
Monday was our final day in Dublin and there was only one important thing left to do – visit the Jameson Whiskey factory. (I had passed on going to the Guinness storehouse since I don’t like the beer.) At the old factory we heard the story of John Jameson and had a science lesson in how whisky is made. Then they needed volunteers for whisky tasting and so of course I had to offer my services. I had to taste and compare three whiskies. I decided to tell a white lie and say Jameson was the best, even though I preferred the scotch, and as a reward was given a Whiskey tasting diploma – I’m now a certified whisky drinker : )
It was late and cold when we arrived back in Bradford, but every once of exhaustion was 100 % worth it. Dublin is a remarkable city and I’m very grateful to my wonderful traveling companions for making the treat a true adventure.
Peace Out!

Rotary Peace Seminar

Last weekend was a busy one. It was the Bill Huntly Peace Seminar here at the University of Bradford. The seminar was organized by our fabulous predecessors - Class Six of the Rotary World Peace Fellows. It was an opportunity to hear about what they have learned over the last year of being peace fellows, and also for my class (class seven) to introduce ourselves. To watch a clip of our presentation go here and click on the link to the recording.

I've also posted a collection of my photos since coming to the UK. There are lots of photos from Rotary events as well as some more social outings. Enjoy!

The next posting will be all about Dublin..... yippy!