I’ve arrived safely back to the states. Been here for about two weeks now. Everything is foreign and I’m in an adjustment period just like before. Food is delicious and catching up with friends is great but mother Africa is stil calling me back to one of my many homes.

Catching up on blog posts soon so expect an influx in the next few weeks. Thank you gifts are being put together for all those wonderful people who helped me get to Ghana the first time so expect them soon!

Much love, Becca

Chickens, what sounds like thousands of chickens sing their morning song each and every day. Sometimes it’s a nice wake up call, other times I wish they were miles away.

Mothers, up early fetching water with tiny children wrapped on their backs. Colorful fabrics splotched with dirt hold the babies in so tight.

Fathers, already working on their fields as the sun rises. Callused hands and sore feet work endlessly to sew the seeds of life into the brown dirt below.

Children, running down the road, lunch pail in hand, filled with potatoes, rice and stew. Shoeless feet leave footprints in the moist dirt, a trail leading them back to the place of warmth and love.

Students, casually making their way to the center of knowledge. Tattered school uniforms with mended holes clothe their lean bodies. Books and journals sit atop their heads which miraculously never fall off.

Grandparents, slowly rising to the call the sun, rejoicing in the glory of a new day.

And me? I just ride the waves of the day. A storm might hit or there might be nothing but sunshine. But every morning that I wake up in Africa I start the day off with a smile and an appreciation for life. A life that I have crafted from dedication and passion, one that most wouldn’t choose but I embrace with open arms. I just ebb and flow with the East African rythmn, a rythmn that alive and vibrant and colorful and filled with exciting opportunities.

Driving away from Kigali on a flat cement road we pass cemeteries, one after the other. White crosses with crackling paint stick up from mounds of brown dirt. Beneath those mounds lies the past, present and future. The old woman siting next to me shows physical scars of a fight but her eyes show even more. Behind those eyes lie years and years of hatred, disgust, and unwantedness. Yet somehow through it all, life keeps on turning, the wheels keep on moving, and the days tick by. The children jump up and down on the side of the road wearing their blue and white school uniforms which are covered in holes and dirt. Calls from their houses force them to scramble inside to start daily chores. Their mothers live each and everyday knowing that just 18 years ago their precious boys and girls might have been killed just because of who they are. They would have been forced to flee, to run, to sprint, to somewhere safe and pray and pray and pray that they would make it another day. The fathers on the street carry hoes and rakes, just coming from their fields. They plant their seeds of life, and hope that one day flowers of love, acceptance, and happiness sprout through the crumbling dirt. Grandmothers and grandfathers walk along the road wearing brightly colored fabrics, reflecting on their long lives. They’ve seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. They’ve seen the country thrive, then completely distroyed, then slowly build back up again. But no matter how many tall buildings and large schools are built by organizations who feel guilty about the past, woven inside the bricks and foundation are memories of segregation, separation and distrust. Brick by brick this country has been built back up again. People rise from the rubble. Stories of survival surface. And against all odds life continues to turn like a bicycle riding away from a storm.

Hello from Kigali, Rwanda! We arrived on March 20th and only get to spend a few days here before traveling overland to southern Uganda. We are in week six of our journey through East Africa which marks the half way point of our three month experience. We just spent the first half of the trip in Tanzania and have had some remarkable, life changing experiences.

We started off at the Dar es Salaam airport and continue south west to Morogoro where we spent a few days exploring under the African sun and taking in all the information which would help us during the next three months. From there we traveled even further south to the Mufindi Region in the southern highlands to volunteer with the Mufindi Orphans. We experienced a lot in one week and got to dive into some of their ongoing projects as well as hike in the mountains. Next we traveled back east near Iringa town and spent a week at a Swahili school while camping in the lucious forest land. After a week of class I can speak Swahili better and after a few more years of study I’ll be a pro. After Swahili school the group went the furthest south in Tanzania to Njombe and enjoyed three full days with Ohana Amani, an amazing NGO that is just beginning to embark on numerous community based projects. If you want to meet two inspiring young women spend an hour with them and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

From the deep south of Njombe we took a 12 hour hot, sweaty, sticky bus ride back to Dar es Salaam where we spent for a night before hopping on another 12 hour bus from Dar to Arusha in the north. We soaked up the much needed showers and amenities in Arusha and continued on to live in a Maasai village outside Arusha. We camped in a village and painted a nearby school. We experienced all aspects of tribe life and even had the once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a traditional male circumcision ceremony that only happens every 7 years. From there we did our most touristy thing yet and had a 3 day safari and game drive through Lake Manyari, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Crater. All the animals you could imagine we’re captured on photo and video and 2 female lions decided to join our party and walk right next to our Land Cruiser. 3 days of being a tourist was more than enough and village life beaconed again. Before flying to Rwanda we spent 4 days with Mzee Pete O’Neil and Charlotte Hill O’Neil on their spacious compound known as the United African Alliance Community Center between Arusha and Moshi. Pete and Charlotte were self exiled from the US in the 60′s because they formed the Kansas City chapter of the Black Panther party. We had some much needed rest and relaxation while also dabbling in some arts and crafts.

We are right now in and around Kigali, Rwanda and are visiting various memorials and sights about the genocide in 1994. It’s a very eye opening experience and Rwanda is nothing like the picture you may have created in your head.

On paper it may not seems like a lot but let me assure you that the past six weeks have been packed. We have embraced the life of nomads and haven’t stayed in one place longer than one week. There have been epic bus adventures, long work days, blistering sun, and mild sickness but every minute is worth it. You might say that the trip is half over but I see the trip as just beginning. This journey to me isn’t just 3 months, but years upon years. It’s an adventure without a destination or an end in sight. This adventure is life so embrace every minute you can.

I would also like to thank all my family, friends, teachers and supporters out there. Without your continued support I would not be on this trip now nor would I feel empowered to create the life I love. This may not be “the” path I imagined for myself but this is my path. It’s not for everyone but it’s the perfect one for me.

Life life on purpose.

Much love from the busy streets of Kigali,
Becca

This is for the people who say yes.

This is for the people who find what makes their heart sing and never let it go.

This is for the people who go against the grain.

The people who fight and fight and fight for what is right when the rest of the world says they’re wrong. The people who would give their lives just to not see someone else die. Who would give dimes when all they have is pennies. Who would take the clothes off their back so someone else could feel warmth.

This is for the people who know the power of education and the value of a pencil. Who tells children they’re powerful and teens they’re beautiful. Who tells parents to loosen up and grandparents to keep holdin on.

These people want to explore every nook ans cranny of the world but also know there is a safe warm bed at home. That no matter where they are, someone, somewhere is thinking of them.

This is for the people who thrive on adventure. Who know getting lost and finding their way is half the fun. Who calculate risk and reward but end up following their gut anyways.

These people know that every person is a story and every story has a purpose, to make you laugh, to make you cry, to make you appreciate life.

This is for the people who know they can change the world.

This is for YOU.

It’s 3am and the alarm starts beeping. The breeze finds its way into bundled sleeping bags and feet slowly start hitting the floor. Showers are foregone and layers of long sleeve shirts are put on. Breakfast is bread with butter and jelly, eaten while heading out the door with daypacks on and headlamps illuminated. The group of 7 is weary but ready for the adventure ahead, still not exactly awake yet though. Feet scuffle along the dirt road as the starts still glimmer above. Memories of the past week play over and over like a broken film projector, each individual reflecting on events differently. This is my morning. We woke up at the crack of dawn to walk miles to the nearest bus station in order to catch the one bus that leaves from the rural village where we’ve spent the past week. We were in the southern highlands of Tanzania where the mountains tumble and the views are spectacular. The junction to catch the bus was about an hours walk up what we call “Death Hill” because the incline and slope is basically straight up. We arrived at the bus station at 4am, waited an hour, and finally when the bus arrived there were about triple the amount of people as there were seats…resulting in every nook and cranny of the bus being packed with a person. Somehow we managed to cram 7 more people on the bus and personal space was no longer an option, you were just lucky if there was a space for you to breathe fresh air. 3 hours of standing, smushing, rocking and rolling later we were all thrilled to feel solid ground. That was my morning..was yours a little different?

Sorry for such a short post last time, we only had an hour at the internet cafe between activities. This is only the second time we’ve had internet on this trip because we just finished a remarkable week-long volunteer experience in the villages located in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Going all the way back tp day 1 our group of 7 arrived in Dar es Saalam, Tanzania safe and sound. We breathes in our first wiffs of moist African air and knew it was going to be an amazing 3 months. After a night in Dar we took a car to Morogoro where we spent 3 days soaking up the sun, going on walks, eating our first Tanzanian foods, and getting to know our group better. It was an awesome few days of adventure and information for the upcoming journey. From there the adventure really began with cramped and bumpy bus rides to Iringa town for a stopover night before our final destination of the Mufindi region where we just spent the past week. It was a beyond remarkable week and I can’t really explain most of it. Pictures won’t do it justice and my stories only go so far. There will be a more detailed post about the etire organization later but I’ll give you a few stories.

One night at the orphanage we went over to tutor the older boys. They had just been studying for a while so we decided to play games instead. The power was conviently out all day so we made the best of it and grabbed some candles and got the games going. Our leaders walked in to see the 5 of us students screaming and hooting while playing Uno with one candle between al of us. They said it was an amazing site to see.

One day our group split in 3 and headed to different villages to do home based health care visits. These visits are where we go into rural villages and check up on the HIV positive, dying , or ill. My group visited 20 + homes with people who were on the upswing of recovery, and people who were on their way out. It really effected me to see the opposite spectrums of life all within the same day. All the people stuck with me but our last stop was to the home of little Deborah. This beautiful 5 year old girl has more fight in her than I ever will. She was born in a village and is HIV positive. Her CD4 count, or the good guys in your body, was at 3. Normal HIV negative people have a CD4 count of 700 + and when your CD4 count drops below 200 for an HIV positive person you are put on anti retroviral drugs and are considered seriously ill. Somehow Deborah survived her first heat of life and made it through 2 blood transfusions and is climbing the ladder to health. It is remarkable that she is alive today with the terrible Tanzanian health care system and lack of medical education. She’s one of a kind.

One night we gathered in the community center at the orphanage for movie night. The students were learning about oceans and tides in schoolso it was only fitting that we watch the BBC series, “Human Planet” for this movie night. With a projector and speakers we sat on mats with the kids as they laughed at the Inuit men fishing the whales which they insisted on calling just “fish”. After 2 episodes I had enough children sleeping on me that I could barely breathe. It was the cutest thing to see what images they would react to, the Amazon hunters with bare butts seemed to be the biggest hit.

These are just a few of the million of stories I could have told about this past week in the mountains. I learned a remarkable amount of information about how a very successful non profit is run and how to make the most impact. It is probably one of the best run non profits I’ve ever seen and it’s exactly the type of one I hope to be involved with in the future.

As for now, spirits are at an all time high even with some minor sickness and tummy troubles spreading around. We are headed to a week of intensive Swahili lessons in another village where we will be camping. Safari njema! (Safe journey!)

Much love from my second home, Becca

JUST KIDDING. Made it safely to Tanzania with my amazing Carpe Diem group of 7. Arrived to the capital late Wednesday night then traveled west to Morogoro for a few days of rest and orientation. Tomorrow we get up really early to head on an epic two day bus journey to the orphanage we’ll be working at. Don’t have much time now but just wanted to post that I’m safe and loving every minute of being back in Africa.

SO happy to be home,

Becca

In 24 hours I’ll be on a plane to Portland then 24 hours later on planes to Amsterdam, Kilimanjaro and finally Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. My bags are packed and goodbyes are being said. American food is being eaten and Facebooking and Tweeting are ending.

I’m off on another adventure to unknown lands, and I couldn’t be any happier. I live on the edge and I thrive on the road. I always seem to have this feeling of being stuck in a rut when I stay in the same place for too long, and right now that rut has been dug pretty deep. It’s time to climb out. Climbing out will involve 3 plane rides and being surrounded by 6 people I’ve never met. We’ll be trekking through countries and spend 3 months learning the language of peace, love, and happiness.

For the first time in a really long time, I have no idea what’s next. I get back to Chicago on May 3rd but what will I be doing this summer-Working? Babysitting? Traveling? Filming? Ever since the day I was born I’ve always known whats coming next. Elementary school then middle school then high school then college. I’m in a huge transition stage and right now I’m dancing in the rain and enjoying the sunshine, not taking life too too seriously. Things will come when they may. Life will be worked out and if you follow your passions everything will fall into place naturally.

I will be updating this blog whenever we have internet but also book mark our Carpe Diem Africa blog which the whole group will be updating with photos, stories, and adventures. As always you can use the contact form on the site or email me at kuntzr@gmail.com.

Much love and Safari Njema (safe journey) <3

“So you’re taking the semester off?”

“No, I’m taking the semester on.”

That is the dialogue that runs through my head whenever people question why I’m taking the next semester “off” from college. The answer leaves people confused and questioning my sanity but through thinking a little deeper they can understand the simple answer.

The idea of a semester on came from one of my biggest inspirations, Dan Eldon. Dan Eldon was born in London in 1970 to an American mother and a British father. Along with his younger sister, Amy, Dan and his family moved to Kenya in east Africa in 1977. Kenya remained Dan’s home for the rest of his life, and though he traveled often – visiting more than 40 countries in 22 years – he always considered Africa home. He was a dedicated journalist his whole life and lead mission trips through Africa.

The similarities between Dan and I are uncanny and when I came back from fall quarter knowing I wasn’t going back to college, I stumbled upon his book and things just flowed from there. The idea of a semester “on” just seemed to fit. I’m taking spring 2012 of from the typical college experience but I’m not taking the semester off from education. I’m heading to East Africa to travel, volunteer, and learn. This isn’t a booze-backpacking though-Europe college trip, this is 5 highly motivated college students who will be traveling through East Africa to learn more about the world around and themselves. We won’t be trapped between four white walls of a classroom because we believe the world is our classroom and the same lessons taught in the classroom can be taught in the field while you’re on the go. You will learn more about yourself when your thrown outside your comfort zone than when your sitting inside your comfort zone in the desk of a classroom.

So you may call me crazy and adventurous but if you ever ask me if I’m taking the next semester off expect the 6 word response above.

"All I wanted to do now was get back to Africa. We had not left it yet, but when I would wake in the night, I would lie, listening, homesick for it already." -Ernest Hemingway