"Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- WOW-- What a Ride!"

We rafted the Nile today. I had intended to sit this one out. I reasoned that one time down the Nile in one lifetime was enough. I should know myself better. There was an adventure to be had, there were other people ready to enjoy it, and I did not want to be left standing on the shore safe and dry. All I can say now is, "WOW--What a Ride!" After a series of class 4's and 5's, I felt both exhilarated and exhausted. My body was full of adrenaline, fear, Nile water, and probably a few parasites. I was ready to get my feet back on solid ground.

It is hard for me to find my solid ground here i Uganda. I feel like I am being carried on a fast current. Everyone talks about Africa time as moving so slowly. For me, it is moving at warp speed. I have been looking forward to this trip for so long, basically since the day I left Uganda 15 months ago. Now I only have 2 days left. I have no idea what comes next. When will I be able to return? Where is all of this leading me? All I can do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride. What a ride it is.....

xo, Amanda

There's No Place Like Om

"Women are Motherland."
Shanti Teen

Shanti means Peace. Tonight, I am marinating in it. We've spent the past two days at Shanti Uganda, an eco birth center in a rural village in Luwero District. Last year we stomped mud, plastered walls, and laid bricks. To coin a birth phrase, which seems perfectly appropriate at Shanti, we were here for the hard labor. This year we got to see how much our beautiful baby has grown up. We sang and danced with the HIV+ Women's Group in the round house that we built. I got to reconnect with Bubeeri, the shy sparkly-eyed woman who had invited me into her home for dinner last year and Janet, the young nurse who had been present at the birth I attended in a different clinic. Familiar faces are such an incredible gift when you are so far from home.

Today, I got to teach yoga to groups of teen girls who are participating in the Shanti Teen Program which I am honored to be sponsoring. I love knowing that these young women will be nurtured and supported by the Shanti community and will have mentors like Bubeeri and Janet. The teens asked to make Women's Rights shirts. We provided the paints, they provided the slogans. I hope the slogans they wore today on their shirts will forever be imprinted in their hearts:

"Women Are Needed"
"Women Are Beautiful"
"Women Are Strong"
"Women are Motherland"

I have reached the motherland. Om Shanti, Shanti. XO, Amanda

And when we think we lead, we are most led.
~Lord Byron


I must agree with Lord Byron on this one. Whenever I think I am in control, the universe has a funny way of reminding me who's really in charge. My dad will be surprised to hear me admit that it isn't me. I have been planning this for a year now. I have coordinated service projects, created itineraries, and dreamed of leading this return trip to Uganda. Here I am in Uganda with 10 other people and instead of feeling like a leader, I feel led---led by my heart (because surely my head would have booked a vacation on a sunny beach somewhere). Of course, I really believe my heart is only the co-pilot. I have faith that God is also at the wheel. Each time I start to question why I am here, I have to look no further than this dynamic duo. Despite riots, outbreaks, and the threat of severe abdominal distress, I have been led back to Uganda. I sometimes wonder whether my navigational team really knows what they're doing. I question the universe, I question myself, I question everything. My personal mantra becomes "why". Why me? Why here? Why now? Why not Hawaii? The answers come from the people and projects we work with here in Uganda: the teen mothers who are receiving vocational training at Life in Africa & the children who are attending the daycare center we funded there; the students who will study inside the beautiful school we started building last year for Building Tomorrow & eat from the garden we planted yesterday; and the B-Boys and B-Girls who have popped, locked, and spun their way into my heart forever. These are the sparks that reignite my faith and lead me on. These are the true trip leaders in this adventure. I am just going along for the ride, and oh what a ride it has been....

Chindi Chindi

"It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks..." Helen Keller

My friend Jenny sent me that quote as a send-off. It popped into my head tonight as I was trying to follow Derreck, my 11 year old teacher from Breakdance Project Uganda. "You came back", he half said half asked when he saw me. I told him I was determined to learn some of his moves. He didn't hesitate to start teaching them to me. We threw down some top rope and added some footwork (I'm even learning the lingo). Then we went down to the floor. That's usually where all the fun acrobatic stunts take place.I suddenly felt unprepared for the task. I knew going to the practice tonight would challenge me, would stretch my comfort zone as well as my hamstring muscles. I get very self-conscious when people see me dance. I feel exposed for the white-n-nerdy yoga teacher i am. I looked at Derreck, this kid was taking his time to share the gift of his teaching with me. I had to find the powers to receive it. I mangled some of his smooth moves, but I managed to pull off a tiny freeze, basically a long hold arm balance, thanks to my yoga practice. Once I stopped judging myself to be this or that, I realized that I am what I am. Abramz taught me to say it, :"Chindi Chindi." I am a white-n-nerdy lacrosse mom yoga teacher b-girl in Uganda. I got the power for ail that. I don't have to stand on the sidelines watching other folks dance. I can throw my moves into the mix. I've got the power. Chindi Chindi.

School's in Session

"We are all students and we are all teachers." Abramz Tekya

My first day in Uganda. I traveled 30 hours to get here. Fortunately, I have found the perfect cure for jetlag---inspiration. Just as I was beginning to feel the overwhelming urge to nap today (2:00 am Oregon time), I willed my eye lids to remain open while I met with a young Ugandan B-Boy by the name of Abramz Tekya. I am ready to testify that inspiration is better than Red Bull. As I listened to Abramz discuss his dream of empowering Ugandan youth through breakdance, I felt myself becoming energized. When he asked if we'd like to see his program in action, all thoughts of napping were gone. Jetlag VS. Breakdance Project Uganda....no contest. I hopped in a cab and went to my first ever breakdance battle. WOW. I saw empowered youth. I saw inspiration in motion. I saw passion & purpose come together and dance. Afterwards, I got to meet my first B-girl, a teenager named Remy. She taught me a few moves. When she said I was a good student, I felt so proud I could hardly contain it. I remembered something that Abramz said at lunch, "at Breakdance Project Uganda, we believe that we are all students and we are all teachers." I added a few important names to my list of teachers today. I learned so much more than a few dance moves.

Peace out y'all.
Bayou B-Girl

A Rose by Any Name

"I like people who teach me things." Rose Allen Kraft

I believe in signs. I see them everywhere. I like to think God sprinkles little breadcrumbs for us to follow, but most of us rarely take the time to notice them. One day about 5 years ago, I was driving down a dirt road in Tumalo, Oregon when God sent me a sign I couldn't ignore. I stopped in front a view that took my breath away. I could feel my heart expand to take it in. I called Jeff and said I'd found our dream property. Never mind that it wasn't for sale, never mind that we couldn't afford a farm. I believed in the sign, and oh what a sign it turned out to be. Rose Allen Kraft was nearing 90 when we first met her and asked whether she might like to sell us her farm. It was love at first sight. Rose and her late husband had been teachers who took year-long sabbaticals and traveled the world. She taught school in Afghanistan, wrote the Ugandan Girl Scout's Manual, and most recently traveled along the Siberian Railroad at the age of 92. She became my role model, my surrogate grandmother, and one of my true soul mates. Grandma Rose passed away a week ago today. At 94, she decided she'd had enough. As I embark on my journey back to Uganda, I can feel her presence urging me onward, "God gave you wings so you could fly," she once told me. She also reminded me that Jeff is the one who tends the nest while I am away. So I am flying away and Jeff is home tending the nest, which now includes the 40 acre Rose Allen Ranch where I received one of the greatest God-given gifts of my lifetime, Rose. I dedicate this trip to you, Rose. Thank you for teaching me so many things.


Roseisms...
I never kicked a door down, but if it was open, I walked through it.
Don’t judge a culture by their plumbing.
I’m long suffering, but when I’ve had enough, you know it.
There is great wisdom among all people...seek it out.
Love everyone – don’t leave anyone out.

You Gotta Have Faith

" I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be." Douglas Adams

As a yoga teacher, I often tell my students to set intentions. As a mother, I often tell my children to act with good intentions. As a person, I often think, "that was not my intention at all." There was a time in my life when I seemed intent only on reaching total self-destruction. I thank God everyday that I didn't get there. So, how did I get here instead of there? Who set this intention for my life? Who's driving this car anyway? God, My Higher Self, My Guardian Angel, some haloed stunt car driver? I don't have a definitive answer. I think that's where faith comes in. Though I may not be where I intended to be, I have faith that I am right where I am supposed to be. I also have faith that I am headed in the right direction. In two days, that direction is Uganda, a place that my heart's compass seems determined to point me towards. The past month has tested my faith in this compass. Could it be broken? Perhaps it is supposed to be pointing towards the South of France instead. I've actually asked God a few times whether he/she is testing my faith or my stupidity. Each time an obstacle is put in my path, I wonder whether it is a sign to turn around or find the strength to go forward despite all obstacles. I am stubborn by birth, it is part of my DNA much like Coca Cola, Crawfish Boils, Quarter Horses, Willie Nelson, World Travel, and Helping Others. I thank my parents for all of it---even the stubbornness. I choose to think stubbornness is just another word for faith. I have got faith, and so I keep moving forward to Uganda, a place where I am intended to go. And in two weeks, I have faith that I will end up back where I am intended to return...with my family and friends.
Until then, Keep the faith y'all.