Update

In the last entry I did not mention the town in which I will be living. The town is called Ikotos and it is in the extreme south, bordering Northern Uganda and Kenya. Most of the truck traffic is from Uganda. Kenya is 150 miles away (and a 5 hour drive!). For up-to-date information on Sudan, go to news.bbc.co.uk or to the CIA Factbook link. As of late, Southern Sudan is safe to be in. Ikotos is far from its northwest neighbor that has made the news: Darfur. Although, Juba, where most of the "lost boys" come from, is close to where I'll be. Fortunately, most of that is now cleared up. The school in which I will be working is new and as of now, I do not know which grade I will be teaching. There was a choice of primary or secondary levels and I left it open to need. Right now I'm working with 3rd through 5th graders and I love that, but I also have taught and currently volunteer with teenagers, which I also love.

*also, note that I have added an email address for you to contact me.

Southern Sudan

Today, I just found out that I'm going to Southern Sudan instead of Northern Uganda!! A few positions opened in a school there in which AIM and the school think that I'd be the right fit. Very few people are allowed into Southern Sudan so apparently this is a rare opportunity. I am extremely excited about going to Sudan, just as much so as Uganda. Sudan is the first country to draw my attention towards East Africa by reading the book "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky" written by three of the "lost boys" and Edited by Judy Bernstein (a must read). The issues of Northern Uganda and Southen Sudan overlap because of their geographiv proximity.
Most likely, on August 27th I will be in Pearl River, NY for a 3 day orientaion and then I will fly to Kampala, Uganda for training. Then, I will fly to Southern Sudan to teach for a year. My accomodations will be a mud hut with a thatched roof with no electricity. My water source will be a bore hole and my bathroom, well, not much different. No problem though...that's what all those years of training on the Appalacian Trail prepared me for!! Also, at the Alldredge Academy, where I worked from last June until November, and will be working this summer, I sleep under a plastic tarp with no running water or electricity or bathroom. Of course, I know that this will be different from being in Appalachia and this will be a new experience, but with a few familiar qualities.
This is all the information I have now, but I will keep you posted as I find out more!

Bono's Acceptance speech at NAACP awards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENp7c6TtBHk

watch this video, for Bono says how I feel better than I could ever say.

Bricks in the wall

Between pastor Ed and my friend Sonya, I have decided that the best way to describe raising my salary would be like in Nehemiah where they build the wall to the city. Each person had their own job and each person was a part of the wall construction. So, in my case, what I will need is a group of 100 people to give $50, a group of 50 people to give a $100, and 25 people to give $200. Of course, I will also be overjoyed if there are those of you who can better afford supporting me monthly. My plan is to tally off each category on this blog as it collects people so that you can follow along in the building project. Whichever category you fall under, I am so very thankful for you and I want you to know that you are a part of something bigger than a girl going on a trip. You are a part of global community. You are part of a global change.

Paypal now available

Today I created a paypal account for those of you who are internet saavy and would like to support me online. Just click on the "Make a donation button." For those of you reading, I thank you for just reading my blog. As you probably know I have to raise my salary for the year in Uganda. The donations are tax deductable to Africa Inland Mission, the organization with whom I am going. My goal is to get at least 50 people to make a pledge of $25 a month or more to make the minimum of $15,000 that I must raise to pay for the airfare, housing, food, etc.
I promise, none of the money goes to personal pleasure, although it would buy a sweet road bike-- am I right Lance? Just kidding... I do need to save/raise money on top of that to pay my fixed costs such as a car payment and student loans. Currently, I'm looking into deferring my loans and if anyone wants a car for a year, you can take over my payments and have a sweet ride for 11 1/2 months. So, I am trying my best to do what a girl's gotta do to not ask for support for my long-term bills.
p.s. I will LOVE one-time donations too! and much prayer!

CD coming out

After a week and a half of toiling over my laptop after work, I have made a promotional CD for my trip to Sudan. Keep your eyes peeled if you are on my address list because one might be coming your way! I used the background music of the Killers' song "All the things that I've done." and have a pictoral story that takes you through Sudan, including pictures of child soldiers, ex-child soldiers, and school children. My hope is that the viewers of the CD will better understand why I am going and want to be part of my journey.

more info on my post

The newest info is that I will probably leave at the end of the summer/beginning of the school year and I will be teaching little kids, probably elementary age, which is what I do now. I really like that age, especially 3rd through 5th, which is the grades that I work with as a guidance counselor. At this age group they still want to learn, but they are also fun and understand a little bit of sarcasm. Another job that I might be doing is working in the office of a program that helps youths who live on the streets in Kampala ( the capital of Uganda). So, that's all the info I have for now. My contact person is currently communicating with the program in Uganda, to see what their greatest need is for me to be doing. And, they are talking to another girl whom I might be partnered up with there for the year. I guess she's still deciding if she wants to do it, and hey, I can't blame her...its a lot of money to raise! If I had the money, I'd leave tomorrow, but until I become famous or become best friends with Oprah, I'll be waiting for the support of 50 to 100 of my closest friends!