40km Charity Walk

Update: I am sadly no longer able to do this walk (can't get the time off work after all), but Jen and her friend are still taking part.  Please sponsor them for my sake! Thank you :)

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Once upon a time, there were two little girls who loved Disney.  One was called Charlotte (me!), the other was Jen.  When they grew up, they had a crazy idea, worthy of the Mad Hatter - they wanted to work at Walt Disney World, Florida.

They jumped through all the hoops, and finally found themselves being asked to go to Cardiff for a face-to-face interview.  They went online and talked to other crazy people.  That's where they started talking to each other.  Jen suggested they share a hotel, to split the cost.  I agreed.  Sharing a hotel room with a complete stranger, in a strange city - what's the worst that could happen...?

Five years have gone by since that day.  Both girls went to Disney.  Jen worked in retail at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

I was a custodian in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Both girls stayed friends on Facebook, checking in on each other every now and again.  Jen was kind enough to invite me to her Alice in Wonderland themed hen party last year.  

That was the first time we'd seen each other since our interview in Cardiff.

I've been following Jen's progress as she has been running Tumaini Kenya, a charity in Kenya for street children, and those in juvenile prison.  They started in 2011, and have made a huge difference in the children's lives since then.  Jen runs the charity from the UK.  Her project worker in Kenya provides educational transitional support to rehabilitated street children, as well as providing support and awareness to children in prison to help them make good choices in their future. You can follow their blog here - Tumaini Kenya Blog, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.  

I don't know what it is, perhaps because their little faces remind me of my Ethiopian sister, but her work has struck a chord in me.

Now, all these years later, I have my answer to that immortal question - 'what's the worst that could happen?'.  Despite being hopelessly unfit, I've agreed to go on a 40km walk to raise money for a group of funny little children I've never met. 

I'll be joining Jen on 'Just Walk', which is a 40km trek across the South Downs, organised by 'Across the Divide'.  This is likely to utterly destroy me, but it's all for a good cause!

To sponsor me (please make it worthwhile!), visit the Tumaini Kenya 'Money Giving' page.  This is the main page for Tumaini Kenya donations, and is doubling as our team page.  Please state that you're sponsoring me (Charlotte) for 'Just Walk', so we can keep track of who's raised what.

I'll keep you up to date on my training, which so far consists of occasional walks around the school grounds where I work, and taking our boisterous puppy for a wander around the village.  The walk itself is on May 11th this year, so watch out for updates on how it goes!  That is if I survive... :)

All the best,

Charlotte

Update

There are new incentives to sponsor Jen Hanson, Nivraj Jassar, and myself!  Everyone who makes a donation of £5 or more, will be entered into a prize draw. The prizes are: Signed JLS perfume; signed Avril Lavigne perfume; a bottle of wine; a box a chocolates; and a fabulous £50 voucher for the cake shop, Dear Delicious in Gateshead.  Sponsor us at www.virginmoneygiving.com/TumainiKenya for a chance to win one of these great prizes.  Good luck!  Charlotte

Ethiopian Research

As some of you know, I'm an advanced creative writing student through the Open University.  As part of my course I have to write a 4,000 word complete story, or beginning of a novel.  This is a big task, which I work on over 3 assignments.  The first assignment, which is the plot proposal, is due on Valentine's Day.  That is also going to be my youngest sister's 4th birthday.

I thought long and hard about what to write for this story.  I needed it to be something I was interested in, something I could be enthusiastic about, but also something that other people might want to read.  I eventually decided to write about adoption from Ethiopia - in honour of my youngest sister.  It seemed fitting somehow.

Now, here's the thing.  I've not been to Ethiopia.  I was travelling elsewhere when my family adopted my sister.  This means I have a lot of research to do.  To be honest, it might just be easier to try and squeeze in a trip to Addis Ababa before my final assignment is due in mid-May.  A lot of the blogs out there about Ethiopia focus on the famine and poverty.  All of this has a place, absolutely, but I want to celebrate the good about Ethiopia.  Other blogs focus on the adoption process itself, which is important, but that's not what I'm writing about.

I'm hoping that you could help me.  I want to know the details about Ethiopia.  After all, it's the little details that make a story come alive, but that no-one thinks to write about in a blog.  What is the heat like?  Is it dry, or humid?  What are the smells?  What do the market stalls sell?  What did you do during the day?  What was the driving like?  What was church like?  What did the food taste of?  How did you feel during the coffee ceremony?  What did the guest house look like?  The orphanage?  What is there for young people to do?  What do Ethiopian people wear?  And any other details or anecdotes you can think of!

I'm planning on listening to a lot of Ethiopian music, and finding as many photos as I can (lucky I have a photographer for a father).  All this can only tell me so much, though.  It doesn't tell me the sounds, the smells, or the emotions.

Anything you can send me - photos, stories, testimonials, blog posts - would be greatly appreciated.  None of it is going any further than me.  If you could either comment on this blog-post, email me (please let me know that you have via a blog comment though, so I'll be sure to check my email!), or Facebook me, I'd be eternally in your debt.  I need to do this story justice, for my sister and for her culture.

Thank you!
Charli

New Orleans Catch-up

I've been back in the UK for a few months now, and have been applying for jobs like crazy.  To fill the time, I've been helping my Dad at his photography gallery.  I work as his 'social media correspondent', updating the blog, writing press releases, promoting the business on Twitter.  All that jazz.  It's really fun, but has taken my time away from this blog.  I've been blogging a lot in the last 4 months, it's just that I'm over here instead - Steve Oatway Photography's blog.  I even wrote about a touristy visit to York over there!  I realised, however, that I've been quoting this blog in job applications.  I'd better update it then, hadn't I?!

Travelwise, I believe my last update was about my final few days in New Orleans.  From leaving there, I had a severe lack of internet access, so my remaining time in New Orleans, then Philly, and Vermont, has been sadly undocumented.  I think it's time to break out the photos, and write about my final few weeks in America!  So, here I am, wrapped up against the miserably, January in the UK weather, writing about a summer in scorching USA.  I know where I'd rather be right now...

Ok, I'm not actually dressed quite like that...that was me venturing out into the night when we had that sudden cold snap.  But it's a far cry from this, that's for sure -

So, when I last blogged properly about my travels, I was loving life in New Orleans.  I'd been there a day and a half, and I was absolutely smitten.  As I later confessed, I ended up staying for almost a week.  That totally scuppered my remaining travel plans, but I didn't really mind.

I explored New Orleans in the company of two Dutch people, one Australian, and one American (who has the most confused accent I've ever come across).  They were all ever so slightly mad (all the best people are), insisting in playing in a fountain at one point.  I didn't question it, I just photographed it!

They had quite a relaxed attitude to adventuring, and were quite easily distracted.  'What's the interesting looking building over there?  Let's go look at it!'.  I'm quite an organised person, so this was strange for me.  I enjoyed it though!

The interesting looking building turned out to be a European church.  It was bizarre walking into this church (I've been to American churches before), as it was like stepping back into Europe.

Apologies for the photo quality, it was no flash photography allowed.  I don't have a big, fancy camera like my Dad's, so this was the best my little point-and-shoot could do!  I would love to tell you what church this was, but I don't know.  I really needed to keep better notes...

We finally made it to the French Quarter, which we explored for the next couple of days (taking time to return to the hostel for minor details like sleep).  Sadly we had to travel by bus, not by tram.

The bus shelters were like nothing we have in the UK.  So pretty!

We couldn't travel by steamboat either.  Definitely on my future 'to-do in New Orleans' list.

One of my favourite things about New Orleans, was all the people we saw.  The street performers, the buskers, and a whole lot of other people that...well I just don't know!

And of course, there was the music.  The whole of the French Quarter seemed to be moving to some kind of beat.

And the food.  Oh goodness, the food.  Beignets are some kind of heaven.

Potatoes as a starter at Deanie's?  I think I could get used to that...

Tracey's is said to have the best 'po-boys' going.  I have to agree, it was a darn good sandwich!

We also went to a reggae bar, which served food!  I had quesadilla (obvious meal of choice in a reggae bar in New Orleans...).  I thought it was sheer genius.

I think I'll write about Philly and Vermont in separate posts.  So I'll finish up New Orleans with a few random scenery photos -

Hope you enjoyed this picture heavy post!  Sadly, 4 months later, I can't quite remember what it is that I did, or where it was we went.  I mostly wandered around the Garden District and the French Quarter.  There wasn't often a plan, just a lot of 'Ooh, what's that?'.  Either way, I loved New Orleans and can't wait to visit again.  Next time, I promise I'll keep better notes of what I did, and not leave it so long to blog about it!