One thing I don’t do nearly enough is return to destinations I’ve previously visited. Coming back to Ethiopia was well worth the second time around. Naturally, the familiarity made Addis Ababa feel more like home and less like an intimidating lesser developed metropolis. But do not allow me to fool you. This second time around wasn’t an exact replica to the first which is full of the warmest and fuzziest memories of any trip ever taken and marked with a stamp in my passport to prove it. There were definitely some differences and only a couple challenges worth noting.

For starters I was accompanied by four individuals I’d previously built with and 13 new faces. Meaning aside from Yoseph, there were 16 of us total. This was the largest group I’ve lead on a GV project to-date yet, I didn’t do it alone. The project was Co-Lead by Hannah, who was a volunteer on the project in 2008. Together, I think we did a pretty awesome job. The hard part about Co-Leadership is ensuring that the secondary leader is seen as such by the group and as a Team Leader, making sure I’ve relinquished some of the responsibility to that person. Crazy as it may seem, hoarding the responsibility is something that can easily happen.

Having Hannah around for this trip was good. As much as we are alike in our desire to heal the world (especially Ethiopia) of poverty housing, we are still different people. Our thought processes are different which was great in dealing with issues when they arose. Thankfully, there were very few problems with the group.

The team was diverse. They were mighty and committed and dedicated to the project. For the most part they were all flexible. Not everyone is a fan of Ethiopian food which is understandable given the texture and the abundance of delicious veggies. I’m just so grateful that the families in Debre Markos continue to do such a great job of prepping the food on site that no one gets / got sick on the build.

Because of the timing of the project we were also able to celebrate World Habitat Day in the field. This actually landed on the date of our arrival in Debre Markos so it got mashed up into the welcome ceremony. It was quite the pleasant reception too. Those of us who were returning to the community were met with large banners draped on houses and the break tent with our names in both English and Amharic. The priests were there drumming, the families were clapping and children met us with yellow wild flowers. Personally, I was highly elated.

Back to World Habitat Day though. The theme this year is “BUILD LOUDER”. For 2010 Habitat for Humanity International is looking for ways to encourage people to become advocates in eliminating sub-standard housing. How will you build louder? What will you build? This was something I tried to bring back into the reflections and other meetings when appropriate while in Ethiopia and even right here and now. World Habitat Day is everyday if you ask me. Make sure you visit their site to learn more on getting involved.

Another cool thing that happened that was different than on any other build… We stampeded the local government office and DEMANDED more land so that more homes could be built for families in Debre Markos and surrounding areas. Okay, so we weren’t full out bullies and we did get permission to speak with the co-deputy to the mayor of Debre Markos before kicking in any doors. There was roughly ten of us (dirty volunteers) that decided to go and make our plea for tenure. Our requests were noted and we were able to capture a few snapshots of the whole event. They’ll be included elsewhere.

What else… I suppose I should mention the super important stuff. We worked on what is the last seven plots in DM for the time being. Yoseph said when he heard I was coming back to Ethiopia he wanted to hold onto the last seven plots so that I could go back to DM because of the amazing build lead there the first time. Now as flattered as I was to hear this I felt a bit sad. I hope people were not locked out of decent shelter because of our trip schedule. I mean I don’t ever wish to be considered a “Slum Lord” who makes their rounds when at the convenience of their own schedule. So anyways, the last seven plots were ours to work on and we dedicated a total of eight homes during the farewell ceremony.

The families we were building for and with had some very touching stories. Seeing them in their present living conditions is always the hardest and a highly emotional part. One of the volunteers on the project (an architect) left the group with a truly thought-provoking reflection one evening. I am hopeful that I will be able to share his notes with those of you who know me personally on a more personal level. It is my intention to include it in another keepsake book I’ll be creating for the group which will have a wealth of photos to paint a more detailed picture of what went on during my time in country.

Lastly, there wasn’t a large R&R planned for this trip like the last. Instead we had two days off in the village for rest and local sightseeing. We attended church services very briefly as there was a funeral planned that day, had an Amazing Race style competition in the market and did a hike to two monasteries. And that was enough quite honestly. Anything else would have been exhausting given the time-frame.

Oh, and have I forgotten the teeny-tiny challenges? No. I’m just playing with whether to discuss them here in this platform. Since starting this entry I’ve decided not to, but for those who are curious I’m only a phone call away. I’m always open to hear from others in leadership roles if it means becoming a better leader for future projects.

In summary I had a great, great time in country once again. I know there will be a third visit someday. How soon? I don’t know yet, but it WILL happen.

P.S. In addition to making coffee on site all the women in the group had the opportunity to bake injera. My coffee ratings weren’t as high as the previous trip and despite what you think of my injera as seen in the photograph above, I can assure you it was/is the BEST injera EVER! Alemwerk (pictured with me) can vouch for it.

P.P.S. Martin Howden, a long time supporter of HFHE, has written a gem of book titled “This Stuff Really Works,” for those interested in taking a peek. The book is a fundraising tool to help get more houses built for Ethiopians with leprosy. I’ve not visited these communities in Ethiopia, but Martin has been many times with his wife Liz. He does a much better job of describing their condition and his book. Do check it out and if you feel compelled to do so — just give.

P.P.P.S. Don’t forget to vote for my Trazzler Smart Travel piece on volunteer vacationing in Ethiopia with Global Village. Voting ends on November 13th so hop to it!

Rarely do I get excited from being tagged in goofy Facebook photos, but I was overjoyed when Basia tagged me in this one today. Her caption read as follows:

“Premiera w National Geographic juz 14 maja! Sama nie mogę w to uwierzyć!”

Basically this article will be appearing in National Geographic’s Polish version. Basia was one of the super awesome volunteers on my last Habitat for Humanity Global Village team to Ethiopia and I love that she is still sharing her experience to hopefully inspire others. I don’t speak Polish, so I hope that it was all positive. Good job Basia!

If God is love or if he ever knew love, it wouldn’t seem so for many of us based off the way he repeatedly torments Haiti. Trust though that there are people so devastated and bewildered by the recent quakes that God’s love and prayer are the only two things they have left. So for us out here watching on CNN, BBC, and various other broadcast networks, I don’t think they would want us to stop our prayer or hope for relief. However, prayer with action is extremely powerful and if your heart moves you, take action.

I recently rallied everyone to vote for a travel piece I wrote on Trazzler about Haiti. With just a few clicks from friends, friends-of-friends and strangers, I was able to win the contest. I wrote my piece on Haiti hoping to give others a glimpse at the country as a desirable travel destination. When I heard this news, I couldn’t even watch it on TV. I didn’t want to imagine it; that the poorest country in the western hemisphere had been hit by a 7.0 earthquake. (Pause) Now, I’m asking you to join me in taking action for something bigger. Don’t just join a fan page on some social network. Don’t just say “poor Haiti.” You can do something even if it is small.

1. If donating money isn’t an option for you at this time try putting a care package together. Look in your closet for clothing to donate or assemble hygiene kits. Imagine the things you’d NEED if you’d lost everything in an earthquake and were homeless.

2. If donating money is an option for you (even if it is as small as $5) do it! Many of us are weary about forking over money to agencies. (Myself included.) There will be many accepting your funds to help Haiti. Do your research if needed and commit to giving something. Yele, Habitat for Humanity, and the Fuller Center for Housing are three organizations, I will be watching personally and collaborating with if possible. Note: The links above take you to relief projects specifically for Haiti.

3. Spread the word. Post ways of getting involved or donating on your Myspace, Facebook, Twitter feed or write a blog.

4. Hope, pray and continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts over the coming weeks when the next big news story wipes it off the headlines. Oh, and take action.

God is love.

In retrospect, I’m more than pleased with the way my recent travels turned out. It has been less than a week since I returned from the Global Village project in Kisii and I have been thinking about it a lot. Mostly due to the high volume of questions from family and friends wanting to know every intimate detail, including the exact location of every malaria-ridden mosquito bite. I’ve been dodging the questions, working up the best way to put my thoughts and feelings together.

At this junction I’m going to refrain from gushing every detail about the trip. That goes to include those involving mosquito bites, wild malaria dreams and/or the screaming heard by my fellow team members one night at the hotel. I’ve already said too much and in this case, less is more and vague is the new vogue. So I’m guessing you’re ready to hear all about it? Shall we…

The project destination where I spent a large chunk of my time was in Kisii – a town in western Kenya approximately 6 hours outside of Nairobi. The drive into Kisii is both smooth, bumpy and simply awe-inspiring when passing through the Rift Valley. Dry dirt in various shades of yellow color the terrain and gradually evolve into a lusher, greener, tropical looking landscapes. Crops of all sorts dot the land and their rural keepers can be seen busy tending to them day in and day out. Hardly a day ever passes without a few hours rain in Kisii which helps to keep it looking so alive.

Kisii town is a busy place, but with nothing to totally captivate any particular visitor. It feels safe enough and the community as a whole is cool yet cordial to the stranger. Enter the Global Village…

We were originally slated to work on three houses for three different homeowners, but we ended up doing some pretty hard work on just two of the houses. Let me stop here to define hard work. Hard work – Digging up fresh earth, mixing mortar, and carting wheel barrows packed with fire bricks, stones and sand down muddy hillside slopes all in the name of volunteerism. I don’t think there is a village I’ve visited where the locals can’t get over the idea of a group of foreigners traveling from so far away to do construction work, for free.

The team really came together to make this a successful build for the two homeowners, Patrice and Mark, but we couldn’t have done it without the help of Mukanzi. Mukanzi, was the local HFH construction supervisor and it was easy to see his dedication in helping us to help the community. He taught us about ‘harambee,’ ‘mololongo’ and much more. The two homes were made of fire bricks and we did not complete one or the other, but there was definitely a lot of progress made due to our free unskilled labor.

As a volunteer and second-time team leader there were challenges. I am grateful for them all as I want to grow. I want to become a better volunteer team leader for future volunteer trips and as magical as last year’s project in Ethiopia may have been, it presented few challenges. I’ll summarize them so not to dwell. First off, I felt very alone on this project more so than ever before. This was a personal challenge and I didn’t want it to impact the others. There were some bumpy roads with the budget initially, but it was sorted out by the trip end. Three volunteers got pretty sick and unfortunately one had to make a trip to Hema Hospital. The hospital trip took me a way from the team for about a half day and I nearly had to throw blows to get my poor guy out of the corrupted facility. Some people felt the work load was too heavy and others were simply happy to be there helping with whatever was thrown in our direction. In my eyes, it was a pretty mixed bag.

All that being said, we gave it everything we had and more. It always blows me away to see a grassy lot transformed into a ditch, filled with rocks and cement and built upward by bricks into the walls. Although we didn’t complete the two houses we saw the fruits of our labor and I can only imagine that the future should be much, much brighter for our friends or ‘rafiki’ in Kisii.

Click here to learn more about building in Kenya with Habitat for Humanity. To learn more about Global Village and get involved you can find everything you need to know and more by visiting Habitat for Humanity International. To see more pictures from this trip visit the gallery found here.

My travels in the East African country of Kenya are prize worthy. If there isn’t already a t-shirt that says, “I Survived the Kenya,” then I shall make one. From the trenches of the global village site to African time to bargaining for the best price to random hail storms in Kisii and so on – I rightly deserve a t-shirt. For now, I should fight off this jet-lag, but I wanted to give you a dose of what may be in store as I recount my trip in the upcoming days.

In other words; I’m back.

For those of you traveling vicariously to Kenya, I’d like to encourage you to get even more involved. With World Habitat Day approaching on October 5th there are several ways to make your voice heard. If you’re not familiar with World Habitat Day, you may wish to begin by reading about the day and this year’s theme and/or focal point. If you’d like to submit your own “It all starts from home” photo for the petition please check out the how-to on Habitat. Together we can all do great things.

Updates to follow upon my return from Kenya.

While the event was considered a success by many including myself, I’d love to see more agencies involved and more people being served. There must be a way for Hillsborough County to offer transportation for this one day event to help get more homeless patrons there. This isn’t the only area I’d like to see improve, but it is certainly one of the more important ones. One of my personal event highlights was having the barber cut hair and with such an amazing spirit. Having said that – working at the coalition for the summer will always be memorable. I will be keeping in touch.

Let’s go to Africa!

I have been hawking on headlines regarding Madagascar for the last month and then some. My slated Global Village build in late September / October is like confetti dancing in the air of uncertainty right now. The political unrest doesn’t make things look good. I am trying to be hopeful so that the people of Madagascar can be served by Habitat’s mission, but the topsy-turvy nature of this issue leaves me a little shaky in regards to successfully recruiting a team. Applications are not coming as rapidly as they should be and well, I guess it is all TBD.

I saw this help child soldiers video on the featured videos of youtube earlier and it pulled me right in. It even gave me chills. Good acting and it really gets you thinking – more so after you visit their website. Had to share this one for those looking for a worth while cause to donate some time to next year. My hands are pretty full with Habitat projects, but I think their campaign is great!