And So It Begins...Again

And so it begins...again!  As of right now I am traveling to Ecuador on the 4th of August for two weeks with a group of teenage volunteers traveling with an organization called ME TO WE TRIPS to build a school!!!! I am soooo excited and nervous. 

This will be my first ever trip out of the country without a family member, which is a HUGE leap.  I am so much more nervous about Ecuador than I was about Africa.  Actually I really wasn't nervous at all about Africa.  But I guess once you take my mom out of the equation I become scared.  But hey its South America and that is another first.  I have never been to South America.  Nor have I ever built a school or traveled with a volunteer group.  So many firsts.  

I will be posting the pictures and stories for Ecuador on The Green Backpack.  However there is one little change...I will be posting after the trip.  Since no computers are aloud on the trip and even if I smuggled one to South America (which I am not going to attempt) there is no internet so the stories would still be published when I get home.

I will be keeping a good old paper journal and taking thousands and thousands of extroirdanary photos.  And when I return in two weeks I will be uploading them in an orderly fashion once a day (just to keep the suspense factor)  I like to think of it as reading a book, but only being aloud to read the book a chapter at a time.  Also I will be swamped with starting school in the fall plus closing down my Cafe/summer job and only having to write a story a day will keep me relatively sane while organizing two weeks of stories, pictures, and a kaleidoscope of feelings into orderly posts.   

With that said don't go away for too long.  At least come back for the end of August for some great stories!!  And I am sure something will happen...It always does.

-Z

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Me and my mother have done around 5 presentations in the last 2 months and we have 2 more booked.  My stage fright has surprisingly gotten much much better.  I no longer shake, however when I start a speech I talk really fast but that wears off quickly.  The best part for me is that I don't have a written speech.  I have a slideshow which gives me a suggestion of what I should be talking about but I have mainly been winging it. Which is so much more comfortable than having a written speech.

When we did our first speech my mother talked the whole time, and not because she wanted to but because I made her.  Now she is a part of the audience. Except for when I look at her with a look of panic when I have talked myself into a hole and need saving.  Which happens quite a lot which is not surprising at all.

Another thing that has happened recently is that two lovely papers (The Guardian and The Buzz) published our trip to Africa!  I am so thankful to both of them for taking interest in our trip and helping me pursue my dreams by showcasing my writing and our trip.  I am so grateful for their support and interest.  A lot of people have contacted my mother and I because they found out about our trip through either of the papers asking if we could do a presentation for them.  Which is fantastic being able to talk to people and show pictures and laugh at the stories is so enjoyable and lovely. 

There are a lot of important messages that the trip to Africa taught me and so much I want to tell people about.  By doing presentations I get to tell the stories on a more personal level. I think telling the stories in person something that people can relate to and that they can absorb easier.  I also enjoy the instant feed back.  I find it so fascinating hearing people's reactions to the stories and hearing their opinions.  

And I am so thankful to The Buzz and The Guardian for getting the word out that I am here and talking and have stories to tell.  Everyone has something to tell the world and I am so so so so very thankful that I am supported by so many amazing people to tell my stories and crazy adventures and the messages they have taught me.  

So thank you for supporting this crazy 15 year old who wants to share her stories.

-Z