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March 11, 2016April 13, 2018

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One Love for Humankind

One love refers to the universal love and respect expressed by all people for all people, regardless of race, creed, or color. —The Urban Dictionary

Anne McCarthy writes: “I realized that the universe is constantly whispering words of love: expressions of pure joy, respect, loyalty, and sacrifice for someone other than ourselves, and instructions on letting go and focusing on what is most important in this world”.

Her remark could not be more poignant today as we face an opportunity to either open the doors and embrace others different from ourselves or build a wall and shut the door. We are at a critical time in history in which more and more democracies including our own are struggling to keep intolerance, injustice and hate out of becoming who we are. With the rise of politicians and people breeding hatred and intolerance of others based on gender, religion, sex and ethnicity, it frightens me. I wonder what kind of world my children will live in. One of ignorance and hate or one of acceptance and love. It is a scary time in history.

Without getting too political or depressing, I wanted to share with you what my belief is in “one love”. Why I believe that we should open our doors to others instead of turn away. The world is an amazing place and a huge part of what makes it so incredibly magical is us. All of us. Not just the white, catholic christians. Everyone. Black, brown, yellow, white. Jewish, Muslim. Christian, Buddhist or atheist. All of us.

That is what one love means.

Me and Mary

Of course I couldn’t resist getting my picture taken with these lovely girls.

Holding a small child at the Kilimanjaro Orphanage Centre in Moshi, Tanzania.

In Ethiopia at Mosebo Village. June 2014

Our multi-cultural team to Haiti. How I wish these lovely ladies all lived here!

Eugenia, our cook, inside the “kitchen” tent gives us a big smile.

Hair Braiding in Havana

Maria. Guatemala.

Volunteering in Morocco, I get Henna done.

Volunteering in Costa Rica

Entos Eyesu Monastery Lake Tana, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Smiling at her Polaroid of herself.

Bete Maryam Monastery Bahir Dar Ethiopia

I bought this small painting for my home.

This post was inspired by the Weekly Photo Challenge: One Love.

March 9, 2016

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The Color of Granada

Granada is a magical place. As the oldest city in North America, founded in 1524 by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba (a Spanish conquistador), Granada’s charm has been attracting people from all over the world for decades. Her captivating colonial architecture, whimsical colorful streets, and gorgeous culture is enough to make you want to plant yourself at one of many outdoor cafes on the main plaza and watch the world go by for days.

Unfortunately I only had 24 hours in this lovely colonial treasure but I made sure to cram in as much as possible. I spent the morning on foot touring the four main colonial churches and rambunctious streets, ate wonderful meals at Granada’s delightful outdoor restaurants, took an evening sunset tour of Las Islets, and the next morning climbed neighboring volcano Mombacho. It was an awful lot of rushing around in a short amount of time but I’m glad I did it because Granada is amazingly delightful. It is also a photographer’s dream!

Come take a walk with me and see for yourself.

The perch at Hotel Plaza Colon is a fantastic place to have a cup of Nicaraguan coffee and watch the world go by.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Granada was check into my lovely hotel, The Hotel Plaza Colon. It was the perfect place to base myself for my visit to Granada, centrally located right on the main plaza with a gorgeous front patio and private balconies offering a spectacular view of the plaza and main cathedral. The staff was warm, friendly and helpful and I specifically enjoyed the delicious cafe shop and wine bar with outdoor seating.

Once I figured out my game plan for the day, I set off on foot in the hot, tropical weather common almost year-round in Nicaragua. I had a guidebook but honestly never read it as I prefer to discover a new place similar to opening up the first page of a new book. I like to slowly unravel it with no preconceived notions and read about it after I’ve seen it.

I left the hotel with only a map and some basic instructions by the concierge on where to go and what to see. Given the relatively small, compact size of Granada, it was very easy to find my way around and see everything over the course of 3-4 hours. There were also plenty of tourists so I never felt uneasy being alone.

My first mission was to visit the main churches of Granada which warrants an entirely separate post (that is coming soon). From the top of the bell tower at the Iglesia La Merced, I got a stunning 360-view of the city. It was the perfect vista to begin my tour of Granada.

The best view in Granada can be found from the bell tower at the Iglesia La Merced

View of the main plaza

Nicaragua TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION

March 8, 2016October 3, 2017

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Poverty is Sexist: How you can make a difference in the lives of women and girls

62 million girls are denied the right to education. Half a billion women cannot read. 155 countries still have laws that discriminate against women. This can change.

In honor of International Women’s Day today, The ONE Campaign has released their 2016 report Poverty is Sexist. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. It is a fact that the only way we can end extreme poverty, create peace, security and prosperity around the world is by improving the lives of women and girls around the globe. If you can do one thing today to help improve the lives of women and girls around the world, you can use the power of your voice and sign this letter here.

The letter is about how poverty is sexist, and urges world leaders to embrace development policies that invest in girls and women. The list of signers includes Bono, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Sheryl Sandberg, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Danai Gurira, Rocky Dawuni, Mary J. Blige, Melinda Gates and more. I am adding my name today and I urge you to add yours as well.

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am a huge supporter of improving the rights of women and girls and all people living in extreme poverty. I became passionate about my advocacy work on social good as I began to travel more and see firsthand the injustices around the world. The more I traveled and saw, the more I could not turn away from the fact that billions of people around the world – especially women and girls – are denied the same rights and opportunities as me. As citizens of the developed world, we all have a voice in democracy and can help advocate for legislation and funding that improves the lives of billions. It is a powerful gift that we are so fortunate to have and should not be wasted.

Global Issues Global Non-Profit Organizations and Social Good Enterprises SOCIAL GOOD Women and Girls

March 6, 2016April 13, 2018

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Finding Harmony

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song”. – Maya Angelou

Getting back from a vacation off the beaten path is always inharmonious to me. I seem to fall into a state of discontent for awhile as I adjust back to the hectic lifestyle of raising a family in America. I often feel more culture shock returning home than arriving into a place so different than my own, and it takes me a week or so to get back into the swing of my high paced life.

Of course there are things I could do to slow down but it is hard. I’m the kind of person who wants to do it all, and live life to the fullest. I put a high amount of pressure on myself to achieve. But honestly, I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t try my best each and every day to make a difference with my life, to love my children and husband to the fullest and be a good mom, wife, person and citizen.

However, sometimes I need to take a deep breath, and slow down. To find harmony again within my body and soul. To remind myself of the places I’ve traveled to, both near and far, that have helped me find true peace, harmony and solitude.

My most recent piece of harmony was just last week in Nicaragua.

Me and my perch, taking the world all in.

“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.” – Hermann Hesse

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

March 4, 2016January 19, 2023

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Chicabrava: Empowering women one wave at a time

A few months ago, I got an email that set in motion an experience that would teach me a powerful lesson about overcoming my fears. It was an invitation to attend a press trip to experience and review Chicabrava, an all-women’s learn-to-surf camp in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. I read the email with both the usual excitement I feel when learning about a new opportunity to travel as well as slight apprehension about what I would actually be doing on the trip: Learning to surf.

I consider myself an adventurous person who has traveled to over 40 countries, many of these trips solo, and has pushed my body and soul to the limit by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, trekking the Himalayas, tandem hang-gliding in New Zealand, and diving in the Great Barrier Reef. But surfing? Now that is something I had never tried and quite honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

What I would come to learn about this entire experience was that traveling alone to Nicaragua and actually getting up on my surfboard to catch a wave was no problem at all. The real challenge I had to overcome was my immense fear and anxiety over the ocean. It terrified me.

Adventure Travel TRAVEL

March 3, 2016

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Highlights of a week in Nicaragua

On my last day in Nicaragua, I saw this Apache blessing inside the worn cardboard menu at a small, mostly gringo cafe. In a nutshell, it seemed to sum up pretty well how taking a week completely off the grid in a developing country, far away from all the insanity of American life, made me feel.

“May the sun bring you energy by day, May the moon softly restore you at night, May the rain wash away your worries, May the breeze blow new strength into your being, May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life”.

Our sunset view overlooking the small fishing town of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

Traveling to Nicaragua is perhaps not on everyone’s bucket list. However, for me, as long as a destination is reasonably safe I’m always game for seeing someplace new. Over the last five years, I’ve explored most of Central America with my first visit to the most developed and modern country of them all, Costa Rica, followed by travel to Guatemala, Honduras and even a brief trip to Belize. What surprised me the most about Nicaragua is how as the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (after Haiti which I visited last year), it was incredibly lovely and safe.

The people are warm and friendly, welcoming visitors with open arms. The culture and beauty of Nicaragua pulls you in and never leaves your heart. Perhaps this is why Nicaragua’s tourism industry is booming and only going to expand. Nicaragua is a wonderful place and is still a relatively unexplored travel gem.

Adventure Travel Nicaragua TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION

March 1, 2016March 24, 2016

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Humanity Unified: Empowering Women and Providing Hope

“We empower communities to rise out of poverty through education, food security projects and economic opportunities. We start by investing in women”. – Maria and Anthony Russo, co-founders of Humanity Unified.

It all began with a trip to Rwanda. In 2014, Maria Russo and her husband Anthony, the creative minds behind the award-wining online media platform for travel and social good, The Culture-ist took a leap of faith and went to Rwanda in search of opportunities to start a non-profit organization. As world-travelers who over the past 12 years have visited over 35 countries, Maria and Anthony both felt compelled to give back and help the amazing people and cultures they had seen.

For a few years prior to going to Rwanda, the pair had been running The Culture-ist, an online media platform for social good that revolves around a community of storytellers, travelers, creatives and change makers who aspire to make the world a better place. Although The Culture-ist has seen extraordinary success, Maria and Anthony yearned to do more. They had tossed around different ideas in their head on what else they could do to make a difference and impact change when they connected with the founder of Kula Project who invited them to go to Rwanda and see the work they are doing. The trip was in three months.

Maria and Anthony in Rwanda.

It was in Rwanda where Maria and Anthony met an amazing Rwandan woman named Peace. Peace’s story was heartbreaking and filled with hope. Peace’s family fled to Kenya in the 60’s when civil conflict erupted in Rwanda, and spent several years in Kenya where she opened her home and her heart to women survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Many of the women have suffered unimaginable trauma and are widows or single mothers, illiterate and unskilled, HIV positive, and victims of domestic abuse. The women were poor with little opportunities to support themselves or their children. Peace’s home became a place of support, empowerment and hope for over 300 women.

In 2009, together with Sophie McCann from the non-profit Network for Africa, Peace co-founded Aspire Rwanda, an organization that equips Rwandan women with literacy, vocational skills, and training in sustainable agriculture, health and human rights that helps lift them and their families out of poverty. Aspire’s mission is founded on the belief that the promotion of human dignity and women’s rights will lead to sustainable community development and strong and lasting grassroots reconciliation. Aspire Rwanda also provides counseling, nutrition, family planning services and childcare for young children so the women can attend the 12-month training program. After graduation the women join a cooperative where they work and support themselves, contributing to a self-sustaining and peaceful community. In the last five years, Aspire has helped 450 vulnerable but resilient women rebuild their lives in the aftermath of Rwanda’s genocide.

“Aspire helps to give resilient, hard-working women the skills and confidence to make their own choices, become self-sufficient, and take control of their lives.”

Mamerica, one of the 100 women enrolled in the farming cooperative project, working in her community garden. Photo by Arnelle Lozada

When Maria and Anthony heard Peace’s story, it felt like fate. Aspire Rwanda was the organization that had captured their hearts and was the perfect partner to launch their first project with through their soon-to-be non-profit organization. “We will work together” Peace smiled as she held Maria’s hand. Serendipitously the opportunity that Maria and Anthony had been looking for was right before their eyes.

Dativa, 75, one of the 100 women enrolled in the farming cooperative project. Photo by Arnelle Lozada

Gifts that Give Back SOCIAL GOOD Women and Girls

February 18, 2016April 7, 2018

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What I’ve learned after five years of blogging

The tiny notification came to my inbox rather unexpected. If I’d been in a hurry as I normally am while browsing through my WordPress Inbox perhaps it would have gone unnoticed. Yet, there it was an indistinguishable little note that said “Happy Anniversary from WordPress” next to a tiny little cake with the number 5 inside. I stopped for a moment and just stared at the screen a bit in disbelief that I’d forgotten this fact. That five years ago, as a stay-at-home mom of a four and six-year-old, I decided to take a chance. I started a blog.

I remember the feeling of utter shyness and apprehension when I wrote that first post. Would anyone even read it or my blog? Was I making a big mistake by opening myself up to the world, to strangers? Would it even be any good? Lots of self-doubt swirled around inside my head but I decided to take a leap of faith and go for it. What did I have to loose?

At the top of the World: The Throung Pass, near 18,000 feet

Buddhist shrine along the Annapurna trek in Nepal

Above: A gallery of some of the first photos introduced in my blog.

Fast forward five years and 1,000 posts later, I am still blogging as passionately as ever and consider my blog to be my part-time job. I may not make a dime off my blog however what I get in return with satisfaction, fulfillment, opportunity and friendship has made it one of the best decisions of my life (of course, behind getting married and having children). I love blogging and I believe that because I love what I do so much that my blog will be here to stay for a very long time.

So what is the key to longevity? Why do I continue to spend countless hours on my blog every single day, week after week, month after month and year after year? Simple. Because I am passionate about what I’m doing and believe in it. If I didn’t love blogging, I would have quit long ago.

I’ve sadly seen many of my fellow bloggers come and go. I’ve also learned many tips along the way that have worked for me and have kept me going with my blog. Here are a few of the best things I’ve learned along the way.

CULTURE

February 15, 2016October 4, 2017

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The Adventure Project: Creating Jobs that Help People Thrive

“Why Jobs? Because everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive. Yet, 1 billion people still live in extreme poverty. We have the power to change that”. – Becky Straw and Jody Landers, Co-Founders of The Adventure Project

The more I travel and learn about the world, the more inspired I am to give back and make a difference. Besides writing on non-profits and volunteering, I also like to donate money to causes and non-profit work that I believe in. However, if you are like me, it can be extremely daunting knowing where to even begin especially because there are so many ways you can give and so many charities out there. You can give a one-time donation to a charity that you love, you can purchase a “gift that gives” back, you can finance micro-loans to small businesses or even pay for a girl to go to school or a clean birth kit for a mother in Africa. The list of ways to give back is endless.

Perhaps because it can be so incredibly overwhelming yet exciting all the same, I am passionate about finding new models of giving back and sharing these organizations with you on my blog. Today, I would like to introduce The Adventure Project, a non-profit that “adds venture” to offer education, tools and resources for people to become entrepreneurs and change their lives. I had the opportunity to speak with one of co-founders, Becky Straw, and learn more about the inspiration behind The Adventure Project and what she and co-founder Jody Landers are doing to change the world. Here is what I learned.

The Adventure Project Co-Founders, Jody Landers (left) & Becky Straw (right)
Photo credit: Esther Havens

Conservation/Environment Food Security Global Health Global Issues SOCIAL GOOD

February 12, 2016April 13, 2018

— 38 Comments

Haiti: Where life imitates art

A year ago I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Haiti as part of a program to view Macy’s Heart of Haiti products and meet the artisans behind the beautiful art. It was an incredible trip in many ways as it opened my heart and mind to a different side of Haiti that is often not discussed in the press. Instead of seeing tragedy, hardship and destruction I saw amazing resilience, hope and creativity through the arts. While many challenges remain for the people of Haiti – it still is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere – there also lies opportunity and beauty especially through its vibrant, dynamic arts.

Let me introduce you to a few of Haiti’s artists and some of the beautiful work they are creating to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.

Nat, Executive Director of ABN

Gifts that Give Back Haiti SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges

February 8, 2016April 9, 2018

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For the best snow on earth, ski Utah!

“For a wonderful time, ski Utah”!

Every winter I try to make a trip out west to the big mountains and my favorite place to go is to Utah. Utah is known as having the greatest snow on earth, and after skiing many times in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Montana I would agree. Traditionally the snow in Utah is light, fluffy and dry with tons of powder. Unfortunately the last few years have not been as good of snow as usual but this winter has seen some of the best Utah powder in years. And skiers near and far were ready.

We woke up Friday morning to a fresh 13-inch coat of snow in the mountains and could not have been luckier. The skies had cleared and were a brilliant blue. The sun was beaming down and it felt like everyone in Salt Lake City was headed to the mountains. I could tell that we were in for the time of our life!

Adventure Travel Family Travel Skiing TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY United States Utah Weekly Photo Challenges

February 1, 2016April 7, 2019

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Gifts that Give Back: My pick for best Valentine’s Day Gifts

I am a huge supporter of giving amazing gifts that also give back to those in need. Thankfully over the past few years, more and more companies have realized that they too have a responsibility to make the world a better place and consumers are craving to make purchases that make them feel good. From non-profit organizations to benefit corporations (companies that are for profit and also donate a percentage of sales to charity) and the “buy one give one back for free” model, there are many ways to make a difference.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, a time when millions of dollars are being spent on flowers, chocolates and cards, I thought it would be great to compile a list of my favorite gifts that give back. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some of the enormous profits going to Hershey’s, Victoria Secret’s and Hallmark, go towards people in need? Call me idealistic but everything helps.

Here is my list of favorite picks. To see all my Gifts that Give Back, please click here.

For Her

Jewelry from Songa Designs International

Songa Designs International celebrates the empowerment of women around the world. It is typical for many women in developing countries to depend solely on their husbands for financial needs, but Songa is changing this dynamic. With Songa, under-resourced women have the opportunity to achieve economic independence by using skills acquired through everyday life to make a living. Defined as “the path forward” in Swahili, Songa is synonymous with the journey towards economic empowerment for women in developing countries. To see all their gorgeous jewelry, visit their shop here.

Marchesa Necklace

Gifts that Give Back SOCIAL GOOD

Thirdeyemom

Traveling the World and Doing Good