This morning as I went to buy notebook dividers for the project book I'm keeping, it occurred to me how ceremonial it all feels when one is preparing for some specific thing in the future. I imagine this must be what it's like when one is planning a wedding or planning for a baby. Without some big, tangible goal in front, time races by. Sometimes I've been struck by how 6 months passed in a flash, with more of "the same..." With a specific date and goal, time seems drawn out (and at other times, of course, to disappear in a flash!) But there's no doubt that the sense of time is altered.
Yesterday was a magnificent, meaty brainstorming session with my friend who's a professional fundraiser for nonprofits. He gave me step-by-step features to include in a proposal for a grant, and how to search for them most effectively.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
I'm going back to Cameroon!
Yesterday morning, Rachel answered my email. I'm going back!!! I'll leave at the end of December and work at CWAF for 6 months. She also told me about a conference in April which is for managers of the 18 African primate sanctuaries under the umbrella of PASA (Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance). If there's an angel investor who will donate airmiles for me to go, I'll do it in a second. PASA is headquartered in Portland, OR - I got to hang out with the executive director Doug at the Gorilla Workshop 2 weeks ago. He's fabulous!
Now, a flurry of action. Nervous and excited. Here are all the categories I'm thinking about, and the action items. I've started a notebook to carry around with me all the time, so I can log things as I think of them and track progress. Keep the things from having to spin around in my head all the time. Here are the categories so far:
1 Table of Contents
2 General To-Do List
3 Health / meds
4 Food / supplies
5 Funding
6 Technology
7 Insurance
8 Re-entry/ living situations
9 Expenses
10 Overall budget (monthly) for when I'm away
As I think of topics, I list them and use them as my working list. For example, under Insurance, I am checking the conditions of COBRA insurance - how long, how much per month. I found out it doesn't cover long term disability, so I need to check into that because it is important (especially if I'll be in the jungles of Africa, where risks of infirmity might be a little higher - alathough arguably not much higher than New York City!).
Another example under Insurance: I intend to sell or donate my car before I go (it's a 1991 Honda and I'm not prepared to garage it for almost a year; when I return, I'll buy a newer one). Since I don't want to cancel my insurance with my company completely, I got a quote that it'll be only $4 for a year to have my insurance dormant until I return and need it again. They don't cover Africa anyway.
I'll sign up for French lessons for the year. Although it's easy to get by speaking English at CWAF, French comes in very handy as some of the workers and all of the villagers only speak French.
I've been at my company for 27 1/2 years and it's been my stability in many ways and allowed me the freedom to go on exotic journeys. Only this afternoon I had an epiphany - I have 11 months to research and find other extraordinary projects that align with my current goals and passions. That's a long time to lay the groundwork and I have an extraordinary network of friends who can help me brainstorm. What fun!!! So I already contacted a few today - the head of PASA and Susan, my friend the executive director of The Gorilla Foundation. I've made a list of other people to contact, too. This is my chance to go spend time volunteering at different entities I've been wanting to help - like Gesundheit in West Virginia (founded by Patch Adams); Yestermorrow, a sustainable design homebuilding / construction school in Vermont; an acquaintance's project, building a school in Virginia; so many things, so little time! And this could also be the chance when I return to visit my brother for a while, my friends in North Carolina, and so on.
In terms of defraying my costs while in Cameroon, a coworker yesterday had the brilliant idea that I should seek grants - for art, conservation, cultural, primates - a whole slew of possibilities. So today I leveraged that idea and have asked 2 of my Barbara Sher groups to spread the word and find someone who's passionate or expert at grant research / writing who would like to help. I've never written a grant, and frankly it's not the heart of my passion or energy, so like Barbara says, find someone who does want to do that. I'll also post to Barbara's Bulletin Board - what powerful tools!
With my luxurious schedule, I'm delighted I'll have 11 months to research the most effective natural insect repellents and anti-itch creams. When I was at CWAF last summer, I got bitten by every insect known to Man. Rachel said I got more bites than anyone she'd seen. And they all preferred different body parts - fleas up to my knees, spiders on the outside of my thighs, ants on the insides of my thights, no see'ums (mot mots) on my forearms, head, face and hands, mosquitoes on my face, and some unidentifiable creatures around my midsection. I couldn't use the repellents I'd brought since they all had DEET which would have been toxic to my baby monkeys who were living on my body. As far as the anti-itch creams go, I looked over all the recommended ones and can tell you I tried them all and none of them work. So hopefully the repellents work!
Connectivity will be valuable there. I can spend time researching how to get Internet connection for a computer via my cell phone. The only place at CWAF to get phone connection is at the top of the hill near the sub-adult gorillas. If I succeed, I believe it will be the first transmission of Internet at CWAF. Luckily I have access to brilliant techies here in New YOrk.
That's it for the moment. As you can see, my brain is racing. It's important to write it all down so I can stay calm.
I've reached out to my friend Paul to strategize about
Now, a flurry of action. Nervous and excited. Here are all the categories I'm thinking about, and the action items. I've started a notebook to carry around with me all the time, so I can log things as I think of them and track progress. Keep the things from having to spin around in my head all the time. Here are the categories so far:
1 Table of Contents
2 General To-Do List
3 Health / meds
4 Food / supplies
5 Funding
6 Technology
7 Insurance
8 Re-entry/ living situations
9 Expenses
10 Overall budget (monthly) for when I'm away
As I think of topics, I list them and use them as my working list. For example, under Insurance, I am checking the conditions of COBRA insurance - how long, how much per month. I found out it doesn't cover long term disability, so I need to check into that because it is important (especially if I'll be in the jungles of Africa, where risks of infirmity might be a little higher - alathough arguably not much higher than New York City!).
Another example under Insurance: I intend to sell or donate my car before I go (it's a 1991 Honda and I'm not prepared to garage it for almost a year; when I return, I'll buy a newer one). Since I don't want to cancel my insurance with my company completely, I got a quote that it'll be only $4 for a year to have my insurance dormant until I return and need it again. They don't cover Africa anyway.
I'll sign up for French lessons for the year. Although it's easy to get by speaking English at CWAF, French comes in very handy as some of the workers and all of the villagers only speak French.
I've been at my company for 27 1/2 years and it's been my stability in many ways and allowed me the freedom to go on exotic journeys. Only this afternoon I had an epiphany - I have 11 months to research and find other extraordinary projects that align with my current goals and passions. That's a long time to lay the groundwork and I have an extraordinary network of friends who can help me brainstorm. What fun!!! So I already contacted a few today - the head of PASA and Susan, my friend the executive director of The Gorilla Foundation. I've made a list of other people to contact, too. This is my chance to go spend time volunteering at different entities I've been wanting to help - like Gesundheit in West Virginia (founded by Patch Adams); Yestermorrow, a sustainable design homebuilding / construction school in Vermont; an acquaintance's project, building a school in Virginia; so many things, so little time! And this could also be the chance when I return to visit my brother for a while, my friends in North Carolina, and so on.
In terms of defraying my costs while in Cameroon, a coworker yesterday had the brilliant idea that I should seek grants - for art, conservation, cultural, primates - a whole slew of possibilities. So today I leveraged that idea and have asked 2 of my Barbara Sher groups to spread the word and find someone who's passionate or expert at grant research / writing who would like to help. I've never written a grant, and frankly it's not the heart of my passion or energy, so like Barbara says, find someone who does want to do that. I'll also post to Barbara's Bulletin Board - what powerful tools!
With my luxurious schedule, I'm delighted I'll have 11 months to research the most effective natural insect repellents and anti-itch creams. When I was at CWAF last summer, I got bitten by every insect known to Man. Rachel said I got more bites than anyone she'd seen. And they all preferred different body parts - fleas up to my knees, spiders on the outside of my thighs, ants on the insides of my thights, no see'ums (mot mots) on my forearms, head, face and hands, mosquitoes on my face, and some unidentifiable creatures around my midsection. I couldn't use the repellents I'd brought since they all had DEET which would have been toxic to my baby monkeys who were living on my body. As far as the anti-itch creams go, I looked over all the recommended ones and can tell you I tried them all and none of them work. So hopefully the repellents work!
Connectivity will be valuable there. I can spend time researching how to get Internet connection for a computer via my cell phone. The only place at CWAF to get phone connection is at the top of the hill near the sub-adult gorillas. If I succeed, I believe it will be the first transmission of Internet at CWAF. Luckily I have access to brilliant techies here in New YOrk.
That's it for the moment. As you can see, my brain is racing. It's important to write it all down so I can stay calm.
I've reached out to my friend Paul to strategize about
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Day 2....
Today I wrote to my friend Susan at The Gorilla Foundation, who was my buddy at the Gorilla Workshop last week in Orlando. I've told her of my intention...and asked for brainstorming ideas.
Today a friend donated $1,000 to adopt my baby Yoda.
I wrote to Rachel to tell her I can come for as long as she wants me to.
This morning I also told another friend how the idea gives me such a sense of peace and purpose.
Today a friend donated $1,000 to adopt my baby Yoda.
I wrote to Rachel to tell her I can come for as long as she wants me to.
This morning I also told another friend how the idea gives me such a sense of peace and purpose.
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Commencement of the Adventure
Since I left Cameroon on September 3, there hasn't been a single day I haven't thought about it. I've been forming ideas for how to fundraise, do artwork to create awareness and gather donations, signed up for Barbara Sher's WriteSpeak workshop so I can communicate more effectively on behalf of the beloved primates. And January 25 through 28 I attended an international Gorilla Workshop at Animal Kingdom in Orlando where I got the privilege of meeting to top people in the world - the ones on the front line - fighting the good fight to save gorillas from extinction. It was amazing, and I hadn't realized how much I'd picked up by osmosis from my 3 months hearing and observing Rachel Hogan's strong, quiet guidance at CWAF.
We've been corresponding frequently and she reports to me about my monkeys I raised - Yoda, Maasai and Jimmy Jimmy. Practically every time, she asks me when I'm coming back.
This morning, reading yesterday's email from her, it landed on me differently. It occurred to me that in addition to being very useful to her while here, spreading the word about CWAF and orphaned primates and the bushmeat crisis, I could be really valuable to her there. I want nothing more in the world than to help her and her mission. And being there, I could be helping, give her some back-up ("I've got your back!"), see my "children", help with construction projects and general improvements, and I could paint my portraits. Of course I could see my monkeys and meet more, and observe the beloved gorillas. It suddenly flooded into me. I could also implement some of the community projects like I just heard about at the Gorilla Workshop, like building small ovens out of local material, which cost about $3 each, and reduce wood consumption by 75%. (It is the wood consumption that partially increases the demand for wood, which denude the forests, which creates gorilla orphans). Rachel doesn't ask things lightly.... and it is no light matter that one of the heads of my company just donated airmiles for me to return to Cameroon.
I called to tell my mom. It was 5 a.m. her time. After I prattled on about the concept, she said she was not surprised and she'd already figured that out. I had written my "ideal job description" on October 8, 2006, before I knew about CWAF. Last summer, 2007, I LIVED my ideal job (except for the salary). Every single thing on the list - I got to do. I am converted completely to the power of the written word.
I told my dear friend Maggie. She said it sounded like a calling. It is.
My head is chock full of ideas. I called my friend Keith to have lunch, so he could consult with me on renting and selling my condo. He said he can find people to rent and to buy (and that if they buy, I can save the 5% commission!). Even before I discovered CWAF, I determined I don't wish to live alone anymore.
This evening I called Susan of The Gorilla Foundation to tell her my idea. I'm setting up meetings with 2 nonprofits to discuss support of CWAF. And I'm wondering if I can gather donations before my journey to raise money for some living expenses.
I will sell my car.
Finally, upon my return, I am evaluating who I can stay with: Phyllis and Steve in North Carolina, Keith and Laura and family in CT, brother Jeff in Oregon, Barbara's place in the Catskills, a house together with friend Karen, possibly in North Carolina.
This is scary. This is the next step in my life. But there is no doubt in my mind that it is about primates.
Let the games begin!
We've been corresponding frequently and she reports to me about my monkeys I raised - Yoda, Maasai and Jimmy Jimmy. Practically every time, she asks me when I'm coming back.
This morning, reading yesterday's email from her, it landed on me differently. It occurred to me that in addition to being very useful to her while here, spreading the word about CWAF and orphaned primates and the bushmeat crisis, I could be really valuable to her there. I want nothing more in the world than to help her and her mission. And being there, I could be helping, give her some back-up ("I've got your back!"), see my "children", help with construction projects and general improvements, and I could paint my portraits. Of course I could see my monkeys and meet more, and observe the beloved gorillas. It suddenly flooded into me. I could also implement some of the community projects like I just heard about at the Gorilla Workshop, like building small ovens out of local material, which cost about $3 each, and reduce wood consumption by 75%. (It is the wood consumption that partially increases the demand for wood, which denude the forests, which creates gorilla orphans). Rachel doesn't ask things lightly.... and it is no light matter that one of the heads of my company just donated airmiles for me to return to Cameroon.
I called to tell my mom. It was 5 a.m. her time. After I prattled on about the concept, she said she was not surprised and she'd already figured that out. I had written my "ideal job description" on October 8, 2006, before I knew about CWAF. Last summer, 2007, I LIVED my ideal job (except for the salary). Every single thing on the list - I got to do. I am converted completely to the power of the written word.
I told my dear friend Maggie. She said it sounded like a calling. It is.
My head is chock full of ideas. I called my friend Keith to have lunch, so he could consult with me on renting and selling my condo. He said he can find people to rent and to buy (and that if they buy, I can save the 5% commission!). Even before I discovered CWAF, I determined I don't wish to live alone anymore.
This evening I called Susan of The Gorilla Foundation to tell her my idea. I'm setting up meetings with 2 nonprofits to discuss support of CWAF. And I'm wondering if I can gather donations before my journey to raise money for some living expenses.
I will sell my car.
Finally, upon my return, I am evaluating who I can stay with: Phyllis and Steve in North Carolina, Keith and Laura and family in CT, brother Jeff in Oregon, Barbara's place in the Catskills, a house together with friend Karen, possibly in North Carolina.
This is scary. This is the next step in my life. But there is no doubt in my mind that it is about primates.
Let the games begin!
Monday, April 23, 2007
I was telling my friend Ellen that I have been fearless, calm and undaunted on many aspects of my trip preparation:
"I'll probably get head lice?" "Dr. Keil, can I please have a prescription for head lice shampoo...."
"Oh, there are lots of poisonous snakes, including vipers?" "Could you please send me size 12 Wellingtons, and by the way, are they thick enough to stop a snake bite?"
"My Visa bill is $8,000?" "Nicole, could you please help me organize another bake sale at the office..."
"You say it'll be peak rainy / humid / hot season, and therefore rampant with malaria?" "Better make that FOUR bottles of DEET, order 2 vats of Gatorade, and ask the Canadian pharmacy to hurry with the Lariam.."
"Sacre bleu, Professeur! On top of 6 hours of French class a week, we have an extra writing assignment besides the regular homework????"
But the thing that CAUSES ME AGITA - the technology!!!!! No question. I'm terrified. My procrastination is coming out big-time. But it is so important for me to document this well, and take time to get comfortable with plugging in everything to each other, and knowing how it works. This has given me a 3-week-long tension headache.
"I'll probably get head lice?" "Dr. Keil, can I please have a prescription for head lice shampoo...."
"Oh, there are lots of poisonous snakes, including vipers?" "Could you please send me size 12 Wellingtons, and by the way, are they thick enough to stop a snake bite?"
"My Visa bill is $8,000?" "Nicole, could you please help me organize another bake sale at the office..."
"You say it'll be peak rainy / humid / hot season, and therefore rampant with malaria?" "Better make that FOUR bottles of DEET, order 2 vats of Gatorade, and ask the Canadian pharmacy to hurry with the Lariam.."
"Sacre bleu, Professeur! On top of 6 hours of French class a week, we have an extra writing assignment besides the regular homework????"
But the thing that CAUSES ME AGITA - the technology!!!!! No question. I'm terrified. My procrastination is coming out big-time. But it is so important for me to document this well, and take time to get comfortable with plugging in everything to each other, and knowing how it works. This has given me a 3-week-long tension headache.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
"Eating Apes" and DNA
Dale Peterson in his book "Eating Apes" discusses the interconnectedness of us to the great apes. Some startling statistics: "Modern gorilla DNA is 97.7 percent the same as that of humans... And modern chimpanzee and bonobo DNA turns out to be around 98.7 percent identical to that of modern humans.." "And the mere 1.3 percent difference between humans and the chimpanzees and bonobos means that we are actually closer to them than zebras are to horses, or African elephants are to Indian elephants." (italics are mine)
"In more practical terms, those numbers mean that the next time you go to the zoo and wander past cages containing chimpanzees or bonobos, you might pause and look into the eye of a being who will indeed look back; and you should know that you (genetically almost 99 percent chimpanzee) are sharing a gaze with someone who is, according to the best measurement, almost 99 percent human. You are on one side of the bars, the chimps and bonobos on the other side, simply because those apes lack a little more than 1 percent of the requisite genes to be treated like humans. And if you linger to gaze at gorillas in the same zoo, remember that they are sitting on the other side of the bars or the moat not because they have done anything wrong, but simply and solely because they happen to be missing just slightly more than a percent of the human genome."
"In more practical terms, those numbers mean that the next time you go to the zoo and wander past cages containing chimpanzees or bonobos, you might pause and look into the eye of a being who will indeed look back; and you should know that you (genetically almost 99 percent chimpanzee) are sharing a gaze with someone who is, according to the best measurement, almost 99 percent human. You are on one side of the bars, the chimps and bonobos on the other side, simply because those apes lack a little more than 1 percent of the requisite genes to be treated like humans. And if you linger to gaze at gorillas in the same zoo, remember that they are sitting on the other side of the bars or the moat not because they have done anything wrong, but simply and solely because they happen to be missing just slightly more than a percent of the human genome."
Jane Goodall and Dale Peterson
I'm doing my research for my trip, with a reading list supplied by CWAF. My current read is a book called "Eating Apes" by Dale Peterson, with photos by Karl Ammann. Dale just completed a biography of Jane Goodall; I just got to meet both of them at their book-signing last month at the National Arts Club. They were superb.
Jane spoke of one of her favorite fables. All the birds were competing to see who could fly the highest. The eagle was clearly winning. Just when the eagle would be declared the winner and was tiring, a tiny jenny wren who'd been riding on the back of the the eagle flew higher and won the day. Jane said she thinks of the people who have helped her in her life and career, as the feathers on the wings of the eagle, and thanked them all.
Jane spoke of one of her favorite fables. All the birds were competing to see who could fly the highest. The eagle was clearly winning. Just when the eagle would be declared the winner and was tiring, a tiny jenny wren who'd been riding on the back of the the eagle flew higher and won the day. Jane said she thinks of the people who have helped her in her life and career, as the feathers on the wings of the eagle, and thanked them all.
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