European Adventure Part 1: England

I am sad to say that my time in Europe is swiftly coming to a close. I have now more than doubled the number of countries I have visited (the tally is up to 5). To prevent information overload, I will break up my pre-Tanzania time by location. First up, England! 

We arrived around 9 am Thursday morning. I went through customs for the first time in my life and felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I walked away with my first stamp in my passport. Our time in England was pretty booked. We located the Underground and made our way to our hotel, me carting two suitcases behind me (filled with 14 pounds of baking soda, Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and various other goods for my siblings). We then immediately went to Westminster Abbey, which was incredible. There was so much to see there, and we were so tired, that I'm afraid most of that experience is a blur. I remember a lot of tombs and shrines, some very old and some very regal. The architecture was breath-taking and detailed to the point that I couldn't even take it all in.

This was our hotel room the first night. I am literally squeezed into the far corner of the room. The door is "the tiny loo."

Westminster Abbey

As wonderful as Westminster was, we barely made it through before the jet lag started to take its toll. We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours to nap before heading off to the Her Majesty's Theater to see Phantom of the Opera. It was a very good production, and I really enjoyed it, but was struggling to stay awake near the end. We managed to stumble our way back to our hotel and crashed...until about 4 in the morning when I woke up and laid in bed for an hour and a half, wide awake. We still managed to get up and out before nine the next morning. We had a train to catch to the Harry Potter Studios. The tour of the studios was really fun. I definitely enjoyed the books and the movies, but my friend Arianne is a big fan. Now it was her turn to be a kid on Christmas morning. 

Hogwarts- they used this model for shots of the castle in the movies.

After the tour we took a train out to Coventry to visit my brother, John, and his family. We happened to arrive on his birthday, so we helped him celebrate by eating a delicious chocolate cake. My friends had tickets to tour Buckingham Palace the next day, so they only spent the night in Coventry. I stayed behind to spend the day with my family. I went with Dakin and the kids to Kenilworth Castle and then to Abbey Fields. Kenilworth was really a beautiful little town, comprised of castle ruins, old brick building, and thatch-roofed cottages. After Kenilworth, we picked up John and went to Charlecote Park, an old manor house near Stratford that backed on the River Avon. We then made a quick trip over to Stratford-upon-Avon, where I snapped a few quick pictures of Shakespeare's birthplace, ate some fish and chips, and then rushed back to Coventry to catch my bus to London.

Elizabeth, me, Zach, and Luke at Kenilworth Castle.

Abbey Park

Zach, Me, Luke, Rebecca, Dakin, and Elizabeth outside of Charelcote Park.

Stratford-upon-Avon

The next morning we only had a few hours left in London, so we took the Underground over to Harrods, which was unfortunately closed. So we walked up to Hyde Park, walked around, did some classic tourist shopping on Camden High Street, and then caught the chunnel at King's Cross, and were on our way to Paris!! 

The canal behind our hotel in Camden Locks.

We were sad to leave England. There was so much we wanted to see and tried to get it as much in as we could. It was so fun to spend time with my brother and his family, and I wish I had more time to spend with them exploring the area where they live. I loved the English countryside, and wanted to see so much more of it. I guess that just means I will have to come back someday....

And the Countdown Begins...

Less than 4 weeks until I hop on a plane and begin my international adventure. So many thoughts have been going through my head, but the predominant thought has been, "Holy crap."





I found this picture on Facebook recently:

Yep. That pretty much sums things up. Everything about this trip has been outside my comfort zone, starting with the fundraising. I put that off for a few months because it terrified me. Sending out letters begging people for money? That was a level of exposure and vulnerability that afforded me daily anxiety for several weeks. But I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from my family and friends. Honestly (and I know this will sound sappy) every time I received a check in the mail, or a notification of a PayPal donation, or even a friendly and encouraging comment on Facebook, my eyes would well up with tears. Because there was so much anxiety surrounding the fundraising, every single positive response I got provided this rush of relief and overwhelming gratitude for the supportive and kind people I know. I'm not sure what I expected. I know nice people. But there was this fear that others would think less of me, would feel I was imposing on a relationship, or think various other negative things about me. So I can't express enough gratitude for every person who said a kind word to me about my trip, and especially to those who donated. This trip would not be happening without the generosity of my friends and family.

And now that the trip is rapidly approaching, I am starting to feel this fear of the unknown. I've always struggled with wanting to stay where it is comfortable. I might like the idea of something, but when it comes to actually executing it...well, that sounds scary and hard. And the closer I get to September 26th (the day my flight leaves, in case that wasn't obvious), the more aware I become of just how far outside my comfort zone this experience will be. I went to Canada once. That is the extent of my international travels. And here I am. On the brink of traveling to Tanzania. Alone.

But really, that is the point of the trip. To see something totally new, completely outside my realm of experience. To interact and learn about a new culture. To experience a way of living utterly different than what I have experienced. To have culture shock. And to provide service while I do it.

There is a line from a John Mayer song that I think I am finally beginning to understand. "Fear is a friend who's misunderstood." So whereas I try not to take counsel from my fears, I recognize that without fear, I would never know where my comfort zone is. I would not know how to challenge myself. My fears teach me about my limitations, so that  I can work to overcome them.

So stay-tuned. This blog will offer a first-hand account of The Adventures of Katy Overcoming Her Fears (some of them, at least), International Edition.

You know, in 4-ish weeks.

FundRazr Page

So it was pointed out to me by my lovely sister, Donna, that the PayPal link wasn't working, and she asked if I have a fundraiser page. Well, I didn't, but now I do (great idea, Donna!)

You can now visit my FundRazr page and make donations there!

In Which I Supplicate for Financial Assistance

It is no secret to long-time readers of my blog that for several years I have aspired to participate in a volunteer program in Africa. Well, it is finally happening!! I am scheduled to go to Tanzania this October with Global Service Corps (GSC).

This October I will be participating in GSC's Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Program near Arusha. While there, I will be participating in rural trainings in bio-intensive agriculture, poultry vaccinations, and other projects that work to improve the food security and nutrition of Tanzania’s most vulnerable populations. GSC is a non-profit organization that has been operating since 1992. Since then, GSC has designed and implemented sustainable community development programs in Kenya, Tanzania, and Thailand. GSC has partnered with some of the leading organizations in international development, including the Food and Agricultural Association of the United Nations, Africare, Heifer International, and Programs for Appropriate Technology in Health.

What I will be doing in Tanzania!

 I'm really excited for this opportunity and have been working to raise money for this program. The fee for my 4-week program is $3,771. This fee includes in-country training and orientation, project administration and oversight, meals and accommodations, and local transportation. I want to invite anybody that is interested to make a donation toward my program fee. Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated! I understand that not everyone will be able to donate, but know that I also appreciate your thoughts and prayers! 


Any donation made to GSC on my behalf is 100% tax deductible and goes toward my program cost. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact me at k.stovall86@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can donate on my behalf via PayPal:

I greatly appreciate any and all support and consideration! I promise I will fill my blog with amazing pictures and stories from my time in Tanzania! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Thanks!!

What the...?

A few weeks ago I read an article linked by a friend on Facebook titled, "'The Demise of Guys': How video games and porn are ruining a generation." Basically, the article discusses some of the negative impacts of video game and porn addictions. Now, I can understand why men would feel a little defensive about this article given the title; certainly not all or even a majority of men suffer from either of these addictions. Still, I was shocked when I read the comments posted on this article. This article had nothing to do with women, other than to point out that video games and porn addictions are not conducive to a successful and healthy relationship. And yet it was a common pattern throughout the comment dialogue to attack (sometimes quite viciously) women. Many of these hateful comments expressed this basic sentiment: "If women  _______ (stopped whining, stopped expecting communication in relationships, would stay in the kitchen, were more attractive, or my favorite, would "give it up" more) then men wouldn't need these outlets."  Seriously, people? Disturbing. Oh well, right? Brush it off as trolls being trolls. 


Until I found this: A female video blogger and pop culture critic recently started a Kickstart campaign to fund her newest project of "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games." And the backlash was much worse then the comments I found on this article. In fact, several online video game forums organized online attacks against this women, including changing her Wikipedia article to include racist, sexist, and just all-around offensive language, and flooding her youtube channel with equally hateful comments. 


And all this made me think. What is the deal with this link between video games and misogny? Really, what makes some of these video gamers so defensive, but more than that, so prone to verbally attack women? As a disclaimer, I know many men who play video games who are respectful men and good husbands. But the fact that so many men defended their video gaming by attacking women in the first example, and so many video gamers attacked this woman just for wanting to point out some of the sexist tropes in video games in the second, strikes me as not just coincidental. 

So am I opening this up for your discussion (I mean for the 6 people who read my blog). What do you think is going on here? 


Here are the links so you can do your own research:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/health/living-well/demise-of-guys/index.html?is_LR=1
http://www.feministfrequency.com/

As promised

Remember a few months ago when I promised I would post pictures of me as a brunette? I didn't forget. I just wanted to keep you in suspense. But the wait is now over!

I think sometime in the next few months I will lighten it and eventually return to blonde. But it has been fun to try something new.


So what do you think?

Confession time....

Is it pathetic that Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" makes me feel a little lonely?

Also, I can't get Justin Bieber's song "Mistletoe" out of my head.



 




Coming soon! A picture of my new hair! And a brief summary of my first trip out of the country.