We're off !!

This is it!

So, this is it! After 6 months of planning, making piles of stuff, researching, emailing, phone calls, the day is finally here. I'm over the shock and numb with anticipation.....of what I will see, experience and bring with me into the rest of my life. OK, I'm in a swirling realm of emotion (haven't started crying today ...yet!) It was hard to leave my family yesterday. My life revolves around them and it is strange not being with them. I am also very blessed to be so welcomed into Gia's surroundings and family. Justin and Tobin are great, cool, at peace with life and way too cute! Gia's parents, Judy & Skip are divine, sweet. gracious, smart people that sooo love Gia and her 2 men. I have absolutely enjoyed my time here in Truckee/Reno. Gia's home is full of light & love, just like her! Thank you for sharing birthday dinner with me! My journey began when Gia called me about going and now we are setting out for the next leg of this great adventure. Off we go....Chicago....London....Johannesburg....LUSAKA! We'll blog again soon! Love, Hillary

Hillary's HERE!

Wow...it's actually happening...we're off tomorrow...well technically today...I have to go to bed! Hillary flew in this afternoon and joined me in my last self defense class...then helped celebrate my mom's birthday & finally met my family! Happy birthday mom!! My awesome parents drove down from Washington to help with Tobin. Thank You!!

OK...off to bed and I guess I'd better finish packing...HA!

-gia

True Map

LOVE THIS!! by one of my favorite writers/poets....Brian Andreas of Story People..enjoy! -gia

This is the Story of the Day called - True Map

There is no one who comes here that does not know this is a true map of the world, with you there in the center, making home for us all.

Are you excited??

I think one of the hardest parts of preparing for this trip is dealing with my crazy thought process. I’m one of those people who constantly thinks about other people…what they have and more importantly what they don’t. The basic stuff…you know…like food, water, clean clothes to wear, a healthy body, a family that loves them, a safe place to live and people that believe in them.

I truly have an amazing life and such incredible people surrounding me. I am so blessed. I know that my purpose in this world is to be a voice for those that need someone to help them speak and be heard. To be a humanitarian advocate…if you will…is there such a thing?? Is that the right word? Writers out there…help me out…..

Quite often I find myself feeling guilty for being able to have extra things in my life…to live in a beautiful place and home and to be able to afford to work for myself and stay home with our son. I’m definitely much better than I used to be at being able to have compassion for other people and to appreciate the things I have in my life at the same time…although it can be an inner struggle sometimes.

So its no surprise to me that while I’m preparing for our trip and planning things to bring & pack etc….that I freeze up and feel overwhelmed with guilt and sadness at times. For example…. I just climbed into bed to write a few thank you notes and I noticed how beautiful the stationary is that I’m writing on. And all I could think about is the cost of the cards (which was about $18) when 80% of the people in Africa are living on less than US$ 1 per day. I ask myself how that is possible…and why is it OK? It’s not OK with me. It shouldn't be OK with anyone.

Call me crazy…call me deep but I’m sharing all of this with you to give you a little insight into my soul into my the heart of who I am. So when people ask me if I’m getting excited for my trip…I hesitate to answer…because excited isn’t the right word. I’m ready to go and at the same time I’m trying to prepare myself for the unknown…for the culture shock and for the poverty I’m going to see. I know it will a beautiful journey and I know it will also change my life forever. One of my friends said it so well…he said, “I can’t wait to meet the new Gia when you get back.” And to be honest…neither can I.

So I guess I’m more grateful than excited and I’m a little bit in disbelief that I’m actually going. I’ve imagined this trip for so long…and it's almost here......

Goodnight friends….gia

Who knew?

My wrists hurt, my knuckles are bruised….my knee is a bit swollen and my arms are so soar…lets not even talk about the fact if I get up too fast I might get a charlie horse in my leg.
It’s called Self Defense class…karate style. Have you ever taken a class where you learn how to protect yourself and while you’re learning... you beat yourself up at the same time? Well that's me....

I promised Justin, my husband…that I’d take a self defense class before I went on this trip.It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but somehow I always seem to miss the sessions when I read about them in the paper. So a few days ago he reminded me about it and found a class in Reno where they teach private lessons. So I signed up for my first “free” session last week.

I walked in expecting to learn the basics....how to scratch someones eyes, to kick to the right places and to box someones ears. But what I didn’t expect was the insane workout I would get and who knew.... I think I'm addicted! I love it! Not only am I stronger in 4 sessions…and not only do I have some great tools to use to help me get away from sticky situations but I feel so EMPOWERED! I highly recommend it!!

As most of you know I'm not the tallest gal around…standing at 5 feet and I'm also not a woman who chooses to live in fear. BUT the reality is that I am a woman and I am small and there are times when that I wish I could rely on myself rather than feeling like I have to have a man around to feel safe. It can be frustrating and flat out annoying but it’s the reality of the world so I'm glad I'm doing something about it!

I think the biggest concern that people have for us on our trip is safety. We get asked over and over...do you feel safe? People say to us.....I wish you were going with more people….isn’t there a guy that can go with you?? And to be honest at times Ive asked myself the same questions. And the answer is…yes I feel safe….no I don’t wish I was with more people and we didn’t meet any men that wanted to join us…or that could make it happen on short notice….so here we are…and we're not worried...we're excited.

We appreciate all of your concerns and please know that we will be safe. We have contacts in Zambia, people that know we're coming. We plan on being in before dark (we'll have lots of down time at night...I'm planning on learning yoga from Hillary and I'm going to teach her self defense....look out! ) and traveling with locals as much as possible. All of the same things we would do if we were visiting downtown in a big city here in the U.S. We will be alert and present. So please don't worry for us...but instead send us your love and support and blessings....that's what will keep us going!

And remember....I might be small but if I were you I wouldn't surprise me from the back anytime in the near future...I don't quite have all the "moves" under control yet!
THANK YOU BRANDY...my rockin' karate teacher!!
-gia

Powered up!

I'm taking a class on AIDS next week, so in the meantime, I'm getting my reading done! The AIDS numbers are blowing me away...not only internationally, but also here in the US. As "modern" as we are, it's so sad what's going on with this virus. Also, My mind is overwhelmed by not only all the good so many people are working so hard to spread, but the obstacles in Africa, Thailand and the US. The drug "cocktails" needed are a very strict & medically monitored regimen. Some pills need to be taken at least 3 times a day. Some with at least a liter of water. Some on an empty stomach and then some with a high fat meal. The water in Africa is a huge issue...Polio, TB, Dysentery...and a high fat meal? There are no McD's where we're going! What is one person to do? I have the enlightenment, the power within me to find out & take action! What about you?
-Hillary

My emotions are running rampant

I am in awe that in 27 days I will be on my way to AFRICA! When I think about what to expect, my mind swims with the images and stories of the others that have gone before me. And I am joyfully inundated by thoughts of self-transformation, the love I feel for people I have yet to meet & the support I continuosly experience everyday. My emotions are running rampant at times that I cannot express in words what I think about this time of my life. Gratitude is my foundation. And to know we are all connected. To know I will be holding hands with a child in Africa, to know I am doing my part for a world that hurts. This is enough to get me through each day. The anticipation could drive me crazy. The redtape could just make me say no. The $ worries could stop me in my tracks. But my heart sings and pulls me in a direction I have little control over and I follow the song with eyes wide open & arms spread like wings.
I love you all....your friendship, your willingness to share of yourself...let me take this to Africa with me....Hillary

Feelin' the LOVE Body Shop sistas!!

Thank you to all of our incredible Body Shop sistas!!

I want each one of you to know how much kindness was shared with us this past weekend in Orlando during our annual conference. We had no idea that so many of you would be interested in our trip to Africa. And I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to us to have so much love from all of our co-workers and friends that we work with. We were asked so many questions and handed such beautiful cards full of kind words, encouragement and support! Some of you even gave us some money to put towards our trip. THANK YOU! We are so grateful!!

We also had the opportunity to speak to Anita Roddick, The Body Shop founder and world activist a little bit more about our trip. She was so positive and excited for us to meet up with our community trade suppliers in Zambia, where source honey from for some of our products. She had some great suggestions of what to bring with us...one of which was a wind up radio...to give as a gift. She said they will love it. So we knew we had to make that happen.

I kid you not...no less than 30 minutes later a nice gentleman from the Australian Body Shop came up to us and said that he had overheard our conversation with Anita about visiting the CT suppliers. He had also attended our training on Profits with Principles and was excited for us and our journey. He then proceeded to open up his wallet and handed us some cash....he said..."It's not much but please take this money and put it towards that wind up radio." We couldn't believe it....we had just met this man....his name is Mark...but we don't have his last name yet....and we want to say THANK YOU MARK!! You are so KIND!! We will definitely be bringing a wind up radio with us!

So I will end this with one last virtual hug...to my/our Body Shop co-workers and friends. Not only do we work for a phenomenal company founded on amazing values but we are surrounded by such incredible women...so many I am proud to call my friends! I promise you that you will be with us in spirit. And we will do everything that we can to document our journey so that we can share it with all of you when we get back!

This won't be my only trip to Africa...I know I will be back...and maybe next time some of you will come with me!

Thank you ....thank you....thank you......

With love & gratitude....gia

Shared Journal

Hillary being the artist that she is sent me the most beautiful book in the mail. She called it a shared journal. She created a few pages then asked me to add some of my own and send it back. We plan on exchanging it back and forth a few times before we go. I loved the idea of sharing our thoughts of our trip with each other this way....so here's a little sneak peak ....enjoy! More to come

Hugs...gia

I am so full of gratitude....

It all started with a phone call!

Gia & I talk on the phone all the time! So when the idea of going to Africa emerged one day, a part of me jumped up & down, saying “me too!” and now here I am, chompin’ on Typhoid vaccines and counting down to the day I leave for Zambia!
My heart is singing and my mind is just blown away by my own courage, self realization & joy. I am so full of gratitude. For my friends & family, your open minds and hearts, for letting me fly freely, & supporting me in whatever I do! The response has been amazing and I feel so encouraged, excited & loved!

Share yourself!
Of all the people I’ve connected & conversed with over the last few months regarding this trip to Africa, there is one very clear message....What ever it is I do, see, think, feel in Africa, it will be with me forever.
As our own personal funds have gone into travel expenses, we are left with little resources when it comes to purchasing power. I do understand that orphanages are in constant need of blankets, art supplies and books & these are what we plan to seek out when we are there.
With this said, allow me to explain our one call for help before we leave for Zambia....the monetary donations we receive will be spent in Africa. We plan to travel light and purchase needed items locally. $1US = $3,800 Kwacha. Imagine how this can help the African communities we visit. So please seriously consider donating money.
My eyes are wide open to how much we have here in the US and how habitually we fill our spaces, lives and thoughts with more than we need. To take a boxful of clothing, shoes and even toys would be completely overwhelming, presuming and thoughtless without researching the needs of the African community we plan to visit. I discovered that churches donate frequently to African daycares and orphanages and now the GAP hand me downs have put local Zambian tailors out of business.
Doing something like this changes your perspective on how things are in life and what’s going on around you. This trip is not about taking pictures of animals and more about human life. 2 weeks will go by fast and oh, will we have tons to tell you when we get back!

- Hillary

Somebody pinch me please!

I wake up every morning and ask myself....AM I DREAMING?

I don't know if any of you have always wanted to do something...REALLY bad but you were never quite sure of when you would do it... or if it would ever happen....if so...then you will relate to me. I've been dreaming of visiting Africa for about 10 years or so...but I sort of just tucked the idea away in the back of my mind...not really sure of when I would go or who with... but I always knew that I would.... when the time was right.

So... here's my story...how it all started....

As most of you know I work for the company, The Body Shop and I use my work as a way to raise funds to give back to people in my life & community that need assistance. At the end of each year I send out an e-mail to my customers, friends and family to let them know how their money helped me to make a difference. This January... 2007 I sent out the end of the year e-mail and as people do with e-mail...it was passed along by a friend of mine Trina, (Thank you Trina!) to a woman named Erin McCann. So Erin, a stranger to me, replys...and briefly says... "Gia, I thought you might be interested in checking out this organization that I support." And with that e-mail she sent the most adorable photo of her with a bunch of African children. (see photo) So right away I click on the website she sent and it linked me to a school in Ghana, Africa. I read the entire website and realized that Erin supports this school, has obviously traveled there and has a connection wtih the founder and children there. We are talking on the phone in minutes.

We connected instantly...and within about a week I realized that my dream of visiting Africa was actually going to happen! I told Erin about my desire to travel to Africa...to experience the culture, spend time with the people and give of my time. I expressed to her that I've never made it happen because of timing and trying to find that right person to travel with that has the same desire as I do and that has the time to go. She quickly told me that she wanted to go back and she asked when I wanted to go. I said this fall and she said let's do it! I jumped up and down and ran around the house screaming because I was so excited...you might have heard me! Just know that I haven't even mentioned this to my husband or even thought about who would take care of our son while I was gone or how I was going to pay for it....minor details I decided....when a dream is unfolding...I always say...it will work out...if you believe in it enough.

So to make a long story longer.....Erin was my rock...my safety net...she'd been before...she had connections and she's a go getter....we were a perfect match. We met a few months later and giggled because we felt like we knew each other so well yet not really at all.

A few weeks after we met Erin got a new job...and soon found out that she wouldn't be able to have enough vacation time to make the trip happen this fall. She tried so hard to make it work and she was so supportive of my dream that she wasn't about to let me not go. I had no idea what I was going to do but I wasn't about to give up now!

Meanwhile....Hillary....had been thinking about joining us but she was waiting for more information. By the way Hillary and I met through our work with The Body Shop At Home. Hillary also uses her business as a fundraising tool to give back in her community....and was drawn to the company because of the values like myself. Now 2 years later... we're pretty much soul sisters...with that said....

During the time that Erin and I were sorting through the details of our trip....Hillary ironically met a woman at a work event that helped start a school in Zambia, called The Kondwa Children's Foundation, quite similar to the one we were going to go to in Ghana. Coincidence?? You decide. Hillary decided to do some fundraising for them and just kept waiting to see how the details of my trip unfolded.

Once I found out that Erin was out I called Hillary to see if she would commit....she processed the idea a lot and discussed it with her family then decided to dive right in! I LOVE THIS GIRL!We decided that we would switch the original destination of Ghana to Zambia since Erin wouldn't be joining us this time....Can you guess where my next trip to Africa might be?? Hee...Hee....

So here we are.....7 months later.....planning....raising funds....getting vaccinations...reading travel books....reaching out to people that have been there.....opening our souls to what this experience might be like....getting visas...sharing a journal, talking 3 times a day and squealing with delight at the idea....the dream....that is now a reality.

So that's the story...and if you took the time to read this....and I have you thinking about your dream...the one that's waiting for you...I encourage you to keep dreaming....to hold on to it....and believe in it....because I know it will happen for you....if you want it to....and I'd love to hear your dreams....so post a comment....and let us know what you want to do in your life.....

OUCH!.....thanks for the pinch......it was worth it!

Hugs,
gia

Something much bigger....

"There came a moment in the middle of the song when she suddenly felt every heartbeat in the room & after that she never forgot she was part of something much bigger."

-Brian Andreas

THANK YOU!

Just a quick note to let each one of you know that I wouldn't be....we wouldn't be going on this journey without each one of you supporting us along the way!

Please join us...subscribe to our blog and add comments...we'd love to hear from you!

I can not express in words how much this trip to Africa means to me. (As most of you know I will never claim to be much of a writer...so please hang in there with me...I'm much better at speaking!)
But I do know that I will be changed forever...

From the minute I step off the plane...

To the first smile I share...

To the first tear I shed...

The first hand I hold...

And I want you to know that I will be back to Africa...and maybe some of you will come with me.....This is just the beginning of something much bigger! And I thank you for your love and support...I wouldn't be who I am without all of you.

Love to you!

gia

Who we are...

Our family and friends have said we have a servant’s heart. We suppose there is truth to this if one observes our on-going desire to help people and the planet. This is not pretense, it is mostly who we are. It is entirely who we want to be. We are humbled by a desire to make the world a better place, and not because of our help, those served will think more like us, and thus be “better”. The world is comprised of enormous cultural and bio diversity, our sense of better is simply an improved understanding of our interconnectedness.

Thanks to Jim Rosendale for helping us put our ideas into words! - Gia & Hillary