First day of class = hot, sweaty mess

I'm generally always running late. It's probably something I should seek professional help for because, no matter what I do, I always end up late. My first day of graduate school was no different...

I live about 25 miles from school, so I decided to leave my house an hour early just to give myself enough time to get to campus, find a parking space, and get in class with plenty of time to spare. It is still pretty hot here in good ol Colorado and my main goal was to make it to my first day of class without being drenched in sweat.

So I make my way to campus, maneuver around the massive parking lots, and after searching for a good ten minutes I find perfect spot, really close to my building. I squeeze my way in, grab my wallet and take off for the parking meter, which by the way is located on the exact opposite side of this huge parking lot.

When I finally make it to the meter I see a note stating: "THIS METER ACCEPTS CASH ONLY". I'm screwed. I never, ever carry cash. If I have cash on my it is probably an accident. So I have no choice but to take off for my car and either a) find a parking lot that does accept my debit card or b) go find an ATM. I decide that I'm better off going to the gas station down the road and getting some cash.

At this poing I'm pissed. I'm annoyed this meter won't take my card, mad at myself for never carrying even five bucks in my wallet, and to make matters worse I am sweating. By this time it is about 2:12 and my class starts at 2:30.

I almost kill a pedestrian, but make it the gas station in record time. I race to the ATM, where I pay a $3.00 charge to get out 20 bucks. (grrrr) Just as I'm flying out the door I remember the meter doesn't take bills over $20. Parking is $4.50, so I decide it would be fast to just get change and play it safe with smaller bills. I run up to the cashier, hold out my $20 and say "Can I get change for this?"

"We don't give no change hunny," she says with a big smile that showcases the three teeth she has.

"Please, I am running late, I really need change."

"Sorry, can't do it."

So I grab two packs of gum, slam them down on the counter and say, "OK, then I want to buy this gum!"

"Are you sure you want two packs of gum?" (She looks at me like I'm crazy for wanting two packs)

"YES!"

"Ok, whatever you say..."

She slowly takes my money and starts to count my change when she looks up at me asks, "Do you have seven cents?"

"No"

"Ok...well do you have a nickel?"

"No, please ma'am can you hurry? I'm runing late for class?

"Well ok, but I'm low on change and I'm gonna hafta count out a dollar in dimes here..."

At this point I'm freaking out. It is now almost 2:20 and I'm definitely going to be late for class.

Susie Q finally gets me my change, I sprint out the door, with my two packs of gum and pocket full of dimes, and take off for campus.

I get back to the same parking lot, find a spot, grab $4.50 from my wallet and run for the meter. I get there, put my stall number in, and just as I prepare to slide in my money I notice it says I owe $5.50. At this point I'm the biggest idiot in the world, because I only took exact change to the meter (thinking I could run faster without my wallet in hand).

I have no choice but to run back to my car, grab my friggin wallet and sprint back to the meter. I'm basically on the verge of tears at this point.

Eventually, after exchaning some harsh words, I get the dang meter to accept my bills and I get my parking pass. I sprint back to my car, put it on the dash, grab my bag and take off for class.

I finally make it to class, where I walk in as a sweaty, hot mess just 30 seconds ahead of the professor.

And that my friends was my first day of graduate school.

My baby: Sis Hope

About nine months ago I started a social business called Sis Hope, which is dedicated to lowering the high rates of menstrual related absenteeism among school age girls in Uganda.

It all started back in a little village outside of Mbale, Uganda, where I first learned that girls were staying home from school during their period. Yep, it's true. A teen girl gets her period and simply stays home from school for the duration of the week. Why? Because she doesn't have access to affordable menstrual products.

Most girls and women resort to using ineffective materials such as treebark and pieces of newspaper which, of course, fail miserably at preventing embarrassing leaks and stains. So girls stay home during their period, about five days a month, and over time begin to fall further and further behind in their school work.

Surprisingly this issue doesn't get a lot of attention. I have no idea why. Maybe it's because we're talking about menstruation and that still gives people the ibby jeebies. I don't get it. Half the world menstruates and I believe strongly that girls should not have to miss out on their education simply because they don't have a tampon. And we shouldn't be ashamed to talk about it.

Check out the website if you want to learn more about Sis Hope. To be honest, it has been an incredible learning experience for me. But the sad truth is I've had a difficult time getting it off the ground. I'm basically doing it alone and just don't have the time to really make it what it should be. Right now I'm considering whether or not I should move on or keep plugging away at it. But it's hard folks. Lots of blood, sweat, and tears has gone into this endeavor. (Ok, maybe not blood but you get the idea) I've had lots of ups and downs, but I'm proud to say that Sis Hope has distributed over 600 pads to girls and women in Uganda. I'm not sure if my journey ends there, but I'll keep you updated!

The Bomb Behind World Humanitarian Day

Today is World Humanitarian Day. It's actually only the second year this day has been recognized to honor humanitarian aid workers who have been killed or injured in the course of their work, and it all started with the deadly Baghdad bombings that killed 22 United Nations staff members.

On August 19, 2003 a bomb tore through the United Nations headquarters, the Canal Hotel, in Baghdad, Iraq. The blast targeted the United Nations Assistance Mission, injured over 100 people and 22 killed, including Sérgio Vieira de Mello. Mello, a UN Special Representative, was a Brazilian diplomat who worked for the for more than 34 years. Following his death he was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.

This was only the beginning. A second bombing at the Canal Hotel followed on September 22, 2003. An Iraqi policeman and 19 others, including UN workers, were injured. This led to the evacuation of more than 600 UN aid workers from Baghdad. A small staff of aid workers did not return until August 2004.

So that is the story behind World Humanitarian Day. I have the upmost respect and admiration for aid workers and believe strongly in their work. Let's use this day to honor their lives.

My New Wheels!

So my birthday was few weeks back and look what I got! The hubs restored my grandma's bike from the '50s (yes, the 1950s!) with new tires and a comfy new seat! He left the paint as is, chipped and all, but I think that gives it more character. There's even an old sticker on it. I LOVE IT!

It's so fun to ride and it makes me feel like I'm cruisin' back in time. Every time I'm on it I think of what things were like for my grandma when she rode it. She was well into her 30s at the time, with a husband and five children. I can't help but wonder what kind of adventures she took this bike on...

I do know one thing--she rode it through a bunch of wet asphalt, which still remains stuck under the fender. If she was anything like me, she was probably running late and had no other choice but to drive directly through the asphalt!

Is Charity Helping or Hurting Africa?

I recently finished the book Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo, which confronts head on one of "the greatest myths of our time: that billions of dollars in aid sent from wealthy countries to developing African nations has helped to reduce poverty and increase growth." She claims that aid has done much more harm that good and at this point is even the cause of poverty. (I wrote a little review here.)

While I don't completely agree with Moyo and think her views are a little extreme, it does have me thinking. What is aid and why is it so ineffective? What makes development sustainable? Why do Westerners feel as if Africa needs 'saving'?

While in Uganda I saw firsthand how ineffective aid can be. One of the big issues there, like much of sub-Saharan Africa, is access to clean water. Millions are dying simply because they don't have access to a clean water source. One day I learned that an NGO went into this little village I was visiting and put in a water well. Great. Everyone was rejoicing and so excited to have clean water, now they wouldn't have to worry about getting sick.

Pretty soon the NGO left and life was back to normal. Not long after this the water well broke. No one in the village knew how to fix it, no one had the money to repair it, and so it just sat there-useless. The people in the village were now back to drinking contaminated water.

I'm always reminded of this story when I think of aid. While I admire the NGO for their desire to help the people in that village, we must all start to rethink this whole idea of 'helping'. I think it is so important for Westerners to stop thinking we have all the answers and listen first.

I think it would be great to see a revolution in aid that starts first with respect. When we start seeing each other as equals, and realize we can actually learn a lot from one another, we can then build on a relationship. Those villagers in Uganda were some of the brightest and most resilient people I've ever met in my life. They deserve to have a voice.

I guess I've been a tad bit annoyed lately with charity. I'm really tired of seeing the posters with pictures of babies with swollen bellies and flies in their eyes. There has to be a better way. Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not against charity, I'm actually a huge advocate for it, and I believe if one person's life was changed forever it is all worth it. BUT I also think we have to approach it differently if we hope to see any sustainable progress.

So what do you think?