23 July 2007

Week # 4 Update

Things are still progressing well here in Kumbo.  Everyone is healthy, happy, and we are well on our way to adjusting to this new culture and pace.  The days have ben busy, but rewarding.  The center is really starting to take shape, and we should have the main hall of the Community Center fully constructed very soon.  Once the main hall is complete we will begin the Sacred Link Jewelry Apprenticeship.  We have selected 5 applicants to begin this three month intensive.   Chelsea, Petra, and Briana are busy at work finalizing the curriculum for their first five students, and Jeff an I are working hard to get all of the construction, agricultural, and administrative initiatives underway.  It seems that at every step there is a new twist or opportunity to explore.  Needless to say, the work has been very fluid and exciting.

The web speeds are still quite slow, so posting video and photos are not an easy undertaking.  I did send some pictures and videos to our webmaster in hopes that he would post them to the web.

That is all for now.  More and more info will be coming.

11 July 2007

Day 23 and still going strong

Things have been very busy, as starting a business is one thing, but starting one in Africa is a whole other ball of wax!  There have been so many meetings with applicants, contractors, government officials, and local royalty, that there has barely been any time to think.

We did sneak away today to a place called Oku where some of the most talented artisans in the country are located.  We stopped by several handicraft shops and met with artisans, and also stopped by a local Honey collecting and marketing Cooperative.  All in all it was an interesting visit.  The scenery was breathtaking as Oku is one of the highest elevations in the country.  We were in the 8,000 - 10,000 foot range above sea level.

Briana is really taking things in stride.  She is very relaxed and strong in the face of such a culture shock.  I (as always) am very proud that she is my wife.

I have to run now as time is always tight.  I will be trying to upload photos sometime soon.

Be well,

Matt D

06 July 2007

Week 2 / 3 Update

After successfully removing our container from the port of Douala on this past Saturday, all nine of us completed a 9 hour journey (broken into 2 days) to our new home in Kumbo which is in the North West Province of Cameroon.  It is wonderful to report that we made this journey riding in our own vehicles that were donated to the project by some wonderful people in Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois!

Kumbo is lovely, the townspeople have been very hospitable, and we are all getting adapted to all of the new climates associated with this sort of venture.

Since Sunday we have been working hard at all of the necessities of forming a full fledged NGO in this country.  As you can imagine there is an infinite amount of plans being made, necessary items being purchased, contractors in negotiations, and local government agencies being visited.

We have chosen one large space in the building to become the launching pad of our activities for now.  The room will become a virtual microcosm of the work that we will be doing in the early stages of this venture.  The space will have workstations for up to 12 apprentices in our Sacred Link Jewelry making and marketing apprenticeship, shelving for Himalayan Institute books, Varcho Veda herbal elixirs, as well as provisions for all sorts of other items that can be set out for display.  As of now we are calling this room the Himalayan Institute Cameroon Community Center because in addition to all of the items on display listed above we will also have a nice public relations desk set up so that our public relations officer can offer an orientation to the HIC and all its’ programs and even take people on a tour of some test plot gardens that will be set up in the adjoining courtyard.

As you can tell, this truly is an exciting time for us.  Things are literally being created from scratch.  It is so wonderful to have such a dedicated and motivated team of people here pushing to realize this dream.  There is not a chance for failure, and it will not be long until the impact of the HIC is being felt on a large scale.

Tomorrow we will all travel to the palace to meet with His Highness, The Fon (king) of Nso (the area in which we are working).  There is always a big celebration at the palace, and it is an amazing cultural experience.  We are excited to return.

The future is very bright!

04 July 2007

We have arrived!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have all arrived safely at our final destination.  We have ben in Kumbo since Sunday afternoon, and it is wonderful!

The rains have settled in, so things are wet and slippery, but the air is clean, the energy is great, and we are in full swing getting the center up and running.  We should be making jewelry by this afternoon, or tomorrow morning at the latest!

More thoughts, details, and photos to come!