Mirror Post

Since there is a lot of personal stuff interwoven on this blog, I decided to create a "business only" blog to chronicle only the work that we are doing in Cameroon. Whenever I post on that site, I will try to mirror it on this one as well. I will not be the only contributor on the new blog, so there will be as many as 10 people's thoughts and perspectives to read! These are exciting times! Keep up with our movements in the next 5 months. The past year has been all about getting ready for tomorrow...

This blog is dedicated to chronicling the progress of 10 people from the Himalayan Institute as they travel to a small town called Kumbo in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, West Africa.

Where is Cameroon you ask? It is the dark shaded area on the map of the continent of Africa below:



And while we are talking about Africa... Contrary to what many people who I speak with about Africa might think, Africa is a continent, made up of 54 different countries. In fact, I do not know if people understand just how big the continent is. Below is a graphic that we stumbled upon a few month back. It really helps put in perspective the enormity of Africa:

Thank you Honesdale Rotary!

Last January I had the pleasure to give a presentation on the Himalayan Institutes's rural empowerment projects in Cameroon to a couple of local Rotary Club chapters.

It was so much fun! Rotarians are an amazing bunch. Their slogan is "Service above self" I can't think of a better better pursuit.

After the presentation the Rotary club decided to cut us a check for $1,000 to be used toward the expense of shipping a container of supplies that we will use to launch the Himalayan Institute Cameroon this coming fall. In their most recent newsletter, there was a short update on the progress, and this photo accompanied. Thought that I would share.

The container left our campus on 2 April, it has made a stop in Antwerp, then in Abidjan, and now it is on its' way to Douala. The container is set to arrive at its' final destination somewhere between 8 June and 14 June. Once we know it is in the port we will spring into action. There really is not a lot that can be done without these items, so we must have patience for it to arrive.

I should have some news on the revised travel plans soon, check back in a few days for the official plan!

-Matt D

More pics of donations:

A van from Chicago

Brand new Refrigerator and three new stoves from Madison

An entire 16' truck full of assorted items from Madison

By and large, Madison, WI had the biggest hearts of all. Jeff, the man on the right in the photo above solicited all sorts of agricultural, household, and construction tools and supplies with the help of his father Bob and girlfriend Chelsea.

Chelsea and Jeff will be included in the group of ten that will travel with Briana and I to Kumbo later this month.

These two "youngsters" are amazing. At 23 and 24 they have chosen a path quite different from the norm. When I was their age I was too busy trying to discover exactly how much beer would fit into my stomach, and how much money could fit into my bank account. I developed a beer gut and a sense that even a healthy income is no substitute for a life of purpose. These two have no idea how lucky they are to avoid those mistakes. In the future they will know how to make a healthy living helping other people along the way.

New Name

Just as seasons come and go, so it seems do names for blogs.

The old blog name was not entirely true. Fear had not gone anywhere, it was still hiding in all of those uncomfortable location in life.

I have been thinking a lot lately on attraction and aversion, comfort and discomfort. I am rather fascinated with how one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I resolve right now to spend the remainder of my life to mastering the science of turning uncomfortable situations into natural enjoyable situations.

Feel free to follow along!

Briana and I are in the final push for our trip to Cameroon later this month. It is looking like we will be over for longer than we previously thought. It seems that we will be there for the months of June, July, August, September, and October. That is five months! I bet we are going to get a lot of practice in the search for equanimity for the remainder of 2007.

More updates ( & explanations) to come soon!

p.s. we do realize that disComfortable is not a word, but if Mr. President can coin new words at will, why can't an old boy from New Orleans do the same every once in a while?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . .

This past Monday was a very big day for me.

Since the 5th of December I have been heading up all efforts involved with soliciting, collecting, and shipping a 40 foot container full of goods to be sent to Cameroon.

This initial shipment is full of many of the items we will need to have a fully operational community center up and running in the city of Kumbo located in the Northwest Provence of Cameroon. We are sending agricultural supplies, construction tools, household goods, books, office supplies, a full kitchen outfit, a Saturn Vue, and a GMC Savana 3500 van.

The community center will be where a thought turns into action. Before when my mom would ask "Son, what is it exactly you all are doing over there?" I would have to respond with a conceptual answer. Now I can tell Mom that we are going to create a fully functional community center that will begin with work study / certification programs in either jewelry manufacturing, sales and marketing or Biovedic (organic / biodynamic) farming techniques for biofuel, medicinal herbs, and aromatic plants. The community center will also offer indirect support, training and assistance to the heart of the community which is an ailing coffee marketing Cooperative Union that has been on a rapid decline in coffee sales over the past 20 -30 years, and in the past seven years has not sold any coffee at all. The problem is not the coffee or the weather, but rather the lack of connectivity to the global marketplace. We will be helping with crop diversification (Agricultural school) as well as becoming the link to global trade.

On the weekends that community center will become a place where people come together to keep the flame of their indigenous cultural heritage alive. This is where we become the student and get to listen to ancient stories, drumming, dancing, singing, and many other wonderful activities.

Once we complete phase one we will be well on our way to realizing our first goal, rural empowerment.

The Community Center is the key to brining back value to a land and a people that have been devalued for thousands of years. Once people see beyond the border of their village or town, and then beyond the borders of their own country, and ultimately beyond continental borders a whole new world will quite literally be staring back at them. To play even the most insignificant role in this awakening is both humbling and energizing at once.

The second core goal of this venture is to create a model of social sustainability.

The only reason that a project like this speaks to a person like myself is that it walks its' talk. How can you set a goal to teach empowerment and sustainability if you yourself are not self sustained? That is where humanitarian aid becomes humanitarian trade. The end result is the same, but teaching trade is where you teach the person to fish. What we are doing will create revenue generating micro-businesses, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. We are doing all of this without the need to beg for donations. Charity is more addictive than heroine. Even an aid initiative with the purest of intentions can do more harm than it does good. If you tell a person that they are a charity case, they tend to believe you. I have never met a charity case that can help itself, but I have seen these people. They are beautiful, bright, able bodied, and enthused about finding a better way in life. All they need is someone to introduce them to their own potential.

Our last core goal is to create enlightened leaders.

Enlightened leadership is really the offspring of rural empowerment and social sustainability. It is the point at which the training wheels come off and the people take full control of the future. It is the ultimate goal, and the measure of its' success will be when we sit across the table from someone telling us that we are no longer needed.

Then we take it to the next town or the next country or the next continent...

You get the picture.

This time I am excited to take Briana along as she will be one of two founding members of the jewelry making apprenticeship program. She has been training this entire year in the jewelry department so that she has the skills needed to teach the first batch of apprentices. We will most likely be going in early June and will be gone for a minimum of a month, but may need to stay longer. In these early times flexibility and fluidity are key to sanity and success.

Oh container, you were in my thoughts for 4 months, in my life for one afternoon, and now you are gone old friend. Godspeed on your journey, may your contents plant seeds of hope all over Africa and beyond.

Happy Birthday Briana!

To Briana on her 30^th Birthday:

Dearest Briana,

You know that this is an impossible task to undertake don’t you?

To express the deep appreciation, respect, and love that these past fifteen years have afforded us is not something that a man with my rhetorical skills can weave into cognitive expression. So I will not even make the attempt.

What I will do is define who you are to me in one simple sentence:

You are the most precious gift that this world has ever offered to me.

When we met I was in quite the transitional period in my life. I was fourteen years of age and trying to decide which side of the “tracks” I wanted to live on. I was neither a gentleman nor a criminal, but I knew that I had equal tendencies to be one or the other. Once I met you there was no doubt which path was the right one to follow. I was your companion, and you preferred gentlemen, so the high road was where we walked, and we have walked it with style.

You have been there through it all. The good times, the bad, for richer, and now it seems for poorer, and I would put it to you that not even death can separate this union as the laws of attraction will not allow our souls to be apart for any length of time. We have become one.

You are the most precious gift that this world has ever offered to me. Not because of all of the good times, or your ability to make it through the bad. Not because we are all that we have ever known, and most certainly not because of anything you have ever said, done or given to me.

You are the most precious gift that this world has ever offered to me, simple because you have been You.

Everything you do is perfect; everything you say is perfect, everything you think is perfect, because it is You. I am so proud that you are beginning to realize this as well.

I have watched you grow into the most amazing woman. You have made enormous strides toward conquering all of your doubts and fears. You have shown everyone that you are willing to live what you believe rather than what others expect of you. You are amazing. Do you realize this? Absolutely brave, absolutely selfless, and absolutely willing to tune out the world and listen to your true nature.

What have I done to deserve You?

So sweetheart, thirty years have now passed, and there is sure to be 60 or more in the future. So see yourself for what you are in this world. You are like a child taking its’ first steps. You have the rest of your life in front of you, and you have the newfound skill to attack it with charm and vigor.

I cannot wait to see how it turns out…

In love and life, happy birthday!

Matt D

Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad,

I sure hope that you had a very nice day today. I wish that I could have been with you to celebrate, but you are there, and I am here. Not much to be done about that really.

We have had a couple long days so I am tired, but I just wanted to post a special birthday wish to my oldest friend in the world. We have had a lot of fun together. Thank you for all of the adventure, life lessons, solid example, and wisdom that you have shared. I am proud to have you as a father.

I love you dad,

Matt D

Happy Birthday Mom!

What do you give the woman that has everything?

Bravery, strength, tenacity, courage, an independent spirit, willpower and determination beyond most people, an unbelievable capacity to love others and expect nothing in return, and an ability to hear the voice of the Lord guiding her in her interactions with this world. These are my mothers personality traits. With traits such as these, what more could a person desire?

Mom,

We've been together for 30 years now. One year shy of half of your life. It has been a nice journey filled with so many highs and lows, times of sorrow and times of joy. It has been a great pleasure to be your companion on this journey of life as watching you learn and grow has brought about the same within myself. You have been a fine example of how to love what is in life no matter what circumstances arise. You have always found a way to live with grace. For that you should be so proud.

So does all of this mean that life was perfect, without flaw or blemish? Ha! I think we both know the answer to that question. You and I have had quite the coming together, growing apart and then back together experience, and I am happy for every moment of that. The long hugs, the wiping away of tears, the laughter, the life lessons, the throwing things at one another, the mean words exchanged, the attempt to write you off for eternity, and then finally realizing that there are both wants and needs in life. You have always given me what I have needed, even when it has been the opposite of what I have wanted. That is called a spirit of service, because we both know that I have been blessed with your tenacity, independence, and willpower. You knew every time what crossing me would bring, and yet you did it anyway... That is love in its' truest sense. I am so proud of you mom.

So what can I give the woman who has everything? I think that the answer is simple. Just give back what has been received:

Unconditional love

So greatful to you Mom for everything you have done.

Happy birthday,

Matt D

The Beautiful Aftermath Pt. 1

The Great Valentines Day Snow Storm of 2007

We have taken on a good heaping of snow today. I think we are in the 15" - 20" range at this point, and things are expected to continue on into the late evening. As a southern boy I am still pretty taken by this sort of thing. It is really quite beautiful. Below are some photos taken on a brief tour of the campus once the snow stops falling, and we venture out for some fun and will post more photos very soon.

Newly Added Video of the Storm:

Himalayan Institute - Through my father's eyes

My Dad came up for a visit, and we had a great time. He is going to be away from home for the next 5 weeks, so he asked me to save the photos from his camera to a disk. Here are the unedited, raw, uncensored photos from the past few days. If you mouse over them you will find some poor descriptions of what the photos are supposed to be. I think the concept of this post is cool, because these are all photos that someone who does not live on campus found interesting. That may mean that some of our readers might agree?

It was nice to see my Pops. I am hoping that Briana and I can make a trip down to Philly to see him while he is still nearby. Philly is only 3 hours away, So I think we should take advantage of this as much as possible.

Photos from Niagara Falls

After a long search on the web for some seats that we could install in the cargo van that was donated to the Cameroonian project, we hit pay dirt in Buffalo, NY. I found a gentleman who is in the business of converting stock vans into handicap accessible customized vans, and he had just the right components for our van to be properly and safely converted.

So a gentleman named Jake that works for me and I made the 5 hour trip up to Buffalo, NY about 10 days ago to retrieve the seats and brackets. While we were there we decided that it would be sacrilege to be so close to a wonder of the world and not set eyes upon it, so we made the 23 minute journey north into Canada to view the falls from the "pretty" side.

Going to Canada was a mistake, as apparently it is not wise to visit there if you have an unusual employment situation. Both Jake and I are humanitarian volunteers. We do not take a salary for the work that we do, and that just does not stand up to any logic at the border between two nations apparently. (I think that they are frightened that we were looking for free health care?) So after being detained for about an hour, and an extensive background check, we were permitted to enter the country. It was too long to wait, but the falls were impressive. It was cold, and damp, so we did not spend much time admiring the beauty of it all, but I definitely know that I want to return in the summer with Briana to walk the entire park.

The drive home was very scary, as some of that record snowfall began to roll in, and we saw many cars run off of the road. I really got broken in to driving on snow covered roads, and it took almost twice as long to get home as it did to get to Buffalo! I was so tired, but also glad to have arrived home without incident.

It Officially Got Cold last night!

Mother Nature out did our furnace last night by waking us up with a -2 degree outside temperature, that made it about 60 inside. I know that this is not too terribly cold, but for a couple of people born and raised in the south it was like a trip to Alaska! Thank God we have a plug in heater!

Right now it is 0 degrees out. These are the coldest days on record in our life. It is interesting. Just thought I would say hello to all of our friends in the soulth enjoying those 50 degree temperatures. Enjoy them!

Briana's First Modeling Gig:

One of the many "things" that the Himalayan institute "does" is publish an international periodical known as "Yoga+ Joyful Living". This magazine is widely known in the yoga community,as the premier publication for authentic information on yoga science and philosophy.

So the magazine people made an astute choice to put my wife in the upcoming March / April issue. See below for a sneak preview for our friends and family:

Please click on each photo to view larger photo in separate window. You might need to zoom in for best results:

I am so proud of Briana for doing this.

While it is not uncommon for The Institute to use residents for photo shoots, I obviously think that she is very beautiful. I also know that just mere months ago that Briana would not have had the courage to participate in something this public.

I think that the next step will be public speaking!

Get ready Briana, the future is going to be so different!

I love you.

-Matt D

My First Newspaper Interview:

Please click on the photo to be taken to the article online:


This article was on the front page of the January 18-24, 2007 edition of The River Reporter.

The interview was a great experience. I learned a lot about what to say, when to say it, how to say it, and what not to say.

This article is a very brief, nearly accurate detail of what this is all about. I have been doing a great deal of public speaking on this topic, and it is all starting to become more and more natural. Tonight I am addressing a rotary club in Newfoundland, PA. I hope to spread the word to a neighboring city as well as raise more local sponsorship of the pending project in Cameroon.

I hope that you enjoy the article!

Headed Home

From a Panera Bread somewhere near the Wisconson, Illinois atate line...

We have had a long 6 days. A lot of traveling, thinking, talking, calling, and meeting has gone on. We have a van full of small goods ranging from a generator to slightly used shoes. The trip went very well, and it looks like we will have another shot of goods sent from the midwest the first week of January once all of the business owners that we did not get a chance to see return from their holiday vacations.

We did manage to secure the Van from Chicago, as well as another small SUV (2003 Saturn VUE). Both of them are nearly new. It will be a proud moment to see these cars in Cameroon on our next visit.

If you are interested in looking at our online needs lists for the Cameroonian projects, please follow the following links and instructions. Please give to your capacity as this honestly is a noble, well thought out cause.

To address one item that popped up on our trip. "What if these people do not want help?"

While I can understand this question in a way, it is so far from my mind as after being on the ground in Kumbo just recently and constantly being told "you are welcome" "thank you for coming" so many times, from so many levels of the social structure, it is abundantly clear that these projects are in no way imposing. They are much needed and welcomed.

Below are the rough instructions for my online friends and family, we will be cleaning up the language a bit tomorrow.:

TARGET
At this on-line site you will find many of the items we classify as “household”, such as pillows and bedding, sheets and towels. The majority of items needed to set-up a kitchen equipped to serve at least 30 people are also located on this gift registry. To access it from the internet, log on to www.target.com.

Click on “wishlist” from the top menu bar.
From the side bar select: Find a wish list.
Type in Himalayan Institute and leave “location state” as “unknown”.
A results page will return, with Himalayan Institute listed.
Select this and the list will appear.


HOME DEPOT
At this on-line site you will find cleaning and janitorial items as well as gardening and hardware needs. Most importantly, we have some very special requests under the category: “Power Tools”. We appreciate your generosity. From the internet, log on to www.homedepot.com.

On the top menu bar, move your pointer to “Gift Center”.
From the pull-down menu, select “Online Gift Registry”.
To find the registry, type Himalayan Institute as the last name.
Select Himalayan Institute from the listing.


SEARS
We didn’t want to make this too complicated, however, Sears had a wonderful selection of the majority of the agricultural and other tools we will need. They also had some basic cleaning supplies. Log on to www.sears.com, then:

Scroll down to the end of their home page.
Under “Other Services” select “Gift Registry.
On the next page, select “Buy Gifts”.
Select “special occasion” as the event type from the pull down menu.
Type Himalayan as the first name
And Institute as the last name.

Please give, give, give! We need YOUR help!

Much love,

Matt D

Headed to the Midwest!

The world has been a busy place for us lately. I have not really had an opportunity to shake the jet lag from the trip to Africa yet, because we have been working full tilt to get prepared for the next trip in late March 2007. I know that March seems like a long ways off, but if we are going to ship items over and have them to port, cleared through customs, and licensed properly for use in Cameroon, the container needs to leave for port no later than 10 January 2007.

So that has been the main focus of my days and nights. I am becoming quite the proffesional begger: "Hey mister, can you spare a used shovel?", "a few hundred dollars?", "or how about your 2004 Chevy cargo van?" The list goes on... I actually raised $500 by playing the piano and singing the other night! (fyi, I have no idea how to play the piano!) - no kidding.

So the answer to all of the above questions has been a resounding YES!

People recognize the great potential of the project, and they want to help in any way that they can. So Briana and I are flying to Chicago tomorrow to pick up a cargo van with 25,000 miles on it. We will then drive about 20 minutes west to receive some general business machines (fax, xerox, printers, computers, etc.). After that we will find a place to stay for the night. The next day we will be off to Milwakee, WI to pick up a trailer full of general construction tools, a generator, air compressor, and air tools. After we leave Milwakke we are off to Fredonia, WI where we are to make home base at a friends home. We will spend Christams in Fredonia where I am hoping to bump into my good friends Travis and Michelle on Christmas day.

On the 26th it is on to Madison, WI for several meetings with all sorts of business owners where the questions will be less than shy:

• Sir, can you donate a car or two from your dealership?
• Sir, can you spare a few refridgerators, and commercial kitchen equipment from your appliance stores?
• Madam, can you donate a minimum of $6,000 to sponsor the cost of shipping from PA to Kumbo?

after all of the meetings we will drive back to PA. Since what we will come back with is in the air we have other drivers lined up. We could come back with more than expected.

So, Life is different. It lacks a lack of purpose. It lacks a lack of excitement. It lacks a lack of flexibility and fluidity. Life is good.

I will have a cell phone on this trip, and I will take my laptop, so email will be checked. If you need to know the mobile number, please email me and I will call you with it.

Now to answer a very commom question I have been receiving about what we want for Christmas. The answer is simple. Do not give us anything. We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. If you want to give a gift, donate money to the project. Email me for details or click on the donate button off to the left hand side. 100% of the money that is donated will go directly to the projects. I will use it to purchase items from the list of needs that will be sent in mid January. No amount is too small, everything is appreciated.

I know that I still need to leave a few thoughts about the trip. I will do that once this container is off to sea. I should have a moment to breathe. Then I will have a few stories to tell.

Until then, please have the most wonderful holiday season with your friends and family. Briana and I wish you all the best.

xoxo

Hey Dana, this ones for you!

A better view of the face in the stone: Great eye! Can you see it better now?

Panoramic view of a traditional market

Video of our reception at the Kingdom of Nso

Bovine Road Block