Before I entertained the thought of having children, I already had some ideas of names I liked, mainly for girls.  I remember liking Paloma, Phoebe and some others, not really for the meaning but for the sound of the name or the cultural aspect.

It wasn’t till we found out we were pregnant that I took the name matter seriously… I mean it’s the third question people ask after knowing you are pregnant, “When are you due?”,  “Do you know what you’re having?”, “Do you have a name picked out?”

Now a days people have the opportunity to name their children whatever they want, but Pedro and I both agreed that we wanted to give our children a name that had a biblical meaning and would be transversal in our world’s (Europe and U.S.).

After living in Greece for two years I always knew I wanted to give my children a Greek name or second name. When I learned the language I loved the fact that most names in Greek have some type of biblical context whether after the saints or words like Life, Freedom, Knowledge, Hope, and Love. I had bought a Portuguese baby name book on our last trip to Lisbon, and strangely enough found out that a lot of Portuguese names originally derive from the Greek language.

Pedro and I came to agreement pretty early on that our baby girl would be named Sofia. We both liked the name and it matched exactly what we were looking for…

But God confirmed this name for us when I came across the passage in Proverbs 4:7-9. 

“The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; 

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

“Prize her, and she will exalt you; 

She will honor you if you embrace her. 
 

“She will place on your head a garland of grace; 

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Sofia in Greek means Wisdom. I was so excited about this confirmation! We had a good reason and right to call our little girl, “Our Princess”… And be able to explain to her that her name means Wisdom and that it is the most important thing she can acquire, which will ultimately give her a crown of beauty/glory.

Today girls are taught from a very early age that beauty is found in the physical appearance… we encourage it with comments, such as “wow, you look so beautiful in your new dress”, “you look like a princess”, “look how beautiful your hair is”… I’m even guilty of it… I say these things to my niece too… and I think she really believes that she is a real princess. She changes her clothes at least three times a day and could wear her ballet clothes everyday if her parents would let her.

It’s not easy today to teach girls that beauty lies beyond appearances and what the eye can see, when they begin to shape their identity around their looks at a very early age.

It’s our responsibility in part I guess… to esteem girls for their interest and abilities and not just their looks… we could make comments like, “wow, you made that”, “Show me your favorite book”, “you like to do that, wow you’re really talented”. But girls are just so darn cute! And stores sell more cute clothes for girls than for boys’… uff, what a challenge!

We are excited to name our daughter Sofia because it gives us the opportunity to raise her up differently. It is our hope as new parents – embracing the responsibility to bring up a godly girl -that Sofia will learn to see beauty in herself and the world around… beyond the physical appearances.

Sofia will be “our princess” because she means wisdom, and that is the most important thing anyone can gain… this is what gives her a crown of beauty.

The other night I got up for the zillionth time to use the restroom… a common routine for me now (@ 39wks) and most expecting mothers. As I was walking to the bathroom I rubbed my belly and could clearly feel my baby’s butt…

While she moves a lot these days and we are able to define her body parts better now, this moment in the middle of the night was a special one for me… as I rubbed her inside my belly, I felt a warm motherly emotion come over me… as if she wasn’t inside me and I was really caressing her body. It’s truly an amazing experience.

In that moment I thought this is why…

Years ago before I was married or dating anyone for that matter, I decided I wanted to have children. It is a decision to be made and I made it when I realized that God gifted women with the ability to give and serve in a way that can only be experienced through having children and a family.  It’s a call to service that goes above and beyond your ability to give… I’m saying this and I haven’t experienced it yet…

I remember back then meeting a family that became good friends of mine, overtime I watched the wife dedicate herself with patience, love, and grace to her children and family. It was inspiring to me and made me realize that this type of dedication and service towards others can only be experienced in this context and is a gift to women. I made then the decision that I was up to the challenge; I wanted to experience this level of what it meant giving myself to others.

I was taken back to this thought and decision I had made years ago in the bathroom that night… but after feeling our little girl, so real and inside me… I thought, “I would make the decision just for this moment”…  being able to feel her living body inside me… it is such an amazing experience, it’s indescribable. I already care for her so much and I haven’t even meet her…

It’s amazing the momentous insights you can have in the middle of the night, going to the bathroom.

Transition moments in life are kind of surreal… especially if you are leaving one world for another. Last year, I remember selling most of our things, trying to pack what we could, saying good-byes and anxiously awaiting the departure date (not that I wanted to leave, but I was looking forward to seeing my family and attending my brother’s wedding).

This is not the first time I’ve made this type transition, you could kind of say I am an expert by now. I’ve learned many things along the way now, like how to make the best of relationships, how to say good-bye, how to adapt and change, and how to leave a bit of my heart and take a bit of my old world into my new world.

My favorite part about leaving a place is that last drive through town to the airport, or the shutting of the door to your home, after a long look back into a home of many memorable filled moments. It’s a mixture of emotions you can’t even describe…. even though you know it’s your last time there, it doesn’t really hit you till you’re on the plane or in your new world. I always cry… but I don’t mind anymore because I know it’s a part of the process.

Pedro and I were happy to leave Angola, we were happy to start a new part of our journey, which included being close to family and hopes of starting our own family. We were happy to think about the many things we would do in the future, like enjoy the western life and culture, and live what I would say, “more normal lives”.

Anyone who has lived in Luanda knows that life there is not easy. Pedro and I spent the first three years of our relationship/marriage there… But we wouldn’t change it for nothing. It allowed us to be adventuress, exploring Africa, African culture and enduring hardships that made our relationship tighter than ever. I will always look back at that time as a major growing phase for me. Although I had already lived in Europe for about four years previously, Africa is so different, so unique that I felt like I was constantly learning and being challenged. I love Africa. I know we will be back there one day. There are days that I miss the craziness of Luanda; the mad traffic and street life, the crazy, inspiring people, the music and culture, my good friends, the trips to the ilha and just living in the great land of Africa.

My old neighborhood...

In front of my old building... the guards keeping it safe, I mean watching TV...

Across the street from our building...

famous building where people live without any type of conditions...

Typical streets in Luanda...

My favorite ladies

Great memories together

A view of the city from my office...

The African sun... nothing quite like it!

Looking back this past year, our transition to the U.S. hasn’t been the smoothest, but our African flexibility has allowed us to be patient and grateful for where we are now. We have enjoyed getting to be active members of our family, taking some time off to relax and travel, finding our new little home and furnishing it ourselves for the first time… And I just have to say that, I love my new neighborhood! I love the little cafes and restaurants, I love walking around the area and smelling the most beautiful flowers…  that I can walk to get frozen yogurt at 9 or 10pm… and that my exercise walks are on the beach… love, love, love… one happy camper am I.

Our new corner cafe!

walking through our neighborhood...

love the gardens and flowers...

This close to the beach...

walking to 2nd Street... full of shops and restaurants

yummm... frozen yogurt

my morning and evening walking route...

Pedro as a new resident to the U.S. has a great job for a great strategy consulting company that keeps its employees local, so he doesn’t have to travel  I am currently eight months pregnant with our first offspring, a little girl! We are blessed beyond belief! And we can’t wait to take her on our future adventures!

While I’ve gone from traveling every three months to a year… I feel so blessed to be where we are right now. Our past has been made up of adventures we will never forget but that ultimately shape us to enjoy our future all the more!

Cheers to where we have been and where we are going!

Last month I celebrated my 30th Birthday. The other night as I was lying thoughtfully in bed looking at the window I contemplated this turning point. A decade has pasted for me.

My husband in good spirit tells me that “we have lived well”. But I can’t help recalling my memories of when my mom turned 30. I know, it’s strange, right?… that I would remember my mom’s 30^th Birthday, but I do. I remember my dad buying her a bike as a surprise and all of us waiting for her to come home so we could surprise her. There is even a picture somewhere of that event.

The point is that I can actually remember my mom turning 30! My kids won’t remember me turning 30 because well, Pedro and I haven’t reached that point of our journey at 30. Boy, have times changed! Back in the day couples had children much younger. Today, women have the same opportunities as men to advance in their careers, to travel and be adventuress.

I have chosen the risky road that leads to uncertainty, challenges and lots of wonderful adventures and I been very lucky to find a man that love’s adventure too… and we have been married only two years. He is right, our lives individually and together have been full, not that it wouldn’t if we had children but it would be quite different… who knows if our paths would have crossed.

In honor of kissing my 20’s good-bye and welcoming what’s to come, I came up with my TOP 10 list of my 20’s.

1.    Being the first from both my parents’ families to graduate from University. It wasn’t an easy experience especially when you consider the finances involved in going to Univ. in the U.S.!  but I loved my university experience and the way it shaped me for the future.

2.    My first “real” job led me to meet the glamour of Hollywood. Within my first week, I was asked to work the Oscar Party where I got to seat the stars and make sure that our sponsor clients were represented. I have never been much of a Hollywood fanatic but being in a room full of stars was quite overwhelming for a first week on the job. I later went on to work premieres on the other side of the carpet…. none-the-less it wasn’t for me…

3.    Living in Athens, Greece for 2 years, what a wonderful introduction to Europe and the Mediterranean way of life. I traveled to many places such Turkey, Egypt, Italy, etc. and I learned how to live life and love food :) I have friends I will cherish for life and I will never forget the summer my sister and I traveled through the Greek islands.  

 4.    While living in Athens, I had the opportunity to perform in the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in 2004, where I was immersed in all Greekness. It was such a great experience to be with Greeks as they celebrated the 2004 EuroCup Win and the Olympic Games. I also ran my first marathon in Athens, which also happens to be the original marathon route from Marathona to Athens.

 5.    Moved to Madrid, Spain in 2006, where I entered an International MBA program at IE business school. While my Greek years were some of my “dream paradise years”, my Spanish years were my “forever young years”. Life in Madrid is exciting and never-ending… My business program was intense and an experience of a lifetime, with classmates from around the world. I miss them and looking forward to one day catching up… they are everywhere and its quite nice to know you have friends around the world

 6.    Pedro. I met Pedro in Madrid. He actually happened to be in my class and my first workgroup. We started dating towards the end of the program, we had no idea what the future would hold but we held on to each other. Being from different countries it wasn’t easy, but love prevailed and we got married! 3 times to be exact! One of my best gifts in life is being with Pedro

 7.    So people probably don’t put their honeymoon on their top 10 list, especially people that travel often, since honeymoons are about relaxation… but it’s on my list. Pedro and I have gotten to know Africa over the past 2 ½ years but visiting Tanzania was something else! It was like going to the real “paradise of the Garden of Eden”. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most spectacular things I have ever experienced.  It was magical and I fell in love with Africa… the kind of feeling that hits you at your core.

 8.    Moved to Angola in 2008, in efforts to be together Pedro and I both moved to Luanda, Angola to work for a business consultancy firm. My experience in Angola has been challenging; learning a new language, working in a new field, new country, new culture, new marriage….. But rewarding :) I grew up in areas that usually take people a long time to grow up in… and I know how to live without the extras and even sometimes without the essentials.

 9.    At 29, my last year of my 20’s…. Pedro and I began the New Year 2010 on Mount Kilimanjaro. It was one of our dreams in moving to Africa to be able to experience Mt. Kili… Again it was a challenge that hit us physically, emotionally, spiritually but drew us together. At 5,895 metres (19,334 ft.) we celebrated a journey that was very symbolic to me.

 10.    And just days before turning 30, I witnessed the first World Cup in Africa! Pedro and I camped throughout South Africa, assisting some of the matches and just enjoying God’s beautiful nature and creations. For Pedro and I traveling to SA wasn’t something new, we felt very much like Africans ourselves since we live here but I got to know South Africans and Africa’s warm hospitality in a whole new way.

While my kids won’t ever remember my 30th Birthday, I sure do have a lot of stories to tell them about my 20′s and the wonderful life experiences I have been blessed with. So cheers to God, to life and living the dream!

“Its not about the destination, it’s about the journey you embark to get to that destination.”

Well I can now officially confirm that! The only thing I wanted to do when I got to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro was to get down. I was tired, drained and my head felt like it was going to explode.

I mean don’t get me wrong, we celebrated and cried our eyes out! After all that, all that…. We made it to the top! It wasn’t a conscious celebration where we did flips, danced and screamed… it was a shock, hug, cry, and walk like zombie kind of celebration.  

The walk from Stella point to Uhuru Peak was a daze and confuse… our team had been there already 30 minutes or so when we reached the peak and got to take a picture with them. On our way to the peak, we passed the really cheerful people that were singing, playing in the snow, taking pictures, and so on.

But we were silent. It was an internal celebration for us. I was happy about making it to the top but the reaction I had was not what I would have imagined for myself, not to say that I had an expectation, I didn’t.

I had a revelation at the top, a revelation that I could only get going through the experience of getting to the top. I realized in those few minutes up there that this whole trip was not about the top!

I know, I know! The whole time from the beginning of the climb to the last minutes of the climb -reaching the top is all you can think of – it’s the peak of the hike, of the mountain and of your experience.

But when we got there it was so short, it wasn’t as painful or as glorious as the actual climb that you couldn’t help but think, “That’s it!”

I have always wondered why we get this feeling during the so-called important moments of our lives…. you know, you spend days planning what you are going to wear to the prom or how your wedding is going to be… and then when the time comes it only last a couple of hours.

When you reach the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro you are only allowed to stay up there about 15 minutes and maybe 30 minutes tops for those really athletic. The lack of oxygen can begin to really affect the body.

The climb is really about the journey… and the journey doesn’t end after you reach the top, you still have to go down. But the point is that you don’t appreciate or understand the significance of that till you have reached the top. The fact that Pedro and I went through all the things we did on the journey made us appreciate each other all the more and we shared in an incredible experience together that we will never forget.

I have to say that the view at the top was spectacular of course! How many people see glacier snow in the midst of clouds… and in Africa!!! It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen and of course that was also because it cost me to get there.

But you know I’m glad it wasn’t easy for us and that it was an adventure because I enjoyed every moment of it, not just reaching the end goal.

–

The afternoon before the final ascend, our whole team (seven of us), sat in a cozy little tent, out of the cold and out of the rain. We had just finished a seven hour hike reaching our final rest spot at  4,550 m high, that’s 14, 927 ft. At this point they say you should definitely be feeling the altitude, which was the case for us. We were tired but we knew that everything we had done to that point didn’t even compare to what we were about to embark on. It was the make it or break it point.

I will always treasure those few moments we had at that base camp right before the final ascend. After four days together, our team shared a special bond.  Pedro led the group in sharing about their experience and why this climb was significant and then in a special prayer. Coming from different countries, different languages and different religious beliefs, it was as if for that one moment we were one, one people coming before God and petitioning for our journey.

People usually mention butterflies in their stomachs right before the start of race.  I’ve ran a marathon and I use to compete in track when I was younger, but the anticipation and anxiousness that you feel before a climb is different. Sure preparation can help you become a better candidate for making it up the top but it takes more than that. They say altitude sickness can hit anyone and it can affect one person more than another. In the end, you can practice reaching the top in your head over and over again but that won’t make it a reality.

That night as we started to ascend, we all had the intention to reach the top but none of us knew for certain whether that would be happen.

At 23:45pm we grabbed our sticks, turned our heads to the left and started walking in the dark. We had another seven hour journey ahead of us and if we wanted to make it before morning and the heat we had to make to the top by sunrise.

As I lifted my head towards the mountain trying to outline it and see what the route would be, I saw to my surprise a trail of little sparkling lights all along up the mountain, like twinkling stars in the sky. Some climbers had already started the journey up to the top.

Climbing in the dark isn’t easy. Climbing in frosty cold night weather isn’t easier but that’s what we were up against. Pedro and I tried to prepare ourselves as much as we could with warm clothes, gloves, a light backpack and water in a canister, as water in a normal water bottle would freeze.

Our steps up were slow, very slow but you couldn’t stop. Stops along the trail made it difficult to start up again because of the cold.

That night we had a full moon to light our way. It was a very beautiful sight. To be in the stillness of the night on a grand mountain and to see above you a mountain covered in glacier snow and below you clouds and below the clouds the dim lights of city life. I don’t know if any of you have ever just gone outside to star gaze at night, there is a sense of tranquility and peace. I guess the feeling of knowing the world is asleep, it’s a safe place.

About half way through our journey, I started to get dizzy and lightheaded. I tried drinking water to keep the oxygen going through my body but it seemed to support me for only short periods. I didn’t want to drink too much water as it made me go to the bathroom and that just doesn’t sound attractive in the cold night.

The only thing I could concentrate on was the person’s shoes in front of me; I had to keep focus on them because if I didn’t then I would lose it and fall over. And then those thoughts started entering my head, “I can’t do this… I can’t make it to the top, this is too painful.” This whole journey Pedro had been the one struggling and then at the end I was the one having trouble moving forward. It’s not so much a body ache that you feel but more like your head is going to explode the higher you go.

We had brought our iPod’s for this moment. We charged them and never used them, wanting to save them for this exact moment. Mine of course froze along the way but Pedro saw my hour of need as I started to take more breaks and gave me his. I had prepared a worship songs selection and as soon as I started listening I started crying hysterically, which wasn’t good because I needed that water and eyes to guide but I felt God so close to me. Every song felt like it was written for that moment, there is nothing like worshiping God in the splendor of his creation and in the hour of your need.

Those last few hours climbing up are a blur to me; God gave me the strength to make those final steps. The final ascend is literally an inclined uphill and as we were making our way up we passed people resting on the sides in tears, in agony, and weak… They were so close to finishing but couldn’t give those final steps.

As we took those last steps to Stella Point, I looked over my shoulder to see the sun rising behind me.  I had never seen anything like that in my life. Every thing that was dark came into light. It was as if God concurred with us that the hardest part was done and he was shining new light on our souls. When we reached the top of Stella Point we still had another 35-40 minutes to Uhuru Peak but we had already completed the most difficult part. 

I will always remember that night as it is one of the moments in my life I have felt God so intimately close to me. I think all of us go through these night journeys at least once in our lives, dark places that can be really difficult to get through, even when we are so close. We often think we can try to get through it on our own or that we are alone. But the truth is that we are not, God is always with us. We just make the choice of acknowledging that or not.

Our journey up the mountain included spectacular scenery that changed everyday, starting with lushes green tropical rain forest – the kind you dream of during your spa treatment while they play the rain forest soundtrack in the background…

- To moorland, I have to be honest I had no idea what that was before I got there but it’s the beautiful thing in between tropical rainforest and mountain desert, where everything is mystical…. Many times I felt like I was walking through the Chinese mystical mountains… the kind you see in the movies…

- To semi-desert and then alpine desert, where the rocks are spectacular and the horizon seems so close but never-ending…

- And finally to ice capped glaciers and mountain ice tops! The kind they say will disappear in 10 years but just incredible to look at! Not something you see in Africa everyday, that’s for sure! 

It was an incredible transforming journey and the main reason we choose one of the harder routes, to be able to see all that beauty.

For those that are not familiar, Mt. Kilimanjaro (name meaning: Mountain of Light) is the highest mountain in Africa, the tallest free-standing mountain in world, and one of the Seven Summits of the world. It is a splendor to look at and many people attempt to climb it.

With all that said… I have to reveal that enjoying Mt. Kilimanjaro was really hard most of the time.

I’m typically the type of person that gets lost in the details of nature…. noticing the flowers, the leaves, the trees, the birds, the clouds, and the shape of the rocks…. all of it. I love it! And part of the reason I love photography but it was difficult for me to take out my camera from hiding and snap some shots… I was so busy trying to keep up in step. I didn’t want to get left behind or keep everyone waiting. The rainy, cold and stormy weather didn’t help either.

I did well the first day, noticing and enjoying but as we started ascending into higher elevation and working harder to just take one step up… the only thing I focused on was the person’s shoes and sticks in front of me. I was side-blinded by my focus to keep up and the tiredness or pain I was feeling.

Half-way through the journey I realized this… I looked up and was like…. Wow!…  Marisol!…  Wake-up!…  Look around you!…  It’s incredible!…

I looked at the people ahead of me and wondered,  What’s their hurry?…  Do they not see the same thing I do?…  Is it all really about getting to the top?… Are we not supposed to enjoy the scenery too?…

That’s when I made the connection… Lots of people live life on the fast track. They are so determined to reach their goal, whether it’s a promotion, achievement, status or the next big thing, that they stop at nothing and live their life (sometimes unconsciously) for that without taking the time to smell the roses… or better said to enjoy life, enjoy the journey through life.

We are so busy trying to make life happen that we forget about enjoying the pleasures of life. A beautiful flower glowing after the rain stops, the clear blue skies after rain clouds disappear, the visibility of a snow topped mountain early in the morning, a beautiful colored rainbow, a full moon so bright that it not only makes your path visible but everything around you, a breathless sunrise that extends in width and conquers darkness… yes, life was meant to be enjoyed… the daily things that we often take for granted…

What I realized was that its easy to enjoy life when things are going good, when we are pacing it our pace, but as soon as we hit tired and start feeling burdened or weighted down we lose the desire to even lift up our head and look around us.

Life is to be enjoyed… enjoy the journey through 2010… the good times, the rough times, the fun times, the long times… at your pace… make sure to stop to lift your head and breath it in!

But by the time we arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport Pedro had a cold with the cough and congestion.

I was worried. Could he make it up like this? It would be cold up there with snow and let’s not forget the loss of oxygen! I held my thoughts to myself; I didn’t want to discourage him as my ascent also counted on his ability to make it up. I know that sounds a bit selfish but as a wife, I had to trust that he would say no for himself, I couldn’t say it for him.

When we reached the gate of the mountain about to start our journey up we had to sign-in first, while we were waiting I saw a big sign with lots of instructions on What To Do and What Not To Do on the Climb. As I started reading the list, I became horrified when I read #2: Do not climb beyond 3,000m if you have a Sore Throat or Cold symptoms (we would be climbing up 5,895m). It didn’t help that it was in bold either!!! It gave no explanation for why, just Do Not! I pointed it to Pedro, just to make sure he was aware and he said he felt fine.

But we both knew that we didn’t know how he would be or what would happen, at the moment he was ok and we moved forward with that moment.

We found out that we would actually climb as a part of a team. We had originally thought it would be just us and were really excited to join 2 other couples and an experienced climber. (2) Romanians, (2) Australians and (1) Britain. We decided that if we both couldn’t make it up the top at least one of us could move forward with the team.

We didn’t tell anybody about his cold. We just became the stragglers behind the group, always the last ones to arrive, taking our time. The first couple of days were really hard for Pedro. The second day in fact was the shortest day 4-5 hours climb but only because it was the steepest!  It didn’t help that the first two nights Pedro didn’t get any sleep (probably caused by the cold and congestion). He was tired and you could see it, he lagged behind having to take short breaks and constantly drinking water to make it up.

I questioned whether we would make it up and I’m pretty sure the rest of the group did too. I got some reassurance from Pedro on the second night, that he would tell me if he was not able to make it up. Things from then on changed, even if I saw the #2 – Do Not Climb if Sore Throat notice again… I became his cheerleader and we were doing this together. I lagged behind too. We prayed, cried and petitioned like we had never done before! That believe it or not gave us strength.

We were also doing this for the kids at the orphanage and we had to think of them. Tears come to my eyes when I think about it because the memory of those kids really helped us make it up too. I reminded Pedro of the lil 2yr old boy who asked for a fork to eat his cake with because his lil fingers were limb, he just couldn’t grab the cake. These kids suffer through life on an everyday basis not just 6 days like us.

Pedro made an incredible improvement on the fourth day! The whole team was astonished, saying, “I want whatever Pedro is taking!” He was still sick but we managed to stay with the group in good humor and joy.  

Well you know the rest of the story…. We made it! About 45 minutes behind the group but we made it to the top!

Hours before we made our final ascend up the mountain the group sat for dinner and went around the table saying what this climb was for them and what it meant. When it was my turn, I said with tears in my eyes that this climb for me was miraculous because Pedro had made it this far, that in spite of the signs saying we shouldn’t even be up here, we had made it this far!  If he had made it this far we were going to make it to the top! 

—

How many times in life do we turn around and do not even attempt to do or be the thing we want most because people or society tells us it can’t be done or we shouldn’t do it??? 

You can’t have this job/position because you don’t have the skills or because there is economic crisis… You shouldn’t attempt to do this or that because you don’t have the experience… You shouldn’t take that trip because you don’t have any money… You shouldn’t play that sport because you’re not very good at it… the list goes on.

I know it sounds bit unorthodoxy to say but only you and you alone can say what you can or can not do or be. If Pedro and I would have listened to that sign we would have never made it to the top and most importantly we would have never even attempted to make it!

We don’t actually know what the consequences of climbing up the mountain being sick were but we were ready to find out for ourselves. A bit risky but when you want something you just have to go out there and at least try.

As we enter 2010, join me in thinking about what’s limiting us from going for it…. is it others or ourselves doing the limiting?

Life should be filled with moments of us attempting to live not turning away from those moments.

A week before Christmas, a friend of mine introduced me to a bookstore in Luanda… I know it sounds a bit “so what?”… But these kinds of things are to be treasured if you live in Luanda. I have recently been reading more literature but coming from a business background I am a sucker for leadership and motivational books and it was great to be able to find some.  

I was looking for a possible good Christmas gift for Pedro, being that the books were in Portuguese… as I was checking-out I noticed a book called, “Um Mês Para Viver” which in English translates, “One Month to Live – Live Life with No Regrets” by Kerry and Chris Shook.  It looked interesting… a 30 day read – following the concept of what would you change if you only had one month to live. I decided to buy it, as I learned that it was written by a couple and thought it might be something nice for Pedro and me to read together.

We started reading it before Christmas and before our climb up Kilimanjaro. On the second or third day of the study, it asked for us to find an analogy to describe what we thought life looks like for us. The book used the example of a Roller Coaster. I don’t even remember what we came up with at the time but I am now most certain that my life analogy is like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

I thought about this many times throughout the climb and when I even shared it with Pedro, he looked at me a bit shocked, “is it that difficult?” “Isn’t that a bit extreme?”

It even took my breath for a moment thinking about it…. especially in thinking about 2010. But the more I thought about it, the more I was certain… 2010 is like climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. It sounds a bit crazy to say that only a few days into the year but I foresee it. 

I have to say upfront that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for us was intense, strenuous, difficult, gratifying, miraculous, and unbelievable… yup, all that! It is by far the hardest thing Pedro and I have ever done in our lives.

I am not a public speaker or anything but I have composed a series of entries in which I hope to share about our journey and experience up and down the mountain and why I believe my life analogy to be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. We have an incredible story to share and that I hope you find time to read.

*Climbing up the mountain for us was of great importance as it was something we dreamed about in moving to Africa and also being able to climb in support for a local orphanage, filled with kids that are special to our hearts.

I’ve reached that point….

With one more day to go till I leave Luanda for the holidays, I have reached my max!

I didn’t even recognize myself this weekend… I was yelling out the car, waving my fist and probably giving some of the dirtiest looks ever! This of course was new stuff for me but sad to say, this was me finally giving in to the system here…. thats what people do.

They yell, they cut you off, they speed up and then slow down, they charge an arm and a leg and still make you feel like they are doing you a favor, etc…

This Sunday as we were driving to church I felt like I had a revelation… I was watching a taxi van drive by with a bunch of church sisters in the van. I wouldn’t have noticed them in the first place but they were all singing worship songs so loud that I had to turn around… then I looked at the driver.

If you know anything about taxi drivers in Luanda, you know that they only work by their own system. They don’t follow rules, they don’t stop for nobody or anything and they don’t care about you.. so get out of their way!  

I was looking at the taxi driver and started thinking…. “how did they manage to get this taxi driver to drive them to church?” and then I thought, “what a nice guy, he must have had a heart and agreed to take them”… because it was a full bus worth of little old ladies.

This is where the revelation came… “I know what the problem with Luanda is!!!…. no one gives”.  Everybody is only concerned about being #1 and getting their way, they don’t want nor know how to give to others… giving to others takes time and of yourself and that is too much to ask for! It must be about me and me fast!

It reminded me of an episode I watched one morning with my nephew Izaya on Sesame Street called, Mine-itis on Sesame Street. Genius idea of Sesame Street by the way… as it address the issue of being selfish and sharing. The episode shows how everyone on Sesame Street was contracting  “Mine-itis” which meant they were going crazy, saying “mine, mine” all the time and grabbing everything they could, not sharing anything.

Elmo and reporter try to investigate the cause of the problem and after searching for a solution, Oscar the garbage guy, tells them that the only way to cure it is to give or share something with someone else…. once Sesame Street started giving, everything was back to normal.

I wonder what Luanda would look like if people started giving a bit more, would people’s attitude problems change? Can it really start with just one person?

In light of the holiday season, I challenge us to think about giving and sharing in ways we might not even think about…. everyone always focuses on gifts and presents during this time of the year but what about a smile to someone who doesn’t look at us so nice… or letting a car or cart go ahead of you…  or letting a lady cross the street… giving someone some lose change…

A gift doesn’t have to come in a well wrapped package… it can come in many forms.