by World Moms Blog | Sep 3, 2013 | Humanitarian, Philanthropy, Social Good, Travel, World Moms Blog, World Voice
– An All Female Team’s Journey to Everest Base Camp –
By Christine Amour-Levar
There are unique opportunities in life that come your way, and at first you may not realize how meaningful they are. We often get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of our daily schedules, that when these new possibilities cross our path, we sometimes miss them altogether. My trek to Everest Base Camp was one such life-enriching journey that I was fortunate to experience with eight other dedicated women. Our experience last November will count, without a doubt, as one of the highlights of my life…
As my teammates and I clambered up the final few meters of uneven ground onto the shifting moraine leading to the Base Camp of Mount Everest, a surge of elation filled our racing hearts. We had succeeded in accomplishing our goal as a team; and as we embraced and congratulated ourselves with moist eyes and throats tight with emotion, we took in the incredible view of this symbolic place.
The Base Camp of Everest is an emblematic site, from which countless attempts on the summit of the goddess of all mountains, Mount Everest, have been made, and continue to be made every year. It commands nothing but respect and humility.
Just standing there, a little breathless from both the excitement and the 60% oxygen levels in the air, gazing admiringly at the Khumbu Icefall rising jaggedly before me, and surrounded by majestic snowy peaks…. it’s hard not to imagine the legendary climbers that must have treaded very close to where I was standing. Just over half a century ago, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first climbed Mount Everest in 1953, using this south col route, forging a path through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, at our very feet.
My teammates and I had been dreaming of and training for this moment for many months. Despite the sun shining brightly in the cloudless azure sky, at 5,364 metres of altitude, it was already a chilly -3 degrees.We didn’t have much time before the sun would move behind the mountains and the temperatures would plummet to a crisp -15 degrees. So with a bit of haste we unfurled our various banners, and took the pictures we had been planning to capture.
The long days of non-stop trekking had taken its toll on our team. Three of the members of our group fighting illness had been put on antibiotics, and two others had to be put on oxygen at the last stop – Gorak Shep (5,164 m). They had been enduring pounding headaches for the last three days, which didn’t disappear with the intake of paracethamol. This was a sure sign of altitude sickness – an ailment not to be taken lightly. Just that morning, a French climber had to be airlifted from Gorak Shep because of this very condition.
We had committed to taking on this challenge to support a very special humanitarian cause, so were motivated to continue once they were treated.
Our goal was to trek to Everest Base Camp to raise awareness and funds ($100,000 SGD to be exact) for women survivors of war around the world. And throughout the journey, during the more strenuous moments of the climb, this calling had guided us and given us added strength and endurance.
Thinking about these destitute women, who had lost everything because of war and conflict, helped us focus on the task at hand.
The journey to Everest Base Camp can take approximately ten days to two weeks, depending on how many days of acclimatization you allow. This trek is classified as moderate to difficult, but it isn’t the terrain or hours on the trail that are the real difficulty (between five to eight hours on average per day depending on the itinerary) – it’s the altitude itself.
You start out from the village of Lukla (2,800m), a short scenic flight from Kathmandu, landing at Tenzing-Hillary Airport – incidentally considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. The single runway is 460 by 20 metres (1,510 by 66 ft.) with a 12% gradient. On one side you have the mountains, and on the other, sheer nothingness – a complete drop.
The trek is also a deeply spiritual journey in the land of the clouds. As we progressed through the various villages that took us to Everest Base Camp, we came across a multitude of temples, monasteries, prayer wheels, stone tablets depicting the life of the Dalai Lama.
It’s impossible not to feel that sense of peace and spirituality emanating from the very ground, which is only enriched by the stunning backdrop of the Himalayan mountains.
The Nepalese people with their warmth and kindness touched our hearts forever. We returned home with a deep sense of fulfillment and gratitude to have been part of this team of determined ladies, supporting other women in distress. Each and every one of our teammates believed wholeheartedly in our chosen charity’s mission and objective. We embarked on this journey to support other mothers, daughters and sisters whose lives have been ripped apart by the horrors of war. By helping them surmount and climb their own personal “Everest” against the injustices of this world, we felt we were standing in solidarity with them, and it filled our hearts with more courage and determination.
The trek to Everest Base Camp is an adventure of the highest sort. It simply is wonderful to realize how much we can accomplish when we have the courage to leave our comfort zone, and when we dare to leap a little further…. We are just like you, ordinary people, who want to do extraordinary things. In our hearts, we know we can make a difference, one person at a time.
To find out more about Women on a Mission please visit www.womenmission.com.
This is an original post written for World moms Blog by guest writer Christine Amour-Levar. She is a Freelance Writer and Marketing Consultant currently based in Singapore. Christine is the Author of The Smart Girl’s Handbook to Being MUMMYLICIOUS – a motivational and practical guide to getting your body (and your GROOVE) back post pregnancy.
For more information please visit: www.thesmartgirlshandbook.com
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 24, 2013 | Adoption, World Tour
Ever since I was a tiny girl and they’d ask me what I’d want to be when I grew up, I always wanted to be a mother.
“An artist! And a Mommy!”
“A teacher!! And a Mommy!
“An art teacher!!! And a Mommy!”
As I got older and realized I actually had no idea what I wanted to be, one constant remained unchanged—the wanting to be a Mother.
I gave myself a deadline of age 26 to have my first baby by. Beyond that, I didn’t put that much thought into what my dream family looked like. I have known plenty of people, almost always girls, who had all kinds of things planned out about their future children. They’d have a boy and a girl, the boy first, or all boys or all girls or a one-and-only. And they always knew what names they wanted to use.
I had no idea what I’d have (of course neither did they, really), nor was I hell-bent on any particular names. I guess I kind of figured I’d only have girls, but I think that’s because I only had sisters and so I visualized families that way. How many kids? What names? I had no idea.
So somehow we ended up with two girls and three boys. We had a girl, we had a boy, we had a vasectomy. We had a foster baby boy and adopted him, and then when his birth mother had another boy and then another girl, we fostered and adopted them as well. Our family gets noticed quite a bit, besides being on the large side, we are also racially mixed.
Women in particular seem very inclined to ask me a lot of questions about my children. Many of them indicate that they have always been interested in adoption themselves, and a large number tell me that their husbands didn’t want to pursue it.
Then, an acquaintance asked, “How did you and your husband decide to adopt?”, and I had to laugh when I realized how little thought we put into it; especially now that we know so many adoptive families who have told us about the many hours of research and soul-searching they put into making their adoption decision. Ours was nothing like that. A book about adoption caught my eye at the thrift shop so I bought it. My husband saw it on the counter and said, “Adopting would be nice.”
Upon further recollection, it occurred to me that most of our biggest life decisions were made with very little discussion. Getting married? We can’t even remember whose idea it was. Having kids? Well I definitely had to push for that first one since I was the one who had given myself an age deadline for but after that it was easy. As a matter of fact, when the caseworker called me about our second foster son, I said yes to her on the phone and then remembered I ought to call my husband and verify that with him.
Naturally, he agreed in a heartbeat, because apparently that’s how we make the big family decisions around here—with our hearts.
This is an original guest post to World Moms Blog by Gina Sampaio, a lifelong actress and activist who lives in rural New Jersey with her husband and five children. She likes to challenge the notion of what being a stay at home mom means by not only staying busy with her kids but also with acting, writing, social activism and rabble rousing in general. Gina blogs about her daily adventures with kids, crafts and cooking, navigating a post-foster care transracial open adoption and the ongoing journey of surviving a sexual assault at www.facebook.com/SisterSerendip.
Photo credit to the author.
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Aug 17, 2013 | Belgium, Expat Life, World Tour
“An American Toddler in (not quite) Paris”
It’s 2 P.M. and my toddler is tuckered out and ready for his nap; and—let’s be honest—I’m ready for some coffee and couch time. However, there is one small problem; the neighborhood organ grinder has set up shop right outside our apartment.
Welcome to life in Brussels, Belgium.
There are obvious differences between living in the U.S. and living in Belgium; a royal family, socialized medicine, and Nutella encouraged as breakfast fare, just to name a few. But raising an American toddler here in Belgium has brought out some of the more unanticipated nuances between our home country and temporarily adopted one.
The differences between the U.S. and Belgium are by no means all negative. We will soon be taking our son to Paris for his third visit; he regularly has play dates with pals from Italy; Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Russia; and he’s a big fan of Pellegrino — all of which would probably not be the case if we were still in the U.S. But, discovering the differences between our old home and new one adds a little levity to the challenge of raising our son across the ocean from most of our friends and family.
It’s finally summer in Brussels, which means swimming—albeit indoors since it’s rarely hot enough to swim outside. Just like in the States, there are plenty of pools to take your kid to, but there is one difference that never fails to delight me about swimming in Belgium. Everyone, even your bald as a cue ball baby, is required to wear a swim cap. So out of all the things that can come out of babies and end up in the pool, people in Belgium are most concerned about hair. Très Bien!
The language differences are always entertaining. One of my son’s go-to activities while we walk around Brussels is to point out people who are wearing glasses, by yelling, aptly, “glasses!” as they pass by. This is all well and good, except for the fact that the way he says it makes it sound more like, “ca ca” i.e. the French word for ‘poo’. It’s probably not hard to imagine the looks you get from strangers when your kid yells ‘poo’ and points enthusiastically at them. Merde!
Once during a walk, a woman (who wasn’t wearing glasses, mercifully) said something to my son that sounded like, “mechant”, a French word meaning “mean or bad.” I was all set to spew forth my best French insults when I realized she had actually said, “il chant”, meaning, “he’s singing” and in fact, he was. Our little guy loves to sing and play music; so much so that we just might make an organ grinder out of him yet.
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Mindi, an American expat who has been living in Brussels, Belgium for the past 5 years with her rocket scientist/cycling journalist husband and toddler son. Mindi is a professional social worker, amateur cultural anthropologist and failing French student who loves Belgian waffles, mussels, and absurdity, and who misses American bagels, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and pragmatism. Mindi’s son tweets his daily displeasures at: twitter.com/Parler_Toddler.
Photo credit to the author.
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Jul 20, 2013 | Guest Post, Parenting, World Interviews, World Tour
Welcome to “World Tour” where we feature a guest post from around the world, here, at World Moms Blog. Today, we’re in the USA and talking gender roles with father, Scott, from the blog, Three Five Zero.
There was a time in America when the color of your skin determined which schools you could go to, where you sat on a city bus and what careers you could choose, among many other things. That time long ago passed.
There was a time in America when your gender determined whether or not you could vote, among other things. That time long ago passed.
There is still a large part of our population that believes that only certain genders of parents can do certain things, and that some genders can’t do some things at all. Only Dads can be little league coaches. Only Moms can go bra and panty shopping. Dads can’t soothe babies. Moms can’t do their own home improvements. I really want this time to pass.
I happen to be a single dad, and because I am a single dad, I learned to do things I never imagined I would need to do. Bras and panties, for example. I’m an expert, and I don’t really care who dislikes my presence in those departments in the clothing stores. My kid needs them.
I used to be very self conscious in those situations. Not anymore… I go get what I need, and I don’t even pay attention to who else is there, or whether or not they notice me. Just like picking up a gallon of milk.
I know lots of single moms, too. Want to meet guys? Go to your favorite home improvement store. Men are likely to offer you help whether you need it or not. I’m happy to help anyone who asks for help. I won’t offer help based on any assumptions about what tasks your gender makes you capable, or incapable, of. I’ll assume you know what milk you’re buying, too, whether you’re male or female. If you don’t ask for my help, I’ll assume you’re able to paint your kid’s bedroom all by yourself.
This list of examples could go on and on and on. In fact, I hope you’ll leave comments regarding your (least?) favorite story about something another parent assumed you couldn’t do just because you were Mom or Dad. I’ll chuckle along with you, and if the story is topped with enough sexism, I’ll get just as annoyed as you were when it happened.
When my kids are grown, I hope that all of these archaic stereotypes have long passed. I hope that they raise kids in a family unit of some sort, but if either of them ends up raising kids on their own, Grandpa Scott will be there to hack away at those gender biases and stereotypes, along with any that might still exist about what grandparents can or can’t do!
Family comes in all shapes and sizes. Do kids need both male and female influences? I absolutely believe they do. If you’re a good parent, you’ll make good choices about who those influences will be, and it will all work out just fine in the end. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Dad or Mom. Good parents do whatever their kids need them to. Period.
Help me out? The next time you see a single mom or a single dad, look at them differently. Think about any assumptions you had about him or her the moment you saw them. Then erase those assumptions from your thought process forever. Look at him or her as a parent, and only a parent, and assume he or she is a very good one unless you know otherwise.
Do you have a favorite story about something another parent assumed you couldn’t do just because you were Mom or Dad?
This is an original post to World Moms Blog. Scott is a single dad. He didn’t plan it that way, but he did rise to the occasion. You can find Scott blogging at www.ThreeFiveZero.com
Photo credit to the author.
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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by World Moms Blog | Jun 15, 2013 | Guest Post, World Mom Feature, World Motherhood
Today we have a special World Mom Feature post by Loren Braunohler in Bangkok, Thailand of Toddle Joy. If you would like to contribute a post and be featured on World Moms Blog, contact contribute2@[at]worldmomsblog[dot]com!
“In Asia, It’s a Fair-Haired Child’s World”
Whether I want to accept it or not, I’ve become Kris Jenner. Yes, if being a full-time mom and keeping up with my children’s schedules, meals, nap times, and need for love and attention wasn’t keeping me busy enough, I am now their “momager”. Quite by default, to be honest.
In the U.S., my children are just two more fair-haired toddlers bumbling down the grocery store aisle. There is no additional pomp and circumstance; no extra drama to add to the already chaotic toddler lifestyle. They are just themselves – Logan and Katelyn – growing up and doing typical toddler things – amidst a sea of other toddlers: some of whom look like them, some of whom look very different from them, thanks to America’s melting pot phenomenon.
But hop on a flight across the Pacific, and my two fair-haired children are received very differently. So differently, in fact, that it is striking. In Asia, they are rock stars.
They are mini-celebrities. They are novelties. And everyone, from the noodle soup guy on the street to the wealthy Mercedes-wielding apartment building owner, wants to get their hands on them. And kiss them. And squeeze them. And talk to them. And hold them. And show them off to their friends.
There is our daily walk to and from the grocery store, which should take about five minutes each way, but instead takes ten or fifteen because of friendly people on the street who want a chance to entertain my children. There are the constant photos, anywhere and everywhere really, taking pictures of my son ambling down the street with his sunglasses on or my daughter “helping” me shop at the Tuesday clothes market.
There are the restaurant servers who happily whisk my children away for a walk back to the kitchen to show them off to the chefs (bonus: mom and dad actually get to eat together for a minute or two). And there is the occasional passerby who videotapes my son as he indulges in a soft serve ice cream cone.
In the U.S., this kind of attention would be creepy to the point of suspect. In Thailand, however, it is 100 percent normal and accepted. In fact, to be completely honest, it would be odd if no one were paying attention to your fair-haired baby.
Although I had read about the attention that Caucasian children received in Southeast Asia, I was not prepared for the deluge of attention that would be lavished upon my children when we arrived. At first it was difficult – and at times onerous – for me to deal with, but after two years in Thailand, I have learned to appreciate and understand this unique cultural difference. Thai people really love children, and they really, really love to interact with Caucasian fair-haired children. We have had similar experiences when traveling in Hong Kong, Bali, and Cambodia.
If you plan to visit or make a move to Asia with your fair-haired children, be aware that this, too, will likely happen to you. And as a parent to newly-minted mini-celebs, you have to figure out how to manage the overwhelming amount of attention your children receive, how they deal with it, and above all, how you deal with it.
Do your children meet their new-found “fame” with laughter, confusion, fright, boredom, or all of the above? And what about you? How do you deal with strangers going gaga over your offspring? What about holding them? Photographing them? Videotaping them? Are you out of your comfort zone yet?
If I could offer you some tips, they would go something like this:
- Factor in more time to do, well, anything when you have your children out in public with you.
- Always, always be polite, even if you find the attention annoying or overwhelming.
- Learn to relax a little – you are in a new place and the rules are different.
- Don’t let it keep you from exploring the new things around you.
It took some time for us to get used to managing the attention Logan and Katelyn receive. There are days I wish we could walk down the street unnoticed and make it to our destination in record time. But for the most part, I am so thankful to be living in a part of the world where children are cherished, adored and loved – even if mostly for their novelty factor.
The constant personal interaction has shaped Logan and Katelyn into social and confident young people, and for this, I am eternally grateful. Our only concern at this point is how much of a dive our children’s egos will take when we move home. But that, my friend, is a bridge we will cross when we get there.
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Loren Braunohler in Thailand. Loren and her family moved to Bangkok in November 2010. A former U.S. diplomat who served in Mozambique, Venezuela, Sudan, Washington DC, and Thailand, Loren resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service in July 2011 to be a full-time mom to son Logan, now age two and a half, and daughter Katelyn, age eleven months. In 2012, Loren started Toddle Joy, an online blog and resource for expat parents of young children who are new to Bangkok.
Through her blog, she hopes to inform and inspire others about the joys of raising a toddler, both in general, and in a place like Thailand, where children are continuously adored and amazed by the world around them. Loren is also a freelance writer and has published pieces in Travel +Leisure (Southeast Asia) and Bangkok Mothers and Babies International (BAMBI) Magazine. On the web front, she regularly contributes to Expecting Expats.
Photo credits to Loren Braunohler.
World Moms Blog is an award winning website which writes from over 30 countries on the topics of motherhood, culture, human rights and social good. Over 70 international contributors share their stories from around the globe, bonded by the common thread of motherhood and wanting a better world for their children.
World Moms Blog was listed by Forbes Woman as one of the "Best 100 Websites for Women 2012 & 2013" and also called a "must read" by the NY Times Motherlode in 2013. Our Senior Editor in India, Purnima Ramakrishnan, was awarded the BlogHer International Activist Award in 2013.
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