Raw Beauty with Thorns Fun! Featured Projects BONUS - 'be true Christmas special'
December 2008 - Issue 3 - Ethiopia
Newsbeet
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PRACTICE • LEARN • SHARE
Contents (3) ‘Summit’ by Angus Argyle (4) Ethiopia beettv and routelog (5) Raw Beauty with Thorns Fun! (6) BONUS : 'be true: Christmas Special’ Classifieds (7) ‘I'm lucky to be alive, let alone be able to bike’ by John Hadfield (8) FUNITY! (9) ‘Climbers Reach Out to Communities as well as Rock’ by Amanda Gomm Editors: Aukje van Gerven and Jon Earle Contributing Writers: John Hadfield, Angus Argyle, Amanda Gomm Contributing Photographers: David Henley, Stefan Hadfield,
Letter from the Editors Welcome readers, to the third and expanded issue of Newsbeet. We have opened up this newsletter to bring more content and stories to you from around the world. These stories or projects are working towards the same aims as . If any other readers have stories that you would like to share with this growing community, please send them to newsbeet@gmail.com We would like to give special thanks in particular, Judith Kimenai for being a Schools Liaison in the Netherlands, Colin Williamson for keeping the internet audience informed during our times of inaccessability and to all the others who are continuing to spread the word of this project to their family, friends, peers, youth groups, colleagues and others. There will be some more changes in Issue 4 and beyond as we add another fantastic person to the Newsbeet team. We would like to thank 's community for following this unique journey in 2008, and for all your support and encouragement. We look forward to bringing education and entertainment together to you in 2009 through this route, and more Newsbeet "Keeping it Real from around the World stories" Thanks, Jon and Aukje.
Photo: Van Gerven. On the Road Cover Photo: Earle. Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
‘Summit’ - by Angus Argyle (Canada) Summit '08 took place in northern Tanzania in East Africa in the last two weeks of June. Jon Earle, Aukje van Gerven, Dave Henley and Angus Argyle (the participants in Journey to the Source '08) planned Summit '08 to be an opportunity to energize and challenge themselves, to connect with people who are also passionate about the issues facing our planet, and to discuss future projects. Marius Zakas from Lithuania joined us for the full two weeks and Georgia Temple from Canada and her friend Moses Mulwa from Kenya joined us for a few days in the first week, too. The first week involved a different project each day in the city of Moshi. We filmed a short video of hilarious reenactments of the group's past involvement in a leadership program. On another day, the group was joined by four participants and the director of a local youth education program (www.kiliweb/tfl) in Moshi that teaches business, leadership and computer skills; together, we shared our personal visions for the future of our nations, and participated in a series of introductory workshops on communication, self-discovery, building peace, and yoga. After Georgia & Moses returned to Kenya near the end of the week, we visited a large orphange (www.amanikids.org) and played games with the kids while Aukje painted a huge crowd of young kids. At the end of the week we had a walking tour around the lush agricultural area of Machame on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Reaching the summit was a very physical and emotional experience for Jon, Aukje and Marius. Though Angus stopped a few hours short of the summit due to shortness of breath, he was pleased with how far he had come. Meanwhile, Dave ventured out on his own, travelling in cramped mini-vans, quickly making friends and climbing a mountain; later he would donate his bicycle to one of the villages he visited. The summit concluded with a debrief session where we reflected on our experiences. You can find more stories and photos from Summit '08 at www.summit-08.blogspot.com Summit: a short film offering a sample of this experience. SUMMIT
During the second week, Jon, Aukje, Angus and Marius ventured up the Machame route on Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano and the tallest free-standing mountain in Africa. It was four days of climbing up and down ridges, going ever higher towards Uhuru Peak (5895 metres).
Summiteers 2008. Kindoroko
What is
?
routelog - Ethiopia
A slow journey to: Practice being true Learn about sustainability Share this knowledge with others
beettv
Aukje visits local youth Daniel who introduces Ethiopia. Lalibela, Blue Nile Gorge, Gondar... (10 mins, HD) Classroom worksheet available on request.
The phasing out of Spacebeet due to new leadership on Elope Lop. Beetology -Hygiene: Bucket shower, laundry, hair, basic hygiene ... (10 mins. HD)
Kms Travelled: 1700kms by bicycle, and more
on trucks, buses and in mini-vans.
Aukje's burnt lip and hobble, Jon's encounter with the bucket and bowl. Stoned and chased. Epic scenery... A must see (10 mins)
Water in Plastic bottles consumed: 4L Highlight: a coffee ceremony with a local
family in Moyale. (see cover)
Lowlight: the relentless Ethiopian youth.
Chased, Stoned and You'd.
Fun! - Aukje Excerpts from "Raw Beauty with Thorns" - Jon
Shattered, parched and bruised, I arrived at the border confused; New sight, new smells and new sounds, Was too much for my brain and shut down. The hills, the rain and the green, The youth are far from serene; Perhaps annoyed they are left behind, They resort to rocks and acts unkind. Patchworks of green and yellow, All the dogs have been mellow; A gathering of hundreds all dressed in their best, Crowding the streets for an Orthodox Fest. From Bahar Dar to Lalibella we went, A series of bumpy rides left me spent; Incredible stone churches made my jaw drop, New road expansion destroys land for crops. Diahorrea cycling is not fun, Especially in the hot sun; As a result I have lost weight, Needing time to rejuvenate.
I felt weak. I didn't think the watery diarrhea from this morning was serious and cycled off determined to reach the Sudanese border. Now I regretted it deeply. I was having heavy stomach cramps. It was midday and at least 35 degrees in the sun. My energy level was low and the road rough. We passed a small village and watched a noisy crowd pass by. 5 minutes later we stopped and after only a piece of dry bread, my belly told me to go to the toilet, NOW! The hornblowing crowd appeared in the distance and Jon told me to make it quick. Hordes of children were on their way, 'His worst nightmare'. I sprinted off into the bushes realizing I’d ran out of toilet paper. I walked back to the road where the crowd had reached us and at least 40 children and adults surrounded us. I literally had to push kids aside to get to my bike and fumbled to get the toilet paper. Little hands grabbed into my bag and my cramps got so bad I thought I would pooh my pants just then and there. 'Go away', I yelled, and sprinted off into the bushes again. I barely had time to pull my pants down. Relief, but when I looked up I saw about 15 kids had followed and were watching me... Pulling up my pants I yelled at them to leave and ran deeper into the woods, feeling a little safer. Only to discover a farmer was watching. My humiliation was complete. I finished as quick as I could and hurried back, worried that Jon was losing it in the mass of people. I walked onto the road and saw him.... doing a little dance. The crowd clapped and cheered. Stunned, I got on my bike and cycled off. He followed suit and said 'That was FUN!'.
Read more: www.beetroute08.blogspot.com
Photo - Van Gerven. Raw Beauty with Thorns
Photo Earle: Kids Surrounding Aukje, reaching for the toilet paper.
‘be true Christmas Special’ Behind the scenes and never seen before footage. This Christmas blooper special is to celebrate "being true", at the core of . Guaranteed to make you laugh and or cry. ‘be
true Christmas Special’
The start of this movie features: - Journey to the Source: a multi-national project undertaken in Tanzania, involving delivering local bicycles to communities in need. Journey to the Source - SUMMIT: a gathering of internationals, in Tanzania. With aims: to give closure to a former project, to reconnect and re-inspire each other, to visit local community projects, to offer each other peer-to-peer training, and together make an attempt on Mt.
Classifieds SEEKING FRESH & DYNAMIC VIDEO MARKETING TOOLS FOR YOUR BUSINESS/FOUNDATION/PROJECT? Along the beetroute, we are making tools for sustainable focussed business, organisations or projects, that are looking to show life on-the-ground to their investors or as a sales pitch for further investment. These funds have directly financed beetroute's ongoing journey costs. beetroute is seeking further projects, businesses or organisations in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Turkey, and Europe that are working towards sustainability. We have a sample of our work, and have a reference from our previous client, which we can send on request. BE TRUE MULTI-MEDIA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES -Outreach Coordinator(s) -Music Copyright Investigator -Graphics Designer -Translators -Webdesigner and maintenance -Newsbeet layout and design *** Volunteer Descriptions available on request.
"I'm lucky to be alive, let alone be able to bike" - John Hadfield (New Zealand)
excerpt from journeyforlife.weebly.com/our-story.html Stefan so nearly died after a skiing accident in Canada on March 1, 2007. He received a very severe brain injury as well as fractures in the pelvis area. Bed-side watchers were told repeatedly by medics in Vancouver that they may not be able to “survive him”... Before his accident Stefan lived life to the full. His passion was rock climbing, having competed at the X-games and won titles in New Zealand. Although he’d had recognition e.g. high school sports champ and a world record for dyno (a climbing leap), he loved most to just do it - climbing, kayaking, skiing …. Traveling and adventuring were a greater focus after graduating well from university than his environmental work. His travels had included working as a climbing guide in China and ski instructor in Switzerland. He had gone to Canada to join an expedition intending to journey from the South Pole to the North Pole without motorized transport. This was when his accident happened and a more severely challenging journey began...
Since then Stefan has been kayaking in the Bay of Islands, traveled for a month with his girlfriend in the South Island and was even fortunate enough to go with her and friends to Tonga. Not so long ago a crew from the Attitude TV program came to film Stefan and made him feel pretty special. The day after, we went in a fun kayak race from Cambridge to Hamilton. After helping a woman knocked out of her kayak in trees in a swift part of the river, he was given a free lifejacket by the harbour-master team and special mention at the prize-giving. Very recently Stefan has been volunteering at an adventure farm-stay. There are still challenges up to this day but as ever Stefan continues to inspiringly face them with courage. Stefan and Madeleine are now undertaking 800km bike tour to raise awareness of, and fundraise for people with injuries, both physical and mental. (http://journeyforlife.weebly.com)
Family and close friends have since watched Stefan relearn everything including breathing for himself; the huge effort in taking his first tentative steps; his first words from a tiny voice after his tracheostomy was eventually removed. A year after his accident we celebrated with him just how far he had come. As he cut a cake someone asked him to make a wish. He responded “I don’t need to, I’m alive and I have everything I could wish for”...
Hadfield - Stefan and Madeline "Bike 800kms for Charity”
www.polyp.org.uk
Forecasting Weather Patterns Sustainable Living Wise It was April and the Aboriginals in a remote part of Northern Australia asked their new Elder if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was an Elder in a modern community he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the tribe should collect firewood to be prepared. But being a practical leader, after several days he had an idea. He walked out to the telephone booth on the highway, called the Bureau of Meteorology and asked, ‘Is the coming winter in this area going to be cold?’ The meteorologist responded, ‘It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold.’ So the Elder went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared.
Conscientiously, a week later the Elder called the Bureau of Meteorology again. ‘Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?’ The meteorologist again replied, ‘Yes, it’s going to be a very cold winter.’ The Elder again went back to his community and advised them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find. Two weeks later the Elder called the Bureau again. ‘Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?’ he asked. ‘Absolutely,’ the man replied. ‘It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.’ ‘How can you be so sure?’ the Elder asked. The weatherman replied, ‘Our satellites have reported that the Aboriginals in the north are collecting firewood like crazy, and that’s always a sure sign.’
‘Climbers Reach Out to Communities as well as Rock’ - By Amanda Gomm (Canada) Approximately thirty minutes west of Monterrey, Mexico, lies Potrero Chico. Each year this stunning region attracts an international community of climbers to salivate over its multi-pitch faces and routes spanning over a thousand feet long. This year however, the climbing community is reaching out to more then just rock and ropes, they are doing what they can for those who call this area home. Throughout much of Mexico you can find communities where the struggle for daily existence takes place and the tiny pueblos of Potrero Chico are no exception. Esteban Lardone has been climbing these walls for 7 years but has also been contributing what he can to this community in need. This past November Esteban, his family and a team of other climbers, carried food, clothing and school supplies to the struggling village of Carricitos; found just outside this climbing haven. “I do this twice a year” says Esteban and continues speaking about how he and his family have participated in this type of work from “as far back as I can remember” and are very familiar with the region. This year they equipped each child with a backpack full of paper and pencils as well as providing each family with a box full of essential food items and Carricitos’s locals could not be more happy especially due to their on going struggle for employment. Several years ago Carricitos depended on a candle-making factory to employ most of the villagers, but when the factory closed they were all left alone with no alternatives to turn to. In search of work many of the village’s men left, leaving women and children to make up the majority of the community’s demographic. Those who stayed behind work together and do what they can to get by but times are always hard and it is endeavors like Esteban’s food and clothing drive that help bring a smile to the locals’ faces. Although the struggle continues for Carricitos they are lucky to have a single roomed schoolhouse built with natural materials and a dirt floor that educates 40 of the village’s children and the new brought backpacks will now help to further their education. But of course to make this all happen Esteban has not worked alone. His family and the climbing community at large have been huge supporters. Many have donated their time, goods and funds to make this grassroots effort take place including a small, youth driven and Canadian based, outdoor clothing company Beta Clothing Designs (www.betaclothing.ca). “After having spent five winters enjoying the climbing and the culture of El Potrero Chico it was impossible for me not to feel compelled to help with this program” says Dave Smith, Founder of Beta. “The people of that part of Mexico have so very little and I wanted to contribute as much as possible”. Other companies such as Whole Foods, Patagonia, Evolv, Bluewater, Friksn and Revolution, have all donated this year. Carricitos still does what it can to be independent. Men continue to make wax by heating the candelaria plant and adding sulphuric acid. The final product is picked up by a factory in Monterrey who exports the wax to France. It is believed the community makes $7 USD a day from this production but Esteban is not only concerned about their finances, he is also frightened that the community is contaminating its water supply by pouring the sulphuric acid into a small metal enclosure that sits directly above their natural spring. Esteban will continue to do what he can for Carricitos as well as pushing his way up the rock faces. He is one of the many young ambassadors who are working to prove that in being true to one’s self and others around you, amazing things start to manifest. If you are interested in knowing more please feel free to contact Esteban directly at estebanlardone@gmail.com
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Next Issue ... February
Photo Earle - Lalibela Priest
"Do, or do not. There is no try� - Yoda
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