NEXT STOP TANZANIA!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - LAO TZU

I have a large backpack of my own gear and a massive duffel stuffed to the brim with pens, pencils, goalkeeper gloves and jerseys, plus shorts and socks all courtesy of the 2009 Dynasty Goalkeeping students! I only wish I could lug more over to donate. Let the adventure begin! Out of my comfort zone, far from the land of plenty, and into Africa I go!

Actually the next stop is Washington DC, then Rome, then Addis Ababa, and finally Dar Es Salaam, TANZANIA! A few good books, my snacks (I never leave home without my snacks!) and an iPod will hopefully get me through the next 24+ hours of flying. Going there actually probably won’t be that bad however as there is always anticipation that gets you through. And after months of pre-trip planning I have plenty of anticipation and excitement stored up.

Once I arrive in Dar my first ‘challenge’ will be linking up with fellow volunteer Brian Suskiewicz, whom I have never met. Doubt he will have any problem finding the white girl with blonde hair. I will stick out like a sore thumb. We will spend a night in Dar recovering and the following day we plan to fly to Kigoma where will start volunteering on the 30th. We will be running sessions with teachers in the morning and then in the afternoons we will go to various schools around Kigoma to work with children. I have been told that all of the teachers will speak English, so communication with them won’t be an issue. The children on the other hand most likely won’t speak English, with the exception of a few words and phrases, so I have been studying some Swahili to learn a few words and numbers to help make communicating with them a bit easier. I’m sure I will slaughter their language, but at a minimum it will make them laugh! The bottom line is that if I just coach the way I do here; showing the activities with passion, energy, smiles, and laughter then the message will get across.

In addition to our work in Kigoma we just found out that we will be traveling north to an area called Geita to work with teachers and children in that area as well. Geita is close to Lake Victoria and is known for their gold mines. While it will be Coaches Across Continents third year working in Kigoma, it will be our first in Geita, so we have no idea what to expect. It is great that the local coordinator in Kigoma, Nico Pota, will be extending our reach in the short time we will be there.
It is impossible to fathom what I will encounter, but everyone I have spoken with that has been to Africa has said the EXACT same thing, “It will change you and you will love it.” So I am heading over ready to take in everything that this experience has to offer and eager to do what I can for the teachers and students of Kigoma.

Recently I did an interview about my upcoming trip (keep an eye out for it on the UNC women’s soccer website next week http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/unc-w-soccer-body.html ). The reporter asked me, "What do you hope to accomplish?”. Hmmm…I thought, good question. It made me stop and reflect on the purpose of my trip, which I found to be a very valuable exercise so that I head out in a good frame of mind and a clear purpose.

I am not so daft as to expect that I am going to change the lives of these children in 2 shorts weeks. So why go at all then? Well, first I think it is important to focus on the little things that can be accomplished in 2 weeks. If I can help make a child smile, laugh, and bring joy and hope into their extremely difficult daily existence, then I will have succeeded. If I can help show a teacher a new method of coaching from a positive, encouraging point of view versus a harsh, fear based, militaristic style, then I will have succeeded. Those are things I am fully capable of achieving.

On a grander scale though, I hope to raise awareness and connect people here in the United States more intimately with the problems in Africa. I will be the first to admit that I allow myself to become disconnected with the global community. It is so easy to get caught up in our daily lives and sucked into our routine and the daily grind, the rat race of life, here in the U.S. that our circle of influence becomes very small. We know that there are lots of problems in Africa....AIDS, malnutrition, poverty, political instability, genocide....but it is a continent away. We feel we can't do anything to help, and we are quite honestly happily disconnected from it and too busy with our own lives to do anything. That has been me. That is until I read an article in the UNC Alumni Review probably 5+ years ago. The article was about Carolina For Kibera, an organization founded by UNC alumni, Rye Barcott. It was such an impressive undertaking to me on many levels. The article described the despicable, unsanitary, harsh conditions in the worst slum of Kenya and the soccer program CFK developed to help teach the youth in the community, bring hope and change, as well as the establishing a medical clinic and an educational center. One of UNC’s former soccer players, Laura Winslow, was mentioned in the article for her involvement and volunteering in Kibera. So that is how I first became 'connected' to some of the issues in Africa. Over the years I have donated gear (balls, sports bras, cleats) and money to CFK to feel like (as most of us I think do) we are helping and 'doing our part'. Of course this is very valuable and critical to the sustainability of not-for-profit organizations, as certainly not everyone can volunteer their time. In the back of my mind though, after reading about Laura's experience, I thought it would be an amazing experience to travel over there to do the same thing. A very tiny seed had been planted. However, there was always something going on in my life (we ALL have things going on in our lives and always will) that made it unfeasible for me to even consider finding out what volunteering would even entail, let alone actually take steps towards committing towards it. It simply was not a priority.

Fast forward a few years to 2007... I reconnected with CaC founder Nick Gates after his first trip through Africa. He had just come back from a year long trip and was brainstorming the creation of Coaches Across Continents. In speaking with him in person, seeing his photos, videos, and feeling the passion in his voice everything became tangible to me. In the subsequent years I watched as fellow teammates of mine (Lorrie Fair, Cindy Parlow, and Anna Rodenbough) became involved with various organizations to volunteer in various countries around Africa. Goalkeeper students of mine were volunteering in India and Africa. Momentum was building inside of me to act. The tiny seed that had been planted in me was starting grow. Then once Nick got CaC off the ground it all became possible. I was connected to a program and it was palpable. Once that link was made I was compelled to help. Instead of Africa being a world away and not my problem, an internal switch had been hit. All of the reasons and excuses I previously had for not getting involved dissipated and were replaced with one thought, "how can I not act". It is such a small sliver of time, a blink of an eye; it is the LEAST I can do.

I think most Americans, (actually most humans) want to help -- whatever the cause may be, here locally or a continent away in Africa. It is our nature as human beings to help, yet somehow we still flounder. I believe that laying the groundwork and being given the platform to become involved is the critical link to action. Once shown how we can help and given a path, everyone is eager to participate. All we need is direction.

So what do I hope to accomplish? I want to raise awareness to get more people like myself involved. Had it not been for Nick and CaC I would not have had the platform on which to act. He provided the impetus to get me rolling and for that I am grateful. Getting people SPECIFICALLY connected to an issue and a program is a big part. So while I certainly hope to make an impact on the teachers, coaches, and children I interact with during the short time I am in Tanzania, I am realistic. My time there is limited and there is only so much that can be accomplished in a short time. The challenges are great and the issues many. The more lasting effect I hope to have is drawing more people into the circle and encouraging more people to act. Getting more people to flip the switch like I have is my hope. That is what Nick and many others provided for me, so if I can pay that forward then I will feel as if I have made a difference.

Lastly, it is not too late to donate to this great cause. I am just short of hitting my pre-trip fundraising goal of $6600. If you haven’t already donated perhaps you will consider jumping on board at this time to help me reach my target? Every bit helps, so THANKS! You can pay with a check or even easier through the secure First Giving website www.firstgiving.com/tracynoonan with a credit card. Also, as mentioned in my previous blog entry, a private foundation has committed to matching all donations that end in the amount of ‘27’ up to the amount of $27,000! So by donating with an amount that ends in $27 ($27, $127, $1027, etc) your money will count twice! How cool is that!?!? To find out more about the CaC Matching Donation Program go to: http://sportingcommunities.edwardswan.com/?p=2267

Remember your investment CHANGES LIVES!

Tracy