What can I say to make you — I mean, invite you — to come on over to my new blog, Heifer 12 x 12?

We are having SO MUCH FUN over there–what with all the sows & cows & piglets & such — and I’m leaving for Guatemala on Sunday to write even more witty, pithy, poignant, groovy posts and it would totally bum me out if you weren’t along for the ride!

So, come on. I know change is hard, but just make the clicky leap, subscribe, and I’ll never speak of this again.

Yer friend,

(and yes, I am watching you)  Betty

My new logo by Liz Meitus ... isn't it pretty??

Okay, it’s finally official.

I’m going to be moving from What Gives 365 to Heifer 12 x 12 –where I’ll be traveling to 12 countries in 12 months of 2012 and writing about the projects of Heifer International that seek to end hunger and poverty & heal the earth. (But I’ll still keep this blog up in case you want to come back and visit…)

Here’s my dynamic, fabulous schedule for 2012:

January – Guatemala

February – Haiti

March – Peru

April – Nepal

May- Cameroon

June – Georgia (Russia, not “moonlight through the pines” Georgia, y’all)

July – Vietnam

August – Sierra Leone

September – Armenia

October – Appalachia, USA

November – Malawi

December – Ecuador

~~~~~~~~~

There will be photos galore, fascinating stories about things you never knew (pigs’ gestation for one), and I will be SO sad if you’re not along for the ride! So hop on over, click to subscribe, and it’ll be just like we’ve never been apart!!

xoxooxo B

Even though the buildings were dilapidated (or maybe because of it), the city has an old-world beauty…

…untouched by cell phones or modern cars. In fact, most all the cars you see are old American beauties from the 50s. You can almost imagine your dad sitting in driver’s seat with his arm out the window, gunning it down the highway.

And yet… 53 years after the revolution, most Cubans still live on $20-$50 a month.

Only a few are allowed to work for themselves, and those who do are heavily taxed. The government decides what you get paid, and also pays for your rent, education (including college), food, health care, and most transportation. Communications are closely censored, and freedom of the press is a distant dream. It’s hard for Americans to imagine living this way, but for 53 years, the system has prevailed – and the exuberance of the Cuban people didn’t appear to be compromised.

My exuberance, on the other hand, was sorely tested trying to get out of Cuba, when I discovered that I had my husband’s visa (and he, deep in the Cuban countryside, apparently has mine). After two hours waiting for immigration officials to finish their sandwiches, complete the Feliz Ano Neuvo besos, and stop staring endlessly into space, I finally got through customs and onto the plane …thinking how weird it was that 11 million people there can’t make that choice.

While I imagine the lives of most Cubans are dramatically better than they were under dictators like Batista, it must be excruciating for those who left to feel like they will never be able to return to their beautiful country. So … Cuba Si o No? It’s an enigma.What do you think?

Che & Fidel, photo from Wikipedia.

Cuba is the largest and most populous island nation in the Caribbean, with 11 million people. In 1952, Fulgencio Batista staged a coup and upended democratic elections, which led to a revolutionary party of 82 people landing in Cuba on December 2, 1956 led by the inimitable Fidel Castro. Two years later, with the handwriting on the wall, the U.S imposed an arms embargo, cutting off weapons to Batista and on January 1, 1959, Batista fled the country  — which means that New Year’s Eve (I’ll be there!) is a very big night in Havana!

85 degrees in December!

Over the following years, Castro’s revolutionary government expropriated $25 billion of private property with little or no compensation, nationalized public utilities, tightened controls on the private sector, shut down the notorious gambling industry, and instituted a national program of healthcare & education — reforms which led to hundreds of thousands of Cubans fleeing the country, while dramatically improving the lives of the poor. In 1960 and 61, the CIA tried to assassinate Castro (in collusion with the Chicago mafia that controlled the gambling in Cuba), which probably led to the Bay of Pigs invasion, an attempt by U.S.-trained Cuban nationals to unseat Castro which ended in abject defeat after a mere three days.

Cuba found succor in a close relationship with the Soviet Union – which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1961, after the Russians retaliated to U.S. missiles being placed in Turkey and the Middle East by placing nuclear missiles 90 miles from Florida. The showdown was a hair’s breadth from nuclear Armageddon (every elementary school kid of that era can remember the hilariously inept “duck and cover” drills), and shortly thereafter, in 1963, the USA imposed a complete diplomatic and economic embargo of our neighbor to the south.

Where we’re going today.

There is no cell phone coverage in Cuba, and internet use is strictly monitored. You can’t use credit cards and there’s a big surcharge on using American dollars, so we’re taking Canadian money. I’m also lugging around my big camera because it’s meant to be a photographer’s paradise.

And although Cuba suffered greatly after the collapse of its biggest ally, the Soviet Union, today the country has a 99.8% literacy rate, an infant death rate lower than most developed countries, and is the only nation in the world that has met the World Wildlife Fund’s definition of sustainable development. Having said that, Cuba is also claimed by the Human Rights Watch  to have repressed nearly all forms of political dissent, and it has the second-highest number of imprisoned journalists of any nation in the world, bested only by China.

Music, Murals and Mojitos.. oh boy!

I’m so eager to see what it’s like! Stay tuned … I’ll be back and posting on January 1!

But today, I’ve been by myself all day, writing and thinking, and tonight is stretching out in front of me like a long road I want to take.

My husband has been in New York with his elderly dad for the last few days, which makes me remember my own sweet, sad last hours with my dad. My daughter is at her boyfriend’s house all day (and most of the night), which makes me realize that she’s all grown up now. I’ve got no plans, nothing left to shop for, no reason to cook, and it feels simultaneously delicious and strangely hollow. I can’t decide if it thrills me to be alone, or makes me sad – and I feel the same way about the end of this blog.

Yep, What Gives 365 is going the way of all flesh and will be retiring with no pension in a few days. In January, I’ll be starting a new blogging project and inviting you – no, begging each one of you to come along with me…invitation soon to follow. For my brand spanking-new Heifer 12 x 12 project, I’ll be traveling to 12 countries in 12 months in 2012 with Heifer International as their Global Blogging Ambassador – a title I totally made up and really like.

Heifer's Greeting Card: You've Got Goats!

But since I’m already awash/overwhelmed with all the travel, technology, planning, photography, and oh yeah, writing that’s involved, I’ll have to put an end to What Gives 365, (although I’ll still be leaving it up so anybody can come back and roam freely through the archives). Which feels like I’m breaking up with the best, nicest boyfriend ever. Boo hoo hooo!

Luckily, I’ve been through enough romantic turmoil in my life (way, way more than enough) that I realize full well what comes after all the pillow-soaked sobbing: Happiness. Fulfillment. And a better relationship.

Still, I hate the end of things. I don’t like to see the leaves fall, and I can’t stand when it’s 65 degrees in the winter. I want things to be the way they’re supposed to be – like they were when I was a child.

Petunias not supposed to be blooming...

I grew up in a family of 8 kids, so I’m only truly comfortable when it’s totally chaotic, frantically busy, and overwhelming noisy. In my family, we trimmed the tree on Christmas Eve (not two weeks before) and sang carols together and my mom disappeared down into the basement at midnight to wrap all our presents ($25 was spent on each child, not a dime more and certainly not a quarter less) and nobody was ever alone for two consecutive seconds. How did I end up with a life that is so entirely different? Silence and solitude scare me, and yet … I find I’m beginning to really like both. Maybe this is what’s known as balance? Or maturity?

Wow, I never thought it would come to this. What a gift!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HANUKKAH, Y’ALL!!

(And my present to you is from Robert Frost, one of my favorite poems called “Reluctance.”)

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question ‘Whither?’

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

The indefatigable Ella Salerno

Just in case you, like me, are having a difficult time completing your Christmas list, here are three beautiful examples of people who have decided to give the gift of giving… and what could be easier than to make one of their ideas your present to someone?

When Ella Salerno was not yet 8 years old, she learned in a school program that 1 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water. This completely flipped her out, and she decided to do something about it. She and her mom Maureen read about charity:water and Ella decided for her 8th birthday she would ask friends and relatives to make a contribution so she could build a well for 250 people in Africa. She hit up her grandmother, she went around and organized fundraising events with local merchants, and in the end, she raised $5,500. But Ella wasn’t finished. Now she’s 9, and she’s really on a roll.

Instead of asking relatives for funds, now she’s asking KIDS to get involved – hoping to inspire 100 children to commit to raising $100 each – that will build 4 new wells to provide healthy, safe drinking water to thousands of people in need. Your kid can sign up here – and what could be a more incredible Christmas gift of sharing??

Like Ella, social entrepreneur Tom Spargo is also knee deep in it – with a brilliant new rainwater collection system that he has just tested and promoted in Guatemala.

RainSaucers is a simple, stand-alone, clean, flexible solution that can make rainwater harvesting an economic reality in developing countries like Guatemala, where the bottled water industry is both expensive and unreliable. Poor families in Guatemala can spend up to $300/year on bottled water, yet for every inch of rain, a household can collect 6.75 gallons for use.

The RainSaucer is 4 feet in diameter, made of plastic, free-standing, rugged, and comes with (2) 4-gallon buckets for collection. It keeps the rainwater free from roof chemicals and run-off, and safe for drinking. You can  help support Spargo,  winner of the 2010 West Coast Village Capital program, in his mission to become the most affordable rainwater harvesting option in the world, by contacting him here.

And finally, if your tongue is about to fall off from licking Christmas card envelopes (I feel you), you can follow my reader Susan Laycock’s example:

“…this year, instead of spending the money on stamps and cards, I decided to take the lump sum and buy ducks from Heifer International instead. With our University of Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, I thought this would be a good way to be a ‘Duck Fan’.  My college roommate is on board …and she got her friends on board and we’re hoping that together, over the years, we can eventually build an Ark. We all still share the spirit of the season in a wonderful way and experience giving as the best gift of all.”

Can I get an “Amen” on that?

For 365 days in 2010, I wrote a blog post every day (and gave away money, which was very popular).

In 2011, I haven’t been nearly as prolific, but I’ve never had trouble coming up with things to write about. But lately, I feel kind of paralyzed when I sit down to write — and the longer I don’t write, the more panicked I get. What if my subscribers all leave? What if I never get Freshly Pressed again? I’m starting a new blog in January 2012 (big whoop-dee-doo announcement coming) .. what if I can’t write that??

Okay, so maybe it has something to do with the fact that my computer has senility issues and I finally had to break down and buy a new one.

The 15-hour transfer of information .. now all I have to do is learn how to use MacNewPro.

A 10-foot tall way to not write.

And it’s the holidays.

And I’ve had a few other things on my mind. Like choosing a WordPress THEME for my new blog, which is a nightmare of unmitigated proportions for an Optimizer like me. As my husband could tell you, Optimizers have a very difficult time making decisions because they believe there is a perfect choice out there — if only they will deeply consider every single option. So after carefully reading 150 descriptions of WordPress themes and going comatose with options, I wisely turned to Lisa — the amazing WordPress Theme Guru and author of Notes from Africa. Her posts on choosing a theme helped me narrow the field, and now I’ve settled (I think) on either Twenty Eleven or Elemin for my new blog. (Thank you, Lisa!!) Which means the only thing I have left to do before I break through Blogger’s Block is sit through 150 hours of tutorials so I can learn how to use my new theme.

Fa la la la la....

Last night (while I wasn’t writing) I made 20 pounds of almond toffee, addressed 150 holiday cards, packed 10 boxes to be shipped to my ridiculously large family that ridiculously still gives gifts to one another … and now .. finally, I am writing just to complain about it.

Anybody else out there overwhelmed/struck mute by the holidays?? (And you bloggers who never get blocked … Charles, I’m talking about you… feel free to tell me all your prolific secrets!)

Baby sister Bonnie with a cactus bonnet.

Last weekend, my four sisters and I descended upon Texas for my older sister’s 60th birthday. (I know it’s impossible, but decades happen.)After six months of unrelenting sun and heat, those big Texas skies opened up and it started raining. And freezing.

No problemmo. My sisters are hearty souls from the Northeast & Colorado and not about to be denied this Girls Weekend Out, so we carried on with our maniacal tourist agenda. (And I got there 2 days late).

Saturday, it was poblano & pumpkin tamales at the Pearl Farmers Market Tamale Festival...

The San Antonio Museum of Art along the River Walk...

Mariachi Mass at the San Fernando Cathedral...

(And afterwards, an awesome impromptu rock version of the Nutcracker by The Invincible Czars on the Square.)

Dinner at the Zuni Grille on the River Walk.

Then on Sunday, down to the 4 glorious Spanish missions south of town.

Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan, and lovely Espada...

...and the ancient Aqueduct from the 18th century.

Then it was south to my cousin’s 100-acre ranch in Devine Texas, with my 95-year old Aunt Carolyn in attendance.

Farmgirl/Sisters Bonnie, Mary Lou, Kathy, Susan, Cousin Nancy

Feeding the goats, chickens, bunnies, cows and horses. Eating wild hog. Then back to San Antonio for more Riverwalking.

Don't hold back on the decorations, just throw everything on!

Next morning, up at dawn for The Japanese Tea Garden. The Witte Museum. And the Botanic Gardens.

Forty-eight hours of cold, gray, wet fun in a city that seemed to be one, big, beautiful festival just for us.Happy Birthday, Mary Lou, we love you!

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are 10,000 to remember Uganda by:

Church isn't the same without a sweet sound system...

Could you walk to school 5 miles in these shoes?

Yep, that's putting your scooter to good use.

Smart girls rock!

My hands got tired from waving so much.

Looking so much like Joan of Arc....

Now this is extreme biking...

Big Billy of Nyaka

One month is all it takes to weave a basket.

A puzzle is a marvelous thing.

Until we meet again, keep jumping for joy!

Filed under: Africa, Bicycles, Children, Faith, Photography, Travel Tagged: Bicycles in Africa, Entebbe, Ethiopian Airlnes, Exreme biking, Goodbyes, Nyaka AIDS Orphans, Scooters in Africa, Uganda ]]> http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/10000-words-about-uganda/feed/ 38 Betty clouds sound system shoes scooter smart girl field churchgoers2 charcoal big billy margaret's hands2 puzzle jump http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/on-the-road-to-kampala/ http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/on-the-road-to-kampala/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:00:42 +0000 Betty Londergan http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/?p=8461 Continue reading →]]> On a rainy Sunday morning on my third-to-last day in Uganda, I was picked up at 9 a.m. by William Kayongo, the driver with Heifer International,* and escorted from Masaka to Kampala. Normally an overcast, gray Sunday fills me with a kind of existential “Sunday Bloody Sunday” dread, but I’d had 14 hours of delicious sleep and driving with William is always a delight.

William never minds stopping to enable my shopping and/or photography, and he happily translates for me when I’m asking people for permission to take their picture. On our 3-hour journey, we saw hundreds of Muslims on their way to mosque, because as William explained, it was Eid al-Adha, a celebration of the trials and sacrifices of Abraham.

In the rain, the rich red clay of Uganda was splattering on everything, yet somehow the Muslim women in their bright pink and blazing white long dresses were immaculate. As we got nearer to Lake Victoria, we started to see roadside stands of vegetables stacked beautifully in towering pyramids, men selling 3-foot long Nile Perch for UGX 12,000 a kilo (about $2.50/pound, which makes it “very, very expensive for Ugandans” William explains), golden sponges and baskets displayed like crazy bouquets of flowers, and miles of wetland populated only by papyrus.

Papyrus, just like in Moses' Eygpt.

We also saw a bewildering billboard of Ghaddafi and Ugandan President Museveni shaking hands that I was dying to capture on film, but William told me you are forbidden to take a photo of it. Apparently, Museveni invited Ghaddafi to visit Uganda a few years ago as part of a plan to build a huge wetlands project, but Ghaddafi hit the ground trash-talking Christianity (Catholics, Anglicans and Evangelicals comprise about 84% of Uganda’s population), and he got his butt kicked out. Hence, the banning of the billboard-affirming friendship. But Muslims here still mourn Ghaddafi’s passing, since he built them a huge mosque and gave Muslim kids scholarships to go to school and university.

Oh, our love is forbidden, but be still my heart ....

On the road, we were passed by Museveni’s wife Janet’s entourage of about 10 Cadillac Escalades and Land Rovers, which in a country as poor as Uganda is a fairly sickening display of wealth. I’ve thought repeatedly during this trip that if the government made school truly free, instead of charging every child about $250/year for uniforms, books and fees, it would alleviate untold amounts of suffering. But that’s about as likely to happen as Nile perch developing wings.

Now there's some fine Nile perch...

As we pulled into the suburbs of Kampala, the kiosks got thicker, the trash got deeper, the ubiquitous billboards advertising cell phones got bigger, and the air got fouler.

It made me long for the quiet beauty and open skies of Nyaka, where you always feel free to walk and explore. And of course, I miss those sweet kids like crazy.

Jimmy N.-- one of the boys I miss.

I’m staying tonight and tomorrow in the Fairway Hotel in a big, pretty room with rough sheets and an LG TV that I can’t imagine I will be watching (but I did! Rush Hour 1 and 2 –in a totally bizarre cultural convergence). For the first time, I’m seeing a lot of white people around me, which is a big clue that I’m not in my kind of happy place. Glad I did my shopping already, at the Equator Café with William at my side.

Jane Ekayu from Children of Peace.

This afternoon I will be meeting with Jane Ekayu, head of the Children Of Peace organization that is working to create a future for the young women who were abducted, raped and impregnated by soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army. The young women have been accepted back into their communities, but their children have not. I’m not sure I’m up for the horror of Jane’s stories, but I can’t wait to meet her.

This country, of which I feel I’ve seen a lot, is still such a mystery to me; I can’t imagine it ever producing a Joseph Kony or Idi Amin.

The beautiful face of the future of Uganda.

There is so much I have yet to understand…. and two days in which to do it. Guess I’ll have to come back!

**Super amazing BIG freaking news coming soon about my upcoming Global Journey with Heifer International in 2012 …stay tuned!!