I took a much needed shower, then headed to the center of the compound for a fabulous buffet breakfast consisting of Spanish omelet, mini plums/bananas, passion fruit juice, & some of the best brown bread I’ve ever tasted (seriously, this stuff was amazing!)

The common area buildings were all open-air with thatched roofs.

How about the hotel bar? Gotta love those pillows…

With several hours left until our departure, I decided to throw on my cheesy safari hat (soon to be a staple) and hike around the gardens. There were dozens of paths leading from cabana to cabana; a virtual maze of vegetation.

Amidst the cacti, were bougainvillea in full bloom…

I came upon several trees bursting with red blossoms and large dangling bean pods. These trees, called Royal Poinciana, are native to Madagascar (a hop, skip & a jump away from Tanzania). They are considered one of the most beautiful flowering trees in the world, and their reputation is well-deserved. Pictures don’t do them justice. They are also known as “Flamboyant” trees or “Christmas trees” in Tanzania since they only bloom during the holiday season each year.

While winding through the paths, I caught my first glimpse of the snow-capped Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. Then, after returning to my cabana and packing up my bags, I walked out of my room to be greeted by this guy…

We were met at the hotel’s front door by John, the driver for Cross Cultural Solutions (my volunteer program) who would become our friend and companion for the next 3 1/2 weeks.

With all the van windows open and our hair blowing wildly in the wind…we made our way for the next hour to our home-base in Karanga. We passed fields of gaunt cows, Masaii leading them along diligently. Women carried large baskets on their heads, and were dressed in vivid, brightly-colored cloths.

As I viewed the passing landscape, I was filled with a familiar yet overwhelming sense of anticipation and excitement to be experiencing a completely different culture for the first time. Somehow, you get a sense that waking up on the other side of the world… things will never quite be the same.

Eventually, we turned off the paved highway onto a dirt road. Children waved from the street with bright smiles. We turned onto a side road next to a maize field and came to a stop at a large gate.

The driver honked and a security guard appeared to swing open the doors. We parked and stumbled out of the van. This was going to be our home for the next month.

(to be continued)

Although I know I can’t truly describe the experience in words, I thought I’d share some of the highlights of my trip with you.

So why travel to Africa? Several of my co-workers thought it was a strange way to spend the holidays, but honestly, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the season than being of service to those in need and experiencing a whole new culture at the same time.

With those thoughts in mind, I packed up my bags (with lots of DEET and sunscreen in tow), and hopped on a plane. I connected first through Amsterdam, then went on to Nairobi, Kenya and finally landed at Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania some 25 hours later. To say my internal clock was off, is a massive understatement. There is a 9 hour time difference between Kilimanjaro and Dallas, and after spending 25 hours on an airplane, I had a drunken stumble as I exited the plane and walked the tarmac towards the terminal. Local time was around 11 p.m.

Kili’s airport terminal boasts a single baggage belt and has wooden slat floors reminiscent of an old 30s movie or perhaps a Hemingway novel. I had a feeling I wouldn’t see my checked bag for a few days since baggage in Africa often gets mysteriously “lost”, but to my amazement, it was one of the first bags off of the belt!

I moved over to a counter to fill out customs paperwork and noticed a dozen or so large beetles walking around on the floor. I think I was encroaching on their territory. After handing in my immigration form, I made my way outdoors and met the van that would take me to my hotel for the evening.

We drove about 5 minutes in the pitch dark, and found ourselves stopped in front of the large front gate of the KIA lodge. Standing in front of the headlights, to my amazement, was a tall Masai warrior with spear in hand, dressed in full warrior garb (red plaid cloak, earrings, beaded bracelets, etc.) I took a deep breath and thought to myself, “Now, THIS is Africa! ”

Though it was late, the hotel desk clerk greeted me with a smile and gave me some fresh squeezed passion fruit juice (yum). A different Masai warrior escorted me down a dozen winding paths to my bungalow room. I found out later, the Masai are hired as security guards across the country at many establishments.

He unlocked the door, and we walked into this…

…what a mosquito net! East Africa has a high incidence of malaria, so mosquito nets are really quite a necessity. This one, though, by any standard, is a serious luxury.

My escort left, and I stepped out into the night. Since there were very few lights on the property, you felt like the entire night sky could swallow you up. I’ve never seen so many stars at once. I took a flashlight and made my way back towards the main building so I could buy a bottle of water for brushing my teeth (tap water is a big no-no in East Africa unless you want to be best friends with the bathroom for the next few days).

I met up with some fellow volunteers who had also arrived late and we crashed shortly after. Looking back, we really had no idea what was in store for us in the next few weeks!

I’ve been like a goofy kid over the last two days, making impromptu snowmen, munching on snowcakes, delighting in the crunching sound underfoot, and studying the falling snowflakes’ intricate patterns. There’s something about a good snowfall that makes everything beautiful and peaceful, don’t ya think?

In the meantime, here’s a card I thought I’d post that I made a while back. The background notecard is from Lasting Impressions. The leaf was cut free-hand from a sheet of stamped cardstock (background image is Hero Arts). The sentiment was cut with my Silhouette, the ribbon is American Crafts, & the bling is Hero Arts.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a card I made before my departure that uses new Hero Arts stamp sets for 2010. For those that have requested a video tutorial of my HA blog hop cards – I’ll be putting something together for you soon!

Big hugs,

Lots of hugs and love to you all,

P.S. Thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments. I’ll be sure to post new stamping & clay projects when I return!

Welcome to the Hero Arts blog hop! I’m so excited to have the opportunity to share some of the latest and greatest 2010 catalog stamps with you.

To get us started… take a look at this fab Poppy Background. I have to admit, poppies are my favorite flowers, and so I couldn’t wait to create with this one! It’s also a cling stamp which makes it really easy to stamp and super easy to store. Click on below to see a larger image.

I stamped the negative-space image using brown ink on white cardstock, and then colored it in with a variety of Copic markers (see supply list below). I added small dots of Diamond Stickles to the flower centers for extra shimmer. The sentiment comes from a new 2010 PolyClear set called “Essential Messages”. Don’t you just love the classic font?

Supplies:
* CG140 Poppy Background
* CL371 Essential Messages
* Memento Rich Cocoa Ink
* Diamond Stickles
* White and black cardstock
* Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder
* Copic Markers: Y11, R22, R08, R29, YG03, G24

Next up are two birthday cards featuring a butterfly from the new Antique Engravings set. I pulled out my Copics again to color each butterfly. Next, I trimmed them out and added some thin black wire to create antennae. By adding glue dots to the center of each butterfly, you can pop up the wings for dimension. The card base was made from two Nestabilities scalloped circles (with the back one creased so the card will open easily), and the sentiment comes from the Essential Messages set again. (I know I’m going to use this one again and again!) Add some bling to your card using small 2mm gemstones for a butterfly trail…

Supplies:
* CL383 Antique Engravings
* CL371 Essential Messages
* Memento Bamboo Leaves Ink
* White & green cardstock
* Green Patterned Paper (Marcella & Basic Grey)
* Black wire (Making Memories)
* Nestabilities Scallop Circle and Classic Circle Dies
* Copic Markers: Y11, Y21, V17, V04, V15, B24, B21, W3
* CH112 2mm Gemstones

Want to see more? Well hop on over to TIFFANY ERVIN’S BLOG next for more creative inspiration! Thanks for dropping by and happy stamping!