On our way to Meru
The time spent in Quebec with JP was great. I was curious as to how I was going to feel while being there, as I knew it represented the beginning of the adventure we had created with Alpine Initiatives. Upon arrival we talked and talked about AI and where it was heading, how we felt about what was happening. Realizing that the touches of anxiety were normal because we both experienced it.
Quebec was great, JP is a great host, amidst being very busy, he was willing and able to show me a great time. We went to the symphony, the muesum, motorcycle tour of downtown, and the water ramps. I had a great time while being there and even learned how to do a back flip on the water ramps.
As we were packing and taking care of last minute details, we experienced a moment of "oh no, what did we get ourselves into?"; We recieved an email that told us we had only raised 3,000$. The feeling of failure set in with a major rush of anxiety, as we were leaving in three days and didn't have enough money raised to even start the project. Instead of giving up we reacted, brainstormed and decided to make another push. With a few phone calls and emails, we ended up raising quite a bit more, within a couple hours. In the meantime, we received another email saying that the total we had been given was incorrect. With the new total and the new donations we were now sitting at $9,000 which, is still a ways from our $20, 000 goal, but will be enough to build a section of the community home and keep everyone busy while we are in Africa.
We don't really know what the future holds for us, not even the immediate future in Africa. It is an exciting time, and even though we are on a roller coaster of emotions, deep down there is an excitement like neither of us have ever felt as we are embarking on something we helped create. We have the possibility of affecting lives and know that this will affect our own. The question that has entered our realm a few times has been, who will we be when we return?
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