Contact info and link to semester blog!

Though I won't be able to write on my blog throughout Kroka, there is a blog that will be written by one of the students on our semester and published by the leaders. Here is the link:  http://krokaecuadorsemester2013.blogspot.com/

Also, if you want to stay in contact with me, you can write letters. I won't have any access to the internet or telephones, but we can write letters.

Until September 26th, I will be in NH and you can send letters to:

c/o Kroka Expeditions

767 Forest Road

Marlow, NH 0345

After September 26th, I will be in Ecuador. When sending letters to Ecuador, be advised that they can take a while. The mailing system is getting better, but letters have been known to take 3 weeks to get to Ecuador, so if you want to write to me in Ecuador, don't send them too close to the time we leave which is December 1st. Here is the address for Ecuador:

c/o Dammer family

PO Box 1716232

Quito, ECUADOR

Have an exciting "first semester", whatever that might be to you, and I will be thinking of all of you while I'm at Kroka! 

A Plethora of Thanks

I feel like the boy who cried wolf at this point. I've said thank you so many times, I can't imagine it's very easy to believe this thank you is just as heartfelt as the rest, or that all of them expressed pure gratitude, but there have just been so many things to be thankful for that I can't help but overuse the words.

I wish there was a better expression, or more expressions for this feeling! Thesaurus.com isn't too helpful...the only alternates it could find for thank you are danke, gracias, merci, much obliged, and thanks. I mean really, only two of those are actually in English, thanks is just an abridged version of thank you and much obliged has an even less powerful connotation than thank you.

 It doesn't make any sense; we have more words to describe the color blue in our language than we have to convey the feeling of gratitude. "Love" has the same problem. Just as blue has an infinite number of hues and undertones, love and gratitude come in endless arrays of intensity and intention. Shouldn't there be a different word to describe the way you love your brother as apposed to the way you love peanuts?

But perhaps it's better this way. If we had a lot of words to articulate these complex feelings, than we could pretend that we were really telling each other exactly what we meant. We could think that just because we had a special word for thanking a large group of people for a huge gift, that the word manifested every detail of the experience that created the feeling. We could presume that whoever we were communicating with would completely understand what we meant and that words are as clear as feelings.

In truth, no word is perfect. No word can describe precisely how much joy, inspiration and gratitude you have all awakened in my heart by making this dream a reality, so when I say thank you, you have to transform them into what they mean to you. You have to hear those simple, overused, words, and see the depth of their ability to express a feeling and know just how much your support has meant to me.

A Great Celebration

The Ecuadorian dinner and silent auction was not only a fundraiser, but a celebration; a celebration of community, good food, friendship, open mindedness and of goals reached! With the help of many friends, local farms and businesses, River Arts, and the generosity of the many who attended (and didn't attend but sent a contribution), the event raised $1,730, more than enough to cover the rest of my expenses for Kroka! This means there will be some money left over that I can use to give back to the community in some way. I haven't decided how this money will be spent yet, but I am determined to find a way to use it that will have a large impact. 

The list of people to thank is long and diverse, but please do take the time to read it. Every person and organization that contributed towards this event made a huge difference. 

-River Arts, for their beautiful space.

-Jake Burton and Lace Goff, who helped cook all three days and were an immense support. 

-Nancy and Duncan, who helped advertise, bought the wine, and reminded me of all the little details that I needed to figure out. 

-Clare, Jeremy, Julia, Jan, Erica, Ona, Donna, Patti, Gerette, Caro, and Suzanne (and Jake and Lace), for being the best serving, cleaning, plating and cooking crew I could ever have dreamed of and allowing me to enjoy the evening and talk with the guests. 

-Applecheek Farm, for donating the eggs and ground beef for the flan and beef empanadas. 

-Footebrook Farm, for donating the lettuce and tomatoes for the salad. 

-Hannafords, for donating a $30 gift card that helped mitigate expenses.

-Nancy and Colyn, for donating an aerial tour of Northern Vermont and a pony ride for silent auction.  

-Jayne and Jamie, for donating a digital picture frame for the silent auction. 

-Chuck's Bikes, for donating a helmet and biking backpack to the silent auction. 

-Heartbeet Lifesharing, for donating a beautiful felted picture and bringing 10 guests.

-And last, but certainly not least, Artemis Joukowsky, for doubling the funds raised from this event and for bringing the inspiration of his film, Two Who Dared, to the world. If you still haven't watched the trailer, please do, it is an important film to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFqxlFflQWU. The website has more information about the film http://www.twowhodared.com/film/.

THE AWESOME HELPER CREW!!!

Radio interview for Ecuadorian dinner!

This morning I was on WVLB radio announcing the Ecuadorian dinner on Friday. Thank you WVLB.

An incredible gift, and new inspiration...

"You've almost achieved your goal, now it's time to make it bigger," my godfather, Artemis Joukowsky, told me yesterday. We were talking about fundraising and how I've almost raised enough money to cover my tuition, airfare, required expenses and equipment for Kroka. I'm almost done, and yet, in truth, it is just the beginning. Artemis is right, it is time to make my fundraising goals reach beyond my journey and start giving back. To this end, he will match every dollar I raise at the Ecuadorian dinner and silent auction!

 I never dreamed I would be able to raise more money than I needed to go to Kroka, but if the Ecuadorian dinner and silent auction this Friday is successful, I can pass my goal. I have less than $1,000 left to raise in order to cover the costs of the semester, and if I can raise more between now and August 31st, we will have a gift to bring to Ecuador, or to the community back home. There are millions of ways this gift can be manifested, and I may not know what the best gift is until after the semester, but I wanted to let you all know that my fundraising has taken on a new level of potential. Through your generosity, I may have the opportunity to give back to my community, and/or the Ecuadorian community I will soon be joining. So onward and upward!

I'm excited to share with you a two minute snippet of Artemis' film Two Who Dared which tells the story of his grandparents who dedicated their lives to rescuing refugees during the second World War, at the dinner this Friday. If you are interested, you can stay after dinner to watch the film in its entirety. Copies of the film will also be in the silent auction. To learn more about the film and the mission behind it, follow this link: http://www.twowhodared.com

If there's any chance you or your friends can come to the dinner, I'd like to get a head count by 2:00 PM tomorrow, so please send me an email (singforjoy7@gmail.com). Let's keep spreading the love, the joy and the inspiration!

Silent Auction Item Pics

Hey everyone,

I hope you are all as excited about the Ecuadorian Dinner and Silent Auction as I am! Kroka is approaching at breakneck speed, so it will be great to have the opportunity to spend some time with some of you before I leave and share with you a taste of Ecuador.

Twenty-one people have made reservations so far, and there are plenty more spaces (River Arts can serve up to 150), so come on over and join the fun if you are free! I know it's difficult to know your schedule in advance, but I need to have a pretty good idea of how many people are coming by Monday so I can buy the right amount of food (call 802-888-5729 or email singforjoy7@gmail.com). It will be a fabulous evening no matter how many people show up, but this is my last big fundraising event, so it would be awesome to have a good turnout.

In addition to the meal, there will be white and red wine available for $5 a glass (to those over 21, of course) and after dinner tea and coffee so we can enjoy a leisurely evening together. However, if you are in a rush and can't stay, but would like to get some food, you can get take out if you bring your own containers.

I want to thank Chuck's Bikes, Hearbeet Lifesharing and my neighbors Nancy and Colyn for donating some fabulous items for the silent auction! Their contributions are greatly appreciated. I also want to thank my friends for offering to help cook and advertise, River Arts for renting me their beautiful space,  Applecheek Farm for donating eggs, Hannafords for donating a $30 gift card, and everyone who has made reservations; I could never even begin to dream of hosting such an event without your support and enthusiasm.

If you can't make it to River Arts, but would like to make a bid on one of the items, give me a call or send me an email and let me know what your max bid is, and I will put your name down.

XLC Backpack with Scotchlite reflective material. Value $50. Minimum bid $25.

Vermont countryside felted picture. Value $75. Minimum bid $35.

Bontrager Solstice WSD Helmet.
Value: $45 Minimum bid: $25

Half-hour pony rides for two children on hilltop property in Hyde Park.
Value:  $40    Minimum bid:  $25

Aerial tour of northern Vermont,
Value: $200 Minimum bid: $100

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