Enroute to Moz!

24 hours later and we're halfway there! :) Six of us Habitaters met up last night in Toronto: Michelle, Susanne, Chelsea, Lisa, Nancy V and Nancy B. We took off a little after 6:45pm on a huge, double decker Air France flight for Paris and arrived in Paris this morning at 8am- 8am France time that is... a huge difference compared to Halifax time where it would have been 3am!! :) Oh well, semi-rested, super excited and pumped that our luggage got checked all the way through to Africa (leaving us only with our carry-ons), we made an inpromptu trip in to Paris for the day! What an amazing day it was- not only was it beautiful and sunny but we managed to see most of the sights. We purchased RER tickets for the train which took us right in to downtown Paris and from there, bought "Batobus" tickets which allowed us to hop on and off a boat all day and see everything we wanted to!

We went to Notre Dame first, taking some pictures of the amazing architecture before grabbing the boat to the Louvre. Michelle, Susanne and Nancy V had already been there before so they decided to catch some rays in the park out front while Nancy B, Lisa and myself went in to explore. What an enormous building- it was incredible! From it's signature glass pyramid and stunning paintings to the Mona Lisa- it was all pretty surreal. From the Louvre, we met up with the other girls and walked though the streets of downtown Paris- so beautiful! We stopped to take photos at the Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, before finally heading over to the Eiffel Tower! What a day!! :)

By that time our carry-ons were getting pretty heavy! Most of us were carrying between 25-30lbs on our backs for more than 5 hours so we decided to check out a little French cafe patio. We had a great meal, great wine and were even serenaded by a guy with an accordian- ohhh Paris... how romantic! haha

After our meal we headed  back down to the river to grab our boat and motor back to Notre Dame where we could grab the RER train again and head back to the airport. We got a little turned around but found our way back to the train with lots of time to spare. For anyone heading in to the city this way, one note of caution- make sure you you hoof it through the gates after you've inserted your RER ticket or you might get stuck! Probably the funniest part of the day was seeing Michelle half in and half out of the gate!! Her body was through but her backpack got locked on the other side! And yes, instead of helping, we doubled over in laughter and took pictures... so did everyone else around! Nice move Michelle! :) There is nowhere to upload photos here at the airport but stay tuned!

Just a few hours now and we'll be off to Jo-burg! Found some wicked chairs, so we'll be relaxing until then! Thanks for all the comments- keep 'em coming! :)

Chelsea

It's Time for Africa! :)

It's finally here- we're leaving on a jet plane bright and early tomorrow morning! :) This afternoon we received an email from HFH Moz sharing stories of the families we will be building homes for. As most of you know, the HFH project in Moz is unique. With over 1 million Mozambicans living with HIV/AIDS, Habitat has created a special program called the Orphans and Vulnerable Children program. This means that all of the families we will be working with are either living with at least one family member who has the disease or has been directly impacted by it in some way.  

In the first family there is Filida Cossa. She is a widow, having lost her husband to AIDS, and now supports her two girls, Eunice Bernardo (15 years old) and Giloide Bernardo (12 years old) on her own. Both girls attend school (grades 5 &6) and work around the house and farm to help provide for their family.

In the second family there is Cacilda Mboene and her two girls, Veronica Mboene (10 years old) and Ercilia Mboene (6 years old). Both girls work on the family farm and sell their vegetables to support themselves.

Our third house is being built for Eunice Arone Ngove. She is 12 years old and has been living by herself since she lost her mother to AIDS last year. Eunice is attending school and is in grade 5. Her aunt lives just 1 minute away and helps to feed and clothe her but she does not have room for her to live at her home.

It's these kind of stories that put everything back in perspective and bring it all home. It's why we're doing this! Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way- you are just as much a part of it as we are! :)




Eunice Ngove



Cacilda Mboene



Filida Cossa



                                                     

The Countdown Has Begun!

With one week to go before we start our adventure, everyone is busy packing, re-packing, packing some more, and yes, re-packing yet again! :) Who knew it was going to be this hard?? I guess the fact that those of us also climbing Kilimanjaro have to pack for 4 different seasons presents a little problem when you are trying to limit yourself to one backpack and a carry-on! :)

For those of you who like to know details: We leave next Friday on the 29th and fly from Halifax to Toronto-Paris-Johannesburg-Maputo. It's a pretty long haul, arriving in Maputo on the 31st. The majority of our 20 person Habitat team from all over Canada will be meeting up and flying in to Maputo together from Johannesburg. From there we will travel a few hours by bus to Xai Xai (pronounced Shy Shy) along Mozambique's coastline to begin our build. We'll be busy building and exploring Mozambique for the first 10 days before heading in to South Africa for a 2 day safari at Kruger National Park! From there it's back to Moz where some team members will prepare to go home and  others will travel on to Tanzania for the Kili climb or to other parts of Africa.

Here's to the start of a new adventure! :)