Travel

Over North Africa

Somewhere west of Cairo, I woke up and wanted to pull my eyes out. Exhaustion has set in. I dug out the big guns: lemon ginger echinacea tea. If I could buy shares in this tea, I would. In the past year, it has saved many a day. Now I carry a few packages of it for special moments when a 2’4 is unavailable to crack myself back into calm.

So far in the last 24h, I’ve napped about 4 hours in total. My flight brain is getting fun. I woke up in a start over Germany and squeaked. Yes, squeaked and alarmed two seat mates. I saw a mouse. At least, I saw a mouse in my dream. They laughed. I seriously thought a mouse scurried over my feet. Red-faced apologies, but they laughed.

I am becoming the plane tourist. So, far I’ve watched African Cats. Sita is my new hero. Kala reminds me of, oh, that’s a tangent. Next up is a documentary: Meerkat Madness. Why do they look huggable? I might have time for Zoo Adventure. The last flight to AMS, I got bored watching Lincoln Lawyer and on this leg was Limitless. Meercats and lions over Hollywood. So, this is my state of mind.

Earlier I read Pius Adesanmi’s essay: “Going to Meet Black America” comparing poverty in the US with parts of Africa. It should be mandatory reading for some. I wish there was a talking/light car on the plane and that Sylvia was here to discuss the merits and faults of his argument. And, I need a book light. Since I’m not sleeping, I may as well learn and read.

Later today I meet some of my coworkers for the first time. Excited. Some nutcase decided that I should have 4 hours of meetings in the afternoon. Self-flog, but I am running an event in under a week and need to nail down details. That adventure will call for the Barcelona special. Drink within one hour:

1. One or two strong cups of expresso
2. Red Bull
3. One scary looking juice protein mix
4. Water

Enough writing in the dark. I love the timing of “If I ever leave this world” on my playlist. Appropriate. I travel with an old iPod and phone loaded with music. It saves on these long hauls.

“I’m ok, I’m alright…”

Time for cats!

18Aug

Live in Schipol

Schipol isn’t an airport. It is a total living centre.

Not 5 minutes after deboarding, I was chastised by a cheesemonger for denying his overtures to gouda. Glazed over I responded: “um, I need coffee and shower before I can eat.”

Clean showers in an airport are a novelty, which is why I had to pay for the right to feel like a human being after flight. Worth every penny to not be fogged up. I truly have no clue what time it is, but my body is smart enough to think it is late afternoon. (pats back).

Before boarding in Toronto, I met with Carolyn Dunn, CBC’s only Africa correspondent. How is it possible for one person to cover a whole continent? CBC news taught me the world. Patrick Brown reports from Asia and all of the other people. Apparently, with cutbacks investigative journalism and actual foreign correspondence are waning. This makes me sad. Before I met Ms. Dunn, I reviewed some of her Libya reports. She is a storyteller passionate about Africa and the news. So, I used the small window of conversation to learn about Libya via her eyes. I look forward to a day that we can learn more about the real Libyan people. The people she talked about who cleaned the streets, helped their neighbours and banned together to rebuild communities. She talked about the beauty of the people and the architecture. We are so caught up in the big name leader politics in 30 second bytes that these real snippets get missed.

Somehow I managed to find a university student studying GIS in Canada at the airport. Small world. She was returning to Nigeria for a visit. We got to chatting about mapping. I mentioned that I was in contact with a Lagos mapper who built http://lagostraffic.crowdmap.com/. I’ve connected them via email.

So far in Schipol: I’ve had a shower, been to a museum and had a nap in a bank lounge. Well, actually next to the bank lounge as I don’t have the prestigious VIP pass to get a leather couch. They do have swank lounge chairs with foot rests in the mediation area. (free) What amazes me about this place is all the space and quiet corners that you can hide and rest. Not surprising, I have no appetite yet. The airport is large enough that I was able to talk in a circle for about an hour and a half. This helped with the body crumbled feeling.

Shopkeeps are brilliant. I want to buy all the Dutch knicknacks and tulips for my Mom, kid’s toys for the nieces and nephew, some cheese and licorice for my Dad and, well, MAC cosmetics for myself. I don’t need anything and won’t buy, but they make it so attractive. I wonder what the books say about travel shoppers. I will garner that they spend, spend and spend. Everywhere I look hands are full of duty free bags. I was close to prey in Toronto. Lingering over The Shadow of the Wind for a bit, I contemplated buying it. Then, it struck me: I have this book because Mandy gave it to me. The copy has a different cover and is sitting on my table at home. The poor bookseller didn’t have a chance.

16Aug

Fashion, makers and postcards

Preparing for my trip to Kenya has been full of teaching moments.

I’ve read books on Africa for N00bs (I simply want to be respectful). This research has lead to surprising discoveries like Nigerian’s love of Don Williams (also a favourite artist of my Dad’s). Who knew about country music in Nigeria?

Fashion and Kenya
To be honest, this post about Vivenne Westwood in Kenya made me wince. I really felt like it was capitalizing on people’s lives. But, then I read deeper:

“The handbags in the lookbook are a part of Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Programme collection, where the iconic label has partnered with the International Trade Centre to provide jobs to over 7,000 women in the Kenyan capital, where they learn to create handmade, ethically produced bags for the London-based label. The project is intended to help provide people in one of the world’s poorest economies with actual skills they can use to maintain a living for themselves and their families.”

The number of people employed is respectable. Not that I could ever afford brand labels, or convince myself to actually wear them, but it made me stop for a minute. With a seamstress for a mother accompanied by hours in fabric shops, I have complete regard for the value of work and responsible clothing production. Innovation and the market place build new economies. My new employer is focused on creating software, but is part of a microcosm into a world of bright people creating with will and imagination.

One thing I have noticed is the shock that people have when I say I work for a tech company based in Nairobi, Kenya. And, the reaction I get from people (mostly strangers) warning me about the dangers of Africa. While I am sure danger is part of the story, I think this is indicative of the lack of awareness about how large the continent is: every city, country and village. Part of me thinks that I am a vehicle to share a different version of the story. I suppose it is like thinking that all of northern Saskatchewan (where I grew up) is full of redneck hicks. Well, yes, there are many fans of Jeff Foxworthy, but they are good people whom I call my family. These are also the first people who will give you a homemade blanket when your house burns down, then help you rebuild. People who are neighours help each other. I think that we need to start thinking about people around the world as neighbours we don’t know yet. For all the information in the world, the Internet and more, we still have so much to learn about each other.

Makers, doers
My Grandfather never bought a new tractor. He taught himself how to fix one and saved money to travel when he retired. On the same premise, my father who has invented gadget and kludges with whatever was laying around the yard or found in a discount bin. Much like Afrigadgets, just the northern Canadian version. We really are a consumer society in North America. It would do us well to think about why we need a special container for our water hose. My dad used a piece of wood and an old piece of metal to make me this:

Ron Leson, maker

We have so much, but does it make us happier? Instead of creating more waste: remake, remix or reuse. With talented parents who sew and build, I feel a bit lost in the maker realm. I don’t actually make anything physically valuable (besides good meals and a pretty garden), but I create connections and community. Maybe in my next act, I will be a maker.

Postcards
Call me old school, but I love postcards. I have a box of postcards from my Grandfather’s travels and a fridge covered with cards from friends. Postsecret is a long time favourite. Whenever I have the privilege to go anywhere, I send postcards to close friends and family. It bridges our imagination and gives an immediate connection to place and to people that a digital space might not. It makes far away places closer and takes people on the journey with you. My Grandfather wanted us to be engaged in our world. And, my mom, the biggest news junkie I know, simply wanted us to understand what part we play in learning about our world. On my fridge, I have a postcard from a coworker who traveled to Kenya long before I even imagined that I would be making this journey. Every day for 3 years I have looked at this postcard and thought: what is my place in the world? This love affair with postcards is not mine alone: The Lost art of Postcard Writing.

16Aug

Map Kibera, Kenya and Ushahidi

A map + GPS + volunteers + development = Map Kibera. My imagination of technology and mapping has been framed by a few strong examples of leadership, especially after meeting Jamie Lundine and seeing her speak at the International Network of CrisisMappers Conference.

Soon, I will have the honour to meet Jamie and her coworkers in the Kibera area. One of their projects, Voice of Kibera, uses Ushahidi. I consider this one of the more important aspects of my journey. Development using technology has its hurdles. Really, it is people who make these amazing projects happen.

Can you help Map Kibera:

Turn Maps into Action: Donate to the Map Kibera Project via Global Giving

Total Funding Received to Date: $1,715
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $2,285
Total Funding Goal: $4,000

Ushahidi: from volunteering to working

When I traveled to Ireland in 2009, I decided that I wanted to live a more meaningful life. For various reasons, I had been holding back on living my dreams and by my values. These are freeing “on paper” concepts. My family worked hard to give me the rich opportunity to do the type of work that inspires. This decision and the journey since has been incredible and, at times, very complex. Volunteering has lead me to find my calling of technology for social good and I work with Ushahidi. Now, I am constantly reminding myself to make sure that I leave time for breathing, while I focus on building community. Coworkers and the greater volunteer community of developers, translators, project managers and idea hackers leave me awestruck on a daily basis. It is motivation to do.more.act, and to take breathing lessons.

Kenya

I arrive in Nairobi on Friday, August 19th and return to Canada on September 3, 2011. While in Nairobi, I will co-work at the iHUB, run a few events, including testing Toolboxes to help deployers, and, most of all, learn as much as possible about Nairobi, Kenya, and Africa. I consider it a privilege to work for a innovative Kenyan company. And, going to Kenya will most likely alter my life as every touch point on this path has done. I am ready. Nervous because it is the big unknown, but excited and ready.

Watching the news and supporting various donation campaigns for the people of Somalia and the Horn of Africa is also on my mind. I have so much respect for humanitarian groups and encourage people to support their efforts to help. Every person can change the world and help their neighbour, even those half way around the world.

Heather

8Nov

Traveling the Open Web

If learning is about the diverse journeys, then travel metaphors seem appropriate. Mozilla Drumbeat’s Learning, Freedom and the Web brought over 400 people to Barcelona, Spain for a 3-day event. Normally, I save highly personal introspective writing for other spaces. But, there is value in reflection on the greater journey of learning and the open web.

Arc de Triomf, Barcelona Spain

What do Traveling and the Open Web have in Common?

Accessible to Novices
I’m a novice, armchair traveler. In fact, I own every Pico Iyer book and am obsessed with travel shows and movies. But, I am new to feeding my wanderlust. Attending the festival meant that I had to grapple with awkward, disorienting and exasperating moments that come with travel. Love it! While I’ve previously traveled to Australia, Ireland, Dominican Republic (resort) and throughout Canada and the United States, Barcelona offered brand new lessons. First off, I have become so reliant on my smart phone for directions, planning and networking that it was hard to be off-network. Traveling is about happenstance. You can advance plan, but there are still moments when a physical map or guide would help. Just like the Open Web, cities are completely accessible if you seek the opportunity to find a common language and navigate the discomfort of new experiences with a smile.

Back up your Data
A new friend was robbed at night walking in a public square. She lost her passport, money, safety and energy. All the travel guides that tell you to use a money belt and only carry a photocopy of your passport. What they don’t give is a human face of a ruined trip and the pall of fear that settles on the victim and their companions. It was a huge teaching moment and a very real experience in Barcelona. As a dreamer and wanderer, this could easily have been my story. As a geek, I know to plan for privacy, security, phishing attacks and backing up my offline and online data. The Open Web has to grapple with these barriers. But, it our responsibility as early adopters and change agents to teach and to share this knowledge in accessible ways across multiple communication channels, languages and learning styles. And, we need to have alternate/backup plans when things go awry.

Group Travel
We mostly traveled in groups during the event. Fortunately, late nights included new friends walking each other to hotels. Learning can sometimes be more rewarding in groups. It provides the opportunity for laughter and exploration in a safe way while capitalizing on the best knowledge available. With CrisisCommons, we are are focused on crowdsourcing and collaboration. We are traveling in a corner of the Open Web that builds an ever evolving community reliant on collaboration, trust and the best available knowledge.

Torben and Stian hanging out in the Badge Lab, Drumbeat

Make New Friends
Traveling to a new place provides an opportunity to make new friends. Drumbeat had a large safety net of old friends and new collaborators; the event was full of brilliant, engaging minds. Often, we found ourselves wandering around the city after connecting at sessions. I met people from Argentina, Brazil, Norway, Germany, UK, Ireland, Italy and Austria. And, of course, attendees from across Canada and the US. While it wasn’t a complete global event, there is an opportunity to grow in that direction. An Open Web cannot be built in a vacuum. This needs to start somewhere. I’m a firm believer that great things have been started as a result of the connections of Open Web and Open Education advocates united at Drumbeat. We made new friends and explored ways to create these spaces.

Getting Lost
My favourite part of traveling is independent wandering. This was somewhat curtailed by the fear of robbery. Fortunately, I found a work-around patch by way of a bicycle tour which afforded me the opportunity to explore with some sense of independence. Not being able to freely walk around at night was the hardest part about this trip for me. Now, I think about travel with the layer of accessibility, safety and fear. Learning this navigation in Barcelona is completely invaluable. It will help me move from a novice traveler someday. Open Web advocates need to find ways to open these very doors of accessibility, fear of change and learning styles. Without doing this, we will be at the same stage next year talking to ourselves rather than stirring it up on a larger scale. We need to get lost and be independent of our common alliance. This will allow us to share rather than tell.

Architecture teaches you
Barcelona is full of beauty with architectural brilliance from Gaudi to Gehry to Meir that can stop your breath. It teaches you perspective, design, spatial awareness and more. It is a moment of discovery to explore new visions of urbanism. The Drumbeat event was full of great moments and ideas that offered similar experiences. The Open Web is full of this opportunity to be jaw-droppingly awesome. But we need to consider the architecture around us. We can compliment and create spaces large and small that allow for imagination and spirit.

Attending Mozilla Drumbeat Festival of Learning, Freedom and the Web was a true honour. Thank you to Mozilla for the great opportunity to be on this journey. Special thanks to Mark Surman, Mitchell Baker, Allen Gunn, Nathaniel James, Matt Thompson, Matt Garcia, Kate Guernsey, Yolanda Hippensteele, Maria Sole, and all the Mozilla crew. More thanks as well to the new friends, innovators, and instigators I encountered.

(I will write a separate post on the content of the Drumbeat event. )

Heather

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