this summer

Just to fill everyone in before I head off to the jungle...

I actually spent my summer in a different jungle - the concrete one. NYC was a challenge but also a great time. I never felt so short or longed to see the sky so badly. But what we did there was literally awe-some. I helped with charity outreach for the Dispatch Foundation, check it out at http://www.dispatchfoundation.org/. Dispatch, the stellar indie-rock band which broke up a few years ago, has a collective passion for Zimbabwe. Brad, Chad and Pete, who make up the former band, are three of the most inspiring guys I've ever met. Working to raise awareness and active their millions of fans was a dream come true. They broke so many indie-band records, gave the show of a lifetime, and most importantly raised much needed for aid to Zimbabwe and opened the eyes of hundreds of thousands of folks around the world. Zimbabwe is falling apart and the world was not watching. It was incredible to be a little part of bringing attention to a crisis of the global human condition, absolutely incredible!

Anyways, before that, as yall know, I was working with many of you at UVA on our Journey project. We were inspired by the life of Dan Eldon (http://www.daneldon.org/) and wanted to live his story and mission for him. We had so much fun! From beer pong tournaments to late night bake sales after crazy concerts on the downtown mall to filmed discussions with renowned professors and free, hot, Mellow Mushroom pizza, it was a thrilling ride. Every cent we raised is going to help build a well in Maputaland, South Africa. For more on that go to http://www.creativevisions.org/.

Sooo - now we are bringing the two together, in a way. It's called Deep River Tribe and it is creative activism for the global community (thanks, David!). It was a huge internal struggle for me to decide between running with this full-time, getting out there in a bio-diesel tour bus and having a ball with college students around the country to let them know they can do this too or fully serving and learning for 27 months in Madagascar. It's in every single one of us to want to put a smile on someone else's face. We each have a beating heart and live in a world, again, under one sun, with one Lord, with deep rivers running through and connecting us all together. We all want to have fun and use our time wisely. Whether you want to throw a huge keg party and charge everyone a donation of a buck, or sell delicious rice krispy treats (thanks, 41U!) after an insane Robert Randolph show in the rain, or hold a homerun derby on a field on Grounds, or join the Peace Corps... do it, but do it for a cause. 1. to have FUN, 2. to HELP and LEARN. Both are needed if this world is going ever be at peace or not be hungry or be fair.

We have some amazing non-profits and towns we have aligned with to start fundraising for: the Elias Fund (http://www.eliasfund.org/), Grassroot Soccer (http://www.grassrootsoccer.org/), Maputaland, Johanassburg and Kliptown South Africa... and some great people, too. Musicians, businessmen, teachers, students, people JUST LIKE YOU. But, we don't want to throw these on anyone. We just want to let the youth of America know what's out there. We want to let their passions come out and help them let that special spirit fly. If you care about the rainforests in Costa Rica or the AIDS epidemic in Africa or the surge of orphans in India or the homeless group which live under the benches right down the street from you fraternity house... show it.

It's been a tough decision to make and I am counting on each of you, my beloved friends and family, to help me know Deep River Tribe will be hugely successful while I am in Madagascar. It is needed here. Please tell everyone you know about DRT. I have been dreaming of this cool $1 campaign... let's make it happen! If you tell at least one more person and ask them to tell one more... and everyone gives even just one dollar, those 1 BILLION people, humans, just like us, which live on LESS THAN $1 A DAY can hopefully survive on more. Thank you so much to everyone who has already clocked countless hours in this, who has supported me and my various causes, who has brought me in to theirs, thank you! I know I am already asking a lot of yall as I leave - for happy thoughts and prayers and CDs with songs which will remind me of home and suggestions on all things Malagasy :) but please add this to the list. Join the Deep River Tribe facebook group and cause, check out what's going on around you and see where your energy and love can help make this world a little bit better. Please click here right now: http://www.change.org/nonprofit_page/nonprofit_home/93061 to join Deep River Tribe.

Thank you SO MUCH! Let's please try to catch up before I go, I'm around...

Love,
Erin

PS - I know this is going to embarrass him so much, but my boss for the Dispatch Foundation is one of the most effective and truly gifted, happy people I have ever met. Well, all of you are, that's why you are reading this, I love yall! But, Jeb has this really great clothing company which totally fits the style of most of yall reading this and not enough of you know about it. So here's my plug for Maax... it's so cute and it's all made in his factory by real people who he treats wonderfully every day in NH... http://www.bluefishriver.com/.

Peace

the masoandro

Hey yall!

I guess I will start off by explaining what I named this crazy blog thing. It was a running joke in our little yearbook nerd class in 11th grade that when I took over as editor, South was doomed to have a yearbook filled with peace signs, flowers and smiley faces all over it's colorful pages. Well, that didn't happen - but now it's my chance to kind of go fill a little village in rural Madagascar with some smiley faces, flowers, and peace. Pretty corny, eh? Pretty cool, too :)

Now, the name on the actual address is even cornier. masoandro is Malagasy for sun. Since Madagascar is in the Southern hemisphere we won't have all the same stars. Well, Aussies, I will get to share that Southern Cross with yall again! But we will all have the same sun. I know being so far away is going to be a huge challenge for me and for a few of you, so I figure every time we check this thing, we can remember that, right?!

Anyways, enough "creative" emotional stuff. I am starting this blog now so I can figure it out before I get to Madagascar. I have been reading a bunch of other folks blogs that are in training over there now. This is the most descriptive out of the bunch, if you want to get a taste of what I'm in for, check it out. I hope the kid doesn't mind! http://www.adamgascar.blogspot.com/

I'm not sure how often I will get to write from Madagascar, but I think having this is the best way to do it. Yall can each check this whenever you want to procrastinate or have a laugh about me trying to adapt over there. I hear that letters are the best way for you to stay in touch with me and I will put my training address up on here next time.

So, thanks for being excited and sharing this experience with me. It's gunna be an amazing adventure and I'm really glad that you can see parts of it through this. Check in often :)

Hope you are all doing great!

Farewell for now,
Erin