Every day we take the beauty of our access to technology for granted.  We don’t even think twice about the ease of posting a Facebook update to complain about the person who just tried to cut in line at the cash register seconds after it happened.  Or the technological miracle of receiving real time traffic notifications on our iPhones, telling us that there’s a jam on the highway and we should take another route.

It’s after midnight. I’m sitting in my tiny room at the guesthouse run by the children’s home in Ethiopia.  I've just spent the last 2.5 hours trying to talk to my husband in Switzerland.  First we tried Skype.  Then we tried Google chat.  I couldn't even get Gmail to load.  Somehow, Facebook messenger worked for about 5 minutes in total, but interspersed with long breaks of disconnection.  Failure. 

Meanwhile, in the past 10 days I've visited 7 different mobile and internet shops in 2 countries, bought 7 different SIM cards, tested 5 different modems, and have spent over $300 of my own cash trying to get a reliable connection to the internet.  

Many parts of Africa have leapfrogged in technological advances, and people are really benefiting from the innovations in technology - some of which are more advanced than we have in Switzerland.  Mobile technology on the continent is contributing to education, activism, disaster management, agriculture and health.* Everyone in Kenya uses M-Pesa, a mobile payment system, for everyday transactions at shops, restaurants, and even when sending money to a friend or loved one. But it’s also true that some rural areas still lag behind and devices haven’t yet come down in price.

The good news is that I finally resolved the issue in Kenya.  And, after getting bumped off a flight in Nairobi and put up in a hotel with free hi-speed WI-FI, you can bet that I had all 32 GB of photo and video documentation from field work at Maisha home syncing up to the cloud.  The sacrifice of 3 hours of sleep was well worth it!

I’m hopeful that with a bit more time and money, I’ll be able to set up a faster connection here in Ethiopia as well.  Fighting slow connections sometimes feels like precious time lost.  But providing updates and evidence to our amazing supporters is an important aspect of the job.  And reading the supportive comments beneath the posts makes it worthwhile. I’m also looking forward to continuing innovation in Africa.  And in the meantime, I feel immense gratitude for the hi-speed technology I am blessed to have in my daily life back home – making our lives easier and more comfortable while stimulating innovation and economic growth. 

*CNN - Seven ways mobile phones have changed lives in Africa ​

​Arriving at Maisha Children’s Home is always a fun adventure.  Sheets of rain poured down over Ruai, so by the time I arrived kids, dogs, cats, and aunties were scattered everywhere, trying to avoid getting wet while getting yelled at to take their muddy shoes off before entering the house. (Tomorrow morning will be spent mopping the mud-tracked floors). 

After hugs and high fives from all the kids and staff, I got straight to unpacking and distributing all the donations for the kids (generously provided by super ambassador, Giulio, the Lego Foundation, and a handful of other Gracias activists):

•       Books
•       Kids’ magazines
•       DVDs
•       Games
•       And, of course, the famous Legos – about 5 XXL vacuum packed bags, along with containers to store them in.

The kids went straight for the books, unsure of what to do with the Legos.  

A little later, after a quick and tasty meal of rice and potatoes, one of the kids finally looked at the airplane Lego parts and asked me if I knew how to build one. “Uh yeah, sure”; when I was a kid there weren't any fancy airplane kits, just the standard red and yellow bricks.  I got started and was soon scratching my head trying to figure out how to build a cockpit, so I had to get the kids to take over! Within seconds, all the kids were fully engaged, digging through the pieces, building bridges, putting little plastic hair on little plastic heads, and ironically, putting together Harry Potter Lego sets while watching the Harry Potter DVD.  Even the littlest one was so proud of himself for building a tower – calling my name after adding each brick so I could see how great his building skills were.

One of the kids – a 14 year old who wants to be an engineer and who fixes all the electronics when they are broken – starting looking at all the little pieces, the non-brick parts which join things together or act as steering wheels, flag poles and handlebars. 

“I’m going to build a helicopter,” he said.  “I am an engineer. I can build anything…” 

He started putting a few pieces together and soon had something that resembled a satellite. Then, turning around, he saw that the other 2 oldest teenage boys (16 and 17 years old) were retiring to their sleeping “shed” to hang out. 

 “… but not today, tomorrow” he decided, and followed suit.

I can’t wait to see tomorrow’s creation.

​By Amy Paulson (Reposted from The Gracias Foundation, now called Global Gratitude Alliance)

Something about embarking on international travels always excites me. But this trip to Kenya and Ethiopia has given me a lot of stress.  Maybe it's because of the Nairobi airport fire – though I know that isn't the whole story as the "stomach issues" I had last night were the same ones that I had the night before I was scheduled to leave last week. I think it's partly because I'm traveling without my husband on this trip and nearly a month is a long time for us to be apart. Also, it’s because I have so much to accomplish and I'm nervous that I won't get it all done.

I can plan and plan and write multiple check- lists and post- it reminders about all the stuff I need to do (and I did all these things). But if there’s one thing I've learned from so much travel, it’s that sometimes it’s best to accept that I cannot control everything. So I’ll just roll with the punches, achieve what I can and try to keep a good sense of humor. Because a wry smile or a belly-laugh might just relieve the tension and enhance my sense of well-being and enjoyment.

​By Amy Paulson (Reposted from The Gracias Foundation, now called Global Gratitude Alliance)

I was at Zurich Airport on Wednesday waiting for my flight to Nairobi. I was tired, from a 5:30am start and my stomach was churning from excitement and some anxiety about traveling alone to Africa for a month long trip to our projects in Kenya and Ethiopia. I’d already called my parents the day before, checked three 20 kg bags of luggage (including a huge Lego donation), kissed my husband goodbye and had a cry when we parted ways at airport security. 

I made my way to the gate and was getting in line for some much needed coffee when I got a text from my friend: "I suppose u know that there was a big fire at Nairobi airport…"  

Seconds later, I got a call from Maisha founder, Beatrice, whose mother, Mama Maisha, was calling her from Kenya and updating her on the situation. A fire had swept through the international arrivals hall at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.  Flights were being rerouted to other airports in Kenya and in East Africa.  

Suddenly, I heard people around me saying, "Fire at Nairobi airport!" I stepped out of the coffee line and tried to look for news on my phone, when the SWISS staff finally made an announcement:  Fire at the airport… more info at 9.30am - the time when we were supposed to depart.  

Realizing I might not be able to leave after all and would have to wait for additional news, I got back into that coffee line.

Confusion, fear and stress. The options soon became clear: fly to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and try to find a hotel and onward travel to Nairobi from there - without any further support from the airline. Or rebook my ticket. Looking back over that strange day, I can see some positives:

·         I can cope with a crisis, make decisions and be resilient. After a couple of calls, I decided to rebook my ticket. I managed to run like the wind to get third in line at the transfer desk and rebook a flight to Mombasa for Sunday. I'd still need to figure out transport to Nairobi but at least that would buy me some time.  I’ve since been able to rebook a direct flight to Nairobi on Tuesday - much less hassle with those three massive bags.

·     I can extend my time in Nairobi and now review three extra days of Gracias-sponsored tutoring taking place at the Maisha Children’s Home. A teacher's strike last month meant that the tutoring wouldn't start until a day before I was originally scheduled to leave Nairobi.  The first day of any new activity is always a bit chaotic; these extra days will give teachers and kids a chance to organize themselves and start benefiting from the learning activities while I evaluate the progress.

·         I can spend more time with my husband (who'd just returned from a weeklong business trip), friends, and cat.

·         I caught up on some much needed sleep Wednesday afternoon (4 hour nap, anyone?)

·       I’m using the extra time to catch up on some pending tasks, take publicity photos and update the website.

Today I’m feeling extreme gratitude for all the above, that no one was seriously hurt in the fire and that I'm "stuck" at home (with no scheduled meetings - yay!) instead of stuck and desperately seeking shelter in another country.  As I wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, “I dodged a big bullet!”

 Photo courtesy of crschmidt