Beavers Without Borders Blog: Final thoughts and acknowledgments
June 20, 2012
Beavers Without Borders, in partnership with Holt International (local children's services organization), returned from Ethiopia over the weekend. It's the fourth trip that OSU student-athletes have taken abroad since the BWOB program began in 2011; also visiting Guatemala twice and Macedonia.
Among this year's BWOB team, which will assist in the construction of living quarters for two families, was senior gymnast Stephanie McGregor. She be blogged throughout the trip for NCAA.org, unfortunately a lack of Internet connection did not allow her to communicate with the rest of the world. We'll follow her experience as the blogs are released
Beavers Without Borders: Final Thoughts and Acknowledgements / July 14, 2012
Now that I'm back in Corvallis I can truly say that my BWOB experience in Ethiopia was the trip of a life time. After hearing about other people's BWOB trips I had high expectations going in, but they were exceeded in every way possible. The entire trip was incredibly special but some of my favourite memories include visiting the health clinic, the community welcome on the first day, the soccer game, the shoe distribution, breaking gender stereotypes by working on the house, playing with the children and bonding with the team. One thing that struck with me that I haven't talked about yet is the universality of the smile. I've discovered that simple gesture can communicate so much. I'm going to make an effort to smile more often at the people, those I know and those I don't, that I pass.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Travel Home Day #2 / July 13, 2012
We're back in the US! Overall, travel went incredibly smoothly. I faced one minor complication when I couldn't get through customs in Dubai because I'm Canadian.
I had to acquire a visa and get my eyes scanned. This process didn't take too long, but I suspect I contributed to the funding of the Rolex clocks found throughout the airport.
Luckily I travelled with more than enough cash so I could cover this unanticipated expense. The shower in the Dubai hotel was wonderful after the unpredictable showers in Ethiopia. Not only was it hot, it also had water pressure. It also felt good to brush my teeth using tap water again.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Travel Home Day #1 / July 12, 2012
Today we began the trip back home. It started with a 7 hour van ride from Paradise Lodge to the Addis airport.
Surprisingly, I was able to sleep despite the roughness of the road and crazy driving. It took an excessive amount of time to get to our gate through the various check points at the airport but eventually we were on the plane headed to Dubai.
The fresh tomatoes and peppers served as part of the airplane dinner were a highlight for me. I've loved the Ethiopian food but really missed fresh fruit and veggies.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Paradise Lodge / July 11, 2012
Now that the working portion of the trip is complete we're staying at Paradise Lodge for two nights. Paradise Lodge is located about 4 hours south of Butajira overlooking the Abaya and Chamo Lakes. The views from all the rooms are breathtaking.
The further we travel away from the capital the worse the roads get. We decided the trip to Paradise Lodge was like a four hour Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland because it was just so bumpy and all over the place. Only the giant boulder at the end was missing.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Visiting the Shinchicho Hospital and thinking about the future / July 10, 2012
Today we travelled about two hours south to visit the Shichicho hospital. We began our tour by walking through the construction site.
They are literally building the hospital brick by brick as the cement blocks are made on site. Mike, the Ethiopian engineer in charge of the project, was able to tell us what each room will be used for.
It was very cool to be able to envision the finished hospital and what a difference it will make to that community. First and foremost, the new facilities will help bring in doctors.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Our final day in Butajira / July 9, 2012
This morning we got a chance to go shopping. We left bright and early from the hotel to drive to Addis.
Thanks to the local people who work for Holt we knew exactly where to go in town for the best Ethiopian coffee, scarves and other souvenirs.
Sarah gave us quick lesson on bartering and how the initial price you are quoted is generally twice what you should end up paying. I discovered it takes a while to negotiate the price and I could use some more practice to improve my bartering skills.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Work Day #5: The final day of work and a soccer game / July 8, 2012
Back at the worksite this morning more plaster was needed so I stripped off my shoes and socks and got into the mud to mix. I think all my dead skin was exfoliated yesterday because mixing the dirt, water and straw hurt. I actually ended up with quite a few little scratches all over my feet and lower legs. I'll just make sure I keep them nice and clean.
All that is left of the home construction is the installation of the doors and windows but this was our last working day. We were all sad to be done but at least we'll be back at the worksite tomorrow for a closing event.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Work Day #4: Staying warm and living in the present / July 7, 2012
Today the road into the work site was too wet and we had to walk in. It was a slow go and I was surprised that no one ate it since the mud was very slippery.
I can't imagine having to make that walk every day. The frame is now completely finished and we began the plaster. We carted the mud that we mixed so wonderfully yesterday into the house, added water and straw and used our feet to combine everything together.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Work Day #3: A mud fight and challenging gender roles / July 6, 2012
Last night I crashed at 9 pm. Literally I crashed.
Martie and I went into our rooms after dinner and laid down for a second on our beds. My plan was to read some more of `Cutting for Stone' but before I knew it I was sound asleep.
When I woke up an hour later I was confused as to what happened. I figured I best put my pajamas on and crawl under the covers. Between the physical labor, being outside in the elements, the time change and just all the emotions of this experience we are all exhausted by the end of each day.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Work Day #2: Rain and playing some soccer / July 5, 2012
Today it started to rain after lunch so we weren't able to make it back to the worksite in the afternoon because the road was pure mud. It's okay though because we're pretty far ahead of schedule.
Instead we wondered up the street where there was a basketball court and soccer nets. We brought Julie's soccer ball and Brian's football.
All of a sudden a soccer game started between our student-athletes and the children who were at the field. Everyone worked up a good sweat and it ended up being a tie game.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Work Day #1: Building houses out of sticks and mud / July 4, 2012
Today was the most amazing day! We started with breakfast at 7:00. I've discovered that injera is clearly a staple food here. This morning it was served in a tasty spicy dish.
The bananas here are basically a different fruit. Even the ones that appear over ripe are perfectly delicious and so bananaey. I know bananaey isn't a word but that's the best way I can describe them!
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Arrival in Butajira / July 3, 2012
We continued south of the capital city towards Butajira, the town where we will spend most of the trip. The views of the land were breathtaking as the skies were clear and the sun was beginning to go down.
There were animals roaming about next to the road and small huts where people lived. I wanted to take it all in but found myself falling asleep near the end of the two hour drive despite the bumpy road. A couple of times as I dozed off my head lurched forward when we went over big bumps and smacked the seat in front of me.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Arrival in Addis Ababa / July 2, 2012
The contrast between the Addis Ababa airport and the Dubai airport was striking. Addis Ababa was minimal with only the bare necessities (toilet paper is not a necessity, apparently) and none of the extravagance found in Dubai. Back in Seattle we each checked a huge duffle bag filled with shoes to donate along with a bag of our own luggage.
We collected our two bags and then headed to customs. Both of my bags made it through customs. I was asked what the shoes were for and had to pull out the letter we had been given. However, the customs agent next to us would not let the shoes through and ended up taking all the bags of shoes, even the ones that had been approved. Hopefully the hundreds of shoes will be approved and recognized as donations soon so that we will be able to distribute them to the local people
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Travel Day #2 / June 19, 2012
Day 2 of traveling found us back at the Dubai Airport to catch our flight to Addis Ababa. The German National volleyball team was on our shuttle from the hotel to the airport.
I was reminded how sports are truly international when it was easy to start a friendly conversation with the volleyball player sitting closest to me. Her English was excellent and made we wish I was able to speak more than one language.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Arrival in Dubai / June 19, 2012
We left Seattle around 6 pm and it never got dark outside during our entire 14 hour plane ride! I'm not exactly sure how that worked, but I guess we were flying with the sun. It was relatively easy to sleep because the cabin lights were dimmed and my body felt it was the middle of the night.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders: Travel day #1 / June 18, 2012
I can't believe we're finally on our way to Ethiopia! The past week has been a whirlwind of finals, some gymnastics practice, graduation ceremonies and celebrations and of course preparing and packing for the trip. Luckily, I started to pack early (unlike some of the other student athletes haha) so that I had time to attend numerous graduation celebrations over the past few days and say goodbyes.
I've developed a lot of special friendships here at OSU so some of the goodbyes were especially hard to make as friends graduate and move on to bright futures. Four years really has flown by and I'm looking forward to completing my final year of eligibility next year.
To read more of Stephanie's blog click here.
Beavers Without Borders - Ethiopia / June 15, 2012
In two days I'll leave North America (for the first time ever!) to travel to Ethiopia with 11 other Oregon State student athletes where we'll be building two homes for local families. The trip was organized through Beavers Without Borders (BWOB) in partnership with Holt International. I wanted to be a part of BWOB as soon as I heard former OSU football player, Taylor Kavanaugh, talk about his vision for an international service program for student athletes at OSU two years ago. After hearing stories from two of my teammates about previous BWOB trips to Guatemala and Macedonia I knew I HAD to sign up for the trip to Ethiopia. I'm grateful that my coaches are very supportive of the trip. I considered changing my plans after rupturing my Achilles back in December but thankfully my coach reminded me that some things (like this opportunity) are much more important than the two weeks of rehab and swinging bars that I'll be missing.
To read more of Stephanie's initial blog click here.
