New Blog Address

Hello all,

This is Flic (Hila's Mum) here. Hila is off on her adventure and having an absolutely amazing time!

She asked me to post the new blog address, so that you can follow her Ecuador expedition if you'd like to. So here it is:


http://krokaecuadorsemester2011.blogspot.com/


Thank you all so much for your incredible support of Hila.

Flic

Thank You

Hello all,

I sent this out as an email but am posting this here in case I don't have yours:



Dear wonderful friends and family,

I wanted to take the time before I leave to give you a small update.

First of all, I have two pieces of very exciting news:

In less than 48 hrs the semester will have started,

And I have made my $12,500 goal!

It’s hard to express how enormous both of those things are to me. After almost a year of fundraising and excitement for the expedition, it is now becoming a reality.

Over the past few weeks I have been gathering all of the equipment I need for the trip: the sleeping pad, the long underwear, spare strings for my fiddle, and packing it all into the plastic tub under my desk. Just this morning I ticked off the last thing on my packing list! How great that feels!

For physical preparations I've been hiking for 2hrs a day with 50 lbs in my pack. All the while running in the back of my mind are imaginings of Ecuadorian mountains. After such a long time of being there in my imagination it's hard to believe that soon I'm going to be there for real. Waves of excitement and anticipation crash over me as I realize that this adventure I've been looking forward to for so long is finally about to start.

It's hard for me to believe that I'm done with fundraising. It has been such a huge part of my life for the past year, and being finished feels a bit odd.

But what a ride it has been: from the cold November hours writing my fundraising letter, to the blistering heat of July, fiddling in the sun; from wheelbarrow races for the sports day, to wheelbarrow pushing while doing yard work; from painting and marketing my cards to cooking Ecuadorian meals, it has all been an adventure.

If you could go back one year in time and tell my past-self "Hila, by next fall you will have raised $12,500 to go on a crazy adventure to Ecuador" I would have scoffed. I would think you were insane. "I could never do that" I would say.

But the truth is, I have. And it is thanks to all of you.

Thank you so much for supporting me so greatly: to all who have so generously contributed, who have hired me over the past year, who came to a fundraising event, who have stopped to drop a dollar into my busking tin, who read the blog, who have asked about my trip, who gave an encouraging word.

As I look forward to the months ahead I can't help but look back as well, I notice our front yard and remember playing "jungle" in the tall weeds, I see the hill behind our house and think how many times I pretended I was a mountaineer as I climbed it. It's only now that I realize I haven't been looking forward to this trip just for the past year—I have wanted to do this my whole life.

You have my gratitude from the bottom of my heart: without you I could not do any of it, I feel infinitely lucky to have your support.

Thank you for making my dream come true.


Hila


P.S. I will post a link to the new blog so you can follow our travels in Ecuador, if you'd like to.

Hello Again!

I realize this post has been a ridiculously long time in coming, my apologies.

But maybe this is well-timed after all, as I am leaving in exactly a month and one day! As you may guess, I'm jumping with excitement. My fundraising—i.e. life for the past year—is coming to an end, and in about two months (after a few weeks of preparations together in NH) we'll be setting off for Ecuador, for the jungles and highlands, rivers and volcanoes. Wahoo!

Fundraising has been going really well; my main endeavor this month has been busking (playing fiddle on the street) for about two hours each day.

It's a fun job: playing tunes and smiling at people, and thanking them as they generously drop money in my tin. It is lovely to see folks walking down the street raise their heads and nod and smile, or stop for a moment, tapping their feet in time to the music. I feel lucky to be able to connect with so many people through something that I love.

Busking

I also got to play at the Farmer's Market on July 1st, which was very enjoyable. While I was there a friend came by to record some of my fiddle playing, and a short interview about the Ecuador trip and my fundraising endeavors. He very generously included the piece in his Saturday radio show on WERU which aired the following weekend (thank you Scot!)

At the Farmer's Market

Speaking of which, I also was invited to be interviewed about the trip and fundraising on Belfast's Channel 2 TV. (I have a link to the clip if you're interested: http://www.vimeo.com/24253791). (Thank you, Ned, for taking some of your time to interview me).

It has been very exciting to start seriously preparing for the trip. Last week my mountaineering boots came in the mail! I took them out for a good two hour scramble up the cliffs and felt the rising anticipation as I knew that soon these boots and I would be climbing our way up a glacier-capped volcano.

First Hike With New Boots!

They will take some getting used to: the soles are so stiff that it's a bit like walking on blocks of wood. But all in all they are pretty comfortable and extraordinarily light.

My main fitness preparation right now has been jogging 5 miles a day. And I'm actually coming to enjoy it—the peace and rhythm I get into.

There are also other ongoing preparations, like learning Spanish and checking my packing list. It seems every time I turn I am reminded of the adventure ahead. It seems sometimes far away, sometime so soon—but always when I think of it my heart leaps with joy.

Until the next post!

Hila

Sports Day Fun!

What a fabulous Old Fashioned English Sports Day and Cream Tea we had yesterday! I for one had an enormous amount of fun, and Mum said that yesterday she laughed just as hard as she did when she was a little girl. Here are some pictures:

The ladies' hop

The judges having a yell-off!

I think Jen won

Bean bag race

Prize ribbons

Finish line

Egg and spoon!

Adult's egg and spoon!

Wheelbarrow

Three legged

Dash to the finish line!

Under 50s race

After the races were over we all trotted down to our house for a cream tea! There was a bit of confusion as to what exactly a cream tea is... cream in the tea? On the scone with jam? Jam in the tea? But eventually I think we all ended up with a "proper" cream tea: scone, jam and cream, separate from the tea.

We were very pleased that some "real" Brits (other than my Mum) showed up to show us how it all is done!

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as my family did. Thank you all for making this a true FUNdraiser.

Cheers!

Hila

Old Fashioned English Sports Day and Cream Tea

Hi all,

For our next fundraiser event we are going to have an Old Fashioned English Sports Day and Cream Tea!

Here's the poster, very generously designed by Susan Guthrie (thank you!)

 

Please come, all ages are invited. We'll have races! (Egg and spoon, three legged and others!) Croquet! Dressing up! And more. Plus a proper English tea with jam, homemade scones, cream and of course tea. As well as homemade organic lemonade. Bring your teacup, chair and your mum (if you want to).

On Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 8th
Starting at 1 P.M.
In Monroe on Red Barn Rd

RSVP: Hilaecuadortrip (at) gmail.com
Suggested donation: $10 a person, $5 for kids


My mum came up with the idea, and we're having a great time thinking up ideas for sports and prize ribbons and gathering tea pots and things. My mum has been telling me about the sports days they had when she was little, and they sound very funny (it's quite handy that she is British and has actually been to English sports days, and that she grew up with cream teas). We found some old black and white pictures of egg and spoon races and sack races from this kind of event online and were just hooting over them! I'm very excited about this one.

Really, I'd love for you to come join the fun, bring a friend, bring your kids, bring your mum! (Or not.)

Cherio!

Hila

Update

Hello!

I just thought I'd give a general update on what I'm doing and how things are going! Well, here are my fundraising endeavors at the moment:


Current Efforts

Dog training and walking twice weekly

Going on my regular bottle route to collect returnable bottles

Preparing to host an Ecuadorian Dinner on April 9th

Shoveling snow (no! Not more snow!)

Other yard work

Organizing the next fundraising event, to be announced soon!


On the Horizon

I'm very excited about a few prospective jobs coming up within the next month or so:

Working at a plant nursery in the spring and summer

Making two separate promotional videos for two different friends

Designing a blog and Etsy page for another friend who is a fabulous fiber artist

Playing for a farmers' market

Doing yard work for friends

I'm also excited about the upcoming event that is in the works

And when it warms up I can start busking


As you can see there's a lot to do!

Hila

Ecuadorian Dinner Filled

Hello.

Well, we've filled up the dinner! I'll keep it posted about more upcoming events.

Hila

Ecuadorian Dinner

Hi all,

We are having a fundraiser Ecuadorian Dinner! We still have four places open, and we would love to have you if you'd like to come. Please contact me at Hilaecuadortrip (at) gmail.com. It is going to be fun and delicious! Info below:


The Menu
For a starter we will be serving:

Locro de Papa, a creamy cheesy potato soup with avacado

Followed by the main course:

Frijoles Negro with Arroz Amarillo, deliciously spiced black beans with yellow rice
Sweet Plantain
A Spicy Chicken Empanada with white cheese, and a Roasted Vegetable Empanada
Both served with a Jalapeno-lime Dipping Sauce

And then for dessert:

Flan de Coco, a lovely sweet coconut flan.


When and Where

Saturday, April 9th
6PM
Belfast, at 97 Kaler Rd

Suggested donation: $20 a seat

Please RSVP: Hilaecuadortrip (at) gmail.com. Thanks!




Hila

Selling on Etsy

Hi!

I just thought I'd mention my Etsy shop where I'm now selling cards and the originals, including my newest, the Sally Lightfoot Crab from Ecuador (see last post). Etsy is an online craft and art shop where a wide variety of artists sell their work. If you're interested you can check my page out at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Artfinger.

The site is also just a neat place to look around.

Hila

New Crab Painting

Hello,

I'm very happy to have finished a painting! It's the fourth completed this year: a South American Sally Lightfoot crab. I was caught by the crab's beautiful bright colors, and it was truly a joy to paint. Cards coming soon.

Acrylics on Canvas, 8''x10'' 3/2011,
Sally Lightfoot Crab © Hila

Finished Painting

Second Snowshoe Success!

Hello all,

Yesterday's snowshoe was a blast. The weather was beautiful, cold but sunny, and after Jon Wescott handed out the snowshoes and everyone was strapped into them, we headed off.

We tromped down the trail, following it into the woods and along the river. The soft sound of everyone's snowshoes scuffing the trail was our constant companion, making it unlikely that we would see any wildlife, although we did see plenty of tracks. Some of the kids kept stopping to pick up leaves and sticks on the trail which slowed us a little, but it was nice to see they were enjoying themselves.

Then we stopped under a huge oak and Jon started up his kettle boiler for hot chocolate. The kids were very inquisitive about how it worked, and looked like they liked snapping twigs into small bits to fuel the fire.

As I said in an earlier post, when I was little Jon taught at a school I went to, and he used to take us on the most amazing field trips. We'd adventure up North and go dog sledding and hiking and skiing in the woods, and I loved it. Jon always had a knack for making it seem like a grand adventure. And as I sat watching Jon feed the fire in the kettle, that feeling rushed back to me and I felt like I was ten years old, on one of those magnificent field trips again.

Then the water was boiling and Jon poured out the cocoa and we served it up. We all sat and sipped our hot drinks, while a few kids played around the big oak. Then we headed off again, back towards home.

All in all it was just as much fun as the last one.

Thanks so much to Jon for having the idea of the snowshoe, and for heading our expedition! I really appreciate it. And thanks also to everyone who came! Thank you so much for your support and contributions. I hope you enjoyed the snowshoe as much as I did.


Pictures:

Hila

First Gear Purchase

Hello,

I'm very excited because I bought my first real item for the trip, a backpack! A lot of thought went into the choice, and I'm very pleased with the outcome. (Although I have yet to heft 50 pounds up a mountain in it). It's an Arc'teryx Bora 80L Backpack, the one recommended by Kroka Expeditions for the trip, that I managed to find for a reasonable price on eBay. It is amazing just thinking that this is going to come with me all the way to Ecuador. Hiking in the rainforest, climbing in the highlands... this will be on my back the whole time!

The backpack:

Hila

Snowshoe Success!

Hello!

I've just had a wonderful fundraising day of snowshoeing with many friends. I can't wait for the next one on the 24th! It was great fun and the weather was crisp and beautiful. The trail was packed hard, and turkey, squirrel, fox and deer prints were scattered across the snow around us. We followed the river for a time then turned up the path over some hills and stopped for a few minutes by a huge old oak. I felt so lucky to live in this beautiful place, and to be able to share it with others. Then we continued around the loop towards home.

We were out for about an hour, then arrived back at the house and enjoyed some hot soup. We talked and laughed until it was time for people to go. I couldn't have wished it to be better! Thank you so much to all you snowshoers who contributed towards my trip. It is so greatly appreciated.

If you'd like to come to the next snowshoe on the 24th of February, here's the info. Hope to see you then!

Here are some pictures of it all:

Hila

Jaguar

Hi all,

Another painting is finished! I'm taking it in to be scanned for cards today... pictures below.

I've been marking a trail for the snowshoe, (read about it here) very fun as it is so beautiful out! Snowflakes glint in the sun and the snow-covered pine bows make it seem as though I'm stepping through a postcard. I'm very much looking forward to the outing later this month.

Here's my finished painting:

Acrylics on Canvas, 16''x20'' 2/2011,
Jaguar © Hila

And the process from beginning to end:

Finished Painting

Painting, Cards and Snowshoes

Hello!

Well, much has been going on lately, and I've finished another painting! Some photos of its various stages are below.

It's being printed up on cards that will be available soon. On that note, I just discovered the problem with ordering the cards, and it is FIXED. So now you really can order my cards, sorry to anyone who has previously tried to order cards to no avail!

My days have been filled with painting... every day for some portion of time I sit by our wood-stove, brushes and canvas in hand. I squeeze blobs of paint onto my palette and run my brush through the bright colors, watching them swirl beneath the fine hairs. And then I begin to paint.

I find it amazing how many emotions I can have just while sitting at the table, brushing colors onto a bit of canvas. It can be so satisfying, or meditative, or sometimes incredibly frustrating. I also like to listen to things while I paint, some times music, but most often radio programs. The BBC has a wonderful selection of programs on their website and I can pick anything from the latest science about biomimicry, to dramatizations of the works of Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen.

Every day I also try to do something else (or many other things) to further my fundraising. And today, with the help of my mum, I'm ready to send out a piece about a snowshoe fundraiser adventure!

Jon Wescott has very generously offered to be the leader, and I'm delighted that he can do it, he is a very fun outdoor guide and teacher. Some of my fondest memories are of field trips he led to a camp with sled dogs, where he took us hiking and skiing through the snowy woods. He is very safety conscious and also has a knack for including kids of all ages.


Here are some pictures of painting progress:

 

 

 

 

Hila