CONFIDENCE

-Dictionary Definition: con·fi·dence

ˈkänfədəns,-fəˌdens/

noun

noun: confidence

1. the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust."we had every confidence in the staff"

2. 
the state of feeling certain about the truth of something."it is not possible to say with confidence how much of the increase in sea levels is due to melting glaciers"


a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities."she's brimming with confidence"

My Definition: Often times being confused with arrogance and cockiness, confidence is one’s ability to believe in themselves and being able to push oneself to new limits.

Being in your comfort zone can be a very dangerous thing. But thankfully we have confidence, which allows us to get outside of our comfort zone. Confidence gives a flightless bird a pair of wings, confidence shatters records, and confidence makes “impossible” a suggestion.  And today confidence made me stop observing and start teaching, which gave me an opportunity to change these kids’ lives.

It may seem unrealistic that 8 short hours of lessons taught by high school students would drastically change the small population that attends the LOAMO Medium English school in Arusha, Tanzania. But if you saw what I saw today you would have no choice but to agree with me, primarily because we not only provide a presence of authority, knowledge, hope, but inspiration as well. I know for a fact that Class 7 at the LOAMO School in Arusha would have had a completely different day had we not been there. But because we were there we not only provided lesson plans that weren’t from a 1963 textbook, but we also provided inspiration.

Today I got a chance to sit down with Erick and Othman. I asked both of them what their plans were after grade seven of Primary English School. Both students told me that they didn’t want to move on to English Secondary School. Since they didn’t know how to interview and apply they were considering working at either the local Arusha market or becoming a policeman. This was alarming to me, primarily because Rasta John (A local Arusha translator) said, “Not only do you get laughed at and constantly judged but it is very hard to find work in Tanzania if you don’t pass Grade 7.” This was hard to hear from two outstanding students. Therefore, I not only brought this to Mr. Dennis’ attention but I am constantly working with them to be comfortable and outstanding interviewees. I am also pleased to say that Mr. Dennis will be helping them create resumes and will be helping both students throughout the entire application process.

-Passing grade 7 and moving on to English Secondary School in Tanzania will make it far more likely for a person to be successful in life; just ask Rasta John. And throughout the course of a short school day I have already begun to make it more likely for the students in the LOAMO Medium school in Arusha, Tanzania to be that much more successful in life. Granted, I wouldn’t have made nearly as much of a difference in the LOAMO students’ lives had I kept being an observer. But thanks to my confidence I made a difference.

Never Forget

Thanks to my A.P. World History class, I know quite a bit about the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade and the Holocaust.

Taking place in the Atlantic ocean between the 16th and 19th century the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade was the process by which wealthy South and North American countries sailed to Africa abducted local African-Americans and sailed them across the Atlantic, as if they were goods or spices, to be slaves. Due to the economic dependency of "cash crops" (crops like coffee or cotton that will only be sold and traded in other parts of the world) in North and South American countries,
local government leaders thought it would be cheaper and economically beneficial to have slaves grow and maintain all the cash crops, and it was.

At the beginning of the 17th century, countries like the United States and Brazil had a slave dependent economy. In terms of economic success for the countries in North and South America that were involved in the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade, having slaves was nothing but a good thing. If it wasn't for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade the United States wouldn't be nearly as developed as a country as it is today.

Once the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade was coming to an end in the early 19th century, the world faced yet another national tragedy. In 1933 once Adolf Hitler controlled one of the most radical socialist governments in the world, in Germany he committed the world's worst genocide. Influenced by the Soviet Union, Hitler used his systematic, government funded army of Nazi's to commit mass murders of social and religious groups he didn't like. Hitler primarily attacked the 9,000 jewish population in Germany. This continued until May 7th, 1945 when Nazi troops surrendered to the United States Army.

Knowing all that factual evidence about the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade and the Holocaust is great and all, but what now? In my opinion, students in history class all over the United States are learning and remembering the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade and the Holocaust as a number, a date, or a number of deaths. But to me, there is more to learn from the Trans-Atlantic African Slave Trade and the Holocaust.

In my opinion, these two tragedies should serve as a reminder. A reminder that everything you own, everything you learned, and everyone you love can be taken away from you in a heartbeat. That is why you need to take advantage of every incredible opportunity you have. Whether it be studying a little longer for a test, or talking to a stranger. You never know what horrible thing can happen in life, that's why you have to make the most of it . . . now.

Doing your homework

Before going into the backcountry, in order to make the most out of a trip into the backcountry you have to be prepared and know what you are getting yourself into. You have to do your homework. You have to check the local avalanche report, dig a pit and test the snowpack, make sure you have all the working equipment, and have a group of people who you trust will make good and critical decisions. And by doing so, hopefully you will have a safe and successful trip into the backcountry. 

The same holds true for service trips. In order for me to make the absolute most out of this upcoming service trip to Tanzania, I am going to have to do my homework. I strongly believe that if I want to make strong connections with some of the kids in Tanzania that I will have to do my homework and educate myself into what I'm getting myself into. 

With that said I have been doing a lot of research about the Maasai tribe. According to my best friend Wikipedia, the Maasai tribe is an "ethnic group of semi-nomadic people inhabiting Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of Southeast Africa, and their distinctive customs and dress." 

While doing some research about the Maasai tribe, one thing in particular stood out to me more than anything: The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have established multiple programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle. But in spite of everything the Maasai people have continued their age-old customs. That is very inspiring to me, because no matter how much the Tanzanian or Kenyan government tries to influence and change the culture of the Maasai tribe, the Maasai people refuse. The Maasai people know that if they let their governments change their culture, they will also change who they are.

In conclusion, the Maasai tribe has taught me that where you come from and the people who surround you will always be a part of who you are as an individual. And no matter who or what tries to change that, you can't let anyone change who you are. 

Inspiration and Mountain Goats

Google defines inspiration as, "The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something." Most people look toward professional athletes, actors, and motivational speakers for inspiration. Skiing has given me an incredible opportunity to meet so many people that inspire me every day. People like Jim Norm Jack, Zeke Pierce, and Tim Luczkow. Whenever I'm down, disappointed, sad, butthurt, or angry, I look to Zeke, Jim Jack, and Tim for inspiration.

Jim Jack was the head judge of the Junior Freeride Tour from 2005-2011. I had a lot of chances to ski and hangout with Jim Jack in some of the coolest places around the world. Whenever I was with Jim Jack I noticed one unique thing about him, he made the best of every day. He often used the phrase  "live every day like it's your last". He didn't mean live every day as your last so go do something stupid.  No, Jim Jack meant it like, be as happy and content as possible, as much as you possibly can. Instead of saying YOLO and jumping off a fifty foot cliff, he was meeting new friends, and always making the best out of a bad situation. For instance, at Crystal Mountain Washington, the Junior Freeride Competition was cancelled due to high wind and snow. All athletes and coaches were in the lodge bored, annoyed, and complaining. Jim Jack on the other hand, took this time to learn a cart-wheel. It was pretty funny to watch a grown man try to teach himself how to do a cart-wheel. But eventually he did it and said, "Well look at that, I just did something that I've never done before!" Jim Jack inspires me to try something new everyday and to make the best out of any situation.

Another person that inspires me is Zeke Pierce. I met Zeke three years ago when he first joined the Vail Big Mountain Team. I had never met Zeke before, but the more I got to know Zeke, the more I liked him. Zeke was outgoing, funny, fun to be around, and he knew how to shred. But it wasn't until Zeke's first Big Mountain competition that I saw his best quality. Zeke's first competition was in Red Mountain, Canada in British, Columbia. He was nervous. Zeke and I inspected together and just by looking at him you could see how nervous he was. Zeke and I had different start orders so we had to separate after inspection. It wasn't until later that day that I met up with him again. He was skiing with his little brother Max and couldn't have been happier. I said to him, "Man you must have done well if you are this happy, huh?" He said,"No, I fell. I'm probably in last place." That's when I realized that Zeke had this crazy ability to be happy regardless of his situation. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone ruin his day. From then on at competitions I could never tell if Zeke was in first place or last place because he was always just so stoked to be shredding with his friends! Zeke inspires me to be grateful and to not let negative emotions ruin a good day.

Tim Luczkow is the man. Tim is one of my coaches on the Vail Big mountain team. I am fortunate to spend almost every weekend skiing with Tim. As much as I love skiing with Tim, most of the time its the chairlift rides with Tim that make my weekend great. Tim is happily married, a proud father of two, and has done just about anything and everything a human could do. But most importantly, Tim feels so blessed and content with who he is, what he has done, and who he is with. For instance, a few weeks ago while riding the chair with Tim he just randomly says, "You know, I'm happy I'm not some crazy genius guy sitting in an office somewhere because then I wouldn't be able to be here skiing and watching you guys do all these crazy things." To me, this just shows how much Tim values his life and how he chooses to live it. Tim inspires me to take advantage of every opportunity that is given to me, to never look back in life, and to always be content.

I strongly believe that if I continue to live my life by the inspiration that Jim Jack, Zeke and Tim have given me, that I will be a Mountain Goat (metaphorically speaking of course). I think the Mounatin Goat is a great representation of me and who I want to be. The Mountain Goat has an exceptional drive to climb to the top of some of the gnarliest mountains in the world. No matter how steep, rocky, or sketchy, the mountain goat always finds a way to get to the top. I want to live my life like the mountain goat. No matter how bad, scary, sketchy any obstacle is in my life, I will work as hard as I possible can to get to the top. I am no down-climber. I am a Mountain Goat.

PRE-SEASON

I look at this period of time of my upcoming service to Tanzania as the 'pre-season'. I'm preparing, getting ready, learning, gearing-up, etc. But, like my pre-season in skiing, I'm also experiencing anxiety and fear, and I am asking myself a lot of 'what if' questions.

One of my biggest fears going into this service trip is Africa itself. When I think of Africa, for some reason I get a dark and depressing vibe towards it. I don't know why. I'm confident that I can prepare myself for the challenges at the orphanage and school. I'm confident that I will work hard, give my all and do my best physically and mentally. However, I'm unsure of how to prepare myself for what Africa will be like. Other than endless second hand information provided to me on the Internet, I don't know what to expect.

I'm also unsure of how I'm going to conquer the language. Even though I have a lot of opportunities to improve my Swahili during the pre-season, I still think the language barrier is going to be one of the most difficult things on this trip. Swahili is a hard language to learn and even harder to speak. What if I can't communicate with the kids in Tanzania? What if I make mistakes with the language?  It's going to be relatively impossible to connect with them if we can't communicate. 

Like any pre-season, I'm going to do my best to prepare. And then I'm going to give it my best when I'm there. And hopefully, just like my ski season, when it's over I will look back with few regrets knowing that I went in prepared and gave it my all.

There is Always Something More

On October 21st I got the news that I had been chosen by Children's Global Alliance to go on a service trip to Tanzania Africa this summer! This trip will be like nothing I have ever experienced before and will challenge me in a way I have never been challenged. Even though this will be my third year in a row traveling with Children's Global Alliance, I am more excited than ever to go on this trip.

I am going to be working at a school in Arusha, Tanzania. I don't know too much about the school yet and I don't know that much about Tanzania either. I'm going to be learning more over the next year 10 months and I will share it all with you.

I have some great fundraising ideas that I will keep everyone posted on later! But for now I just have to try to contain my excitement. Thank you Lisa Marie Howell and CGA for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I am ready for this challenge!

Looking Back

This is one of my favorite pictures that was taken in Cambodia.  I love this picture because it really demonstrates how much trust these young kids have in us. Niroon knew that no matter how high I threw him, I would catch him. Man I miss Niroon.

Two years ago when I was at one of my first CGA meetings I heard a student mentor say,"Not a day goes by where I do not think about the kids at CPO." At first I thought that they were being a little dramatic. Now I know differently. Since I have been home, I feel the same way. I miss the kids at CPO.

CGA and the kids at CPO have taught me so much. It is really incredible how much I have applied what I learned from the kids at CPO and CGA into my life since I have been home. I learned what hard work looks like; I learned how to be a better leader; I learned how to motivate people; I learned how to overcome the challenges of working in a group; I learned how to make good decisions; I learned to lead by example; I learned that people don't respond to the same kind of leadership; and I learned how to love and give to kids that I had never met before.

I will never forget these kids or what they have taught me. Thank you CGA, Lisa Marie Howell and all of my friends and family for giving me the opportunity to help others, learn about myself and make a difference.