Possum Pie

After succumbing to the monsoon the weekend of Sept. 12, our rescheduled garage sale was a great success this weekend, raising $500 for my fund! The stuff people will buy…interesting. I would have to say my favorite customer was the old man who claimed to have 17 kids, spoke Polish to an orange stuffed monster, and finally called me a hillbilly, asking if I knew how to cook Possum Pie. And then left, without buying anything.

I owe endless thanks to everyone who helped/donated items/shopped, especially to Clare and Mike for hosting the festivities, Judi for sharing her merchandising skills and harassing passersby, Uncle John for delivering a giant load of stuff, and Margaret and Iain for loading up all the leftovers and hauling them to Salvation Army.

Just $4,851 to go!

Oh, also, my sister Joyce put together a site where you can buy some cool Namibia stuff to show your support and add to my fund. Check it out: http://www.cafepress.com/sunshinesurfy

Ready?

Are you ready for this relationship? This is where I begin talking about me me me, for at least the next 15 months. Here we go…

So the beginning: on the morning of June 23, I received a message from a person very close to me that said “Please be careful…I had a dream about you last night. You called me and you were hysterical, but I couldn’t understand you.” Within a few hours, I was kinda hysterical, but for good reasons – I had been accepted to volunteer as a teacher in Namibia, Africa, through a great organization: WorldTeach. This was, to me, an incredible and happy omen (despite being temporarily misunderstood). I have been riding the wave ever since, and am thrilled to have the chance to teach in such an amazing environment.

Currently, a very big chunk of this experience is fundraising. This position is volunteer, and I must come up with around $6,000, which covers such things as airfare, health insurance, and cost of living expenses for the year-long commitment I’ve agreed to. Here’s how you can help:

1. Participate in my fundraising events! I am having garage sales, a bowling event, a raffle, and whatever else we can come up with. Your ideas and attendance are very useful!

2. Make a financial contribution! Donations are tax-deductible and can be made in the following ways:

a) sending a check made out to "WorldTeach" with my name in the memo line to WorldTeach c/o Center for International Development, Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge MA, 02138
b) calling 1-800-4-TEACH-0 (483-2240) or 617-495-5527 and mentioning my name to contribute by credit card
c) contributing online at http://www.universalgiving.org/donate/worldteach/id4947.do. Once you are on the website, click on “Donate on behalf of someone.” When inserting your donation information, you must include my name and e-mail address to ensure the donation does not go into the general fund.

3. Be my supermodel! My sister Joyce and I created some shirts, coffee mugs, magnets, and more that you can buy to show your support, PLUS a portion of your purchase goes toward my fund! Check out the goods at http://www.cafepress.com/sunshinesurfy (thank you Joyce!).

4. Keep in touch! I am quite unsure of the quantity and quality of communication I will be equipped with in Namibia, but I am sure that I’ll be anxious to receive contact from family and friends.

5. Share my story! (Don’t go hogging this blog all to yourself)

This is a very important dream for me, and I thank you for your support and encouragement! Feel free to contact me with any questions or for more information; I am happy to oblige.

Love, Lindsey :)