Mama Shayna's Musings

A gorilla trek

July 13, 2011 · Filed under Travel Musings, Uncategorized

Snap, crackle, silence. Peering around the corner, as promised a fuzzy black ball appeared, walking away from our group. Our experienced guide Edward motioned for us all to slowly crawl forward. The gorilla pauses and turns around to face us, two big brown gorilla eyes peeping out of the dense green foliage. After a quick glimpse she sighs, looked at her meal, and continuing to munch away at some leafy delicacy that she had found before our motley group of muzungus interrupted her meal.

Gorilla families tend to stay close by one another, and our trackers motions for us to continue on to see the rest of the family, which includes a nursing mother and her youngster, and another female with two more babies. We patiently follow the troupe, sometimes sliding down the trails that they make with their massive, 300-500 pound bodies, to quietly observe their behavior in the wild.

I can hardly believe that after 25 years, I am face to face with a silverback gorilla and his baby. 25 years since first watching Jane Goodall woo the chimps on National Geographic, dreaming of interacting with primates in their natural homes, we had hiked for just a few hours into the Virunga mountains and here were these beautiful, gentle creatures right before us. The silverback just three feet in front of me was totally ignoring me as he leads his group onto the most delectable foliage he could find, while the mothers give us (passive) glances.

The babies, they are the most curious, and those whom we are able to watch for the longest time. The baby looks back, curiously and confidently, from within the cradle of the mother’s arms.

Edward, who had taken Natalie Portman and Kristin Davis to trek gorillas in the past, tells us that we have just five minutes left with the group. These last few moments are just delightful. One baby climbs onto the back of his father, the great silverback, and puts on quite a display for us. He lounges casually in one moment, stands up to stretch in another… and even gives us a mini chest-beat, copying his father’s protective behavior, as he stares right at us 6 outsiders.

In Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey writes about her internal struggle with having habituated the mountain gorillas to learn more about their behavior. She feared that habituating them to humans would make them more vulnerable to poachers, and that tourists would not respect and revere the animals in the wild. I can only thank her from the bottom of my very full heart that day in the Virungas, for both the humanity that I felt as my eyes locked with a wild mountain gorilla, but also for contributing to the sustainability and survival of the species.

For each $500 permit that is purchased to see a gorilla (and there are 56 allowed per day, netting USD$28,000/day), funds are contributed for the conservation of the park, vets for sick gorillas, 6 trackers per group to record their behavior and whereabouts, anti-poaching patrols, and community development projects with the Rwandans who live off of subsistence farming around the park. There are now over 400 mountain gorillas on the Rwandan side of the border, whereas Fossey had counted 200+ when she started her work in the late 1960’s. It’s an incredible source of income and pride for this healing country, and seems to be a genuine model of conservation of the people and creatures that live in and around the Virungas.

Comments (2) »

The land of a thousand hills.

July 13, 2011 · Filed under Travel Musings

The Rwandan landscape undulates softly, from the city center in Kigali where streets are surprisingly well-paved and accompanied by drainage systems, grass–lined pathways, and freshly painted crosswalks. Heading out of the city to the northwest, one winds through deforested and terraced hillsides spotted with patchy plots of sorghum, corn, and eucalyptus trees, down to rivers along the road as cloudy as chocolate milk from the hillside erosion. The mandatory tin roofs of tiny rural homes catching the glint of the noon-time sun, again winding up and around and down and around again, out to the northern province of Muzanze, out to 400 mountain gorillas tucked in the Virunga Mountains.

The day before our gorilla trek we took a short walk around the village of Kinigi, at the base of the Virungas. We met a troupe of four bright eyed adolescent boys, all wanting to practice their work-in-progress English with us. In 2009 the Rwandan government mandated English as the national language (along with the native Kinyarwanda), muddling a generation which grew up with French in schools (if they went to school at all). Families speak Kinyarwanda at home, kids speak English at school, and French, slowly petering out, is spoken amongst adults and on the sideline in business meetings.

One of the children that we met was named Innocent Peace, a 14 year old who claimed to be captain of his local football (soccer) team. He curiously asked us our names, where we were from in the US, how big our families were, and then just as casually, “How many parents do you have?” We paused for a moment, looked at each other, and both said, “Two.” One of the boys proudly said “I have two parents, too!”, and Innocent said, just as enthusiastically, “I have one mother!” Two days later we met another boy around 18 years old who asked us if we knew of Jack Hanna. I told him that I vaguely knew the name. The boy told us that Jack Hanna had founded an orphanage in town, “because of, you know, the genocide.”

Just as the thousands hills roll softly together, blending geographies and ecosystems from one region of the country to another, to us local Rwandans appear to blend past the ethnic divisions of the genocide to form one Rwanda, as Rwandans, the politics of the genocide as indecipherable to us as the eager shouts in Kinyarwanda and a English as we ride through the Rwandan countryside.

Comments (1) »

Driving to the moon and back

July 1, 2011 · Filed under Travel Musings

It’s been a long time since my last MamaShayna post, and I’ve just driven ‘to the moon and back!’

As a newly minted MBA, I’m enjoying a summer full of travels before starting back to work this fall. I’m excited to be exploring a bit of the African continent this summer, on a journey that takes me from south to east Africa, and then to Europe for weddings and visits with friends.

I’ve just finished my first week in South Africa, visiting my best friend Laura and experiencing the country through her seasoned lens. Laura has been fascinated by African politics and especially South African apartheid era photographers since our undergrad days. She’s been studying international law at Wits university, a vibrant campus where I was lucky to meet her friends from South Africa, Germany, Namibia and the Congo, and get a truly diverse perspective on politics and development.

A Congolese friend Francois was kind enough to show me around Soweto, a township where Nelson Mandela’s home was located and his family stayed while he was imprisoned. This was one of my favorite quotes from the visit, which was posted on the wall of Mandela’s home:

This neighborhood was also home to the birth of the student movement led by Steven Biko and others which eventually led to the rejection of Afrikaners as the official language in black schools, and the launch of the ANC movement to end apartheid.

Francois and I also visited Sophiatown, an originally very diverse settlement of blacks, Chinese, and others in Jo-burg. They were relocated by the Afrikaners in 1955 to Soweto, particularly to move the blacks far away from the white settlements. The irony I found was that this was one of the most diverse neighborhoods that we visited in Jo-berg, with Indians, black, white, and mixed race South Africans, and Africans from all over the continent living together in this neighborhood. Jo-berg remains an incredibly racially divided city, but in Sophiatown, the power of compassion and the people prevailed to overcome the racist urban planning of apartheid.

A roadtrip out of Jo-burg brought us to the ‘mountain kingdom’ of Lesotho, a small, land-locked country whose borders lie within South Africa. The lowest high point of the continent is in Lesotho – 1400 meters – so you can imagine our steep drive in and out on a 4 x 4 into eastern Lesotho via the Drakensburg Mountains. We found a dramatic landscape as we summited to an icy mountaintop, one that my mom commented from the pics, and rightly so, is what she imagines the moon to look like.

It is the kind of landscape with colors that I’ve only seen in cooler climates at high altitudes – pastel, beautiful, muted, and dramatic.

On our trip down from the Lesothan moon, we stopped at a local village and met a village woman and 3 of her 7 children at their home in their small, 10 hut town. The kids playfully posed for the camera and shrilled with delight when I showed them their own images… kids are the same everywhere I go!

Our last stop in Lesotho was at the highest pub in Africa (9,400 feet) to soak up the sunset and warm up with some hot mulled Gluwhein wine.

We descended from the moon after sunset, a magical and incredible start to the journey.

Comments (4) »

Blogging on MIT site

June 7, 2010 · Filed under Agroecology, Fair Trade/ Comercio Justo, Food politics & farming

I’m currently pursuing an MBA at MIT with a focus in sustainability and agriculture. For Mama Shayna’s latest musings, please check out: http://mitsloanblog.typepad.com/shayna/

Comments (4) »

The Karu Pyahu, or ‘New Food’ project

January 17, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

It’s a balmy day here in Asuncion, and Gustavo and I are sitting in his outdoor kitchen overlooking a verdant garden filled with lemongrass, guava trees, and other tropical delights. We’re hooked up with wireless and getting ready for our presentations this week. We’ll meet with representatives from Paraguay’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, as well as a number of small farming groups in Itapua who are members of the Yvy Marane’y project. We’ve agreed to buy 15 kilos of honey and 10 of yerba mate, at fair trade prices, to bring back with us to the US as we test out that market for the many exciting products we’re finding here.

This is a part of our Karu Pyahu project. Karu Pyahu means ‘new food’ in Guarani, one of Paraguay’s two official languages. Why new food? Well, we have a vision for how to freshly approach the food and agriculture sector in Paraguay.

More on that in a bit – but in the meantime, we found the following description of our project on the Legatum Center website, which is a pretty good synopsis of what we’re up to:

Team: Karu Pyahu Team Members: Shayna Harris, Gustavo Setrini Geographic Focus: Paraguay

Project: Karu Pyahu aims to tackle poverty and inequality in Peru through private enterprise by addressing the gulf between modern agro-industry, the traditional small-holder sector, and sustainable agriculture. The team will seek out partnerships for a ‘mission-driven’ trading company that meets growing consumer demand for diversified, high-quality Fair Trade organic goods. During IAP, the team will consult with Paraguay’s successful small farmer associations, which work with 4,000 out of half a million Paraguayan campesino farmers, as well as NGOs, companies, and public-sector institutions that support their development.

The MIT Public Service Center also posted this:

Gustavo Setrini (G, Course 17), Shayna Harris (G, Course 15)
Paraguay — Gustavo and Shayna will travel to Paraguay to work with the local farming market on Fair Trade to help combat severe deforestation, biodiversity loss and small farmer dislocation. As part of this exchange, they will conduct a market visioning workshop with three producer organizations and they want to alert officials in Paraguay’s public sector to the development opportunities available through Fair Trade and organic production and trade.

On our first trip together in Paraguay in 2008, at the Mbaracaju forest reserve, one of the last remaining fragments of Paraguay’s pristine Atlantic Forest

A recharge, from Paraguay

January 14, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

Reporting once again from South America – this time, Paraguay. I’m here with my friend and colleague Gustavo, on a fair trade mission of sorts. We recieved grants from the Public Service Center and Legatum Centers of MIT to seek out interest, collaborators and explore social entrepraneurship and sustainable agriculture in this burgeoning democracy. Over the next 10 days we’ll meet with representatives from various farmer organizations, Paraguay’s Ministry of Agriculture, NGOs and social justice organizations, the Slow Food movement, and fair trade folks. We’re hoping to play some humble role in unlocking Paraguay’s potential to create a more just, vibrant, and sustainable food system – and develop some pretty cool products along the way.

an aside: My journey here from the states was an interesting one, to say the least. After spending a week in New Mexico and 2 weeks in Egypt, I had 24 hours in Boston to unpack, wash clothes, and pack again. As a landlocked and pretty remote country, there are very little direct flights from anywhere to Paraguay. I flew from Boston to NYC, to San Salvador, to Lima Peru… arriving at the Asuncion airport around 24 hours later. I don’t know if the jetlag from Egypt, general lack of sleep and water, airplane food, or a combination of all contributed to my deliriousness, but I had one of the most startling airline adventures.

It began on the flight from San Salvador to Lima… I felt lucky to have an exit row with extra leg room all to myself, until a giggly couple slid past me to occupy the two seats to my left after the plane had taken off. Fair enough, I thought. But after dozing off, I awoke to find that the Mexican woman was sitting on the Argentinian guy’s lap, on the airplane! Coddling, affectionate, and way too much PDA for my mood. Afterwards, at the airport in Lima, was in the waiting area when two men started moaning and collapsed to the floor… a crowd gathered, thinking that they were having simeltanous seizures. After sometime the airport police dragged the two men away, and a sober officer announced that they had been undocumented in the country and were being deported – “Damas y caballeros, tenemos dos personas indocumentadas….”. Among the crowd of observers was “Miss Peru,” white and red sash hanging over a skimpy dress and her 4″ stiletto heals. We finally climbed onto this last and final flight of my voyage, during which I passed out, and to the astonishment of the two older women next to me, missed the safety instructions, turbeulance, dinner, and the landing.

But, I made it! Woke up to fresh mango juice and cozido, a paraguayan tea made with yerba mate, burnt sugar, and milk. Looking forward to a recharge and some inspiration on this journey!

Comments (2) »

55,000 Strong for Fair Trade

May 6, 2009 · Filed under Fair Trade/ Comercio Justo, Solidarity Economy / Economia Solidaria, Uncategorized

Friends ~ It’s been too long. I’ve been busy organizing for World Fair Trade Day, 2009 … which is just 5 days away. So, it’s time to join us. Check out this quick video and then join the movement. 55,000 for Fair Trade – visit http://www.ftrn.org.

And please pass this on to 5 friends. I’m no mathematician, but I know that eventually 5+5+5+5+…. = 55,000 for Fair Trade.

Because that’s how movements are born. Cheers!

Story of the Day: Comfort

March 28, 2009 · Filed under Adventures in The Southern US, Bumming around South America, Uncategorized

Here’s the Story of the Day: Comfort

Whenever I go on a trip,

I think about all the homes I’ve had

& I remember how little has changed

about what comforts* me.

www.storypeople.com

* = my old worn out feather pillow that mom un-stuffed by hand for just the right level of fluffiness :: coffee, but good, freshly ground strong fair trade organic coffee in a very large mug with vanilla soymilk & cinnamon :: full, whole body, real hugs in which you can breath in the goodness :: plain organic yogurt :: the crease at the corner of your big brown eyes when you smile :: pigeon pose @ yoga :: wine with mom & lu after a long journey :: cherry red :: long walks outside on a cold or warm day, as long as the sun is on my face :: travel & discovery & long scenic bus rides :: corn tortillas fresh from the comal :: the thought of having a garden full of fresh herbs one day :: loitering all day long at the coffee shop :: stella & humphrey :: dad’s salt & pepper ‘stash :: enjoying kim crawford savignon blanc :: lenine + jorge drexler + laura’s famous music mixes :: wrapping up in my paisely indian scarf on long rides ::

Comments (4) »

Of Lemurs and Liquor Laws in Lubbock County

March 26, 2009 · Filed under Adventures in The Southern US, Uncategorized

Lubbock is a curious place. On the first sunny, real summer-like day (yes, it’s already been 88 degrees & sunny), my yoga teacher commented that she had fun that afternoon “letting the monkey out.” I chuckled internally, not wanting to know exactly what she meant by it. Until she followed it up with, “Yes, we have a lemur, and he’s been caged up all winter.”

While lemurs are legal in Lubbock County, liquor sales are heavily regulated. My best friend Laura and I rolled into the the gas station on the outskirts of Lubbock on our way into town with the intention of stocking up on some beer for a superbowl Sunday party. When I said that I couldn’t find the beer,the guy behind the counter quizzically responded, “Wel, ma’am, thats be-cawse Lubbock is a dry county.” Need to re-load on a Saturday night? Liquor can be bought only at the strip, an exempt group of liquor stores about a 15 minute drive from campus.

l1080849

The strip – a string of Vegas-styled liquor stores located within Lubbock city limits.

Comments (2) »

Change.org Face of Fair Trade

March 9, 2009 · Filed under Agroecology, Brazil, Fair Trade/ Comercio Justo, Solidarity Economy / Economia Solidaria

MamaShayna’s Musings is often a mish-mash of information, inspiration, and introspection. Though my motivation for MamaShayna hopefully peaks through from time to time, it is particularly well-represented today on the change.org Fair Trade blog, where I’ve been added to the ‘Faces of Fair Trade’ series. You can read the interview by clicking here.

Comments (3) »