Mountain Me

This is me about the 5th day into the climb, of a 7-day climb. I'll be honest, I wasn't smelling that great. Showers = wet wipes. I did manage to wash my hair in a bowl once. We hiked about 7-10 hours a day, depending on the pace, and stops. The mountain seemed so far, just like goals in life, but with every step we got closer until we reached the top. Nine started out, four of us - three women and one man - reached the summit. 

What I took to Africa 2

Title: Family Ascending
Medium: Photography
By: Clara G. Herrera
Meaning: I asked my three wonderful children what they would like me to take up the mountain. My oldest wanted this bear that my brother gave to her when she was a toddler. My middle son wanted the baseball from his district championship. The youngest requested an awesome sculpture that he had created with sunflowers. I carried all in my backpack the whole time so I could take my children with me. I also took this photo of my three babies with me. The Wookiee, well, that's a family joke between me and my kids.
Enriching music: Carrying Your Love With Me, George Strait (OK, so I'd change a few lyrics to fit Africa and children in there, but the sentiment is true.)

Mountains come in all forms

People often ask me, "What was it like to climb that mountain?" It is hard for me to articulate. It was a physical and mental awakening on so many levels. My children and I are on a path to accomplish and achieve more than I think any of us ever thought possible.

Feel free to share the link to my recent opinion article about taking my son's dresses to Africa. Live joyfully, Clara 

www.mystatesman.com/news/opinion/commentary-why-gave-out-kid-dresses-journey-kilimanjaro/fGyXQKaiwFO6JCOf8ifEMJ/

What I took to Africa 1

Photo art by Clara G. Herrera
These are two photos I took to capture what I took to Africa and to climb Kilimanjaro.

Medium: Open globe, dresses of my son, the ABCs.
Title: The World Is Not Broken, The People Are
Enriching music: Conquer the World, Youssou Ndour; Around The World, Daft Punk

A Dark House

Title: A Dark House

Medium: Canvas, acrylic paint, crushed egg shells with black tempera paint, glue

By: Clara G. Herrera

Enriching music: Own House, MisterWives; Our House, Madness

Pardon me ma’am, would you like a little feces to go with your water?

Climbing Kilimanjaro I

By Clara G. Herrera

Here's 2 Oxymorons I: Dirty Water       
By Clara G. Herrera 

I am not thirsty.

I can’t remember ever having been parched, cottonmouth, and unable to quench my palate.

I never worry about my water source. Just go to the kitchen tap or a water fountain, or the ever-present water bottle we all carry around, and drink my fill.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about water a lot, which is kinda weird and isn’t at the same time.

Two months ago, I signed up to help Water to Thrive achieve their 10-year anniversary goal of building 1,000 clean water wells in rural Africa by year’s end.

In truth, I’m really not doing much, just taking pledges while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with a bunch of other Texans to show our support for clean water. Our trips are all privately paid, so any pledges you make go straight to Water to Thrive.

But the whole mental exercise has made me have water on the brain. I’m an elementary school science and writing teacher in real life, so it’s not at all unusual to end the school year drained, parched, and with a bit of hydrocephalus even if it’s imagined and will evaporate by summer’s end.

But, I thought perhaps part of my liquid journey is to learn how fortunate I am, and teach my students how fortunate they are.

No one I know personally has to worry if their water is safe to drink.

I am thankful I’m not one of the 2 billion people that the World Health Organization estimates use a water source contaminated by feces.

I grateful that my students and their families in Austin, TX don’t have to worry if their water will cause cholera, or other diarrhea-related diseases as a result of unsafe drinking water, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Come this fall, I know that my 60+ students will happily enter my classroom with bottles filled with fearless water. My job is to teach. My life is to learn.

There are few things I am certain of in life. Today, there are two that I am.

One is climbing that mountain, and taking these pledges will help at least one African child that I will likely never meet.

And two, I already have a deeper appreciation of water, and my experiences to come will help me teach my students - children more fortunate than those who I will meet in Africa - just how lucky they are. I am a learner, but I am also a teacher.

Aren’t we all?

Here's 2 Oxymorons II: Clean Water
By Clara G. Herrera

 

Here's 2 Oxymorons I & II

Here's 2 Oxymorons I: Dirty Water
By Clara G. Herrera
Medium: acrylic, chalk, canvas, water

Here's 2 Oxymorons II: Clean Water
By Clara G. Herrera
Medium: acrylic, chalk, canvas, water

My observation: This is the same canvas, same water, different outcome within a few seconds. The same is different. H20. Perspective.