Featured in NBC News!

Digital Nomads: A Work Freedom Revolution

Proud to be featured in this Linkedin article and work in a time when technology is liberating people to live their lives as they want rather than as work dictates. 
Freedom means buying experiences not stuff which makes you feel rich in ways money can never buy. 

Diary of Small Business Owner

Diary of Small Business Owner via Tin Shingle

I've been home now for 10 days since my first trip to Africa for six weeks. It was an amazing experience with plenty of rewarding moments. I feel so fortunate to be able to have taken a trip where I could work remotely onmy graphic design in addition to pro bono volunteer work and vacation. Talk about the ultimate entrepreneur's dream! Although Europeans are used to 5+ week vacations, for an American its unheard of. Multiple people told me, wow I want your life, amazing. I'll just say I'm VERY resourceful, rather low maintenance and frugal ;)

I won't lie upon arrival to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I freaked out. I wanted to go home. I could not imagine no wifi, running water, flushing toliets, let alone malaria! In addition, I was told of a robbery in the volunteer apartment where someones passport was stolen and I was told not to leave the site with any valuables because I would be robbed. OMG what did I get myself into?! My zest for adventure and travel immediately vanished. Fast forward two weeks. Once I had a flash drive wifi connection and Skype call with a friend working in Johannesburg, I snapped out of it. Those two weeks consisted of single day safari in Mikumi where I saw beautiful giraffes, zebras, impalas and elephants roam free from an open top jeep. The open landscape and peaceful surroundings were amazing. The other trip was a four day weekend in Zanzibar where I saw 100 year old tortoises on Prison Island, Muslim women covered in beautiful colorful scarves along the beach and the most narrow dark alley ways in StonesTown full of locals selling their art, jewelry and apparel. 

Pro bono graphic design work for Art in Tanzania included a tshirt and cd cover design for the organizations band Saana Sana which was going on tour in Finland. Besides the graphic design work I requested to work with the nursery school kids. This was such a delight! I've never been around such happy, carefree and loveable children. Beyond heart warming to have kids run up to you and hug you and squeal with excitement "TEE-CHA TEE-CHA" (teacher). Utilizing my design skills I printed coloring sheets of my artwork and passed out matching stickers. The kids loved it and I LOVED seeing their excitement. Another highlight for both the kids and I was watching National Geographic Kids Animal videos on my laptop. These kids couldn't get enough of the videos! They swarmed me like bees to honey,ha. Amazing to think some may have never watched a video before. I will always wonder what became of these kids. Will they have the opportunitiy to further their education like I did in the USA without tremendous struggles? Will they have the chance to become artists, teachers, doctors or entrepreneurs? They are so innocent and pure at this point in thier life, their biggest want is simply for love and attention. I hope life is kind to them.

One of the two nursery school teachers asked if I could draw an alphabet poster. Let me tell you I never realized how I take for granted how easy it is to design and print an alphabet at home. In this situation I had to walk in the heat, humidity, mud, crowds and exhaust fumes for about an hour passing hanging meat in open air butcher stands while listening to the call to prayer coming from random buildings... talk about not your average 5 minute drive to Walgreens for stationery supplies! I finally found some white butcher paper, crayons and sharpie pen. Back to basics. The teacher was so grateful for the oh so very simple Alphabet and Color chart I made. Unbelievable to think how easy it is to get educational art for kids in the US yet here a basic hand drawn alphabet is like gold to them. When the other teacher came in she said oh my please, you must do a poster for me too, please. Teacher you're so kind, you love our kids, you will be such a good mom. And the gardner outside said you're the one with the computer, the kids will miss you. Gulp, teary eyed. With the help of some other volunteers I made posters of fruit, clothes, animals and numbers 1-30. Such a wonderful feeling to give what comes naturally to me and have it cherished by others. Next time I get discouraged with my own graphic design business or building my Bebe Bilingual brand, I will remember how grateful these children and teacher were of my work.

This day would end my two week stay in Dar Salaam. Next up South Africa...

Relate. Connect. Be useful. Be happy.

You want purpose?  Create Purpose and Happiness by Being Useful to People. -TinyBuddha 

"What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.” ~the Dalai Lama

Reflecting on my time in Africa...

My Dear Nursery School

This teacher was so grateful for the oh so very basic Alphabet and Color chart I made. Unbelievable to think how easy it is to get educational art for kids in the US yet here a basic hand drawn alphabet is like gold to them. When the other teacher came in she said oh my please, you must do one for me too, please. Teacher you're so kind, you love my kids, you will be such a good mom. And another guy outside said you're the one with the computer, the kids will miss you. Gulp, teary eyed :(








Made more posters for the other teacher, glad I got help from some other volunteers. Created a fruit, clothes, numbers 1-30 and animal one too.

Orphanage and Beginning English

Today was a visit to the local orphanage. There were about 10 nursery school aged kids in a classroom learning their numbers. To qualify as an orphan in Tanzania you need to have only one parent so many of the kids have a single mom who use the orphanage like a nanny service which is good and bad. My afternoon consisted of teaching Beginning English to students age 10-35. I created a family tree and map diagram for the students to learn family member names and learn now to give directions to a school, park, market, hospital etc. The Swahili translator was an advanced English student from yesterday. I enjoyed teaching the beginning class more than advanced because teaching advanced is hard! I don't know where to start and forgot how to explain grammar... definitely gives a new appreciation to those who teach!!! Lots of patience and creativity involved.

Bless this kids heart (group photo, center child with bag of lollipops). Lollipops aren't common here (who knew?!) and a volunteer passed them out as treats and he almost choked because he didn't know how to eat it and the candy got lodged in his throat during class!! Luckily the other two volunteers are nurses and took him outside and gave him the heimlich, poor kid :(

And for today's random fact - Khadafy's hotel where he lived is a 10 minute walk from where my work location is in Bahari Beach. Luxury hotel that looks like a palace at $175/night next to people who don't even have running water.