Goodbye Nanny. 안녕히가세요. Au Revoir. Kwaheri.

Sadly, on April 29th of this year, my great-grandmother (more casually known as Nanny) passed away in her sleep at the age of 99. Nanny played a big role in my life, including watching me after school for years when my parents could not make it home in time. I owe a lot to her and her memory as most of what I've accomplished in my life would not be possible without her support (both financial and emotional) for me and the rest of my family. Being half a world away was tough, but I was able to catch a plane back to Canada for her funeral.

I received several donations in her name. I would like to take the time to thank the following people:

• Bunny & Paul Zaza
• Liz and Graham Lightfoot
• Sarah Chisholm
• Carol Chisholm
• Judy Morely
• Joan & Enzo Deluca
• Joe, Sandra, Chris & Dan Lovranski
• Marshall & Jean Davidson
• Peggy Martin
• Thelma Oddi
• Yolandi Ricci
• Barb Martin
• Rita Molinaro

I hope that I have not missed anyone. Thank you all for your kind donations. And I would like to say one last thank you to Nanny. She lived a long life and helped many people along the way. For this I am extremely grateful that I got the time that I did.

SWAK

Ladies Night in Africa #1

On May 1st, my Mom hosted the first of two Ladies Nights at her house. Since I am away teaching in Korea, I was unable to attend, so my mother wrote a short writeup of the evening:

The May 1st dinner had 13 guests attend and many dressed in African dress...Everyone seemed to have a good time...we had raffles, door prizes, listened to African music and enjoyed a dinner of African food..  Everyone was given Madagascar vanilla truffles to take home along with a special tulip shaped cookie and thank you note for supporting Michael.
All in all it was a successful evening (despite the events of a few days prior - the next post will explain all) and I raised quite a bit of money from several of my mother's friends. These are the people who attended and/or donated money (in no particular order):

• Florence Demacio
• Helen Rigby
  
• Barb Drake Land
• Josie Knill
• Barb Martin
• Debbie Polkinghorn
• Karen & Michael Bromilow
• Susan Gillies
• Roberta Wood
• Debbie Skerrett
• Barb Beamish
• Carol Ann Thompson
• Peggy Martin
• Colleen Meyer
• Margaret Lewandowski
• Anna Marie Southon
• Bob & Betty Hambrook
• Mary Jazvac

I'd also like to take the time to thank the people who volunteered their time to make this event (and the 2nd dinner) possible:

• Judy Morley
• Heather Davidson
• Sarah Chisholm
• Florence Demacio
• Lorri Poutney
• Lauren Smyth
• Debbie Bulir
• Helen Rigby
• John Davidson
  

Last but not least, I'd like to thank the people who donated door prizes for both of the dinners:

• Debbie Polkinghorne
• Cindy Olynyk
• Caroline Bonner
• Everton Blair (owner of Blair Elements)
• Janet Gefre

One final thank you I need to give is to my mother, Sharon Davidson, who spent more time than I probably know getting things organized and inviting everyone she could think of. The amount of money that her efforts have brought in have already far exceeded the amount I thought I could raise.

I find it really incredible the number of people who have been supportive of my volunteering in Tanzania (and this is only a small part of the people who I will be thanking in posts in the coming days - I have at least two more long lists). It makes me feel that this is more of a community effort than an individual one. So a big thank you to everyone who was involved

In closing, here are a few pictures of the evening:

Je n'ai pas oublié. I haven't forgotten.

I realized it's closing in on two months without an update. Much has happened in that time (in life and in fundraising), and many things have been put on hold for at least a short while. That, however, is no excuse. There is much information to update and I am hoping to be able to do so in the next little bit (and hopefully I will also be given some pictures of a couple of fundraising events that have occured recently).

I will also try to give some updates from my time in Korea and in Seoul. Since the theme is me working around the world, I figure there may be some relevant things that have happened here.

Anyway, I apologize for the delay (미안합니다) and I look forward to continuing to write in this space.

If you want to see some updates, you can check out Michael Without Borders to see an updated list of donors (it has gotten quite long recently) as well as an update of how much money I have raised (more than $2700).

Until next time (which should be soon).

Asante Sana. 고맙습니다. Merci Beaucoup. Thank You Very Much. Part 3

The last few weeks have been good weeks for my fundraising and I have a few more thank yous to give. As always, this volunteer trip would not be possible without the support of an ever-increasing number of people.

About a month ago, I applied for a grant from the University of Victoria Alumni Association. They provide grants to:

• enhance the quality of education at UVic; improve campus life;
• help students and recent graduates (last five years);
• otherwise support the university

Being a recent graduate of UVic, I qualified for one such grant. Recently I was informed that I had indeed received a grant. This grant will go toward paying for a significant portion of my program fee. They were very generous and up to now they have been my largest donor. I thank them for their generosity. For more information about the UVic Alumni Association, please visit http://alumni.uvic.ca/.

Two other individuals have also donated money recently to my fundraising: Janet Gefre and Pat Finlay. Their contributions have pushed my fundraising efforts beyond $500 Canadian. This is a big milestone and I thank them both for their donations. Janet has also donated a few items to be used in other fundraising events and this addition is also greatly appreciated.

Once again, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to this point. I look forward to continuing to thank people for their help. Your support is welcomed and if you know of anyone who would want to support a cause like mine, please point them in this direction!

Website Launch!

Michael Without Borders is proud to announce the launch of our new website. The website will be used to coordinate several different aspects of Michael Without Borders. You can find the site at http://www.michaelwithoutborders.com.

Included in the site will be a link to this blog. Other resources on the site will include a link to a message board where you can discuss any issues that are relevant, a link to a store where you can buy Michael Without Borders merchandise (and whose profits go to Michael Without Borders), and links to more information about my volunteering.

The website also contains information regarding fundraising, other projects I am working on or have completed, and pictures of some of my travels so far. There is also a page on the site dedicated to thanking those who have given their time or money to my efforts.

Please take the time to visit the site, and pass on the link to people you know. Even if you cannot help me directly, by referring someone else, you may help me in the long run.

Thank you all once more for your support. For more information, please check out the site.

Vaccination and Medical Test Fun! 병원에 갔어요.

A week and a half ago, I made a trip to the Itaewon International Clinic in Seoul to get my medical check started and to plan out a course of vaccinations. The doctor was more than accommodating and checked me out right there and then. I must say that going to Africa required less medical checks (no bodily fluid tests, x-rays, etc.), but requires quite a bit more needles putting things into my body.

Much to my surprise, the doctor offered to give me a few shots the same day. So I got a Hepatitis B booster shot, a Typhoid Fever shot and a TB test shot (which I returned to get read two days later - I don't have TB, if you were wondering). Three needles in one day was a bit much. I had to get one in each shoulder and one on my forearm. Fun times for someone who doesn't like needles (and who just had blood taken a week or two earlier to get his teaching visa renewed)

I was informed by this doctor that there is no multi-strain meningococcal and thus no vaccine is available. Although I don't find it strange that the disease is not here, I do find it odd that I cannot get a vaccine for it in Korea. Does that mean that there is Typhoid Fever and Yellow Fever in Korea? Either way, I will have to wait until I return to Canada (or another country that has the vaccine) before I can get that shot in the arm.

On top of all that, I got two prescriptions: one for malaria pills (apparently not the ones that will give me bad dreams) and one for an antibiotic (cypro I think?). I have a long time until I need them, but since things are so cheap in Korea, I'll likely get them pre-departure.

I was also told that I have to go to a special place to get my Yellow Fever vaccination. I have yet to make this appointment, as teaching has been very busy the last few weeks. Look for a description of that ordeal in the future (I may have to go to the Airport to get this, but probably not).

Anyway, here's hoping it all works out.

Until next time!

Thank You Very Much. Asante Sana. Merci Beaucoup. 고맙습니다. Part 2

It has come time to give a second round of thank yous to a few people who have helped me out in the last few weeks. Without the support of several people, my going to Africa would not be possible.

The first thank you goes to my father, John Davidson, who has used his connections to help spread the word about my trip and my fundraising needs. He has also helped with research into things to sell (look for these soon!). On a related note, I would also like to thank the rest of my family (Sister Heather and Mother Sharon) for helping with this as well. My being in Korea has placed some restraints on what I can accomplish and all of my family members have been more than helpful in this regard.

The second thank you goes out to Carolyn Reinhart who has offered to help me obtain two qualifications I will require for my trip: a swim test (to see if I can swim 200m unassisted) and to help me get my first aid certification.

The third thank you is to an anonymous donor who donated money to my cause. The donor asked not to be named, but I wish to thank the donor regardless. So thank you.

As I have said time and time again, this would not be possible without the support of several people. Thank you for all of the time and money that you have donated. It will support not just me, but those who I will have a chance to work with overseas and at home.