Susanne For the Millennium Forum in 2000, Servas hosts in New York were asked to volunteer hosting UN delegates of NGOs who often do not receive enough funding. I was privileged to host Muborak Sharipova from Tajikistan who knew nothing about Servas. As a sociologist, Muborak had lived the Servas spirit all her life, becoming a member of Servas was just a logical extension of what she was doing all along. We now have a close relationship and I am happy to help her in more ways than one whenever she comes to New York.
6. Please tell us about your 3 most memorable or favorite travel experiences with Servas.
While preparing for a trip to Japan, I had planned on visiting some of the travelers who had stayed with me in New York and had kept in touch. But I also wanted to visit places where I did not know anyone and therefore picked from the Japanese host list. A family was listed with two children that I thought would be interesting to get to know, so I e-mailed them to ask for hospitality. The very next day I received a reply: Don’t you remember? We stayed with you in 1992! They had not been married then and needless to say that I visited them in Kyoto and learned about the situation of young Japanese professionals that may be very different today from what the outside world thinks about the “typical” Japanese family.
After hosting several travelers from South Africa and becoming friends with them, I decided to visit that country. Days before my departure I learned that my friend’s mother had passed and she asked me to come to the customary Hindu memorial instead of exploring the Garden Route at leisure. So I went to the SA airline to change my ticket, explaining that a member of the family had died. The airline immediately gave me the necessary ticket without charge. When I told my friend how accommodating the airline had been, she asked what would I have said if they had asked which member of the family had died? I answered that she was like a sister to me and I felt part of her family, which is exactly how I was treated in her community.
Recently I attended the Vancouver bi-country Servas conference. Having lived in New York most of my life and never having been north of San Francisco in the States, I decided to start at that city and travel over land to Vancouver, stopping by to visit Servas people along the way. One of my destinations was a farm in Chehalis, Washington State. Cheerfully Lorna taught me about Wwoofers (Willing Workers On Organic Farms), healthy living, and picking blueberries for three days. Even though she was born here and had little exposure to German culture: while working, Lorna was singing German folksongs that I could hardly remember, even though I had grown up in that country!
Israeli-Palestinian peace quilt
7. You are an avid Marathon runner. Please tell us when you got started running and how that came about. What races have you participated in and what do you like so much about running?
Until I started running I was never athletic, in fact I hated sports all my life. At some point in my mid-fifties I realized that sitting in front of the computer ten hours a day was not doing my body too much good. So, when my daughter began training for her first marathon, I started running short distances with her. Of course I also watched her first race and it seemed like fun.
Then a somewhat bizarre incident happened: a friend of mine announced that she was going to kill herself when she turned 60 because she hated old people and did not want to become one of them. We were unable to change her mind and in frustration and protest I decided to do something more positive with my life: I was going to run a marathon.
So I trained to be able to finish the first marathon and my daughter ran together with me. I was 59 years old at that time. It was exhilarating and like many runners I got hooked. So I trained properly for the next marathon that I ran fast enough to qualify for Boston, the oldest and most prestigious in the country. My daughter had also qualified and we again ran together, two days before she left for her 4-year assignment in Egypt.
To run a marathon requires training the body to push boundaries, otherwise a person can get seriously hurt. So I would participate in little races that are abundantly offered every weekend in New York. Seeing my displayed race numbers at the office has inspired numerous young people to become physically active as well and some of them are now also marathon runners.
The New York Roadrunners Club organizes many races throughout the year, most of them for one worthy cause or another. As long as I am physically well, I participate in those that I enjoy and a cause I support.
8. You also perform volunteer work in New York City and, among other things, you dedicate your time to running with blind people. Please tell us about that experience and other volunteer projects you may have been involved in.
In New York there are abundant opportunities to volunteer. The organization New York Cares alone has scores of projects every week. I have helped with Habitat for Humanity, God’s Love We Deliver, company sponsored projects, and so on. Since I am still traveling extensively, at the moment I do not regularly volunteer for a specific cause but pick assignments from the list and help out in soup kitchens, parks maintenance, race activities, neighborhood associations, etc. I also train with physically challenged, especially blind people, who would not be able to enjoy this sport on their own. It gives me great joy to help others doing something that I came to love myself.
Israeli-Palestinian peace quilt
9. A few years ago you decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for a charity dedicated to small business loans. Please tell us how you came up with the idea and how you selected the cause. What was it like to climb Africa’s highest mountain?
My daughter and I like to do things together, be it traveling, running, hiking, etc. When one of us mentioned climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the other immediately said that would be fun. So we decided to climb the rooftop of Africa. While preparing for the event, it occurred to me that I did not want to do this just for myself. There are lots of races, bike rides and other events organized for some good cause: why can’t I climb a mountain and let someone else benefit from my efforts. So I choose the organization FINCA* (Foundation for International Community Assistance) that gives small loans primarily to woman in countries where it is particularly difficult for women to start businesses. From my friends, colleagues and people I met at various activities I raised $10,000 that were distributed to the women in Tanzania which is where Mt. Kilimanjaro is located.
Having heard that it was possible for an average fit person to climb the highest mountain in Africa, I felt ready for this challenge. Mt. Kili is the only free-standing mountain in Africa and going up consists basically of strenuous hiking in high altitude. The mountain is almost 20,000 ft high and the distance from the entrance gate to the top is nearly 60 miles. Most people take at least 6 days round trip, with the day of the ascent being the most difficult part. It is important to go slowly enough to give the body a chance to acclimate and to drink lots of water. Only about half the people attempting to climb the mountain are successful, many underestimate the difficulties and fail to pay attention to their body’s ability to adjust.
With 120+ contributors on my fundraising list I had plenty of motivation to go all the way and luckily my daughter was willing to share this exciting event with me. We both managed to climb all the way to the top – one of the most difficult things we had done so far but also one of the most exhilarating. Every successful climber was thrilled about the experience and the satisfaction of having accomplished it showed in their faces.
10. You have also joined an activist group called the “Non-Violent Peaceforce”. Please tell us what they do and why you are considering working with them. What else is in your plans for the next few years?
The Non-Violent Peaceforce trains people to put themselves “in harm’s way”, that is, people are deployed into places where an outside group can act as a buffer to diffuse a potentially violent situation. NP works with the United Nations on peaceful solutions and conflict prevention in hostile environments. I do not know whether I will be chosen as a team member, but it seems a worthy cause to support and I am willing to participate in their actions. NP also works as election overseer and other less potentially dangerous events.
Plans for the future? Aside from more traveling, involvement with Servas and other NGOs, nothing in particular comes to mind at the moment. But that may change any day…
Thank you, Helga, for your sharing your stories of courage. You obviously love challenges and we wish you the best of luck for whatever you choose to get involved in.
