Kilimanjaro and Beyond, Inspiring, Full of Laughter, Honesty and Questions!

Kilimanjaro and Beyond, Inspiring, Full of Laughter, Honesty and Questions!

Alysha Atma Salem-News.com African Affairs Correspondent

"...honest, funny, very engaging and truly written from the heart" - Alysha Atma Salem-News.com (From book cover)

Kilimanjaro and Beyond

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - “I had never intended to set out on a journey to change my life? As far as I was concerned, my life was just fine the way it was. However, someone once said that life begins at the end of our comfort zone.”

Barry Finlay broke out of his comfortable retirement to find that the life on the other side of the mountain is inspiring; that smiles, strength and perseverance can change futures, opportunities and generations. Climbing a mountain – Kilimanjaro was but a small part of his journey.

“Perhaps the word “climbed” doesn’t sufficiently describe it, as we have also scrambled, struggled, clung, slipped and slid.”

Laugh out Loud, a rollercoaster of questions, “Can we really do this?” This book is honest, funny and truly written from the heart.

“…how, as ordinary people in our small way, we can make a difference in the lives of others if we have the desire to do so and with a little perseverance. We attempt to demonstrate the power that one or two individuals can have by mobilizing friends, family and others to work together for a common cause.”

For Barry, education is that common cause; one of the keys to solving many of the world’s problems. After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Barry and Chris visit two schools in Mwanza, Tanzania confirming their desire to continue to step outside their comfort box, fundraising past two goals to ensure that the children there receive the education they deserve.

“Two surprising words popped into my head. Admiration and optimism. You can’t help but admire the children who were smiling and making the best of what they had, which was obviously very little, and I was optimistic that with determination and a little hard work, we could give the children a chance to gain an education and become major contributors to their society.”

Through various fundraisers, the least of which was the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Barry and his family raised enough to build a classroom at a primary school and to drill a well at a pre-school. But the work continues.

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Alysha Atma spends many hours working on projects that support and benefit the beleaguered people of African nations who spend way too much time off the western media's radar. This writer explains that she is a culmination of all her experiences, most importantly knowledge she says, and all that she still needs to learn; lessons of love, laughter and the extraordinary giving of both young and old. She says she has the enormous fortune of learning from the best; every person around her, and the amazing strength and fortitude of those she has never met but will always strive to listen to. "I continue to work and write because I believe in the power of community and the power of one, both contradictory to each other and yet can move together in a very powerful way. I feel a responsibility to use my place, freedoms and connections here in the US to stand up and yell for those who need my voice and actions. I have seen such strength in my fellow humans that I cannot even begin to comprehend, they have traveled distances, have gone without food, water, shelter and safety for days and weeks at a time. I have a responsibility as a fellow human to put our common humanity before anything else. Everyone deserves to look towards tomorrow, to dream of a safe future and to have a peaceful present." You can write to Alysha Atma at: alyshann78@comcast.net