| Introduction:
JettyGirl photographer Shannon Switzer left a few days
ago on the trip of a lifetime. Although not necessarily
a surf trip per se, we think her adventure is a story
well-worth sharing with others. Before she departed,
a few surf companies jumped on board with sticker donations
for Shannon's trip. Her plan is to pass stickers out
to the kids she meets as she travels throughout Africa.
Special thanks to all who answered our call for stickers:
Transworld
SURF, Walking
on Water, Mutiny
Media, Leucadia Surf Shop, and Dal Sarcos. The kids
are going to be stoked! If you or your company is interested
in donating stickers to Shannon, please contact me at
jettygirl@boardfolio.com --Chris Grant
September 26, 2007
Dispatch No. 1: Whale Sharks, Sea
Turtles, and Chimps- OH MY!
Hello All My Favorite People,
Here I go Again!
Most of you know that my adventure-bug
has bit once more- this time it's sending me to Africa.
I fly out tomorrow night and will be there for the next
8 months getting my hands dirty in a variety of field
research and humanitarian work. Here's a little recap
of what I'll be doing (even for those of you who are
already up-to-date, because I know it's kind of confusing):
First I'll be heading to the Seychelles,
an island nation a thousand miles off the coast of Kenya
in the Indian Ocean, to study whale sharks, sea turtles,
and coral reef health with a local non-profit organization
( www.mcss.sc ).
I'll spend three months there and
then head to Kenya for a month of traveling and working
at an orphanage or AIDS clinic (not sure exactly where
yet).
I will then be making my way to
Uganda to study chimpanzees for three months in the
Budongo Forest ( www.budongo.org
) as a field research assistant to a PhD student from
Oxford University.
Finally I'll be doing a month of
traveling (again not sure where) before heading home
in early June.
Kind of a lot of random things
all patched together, but I'm definitely looking forward
to this adventure and praying that I will be able to
contribute something small to the earth and its creatures
along the way.
LAST THING
I've finally updated my website
and re-organized it. I have a lot of new photos posted
that have accumulated during this past year at home,
if you have a second definitely check them out! You
can actually get to the website now with two easy addresses
:
www.ShannonSwitzer.com
or www.GirlChasesGlobe.com
(Take your pick!!)
I won't be earning any income while
I'm gone, as all the work I'm doing is volunteer and
self-funded. So if you know anyone who wants a beautiful
wall decoration or even a cool calendar, send them my
way!
And a big thank you to everyone
who has purchased photos from my website- it means a
lot to me! I would love to get feedback on the quality
of the prints and service you receive as I don't usually
get to see the finished product sent out by Smugmug.
I want to make sure everyone is satisfied with their
purchases!
You can also keep updated on my
adventures at JettyGirl
Online Surf Magazine thanks to the kindness of local
photographer Chris Grant (Boardfolio.com:
The Surfer's Directory - he has a lot of great photos
to check out too!)
LAST THING REALLY THIS TIME
A little disclaimer: I will be
keeping in touch via e-mail updates and posting the
latest haps on my website as often as possible. If anyone
is receiving these e-mails who would rather not be,
just let me know and you won't get them anymore. Don't
worry, it won't hurt my feelings at all (well maybe
just a little bit), but I totally understand!
I think that's it. One more big
thank you to everyone - you have all supported me in
so many ways! You will be on my heart and in my prayers.
And don't worry, the e-mails to
come will be way more interesting I promise!
Much Love,
Shannon
Shannon's
Next Letter: "Unexpected
Flight Delays Lead to Unexpectedly Good Times"
|
Shannon
Switzer at the Roxy Jam Cardiff
