Jake Budlow, Peace Passers & Tibet Women's Soccer!

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean there floats a container ship. On this said container ship, somewhere squeezed between massive steel boxes, sits a relatively tiny, shrink-wrapped bundle filled with soccer gear bound for the Himalayas. Nearly a year ago, I contacted an organization called Peace Passers, who act as 'brokers' of used, donated soccer equipment. A few months later, my parents' garage in Normandy Beach was filled with stuff, thanks in part to a high school kid named Jake Budlow.


Jake is an amazing person, and I imagine a lot of it has to do with his equally amazing parents, all of whom I had the pleasure of meeting when they braved the hellish Jersey Shore summer traffic and drove down from Chatham, NJ to drop off all that Jake had collected.  In 2009 Jake ran his first gear drive, and collected over 190 pairs of soccer cleats for a program in Rwanda. This year, he decided to do it again, and Tibet Women's Soccer was the lucky recipient. This time he collected 160 pairs of cleats, 60 pairs of shin guards, 20 uniforms, goalie shirts, goalie gloves and even a few soccer bags.


In the US, many of us forget how privileged we are to be able to purchase a new pair of cleats every season, or a new set of fancy uniforms for our team each year. So many of these items get thrown out when they are actually still in great, functional shape. Consider starting a gear drive in your own school or community to recycle these types of items for redistribution to a community-in-need. Peacepassers.org will be more than happy to help you distribute them.


Now let's just hope the gear makes it to Delhi! Stay tuned for details on that inevitable adventure...

Check out Jake's story & Peace Passers here:
http://peacepassers.org/jake-budlow-shining-bright

This Time Is Different

As our shabby bus curved through the foothills of the mighty Dalhoudar range, I could not shake the feeling that this time would be different.  Suffering from an extreme bout of jet lag, I lay back in my seat and watched the Indian countryside roll by to the light of the full moon.  This time would be different.

My past four extended stays in Dharamsala were about me.  Finding myself was the primary objective.  Although I had some minor commitments to students I tutored and to the local vipassana meditation center in the past, my days remained largely my own.  I lived free from serious obligation.  I could go home whenever I pleased.  This time, I have a very different task – to give Tibetan girls the tools they need to find themselves through soccer.  I have made a commitment to stay here for at least one year.  This commitment is not only to myself, or to the Tibetan National Sports Association.  Right now, it feels as if the commitment is primarily to the nearly 200 individuals back in the US who donated their time and money to even making the idea of this project possible.  My entire world is watching, waiting, to see what transpires during my time here.  And I feel it.

I still feel like my body has not yet allowed me to fully experience the emotions tied to receiving so much support from my friends, family & community back home.  I can feel the intense gratitude being stored somewhere in my chest and in my throat, and except for a few random bubblings-up from time to time, I don’t think I can handle it in its full force, at least not yet.  I like to think of this gratitude being stored as my fuel tank to get me through this project, this new phase in my life.  When a new challenge presents itself, when I find myself in a tight spot or trying to juggle a tough decision it is to this store of inspiration that I will turn.

For now, Tomer and I will take a couple of weeks to find a great apartment, make it into a home & settle ourselves in to the rhythm of life in this small, refugee community before starting on the monumental tasks that lay ahead.  Now it is still monsooning, and we are receiving at least 2 inches of rain per day.  In this, the second rainiest spot in all of India, it’s hard to do much in the way of soccer.  I think it’s meant to be.  Time to reflect, build up our energy, & get ready to make our next move.  Hopefully the rains will stop by October.