Molly M. McNulty

Sarah, Brett and the future Chloe

2011-06-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Farewell summer 2010

2010-08-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Time is a curious thing. The heat of summer already feels so distant as the crisp air of fall settles in.
I'll always remember this summer fondly.
The summer of 2010.
The heat, swimming, biking, hiking and camping. Topping it all off were two awesome weddings of four great people and a music festival.
Once I moved here I heard so much about the The Kispiox Music Festival. I couldn't go my first summer here.
This summer it worked out and it was fantastic.
Beautiful people, scenery, great music.
Not to mention being nestled in the beautiful Kispiox Valley.
Highly recommend it, and finding this great lake, past the music grounds, over the bridge then turn right at the fork in the road.
It has a two perfect docks, one from the shore, then a second further out.

Also great is music after the music. On Saturday night Bobby Middleton and his friend Sam (on banjo) ripped it up at the fire. My friend Paula (up top picking berries in Old Hazleton) and I had just finished dancing and grooving to Mamaguroove, the last set of the night, and made it back to the fire for more.

Todd, me and the universe

2010-08-16T12:53:00.001-07:00

Camping in Prince Rupert this weekend offered up a beautiful night sky of stars. Here is what Todd and I were able to capture.

todd

hands in the sky

there's a face in there somewhere

just the night sky

Hey! Let's make more waste

2010-08-09T11:12:00.001-07:00

Usually my blogging sticks to recent photographs and general thoughts, but when I see new products popping up that completely boggle my mind, I feel like I need to say something.

Kimberly-Clark Kleenex's new product - disposable hand towels.

http://www.kleenex.com/handtowels/

One use hand towels for the bathroom, dry your hands off ONCE and toss it away.
No, they are not made from recycled fiber, because according to their own website, "Because of the superior softness consumers expect from KLEENEX^® Brand, KLEENEX^® Brand Hand Towels are made with 100 percent virgin fiber. The product's unique, Cottony-Soft base sheet is free of inks, dyes and fragrances and is soft enough for faces yet durable for family needs."

And no I could not find any mention of the towels being biodegradable, but it did say that you could recycle the box, kudos.

The reasoning is germs, and apparently using a regular towel just isn't going to work now-a-days.

To quote their website again, KLEENEX^® Hand Towels provide people with an alternative solution to traditional cloth bathroom hand towels, offering a clean, fresh towel every time. In fact, in the U.S. alone, people dry their hands on cloth bathroom towels approximately 200 billion times per year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for hand washing recommends hand drying with a single-use towel to help reduce the spread of germs."

I find it very frustrating when it is common knowledge that as a planet we need to reduce the amount of waste we create, so why make new products that have a completely backwards and 1950s approach of, "just throw it away!"

It's bad enough that the one use towels are in almost every public washroom, so why do we need to bring it into our home?

As human beings living on this planet we have a duty to take care of it, and so far, not so good. This may also seem like a small issue to rant about, considering the other environmental battles we are facing, like massive pipelines pumping oil through our forests, and onto tankers which will travel our coastal waters.
But maybe if we can tackle the little issues, and make people understand that these types of backwards products, thinking, and marketing need to stop. Educate people on why things can't be like this, then maybe, maaaaybe, we will have more voices behind us backing up the bigger issues.
But what do I know, I'm just one person who doesn't buy paper towel, takes the time to rinse out anything that can be recycled (and pays for it to be recycled because the area I live in still doesn't have a regular depo), but mainly tries her best to make choices that feel right when it comes to sustaining our planet.
And one-use disposable hand towels are not the right choice for me.

You are that which you seek - South Africa

2010-07-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

It has been 119 days since I boarded a plane in Vancouver, setting off on an adventure to Africa. It was such a short blip in my life, a two week period in March and April, yet that 14 day space of time was filled with rich and striking beauty - I feel like I literally drank in every moment that I spent on African soil, soaking in each encounter, sound, smell and feeling with every ounce of my being.
Closing my eyes I am instantly back on a dusty dirt road in a village, children shouting, "muzungo!", small bikes ripping around, music thumping, women chatting and people working in the fields.
I know if I was transported there instantly I would find the exact same scene, which is comforting and intriguing.
These photos above are from a short day trip into Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa.

Slow flow of time - Goodbye Africa

2010-04-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

Time is a funny thing.
At home you're faced most days with the familiar of home, work, friends and community, and time can really fly.
With that frame of mind and my busy schedule while travelling I thought that my two weeks in Africa would zip by, but wow let me tell you, life back in Terrace B.C. feels like a lifetime ago.
I think these two weeks have felt like a long time because of how far, and how different things are here compared to home.
Each day, or even each minute my eyes catch a glimpse of something new and unfamiliar.
I have had an absolutely amazing time, but it's funny, usually when I travel I want to stay on the road forever, but this time I'm feeling tired and drained and ready for home.
Maybe it's adding the element of travel in an unfamiliar place and then trying to connect with strangers and arrange interviews for work, rather than just being on "vacation".
There's little things too that happen and my mind instantly thinks, oh how very Africa.
Like last night I took a night bus departing Livingstone at 8:30 p.m. to Lusaka. The ride is supposed to be from five to six hours, but ah we arrived here in Lusaka at 3:30 a.m.
And during the "night" bus while people are nodding off the front of the bus blasts the same song on repeat the entire time, where a woman sings in a high pitched tone.
I was at the back of the bus so it wasn't so bad, but yikes, passengers at the front would only get some shuteye if they were exhausted.
Each time they stopped they would also turn on the lights full blast, disturbing any slumber you might have fallen into.
But who am I to complain, I had a ride over 6 hrs that cost only $14.
But don't get me wrong, that bus service is amazing compared to some other outfits.
On the ride to Livingstone we were treated to air conditioning, a snack and refreshments and comfy seats. An added bonus was the smooth roads Zambia seems to have.
Buuuuuuut, one big hilarious but, they also played one song, over and over and over and over.
It took me awhile to even notice, when Darcy says, ummm I think this song has been on repeat for a long time?
I start to listen, ah yes, I think it's Michael Bolton singing, I say.
Soul Provider.
Each time his voice would fade away along with the sax (I think it's sax?), we would wait in silence to see if something new would come on, but ah the sax would come in and Bolton's voice would sound over the speakers.
If you're unfamiliar with the song and are curious as to what we were treated to at LEAST 15 times or more I swear, click on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwbdXXXZAg
Well I think this will be my last post, I had my last interview this morning, then tomorrow we fly out in the afternoon for a serious of painful connecting flights to arrive back in Vancouver on Sunday.
See you soon Canada!

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

Good thing I showered this morning

2010-04-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

With the Easter weekend hampering work after arriving here in Zambia, four of us ladies on the trip decided to take the weekend to travel south to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls or Mosi-Oa-Tunya, meaning the smoke that thunders.
By far one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen and one of the best experiences on this trip so far.
Think of a huge crevasse in the middle of a flat landscape taking the waters of the Zambezi River down a vertical drop of more than 100 metres.
The back splash from the raging waters' drop creates the illusion of a heavy rain storm from above.
"Well I'm glad we showered this morning," we laughed while dripping head to toe.
To sum it up the falls were big, wet and beautiful. With the sun shining down a large rainbow stretched above the boiling pot, which is where the waters churn in a ravenous circle to then turn and head down the Batoka Gorge.
And if you go for a swim in the boiling pot, apparently your body will arrive in the next village.
Right now I'm staying at a place called Jollyboys alone, but the four of us arrived and spent one night here together.
When we entered the gate and walked through the parking lot we entered paradise.
A pool, comfy sofas, bar serving cold beer and tasty food (vegetarian too!!!), working and fast internet, no instant coffee but the real deal, and a four bedroom suite just for us, quiet nights, great sleeps on soft mattresses.
Simply a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
After the hectic busy schedules we had in Uganda this was a welcomed break, an oasis for us Canadians hankering for some tastes of home.
The place is filled with backpackers, as Livingstone is a tourist destination with the falls, safaris, rafting, bungee etc.
This city is nice and welcoming.
My only distaste is the way local vendors have learned to approach tourist for selling their goods.
Each time I walk down this one path I'm accosted by, hello sista, how are you, let me show you something from my village, I am an artist.
And it's someone different every time.
Wow this place is just filled with fantastic artists...ya right.
I wouldn't get so annoyed with the people in town if it wasn't for my experience with the souvenir shops outside Victoria Falls.
What they do is give you a necklace for free and say come back and see me when you're done.
Sure, that's okay I want to buy some things anyway.
Buuuuuut they make you sit on a stool, and insist you buy things together because it is cheaper. Sure, okay I can deal with that.
But ah, then they say their friend will wrap your purchases.
Oh, sit on my stool here while I nicely wrap what you've bought and I'll show you what I have.
No thank you I say, I have bought what I want.
They stall, don't wrap what you've bought and keep shoving things in your face, oh this is nice, great deal here. No? How about this? No? Please I need money to buy my lunch.
Ya, ya.
They say, oh I am an artist and I've made this from my village, but then you look around and everything in every shop looks exactly the same hmmmm...
I am a friendly person but I Iost my cool when I bought something to get the second vendor to leave me alone (I know, I know that's their plan all along), when A THIRD man starts wrapping THAT purchase and then tries to sell me HIS THINGS.
That was the final straw and I said very loudly I AM DONE! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING ELSE.
It's a horrible, frustrating method and they would do much better and I would have bought a lot more if they let you do your thing and decide for yourself.
That's my one rant, but I swear I didn't even get that mad when the contents of my wallet were stolen.

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

They even took the cookies

2010-04-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

It started out just like any other day during our travels in Africa, but by the end we were definitely feeling the sting of travelling outside the western world.
It was dark when we rose from our hotel rooms in Kampala, leaving Uganda behind to head for Zambia, but ah, first was our stop in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The flight was short and offered nice views of the African landscape and when we landed we were all looking forward to a seven hour stop with the promise of a tour of Soweto.
Getting off the plane the weather was warm but light compared to the muggy climate of Uganda. I made my way through immigration, showed my passport but then was asked for my yellow fever vaccination card.
Luckily for me I had it with all my travel documents so in a flash I was through and welcomed into Joburg.
But this tiny little yellow card was ready to cause some trouble for the rest of us.Three reporters had packed their vaccination cards away in their luggage, which were en route to our final destination in Lusaka.
No card = no entry. So two from our group had to spend the day in the airport, while one luckily enough made it through.
That left three of us to hop in a car with our chatty guide Vincent. South Africa is completely different from what I had seen of this continent so far. There were freeways with fast sporty cars, large shopping centres, basically very developed.
We drove past the city centre, where Vincent pointed out a 50 story hotel building that now sits completely empty due to high crime rates.T
he best part of the day was touring the Hector Pieterson Museum, which houses photographic and audio-visual displays of the struggle of the youth against apartheid.
Another highlight was seeing the new stadium that will soon host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Around four hours later the mood was definitely different.
We arrived in Lusaka, Zambia and picked up our luggage.
We noticed a few of our bags had zippers left open...hmmm odd, but everything seemed OK.Right at the airport exit we decided to take out some cash from ATM.
I opened my luggage to grab my purse, because I accidentally packed it away for the flight, I opened my wallet and stared for a few moments, did I move my cards into another compartment?
No. My wallet was completely empty, debit card, credit cards, drivers licence, even my Safeway Card and Shoppers Optimum cards were no where to be seen.
Well there goes taking out money, I seem to have been completely wiped out, I say.
Everyone immediately starts rummaging through their bags to see if they were also victims, and for two others sadly they were hit hard.
Here's the list: laptop, two cameras, running shoes, sandals, electric toothbrush, Ipod, power converter, and flash drives.
Luckily none of us had any stories, notes, photos that were lost but it definitely came as a shock, especially since this happened IN airport security AFTER we had checked our bags. We know that it took place while "locked away" in Joburg's airport before our connecting flight to Zambia.
Upon further inspection at our hotel room later that night, the dirty bums also swiped a bag of cookies, and some of my energy bars.
I guess ransacking bags builds up an appetite, lesson learned.
For me, I'm happy. They only took the contents of my wallet and a small little digital camera and safely tucked away under some of my clothes was my 70-200 zoom lens worth over a grand and my brand new hiking boots that weren't cheap.
Even with the complete violation of being robbed everyone stayed in good spirits.
We laughed it off saying that somewhere in Joburg someone is runnings in some ladies running shoes, listening to an Ipod, while surfing a laptop and eating some cookies.
Ah, they will get their own.

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

Six days of thoughts

2010-04-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think words can even describe my week.
Of course I've let blogging slip and here we are on Friday, my last day in Uganda, and there's no way to cram in all that I've seen and done and the amazing people I've met.
On Tuesday morning I left the crowded streets of Kampala behind, with their crazy traffic system which I find fantastic in a horrific kind of way.
Think no crosswalks, definitely no right of way for pedestrians, no turning lights, disregard for driving on the correct side of the road, and bikes, or boda-bodas, swerving and weaving through traffic, the drivers wearing no helmets and sometimes with a small child on their lap, and stop signs are optional.
But as I made my way east the houses and pedestrians that lined the street slowly faded away and turned into endless fields of the most vibrant shade of green I've ever seen, dotted with farms, small businesses, schools and homes.
Once arriving in Jinja my contact Justine Ojambo, who started the Phoebe Education Fund for AIDS Orphans (PEFO) after his late mother Phoebe, picked me up and it was straight to business.Justine was kind enough to put me up in his home and show me all that PEFO does, and let me telly out it's absolutely outstanding.
I spent a few days in the field with some of the PEFO team meeting some of the grandmothers they assist. Instead of relaxing in their old age and having their children care for them, they are now caring for their grandchildren because AIDS has taken so many parents' lives leaving them with the responsibility to care for AIDS orphans.
But to meet these grandmothers you wouldn't know the hardships that this life has brought them.
They smile, laugh, dance and sing, welcoming you with open arms and open hearts.
For me, I arrived as a muzungo - the largely used word for white person here - stranger with a camera, yet the moment I stepped into their world they sang for me and were so ready and open to share their stories.To me that is a perfect example of the Ugandan people. They are open, giving, kind, and I think they live with their hearts.They may not have much in terms of materialistic things, or even the essentials like food and shelter, but it is evident in the smiles on their faces and the way they say hello that they are truly happy people.
And the people who work for PEFO are some driven and strong individuals as well, working so hard to help improve the lives of the grandmothers, and the orphans they care for, by providing shelter, education, food security and more.
Looking back on all the worries that have occupied my mind I feel so foolish.
It's as if the more we have, the easier and quicker we expect things and the more selfish, inpatient and unappreciative we become, forgetting the most important thing in life:living.
We all know that one of the only things that is guaranteed in life is that we die. So my hope for myself, and for others back home in Canada, is that we learn to stop focusing on the negative and worrying about what other people think, stop consuming as much as we do, let go of the idea that living for materialistic things means a better quality of life, and take a step back.
Then can we appreciate the beauty of your family and friends, the feeling of warm sunshine on your face, or a smell that brings up old and familiar memories from a time past.
For now my time is almost up in Uganda, but after only one very short week I know in my heart that I want to return.

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

The beauty of a bed - Welcome to Uganda

2010-03-28T23:40:00.000-07:00

Wow.
After three plane rides, three countries and two nights without hope of sleeping in a bed I have finally arrived in Uganda.
It's hot, busy, loud, colourful and I love it.
The first day was a blur to say the least, two nights of shut-eye crunched up in a ball on a plane, well doesn't really qualify as sleep. With the time change and skipping ahead a day it was a bit challenging to get my bearings, but after a big and delicious meal at and indian restaurant in Kampala, a shower and a full nights sleep in an actual bed, I felt like a new woman.
Two other journalist that I'm travelling with left this morning to Gulu, while the rest of us are trying to sort out our contacts here in Kampala.
Here in Africa we are all at the mercy of our contacts, and whether or not are plans work out are completely out of our control.
For example, Darcy and Nancy were supposed to be picked up at around 8 a.m. this morning to travel to Gulu, but when no one arrived they had to track down a contact who said, "I was waiting for your call to pick you up."
Without that call they would have been waiting for a very long time.
To make things easier we all either purchased phones, or bought local SIM cards.
Tara and I decided to share a phone and bought one at a shop just a block away from our hotel. The salesman was very friendly and wanted to know everything about Canada.
Before we left he used our phone to call his, just so we could confirm our phone number.
When we received a random phone call later that night we came to the cunclusion that he definitely had other ideas about acquiring our number.
"Helllooo Canada, hellooo," he said.
To which Tara replied.
"Wrong number!"
Well I'm off to try and track down my contact at the Mulago Hospital here in Kampala and if that doesn't work out I'll be hitting the road heading east to Jinja.

Molly McNulty is travelling to Uganda and Zambia on behalf of the Jack Webster Fellowship Seeing the World Through New Eyes which is funded by CIDA.

Sunset in Vancouver, July 2009

2009-12-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Thornhill and Terrace Mountain, Oct. 25, 2009

2009-10-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

On the way up the mountain

Exstew, Oct. 12, 2009

2009-10-13T11:16:00.001-07:00

Exstew Falls

Bornite Mountain

2009-10-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

View from Bornite Mountain trailhead
Sunday, Oct.4, 2009

Burnside, Portland OR July, 2009

2009-10-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

2009-06-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Rapid Evolution, June 20/21, 2009

2009-06-25T11:49:00.001-07:00

Kermode Bear, May 4, 2009

2009-06-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Kermode Bear on Hwy 16 near Kitwanga

Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards, April 4, 2009

2009-04-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Gold, feature photo

Terrace is Hockeyville, March 7, 2009

2009-03-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Terrace is Hockeyville, March 7, 2009

The ice man, from October 2008

2009-02-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Coney Island and NY July, 2008

2008-11-21T23:33:00.001-08:00

Terrace September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

In my back yard September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T15:11:00.001-07:00

Ferry Island Terrace B.C. September 15, 2008

2008-09-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2008

2008-07-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

171th Anniversary of the foundation of The Swiss Confederation

June 15, My first front in Victoria

2008-06-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

For my first job with CanWest, I met Willie Blackwater, a major player with the court case against the residential schools. He was in Ottawa for Harpers official apology. Victoria picked it up and this is my first big front.

June 11, I seem to be drawn to windows

2008-06-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

A church on Somerset.

Everybody dance, outside, in the sun.

I just like this one

A mirror in the window of a restaurant on Somerset.

A young girl gazes out her window on Somerset.

June 9, 2008 Out on a hot day

2008-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pascale serves up home made icecream.

Two brothers, awaiting the Taste of Wellington West.

A New Day New Photos, May 23, 2008

2008-05-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have recently changed my blog to correspond with my new email, which is mcnultymolly@gmail.com. So I've just switched the order of my surname and first name. I am going to try and upload new photos more frequently, starting fresh. This is around Ottawa in recent days.

2008-05-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Downtown Ottawa, a biker rides by the canal I believe.

A mirrored Tulip.

A table of desserts at an Embassy event.

Karate Kids (plus parents) who were warming up in a field near our place.

An athlete stretching before a track and field competition.

The red isn't standing out as much as it usually does, but this is a model wearing a design by a Richard Robinson student.

Under the Bronson Bridge, the House of Paint. This is Pawel Dwulit, obviously another photographer, still don't know what the one's of me look like.

A bit dated, the snow! On my way to my first day at Canadian Geographic, spotted this through the windshield.

The National Art Gallery, where I wasn't supposed to be taking photos.

Biker Gang

A runner yesterday, training for this weekends half marathon.

Marching Band

2008-05-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Tian Guo Marching Band and dancers were at first banned from playing at the Tulip Festival. In the end they were able to play, and including dancers from the Lian Hua Arts Group.