silly me…

i just realized i never told you…

if you have been checking jillm.com you already knew.

but if you’re like me and love google reader, than it may have passed your view.

i’ve relaunched my blog under tumblr.

if you need me, you’ll find me here: http://jillmdotcom.tumblr.com/

there’s lots there already so go ahead, get caught up! :)

Alone, Michael Kuany, is just a man from Africa. Born into a war-torn country, destined to lead a difficult life, Michael – by himself – can do very little to change the world. In community, however, Michael Kuany is the catalyst behind a growing movement. Friday night, his story provided the context for a few artists and friends to come together and dream of a better future for Sudan.

How would your impact change if you teamed with others?

Thanks to all of you who were able to participate in our Reflections of Africa photography show! We were overwhelmed with the turnout and the participating in the project. We raised over $1000 for the project in one evening and are excited to use that money to invest in RebuildSudan.org. See a video from the night athttp://www.vimeo.com/6332178

If you would like to purchase a photograph online, please seehttp://rebuildsudan.wordpress.com/purchase/ to view our online gallery where you can purchase unmated/unframed images in a variety of sizes. Half of all of the proceeds from these photographs will go directly towards RebuildSudan.org.

Please join us in supporting this project, this art and this cause.

Thank you again and be looking for our next show in Berkeley this fall!

okay… when it rains it pours. when the classes come the books hit you like bricks, when the jobs come they consume your time, when the responsibilities come they monopolize your time.

but i promise, a new website, with new content, with new photos, with new info is coming.

until then, be sure you’re coming to the photography show THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!! yes, my first San Francisco showing and all for a good cause. all of the money we raise from the silent auction is going towards the school i helped design this summer during my month in Africa. so be there and buy a photo. and if you won’t be there, stay tuned, because you’ll soon be able to buy it online as well.

REFLECTIONS OF AFRICA
a collections of stories and photographs

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH
7-9PM AT MERIDIAN GALLERY
535 POWELL STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA
ALL PROCEEDS FOR REBUILDSUDAN.ORG

download the invite here: reflections-of-africa

a new website…

a new company…

a new school…

a new vision…

things are changing.

stay tuned for more is most definitely coming…

now to catching up after 10 days in the wild west…

everywhere we go, we seen evidence of the past. it’s as if we cannot escape these signs of war which point towards the pain still lingering in this place. i wonder if they serve as healthy reminder of what was or if they hinder the future of what could be. as the green branches over take the rusted steel, i believe hope is on the way.

i wish i could see life through his eyes. i would give anything right now to enter his world to understand him more. no matter how hard i try, i will always be an outsider. kawaja, they call me… white person is my label. again and again, all day long, i am known by my skin, as one who does not belong. how i long to see through his eyes…instead, i can only see myself in them.

i am flying over the sudan and i cannot even begin to describe this moment. below me lies a network of huts, a collection of villages, a living organism of tribes, a ethos of culture. it has existed long before my time and will continue long after my visit. even from above, i can see the way they are connected, the way they are intricately woven together.

………………….
i recently spent a month in africa and am catching up my blog with stories from my journey.
to hear more about our projects and why i was there, see HERE
to see my photos from this trip, see HERE and HERE
to purchase photos from this trip, see HERE

any food shared with the spilgers usually involves an evening of cooking together in their simple sausalito home. any conversation had with the spilgers usually evolves into the sharing of dreams of a future we can create. and any evening spent with the spilgers leaves you grateful and looking forward until the next.

thank you both for welcoming me in for the evening, listening to my stories of africa and reminding me that anything is possible.

for the entire photoset, see HERE.

though they’re first time parent’s, they seem more like seasoned professionals. they integrated darren into their world and kept things in perspective. an engineer and pharmacist, he’s already picked up their smarts understanding bits and pieces of cantonese, spanish, sign language, english… not to mention a perfect blend of cuteness. thanks for welcoming me into your home, feeding me chinese, and of course, for tucker’s ice cream!!

for my favorites from this session, please see HERE.

i am seeing africa, their africa. it is not as i imagined it. it is more gentle than aggressive. is more sincere than sinister. their skin so scarred yet pure; their eyes so piercing yet gentle. i want to meet them; i want to know them. i want to be here with them.