A Friend | Edmonton & International Photographers
So, I have been feeling a bit nostalgic. It was about this time, last year, when I applied to be the photographer for the Media Team that the CRWRC was sending to East Africa. I still cannot believe that I was chosen and with only two short weeks notice was on my way to Kenya. (I won't get into all the details since I have been sharing my day-to-day journey on this blog already, but feel free to check out all previous posts HERE). It was such a wonderful adventure, made all the better by the many amazing people that I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know.I would really like to introduce you to one of these people. His name is Rufus. I would say it was our mutual love of photography that initially sparked the friendship, which was then followed up with heart-to-hearts on the truck and chats in a nearby coffee shop while we both recovered from random illnesses in Durban. Rufus is one of those people that just lights up the room with constant smiles, jokes and kindness. He is a person with more knowledge then he knows, more kindness then he thinks and more impact then he could possibly realize.I have asked Rufus to share a few words about himself. So without further ado, here he is: 
The Pursuit of Self AwarenessThis has been the one of the most intense processes I have been through in a while. Do I write about my past? Do I write about my present? Or, how about I write about Global Warming since this was how I came to have my photo taken by my dearest friend who has chosen to give me no guidelines as to what I should write, only that I should write what I wanted people to know. So here it goes……I was born Rufus Brevin Laverlott in 1981/07/28 at approximately 10pm, Summerset West Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, to Peter and Viona Laverlott. I was raised in Uitsig, which at the time was a “previously disadvantaged community” in Cape Town, South Africa. As a typical boy I took apart every toy and tried my hand at playing with matches and almost burned down our garage (I remember trying to bury myself in the sand next to our house because I knew what was coming when my dad got home, the beat-down). Growing up I did not understand apartheid because I thought it was normal, it is only later that I would realize that this was unfair and for the rest of my life I would have to deal with feelings of entitlement, inferiority and, most of all, hatred. I soon realized that I was not the only one experiencing these emotions and that people all have these feelings and they manifest themselves in different ways. Mine manifested itself through the abuse of people's trust and drugs, squandering what opportunities were given me; after all, they said I would never amount to anything. (The community of people I come from were and are still to this day stereotyped as Gangsters, Drug Dealers and Thieves)Where is this all heading? So I accumulated ridiculous amounts of debt and ended up in prison, I sold drugs and chose to be an addict for much of my life, I was infatuated with Heroin. I have been shot, stabbed, beat up and left for dead. These were my life choices, I had no one to blame but me. Even though I blamed my dad and mom, I have come to realize that they wanted the best for me and did what they could with the information they had to be the best parents they could be for their children. Today, I look up to my father who with no education managed to put each of his children through school and tertiary education, as well as put away money so that should anything happen to him his wife would want for nothing. I know what it is to see how your mom compensates for your dads lack of emotional involvement in your life, that you abuse her and take advantage of her. I know what it is to be so addicted to drugs that you say to God, “Is this all you had created me to be, a disappointment, a stereo type, I never asked to be here?”. I know the joy of overcoming addiction and then making the same unwise decision and indulging again because this time it would be different. I know love, I know what it is to abuse love and I know what it is to be abused physically, emotionally and sexually. I know vanity, I know what racism is and what it is to be a racist; and lastly, I know freedom, not only understanding that I have the ability to choose but choosing despite how I feel or how many times I do not succeed.I celebrated my 31st birthday this year in New York City; last year, I celebrated it with the prisoners I work with, in the very same facility I served out my own sentence; and the year before that, I was being released from prison on my birthday. I wake up and fight every day to be me, navigating through life and all it has to offer with passion and love, choosing to be responsible and grateful. My parents are my greatest supporters after God. We are not perfect, and so we pursue balance, love that is reflected through our actions toward one another no matter how awkward or difficult, because feelings come and go and are essentially emotional evidence of our choices. Two years ago, I came out of prison and have by God's grace been living as a contributor to society and this planet I call home. Not just living to breath but to live the most extraordinary life I am able to, becoming self-aware and taking ownership of every choice I make. One of these choices was to travel from Kenya to Durban to raise awareness of Global Warming, to rally support from others as youth to stand up and be counted against all odds and say that this is our world, we have a voice. Being ignorant is a choice, we choose who we are and how we show up in this world.I love that I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. I love that I have seen a lot of this world and my own Country and Continent. I love that I know my history, however, it is not all I am. I am universal, sharing a space with billions of people who are as I am. We are confronted by our fears and insecurities daily, being challenged each in our own unique way.I met the loving, intensely passionate, soft and humble Karmen Jillayne Meyer in Kenya and we traveled alongside with almost 190 other young people to Durban, South Africa. You need only look at her pictures to see the reflection of her heart-beat and how she sees the world, the beauty that can be found in each moment. Don’t allow anything to take away from you your greatest human experience, which is this life you are living now! Do not be conformed by society as if you need it to validate that you matter. You have a responsibility to contribute to this planet we call earth so that those generations that come after us may to see as we have seen, the awesomeness of this life we get to experience daily. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!Capture life like you are a photographer…… find the beauty in each moment.RUFUS
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 20-23 | Edmonton & International Photographer
Oh wow, it has been a long time since I have shared a little piece of my Africa adventure. So here is another teensy taste of my days on the caravan.November 21, 2011 | Gaborone, Botswana to Pretoria, South AfricaDay #20- LAUNDRY! I was down to one clean shirt and a not so clean skirt, so a chance to scrub my clothes in non-pool water was a blessing. Note to future self: Always try to find time in the daylight to wash clothes, washing at night is quite the task.November 22, 2011 | Pretoria/Johannesburg, South AfricaDay #21- We have another concert today!! Despite the HUGE thunderstorm, everyone had a great time and the whole concert sounded lovely =) There was one moment that definitely stood out... Ryan broke out in some killer dance moves. Let's just say he knows how to work the crowd!
November 23, 2011 | Pretoria, South Africa to MountainsDay #22- Apparently today things needed to be shook up. Our trucks were divided, as part of the caravan headed straight to Durban. The people on the trucks were pretty much the only consistent thing on this journey (well that and beans and bread for breakfast) so it was a shockingly hard adjustment. We missed our Truck families so much but at least is was a beautiful drive AND Ruth and I got to stay in a Cabin! Yay for private showers and a bed.
November 24, 2011 | Mountains to DurbanDay #23- Still feeling sort of misplaced and mixed up, but we're blessed with a shorter 6 hour drive. When we finally arrived in Durban it was just pouring rain, I am talking the washed out roads, disappearing bridges type rain. But it was OK because we were all promised cabins... haha just kidding!! After arrival they realized that they really did not have enough space. So tents were set up in the rain and needless to say morale was a little low. Somehow Ruth and I managed to upgrade to a little cabin, which I was so thankful for. It had power and internet and I got a bunch of work done!
WE FINALLY MADE IT TO DURBAN!!
Have you missed the beginning of our African Caravan? Check out our journey through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana HERE and stay tuned for more.
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 17-19 | Edmonton & International Photographer
November 18, 2011 | Livingstone, Zambia to Serowe, BotswanaDay #17- Today we left VERY early to catch the Ferry that would take us across the Zambezi River to Botswana!! On the way there, my new African friends frightened me with the story of how the Ferry capsized in 2003 killing 18 people. And wouldn't you know it, when we arrive the second ferry is capsized on the other side of the river... needless to say we all loaded very cautiously onto pontoon. I can't speak for everyone else but I was pondering the existence of alligators in the river and making an escape route in my head! Fortunately though, we (Truck 4) all arrived safely on Botswana's shores where we waited 3 hours until all the other trucks made it across. Then we headed to our most remote campsite thus far!We arrived at the Elephant Sands Campsite at sunset. This was a lovely place where wild animals and A LOT OF BUGS roamed freely. In fact, the bugs didn't want to leave me alone. There were these flying beetle things that covered my hair when I was trying to shower and insisted on being inside my sleeping bag while I slept, shutter. But I didn't have to put up with them for long; it was short night, we were to wake-up, pack-up and be back on the road by 2am.
November 19, 2011 | Serowe, Botswana to Gaborone, BotswanaDay #18- After a super early start, we receive a very warm welcome from Gaberone. We meet an inspiring group of cyclists and speakers who offer us words of encouragement and provide a lovely lunch for us! Afterwards we head to the most awful campsite on the whole trip. There is nothing but old buildings, piles of broken toilets (??) and a river filled with alligators! It wasn't a big deal though, most of us were happy to enjoy the impressive Thunder Storm and catch up on some sleep.
Later that evening, we headed out to an intimate evening concert! I had a terrible time trying to focus in the dark, so after capturing a few images I decided to take the opportunity to enjoy the concert. Let's just say my voice was sore from singing and my muscles very sore from dancing my pants off!!
November 20, 2011 | Gaborone, BotswanaDay #19- Today I stepped on a ginormous thorn. Yes, I was just out brushing my teeth before church and I stepped on an insanely large thorn that went through my sandal and into my foot. So nice and deep, in fact, that my sandal dangled there nailed to the ball of my foot. Of course, I quickly pulled it out and though it hurt quite a lot I figured it would feel better in an hour or so. Well, I was wrong! By the end of the church service, my foot barely fit into my flip-flop and was basically useless for walking on. It did hurt, but I was frustrated more by the inconvenience of not being able to walk properly!Later in the evening, a brave soul (Yussuf) stepped forward to perform surgery on my damaged extremity. Well, it wasn't exactly surgery... but Ryan decided to call it that and it really caught on. This surgery, was made even more dramatic by the crowd that gathered to watch. My only wish was that the wound was more impressive, pretty sure everyone just thought I was I big baby. Oh my, I did have to laugh at the whole situation though.
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 16 | Edmonton & International Photographer
November 17, 2011 | Lusaka, Zambia to Livingstone, ZambiaDay #16- Today was a WONDERFUL day with a memorable stop at Victoria Falls (or Mosi-oa-Tunya meaning the Smoke that Thunders, thanks Wikipedia). Even though it was quite dry while we were there, the falls were still absolutely gorgeous. And then, just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we arrive at a campsite with warm showers, a clean pool, and a stellar bar with wifi!!! HEAVEN.Now sit back and ENJOY the view!
© Karmen Meyer Photography 2012. All images are property of Karmen Meyer.
kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 12-15 | Edmonton & International Photographer
We are reaching a point in the trip, where I was feeling a little discouraged. We as a media team were frustrated, our intention of sharing tons of amazing photos, videos and stories everyday on our website just wasn't happening. This was for two reasons:1. Lack of internet and power. Batteries don't stay charged forever and we simply cannot post things without internet.2. Spending all daylight hours on the trucks driving. While I was at first content trying to capture the odd image out the window, this unfortunately grew old and rather unsuccessful. Looking back, I do wish I had worked harder to capture some successful images in the trucks, since let's face it, this was the majority of the trip. But nothing can be done for that now.So sorry for the lack of inspired images during this portion of the trip. Unfortunately my dispirited attitude was showing in my images, but I did say I would share the whole experience.... November 13, 2011 | Lilongwe, MalawiDay #12- While Ryan heads off with the rest of the Caravan to shoot some video at another concert, Ruth and I head into town with the cooks to pick up some work supplies and groceries. It was so great to be off the trucks and walk through the market. Unfortunately though, I wasn't allowed to take any photos, as my 'making a scene' would drive up the prices of the food for the caravan.When we arrived back at camp, there was still no water! So, we did our laundry with pool water, definitely a first for me. Once laundry was finished and hung up to dry, it was time to sit down and get most of my editing caught up and uploaded. It was so great to finally have photos available for the website!Later that evening I found out that I wasn't the only feeling discouraged. A bunch of caravaners stayed up late for some slightly mischievous and much needed fun =)Check some photos from camp that day below!
November 14, 2011 | Lilongwe, Malawi to Chipata, MalawiDay #13- Finally, a short drive day! We arrive at the Mama-Rula campsite in daylight! Some people go to town, while others stayed back to enjoy the pool, some soccer and dancing. Thing I won’t forget…. How many bugs are in the showers!November 15, 2013 | Chipata, Malawi to Lusaka, ZambiaDay #14- We arrive in Zambia, welcomed by a marching band and police escorts. Zambia seems very excited that we are here!! Also, today I had SUBWAY! Yes, the sandwich. Not quite the same as at home, but I can’t tell how happy I was not to eat camp food!
Oh and this was the night that we didn't put a tarp on our tent and then the sky opened up and drenched us in our sleep. While sleeping in a sopping wet sleeping bag was less then ideal, the real bummer was that my iPod didn't survive the flood. Seems lame but one of the saddest moments of the trip. Sometimes iPod = My Sanity. But I am happy to report after a few days of adjusting I survived!
November 16, 2011 | Lusaka, ZambiaDay #15- Today was a disheartening day for all. What started out as wonderful welcome into Zambia turned into a very disappointing concert. The concert was broadcasted LIVE and while there were many amazing artists, one of the acts hired to play was extremely inappropriate. This would have been manageable had their not been a lot of children in the audience. And, to top it off, some one was selling alcohol to minors. None of this was meant to be. We all left early and upset.That being said, there were still some great parts of the concert before things got out of hand. Check it out below!
© Karmen Meyer Photography 2012. All images are property of Karmen Meyer.
kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 11 | Edmonton & International Photographer
November 12, 2011 | Chitimba, Malawi to Lilongwe, MalawiDay #11- And we are off, leaving lake Malawi much to soon. Part way into the drive we discover we are stopping in Mzuzu, Malawi for a flash mob and mini-concert! As it is with most of the caravan activities, we knew nothing about this, haha. I never really figured out if there was a communication problem or if things were really getting planned this last minute. But either way, it was great little concert, so much more personal then the ones hosted in the capital cities!
Been wondering what the trucks looked like? That's them in the above photo.
TenSing Norway, as well as, the other speakers and performers put on an awesome show for everyone that gathered!
Ryan taught a couple of the boys to use the camera! They were so excited about that.
That was definitely not the only teaching going on. Caravan members were out and about talking to everyone about the purpose of the caravan and, of course, collecting more petitions!
Where you find a group of people, you will definitely find somebody selling something. I am glad to have met this bunch!
After the concert, we piled back on to the trucks and headed to our next campsite. We arrived at the not so fantastic Mybuya Campsite at around sunset. It was in the middle of Lusaka (Malawi's capital) and lacked that gorgeous countryside appeal. Also, they had very little water; it ran out completely only 45minutes after our caravan arrived! But it didn't matter much, everyone was tired from a full day. We had supper, attended some meetings and went to sleep.
Truly,
Karmen
Africa Journal {WE HAVE FAITH CARAVAN} Day 9 | Edmonton & International Photographer
November 10, 2011 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Iringa, TanzaniaDay #9- Another looooong drive day, tents down before sunrise and back up after sunset. Today's twisting, narrow, mountain roads have brought us to a campsite called The Old Farmhouse, it is adorable! No power or electricity, but it is clean and cozy (as far as we can tell in the dark). The showers are warm, heated by a delicious smelling, steamy wood-stove and the 'long-drop' toilets are lit by flickering tapered candles; an ambiance I have certainly never encountered in an outhouse! The only downside…. It is FREEZING! After roasting in the Dar es Salaam heat the past two days, I literally cannot stop shivering. Lucky for me, I have brought a ‘Canada’ sleeping bag so I stay somewhat warm through the night, others not so much =(November 11, 2011 | Iringa, Tanzania to Chitimba MalawiDay #10- I honestly don’t remember much about this day, which means most of it was probably spent on the truck again. We crossed the border into Malawi (obviously) and arrived at Lake Malawi. We are staying overnight in another beautiful campsite nestled into the mountains, called Hakuna Matata Campsite. And would you believe it, they have a free power outlet. I wish I would have taken a picture! There was power-bar, after power-bar plugged into this one poor socket as everybody desperately tried to charge their electronics. Ryan, Ruth and I sat on the steps with our laptops, well, on our laps and try to edit in between power outages. It is quite a funny picture now, but I assure you at the time nerves were beginning to fray and it may have called for our first drink in Africa.The gorgeous Lake Malawi..
The bar, where we found the electricity =) To the right you can see the tents we sleep in every night!
Below is what mealtime around the trucks look like! And yes, we have basically ever meal at the truck.
© Karmen Meyer Photography 2012. All images are property of Karmen Meyer.
kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer