Help Yazidi Women Now!

Dear blogger readers, friends and family,

I started this blog about 2 years ago after freshly arriving to Germany to document my life as a student abroad. I never imagined that 2 years later life would take me down the road I find myself today.

About three weeks ago my boyfriend (Joel) and I stumbled upon a BBC documentary featuring Nareen Shammo, a female activist from Iraq. We learned about the horrors Yazidi women were and continue to experience in the hands of ISIS. We were moved to tears and knew we had to do something. After meeting with Nareen Shammo in Hamburg, we launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to raise money to help these women and girls in any way we could.

I can't start to describe to you what a roller coaster ride it has been. There were many obstacles set out in our way, from having someone on Facebook flag our links to unjustifiably being shut down by GoFundMe (which by the way is NOT a good platform to work with, if you ever decided to start a crowd funding campaign). There were times we even considered giving up, letting go of this cause which means so much to us, but we persevered and have overcome.

In only 5 days we have raised close to 5,000 dollars in donations for this cause! We have a couple of broadcasting companies interested in interviewing us, and have contacts in Iraq, including the Iraqi Red Cross, ready to help us move forward.

I am writing this post to forever thank all the people, friends and family members, who are fighting beside us to end these atrocious acts of terror. YOU are the reason these women and young girls will be saved and helped. I am deeply moved by the kindness that resides in all of you, and want you to know that I am forever grateful.

I also want to extend a special thank you to Jill Crosby, whom has helped us tremendously with our campaign. She shared our cause and story with over 100,000 of her clients at Spiritual Singles, boosting our exposure to another level.

We will be on the ground in Iraq to administer the funds and film the actual situation and stories of these women and other refugees. All of the footage, pictures and news will be sent to you as soon as it is edited.

I can't imagine a better way to end this blog than by sharing with you the beginnings of this new chapter. For all of you who have donated, thank you! For anyone new reading this letter, please join us in this cause by donating at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/b12JM7/ab/b56Py4

Thank you all for fighting by our side to keep the hope alive for these victims.

Much love,
Gabby

Trappist Beer Tour

Hallo ihr lieben!

As of recently, Joel and I found ourselves in the lovely country of Belgium. The need for a short vacation coupled with Joel's upcoming birthday, prompted us to pack our bags and head west to taste some of the finest of the finest beers-- the Trappist!

Of all the beers in the world, only eleven beers may carry the name “Trappist”. The reason being that in order to bear this name, breweries must follow a strict set of criteria. First, Trappist beers must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, either by monks themselves or under their supervision. Secondly, the brewery itself must be of secondary importance within the monastery, and it should witness to the business practices proper to a monastic way of life. Lastly, the brewing of beers should not intend to become a profit-making machine, but rather any revenue collected should be allocated to the living expenses of monks, maintenance of the monastery, as well as charity work. 

Abbaye D’Aulne

Out of the eleven Trappist beers in the world, six can be found in Belgium--three in the north (Westmalle, Achel & Westvleteren) and three in the south (Orval, Chimay & Rochefort). We opted for touring the south in order to experience more of the rural areas, and we could not have chosen better. After a brief stop in Brussels, we rented a car and headed south towards Chimay. On our way there, we stumbled upon the Abbaye D’Aulne where we caught site of the beautiful medieval ruins that once framed the walls of this monastery. Although not a Trappist, this Abbay beer definitely hit top of my list. 

Chimay

Once in Chimay, we were pleasantly surprised by this charming and quaint little town. Not only do they carry some of the best beer in the world, the locals are just as magnificent. We were invited to a bar in town by a Harley Davidson gang, and spent the night listening to classic rock and roll and sipping on free Chimay’s (yes... free!). Needless to say the next morning’s hangover was totally worth it.

Ruins at Orval

As we moved towards Orval, we crossed over to the northern part of France, as well as squeezed in a one day trip to Luxembourg City. Once at The Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval we were sadly disappointment. Although a beautiful abbey, you quickly realize this brewery is run more like a business than a monastery. Their famous Orval beer though was the most unique of them all. A bit too bitter for my taste, yet nonetheless delicious!

Town of Rochefort

Lastly, unlike Orval, the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remy - Rochefort definitely did not disappoint. A quiet and peaceful abbey surrounded by forest with birds chirping on a sunny day. Aaaaaahhh!! Although you can’t actually enter the monastery, you can take a stroll along the forest and visit some areas of the church while sipping on a Rochefort 10. What can be better than that!? ;-) 

Note to anyone wanting to do this trip for cheap:
It’s best that you rent a car. There are no hostels in most of these towns, and hotels run at around 80 euros or more per night. If you don’t mind a little discomfort, you can rent a 4 door car (approx. $20-25/day) with lots of space in the back and set up a blow up bed for the night. In the summer, you can head to the campsites which are available and pitch a tent if you like (approx. 8-10 euros/person). Gas is dirt cheap. For the entire 5 day trip we paid a grand total of 30 euros for gas. Just saying… it’s the way to go!

Au revoir!
Gabriela