| Ridgerunners whisked off to Afghanistan |
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Lisa Schnellinger shares ‘under the burqua’ secrets
By Alice Eachus |
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| Lisa Schnellinger models a bejeweled Afghan dress. Bright colors sure make desert sands come alive. (Photo by Sandi Smalley) |
Wearing a traditional burqa may seem like a repressive chore, but Lisa assured Ridgerunners that under those long heavy coverings lurk very sexy undies, wild enough to make a sailor blush! Not only that, burquas allow women to create a personal zone that cannot be breached, to say nothing of being able to stick their tummies out, not a bad thing after a holiday repast of Qaabuli Pallow or Kishmish Panir.
Lisa and her husband Tom moved to Big Canoe after spending five years in Afghanistan, Dubai and Timor-Leste. In that part of the world, Lisa worked as a writer, editor, journalism trainer and media development manager…all while wearing a burqa.
While in Afghanistan, Lisa and Tom founded Pajhwok Afghan News, the first independent news agency in the country after the fall of the Taliban. This news agency offers radio, television and newspapers across the country, in three languages no less. Lisa taught the first Afghan journalism trainers, who fanned out across the country to cover the first presidential election in 2004.
This news agency won the International Press Freedom Award last year for its courage in reporting.
Lisa knows how to navigate customs quite well since she’s trained and conducted projects involving journalists in 18 countries, including workshops in the South Pacific, Laos and the Republic of Georgia. In the 1990s she lived in China and Fiji, with extensive travels to Africa and the Middle East.
Using her superb talents as a photojournalist, Lisa presented a slide show introducing Ridgerunners to everyday life in Afghanistan, the good, the bad and the ugly.
One of the uglies included the burning of a girls’ school in Logar, a province southeast of Kabul. Out of that devastation, Lisa created a foundation to assist in the rebuilding of the school.
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| Fran Saling's stepson was stationed in Afghanistan and sent beautiful Afghan shawls for her to give as Christmas gifts to her lucky friends. Pictured are (left to right) Fran Saling, Anne Youmans, Susan Gibson, Charlotte McCloskey, Louise Prescott, Millann Funk, and Bege Owen. (Photo by Sandy Smalley) |
Lisa’s foundation fundraising is done by selling beautiful Afghan products, such as shawls, blouses and Arghand soaps. Stop by Bears Oh My! gift shop in Wolfscratch Village Feb. 12-14 for the second annual Big Canoe “Love Goes ‘Round the World” fundraiser for Afghanistan. Along with learning about the country, you can enjoy its products and help a good cause too.
The biggest baby contest
As a warm-up for Lisa’s presentation, Ridgerunners vice presidents Susie Almy and Chris Young called attention to the elephant in the room, so to speak. With Ridgerunner co-chairs KayDell Knarr and Bege Owen extolling their mantra of “Getting to Know You,” Susie and Chris have been coming up with a series of interactive questions to help Ridgerunner women find out interesting tidbits about each other.
“Everybody stand up who weighed more than four pounds when they were born,” cried the VPs. As each pound was added, women had to sit down if their birth weight fell under the weigh-in figure.
At nine pounds, there were quite a few still standing, but Sue Leonard took home the blue ribbon for the Biggest Ridgerunner Baby, weighing in at a hefty 11 pounds, 5 ounces.
Book Club news
With 18 book clubs sponsored by Ridgerunners to keep its members up late at night reading, there’s always a story or two to tell.
Kaaren Arthurs, book club coordinator, offered a Book Club Moment with a fable about why game wardens shouldn’t mess with women who read–you had to be there to appreciate the punch line. Kaaren also talked about some of the fun things clubs have done to bring books alive.
One club read Water for Elephants. Upon arriving for the discussion, the hostess gave club members bright red clown noses to wear as they talked over the book. Then she served an array of circus food for lunch--cotton candy, corn dogs, fennel cakes--whatever it took to raise cholesterol levels to 300-plus.
The last Ridgerunners day trip of the year is coming up March 31. The party bus will roll to Covington’s private antebellum homes where Ridgerunners will step back in time for a gentle visit to yesteryear. For a bit of “South in your mouth,” as Ridgerunner tour guides Lonnie Puhger and Sylvia Harnesberger like to say, luncheon will be served at the delightful Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle.
Watch your alpha boxes for your invitation to this sure-to-be-sold-out “Why, Hello, Miss Scarlett!” adventure.
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