I'm a junkie

Last night I was called a junkie. I was watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, the only show I watch religiously, and I kept blurting out that I must go to this place and that place in Japan. My mom finally told me that I'm a travel junkie; this is not news. All of this makes me wonder what propels people to hit the road and travel. What keeps some on tour buses and what drives some into the wild? I'm not sure if there is an innate sense to voyage and seek the unfamiliar, or if it's just that way for some. For me, I'm pretty sure it's innate or genetic, because I have to have another trip planned before the one I'm on is even over. It sounds somewhat idealistic even lofty, but to me there is no better use for money than the experiences travel can provide. It's the possibilities and the excitement of what those possibilities might bring that makes travel so tantalizing, even paramount.

Travel breaks down so many barriers and misunderstandings, even for people who are well informed. Travel is not always easy, it can be very demanding, and when it is, you wear those trials and tribulations like badges of honor. There is nothing like crossing the Rio San Juan with all the Nicaraguan migrant workers who are coming home and pile onto a small boat to share their earnings and experiences with their loved ones back home. Remembering the times that you had to take a bucket shower, or those nights that you had to sleep with swarms of mosquitos, and taking all those travel delays with stride. Who you are unfolds in these situations; you in a microcosm. It lets you share experiences with people who don't usually speak the same language as you, reminding us how fundmentally the same we all are in our needs and desires.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

Armageddon

When you go on a trip a lot of guidebooks give you a list of things "not to leave home without," but I think they should label going to East Africa as a "bomb shelter" list or an "armageddon" list. I've spent about half of this year traveling out of one suitcase or a backpack, I'm used to trimming the fat. I'm completely ok having one pair of flip flops and a pair of tennis shoes, and having barely enough clothes to make it through the week, let alone "options." The $180 worth of stuff that I just purchased from target seems so ridiculous, but it seems ridiculous not to have some pepto bismol, anti-histmaines, immodium ad, advil, a 3 month supply of tampons, or acouple sticks of tom's of maines deodorant. Granted I will be living in Kenya, but the availbility of some things is quite questionable unless I want to make the three or four hour trek back to Nairobi. I could care less about my hair dryer, but I will not be taking care of my "rag" the old fashioned way.

little, but powerful

This is so cool, I have to share. Yesterday I purchased a solar charger that is about the size of my hand and super light. It will charge most electronics, including ipods & cellphones! So, I will be charging my ipod and cellphone under the African sun. Perfect for rafters, campers, and adventure travelers. Cheers to cool inventions!

Things I Will Miss, Maybe

Today got me thinking about some things I will miss about Bend, the U.S. and more specifically the developped world. Friends, family, and my dogs are all givens. It will be interesting to see how this list changes when I actually get there. So, maybe this is more of a gratitude list.

- Great microbrews and diverse selection of beer.
- Dependable internet connection (mainly to download songs).
- Floating the Deschutes River, one couldn't ask for a better summer activity.
- Eating at new restaurants with Lindsay and Jenfoe, or just grabbing a pint at one of our many micros.
- Especially Chow, thanks Lindsay for enlightening me.
- Jenfoe's kids.
- Getting a perfect with Beth.
- Girls night out.
- My relative proximity to anything resembling Latin culture and food.
- Having a view of the Three Sisters.
- Relative lack of diseases, especially curable ones.

Things I look forward to:
- Waking up, and knowing that my job matters.
- Talking with the locals.
- Being with kids who are reselient and not spoiled.
- Waking up and seeing Kiliminjaro from my window.
- Wildlife.
- Balloon Ride over Masai Mara, Kenya.
- Murchison Falls, Uganda.
- Rafting the Nile in Uganda.
- Climbing Kili.
- Roaming and relaxing on the beaches of Zanzibar, Pemba, & Lamu all along the Swahili Coast.
- Kigali, Rwanda.
- Mountain Gorillas in the DRC, Uganda, or Rwanda.
- Lake Malawi, Malawi.
- Learning Swahili.
- Hopefully going to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

"Soldiers, you've got to soldier on. Sometimes even right is wrong."

There is no doubt that going to Africa is the best thing I can do for myself and others. It was this or the Peace Corps, and maybe even the Peace Corps sometime in the future. I even have been keeping potential mates away because it seems so silly to get "involved." Not really sure how much of this is subconcious or intentional, but I don't want hard goodbyes. Yet, at the same time, I yearn to be enraptured again. So, I will soldier on, with highest hopes for Africa, love, and friendship.

etc.,

As you can imagine, gathering and doing all the necessary things before going to East Africa is a little cumbersome compared to going to Europe, the Middle East, or even parts of Asia. I guess with so many recent trips I have become accustomed to flying by the seat of my pants, not really planning too much. East Africa is totally different, I can't even remember when I had my last TB, tetanus, Hep A & B, & meningitis boosters. Time to get pricked over and over again. What's insanely ludacris to me is that my health insurance and most American health insurance companies won't even pay for the yellow fever vaccine. Going to Africa obviously isn't a health necessity, but last time I checked my health is a necessity. Thanks America; our screw ball health system is something I will gladly leave at home.

East Africa

I am moving to Kenya this September for an undetermined amount of time. You might ask what on earth is taking me away from my comfortable life here in America, or you might think it's, well, awesome. Honestly, it just feels right. The way travel and life has changed me over the past decade it seems like the only logical thing to do. In Kibwezi, Kenya I will assist in running an orphanage for 36 children. Daunting, fulfilling, adventurous; I'm sure it will be all of those things. In short, that's why I've started this blog. I want to share with all of you who care my thoughts, images, experiences as I navigate this journey.