So. I’m here again. At the airport and this time leaving for good. I have been here for 128 days, stayed in 17 different hostles, met 43 people who have made an impact on my life, worked with 58 animals I have never worked with before, and been in 4 countries among many other experiences.
I have such odd feelings about leaving. My time with Amy was absolutely great. We have such a good time and she really lights up my life. It was hard saying goodbye to her knowing that the chances of ever seeing her again are slim. I will still do my best though.
Last night I stayed here in Durban at the Bluff. This morning when I went to get in the shower, who do I meet in the bathroom but Keira! (from the world race) We looked at each other and I proceeded to step in the shower and she goes, “uh Tiffany?” and then we squealed and jumped up and down and hugged. Haha. We were major girls. So on my last day here I got to see about 6 girls from the world race who I met and got to know in Swaziland. They were here taking a mini vacation and would be leaving Durban tomorrow. But how odd, hey? It was great to see them and made me soooo happy. It was definitely the best way to end my trip here.
It was a great feeling coming back to Durban and I am so glad that I did. It feels like home. The people, accent, trees, animals, landmarks, and feeling are familiar. I got to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, lay out on my favorite beach and see some of my favorite people again.
I won’t enter the US until 5:30 tomorrow night. That is 30 hours from now, 7 hours lost due to time zones which means 14 hours spent waiting, and 21 spent flying. Rough estimate, something like that, I think.
I thank everyone who has been following my blogs. I’m not sure who you all are, but I hope you enjoyed my travels because I can assure you that I did. I’m stopping off at NY where I’ll be til the end of April and then home and then Des Moines for the summer. I may blog in between some but I am guessing I won’t have anything as interesting as watching lions devour prey, or holding an orphan in my arms, bottle feeding a baby animal, or having an adventure with some random insect. Let’s hope so though!
I’m off. Peace and Love to you all. xxx
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Big Bummer
Two pairs of shoes, two pairs of pants, two long sleeve shirts, a cardigan/sweater, three dresses, four shirts, two skirts, some jewelry, a scarf….um that’s about all I can recall of the stuff missing out of my suitcase.
Amy came yesterday and brought me my big black suitcase, which I had left at CROW because I didn’t want to travel with it. The first thing she said to me was “I feel horrible, I think someone got into your case.”
Oh great. I immediately opened it to reveal just a mess with things everywhere and clothes un-folded and I know for a fact that I had everything neatly packed away and in it’s right place. So to say the least, that list that I wrote above is just what I can remember that I had and I’m pretty sure that’s only part of it. But I guess if I can’t remember anymore than I won’t really miss them hey? The weird thing is that I’m not really upset about the clothes- okay I am, but I keep telling myself they are just material stuff and not really important- but I feel very violated and angry that someone would just take stuff from me. Grrrr!!!! Okay enough of that.
I am no longer alone!! Amy is here and we have not stopped laughing and being silly since she got here. Yesterday I had to literally stop and massage my facial muscles because they hurt from laughing and smiling so much. I was in actual pain. It was weird because I never realized how much I didn’t speak or laugh when I was alone. Let’s just say I am so happy to have Amy here. Today we are going to the beach and possibly to Ballito for dinner. Ballito is this tiny coastal town that is just full of resorts. condo housing, antiques- very posh and quaint.
I shall write probably once more before I leave to go home in five days. Crazy how time flies by.
Amy came yesterday and brought me my big black suitcase, which I had left at CROW because I didn’t want to travel with it. The first thing she said to me was “I feel horrible, I think someone got into your case.”
Oh great. I immediately opened it to reveal just a mess with things everywhere and clothes un-folded and I know for a fact that I had everything neatly packed away and in it’s right place. So to say the least, that list that I wrote above is just what I can remember that I had and I’m pretty sure that’s only part of it. But I guess if I can’t remember anymore than I won’t really miss them hey? The weird thing is that I’m not really upset about the clothes- okay I am, but I keep telling myself they are just material stuff and not really important- but I feel very violated and angry that someone would just take stuff from me. Grrrr!!!! Okay enough of that.
I am no longer alone!! Amy is here and we have not stopped laughing and being silly since she got here. Yesterday I had to literally stop and massage my facial muscles because they hurt from laughing and smiling so much. I was in actual pain. It was weird because I never realized how much I didn’t speak or laugh when I was alone. Let’s just say I am so happy to have Amy here. Today we are going to the beach and possibly to Ballito for dinner. Ballito is this tiny coastal town that is just full of resorts. condo housing, antiques- very posh and quaint.
I shall write probably once more before I leave to go home in five days. Crazy how time flies by.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
My not to friendly friend
Eh, so want to hear something sort of funny. So not last night but the night before I was sitting in my hut and reading when lo and behold out comes my mouse friend. This was the first night after being back from Mozam. Well I was saying hello to my friend when all of a sudden out pops another one! I was immensely happy to now have TWO friends..when I hear a scratching and out comes another….and then another..and then another. I quickly got a little apprehensive thinking that they had thought I was gone since my hut had been empty for the past three days and so decided to move in with all their extended family. I’m not sure how many were actually there…I, at one point counted five but could hear more- just not see them. They proceeded to have what I would call the equivalent of a mouse party. Two were chasing each other around the bed frame of the twin bed opposite me, one was investigating my shoes and another crawling around in my pants on the floor, one was getting into my box of Jungle Oats on the counter, and a few more wandering around on some beams under the ceiling.
Don’t get me wrong- I really do like mice..bring em on I say, but I was starting to get the feeling I was going to be sorely regrettable if I didn’t put an end to their party. I didn’t want to actually throw anything at them to hurt them, so I picked up my used tea bag from the bedstand and threw it in the general direction of the dude getting into my oatmeal- as I thought this was perhaps the most valuable thing to save. I missed the mouse by a long shot but it got the deed done. They all stopped their playing and immediately scrambled up the walls and disappeared outside. I was very happy and thought that was the end of it. I finished reading and went to bed. HAH- little did I know that these guys wouldn’t take lightly to me ending their party.
I awake to a slight stinging sensation on my pinky finger followed by quick scampering across my pillow. Okay ‘ouch’ I thought, rubbed my finger and tried to fall back asleep. I was in that state of being conscious yet unconscious when I felt a very sharp sting on the end of my elbow. I bolted upright and was immediately awake in the way that only comes from receiving an unexpected dose of pain. “Ahhhh, damn!” I remember saying out loud and rubbing my elbow quite roughly trying to ease the pain. One of those ‘friendly’ mice had bit me- right on the end of my elbow!! My elbow had been bent because I was lying on my side and had my hand tucked under my pillow which I suppose stuck my exposed elbow out for one of them to munch down on. When your elbow is bent there really isn’t much skin for teeth to grab, which in turn makes it hurt even more for some reason.
So needless to say, I tried to go back to sleep but my mind was wide awake and on constant edge listening for any scrambling noises. I was aware of every creak and crack and prepared to shoo away any thing that tried to take another bite out of me. I didn’t really fall back asleep. The next morning I had a look at my elbow and saw three red marks. They were the exact shape and size of a mouse bite. Two marks on top and one longer one on the bottom. I’m not sure what got my pinky but I have three red bumps in the shape of a triangle. Moral of the story is, if you come to Africa make sure you are nice to the rodents
Don’t get me wrong- I really do like mice..bring em on I say, but I was starting to get the feeling I was going to be sorely regrettable if I didn’t put an end to their party. I didn’t want to actually throw anything at them to hurt them, so I picked up my used tea bag from the bedstand and threw it in the general direction of the dude getting into my oatmeal- as I thought this was perhaps the most valuable thing to save. I missed the mouse by a long shot but it got the deed done. They all stopped their playing and immediately scrambled up the walls and disappeared outside. I was very happy and thought that was the end of it. I finished reading and went to bed. HAH- little did I know that these guys wouldn’t take lightly to me ending their party.
I awake to a slight stinging sensation on my pinky finger followed by quick scampering across my pillow. Okay ‘ouch’ I thought, rubbed my finger and tried to fall back asleep. I was in that state of being conscious yet unconscious when I felt a very sharp sting on the end of my elbow. I bolted upright and was immediately awake in the way that only comes from receiving an unexpected dose of pain. “Ahhhh, damn!” I remember saying out loud and rubbing my elbow quite roughly trying to ease the pain. One of those ‘friendly’ mice had bit me- right on the end of my elbow!! My elbow had been bent because I was lying on my side and had my hand tucked under my pillow which I suppose stuck my exposed elbow out for one of them to munch down on. When your elbow is bent there really isn’t much skin for teeth to grab, which in turn makes it hurt even more for some reason.
So needless to say, I tried to go back to sleep but my mind was wide awake and on constant edge listening for any scrambling noises. I was aware of every creak and crack and prepared to shoo away any thing that tried to take another bite out of me. I didn’t really fall back asleep. The next morning I had a look at my elbow and saw three red marks. They were the exact shape and size of a mouse bite. Two marks on top and one longer one on the bottom. I’m not sure what got my pinky but I have three red bumps in the shape of a triangle. Moral of the story is, if you come to Africa make sure you are nice to the rodents
Thursday, February 12, 2009
It's in the experience
If you ever have a spare moment, go to Mozambique. If not for the turquoise waters and white sandy beaches, then for the plain old cultural experience. I do not think I will be able to type words to correctly explain my experience mostly because it has to do with intangible things. Smells, sights, touches, and those wonderful awkward sensations that come from being one of a handful of white English speakers in a 50 mile radius. Not to mention you are alone, 23, and a female.
My journey started at the border. My final destination was Carlos’s Place in Ponta D’ Ouro, only about 25 km in from the border point. Mike was surprised at how quickly I got through the border control points- was in and out both sides in probably under 10 minutes, so he asked to see what kind of visa they gave me. I proudly showed him my passport with what I thought was a rather pretty orange visitors visa- “Hah, those idiots!” he snorted, “That’s a stamp!” Great, I thought. Now if I get in trouble, I can show the police my passport with a postage stamp inside it. This is going to be fun.
First, no roads exist. Well not in the way that Webster’s Dictionary classifies roads. You leave the nice tarred four-lane highway in South Africa and pass over into green jungle and sand. I see what he means now about needing a 4x4 in order to enter Mozambique. As we go bounding along he looks over at me and says this is their main highway. It was peppered with homemade signs either stuck in the sand or leaning agnist a bush that would proclaim a town this way or that- but as far as I could see it just looked like the biggest road bike dirt path playground in the world. I asked mike how he knew where he was going and he said it’s because he’s been driving here for years but also because most paths generally end up at the same place. How fun, I thought. If it were me driving, I would pick the path with the most curves and hills and go as fast as I could over the dunes just to get a kick. I don’t think Mike would have gone for that though as I asked if he varied the ‘roads’ he took and he just said “Sometimes….if someone is coming from the other direction.” That’s the thing about these sand roads. They are only big enough for one car and are filled with so many hills and blind curves that maybe these other roads came about just from people having to swerve at the last moment in order to not collide with someone else. Anyways- interesting.
As we come into Ponta D’ Ouro, I find myself holding my breath. With each place we go by my head voice is going “please not this one, please not this one, oo or that one, please not that one either” until we finally pull off the road. I really am not a picky person, honestly, but I just wanted to at least feel safe and be in a somewhat stable hut with a non-leaking roof for the 3 days that I would be here. Food and water availability would also be sort of nice. A shower I could do without as I planned to spend the majority of my time on the beach. Okay so we pull off in front of Carlos’ Place and the first thing Mike says is “It’s dirty but it’s cheap” and “Do you have mosquito repellant? Because they are rampant here.” Ohhh, uh “Yes” I say- even though I don’t have repellant and I haven’t been taking my malaria pills but even if I wanted to they are in my suitcase in Durban. Tsk Tsk I know. Off goes Mike, after meeting with Carlos and asking if he’ll take me back to the border post on Thursday. Once that was settled he left with a wave and a “Have fun, explore, it’s mostly safe here”. Hah, that set my mind at ease.
I set my stuff down in a wooden hut that was so poorly put together I could stick my entire hand and wave to people outside if I so choose. The place had two twin beds and mosquito nets (thank you God) but that was it. A tiny window the size of your normal high school textbook was covered in green shade cloth and the hut was about the size of my backyard shed. It smelled as though the door hadn’t been opened in years and the bed had that wet sticky feel you get from constant dampness. I could just imagine the mold that would begin to grow in my lungs by the time I left this place. I vowed to spend as little time in my room as possible. So with that I dumped my stuff, changed into my suit and headed for the beach.
All of my anxiety about being here immediately faded as soon as I got a glimpse of the ocean. It was a huge bay with calm clear waters of the prettiest blue- green I have yet seen. Jungle green mountains curved around two sides of it and the coast stretched out for miles. Big rocks and tide pools made up one entire side of the bay and were just teeming with marine life. The tide came and went here, but it never got rid of the beach- so at high tide you could enjoy playing in the waves and at low tide you could peacefully float on your back for hours if you wanted to. It was perfect. Also perfect was the fact that tents were set up every so often as to provide shade from the sun. It was never very busy for the entire time I was there. I could be by people if I wanted to or not, my choice.
Another thing that eased my anxiety was the fact that dogs were everywhere. The cool thing however, was that not only were there the typical medium sized light brown dog that is found hovering around every third world town, but also small basset hounds, big great danes, powerful ridgebacks and so on. I was in heaven! I lost count of the number of dogs that befriended me, but I am so grateful they did. The cool thing, okay well maybe not cool, but interesting and I must say- yes grateful, is that they protected me. I guess that might be harsh on my part and not fair and I hope not racist, but because I was alone- they made me feel better when they were with me. Okay let me explain. This happened on two separate occasions with different dogs. I was laying on my towel reading when all of a sudden one of the dogs to my right started to growl- just faintly. I looked up to see three black guys coming towards me. Just from the way they looked (run down) and were acting I could tell they probably had been drinking and wanted money or something else from me. They started getting closer (I had three big dogs laying by me) and the dogs started getting louder until they stood up and started barking. The dogs then walked in front of me and entirely blocked the guys from getting closer. I was completely somewhat stunned and just sort of looked at the guys like “uh sorry but you better leave”. The guys started swearing and kicking sand at the dogs but I could tell they were afraid of them. They turned around and left and the dogs settled down. I just sort of sat there and pondered what happened. These dogs are strays. They don’t have an owner that I could tell of and as far as I know have never been trained. So it was amazing to me that they would distinguish and protect me from someone based off of color. I noticed how the dogs reacted to different people from then on, and they pretty much ignored the ‘Portuguese- mozambiqians’, wagged their tails and were friendly with the other white people I saw, and were wary and watchful if not downright mean towards the blacks. It was quite fascinating. It sort of made me feel bad for feeling like I needed protection from these people, maybe the dogs were going off of my feelings of unease of being approached by strange men of a different culture- specially since I was alone and usually far away from others when it happened. I’m not sure, but it happened again the next day. So alas, I did not have any frightening encounters with anybody because I more or less had personal bodyguards for the entire time I found myself at the beach.
Sorry, I realize this blog has gotten quite long so I’ll give it a quick finish! I hung on the beach, explored the beach and ran on the beach- read, took pictures, ate in a restaurant (that was only open once) and slept in my moldy sheets. Oh and from my mid shins on down it looks as though I have the chicken pox. They are tiny red bites from either fleas or bed bugs or something of the kind. And I have blisters on the bottom of my first two toes on each foot. No idea where they came from as they just showed up one morning and I’m really hoping something isn’t buried underneath! Haha, how fun!
My ride back to the border was so interesting that I feel it needs to at least be mentioned before I sign off. It was in this tiny blue pickup that fits every single stereotype you can think of for an old rusty broken down hillbilly truck. No bumper or tailpipe. The clutch breaks off if you pull too hard. No side or rearview mirrors. Fuel gage, speedometer, blinkers, thing that moves when you rev the engine- not working. I had to hold the door closed- literally hold it closed with all my might as we bounded over those sand dunes. Window roll downers missing, and finally I had to make sure my shoes were on tight because of the whole in the floor. This was what took me back to the border. Mike got me here in about 20 minutes and this truck finally wheezed and sputtered me there in about 50.
I feel as though I am living in royalty being back here. The air feels clean and smells good. I have food and water (I lived off of 6 apples, 4 carrots, 4 slices of bread, peanut butter, and the one burger I got in the restaurant). My clothes feel dry and I welcome the sense of security I have here.
Mozambique was a good experience, but next time I will not go alone and will have proper food, insect repellent, and the most important thing of all- dog biscuits.
My journey started at the border. My final destination was Carlos’s Place in Ponta D’ Ouro, only about 25 km in from the border point. Mike was surprised at how quickly I got through the border control points- was in and out both sides in probably under 10 minutes, so he asked to see what kind of visa they gave me. I proudly showed him my passport with what I thought was a rather pretty orange visitors visa- “Hah, those idiots!” he snorted, “That’s a stamp!” Great, I thought. Now if I get in trouble, I can show the police my passport with a postage stamp inside it. This is going to be fun.
First, no roads exist. Well not in the way that Webster’s Dictionary classifies roads. You leave the nice tarred four-lane highway in South Africa and pass over into green jungle and sand. I see what he means now about needing a 4x4 in order to enter Mozambique. As we go bounding along he looks over at me and says this is their main highway. It was peppered with homemade signs either stuck in the sand or leaning agnist a bush that would proclaim a town this way or that- but as far as I could see it just looked like the biggest road bike dirt path playground in the world. I asked mike how he knew where he was going and he said it’s because he’s been driving here for years but also because most paths generally end up at the same place. How fun, I thought. If it were me driving, I would pick the path with the most curves and hills and go as fast as I could over the dunes just to get a kick. I don’t think Mike would have gone for that though as I asked if he varied the ‘roads’ he took and he just said “Sometimes….if someone is coming from the other direction.” That’s the thing about these sand roads. They are only big enough for one car and are filled with so many hills and blind curves that maybe these other roads came about just from people having to swerve at the last moment in order to not collide with someone else. Anyways- interesting.
As we come into Ponta D’ Ouro, I find myself holding my breath. With each place we go by my head voice is going “please not this one, please not this one, oo or that one, please not that one either” until we finally pull off the road. I really am not a picky person, honestly, but I just wanted to at least feel safe and be in a somewhat stable hut with a non-leaking roof for the 3 days that I would be here. Food and water availability would also be sort of nice. A shower I could do without as I planned to spend the majority of my time on the beach. Okay so we pull off in front of Carlos’ Place and the first thing Mike says is “It’s dirty but it’s cheap” and “Do you have mosquito repellant? Because they are rampant here.” Ohhh, uh “Yes” I say- even though I don’t have repellant and I haven’t been taking my malaria pills but even if I wanted to they are in my suitcase in Durban. Tsk Tsk I know. Off goes Mike, after meeting with Carlos and asking if he’ll take me back to the border post on Thursday. Once that was settled he left with a wave and a “Have fun, explore, it’s mostly safe here”. Hah, that set my mind at ease.
I set my stuff down in a wooden hut that was so poorly put together I could stick my entire hand and wave to people outside if I so choose. The place had two twin beds and mosquito nets (thank you God) but that was it. A tiny window the size of your normal high school textbook was covered in green shade cloth and the hut was about the size of my backyard shed. It smelled as though the door hadn’t been opened in years and the bed had that wet sticky feel you get from constant dampness. I could just imagine the mold that would begin to grow in my lungs by the time I left this place. I vowed to spend as little time in my room as possible. So with that I dumped my stuff, changed into my suit and headed for the beach.
All of my anxiety about being here immediately faded as soon as I got a glimpse of the ocean. It was a huge bay with calm clear waters of the prettiest blue- green I have yet seen. Jungle green mountains curved around two sides of it and the coast stretched out for miles. Big rocks and tide pools made up one entire side of the bay and were just teeming with marine life. The tide came and went here, but it never got rid of the beach- so at high tide you could enjoy playing in the waves and at low tide you could peacefully float on your back for hours if you wanted to. It was perfect. Also perfect was the fact that tents were set up every so often as to provide shade from the sun. It was never very busy for the entire time I was there. I could be by people if I wanted to or not, my choice.
Another thing that eased my anxiety was the fact that dogs were everywhere. The cool thing however, was that not only were there the typical medium sized light brown dog that is found hovering around every third world town, but also small basset hounds, big great danes, powerful ridgebacks and so on. I was in heaven! I lost count of the number of dogs that befriended me, but I am so grateful they did. The cool thing, okay well maybe not cool, but interesting and I must say- yes grateful, is that they protected me. I guess that might be harsh on my part and not fair and I hope not racist, but because I was alone- they made me feel better when they were with me. Okay let me explain. This happened on two separate occasions with different dogs. I was laying on my towel reading when all of a sudden one of the dogs to my right started to growl- just faintly. I looked up to see three black guys coming towards me. Just from the way they looked (run down) and were acting I could tell they probably had been drinking and wanted money or something else from me. They started getting closer (I had three big dogs laying by me) and the dogs started getting louder until they stood up and started barking. The dogs then walked in front of me and entirely blocked the guys from getting closer. I was completely somewhat stunned and just sort of looked at the guys like “uh sorry but you better leave”. The guys started swearing and kicking sand at the dogs but I could tell they were afraid of them. They turned around and left and the dogs settled down. I just sort of sat there and pondered what happened. These dogs are strays. They don’t have an owner that I could tell of and as far as I know have never been trained. So it was amazing to me that they would distinguish and protect me from someone based off of color. I noticed how the dogs reacted to different people from then on, and they pretty much ignored the ‘Portuguese- mozambiqians’, wagged their tails and were friendly with the other white people I saw, and were wary and watchful if not downright mean towards the blacks. It was quite fascinating. It sort of made me feel bad for feeling like I needed protection from these people, maybe the dogs were going off of my feelings of unease of being approached by strange men of a different culture- specially since I was alone and usually far away from others when it happened. I’m not sure, but it happened again the next day. So alas, I did not have any frightening encounters with anybody because I more or less had personal bodyguards for the entire time I found myself at the beach.
Sorry, I realize this blog has gotten quite long so I’ll give it a quick finish! I hung on the beach, explored the beach and ran on the beach- read, took pictures, ate in a restaurant (that was only open once) and slept in my moldy sheets. Oh and from my mid shins on down it looks as though I have the chicken pox. They are tiny red bites from either fleas or bed bugs or something of the kind. And I have blisters on the bottom of my first two toes on each foot. No idea where they came from as they just showed up one morning and I’m really hoping something isn’t buried underneath! Haha, how fun!
My ride back to the border was so interesting that I feel it needs to at least be mentioned before I sign off. It was in this tiny blue pickup that fits every single stereotype you can think of for an old rusty broken down hillbilly truck. No bumper or tailpipe. The clutch breaks off if you pull too hard. No side or rearview mirrors. Fuel gage, speedometer, blinkers, thing that moves when you rev the engine- not working. I had to hold the door closed- literally hold it closed with all my might as we bounded over those sand dunes. Window roll downers missing, and finally I had to make sure my shoes were on tight because of the whole in the floor. This was what took me back to the border. Mike got me here in about 20 minutes and this truck finally wheezed and sputtered me there in about 50.
I feel as though I am living in royalty being back here. The air feels clean and smells good. I have food and water (I lived off of 6 apples, 4 carrots, 4 slices of bread, peanut butter, and the one burger I got in the restaurant). My clothes feel dry and I welcome the sense of security I have here.
Mozambique was a good experience, but next time I will not go alone and will have proper food, insect repellent, and the most important thing of all- dog biscuits.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Lazy Daze
I have had good days relaxing and enjoying my time here. I have hung out with two Africant guys (Gillian and Deidrick) which helped pass some time, gone snorkeling again (LOVELY), and learned more from national geographic then I feel like I did in all my highschool years ☺. I’ve gone running a few times and stretched with sit-ups and pushups- so my body is at least starting to feel normal again. Tomorrow I am heading for Mozambique until Thursday and I am very excited for that. Not sure where I am staying or how I’m getting there, but I think Mike will take care of all of that. Gillian and Deidrick went last week and enjoyed swimming with the dolphins and sea turtles. I think I shall have plenty to keep me busy!
One thing that has made me laugh often is how I realize that I get really excited for the little things. You know you are bored when you get excited that you have to go to the bathroom or to brush your teeth simply for something to do! Haha, but at least I can easily amuse myself!
Last night I was reading when something smacked right into my forehead. I jumped, laughed, and tried to go back to reading when realized that wasn’t going to happen until I got whatever was frantically jumping/flying around my room out. My room isn’t that big and this bug was quite big and so I quickly got bothered with it zooming around and hitting the walls. I soon found out it moves pretty fast for a big bug and so spent a good 20 minutes running around my room alternating between grabbing for it and ducking as it dive bombed at my head. Haha, it was probably pretty entertaining for the mouse sitting in the corner. Who by the way has been my friend for most nights now and I even leave him cookies along the ceiling and enjoy watching him find them and then sit back on his haunches and eat. It’s pretty cute- brown and white with an incredibly long tail- and makes me feel not so alone out here in the wilderness!
Well I think that may be all of my stories at the moment that I can think of. Sorry it’s not any more interesting than bugs and a mouse but my thoughts are staying pretty internal. I could easily bore you with my philosophical thoughts on life but where’s the fun in that? ☺
One thing that has made me laugh often is how I realize that I get really excited for the little things. You know you are bored when you get excited that you have to go to the bathroom or to brush your teeth simply for something to do! Haha, but at least I can easily amuse myself!
Last night I was reading when something smacked right into my forehead. I jumped, laughed, and tried to go back to reading when realized that wasn’t going to happen until I got whatever was frantically jumping/flying around my room out. My room isn’t that big and this bug was quite big and so I quickly got bothered with it zooming around and hitting the walls. I soon found out it moves pretty fast for a big bug and so spent a good 20 minutes running around my room alternating between grabbing for it and ducking as it dive bombed at my head. Haha, it was probably pretty entertaining for the mouse sitting in the corner. Who by the way has been my friend for most nights now and I even leave him cookies along the ceiling and enjoy watching him find them and then sit back on his haunches and eat. It’s pretty cute- brown and white with an incredibly long tail- and makes me feel not so alone out here in the wilderness!
Well I think that may be all of my stories at the moment that I can think of. Sorry it’s not any more interesting than bugs and a mouse but my thoughts are staying pretty internal. I could easily bore you with my philosophical thoughts on life but where’s the fun in that? ☺
Friday, February 6, 2009
Fun Fun Fun Day
Yesterday was a good day. I got up and did yoga on my porch. WooHoo that is a first that I hope to continue. While I was doing yoga, Mike came around and said we’re going to the beach at 10- this was at about 9:30 so I had to stop and quickly get ready, eat breakfast, pack a lunch and all that jazz. The beach is a good 15 min drive from here because it’s located on the Kosi Bay Reserve which means you need a license/permit to get in. We were piled into Mike’s truck- me, Chris and Colin (two guys from Germany)- and were bounced around as the 4x4 climbed over sand dunes and through Mangrove trees to get to the actual ocean.
This area is so unique because it’s a lot of wetland, with sand everywhere. Mangrove trees are all over the place just chilling in the water and turning it a lovely reddish-brown color. We first stopped at a freshwater lake that had about 50 fish traps set up. It sort of looked like unfinished docks with the poles leading far out into the water but no boards to stand on- if that makes sense. The traps consisted of wooden poles that ran out straight from the shore for about 25 feet before starting to curve into a wide circle that got smaller and smaller as it circled inside itself. The fish would be swimming along when they encountered the poles and would naturally follow them and end up getting caught. The middle was a complete circle about 6 feet in diameter, where the fish ended up. The men would then use their spears and easily catch the fish. The circle had a small hole in it where the fish squeezed through but the sticks were pointed backwards so they weren’t able to get out. It was a smart invention and worked quite well!
We finally got to the ocean and Mike gave us some basic warnings. We were snorkeling in an area that is called ‘The Aquarium’ because the water is so clear and is filled with beautifully colored fish. He said “Don’t touch the fish and make sure the fish don’t touch you or you will die.” There are scorpion fish here that I guess if they touch you- you will actually die. “Watch out for the manta rays and moray eels.” “Stay on this side of the lagoon and only go in front of the trees.” “Watch out for sharp rocks and make sure you only step on sand.” “Watch the tides because water completely fills up this area in high tide and you’ll be stranded if you don’t get out in time.” “If you want to go swimming head to the beach over there, going up through the stairs and down the other side of the mountain, but make sure you go about 50 meters past where you come out because otherwise the tide is too strong and you’ll get taken out to sea.” “Keep an eye on your belongings because people have gotten stuff stolen before.” And finally- “Just watch out for each other.” Alright. Mike took off after that and said he’d be back to fetch us at 3:30. We three just looked at each other with nervous excited grins and were like “uhh okay, lets go!”
We were standing on the edge of this small beach looking out into a big open area with about 10 different lagoons all separated by sandy islands. This was low tide, and I guess when it gets to be high tide all the islands disappear. The entire cove area is filled and the current is pretty strong. My first question to the guys was if they knew when the tide was coming in or how to even figure out signs of the tide coming in because I had no idea. They looked at each other, shrugged and we all sort of just laughed (gotta admit though I was a tad bit nervous ☺).
Well we start through the water to the closest island. We have to travel on about 4 different islands to get to the mountain where the trees are and we can go snorkeling. This water wasn’t so bad- it was quite warm and only came to a little above my knees. No biggie I thought. Our first island was filled with tiny little crabs that moved at about 100 mph, very cool. The next section of water got the bottom of my shorts wet and I had to be very careful about my backpack because I had my camera and cell phone, etc in it. Crossed another island. We’ve got about two more water sections to cross. Colin goes first and I hang back a bit to see how far up the water is on him. Both these guys are a good bit taller than me- I’d say around 6 foot or so and have strong builds so they are easily able to walk in this water. Colin gets about 4 feet from shore and takes one step and sinks down to the middle of his chest. Great. He comes back and we take our clothes off. Haha I realize how odd that sounds but we had our suits on and just wanted to try and keep our clothes dry. (No worries John ☺). We start off again- this time holding our bags overhead. The guys make it pretty easily- it hits mid chest for them at deepest length, but for me another story. I am walking on my tiptoes against current with a decently heavy bag over my head with the water just under my chin. Quite the experience let me tell you. And this was supposedly at low tide. I realized then and there that we had better figure out some way of watching the tide because I’d pretty much be stuck if it got any higher.
So anyways, we crossed another island and another body of water with our bags overhead until we finally reached the sandy part by the mountain. We drop our stuff and head to snorkel. The water was so clear that I was standing chest deep and could still see my toes without using goggles. It was really cool to see all the colorful fish hanging out and chilling in their natural environment. Red ones, blue stripy ones, big angel yellow fish, small iridescent ones- if only I could remember their names.
We snorkeled for a bit until we saw a moray eel and all got a tad bit nervous and decided to call it quits. The weather was still a little funky from the storm we had two nights ago and so the sky was pretty cloudy but looked as though it would eventually clear up. Snorkeling distracted us for a while and by the time we got done doing that we realized it was time to head off for the beach because our little island was getting smaller. Oh man- this was quite the journey getting back to the path that would take us to the beach. Haha…We started off through the water and got so confused until we realized that a couple of the islands we had walked on before were now completely underwater. I’m sure we would have looked quite funny to anyone watching us because we would head in one direction and have to turn around and come back as soon as it got too deep or the current too strong. But to make a long story short- we finally get across after much laughing and trudging through high water and thick sand. Good thing was I think my biceps and triceps got a workout from carrying my bag overhead!
We make it to the beach and lay down our towels to rest when luck will have it- it starts raining. Hard. So grabbing our towels and bags we run for cover in the trees and end up finding this path that leads us to a bunch of cabins in the forest. All the cabins are locked however so we leave our stuff on a front porch and run back down to go swimming in the rain. It was awesome because the wind was whipping the waves around and rain was pelting us but it was a lot of fun. Probably not the safest however. I finally had to get out because I got tired of constantly readjusting my suit to make sure it didn’t get pulled off in a wave!!
The afternoon was spent swimming, laying on our towels, running for shelter as it rained, and doing it all over again. It may not have been the most relaxing beach experience but still a great time. We got back and met up with Chris’s brother, Sebastian (LOVE the name) who didn’t go with us to the beach because he’s got a cast on his leg- and cooked spaghetti. It was delish. I have been quite lucky so far with my supper meals because the night before two South African guys cooked me steak, firebread, and pap with a spicy sauce. That also delish! So far I haven’t used much of my food because people just adopt me and feed me- I’m not complaining!
After dinner we headed out to the local pub/bar for a few drinks and playing of pool and darts. John I thought of you the whole time playing darts and told them all how I used to be really good at it. Ya know in beating you all the time!! Hehe. It was a lot of fun and the thing about being the only girl with 5 guys is they wouldn’t let me buy any drinks. They were quite the gentlemen and again I didn’t complain ☺.
Well- that was my day yesterday. I started with yoga at 8 and finished with a couple ciders and White Russians at about 1:30. It was a great day and a big treat to get to spend it with other people!
This area is so unique because it’s a lot of wetland, with sand everywhere. Mangrove trees are all over the place just chilling in the water and turning it a lovely reddish-brown color. We first stopped at a freshwater lake that had about 50 fish traps set up. It sort of looked like unfinished docks with the poles leading far out into the water but no boards to stand on- if that makes sense. The traps consisted of wooden poles that ran out straight from the shore for about 25 feet before starting to curve into a wide circle that got smaller and smaller as it circled inside itself. The fish would be swimming along when they encountered the poles and would naturally follow them and end up getting caught. The middle was a complete circle about 6 feet in diameter, where the fish ended up. The men would then use their spears and easily catch the fish. The circle had a small hole in it where the fish squeezed through but the sticks were pointed backwards so they weren’t able to get out. It was a smart invention and worked quite well!
We finally got to the ocean and Mike gave us some basic warnings. We were snorkeling in an area that is called ‘The Aquarium’ because the water is so clear and is filled with beautifully colored fish. He said “Don’t touch the fish and make sure the fish don’t touch you or you will die.” There are scorpion fish here that I guess if they touch you- you will actually die. “Watch out for the manta rays and moray eels.” “Stay on this side of the lagoon and only go in front of the trees.” “Watch out for sharp rocks and make sure you only step on sand.” “Watch the tides because water completely fills up this area in high tide and you’ll be stranded if you don’t get out in time.” “If you want to go swimming head to the beach over there, going up through the stairs and down the other side of the mountain, but make sure you go about 50 meters past where you come out because otherwise the tide is too strong and you’ll get taken out to sea.” “Keep an eye on your belongings because people have gotten stuff stolen before.” And finally- “Just watch out for each other.” Alright. Mike took off after that and said he’d be back to fetch us at 3:30. We three just looked at each other with nervous excited grins and were like “uhh okay, lets go!”
We were standing on the edge of this small beach looking out into a big open area with about 10 different lagoons all separated by sandy islands. This was low tide, and I guess when it gets to be high tide all the islands disappear. The entire cove area is filled and the current is pretty strong. My first question to the guys was if they knew when the tide was coming in or how to even figure out signs of the tide coming in because I had no idea. They looked at each other, shrugged and we all sort of just laughed (gotta admit though I was a tad bit nervous ☺).
Well we start through the water to the closest island. We have to travel on about 4 different islands to get to the mountain where the trees are and we can go snorkeling. This water wasn’t so bad- it was quite warm and only came to a little above my knees. No biggie I thought. Our first island was filled with tiny little crabs that moved at about 100 mph, very cool. The next section of water got the bottom of my shorts wet and I had to be very careful about my backpack because I had my camera and cell phone, etc in it. Crossed another island. We’ve got about two more water sections to cross. Colin goes first and I hang back a bit to see how far up the water is on him. Both these guys are a good bit taller than me- I’d say around 6 foot or so and have strong builds so they are easily able to walk in this water. Colin gets about 4 feet from shore and takes one step and sinks down to the middle of his chest. Great. He comes back and we take our clothes off. Haha I realize how odd that sounds but we had our suits on and just wanted to try and keep our clothes dry. (No worries John ☺). We start off again- this time holding our bags overhead. The guys make it pretty easily- it hits mid chest for them at deepest length, but for me another story. I am walking on my tiptoes against current with a decently heavy bag over my head with the water just under my chin. Quite the experience let me tell you. And this was supposedly at low tide. I realized then and there that we had better figure out some way of watching the tide because I’d pretty much be stuck if it got any higher.
So anyways, we crossed another island and another body of water with our bags overhead until we finally reached the sandy part by the mountain. We drop our stuff and head to snorkel. The water was so clear that I was standing chest deep and could still see my toes without using goggles. It was really cool to see all the colorful fish hanging out and chilling in their natural environment. Red ones, blue stripy ones, big angel yellow fish, small iridescent ones- if only I could remember their names.
We snorkeled for a bit until we saw a moray eel and all got a tad bit nervous and decided to call it quits. The weather was still a little funky from the storm we had two nights ago and so the sky was pretty cloudy but looked as though it would eventually clear up. Snorkeling distracted us for a while and by the time we got done doing that we realized it was time to head off for the beach because our little island was getting smaller. Oh man- this was quite the journey getting back to the path that would take us to the beach. Haha…We started off through the water and got so confused until we realized that a couple of the islands we had walked on before were now completely underwater. I’m sure we would have looked quite funny to anyone watching us because we would head in one direction and have to turn around and come back as soon as it got too deep or the current too strong. But to make a long story short- we finally get across after much laughing and trudging through high water and thick sand. Good thing was I think my biceps and triceps got a workout from carrying my bag overhead!
We make it to the beach and lay down our towels to rest when luck will have it- it starts raining. Hard. So grabbing our towels and bags we run for cover in the trees and end up finding this path that leads us to a bunch of cabins in the forest. All the cabins are locked however so we leave our stuff on a front porch and run back down to go swimming in the rain. It was awesome because the wind was whipping the waves around and rain was pelting us but it was a lot of fun. Probably not the safest however. I finally had to get out because I got tired of constantly readjusting my suit to make sure it didn’t get pulled off in a wave!!
The afternoon was spent swimming, laying on our towels, running for shelter as it rained, and doing it all over again. It may not have been the most relaxing beach experience but still a great time. We got back and met up with Chris’s brother, Sebastian (LOVE the name) who didn’t go with us to the beach because he’s got a cast on his leg- and cooked spaghetti. It was delish. I have been quite lucky so far with my supper meals because the night before two South African guys cooked me steak, firebread, and pap with a spicy sauce. That also delish! So far I haven’t used much of my food because people just adopt me and feed me- I’m not complaining!
After dinner we headed out to the local pub/bar for a few drinks and playing of pool and darts. John I thought of you the whole time playing darts and told them all how I used to be really good at it. Ya know in beating you all the time!! Hehe. It was a lot of fun and the thing about being the only girl with 5 guys is they wouldn’t let me buy any drinks. They were quite the gentlemen and again I didn’t complain ☺.
Well- that was my day yesterday. I started with yoga at 8 and finished with a couple ciders and White Russians at about 1:30. It was a great day and a big treat to get to spend it with other people!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
My Night Visitor
Okay so I’m basically just writing this blog for my mom because she’ll understand and it’s sort of funny. Last night I was talking to her on the phone- our 30 minute conversation was the most I had spoken in two days- and I noticed I had something small and fuzzy crawling up my wall. I got excited because I thought I had some cool little friend but it ended up just being a brown and white mouse. Still cool to me however. Well I watched him for awhile- he kept coming and going and climbing on the open boards on the ceiling and then disappearing outside between the roof and walls and then coming back inside in a different place. I got off the phone with my parents and was tired enough to go to bed, so I turned off my light and hoped the mouse wouldn’t have eaten all my food by morning. I ended up falling fast asleep and sleeping for a good few hours but then randomly woke up and was wide awake. Don’t you just hate when that happens? Anyways- there was no storm tonight and so I didn’t have the calming winds and rain to put me back to sleep. Instead I can hear a whole new world coming alive at night. I hear so many different insect and other night animal sounds that of course I start to sort of freak myself out. Then I hear this continuous thumping that starts on the roof across the hut from me and then slowly makes its way over to where I am and down the side of the hut and stops below my bed. I know it was some sort of mammal but I have no idea of what kind. Anyways I finally fall back asleep somehow but get woken up by something jumping on my back. I thought I had dreamed it until it started walking across my body! I pretty much moved as fast as I could to get whatever off of me as quickly as possible. I heard something thud to the floor and then just sort of chill down there and walk around for a bit exploring. I have my empty pack underneath my bed so whatever it was had a fun time exploring it and scratching around. Soooo I finally fell asleep again and was woken up one more time by something crawling up my leg. I again had a tiny freak out as I kicked it off of me. Now I really don’t know what it is- I’m hoping it’s the mouse because that would be the least dangerous and poisonous thing out there, but I really have no idea. So alas- that was my night. No sign of my friend this morning, but I think I’ll pick my clothes off the floor so they don’t get holes chewed in them. Hope you all had a nice sleep and enjoyed my nighttime experience! ☺ Love.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Where am I now?
If you really want to see where I am, go to Google Earth and look up Kosi Bay, South Africa. You will see I am in a small village on the Eastern Coast about 10 km south of Mozambique. As I sit here all I hear are birds. I think I can make out about 5 different ones at the moment. I got here a few days ago and let me tell you that it was a shock to my system to be alone. I really didn’t know what to do with myself at first. I am literally in the middle of no where in my own wooden thatch hut in the forest. There’s a small pool and a hanging out area that is just a thatch roof with couches and big overstuffed chairs and millions of pillows around. It’s quite Kosi. (hehe get my joke!?) This place is quite big and I don’t even know where the main guy’s house is. I follow the pathway about 2 minutes to the bathroom, then another minute or so to the kitchen, and from there to the pool and lounge area. The pathways are made from small trees. They are small circular and lined up side-by-side and nailed down. The entire walkways are made of them, I’m tempted to count how many to get to the bathroom but I honestly would guess a couple hundred- and I would probably get distracted lose track as I was counting.
Anyways……I am out here on my own and trying to not follow any schedule. I really want to go to bed when I’m tired and get up when I’m not tired anymore and eat when I’m hungry and not eat if I’m not hungry. I don’t want to look at my watch and I want to forget what day of the week it is. The best part is that I can do it. I’ve got nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to be with. I can do whatever I want whenever I want to do it. It is a tad bit overwhelming but also extremely exciting. There are two other guys staying here but that is it. They are down the path farther away from me and the only interaction I’ve had with them so far has been hearing them talk in some foreign language as they pass by me.
It’s halfway through my day and I haven’t said a single word out loud. I sit here and think a lot. I read magazines and the reading bible Steph gave me. I wash my clothes in the sink and hang them on my porch. I plan to do yoga on my porch in the mornings- I’m excited about that! I hope to go running later. It is actually quite chilly here at the moment. Yesterday it was extremely hot and I spent it chilling in the pool. The water would dry off my skin in about two minutes when I got out- that’s how hot it was. Last night was a massive thunderstorm. It was great except that the power went out. I still have not been smart and bought a flashlight so I use my IPOD, which actually works quite well except for running down the battery so quickly. I was in the shower when the power went out and so that was a fun experience. The clouds made it get pretty dark so that by 5:30ish I really couldn’t do anything without using my IPOD. I think I went to bed around 6 simply because I had nothing to do and even if I wanted to do something- I wouldn’t have been able to see myself do it. So that was an exciting night. But the point of the story is that the rain cooled it off and I got to sleep snug beneath a sheet and blanket and in my mosquito net, which hangs from the ceiling like a child’s fairy tent. I like it but it was annoying me last night because my legs kept on getting caught up in it. But anyways, the weather was quite a change from earlier when I took a nap naked on top of the sheets with the fan blowing directly on me and still sweating. (sorry for you PG readers!)
I know this is quite random blogging and for that I am sorry, the only thing I can say is that by not saying much the past few days- now that I have the chance to say it, it’s just sort of all spilling out in random chunks. I have thought of so much and have only been here for umm two days now. Can you imagine how odd they are going to be after being here for two whole weeks?!!? Ahhh quite exciting for you to think about! I have a feeling my creative spirit will come about. Oh another exciting thing, but this is for me, I will get to go to Mozambique after all!! The guy here, Mike, says he knows a great place there where you stay directly on the ocean. He’s going to take me up there for a few days. Ever since being here and hearing about Mozam from those who have gone there- I have wanted a chance to be able to see it. It should be good. I plan on taking lots of pictures so I hope to share them with you all at some point.
Oh so drinking the water here is a bad idea Mike says. Well I didn’t buy water so I haven’t got anything to drink. Things like this are one of the reasons why I am getting somewhat ready to go back to the States. How’s Obama doing by the way? Okay I’m back off to my little world. Cheers. (My swaziland blog is on it's way- be patient!)
Anyways……I am out here on my own and trying to not follow any schedule. I really want to go to bed when I’m tired and get up when I’m not tired anymore and eat when I’m hungry and not eat if I’m not hungry. I don’t want to look at my watch and I want to forget what day of the week it is. The best part is that I can do it. I’ve got nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to be with. I can do whatever I want whenever I want to do it. It is a tad bit overwhelming but also extremely exciting. There are two other guys staying here but that is it. They are down the path farther away from me and the only interaction I’ve had with them so far has been hearing them talk in some foreign language as they pass by me.
It’s halfway through my day and I haven’t said a single word out loud. I sit here and think a lot. I read magazines and the reading bible Steph gave me. I wash my clothes in the sink and hang them on my porch. I plan to do yoga on my porch in the mornings- I’m excited about that! I hope to go running later. It is actually quite chilly here at the moment. Yesterday it was extremely hot and I spent it chilling in the pool. The water would dry off my skin in about two minutes when I got out- that’s how hot it was. Last night was a massive thunderstorm. It was great except that the power went out. I still have not been smart and bought a flashlight so I use my IPOD, which actually works quite well except for running down the battery so quickly. I was in the shower when the power went out and so that was a fun experience. The clouds made it get pretty dark so that by 5:30ish I really couldn’t do anything without using my IPOD. I think I went to bed around 6 simply because I had nothing to do and even if I wanted to do something- I wouldn’t have been able to see myself do it. So that was an exciting night. But the point of the story is that the rain cooled it off and I got to sleep snug beneath a sheet and blanket and in my mosquito net, which hangs from the ceiling like a child’s fairy tent. I like it but it was annoying me last night because my legs kept on getting caught up in it. But anyways, the weather was quite a change from earlier when I took a nap naked on top of the sheets with the fan blowing directly on me and still sweating. (sorry for you PG readers!)
I know this is quite random blogging and for that I am sorry, the only thing I can say is that by not saying much the past few days- now that I have the chance to say it, it’s just sort of all spilling out in random chunks. I have thought of so much and have only been here for umm two days now. Can you imagine how odd they are going to be after being here for two whole weeks?!!? Ahhh quite exciting for you to think about! I have a feeling my creative spirit will come about. Oh another exciting thing, but this is for me, I will get to go to Mozambique after all!! The guy here, Mike, says he knows a great place there where you stay directly on the ocean. He’s going to take me up there for a few days. Ever since being here and hearing about Mozam from those who have gone there- I have wanted a chance to be able to see it. It should be good. I plan on taking lots of pictures so I hope to share them with you all at some point.
Oh so drinking the water here is a bad idea Mike says. Well I didn’t buy water so I haven’t got anything to drink. Things like this are one of the reasons why I am getting somewhat ready to go back to the States. How’s Obama doing by the way? Okay I’m back off to my little world. Cheers. (My swaziland blog is on it's way- be patient!)
I’m BAAAAACK!!
Hello to everyone out in the world who reads my blogs. It has been awhile since we have communicated and I have much to share with you. I think these last 3 weeks or so that I have been with my sister went by the fastest of all the time I have been here. I don’t know but I think there is something about being with family and someone who you really love that just makes wherever you are in the world feel like home. It didn’t matter that we were also traveling with 30 other people whom I had never met before, I felt at home. I cannot explain to you how great it was to be able to meet up with Steph in her element.
For us sisters to come together half way around the world and meet up, as individuals’ doing our own thing, was pretty cool. I have dreamed a lot growing up, but this was never something I dreamed about and yet I think it will be one of my favorite moments in my life. (Uh quick side note- my friend the squirrel just tried to get in my hut, he’s scampering on the roof now.) To get to see her and experience her life that she has been living for about the past two years was quite special. No amount of sharing stories or seeing pictures did it justice. I had to be there; right smack in the middle of it all to really understand why she does what she does and why she loves it so much. And I do. I caught only a glimpse of the whole picture, as I was only with them about 2 weeks and they are together for 11 months, but I felt it. I felt the love, the passion, the spirit, the sharing and the reason why they went on the world race.
For those of you who know me, know that I am the type of person who sort of just hangs around on the outside of the circle. If I know you then I dive right in, but otherwise I don’t usually put myself in the middle of everything/everyone. These people would not let me do that. In a good way! I got to know people and share my life with people and share in their life and learn all about them in a matter of a week. These world racers are some of the most kind, caring, gentle, understanding, funny, patient and loving people I have ever met. They sort of just open up their arms and bring you into their family circle without even saying anything. That was the biggest thing that hit me. It wasn’t anything that people said to me or that I heard them say that made it most impact on me. It was just being with them and seeing how they love and interact and serve each other. It was a tangible feeling and it was really odd for someone who has never experienced it before. No one ever made me feel uncomfortable. No one ever made me feel un-included. They wanted to meet me and were genuinely interested in my life. I felt loved. It was pretty humbling and yet over whelming at the same time. I am thankful to all of them and yes I will be Facebooking them to hopefully keep in touch ☺. Sometimes modern technology is a good thing!! More will come on this subject once I have had time to process all my thoughts.
For us sisters to come together half way around the world and meet up, as individuals’ doing our own thing, was pretty cool. I have dreamed a lot growing up, but this was never something I dreamed about and yet I think it will be one of my favorite moments in my life. (Uh quick side note- my friend the squirrel just tried to get in my hut, he’s scampering on the roof now.) To get to see her and experience her life that she has been living for about the past two years was quite special. No amount of sharing stories or seeing pictures did it justice. I had to be there; right smack in the middle of it all to really understand why she does what she does and why she loves it so much. And I do. I caught only a glimpse of the whole picture, as I was only with them about 2 weeks and they are together for 11 months, but I felt it. I felt the love, the passion, the spirit, the sharing and the reason why they went on the world race.
For those of you who know me, know that I am the type of person who sort of just hangs around on the outside of the circle. If I know you then I dive right in, but otherwise I don’t usually put myself in the middle of everything/everyone. These people would not let me do that. In a good way! I got to know people and share my life with people and share in their life and learn all about them in a matter of a week. These world racers are some of the most kind, caring, gentle, understanding, funny, patient and loving people I have ever met. They sort of just open up their arms and bring you into their family circle without even saying anything. That was the biggest thing that hit me. It wasn’t anything that people said to me or that I heard them say that made it most impact on me. It was just being with them and seeing how they love and interact and serve each other. It was a tangible feeling and it was really odd for someone who has never experienced it before. No one ever made me feel uncomfortable. No one ever made me feel un-included. They wanted to meet me and were genuinely interested in my life. I felt loved. It was pretty humbling and yet over whelming at the same time. I am thankful to all of them and yes I will be Facebooking them to hopefully keep in touch ☺. Sometimes modern technology is a good thing!! More will come on this subject once I have had time to process all my thoughts.
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