I'm standing at the counter at Wendy's and suddenly I'm faced with the toughest question I've ever had to ask myself: how thirsty am I? See, there are no free refills here (or anywhere outside of America, for that matter), and I think we really take this fact for granted. Back home, it doesn't matter what size drink you order because you can just keep coming back for more. You can even switch from Coke to Sprite whenever you want! But not here, oh no. They fill the cup for you and if you want more, you have to pay for it.
So here I am, standing at the counter trying to decide whether or not I'm thirsty enough to upgrade to a medium drink. I'm not like, super thirsty now, but what if the fries are really salty? What if the bun on my chicken sandwich is really dry? What if I'm not thirsty at all and I waste money up-sizing? Major conundrum.
Ok so you're probably asking yourself, "why is she going on about free refills? This has nothing to do with her gap year." But it does! Not having access to free refills has actually made me realize all the things I took for granted back home. Things like a mosquito-free environment, air conditioning, streets without mange and flea ridden dogs, traffic laws, my own bathroom, hot water, being able to drink from the tap, and my own vehicle.
Now that I'm in New Zealand and far, far away from all things 3rd world, I have to say I really appreciate those things a lot more than I did at home (with the exception of having my own bathroom. Hostels do not allow for this.).
But in other news, I got to New Zealand a week ago, and things are going pretty well so far. Well, they were going well until Wednesday, when I started getting really sick. I figured I just had flu and decided to wait it out, but my boyfriend reminded me that I had been in 2 malaria-risk countries and suggested that I go see a doctor just to get tested for malaria. This is where having a car would come in handy, because I spent the better half of today taking a bus tour of Auckland trying to find a doctor's office that wouldn't cost me $360. Eventually, I found a place, but I still had to pay $120 to see a doctor! Ridiculous! I had the malaria test and a ton of other tests done today, so I'll find out by tomorrow (I think) if I have it or not.
Other than that, I'm having a pretty good time here. Auckland is a lot like San Francisco, so I can definitely picture myself staying here for the next 6 months. I'm currently looking for a job and an apartment, so pretty soon I should be moved into my own place! Hopefully soon after that I'll get my own laptop so I can work on college applications and uploading pictures and such.
Oh, I almost forgot about Koh Samet!
So we got to the island the day before my birthday, and it was gorgeous! White sand beaches, and the water was so clear you could see the bottom even if you were so far out you couldn't touch it.
The bar that we ate dinner at every night was right on the beach and right after we finished eating there was always a fire dancing show followed by a break dancing performance by some local Thai guys. We really didn't do much other than lay around on the beach all day and hang out at the bar at night, except for Wednesday, which is when we took a boat tour around the island and went snorkeling and deep sea fishing (I obviously did not partake in the fishing. Fish are friends, not food.).
I guess there's really not much to say about it, other than it was the best way to spend my 19th birthday, and we all had a blast there!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Nineteen
The closer I get to my birthday, the more I realize I am in no way ready to be 19. I'm really enjoying being 18, in fact, I think it's fair to say that this has been the best year of my life. I'm pretty sure I was born to be 18. 19 is a weird age. You don't get any special privileges, you're just one year closer to being the all-important age of 21, plus being 19 means you've been an adult for a whole year and adult-like behavior is even more expected. I'm quite happy with being 18, it affords me the privilege of excusing any inappropriate behavior. All the silliness, the occasional ignorance and lack of respect, I just crap it up to being 18, and I've been getting away with it. In less than two weeks, I don't get to be 18 anymore, and as if this trip hasn't made me grow up quickly, I have to grow up a little bit more.
In other news, I just got back from our temple stay. It actually wasn't as fun as I had planned, but we still had a good time. The temple was in the middle of the jungle (my idea of a jungle is slightly different than most people's - there were a lot of trees around), which made me a little uncomfortable. Before we did anything, we had to change into these ridiculous white outfits, and then we went into the Ordination hall for a bit of meditation and chanting. After that, we went walking through the town (still wearing those horrible outfits), and stopped at 7-11 for snacks. The monks aren't allowed to eat after noon, and some of us tried to follow suit. I'm pretty sure no one actually made it through the whole day without eating, though. When we came back, we listened to some more chanting and the monks taught us the four types of meditation; sitting, standing, walking, and reclining. Lights out was at 9, and surprisingly everyone went to bed when they were supposed to. We woke up at 5:30 to walk through the village and collect the food offerings for the monk's breakfast. Women aren't allowed to hand anything to or take anything from the monks (we're not even allowed to touch them), so the boys did most of the work during the food-collection while we just followed along behind. When we got back, Iris, our tour guide, handed us brooms and we had to sweep up the temple area before going inside for more chanting and meditation and an offering of daily necessities for the monks. After this, we ate the lunch that the monks cooked for us, changed out of the horrible white outfits, and got on the bus to go back to the eco-house.
I have to say, as jungle-y as it is here, I'm actually starting to like it. I don't mind living with geckos and frogs, and I'm even putting up with the mosquitoes. It's been raining a lot, so the heat is starting to go away, and the temperatures are actually quite livable now. The rain is definitely the best part of this place. I sat outside during a storm for about 15 minutes, and was so cold I actually started to shiver. It was the best feeling to be cold here for once!
Tomorrow we're going on a 3 hour bike ride around the town, and as long as it isn't too hot, it should be really fun.
In other news, I just got back from our temple stay. It actually wasn't as fun as I had planned, but we still had a good time. The temple was in the middle of the jungle (my idea of a jungle is slightly different than most people's - there were a lot of trees around), which made me a little uncomfortable. Before we did anything, we had to change into these ridiculous white outfits, and then we went into the Ordination hall for a bit of meditation and chanting. After that, we went walking through the town (still wearing those horrible outfits), and stopped at 7-11 for snacks. The monks aren't allowed to eat after noon, and some of us tried to follow suit. I'm pretty sure no one actually made it through the whole day without eating, though. When we came back, we listened to some more chanting and the monks taught us the four types of meditation; sitting, standing, walking, and reclining. Lights out was at 9, and surprisingly everyone went to bed when they were supposed to. We woke up at 5:30 to walk through the village and collect the food offerings for the monk's breakfast. Women aren't allowed to hand anything to or take anything from the monks (we're not even allowed to touch them), so the boys did most of the work during the food-collection while we just followed along behind. When we got back, Iris, our tour guide, handed us brooms and we had to sweep up the temple area before going inside for more chanting and meditation and an offering of daily necessities for the monks. After this, we ate the lunch that the monks cooked for us, changed out of the horrible white outfits, and got on the bus to go back to the eco-house.
I have to say, as jungle-y as it is here, I'm actually starting to like it. I don't mind living with geckos and frogs, and I'm even putting up with the mosquitoes. It's been raining a lot, so the heat is starting to go away, and the temperatures are actually quite livable now. The rain is definitely the best part of this place. I sat outside during a storm for about 15 minutes, and was so cold I actually started to shiver. It was the best feeling to be cold here for once!
Tomorrow we're going on a 3 hour bike ride around the town, and as long as it isn't too hot, it should be really fun.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Love, Actually
"Timi lai maya gadsum, timi lai maya gadsum!"
I'm standing on the ground yelling up to the boys on the balcony in between sobs. It means I love you in Nepali, and it's my favorite phrase in the whole language because maya means love. It was my last day in Nepal and I had postponed the goodbyes until the very last moment I could. The night before, the senior class boys had given me a book and their favorite DVD and I had managed to keep myself together despite the fact I was terribly upset about leaving, but I was not so collected the next day. We sat together at lunch as usual, but at the end the younger boys brought me one of the Buddhist scarves from the temple and Toby gave me a bracelet he bought at the market. As soon as I had to hug Tsepel, Rabgye, and Toby (3 of my favorites from the senior class), I burst into tears. I actually cried all the way to the taxi and then all the way to the hotel and I even shed some tears on the flight to Delhi.
I remember thinking how strange it was that I was crying so much, especially since I had hated Nepal so much when I first got there. I didn't even cry when I left home, I just felt excited to start my trip, to see the world for 10 months. But leaving Nepal was heartbreaking, it felt like how I should've felt when I left home, and that feeling is the most important thing I learned in Nepal. Without me even noticing, those 54 boys taught me what love actually is. They love every person they encounter the way they love their families. No one is an outsider, no one deserves to be treated less than anyone else, they would give everything they have to anyone who needed it. It didn't take me but a week to love them, but not how we love our families, our friends, our boyfriends or girlfriends, this was totally new. They're like my best friends and my family all wrapped into one, and I've never felt more at home than I did at that monastery. It's no wonder I spent hours crying about leaving, it felt like I was leaving the home I grew up in for my entire life.
But now I'm in Thailand, and though I'm still sad about leaving Nepal, I'm having a really great time here. We spent 2 nights in Bangkok, which is by far the craziest place I've ever seen. I'd say at least 50% of the women are actually men. There's also no shortage of alcohol there, most of the bars have a 2 for 1 deal on buckets (yes, buckets) of drinks. I avoided the bucket of alcohol route, though. On Sunday, we got on the minibuses to Singburi, which is where the eco-house we're staying in is. Besides the hoardes of mosquitoes and poisonous ants and the unbelievably high temperatures and humidity, it's actually quite nice. We're just across the street from the river, which is unimaginably dirty, but nice to look at at night. During the day we've done a lot of sightseeing at all the important temples and monuments nearby, and we visited the city center which has a department store and a very nice pool. We eat dinner at 5, so we have a lot of free time at night, which we spend sitting at the bar across the street because there really is nothing else to do here. It's actually pretty nice to sit around and talk to everyone. There's people from Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and I even met 2 American guys! They're from Ohio, and it was so amazing to talk to someone who has the same accent and understands me even when I talk as fast as I normally do. Sadly, they left today, so I will have to go back to talking impossibly slow again.
This week we'll be visiting more temples, and on Tuesday night we'll be sleeping in one! I'm pretty excited about that, even though I know all about temples and monks since I spent so much time in the monastery in Nepal. Next week I start volunteering in an orphanage, and the week after that we're going to Koh Samet island for beach week! My 19th birthday is the day after we arrive in Koh Samet, and I'm really looking forward to a beach birthday party!
Oh, and I promise not to be so sketch about updating my blog, I've just been really lazy lately.
I'm standing on the ground yelling up to the boys on the balcony in between sobs. It means I love you in Nepali, and it's my favorite phrase in the whole language because maya means love. It was my last day in Nepal and I had postponed the goodbyes until the very last moment I could. The night before, the senior class boys had given me a book and their favorite DVD and I had managed to keep myself together despite the fact I was terribly upset about leaving, but I was not so collected the next day. We sat together at lunch as usual, but at the end the younger boys brought me one of the Buddhist scarves from the temple and Toby gave me a bracelet he bought at the market. As soon as I had to hug Tsepel, Rabgye, and Toby (3 of my favorites from the senior class), I burst into tears. I actually cried all the way to the taxi and then all the way to the hotel and I even shed some tears on the flight to Delhi.
I remember thinking how strange it was that I was crying so much, especially since I had hated Nepal so much when I first got there. I didn't even cry when I left home, I just felt excited to start my trip, to see the world for 10 months. But leaving Nepal was heartbreaking, it felt like how I should've felt when I left home, and that feeling is the most important thing I learned in Nepal. Without me even noticing, those 54 boys taught me what love actually is. They love every person they encounter the way they love their families. No one is an outsider, no one deserves to be treated less than anyone else, they would give everything they have to anyone who needed it. It didn't take me but a week to love them, but not how we love our families, our friends, our boyfriends or girlfriends, this was totally new. They're like my best friends and my family all wrapped into one, and I've never felt more at home than I did at that monastery. It's no wonder I spent hours crying about leaving, it felt like I was leaving the home I grew up in for my entire life.
But now I'm in Thailand, and though I'm still sad about leaving Nepal, I'm having a really great time here. We spent 2 nights in Bangkok, which is by far the craziest place I've ever seen. I'd say at least 50% of the women are actually men. There's also no shortage of alcohol there, most of the bars have a 2 for 1 deal on buckets (yes, buckets) of drinks. I avoided the bucket of alcohol route, though. On Sunday, we got on the minibuses to Singburi, which is where the eco-house we're staying in is. Besides the hoardes of mosquitoes and poisonous ants and the unbelievably high temperatures and humidity, it's actually quite nice. We're just across the street from the river, which is unimaginably dirty, but nice to look at at night. During the day we've done a lot of sightseeing at all the important temples and monuments nearby, and we visited the city center which has a department store and a very nice pool. We eat dinner at 5, so we have a lot of free time at night, which we spend sitting at the bar across the street because there really is nothing else to do here. It's actually pretty nice to sit around and talk to everyone. There's people from Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and I even met 2 American guys! They're from Ohio, and it was so amazing to talk to someone who has the same accent and understands me even when I talk as fast as I normally do. Sadly, they left today, so I will have to go back to talking impossibly slow again.
This week we'll be visiting more temples, and on Tuesday night we'll be sleeping in one! I'm pretty excited about that, even though I know all about temples and monks since I spent so much time in the monastery in Nepal. Next week I start volunteering in an orphanage, and the week after that we're going to Koh Samet island for beach week! My 19th birthday is the day after we arrive in Koh Samet, and I'm really looking forward to a beach birthday party!
Oh, and I promise not to be so sketch about updating my blog, I've just been really lazy lately.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
You can take the girl out of the city...
I will be the first to admit I am truly the definition of "city girl." My idea of an outdoor adventure is walking down 5th Avenue for a bit of shopping (it's outdoors!). In fact, the closest to nature I'm willing to get is the park down the street from my house, and I try to avoid sitting in the grass if I can. Most of you already know about my distaste for the outdoors, but only a few know my feelings about less-than-5-star accommodations. I haven't verbally complained about any of the places I've been staying, but a tiny voice in my head cries every time I take a cold shower or sleep on a hard mattress. I've been good, I don't even mind the uncleanliness anymore, but oh, how I miss those days of daddy and me vacations; staying in gorgeous hotels and perusing the city streets, peeking into shops and wandering around local sites.
It turns out that even halfway across the world, the daddy and me vacations live on. Dad has booked the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu for me until I leave for Thailand on Thursday. It was quite a shock for me when I arrived there yesterday. I was promptly greeted by a bellman who took my bags and paid for my taxi, the man behind the desk referred to me as Ms. Cantrell (it was rather strange to hear my last name, the kids call me Maya because it's easy for them to remember. Maya means love in Nepali.), I was offered a free drink, and my bags were brought up to my room for me. I had completely forgotten what it was like to be waited on. The hotel itself is palatial, in fact, I think it's the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in! It's definitely going to be hard to leave and go back to reality. But for now I'll enjoy every minute of the enormous pool and the hot showers.
My fellow volunteer, Cathy, left yesterday. It was so so sad to say goodbye to her since we've been living and working together for 3 weeks. I don't think we've ever been apart for more than an hour or two! The monks gave her some parting gifts, and she burst into tears, which of course made me cry too. I walked her down the road to the taxi and then walked back to the monastery for the last class of the day. Teaching alone has been challenging. Usually, when one of us can't think of something to do or can't figure out how to explain something, the other one jumps in, but now I have to do everything on my own. It hasn't been too bad, but I've only had two classes on my own, and both of them are fairly easy classes to teach. The junior class (the youngest boys) are quite difficult, and I'm not sure how that's going to go, but I'm sure they'll be fine.
This will probably be my last post from Nepal since I'm much further away from the internet cafe now. I'll try to update from Thailand!
It turns out that even halfway across the world, the daddy and me vacations live on. Dad has booked the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu for me until I leave for Thailand on Thursday. It was quite a shock for me when I arrived there yesterday. I was promptly greeted by a bellman who took my bags and paid for my taxi, the man behind the desk referred to me as Ms. Cantrell (it was rather strange to hear my last name, the kids call me Maya because it's easy for them to remember. Maya means love in Nepali.), I was offered a free drink, and my bags were brought up to my room for me. I had completely forgotten what it was like to be waited on. The hotel itself is palatial, in fact, I think it's the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in! It's definitely going to be hard to leave and go back to reality. But for now I'll enjoy every minute of the enormous pool and the hot showers.
My fellow volunteer, Cathy, left yesterday. It was so so sad to say goodbye to her since we've been living and working together for 3 weeks. I don't think we've ever been apart for more than an hour or two! The monks gave her some parting gifts, and she burst into tears, which of course made me cry too. I walked her down the road to the taxi and then walked back to the monastery for the last class of the day. Teaching alone has been challenging. Usually, when one of us can't think of something to do or can't figure out how to explain something, the other one jumps in, but now I have to do everything on my own. It hasn't been too bad, but I've only had two classes on my own, and both of them are fairly easy classes to teach. The junior class (the youngest boys) are quite difficult, and I'm not sure how that's going to go, but I'm sure they'll be fine.
This will probably be my last post from Nepal since I'm much further away from the internet cafe now. I'll try to update from Thailand!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monk Football (and other surprises)
Whatever idea about Buddhist monks I previously had is completely gone now. I mean, our monks are the kind, short-haired, gold and maroon robe-clad boys that I pictured, but they're also shockingly "Western." They love Chris Brown and Akon, they talk about how the email past volunteers, and they even have Facebook! Most surprising, though, was their love for football (soccer, as we know it). They even have their own team, and despite the fact that the head teacher has forbidden them from practicing, they're quite good. So good, in fact, that they came in 2nd place out of 9 teams during a monastery football tournament. They even have matching Barcelona uniforms. Impressive, no?
I was surprised with how excited about the game I got. I was definitely one of the loudest spectators at the game, and my voice stood out amongst all the others since it was only one of two female voices in the crowd. Even though our team didn't win, one of our players got a prize for scoring the most goals in the tournament. He combined his winnings with the team's prize to buy meat and soda for dinner the next night. Yes, our monks eat meat. Yet another surprise for me, but apparently only some of them take a vow to be a vegetarian, and they don't have to remain vegetarians for their whole lives!
Thursday night I left for Chitwan with the other 4 volunteers on this trip. Chitwan is in southern Nepal, and is basically one big, steamy jungle. We stayed in a nice little resort just outside of the park, and on Friday morning we went for a jungle walk. I know, I know. Right now you're thinking, "Maya Cantrell? On a jungle walk? NO!" But I did! I went for a 3 hour walk through the jungle and grasslands of southern Nepal. I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, and by that I mean I didn't cry the whole time. There were a lot of bugs, and I wasn't so hot on all the nature touching my skin, and I had never gotten so dirty in my life, but it wasn't awful. We saw some deer running around and heard a lot of birds and monkeys. After the walk, we went for an elephant bath, which basically entails going into the river on an elephant, being thrown off, and then climbing back on for some more. It was REALLY fun, and I was so so so happy to get to ride an elephant. And, as if one elephant ride wasn't enough, we got to go on another ride through the jungle. Since the elephant's smell masked our own, we got to see 3 rhinos and a ton of deer wandering around the jungle. It was such a cool experience! This morning we had an early breakfast and then went on a canoe ride to do some birdwatching. Along the way we saw a huge crocodile sunning on one of the beaches. Pretty awesome!
The bus ride to and from Chitwan, however, were not so awesome. A trip that would take about 2 and a half hours in America took 8 hours on the way there and 5 and a half on the way back. The roads are ridiculously rough. I can't even describe how bumpy the ride was, not to mention how awful the traffic was on the way there. Despite the awful ride, the views were gorgeous. Sadly, the rough ride didn't allow for any pictures, but the hills and mountains are absolutely breathtaking. It's like Hawaii, but 100 times prettier.
Anyway, my time in Nepal is almost over, and I'm actually really sad to be leaving this week. I've grown so close to the monks that it's really hard to imagine not coming back, which is why I think I want to rearrange my trip so I can come back to Nepal next year (surprise, dad!). I don't think I've ever felt as attached to a place as I am to here, and I will definitely be sobbing on Thursday afternoon when I have to leave!
I was surprised with how excited about the game I got. I was definitely one of the loudest spectators at the game, and my voice stood out amongst all the others since it was only one of two female voices in the crowd. Even though our team didn't win, one of our players got a prize for scoring the most goals in the tournament. He combined his winnings with the team's prize to buy meat and soda for dinner the next night. Yes, our monks eat meat. Yet another surprise for me, but apparently only some of them take a vow to be a vegetarian, and they don't have to remain vegetarians for their whole lives!
Thursday night I left for Chitwan with the other 4 volunteers on this trip. Chitwan is in southern Nepal, and is basically one big, steamy jungle. We stayed in a nice little resort just outside of the park, and on Friday morning we went for a jungle walk. I know, I know. Right now you're thinking, "Maya Cantrell? On a jungle walk? NO!" But I did! I went for a 3 hour walk through the jungle and grasslands of southern Nepal. I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, and by that I mean I didn't cry the whole time. There were a lot of bugs, and I wasn't so hot on all the nature touching my skin, and I had never gotten so dirty in my life, but it wasn't awful. We saw some deer running around and heard a lot of birds and monkeys. After the walk, we went for an elephant bath, which basically entails going into the river on an elephant, being thrown off, and then climbing back on for some more. It was REALLY fun, and I was so so so happy to get to ride an elephant. And, as if one elephant ride wasn't enough, we got to go on another ride through the jungle. Since the elephant's smell masked our own, we got to see 3 rhinos and a ton of deer wandering around the jungle. It was such a cool experience! This morning we had an early breakfast and then went on a canoe ride to do some birdwatching. Along the way we saw a huge crocodile sunning on one of the beaches. Pretty awesome!
The bus ride to and from Chitwan, however, were not so awesome. A trip that would take about 2 and a half hours in America took 8 hours on the way there and 5 and a half on the way back. The roads are ridiculously rough. I can't even describe how bumpy the ride was, not to mention how awful the traffic was on the way there. Despite the awful ride, the views were gorgeous. Sadly, the rough ride didn't allow for any pictures, but the hills and mountains are absolutely breathtaking. It's like Hawaii, but 100 times prettier.
Anyway, my time in Nepal is almost over, and I'm actually really sad to be leaving this week. I've grown so close to the monks that it's really hard to imagine not coming back, which is why I think I want to rearrange my trip so I can come back to Nepal next year (surprise, dad!). I don't think I've ever felt as attached to a place as I am to here, and I will definitely be sobbing on Thursday afternoon when I have to leave!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Puja, Paneer, and Prisoners
Cathy, the other volunteer working here, and I finally made it out of our guesthouse to our monk's morning prayer session (called puja). Getting up at 5 was quite a struggle, but it was definitely worth it once we got to the temple. We were allowed to actually sit on the floor cushions with the monks while they chanted their Tibetan prayers. The people who walked in and out of the temple to pray and make offerings of money to the monks couldn't stop staring at the two of us! It was clear that our presence was typically not allowed, but no one made us feel uncomfortable. A man that was offering each monk 5 rupees even gave us some money after some brief hesitation, of course. The puja was two hours long, with a break for breakfast. I don't know how it's possible for them to sit with their legs crossed for that long! Cathy and I were fidgeting after about 30 minutes. The experience of sitting in the temple, surrounded by huge, ornate statues of Buddha, detailed paintings, and the flicker of butter candles while listening to the Tibetan chants was unforgettable. Hopefully our guesthouse will be unlocked more often so I can go again.
The monks get half of Friday and all of Saturday off as a holiday, so Cathy and I had a bit of free time this weekend to do our own sightseeing. We went to New Road, which is an Indian-dominated shopping road. We quickly found that most of the clothing stores were very male-oriented, which is because the women here typically wear traditional Indian, Nepali, or Tibetan clothes rather than "Western" clothing. We ended up giving up on the shopping and going to the 5th floor of a nearby hotel for lunch. It was SO GOOD! I had paneer (a type of Indian cheese) masala curry with rice and garlic naan. I can't even articulate how much I love Indian food now, especially since it's so delicious here. The best part about eating here is how inexpensive everything is. A coke is usually 30 rupees, a meal at a nice restaurant is around 350, and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant is usually about 80 rupees. One dollar is about 76 rupees, so you can have lunch at a very nice restaurant for the price of a McDonald's combo meal. I'm definitely going to miss all the inexpensive food when I leave.
After our rooftop lunch, we perused through Cathy's Nepal guidebook to find something to do. We ended up finding an interesting section about the prisons of Nepal, and how many Westerners are held without trial for years in terrible conditions. The Nepal government expects the family members of prisoners to essentially pay for their release with no trial, but this is obviously quite difficult for Western prisoners, as their families aren't here to help. The guidebook suggested that we bring some food, toiletries, clothes, or money and visit a prisoner in one of the three jails in Kathmandu. We went and bought some food and went on our way to the prison, only to realize that the guidebook was written a few years ago, and things have changed very much. There is no longer a list of the current detainees on the wall, and in order to sign in we have to say the name of a specific prisoner. The main office was closed, so there was no way for us to know the names of any English-speaking prisoners, if there were any at all. We resolved to check online to see if we could get a name, but no such luck. It was pretty interesting to see the compound though, despite the bizarre looks we received for guards and visitors alike. It is clear that the prisons are in terrible conditions. The buildings look far too small to house all the prisoners that we know are in there, and most of the walls are crumbling anyway. We may try to go back to the administrative offices to see if there are any prisoners we can talk to, or at the very least, leave the food and soap we bought so that they can be donated to one of the detainees. I read up on the Nepali prisons, and found that people are held 50 to a room with no clothes, bedding, or toiletries provided. They eat black rice (fermented rice) and daal (lentil soup) everyday and are given a few rupees to buy vegetables at the prison stores. There are several human rights organizations here working to fix the poor conditions of the jails, but change is slow here.
But on the bright side, I found a post box and sent of the postcards, but mail takes at least 10 days, and, unfortunately, they may never make it to their destination.
The monks get half of Friday and all of Saturday off as a holiday, so Cathy and I had a bit of free time this weekend to do our own sightseeing. We went to New Road, which is an Indian-dominated shopping road. We quickly found that most of the clothing stores were very male-oriented, which is because the women here typically wear traditional Indian, Nepali, or Tibetan clothes rather than "Western" clothing. We ended up giving up on the shopping and going to the 5th floor of a nearby hotel for lunch. It was SO GOOD! I had paneer (a type of Indian cheese) masala curry with rice and garlic naan. I can't even articulate how much I love Indian food now, especially since it's so delicious here. The best part about eating here is how inexpensive everything is. A coke is usually 30 rupees, a meal at a nice restaurant is around 350, and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant is usually about 80 rupees. One dollar is about 76 rupees, so you can have lunch at a very nice restaurant for the price of a McDonald's combo meal. I'm definitely going to miss all the inexpensive food when I leave.
After our rooftop lunch, we perused through Cathy's Nepal guidebook to find something to do. We ended up finding an interesting section about the prisons of Nepal, and how many Westerners are held without trial for years in terrible conditions. The Nepal government expects the family members of prisoners to essentially pay for their release with no trial, but this is obviously quite difficult for Western prisoners, as their families aren't here to help. The guidebook suggested that we bring some food, toiletries, clothes, or money and visit a prisoner in one of the three jails in Kathmandu. We went and bought some food and went on our way to the prison, only to realize that the guidebook was written a few years ago, and things have changed very much. There is no longer a list of the current detainees on the wall, and in order to sign in we have to say the name of a specific prisoner. The main office was closed, so there was no way for us to know the names of any English-speaking prisoners, if there were any at all. We resolved to check online to see if we could get a name, but no such luck. It was pretty interesting to see the compound though, despite the bizarre looks we received for guards and visitors alike. It is clear that the prisons are in terrible conditions. The buildings look far too small to house all the prisoners that we know are in there, and most of the walls are crumbling anyway. We may try to go back to the administrative offices to see if there are any prisoners we can talk to, or at the very least, leave the food and soap we bought so that they can be donated to one of the detainees. I read up on the Nepali prisons, and found that people are held 50 to a room with no clothes, bedding, or toiletries provided. They eat black rice (fermented rice) and daal (lentil soup) everyday and are given a few rupees to buy vegetables at the prison stores. There are several human rights organizations here working to fix the poor conditions of the jails, but change is slow here.
But on the bright side, I found a post box and sent of the postcards, but mail takes at least 10 days, and, unfortunately, they may never make it to their destination.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Nepal
I've been in Nepal for just over a week now, and besides a few (enormous) disasters, everything has been really nice.
For the first few days, 3 other volunteers and I had a Nepali language course in the morning followed by lunch and sightseeing. I'm nearly conversational in Nepali, and if I practice a bit more, I could probably have a full conversation with someone.
On the first day of sightseeing, we went to the monkey temple, which is a Buddhist temple just outside of Kathmandu. We had to climb up about a trillion stairs (not an exaggeration), but the climb was definitely worth it! Besides all the beautiful statues, we had a fantastic view of the Himalayas and all of Kathmandu valley. I'll post pictures as soon as I get to New Zealand. It's called monkey temple because there's 100s of monkeys wandering around the temple and the jungle that surrounds it. For the most part, they stay away from people, but one of the monkeys nearly attacked our guide while we were walking through the jungle!
The next day, we went to Pashupatinath and boudhanath (where I'm currently living, but more on that latter). Pashupatinath is a Hindu temple along a river (forgot the name, sorry!). It's probably the most famous temple, considering this is where Hindus are cremated after they die. Further downstream, the river is lined with cliffs and caves, where people actually live.
Boudhanath is another huge Buddhist temple. The building itself is a large, round stupa (like a steeple), and shops and restaurants circle it. The monastery I'm living in is just a few feet away from it, and I have a gorgeous view of the stupa from my room!
I moved in just a few days ago, and began teaching English to 3 classes of Buddhist monks. In the morning, we teach the middle class, which is about 15 boys ages 13-17. In the afternoon we teach the junior class who are 7-12, and then the senior class who are 17-19. They're all pretty fluent in English, especially the senior class, who really enjoy listening to Cathy and I talk about our home countries. None of them had met an American before, so they were all quite excited to hear about my life back home. So far, the classes have gone well and I'm really enjoying my time here. In the mornings, we wake up at about 5 to go to prayer with the boys at 5:30, but often the gates are locked and we can't get to the temple! I also eat every meal with them, but we tend to sleep through breakfast which is at 6:30. Breakfast is just a piece of bread with Tibetan tea (The worst thing I've ever tasted. It's tea with salt and butter.), lunch is usually daal baaht which is rice with lentil soup and curried vegetables, and dinner is usually a noodle soup. Everything is vegetarian, which I really like since I was a vegetarian at home.
I recently went out and bought postcards, but I'm having trouble finding a post office here. Hopefully I'll send them off soon!
For the first few days, 3 other volunteers and I had a Nepali language course in the morning followed by lunch and sightseeing. I'm nearly conversational in Nepali, and if I practice a bit more, I could probably have a full conversation with someone.
On the first day of sightseeing, we went to the monkey temple, which is a Buddhist temple just outside of Kathmandu. We had to climb up about a trillion stairs (not an exaggeration), but the climb was definitely worth it! Besides all the beautiful statues, we had a fantastic view of the Himalayas and all of Kathmandu valley. I'll post pictures as soon as I get to New Zealand. It's called monkey temple because there's 100s of monkeys wandering around the temple and the jungle that surrounds it. For the most part, they stay away from people, but one of the monkeys nearly attacked our guide while we were walking through the jungle!
The next day, we went to Pashupatinath and boudhanath (where I'm currently living, but more on that latter). Pashupatinath is a Hindu temple along a river (forgot the name, sorry!). It's probably the most famous temple, considering this is where Hindus are cremated after they die. Further downstream, the river is lined with cliffs and caves, where people actually live.
Boudhanath is another huge Buddhist temple. The building itself is a large, round stupa (like a steeple), and shops and restaurants circle it. The monastery I'm living in is just a few feet away from it, and I have a gorgeous view of the stupa from my room!
I moved in just a few days ago, and began teaching English to 3 classes of Buddhist monks. In the morning, we teach the middle class, which is about 15 boys ages 13-17. In the afternoon we teach the junior class who are 7-12, and then the senior class who are 17-19. They're all pretty fluent in English, especially the senior class, who really enjoy listening to Cathy and I talk about our home countries. None of them had met an American before, so they were all quite excited to hear about my life back home. So far, the classes have gone well and I'm really enjoying my time here. In the mornings, we wake up at about 5 to go to prayer with the boys at 5:30, but often the gates are locked and we can't get to the temple! I also eat every meal with them, but we tend to sleep through breakfast which is at 6:30. Breakfast is just a piece of bread with Tibetan tea (The worst thing I've ever tasted. It's tea with salt and butter.), lunch is usually daal baaht which is rice with lentil soup and curried vegetables, and dinner is usually a noodle soup. Everything is vegetarian, which I really like since I was a vegetarian at home.
I recently went out and bought postcards, but I'm having trouble finding a post office here. Hopefully I'll send them off soon!
On The Bright Side (South Africa contd.)
Just after I posted my last update, I realized that I pretty much only talked about all the negative things about South Africa. There were plenty of amazing things about my time there too.
Even though we had a class of 50, Chris and I made a lot of progress with them. Every morning, they write in their diaries about what they did the day before or that very morning. In the beginning, they didn't write very much and they often used the wrong verb tenses, but by the time we left, most of them were writing at least a page a day with correct grammar!
I could even see a change in the kids in the homework club. Especially with a boy named Shawn, who knew the alaphabet, but didn't know the sounds the letters made. Two of the other volunteers worked with him everyday, and he now understands the letters and their sounds.
Outside of volunteering, I had plenty of fun. On one of the rainy days, our project coordinator took us through Wynberg (literally translates to wine mountain), for a few wine tastings. It turns out I'm quite a fan of the Sauvingon Blanc variety. We had a tasting contest where the team that correctly guessed the different flavors in the wine (ie. peppery, melon, nutty, etc.), got to sit in the front of the truck, rather than the oh-so-uncomfortable back. My team won, but I still ended up in the boot.
All in all, South Africa was an incredible four weeks, and I really miss all the other volunteers and my host family!
Also, sorry that I haven't been updating much. I've been quite busy, but I really will try to post more often!
Even though we had a class of 50, Chris and I made a lot of progress with them. Every morning, they write in their diaries about what they did the day before or that very morning. In the beginning, they didn't write very much and they often used the wrong verb tenses, but by the time we left, most of them were writing at least a page a day with correct grammar!
I could even see a change in the kids in the homework club. Especially with a boy named Shawn, who knew the alaphabet, but didn't know the sounds the letters made. Two of the other volunteers worked with him everyday, and he now understands the letters and their sounds.
Outside of volunteering, I had plenty of fun. On one of the rainy days, our project coordinator took us through Wynberg (literally translates to wine mountain), for a few wine tastings. It turns out I'm quite a fan of the Sauvingon Blanc variety. We had a tasting contest where the team that correctly guessed the different flavors in the wine (ie. peppery, melon, nutty, etc.), got to sit in the front of the truck, rather than the oh-so-uncomfortable back. My team won, but I still ended up in the boot.
All in all, South Africa was an incredible four weeks, and I really miss all the other volunteers and my host family!
Also, sorry that I haven't been updating much. I've been quite busy, but I really will try to post more often!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
South Africa
Sorry it's taken me forever to update. It's pretty difficult to get to the internet cafe other than on weekends, and I tend to be busy then too.
Anyway, I got here 2 weeks ago and I can safely say Cape Town is the most beautiful city I've ever seen. The ocean is super clear and the sand on the beaches is bright white and soft. It's a little too cold for lounging around on the beach, though, but winter is on it's way out.
The day I arrived, Kevin, the project manager took me and 2 other girls on a tour of Hout Bay, the schools, and the township. It was quite a shock to drive through the township just after landing. The houses are made of tin and wood and look like they could crumble at any second. At night, the wind gets really strong, and we've had some pretty awful storms, and it's hard to imagine that these shacks can stand up to all of it. There's live wires dangling everywhere and glass all over the streets. The kids I work with in the primary school all live in the township, and from time to time they tell us about what it's like. They're constantly warning us never to walk there, even during the day.
The headmistress of the primary school is incredible. She's absolutely sick with stress, but she took some time out to talk to all of the volunteers about what she does everyday. Last week, she spent her entire weekend working with the police and the hospital to test 3 girls who had been raped by an HIV positive man. All of the girls were 12 years old, and all I could think about was how when I was 12 I was dancing with my friends to Britney Spears. I don't think I even understood the concept of rape, but this is a daily threat to all of the children here. Apparently 10% of the children at my school are HIV positive, which means 5 of the kids in my class are sick. It's hard to tell, though, as nearly all of the children look sickly due to malnutrition. They eat only chips and white bread except for the one meal the school provides them everyday.
I'm in a 4th grade class, but many of the kids don't even know the alphabet. If anything, I'm learning patience here. They ask me to spell a word for them, but they write the wrong letters, so I have to go back and teach them the letters and the sounds they make. It's exhausting, but I'm getting used to it now, and I'm definitely a lot more patient with even the worst of the kids.
I leave for Nepal in 2 weeks, but I'll try to update from here again soon!
Anyway, I got here 2 weeks ago and I can safely say Cape Town is the most beautiful city I've ever seen. The ocean is super clear and the sand on the beaches is bright white and soft. It's a little too cold for lounging around on the beach, though, but winter is on it's way out.
The day I arrived, Kevin, the project manager took me and 2 other girls on a tour of Hout Bay, the schools, and the township. It was quite a shock to drive through the township just after landing. The houses are made of tin and wood and look like they could crumble at any second. At night, the wind gets really strong, and we've had some pretty awful storms, and it's hard to imagine that these shacks can stand up to all of it. There's live wires dangling everywhere and glass all over the streets. The kids I work with in the primary school all live in the township, and from time to time they tell us about what it's like. They're constantly warning us never to walk there, even during the day.
The headmistress of the primary school is incredible. She's absolutely sick with stress, but she took some time out to talk to all of the volunteers about what she does everyday. Last week, she spent her entire weekend working with the police and the hospital to test 3 girls who had been raped by an HIV positive man. All of the girls were 12 years old, and all I could think about was how when I was 12 I was dancing with my friends to Britney Spears. I don't think I even understood the concept of rape, but this is a daily threat to all of the children here. Apparently 10% of the children at my school are HIV positive, which means 5 of the kids in my class are sick. It's hard to tell, though, as nearly all of the children look sickly due to malnutrition. They eat only chips and white bread except for the one meal the school provides them everyday.
I'm in a 4th grade class, but many of the kids don't even know the alphabet. If anything, I'm learning patience here. They ask me to spell a word for them, but they write the wrong letters, so I have to go back and teach them the letters and the sounds they make. It's exhausting, but I'm getting used to it now, and I'm definitely a lot more patient with even the worst of the kids.
I leave for Nepal in 2 weeks, but I'll try to update from here again soon!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
London
I just want to start off by saying that, much to my surprise, the world seems to be continuing on as normal even though I had to leave my iPhone back home (with the exception of one tiny panic attack in the Chicago airport when I desperately wanted to check Facebook). This is quite an achievement in my life, as you can see on my List of Things I Really Don't Like:
1. Not having my iPhone
2. Bugs
3. Carrots
I won't ever stop hating carrots, but I have a feeling that the bug thing will fade away soon considering I'll be in bug-loaded areas like South Africa, Nepal, and Thailand.
But as of now I'm in London, and it's been great. When I got here, my dad's friend's wife, Paula, gave me a tour of the city to help me get oriented. On Tuesday, I went out on my own to peruse the Tate Modern. It was AMAZING! The building itself is really cool, but seeing all the art was awesome. I went into every room because I just couldn't imagine not seeing everything there. I discovered my new favorite artist, Francis Bacon, there.
From there, I went to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Turns out 1500-1800 art is really not my thing, but in the basement there was an exhibit called From Carot to Monet, which had all of the oil sketches of a lot of the impressionist artists. That was actually pretty cool.
So after that I went to get back on the bus to go back home, but I realized my wallet was missing. I got it back, but oh what an adventure that was. Luckily, Paula came down to London to rescue me and we went on a quick walk to see part of Buckingham Palace.
Today I went to Brighton, a beach city in the south of the UK. The weather was awesome, but the beach is covered in rocks. No sand. It was rather uncomfortable. Afterwards I walked around the streets and peeked into some shops.
Tomorrow I'm planning on seeing Buckingham Palace up close before I leave for South Africa. I am SO excited to go down there.
1. Not having my iPhone
2. Bugs
3. Carrots
I won't ever stop hating carrots, but I have a feeling that the bug thing will fade away soon considering I'll be in bug-loaded areas like South Africa, Nepal, and Thailand.
But as of now I'm in London, and it's been great. When I got here, my dad's friend's wife, Paula, gave me a tour of the city to help me get oriented. On Tuesday, I went out on my own to peruse the Tate Modern. It was AMAZING! The building itself is really cool, but seeing all the art was awesome. I went into every room because I just couldn't imagine not seeing everything there. I discovered my new favorite artist, Francis Bacon, there.
From there, I went to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Turns out 1500-1800 art is really not my thing, but in the basement there was an exhibit called From Carot to Monet, which had all of the oil sketches of a lot of the impressionist artists. That was actually pretty cool.
So after that I went to get back on the bus to go back home, but I realized my wallet was missing. I got it back, but oh what an adventure that was. Luckily, Paula came down to London to rescue me and we went on a quick walk to see part of Buckingham Palace.
Today I went to Brighton, a beach city in the south of the UK. The weather was awesome, but the beach is covered in rocks. No sand. It was rather uncomfortable. Afterwards I walked around the streets and peeked into some shops.
Tomorrow I'm planning on seeing Buckingham Palace up close before I leave for South Africa. I am SO excited to go down there.
Monday, July 20, 2009
While I'm Gone
I use the phrase "while I'm gone" in a sort of abstract, never-actually-going-to-happen way. I say it when I see movie posters ("Oh, Where The Wild Things comes out while I'm gone, I won't be able to see it"), when I realize that my friends won't have nearly as much fun without me ("You'll miss me so much while I'm gone"), and when I talk about all the exciting things I'll be doing during my gap year ("I'm going to ride elephants in Nepal while I'm gone!"), but I always say it as if I'll never actually be gone, like I'll be able to go to a movie in October, have weekly hangouts with my friends, and will never ride an elephant. However, I had a recent reality check in the form of an email confirming all of my flights.
"While I'm gone" is real.
And as heartbreaking as it is for all of those close to me that I truly will be gone for nearly a year, the least I can do is tell everyone what I'm doing while I'm gone. Here's a complete play-by-play description of my year abroad.
8/2/2009-8/6/2009: London
Since the company that planned my trip is based in the UK, my first flight leaves from London. I'll be staying with a friend of my dad's for a few days before my actually trip begins. I'll mostly spend my 4 days there trying not to fall madly in love with a boy with an accent.
8/7/2009-9/4/2009: Cape Town, South Africa
"While I'm gone" is real.
And as heartbreaking as it is for all of those close to me that I truly will be gone for nearly a year, the least I can do is tell everyone what I'm doing while I'm gone. Here's a complete play-by-play description of my year abroad.
8/2/2009-8/6/2009: London
Since the company that planned my trip is based in the UK, my first flight leaves from London. I'll be staying with a friend of my dad's for a few days before my actually trip begins. I'll mostly spend my 4 days there trying not to fall madly in love with a boy with an accent.
8/7/2009-9/4/2009: Cape Town, South Africa
(project description copied from program's website)
Outside of the developed areas of Cape Town the wealthy suburbs come face to face with communities living in townships below the poverty line. Children at the township schools do not get an education that would give them equal footing with their richer counterparts and therefore have restricted opportunities for the future.
This project works with children and the school from the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay. The township has a history that stems back to the early 1990’s, when approximately 450 families were forced to move here from other informal settlements in Cape Town. Today, the township is one of the largest in the area and home to over fourteen thousand people (though there is likely to be more than this) living in corrugated iron shacks.
The school currently has around 1100 pupils and is very basic and under resourced. There is a very small play area, no assembly hall, no library and no gym. On average, each class has about 45 children in it, which makes it very difficult to control and impossible to pay the children individual attention. Since 1994 the Township has, and continues, to grow rapidly and extra classrooms have needed to be added to the school. However, it is not possible to have any further infrastructure in the area. It is a wonderful school though, with the current headmistress who has worked her way up from being a teacher to a vice principal to now being the head teacher – and she is an absolute star!
The aim of the project is to help alleviate the strain on the already limited resources of the township school. Through your volunteer assistance, the children will benefit from your academic lessons (such as basic maths, English and IT) in the mornings and you will also be able to provide them with extra tuition or help with their homework in the afternoons.
This project works with children and the school from the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay. The township has a history that stems back to the early 1990’s, when approximately 450 families were forced to move here from other informal settlements in Cape Town. Today, the township is one of the largest in the area and home to over fourteen thousand people (though there is likely to be more than this) living in corrugated iron shacks.
The school currently has around 1100 pupils and is very basic and under resourced. There is a very small play area, no assembly hall, no library and no gym. On average, each class has about 45 children in it, which makes it very difficult to control and impossible to pay the children individual attention. Since 1994 the Township has, and continues, to grow rapidly and extra classrooms have needed to be added to the school. However, it is not possible to have any further infrastructure in the area. It is a wonderful school though, with the current headmistress who has worked her way up from being a teacher to a vice principal to now being the head teacher – and she is an absolute star!
The aim of the project is to help alleviate the strain on the already limited resources of the township school. Through your volunteer assistance, the children will benefit from your academic lessons (such as basic maths, English and IT) in the mornings and you will also be able to provide them with extra tuition or help with their homework in the afternoons.
This is what I'll be doing during the day. Obviously, school gets out by late afternoon, leaving my evenings and weekends open for free time. Lucky for me, Cape Town has gorgeous beaches and loads of things to do (parasailing, surfing, hang gliding, to name a few), not to mention the legal drinking age is 18 (just pointing out a fact, dear parents).
8/5/2009-8/28/2009
For the first 3 days in Nepal, I'll be taking some pretty intense language classes while getting myself oriented with the country. I also found out that I'll be in the country during a huge religious festival known as Dashain, which is a 15 day celebration of the goddess Durga. Apparently there's a lot of meat eating due to the large number of animal sacrifices during the festival (I read that on one day they sacrifice so many animals that those that are nearby end up ankle deep in animal blood. How pleasant.).
After the 3 days of orientation, I'll be sent to my volunteer site. I have 4 choices: teaching in a school, teaching in an orphanage, teaching in a monastery, or working in a hospital. Right now, I'm leaning toward the second option because it allows me to learn about Buddhism first hand by interacting with the monks.
Also, the volunteers are taken on a 2 day trip to Chitwan, which includes an elephant ride to go rhinoceros and tiger spotting! I'll also be able to go canoeing, visit an elephant sanctuary, go on a jungle walk, and watch a dance show in a nearby village. Needless to say I'm really, really excited about this.
10/1/2009-10/31/2009: Thailand
My Thailand trip is broken up into 4 1-week sections.
Week 1 is made up of language lessons, socializing with other travelers during parties, cooking lessons, games, group discussions, etc., visiting local landmarks and towns, and plenty of leisure time to swim, shop, and do whatever else.
During week 2 I'll be learning about the history of Buddhism in preparation to stay overnight in one of Thailand's most famous temples. Mid-week I'll stay in the Wat Song Phi Nong temple, where I'll learn about meditation and the monks' way of life. After the overnight stay, I'll be going on a biking tour to see other Thai monasteries, a pottery market, and the zoo.
Week 3 is my volunteer week. I'll be working as a teacher in a local school.
Week 4 will be spent on the island of Koh Samet. My time on the island is basically all free time to do what I choose, except for a boat excursion to go snorkeling and fishing (I, of course, will absolutely not be fishing. Fish are friends, not food.). I'll be celebrating my 19th birthday on the island.
11/1/2009-4/18/2010: New Zealand
I'm lucky enough to be spending winter in New Zealand, which is actually summer time there. For the 5 1/2 months I'll be in New Zealand I'll be working and living in my own apartment (with roommates, so not really "my own"). Feel free to come visit me! Except you, dad. I know you've probably already arranged for Christmas in New Zealand. I don't yet know what kind of job I have because I don't know what's available until I get there. I'll be staying in a hostel until I find a job and my dad and I are apartment searching now.
4/18/2010-5/9/2010: Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands
I will have a 2 night stay in Quito, Ecuador before a short flight to the islands. I'll have a few days on Santa Cruz island to tour the town and see the tortoises that I'll be researching. After that, I'll be staying on Isabela Island, where I'll be working with Giant Tortoises at the breeding center, and aiding in the mapping and conservation efforts around the island.
5/9/2010-5/23/2010: Costa Rica
For 2 weeks in Costa Rica I'll be working at the Wildlife Rescue Center, which recently won the Ford/Jaguar Cars International Conservation Award. There are about 400 animals in enclosures and 100 more roaming the 27 acres of land. Its home to everything from monkeys to reptiles to tigers. I'll be cleaning cages, feeding animals, and occasionally guiding tourists through the center.
So there you have it. My almost year-long adventure around the world. By the end of the trip, I will have been on every continent except Antarctica, but I fully plan on going there one day too. I'm going to try to update everyone on what I'm doing in each country, but internet availability is limited.
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