Many of you have asked if I would start a blog. The answer was, of course, yes. But, when? I had originally thought that I would wait until I was off in another country somewhere to start chronicling my adventures (or, knowing me, misadventures). Little did I know I'd have several detours in my "well-planned" journey within a mere ten weeks of moving back up to Green Bay.
Fast forward: I just finished what was undoubtedly the most challenging semester of grad school yet. I have two classes to go - plus my thesis - and I'm done!
As most of you know, I am starting the new year off in northern Tanzania, Africa. I fly out of O'hare at 6 a.m. New Year's Day and will be in Tanzania for a month. While in Tanzania I plan to participate in a cultural immersion program, take introductory Swahili lessons, volunteer at a HIV/AIDS community center, and go on a 5 day safari through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. I will be living in a small town near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. After innoculations for Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hep A, Tetanus, Polio and a few weeks of vivid dream inducing malaria pills, I am ready to go. 7 days to departure!
My hope is that this blog will serve dual purposes: to update friends and family on my travels (hopefully twice a week while away) and to inform and inspire anyone else looking to travel off the beaten path or take an uncalculated risk.
It just may pay off.
