Well here we are a mere 9 days before I am to embark on an adventure of a lifetime, one I am sure that will teach me much about myself, about others, about new cultures and lifestyles, as well as give me the determination and inspiration to continue to try and do my part to make a change and aid in helping others.
I have been planning this trip for nearly a year now. There has been much effort and many ups and downs to just the planning and preparation of this adventure. Though I am sure it will seem quite minute compared to what the trip itself will bring, and the trials and tribulations as well as many rewards that are sure to come out of it. Here I must include yet another huge thank you to the people who came out to the two fundraising socials I organized and hosted, you all truly made this dream possible for me. I raised around 2,700.00, which paid for my flights, and the majority of my volunteer program and registration fees. I will never fully be able to express the gratitude I have for all of the people, who have helped me get to this point in my life.
I organized the volunteering portion of my trip through an organization called International Volunteer Headquarters. They connect you with safe, affordable volunteering opportunities for people of all ages, as well as many different volunteering opportunities, from orphanage work to animal conservation, to medical placements (HIV/AIDS awareness programs), all the way to things like surfing outreach development programs in 18 different countries. I was partnered with Tanzanian Volunteer Experience and Fadhili Community Helpers.
http://www.volunteerhq.org/
http://www.volunteerhq.org/
My General Itinerary:
May 10th - fly from Winnipeg, Canada -to- Toronto, Canada -to- Amsterdam, Netherlands -to- Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (arriving late on May 11th - its about 25 hours total travel time!)
May 13th-ish - Bus to Arusha, Tanzania where I will be doing the first bit of volunteering.
May 15th - June 26th - Volunteering in Cradle of Love Baby Home for 6 weeks! I will also be living in a volunteer house, with up to 30 other volunteers....I'll feel like I'm right back in Residence again!
http://cradleoflove.com/
June 29th-ish - Bus from Arusha to Nairobi, Kenya
July 1st - Start 4 week placement in Kenya-Masai. I will be living with a Masai tribe in very rural Kenya. I will be placed with a home stay family there as well! Here I will be teaching in one of their schools, and doing any other sorts of things they might need help out with.
July 28th - Overland Tour Start Date! I travel back from Masai-land to Nairobi. From this start point I will be traveling all around Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. It will be 54 days of great experiences, with great people, all packed into a big yellow truck traveling across Africa, and bush camping along the way.
http://www.oasisoverland.co.uk/trips/Africa/details/30/Coast-to-Coast-54-Days-Nairobi-to-Cape-Town.html
September 21st - Fly from Cape Town, South Africa -to- Amsterdam, Netherlands -to- Toronto, Canada -to- Winnipeg, Canada. Due to the total travel time of 25-27 hours, I will be arriving late in the evening on September 22nd!
Well I must get back to laundry and packing now, feel free to follow my blog here! I will try and keep you as updated as possible, though Internet can be very sporadic there. I will be writing in a journal, and then when I have Internet access I will transfer it online, so as to keep you all updated!
This will most likely be my main contact point, so please do leave comments and such, because I would love to hear from all of you while I'm gone, because I'm sure I'll be missing you all quite terribly!
Cheers!
