I'm finishing up my time here in Maputo..when I arrived on Thursday I seriously debated leaving the next morning, but I decided against it and now I've been here for 5 nights...lovin it all
-I initially staggered while looking at my hostel bill of 1750 meticais...but after dividing that number by 35, I quickly realized $50 for 5 nights wasn't too bad...very pumped
-For the first two days I wandered the streets with eyes in the back of my head, looking for people eager to jump me. For the last three days I wandered the streets actively looking for trouble, but all I found were soldiers asking for "cold drinks"
-Today I visited a school and played basketball for the second time since leaving the states. One boy said, "That Mulungu can play basketball..." I think that means that I'm white, bigger than all of the seventh graders and didn't hold back
I'm sad to leave Maputo, but very excited for what's ahead. I've heard some horror stories about road conditions on the highways north and that makes it all the more fun.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Maputo
I made it across the South African border on Nov. 4th without too much trouble :) I almost "snuck" into Mozambique without getting a visa though...it would've been TERRIBLE!!! Luckily the bus driver stopped me from getting back on the bus and told me I needed my visa (I thought I got stamped through, but apparently I missed out on THE stamp). In Maputo, I've already been asked to show my visa three times, by three different soldiers with AK47's slung around their necks. I'm pretty sure I'd be in a Mozambican prison right now if it wasn't for that bus driver..thankya Jesus!
Besides illegal immigration, AK47's and the threat of imprisonment...Maputo has been AWESOME!!! I feel incredibly safe here, the people are so kind/helpful, I've made friends with other sweet travelers and we've had a few adventures already
I'm scheduled to visit a Mozambican school on Monday and then I think I'm heading north (to Tofo) on Tuesday...slowly working my way to Nampula! I really like where I am right now and I'm excited for more adventures
Foreshadow: A dood from Seattle, named TJ, is working at the orphanage in Nampula and I've been talking with him since arriving on the 4th...He sounds LEGIT and I wouldn't be surprised if we have go on some adventures together...i'm stoked already
Alls good in da hood
Besides illegal immigration, AK47's and the threat of imprisonment...Maputo has been AWESOME!!! I feel incredibly safe here, the people are so kind/helpful, I've made friends with other sweet travelers and we've had a few adventures already
I'm scheduled to visit a Mozambican school on Monday and then I think I'm heading north (to Tofo) on Tuesday...slowly working my way to Nampula! I really like where I am right now and I'm excited for more adventures
Foreshadow: A dood from Seattle, named TJ, is working at the orphanage in Nampula and I've been talking with him since arriving on the 4th...He sounds LEGIT and I wouldn't be surprised if we have go on some adventures together...i'm stoked already
Alls good in da hood
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Great White Adventure
After epic adventures in Cape Town, along the Garden Route and on the Sunshine Coast I am back in Joburg, ready to make my way towards Mozambique...
Cape Town proved to be the most dangerous, colorful, exciting and picturesque city I visited in SA....the mix of cultures, city life and natural beauty, rocky mountains and sandy beaches, green landscapes and blue oceans, wildlife and South Africans were unforgettable...I finished my time in Cape Town with a trip to the top of Table Mountain, an excursion out to Cape Point (where we saw wild baboons) and re-learning how to drive (steering wheel on the right, gears on the left, driving on the left side of the road, etc.)...
My next stop after CPT was a quiet, rural town along the Garden Route called Oudtshoorn...not much to do in Oudtshoorn, but nearby in Mossel Bay there was Great White Shark diving!!!!
I showed up on an early Thursday morning, ready to get close and personal with some sharks...but, to my dismay, the boat's captain had something to say: "We're dealing with wild animals in their natural habitat. We, as crew members, have no control over these sharks. We just do the best we can to attract the sharks with fish guts. We CANNOT guarantee seeing ANY sharks today....That being said, we have seen at least one shark everyday for the last two weeks and two days ago we saw a record number, 5 different sharks! So let's go!!!" Needless to say, I was nervous about not seeing any sharks
About an hour into setting anchor and chumming nasty, rotten, dead fish into the water, I heard "SHARK AROUND!!" Instinctively, I sprinted to the cabin, stripped down to my undies, slipped on the wetsuit and jumped in the water before anybody else even moved...I was the first in the water and saw PLENTY of action! While in the water, 3 other sharks showed up and I stared face to face with one of them about 5 inches away...it was AWESOME!!! After 20 minutes of seeing plenty of shark, I hopped out and started taking pictures/videos from the boat deck. Seven different sharks visited us throughout the day!!! At one point, there were six different sharks swimming around our boat!!! And all of them were Great Whites!! It was unbelievable!
After Mossel Bay, I stopped along the coast in Knysna (a beautiful port town) and Jeffry's Bay (surfer's paradise). Those smaller coastal towns couldn't have been more different from Cape Town or Joburg...very quiet, much safer and amazingly mellow...I had some awesome adventures hiking on my own again, jumping off the highest bungy jump in the world, meeting lots of other travelers (including a group of ladies from BC and a dood from Port Angeles, Washington) and replenishing my soul :)
Now, it's off to Mozambique!!
Cape Town proved to be the most dangerous, colorful, exciting and picturesque city I visited in SA....the mix of cultures, city life and natural beauty, rocky mountains and sandy beaches, green landscapes and blue oceans, wildlife and South Africans were unforgettable...I finished my time in Cape Town with a trip to the top of Table Mountain, an excursion out to Cape Point (where we saw wild baboons) and re-learning how to drive (steering wheel on the right, gears on the left, driving on the left side of the road, etc.)...
My next stop after CPT was a quiet, rural town along the Garden Route called Oudtshoorn...not much to do in Oudtshoorn, but nearby in Mossel Bay there was Great White Shark diving!!!!
I showed up on an early Thursday morning, ready to get close and personal with some sharks...but, to my dismay, the boat's captain had something to say: "We're dealing with wild animals in their natural habitat. We, as crew members, have no control over these sharks. We just do the best we can to attract the sharks with fish guts. We CANNOT guarantee seeing ANY sharks today....That being said, we have seen at least one shark everyday for the last two weeks and two days ago we saw a record number, 5 different sharks! So let's go!!!" Needless to say, I was nervous about not seeing any sharks
About an hour into setting anchor and chumming nasty, rotten, dead fish into the water, I heard "SHARK AROUND!!" Instinctively, I sprinted to the cabin, stripped down to my undies, slipped on the wetsuit and jumped in the water before anybody else even moved...I was the first in the water and saw PLENTY of action! While in the water, 3 other sharks showed up and I stared face to face with one of them about 5 inches away...it was AWESOME!!! After 20 minutes of seeing plenty of shark, I hopped out and started taking pictures/videos from the boat deck. Seven different sharks visited us throughout the day!!! At one point, there were six different sharks swimming around our boat!!! And all of them were Great Whites!! It was unbelievable!
After Mossel Bay, I stopped along the coast in Knysna (a beautiful port town) and Jeffry's Bay (surfer's paradise). Those smaller coastal towns couldn't have been more different from Cape Town or Joburg...very quiet, much safer and amazingly mellow...I had some awesome adventures hiking on my own again, jumping off the highest bungy jump in the world, meeting lots of other travelers (including a group of ladies from BC and a dood from Port Angeles, Washington) and replenishing my soul :)
Now, it's off to Mozambique!!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pictures...
"A picture is worth a thousand words?" Cape Town has taught me that a picture can start a 1000 word conversation with a stranger, initiate a friendship, break down barriers and capture glimpses of the moments we wish to treasure. It isn't the picture that I find valuable, but the idea of stopping time, freezing the moment, creating eternity.
It seems as though we love pictures because of our inate desire to eternalize momentary joy, love, happiness, excitement, etc. Unfortunately, when we look back at a picture, we only see a small glimpse of the moment we had. We miss out on the sounds, the context, the emotions, the realness...the true experience. I think natural beauty and God similarly relate. Beauty is a mere glimpse of who created this world. Snow-tipped mountain peaks, seemingly endless oceans, a new-born child, a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, an unlikely stranger lending a hand, the calmness of a sunset and the excitement of a marriage proposal are tiny glimpses of something more...something truer. Just as pictures miss out on the full experience, worldly beauty doesn't include the fullness of the God who created it...we're looking at a snapshot of something much more beautiful, much more satisfying, much more thirst-quenching.
I'll look back on the Capetonian pictures and remember meeting those strangers (Notizi and Palesa), Joburg Bar, show-repairman-(or woman)-Stanton, the knife point mugger, very late nights, Table Mountain, Uncle Thami, Food Inn 24/7, late night Internet Cafe hang out and falling asleep at 5 am...But it isn't these things that will bring me the truest joy....it's the newfound friendships with Notizi and Palesa that will last through fire, tsunami, earthquake, etc. when the pictures won't.
The moment is over, the picture has been taken...but the story isn't over, I have new friends, there is more to be written...
It seems as though we love pictures because of our inate desire to eternalize momentary joy, love, happiness, excitement, etc. Unfortunately, when we look back at a picture, we only see a small glimpse of the moment we had. We miss out on the sounds, the context, the emotions, the realness...the true experience. I think natural beauty and God similarly relate. Beauty is a mere glimpse of who created this world. Snow-tipped mountain peaks, seemingly endless oceans, a new-born child, a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, an unlikely stranger lending a hand, the calmness of a sunset and the excitement of a marriage proposal are tiny glimpses of something more...something truer. Just as pictures miss out on the full experience, worldly beauty doesn't include the fullness of the God who created it...we're looking at a snapshot of something much more beautiful, much more satisfying, much more thirst-quenching.
I'll look back on the Capetonian pictures and remember meeting those strangers (Notizi and Palesa), Joburg Bar, show-repairman-(or woman)-Stanton, the knife point mugger, very late nights, Table Mountain, Uncle Thami, Food Inn 24/7, late night Internet Cafe hang out and falling asleep at 5 am...But it isn't these things that will bring me the truest joy....it's the newfound friendships with Notizi and Palesa that will last through fire, tsunami, earthquake, etc. when the pictures won't.
The moment is over, the picture has been taken...but the story isn't over, I have new friends, there is more to be written...
Monday, October 18, 2010
After only a week in Joburg I've learned a lot...
Education can be as different as chalk and cheese...
On Friday I visited a lovely school in northern Joburg called HeronBridge College (college=high school). It's a small christian school with the most beautiful high school campus I've seen in my life. The faculty members were welcoming, the students were motivated and I had a blast! As I was leaving I said, "I might come back to Joburg just to teach at this school..." Fantastic place
Today (Monday) I experienced something a little different. Kingsway is a school for under-privileged kids living in "squatter camps." "Squatter camps" are similar to "Tent City" in Seattle, except much bigger...basically, hundreds of homeless families congregate in an open field and start building "homes" out of cinder blocks, rebar, tin sheets, cardboard, etc. Eventually, when violence and corruption overrun the camp, the government goes in with bull dozers to destroy the "houses". The families are forced to move out and find another field for their home. Sometimes "squatter camps" can be around for years before they get destroyed. The particular camp that most of the Kingsway students live in is just 5 km from the school. Eye opening! I was much more involved with the kids at this school than I was at HeronBridge on Friday....I taught 6th/7th graders a lesson on fractions and co-taught a class of 1st/2nd/3rd graders. It was SUPER challenging, but incredibly rewarding. As I was leaving I said, "I might come back to Joburg just to teach at this school..." Inspiring place
Along with South African education, I've learned a lot about the Marshall family! I couldn't have asked for a better welcoming than what I've received from the Marshall's extended family. I've stayed at three different Marshall houses, taken part in a big family dinner (including cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and pets), been escorted all over Joburg and have sincerely bonded with many of them :) I finally understand where Stephen gets his good looks and how he managed to bag such an awesome babe (it seems as though all of the Marshalls have found the sweetest/warmest/friendliest spouses in all of South Africa...) I couldn't say thank you enough!
I'm off to Soweto (township outside of Johannesburg) tomorrow....Then flying to Cape Town on Thursday! Woohoo
Education can be as different as chalk and cheese...
On Friday I visited a lovely school in northern Joburg called HeronBridge College (college=high school). It's a small christian school with the most beautiful high school campus I've seen in my life. The faculty members were welcoming, the students were motivated and I had a blast! As I was leaving I said, "I might come back to Joburg just to teach at this school..." Fantastic place
Today (Monday) I experienced something a little different. Kingsway is a school for under-privileged kids living in "squatter camps." "Squatter camps" are similar to "Tent City" in Seattle, except much bigger...basically, hundreds of homeless families congregate in an open field and start building "homes" out of cinder blocks, rebar, tin sheets, cardboard, etc. Eventually, when violence and corruption overrun the camp, the government goes in with bull dozers to destroy the "houses". The families are forced to move out and find another field for their home. Sometimes "squatter camps" can be around for years before they get destroyed. The particular camp that most of the Kingsway students live in is just 5 km from the school. Eye opening! I was much more involved with the kids at this school than I was at HeronBridge on Friday....I taught 6th/7th graders a lesson on fractions and co-taught a class of 1st/2nd/3rd graders. It was SUPER challenging, but incredibly rewarding. As I was leaving I said, "I might come back to Joburg just to teach at this school..." Inspiring place
Along with South African education, I've learned a lot about the Marshall family! I couldn't have asked for a better welcoming than what I've received from the Marshall's extended family. I've stayed at three different Marshall houses, taken part in a big family dinner (including cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and pets), been escorted all over Joburg and have sincerely bonded with many of them :) I finally understand where Stephen gets his good looks and how he managed to bag such an awesome babe (it seems as though all of the Marshalls have found the sweetest/warmest/friendliest spouses in all of South Africa...) I couldn't say thank you enough!
I'm off to Soweto (township outside of Johannesburg) tomorrow....Then flying to Cape Town on Thursday! Woohoo
Monday, October 11, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Italy Experience
It's hard to believe, but I've been tromping through Italy for three weeks now! Before leaving the states, I NEVER planned on spending more than a week in a single country...But looking back on these last three weeks, I wish I could have more time here...it's been beautiful
Here is the update:
Venice (Sept. 16-Sept. 18)
-Became lifelong friends with a Hungarian student studying abroad in Italy for a semester. Zsolt and I agreed that if either of us visit each other's home countries in the future, we'll have a place to stay :)
-Successfully explored almost every Venetian street in a matter of 2.5 hours and wandered aimlessly for the next 1.5 days.
-Overcame all previous urges to visit Venice and will not return unless someone pays me to :)
Florence (Sept. 18-Sept. 21)
-I was looking quite haggard (as expected with a 2+ month-old beard) on the train from Venice to Florence, BUT, fortunately, I was wearing my Jermaine O'neal Blazers jersey...a contagiously outgoing oregonian girl saw past the seattle grunge and introduced herself. Turns out she is from Ptown, a Baylor student, and studying in Florence this semester with 7 other american girls...God is good! The result: 4 unbelievable days exploring Florence as a true insider. I learned Florentine secrets that I'll take to the grave. I never thought my jersey would bring such good fortune.
-O ya and Michaelangelo's David was cool too
Cinque Terre (Sept. 21 -Sept. 23)
-Clear blue skies, the beautiful mediterranean, 40+ ft cliffs, and Birra Morretti...could it have been better? I guess if Eney, Kruse and Brock were there with us.
Roma: Round 1 (Sept. 23- Sept. 26)
-Spent three awesome days exploring with Zach Hunter and Matt Woods (a fellow traveler we met in Northern Ireland)
-Colloseum, Pallatine Hill, Forum, St. Peters Basilica, ...and countless other ancient marvels
-FOOD!!!
-Finally said goodbye to the last of the UW travel companions. Zach left from the train station in Rome at 10:52 pm on September 25th...it was really hard (I kinda wanted to go with him)
-SHAVED off the beard :/
Italy with my DAD: Roma, Umbria, Tuscany, Chianti, Piedmont (Sept. 28 - Oct. 11)
-Major adjustment going from a 36 euro/day budget (including room, food, travel, etc.) to having dinner that costs more than 36 euros...but I made the adjustment just fine :)
-Spent 4 glorious days in Roma and fell in love with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, an Italian artist known as the Michaelangelo of the Baroque era. If you ask me, Michaelangelo is the Bernini of the Renaissance era...his work at the Borghese Galleria was insane!!
- Amazing food and wine tours through various areas north of Roma. Our travels included Orvieto, Fabbri, Montefalco, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Greve in Chianti, Firenze, Monterosso al Mare, Santo Stefano Belbo and Alba.
-A few more towns are on the docket, but nothing is certain :)
-Dad leaves for Portland and I leave for Joburg on Monday, the 11th
Travelling with pops has been awesome! Much different than I originally expected, but unbelievable. I feel like we've both learned a lot about each other during these two intense weeks. A couple of conversations have opened up some relational avenues that didn't exist before. We're making bonds that will really last forever.
But, its a little awkward because every Italian that we meet is surprised to hear that we are father and son. They say (to my dad), "You look too young to be his father." We wonder what kind of relationship they think we have. Are we brothers? Or something more? We've chosen to decide that they think we're brothers. Thats okay with us, because we kind of are...I grew up kicking his ass at almost everything...and I've always said that I got the good looking genes
Here is the update:
Venice (Sept. 16-Sept. 18)
-Became lifelong friends with a Hungarian student studying abroad in Italy for a semester. Zsolt and I agreed that if either of us visit each other's home countries in the future, we'll have a place to stay :)
-Successfully explored almost every Venetian street in a matter of 2.5 hours and wandered aimlessly for the next 1.5 days.
-Overcame all previous urges to visit Venice and will not return unless someone pays me to :)
Florence (Sept. 18-Sept. 21)
-I was looking quite haggard (as expected with a 2+ month-old beard) on the train from Venice to Florence, BUT, fortunately, I was wearing my Jermaine O'neal Blazers jersey...a contagiously outgoing oregonian girl saw past the seattle grunge and introduced herself. Turns out she is from Ptown, a Baylor student, and studying in Florence this semester with 7 other american girls...God is good! The result: 4 unbelievable days exploring Florence as a true insider. I learned Florentine secrets that I'll take to the grave. I never thought my jersey would bring such good fortune.
-O ya and Michaelangelo's David was cool too
Cinque Terre (Sept. 21 -Sept. 23)
-Clear blue skies, the beautiful mediterranean, 40+ ft cliffs, and Birra Morretti...could it have been better? I guess if Eney, Kruse and Brock were there with us.
Roma: Round 1 (Sept. 23- Sept. 26)
-Spent three awesome days exploring with Zach Hunter and Matt Woods (a fellow traveler we met in Northern Ireland)
-Colloseum, Pallatine Hill, Forum, St. Peters Basilica, ...and countless other ancient marvels
-FOOD!!!
-Finally said goodbye to the last of the UW travel companions. Zach left from the train station in Rome at 10:52 pm on September 25th...it was really hard (I kinda wanted to go with him)
-SHAVED off the beard :/
Italy with my DAD: Roma, Umbria, Tuscany, Chianti, Piedmont (Sept. 28 - Oct. 11)
-Major adjustment going from a 36 euro/day budget (including room, food, travel, etc.) to having dinner that costs more than 36 euros...but I made the adjustment just fine :)
-Spent 4 glorious days in Roma and fell in love with Gian Lorenzo Bernini, an Italian artist known as the Michaelangelo of the Baroque era. If you ask me, Michaelangelo is the Bernini of the Renaissance era...his work at the Borghese Galleria was insane!!
- Amazing food and wine tours through various areas north of Roma. Our travels included Orvieto, Fabbri, Montefalco, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Greve in Chianti, Firenze, Monterosso al Mare, Santo Stefano Belbo and Alba.
-A few more towns are on the docket, but nothing is certain :)
-Dad leaves for Portland and I leave for Joburg on Monday, the 11th
Travelling with pops has been awesome! Much different than I originally expected, but unbelievable. I feel like we've both learned a lot about each other during these two intense weeks. A couple of conversations have opened up some relational avenues that didn't exist before. We're making bonds that will really last forever.
But, its a little awkward because every Italian that we meet is surprised to hear that we are father and son. They say (to my dad), "You look too young to be his father." We wonder what kind of relationship they think we have. Are we brothers? Or something more? We've chosen to decide that they think we're brothers. Thats okay with us, because we kind of are...I grew up kicking his ass at almost everything...and I've always said that I got the good looking genes
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