CarolineChristina

So here it is... My final blog while traveling. I remember while overlanding through Africa thinking that i couldn't ever imagine the trip ending and going home. Just as I knew I would, I've had the best year of my entire life. It has been nothing like I expected becuase I had no idea what to expect. When I think about going home I am definitely upset my adventure is over but I know that I have many more to come. Over the past two weeks I have flown over to Sabah/Borneo which is the other side of Malaysia. Borneo is known for its incredible jungle, the highest mountain in Asia, and its islands with world class scuba diving. Alot of the time I spent there was travel time but every destination was worth it. I ... read more

After living in Hanoi for the last 5 weeks I am definitely ready to move on. I have enjoyed it here but now that my friends have left the house its way to quite here with only two of us. I had a great time with my "Hanoi family" for the month I lived with them. They were an energetic pack that always kept me laughing, even when the volunteering was tough. I've also been enjoying the street food here. We live in a very local area so all the restaurants around only have Vietnamese menus and in a country where dog meet is popular, I would like to know what I'm eating. There are two street food places that I really like. Pho (noodles with a broth with either chicken or beef) is very popular ... read more

Helloo! So recently I've been doing a lot of thinking and planning for the next year. While in South Africa I worked with a physical therapist and decided that it would be an amazing profession. After a lot of research I learned that I would have to go to school for 7 years to get my PHD... something I never dreamed of doing in high school! After living the travelers lifestyle for the past 5 months I know I want to have a job that will allow me to see the world and help people while doing it. Becoming a PT will be incredibly hard work but the final result will be everything I want in a job. I've had to reapply to a University that offers PT and have chose one that is still close ... read more

Hello Everyone. This is officially try number five to write this blog entry. I apologize for it being so overdue but the computers here are so annoying and unreliable. I finished the whole trip traveling from Bangkok through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and a bit of northern Thailand before returning to Bangkok. At first I really didn't like Asia because of the constant noise and pollution and garbage everywhere but it has grown of me considerably. There is so much cultural beauty here that was difficult to see after traveling through Africa which was mainly natural beauty. The people are also very friendly and despite the language barrier they all want to help and please you. I'm now living in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam and have been here for 2 weeks. While here I am living ... read more

Hello from a new exciting continent! I've been in Asia just over 10 days and am really surprised how different it is then I expected. To tell you the truth I'm not sure what I did expected. It had been built up to be the greatest place in the world but I guess I'm still hooked on Africa. So far I've traveled through a small bit of Thailand, Cambodia and the southern part of Vietnam. We have really been big city hopping and I've learned that cities aren't my favorite, because they all kind of blend together and don't have their own special feel. Most are incredibly busy, smelly and dirty. The activities that we have been doing quite depressing as well. Cambodia and Vietnam have recent violent histories that is important to learn about but ... read more

Here I go again moving on to more new experiences new people new countries and even a new continent. I'm looking forward to exploring Asia but looking backward I can't help but miss Africa. I remember the night before flying to Kenya calling my cousin Elizabeth and saying " Oh my God I'm going to AFRICA. WHY did I choose this and HOW did I possibly think I could go there??!!!" Now when I look back on this I cant help but smile. Now back in Nairobi where this whole African adventure began, I can see how far I have come and how much more independent I am. Its a great feeling! So I've said goodbye to the kids I've been working with and see you soon to many of the friends I have made. It ... read more

Two more weeks have past and now just over a week until im off to Thailand. Heres whats been going on... Volunteering Im loving working at the school and have become attached to many of the kids. I'm not really supposed to have favorites but I cant really help myself! In my classroom there are eight kids. Two of them, Candy and Leo have Down Syndrome and they are SO CUTE. Candy has a freckle on her hand and just stares at it all day, then looks at her other hand which doesn't have one and goes back and forth. She has such a big personality and I wish I spoke her 'language' because I know she would be hilarious. Leo is the biggest sweetheart. Everyday when I enter the classroom I kneel down and hold ... read more

Helloo! So the countdown is back on. The best day of the year is 365 days away, but this years birthday will not soon be forgotten. My housemates and the staff at my project were great and made me feel special all day. At the project they sang happy birthday to me 4 times because as they were singing, someone else would walk in and ask whose birthday it was. Every time this happened they all started singing again which resulted in 10 minutes of my face being redder then a tomato with embarrassment. When I got home I chilled out with the girls tanning, reading/being read to and jamming to music. I also bought myself a super cool watch for my birthday present for a total of 20 Rand (about 2.50 USD). At night to ... read more

HeyheyheyyyY!!! I'm back in South Africa after traveling through Mozambique and Swaziland. I loved both countries but they were so different. Mozambique was beautiful tropical beaches with clear aqua blue water.We spent 3 days on the beach staying in dorms. While there I met 4 people from Buffalo! One of them went to Casey Middle School where I went to school. Such a small world. I went on a Ocean Safari with the people from Buffalo and a few people from my tour. I've never gotten sea sick before but within 15 minutes of sitting on the small motor boat with 3 meter waves I was soo sick. By the end of the trip 5 out of the 10 people on the boat were sick. To not feel sea sick we were told to look at ... read more