LIVING in BARCELONA **Note** If this is the first post you are reading...wait! I'd recommend starting at the beginning, the post dated July 2007 in Mauritania. The story reads better in chronological order! Highlights so far: reuniting with my macbook, playing competitive volleyball again, discovering the "ethnic" part of town with cheap-er beer and delicious falafal sandwiches, bike commuting in BCN and surroundings, my inner brunette surfacing, the espresso machine in the kitchen of the apartment I live in, introducing brownies and pancakes to my host family, studying French with a French girl in exchange for English conversation Poopy so far: [View Full Entry]

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The boy I dated back in Minneapolis came over to Europe and we went up to see 4 days of France, 1.5 days of Germany, and approximately 2 hours of Switzerland (to get to the airport). He stayed some extra days in Barcelona when I started work with the family. It was my first time in Europe and was a great first 2 weeks. We had planned to see Prague as well but I missed my connection in London and had to stay the night, causing me to miss the Barcelona to Prague flight. boo. It worked out ok because the [View Full Entry]

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I was excited to go to India for many reasons. I am really glad Nitin convinced me to go. I know I'll be back. In 2 months, I feel like I just got a taste. The FOOD: Like with Mexican food, I know that the ethnic food we consume in restaurants the USA is often completely different from the "real" food. The dishes we eat at Chipatis and other Indian restaurants are technically wedding or festival food, but luckily the everyday dishes are quite tasty as well. Additionally, since most of the immigrants to the states were punjabis, the food we [View Full Entry]

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The catalyst for coming to India was an invite from a Indian college friend who would be there. Once I arranged the visa, immunizations, and flight, it seemed pointless to stay for just a few weeks. I wanted to stay longer, to get to know a part of the culture, and dabble in international public health. I asked Nitin, who asked his mum, who asked her friends, and eventually got an email from a friend of their family, who suggested a few notable organizations within India. Once of the places he mentioned was SEARCH - Society for Education, Action and Research [View Full Entry]

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When? Arrived in New Delhi, India on 13 Nov 2007. Flew from Ghana on Ethiopian Air, stopping in Togo and Ethiopia along the way. Left for Spain on 16 Jan 2008. The plan - Work at an NGO I found via the suggestion of a friend of the mom of my college friend Nitin, who is from India (5 weeks). Christmas festivities in Pune with another college friend, Scott, where he is volunteering for the year. Attend Nitin's sister's wedding in Delhi and the afterparty of sorts in Goa over New Year's Eve (THE place to be in India during New [View Full Entry]

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Apart from the month volunteering in Mampong, I had time to wander about Ghana and see many regions off the tourist trail. In Mali, I followed what seemed like the same trail all the backpackers were following, in the same order. Traveling there was expensive due to the West African Franc (which is tied to the Euro, thus quite strong), and the limited options for tourism. Now in Ghana, using my thousands of Cedis (9930 = 1 USD) I could get anywhere, anytime, easily in a questionable, brightly colored van called a tro-tro. What is a tro-tro you ask? Any vehicle [View Full Entry]

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My original plan was to chill in Ghana for 2 months because: (1) it is an English speaking country (more so on paper than when you interact with people on an everyday basis) and (2) I'd traveled so far and paid for all the vaccinations and visas, so why stay in West Africa for just 1 month? As, some of you know, I completed pre-med coursework at Carleton and am thinking about med school, public health, education, and other career paths. I thought I could try out the international public health realm whilst on my trip and see if that's where [View Full Entry]

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The plan was to fly through (well go as fast as possible on crowded, uncomfortable long-distance public transit vans, called tro-tros) Burkina Faso, and grab my Ghana visa in the capital (best name EVER), Ouagadougou (pronounced wa-ga-doo-goo). I unfortunately spent an additional 4 days there, in a clinic, with an IV, and tons of little malaria parasites attempting to replicate in my RBCs. It was plus grave, said Dr. Kofi. That was Burkina Faso. Fun fact...A famous and loved nationalist leader renamed Upper Volta (the colonial name) Burkina Faso, which means “the land of the honest men”. The cool part is [View Full Entry]

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Haby Sy accompanied me to the airport; we promised to email, thought my written French is, well, really really bad. Good thing for google translation. I flew Dakar to Bamako and realized when I landed that I was alone in Africa and had very limited French-speaking skills. Additionally, April planned the journey and I didn't even have a rough itinerary. Oh la la. Yes, I met some French people and they TOTALLY use that phrase. Not, oh la la like ow ow but oh la la like ugg, that was tiring or a pain. Get it? Upon arrival at the Bamako [View Full Entry]

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The week in Senegal remains a blur in my mind as it was a tad traumatic and stressful! I remember the first thing I noticed immediately when we crossed the border was the dress code. Mauritania is 100% Muslim (the law) and Senegal is cited (Lonely Planet) at around 90%. It's less conservative in Senegal, and clubwear and tight jeans are a common sight, even from the bush taxi as we rolled past small villages. Other noticeable differences: WAY more tourism (and crappity crap to sell to tourists), more cars (less donkey carts), less arid, few North Africans, more architecture (ie [View Full Entry]

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