maryellen7

I was asked to put something together for my high school newsletter on my Kilimanjaro experience ...which was a really good motivator for me to sit down and document the overall trip (and doubles as a blog entry! :) While the Safari, Ol Doinyo Lengai and Zanzibar were wonderful & added to my entire Tanzanian experience, those are all things that could be replicated. I feel like I could go back & probably get a pretty close experience. With Kilimanjaro, I don't believe that I could - it was without a doubt the most special part of the trip. Here's what I ended up with, kind of lengthy... One of the guys in our group that summited Kilimanjaro is a high school teacher and every summer he takes a group of school kids on a week-long ... read more

After living out of a backpack or suitcase for 4 weeks, I was finally able to unpack when I moved into my apartment Aug 1. It's a nice little place & feels homey. I dropped a bunch of money at Ikea last weekend - if that doesn't scream 'settling in', I don't know what does. The place is called 'Institution Ville' - I was a bit nervous when I heard that's where I was moving, but I do really like it. It's a 500 sq ft 1 bedroom & feels quite big. I've attached some pictures. The location is pretty good - walking distance to plenty of things, including a grocery store that sells Oregon blueberries (in addition to other delicious local produce). I'm a bus-to-train ride away from the office & the commute takes a ... read more

I arrived in Singapore Sunday evening. To say that going from East Africa to Singapore is a culture shock does not even scratch the surface. I think that was actually the most culture shocked I've ever been in my life. Tanzania was amazing - the people were wonderful, the streets were dirty, the drivers were maniacs & the terrain was beautiful, rugged and/or remote. Like, we spent 3.5 hours driving across dirt one day ('dirt road' is too generous a description for what we were on). The cleanest I felt in my 3 weeks in Africa was backpacking on the mountain (where i went 8 days without showering). Then to arrive in Singapore. The airport was immaculate. And seemingly deserted. I have a new PR for getting through customs - I think from the plane to ... read more