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Blogs from Minnesota, United States, North America
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June 14th 2013
Why hike the Appalachian Trail? - Because it's their. It is hard. I have time. I need to simplify my life, at least for a short time. Walk, Eat, Sleep, that will be my day. How far is it? - 2000 miles more or less. I am a 'Southbounder' (SOBO) meaning I am starting in Maine and walking through 14 States and end up in Georgia. How long will it take? I don't know. 6 months maybe... I'd like to be done by Christmas. Who is going with you? - No one. This is a solo hike. Where do you sleep? In a tent, or a lean-to if i'm lucky. What do you eat? I'm starting with dehydrated food, M&M's, Slim Jims... More on that as I go. Also, I plan to stop at towns along ... read more
June 14th 2013
Why hike the Appalachian Trail? - Because it's their. It is hard. I have time. I need to simplify my life, at least for a short time. Walk, Eat, Sleep, that will be my day. How far is it? - 2000 miles more or less. I am a 'Southbounder' (SOBO) meaning I am starting in Maine and walking through 14 States and end up in Georgia. How long will it take? I don't know. 6 months maybe... I'd like to be done by Christmas. Who is going with you? - No one. This is a solo hike. Where do you sleep? In a tent, or a lean-to if i'm lucky. What do you eat? I'm starting with dehydrated food, M&M's, Slim Jims... More on that as I go. Also, I plan to stop at towns along ... read more
Travel Day: Plane Rides from Hell
Published: May 25th 2013North America » United States » Minnesota » Minneapolis » Nordeast
May 20th 2013
I drove to Minneapolis and before I could even board the plane we found out that the plane we were supposed to take had mechanical issues. This caused the plane to turn around and head back to Chicago. By the time the plane was ready and on its’ way back to Minneapolis, our flight from Chicago to Dublin was about to take off. All four people I was traveling with from our group jumped on the phones with American Airlines. Three of the four of us had purchased travel insurance, but each of us was put on different flights to different places. I was supposed to have a 26 hour layover in Chicago which would cause me to get to Dublin a day late….and I would travel the rest of the way alone. One of the ... read more
Why Build a University in Karagwe?
Published: May 13th 2013North America » United States » Minnesota » Minneapolis
May 13th 2013
Why Establish a University in Karagwe? KARUCO – Karagwe University College The aim of establishing KARUCO is to prepare young people from Tanzania to build entrepreneurial Agri-business committed to sustainability and social justice – - That will bring social and economic transformation to Karagwe and surrounding areas. Why Entrepreneurial Agri-business? Agriculture is the backbone of the Tanzanian economy. More than 90% of people in Karagwe are small-scale farmers and more than 80% of all Tanzanians rely on agriculture to live from day to day. Most farm for subsistence. These people face overwhelming challenges including depleted soils, poor seeds, lack of clean water, lack of access to meaningful markets, and confining roles especially for women who toil, fetch water and supplies but are removed from ... read more
Day 8 Mon May 6/13 Grand Rapids MN 3298 kms
Published: May 7th 2013North America » United States » Minnesota » Grand Rapids
May 7th 2013
Today was probably our most relaxing day on the bikes, even though we rode for almost 500 kms. On the road at 9:30 am from Devil's Lake ND en route to Grand Rapids, MN. It was a beautiful clear day, with sunshine forecast for the day We made not one but two stops into WallyWorld in search of green food for a picnic lunch. Found it at the second superstore. No grocery stores on the route. I'm getting alot of vibration on the bike, especially at the higher speeds, and desperately needed to improvise the gloves to give my hands a break, so bought some shoe heel gels and shoved them into my palms. Ahhh, relief. Could actually feel my fingers at the end of the day. Got a much warmer, fuzzier feeling riding through Minnesota. ... read more
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May 7th 2013
So I have officially started the countdown. It is either 9 or 10 days before I leave. I will probably not have my flight booked until 1-2 days before departure just due to the fact that they can't book my flight until my visa is placed in my passport and I get that back in the mail. Yesterday, I started packing all of my clothes. I bought those ridiculous space saver bags-and yes, they do save space indeed-but my one bag already weighs 65 pounds and that is just a PORTION of my clothes! I still have to pack backup supplies of red hair dye, tampons (since those are harder to come by in Korea), toothpaste, makeup (oh Jesus, there is another 65 pounds just in itself), and shoes. During this packing extravaganza, Cami (my dog) ... read more
April 14th 2013
HOW TO HELP EDUCATE TANZANIA Tell three friends to visit our website and learn about the project. http://educatetanzania.org Examine your resources and expertise. See a match within the KARUCO plan? Let us know. Educatetanzania@gmail.com Do you have $39.00? (Equivalent of the average yearly income in Karagwe). Hit the yellow donate button. Have more than $39. Don't be shy. We will put it to good use. Connect: sign up for our 1x month newsletter. ETI never shares contact info. Attend one of our events. Help us spread the word and invest in KARUCO. Events are posted on our website. Http://educatetanzania.org 2013 Event: May 31st / Auction / Dinner / Fundraiser / Hazeltine National Golf Course MN Fund a building ($100K) or water delivery system ($250K) or landmark tower ($30K) or technology plan (TBD) :-) Ot... read more
March 28th 2013
Not too much new to report, but I'd like to get in the habit of writing on the blog for the future. I was able to speak with a former professor of mine who travels relatively frequently to Guatemala and, lucky me, she actually does a lot of work right in Xela (the nickname of Quetzaltenango)! I showed her the apartment Roger and I are looking at she told me it's a 5 minute walk from the fresh fruit market and also near an amazing pizza place. She also said there's some really fabulous cafes and book stores right around the area so I'm sure I'll be in heaven :) Via FB my aunt asked about Jade (she's a crazy dog lady like me!) so I figured I'd address that right now too. We found out ... read more
March 19th 2013
It's official! We bought one-way tickets to Guatemala City. Roger and I are leaving September 21st for however long we want, probably around a year. We're leaving it open though, just in case we love it and want to stay longer or we hate it and decide to go somewhere else or return home. Who knows? Since we have our first concrete set of plans, we figured we'd start up the blog while we're still in Minnesota. We knew we'd have one while we were down there, but it might be nice to share the planning process with interested folks too. So right now we're going over lists of the million things we have to have completed before leaving (like visas, possible doctor visits, an apartment, loan paybacks, etc) and working as many hours as possible ... read more
The day draws near...
Published: February 19th 2013North America » United States » Minnesota » Winona
February 19th 2013
Hello all! I have never blogged before, but I figure since I will be abroad for 5 months, now is a good time to learn/start. I am writing this two days before my flight leaves from the cities. I will fly from Minneapolis to Dallas and then on to Santiago, Chile. This is sure to be a wonderful and eye-opening adventure! I will be living in Viña de Mar and attending school at the Catholic University in Valaparaiso, called Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. During the five months I will live with a host family, go to school, and learn what life is like in the Chilean culture. I have spent the last few weeks leading up to this trip seeing and visiting family and preparing to depart. It has been a special time for me ... read more
