So it's been quite a while since I last updated this blog! I have more free time now, since when I leave work I don't go home to homework (oh, it is truly amazing), and so here I am, updating the good ol' travel blog. A few weeks ago I went to South Carolina with my boyfriend, Shawn, and a few friends. We drove there. Twenty-five hours straight. Couldn't tell you how we did it. We broke up the drive on the way back and that was much more fun. Anyway, we stayed on Edisto Island, which is about 45 minutes [View Full Entry]

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Well, I am setting this blog up as my English version of my travel blog (the English/French/Spanish blog = mariearcher.blogspot.com just in case you want to check it out). Amber and I will be heading out of the USA on the 2nd of February, just under two weeks away! It's getting so close!! The closer it gets to our departure date, the more excited and nervous I get...both at the same time. I am in no form nervous as in not wanting to go. More so in the sense of: what will I inevitably forget to pack? Will I have time [View Full Entry]

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Flight Itinerary Flight 1: GSP->Dulles, Departs 2:25pm, Arrives 3:58 pm Flight 2: Dulles->Dublin, Departs 7:45pm, Arrives 7:30am Flight 3: Dublin->Manchester, Depart 10:50am, Arrives 11:45am Arrival in Manchester will be followed by a trek to the train station in the airport to catch a direct train to Leeds. Arrival in Leeds will be followed by (I suspect) a taxi ride to the my accommodation, St. Marks. [View Full Entry]

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My next adventure occurred over a long weekend (martin luther king jr day) and started off with a classmate getting free tickets to a Atlanta Thrashers vs Toronto Maple Leafs NHL ice hockey game. Not being much of a fan of it on TV (still not) I was amazed that it is a great game to watch live. Lots of cheering great atmosphere and sumo hockey as half time entertainment. So with a few wines, a bucket of margarita and a loud voice I became an NHL fan within 2 minutes....imagine it Engines (just like the SCG...LOL). So after a week [View Full Entry]

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In late October I called Robert (my soon to be husband) and told him I was tired of living apart and I was rethinking the idea that we should get married. He told me to get my butt to Georgia so he could marry me! I agreed and a quick plane ride home and a very long drive with my mom in my '89 Honda Civic hatchback from CA to Augusta, GA got me to Robert. Because of various issues with Robert's blood work we were not able to get married in GA when the parents were there, but had to [View Full Entry]

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It's almost midnight. I find myself sitting again in my room, hurriedly trying to finish last minute details. My life packed into a suitcase...again...As I reflect now, I think it quirky how this has become, in essence, normal for me. As I sit here, ready to up and leave for five months, to travel to the West Coast (after a pit stop in Minnesota again,) I'm not deterred by the unconventionality and weight of what I'm doing. First, leaving to venture to Uganda, filled with beauty and horrific suffering and conflict. Then, my initial departure for NET in August, leaving everything [View Full Entry]

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The sightings could not be predicted; now and then you would hear the familiar noise that the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins make to clear water from the breathing hole and then soon after, one or several of them would try to corner their quarry against the river banks making quite a racket with their tails and fins. On this cold and windy morning, Elizabeth and I had biked to the isolated western-most side of Kiawah Island and quite by accident discovered the dolphin activity just when the low tide was starting to turn into high tide. As I tried to capture the [View Full Entry]

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I have had quite a nice long break before I head to Uganda. I finished my classes for Fall semester almost 3 weeks ago and still have another 5 days or so before I begin my travels. Thus far, Valerie (my classmate who will be participating in the internship with me) and I have been scrambling trying to find housing since we received news that we would be based in Kampala (where it is much more expensive) as opposed to Mbale. For those of you who do not know, I will be traveling to Uganda from early January until mid May [View Full Entry]

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hey everyone, so we decided to stay in beaufort for another night. we met up with justin and holly and met another couple micheal and kate. so were going to relax, have a bbq later with some cocktails! what a life eh! haha im wearing my tshirt right now! beautiful weather, great company! cant get any better then this! justins going to play some live music tonight. did i mention he plays guitar at different bars? well he does and hes really good and now im friends of the band and get music everynight! his wife holly has a beautiful voice [View Full Entry]

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hey ya'll, sorry just a little american talk. well we got a new motor. our last one bit the bullet when we got to bucksport. but everything is fine after our week stuck in the middle of nowhere with hardcore southeners! we are in beaufort south carolina right now. waiting out more bad weather. we found a good anchorage and jack and brian found us when they were passing though! we heard someone wistleing, looked out and saw jack standing on the shore hollerin at us! it was the last person i thought would be whistleing at us! it was perfect [View Full Entry]

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