Day to Day Life

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L i f e o n t h e T r u c k

I know that I have told a lot about what I do here, but not really what life is like.

This trip is a job. Granted, I never know what day it is, most of the time, I dont know the time and date is insignificant. However, we are always very busy. A lot of times feels like doing nothing. Because this is an overland trip, most days we have to take down our tent just to set them up again at the next point. This means, stuffing the sleeping bag, deflating and rolling the thermarest, packing up the night stand stuff and reloading it all on the truck in your cubby.

Breakfast most days is toast, which I tired of quickly so I bought myself cereal. Jen and I always wait to the last minute to take our tent down, so things always feel rushed in the morning. The advantage of this is that our tent is at the top so we usually get the camp spot that we want.

After breakfast, we all load onto the truck, where most people read, sleep and listen to music. i love sitting in the section of the truck which is called "the beach". It is an area that you can lay down, sunbathe or freeze to death, depending on the time of day. There are seats on the truck that face forward or sideways. I Always try to get a forward facing seat. I find that it helps with the car sickness. A lot of times the only forward facing seats are in the back of the truck, which is the bumpiest.

We stop to have lunch on the side of the road or in the parking lots. Which means we have to unpack our kitchen, make our lunch (which I am always hungry afterwards), do our dished, repack our kitchen and get back on the road. Where we eat more, sleep, read, or listen to music. Sometimes we play games and only once have we drank beers.


When we arrive at the destination, it is always a scramble to get your tent set up and then try to unload all you necessities while 24 other people are trying to do the exact same thing at the same time as you. If you are on cook group, you typically start to cook righ awya and then you finish 2 to 4 hours later. We always eat good dinners. I have had
some really great food on this trip. It is amazing waht can come off a campfire. The best part of cook group is I have learned that I can cook. People always like what I made and that is nice to know. After dinner, you clean, and then sit around the campfire or go to bed and read.

The main point of all this is to let you know that I eat and sleep a lot! I am so lazy on this trip. I have worked out twice i think, but I do stretch a lot and do abs sometimes.

Our home: Jen and my tent is named Lion. We both saw her from the beginning and knew she was the one we wanted. If you step inside the tent facing the back, Jen's stuff is always lined up on the left, her bed our community area, my bed and then all of my stuff is lined up on the right. We typically sleep facing the door so the alarm and Jen are always to the right of me. One night I slept with my head facing the other direction and i woke up very confused.

Our belongings: Our alarm closk is named P.O.S. This stands for Piece of Shit. She goes off when we set her, but you can't ever see the time unless you hold it at the right angle.

My hot pink travel speakers are now called Wendy. She works out with us sometimes if we rememeber she does laundry with us.

Jen's red hair dryer is named Sassy. Jen's towel is Wally and my towel is named Eva. Big Bertha is my converter/adapter. What does all of this say to you? We have lots and lots of time to think of absolulely nothing. I really hope that I am not forgetting anyone because I would feel bad.

Our travel Mates: We are on a truck with a bunch of really dominate females or couples. It has been an interesting mix. It seems like msot of us are all in the same state of limbo, not sure what we want to do in life, why not travel.

Our youngest traveler is 21 and he is in medical school. He has become our resident doctor for scratches, bumps and coughs.

The lady with the most amount of life experience is Bridgette. She is 67 years old and can kick my ass. I wrestled with her one night and she really beat me. She breaks all the rules, lives life to the fullest and never backs down to anything, all with a large smile on her face or a laugh in her voice. She reminds me of what Katrina will be like in 42 years.

Other than that, we are roughly all the same age. The British people are just like British sitcoms. They all have dark, witty personalities and are always the source of laughter.

We have two crew members. Benny the driver and Andy the tour leader. They really are just one of us, who tells us what to do or what to expect.

Our bathroom: I never in a million years ever thought that I would prefer a bush to a toilet. But let me tell you, it has happened. We are always peeing on the side of the road, behind trees, or in tall grass. If you have to poo, you have to dig a hold first and when you are finished, you have to bury it. Soap, what is that? It is so exciting when I come across soap in an African restroom. I can wash my hands 4 times in a row and dirt will still come off my skin. I have no idea where it comes from.

The culture: Locals are different where ever you go. It seems like the further south we get, the less being white is a novelty. The further north, the kids are friendlier, they will all run to the side of the road to wave as you drive by. It is my favorite part of the trip, sometimes they even dance. most people say hello to you, but a lot of times, you have to put the effort into talking to them. Andy, our tour leader, always says this trip is what you put into it. It's very true. We go to the campsites, spend all of our time together and often we forget that there is an outside world. I love going to the markets, going to local places and hearing people's stories. I unfortunately don't take advantage of these opportunities as often as I should.

Lastly, the most important thing to remember for anyone c

p o r t u n i t i e s a s o f t e n a s I s h o u l d .

L a s t l y , t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g t o r e m e m b e r f o r a n y o n e c o n s i d e r i n g t r a v e l l i n g t o A f r i c a . A l w a y s r e m e m b e r :

A f r i c a i s w h e r e t h e b e e r s a r e w a r m a n d t h e s h o w e r s a r e c o l d !

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Comments

[Heidi]

I like this one!
This was a really interesting one! It's interesting hearing this part - which is the part u usually forget to tell people but can be the most interesting to hear! I miss ya a lot Leah! I'm dead serious about meeting you somewhere - we will figure that out when the time comes. Love you!