Blogs from Kansas, United States, North America - page 39

I got my new bike. An On-one, Inbred from the United Kingdom. It has 27 gears and is made out of cromoly. It is light, strong and I love to ride it. I got all my panniers and I loaded up my equipment. I decided after a 40 mile round trip that I was taking too much. I am trimming down to a more reasonable weight. My travel date of Nov. 14th is fast approaching and I can’t wait to get on to my adventure. ... read more

One week from Tomorrow I leave for Waltham, MA. I can't believe it is already here. I am so excited to start something new. It's almost like experiencing a sunrise. The hard part is getting out of bed. Then you must patiently wait until the sun is fully up. I have already started to get out of bed, that would be all the program searching, fundraising, and planning. I will finishing getting out of bed next Sunday, Aug. 21st, when my plane takes off for Boston. I will get to experience the beauty of the sunrise in the next couple of weeks. I must be patient, relax, and enhale the beauty of change. With seven days left, I will soon begin packing for the next nine months. I have completed many of the tasks on my ... read more

Things are slowly falling into place. As of today, I have at least $600 still to raise for my travel expenses to Jamaica. I spoke with Sr. Catia yesterday, and most things are looking good. Another sister from her convent will be heading to Jamaica later this week to get things set up for Megan and I. While the sister is there she will begin the application process for my Visa. I have filled out all the forms, taken my picture, and copied my entire passport for them. I believe that I will be obtaining a VISA for religious work, instead of just travel. I think this means that I can stay in Jamaica for a longer period of time. The next few weeks will be very exciting. I will be purchasing my plane tickets, moving ... read more

Here I sit, with WalMart bags surrounding me and clothes spread throughout the room, preparing for my trip to Benin, Africa. I leave July 4th for Philadelphia, the ultimate destination for any true freedom celebrater. Fifty people from the United States will meet in Philadelphia for three days before we all leave for Africa. We arrive in Cotonou, Benin on July 8th, where we will begin our training. For three months, I will live with a host family in Segbouhe, Benin, not far from Cotonou, and will learn how to cook, clean, live, and play like a true Beninoise. Along with French, I will learn a native language, and I will learn the cultural rules of the society. (If this includes wearing skirts everyday, I might be in trouble....) I am very excited to go, to ... read more

I'm currently in my own kitchen, in my own house, in my hometown. My flight to Shannon by way of Boston was delayed two hours. Of course, nobody bothered to tell my alarm clock, so I still woke up at 5:40. And instead of going to the airport early, I'm doing the first of what I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of on this trip - waiting. I figured this was as good a time as any to get a start on this travelblog. I spent the majority of yesterday running from store to store doing some last minute shopping for my journey. Nothing too big, just the niceties that make traveling a little easier. I really didn't know how to prepare for this trip. I bought a book about Europe, I packed at least one ... read more