Day 1: Eye Camp

And this is why I'm here. It's like a full blown reset of life. Travel seeps into my blood and reminds me why I live.
This morning I awoke to a stunning sunset of which pictures cannot begin to capture the layers and depth of that sunset.
Proof brought us all some sweet sunglasses and then we loaded into the three vans.
On our journey we passed a marathon and got out and cheered on the runners.
Next stop was the market for some breakfast: Rolex. Ha some kind of tortilla filled with fried egg. Reminded me of the one we ate in china.
Our group is 25 strong full of both Proof and HELP and two Instagram famous photographers who have stunning work which I've followed and loved.
We are currently in the vans on the way to an eye camp.
we have three native Ugandans in our van and we are learning so much.
Moses is telling us about how when women got pregnant before marriage were pushed off cliffs by their brothers. He told us about the murders and crooked cops. One time he was pulled over and charged for murder because there was a dead bird in his grill. Literally had to pay them a fee.
We are learning about the economy and the rich and poor. About how there is a lack of savings.
oh man! I'm in the bus and I just saw a family of a woman and kids carrying water. I wish I had a picture this is exactly what I need to bring back to my student's.
What is great now is he is talking about how the whites come in with hand outs and it doesn't help because if you bring rice, when the rice runs out, you are still hungry. But if you teach self reliance and how to grow the food, they are not hungry. That's one thing I like about HELP, they do sustainable projects that empower people to do it themselves and teach instead of give.

I just saw the well. As we've been driving I continued to see people walking with their yello water jugs. Some on bikes, others carrying them. Then at the center of the village was the well with dozens of people waiting to fill their jugs. I wish I could have taken a picture of that but I will try. This is such an incredible experience. Go read A Long Walk To Water.

What a fulfilling day. We arrived at the school and hundreds of Ugandans were already there.
The process was to check them in, give a basic eye test, see the Dr., then visit the prescription and glasses room.
I started in the eye test station. Many do not know how to read so we have directional tests.

After we finished with this I switched over to help in the 'pharmacy'

The people waited hours and hours many of whom just needed reading glasses. Those kind you can buy at Target for $3. Others needed vitamin A, eye drops, and other creams.
We had our first Ugandan lunch which is very similar to Fiji.

The school classrooms were also very similar to Fiji:

Very basic, tons of recycled materials. Simple desks, dirt floors, no windows. If only our kids knew just got great they have it.

But everyone here is so happy. Simple life. Simple pleasures.

By the way, let's just acknowledge that we know what I look like in America and forgive everything that happens to me here in this heat and humidity.
Required dress code: skirts and shirts. Pants and collared shirts for men. The people here are very modest which is nice.
The roads are crazy.

Then there was the one time I had to pee. Luckily, due to the mass amount of sweating this doesn't happen often but that... that right there was special.

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Africa: The Journey

I booked this flight partially by accident and partially by the cheap son of a gun who lives inside of me. Regardless, I regretted it the second it said: purchased.
You see, when Africa was just an idea in my mind, I had been tracking flight prices on an app called Hopper (we will talk about that monster later. Word to the wise: delete that app now and never look back). While on my tracking journey I found a flight for $839 round trip. Not bad right? I mean we are flying literally across the world to Africa.
Fast forward: I'm accepted to the program and immediately begin the search to get a flight. I exhaust all my resources and knowledge to find that the ticket on Hopper is by far the cheapest. Get the ticket now mode sinks in and I begin to click through the app: BUY.
ticket not available
Are you kidding me?
What went wrong? I try it again, at least three times, to make sure it wasn't user error. On the unnumbered next attempt I try a different flight home that bumped the price a little but not by much.
Purchased.
Upon further, more detailed review, the horror of what my cheapskate self had done was revealed:
a total flight time of: 48 hours and 23 hours in layovers. 3 DAYS of straight travel.
And the real kicker is changing international flights is a beast.
Never will I ever be this cheap again, assuming that is, that I survive this. Next time I publicly declare that $500 is not worth my boredom, sleep, and crankiness... but then again... that's a ticket to Asia.

Anyway. I've been having anxiety about this trip for awhile now. I'm currently in the air over Canada. By a miracle I was able to sleep on the plane for 2 broken hours, that, or the fact that I didn't go to bed until really late last night and then began my journey at 4am, an hour that no human should be forced into.
Whats next: A 4 hour layover in the airport and then an 8 hour flight to Belgium.
Belgium, a place I've never been. Too bad my layover there is only 2 hours, for now, that country will remain a mystery.
Time to land.

Well land I did. Upon arrival I was impressed with Canada's airport because look at this:

Now that is somewhere I am willing to hang out and wait. So I grabbed a spot and started to chat with friends, we do indeed have 4 hours to kill. As I'm sitting there I realize I have yet to eat and I'm pretty hungry but I keep thinking this is a nice seat, I can get food later. Then I start to shake. Again, I think: indeed I need to get food. I wait. Finally, it's like get food NOW. Well, I got up and went on the search for food. When I went to pay is when I realized: it was gone. If you've ever lost your wallet you know that feeling where your stomach literally falls to your feet and your heart drops. Panic started to set it and I kept thinking there's no way, you know you zipped it in this pouch. I began to upload everything in my bag and pray with earnest. By the third time I unloaded my bag I realized to my dismay, it was indeed, gone. I knew the last time I had it was on the plane but I also remember putting it back in the zipper.
At this point I quickly texted my sister. This wallet had not only my credit card but my debit card, license, my cash, insurance card, copies of my important documents: basically everything but my passport, which thankfully, I had.
Of course I start crying. I have 13 days and 4 countries of which I will be alone and in need of money! My sister and I began to talk about what to do and to quickly contact mom to cancel all the cards but then I realized it could be on the plane. I found a lounge with a man who worked for Air Canada and explained my situation. He started to call around. By pure divine intervention the plane had not yet left yet and long story short it was on the plane! After talking with many more people and an hour and a half of total freak out: I had it back in my hand. Everything, even cash still inside.
Im grateful for the prompting to eat, I'm grateful that the plane had not yet let. I'm grateful for honest people and that I have my belongings back. I'm also grateful for pizza and money to buy pizza.
My 4 hour layover gave me a panic I've never experienced while traveling and hope to never experience again.

Current status: on a plane to Brussels. Sitting next to a very large man. There are no air vents. This is going to be a very long 8 hour flight.
Attitude: Grateful but tired and not happy about the fact that I still have 16 hours of flight time.
Hopeful that we have some movies I have yet to see.
I survived. Watched the Shallows, it was gross.
Two hours in the Brussels airport is done. That was hard. I just wanted to cry and throw up. I don't do well without sleep.
I'm irritable and the man next to me is about to get it. First, he was in my seat and didn't want to move. I can be nice but I'm not giving up my aisle for the middle of a huge row. When he finally moved he did the man space: aka spread his legs wide and is now in my seat while I'm in the aisle. He also took both arm rests and his arm is literally on top of mine as I type this. Needless to say, I'm not in the mood and I don't like being touched as it is let alone by strangers.
I might lose it.
Some people got lucky. They have an empty seat next to them. How much do you think they would require to switch me seats?
Its 2am. Except it's not. It's 11am here and 1pm in Uganda.
I need sleep.
3 hours in: I write to keep from snapping. I was almost asleep until the man who is practically in my seat josteled me to alert me to the drink cart. Then again because he needed a pen. My seat doesn't recline but rest assured the one in front of me does. I dare to say I have two men in my lap and I want them to both go away right now.
My food was frozen and these seats are significantly smaller than the last two planes.
I'm tired and cranky. I also feel the need to throw up again.
7 hours later:
We just started our decent into Entebbe. I could not be more excited to get off this plane. I'm very glad that it's late at night and I will get to sleep when we finally get wherever we are going. That's the hard part about travel. Yes, I'm about to land but then it's face customs, wait in lines, wait to be picked up, wait until we go wherever we are going to sleep. I can totally understand how people don't like travel and I'm beginning to think I'm done with big trips unless I can get direct flight. Actually, I know I am.
21 hours in air 33 hours total travel.

Of you've read this far, I'm impressed. I promise I'll wrap up my rambles now and leave the negativity in the plane.
I'm here. I'm here to serve, help, grow, and experience: Africa.
Let's do this!

Update: landed at 9:30. Met Paige outside the airport. We sat and waited until the others landed at 10:30. Didn't leave the airport until 11:45ish. Then took a bus and got to the hostel around 1:30am. The ride reminded me of why I do this. Break myself down as far as I can to regrow stronger.
After a cold shower from a spicket in the wall, I climbed into my netted bed at 2am to awake to an alarm at 5:45.
Here we go.
But really, I'm excited!

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Chicago

My last summer adventure.

Chicago.

Well, not really. More like Morris, IL. But who knows where that is? Not really anyway.

Let me tell you though, this town is cute with a capital C.

Imagine perfect historic houses, wrap around porches, white picket fences, red doors, beautifully landscaped. Yup, and my best friend lives there. With a husband, a baby, and two dogs. She literally has the American Dream.

It was so fun to go and be apart of it for a week.

We did a variety of baby friendly activities. We unpacked her house, organized, watched Olympics, cooked, shopped, and had an Olympic themed Bunco night. By the way Bunco is kinda a pain. It is all based on luck of the hand and guess what I lost all but 4 rounds. Literally. However, the present steal at the end was incredible, funny, and so much fun!

Oh! We also went to a Paint Nite. That is a really great activity! You pay some money and go paint with your friends and a bunch of strangers. Lets your creativity out. Loved it.

This cute town of Morris also had a vintage market and car show that we had a great time at.

We spent a lot of time inside. Have you been to IL in the summer? It is HUUUUUMMMMIIID. I would not survive there no matter how adorable it is.

Now I am home. Home for 6 days before school starts and it has been 24 hours and I am already to bored. I am glad that I literally only had 2 days home this whole time. Staying busy is tiring but exactly what I need.

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New Mexico

First up: Jemez Waterfall hike

5 miles, cliff climbing, natural swimming holes, hiking through the river

My favorite memory in NM by far

This hike was magical. 

On the way to this hike we passed a neat formation with a little cave:

Soda Falls: you can climb in that dark hole to the left, the right is a waterfall.

The rest of the week has been exploring during the day while J is at work and then adventures together at night. We had the most insane thunderstorm I've ever experienced. Lightening, hail, a true downpour, thunder:

Albuquerque bio park botanical gardens:

Double date night with Indian Food anD board games.

Hiking the petroglyphs national monument:

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Mesa Verde National Park

My fourth national park in four days... I've been busy. I got so lucky today. Woke up super early and couldn't go back to sleep bc I'm so excited to see Jeremy today. Arrived at the visitor center before it even opened hoping I could get a ticket to the cliff dwelling. When I got there the lady said it was sold out until 11:30 and I panicked. However, she said there might be a single ticket earlier and guess what there was one single ticked available for 9:30! So I snagged it! Now I'm waiting for the tour.

These cliff dwellings are something else. To think that a people saw a cave in a mountain and decided to build their community in the slot is mind boggling. 

I'm a little nervous of what I'm about to get myself into with ladders and heights but I know it will be worth it. 

Things are coming together nicely and I'm so blessed that it had all worked out and that I get to see so much beauty and so many parks!

Notes: 

I'm in cliff palace 

80-100 people lived here

Largest site in the park

600 sites in the park

Trees date between 12 and 1280 

80% moves into alcove sites for about 100 years then they move again

Moved from up above to down below

60-80 feet above of sandstone

120 feet below drop off

There is no such thing of wild corn it's cross pollination of two grasses

Depleted woods and soil so they had to leave 

800 years old built by hand!

Life expectancy: 35 years women height: 4'8 men ten years longer 5'

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Arches National Park

On my way to Albuquerque I planned to stop at Arches and Canyonlands. Due to time constraint I only made it to arches. 

The setting: 110 degrees, 1-5pm, the hottest part of the day.

The good: there were not very many people there.

The bad: it was HOT! Also not enough time to hike delicate arch so I need to go back.

The best: my favorite was the sand arch:

It was a short hike and through a canyon and lots of red sand. I poured so much of it out of my shoes!

The place was very beautiful especially the drive out. The views on the drive out are spectacular. Camera can't do justice, 

But it was beautiful!

There were so many different views and structures of rock. My suggestions: go in fall or spring and leave all day so you can do the hikes!

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Tetons/Jackson

The Tetons are stunning. This national park is so beautiful! The mountains are jagged and rough with snow peaks. They are unique and beautiful!

Here too, I need to revisit. I've been battling a cold which completely drained me of energy. Therefore we did not do any hikes but we did just marvel in the beauty. 

We stopped by Mormon row where they have preserved pioneer houses and barns. There was a field of buffalo as well. Most of these photos are on my camera. 

After our quick tour we went into Jackson Hole Wyoming, an adorable western town. The whole town keeps the theme. It's beautiful and the flowers were pretty too. We walked around and looked in the art galleries and little shops, just enjoying the atmosphere. 

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Yellowstone

Mikelle, Ali, and I headed out on a road trip to see some national parks. It's extra awesome because they happen to be Mikelle's favorite places so she is our tour  guide. 

Stop 1: Idaho Falls, Reed's Dairy

The best ice cream ever. They also make grilled cheese on homemade bread with their cheese and butter.

That stuff was good.

Stop 2: Mesa Falls. Talk about a beautiful place in Idaho!

Idaho is so pretty!

Stop 3: Montana: Hebgen Lake for our campsite and a little swimming!

We camped a little walk from the lake in a cute spot. 

The water was very cold but super clear! I've never seen lakes so clear! 

Next day: YELLOWSTONE

Every human needs to experience Yellowstone! It's beautiful! If you live in driving distance, no excuses!

How are these colors real?! Isn't this fabulous! And the steam was blue! I was awe struck.

Look at this! The water in the hot pots was crystal clear turquoise blue! It lured you to swim in it but some of them are 209 degrees! 

This place needs to be experienced!

It is so diverse too! This is their Grand Canyon and the water is green! Every turn is a new site! I took my real camera so I can't wait to see those photos later! 

Also I was getting so sad that we weren't seeing busin and then bam one walked right down the road 6 inches from our car! It was so neat! Those pictures are on my nice camera.

I have hundreds of photos! 

Yellowstone lake! 

Problem is I'm sick so my body has been so tired. Everytime I sat in the car I started to doze off. My body just wanted to sleep the whole time. That with the itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat... A mess. But Yellowstone was worth it. Even if I have to camp two nights and use vault toilets. The camping has actually been super fun! Just hard when you're sick. Mikelle and Ali are awesome they are super prepared and have everything. Also we had Cadbury smores. We don't do that Hershey's crap. 

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