In 2014, I traveled across Africa for five months, from late January to early June. I did all of the bucket-list activities, but I was also researching social enterprises and expanding what Grassroots Volunteering could offer, at a time when colonialist attitudes in travel and aid were really being challenged. I started in South Africa, …
The sharp guffaw of a wild baboon startled me from sleep. Close as a whisper, the eerie sound ricocheted through my dreams. I awoke in full fight or flight response mode. My eyes whipped open, careening around the space; they slowly adjusted to the soft ochre light emanating from the banked campfire. From somewhere outside the dim …
Arriving in Tanzania started on a shaky note. I hadn’t realized someone robbed me of my cash my last day in Cape Town until I stood at the border between Kenya and Tanzania. I gutted my bag and found nothing. I sat miffed among my scattered possessions, wondering how my cash had vanished. The very cash that was meant …
I pen this now from a coffee shop at Nairobi International Airport, several hours out from the flight that will take me home, back to the United States and into a new journey over the summer months as I attend weddings, speak at conferences, and visit old friends. My website was blocked these past weeks …
My mornings in Uganda are a noisy affair as the town wakes up, birds and roosters too. But oh, the views. The small town of Jinja is home to the point where the Nile River branches off from Lake Victoria, also known as the Source of the Nile. I found a shady spot and watched the boats …
I stare owl-eyed into the waiting dala dala as 27 faces stared back. The minivan—for though it has extra rows of seats compared to the soccer-mom-mobiles of the U.S., it’s still just a minivan—is bursting full and a chorus of mzungu echoes through the van as a flurry of shifting takes place. An older Tanzanian woman, …
A month into my trip and travels thus far are filled with highs and lows; there were a few days last week where I just wanted to give up, which is normal on any given trip but usually later into the travels. Once Gary left, and I was on my own again, I was overwhelmed …
I attacked Cape Town with fervor this past week, and ticked the checklist of must sees: flora and fauna at Kirstenbosch gardens—check, Houts Bay harbor—check, Table Mountain—oh yes, check. Add to that much wandering the streets and chatting and the only thing left for this week is Robben Island and a township tour. As such, …