Jade's Review of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a surprisingly awesome town. And cheap. I like cheap. I hear it is friendly, but I found at times it is not (people are not good at saying hello). There are lots of great views of Downtown. That surprised me. I thought the city would be a bit fugly. And there are lots of great neighborhoods. My favs: Strip District, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill.

Pittsburgh is famous for its blue collar food, especially sandwiches from Primanti Brothers. But I do not like Primanti Brothers. I want my food separated (sandwich separate from slaw which is separate from the fries...not all on the same sandwich which is what you get at Primanti Brothers). But it is also the land of the pierogi and I love pierogi. Cannot get enough of them...

Pittsburgh is also famous for being a sports town. Steelers and Penguins reign...but not the Pirates. While everyone wore Black and Gold on games day, I never did. I never converted. Hockey was fun to watch, but I am not a Steelers fan. Never ever. While I am not a massive football fan, I think the Seahawks (they have been my team since I was a wee one) were robbed of the Super Bowl against the Steelers a few years ago. Say what you want, Steeler Nation. Go Hawks! 

PIT is a great airport since it is never busy (short lines), but a horrible airport for being delayed (winter = snow and ice, summer = storms) and thus I frequently had to run to make connections in other cities (since Pittsburgh had few direct flights to the places I was traveling), particularly Detroit and its massive concourses.

In sum, I wish I could have explored Pittsburgh and its surrounding area more, but my job limited my ability to. But it is a great city with lots to do, great quality of life (except for the weather every now and then), and good job and education options (model for other cities). But a new opportunity has presented itself elsewhere and thus to Texas I go. Farewell, Pittsburgh!

Moving!

It is official (and I feel the 'need to knows' know): I am moving! Where? TEXAS! When? Next month! Why? To be closer to G and work at Texas A&M (no more res life)! Fan-freaking-tastic! I will miss my student staff and pierogies, but will not miss being on call... Bring on a new adventure!

Behind nearly every entitled student...

...is an even more entitled parent.

I will just say I had a horrible, horrible phone call today with a parent. Probably a contender for my worst call ever (this is bad considering I get calls from parents rather regularly)...and it probably would be up there for most people.

Comments like (and these are the ones I can write...):

"I pay a lot of money to send my child there!"

"I do not care what else you have to do, I do not care about any of the other kids there, this is an emergency!"

"It is YOUR problem! Or I will do something about you there. YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

I could go on and on and on...

Days like today (and they are becoming more and more common) make me want to pack up and move to an island and become a beach bum.

Fail

I fail at staying up on blogging...

Not much has happened. August is over. Thank goodness! I went home to Washington for a much needed visit home during Labor Day Weekend. The Anderson clan was together for the first time in over a year - Prego Arika and Bryan were up from San Diego, Skyler was there from Silverdale, and of course Mom, Dad, and the pups. We ate lots of great food (LOVE Mom-made meals!). Did a day trip to Anacortes to help Dad and barbecue at Deception Pass (AMAZING sunset). Made a pilgrimage to Value Village. Went on a couple good runs (Washington has the best running weather in the summer). Picked some blackberries (my berry expertise came back to me quickly). Saw the rest of the family and a couple friends. I do miss home a lot. I need to make it back more often. Just tough with this job.

Speaking of job, we are so busy. Will I ever get to have a normal day? It just keeps coming. I just keep telling myself that God does not throw me things I cannot handle.

Not much else going on. Just trying to stay on top of life and figuring out the next chapter. 

Out of retirement

I have been thinking about blogging it up again in recent weeks. I stopped when I returned from the Middle East because I did not think I had anything to write about...but maybe I do. I can write about work, I can write about the random thoughts I have, I can write about trips I go on (or want to go on), I can write about recipes, I can write about all the stupid shit I discover on the web, I can write about the trashtastic brain candy reality shows I watch, I can write financial advice (I have been told I am like a mini Suze Orman)... So here we go again!

So what have I been up to this past year? In a nutshell:

- Working at the University of Pittsburgh in residence life (some days are better than others...)

- Still with G despite the distance (in the past year he has been in Qatar, Iraq, and Bahrain, and will be moving to Texas soon)

- Traveling a lot less (*%@$!), but I have been able to go to Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Florida, Chicago, home (Washington), Maine, Virginia, and South Carolina

- Running

- Trying to figure out what I want in life (a never ending struggle...)

- Baking

- Going carless

And here are couple photos from the past year:

Drinking lemon mints in Oman

Pitt at Sunset

Holland Staff

Riding one of Pittsburgh's inclines with Dad

Maine Lobstah!

I'm BACK!

I have been back for almost a week. It feels good to be home (love seeing my folks, playing with Otis and Ruby, running outside, eating yummy food...), but I really want to get out on my own again ASAP. Fingers crossed something pans out SOON. Anyway, I received my box and art I shipped from Qatar a few days ago and they were in fantastic condition. See!

Very different than when my stuff arrived in Doha. Remember that?

Anyway, here are a couple more pictures and notes from my last week in Doha (it has taken me this long to post because A) the cable to connect my camera to my computer was in the box I shipped and B) there is not a lot going on to talk about).

Evidence of the cockroach problem I had all year. Lovely.

But on a much better note, I got flowers from Gary.

I do not understand why men from the Gulf wear these sandals. They kill me.

So that is it for now.

Note to American Airlines: Fire the person who thought a Brendan Fraser movie marathon was a good idea. WRONG. Made for a painfully long flight...when the flight was already over 9 hours.

Rafting the Nile Photos

I have been back from Africa for about a month (but I wish to return), but I just found some photos from the Nile whitewater rafting trip (courtesy of Beccy's Facebook page) that I did on the very last day of my East Africa adventure with several of my fellow Tucan buddies. So here they are:

To hold you over...

The genius I am packed my camera cable in the massive box I shipped back to the States late last week with the rest of my stuff (except for what I am bringing back in my suitcases). So I cannot upload and post a few pictures from my last days in Doha. So I will have to save them for posting when we (me and my stuff) arrive in the motherland. In my head: Dear God, please make sure my massive box and its contents as well as my three pieces of art arrive home in one piece... So to hold you over, here are a few photos I have gathered from the web that I like (I have a file on my computer of images (and videos) from the web I like):

Adorbz!

Goodbye, Jeep!

Yesterday, a hot and sandstorm-filled day in Doha, was a glorious day. I sold the stupid and dumpy Jeep. THANK. GOD. The bane of my existence is out of my life forever! The bad dream, make that nightmare, is over. What a HUGE (like a couple thousand pounds one) relief! It was not necessarily a bad set of wheels, just a royal pain my behind, a responsibility I did not want to have (especially when you think about how you put your life on the line every single time you attempt to navigate the mean streets of Doha). And so it is gone and thus I am in a fantastic mood and basically good to go for my departure on Friday! It was nice knowing ya, Jeep, but I will not miss you. The end.

PS I gotta give a lot of credit to Gary. He did a lot of the dealing for me since all the men I dealt with earlier when trying to sell it treated me like crap. I owe him a big dinner.

On the flip side, what I will miss here...

1. THE STUDENTS, particularly Maha, Sundus, Setareh, Zena, Maryam, the Benazirs, Basit, Modarris, Maham, Sinan, Safi, Dianna, Ajmal, Sarwar, Haya......

2. Friends like Gary, Rachelle and Rosemary, Justin, Faten, Mohana...

3. Jamaican food at Caribbean Cuisine and Pastry, particularly delicious festival.

4. Getting clothes made by my tailor friend...and fabric shopping.

5. All my vacation time and the close proximity of so many cool places.

6. Thai Snack and its yummy pad see ew.

7. Shawarma (but I am definitely over hummus).

8. Juice stalls (the best ones are the ones that do not look like they pass health codes).

9. The kindness and smiles of the workers, especially the cleaners in my buildings.

10. My dirt cheap phone bills.

11. The challenge of language barriers because it makes for interesting conversations.

12. Having a job and thus receiving a paycheck!

13. Driving and all the amazing Land Cruiser drivers. NOT.

14. The Call to Prayer.

15. Shopping at the souq for scarves.

What I look forward to back HOME!

1. Eating two perfect little cheeseburgers and drinking a milkshake from Dick's Drive-In.

2. Eating Mexican food as often as possible.

3. GETTING A JOB...

4. ...and then moving.

5. Shopping at Value Village.

6. Organizing my finances (buying some more stocks, consolidating a couple accounts...I want my money to work for me).

7. Drinking sangria (I have been craving it lately). Preferably outside.

8. My mom's yummy cooking.

9. Camping (s'mores!).

10. SEEING FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

11. Getting health check ups (it has been over a year...).

12. Running outside.

13. Stars.

14. Riding my bike.

15. Getting a haircut.

Ah, yes...

Here are a couple news articles for your enjoyment:

Make the Western women wear Islamic attire....
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=299782&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

Get water from my home state of Washington (real sustainable...ship it by BOAT (AKA via water) from halfway around the world)...
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_aberdeen_water.html

Less than two weeks!

This time in two weeks I will be HOME!

I am sooo excited, but now I am starting to get a little sad (and of course a bit freaked out because I will be jobless). I will absolutely miss several people. And I think it is always a little sad to close one chapter.

So now I am starting to pack (for some reason I have put all my stuff in my bedroom, the smallest room in my apartment...). I still need to sell the stupid Jeep (bane of my existence). And I am going to places I like one last time. And there are other formalities I gotta take care of, but I will not elaborate because they are boring.

So there you go.

Hi Maha. :)

A few more pictures from the trip

Here are some additional pictures that are not on the photo site. Most were taken by others and then posted to Facebook. A couple others belong to me, but I did not post them with the others because they would have spoiled a Father's Day surprise for my pops.

The pushing the van up a hill next to a crater in Uganda moment caught on film. Thanks, Tanya (since she had a manky foot, she was relegated to sitting in the other van (that we also had to push up the hill), but she was put to work holding a wine bottle and three glasses of wine)!

On the channel cruise at QE2. Ros, Tanya and myself taking life way too seriously as usual...

I have no idea what I was doing in this photo. Probably being pestered by some bug.

Our dirty, dirty feet after the trek...but it was so worth it!

And these next two photos are from my Father's Day project for my dad. Perhaps I am biased, but it might be the best Father's Day gift ever. Or at least one of the most original.

This was the main photo I used to make a collage on Shutterfly (mad props) for him. Cost to see gorillas: $500, amount of time spent trekking through the dense, muddy and hilly jungle to see them: about 4 hours, amount of time spent making sign: maybe 3 minutes during a bumpy pre-dawn car ride, cost to make collage on Shutterfly: a little over $7, his reaction: priceless (happiness and love all around).

Explaining what I was doing to the others in the group. Also, I would like to add that these photos were taken by a dude in the Rwandan military with a massive gun.

Just a little over 3 weeks to go...

...and then I am out of here!

I am not counting down at all. :)

But my anxiety level is increasing almost daily since this time in a month I will have no idea where I will be or what I will being doing. In other words, homeless and jobless. Lovely. And I do not like it. I crave normalcy and a routine after feeling like I did not really have it this past year.

Anyway, life right now is rather uneventful. I work. And there is not much going on on that front. Then I work out with my friend, Gary. And then I go to bed. That is it. And I am starting to pack and such a little too (I hate packing and thus I just do like five minutes at a time before I feel like I want to stop).

And I am trying to sell the stupid and dumpy Jeep. I hate that thang so much and I cannot wait to be rid of it! I plan to go as long as possible without owning a car when I return to the States. Granted I think that will be difficult since a car is the main mode of transporting people and goods around the vast majority of the United States, but I am going to try my damn hardest. I hate car ownership. It equates to a leash and not freedom in my eyes. Plus, I do not like responsibility and thus wherever I can cut corners regarding being a responsible adult, I do.

The Epic Trip Pictures...And My Bungee Video!

Here is the link to ALL of pictures:
http://adventuresofjade.shutterfly.com/

They tell the real story!

And video of my bungee jump at the source of the Nile (for some reason the kid who used my camera to video my jump did something to mute it...):

But still. Evidence that I tested death!

The dish on Egypt and Jordan

5/31 The journey to Egypt and Jordan started around midnight in Uganda. I had to take a midnight taxi to the airport since my flight left at the lovely time of 4:30 a.m. It was honestly a bit unsettling taking a taxi in the middle of the night (the ride takes about two hours) in a foreign and frankly not so stable country, especially when you factor in the numerous (I stopped counting at around eight) checkpoints we had to go through. And then when I got to the airport I learned my flight was delayed over two hours... I was a bit peeved because I was so tired...and soon realized I was going to miss my connecting flight to Luxor from Cairo. Errr. So I was not off to a good start, but my mood was still good (I had just experienced an amazing adventure and I am truly thankful that I get to do the things I do...even if that means being stuck at random airports.). But I quickly realized I was going to have a rough week when I finally arrived in Luxor. Being a single female traveler in these parts is just not easy. You are constantly hassled or had...and you know it...and there is nothing you can do about it. I know I am generalizing, but nearly all of the men I encountered here today have been horrible to me. So after a very long day of traveling and a fear of being harassed, I secluded myself in my hotel.

6/1 Day to explore Luxor. Went on a tour of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple, etc. and frankly I was underwhelmed. Maybe coming here directly from East Africa was not a good move... But I must admit the River Nile is a damn cool river. The guys are still jerkfaces. LEAVE ME ALONE! NO, I DO NOT WANT AN EGYPTIAN HUSBAND! Even dudes in a funeral procession harrassed me. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.

6/2 I headed for Cairo today. It is not much better than Luxor. Out of the likely hundreds of people I have interacted with these past couple days, mostly men since frankly this is the Middle East, the vast majority have honestly been scum. I have never been to place that I painfully do not like as much as Egypt. Egypt is lucky it has the pyramids and such because there really is no other reason to come here... After I got to Cairo, I went to the Egyptian History Museum. It has a lot of cool stuff, but at this point I am over it. And no going out once it is dark out of fear of being persistently bothered.

6/3 Today was my explore Cairo day. There was security everywhere because Obama is coming to town tomorrow. I went to the pyramids (best part of Egypt so far) and had a guy (he actually was extremely nice, but I also created an elaborate story that I recently married a spy-like guy who would severely hurt another man if anything happened to me and thus I think he realized he needed to stay in line) drive me around Cairo to see the sights from the safety of a car. Cairo is a loud city. LOTS of horns. And I think I am sort of getting used to being had because there is nothing I can do about it. And my driver guy recommended I eat koshary. So I did and it was rather delicious. But of course I got it to go and then ate it in my hotel room.

6/4 Off to Jordan...and out of Egypt! Yalla! The drive to the airport was interesting due to the immense amount of security for Obama's arrival. And it was quite cool to see United States of America planes at the airport. Air Force One was parked right next to the building I was in (but you could not see it very well since it was sort of hidden away). I am staying in Madaba for my first night in Jordan. The hotel I am staying at is so pleasant and the owners are extremely helpful. They hooked me up with transportation for my entire trip. In the afternoon after I arrived I went to Mt. Nebo (where Moses saw the promised land) and the Dead Sea (you float crazy well and it is so good for your skin and body...and it is the lowest place in the world). But what is with all the pictures of King Abdullah and the Jordanian flags all over the place AND all the old Mercedes cars? Quite amusing.

6/5 My driver buddy drove me to Petra today with a couple cool stops along the way to check out some great views, see true Bedouin life and play in the castle at Karak (one of the coolest I have ever been to and I had the whole place basically to myself). We also lunched at a restaurant across the street from a mosque and thus I finally was able to observe a Friday service (something I have never been able to do in Doha due to all the barriers, fences, etc.). Today was my first good day since I left Africa. Very little hassling...except sort of for the hotel reception kid in Petra ("We have a lot in common. I go to university, you work at a university. Do you want to smoke shisha later?").

6/6 My last day of my big trip... I am rather sad, but somewhat relieved too since my time this past week, especially in Egypt, has been stressful. But Petra was amazing! It is an ancient city built into rocks and is just beautiful. I walked so much (well over six hours in the hot sun) and thus kind of zoned out on the drive back to Madaba (but my driver friend at this point knew I really liked ice cream and thus we stopped a couple times for me to get some).

6/7 Back to Doha I go! I flew Etihad Airlines via Abu Dhabi. Nice airline and nice airport (but it sort of smelled like nail polish remover). Looking forward to a great shower, a big comfy bed and a washer and dryer. But what a great few weeks! Really. I will never ever forget this trip! Now it is back to reality...

The dish on East Africa - Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda

5/15 Off to Nairobi! I gotta admit I was (I needed some reassurance during my ride to the airport) and still am a little freaked out. But I think the only way you really grow is by challenging yourself and thus here we go... A fella by the name of Smilely picked me up from the airport for the drive to Karen Camp. He is called Smilely because he laughs so much...and it is absolutely contagious. A perfect welcome! He also showed me around Nairobi a little - I gotta see Maasai people in the city with their cows and many slums (including kids living alone in shacks)... It was truly humbling, but I loved it. I am in Africa. When I got to Karen Camp I met nearly everyone who would be on my trip with me. There are about a dozen of us, mostly young professionals from Australia, NZ and the UK. I am the lone American and thus I gotta represent! We then went for dinner at Carnivore, a Nairobi institution where you eat all kinds of crazy meat!

5/16 A chill day around Karen, a suburb of Nairobi. Went to the grocery store. I like venturing to grocery stores in places I visit because you can learn quite a bit about a place by the grocery stores (the people who shop there, what they buy, the organization of the store...). And it is so lush here - beautiful flowers everywhere! But there is also a lot of security, particularly dudes with big guns. Not sure how I feel about that...

5/17 Drive day to Nakuru. I gotta see some amazing views of the Rift Valley, but also saw more poverty... Yet people are so friendly. They, especially kiddies, love waving and smiling at us. And it costs me nothing to wave and smile back. And there sure are a lot of churches in these parts. We ended our day at a campsite just outside of Nakuru called Kembo Camp. It is rather rural, next to a dairy farm, and so I am in my element. And I, a person who sorta of lacks kitchen skills, made the best stuffing ever for dinner tonight.

5/18 Game drive in Nakuru National Park. One of the best $90 ever spent for over 12 hours of driving around and seeing so many animals up close - rhinos, water buffalo, baboons, lions, lots and lots of birds including flamingos, zebras, giraffes...and more pretty flowers...and crazy weather that changed basically every ten minutes. Just a great day! I am totally blessed.

5/19 Drive day to Eldoret...and thus more beautiful countryside and happy people. And we did our first cross of the Equator today (I guess we are going to go back and forth a bit over the next couple weeks). And Kenyans love Obama...and thus they love me since I am from his country. :) I also believe these smaller cities and towns we travel through kind of look like they belong in the Wild West (see fences, unpaved roads and such in photos). We finished our day with a visit to Ken Knit, a clothing factory with hints of a sweatshop (saw clothing and blankets made from start to finish - I learned a lot), and then parked it at the beautiful Naiberi River Camp and proceeded to stuff our bellies with some wondrous Indian food. Favorite Brendon (he is our tour driver) quote of the day: "It is as simple as shitting in your bed and then kicking it out with your feet."

5/20 What? I actually have some bug bites. I never get bug bites! Anyway, today was another drive day. This time to Kampala, UGANDA! I cannot get enough of these drives. This part of the world is absolutely stunning. And here are a couple observations (these drives provide me with a lot of time to think): 1. You see a lot of aid organizations here, particularly U.S. Aid, UN, Red Cross and World Vision. They really are here... 2. The border crossing was a bit maddening, but very much a cool cultural experience and frankly not much more painful than crossing between the U.S. and Canada. 3. I might be wrong, but Uganda seems poorer than Kenya. Why do I think this? People seem dirtier, for a lack of a better word, here and wear more mangled clothes than in Kenya and there seems to be more children out of school (this totally saddens me and makes me think about why I am in my position...)... We also got pulled over by the police (they let us go) AND in a car accident (not bad) and subsequently caused a bit of traffic jam. Favorite Ros (fellow traveler) quote of the day (but she says it at least once a day): "Close your flaps!" Favorite Brendon quote of the day: "Shut the fuck (sorry...) up, PLEASE!" Home for the night was the Red Chilli.

5/21 Drive day to QE2 National Park. We left Kampala EARLY (but we are up most days around sunrise)...and as a result we gotta see an absolutely beautiful sunrise and watch everyone else wake up with it. Today was also Malaria Thursday for me. I take my malaria meds once a week at lunch and usually the night after I take the pill I have some pretty wicked dreams. So tonight will likely be full of gnarly dreams. Caz, the wife of Brendon and our tour leader (they make a great team), filled us in on Uganda's nutty history. The people of Uganda are wonderful yet they have had a lot of shitty shit (sorry...) happen to them, particularly at the hands of horrible leaders (like the stellar Idi Amin). You feel for them. The current leader is supposedly better (but really how much so since he has been president for over two decades and I guess corruption is still rather common). However, Uganda does have one of the lowest HIV/AIDS infection rates in Africa due to measures taken by the government and aid organizations to combat it. Also, Islam is surprisingly common here (I would understand its presence along the coast of East Africa due to its proximity to the Middle East, but here in more inland Africa?)...thanks to Amin and his ties to Gaddafi. Anyway, I SAW MY FIRST AFRICAN ELEPHANT TODAY. I love elephants. I want one. And there was the most amazing sunset (we finished our day at Hippo Hill...it is called Hippo Hill because hippos tend to graze there at night...ummm...yeah...we will see how tonight goes...). So I started the day with an amazing sunrise and finished it with an amazing sunset. I love Africa. LOVE. IT.

5/22 T.I.A. Day. T.I.A. stands for This Is Africa. T.I.A. basically means anything and everything will likely happen. I did not sleep much last night due to the hippos outside (I was definitely a bit scared to hear them literally right outside the tent...but the funny thing is that I initially thought I was dreaming all the noise due to my malaria meds) and a hippo inside (my tent buddy is a loud sleeper...). We then went on a chimp walk...but we did not see any chimps. But I still had loads of fun trekking through the forest. We then went on a bumpy ass and rather rushed drive. And at one point we had to push the vans up a steep hill. But I thought it was brilliant because I was in Uganda pushing a van up a hill. We then finished our day with a great channel cruise to see hippos and other animals (including a pooping elephant...the kid in me loved it) at sunset. It was an action packed and hectic day...and I loved every minute of it. QE2 is a park with so much potential (Idi Amin did quite a bit of damage to it during his time of terror and it is only starting to flourish again). Favorite Ros quote of the day: "On top from start to finish. No other place I would rather be." She always finds a way to take things (such as talking about sitting on top of the boat during the cruise) that are not sexual and make them slyly so... Favorite Brendon quote of the day: "Fuck (sorry..) the fucking (sorry...) fuckers (sorry...), aye?" And Kampala's 88.7 is a fantastic radio station. They even played my jam "Here Comes the Hotstepper."

5/23 Drive day to RWANDA...and MORE absolutely beautiful countryside (however, power lines and trees ruined a few amazing photo opportunities...). I never get tired of it! Plus, the people here seem to just love us...and I love them! And I loved playing the part of an obnoxious American a little bit today because I did not have to pay for a visa when I entered Rwanda when most others had to. Neener neener neener! I even did a little "U.S.A! U.S.A!" chanting. And tomorrow I GET TO SEE ME SOME GORILLAS!

5/24 I WENT GORILLA TREKKING TODAY! Never thought I would do such a thing. I gotta cool life, y'all! And gorilla trekking for us involved hours of some serious marching through dense jungle, mud almost up to your knees... It was exhausting, but spectacular! We spent nearly two hours (only supposed to be one, but they kept playing sort of a game of tag/hide and seek/follow the leader) with them. You are supposed to stay seven meters away from them, but that does not mean they stay seven meters from you. A mother and her infant at one point literally walked right by me (I could feel her hair graze my leg...and it took my breathe away literally). It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never EVER forget.

5/25 Today was a free day to just kick back in Rwanda. We decided to take a drive to Lake Kivu and check out the Congo border (now in hindsight, probably kind of dangerous...)...and along the way we saw more beautiful countryside, but also some refugee camps. In the afternoon, Ros and I explored the town of Musanze (this is where we were based). While this is not so much my favorite quote of the day, Duncan, a kid from NZ who looks sort of like Jesus right now, likes to say things will cost someone a dollar, but with his Kiwi accent it sounds like "dolla" and I just find it funny. For example: Me: "Duncan, can you pass me a napkin?" Duncan: "Dolla."

5/26 The agenda for today was to drive to Lake Bunyonyi back in Uganda via a stop at a genocide memorial in Kigali. The Kigali Memorial Center was intense. I have read up a bit about the genocide (one of the best books ever is We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families), but I now want to learn even more about it after visiting. The memorial did an excellent job stating what happened (from the world doing basically nothing (except the French who actually seemed to help supply the Hutus...) to the fact that thousands of people were likely involved in killing a million people yet have never been brought to justice and thus there is a good chance I interacted with many people who had some level involvement in the genocide) and presented personal stories at the same time (the photos provided by families were particularly powerful). It reminded me of my visits to similar sites in Bosnia and Poland. Why is it that such beautiful places can be the sites of such horror? Anyway, we made it to Lake Bunyonyi (a super deep, remote and beautiful lake in Uganda) around dinner time. And after a day like today I was drained. And I get to sleep in an actual bed (no tent) for two nights!

5/27 Free day to kick back around Lake Bunyonyi. Ros, Maree (Aussie girl), Kylie (another Aussie girl) and I walked to the top of this big hill in the morning. It was quite the trek, but the pay off was great (a light breakfast, some jumping on a trampoline and a fantastic view at the top) as well as we got to interact with several locals (they love to talk to us, are so welcoming and are very thankful to have us visiting their community) who live in rural Africa. I then spent the afternoon basically napping, reading and walking around a bit more. It was just an immensely pleasant day...in AFRICA.

5/28 Today was sort of a rough day. We got a late start because you cannot leave Lake Bunyonyi when it is raining since the basically one lane dirt road is impossible to navigate when wet. So we had to wait out the storm for a couple hours. But getting back on the main highway did not relieve our troubles since it was so bumpy due to lots of construction and just a shitload (sorry...) of potholes everywhere else. And then we hit some insane evening rush hour traffic in Kampala. You definitely feel for Brendon on days like today...and Caz too because she has to put up with him.

5/29 Holy shit (sorry...), I bungee jumped today at the source of the Nile! I never thought I would ever bungee jump until about a week ago. And even then it was just a distant idea. But Ros basically talked me into it by talking repeatedly about it (for example: "I had dreams about bungeeing last night") and why we should do it at the source of the Nile ("Why SHOULDN'T we when so many others have?"). I told her while I could not guarantee I would do it, I would at least try. And I more than just tried. I DID. And I did it beautifully (I was told I looked extremely composed and swan-like...and I supposedly cracked a smile right before I jumped)! It was one of the most surreal experiences ever because your mind is thinking you are about to die. "Oh fffffuck (sorry...), what are you doing?!" is what was going through my head and I hardly remember anything the guys hooking me up told me. But I do remember asking them if it was safe and going "THAT IS IT?!?!" when they finished hooking me up. It was scary (but it should be), but strangely I think I would do it again...but only somewhere just as beautiful as there. Yo, folks, I bungee jumped at the source of the Nile in Uganda!!! HA! And then everyone (not just Ros and I) celebrated the event with a good amount of alcohol... It was a glorious day! Oh! We got pulled over again today...by the same Ugandan cops that pulled us over for speeding last time ("Remember us? We were the ones that arrested you last time.")...but at least they were just as nice (we just had to pay like $50 to go on our way).

5/30 And then I decided to defy death on the Nile two days in the row. How? By whitewater rafting the Nile today! The rapids were fantastic (including several Class 5...but I felt mad safe due to the many safety measures in place) and the scenery was of course stunning (I especially liked being able to watch people along the river's edge). And I was proud of the fact that even with some serious rapids, I only fell out once. And I must admit that pineapple is not too bad when you eat it on a boat floating down the Nile in Uganda (I normally do not like it)! Overall, what a great day to have to end such an amazing, wonderful, super trip! I have had so much fun in East Africa and do not want to leave! This places feels like home (even though I am one of the whitest people I know). I cannot wait to come back to Africa and explore it further. Of course I cried when I said goodbye to my travel buddies and now new friends. But I gotta go to Egypt and Jordan... Tough life...I know.

BTW If you are wondering what tour I went on, I went on Tucan's Mountain Gorilla Safari. I highly recommend them and definitely will consider Tucan for future travel.

How in the world am I going to do this???

I am back from the epic trip and it was definitely epic. I LOOOVVVEEED East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda), Egypt sucked to be completely honest, and Jordan was good, but not as good as Africa. I am going to try to post what went down and a link to photos by the end of this weekend. Inshallah. I just have to figure out how to do it without it taking forever and being absurdly long.

Goodbyes SUCK.

I hate goodbyes, especially when I have to say goodbye to people I love. Like my Super Team. Today I had to say goodbye to three of them. I was a mess, they were a mess, tears galore... But here is a picture of us together (with our adopted members) last night at Cornell's Pre-Med Completion Ceremony:

And here are some other fun pictures from the evening:

See. Tears.