New Blog

Hi followers of the old blog! Let me lead you to the new blog!

megansmanyadventures.blogspot.com

Barrett and I are moving to Oklahoma and taking a three month international travel hiatus to ease the transition. I would love to have friends along for the adventure!

Best,
Megan

We're back!

Noa and I made it back to Chicago yesterday. It was a little before 2pm Chicago time when our plane landed, but by the time we made it to our houses our bodies felt like it was midnight Tanzania time.

Stay tuned for posts with pictures and excerpts from our journals.

Quote of the trip...

"Megan, did you get more tan today or are you just darker because of a layer of dust?"- Noa

Funny, but sad, because it really was a not so thin layer of dust.

Don't change the channel,
Megan

We're back (in Mwanza at least)!

Hello family, friends, and students!

We have returned to Mwanza and are beginning the long journey home. The community of Nyamuswa was very warm and welcoming to us. Working with the students was a pure joy, and we are still hatching schemes to further our involvement with the good work they're doing there and to help get those kids some much needed resources.

This expedition into Tanzania has certainly been an eye opener. We are so very fortunate to have the resources we do in the US, and saying it like that is still a gross understatment.

Internet time here is limited, so we will try to make quick posts to let you know our progress on the journey home. Once we're back, I'll post pics and video of our work with the kids and families, travels in the area, and our reflections.

Stay tuned!
Megan and Noa

PS And since we've already gotten some questions about this...no we didn't have to eat bugs and yes we were brave enough to use the "squatty-potties." If you don't know what one of those is, I"ll explain later. But for our sake, take time today to tell your indoor plumbing how much you appreciate it.

We made it!

After what felt like one long day of flying (it was actually 3), we have made it to Mwanza!

Top 3 favorite things...

#1 the weather is gorgeous. I wish Chicago winter's were a balmy 70 degrees F.

#2 Everyone is very friendly. I'm feeling much more friendly after a full nights sleep in a bed.

#3 Max picked us up at the airport, and we're going out to the village today!

There wasn't a place to use the internet in Nairobi, and there won't be any internet in the village. I'll post again when we return to Mwanza on Saturday.

We are very excited to spend four days in a primary school hanging out the kids and to safari on Friday. We'll take lots of pictures and be in touch as soon as we can.

Looking forward,
Megan

A long day/night/flight in London

After a lovely flight across the pond, we attacked London by bus. It was a lovely day, and despite our serious lack of sleep, we saw all the major landmarks.

It is incredibly difficult to type on this airport computer, but we will be happy to relay our latest trivia facts at a later date.

Our next post will be from Nairobi, Kenya. Our plane boards soon, and we're looking forward to more complimentary wining and dining. And sleeping...

Sleepily yours,
Megan and Noa

The hour draws nigh...

Tomorrow I make my great escape into the wild!  The reading list has been determined, the bug spray has been packed, the proper authorities on multiple continents have been notified.

Let me take a moment to ponder bug repellant.  Generally speaking I try to avoid excess chemicals in my life.  I prefer to buy fresh food over boxed or canned foods.  I use all-natural make up and don't like to take medicine unless I have to.  You get the picture.  But when it comes to bug repellant, my "all natural" philosophy doesn't just fall by the wayside, I divorce it and sue it for all it's worth.  I know that Deet is not nature's friend or a particularly wholesome ingredient to expose my skin to, but neither is malaria as far as I'm concerned.  So I say, "bring on the 25% Deet cocktail. Mosquitos beware!"

Enough of that foolishness...

Our second set of flights, which get us from Nairobi to Mwanza, still need to be paid for, but we can pay for them in Nairobi if need be.  Currently my biggest worry is getting the EarthBoxes to the other side of the world.  I think they will be cumbersome to say the least.  But fear not dear reader, I will surely triumph by means of sheer stubbornness and an almost innate ability to talk others into helping me. I talked you into reading this blog, didn't I? Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Say no more...

Educational trivia for the day:

The time difference between Chicago and Tanzania is 8 hours.  

The time difference between Chicago and Nairobi is 8 hours.

The time difference between Chicago and London is 6 hours.

OK, all you soon to be first and second graders who are reading this blog, what is the time difference between London and Tanzania?

For all the adults reading this blog, your brain-teaser is "how will Megan spend her day long layover in London?"  Imagine the possibilities.

Looking forward,

Megan

Making Ready

Preparing to go to the other side of the world can keep one busy for at least a few days...

It has kept me busy for the last 8 months.  So much planning has gone into this trip, that I can't believe it's two days away, and there is still more to do!

Let's take a quick look at what has been checked off the to-do list and what remains to be done.

No Sweat: It's taken care of list:

Get round-trip tickets to Nairobi donated - check (and we're flying business class)

Get immunization shots - check (OUCH!!!, but the shots are better than fever or brain swell)

Get a lot of people excited about this and raise money to help kids - check (thanks everyone)

Arrange lodgings for London, Nairobi, Mwanza, and Nyamuswa - (quadruple check)

Pack toilet paper - check (there won't be any in the village, and some comforts I can't do w/out)

I'm right on top of that: still in the works list:

3 more thank you letters to go

Packing my gear, the Earthboxes, and the donated computers

Update Ipod and make final book selection (Now we all know that my nerdiness knows no limits, but the flights are very long, and I'm positively salivating over all the reading time I'm about to get.  giggle, snort.)

AHHHHHH!!!!!!!: things that are freaking me out list:

I have to start my malaria medication today.  New malaria medication doesn't give you nightmares like the older versions did, but I'm probably going to start glowing in the dark from all the immunizations and medicines you need to travel in rural Africa.  I'll be my own night light!

Our planes from Nairobi to Mwanza have been booked and our seats are reserved, but there was a ticketing issue so they're not paid for yet.  This makes me nervous, but with my super-powers of planning (read as OCD) I should have this taken care of tomorrow.  Hopefully, it will be taken care of without a huge new price tag.

I'm sure there are more things that I could worry about, but I'm going to Africa!  How cool is that?

Here's the educational part of this blog...ready...

The United Republic of Tanzania is located on the eastern side of the continent of Africa.  Tanzania is below the equator and is bordered by Kenya, Uganda, Rowanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique.  Many people travel to Tanzania every year to go on Safari and see the big animals of the Serengeti.  I'm excited to go on a one-day safari two Saturdays from now, and I hope that I can see Lake Victoria.

I'll be posting everyday from now till we get to the village (no internet in the village), but I'll pick up posting again as soon as I'm back in Mwanza.  Please write to me!  Future posts will include more about the work we'll be doing in the village, and, of course, more educational snippets to fuel your inner nerd fire (or if you're inner nerd is really more of a smoldering nerd than a flaming nerd, then you can at least up your chances of winning trivia games).

Looking forward,

Megan