Saturday, June 13, 2009

Hey, how 'bout a list!

without further delay I present ''MY STUFF: the list edition''. I felt like maybe it would be helpful if not appeasing to offer the reader a sampling of my packing list. I love a good list, though one that usually denotes status, like top ten largest cities or fattest mammels. though there is certainly an appeal in deconstructing something large and complete into incongruous bits and bobbles. so here is a detaild account of what I may bring to mali, I know I am probely forgetting something, I just hope that I dont leave the iron on.

Bag, 1 large green Gregory brand with lots of straps
Bag, 1 orange water proof roll top
Bag, 1, red for day trips
Cup, 1 blue enamel, speckled white
Tooth brush, 1 oral-B, yellow
Dentalfloss, 4 mini packs oral-b (thanks receptionist)
Essential oils, 4, rosemary, peppermint, lavander, tea tree, used in first aid, and smelling
Candles, 9, 9 hour burn time, just beacuse
Comb, 1, unbreakable
Band-aids, 24, hope not to use
Steel camp mirror, 1
Homeopathic spray, 1, for pain, et al
Guitar, 1, Classical orange
Guitar strings, 2 pack, martin hard tension
Tuning fork, 1, Emajor
Frisbee, 1, blue
Mini chess set, 1, black
Crappy sewing kit, 1, just because
Water broof box, 1, it rains there
Hohner harp, 1, Key of C
AARP travel clock, 1, thanks gramma
Clothes, assorted, numerous
Dr.Bronner soap, 2, for everything
Bungees, 6, for strappin'
Radio shack brand cassette recorder, 1, grey

Friday, June 12, 2009

count down T minus a bunch a days....

well, the day doth fast approach! I think today is the 12, or maybe the 11th, irrelevent because in less than a months time, myself and about 79 of my newest friends (i really hope i like at least a third of these people) will be boarding a jet plane bound for Paris, then onwards to bamako. I am going into the peace corps for a myrid of reasons, and some I am sure i've not even hit upon yet. I mean I have traveld, I have ''seen some stuff'' but really how often do you step this far for your happy place with such a lax tether back to the world you knew? I will be in Philadelphia on the morning of the 8th july. Ill be there for staging and so anyone who wants to call me before i drop out, thats the day to do it. before noon or after 7 pm please! the 9th of july will be spent getting vaccinations, going over last minute details like how to find your way out of the bamako airport, and the flying, oh the flying......7 hours to paris were we will have an 8 hour layover. I will do everything in my power to get to the musee d'orsey in that time, because, yeah ill rough it, but one last bit of high culture will do the body good. then...AND THEN, a five hour flight to Bamako, arriving in the dark....but thats sounds good. we get to wake up fresh and on our first real day we get to start with morning smells, and light and sleepy where the hell am I eyes.
In those moments of doubt; ''its so far'' for so long'' ''im scared'' I take comfort in the little things that humanize the scope of what it is I am about to do. To acknowledge that the flight to africa from sweet sweet Paris is shorter than the one TO Paris from the USA is to keep a wee finger on the otherwise great ideological distances being coverd here. to think that i am closer to a french bistro from the bush, than I would be sitting at home watching iron chef is some how comferting . A last note. these blog entries thus far seem regular, and a bit quixotic if not driveling, but once i am ''in the shit'' as they say, I imagine that the tone and color will change dramatically so look foward to far greater tales of adventure and heroic deeds, and stuff about eating rice every day, and heat, and mud and....