One Tin Soldier Rides Away

I am set to leave Monday, June 30th and am filled with anxious excitement. I am sure the long air flights will help to alleviate some of the adrenalin spikes. I fly from Detroit to Amsterdam where I will have a 5 hour lay-over. To all my former high school friends this does not mean what it seems to mean. I then leave for my second leg of my journey to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
I have purchased my emergency evacuation insurance; I bought this on-line since my insurance agent doesn’t sell it. I also, upon my agent’s suggestion suspended my insurance on my vehicles for the month that I will be gone. (I didn’t even know you could do that) This will save me a little money while I am away.
I have my deet, wet wipes, tooth brush, self generating flashlight, camera, and sunscreen. I think that is all I need. I also am taking quite a bit of hikers’ food (apparently they eat a lot of porridge type meals)
My friend John is working on a solar panel for generating electricity for the XO laptop which I may take with me to see how it works. This is very exciting technology with crazy potential.
I have made copies of all my documents for my family with the addresses and phone numbers of the contact people at the school.
Next stop……Africa.

Pit Stop: Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic:
A fledgling democracy next to a totalitarian regime, Haiti; A paradise with a garbage problem; A place where people speak four languages with ease, but have little access to education unless you are wealthy; A place where people work hard period. In other words, the Dominican Republic is a living oxymoron.
I went there with 9 other people intent on learning to dance meringue from the people who invented it. The experience left me with a lot more than the wonderful memories of dancing Cuban Son with the old timers in Santa Domingo.

Impressions:

• People are people no matter where you are in the world.
• Racism exists even in predominantly “black” countries (why is that?)
• People can carry more things on a moped than I ever imagined. (from goats to washing machines)
• Gravity can be defied if you know how to pack a truck including the people on top.
• A country with poor drinking water (more about that later) and a large tourist trades needs a recycling plant.
• Love occurs everywhere in the world.
• Middle Aged women with “perceived” means are treated as queens, not to mention sex objects (great ego boost)
• Tourists are treated differently than locals (travel with locals always)
• Dive masters are cool people to hang out with.
• Even though the coffee pots are next to the sink in the resorts, that does not mean you should make coffee out of the tap water. DON’T. I had to take Cipro to get rid of the parasites in my digestive tract when I got home. 150 mph diarrhea has no conscience, nor respect for humility.
• Teachers are valued.
• Chidren yearn to laugh and learn.

Going back to the D.R. would be a wonderful experience, especially if it was to teach English to the children “for free” in the summer while encouraging businesses to adopt a recycling stance. This would be a great summer excursion for anyone. It has been added to my list of possible retirement options.