Mindy woodhead
 
 
 
I bought a plane ticket to Kenya! I accrue 4 weeks of vacation a year, and I would like to see some of sub-Saharan Africa. So I looked for the least expensive ticket I could find to the eastern or southern region of the continent, and alas, I am going to Kenya. Looking at a travel guide to Africa (a gift from my friend who visited- thank you!) I can take a bus from Nairobi, Kenya, to Kampala, Uganda overnight. That is fortuitous because I have a loose connection in Uganda. Before coming to Morocco I was keeping my ears perked for anyone who knew anyone in Africa, or really anything about Africa, for advice and travel suggestions. I was teaching yoga at the gym in the Ritz Carlton in DC, and a girl behind the juice counter had the most beautiful, lyrical accent and a fascinating, exotic look. I asked her where she was from as I ordered a smoothie. When she told me she is from Uganda, I asked her if she thought Uganda would be safe for me to travel around as a woman by myself. She instantly said, with great enthusiasm, that I should most certainly go to Uganda and that her family would love to host me. This is the second sentence she has ever said to me on our very first encounter! We talked a bit and exchanged names and email addresses. I have kept in touch with her from time to time. Low and behold, I emailed her that I had bought a ticket to Kenya for September and she said her family will be ready for me and so happy to see me. The generosity of spirit is remarkable! I think I have to go just to complete the story! As far as any other connections, I have none. I am just planning to go and explore. I think for safety purposes I should arrange to volunteer with a wild life refuge for a week, or an orphanage. I will look up various theatre companies, and perhaps contact theatre departments of Universities. I would like this vacation to be more action than rest, and being on an extremely tight budget, I figure helping out in some organization is my best bet. I am very excited. This should help the long summer pass more quickly!
The Planner
Saturday, July 5, 2008