For those of you who don't yet know the details, let me give you an overview: I will be leaving from Denver on February 12th, for my first destination which is Córdoba, Argentina. I will be in Argentina for the next three months; while I am there I will be working at an equine therapy center through a program called ProjectsAbroad. My work there will include taking care of the horses and also participating in the therapy classes that they provide for people with varying levels and types of disabilities. I am very excited for the opportunity to practice my Spanish, work with horses again,and also work with disabled children and adults. While in Córdoba I hope to have the opportunity to travel around Argentina and also neighboring countries, like Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile. From Argentina I will travel to Cusco, Peru where I will be working with young children in orphanages and preschools through an organization called IVHQ from mid-May until the end of August. While I am in Cusco I will be trying to do a lot of hiking and am hoping to complete the Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. I will also be doing my best to be a fluent Spanish speaker, fingers crossed!
From Peru I will be heading to Cape Town, South Africa to take a two week break from volunteering. My bestest friend Briana will be meeting me there and we will be reunited after not having seen each other for 10 MONTHS! We will be hitting the beach, exploring what Cape Town has to offer, and most importantly we will be hiking and getting in shape for the next leg of our adventure....
Meeting my family in Arusha, Tanzania and going on an eight-day trek of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and the worlds largest freestanding mountain!! Its going to be a pretty extreme and difficult undertaking but we can't wait!!!!
After our eight days on the mountain, we will be heading out on a five-day African safari. My family will be heading home after our adventures and Briana and I will be staying in Tanzania for the next three months. During our time there we will be providing support to women living with HIV in whatever form that may take. I sponsor three children in Tanzania and one of my main reasons for going there is to visit with them, which I am hoping and planning on doing. We are also hoping that we will be able to explore Tanzania and make it out to the beaches of Zanzibar and possibly Mozambique. Mostly we are excited that we will get to spend three and a half months together after so long apart, hopefully we will still like each other!
At the end of our time in Tanzania, we will part ways again with Briana heading back to the states and me heading to Ghana to volunteer for two more months. While in Ghana I will be doing my hardest volunteer work yet; agriculture and sustainable farming. I am excited to have the opportunity to do something different than what I am used to and think that I will enjoy it a lot. While in Ghana I am hoping to get the chance to travel to the countries of Togo and Burkina Faso. I sponsor a child in each country and am so excited for the opportunity to meet them. Once my time in Ghana has come to and end, I will head back to the states to start my next phase....preparing for Grad School!
To keep up with what I am doing and experiencing on my trip read this blog where I will try to post regularly. As my trip is getting closer, nervousness and anxiety are starting to take over as my dominant emotions. I am of course excited and know that God has an amazing plan in mind for this trip but I also know that homesickness and culture shock will be hard to deal with. Therefore, I would really appreciate any prayers and thoughts that you guys could send my way.
I guess that's all for now, keep checking back and feel free to live vicariously through my travels!
LP
