So right now I am pretty much sprawled on the couch, coke in the hand, Wavin’ Flag blaring in the background and South Africa just scored the first goal of the 2010 World Cup! EPIC! I’m in a tough spot right now because secretly I want South Africa to take the cup (even though most of my friends and family would kill me as England should be top of my list….I’m also getting quite the bit of pressure form the Mexicans too!) All of this just gave me an incredible amount of inspiration to start blogging for my trip to Africa, which is finally, ONLY 9 DAYS AWAY! I’m literally so pumped right now I can’t really explain it, the only thing standing in my way now is this giant red malaria pill staring at me which I’m not really feeling at the moment! I think that the only way this pill is going down is by blasting Shakira’s WAKA WAKA (which I am right now OBSESSED WITH like no other song before, and I am pretty sure from what everyone else is saying that I am the only person on the planet right now who likes this song!)
This final week is going to be a crazy mix of fun, fear (as Brandon jokes about the facial hair of which I am about to have to deal with due to a lack of shaving opportunities), excitedness (yes this is now a word), football (the real word for soccer), and well….big red malaria pills. I just bought my Swahili dictionary yesterday (and have been eagerly studying the one Nathan lent me) and hopefully when I land in Kenya, which is also my birthday (best birthday ever!) I won’t look like a total fool and unable to speak any Swahili! We’re off to a good start, so far I can say hello…..and have a LONG WAY TO GO! I’m also going to do my first video blog this week for the University which is exciting and it should be on the youtube channel soon, I just hope I will be heard over the “OLAY OLAY OLAY’s,” as ENGLAND dominates America tomorrow!
So stoked to go out tonight with Hayley to get all of my last minute gear, like a jacket! I’m asking myself why I would need a jacket, as Africa is supposed to be like a million degrees but right now in Nairobi it’s like 20! Luckily my sleeping bag should keep me warm even though it somehow folds up to the size of a squirrel, which is a random this to compare a sleeping bag to, but I think in this case both work well together! I’m also getting SO EXCITED about the food, aside form a million other things! I went to the East African Café in Waterloo the other night with Diego and had the most amazing stews with this cool sour pancake thing! (I have no idea what it was called) but if food in Kenya is anything like that I think I have already fallen in love with the place! I also hear they have the juiciest mango’s of life and Laureena has warned me that the peanuts are like no other! My mouth is now watering like Victoria Falls so I am going to go eat some much more boring Canadian food.
Just want to say a HUGE THANKS to all of my friends and family who have helped support me so far! Your generosity and support seriously blows me away and I feel so lucky to share this experience with you guys! P.s. also thanks to Hayley who wrote a song for me which I will upload soon!
Cheerio and ‘GO ENGLAND (cough. cough. south Africa) GO!’
-Josh
Great blog Josh! I'm so excited for you! You're going to have an adventure most of us only dream of having! I must say this blog post is great and I look forward to your vlogs on YouTube! Your amazing Josh and I look forward to reading/seeing your posts and adventures. Be sure to take as many pictures as you can and stay safe. Perhaps Ill start my blogging and vlogging again lol. Take care and maybe Ill be able to see you before you leave?
ReplyDelete-Justin
Have a great trip! Its going to be such a rewarding experience, take lots of pictures!! I keep forgetting if I shared this with you, but here you go (again?):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_on_an_escape_from_poverty.html
-Marc
Hey Josh,
ReplyDeleteThat sour/sponge/flat bread is called injera. Yes, it is one of the tastiest breads for eating stews with. You are going to have a great time. And don't forget to make the world a better place, not just by sending ideas and things from the western world to Africa, but by bringing back African ideas and things. We've a lot to learn from them too.
Lightly,
Geoff
Sadly...no injera where you're going. We looked hard in Kampala.
ReplyDeleteAnd amen to much to learn from the wonderful people you will meet.
Waka waka eh eh!