The Beginning of a Blog and Return to Africa

The idea of creating a blog to document our trip through Southern Africa was first suggested to me by my younger brother, Scott, a few days before I departed the United States on my way to Tanzania, East Africa. Everyone I told of our trip subsequently suggested the same. At first thought, having a blog seemed like a lot of work that I would eventually tire of (and still might), but after being back on the Dark Continent for only a few days, I realized it would be the most efficient way of keeping people in the States updated on our progress. I'm going to try to keep my posts on here relatively short and very informal, using it as a way to keep everyone updated on where we are and what we've been doing rather than as a place for me to share deep thoughts on African life, poverty, politics, etc., unless it's essential to our daily experience. And I do plan to share thoughts after the trip has ended and I have more time to sit down and write. We'll see how it goes...

When I say "we" or "our," I am referring to myself, Jennifer Kurdy, Alyson Gamache, Kristen Zodrow, Blake Underriner, Robin Lerosen, and Willy Nderitu. Jen, Aly, KZ, Blake and I became close friends through Gonzaga University, namely Gonzaga-in-Florence, between 2004 and 2008. After traveling together to Kenya and Tanzania in April/May 2007, where we met Willy, a Kenya native who was working as a safari driver on our trip, we discussed the idea of an African road trip centered around the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Robin hopped on board after meeting Jen while teaching together in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at the International School of Tanganyika. There were others interested in the trip that was originally pitched as a "Cairo to Cape Town" excursion, but over the past 3 years they dropped out for various reasons, and the trip was trimmed to begin in East Africa.

After looking into transportation options for over 6 months, we decided the most cost-effective way to make the journey would be to purchase our own vehicle. In October 2009, together we bought a 2000-something Toyota-something safari van, featuring a pop-up roof for easy animal viewing. From that point, the trip planning was in full force. Houses and apartments were rented, packing lists made, and itineraries drawn up, and those who were still in bought their flights one by one; some as early as February and some as late as while standing at the airline check-in desk.

As of this morning, Aly and I have flown in from the States to meet Jen and Robin in Dar, their current home. KZ flies in from Dubai this afternoon and Willy will be arriving mid-next week from Nairobi. Blake will be meeting us in Johannesburg on June 20th. After attending a Brazil - Tanzania international friendly soccer match on Monday, and perhaps checking out Zanzibar for a few days, we will begin our journey on Saturday, June 12th bound for Malawi. The itinerary includes stops in Malawi and Mozambique before entering South Africa (via Swaziland) for the World Cup. After touring through SA for a few weeks we will begin the trip back north, this time going through Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana, before returning to Tanzania.

Also, the blog will be updated by all members of our group, not just Danny. We will try to post something every couple days with an update on our driving progress, what we've been up to, where we're going next, and any good stories we have to share.