Global Poverty Monitor

Unfortunately I had to go to the gate straight away, so there was no time for a coffee to celebrate the great luggage news. We went straight upstairs and I was faced with that door that only I can go through. I said goodbye to Mum and Dad first, which was really hard. They have been so great about all of this, actually I don’t really understand how they’ve done it. It must be scary for them to think of me traveling to a dangerous place alone, plus having to fend for myself for three weeks. Their confidence in me has given me more confidence in myself about the whole trip. I said goodbye to Glen, Kylie & Blake, then it was time for Robin. I think I switched off a bit because it would have been too hard otherwise. I don’t doubt Robin’s feelings one bit, and I certainly don’t doubt my own, but I’m scared that things will be different when I get back and that it will be out of both of our control. Maybe its just because I’ve never had anything as good as what I have with Robin, so I don’t really know what to expect. I have his jumper in my hand luggage, which he topped up for me on our last night together, and I think I’m going to need it over the next few weeks. I’m also really lucky that I have a phone and that I’ll have access to the internet, email and SMS (fingers crossed!) on my laptop using my new Vodafone wireless network card.

Its great knowing that after I went through the gate I had surprises for Mum & Dad and for Robin, and that it was for each to tell the other about it. I think Robin will really like the photo in the box that Dad took at the Greyhounds. Also I really hope that the 21 packages for 21 days will help him for the next three weeks – I thought it was an awesome idea and it was great fun getting it all ready. Its funny that thing where when you do something nice for someone you automatically feel good about them, even if they have no idea what’s going on. It was great thinking about what to get for the 21 days and which things to put on which days. We’ve had the best last week together – it started on that Thursday when I went to Robin’s after dancing to watch the soccer. On Friday morning I drove home and picked up Mum, and we did the World Vision raffle all day. I was so tired because I’d only had about 2 hours sleep, but it was a great day anyway. Robin came over in the evening and we all had fish and chips together and watched Fast Forward. In the morning Robin and I went to the World Vision raffle, but thanks for Dorothy and Lola we only ended up staying for 45 minutes, as opposed to the 8 hours that Mum had to do! We came back home and got some stuff ready to be packed, then went to the forum and to the Dome for lunch, then came home and slept for the whole afternoon. Robin left on Sunday morning, then we met up again in the evening for the comedy festival. It was excellent, so funny and we had a great night. On Monday I came up to play in the indoor beach volleyball team. I was so nervous, but it went really well and I was just relieved not to have made an idiot of myself! Slept in on Tuesday, then went straight to dancing then home. On Wednesday I came up and we picked up Mark and went to Carnegies in the city. It was the first time we’ve been to a club together, and it was awesome. Then we went to the casino but couldn’t get in, but I couldn’t have cared less. He could take me to the middle of the desert and I know we’d still have a great time as long as we’re together (yeah I know, cheese cheese…). I left on Thursday, had my optometrist appointment then my ballet exam, then came home straight after and had Chinese with Mum & Dad after they finished the shopping. Then Friday was the Greyhounds, Saturday packing, and then today. Its just been so good, which of course makes it even harder for me to leave him for three weeks, but also so good knowing what I have to come home to.

This plane isn’t even nearly full, and I’m on the aisle in the middle row, with a woman on the other aisle. So there are two spare seats between us, which gives me room to move. My neighbour on the window side looks just like Farmer Hogget. I had a nice little vodka just after we took off, which helped quite a bit! My flight leaves tomorrow at 8am, so I’m not sure if I’ll get to have breakfast at the hotel before I leave. Probably not, and it’s a real pity because it’s a smorgasbord and it could be the last good food I get until I get to Kenya! Oh and the one male flight attendant is gay (surprise surprise) and just walked past me with his hand on his stomach, mouth wide open, making a noise like a seagull. Not that that has anything to do with anything…

I’ve been on holiday to South Africa and Kenya - why not go on holiday to Oklahoma City, OK?

Robin left about 12 the next day, then Mum and I started packing. All this time I was worrying that there wouldn’t be enough room in my case for everything, but it turned out the real problem was the weight. I was allowed 20kg in my suitcase and it weighed that when it was only half full, basically just with my essentials and hardly any of the presents I had for the kids. I was really worried that I wouldn’t have anything to give out at the orphanages. We went back and forth with ideas, then left the house and had tea. When we came back we packed the case with the 20kg, then put the rest in garbage bags and packed them in too. I was just really hoping I’d be able to pay for the extra weight, but in the worst case scenario we’d just have to take the extra bags out and go as is. After that was done I packed my hand luggage and got Robin’s box ready and set up Mum & Dad’s present. Mum & Dad gave me a ballerina figurine, and also a photo album with photos of Robin, Happy, my car, Fluffy, and everyone who was at the Greyhounds.

I got up sometime after 6 and went outside to talk to Happy. It seemed like he understood what I was saying, but I’ll know for sure when mum brings him into the house later on. If he understood he will settle down in the house, but if he thinks I’m around he’ll look for me. Glen picked us up at 8:30am and we left for the airport. Robin got there just after we did and I was so relieved to see him because I really needed him there. I was so nervous about the luggage. We found out there is a 32kg limit for any one bag. So if I wanted more we could buy another bag and pack some into it. I would have done that if it came to it, but it would have been a nightmare lugging 3 bags around airports and hotels by myself. Luckily my bag weighed in at 34kg, so all I had to do was lose 2kg and pay for the excess. I was so happy because that meant I got to take all of the toys and jewelry that I’ve spent ages getting ready. We took out the muesli bars, Kantet’s atlas, and the tin of Sustagen that Mum had sneaked in. That put me exactly at 32kg so I checked in, paid the excess ($AU266), got my boarding pass, and felt so relieved that I felt like I needed to sleep. I told Robin my nerves were even worse than when I played volleyball on his team.

Now that you’ve finished here, head over to San Francisco, CA.

Man this flight is long. I’ve done it before but it turns out it actually makes a difference whether you have someone to talk to. I’ve done just over 5 and a half hours, so I’ve still got 5 hours to go. Just over halfway. And there’s no in-flight movies! Not in this section of the plane anyway. There was some problem with the screens on the last trip and they haven’t fixed them yet. There is one little screen I can sort of see from here, but not good enough to actually watch anything on. I’ve just watched Bruce Almighty on my laptop. Lunch wasn’t too bad, I had lamb and rice with a salad, bread roll and sticky date pudding.

On Friday night we had my send-off at the Greyhounds. Originally it was just Mum, Dad and Robin and me going to the Greyhounds for Christmas in July, but gradually it grew and it ended up being a send-off for me, with pretty much everyone there. There was Glen & Kylie, Tracey & Mark, Matt, Sheena & Laurene, Mum & Dad, and Robin & me. It was such a fun night, the food was great, everyone got on really well, everyone had fun (except for Tracey’s Mark, but whatever…) and I got to dance with Robin and watch Robin dance with Glen, which was…. interesting – haha. It was awesome to see everyone genuinely get on well and have a good time. That finished at about 11pm and Mum & Dad took Blake back to our house, and everyone else decided to go out. Sheena & Laurene went to their house to get ready, and the rest of us caught a maxi-taxi to Glen & Kylie’s. The driver was a lunatic and almost killed Tracey when he went around a corner way too fast, but she was a little too drunk to mind. We got ready at Glen’s then met Sheena & Laurene at Players. Stayed there for a few hours, then we all left except for Matt, Sheena & Laurene. Robin & I were dropped off at home, and used a key under the matt left there by Dad to get in.

To be continued…

Now why not head over to Writers Unbound and catch the latest writing news?

Hi everyone,

Fisrt of all I’d like to apologise for my recent unexplained absence (which shall remain unexplained…). Secondly, I’d like to use this short post to pose my ideas for the near future of this blog.

I’d like to invite all of my regular readers (and hopefully some new ones too!) to join me as I post my latest travel diray, from my 2006 trip to

Kenya and South Africa.

You may have noticed that my Mozambique travel diray was highly edited. Givem the trip was sponsored by an non-government organisation and that some of the people I travelled with were minors, I should maintain the privacy of the others involved.

However, my trip to South Africa and Kenya was self-funded, and organised by me. So this travel diary will be verbatim.

I do hope you will join me as I relive my 2006 volunteer mission to Kenya and South Africa.