Passport Bureaucracy, Modern Book Shops and Culture Shocks

Exams are over and my sanity level is slowly returning to a normal state. I now have the whole time to devote to adventure planning. I have currently been researching into the cheapest ways to travel to various parts of eastern/ southern Africa and have been currently trying to figure out my budget.

I was on the bus with a mate of mine the other day and we got discussing safari and prices. Safaris are pretty pricey, usually around $400 if you are not from an African country. If you are from an African country it will cost you about $15. After hearing this I got thinking about the perfect passport combination.

I currently hold a British passport and a Canadian passport. I am extremely thankful for both of these because it means that I can work and live in the EU and Canada, but also it is extremely easy for me to get to everyones favourite country, the USA.  The British one also makes it very easy to travel through much of Africa as visas can be obtained at the border or are not required ( yippee!!). I concluded other brilliant passport combinations would be, South African and an EU citizen, if you have a keen interest in Africa then it makes you life considerably easier to have a passport of an African country. Also, Brazilian and Australian because it makes it very easy to travel through Andean countries as well as travelling through Europe and North America.

I went to a book shop today to pick up a Swahili phrase book, and I was amazed how for a book shop Chapters actually sells very few books. It looked more like the front cover of good house keeping than a book shop with all the pillows, home decor teddy bears and CD's.

I find it quite funny that when you go into a CD shop now days its mostly video games, movies, posters t shirts and books and when you go into a Book shop its mostly Cd's and home decor. Is this a new marketing tactic? If so doesn't seem particularly logical if you ask me.

Anyways, two weeks till i'm about to experience the biggest culture shock of my life..... and I cannot wait for it. I know that there is absolutely no way I can prepare myself for whats going to happen two weeks from now and i'm completely ok with it.There is something so wonderfully frightening, thrilling and exhilarating about culture shocks that sticks with you and changes you as a person each time you experience one.

Now time to pack up my house and get back to the Swahili learning!

University: How to induce type two diabetes and cause everyone to pull a britnay spears

I found out the other day that I actually fly into Kenya and not Tanzania and then embark on seven hour bus ride from Kenya to Tanzania which got me really excited because it means I can cross Kenya on my list of places that I have been too. Its exam season now and I am currently trying to write a paper on Canadian Foreign Policy towards Zimbabwe, it's interesting but at the same time stress full as its just one more thing I have to deal with. I picked Zimbabwe cause it's a place I have always wanted to go to, hopefully I will manage to go there in the summer if not guess il have to save it for another trip.

One of the things I am looking forward to about going to Tanzania is having minimal stress. Those of you reading this are probably thinking "what do you mean not being stressed?". Well the fact of the matter is in Tanzania is probably my biggest concern will be if I have air-dried my ass enough and making sure I don't use poison ivy to wipe my bottom after using the toilet.

I have been reading about stress and what it does to the body. Apparently it causes an insulin spike at a  very dangerous level and can cause type two diabetes if it occurs and constant enough rate. I'm sure that at least one professor, if not more at my university are aware of this, and yet they still continue to bombard us with homework and sit back and chuckle to see how many people pull a Brittany.

Pulling a Brittany consists of you stress level hitting the fan, shaving your head, and going on a rampage like Brittany Spears did back in 2007. Luckily I have not quite reached that point yet.

Anna's Brittany moments have been dominated by travel thoughts as usual (some things really never change) and have consisted of dropping out and moving to Cape Town to work for a coffee roasting and trading company that I got offered a job at over a year ago.... needless to say it was very very tempting.

Other Brittany moments have consisted of moving to India covering myself in tattoos becoming a vegetarian and learning some random ass form of yoga to enlighten my soul...... or some shit like that.

Disappearing off to Brazil has been tempting as well, to learn Portuguese and work in a pub.... I know its random but I like Portuguese, its a fun sounding language, like a mix of Spanish, French and Italian being spoken through you nose..... bit like Jordies when they speak english..

Anyways time to pull some more stuff out of my ass for this paper. Don't worry theres no poison ivy involved.

Exam Period Rant: Congolese Monkeys and Academics

Im currently studying for an archaeology exam on friday and have  an essay due on the 17th, and exam on the 18th, and a final on the 19th that is either worth 55% or 90%. Needless to say I have thought about jumping out of a plane, shooting myself in the head and taking up smoking, curling up in a ball screaming crying and drinking a bottle of whiskey straight. As some of you may or may not know i'm going to Tanzania for the summer and i'm leaving May 3rd and I can't bloody wait.

The fact that I have a ticket and am leaving very soon is causing a lot of distractions to say the least.  Some of the useless bullshit I have to memorise includes looking at people going to random countries and it crossed my mind what on earth to the people at customs think.

For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo has some random specific type of monkeys that like to say "hello!" by having sex. Apparently there has not been much research done on these guys because of where they live. So naturally, it crossed my mind as to what a customs officer must think when a white guy or girl shows up with a research visa and says it wants to research these rather..... passionate? monkeys that not a lot of people know about.

Personally, I would just absolutely love to see the look of the customs officers face when some academic tells him that and see how he reacts. Does he go " we have more than one kind of monkey?" or would he react like me " why do you care about hypersexual monkeys? Are you interested in making some monkey porn, and want to find ones that are going to be the most comfortable in front of the camera?"or would he like most normal people just go what the hell let them through.

Anyways, 23 days till i'm off adventuring in search of the african sun.  My visa is being issued as we speak, a visa..... A visa so I can work in the country and come and go as freely as I please....... not a visa to research hypersexual Congolese or Tanzanian monkeys.

Now back to seeing what other random ancient stuff that all looks and sounds the same I can fit into my head... sorry this wasnt much about travel but its about the world so its good enough right.

"The world is a book and those who don't travel turn only a page, 'therefore I travel' ".

I have been in love with travelling since I was a small child. Most children read storybooks; I would look at atlases, maps of the world, travel guides and ask my dad to tell me about different countries. The majority of the way I live my life is centered around maximizing travel opportunities. Whether this comes from having a very diverse group of friends from all around the world whom I hope to visit all at some point in my life. To doing a degree that I’m thinking.... hoping... praying (no particular god just whoever) will allow me to travel as much as possible. 

Travelling to me is not just a hobby. It's a religion, a lifestyle, an obsession a drug. The world is not black so why should we view it that way. Travelling opens all your senses and exposes to things no textbook, or Wikipedia article ever could. The world is a playground, an expensive playground, some parts of this playground are under construction, and some parts are dangerous, you just have to figure out which parts its safe to play and learn in and that’s why I love it.

I've been travelling since I was a baby, I am a dual citizen of the UK and Canada, and I have been to 19 countries and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. The best feeling in the world as far as I’m concerned is having a backpack on you back, a passport and a boarding pass in you hand and moving, and knowing everything you have is on your back and you can get up or stay put whenever the heck you want. I am a transient child of the world and I love being a transient child of the world more than I love life itself.