I must give credit where credit is due, before I launch into my plagiarized soliloquy of the alphabet. I read the Quille and Quire blog quite regularly, and came across this post. As you may recall, we recently hosted a book discussion with Thomas, and it was great fun. The book “Waiting For Columbus” is excellent, and you should all buy it and read it.
There was also an interesting link to “Thomas Trofimuk: A to Z” that caught my eye. What a terrific way to capture someone’s personality! Therefore, I am inspired to regularly do the “Awfully Big Adventure: A to Z” throughout our around the world trip.
Here is today’s A to Z, on the eve of our departure.
A: Anxiety. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, but as they day has progressed, there is a tension that has gradually built and made a nest in my neck and shoulders. I feel calm mentally, but my body tells me otherwise.
B: Ballsy. Yes, I feel ballsy. This whole “going away for a year and flying by the seat of our pants” thing is completely out of character for me. I like routine and predictability, and being out of my element makes me ballsy. Indeed.
C: Caen. Yes, the one in France. I am so excited that we will be in Normandy for four days, and will have the chance to visit an escargot farm, and see Canadian landing beaches and travel to the neighbouring region of Calvados. We will take the ferry to Caen from Portsmouth, England, and cross the channel! I am quite thrilled about this.
D: Dramamine, the motion sickness cure. My good friend brought up a case of it from the USA a few months ago, and it’s divided, and packed. This is the only way Olivia and I can travel in cars, boats and planes, and pretty much anything else that moves.
E: Elephants! If all goes well, we will have the privilege of spotting the herd of 20,000 that roam the Tanzanian countryside. Also, we will visit the elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
F: Fun. Have it! This is part of the family contract Jeff drew up yesterday, and we all signed it. Sometimes, it’s harder than it sounds, especially after hours of traveling in cramped space and so on. But fun must be had.
G: Goa. The Portuguese part of India. It lies on the West Coast, and is supposed to be wonderful. We are scheduled to be there in January.
H: Hotels and Hostels: It’s difficult for me to get my head around, but we will be sleeping in strange beds every night for ten months. That will be challenging for me, as I have a fondness for my own pillow.
I: International: Look out world, here we come!
J: Juice. Don’t ask me why this comes to mind, but so many people have stressed that we ought to avoid freshly squeezed juice stands. But I want to try them.
K: Kindness. I imagine we will be struck by the kindnesses of the world, and I am looking forward to that.
L: Luggage. Our one bag rule has been met. It is unbelievable to me, but we have managed to reduce our lives to one small bag each.
M: Museums. I can’t wait to visit museums in every country. I love artifacts and old smells.
N: No. A word we hope to avoid using as much as possible, in order to enhance our experience.
O: Ocean. I am terrified of oceans and seas. I never go in them. Do you have any idea what lies beneath? I have an inkling. But, I might just keep and open mind. Maybe open should have been my O word!
P: Paparazzi. I hope to take many pictures, but have implemented the rule: no people, no picture. I do not want to come home with hundreds of photos I can’t identify.
Q: Quagmire. There will be some. And we hope to be able to learn how to work through them with patience.
R: Rock ‘n Roll. I booked a cheesy looking tour in London that takes us to Abbey Road, and the recording studios of Queen and David Bowie. I am so excited to recreate the Abbey Road photo.
S: Safari. I booked a good one from an article in the UK by Polly Pattullo. It is in Ruaha National Park, and looks to be non-touristy and is run by locals, unlike many camps in the Serengeti.
T: Trains. We will be taking many, and one I am really looking forward to is the trip from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya in Tanzania. It takes 24 hours, and will be an incredible way to see the countryside.
U: Umbrella. Jeff refuses to bring his, and I am mad at him. I might not share mine if caught in a rain storm.
V: Volcano. We will see one in Sicily!
W: Water. Something we take so for granted, and it will be interesting to be in countries where it is a premium. I anticipate being thirsty a lot.
X: Xenophobia. I hope to experience none.
Y: Yann Martel. We have packed 82 of his recommendations to Stephen Harper, and can’t wait to read them.
Z: Zanzibar. Stonetown will be one of the highlights. We will take a ferry from Dar es Salaam and visit this small island in November, right before we leave for Egypt.
So, now that I am I finished this little alphabet game, it is officially the day we leave. You know what? We are ready. Next report will be from London, England. I can’t believe it’s finally here.
Adios, friends!
