Just your average note from your daughter on summer vacation......NOT

[DFW]

This was her latest:

"We made it safely to Mombasa! It's crazy here! Bus ride was another ridiculous experience with a trip to Voi police station for a little... it took about 10 hours instead of 6 but that's Africa...

"We'll be walking around a little before heading to Diani beach for the night and tomorrow.... then back to TZ. Heading to Pangani via Tanga and will take a small boat (we'll see how that goes) to Zanzibar on Monday."



Right, like we have the faintest idea where Diani Beach, Pangani or Tanga are. We are also not thrilled with the idea of her taking small boats anywhere in Africa, whether to Zanzibar, or anywhere else. But she's a big girl now (25) and traveling on money she made by herself. At least we could figure out the "TZ" part (=Tanzania).

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

1. She's a typical German!

Well, in your case, half German...always traveling and enjoying new cultures. I hope your daughter has the time of her life and makes it back safe and sound with plenty of pictures to share with your family! :hi:

[alphafemale]

2. My daughter did the fall semester of her junior year in Tanzania

She sent some amazing stories.

She also spent the summer after graduating HS in Ghana and the summer before senior year of college she worked in Denali National Park in Alaska.


During most of the time in Tanzania she was sponsored by a family in a Maasai village.

She was never a materialist/shallow type kid but these experiences helped her to grow into a remarkable human being.

Oh and while in Tanzania...she shaved her head.

Apparently it's not easy caring for hair when there is no running water....imagine that.

[bif]

3. My daughter spent a semester in Senegal

Last year. Experience of a lifetime. Now that she's graduated, she'll be teaching English in France for a year. And who says youth is wasted on the young?

[alphafemale]

4. What age kids will she be teaching? nt

[bif]

8. High school kids

Actually, she'll be a teacher's assistant

[DFW]

6. My daughter was in Senegal, too

Two years ago, when she was working with the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone, she took a week off
to fly to Senegal (on Gambia Airways--good thing she only told us afterward). She picked up some near-fatal
infection there which the Sierra Leone docs couldn't cure (luckily, the UN people did). She spent a year of
undergrad in Paris, so her French is fine, too. While in high school, even though she had a chance to study
Hawaiian as one of the three languages offered, she decided to continue with French instead.

She loved Senegal, too, and insisted that we accompany her back there some day. It must be true: Africa
somehow holds a magnetic attraction to those who spend any amount of time there.

[alphafemale]

9. Africa holds a magnetic attraction for me and I've never been there.

But then I guess we all "came" from there...maybe it's a genetic longing

[Iggo]

5. My niece just spent a month in Peru on some archeological dig of some kind.

Her emails were just like that. "We made it safely" was always my favorite.

[Callalily]

7. Chill DWF . . .

You raised her right. She's intelligent, competent, etc. All will be good.

And yes, I'm talking from experience.

That said, you do need a :hug:!

[DFW]

10. My wife needs it more than I do,

But still, until she lands back in Germany next week, some more virtual nail-biting will occur.....

[applegrove]

11. She's so brave. I always wanted to go to Africa but was too shy to travel there.

[DFW]

12. At 25, people think they're immortal

At double that, they know otherwise.

[Kali]

13. I'm envious.

Sounds like a great trip.

[DFW]

14. We're waiting for the pics when she gets back

At least, that'll mean she made it back!