The first leg of the journey

So, today I woke up and got to face the first of what I am sure will be many adventures: packing. This was probably one of the most amusing things that I have done lately, as I tried to pack 6 or 7 months of things into one hiking backpack and a daypack. Needless to say, I am not bringing a lot of clothing and most of the big stuff (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) is strapped to the outside of my bag, creating the appearance that I am carrying my home on my back. This isn't too far off, I guess. Then, my laptop went into my daypack, with the somewhat worrisome realization that I am bringing it almost soley as a storage device for the pictures on my digital camera. I hope I take enough pictures to make it worth lugging to Tanzania and paying duty tax on it. I'm starting to get pretty excited for this adventure, and I may even have found a traveling buddy for Europe this upcoming summer (Yay Shelley!!). I'm still hoping that my best friend from home, Marge, can make it, but money's tight and if she can't I'll still love her (I guesssss). So, now its off to 4 days in NYC, and then I take to the air on Thursday night!

Dominican Republic

So, as many of you know, I recently went to the Dominican Republic (Jan 8-18). There are a few pictures above that capture a very small bit of an amazing trip. The first is part of the family that we stayed with, the second is a street near where they lived, the third a wonderful woman we met, and the last of course of the beach. I never knew how much I took for granted running water, specifically a flushing toilet, lol. Anyway, the trip was really a learning experience. No one spoke a word of english... except of course for my friend Mike, who I traveled with, who speaks spanish fluently (the woman in the first pic is his girlfriend), and I met a million people who would start talking to me until I looked confused enough that they'd figure out that I had no idea what they were saying. The electricity was come and go, so we spent many nights sitting by candlelight on someone's "porch" for hours, just chatting. Rum was cheaper than beer, and the music and the dancing was so much fun. I hated the rooster that woke me up at 4am every morning...and then the water trucks that woke me up at 6... the kids playing in the street at 8am... lol so I didn't sleep much, but everything else was great!. I can't wait to go back... next winter I think. Anyone want to come?

One more note: I'm looking for someone who wants to work in London with me next summer, and then spend a month traveling around Europe. No experience necessary, and you don't need much money either! If this person is you, drop me an email :)

Opening Day...

The long awaited, much spoken of, Jess's traveling blog has been born. Let's have a rousing round of happy birthday on 3....
No, just kidding, but welcome to my blog! The primary purpose of this piece of "literature" is to inform you, my dearest friends, colleagues, and others (D$), of my adventures in the wild world... and to make you just the littlest bit jealous, of course. I hope to provide humor, commentary on life, or at the very least some cool pictures of "the world" on this webpage, so stay tuned for some updates and keep in touch!