“Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end…because in the end, it shows you a whole new world.”
Manoj Arora

I just booked my place at the Lion Breeding project and bought my plane ticket, one-way(!), to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, so now there is no turning back.

I’m travelling the world, people. I’m travelling the world for at least one year, probably more than that. Unless I get sick of it (yeah, right) or get killed on the way (not likely, guys, seriously). But like my friend Karina W said “Everything sorts itself out. Either that or you wont care” (death implied here) *lol* – I know, I know, this sounds really morbid and for some of you probably a bit defeatist, but it’s anything but that.

I’m psyched and positive as all h*ll about this. The time has come. The time is now. I am in a place where I’ve paid of my student loans, I’ve sold my car so the car loan is history, and my roomie is buying me out of the apartment, which leaves me with no debt and quite a bit of cash. Now, some people would say there are smarter ways to use that money, but I strongly disagree. And since I’m in charge of said money the decision is mine – so off I go 😀

That’s the short story of my trip and how I’m funding it – the longer story involves:

• selling most of my stuff (free as a bird!)
• packing the rest of it in plastic containers and storing it at my best friend’s place (if I die, you can sell it, Andreas)
• writing a last will and testament (I don’t actually think someone will kill me, but accidents happen and to be honest I thought of writing one before I decided on this trip)
• getting so many shots/vaccines I feel like a walking bio bomb (“don’t nobody hug this girl!”)
• testing a malaria medicine that might leave me psychotic (we’ll see, I’m week two now and no crazier than usual) ;-D
• figuring this isn’t hard enough already so I’m “gonna make the trip with hand luggage only” (jury’s out on that one)
• drawing endless lines on huge, printed maps of the world to find out where to go
• dreaming
• being a bit worried
• scolding myself for being worried
• longing for the road

I’m gonna die in a plane crash on the way to Bulawayo.

Heeere, kittyyyy….

I subscribe to the theory that all the crap you read in the papers, see on television/internet and hear on the radio is a concentrated version of the worst of humanity. All the good stuff goes un-mentioned because there’s no need to report it. It doesn’t generate clicks, gain sponsors, sell papers, create strong emotion that strikes fear in the heart of people… And so the most normal part of humanity goes by and occurs in utter silence. The part where most of the people out there are just like me. They would call 911 if they saw an attack. They would help someone up if they fell. They would give directions without stealing your wallet. They would smile and say “hello” if you smiled and said “hello”. They would not mug, rape or kill you the minute they had the slightest chance. They wouldn’t even set your house on fire for fun.

I have yet to be asked how I can possibly consider travelling the world alone as a female. Maybe people in general don’t believe the world is so bad? I hope that is the case, it would make my heart lighter if people thought the world was about more than war, famine, desperation and fear. I think it is. I can’t wait to see it for myself.

Time to be a reckless, little moose! 😀