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Some of my favorite quotes:

"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy"
-The Lion King, Timon and Pumba (and Simba)

"Sometimes the only way is jumping
I hope you're not afraid of heights."
-Gavin DeGraw (from the song "meaning")

"It is not the critic who counts;
Not the one who points out,
How the strong one stumbled;
Or where the doer of deeds,
Could have done better.

The credit belongs to the one,
Who is actually in the arena;
Whose face is marred by dust,
And sweat and blood;
Who strives valiantly,
Who errs and comes up short again and again.

Who knows the great enthusiasms;
The great devotions;
And spends themselves,
In a worthy cause.
Who at best knows;
In the end;
The triumph of high achievement;
And who at worst,
If they fail,
At least fails while daring greatly.

So that there place shall never be;
With those cold and timid souls;
Who know neither victory, nor defeat."
-President Theodore Roosevelt

"You must BE the change you wish to see in this world."
-Gandhi

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they've been given, than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact, it's an opinion. Impossible is nothing."
-Mohammad Ali


"Try not to become a man of success but a man of value."
-Albert Einstein

"One way to get the most out of life is
to look upon it as an adventure."
-William Feather

$2710 fundraised, $4290 to go!

Info about my trip:

I'm going to Tanzania, Africa! I will leave in May and stay 12 weeks, arriving home in August. Tanzania is home to the largest mountain in Africa, MT. Kilimanjaro, and the Serengeti National Park. Tanzania has a history of a stable government and of being a peaceful country. I'm volunteering with the organization Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS). I am hoping to work either in an Orphanage, or teaching English. I am (of course) very excited to learn a little bit of Swahili while I am there as well.

I know that my health is a concern for many people, and it may even seem reckless of me to head off to Africa for 12 weeks. However,I feel like this is something I need to do. My doctors tell me that I could live a normal life span, and I hope that they are right, but I'm not going to walk around on egg shells for the next 50 years, just to prolong existence. I want my life to mean something, if only just to me, thats okay, but i need to be happy with the person i am and what i contribute to the world. If it means I wear my body out sooner, I am willing to accept that, because I will be satisfied with my life. I could live to be 100 and feel like I missed out on everything, or I could take a few risks now and again and experience something.

They only thing standing between me and Africa right now is money. The trip program fee is nearly $5000.00, and I also need Airfare. So I am currently fundraising like crazy so I can go on this crazy adventure!

I created this journal so that I could document my trip with updates and pictures, and most importantly so I could stay in touch with all my friends and family. Now, you need not pester my poor brother and parents asking how I am, you can come on here and see for yourself!



To learn more about Tanzania, here are some good websites:

Gombe National Park (Where Jane Goodall did her work with Chimpanzees) - http://www.utalii.com/Kigoma/Gombe_Stream_National_Park.htm

The Serengeti National Park - http://www.serengeti.org/

Ngorongoro Crater - http://www.ngorongorocrater.com/

Arusha National Park - http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/arusha.htm

Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park - http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/kili.htm

Tanzania's Official Website - http://www.tanzania.go.tz/

Wikipedia Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania

Tourist Information - http://www.go2africa.com/Tanzania

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