Woohoo... Planning has been full of ups and downs: from choosing the countries, tours, the right backpack, the clothes to the god damn visas...

Based on my prior experiences with traveling i can't help myself but think worst case scenario!!!

After a trip to hawaii a year and a half ago i came to find my place flooded with sewage! Gross... i know!!! and how about last december when I realized a week before my Eastern Europe trip that I needed a transit visit to stop for an hour and 43 mins in Canada?!?!? then making a desperate decision to fly to LA the next day, to beg for a visa which was denied and had to pay $2k to reroute my flight... Enough bad luck? Right?!?!  Well NOOO!!!! I came back from LA to find my car flooded all the way up to the seats by the king tides in the parking lot where I left the car for 18hours!!!! All of this during finals week... LOVELY!

So... It was NO SURPRISE when my passport was "lost" for 6 days on the way back from Botswana's embassy last week!!! (USPS forgot to give me a tracking number for next day express shipping, Of course!!) I swear, I'm not that religious but on night 5 of full on freak out mode I just said "God, it's in your hands... You have all the power!" And i just put it out in the universe that whatever needs to happen, will happen. Needless to say, the next day I got a phone call to go pick up my package... Phewwww (I even kissed my passport and did a happy dance!)

Like my mom says: "Andrea, otro aprendizaje" Jajajaja

After finally getting my passport I believe the hardest part has been packing a small backpack with everything I need without weighing as much as I do!!! (I bet David would be proud of my new under packing skills!!!)

Since I was a little girl I have overpacked (mostly shoes) and my mom has always said "Andrea: it's not like you are going to Africa!!!!!!" But this time I AM GOING TO AFRICA!!! ... So, what now mom?!?!? Should I take the 20 pairs of shoes that I was not supposed to pack when I was NOT going to Africa?!? I know, I know... I'm exaggerating a little.... But it feels a little strange not to pack everything that I MIGHT POSSIBLY need for the next 5 weeks!

Anyway, I'm ready to go and super excited for this new adventure! I have planned a lot of fun stuff to do and have left some "free" time for happenstance (I hope I'm using that word correctly!)

So... Next time I write I'll be either in Frankfurt, Johannesburg, or Windhoek! Woohoo