plans

I live to make plans. Not that they work out for me very often but I need something to look foreword to. One thing that got me through last winter was knowing that in May I would be spending a few weeks in Tanzania. I miss that place so much... I was in Don May's office yesterday for a little bit and I saw all the books and some pictures he had recently put up. I mean the guy has this giant print of a lion in there. Its pretty amazing.

Anyways I got kind of sad. I am not sure exactly why, but Tanzania seems to have made a major impression on many people in the group. I want to go back so bad and I think it is totally worth staying here for another year. I could have easily gone to Mexico, California, or even Costa Rica, but Tanzania is where I want to be. I am not going to rule out Spain or another spanish-speaking country though. 2010 is the year for me to go, and if Africa doesn't work out then I will have to accept that and move on with my plans.

This year I had been hoping to go to Austria and Germany for a ski trip (right before Christmas) but I dont think I will be able to afford it especially if I am trying to go to Jordan in May. That trip is going to be about $6,000 and this time I wont have all the financial aid that enabled me to go to Tanzania. I am really hoping that this trip works out though. It is probably the closest thing to Saudi Arabia that I am going to get right now (heh.. wouldn't really be a good idea to take a study tour to Saudi...) and I guess they are planning to spend a few days in Israel. Its gonna be so gangsta.

I came to Andrews because of programs like these. I am not sure if Jordan could possible top Tanzania, but we'll see.

okay well that was a random post... time to throw some clothes in the wash and take a nice long nap before our bible study tonight.

**update**

just read this while going through Steve McCurry's old blog posts:

"When people ask me how they can become a photographer, I almost never mention cameras, lenses, or technique. I say, ‘If you want to be a photographer, first leave home.’ As Paul Theroux, a great writer and friend, further advises, “Go as far as you can. Become a stranger in a strange land. Acquire humility. Leaving home really means that the photographer (or writer) has to wander, observe, and to paraphrase Theroux, concentrate on people in their landscape. That is what I try to achieve in my pictures."