Richmond

So sad, but we had to say goodbye to the bird today. We left her in good care at Nate and Amanda's house in Richmond amongst 5 other happy birds though, so she'll be fine. I'm mostly worried about Ruth! Look how sad she was for the entire drive there. Nate and Amanda and their birds wake up at 6am every day which is going to feel like the Army bootcamp for little sleepy Georgia. She's been on California time since she came out here with me, and before that she was on Hawaii time.


Now that we're back in Durham, and we've moved out of our house, we're staying with our friends until Ruth completes her Thesis defense. This still hasn't been scheduled, so we don't know exactly when we'll be flying to Tanzania, but I suspect that it won't be for at least 2 more weeks! It's been almost a month since I left work, so I'm starting to get a little antsy. I've been spending most of my time reading blogs and news about the downwardly spiraling economic situation and reading books (all while drinking large quantities of coffee which makes all of this information seem more immediate). One wonders what the US will be like in one year. Also, of course, what it's going to be like in Africa now that global trade and investments are taking a nosedive. Perhaps, in the area of Tanzania that we will be, where most of the food is grown locally and there is very little $ to begin with, there won't be much change. In the big cities, both in Africa and the US, I expect there to be a more dramatic shift.
So is leaving my great job and going to Africa wise at this time? Who cares? What's more important is that I will be able to help Ruth with her project, we'll have lot's of fun and adventure in the African jungle and we might even learn how to live off much less than we are accustomed to here in the U.S. Vital preparation for the apocalyptic scenarios- prepare for the worst hope for the best right?