Hello all,
First of all, Tanzania has been one of the most incredible and different experiences of my entire life. It has opened my eyes to how most the world lives. I am in good physical health, and I have one more day until I go on Safari!
Don, Jenny, Carol and I have been traveling to local markets and micro-enterprises to research how business functions here. We have visited the country-side, local markets, and have met many many "Rafiki" who have introduced themselves as "Jambo Mzungu!" It is amazing to see the culture mixing between European influence, tribal influence, and pan-African influence.
It is hard to put into words what I have experienced here in Tanzania. I cannot wait to come home and show pictures to everybody. Our project research is progressing well, and we will have lots of time to digest what we have seen while we are on Safari.
I miss you all, and I look forward to seeing everyone when I come home this September.
Peace and love!
Stephen
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
It may be awhile...
It may be a few weeks before I write in this again...
Italy has been amazing, but my feet hurt so much from walking. I have massive blisters, but I have met some awesome people here and now I have some new facebook friends!
Amsterdam is my next stop tomorrow, but their internet is about 6€ per hour...then internet in Tanzania can be come and go so I will update again when I can.
I will see everyone in Oregon VERY soon :-)
-Stephen
Italy has been amazing, but my feet hurt so much from walking. I have massive blisters, but I have met some awesome people here and now I have some new facebook friends!
Amsterdam is my next stop tomorrow, but their internet is about 6€ per hour...then internet in Tanzania can be come and go so I will update again when I can.
I will see everyone in Oregon VERY soon :-)
-Stephen
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Update!
Update from Italy...
I am sitting here in the most active and social hostel in the world in Florence, Italy. Rome was AMAZING and I saw everything. The highlights were the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Forum and all of Ancient Rome, and going to a small part of Malta in downtown. I met lots of cool people and went on a pub crawl and had a great time practicing my spanish, german, and even french! How crazy...
So now in Florence, I walked so much that I blistered my feet...but it was worth it, this place is totally awesome! I am going to the Cinque Terre tomorrow for some swimming, eating and just overall intake of the natural beauty of the place. After that, I am going to meet with some friends in Rimini then go to San Marino!
Then Amsterdam
Then TAZANIA!!!!!!
w00t,
Stephen
I am sitting here in the most active and social hostel in the world in Florence, Italy. Rome was AMAZING and I saw everything. The highlights were the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Forum and all of Ancient Rome, and going to a small part of Malta in downtown. I met lots of cool people and went on a pub crawl and had a great time practicing my spanish, german, and even french! How crazy...
So now in Florence, I walked so much that I blistered my feet...but it was worth it, this place is totally awesome! I am going to the Cinque Terre tomorrow for some swimming, eating and just overall intake of the natural beauty of the place. After that, I am going to meet with some friends in Rimini then go to San Marino!
Then Amsterdam
Then TAZANIA!!!!!!
w00t,
Stephen
Monday, August 11, 2008
Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland
Danke für viele großen sachen...
Tomorrow morning at 11am, I will leave Germany for an amazing Italian holiday in Rome (Aug 12-13,) Florence (14th,) Cinque Terre (15th,) Pisa (15th,) Bologna (16th,) Rimini (16th) and San Marino (16th.) I will be leaving one of my favorite places in the world, with no plans on returning any time soon.
I always knew after my past trips to Europe that I would always go back to Germany, at least for a few weeks. It is weird thinking that I have no solid plans to return. As my life permits less traveling, it will be harder to come back and live like I am now in this place. I have met so many amazing people and I will miss them all.
Thank you Germany for everything. Bis Bald.
PS, Venice was amazing, please check facebook for pictures! I walked around, met some cool people, paid too much for food, saw some amazing colors on churches and with the sunlight on the water, and of course went on a Gondola ride...
The links to my facebook pictures are in the previous post...
I will be away from the internet while I am in Italy. I will try to answer emails when I get the chance to, but it is possible that you will not hear from me until Sept. 2nd when I am back from Africa in the USA. My time in Italy ends on Aug. 17th when I fly to Amsterdam, then I fly on the 19th to Arusha, Tanzania via Kilimanjaro International Airport. 5 days of work, 6 days of Safari, then 2 days of wrap-up in Africa will put me back in the US on the 2nd...That's if I survive the 20 hours of travel on the way home :-)
Much love,
Stephen
Tomorrow morning at 11am, I will leave Germany for an amazing Italian holiday in Rome (Aug 12-13,) Florence (14th,) Cinque Terre (15th,) Pisa (15th,) Bologna (16th,) Rimini (16th) and San Marino (16th.) I will be leaving one of my favorite places in the world, with no plans on returning any time soon.
I always knew after my past trips to Europe that I would always go back to Germany, at least for a few weeks. It is weird thinking that I have no solid plans to return. As my life permits less traveling, it will be harder to come back and live like I am now in this place. I have met so many amazing people and I will miss them all.
Thank you Germany for everything. Bis Bald.
PS, Venice was amazing, please check facebook for pictures! I walked around, met some cool people, paid too much for food, saw some amazing colors on churches and with the sunlight on the water, and of course went on a Gondola ride...
The links to my facebook pictures are in the previous post...
I will be away from the internet while I am in Italy. I will try to answer emails when I get the chance to, but it is possible that you will not hear from me until Sept. 2nd when I am back from Africa in the USA. My time in Italy ends on Aug. 17th when I fly to Amsterdam, then I fly on the 19th to Arusha, Tanzania via Kilimanjaro International Airport. 5 days of work, 6 days of Safari, then 2 days of wrap-up in Africa will put me back in the US on the 2nd...That's if I survive the 20 hours of travel on the way home :-)
Much love,
Stephen
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
On the road again!
Hey all,
I will be away from the internet from Thursday morning until Sunday evening. I might go to an internet cafe while I am away...so leave me comments here, on facebook or via email (stephenmhodges@gmail.com)
During this time, I will be first traveling to Lichtenstein for an afternoon...then to Venice. I will spent Friday-Sunday in Venice exploring and relaxing. It should be nice weather and we have a native Italian going with us...so we are bound to not die! We get to take the CLS the whole way through some nice Swiss roads, and I get to drive too :-)
Venice is going to be great! After Venice, I come back to Karlsruhe for Sunday night and Monday; then leave Tuesday morning for Rome...
I get to see some friends who are coming to visit me before I leave Germany for good. It is strange knowing I have no future plans to come back (at least for a few years.) For the past 3 years I have always known I was going to be in Germany soon. Now that I am leaving, I am not sure when I will be coming back here to see my friends I have met here. The hardest part about this whole trip is saying goodbye to all my coworkers and friends I have met. Its awesome to meet people and revisit them, even if you only get to meet them a few times, but it is always hard to say "see you later this decade." Germany has been a very good place to me, and Karlsruhe finally feels like home. I know the streets, where good bars are, where to eat, etc.
Germany, I think you are amazing. I will miss you.
I miss my friends in Oregon too. But Germany will always have a special place in my heart.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Stephen
PS For photos, here are the links to my facebook albums. You do not need an account to view them:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2139238&l=f1902&id=19711067
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2134545&l=369e8&id=19711067
I will be away from the internet from Thursday morning until Sunday evening. I might go to an internet cafe while I am away...so leave me comments here, on facebook or via email (stephenmhodges@gmail.com)
During this time, I will be first traveling to Lichtenstein for an afternoon...then to Venice. I will spent Friday-Sunday in Venice exploring and relaxing. It should be nice weather and we have a native Italian going with us...so we are bound to not die! We get to take the CLS the whole way through some nice Swiss roads, and I get to drive too :-)
Venice is going to be great! After Venice, I come back to Karlsruhe for Sunday night and Monday; then leave Tuesday morning for Rome...
I get to see some friends who are coming to visit me before I leave Germany for good. It is strange knowing I have no future plans to come back (at least for a few years.) For the past 3 years I have always known I was going to be in Germany soon. Now that I am leaving, I am not sure when I will be coming back here to see my friends I have met here. The hardest part about this whole trip is saying goodbye to all my coworkers and friends I have met. Its awesome to meet people and revisit them, even if you only get to meet them a few times, but it is always hard to say "see you later this decade." Germany has been a very good place to me, and Karlsruhe finally feels like home. I know the streets, where good bars are, where to eat, etc.
Germany, I think you are amazing. I will miss you.
I miss my friends in Oregon too. But Germany will always have a special place in my heart.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Stephen
PS For photos, here are the links to my facebook albums. You do not need an account to view them:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2139238&l=f1902&id=19711067
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2134545&l=369e8&id=19711067
Monday, August 4, 2008
My Project is DONE! *Warning, long post!*
With 4 days of work left at Daimler AG, I have finished my work. I have three more days here to have ‘essen partys’ and to spend time with my friends who have helped me learn so much about German, life, and working in the real world. These weeks flew by and I cannot believe I am done! I worked very hard on my project and I hope it helps improve the communications for all the people I promised it would J
This weekend was one of the best of my life! On Friday, I traveled with Lesley to the Lugswiegburg castle just north of Stuttgart. It was pretty even though we were too late to walk in. After this, we had Chinese food on the main walk of downtown Stuttgart. I knew it was going to be a great night after the first things I saw where 2 Mercedes McLaren SLR’s, several AMG CLS, CL, and G classes at the parking structure we were in.
I had contacted everyone I knew who was going to be in Stuttgart a few weeks before I was there to see if I could set up a fun filled night. I invited some friends I had met in Spain, some friends from OSU, and some other family friends. My two friends Scott and Tim from OSU who were traveling in the area from Sweden arrived, along with my friend Julian who I had met while traveling in Granada. And, of course, none of the ladies who I invited showed up!
The night started at an outdoor bar where we spent several hours being too shy to go up and talk to people. We then tried to find a club to get in to, but we found nothing who would allow us in, so we went back and finally met some people! We then went to a bar that let everybody in and just hung out and listened to ‘Oldies American Music.’ Haha! It was a great night for certain.
Then on Saturday, I achieved Nirvana in the Mercedes Museum of Stuttgart. I believe it was seeing the T80 top speed car that made my life complete! Check my facebook for pictures, or email me if you want the link to the photo album. It was amazing though!
That night, after being out the night before until 5am, I decided to head home early. Too bad my family here had other plans for me! Another 2am night just hanging out and being rained on…
Then Sunday, I went to Europa Park themepark and rode their Silver Star roller coaster that is supposed to imitate the ride of an SLR. It sure did! It was a bit stressful seeing as I was with non themepark professionals as myself who wanted to take their time between rides, walk slow, and shop. I really enjoy utilizing the money I already spent to get in rather than spending more, haha. We ended up going on a nice group of rides and such…it turned out to be sunny too so that was excellent!
THEN
We had dinner in France! I drove there too. Such small effin’ roads for a R class to navigate. Especially in the parking lot in the center...wow my bomb parking skillz really came in handy for sure! We found a nice restaurant near their Cathedral (My second favorite in the world) and had some amazing food! It was strange to see signs that I could understand and read instead of the confusing German ones. I spoke French a few times, but it was terrible of course…but at least I tried! It was one of the most relaxing nights ever…
Now I have two day of work this week, followed by my trip to Venice (seeing Lichtenstein on the way, Zurich on the return trip) until Sunday, then I have my last day of work next Monday, then I fly to Rome for two day, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rimini, San Marino…
Then Amsterdam, meet with Don and Jenny, then TANZANIA. Its getting so close that I have to start taking my anti-malaria meds.
I am very excited to ship home half of my cloths and my computer and just backpack with the few things I need for Africa and my other travels.
…and to get rid of my effing computer. It decided that it likes to give me the Blue Screen of Death now…but not just any screen, a very specific screen that says
‘***Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support
NMI: Parity check /Memory parity error
***The system has been halted***’
I love computers. After this error, it does not turn on at all. I found that if I take the battery and the BIOS battery out for 5 minutes, it will think its okay again. Very easy short term solution…good thing I have a work laptop!
Also, I freakin’ told HP that there was a hardware error last winter when I got the sucker. They said software. I rock. I really hope the hard drive does not go because I have stored about 4 GB of photos on it so far…
Anyways, later all!
-Stephen
Author of ‘the longest blog ever’
This weekend was one of the best of my life! On Friday, I traveled with Lesley to the Lugswiegburg castle just north of Stuttgart. It was pretty even though we were too late to walk in. After this, we had Chinese food on the main walk of downtown Stuttgart. I knew it was going to be a great night after the first things I saw where 2 Mercedes McLaren SLR’s, several AMG CLS, CL, and G classes at the parking structure we were in.
I had contacted everyone I knew who was going to be in Stuttgart a few weeks before I was there to see if I could set up a fun filled night. I invited some friends I had met in Spain, some friends from OSU, and some other family friends. My two friends Scott and Tim from OSU who were traveling in the area from Sweden arrived, along with my friend Julian who I had met while traveling in Granada. And, of course, none of the ladies who I invited showed up!
The night started at an outdoor bar where we spent several hours being too shy to go up and talk to people. We then tried to find a club to get in to, but we found nothing who would allow us in, so we went back and finally met some people! We then went to a bar that let everybody in and just hung out and listened to ‘Oldies American Music.’ Haha! It was a great night for certain.
Then on Saturday, I achieved Nirvana in the Mercedes Museum of Stuttgart. I believe it was seeing the T80 top speed car that made my life complete! Check my facebook for pictures, or email me if you want the link to the photo album. It was amazing though!
That night, after being out the night before until 5am, I decided to head home early. Too bad my family here had other plans for me! Another 2am night just hanging out and being rained on…
Then Sunday, I went to Europa Park themepark and rode their Silver Star roller coaster that is supposed to imitate the ride of an SLR. It sure did! It was a bit stressful seeing as I was with non themepark professionals as myself who wanted to take their time between rides, walk slow, and shop. I really enjoy utilizing the money I already spent to get in rather than spending more, haha. We ended up going on a nice group of rides and such…it turned out to be sunny too so that was excellent!
THEN
We had dinner in France! I drove there too. Such small effin’ roads for a R class to navigate. Especially in the parking lot in the center...wow my bomb parking skillz really came in handy for sure! We found a nice restaurant near their Cathedral (My second favorite in the world) and had some amazing food! It was strange to see signs that I could understand and read instead of the confusing German ones. I spoke French a few times, but it was terrible of course…but at least I tried! It was one of the most relaxing nights ever…
Now I have two day of work this week, followed by my trip to Venice (seeing Lichtenstein on the way, Zurich on the return trip) until Sunday, then I have my last day of work next Monday, then I fly to Rome for two day, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rimini, San Marino…
Then Amsterdam, meet with Don and Jenny, then TANZANIA. Its getting so close that I have to start taking my anti-malaria meds.
I am very excited to ship home half of my cloths and my computer and just backpack with the few things I need for Africa and my other travels.
…and to get rid of my effing computer. It decided that it likes to give me the Blue Screen of Death now…but not just any screen, a very specific screen that says
‘***Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support
NMI: Parity check /Memory parity error
***The system has been halted***’
I love computers. After this error, it does not turn on at all. I found that if I take the battery and the BIOS battery out for 5 minutes, it will think its okay again. Very easy short term solution…good thing I have a work laptop!
Also, I freakin’ told HP that there was a hardware error last winter when I got the sucker. They said software. I rock. I really hope the hard drive does not go because I have stored about 4 GB of photos on it so far…
Anyways, later all!
-Stephen
Author of ‘the longest blog ever’
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