196 Books: Burkina Faso

The Parachute Drop by Norbert Zongo

Here's Burkina Faso:

And here's our description:
Norbert Zongo was Burkina Faso's most respected journalist before his politically motivated murder in 1998. As an editor of the newspaper l'Indépendent, Zongo wrote under the pen name of Henri Segbo, frequently attacking governmental crime and impunity, or what he called "mobutuization," after the notoriously corrupt Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. A fierce advocate of free-speech, Zongo openly criticized President Blaise Compaoré's long reign of terror, extortion, and impunity in Burkina Faso. After surviving several attempts on his life, Zongo was killed along with his brother Yembi Ernest and two other traveling companions when his car was fire-bombed by members of Compaoré's presidential guard. Zongo's death was followed by an extreme period of political unrest in Burkina Faso, which threatened to destabilize the Compaoré regime. Zongo's novel The Parachute Drop is an eerily prophetic narrative foretelling many of the events that preceded his death. His novel shows how a fictional West African nation named Watinbow is "mobutuized" by a succession of tyrants, foreign advisors, and external financial agents. President Gouama, a man of demonic energy, malice, and greed, is toppled in a coup d'état and must now confront the people of Watinbow, whom he has betrayed. The Parachute Drop provides rare insight into the psychology of a corrupt African leader. For those hoping to understand the nightmare of contemporary African politics, Zongo's novel is an excellent place to begin.

So I just realized that this one should have come before Burundi. Sorry, guys. While we're in this crappy apartment I just kind of have the books in a pile instead of in a nice bookcase, and I grabbed them in the wrong order. 


I'm so pleased with all of the awesome books that I've read with this challenge! This one was captivating without having to have a ton of action or apprehension. I mean, of course it was dramatic and it obviously kept me wanting to read it. But I did see one review that said it was funny, which I totally disagree with. My guess is they found the deposed president's weakness and uselessness funny, but I found it pathetic. These people get into power by being charismatic but are ultimately incompetent (looking at you, Trump), and can't understand why the people don't appreciate this. Although at the end, with the new regime, I had to wonder if it was the same thing happening over again. (I'm beginning to feel like I'm horrible at deep reading comprehension...I know, I should have figured that out long ago).

This story moved me to read a bit more into the country and the author, which I should maybe be doing with all of them, but oh well. Definitely, definitely check this book out. It's not a very long read, and it shows so many extremes of this fictional country. You see the absurdly rich who are greedy and shallow, the incredibly poor who are generous to a fault, the country's former leader who can barely take care of himself, the men who help him that had formerly been in his prison, and the betrayal by people he thought were his friends.  

Also, after reading more about the author, he was a super badass! He basically gave a big Fuck You to the corrupt government and didn't stop even when his life was threatened. And then after he was killed his wife kept it going. What amazing people. 

196 Books: Burundi

Baho! by Roland Rugero


Burundi is a small country in Africa:

And here's the description:

Baho! is a novel by Roland Rugero published in France in 2012, and translated into English by Christopher Schaefer in 2015. It is the first Burundian novel to be translated into English. The story is set in the fictional village of Hariho, following a young mute boy named Nyamuragi. When his attempts to find a bathroom are misunderstood as sexual advances, Nyamuragi finds himself voiceless due both to his disability and the hasty persecution of his wrongful convictions.

Taking place after the events of the Burundian genocides, Baho! grapples with many sociocultural themes and arguments that deal with Burundi's recent problems with cultural identity. As a result, the novel employs many Burundian cultural elements including Kirundi proverbs. Despite its heavy involvement in Burundian culture and history, the novel does not discuss ethnical differences between characters. Baho! serves to instruct Burundi on how it can successfully grow as a culture and nation.

I know that's a bit more than I usually include for the description, but it said (a lot more eloquently) the things I was thinking as I was reading. This was a really short book, less than 100 pages. It also made me think of the Me Too environment that's happening right now. As much as I hate to admit, it made me sympathize a little bit with the accused...which was probably the point. I mean things were made much more extreme by the boy being mute and not having the means to explain anything. Then it's exacerbated by nobody trying to get his side of the story. 

It was kind of great: this rather short story was told in a way to make me look at myself and my thoughts in today's current climate. Though it's not as extreme as beating and trying to hang the accused, there's a bit of a mob mentality with accusations of sexual impropriety and not wanting to let the accused say anything, or not believing what they do say. Do these people deserve the benefit of the doubt, or compassion? Well, I don't know. All I know is this one made me think.  

196 Books: Bulgaria

Street without a Name by Kapka Kassabova

Bulgaria is on the Eastern side of the EU:

And here's the description of the book:
Kassabova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and grew up under the drab, muddy, grey mantle of one of communism’s most mindlessly authoritarian regimes. Escaping with her family as soon as possible after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, she lived in Britain, New Zealand, and Argentina, and several other places. But when Bulgaria was formally inducted to the European Union she decided it was time to return to the home she had spent most of her life trying to escape. What she found was a country languishing under the strain of transition. This two-part memoir of Kapka’s childhood and return explains life on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

With the getting ready to move, moving, and settling in the new place, it took me way too long to read this one; especially considering how much I enjoyed it. 
Things seem to be getting crazier and crazier here in the US, but it's still devastating to read about the tragic history in the older parts of the world (you know...basically everywhere else). 

The whole big communist era in Europe makes me so sad; that people living there were kept in the dark and told that the rest of the world was so awful. And why? I mean, I know why, but WHY? These poor people had next to nothing and had no way of bettering themselves. So this family lives in various places throughout the world just to get a better life. It was so interesting and heartbreaking to read as the author travels back to her home country and just feels like an outsider everywhere she goes, home or foreign. 

Also, people in Europe have done some real awful shit to each other. And, sorry, but Turkey's been the jerk in more than one of the books I've read so far. GET IT TOGETHER TURKEY. AND EVERYONE ELSE. STOP BEING JERKS. 

On the other hand, it was interesting to hear about all the different places she went, things she saw, and people she met. On top of it, Kassabova has such an incredibly inviting writing style. It honestly felt a lot like a friend just telling you stories. So definitely check this one out, it's a great read. 

On another note, I've been considering putting ads back on here. Not because I want to annoy you guys, but because I have no job and I feel useless. Sooo...I guess that might be coming. 

Back in the Midwest

Growing pains.

I looked up a few quotes about transition for the subtitle for this one; there were a few I liked but they didn't really cover it. I knew this change would be a little difficult, but it's getting the better of me.
I cannot say enough how wonderful Soldier has been with this. He's encouraged me with all the newness but he doesn't really push. He has a lot more confidence in me than I do. He bought me a fancy car, has no problem with any money I spend, and thinks I'm worth a lot of money as an employee.

So...begin. The place we're living isn't really conducive to spirit and motivation. I'm pretty sure it hasn't been updated since the 70s or 80s and has a slight lingering smell of old cigarettes. It's technically furnished but we keep having to buy stuff: a mixer, a vacuum, dish towels, hangers. Maybe those things aren't supposed to be included, but I kind of thought they would.
I've also been letting the anxiety get to me...a couple of days ago I tried a different grocery store and almost thought I was going to have a panic attack in the middle of the place. Also most of my professional work clothes don't fit, which also doesn't help. Everyone still thinks I'm "small," but I'm not at a weight I'm comfortable with.

Transition! YAY!

Soldier and I were trying to figure out when we would be able to head up and visit our families, and all of a sudden he said, "Just go." And I realized that I could. So I did. I wanted to go for a chance to recharge, and to connect with a friend to brainstorm about job searching. I forgot what it was like to look for a job in a bigger city. (Is there a word for nepotism that isn't actual family? Just that "it's not what you know, it's who you know" thing? Anyway, that.) Anyway I had a nice time with some of my family and got a lot of good ideas for my search. But then I got back and kind of deflated.
This week I've tried to force myself to do things. I found a few jobs that I'm really interested in and tomorrow I'm going to go to the job center and get a nice new interview outfit. Hopefully that'll help. Yesterday I made myself finish up my resume and today I really figured out which jobs I want to apply for...it's a start I guess.

So...send me confident thoughts, I guess. As exciting as it is to be back in a place that has all sorts of stores, restaurants, and entertainment...it's also real scary for an introvert. It's hard to start completely from scratch, even if you know what you're getting into.

I've also pushed Soldier into going back to Mass. I enjoy it, and a woman we sat next encouraged me to join the choir and said she was going to tell the choir director about me. It is something I would like to get back into...if I can have the guts to ask for it. Ugh. Anxiety is such a bitch.

And I guess that's it for the highlights. It'll feel a lot better when we have our own house and I have a job, but this is definitely a start. I do miss the beauty and familiarity of Juneau though. And absolutely some of the people. I know that once I get used to it and feel *slightly* less pressure I'll really be able to enjoy this new adventure.

The Journey

Moving across two countries

I'm so excited to tell you guys all about our move! I was freaking out in the days leading up to it, so sure that we wouldn't be ready. The night before we got on the ferry we were having dinner with our best friends and staying at their house. Just before Soldier was supposed to get off work I was finishing up mopping, stopped, and went "God dammit we're going to be ready." I was completely shocked. Anyway we spent our drive listening to a dramatic telling of Lord of the Rings and the audio books of Harry Potter so I'm going to try and tell you our trip dramatically. Here goes. 

Day the First: Friday
We began our journey before daybreak, stepping onto the ferry at about 6 in the morning. The sky was dark and it rained for much of the 6 hour trip. Soldier watched some porpoises jumping, but I was not fortunate enough. I was nervous, apprehensive of what we were taking on, but Soldier was exhilarated.  Our chariot (her name's Sabrina) was laden down heavy, but Soldier was unconcerned. The ferry docked at Skagway and we began. The town was quaint but somewhat deserted; we spied few other cars on the road. Fog covered everything, making the mountainside road even scarier. A black bear tried to cross, became spooked, and ran alongside us for a moment. Getting through Customs to Canada was quite easy, only taking a few moments. Most of the day was spent driving on the edges of mountains, next to lakes, me looking for wildlife. We ended the day with what soldier called Wilderness Snow Camping. Night had already fallen when we reached the government campground. I was sick with worry; I felt too exposed. Two inches of snow sat on the ground, and we only had a thin tent. Inside, we first laid down a moving blanket, then our sleeping mats. We each got inside a regular sleeping bag then slithered into a double sleeping bag. I was so cold I had to wear my Uggs all night, and we both wore rabbit fur hats (the kind with the ear flaps; I had mine hooked firmly under my chin). I slept somewhat fitfully; I woke up continually having to hide my face to keep it warm.

Day the Second: Saturday
Our second day began earlier than the first. We had broken camp and were on the road at 4:30. The first part of the day went slowly as we drove through the mountains on snowy, slushy roads. Miles and miles went by between "towns," though each of the towns would be a single gas station and restaurant with nothing else around. It perplexed me; where did these people live? How did they get food? How could they stand being so far from civilization?
Travelling along, we saw some cars ahead of us slow down. Then we came upon a herd of bison.

Soldier stopped the chariot for me to take a picture of one just beside the road. The flash went off and a giant eye started to turn toward me. I urged him to drive; I didn't want Sabrina to be rammed by a giant bison. We continued our drive through mountains and snow. There were many areas that had been burned and all that was left was a swath of blackened tree stalks. Where the trees were healthy, they were green and yellow, dusted with snow. It looked like Christmas. Continuing along, drivers ahead of us slowed down again and a moose ran across the road. A MOOSE! The entire time of living in Alaska and for this trip, my biggest wish was to see a moose. It stopped at the side of the road to eat, but we were driving too quickly for me to get a picture. But I saw a moose. After over 13 hours of travel, we ended the day in Grande Prairie. If you ever stop in the area, stay at the Podollan Inn and Suites. The room was lovely and the customer service was fantastic. (I cannot say the same for the other places we stayed). 

Day the Third: Sunday

This day began later, after a refreshing breakfast. We thought we were coming closer to more cities more often, but we were mistaken. Not far out of town I saw a brown bear eating along the side of the highway. I kept watch out for more moose, but saw none. Eventually we entered into Jasper National Park. Though we saw no additional wildlife, it was still fascinating. The mountains in Juneau were no small things, but the Northern Rockies were HUGE. There were glaciers all along the mountains, in the middle of them. 

Eventually we came to Banff, though we agreed that Jasper was the more exciting of the two. We stopped in town and found our way to the Banff Avenue Brewing Co. The beer was good, the only downside was that they did not have stocked the shirts we wanted. Leaving town, we saw an elk on the side of the road eating.

The rest of the night was spent in the hotel, drinking and enjoying our time together.

Day the Fourth: Monday

This day was meant for a break from travel. We began with a short drive to Lake Louise. We intended to also visit Lake Moraine, but it was closed for the season. Lake Louise was beautiful though. I love the colors of water depending on the depth, composition, weather, and any number of other factors. The weather was foggy but it may have worked in our favor. Soldier and I don't let the weather stop us from our adventures, but we're sure it stops other people. We make the most of what we can. After Lake Louise we ventured back to the town of Banff. Though we didn't see more wildlife, we enjoyed the mountains and town. 

Day the Fifth: Tuesday

Another day began at 4 in the morning. It was already snowing. Soldier drove on despite the inclement weather. I kept watch at each animal crossing sign, but saw no more moose. Eventually, however, we passed by an alpaca farm. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Soldier noticed a trembling in the chariot. He stopped to check and tighten the tires, and broke a stud. After consulting with a mechanic friend, we decided we needed to find a dealership to get it fixed. Enter Regina. It should have been a quick stop, but the mechanics kept telling us about new problems that needed to be addressed. Soldier acquiesced to all of them, and we were now very behind schedule. (A very large THANK YOU to the Subaru dealership in Regina; they knew we were travelling through and worked as quickly as they could). Finally we made it back to the US border; I won't deny that I was slightly sorry to leave the niceties of Canada. Thankfully it was another easy crossing and we were suddenly in North Dakota. We had intended to spend the night in Fargo, but we only made it as far as Minot. It was another long day of driving, and we were very tired upon getting to bed. 

Day the Sixth: Wednesday

We stayed long enough for breakfast, and got back on the road. More snow. I had wanted to spend some time in Fargo to see some college friends. The farther along we traveled, the worse it became. Between Jamestown and Fargo it was near whiteout. We lost track of how many semi trucks had veered off the road; but once again Soldier was the best. He navigated around cars, through uncleared roads, and somehow making his way without really being able to see. We were only able to stay in Fargo long enough to attain gas, which made me very sad later on. And that was mostly the end of the excitement. It was just prairie and city, traveling much too long for my taste. We finally arrived at Soldier's brother's house at around 1:30 in the morning. Soldier was concerned about making me a drink but I just wanted sleep. We were so close to our journey's end. 

Day the Seventh: Thursday

Finally, the last day had arrived. Four short hours in the car stood between us and our destination. Along the way, we saw at least 7 police cars on the highway. Thankfully, however, the last of the trip was uneventful. We arrived at our apartment and unpacked the car, then sat down with a beer. Now comes the real work: car shopping, job searching, house hunting. Thinking about it all makes me tired. 

I don't really have many initial thoughts on Cleveland so far (though, to be fair, we're actually outside of the city so we haven't seen it yet). I hope we'll find a nice house and enjoy our time here; I still worry whether this was the right decision or not. Whatever the case, though, here we are and we'll have to make the best of it.  

The Last Summer

The Last Frontier

When we got our date to leave, we had six months left. I knew it would go fast. I knew that when it finally came, I would feel like it was a whirlwind. I was right. It's just about a week until we get on the ferry. 

This summer I've tried to really appreciate Alaska and all it's given us. Soldier and I got married here and have spent the last 3 years in an apartment that looks out on ocean and mountains; where I can sit and watch cruise ships dock and seaplanes land. We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny summer. We had a couple of visitors and took advantage of some last ditch adventures. As much as I've gotten down on Juneau, I know I'm going to miss it. It's a surreal life up here. 

I may have already mentioned some of these things but in getting emotional I have to tell you again. Our best friends were planning on getting married and wanted Soldier to perform the ceremony...so they booked a helicopter out to a lighthouse on 4th of July. We took a helicopter to a lighthouse for our best friends to get married. We saw whales as we were flying over the ocean. The next day, Soldier and I took the skiff out to pull the crab pots. It was a gorgeous day and I was out in a bikini top and shorts pulling up pots. But as we were out Soldier had to dodge all the commercial fishing boats and their nets. We stopped for him to throw a line out and I remember looking around and thinking, "This isn't normal. This is amazing." Do you have any idea what it's like to see a whale come up while you're sitting there in a 14 foot skiff? It's terrifying and amazing at the same time. You realize how incredibly small you are and how incredibly awesome nature is. 
When Soldier's cousin came up to visit we took a seaplane to Admiralty Island. Admiralty's claim to fame is that there are more brown bears than people there. We went to see the Coastal Brown Bears (fun fact: they don't call them grizzly bears because they're not as aggressive). I would have liked to have seen them a little closer but I was also kind of okay with it. You're basically just out in nature, in the territory of this massive deadly animal; you're at the mercy of basically whatever they want to do. It's crazy. 

With the amazing weather, Soldier has had many opportunities for great fishing. That's not to say bad weather keeps him from fishing, but good weather means less worry for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm real freaking sick of his fishing obsession. And as we got along in the summer I kept asking what he was planning on doing with all the fish he was catching. Guys, I do know that it's a good problem to have. But I will be glad when every week doesn't include an all day fishing trip.  
The good weather also meant we had lots of time to stroll around downtown, which I love. Lots of watching seaplanes land and just general sunshine, not as much hiking as we should have done.

We've had both of our work going away parties, the movers have taken most of our stuff away, and I've started cleaning out the apartment. This time next week we'll have taken our ferry trip, crossed over into Canada (hopefully without any issues), and should be on the tail end of getting to our first campsite. The journey should take about a week and we're spending 2 days at Banff National Park, which I'm really excited about. 

I think we've had as good of a last summer as we could have. I'm excited for the adventure of our multi country road trip, and  getting back to the lower 48. Hopefully I'll have lots of animal pictures to post from the drive!  

196 Books: Brazil

An Invincible Memory by Joao Ubaldo Ribeiro

I'm assuming most of you know where Brazil is, but in keeping with tradition: 

Here's a review, not from the book cover, but from Publishers Weekly: 

A family saga spanning nearly 400 years, this absorbing epic novel lays bare the soul of the Brazilian nation. Whaling, war, macumba, slavery, murder, cannibalism and Brazil's struggle for independence add momentum to Ribeiro's lyrical, effusive, sonorous, serpentine prose laced with a touch of magic realismsomething of a cross between Melville and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (The author himself has rendered the fluent translation.) At the center is Amleto Ferreira, a 19th century paterfamilias and conniving bookkeeper who defrauds a baron of his wealth; Amleto's ladylike, long-suffering wife Teolina; and their children, among them a priest, a romantic poet and a soldier. A bestseller in Brazil, the novel graphically portrays the terrible cruelty inflicted by whites on blacks, mulattos and Indians; the lives of these native peoples unfold in dozens of intertwined stories. The relationship between Merinha, patient, Penelope-like servant girl, and runaway slave Budiao is moving. Also memorable are 100-year-old Great Mother Dadinha and Maria da Fe, a bandit warrior who converses with birds and seeks special power from a sorcerer's charms. Catapulting his tale into the 1970s, journalist Ribeiro ( Sergeant Getulio ) creates a stunning portrait of a people who, though outwardly mirthful, are still not free. 

Uuuuugh this book. When I was first looking at it I thought it sounded great. When it arrived I was like Okay, that's pretty substantial but not a big thing. And then I had the moment of realization. This guy is a wannabe Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I started trying to flounder through it and then read some reviews that of course liked the similarities between the authors. Me? Not so much. That's kind of why I put in the Publishers Weekly review. Cuz guess which authors I did not like at all? You guessed it: Melville and Marquez. So I did finally finish this one, but it felt like it took 5 years. 

I felt like the first third of the book could have been scrapped, and the last 20 or so pages where it skips ahead to the 70s was out of place. The majority of the story took place in the really 19th century (I think) so the other timelines seemed odd and it wasn't entirely clear where we were in time. Also, the descriptions of the racism and rapes and shit were just awful. They made me sick. And I know that stuff really did happen and maybe it's good for me to recognize that and be uncomfortable but...shit. People are the worst.

But there were definitely things that I liked. Maria da Fe is the hero that everyone needs. She was such a badass. And the main part of the story was pretty good. SO. If you like Marquez, this is a good read for you. 

Great Days

Budget night is the new date night

It's been a while since I just wrote about life, so here we go. 

I can't remember if I've reported it here, but a while back, Soldier got a reassignment. Basically we had a last resort of putting in a hardship of me having to go to Seattle for my RA treatment. While we were waiting for our paperwork to go up the ranks I was afraid to be optimistic...I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to handle it if we got turned down. But we were approved and we'll be moving to Cleveland, Ohio this fall! Any haters can keep their mouths shut; if you have any good places to visit/eat/things to do I'm all ears. 

With the impending move, I've decided I'm really going to try to appreciate Juneau for our last few months. Fortunately, we've had a beautiful summer so far so it's been a little easier. I've been trying to take in the magnitude of the mountains, the strangeness of looking out my office window to see a fleet of helicopters landing, watching the cruise ships dock and seaplanes land and take off from my living room, eagles and bears just doing their thing, and all the amazing salmon Soldier has been catching. I've even been having a little flare up with my knees, but my attempt at positivity and insistence on walking most days seems to help a lot. 

But something happened today I never would have expected. In the 2 and a half years we've been married, Soldier would broach the subject of a budget and I immediately shut down. To me a budget means you're telling me I can't spend my own money on what I want. But with the move coming up and having a real summer, I'm more open. So he had me listen to a podcast he thought I'd enjoy and we came up with a plan: weekly budget nights. Today was our first one and we had a great time! We had great conversations and came up with a good starter plan, had steak, and went walking/playing Pokemon go. (I like to call it Poke-hunting and yeah we're kinda nerds, what of it?!) Then we came home and just hung out for a bit. 
There are some days that I truly, truly appreciate my Soldier and the life we have, and this was one of those days. It's easy to get down on all the negativity, so it makes me appreciate those days even more. 

Anyway, let's see...we have a trip home in August and we booked a cruise for next year. Exciting stuff! I'm still working on the Brazil book, it's taking a while as expected. Well, until next time dears! 

196 Books: Brunei

Written in Black by KH Lim

Here's Brunei:

And, per usual, the summary:
A darkly humorous coming-of-age novel set in Brunei on the island of Borneo, Written in Black offers a snapshot of a few days in the life of ten-year-old Jonathan Lee, attending the funeral of his Ah Kong, or grandfather, and still reeling from the drama of his mother leaving for Australia and his brother getting kicked out of the house and joining a rock band. Annoyed at being the brunt of his father’s pent-up anger, Jonathan escapes his grandfather’s wake in an empty coffin and embarks on a journey through the backwaters of Brunei to bring his disowned brother back for the funeral and to learn the truth about his absent mother. On a quest that takes him across the little-known Sultanate, past gangs of glue-sniffing poklans (Brunei’s teenage delinquents), cursed houses and weird shopkeepers, Jonathan discovers adventure, courage, friendship and, finally, himself.

Ok. Let me start out by saying I know this is out of order; Brazil was supposed to be up. See, I apparently waited too long to order the new books, so I finished the last one and didn't have Brazil yet. I waited for quite a while, but it still didn't show up...so I started on Brunei. I think Brazil ended up getting here like 2 weeks after it was supposed to. Anyway now I'm out of order it and it makes my poor little type A brain hurt. 

Anyway, onto the book. I felt really bad for Jonathan throughout the whole thing. Poor guy was getting shit from everyone. But I was proud of him when he went on his journey. Plus he had some pretty crazy adventures that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a real easy read too, which was nice. (Honestly I'm like 3 pages into Brazil and it is not going to be an easy one.) 

I also really liked the ending. It wasn't terribly happy, but it was hopeful. Umm...what else can I say about this one? Man I'm so bad at writing reviews. Oh! I did really like the description of all the funeral rituals, it was really interesting. 

Unfortunately it'll probably be a while before I get the next one up; so far it seems like a bit of a chore to read. 

But here's something else noteworthy...we're getting out of Alaska! Turns out it actually is ridiculous for me to have to fly to another state for RA treatment, so Soldier is being transferred back to the Midwest. We're happy, and I'm actually glad we get one last summer here. We shall adventure appropriately. 

196 Books: Botswana

The Lion Children by Angus, Maisie, and Travers McNiece

Botswana is here:

Here's the very glowing summary:
Emily (16), Travers (10), Angus (9), Maisie (7) and Oakley (1) lived in an idyllic 300-year-old cottage in the Cotswolds. They attended the local school, watched TV and did all the things English middle-class children do. Then, in 1995, their biologist mother seized the opportunity to study lions in Botswana and, in the space of 3 months, changed the family's lives forever. Within 24 hours of landing in Gaborone they were travelling to their new home at Maun in the Okavango Delta, one of the most beautiful wildernesses on earth. Weeks after arriving, the children had made home in an old mission house full of stray dogs and were learning to fetch fresh water, dig a toilet and which creepy crawlies could kill you and which couldn't. Their classroom was an open hut and free days were spent in a Land Rover tracking prides of lions across hundreds of miles of bush. The Lion Children is an extraordinary life-enhancing story about the joy of childhood and living in an environment as different as it can be. But above all it is about the lions, who we get to know through the eyes of the children themselves. This story will capture the public's heart and imagination. It is illustrated with the children's own drawings and photographs taken over the 5 years.

I was less than excited about this book even as I was ordering it. I've been trying to stick to books that are set in the country as well as authored by a native, but I just couldn't get one here. So I felt a little bit cheated, and that may have soured my reading from the get-go. 

So the stories themselves were interesting enough, but I just kept feeling like I would hate these kids if I met them in real life. I'm going to get on my liberal high horse and say the amount of middle-class white privilege seeped through the pages, and that was one of the things I've really been trying to avoid with this reading adventure.

I mean let's look at the entire reason of this book: this mother decided, kind of on a whim, to uproot her family and move to Africa...to an entirely different continent. For a huge number of people on the planet, this wouldn't even be imaginable. So she had this disposable income to move seemingly quickly with what appeared to be no clearcut plan. From what I gathered, it sounded like she just kind of fell into the lion thing. They move to a few different areas, obviously none of which are luxury, but they're still kind of separated from the villagers and, though finances are tight, have no problem getting what they need. 
The kids are vegetarian athiests and eventually get homeschooled, none of which are bad things, but they seem so pretentious about it. Again, this might just be me reading into it with prejudice. At one point the little girl is talking about missing her friends in England and can't understand why they just don't come visit--all they need is money for a ticket, afterall! Granted, she's still pretty young at the time of writing so she may not really appreciate the expense of traveling from England to Botswana, but I rolled my eyes so hard. 

Again, the stories about the animals and living in Botswana were interesting, I just...meh. On the whole I felt like this wasn't the best option for this country. I still feel cheated. 

Um I was a little late in ordering the upcoming country books (also I read a lot more on vacation than I'd expected) and I don't have my next one yet. :( So I've no idea when I'll have another "review" for you guys, but I'll post if/when anything exciting happens! 

Family Vacation

A Tropical Time

I'm not sure if I effectively conveyed how apprehensive and distressed I was to be going on an almost week long vacation with Soldier's entire family. I was almost panicked. 8 adults, 5 children ranging in age from 6 to less than a year, in one house. To top it off, Soldier's family is a lot more extroverted than me. Well, I'm happy to report that I was completely wrong about the whole thing. 

The travel from Juneau always sucks, and this was no exception. Our flight left at 5ish in the morning (9 Florida time) and we arrived at the house around 1:30 the next morning (9:30 Juneau time) so we traveled for 16 hours. That's a lot of hours. Too many hours. 

Ugh. Fucking pause. I have to rant for a moment. A friend of mine has apparently started into a pyramid scheme (though they like to call it mulit-level marketing) for some sort of snake oil (or a "health" drink). She's been bugging me about it for anti-inflammatory to help with my RA, but won't leave me alone. On the one hand I'm not one who's really that into "natural" remedies over medicine, and on the other hand I'm not fucking interested. I hadn't shown any interest and tonight I was thrown into a group text so now these random people have my number. And when I said "thanks but I'm not sure...I'll talk to the rheumatologist!" that wasn't enough; it was "oh no, you need it and look at this chart and watch this video!" 

Breathe. Okay. So giving the benefit of the doubt, my friend might really be thinking of my best interest and want to help, and she is in the medical field. But I just don't want it. And it shouldn't matter how great she thinks it is; if I say no that should be it. Why is it with autoimmune so many people turn into "experts"? I don't know how many times I've been told I just need to change my diet or add something or subtract something and even when I say I'm not interested it keeps going until I'm pissed. And as outspoken as I am here, I'm quite a bit of a coward in real life. So when I get pissed and rude, it takes a lot. It's fine...it's fine. I guess if it keeps going I'll have to find some way to be kind but assertive. Oof. 

Aaand back. We got to the house in Florida very late, and we were both pretty exhausted. Well, I was...I think Soldier was. The house was dark and all the women and children were asleep and, shortly after we arrived, the men came stumbling down the street from the bar. So we had a few drinks with them and went off to the apartment for some sleep. I think that was one of the reasons it was so great (on my end): there was a carriage house that they generously gave to Soldier and I. Which meant no crying babies in the middle of the night, no kids waking us up early, and some space to ourselves. The space was the big thing...I didn't have to worry about my stuff being all over, I could get away for a few minutes when I needed it, and Soldier and I could have time to ourselves. 

Day one (Sunday) was spent on the beach and in the pool. All the kids are so fantastic; they pick right back up and remember us and just want to play with us. I love it! 

Monday the guys went fishing, one of the sis in laws (and one of the kdis) came shopping with me, and mom in law and the other sis in law took most of the kids to the zoo. Shopping was a pretty short trip and we spent the rest of the afternoon reading out by the pool. Glorious! 

Tuesday we went to a state park. There was a little nature walk where we saw an osprey, a great horned owl, and an armadillo! I was very excited. Later that day Soldier and I got to meet up with a good friend of mine who was on a work trip in the area. We had dinner and drinks and it was such a good time. I'm so glad we happened to be in the same area at the same time!

Wednesday was another low key day, as far as I can remember. Pool and beach and one of Soldier's good friends came down that evening. One thing really cracked me up: we were down at the beach and I made sure to bring my phone and turn the sound up in case Friend needed to contact us. He had to drive a few hours from the airport and when the flight landed I got a text that said (roughly) "Since we're the responsible ones, I wanted to let you know I'll be there around 8." I laughed so hard, knowing that he knew I'd be the one to be worrying about it. 

Thursday was the best. We went kayaking through some mangrove...forests? I don't know what they're called. Mangrove..things. It started out in kind of a bay area and then went into almost a tunnel, then open, then really tunnel. We cut the trip short (I think we went about 3 hours total) but it was amazing! Although I kept hitting myself in the face in the tunnel; it was really narrow and when I tried to paddle I'd get hung up on the overhang. Also I was last in the group because I like to be Mother Hen so I can see and know where everyone is, so between those issues I lagged behind. We didn't see as much wildlife as I would have expected, I guess because of the time of year, but we did see stingrays just before the adventure ended. Oh! And there was a sea turtle on the side of the road while driving out. I get real excited seeing exotic creatures. Don't judge me. We got back and sat by the pool for the night. I should mention this crazy thing...I was sitting and put my feet on Soldier's lap. Dr. Dad in Law noticed this bone on my foot that kind of sticks up that apparently isn't supposed to. So he started pushing and pulling and all sorts of messing with my feet. He told me to stand up and it felt completely different...it was like my arches had been gone and reappeared. It was super weird, but pretty cool. Like, really cool. 

So, that's kind of a glossing over of the trip but a fair enough overview. It was full of family, and sun, and sand, and booze, and food, and talk, and laughter, and love. This isn't the first time I've been glad to be wrong and I'm sure it won't be the last. And, credit where credit is due, Soldier was great. I was worried that he'd get around the boys and spend the whole time drinking and being rambunctious and just being kind of an insensitive ass. But he was cognizant of me and my needs and was compiant when he was rather drunk. 

Soldier is pretty great. I know I keep saying it, and things aren't perfect all the time, but he's pretty great in general. And I'm glad that the trip went so well. For now, I'm still peeling from all my sun time...and quite happy about it!  

 

196 Books: Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric

Geography:

Summary:
A vivid depiction of the suffering history has imposed upon the people of Bosnia from the late sixteenth century to the beginning of World War I, The Bridge on the Drina earned Andric the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. 

A great stone bridge built three centuries ago in the heart of the Balkans by a Grand Vezir of the Ottoman Empire dominates the setting of Ivo Andric's novel. Spanning generations, nationalities, and creeds, the bridge stands witness to the countless lives played out upon it: Radisav, the workman, who tries to hinder its construction and is impaled on its highest point; to the lovely Fata, who throws herself from its parapet to escape a loveless marriage; to Milan, the gambler, who risks everything in one last game on the bridge with the devil his opponent; to Fedun, the young soldier, who pays for a moment of spring forgetfulness with his life. War finally destroys the span, and with it the last descendant of that family to which the Grand Vezir confided the care of his pious bequest -- the bridge.


If you look closely you can even see the river Drina in the map! Here's a fun story about this country...during the last Winter Olympics I was still at my job in the Midwest and we decided to hold Office Olympics. There were only four or five teams but my boss and some colleagues chose to be team Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think I really only remember that because it was such an obscure country and it made me smile when I got to this country. 

Anyway, the book. One thing I loved was that at the very beginning they had a page with instructions on how to pronounce the accented letters. So it was nice to (maybe kind of) be able to pronounce the names in my head. Andric also did a really cool job of intertwining the stories throughout time all around this one focal point. I'll admit there were times when it got a little slow for me, but overall it was pretty good. 

Sorry this one is so short (who am I kidding, all of the ones I don't super super love are pretty short) but I have to go pack. Tomorrow we're headed for a week-long trip with Soldier's ENTIRE family. I'm sure there will be stories. 

196 Books: Bolivia

American Visa by Juan de Recacoechea

Bolivia is in South America, here:

And summary, straight from the back of the book:

Armed with fake papers and a handful of gold nuggets, an unemployed schoolteacher sets out from a small town in Bolivia on a desperate quest for an American visa, his best hope for escaping his painful past and reuniting with his grown son in Miami. Mario Alvarez's dream of emigration takes a tragicomic twist on the rough streets of La Paz, Bolivia, as he embarks on a series of Kafkaesque adventures, crossing paths with a colorful cast of hustlers, social outcasts, and crooked politicians--and initiates a romance with a straight-shooting prostitute named Blanca. Spurred on by his detective fantasies and his own tribulations, he hatches a plan to rob a wealthy gold dealer, a decision that draws him into a web of high-society corruption but also brings him closer than ever to obtaining his illusive ticket to paradise. 

So, the summary for this book got me all hyped up but was a little misleading. It might have been my own fault though since I haven't read any Kafka so I wasn't prepared (I started to listen to an audio of The Metamorphosis but I think I only got a third of the way through). Then I saw how a couple of reviewers likened the main character to Raskolnikov from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and I was like oh...yeah...that's why this wasn't exactly my favorite. 

I mean, this book was entertaining enough, and a very easy read. And being home with nasty face shingles has given me a good amount of time to sit down, relax, and escape in the book. I think part of the distaste I had is of my own making--I'm a bit of a snob. Maybe more than a bit. But you've got the main character who is basically constantly drunk, who's in his 40s and really has nothing to show for his life, and who creates a lot of his own problems. (Easy for the white, middle class girl to say) Then you've got a ton of prostitutes, vagabonds, beggars, and generally undesirable people. Plus it constantly talked about "half-breeds" which made me feel like it was slightly racist. Maybe that's just how they talk in Bolivia. I dunno. 

*SPOILER*
He never gets his visa. The last sentence of the summary, for some reason, I thought was going to be most of the book. I imagined that he'd get entangled in some shady ass ultra-rich people shit where they'd be like "hey, do this illegal stuff for us and we'll get you to America...also if you don't we'll kill you." Nope. The high-society stuff only came in roughly 200 pages in (give or take) and he really isn't drawn into any sort of web. The author did try to give it a happy ending, it just felt a little lukewarm, probably partly because I didn't love the main character. 

This was a pretty decent book. Apparently it was made into a movie that I don't think I would be very interested in, but cool. Sooo, yeah. Stuff and junk and onto the next. 

Shingles

Not the roof kind.

Welp, we're back on the down side of life. Eh, kind of, it could be a lot worse. But it's what happens when your body is a big old jackass.

This post is a little gross medically/bodily/facially. Read at your own risk.

I had Sunday to pull myself back together after the trip before getting back to work on Monday. No big deal, just tried to get some rest, unpack, and do laundry. About halfway through Monday I was absolutely exhausted, but I didn't think anything of it; it takes a bit to get back into office work after a vacation. On Tuesday and Wednesday I started having some pain in my ear. Still no biggie, I remember having a bit of a hard time trying to equalize it on the plane back so it must have been from that. Then I started getting some tingling in my cheek and chin. Whatever, I thought I was just breaking out. 

The first thing that seemed a little odd was that, where I expected I would break out a bit, I got kind of like welts. Hmm. Okay, they still looked kind of pimpley. I'm the sort of person who can't help but mess with blemishes, so of course I did that. That's when I got freaked out. *Grossness coming* There were some little whiteheads and when I poked at them, some skin just kind of peeled off. Every time I looked at them (and still now) they give me goosebumps because it's so disgusting. And there was also a larger welt thing at one of my temples that seemed weird. Since Humira takes a while to get into your system, I thought I was having a reaction to it. Cue my freak out to the worst possible scenario. If my body didn't like the meds it would be back to the drawing board on making my immune system be less douchey. 

To the doctor! I was very detailed and open about what was going on and she didn't waste much time saying it was shingles. Qu'est-ce que fuck?! SICK. I was so grossed out by myself. I ran back to the office to pick up my things and tell them I'm diseas-ed and repugnant. 

I've basically been lying on the couch all weekend...popping all sorts of (prescribed) pills, practicing every home remedy the internet could throw at me, and doing my best not to scratch my face off. 
I was a little worried about work since I don't get paid leave, and I'm the only one who does many of the office duties. Luckily my bosses (well, at least one of them) don't want me there while I'm contagious (which is basically the whole time till this runs its course...which could be weeks) and they want me to do some work from home. So maybe I'll get paid a little bit and my pride doesn't have to be subjected to the outside world while my face is festering. 

So now it's basically taking all of my willpower not to mutilate my face. But the good thing is I think I've had a decent ride as far as shingles go. I don't have a huge amount of pain or itchiness, at least not so bad I can't handle it. And poor Soldier is basically a saint. He's been so good about listening to me cry, getting things from the outside world, and even sleeping on the couch so he doesn't disturb me in bed. He's the bee's knees. 

Guys, here's the moral of the story: don't get an autoimmune disease. Cause you know what? It basically fucks up everything always. 
Oops, let me connect those dots. When your immune system is an overzealous asshole you have to take meds to calm that shit down. And now I've had to shut it down so much that it opens me up to getting down with the sickness. All the sickness. Being stuck in a giant metal germ tube (aka plane) for 6 hours doesn't help, of course. 

On the bright side, it's given me time to draw and listen to podcasts and watch lots of anime with Soldier. My latest favorite podcast is one called Nothing Rhymes with Murder. It's two British girls who "travel" to a different country each episode and each do a murder story, ending with cool places to visit there. But they're so lovely and funny and they also talk a lot about their lives and dealing with anxiety and such. I want to be best friends with them. Listen to it. Now. 

Well...that's what's going on with me now. A semi invalid again. 
Isn't it kind of odd? I've let you guys into aspects of my life for quite a while now...it's gone from dating and jackass guys to being married to my Lobster but continuing to change my worldview and deal with a chronic illness. Ya'll have been with me through a lot. I'm getting a little verklempt. 

Ok. Me and my gross face are going to bed. Sweet dreams, guys. 

Aloha

The Big Island

Yay, guys! We went to Hawaii! I'll tell you what we did, and I'll put some pictures up for you. Cause I'm a very nice lady. 

So to start, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to book a 5am flight. I think this was because it meant we we would get to Hawaii in the early evening. But I super didn't enjoy getting up at like 2. Solution? Get drunk in the airport. 
But we did get into Kona early and it was a b-e-a-utiful day. Soldier went to get the car and picked me up in a fancy red Mustang GT convertible. First stop? COSTCO! We were amazed at how big it is and excited to be able to get alcohol with the rest of our things. (The Juneau Costco is one of the smallest they have, and up here you can't buy booze with your groceries and stuff.) The drive over to Hilo was about two hours and it was raining over on that side. Oh well. 

Monday
It was still raining a lot the next morning, but we thought it might not be raining farther south. So off we went to Isaac Hale Beach Park. It's a spot known for surfing and the ocean was especially turnt-up, if you will. We watched the waves for a few minutes and then it started down-pouring. I had some hot springs on our itinerary next, but it was raining so hard we decided against it. 





We decided to check out the Volcano Winery. It was really, really good. We tasted some wines, bought some wines, and just went back to the hotel. It started to get nicer so we walked over to the Liliuokalani Gardens. And guess what? Down-pour again. We were absolutely soaked but we didn't care. We walked through to look at all the plants and all of a sudden...chickens! There were two chickens just chillin there. I was amused. That night we got sushi and a super yummy bottle of sake. Twas lovely.





<--Isaac Hale


Chickens!-->

Tuesday
This was our day to spend in Kona. We started off at Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park. It had some old grass huts and a bunch of old wooden statues and a great lava wall and I'm not awesome at descriptions. And we saw sea turtles! And these really pretty bright yellow fish. Afterwards we walked next door to Two Steps, where a lot of people snorkel. We didn't have any snorkeling gear and the water was a bit cold for me so we went in search of a beach to just lounge on. 


There we ate at a place called Foster's Kitchen which, if you find yourself in Kona, you should stop at. 








<--Statues
Sea turtles!-->




Wednesday
Today we stayed in Hilo. There's a farmer's market downtown that I wanted to check out, and we got a couple of nice prints. We had a burger for lunch and headed over to Mehana Brewing for a flight tasting. After a brief rest at the hotel we went to check out Richardson's Black Sand Beach. Still too cold for me to get in the water much, but it was very picturesque. Then it was off to the other end of town to see Rainbow Falls. 
We had dinner at a place called Pineapples that was so good we ate there the next day too.

 


<--Black sand beach
Rainbow Falls-->





Thursday
I was really excited for Volcanoes National Park today! It was rainy again so the views weren't the best, but I think it kept the crowds away. I finally drove the 'Stang too, down Chain of Craters Drive. We didn't stop to see all the craters, but there were places where it felt like some post-apocalyptic future where we were the only people left on the planet. It was eerie but really cool. Finally at the end we got to the Sea Arch and some crazy lava cliffs. I stood close to the edge at one point and kind of freaked out; I realized that the whole thing could collapse at any time and I would just be toast. It makes you think of how completely powerless we are against nature. We also got to walk through a lava tube. You couldn't see a whole lot and we had to walk through a big puddle, but it's neat that to know I've walked through lava! Plus since there weren't a ton of other tourists we got through everything pretty quick and didn't really have to wait in lines. Me likey.

 

Friday
We'd been staying in Hilo so far. Since we had a morning flight in Kona on Saturday, and the towns are about 2 hours away from each other, we decided we'd spend our last day and night in Kona. We found a beach near the hotel we were staying at and laid in the sun for a few hours. We wandered down the strip and had lunch and got some touristy shit. Soldier had noticed we had a great view from our room for the luau that night so we did get to see it, it would a lot of fun. I decided maybe I should just try and do that stuff for exercise...they had crazy leg muscles. There was even a fire dance at the end! I loved it. 

And that's it. We had a great time and got to do most of the stuff we wanted, plus a few extras. I'm so excited I got to see some sea turtles and spend some good beach time with my Soldier. He's still a keeper. 
Also, sorry I really effed up the pictures. I haven't done them in a long time so I really couldn't remember how to do it nicely. I'll do better next time.