The India 15

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Indian food. And now we're in India and it's been in my face, quite literally, for almost 4 weeks. You'd think I'd be sick of it, but NO!

I wasn't a big drinker during my university life. In fact, I didn't drink beer until my trip to Europe with Aran. I also didn't live in residence and so I was able to avoid the dreaded Frosh 15. Well, my time has come...or should I say, my 15 pounds have come...

Without my bike (oh I miss my bike!) there's been nothing to offset the glorious tastiness at my fingertips.

Speaking of fingertips - eating with your hands, more specifically, your right hand (the left is used for other unpleasantries), is THE way to eat in India and it's fantastic! It allows me to shovel in the food as fast as I've always wanted AND lick my fingers when I'm all done. When I'm brought a fork and knife, I look at these foreign utensils and wonder, "do I have to use these?".

We eased ourselves in with favourites from home - palak paneers, aloo ghobis, and garlic naan. But there's so much more! 

Our love for the street-wallah started our first night in Bombay, about 1am after arriving from Johannesburg, we grab a paneer tikka roll from the street for about 60 rupees (that's about $1.20). The next day its a plateful of pakodas (yes, pakodas here, not pakoras) packed with huge chunks of onion for 17 rupees. And among those heavenly street-wallahs we discovered a new favourite, gobi manchurian! Basically, battered cauliflower cooked in a wok with green peppers and onion in a wicked sauce.

Then, pav bhaji - dear God - a fresh roll soaked in butter that you break apart and use to scoop up mouthfuls of savoury curry. To wash it all down? How about a vanilla milkshake or fresh fruit smoothie (mineral water only, please, oh and hold the ice and it's accompanying parasites, ah thank you!)

Some other finds include Navarathan Khurma, a thick, white yogurt-based sauce with cashews, fruit, vegetables and raisins, or Mushroom Masala, tender Tandoori chicken, Malai Kofta and Veg Makhanwala. 

Or perhaps a paan to cleanse the pallette? A paan leaf wrapped up with sweet stuff, lime, betel nuts, and other crunchy bits that explodes with flavour in your mouth, as you struggle to consume it all at once without making a fool of yourself, and that leaves your breath minty fresh.

Breakfast has brought some new flavours as well. Dosas are a thin, crunchy bread that comes rolled up in a long tube with a "dose-a-something" yummy inside, and usually a spicy chutney on the side. Or uttapam, India's version of a pancake, made with rice and onion and topped with cheese! I did not particularly like Idlis, little rice cakes that you dunk into curries, but it was worth a try.

A large contributor to my India 15 is all the bread! And let me tell you there aren't any whole wheat options for paratha, flaky bread stuffed with paneer, potatoes, veg or all three! Or Kashmiri naan, topped with fruits, raisins and pistachios. And the rice! Pilau, Jeera, Ghee or my fave biriyani...just recently enjoyed in Goa with spicy prawns!

And how could I forget mithai! Desserts like creamy kulfi - milky, pistachio-flavoured ice cream to cool down on a hot day wandering through ruins. Or Dani and Ger's favourite, gulab jamoon! Imagine old-fashioned timbits soaked in maple syrup. One night in Aurangabad, Aran and I took a gamble on cassatta and it did not disappoint. It was sort of like ice cream cake with a shortbread base, then a thin layer of cherry jam, 3 layers of ice cream, mango, chocolate and pistachio, topped with crushed nuts! One night out in Mysore we stumbled upon a bakery and the super friendly security guard helped us pick out the best selections...we had barfi, I know sounds gross, but tastes like fudge! And jalebis, crunchy deep-fried curly things soaked in syrup, and a couple other goodies that were simply scrum-di-di-ly-umptious! And of course lassis...lots and lots of lassis! Mango, banana, coconut!

But what it all comes down to is Chai. Chai is the best dessert. And you can have it any time of day. We usually have one in the morning to help wash down our GSE (grapefruit seed extract Lish recommended to keep us bug-free..so far so good! Thanks Lish!). Chai is a staple here. It brings people together. You never have to find it...it finds you. On the train, in the street...you can hear the chai-wallah calling "Hot Chai!", with their steel thermos in hand, ready to serve up a cup for 5 rupees. 

Last but not least - in fact our number one favourite - THALIS. If all that other stuff didn't cause my additional 15 pounds, then thalis did. 

Thalis are India's version of all you can eat. "No sharing please" - as the menu reads. Sharing? Are you nuts? I don't want to share a single bit!

The simplest thalis are served on a banana leaf with 2 or 3 curries, a pile of rice and a pappadam. While the more extravagant come on a metal tray with 7 to 10 small bowls just waiting to be filled with delicious curries of potatoes, tomatoes, dhal (lentils), paneer, onions, palak - usually 3 equally amazing concoctions. Another bowl is filled with raita. Two are dedicated to soups. Another to a couple gulab jamoon. One more for sweet curd or custard. In the space  not occupied by the bowls they drop pappadams and chapatti, followed by “ghee, madame?”. Sure, a scoop of melted butter on top won’t kill me will it?

Next up is salad. Diced cucumbers, onions, capsicum and tomatoes. A couple small spoonfuls of relish; small, because they’re so damn hot they’ll burn your lips for the next 3 days. And of course a couple of sweet and spicy chatnis (chutneys!)  mmm

All of this is delivered by multiple waiters. One for each “group” of curries, breads (this guy carries the butter too), soups and desserts. 

So we dig in (with out fingers of course), thinking WOW all this for $4? And then…they come BACK! And they keep coming back. “Oh I’m so full, but sure fill ‘er up”.

After about 3 refills, just like Lonely Planet warned, the rice shows up. Not one rice, but three kinds: biriyani, jeera and khichri – a blend of rice and lentils.

It’s heavenly, and keeps us coming back for more, just like India. We love it here. We can’t get enough and we’re already talking about where we’ll go on the next trip to this subcontinent. 

p.s. Dani, Ger and and Holly...Diwa is definitely the closest!

Goodbye Africa...Hello India

Our time on this continent is winding down...only 1 more sleep in Africa! Today we fly from Livingstone, Zambia to Johannesburg, South Africa. After a sleepover in the airport we'll fly to India and arrive in Mumbai at 12:05 Thursday morning.
We decided to give Botswana a miss in order to have 3 extra weeks in India.
This past week has been an incredible ending to our time in Africa, with a good mix of relaxing and adventure. But that seems to be par for the course.
So to recap, here are the higlights of our travels so far...

• 4 day safari in the Masai Mara
• Checking out the market in chaotic Nairobi
• First minibus ride to Kimana
• Hiking Chyulu hills with the Masai, including a traditional goat meal
• Getting a ride to the Kenya-Tanzania border from two Isaeli guys, crammed in the back of their jeep
• Being called an muzungu for the first time (when it wasn't annoying yet) as we walked from the border to the closest town in Tanzania
• The 7 hr bus ride that took 10 hours to get to Dar
• Surviving the Dar bus station insanity
• Exploring the streets of Stone Town, Zanzibar and haggling for dinner at the night fish market
• Running on the beach with local kids in Bwejuu
• Meeting the workers at Neema Crafts in Iringa, where disabled people are given employment opportunities, otherwise unavailable in most of Tanzania
• Listening to the choir singing in the church next to our guesthouse window
• A hellish minibus ride from Mbeya to the Tanzania-Malawi border
• Experiencing true Malawian hospitality in Karonga with James, who drove us around to find a place to sleep and invited us to a braii (bbq) at his restaurant where we ate and drank for free
• Camping at Lake Malawi in Chitimba
• Hiking 12k up to Livingstonia for a few nights at the amazing Lukwe camp overlooking the hills
• Taking a dip in the Machewe falls...just us and our companion dog
• The best Indian food we've had so far in Mzuzu
• Self-catering in Lilongwe
• Hiking and horseback riding on the Zomba plateau (on a Fresian no less!)
• Haggling in the Zomba market for fresh bananas, mangoes, avocados, tomatoes, onion and green peppers
• Spending the weekend at Ernest's house, eating his wife Patricia's delicious mandazis and nsima, and playing with their daughter, Abigail
• Biking to and from Grace Orphan Care for a week of business lessons
• Standing on a dirt road, laughing out loud at my first marriage proposal from a lorry full of men passing by... one yelled "will you be my wife!?"
• Spending each day teaching with Victor and sharing nsima every day at lunch with the Grace gang
• Watching as the electrical work was completed at the Grace Maize Mill
• Spending 4 days sick in Blantyre - luckily it wasn't Malaria! Just a bacteria infection...and hey, we had tv and a fan with no blackouts!
• Traveling to Lusaka via bus, minibus and taxi after our flight was cancelled by AirMalawi ...because they had to do maintenance on the plane...riiiiiiiight
• Going to a movie and eating subway in uber-western Lusaka
• Jumping into Devil's pool at the edge of Vic Falls
• Canoeing with (and very quickly away from) hippos on the Zambezi river
• Rapelling down, zipping across and swinging down into the Batoka gorge...oh yeah, and hiking back out of it!

It has been one hell of a ride (in some cases, literally!) and we're better for it! We've learned a lot...but here's our top 5 favourite observations
5. We can expect to hear one or more of the following from every child we pass in some variation or another..."HELL-O!", "WHERE! ARE! YOU! GOING!?", "How are you!?", "Where you come from?", and our favourite (mostly heard in Malawi) "Give me my money!"
4. Canadians aren't the only ones using the word "eh". Everywhere we've travelled in East Africa, "eh" is a regular part of the language, whether it's Swahili, Chechewa or another tribal language. The difference is how it's used here. Often it's a deep "eh" to indicate your following along with what the other person is saying, but depending on the inflection of your voice, it could show surprise, sympathy or questioning/disbelief. We love listening to it and we will miss it!　

3. African women can carry anything, anywhere as long as they have their kangas (bright coloured fabric) to wrap their kids around their back and to cushion the load balancing on their heads, whether its a huge pail of water, a basket of mangoes or a huge bundle of firewood...oh yeah, and they do it all barefoot

2. African vehicles do not have a maximum capacity - if you can pay and force yourself and all your crap on board, you can come

And the number 1 lesson...we get it Africa...we are azungus/muzungu (white people) - thanks for the reminder EVERYDAY

The wheels on the bus...

First! Sorry for not posting in so long...getting internet in Malawi is about as easy as finding a breakfast that doesn't include french fries!

I haven't done much travel by bus in my life time. Well, I did spend my entire schooling life taking the big yellow bus from Ariss into Guelph, and I've taken the city bus a handful of times, and there was the odd bus in Europe, but NOTHING compares to bus travel in Africa. 

For definition purposes, a minibus, known as a Dalla Dalla in Tanzania, a Matola in Malawi, and a Matatu in Kenya (you know, just to add to the confusion), is a small van-like bus with improvised seating. With the driver, there are usually about 11 actual seats, but you can expect closer to 20-25 people to be crammed in...along with their crap! Including but not limited to chickens (in plastic bags or boxes), huge sacks of grain, suitcases, boxes, and the odd azungu (white person) backpack. A bus on the other hand, is what you normally picture - assigned seats, with luggage stored underneath. The latter is usually more comfortable, and more expensive, but they're both an adventure! And the adventure is not limited to the bus ride itself...it's all the interactions leading up to it, and the bus station itself when you arrive at your destination. 

First you try to get a ticket. The second you enter a bus depot, you are accosted by swarms of touts. "Sister! Sister! where to? Dar? Mbeya? Moshi?". Half the time you just got off a bus and you're only trying to get out of the madness! We're always replying "we're here! we're good!". Well, then the taxi drivers are all over you..."Brother! My brother! Where to? Taxi? Where you going!? Good price...Africa price!". 

Trying to buy a ticket the day before is hilarious. We always buy in the offices to make sure we don't get a ticket to nowhere. 

Aran - "We need a ticket to the Malawi border"

Tout - "when? Today? Yes, this way!"

Aran - "No, tomorrow"

Tout - "oh ok! NO problem, this way my brother"

Aran - "How much?"

Tout - ....pause, while he thinks about how much we're worth ... "for you my friend 7500 shillings"

Aran - "Is it is a mini bus?"

Tout - "yes, yes, mini bus"

Aran - "I don't want a mini bus"

Tout - "Oh no problem sir, it's not a mini bus...it's a big bus"

And it goes on and on like this until we've handed over our cash and our faith that indeed this little scrap of paper with our names on it will land us a bus to the border. 

On departure day, we get up early to get to the station for reporting time. Why? I don't know because the bus rarely leaves on time...it leaves when it's full!

Last week we took a bus from Lilongwe to Zomba. We arrived at 7am, bought our tickets and were told the bus would leave at 8am sharp! Well, it didn't leave until 10:30am. I can respect from an environmental perspective, that the bus doesn't go until it's full BUT that was somewhat negated by the fact that the bus was running the ENTIRE 3 HOURS we waited. Aran figures its because once they get them running they don't risk turning them off.

So finally we are on the road and then the next surprise begins...

A man gets on at the edge of the bus station, and starts to unzip a small bag, from which he removes a book. I look at Aran and say, prepare for preaching. Well, nothing could prepare me for this man! He screamed scripture in Chechewa, pacing up and down the aisle. Of course, he was passing and pausing right by me so I got full volume, along with a couple elbows to the head and kicks to my shin. There were some nice parts when he shut up and the people on the bus sang, but these moments were short-lived, and then he was back at it. I actually had visions of me throwing him out a window, and wondered to myself if I could physically do it....would people try and stop me? Just when I told myself to get over it and prepare to meditate and practice patience, he got off the bus!!

Of course, the bus made its usual 20 stops, and every one is chaos. Each town usually offers the same items from the same type of people - either all women or all men. As we approach, people charge the bus with boxes of pop, cookies, water and fanta balanced on there heads or held up on their outstretched arm. Sometimes, it's plastic bins filled with bags of chips, nuts or platters of bananas or mangoes, or roasted corns of cob on sticks. Sometimes, it's boxes filled with mandazi (donuts), samosas, or meat (they use a stick to pick up a few pieces and sell to you). Other stops are selling loaves of bread or plastic bags filled with chips (fries). The next stop might be all produce: bright orange carrots, bushels of onions, small plastic bags crammed with way too many potatoes...and at this, the women of the bus come alive! Hanging out the window, frantically bartering a price, before the bus is off again. They try to haul their purchases up into the windows. They fling their bills out the window as potatoes topple through the window onto our laps. If they don't have a window seat, they enlist their neighbour to convey their message, or to catch the huge heads of cabbage being shoved through the windows. It's an amazing experience so far and we'll see how it continues! 

I've posted some pictures from Malawi so check them out! We're at Grace Orphan Care this week teaching business and so far so good. Ernest and Victor are taking great care of us!

Kazuri ...

Swahili for "small and beautiful"
I first learned the meaning of this word at the Kazuri bead factory in Nairobi, where I picked up a few beads for my trip bracelet (great idea Nat!).
When we set out on this adventure, I looked forward to some incredibly awesome times, and I mentally prepared for some times that would downright suck. What I didn't consider were the Kazuri times. Small and beautiful experiences that would bring a smile to my lips and warm my heart.
Like when we were wandering around Loitokitok, a border town in southern Kenya, and a little boy, probably not more than 2 years old, pulled his older brother across the street toward us with his arm stretched out to hold our hands with a big huge smile on his face.
Or when I discovered, a week after buying a shoulder bag at the Nairobi city market, that the Swahili words on it read "though I have traveled far, I am not yet tired".
And just 2 days ago, Aran and I went for a run on the beach in Bwejuu (we've been drinking too many Tuskers!!) when we were chased by a group of giggling, squealing kids. They cart-wheeled and jumped, grabbing our shirts and arms...happy as ever in their way-too-big and tattered clothes. They were small and they were beautiful, and they left us with a totally unexpected smile for the run home.

Hakuna matata...

what a wonderful phrase! And yes, also the song I had in my head for the entire 4 days we spent in Masai Mara on safari!!

On our first day in the park our driver, Leonard,attempted to cross a small river and failed. So we watched for an hour as he and several other drivers worked on getting us out.
We knew it would be a while when they took out a canvas rope to tie the van to another vehicle (TIA - this is Africa). After the rope snapped (obviously), we had a good laugh, and then watched as the next plan, which involved a cable wire managed to rip a metal hook right off the front of the van. THEN they decided to get out a chain, which they tied in a knot to the cable wire...miraculously it worked and we were off again.
Our first day scored us 4 of the big 5 and a ton of other animals. We saw a lioness and what was left of the wildebeest she took down, then we found 2 lions mating which was incredible, and unfortunately for the lady, quite quick! 2 brother cheetahs were catching some shade under an acacia tree and then we saw a solo female doing the same. Heards of buffalo, zebras (my fave), wildebeest and antelopes were everywhere. Luckily we got to see a leopard, and she was so beautiful. We saw loads of giraffes, elephants, vultures, bright and colourful birds. A few animals turned up that we hadn't really thought of, like, jackals, warthogs (quite possibly the cutest animal on earth...I would seriously consider having one for a pet).  Funny story actually...on our 3rd day in the park, we sa all this commotion with wildebeest and zebra running everywhere. Get this! It was a warthog chasing them! Freakin hilarious!
We also met some fantastic people on this trip...Becky from Virginia, who's here to volunteer for the next 6 months, but we think she should consider being a tour guide...this well travelled 22 year old took us into big bad Nairobi! And Joe, from Switzerland, who has done a ton of traveling in her time and was hilarious on our game drives, coaxing all the predators to go for the kill and baby talking the big cats. We also met Rachel and Simon from the UK. Simon's here to work for AMREF and he offered us some incredible advice and tips for traveling in India. And ironically enough, we all met James,who Simon is replacing at AMREF. James has been here for 8 weeks with his girlfriend Lee. They were finishing up their last few days in Kenya, then making a quick visit home to the UK, and a week later moving to Australia, where Lee is from. They were nice enough to offer us a place to crash when we get to Sydney, so we're looking forward to meeting up with them later this year. James left us with a fabulous new term - "type 2 fun". For example, climbing Kili would be "type 2 fun". It sucks the whole time, but it's worth it in the end. Hmmm...in some ways I think triathlons could be considered type 2 fun as well? 
The 4 days up in the Masai Mara with these 6 people was certainly NOT type 2 fun...it was fun all the time...

OK I'll try to post some pics soon

Finally an update! We're on Africa time now ...

What do you get when you put 2 Americans, 2 Canadians and a Masai in a land cruiser? 18 chapatis, a case of Tusker beer and an incredible trip to Chyulu hills.

Aran and I hit the jackpot when we met Becky and Jenna at Wildebeest camp in Nairobi. Days before Jenna was set to head back to the states, after working for a year in Kenya, she arranged for us to climb in Chyulu with her friend Sapaya, whom she has come to know very well.

So we met at the Ranger cafe in Kimana, a small town just north of the Tanzania border. For 6 dollars we each got a coke, a bowl of delicious soup, and a huge plate of rice, green beans, carrots, cabbage and onion, plus Aran got a half chicken and I had black beans...mmm.

On the street we spent a whopping 3 bucks to get about 20 tomatoes, a bag of onions, 4 huge avocados, 5 oranges and 10 cobs of corn.

Sapaya took us on a game drive through the group ranch at the base of the hills. We didn't see a lot of animals, but we ran into a gang of trouble-making baboons and a few Masai herds. Mostly we spent our time taking in the beautiful sunset and the hills and landscapes surrounding us. Kilimanjaro even made an appearance, so we soaked up every last ray of sunshine before making our way up to the lodge. After getting settled in, we stuffed ourselves with corn perfectly roasted by Jenna on the campfire.

The next morning we sat on the gazebo drinking chai, eating oranges, pineapple and chapatis with jam for breakfast. Good thing we ate so much because we had a steep climb! It was so beautiful and it got better the higher we went. We were accompanied by 2 Masai warriors to protect us from wild animals...they pointed out some fresh lions paw prints on the way up! Part of the path was a nice flat section through the forest where we explored huge trees with crazy roots. At the top we crossed over into the Tsavo west national park.

Following a lot of picture-taking we had lunch and shared a beer with the Masai..."save an elephant, kill a Tusker!"

Our descent was quick and really dusty so back at the lodge we all had a wash to scrub off the thick layer of dirt packed on our sweaty skin! We practiced some Swahili phrases while preparing food to accompany our goat. That's right! A goat!! Aran and I watched as the Masai warriors slaughtered a goat from their herd. It was kind of sad because the little guy was bleating and scared but it was quick. And someone pointed out that if you eat meat, you should be able to watch it be killed. One of the Masai drank all of the goat's blood on the spot. Then they quickly skinned and dismembered it, sharing the raw kidney, intestines and heart among themselves. The head was saved for the elders in the clan and the rest was put on stakes around the fire. It was impressive how quickly and efficiently the Masai prepared the meat. Sapaya explained that this was a skill all Masai men were expected to know how to perform.

When the meat was cooked, one of the Masai warriors cut pieces of the meat off the stakes and passed it to each of us...going around the circle until all the meat was gone. It's a good thing there were about 15 Masai with us because there was a LOT of meat and, delicious as it was, we filled up fast.

The 3 days up in the hills were the most cultural and fun we've had so far and we consider ourselves lucky to have had this experience...

I wrote this post a few days ago...since then we've spent a couple days in Loitokitok, crossed the border on foot into Tanzania, hung out in Moshi for a couple days, and today was a 10 hour bus ride into Dar es Salaam. Tomorrow we're heading to Zanzibar for some beach time! 

Big "hugs" eh? Well...see ya later

2 more sleeps...

It's been a busy couple of weeks... and the goodbyes have begun. One last date with Nick, Diwa with  Dani & Ger, a tearful squeeze with Katie, dinner with Matt & Tara (our biggest cheerleaders)... and they keep coming, or should I say going? Big hugs followed by a weird feeling that we won't see each other for a year or perhaps longer!

A lot of people are saying...it's just a year; it'll be over before you know it. It's true, but for me, it's the longest I'll have ever been away from my family and friends, so a year feels a bit like my first Olympic triathlon. Will I finish the year? How will I feel? I didn't move away to go to University and the next longest departure was 3 months in Europe back in 2005. Feels like jumping from a 5k to a marathon!

A lot can happen in a year. We're going to miss Cath & Lionel's wedding which is super disappointing. We're going to miss our friends having babies, but like Dani says, "you'll be back just in time for them to be interesting and doing stuff" Its funny because its seems like a long time, but when we sit down to map out where we want to go it's been difficult to fit everything we want to do into just a year.

This past Friday was my last day at work. WEIRD. After 6 years of Economical being my home it felt strange to be packing up my desk and saying bye to all the people I've worked with for so long. We promised Chris & Victoria we wouldn't leave until after their wedding and what a great move that was! We were happy to be part of their special day, and they threw one hell of a party. It was an awesome night, with our incredible friends. Merin I promise...I will keep my mouth shut on this trip!

Tonight we send Kaya off to live with Grandma. And yes, I know she's an animal but she's my small baby and I'll miss her.

Tomorrow's going to be the toughest...saying goodbye to the fam. So I'm prepping myself for some bigger hugs, ones where I'll want to hang on for even longer so that I can keep them with me for the next 12 months...

Oh the places we'll go...

It's creeping up on us! Less than two weeks to go and now that all the folks I work with are aware that I'm leaving, the most frequently asked question is, "where are you going?". So I thought I'd share the game plan...

• Kenya
• Tanzania
• Malawi
• Zambia (probably cross the bridge over to Zimbabwe for a different view of Victoria Falls)
• Botswana
• South Africa
• India (Nepal perhaps?)
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• Vietnam (possibly connecting with my parents?)
• Taiwan (including any place Paul decides to take/send us!)
• Japan
• Indonesia
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Fiji
• USA including Hawaii, San Fran (joined by Katie & Nate for a drive up the west coast?)
• Finishing up with a road trip across Canada

And yes, you'll notice Europe, the Middle East and South America are missing. Aran and I travelled around Europe in 2005 (we'll hopefully go back some day) and South America feels close enough to do when we have money again (ha ha). We want to spend quality time in the places above so we're trying not to cram in too much.

Please note this itinerary is subject to significant change without notice. 

In fact, we're counting on it.

The countdown is on!

It's been a few months in the making but we're doing this! Aran and I are off for a year and we leave August 14th...
There have been a lot of milestone moments so far. First was our expensive vaccines, then we asked for a leave of absence (which had a twist ...Aran was approved but I wasn't...the exact OPPOSITE of what we expected). Another big one was signing the rental agreement for the house, but the kicker was booking the first 6 months of flights.                              
I was telling Holly earlier that day I wasn't nervous...and she said "oh you will be". Sure enough as Aran typed in our credit card number for my stomach was fluttering just like it does the morning of a triathlon. 
I can't actually remember how this came up. I've always wanted to go to Africa...we started talking about it one night and next thing I know we have bought a huge, laminated world map and plastered it on our dining room wall. Next we're posting the house for rent on Kijiji and MLS. Then it was booking travel health appointments and telling as many people as we could so that we wouldn't back out. 
It's 20 days and counting until we leave...strap in!
Oh and to my dear friends Katie and Stephie - I'm going to apologize in advance for all the grammar errors that will no doubt drive you bonkers!