(Alex) For as long as I can remember I have been in love with polar bears. My best guess for a reason why: since I was a baby my favorite stuffed animal has been a white bear. When we were younger, we visited zoos around the Boston area and my favorite exhibit was always the […]
Read moreWho let the dogs out?
(Alex) Wild Dogs were a bit of a fantasy to the six of us, similar to fairies, unicorns, and the occasional aardvark. We knew that they existed, of course, but in all seven weeks of safari on our big trip, there was no evidence of any dogs. African Painted Dogs, or more commonly known as […]
Read moreKid Magnet
(Alex) Walking through an Ethiopian tribal village is like being a celebrity on the red carpet. Kids stop what they are doing to stare at you and follow your every movement. A few timid hands reach out to touch your pale skin. Some little brave hands slide into yours… then suddenly, like an explosion, the […]
Read moreHappy 2012
Naya sala mubaraka ho! Feliz Año Nuevo! furaha ya mwaka mpya! Hamingjusamur Nytt Ar! Stastny Novy Rok! Happy New Year! Which photo do we use for our holiday card? When will the cards get back from the printer? Are all of our addresses up-to-date? Did we buy enough international stamps? This holiday, we decided […]
Read moreLast Day Thoughts
We made a video of the kids’ feelings about the year before the trip; what they looked forward to, were afraid of and what they most anticipated. That video is in the Preparation section of this site. Now, as we wrestle with re-entry and the rhythm of everyday life, we will try to capture some […]
Read moreOne Year in 2:43 seconds
This is one of our favorites. Click on the video link below. Thanks to Coach Jay for the inspiration.
Read moreSchool’s Out!!
(Alex) After sort of falling off of the school-everyday-train at the beginning of the trip due to more exciting activities, we had to pick up the pace in the second half. I guess school was not the most exciting thing to do when we had the option of playing lacrosse with new friends while trekking […]
Read moreTerminal Velocity
(Alex) Okay — so my brothers call me an adrenaline junky, and I admit it, I love the feeling of adrenaline rushing through my veins. After gorge swinging in Zimbabwe, I really wanted to do something that would outdo myself. My first idea was bungee jumping, but Mom and Dad quickly talked me out of […]
Read moreThe Wigmen
(Alex) The Huli wigmen are the fiercest, most warlike tribe in all of Papua New Guinea. Ironically, the main goal of the Huli wigmen is to look and act like the beautiful endemic Bird of Paradise. The men do their best to “be” the beautiful birds. First, the men cover themselves in a shiny oil […]
Read morePrehistoric Pajama Party
(Alex) “Great!” Mom says as we are driving into the city (actually the size of a really small town) of Mongar. “We get to spend the night in a traditional farm house!” Well if that is great news to her, then I don’t know what bad news is. Oh how I am dreading a night […]
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