Kicking it in Africa, Seven Continents Achieved - WTRD 35, Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016

Kicking the Bucket List - Seven Continents Achieved 

Today we will step on continent number 7 (Africa), tonight we will sleep on continent number 7.  A big part of our bucket list has been to travel to all of the seven continents. North America where we were born #1; Europe #2 1970; Australia #3 2011; Asia #4 2013; South America #5 2016; Antarctica #6 2016; Africa #7 2016.  This year has been a big year for three continents.  

More Bucket List to Kick!  It's All About Making Friends Around the World.

One of our learnings is that when you achieve your dreams, you need new dreams and new goals.  We have been privileged to see great portions of our beautiful earth, historical landmarks and attractions, and to meet wonderful people that encircle the globe.  We love the adventure and experience of novelty, but hold dear the relationships of the people we meet.  Our travel has always been a balance of both with a lean toward places.  I think our bucket list will begin to shift more toward experiencing personal relationships and community both at home and abroad.

We started the relationship building while cruising the South Pacific, supporting fellow cruisers and communities,

bringing eyeglasses and school supplies to remote villages,

teaching classes in schools, celebrating Diwali with Hindu friends,

drinking Kava with Fijian friends,


engaging an entire village in blackout Bingo for a potpourri of cruiser donations,

holding classes in professional development for teachers and hands on training on generator, solar, engine (chain saw, weed eater) equipment maintenance.

After selling our cruising boat in 2013,  Russ and I included AirBnB accommodations in our travel mix and found that this was a great way of incorporating authentic, relationship experience to our travels.  We have spent many hours with hosts around the world, living in their homes and getting to know them, some more, some less, and all informally.  We have shared meals, drinks, and stories.

Poland

Argentina

Lithuania

Latvia

Chile

When we were in Thailand in 2013, we met an American couple slipping on their sandals as we were slipping ours off, outside of the reclining Buddha statue in Bangkok.

We struck up a conversation and learned that they belonged to an organization call SERVAS, it is an independent cultural, peace building exchange started in 1949 after World War II.  This couple had traveled all over the world staying in private homes and meeting people (free of charge).  

SERVAS is an intensely rich experience for independent travelers.  Fascinated by the concept, we researched the organization and joined as travelers after a lengthy application, letter of introduction, letters of character reference, and interview.  The lengthy part of this was not due to the process, but the length of time it took for character references from our traveling friends to be written and received.  Then we ourselves had to postpone the interview for several months as we were traveling ourselves.

Since joining SERVAS in 2013, we have stayed with several host families in cities around the world including New Orleans, Finland,

Finland

 Poland,

Warsaw Day Host

Warsaw, Poland

Opole, Poland

Wroclaw, Poland

Wroclaw, Poland

Turkey,  

and the United Kingdom.

Our hosts have been atheist, Christian, and Muslims, with children, singles, and couples.  It has been a very enriching experience for us.  SERVAS hosts also go through a vetting process and once a host, if you request a stay with them and they agree, they host you for two nights and provide meals.  It is a given, that travelers pitch in where needed with household tasks.  If their schedules permit, they may invite you to stay longer.  If you accept, you become a contributing member of the household for a few more days...cooking, contributing to groceries, telling your stories as well as learning about theirs.  Basically, you become a member of the family.

There is time to sight see and often the hosts will accompany you, drive you to the airport or train station, take you shopping, help you interpret the language.  SERVAS host generosity has often left us feeling guilty as a traveler, thinking we are taking more than we are giving.  But most of these hosts appreciate the world landing on their doorstep as they may not have the time, ability to get visas, or financial wherewithal.  Often we have been thanked vigorously for a visit and cultural exchange.

Reciprocated Hosting and Traveling, SERVAS Wroclaw Poland

Since 2015 Russ and I have become hosts as well as travelers and have had two visitations, and requests for a few more.  Unfortunately, as active travelers it is not always possible to host, but when we do it is exciting for us to share our environment and culture with new eyes.

When we joined SERVAS in 2013, our interviewer was also a member of another organization called Friendship Force.  Similar in principle of making global friends and being an ambassador for goodwill and peace, Friendship Force differs from the independent informal travel of SERVAS to a more formalized, small group club to club, hosting and reciprocity program.  We were introduced to Friendship Force, Sacramento, and this too looked like a fun group to join, but we would have to be at arms length for a couple of years until we had check a few more items from our bucket list.

FLYING to MORCCO - Continent #7 and Friendship Force World Conference.

Russ and I completed our first Friendship Force Exchange a few weeks ago in Chisinau, Moldova.

We had a wonderful time in a small country with a big heart.  Our home host and her daughter were fun to be with and we were impressed with the coordinators of the Chisinau exchange.  They were a small but mighty group.  Moldova is a sister city to Sacramento, and is trying to start a Friendship Force club by building a core group of interest and home hosts.

We are now headed to the Friendship Force World Conference in Marrakech, Morocco, where will meet up with some of our FF exchange travelers and meet new friends from around the world.  After three years and the BIG SEVEN under our belt, we are finally able to participate more fully in Friendship Force.

TODAY, September 13, 2016

Our trip today, started at 4:15 am with the alarm, ride to the Santarini airport, 6:40 flight to Athens, 9;05 flight to Madrid, and late afternoon flight to Marrakech.  It's only 11:30 and I am exhausted from late night packing, early awakening, long lines of basically unhappy jostling travelers, security checks - metal bracelets stowed, cell phones and electronics in plastic boxes, conveyor belts, metal detectors, passports, boarding passes, boarding busses, climbing stairs with luggage, stowing luggage.  Ugh.  I still love the metaphor, although it was probably not said by an air traveler, "It's about the journey, not the destination".  Honestly, I'm liking the destination much better than the journey these days.

We looked at these kids enviously.  This is exactly what we wanted to do.

Once aboard the aircraft, we can relax.  Having written this much,  I'm taking a nap.......well that didn't work.  Closed my eyes but opened them as we hit some turbulence.  We were starting our half hour descent into Madrid through the tops of giant columns of cumulous clouds.  The plane grew quiet as we tossed about in the updrafts for 20 minutes.  As soon as we dropped below the clouds, passengers released their tension with spontaneous applause.

Yep...done with the journey...just get me to the destination.  We had to collect our checked bags as we are changing carriers from Madrid to Marrakech.  So once again we must check in, get boarding passes, recheck our bags, and go through the security rituals, and passport control.

We boarded our plane.  It is raining, warm, and humid.  Our flight to Morocco is 1hr 40. Getting excited.  The bucket list of 7 continents is about ready to be kicked!

Landed 4:05 pm.  Yeah!

Once we checked into our hotel, we spent the rest of the day relaxing.

All is Well With the Worrall Travel R's Kicking It in Africa!