Visas

In spite of several tests for which I was studying I managed to do a little bit of research on the topic of visas for the eighteen different countries I will be visiting. I was happy to find out that only Brazil and Paraguay require an advanced purchase of a visa. This will prove to be problematic if I am to lose it along the way, but that's neither here nor there and we'll deal with it if it comes up. Paraguay may not be a problem since I believe I can get one at the Paraguayan consulate office in Argentina. Most of the other countries require what they refer to as a tourist card which is essentially a visa that can be purchased upon crossing of the border and shouldn't pose a problem at all. A funny thing I noticed though when reading through safety information about the various countries is that even though I already recognized the fact that one of the more dangerous locations I will be passing through is Mexico and I have been warned about it multiple times, but I assumed the more dangerous part would be primarily in the state of Chihuahua. However upon reading the State Dept. advisory Chihuahua was only mentioned in passing and paragraphs were dedicated to Vera Cruz. I wasn't too concerned initially due to the fact that I will pretty much be avoiding Juarez and therefore assumed I'd be avoiding the worst, but since I will be staying in Vera Cruz for some time it poses cause for a little more concern. Not that I'm really that concerned, but I'm sure this news will keep me a little more on my toes. Now that I've figured that much out, the next step for me besides actually applying for the visa to Brazil is the get my vaccinations including one I've never had before for yellow fever which is required for several South American countries. I'll update next week if I progress on anything this week.

Problems with organizations

So it seemed rather pointless to write last week considering I had nothing to report. I do have some things to report this week though. I didn't do a whole lot, but I did some more in depth searching on the volunteer organizations that I had a list of. I started with a list of about fifty and am now down to about thirteen. The problem I've been coming into is that all of these organizations cater to those who want to go on vacation and do a little bit of service while they are at it. So therefore they charge a good some of money and usually seem to only have projects set up for certain points in the summer and stick to a very strict schedule. This, as you can imagine, is not conducive to my plans nor my funds. Besides they don't seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. This is more complicated than I anticipated. I still have a few phone numbers I'm going to try, though I don't have high hopes. It seems a bit like a lot of things in my life right now are cutting down my high hopes. In some senses I think that it can be good if those hopes are directed towards something irrational or if those hopes are causing you undue stress. Letting go can break the heart sometimes if you have set you heart on something in particular and that something turns out to not be possible at the present time. Hopes are essential in our lives because they motivate and inspire and encourage us, but we need to learn to be flexible sometimes when God throws us those curve balls. Sometimes it may even require some matrix moves. If we can learn to roll with the punches things always turn out how they are supposed to even if they are not what we planned or may have thought we wanted. On the other hand we may get exactly what we wanted but it just required us to go about it a way we never would have dreamed we needed to. Sometimes it just boils down to patience and a willingness to trust God and see where he takes things. I know this can be scary especially for those who like the security of a plan. Well, be comforted in the knowledge that there is a plan. It just may not be yours. I have purposely placed few constraints on myself this trip so that I won't tie God's hands, but rather so he can guide me to where I might be the best tool in his hands. It is looking like this volunteer thing may have to fall more into His hands than I anticipated. I will continue to do my part in searching, but it may have to come down to small services for individuals here and there that I come into contact with. I will serve in whatever capacity I am capable of serving in.

No Time

Well, as I predicted, I did not have time to do pretty much anything in regards to this trip and its preparations due to several tests I have been preparing for along with several assignments that were and are due. I must say the stress of 18 credits and 16 hours of work along with trying to exercise daily compounded with other stresses in my life make things difficult to stay on top of. Nonetheless, it is always doable and as long as we trust in God and put forth our best effort, things will turn out the way they are supposed to. I did order and receive a couple of books that were recommended to me called Central America on a Shoestring and South America on a Shoestring and have begun to skim through them to find ideas on what to do and where to visit on my trip. I'll highlight those in future posts. I will say that I am not sure about the idea I had in regards to doing research along the way. We shall have to see, but it was pointed out to me that I really wouldn't be doing them a favor considering they would have to train me and could consider me a liability in certain situations. Instead in reality it would just be them doing me a favor. I would love to do it, but we'll see. Hopefully this week I can make some progress toward these goals.

Organizations

Since last week I was able to email and receive emails from a couple of connections I've made and in so doing have accumulated a list of about fifty different international organizations that have locations in many of the countries I will be visiting and as far as I can tell as I have briefly visited various of the websites the majority of them do have volunteer opportunities in things ranging from construction to taking care of orphans. I, of course, will be happy to do whatever they need me to do for as long as I deem sufficient in each of the locations. My next step will be to contact some of these organizations personally, preferably by phone and find out which ones are okay with someone just showing up without an exact set time of arrival. I certainly have a lot of locations to contact, hopefully I can find at least one per country. If I cannot find organizations to work with specifically then I will at the very least find people I can help in some way, even if that means just talking to someone in need. Unfortunately I won't have the funds to just be giving people money or buying food for people, but I'll figure something out. I have also had another idea presented to me by one of my professors who has been involved in a lot of field research in the field of zoology. If I can, I will make some contacts with scientists that are working in those areas that may need a hand in the field and offer my services. Needless to say I have a lot to do and a lot of people to contact. Sadly though, the next two weeks are riddled with various tests on top of the extensive reading assignments and homework in my classes. This will make it difficult to accomplish much else. However, if I just keep in mind the message President Thomas S. Monson has given in the Jan. edition of the Ensign magazine when he spoke on the ABCs of living an abundant life. A stands for attitude. Having the right attitude with the given circumstances in which I find myself can make all the difference, "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.". I can't control my circumstances, but I certainly can control how I react to them. The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our disposition and not our circumstances. B stands for believe. Thomas Fuller said, "He does not believe that does not live according to his belief." Live what you believe and you may find that you believe in yourself. People will try to bring you down as they have with me by saying, "You can't do this." or You're not good enough." or even "It's too dangerous, you shouldn't try." their intentions may be pure or they may stem from jealousy or some other source and it really doesn't matter. What matters is that you stand by what you believe, especially if that belief is in yourself. If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right. The C stands for courage. I know that if I can just have the courage, God will provide me with the strength. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.". I have always defined courage not as being fearless, but rather by pressing forward even in the face of your greatest fears. Pres. Monson said, "Courage is required to make an initial thrust towards one's coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve...Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, 'I'll try again tomorrow'". This combination of ABCs is infallible for accomplishing anything, but most importantly for pushing through our everyday challenges and trials which can often seem more daunting than an apparently insurmountable mountain. With these always in mind we can pursue our dreams.

Donations

So, since last week, I have not taken the time to search out specific places to visit or things to do in the sequential countries, but I was able to get some new information in regards to fundraising and such. As it turns out there are laws regarding the raising of money for charities and the like. Aside from that, I have not been able to figure out any ways to guarantee the security of donations which could cause potential problems for some people. Not to mention I would prefer the money go specifically to the groups or locations/charities I find that are in most need of the funds. So, to save on confusion and hassle I will instead post during my trip ways that you can donate to the organizations with which I will be volunteering my time. This way you can choose which organizations or people you would like to help through your donations along the way and I will not have to be a middle man. This will not only ensure more security for your funds or other donations, but I will also be able to provide you with specific pictures and info of what the donations will be doing for the people I visit.

Mexico and Central America

I haven't fully decided whether I will just be leaving from here in Utah or from Nevada after working on the farm for a couple of weeks. There is also the possibility I might even begin my journey in Canada just to make it a full western hemisphere coverage minus the islands. I have however, made some plans as far as places to visit in Mexico and Central America. My mother has made a request that I visit the Sotano de las Golondrinas (Cave of Swallows) which is the deep cave that I'm sure most of you have seen or heard about on National Geographic that people base jump into. Now, I am no base jumper, but I am a very experienced mountain climber and rappeller and as I understand it, that is allowed though it may be the rainy season when I get there and my studies have shown that it has a lot of waterfalls during that time of year so I may just have to settle for the spectacular view, we'll see. We will then make our way over to Veracruz to do some surfing, after which we will head south to Mexico City mainly to visit the ruins of Teotihuacan. It was also suggested to me to visit Oaxaca. We'll be snorkeling in Belize and visiting the famous ruins of Tikal in Guatemala along with taking in the sites of the awe-inspiring Lake Atitlan and climbing the nearby volcanoes. You'll join me as I visit the famous cities of Antigua and Chichicastenango. These are a few of the places on my list for these countries and I'll leave you with that for now. I will continue with the sequential countries next week as I do some more research on places I think I would find interesting. Now it must be said before I leave you this week that amongst all of the locations I am planning to take you to, the most important and main reason for my adventures is to find places to volunteer and serve along the way. This information of locations will come after I do some research and communication with a few connections I have. Hopefully I will find the time soon to do this, but for now I will continue to get us all excited about the other adventures we will be having.

Plans

So, I said I would update each week and unfortunately I haven't got a whole lot to add right now. This last week, while my schedule was considerably free, my heart was not in a place where I was motivated enough to pursue certain things I need to pursue such as talking to the State Dept. to find out which countries will require me to have visas and how much they will cost, or talking to banks and figuring out how to go about getting pre-paid debit cards to bring with me so I won't have to carry too much cash on me at any given time. So those updates will come later. For now it is sufficient for me to say that I need your feedback on what locations in the different countries that you as my readers have wanted to visit or see. I would love any kind of feedback so you can post it on either my facebook page or email me or whatever you find convenient. Once I get a decent list put together of places to visit I will then begin to piece together a map and hopefully be able to post it or if nothing else just give a literary description of my route. So please help me out with that.
Also, I will try to figure out a way that you as my readers can donate into some account that will go to charities along the way. I have had some offers from people to donate to me to help pay for my trip, but for this particular trip I have vowed to not benefit financially and so I must graciously decline, but please give that money to my charity account when I get it set up. As for me, I plan to sell my Jeep Grand Cherokee and my beautiful motorcycle before I leave and that will be how I pay my way through this trip. So stay tuned and I will get more info soon, I hope.