I finally finished the 61 pages of their story (still chewing thru subsequent discussions).
Yow.
There’s a lot of angles to take from this. Fortunately, it’s a straightforward recounting of a journey, with little/no sociopolitical opinions injected.
- It’s quite possible for a young couple to pack everything into a small truck and drive/live wherever they like. Get up and go. This backs up Sam Kinison’s “MOVE!” skit nicely.
- Tenacity will get you thru d@mn near anything.
“We do have a great universal plan that works for most situations: “If we have a problem, we fix it!” ;-)”
- Large sections of Africa are staggeringly poor, with nearly nonexistent infrastructure. This was supposed to be a “simple” drive that would take about 17 hours in the US; it took them >50 days and nearly destroyed their truck (yes, they knew what they were getting into). Poverty was beyond rampant. Begging was intense. Corruption was prolific. Many organizations have tried to improve the area, but balk and are torn apart; Catholic missions seem the only semblance of safety & stability, and there only barely. Cell phone communication is sparse, but at least provides a semblance of comm infrastructure.
Appreciate the life we have here. However “poor”, 1st-world Westerners have it good.
And I have to wonder how many like this couple set off on a similar adventure, and did not survive to tell about it.
That's exactly where I am too. Thank you again for this link!
And I have to wonder how many like this couple set off on a similar adventure, and did not survive to tell about it.
Very good point.