Where are you going?
I am going to be travelling in Africa, starting in Nairobi, Kenya. I will be there overnight and then travel to Arusha/Moshi, Tanzania the following morning. After climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro I will be continuing on to Dar es Salaam. I will then go on Safari which will take me to the Selous Reserve, the Udzungwa Mountains, and the Kilombero Valley. The safari will finish back in Dar es Salaam and after that I'm not sure where I am headed. I will eventually be headed to South Africa, but I'm not sure what route I am going to take. I am also hoping that I will be able to go to West Africa, particularly Ghana and Mali. If I still have any money left and am not too homesick after all that, I hope to go to Europe, do some more travelling, and study German.

Are you going with a group or by yourself?
For the first 3 weeks or so, I will be travelling with my friend Jason Hoffman who I met on Semester at Sea. After that I will be on my own, but hope to meet with others who are also travelling through Africa.

Why are you mostly travelling by yourself?
Do you want to go with me? Can you?
Yeah, I didn't think so. No one else wants to and can either.

What are you going to do in Africa?
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, go on safari, experience the local culture, see the sights... I don't really have to much planned.

How high is Mt. Kilimanjaro?
5,895 meters; 19,340 feet; approximately 3,774 Jills

Why Africa?
The most honest answer is because it has been calling to me. I'm not really sure why. I think the wildlife, the cultures, and the fact that Africa is about as different from the USA as you can get are probably what attract me the most.

How long will you be gone?
I'm guessing about 6 months, but I'm not sure. I'll come home (what home???)either when my money runs out or when I'm tired of travelling.

What are you going to do when you get back?
Well, I suppose I'll have to get a job of some sort at some point. Right now I am thinking of going into training or possibly joining the Peace Corp. My outlook on life could completely change on this trip though, so i'm leaving my options open.

Are you bringing your juggling equipment?
I will be bringing my beanbags -- no way can I go six months without them!!! Unfortunately, I will not be able to bring my clubs. They are too big and heavy to travel with when you are only bringing a backpack. I will miss them terribly, however.

What language do they speak in Africa?
A ton of different languages! In most of the countries I will be going to English is one of the official languages. Not everyone in those countries will necessarily speak English, but I am not expecting to have too many major language problems. In Mozambique and Mali, however there is little English so if I go there, I may have some challenges.

Where will you stay?
I plan to stay mostly in hostels, backpacker hotels, and other inexpensive hotels. In addition to not killing my budget, these places will allow me to meet other travellers.

Isn't is dangerous?
Well, life is dangerous, but if you are smart travelling through Africa is probably a lot less likely to kill you than commuting to work. The political situations in some African countries make travel dangerous, but with a little research it is generally pretty easy to avoid those countries. Yes there are some scary diseases, but most of them won't kill you and I've been immunized against most of them anyway. As for crime, most places are not any more or less dangerous than the good ol' USA. Its just that we only hear about the bad stuff on the news and so that is all we know and think about. If you lived in another country and all you knew of the US was what you saw on the news, wouldn't you be concerned about travelling here?

So, how many shots did you get?
Twelve: Hep A, Hep B, Tetanus/Diptheria, Hep B, Rabies, Yellow Fever, Meningitis, Hep B, Rabies, Meningities, Rabies, Typhoid.

So, you aren't scared at all?
Well, somewhat. But I am way more scared of never living my dream. I try not to let fear run my life.

How can I contact you?
Either leave me a comment here on my blog or e-mail me at jillian615 at hotmail dot com.

Why does everyone keep asking me if I am going to get eaten by a lion?
Okay, this isn't a question I'm going to answer. Its one for you all. Why do you all keep asking me this? Very few people get eaten by lions. So, let me repeat this one more time:

I AM NOT GOING TO BE EATEN BY A LION!!!!!

If you want to know more about lions eating people, however, check out these articles: Man-Eating Lions Not Aberrant, Experts Say and Toothache 'Made Lions Eat Humans'.