Wide Open Spaces

Monday, February 04, 2008

The adventure continues but the blog updates end

The purpose of this blog has been accomplished and it is time to end the posts and updates. Yes, Amy is back and her adventure continues, but she can let you know about it herself now. You can email her, use facebook, call her or (imagine this) talk to her directly.

My original purpose was to keep people informed about Amy's adventures but it soon became a way of keeping people informed about her team, the Peace Corps and the wonderful country of Namibia as well. It also became a fun way to learn about the world of blogs and the world in general. I will continue to be interested in what happens with Namibia, the Peace Corps and Amy's teammates, but not in "public".

I will leave this blog available as a resource, though some of the links may eventually become dead. I will also leave it up as a memory of the time Amy spent there. If I ever decide to start another blog, I will let you know. Thanks for being interested and reading. I hope to continue to hear from or meet some of you someday. Feel free to send me a note or email.

Goodbye!

Friday, February 01, 2008

Where is Amy today? Friday, February 1

HOME!

View Larger Map

About Stewartville

Hello America! (email from Amy)

The day before I set off for Minnesota there was a blizzard. Apparently snow was dropping at about 2 inches an hour and the temperature was -47 degrees F with the windchill. In Namibia thermometers in the sun in the summertime (it's summer now- southern hemisphere remember) can register temperatures as high as 150 degrees F. Now, I am no expert, but this seems to portent poorly for me. I have added my last random foreign currency to my bag (Taiwan Dollars-I believe that I have a few coins or notes from more than 12 currencies stashed away in my luggage.) I have added the last foreign language that would be helpful to know (Chinese is, I believe, the 5th or 6th language I have wished to know- Thai, Arabic, Kiswahili, and others completing the list.) And I have added my last strange quirks of different places (there was a restaurant in Taipei named- I swear I am not making this up- Gruel and Dishes. That sounded a bit too Oliver Twist for me, so I stuck with Subway.) Now I'm finally home, safe and sound in Stewartville, Minnesota- After traveling for 30 hours I arrived in Minneapolis 18 hours after I left Chiang Mai. I'm not sure how long it will take me to get used to a normal sleep schedule (or, more concerningly, all of the quirks of American life) but I suppose I'll manage. It's been a journey. Thanks for taking it with me.

So long and thanks for all the fish
Amy

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Where is Amy today? Thursday - Friday, January 31-February 1

Flying from Thailand to the USA

View Larger Map

Here are my calculations of Amy's schedule the next two days:

China Airlines Flight # CI 650

-from Chiang Mai, Thailand
12:35 PM Thursday, January 31 (time in Thailand)
(-13 hrs = 11:35 PM Wednesday, January 30 - Minnesota time)

-to Taipei, Taiwan
5:05 PM Thursday, January 31 (time in Taiwan)
(-14 hrs = 3:05 AM Thursday, January 31 - Minnesota time)

-Flight time: 3.5 hours

-Layover in Taipei: 6.5 hours

China Airlines Flight # CI 008

-from Taipei, Taiwan
11:35 PM Thursday, January 31 (time in Taiwan)
(-14 hrs = 9:35 AM Thursday, January 31 - Minnesota time)

crosses the International Date Line thus losing a day

-to Los Angeles, CA
6:50 PM Thursday, January 31 (time in LA)
(+2 hrs = 8:50 PM Thursday, January 31 - Minnesota time)

-Flight time : 11.5 hours

Layover and Customs: 5.5 hours

NW Airlines Flight #314

-from Los Angeles, CA
12:30 AM Friday, February 1 (time in LA)
(+2 hrs = 2:30 AM Friday, February 1 - Minnesota time)

-to Mpls, MN
6:02 AM Friday, February 1
(it will seem like 7 PM Friday evening to Amy)

-Flight time: 3.5 hours

Total flight time: 18.5 hours

Total time from departure to arrival: 30.5 hours

Chiang Mai, Thailand