Motherland hopping 2

Because I am consciously speaking my truths these days, I'm headed to Africa and England. This is what happened. I called this editor I know to tell him just how hard up for freelance work I am and how much I'd love to write for his section. That later led to talks about our mutual love of travel. Later, he was so happy for me when I told him I was headed to Jerusalem.

I got a message from him a couple of weeks ago. In it he said to call him. That I was was going to owe him big time for this one. I was still listening to the messages that came after his when I got a call from the team leader of a group of journalists headed to four countries in Africa. Apparently my editor friend had to pull out at the last minute and PUT MY NAME IN AS HIS SUBSTITUTE. Are you freakin kidding me?!

Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana. Oh. My. Lord.

I even already have my Yellow Fever vaccination from last year when I was ready to pick up and go live in West Africa. I was on a real high at that point. Quit my job. Sold my house. Made contact with an aunt who lives in Ghana and some journalists working out of Iraq. I was pricing out Kevlor helmets for my cross-platform forrays from West Africa into civilian life in war-torn Iraq and maybe Sudan. The big, life-changing, career-elevating move fell through in some really big ways that I won't go into right now. It was for the best. At the time, however, I felt like a complete failure, totally out of integrity, lost, alienated, marginalized, devalued. Turns out, those feelings had nothing to do with the collapse of my romantic, daring expatriot plans.

So anyway, I'm finally getting to Ghana. And getting back to Kenya, where I have great memories from a few years ago. That was my first trip to Africa. And it provided some lessons I hope will aid me on this trip.

(Photo: Courtesy of Charmaine Hadley, 2001. Pelicans take flight at the shore of Lake Nakuru, Kenya. The pink in the background is thousands of flamingos that rim the large lake.)

Today the logistics of last-minute story development, raising and managing funds, multimedia, visas, the magnitude of this ... it's grounding. Scary. Fabulous. Scary. I'm pricing luggage and shooting out story queries to magazines. I'm headed out on Halloween night with 15 other journalists from all over the country. We'll meet up in London before continuing on to our first stop in Uganda. I don't think I know any of them. I guess I will this time next month.

I had dinner with a friend I made on the Jerusalem journey. She's a Presbyterian pastor who roomed with me during the first leg of the trip. We really bonded. I think she's great, smart, sincere. This past week we met up at a function where someone was giving a presentation on their recent stint as a Peace Corp. volunteer in Uganda. It was a great prep for me.

But, it gets better. ...