Hello Again!

I realize this post has been a ridiculously long time in coming, my apologies.

But maybe this is well-timed after all, as I am leaving in exactly a month and one day! As you may guess, I'm jumping with excitement. My fundraising—i.e. life for the past year—is coming to an end, and in about two months (after a few weeks of preparations together in NH) we'll be setting off for Ecuador, for the jungles and highlands, rivers and volcanoes. Wahoo!

Fundraising has been going really well; my main endeavor this month has been busking (playing fiddle on the street) for about two hours each day.

It's a fun job: playing tunes and smiling at people, and thanking them as they generously drop money in my tin. It is lovely to see folks walking down the street raise their heads and nod and smile, or stop for a moment, tapping their feet in time to the music. I feel lucky to be able to connect with so many people through something that I love.

Busking

I also got to play at the Farmer's Market on July 1st, which was very enjoyable. While I was there a friend came by to record some of my fiddle playing, and a short interview about the Ecuador trip and my fundraising endeavors. He very generously included the piece in his Saturday radio show on WERU which aired the following weekend (thank you Scot!)

At the Farmer's Market

Speaking of which, I also was invited to be interviewed about the trip and fundraising on Belfast's Channel 2 TV. (I have a link to the clip if you're interested: http://www.vimeo.com/24253791). (Thank you, Ned, for taking some of your time to interview me).

It has been very exciting to start seriously preparing for the trip. Last week my mountaineering boots came in the mail! I took them out for a good two hour scramble up the cliffs and felt the rising anticipation as I knew that soon these boots and I would be climbing our way up a glacier-capped volcano.

First Hike With New Boots!

They will take some getting used to: the soles are so stiff that it's a bit like walking on blocks of wood. But all in all they are pretty comfortable and extraordinarily light.

My main fitness preparation right now has been jogging 5 miles a day. And I'm actually coming to enjoy it—the peace and rhythm I get into.

There are also other ongoing preparations, like learning Spanish and checking my packing list. It seems every time I turn I am reminded of the adventure ahead. It seems sometimes far away, sometime so soon—but always when I think of it my heart leaps with joy.

Until the next post!

Hila