Acer Netbook: Review!
Hi all!
So you may remember way back when I was planning this trip, I had serious doubts about whether or not it was worth it for me to bring my own personal computer along for the ride. Nine months on, I can tell you that my computer has been the most valuable thing I could have brought with me. For everyone who said that it would take up valuable space in my bag…perhaps you don’t have a netbook, but this thing is TINY!
So, anyway, I bought an Acer netbook for the price of about $250 (if I remember correctly) a few weeks before I left. I was a little nervous about it breaking down or having some sort of strange computer problem that I would never be able to fix…but so far, so good (knock on wood).
To make this review easy, I’ve just divided up my thoughts into an easy pro/con list:
Pros:
1) Small and very light…maximum 2 pounds.
2) Fast with a lot of memory; perfect for picture storage, etc.
3) Mine has a built in webcam, which theoretically is great for skyping, if you have the internet capability.
4) Excellent wi-fi pick up. Has helped me more than once.
5) I cannot describe in words the value of having a laptop with you; especially if you are blogging, or in an in-between spot of your life (like myself), where graduate school applications are constantly being revised and worked on.
6) I’ve saved a lot of money being able to pick up free wi-fi on my own computer than constantly having to go to internet cafes.
I literally only have one “con”, and that is that my webcam doesn’t work and hasn’t since the day I bought it. Probably something I can fix when I’m back in the United States though.
Anyway, that’s that. The moral of the story? Get a laptop if you have even the slightest idea that you may be needing it for professional or personal reasons.
Cheers!
As always, you can email me (kim.e.reuter@gmail.com) for mor info/questions/etc.!
Canon Rebel E05, T1: Review
Hey Folks!
So I bought the digital version of the Canon Rebel E05 back in November of 2009 in prep for my trip around the world. It’s been just about 10 months, and I’m pretty confident that I can give a thorough review of it. All in all, it handles very well, takes fabulous pictures, and clear video. When I bought it, it came with the standard lens (18-55mm) as well as a zoom lens, which was great for getting difficult wild-life shots. Anyway, without further ado, here is a simply pro/con list for this camera:
Pro:
1) Great picture quality.
2) Easy handling, easy to use even those of us who are not experts at photography (cough cough myself cough cough).
3) Having the high definition video capability has been fantastic, and I’ve used that a lot.
4) I have made particularly good use of the non-flash setting, and the “P” setting where I can also pick my point of focus. Please note: I still do not know many of the settings because I left without my camera manual…stupid me!
5) I absolutely do not regret buying it. A wonderful piece of equipment.
6) Relatively light weight, sturdy, etc.
Cons:
1) I have had two regular lenses (18-55mm) malfunction on this camera. Whether it is the camera or the lenses’ fault is hard to determine; I used to think it was my original lens, but I’m now convinced it is the camera itself. Both lenses have broken in the same way; the autofocus breaks, which makes it near impossible for me to take pictures…given my skill level.
2) The pop-up flash has also broken numerous times. By broken, I mean that it gets stuck and wont pop up when needed. Due to the fact that I am in Africa and usually nowhere near any sort of camera store, I’ve “fixed” this problem by prying the flash up and trying to get loose whatever is holding it down. Seems to have worked, but I have no idea if i’ve done damage to my camera.
3) I cannot for the life of me, find where I can set unlimited shutter time. For example, if I want to take a night shot, I can find a setting that lets me select up to 30 seconds of open shutter time, and then a “bulb” setting, where I have to physically hold down the shutter (not good for those night pics due to minute physical movement, etc.). I have asked three other competent photographers to find this setting for me, and none have succeeded. Does it not exist? If so, that is a major flaw with this camera.
4) I didn’t think about the fact that I would be working in areas where cameras are not looked kindly upon. It is a very obvious camera, due to its size, and for people traveling to developing countries, it might well be worth your while to consider a more compact SLR. Honestly, I would have sacrificed some image quality to be able to have my camera on me at all times. Many great photographic moments were lost because of that.
So, all in all, I had technical problems with the camera, I couldn’t figure out a specific setting on the camera itself, and I dislike its size. However, it is a fantastic piece of equipment and I am very happy that I bought it.
If you have more questions about the camera, feel free to email me at kim.e.reuter@gmail.com
Cheers dudes!
Writing on the road: what I’ve learned.
When I started this blog, I wasn’t really sure what I was going for. I wanted to provide something informative, but mainly inspirational stuff. I was tired of feeling like the only female to have ever decided to travel to Africa alone. From the responses I got from people you would think I was putting myself up for voluntary execution. So, I figured that if I put my experiences out for the general public to read, maybe someone would eventually stumble upon it and be motivated to get out of whatever rut he/she may be in. I figured that the blog could go one of two ways. It could be complete crap and die a sad and lonely internet death. Or, it could be pretty awesome.
50-50 odds. Good enough for me.
So I just started writing whatever I wanted, when I wanted, about what I wanted. Clearly, it was always travel related, because (hello!) I was traveling (or preparing for it). Thankfully, I stopped early on trying to be the Lonely Planet, Oprah, and the Travel Planet all rolled into one. Although I’m certain that if I had tried, I would have given Oprah a run for her money
And here I am. Almost a full year after this whole idea was first coined. Almost a whole year after I first decided that I was going to pack up my life and leave the country. I’m pretty sure I remember the moment. I believe it involved wine. Most good decisions in my life involve wine.
Well, I’m still writing and I’m still loving it. Still feeling like I haven’t even scratched the surface on the amount of information and experiences I could share with people.
As far as writing goes, what problems have I had being on the move?
Well, to write on a blog, one needs to have that silly thing called internet. No big deal, really. Easy as pie to find. Unless of course, you’re in developing countries or, I don’t know…in the rainforest.
Yep, the biggest problem has been getting internet connection.
Can this be changed at all? Heck to the no. It cannot.
What have I done to make it better? I often have intense writing sessions where I write six to ten articles at once. I then upload them to my blog, and stagger when they are “published” to the public. So, in fact, when you often read posts or articles I’ve written…they were written up to a month before, and I’m actually nowhere near an internet source.
This has caused a lot of confusion with close friends and family, who will see my blog being updated tri-weekly, yet I’m nowhere to be found. This was especially true when my blog was being updated while I was in the rainforest for two months.
Secondly, I just simply do not have enough time to write as much as I’d like to. As you all know, I have spent most of my time working. Even when I’m not working, I’ve been working on a handful of other projects, including my charity, writing up research papers, and looking up graduate school information.
Thankfully I have a few options on the table, and I’m hoping I can get more of my thoughts out there soon!
The last big problem I’ve encountered with travel writing is censorship. Having never taken any journalism classes, I was naïve enough to think that my little, insignificant blog and newspaper articles wouldn’t affect anyone. News flash (pun intended): they do. I found out all too fast that everything I write about, however mundane and boring, does have the power to affect other people.
The age-old mantra about the “power of words” has never rung as true to me as it has in the past year.
Do I still love what I’m doing? Yes. I do.
I would never, ever want to get back the hours that I’ve spent writing, emailing, crying, or smiling for this blog. As much as this is written for other people, it is also written for me.
Although I often cannot write a lot of the things I experience, this has functioned as a way for me to process the life-changing (cliché, I know) experiences I have. I am able to believe that my friends and family back home are up-to-date on my life.
Will I ever stop? God, what a thought. Of course I cannot, and I don’t want to always be the “backpacking chica”. But will I always be writing? I think so.
It is, after all, the writer’s curse to turn every event into the chapter for a novel.
I’ll take the curse. With pride.
News article on my charity!
Hey all!
If you haven´t already done so, you should read up on the awesome article that my undergraduate university (GO NOLES!) wrote on my charity project!!!
Cheery from Germany!
-K
P.S. Tonight I am going to a wine festival with my grandparents. Firstly, this indicates that they are super cool. Secondly, this means that it will be on like donkey kong.
One, two…five things I’ve learned about myself.
Tonight I was sick. So instead of going out to a local bar and watching soccer with my roommate Oliver (pronounced Oleeveeay), I stayed in. I would elaborate on my sickness but it’s not too important and probably just brought on by eating street food. Anyway, moving onto the point of this post…being at home and actually having time to myself (for the first time since I got to Madagascar, a week ago), I was able to reflect.
During my aforementioned reflection, I realized that I have been learning a lot about myself by looking at the other foreigners I meet during my travels. I mean…we all have things in common because (hello!) we are all in the same age bracket and have all decided to leave partners, jobs, friends, and family back at home in favor of an African lifestyle.
So what have I learned?
I have learned that I can stop being embarrassed about the fact that I want to advocate for every cause. In the US I was a vegetarian for human rights, boycotting Walmart (for a good year) because I didn’t agree with Chinese labor laws, adamant about remaining childless because of the human population problem, and disliking the idea of marriage because I don’t want to have rights that gays don’t have. Inevitably people would learn this about me and the response was usually a sort of chuckle; something that sounded like, “Silly Kim…she’s so cute with her ideals and philosophies”. It got to point where I started to blow off my own idealism and simply told myself that my “stupid” ideas and causes would just be a phase.
One of my local roommates, though, has shown me this is not the case. She is, in her own words, “stupidly idealistic…not naïve…just idealistic”. It was the first time anyone vocalized to me that it is OK to be an idealist. I know it sounds silly, but for the first time I feel like I’m not just blowing a bunch of hot air by caring. It’s nice.
I have also learned that traveler’s in my age group tend to be divided rather easily by the way they view relationships. They either value their independence so much that they will literally avoid people they are interested in, or, they come to Africa and fall in love. It is so surprising how there seems to be no in between. Perhaps this is happening in the US right now, but since I’m here, I’m clearly not witnessing it. It is seriously amazing to me. Right now I have five roommates. One is in a long-distance relationship, two are deeply in love with people they have met here, and two are both extremely vocal about the fact that nothing, not even a relationship, will stop their travels.
Two of my roommates, one who is in love, and one who is adamantly opposed to the idea, have taught me the most. The woman in love is torn; she loves a man she met here and she doesn’t know whether to jump in head first or to end things on a good note and just leave. In contrast, the one who is opposed to relationships has said that he gets so attached mentally, that he daren’t even date a girl. He said that girls make life so confusing and that it just isn’t worth it.
So which group do I fall into? I find it so easy to classify everyone else; shouldn’t I be able to do the same with myself? But as with everything, it’s so hard to put oneself into a category.
I guess I can say that Africa has made me cynical. For a variety of reasons, I’ve actually started to shut parts of myself off; parts that used to be so accessible. I find it harder to be open with people, and I don’t know that I will allow myself to get side-tracked from my goals by anyone for many, many years. That being said: I don’t want to be like that. I want to be open to change. I want to be open so that if I were to meet someone who just absolutely swept me off my feet, I could say “great – let’s do this adventure together.” I am happy to know, though, that if I was in my roommates shoes (the one who is in love), I would probably pick to jump head first into the mess called irrational love. I think relationships should be like my travels; you do what feels right even if the world tells you that you’re crazy. I just don’t know if I can quell my inner romantic!
Basically, I don’t want to be so in love with my career and my travels that I lose sight of the fact that friends and family and relationships truly matter. Thanks to my fellow travelers, I’ve learned that much.
Third: I’ve learned how to be a really good friend and to value a good friendship. Before my trip I was an avid facebook user (we will say that much!) but now, I’m even more so. Any chance I have, I’m on it, reconnecting with people. Friendships take years to build and just minutes to destroy. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were the connections I have with people back home. I’m not embarrassed to say that I’m all over facebook whenever I get a minute…what is the point in making close friendships if you don’t stay in touch?
Fourth: I’ve learned how much of myself and my soul I can give to a cause. It’s a curse of mine to constantly want to overload myself with work. I’m not sure if I get it from my mum or my dad; both have worked amazingly hard. Either way, when I see a cause or a person needing help, I just throw myself right at it. I’ve had to learn, for the first time in my life, to walk away from problems that are well within my capability to fix. That’s harder than it sounds, mind you. But I’ve found out where I draw my line, because if I don’t, I will just keep giving and giving. Through this, I have also discovered that I value people who care. I don’t think that I could ever date anyone again that truly does not have an urge to volunteer or give back in some way; there are just so many people in the world and I need someone like me, who can’t just sit on the sidelines and watch.
Fifth: I’ve found that core human emotions truly are international. Just a few weeks ago I listened to a love-struck Equatoguinean man lament to me about how he loves a woman who is in love with another man. Although I did my best to assure him that it would all turn out for the better, I (selfishly) focused on the amazing fact that I could empathize with him. Likewise, my roommates are French, British, and Canadian, yet we all have the same problems with love, families, friends, careers, and work.
It’s so nice knowing that people of so many different cultures can be so similar. Makes me wonder how vast groups of people can be so hateful. At the end of the day, the majority of us humans are all so similar…we really should just but our differences aside and get on with things. But I digress
So. That’s the update on my personal learning curve. It is now 11:52pm. Eight minutes until a new day arrives. Very “emo” of me to think about finishing this article, which is about personal growth, as the clock tick tocks me towards another spin around the Earth’s axis.
12:00. Midnight. Hello August 1st!
Don’t hate me for using cheap and easy metaphors to bring this article to a close. I am, after all, just an amateur
For they are jolly good fellows!
Hello World!
I am SO proud to be able to say that I have done it. I have completed the first part of my trip. The trip that inspired this blog, my charity, a new perspective on life, and most importantly: My wardrobe.
During the last nine months I have met some of the most amazing people; characters that even the most talented novelist could not dream up. These individuals have not only helped me in times of need, but they have become close friends. I am so grateful that they walked into my life, and that because of them, I’ve had one too many nights out on the town, invaluable cultural experiences, and unending fun.
Through thick and thin, they have been there and thanks to the wonders of facebook and twitter (oh, I love technology!) they stay in my life well after they have physically left it.
So, without further ado…this is my public thanks to all of them. It’s a long list, but here it goes:
Equatorial Guinea:
1) Boss – you know who you are. Your obsession with canned, sweetened, condensed milk shall never be forgotten.
2) Sethry – you are my brother from another mother. “Push on to the top of the hill!”
3) Polly – Please note that I just typed your name in a French accident. Your quotes still make me laugh.
4) Marky Mark – You rock and so does your ability to learn every language on the face of the earth.
5) Mary and family – You cook SO well, and your kindness made me feel at home in a country where I didn’t have one.
6) Cachito – I miss you every single day. Love you and the fact that you call me Holy Kim.
7) Expedition Members – If I mentioned every single one of you, this post would take a year to write…but know that I have laugh-out-loud memories from each and every one of you.
8) Beth – I will never forget the night with the car and the rat. Enough said.
9) Demi – please see above. One of the funniest nights of my life. Good luck with everything you do!
Madagascar:
1) Lisa – I still take “complimentary” toilet paper whenever possible.
2) Chelsea – Viva la sweat stach!
3) Georgie – I hate you for your luck with men, but I love you all the same!
4) Chavy Chav – I have mad respect for you. When I am rich, I will hire you as my Norwegian body guard and we shall travel the world together solving problems one GIS map at a time.
5) Lou – you are an amazing artist and have a true gift!
6) Mr. Useless – despite all of the crap I give you, I still think you might be marginally cool. But just a little bit.
7) Ms. Elodie – I’m not kidding when I say that I truly look up to everything you’ve accomplished and continue to accomplish. You rock so hardcore!
8) My bosses – you guys have made every day at the office a fun one. Despite the deadlines and stress, you are all so incredibly cool. It’s been a pleasure interning for you!
Alrighty, that’s all for now! Hope all is well in all of your respective lives! I will be updating soon,
By the time this posts I’ll probably be in an airplane, flying high over the African continent.
Love from my comfortable South African Airways seat,
-K to the im
P.S. Cross your fingers that I have a good seat mate and am eating luxury pre-cooked meals without a kid screaming in my general vicinity. Good times.
One week!
One week until I return to the US of A! Well…six days, 23 hours, and 12 minutes…but who’s counting?
Life is good in my neck of the woods – just packing up my stuff and all of that jazz. Thanks to the rat infestation in my house, more than half of my clothes and my mosquito net are now completely useless so at least my bags will be light! I thought about donating my clothes here, and i will probably still try, but I will feel like a complete idiot giving people clothes that are literally not wearable. Think: crotch holes in every item of clothing, random holes in all shirts that inevitably leave little for the imagination.
All that means for me is that I got to go SHOPPING! YAY! Actually, I hate shopping in America (loath is probably a more appropriate word)…but here at the market it’s not so bad. There’s no overpriced clothing, there’s no bullshit about dressing rooms…it’s one size fits all, and a white person price. That’s it. Very nice. Very easy.
In other news, my blog must have been re-ranked or something, because the last two days I have been FLOODED with emails. Nice? Yes. With slow internet? Well, it’s just an excuse to drink more after-work beer.
Anyway, I do apologize for the lack of inspirational posts and life-changing thoughts. No worries, my braincells aren’t dying a slow death…I’ve just been swamped with work. BUT I think the four days of continues travel I have to go endure to get back to the good ol’ States will leave me with enough time to fill in the void that has been my blog.
I would like to note that I ate at the “best restaurant in Madagascar” the other night. For a whole 8 USD that gets you a plate of the best Italian food I have ever eaten. Well, The Olive Garden does rival it…but I digress. more details on that later as well!
For now, I send my kisses to all of you wonderful readers; far and wide, I hope you’re doing fine!
I will finish of this mainly boring post with some interesting facts about my blog: It has now been visited by people in 109 countries. Let me tell you what, that is a lot of freakin’ places! I am getting more than a thousand unique visits a month…so I do hope you are enjoying every word that I type on my little netbook computer
In the words of a good friend, I will see you in another lifetime!
Besos!
Hello world! News from Mada!
Hello World!
I am sitting here in a mosquito infested cave, also known as my humble abode, and decided I would write an update for my blog…just for you to read. Despite my complete lack of activity at this moment in time, I still refuse to write my updates in paragraph form and shall, as per usual, write my thoughts out in bulletin points. Enjoy:
1) I really love minesweeper despite being incapable of beating the expert level. Seriously, I’ve tried for months now. One day my time will come, and I will beat the game into oblivion and then…nothing will have changed in my life, but it will still be awesome.
2) I only have five short days left in Madagascar (including today). Where the hell did my time go, and why does it feel like tomorrow is already yesterday before I have time to blink?
3) Still freaking out about going back to America. Earth to Kim: why am I so scared?
4) I saw my first pregnant Malagasy lady the other day…not a huge occurrence, but one that made me realize how long you have to live in one place to truly even begin to understand the local culture…or everyday life.
5) Work is crazy, as usual. Lots to do and not enough time. Crossing my fingers that I manage to wrap up everything I am supposed to…keep your fingers crossed!
6) I tried zebu heart last night (brochette style) and it was really weird. It coated the top of my mouth and had this strange texture that was almost…flaky?
7) I suddenly realized today how few souvenirs I have bought for people. So to all of you who know me back home…I have been thinking about you often, just haven’t been buying you any useless objects that you will never feel emotionally attached to and will only grow to despise. That being said, I’m going to the market this week to buy sarongs and replenish my wardrobe (since the rats have eaten almost everything I own…and that is no exaggeration).
8) I got robbed the other night, which was unnerving but not entirely unexpected. Unemployment is rising in Madagascar and my friends have noted that there are more street vendors and higher crime rates; people doing whatever they can to get/make money. Thankfully I only lost the equivalent of 20 USD. Hopefully the guys needed it more than I do.
9) In the past few weeks I’ve learned a lot about love, relationships, and all of that mushy crap. I am fast realizing how much my friends in Africa have rubbed off me; I’m pretty much so against commitment now. Life is so transient out here…or at least in the jobs I’ve worked. That being said, I’m realizing how lucky I have been to have dated nice guys in the past, and I’ve learned more than ever that you should always treat others the way you would like to be treated. I think in general, I have just realized the true value of good friendship, honesty, commitment (ironically, given my last statements), and sincerity. Any kind of true sincerity coming from any male would be so welcomed.
10) I ate some delicious Yaourt Maison (house yogurt…made from Zebu milk) the other day. After the Malagasy independence day there was literally a city-wide shortage of the stuff. Considering that I was seriously contemplating giving up all other nourishment to subsist purely on this white, sugary treat…it caused me physical pain to be without it. Thank God for yogurt.
11) The matchboxes here often feature a white woman with a black man and they look like they are in love. The pictures are drawn and the people are always wearing 80’s clothing. I do not understand.
12) I realized today how I haven’t put untreated water in my mouth for nine months. It will be SO weird to be able to brush my teeth with tap water, drink tap water, and not have to worry about boiling everything long enough to kill whatever evil disease lies in wait to steal my health.
13) In the lonely planet guide for Madagascar, look under Diego and read about Boite Noire. It describes the place being full of local fishermen and their lady friends. That would be me and my local Malagasy crew. Funny how the guide has SO much wrong information (including a bunch of wrong prices), but they hit the nail on the head with that description.
14) It is amazing how many days I go here without looking into a mirror or doing things that I would have done every day in America. The only time I see myself in a mirror is when I happen to go to the bathroom in one of the two hotels I visit to check my email.
15) I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I LOVE how African people dance. I love it. I adore that Malagasy and Equatoguinean men will just dance or sing whenever they please…I love dancing, and it’s so nice to actually have dance partners, unlike in America.
Alright, that’s about it. Really, I’m not lying, that’s all that is going on in my head and my life for the time being. Hopefully I’ll more exciting things to report soon
Cheers friends!
