Where In The World Is Cailie Kafura?: July 2012

As surreal the end,

twas also the beginning.

A kaleidoscopic journey through four continents in 10 countries spanning 370 days.

*The Peruvian Rainforest Rescue*

~July-August 2011
~Birdwatching, turtle-saving, trail clearing, JaguarTapirMonkey feeding!

Here, you can see that Cailie is hard at work!

*The South African Immersion*

~August-January 2011/2012

~Daycares, Animal Shelters, Soup Kitchens, Teaching Drama to underprivileged children

~Various Ethnic Groups and Languages:

Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English

Precious ones who call me "Tanny." (Auntie:)

*The Cambodian Bliss*

~January-March 2012

~ Scuba Diving twice a day to perform fish, reef and seahorse surveys

~Beach, Reef, and Village Litter Removal

~Awesome Friends!

Magical Seahorse Bonding Moment!

*The Thailand Thought-Provoker*

~March 2012

~Cleaning, Feeding, Washing, and Cuddling elephants
~Learned of Thailand's animal abuse, unsustainable tourism(riding elephants), and illegal wildlife trade

My Pa and I giving Bua a little scrub 'n' love!

*The Mongolian Culture Shock*

~March-May 2012

~Orphanage for 1 month (2-month-olds to 1-year olds whoo have been orphaned or abandoned)

~Nomad Awesomeness!!
*Living in the middle of nowhere: herding sheep, riding horses, and loving my non-english speaking family :)

Herdin' sheep on a wild horse in Mongolia,

just a casual Tuesday for me!

Cultures, experiences, humans, adventures, hellos, goodbyes....

From all of the above, I have discovered the ANSWER(S) TO LIFE!!!!
Behold:

1) To Thyne Ownself Be True.

Be yo'self.
It may not make everyone happy, but you need to be happy with yourself. Self-respect leads to others' respect.

Proof:} In Peru, I was surrounded by volunteers who loved to drink and smoke. Not up my alley, they soon realized I was not a participant. Expecting judgement, I instead received praise! As the handmade bamboo bong was passed around the circle, respect was passed to me for choosing to get high on life instead... Woo!

2) Don't Always Believe What You Think!

*Applicable Everywhere*

For me, it gave me a new perspective on many of my experiences this year.

From circuses and tourism to chemicals in food and first impressions.
Hence:} I met a fellow volunteer on one of my projects who, on the outside, appeared to be quite the fun-loving party lad. Vodka, cigarettes, and a superb sense of humor was simply a facade to the broken soul underneath. Following a deep talk one night, I learned that he has been living with a life-threatening disease that he woke up to at age 14. His legs paralyzed, his mom took him to the hospital where he learned that there was blood between his brain and skull, which somehow caused him to temporarily lose the use of his legs. After having the blood drained, he had to re-learn how to motivate his legs into movement. This life-threatening occurrence came 3 more times, which left him in the hospital for 6 months. His father did not visit him once during this time period, yet his mother came every single day. For four years, he has lived with the possibility that everyday could indeed be his very last.
Monthly check-ups ensure that his health is monitored. His mom's constant bedside presence has made his bond with his mom unbreakable. He told me how he loves his mom so much, and by living so close to death, he has learned the importance of seemingly small events in life. He cherishes the 20 minutes with his mom and tea.
If people judged his book by his "partying" cover, one would never know the struggle and triumph beneath. Thus, thou shalt not believe what thy thinks!

3) Don't Forget the Little People!

*The Supportive Family Member:

Your mom, dad, sibling, grandparents, aunts, uncles. Whether you like them or not, they (most likely) love you. Truly, they mold you into the person you are today and (hopefully) support you along the long and winding yellow brick road.

*The True-Blue Friend:

In sickness and in health and in mood swings galore, don't forget the person who was always there for you.

*The Less-Fortunate*

Many of us pass by countless homeless people on the street, but how many of us actually view them as an equal? We are all guilty of walking past them and trying to ignore their plea for money, but why not put ourselves in their shoes? Imagine calling the sidewalk your home and the strangers walking through it your income... We are incredibly blessed to live the lives we have; next time you come across one of these poor souls, give them a bite to eat or just strike up conversation to let them feel human and noticed again.

4) THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

Shape it or someone else will!

Others do have the power to shape your life. Their words can change your confidence, their actions your opinions, their apathy your perseverance.

After one year of travelling and volunteering, a mini epiphany has come my way.

One person can indeed change the world.

I aspire to be that one person.

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and supports me...

Thank you to those who also want to make a difference in this world....

Thank you to my amazing parents who will never stop believing in me. I feel blessed.

Thank you!!!

For now, I must say goodbye...

In the words of Forrest Gump,

"I think I'll go home now."

Until we meet again,

May the Force be with you,

Stay Golden,

Be The Change,

Strawberry Fields Forever,

Inspirational Phrase

*And also with you!*

Love you long time,

Caitlin Emilie Jordan Kensington Moir Kafura.

Following the land of Mongols, I was in need of a dose of civilized civilization; I anticipated the final leg of my journey which would bring me to England and beyond.
However, Asia had some separation anxiety and couldn't let me go.
It all began with my 8-hour delay in the Chinggis Khan Mongolian Airport due to "blue skies."
Optimists would appreciate the perk of receiving a hotel room for the delay, yet pessimists make a good point when realizing that the hotel required passengers to share a room with someone. Being a solo traveller, I anxiously watched as a game of roomate roulette played out before me with the winner being a random Chinese chap. Herro Roomie!
Thankfully, it was broad daylight, so I meandered the streets to kill time and also kill the awkwardness that would have been in that room had I stayed. This one delay was simply the beginning. My next two flights left without me and so my arrival in Beijing also paired me with lucky roommate number two! Whilst standing in line, I struck up conversation with an Ozzy who was also on the mongolian flight. We decided it would be best to share a room together, since no one else seemed to be a good candidate.
Laughing at the potentially scandalous sight of us sharing a hotel room in Beijing, he phoned his wife to say that he was stranded in Beijing and sharing a hotel room with a 19-year-old American girl. That probably did not sound too kosher to his wife :)
England finally pulled me from the grips of Asia's airports, and once it did, my multiple train trips around England to see my cousins began! Between family reunions, many other adventures filled the gaps...
The Queen celebrated her 60th anniversary to the throne...to England, this meant Union Jacks, partying, no work, and concerts on the roof of the palace. Long Live the Queen!

After all of this excitement, I popped down to Denmark to visit one of my fellow Cambodian volunteer friends. Twas a blast: seeing the city through a rainbow walkway, being mistaken for a Dane, witnessing a fjord with its jellyfish, and headbanging with long-haired locals to garage bands. Denmark is where it is at!

A trip to Spain was organized with my cousins and we went to the medieval city of Caceres.
One week of tanning, pooling, gymming(not my ideal idea of fun :).... Being near the Portugal border made for a prime atmosphere when the Spain Portugal soccer game began. Walking amongst outdoor cafes in the evening, we saw the masses gathering in front of TVs to watch history in the making.
At the final stop, we sat down to see who would win, and Spain took it home! Everyone jumped in jubilation and the older man in front of us came over to give what I though would be a hug but instead was a kiss; I laughed when his kiss hit my neck instead of my cheek. Again missing the memo, I didn't turn for the other cheek to be kissed and thus my eye received a kiss!
The waiter came to do the same and my wits finally kicked in as we gave kisses on the cheeks like normal people. The atmosphere on the way back to the hotel was exhilarating.
VIVA ESPANA rang through the streets, with coinciding horn honkage. Amazing.

And back to England we went where my cousin and I were invited to an 80s party in an old underground train station in London. My dream party! Even the walls were graffiti-ified just for the event. We showed up in our bright colors ready to dance to some old school beats and we were surrounded by the best fashion-- giant glasses, gold shorts(on men with sweatbands!), high waisted everything, leg warmers, and neon leggings. In the basement, fake tattoos were given as well as vintage clothes for sale. Long Live the 80s!!!

One final trip to France for a week had me in Dijon, Lyon, and Royan. I visited my friends from Cambodia, Mongolia, and my former foreign exchange student. Dijon and Lyon had beautiful cathedrals and castles to offer, while Royan brought the party. Beaching and dancing and going to bed at 6am. Ah, the lives of the youth...

That brings me to today. Today I pack. Pack for America. Tomorrow I will go to New York City and spend four days with my brother...my last hoorah...

For the moral of the gap year story, return to this blog in 4 days... see you soon....

xoxo

Cailie Kafura!