I'm going on an adventure!

It's starting to feel a little more real!

I just ordered a compact sleeping bag online (from Best Buy, of all places...) in preparation for my trip to South Africa. I didn't know sleeping bags could be squished into such small sizes, but they do, and it's amazing. I can't wait to get it and start using it, let alone continue to use it on future adventures. The kind I decided to go with was the North 49 Little Pup 200g in Forrest Green.

For a price of $42 in total, this sleeping bag was on sale at Best Buy and I couldn't resist ordering it straight away (after about an hour of researching other brands and styles). Of course, when I return from South Africa, I plan to post a review of this and the other things I bring!

Convenient segway...I hope to be looking for a travel/expedition pack in the next few weeks. I have been looking online for reviews and advice on forums regarding what size pack would be best for somebody as small as I am. It looks like a 65L pack would be the best, but I'm going to head into MEC to try some packs and get some information from the folks who work there. I can't wait! I've always wanted a pack of my own, but for my trip to Ethiopia I had only borrowed. With much traveling anticipated in my future, I thought it would be worthwhile to invest in a good quality pack for myself. From my limited knowledge right now, I quite like the MEC Ibex 65 style. Though I obviously don't want to get the cheapest pack, as I'm looking for one that will last me many, many years and adventures, I also don't want to break the bank too much.

As a student who needs to pay for rent, groceries, and school, it wouldn't seem like doing so much traveling would be conducive to managing my budget well. Indeed, it is a luxury - something that most students don't get to do. The way I look at it is from an educational and experiential perspective. There are things that nobody would be able to learn in a classroom and experiences that are only made possible by removing yourself from the everyday. True, my trip to South Africa is part of a research course and is thus obviously educational. Yet, even if I was going to romp around Europe for a month or two, that time would be spent exploring different cities/regions, learning about their history, and experiencing cultures so very different from my own.

There is only so much to be learned in a textbook, so why not write your own?