My cousin is attending the University of Baltimore for accounting as an international student, so I've been going around with her, most to coach her on her driving and help her out with some administrative stuff. Her driving was initially pretty god awful, but it's improved dramatically. Except for the fact that she has trouble seeing the lanes on MLK blvd at night and her classes end at 8:30pm. On the way back today she switched lanes without knowing it once or twice; thank goodness we didn't get into an accident. I think she has a vitamin A deficiency so I fed her some carrots and my parents gave her some vitamin supplements, but we're going to have her eyes checked anyways to see if her current eye glass prescription is at all accurate.
The good side of all this is that while I've been waiting for my cousin's classes to end, I've gotten a lot of reading done. Yesterday I finally finished Nabokov's Lolita, which I started a long while back. I think I actually read it because I wanted to read Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, but for some reason, in order to do so, I had to first read Lolita. I'm all in all really impressed by Nabokov's writing. I have some mixed opinions about the controversial nature of the story. The book's unique and flowing writing style kind of draws you along, so that the actual obsession between the narrator and the namesake didn't really bother me too much until about the middle of the book, when it takes on a more sociopathic bend. I think this is where I initally put the book down. I picked it up again because I wanted to finish it before I headed off to Cameroon and it would mean one less book to pack, but the end went by faster than I had imagined it would. The writing is amazing immersive and I can see how it was ranked one of the best english language novels. I would highly recommend it.
I had time today, while my cousin was getting some academic counseling, to head into downtown Baltimore and visit the Powerplant, one of the most visually impressive bookstores I've ever seen. The store itself is a Barnes and Nobles and isn't remarkably different than any other besides maybe a larger selection. But they did have the remnants of giant furnaces that made up the base of cyclopean smokestacks that you could walk though. Pretty nifty. Anyways, I picked up some more books for the trip: The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier, the White Man's Burden by William Easterly, and the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I also wanted to pick up Malcolm Gladwell's the Tipping Point, but they didn't have it in stock.
I made my way though to about a hundred in the poisonwood bible today. great so far. I'll probably finish it before next week, and I might post something about it then.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Packing List
Carry-on Packing List
• Sturdy backpack [check] I've got my old search and rescue pack that's about 40-50 liters and is a hair over the size limit for carry ons (22"). I hear Ethiopian Airlines are pretty relaxed about this sort of stuff, so maybe I can get around it. The alternative would be to take my smaller day pack that fits 25-30 liters. We'll see where I am after this list
• Map of Cameroon [check] I had to order it from amazon.com, but it's the only map of Cameroon by itself (instead of say, the whole of West Africa).
• Copies of various documents [check] I've got copies of my passport, Cameroonian visa, and vaccination documents. I just need to get them authorized by the police department in Cameroon to make them "offical copies." I also bought a blue little waterproof case to put folded up documents in, but I can't find it.
• Rain jacket [check] Marmot Precip jacket: wateproof, but light enough to wear in hot climate. I got it with my employee discount and dividend when i worked at REI. Best zero dollars I ever spent on an article of clothing.
• Extra socks [check] mostly thin liner types for my walking shoes. I figure I'll buy a pair of sandals made from car tires in Cameroon. A friend of mine has a pair that's lasted longer than anything normal has a right to.
• Water bottle [check] taking my old nalgene covered in outdoor brand stickers. It's functional, but if I lose it, I won't shed too many a tear.
• Snacks [check] clif bars and clif shots! mostly for the 3 day flight, but the clif shots should help cope with jet lag, I hope.
• Door stop [I still need to get this] a security thing I picked up somewhere. You slide it under a closed door of a hotel or something, and it should keep a door from opening. It's only paranoia if it costs more than 2 bucks, right?... right?
• Travel pillow [check] I'm rethinking this. A pillow might be too bulky for a carry on, especially if I have to take the smaller pack.
• Alarm clock [check] I have a fear that the alarm will go off in the middle of the security line while the clock is buried at the bottom of my luggage and I will have to dig like a prospecting badger to get to it, resulting in an eruption of toiletries and undies :(
• Toiletries [check] toothbrush, toothpaste (I have two full tubes since someone told my mon it's going to be hard to find or really expensive in Africa), razor, soap, shampoo, towels, deodorant, and a few things I don't care about at this point.
• Camera [check] Nikon Coolpix L18. It's a pretty nifty camera that's easy to use but has plenty of features, and is at a decent price ($120ish). I wanted to dub this my Sameroon Cam, but my sister is against it.
• MP3 player [check] RCA Pearl 2gb. It's not ipod, but it's got some interesting features that drew me to it: can record voice memos, takes a microSD card for memory expansion, and takes AAA batteries. I thought the last one was a good selling point since I should be able to get double and triple As in most places, I don't have to worry about getting a converter for the charger, and I can take it on long trips away from outlets (like freakin long ass plane flights)
• Extra batteries [check] have bag o' batts, mostly AA. I'm sure I've seen a colony of AAA's somewhere around the house.
• Books [getting there] This will probably end up being the heaviest and bulkiest part of my carry ons. Here's the list of books I'm considering taking:
Betrayal of Trust by Laurie Garrett
Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers
Epidemiology: An introduction by Kenneth Rothman
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azir Nafisi
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues by Paul Farmer
Hunger: A Modern History by James Vernon
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingson
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Faheinheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I'm sure I'll add and remove books as I continue packing.
• First aid kit [check] a pretty standardized first aid kit
• GI pharmacy (lactase pills, peptobismol, immodium AD) [check] Also connected to books, if I can find it, I'm taking How to Shit Around the World: The Art of Staying Clean and Healthy While Traveling by Jane Wilson-Howarth. It is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about traveling overseas, especially to the 2nd or 3rd world. It's written by a physician and parasitologist and filled with great information and tips about hygiene, food, water, and sanitation, not just pinching a loaf.
• Hand sanitizer [check] yes, I've become that which I loathe: the traveler that takes hand sanitizer everywhere... but it's just so useful for cleaning your hands, I swear.
• Gifts [check, almost] I've got an assortment of items of individuals in Cameroon, as gift giving is an expected custom. I just need a gift for Henri, who has organized my lodgings for me, but it can't be more expensive looking than a silk tie, which I am getting for the Dean of Health Sciences. Hmmm.
• Sturdy backpack [check] I've got my old search and rescue pack that's about 40-50 liters and is a hair over the size limit for carry ons (22"). I hear Ethiopian Airlines are pretty relaxed about this sort of stuff, so maybe I can get around it. The alternative would be to take my smaller day pack that fits 25-30 liters. We'll see where I am after this list
• Map of Cameroon [check] I had to order it from amazon.com, but it's the only map of Cameroon by itself (instead of say, the whole of West Africa).
• Copies of various documents [check] I've got copies of my passport, Cameroonian visa, and vaccination documents. I just need to get them authorized by the police department in Cameroon to make them "offical copies." I also bought a blue little waterproof case to put folded up documents in, but I can't find it.
• Rain jacket [check] Marmot Precip jacket: wateproof, but light enough to wear in hot climate. I got it with my employee discount and dividend when i worked at REI. Best zero dollars I ever spent on an article of clothing.
• Extra socks [check] mostly thin liner types for my walking shoes. I figure I'll buy a pair of sandals made from car tires in Cameroon. A friend of mine has a pair that's lasted longer than anything normal has a right to.
• Water bottle [check] taking my old nalgene covered in outdoor brand stickers. It's functional, but if I lose it, I won't shed too many a tear.
• Snacks [check] clif bars and clif shots! mostly for the 3 day flight, but the clif shots should help cope with jet lag, I hope.
• Door stop [I still need to get this] a security thing I picked up somewhere. You slide it under a closed door of a hotel or something, and it should keep a door from opening. It's only paranoia if it costs more than 2 bucks, right?... right?
• Travel pillow [check] I'm rethinking this. A pillow might be too bulky for a carry on, especially if I have to take the smaller pack.
• Alarm clock [check] I have a fear that the alarm will go off in the middle of the security line while the clock is buried at the bottom of my luggage and I will have to dig like a prospecting badger to get to it, resulting in an eruption of toiletries and undies :(
• Toiletries [check] toothbrush, toothpaste (I have two full tubes since someone told my mon it's going to be hard to find or really expensive in Africa), razor, soap, shampoo, towels, deodorant, and a few things I don't care about at this point.
• Camera [check] Nikon Coolpix L18. It's a pretty nifty camera that's easy to use but has plenty of features, and is at a decent price ($120ish). I wanted to dub this my Sameroon Cam, but my sister is against it.
• MP3 player [check] RCA Pearl 2gb. It's not ipod, but it's got some interesting features that drew me to it: can record voice memos, takes a microSD card for memory expansion, and takes AAA batteries. I thought the last one was a good selling point since I should be able to get double and triple As in most places, I don't have to worry about getting a converter for the charger, and I can take it on long trips away from outlets (like freakin long ass plane flights)
• Extra batteries [check] have bag o' batts, mostly AA. I'm sure I've seen a colony of AAA's somewhere around the house.
• Books [getting there] This will probably end up being the heaviest and bulkiest part of my carry ons. Here's the list of books I'm considering taking:
Betrayal of Trust by Laurie Garrett
Diffusion of Innovations by Everett Rogers
Epidemiology: An introduction by Kenneth Rothman
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azir Nafisi
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues by Paul Farmer
Hunger: A Modern History by James Vernon
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingson
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Faheinheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I'm sure I'll add and remove books as I continue packing.
• First aid kit [check] a pretty standardized first aid kit
• GI pharmacy (lactase pills, peptobismol, immodium AD) [check] Also connected to books, if I can find it, I'm taking How to Shit Around the World: The Art of Staying Clean and Healthy While Traveling by Jane Wilson-Howarth. It is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about traveling overseas, especially to the 2nd or 3rd world. It's written by a physician and parasitologist and filled with great information and tips about hygiene, food, water, and sanitation, not just pinching a loaf.
• Hand sanitizer [check] yes, I've become that which I loathe: the traveler that takes hand sanitizer everywhere... but it's just so useful for cleaning your hands, I swear.
• Gifts [check, almost] I've got an assortment of items of individuals in Cameroon, as gift giving is an expected custom. I just need a gift for Henri, who has organized my lodgings for me, but it can't be more expensive looking than a silk tie, which I am getting for the Dean of Health Sciences. Hmmm.
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