Adios mis patos

I was going to make a funny, witty last blog about my time here, the things I’ve done, and all the weird and unique things that I experienced that most people wouldn’t be able to in their lifetime. As I was thinking of my list, I realized that none of, absolutely none of the experiences I had would be anything without the people with me. So move over smart-assed and witty, here comes over sentimental and sappy.

To my Patos:

Bina- I am so glad that you and Sarah really didn’t hate me from the first night- I can’t imagine not being friends with you over the course of this semester. Without your social coordination and screaming about hormigas, I don’t know if this trip would have been the same. Seriously, even though you hated being here in the beginning, and knew the least amount of Spanish, I think you have grown the farthest as a person. And I’m pretty sure you’re the only girl I know that could rock being a ‘girly girl’ so well in the heart of Malabo and still be aggressive in a bread line. Looking back over the past 3 months you have been so awesome to hangout, dance with, and have the ‘occasional’ glass of white wine with. Thank you again… and see you in Elkins Park.

Cait- What can I possibly say that you don’t already even know since we share the same brain? Without you I wouldn’t be on this trip- you pushed pulled, knocked on doors, emailed the president- all so we could come here. Thank you, for getting me here, listening to me blab till 2am, for helping me get out of the forest alive (and not killing me for being so ridiculous). Your caring nature has been such an asset to this group, which was extremely helpful after many Marathon nights. And I’m sorry I broke your glasses, (you know where I live). Thanks again for making this trip a reality for me, I honestly didn’t have the drive to get here on my own, but I can’t tell you how this experience is probably the best of my life. You are one of the best friends I could have.

Julia- I am so happy that there was another crazy liberal political junkie in this group. Thank you for making coffee In the mornings and listening to my ramblings about everything that’s going on in my crazy head. Also, I still don’t know how you didn’t kill me on the way up or down from the beaches. I would have left myself there – so I don’t know where you found the patience. I will do my best to go to ‘scones’ on Saturdays and I’ll make sure to skype you when I eat my first ‘Ben & Jerry’s’ ice cream…which I almost did, but it was way to cold in Madrid for ice cream. Good luck with the new crew (even though we are going to be still cooler) and when you get back you owe me a drink and I’ll take you to Chickie & Pete’s.

Sarah- Since we get mistaken for the same person, does that mean I don’t have to write one of these? Your love of dancing and music has definitely made this trip so much more fun for me. Your passion for what is going on in Moka actually made me enjoy science. It was always fun to out with you; as a part of the JD crew… well, you are probably one of the coolest people I could walk back from Macumba with. Thanks for listening to my random and ridiculous ramblings (alliteration much?) about life. I am so glad that we were able to have a cross accent exchange, even though I am sad that I no longer say water like a true Philadelphian. Come to Philly as soon as possible- and we need to talk about Grey’s ASAP.

Tristan – I’m sure that you never would have thought that you would have known so much about Clay Aiken. And you really need to read Harry Potter, they will always better than the movies. Seriously though, thank you so much for being our surrogate ‘big brother’ of the trip. From getting us away from creepsters and Bahia and Macumba, to worrying about whether we’d make it to the beaches alive; words cannot express how grateful I am that you were able to put up with living with five girls. I’m pretty sure that I will never hear ‘No Scrubs’ or ‘Bailamos’ the same way again. Your random commentary and sense of humor added another level to this trip… and karaoke will never be the same.


Without you guys (my family) in Bioko, I would never had (in no order):

Met new people in a new house
Travelled to Moka
Seen endemic species
Made a song about Tuacos
Met more friends
Sat and socialized in a tent for 5 hours while in rained
Walked through the forest at night
Walked through clouds
Climbed trails that I had deemed impossible
Swam in a lake…ina crater… in the middle of a volcano
Spent a night looking at the constellations
Bonded while sitting in different tents
Walked to cascades, swam in them, but couldn’t see them
Hung out with Lebanese architects
Drank awesome tea and had shisha
Ridden on the back of a pickup truck down a mountain…standing up
Wrote a crappy science paper
Hung out with Scotsman
Played Quizo
Danced and partied more than I had
Was Sarah Palin
Struggled, but survived Spanish class
Shared pictures, music and gossip
Had girly sleepovers
Stood at the tallest point of the island
Stayed up to watche the Phillies and the election
Experienced the joy of teaching children and frustration of a broken system
Taught the hokey pokey in Spanish
Enjoyed Southern Hospitality and cooking – and love the people who provided it.
Created dozens of quotes and inside jokes
Ran around in a stadium
Touched the mainland
Loved without running water for 3 days
Got super tan
Laughed and cried
Ate rice and pasta for 2 weeks in Moka
Didn’t shower at Moka
Laid out on the beach and swam in pools… in November
Hung out at oil compounds and watched ‘Friends’ for hours at a time
Ate way too much Oreos and other snacks
Almost fell in a ditch
Incorporated ‘torpe’ at least 4 times a day
Talked to my housemates on Facebook while they were all in the same room
Watched a bunch of movies
Wandered throughout the city
Ate cheap food; ate overpriced food
Learned Spanish that is not useful in everyday conversation
Got punch drunk
Baby sat grown men
Been called Turaco, Jim Beam, Obama, Imelda, and probably at least 4 other names
Walked down highways
Went to church with the President
Learned to cover my shoulders in church
Went to a bush meat market
Shopped for dresses
Applied Harry Potter to many aspects of Malabo and life
Shared information about Clay Aiken that noone was interested in
Stayed up past exhaustion to talk
Walked an insane amount of kms to get to a turtle beach
Saw a sea turtle
Spent 3 hours getting my hair done

And so, so much more

Thank all you guys again for all of the crazy, random unforgettable experiences… it would have been impossible without each one of you :)

Peace and Love Always,

Amanda Ilmeda Sita Mue Mude Turacobeama Malamut

My Descent into Pain and Magnificence: My Trip to the Southern Beaches

When the porters showed up 3 hours after we were supposed to leave, maybe that should have been an indication of what my adventure to the beach was going to be like. We finally set out on our journey at 10am, getting practically lost out of the gate because Bosco “knew” which path to take. Luckily we turned around to see the others going in a complete opposite direction. Maybe that should have been an indicator of how my adventure to the beaches was going to be… nope…
The first couple of kilometers weren’t too bad, but I was beginning to drag. My bag wasn’t that heavy, especially compared to the others, but my balance was failing me. How many times did I fall you ask? Honestly I have no idea, way to many to count. And each fall made me go slower and slower. I do have some awesome bruises and scratches to prove what a klutz I am. It was apparent that people wanted to and were able to go faster than a couple of us were, so we split off into 2 groups. Originally it was Cait, Julia, and I, but after awhile Cait went to catch up with the first group. So most of the way down the mountain it was just Julia and me. And what a way down it was. It took us a total of 13 hours to get to the camp… 99% composed of downhill rocky paths with roots and logs interspersed throughout. It was probably the most ridiculous walk I have ever experienced…then it got dark….

If I had one more moth/bug/whatever fly down my shirt, I was going to scream. And props to Julia dealing with me crying on and off for 4 hours or so. Many hours were spent crying and singing anything from Aladdin to James Taylor. Bosco came back to get us to camp… so he had to deal with it too, I’m not sure he knew how to take my emotional breakdown- I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t know how to handle someone else having a breakdown in the middle of the dark rainforest.

When we made it to the beach I was praising God with all my might- but then we had to get to the camp, which took another half hour or so. After that trek down the mountain I will never believe anyone about distance or time length concerning getting out of a forest. The next person that says “We are almost there”… and then it takes another hour…fear the repercussions.
I shoveled spaghetti in my mouth, went to the bathroom, and headed for bed.

I woke up sore as all get out… but seeing the ocean as I opened my tent melted some off my pain away. We all felt pretty gross from the walk the day before… so did we wash off you ask? By a pool of water resting by a waterfall of course. The water was initially chilly but after washing my hair and body (with Campsoap of course) and just sitting in the water… it felt so good for my body and spirit.

So what’s next? Swimming out to the water fall. Climbing over rocks have been a challenge for me, but this time it wasn’t too bad. Swimming around while a gigantic waterfall is pouring down the cliff is a site everyone should see. We couldn’t swim too close to the waterfall, but Sarah and I climbed along the side to get under the water fall. As the water was crashing down it felt like we were sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm. It was one of the most thrilling and relaxing things I have experienced.

After lunch we were taken to the beaches across the river. The ‘turtle girls’ are very helpful as we had to wade and swim our way through the river that was reaching high tide. To get to the beaches there is a 20 minute walk through the forest, which was a lot easier to handle then the 14 hour walk from the previous day. As soon as we get to the beaches I realize that this is one of the most beautiful places I have been on Earth. Beaches soft under my toes, warm water, beautiful scenery containing more waterfalls and rivers. Swimming in the ocean would be daring, since we were warned of stingrays; we had to shuffle our feet if we were to enter into the water. Most of us preferred to hang out on the sand and draw designs and take pictures. We had to return after an hour or so since the water would continue to rise in the river we had to swim across. Carrying our stuff over our heads, we all made it safely back to camp.

Cait’s foot was continuing to bother her, and my lack of fitness was apparent. Bina did her best to get a boat a la Marathon, but lack of communication and other assorted drama led us away from a boat ride. I wasn’t in the best shape to go up, and Cait was 3x as bad shape, but we were getting out of there. We were offered a boat… December 11th, but really, I was gonna spend my last week in Equatorial Guinea without my friends? Cait and I didn’t think so. I kept my temper in check, but to say I was pissed would probably be and understatement. We would be the first group to make the hike to and from the beaches without any aid. Arcadia always had paid for a boat because of fatigue. I never thought I would find a University cheaper and tight-pocketed then my own, but I found one in Drexel. Expecting us to pay for a boat, one that we couldn’t all fit on, would be ridiculous.

Now for the part that talks about why I was actually down at the beaches: sea turtles. I was supposed to go out the second night, but since it was decided that some of us would take 2 days to hike back up I went out at 2am to find the sea turtles as they came on shore to lay eggs. The boots I had paid 8 bucks for at the Chinese shop did very little as the water we had to cross came over the boots. Luckily, as Julia and I got to the beaches, the turtle people already found a turtle on the beach. If I had lain down that’s about how long the turtle was. She was so beautiful, big and strong. I wish I could have taken a picture, but flashes do a lot of damage to them.

Cait and Tristan caught up with us, so they got to see the turtle as well. We had to wait until she made its way back to the ocean. So we got to sit there and chill out until she decided she was done. We sat on the beach in complete darkness, looking out in the ocean, watching as the clouds rolled away and revealed the stars. It was a great time to clear my head and think about the past couple of days. By walking down that trail I did something that less than 300 people said they did.

It was about 4am when we were heading back… and of course I was the only one who managed to trip over a huge rock in the complete darkness. Can we say klutz. I really didn’t think it was that much of an issue – until next morning.

It took us 2 hours after the expecting time to leave so we didn’t head out until 11am. It was going to be a long day… Julia, Cait, Freddie, Lucia and I headed our way to our first goal: the river. What an interesting way to spend my mom’s birthday.

Instead of writing about the 2nd half of my journey – I’m wanted to show you, through the magic of video, but internet here doesn't exactly lend itself to technology.




(disclaimer- I AM FINE AND HEALTHY)




Long story short- we didn't make it to the river the first day... which I am grateful for, because that downhill in the dark would have killed me. My legs were so unbelievably sore, and Cait's foot wasn't any better.


The other group passed us on the second day, because I was walking so slow to the pain in both my legs. Who knew tripping on a rock would cause intense pain for 40 hours or so. It was dark when we finally reached the forest edge, and the only reason we escaped was because of Moritz pulling me up the 'cliffs of insanitiy". Just when you think you are done - more cliffs.


Going through the fields was very interesting as well, because I had an interesting combination of walking and being carried on Moritz's or a porter's back (the porter I am still convinced weighs 20 lbs less than me). It was ridiculous to say in the least, but I had giving up caring how I got back to the BBPP center hours before.


Getting in that car never felt so good, or it was never so hard to get in. As I limped my way into the house to get some food, I was so grateful to see my friends who made it back hours before. Without their notes and support, I don't know how well I would have made it. They are the reason I didn't sit on my butt waiting for a boat for a week at the beaches.


All in all, we walked 16km, over 3 mountain peaks, with a total elevation change of 5000m to sea level. It was the hardest, most physically challenging and painful adventure I have experienced in my life.



Would I do it over? - of course



Would I do it again? Maybe if I had a jet pack.


If people want to check out more pictures :
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035531&l=0d0b9&id=55402390
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035532&l=ab007&id=55402390