Canada

(Jenn)

A couple of weeks ago, I was asking Anica some questions about the trip and I suggested I should interview her. She loved the idea and poked me a couple of times about doing it. Finally I sat down, wrote out some questions and did the interview. I have /tried/ to transcribe her answers. It would have been better with a video or tape recorder but we didn't have anything handy and often, with kids, time is of the essence.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

A. My name's Anica and I'm 7 years old.

Q. Where are you going on your "Big World Trip"?

A. Around the world. Europe... Asia... Italy...

Q. Who is going with you?

A. Mummy, Daddy and my doll, Baby

Q. How are you going to get to places?

A. Plane, overnight trains, trains, buses, taxis and cars.

Q. Where are you going to first? Second? Third? After that?

A. Vancouver, Singapore, Malaysia... Egypt?

Q. What are you taking with you?

A. Hat, sunglasses, my doll, Baby, whistle (for if I get lost), some clothes, a hat... I already said that... bathing suit and towel... Am I bringing my goggles?

[me: If you want to.]

I want to! Nintendo DS and the laptop...

Q. What do you think will be the best part of the trip?

A. My birthday, Paige's birthday, Christmas. Swimming in pools and going to the beach.

[Paige is her best friend]

Q. What do you think you might not like about the trip?

A. Getting lost.

[we stop here for assurances she won't get lost]

Q. What places/things are you most excited about?

A. England, Italy and having my birthday in India.

Q. What kinds of food do you most want to try?

A. New foods. Something that looks good.

Q. What do you most want to do or try?

A. Snorkelling, overnight trains...

Q. What's been the best part of getting ready so far?

A. Getting to practice swimming.

Q. What are you going to do about school while we're away?

A. Homeschool.

[me: What does that mean?]

Having my mum and dad teach me.

[me: Are you looking forward to that?]

Not really.

[me: *laughs* Why not?]

It's going to be fun just not as fun as the other...

[me: As going to real school?]

No, as not doing any school.

Q. What is your advice about spending money on our trip?

A. Don't spend it on things you think are going be cool but turn out to be dumb.

Q. Is it okay to have a splurge?

A. No.

Q. What are you going to spend your money on? [she has a small allowance for the trip]

A. Jewellry and clothes.

Q. How long are you going for?

A. A year.

Q. Are you going to see any family or friends while you're on your trip?

A. Nana and Grandpa and Poppa and maybe Momma.

[me: Where are you going to see them?]

Nana and Grandpa in France, Poppa in Egypt and some of India [actually, Thailand, Cambodia and India] and Momma maybe in Italy.

Q. What do you think you'll miss most about Canada besides friends and family?

A. My stuffties. But don't put that... put stuffed animals.

[pause for small talk about how lots of people have a pet name when they're little for their stuffed toys]

Q. How much money do you think the trip will cost us?

A. $1000

Q. What advice do you have for grownups or other kids who are doing trips like this?

A. Don't go into countries that you don't think you'll like or don't sound good. Do fun stuff like swimming, the beach, restaurants.

(Jenn)

I know I've spent a lot of time looking at packing lists so here's ours for those interested.

Packs

Jenn: Asolo Navigator 60 Elle - front loading with attached daypack - packed, weighs approx 27 lbs

Rob: North Face Backtrack 70 - front loading with attached daypack - packed, weighs roughly 35 lbs

Anica: MEC 20L Teeny Genie - top loading - packed, weighs 5-6 lbs (no more than 10% of her body weight and although meant for older kids, because of her height, this fits her wonderfully) - hers is blue though

• ************** JENN'S PACKING LIST ***************

CLOTHES
4 pants (2 capris and 2 zip-offs - all Columbia)
2 skirts (1 just below knee and 1 ankle-length - light cotton)
1 pair of pajamas (Old Navy - spaghetti strap tank and light cotton pajama pants)
5 t-shirts
1 white cotton long-sleeve shirt
1 patterned long-sleeve shirt
1 black mid-weight zippered fleece (Columbia)
1 light rain jacket
4 bras (1 sport; 3 regular)
7 pairs of underwear
3 pairs of short light cotton socks
1 water/trekking shoes (Salomon)
1 sandals (Teva)
1 cheapie flip flops (for showers etc)
1 swimsuit (tankini)
1 coverup (long sleeve light cotton chocolate brown - good as extra shirt to throw over t-shirts in evening)
1 sun hat
1 scarf (for covering head where appropriate)

PURSE
Metro100 by Pacsafe (I /love/ this purse - so comfortable, lots of room for such a small bag and safe)

wallet (small coin purse type)
camera, flash drive, cellphone, portable hard drive (see Electronics)
Epi-pen
lip balm, lipstick
sunscreen stick
antibacterial hand gel

• ************** ROB'S PACKING LIST ***************

CLOTHES
2 pants - both zip-offs (Columbia and Wind River)
1 short-sleeve microfibre shirt (Columbia)
1 long-sleeve microfibre shirt (Columbia)
2 microfibre t-shirts (Columbia)
2 regular t-shirts
1 pajama bottoms
1 pair microfibre swim trunks (Salomon)
2 pairs socks
3 pairs travel underwear
4 pairs regular underwear
1 water/trekking shoes (Salomon)
1 sandals (Tevas)
1 cheapie flip flops (for showers etc)
1 sun hat
1 lightweight fleece (Columbia)

• ************** ANICA'S PACKING LIST ***************

CLOTHES
2 pairs long pants (convert to capris)
2 pair capris
3 pair shorts
2 dresses
1 short sleeve top
2 long sleeve tops
3 t-shirts
1 tank
1 pajamas (short-sleeve T and shorts set)
1 swimming suit
1 midweight fleece (MEC)
1 rain jacket
4 socks
7 underwear
1 sandals (Columbia)
1 running shoes (very lightweight Adidas)
1 cheapie flip flops (for showers etc)
sun hat

GEAR
journal
small pencil case with pencil crayons
foldable frisbee
foldable kite
inflatable ball
card set
magnetic Chinese checkers
"Baby" (stuffed doll)
pealess whistle with lanyard

• ************** EVERYONE'S PACKING LIST ***************

GEAR
- 3 sleep sheets - silk and lightweight - for use in hostels and in any questionable budget hotels
- small mini-LED flashlight
- cable locks for Jenn and Rob's packs
- combo locks for compartments
- 2 large microfibre travel towels for Jenn & Rob
- 1 medium microfibre travel towel for Anica
- 3 sunglasses
- 2 ultralight travel umbrellas
- 3 Eagle Creek 2-sided pack-it cubes
- Swiss Army knife
- small pair scissors
- small roll of patching tape
- small sewing kit
- universal drain plug
- woollite packets
- clothesline
- neck money purse (which Rob will carry)
- 2 light tote bags with drawstring necks (good for laundry)
- collapsible cup
- virtually indestructible spork
- virtually indestructible pill box
- TIDE sticks (2)
- ziploc baggies
- compass
- mosquito coils
- mosquito coil holder (very light, can hold pieces and can be hung up)
- 1 twin size mosquito net (very light - for Anica)
- Steri-pen (water purifier) + extra batteries
- 3 nalgene water bottles

MAPS & BOOKS, ETC
- cut down guidebooks (Eyewitness and Rough Guide)
- full India Rough Guide
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (to read nightly to Anica)
- 3 books - 1 each - to be exchanged/replaced along the way
- Rough Guide waterproof & tearproof maps
- notebook - Jenn
- pen
- solar calculator

TOILETRIES
- lipstick, eyeliner for Jenn
- special extra-sensitive sunscreen for face - Jenn
- tampons (obviously for Jenn)
- razor for Jenn
- razor and shaving gel for Rob
- deoderants for Jenn & Rob
- toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss
- tweezers, nail file, brush, pumice stone, clippers
- earplugs
- shampoo (1 small nalgene bottle for everyone)
- conditioner (1 small nalgene bottle for everyone)
- liquid soap (1 small nalgene bottle for everyone)
- exfoliating scrub (1 small nalgene bottle for everyone)
- 1 scrubbie
- small hairbrush

MEDICATIONS
- Cipro, Zithromycin, Lariam, Fluconazole (the last just in case)
- Children's Advil, Migraine Advil, etc
- Imodium, Senokot
- Rob's asthma and allergy medications
- Jenn's epi-pens
- waterproof band-aids, blister bandaids, blister sticks, neosporin
- sunscreen, insect repellent, after bite stick
- anti-fungal rash cream
- small First Aid Kit (to be replenished as needed)
- ORT packets (rehydration salts - 3 for emergency use)
- earplanes for Rob and Anica

ELECTRONICS
- iPod + charger (has music, games, short films, movies and downloaded rough guides)
- Canon 600 digital camera (small) + 1 - 2 G and 1 - 1 G memory cards + charger
- portable hard drive by SimpleTech
- Toshiba Libretto laptop (decided to leave dvd drive (docking station) at home - have virtual one I used to load all the discs we want with us) + cables + extra dongles

- 4 GB USB flash drive
- Nintendo DS Lite + case with game cartridges and headphones
- plug adapter with surge protection
- extra batteries for camera, laptop and Nintendo DS lite
- cellphone + charger

PAPERS
- passports
- visas (China, India, Egypt, Vietnam - will get others as travel)
- extra passport photos
- tickets (copies of e-tickets)
- copies of passports and all other important papers
- international drivers licenses
- vaccination records
- health cards
- credit cards
- cash
- travellers cheques
- CAA membership
- hostel memberships
- pouch for Peugeot rental in Europe
- proof of insurance (World Nomads)

(Jenn)

Ironic is spending half an evening talking with your husband about food and water safety in third world countries and then coming down with food poisoning in your own :P

Yesterday ended up being a write-off with me sick but luckily Rob was able to drop Anica off for her last 1/2 day of school, run downtown to pick up our passports with our Chinese visas and courier a whole new package including passports to the Indian Consulate.

If you've never applied for a visa, it can be a nerve-wracking experience. What if you're rejected? Would you ever even find out why? What would you do then? It's even more anxiety-provoking when you have a tour or two (as we do) riding on getting them.

And despite the constant advice I read to dress up (or at least nicely) when you visit an embassy or consulate, the majority of people at the Chinese Consulate on Monday were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Oh, well. Better safe than sorry.

I still feel like we're in a holding pattern - no control over visas except delivering the packages, not able to sell the car just yet, etc - but I also feel like we'll be ready no matter what and there's a strange peace that comes with that. Whatever we're missing, we'll get. Whatever needs to be done, we'll do. Of course, and hopefully I'm not the only person planning a RTW who feels this way, I alternate (sometimes several times daily) between "ack! I need to be doing more!" and "It's going. It's going." (said in Dory from Nemo voice)

My pile on the futon was growing as I added mosquito coils, more insect repellent, cable and luggage locks, silk sleep sheets (for hostels and questionable hotels) and some small collapsible toys (frisbee, ball and kite, all of which are /tiny/ and very light when packed). BUT I took everything out of its packages, used small labels to print out and stick on instructions where necessary, and grouped everything in ziplock bags. Presto! It looks manageable again.

I've told Rob we'll start paring down when we do our trial packing and figure out exactly what our packs weigh. Our stingiest maximum for flights is 15kg of checked baggage, but honestly, I figure if my pack is over 33lbs, overweight baggage fees are the least of my worries. I don't want to be carrying that much. I honestly want to carry as little as I can and figure that my enjoyment of each day may be in direct proportion to how much crap I'm carrying on my back. Of course, we're also carrying the kidlet's stuff but that's divided between the two of us (and she'll be carrying her own pack with her swimsuit, travel towel, baby (stuffed doll) and nintendo ds lite with its pack and games for the many long train and bus rides we'll be on).

Lastly, we thought some of you might be interested in the following:

Steripen

It uses UV light to destroy waterborne microbes. It's not cheap at $159 CAD (the Adventurer/Traveler model) but if you figure out the cost of bottled water - no matter where you're buying it - times the three of us over 6 months (the length of time we're in countries with questionable tap water) - it's well worth it. Plus it's fast, light, and convenient. AND it will also decrease the environmental damage we do with adding more plastic bottles to the landscape. Yay!

(Rob)

Every year, on the day after Labour Day, the school bell has tolled for me! From little "Robbie" in Junior Kindergarten, 1974, through high school, university, teacher's college, and now for thirteen years as "Mr.B", teacher, the first Tuesday in September has meant back to school.

Well not this year!

I guess we'll be somewhere in China by then. I don't even want to know. It'll just be nice to do something different for a year. My friends at work joke that I've had the exact same lunch every day for years: what am I going to do when we're travelling? Apparently, they've never heard of food drops...

Anyway, according to the Ontario Ministry of Education, I will have one student next year. She'll be in grade 3, and her name is...Anica.

For her sake, and mine, we're going to make sure that 2007-08 feels nothing like a typical school year.

(Jenn)

Every time I cross one thing off the to-do list, another two or three seem to take its place. Of course, one solution would be not to cross anything off but I suspect that wouldn't work :P

The things I most want to get done are things we can't do, where there's no movement and nothing to do about it until certain other things fall into place. The remaining car can't be sold until Rob finishes work and Anica finishes summer camp and the visas (China and India) cannot be applied for until July because the Chinese one is only good for three months and India is only good for six. Most of our other visas we'll get on the road but we're less confident about applying for China away from home and we have a tour (and much more time) riding on India.

On the plus side, I've managed to cut my hair very short and I'm thrilled with it. It makes me wonder why I kept my hair long for so long. I look younger, I feel better, it takes so little to make it look great. I don't think I'll ever grow it long again.

I've also managed (a while ago) to switch my wedding & engagement rings for a plain white gold band and I've been wearing it, my watch (which is waterproof), earrings (simple hoops I can sleep in) and my St. Christopher's medal all the time including to bed and when showering/swimming. I want to get into the habit of never taking them off because I'm certain if I do, I'll end up losing something, and while we're not taking anything (possession-wise) that we can't handle losing, I don't want to lose anything out of simple forgetfulness.

Lastly, I've opened up the futon in the solarium and put everything (well, except clothes) out on it. It's mind-boggling to realize that it's all going and both how much and how little it is. A year. Wow. I know we can and will get things on the road but what's there is what we're taking for a year. Will definitely post a picture (and our packing list!) before we go.