Reading list

For me, any adventure begins in the library. I am known to get all the juvenile literature books on a particular country and devour them in the months before I leave. This lets me flip through colorful pages of photos, learning about food, culture, textiles, government systems, wildlife, etc. It helps me know what to expect, and what to hope to photograph.

Most of what we in the US know about the continent of Africa, the dark continent, is generated through the world of West Africa--music, dance, kente cloth, etc. East Africa is less know to us for culture, and more for wildlife--big game.

Search children's books for Tanzania you get Jane Goodall's biography. Jane I know a bit about. I got to drive her around in my old Subaru in the summer of 2000 for Seattle's Bumbershoot festival. There will be much more writing about my connection with her and my trip to follow her footsteps.

So this is my collection of learning:

Jane. check. (She signed both those books to me!) Chimps. check. We are all completely beside ourselves was the 2016 Seattle Reads book. While fiction, there was plenty of collateral chimp knowledge gained.  Kili. check. Gorillas. check. I even had a chat with authors Bill and Amy; they are Yale profs and patients of my dad.  Rising from Ashes--a documentary movie about the Rwandan National Cycling team. The film left me in hopeful tears.

Despite this reading list, I feel less prepared for the cultural encounters. Which leaves me open to adventure.

Karibu.