I Have Some Tough Travel Choices Ahead

I am in a travel dilemma at the moment and am not sure what to do with my life over the next three or four months. It had all be settled: work in Sumatra until the end of the project on February 27th and then go to South Africa.

But things have changed drastically in the past few weeks and I’m not sure what I want to do anymore. The earthquake in Haiti has got me looking at flights to go there, a visit from a friend who is living in Islamabad has me trying to find a way to get a visa for Pakistan and an extension on the volunteering project in Sumatra has be wanting to stay until the end.

Haiti

Everyone will know by now that Haiti has been screwed by an earthquake. I left Haiti less than a year ago and, to be honest, the thought of going back there so soon fills me with dread. But the thought of being able to lend a hand outweighs that and I am finding myself looking for flights to Miami and on to Port-au-Prince when I should be doing work. I don’t have any useful skills for right now and I’m not about to head over there on my own only to become a burden. Hands On have an assessment team there and I am waiting to see if they plan to launch a project. I have been told that it’s unlikely that they won’t work in Haiti, it’s just a matter of when. In the meantime I am thinking a lot about the country and spending a lot of time looking at airfares that I can’t afford.

Islamabad

A friend of mine is working in Islamabad and I am intrigued by the place. It sounds like he has a great group of friends and he is really loving living there. He has even found a place for me to stay with a friend of his for US$350 a month. It comes with wifi, a cook, a cleaner and even a guard. I love doing relief work but I am going to need to work on my websites sooner rather than later as things seem to be sliding a bit lately. I can’t think of a better place for a bit of location independent living than Islamabad! Ok, I can… but I am suddenly extremely curious about the city. I have wanted to go to Pakistan for awhile and what better time to do it that when I already have a good friend living there? Of course there are the security concerns and all that stuff but lets just ignore those for now. The main problem I’m having is getting a tourist visa and I might have to fly back to the UK to get one. This might seem crazy but I have family and friends I haven’t seen in awhile and also need to sort out some tax things so it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time trip – just an expensive one.

Sumatra

I have been in Sumatra for about three months now and have loved it. The work we’ve done so far has been very physical and mundane but necessary. We’re removing unsafe homes from the owner’s foundations by dropping them safely to the ground and the salvaging any useful materials like tin, wood, bricks and even river rock. The work is hard and not the most exciting thing in the world and after three months it is getting a bit old, even though I know its important. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we’ve started building things instead of just wrecking things. Yay! We’ve begun building homes and they’re fun and have a great design and I am learning some new skills. The project has been extended until April 9th and I would like to see the project through to the end. Plus this is the only option that I can really afford.

Can anyone offer any advice? The only plan that makes any sense is staying in Sumatra but that’s third on what I want to do. I think the leader is heading to Pakistan but the visa issue is a problem. Haiti is a crazy plan and until Hands On decide what they will do there, I don’t want to make any moves. But I don’t want to wait around for too long, either. I have some tough choices to make.

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