On the job search

Now that I have returned from another international adventure I am searching for a full-time job. I had a very positive experience being Executive Director of the Utah Lacrosse Association, a non-profit organization, for 3 years before I left to Africa. That opportunity helped me greatly with my overall professional development and ever-expanding skill set.

Recently I have been working with a brilliant Career Coach, Mary Cosgrove of What's Working Well http://www.whatsworkingwell.com/. She has done a wonderful job helping me determine that I want to utilize my organizing and implementing skills in the field of event/logistical management.

My professional network profile is available through Linked In at http://www.linkedin.com/in/paullarkin. If you have any suggestions for job leads or organizations I should look into please let me know.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. I may be contacted at plarkin9@hotmail.com.

Africa Final Photos are Online

As you can read about in my previous posting I am back in Utah, US of A. I had a wonderful 3 1/2 months in Africa visiting my good friend Chase and connecting with new friends. I met the challenges of learning to scuba dive, figuring out how to spend 12 hour days on physically uncomfortable buses, reading a book all day long in the intense heat and humidity, traveling by myself for three weeks over thousands of miles, and climbing the tallest mountain in Africa Mt. Kilimanjaro at 19,330 feet to name a few. Success!!!

A special thank you to all that left comments on my blog and emailed me directly while I was traveling. It was always nice to hear from someone back home and feel the energy in their writing!

I have created a website for my photos and have placed the direct link below. I put together a Best of Photos album with 557 pictures pulled from the other albums. I did my best to limit that number down as small as possible. I was working with more than 3,500 photos for the whole three months I was there. Around 1,000 photos per month, 30 photos per day average.

http://www.laxin.net/paul/photos/2009/09Africa/

I have now spent over 9 months of my life abroad. I have been fortunate enough to have visited 23 countries and 6 of the 7 continents, all that's left is Antarctica. All of this before the age of 30, which I will turn in June of this year. How is this possible some of you may ask? Because I made it happen and international traveling has been a priority of mine.

If you haven't traveled internationally I encourage you to do it! There will always be plenty of excuses not to go (I have a great job, my kids are too young, the economy is horrible, timing just isn't right, I just lost thousands of dollars in my investments recently, I struggle with a road trip in the states how would I handle traveling abroad, what about my mortgage, etc.) but you can figure out a work around for every excuse if you have the desire to MAKE IT HAPPEN!

I am very willing to share travel tips and ideas with you or anyone that has the desire. What you will gain from traveling: adventure, new experiences, an appreciation for other cultures, an appreciation for home, confidence from overcoming uncomfortable situations in languages you don't understand or speak, meeting new friends around the world, and bragging rights about your international adventures. You may contact me at plarkin9@hotmail.com. -Paul

Back Home in Utah!!!

I came back a few weeks early and surprised my family and good friends! Well I at least surprised my folks and one friend, understandably no one else could quite remember when I was coming back. I am home early because I was ready for the comforts of America: actual breakfast bacon, family, my own transportation, good friends, having products that are well manufactured at my fingertips or at the click of a button online, cold weather in Utah, and the Utah Jazz. I checked everything off my Africa list: scuba diving, game reserve, beaches, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and traveling solo, so I changed my flight and came back early.

For those of you that are interested I am currently going through the 3500 photos I took, an average of over 30 photos per day while I traveled. I have got them down to about half the original amount but want to really get them fine tuned for your viewing pleasure before I post them. I will let you know when this happens and will send you a link to them as they will be on another website.

So what happens now for me? I continue to integrate back into the American society through eating huge meal portions, driving to the store that is less than 3 blocks away, and begging for a job in this wonderful economy. (Any job leads please let me know, plarkin9@hotmail.com)

Just hanging out

I finally made it and have met up with Chase and Jamie here in Mozambique. It has been a ton of fun to be with my good friends. We will be at Chase's site for the next few weeks where I will not have internet access.

It is super hot here, to be contrasted to the freezing temperatures back home in Utah with snow on the ground. Hopefully we'll get to the beach for some nice relaxing!

Back in Mozambique

I am back in Mozambique and will be going to Chase's site today. It was a long journey, 5 straight days of 10 hours of traveling per day, to get from Dodoma, Tanzania to Massinga, Mozambique. I stayed with Patrick in Massinga for the past few days, it was great to be with one of my good friends out here again!

Now I am trying to figure out my traveling visa which expires soon. I may have to cross the border again unfortunately. No one will give me a straight answer about getting a new visa, it gets annoying but that is life out here. So I will be at Chase's site for tonight and may cruise down south to cross the border into Swaziland and renew my visa sometime over the next few days.

All is well and I am very happy to be back in Mozambique and see my good friend Jamie, who doubles as Chase's girlfriend, here in the next few days!!!

Traveling South

I haven't updated in a while. I am traveling south, back to Mozambique. I am in Blantyre, Malawi and will cross over to Mozambique over the next few days. Then it's at least two more days on buses down to see my American friends.

It has been an interesting time traveling solo, many stories to tell. But I will save those for a later time.

Some Tanzania Photos

Below are some photos I took during the last week. I am staying in Lushoto again for a few days and then will probably make my way down to southern Tanzania.

A typical small town street in Tanzania.


It is so green here.

Sky high!

African boys love to play fight, and be photographed!

Me and some cabbage.

Another African sunset.

Small Mountain Villages in Tanzania

New Years Eve was spent in Lushoto with Yuko, Mr. Lim, some new Swedes (I can't get away from them), and a local Tanzanian. There was nothing going on so we were just at a bar, nothing too exciting. We heard that the whole town, including the Muslims, would be at the Christian Church at midnight but we never saw anyone at the church the whole night. Maybe because in Tanzania the day starts at 6am, when the sun rises, so they are 6 hours behind international time. For example, 3pm is 9am in Tanzania time.


I got to go on a few hikes around Lushoto, there are some great views out here.

Then on New Years Day Yuko, a friend from Japan I met that is volunteering in Tanzania, and I were walking around town and she went into an appliance shop. I followed her and we met a volunteer for the US Peace Corps here in Tanzania, Leigh. I had wanted to meet a Peace Corps volunteer to be linked into their network and see if anyone is interesting is a visitor. Leigh was willing to host Yuko and I for the last three nights in her house in Mbelei, it was great!

So now I take a bus to another Peace Corps volunteer named Theresa. She lives in a small village about 3 hours north of Lushoto called Sunga. I think I'll stay in Tanzania until the first of February and then head back to Mozambique for the last month of my trip.

One of the amazing views from the road I walked down to get to some fresh cheese.

A chameleon, a photo for my Mother who volunteers at the local zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah.


I finally made it to the cheese, black pepper cheese that is.

The sunrise through some trees on another hike.

Stairs from the road down to some houses.

Irente View Point.

Following the local boys up to the higher view point.

Just like the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro!

So you can see the local houses made out of mud and sticks.

Another local house.

The Tanzanian dollar menu, not too shabby.

New Years Eve with Yuko and a girl from Sweden.

Cooking chapati, similar to tortillas, over the charcoal with US Peace Corps volunteer Leigh. She cooks every meal with charcoal like the locals.

Yuko and Leigh with some of the local school girls.

The view from their school.


Yuko taught the girls some self defence moves.

They caught on quickly.

Here in Tanzania the girls have weapons for self defense!

The ultimate test, balancing a heavy uneven load on top of your head. I uploaded the wrong photo, I have one with no hands I swear.

Leigh and I making some of the local corn flour meal Ugali to go with our vegtables for dinner.