First Purchases

Source

Progress, Progess

News!

A lot is going on. First of all, I would like to state an initial thank you to Laura and Arch Brown. They create an opportunity at  the Honors College of the University of Arizona for a wonderful scholarship. After applying, I received funding toward my project. This marks the first scholarship I have earned for The Vagabond Project and I am ecstatic. The funds from the Laura and Arch Brown Scholarship have allowed me to purchase a camera, USB stick, and SD card. I've also purchased my plane ticket, so now The Vagabond Project is a GO. Additionally, I picked up the backpack which is going to represent my home for the 84 days that I travel throughout Europe.

After much consideration and research online as to which camera would best suit my needs, I chose the Canon Powershot SX260. It is versatile and pocket-sized, as well as one of the top-rated cameras on Amazon and other websites. I purchased a 16GB SD card so that I have enough room to take a large amount of high quality pictures before I have to dump them into the cloud. Additionally, for extra space and for supporting documents and backup information, I bought a 16GB durable USB stick. I believe that this storage space will be crucial, especially if I am not within range of the internet for a series of days. I am also looking to pick up a secondary battery for the camera, as I will run into battery issues after several days without access to an outlet or energy source.

For my backpack, I chose The North Face ALTEO 35. It has a capacity of 35 liters, which will provide enough space for several days of clothes and supplies. It has a fantastic support system and fit on the back, providing a mesh space for airflow to pass. As this is going to be on my back for a good portion of the trip, it is extremely important that I am comfortable carrying whatever I must carry.

In other news, I have applied for two additional scholarship programs. I am hoping to hear back in early April, so hopefully I can obtain additional funding to support the program.

Currently, I am working on gaining partnership and contact with organizations that work with homelessness in Europe. The organization I am looking to work with at this point in time is the Homeless World Cup. What is ideal about the HWC is that it is prevalent and established in all the countries I will be traveling through. By partnering with the HWC, I would be able to see the gradient of difference between countries and how different cultures work with and react to homelessness.

There is a lot in the works and it is great to start seeing the project come together. It's weird to think that just a few months ago I was practicing my shot on a basketball court in the cold, debating if it was even possible to pull something like this off.

Best,

Sam

Fundamentals

Memrise.com - Check it out!

Word of the Day:

English: Building

Spanish: Edificio

French: Bâtiment

Italian: Edificio

German: Gebäude

Dutch: Gebouw

Fundamentals

This week (1/20/13 - 1/27/13) has been about learning the basics and making phone calls. I've stopped riding my bike to school. Instead, I walk everywhere. I put an extra book in my backpack in the morning to get used to a heavier weight. Travelling to and from school, I use the paid version of the app 50 Languages for the Android. I start by repeating the English word or phrase, then say an alternate language's translation twice. The app is nice, as it has the same version of each lesson for each different languages. This allows for  an easy comparison between whichever language you're trying to learn.

In addition to the 50 Languages app, I am also using a website called Memrise. Again, it is useful because it reinforces the language with verbal commands as well as images, placing the vocabulary and phrases firmly in your memory.

To be honest, the process of learning languages is slightly more difficult than I anticipated. I was hoping to learn the core values of Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch at the same time. However, I feel this isn't the best option anymore, as words become cluttered and phrases turn into strange, foggy clouds. It makes this a challenge now, and what is greater than overcoming a task that is challenging? Hopefully through consistent reinforcement and practice, the core values for each language can be obtained relatively quickly. It will just take practice, practice, and more practice.

Just checking in for the week.

Thanks for reading!

-Sam

Budgets and Beginnings

Word of the day:

English: Dream

Spanish: Sueño

French: Rêve

Italian: Sogno

German: Traum

Dutch: Droom

Budgets and Beginnings

Hello.

My name is Sam and I’m planning a wonderful adventure. Tentatively titled, the trip is called The Vagabond Project. It is an 84-day journey across and around Europe. I will start by flying into Madrid, Spain and finish by flying out of London, England.

The trip will have two focuses. The overall goal of the trip is to gain a personal understanding of homelessness on a world scale (focus #1). This will be accomplished by travelling across the continent using a single backpack and talking with members of the population and learning different cultures (focus #2).

There are a plethora of barriers and challenges that are already present. A couple days ago I applied for my passport and took a picture with a white background and a goofy grin across my face. This will be my first time travelling and going to another country. Also, the only language I know besides English is Spanish. I and barely know that at a conversational level. Because I plan to talk to many people on the streets of main and never-heard-of cities alike, I want to have a confident comprehension regarding the languages I may encounter. This means that I must reach a conversational level in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Dutch.

With respect to languages, I’m currently using an application on my phone and repeating phrases as I walk the two miles to and from campus. I feel silly when I mispronounce the same French phrase three or four times in a row and then realize a man is walking his dog just behind me. At the same time, I think I sound awesome as I spit out a six or seven word sentence in German flawlessly on the fringes of the campus, especially if I'm near a crowd of people.

When it comes down to it, I’m currently in the learning stage of my trip. I can’t even begin to plan beyond basic outlines at this point because there is such a large amount of base knowledge that I require. Besides languages, I want to have a good understanding on the environment that surrounds each major city along my general route. This will help me get the lay of the land, so to speak.

The learning stage is fun and I can’t begin to complain. It challenges me intellectually and I relish the experience of diving into language, culture, and background environments. In addition to this, I am currently looking to obtain corporate sponsors as well as searching for foundations or schools that may be interested in providing assistance with the funding process.

As the trip progresses, I plan to keep a constant handwritten journal, take huge amounts of pictures, record a video diary, and post frequently on this blog- which will detail my experiences. At the end of the journey, I hope to find a website or journal to write an essay or article about my adventures as a first-time traveler as well as what I will have learned through my travels and conversations with the homeless of the world.

That is all for now. I look to continue to update my process of learning and preparing for this trip. I am doing my best to represent a strong example of what a kid can do if he/she really wants to travel and experience the world. I've wanted to travel my entire life, but I was always scared because of its immense monetary cost. I may be throwing caution to the wind, but I want this adventure. I want to witness and learn from culture and to obtain a critical understanding of the issue of homelessness.

Awesome Language:

“Week”, in German is “Woche” and “middle” in German is “Mitte.” What day is in the middle of the week? Wednesday. “Wednesday” in German is “Mittwoch.” So. Cool.

Basic Budget (estimates taken on the higher end):

Ticket: $1,200

Eurorail Pass: $1,100

Food: $500 ($150 per month, rounded up)

Incidentals: $500

Estimate Total: $3,300

Thanks for reading!

-Sam