DAN Y ED! (sobrenombres en engles) - Como estan?  Tus amigos en Argentina todovia?

 

Feliz Cumpleanos, Eduardo!  Recuerdo la fiesta el ano pasodo.  Estaba muy divertido!  Si tus amigos puedan llevar nuestros cosas, sera buenisimo!  Es muy facil a enviar cosas de Nueva York.  Ellos tienen correo electronico?

Gracias!  Les extranamos!

Natalie y Mateo

hola chicos! el 21 de febrero fue mi cumpleaños, que lastima que no pudieron estar conmigo, me acorde mucho de ustedes y del ultimo cuple que pasamos juntos en mi casa. con respecto a la compu Daniela tiene unos amigos que son de new york y estan aca en san rafael y vuelven dentro de unos dias para EEUU quizas la puedan llevar las cosas y ustedes se contactan con ellos, son Argentinos pero viven alla. yo les aviso como hacen para ubicarlos. Los queremos mucho y vuelvan pronto o mejor venganse a vivir aca besos. EDUARDO

EDUARDO Y DANIELA -  Por Favor Avisanos cuando van a casarles!  Queremes estar alla mucho!  Muchas gracias por buscando una manera de enviar nuestras cosas.  Yo llame DHL y ellos pueden recoger las cosas en tu casa.  No se si haya una empresa mejor y mas barata.  Cuando eligen una emprasa, Nos avisan.  Vamos a crear una cuenta con la empresa.  Es posible que todas las cosas son bastante pesas y por lo tanto demesiado caras a enviar.  Entonces, is posible que solo vamos a querer la maquina. Vamos a ver.

 Muchas Gracias!

Mateo y Natalia

hola que pena que no puedan venir, realmente los estabamos esperando con muchas ganas y con respecto al casamiento NI NOTICIAS, pero creo que de este año no pasa y les avisamos, ustedes tienen que estar en mi boda seguro. Tenemos sus pertenencia bien guardadas y seguras(la compu y el bolso) ya vemos como hacemos para enviarlas. Tu español es perfecto en la forma de escribir en cambio mi ingles es cada vez mas pobre y nos encantaria poder ir a Los Angeles pero la situacion económica no nos favorece para ser mas claro no tenemos ni un peso(dinero). Los extrañamos mucho y queremos que vuelvan "para ustedes es un poco mas facil" nos comunicamos por aca, yo lo miro la pag a diario, suerte. Besos. EDUARDO Y DANIELA.

matt and nat,

 

welcome welcome home.  hope to see you in la if we get out there this year.  we have some friends in agora hills.  or maybe if you come east in the summer.  what a tremendous way to start your life together.  you clearly topped any adventure your parents have had.... and they had plentY!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Kudos to you both for your courage, sense of adventure, willingness to share and compassion which we have all seen through your adventures.  enjoy the adventure of settling into the routine of house and work... dont let yuorselves lose the adventure!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cousin diane dabulas 

Hola Daniela y Eduardo!

Tenemos noticias tristes.  Llegamos en los Estados Unidos.  Tuvimos pasajes del avion a Santiago, pero habia una parada en L.A..  Bajamos en L.A. para ahorrar $3000.  No tuvimos los pasajes de Chili a E.E.U.U. y no tenemos mucho dinero ahora.  Tambien, teniamos que empezar trabajando pronto. Estamos muy tristes que no puedamos verles!  Probablamente vamos a volver en el futuro.  Mis padres tambien quieren ir.  Tambien, queremos que ustedes vengan aqui!  Por favor, Vengan! 

Vamos a abrir una "account" (creo que la palabra es "cuenta") de FedEx o DSL o algo similar.  Cual es el mejor servicio de correo alla?
Cuando tenemos una cuenta, podemos pagar de aqui.  Pueden mandar nuestras cosas?  La maquina es importante.

Mas importante, ustedes son casados?? Si no, Cuando es su boda?  Como estan?  Si es en el proximo ano, es posible que puedamos vistarles para la boda!

Lo Siento que me espanol sea muy mal ahora!

Les extranamos!

Natalia y Mateo

hola chicos como estan? no he recibido sus msj creo que tengo cerrada la cuenta en el correo. Hemos seguido todos sus viajes por la pagina y nos encantaba verlos bien y contentos los extrañamos y queremos que vuelvan a san rafael pronto, cualquier cosa nos contactamos por este medio o por la pagina . Suerte

I really thought that I had posted at least ONE message on the board, but turns out I am a very poor choice for a friend.  I couldn't even find it!  Anyway, it's so fun to read all of your posts and see the experience as a whole.   I can't wait to see you in person and get the real dirt.  It's hilarious to compare what you've done with what I've done for the past 14 months.  I think the most challenging travels I've had in the past year involve getting stuck on ice going up on a small hill about a mile away from my house in my car.   Ah, Minnesota.

Welcome Home! Thank you for sharing your journey. Love to see you once you get settled.

 Annita

DANIELA Y EDUARDO - Han recebido nuestro correo electronico???

January 5th, 2007 -- Christchurch, New Zealand

Its been more than a month since our last posting so this one is long overdue!  Some of you have even emailed "congrats" messages for finishing our around-the-world journey.  Well, we're not officially done yet;  we do, however, have a scheduled flight back to the US -- January 16th.  So it won't be long before we burn all of our travel clothes and my offensive, rancid sneakers.  That is, unless they decide to continue the journey on foot -- which is likely.

With the holidays fresh in our hearts and waistlines, Nat and I wanted to share a touching story from our travels in Tanzania, which only recently came full circle . . .

After our incredible yet backbracking safari, we opted to rehab on the sun-drenched island of Zanzibar -- long considered one of the most breathtaking and relaxing stretches of sand anywhere on earth.  It did not disappoint, however, the events back on the mainland in Dar es Salaam certainly made up for it.  With only a few days to spare before moving on to India, we had to cancel our plans to visit South Africa and fly directly back to London.  We still needed to obtain our Indian visas which is another story in itself (we promise it will be included in the book). Our biggest dilemma to date was that the Tanzanian offfice of British Airways only accepts cash for flight changes and related taxes and fees.  So, after spending every Tanzanian shilling in our pockets, we walked out of their office and across the street to the nearest Barclay's bank.  And that is where our world fell apart.  It was 6:00PM on a Friday afternoon and all the banks were offically closed for what turned out to be a long holiday weekend (the equivalent of our Independence Day).  To our horror, the ATM repeatedly mocked our attempts to withdraw cash.  Remember, this is not a western city with western infrastructure -- outside of the ATM, credit cards are useless.  Cash is king in most of Africa -- and without it, we were staring a weekend on the dangerous streets of Dar es Salaam right in the face.

Panicked, we peeked inside the closed branch for a sign of life.  Maybe a cash advance could save the day?  Maybe someone could help find a solution?  With no other options and daylight fading fast, we begged the security guard to open the door so we could speak to a bank employee.

20 minutes later, a woman came out to greet us and listen to our plight.  Despite being after hours on a long-holiday weekend, we were greeted with a warm smile and genuine concern.  We quickly learned that credit card cash advances or any other solution would not be possible after hours on a holiday weekend.  So we were stuck.  Imagine our situation -- two foreign backpackers wandering the streets of Dar es Salaam -- no cash, no hostel, and three full days until our flight back to London.  Let's just say we were outside of our comfort zone . . . and then the travel gods had mercy on our souls.

Disheveled, obviously exhausted and nearing a nervous breakdown, we must have looked rather pathetic standing in the cavernous foyer of Barclay's Tanzania.  And then, like an eye of a hurricane, the clouds parted and glorious rays of sun filled our hearts with hope . . . "why don't you come stay with me in my village?"  Rachel, the bank employee, offered with a smile.  Astounded and with no other place to go we graciously accepted her offer. 

For the next three days we stayed with Rachel and her 11-year-old son, Eric.  We ate together, shared stories and aspirations, listened to Eric play the electric keyboard, toured the village and the new "university" down the road, were introduced to their 3 cows.  She even provided us with a ride to the airport at 5:30AM in the morning -- all of which, was out of the goodness of her heart.  She expected no cash, no compensation, no thank you.  Needless to say, our immersion into Tanzanian village life was one of the highlights of our journey. Its amazing how quickly one can go from desperation to elation -- all due to a random act of kindness.

A few days later we found ourselves back in London, still glowing from such an incredible experience and wondering how we could repay her for her generosity.  I figured I would write to the highest levels of Barclay's Tanzania, and for good measure, top executives at headquarters back in London, with the story of Rachel's customer service savvy.  The end-result of that letter exceeded our wildest expectations  . . . here is the letter.

October 20, 2006

Mr. Peter Vickery
Head of Sales and Service
BARCLAYS: AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

Dear Mr. Vickery:

It is with great pleasure that we write to you regarding the exemplary service of one of your employees, Ms. Rachel Mwalukasa, Senior Retail Manager, Barclays House Ohio Street, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

My wife, Natalie, and I are nearing the end of an around-the-world holiday that has seen us interact with hundreds of customer service representatives -- at all levels -- from banking to transportation, travel/tourism to foreign consulates, in more than 35 countries.  The actions of Ms. Mwalukasa last week, without question, puts her at the pinnacle of her trade.  Here is our story:

After an incredible 5-day holiday in Zanzibar, we caught the afternoon ferry to Dar Es Salaam en route to the British Airways office at the Movenpick Hotel, across the street from Barclays House.  After using the last of our cash to cover taxes for our revised airline tickets, we crossed the road to access the Barclays ATM, which unfortunately, was unable to dispense cash.

With less than 2,500 Tanzanian schillings in our pocket, and with no other options past 5:00PM on a Friday afternoon, we proceeded inside to speak to a Bank Manager in attempts to obtain a cash advance on our credit card or find some other solution.  Our situation was dire -- no cash, no viable way to obtain money and two full days until our flight back to London.  Despite being closed for business, and the fact that the following day was a national holiday (October 14 -- Mwalimu Nyerere Day), Ms. Mwalukasa, donning her Barclay's cap and shirt, greeted us with sincere concern and a warm smile.

Unfortunately, after ten minutes off exploring various ways of solving our dilemma, we came to the realization that we were stuck.  Without the ability to obtain a credit card cash advance, which could be another viable revenue stream for Barclays in the future (many travellers like ourselves would use this service), we were struck with the prospect of sleeping on the streets.  That is, until Ms. Mwalukasa suggested we stay at her place, free of charge, until our departure on Sunday morning.

The fact that we were greeted by a sincere, attentive and ever-smiling face after hours on a Friday prior to a national holiday was remarkable -- to be offered a clean bed, warm meal and genuine Tanzanian hospitality at her private home goes far beyond the boundaries of Customer Service.  With no other options, we graciously accepted her generous offer and quickly learned that not only was our unlikely savior an exemplary and fiercely dedicated Barclays employee, but as thoughtful, genuine and sincere a human being as we've ever encountered.

On numerous occasions during our visit, we found Rachel on the phone, problem-solving with Barclays customers.  Even during "non-business" hours on a national holiday, she answered the phone with a warm greeting and genuine concern.

Needless to say, if our personal banker back in Los Angeles had 1/5 the passion and dedication as Ms. Mwalukasa, we would be customers for life.  In our opinions, no promotion, interest rate or banking feature can replace exemplary customer service.

With sincere thanks to Barclays Tanzania -- and with hopes of recognition for Ms. Mwalukasa for her exemplary customer service actions, we are gratefully yours.

Sincerely,

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew & Natalie Provost
5264 Washington Blvd.
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
United States of America

Just a few days ago, we received a note from Rachel with some incredible news.  At the holiday party, in front of all Barclay's Tanzania, it was announced that she had been nominated as "Barclay's Employee of the Year" and was given a cash prize of $450 for her going "above and beyond the call of duty".  Even by US standards, a $450 bonus is nothing to laugh at -- in Tanzania, however, where the average household income is $564 US dollars annually . . . well, you can imagine how far that goes.  What we didn't tell you earlier is that Rachel is a single mother who lost her husband a few years ago.  She tells us she plans on using her award money to help give her son a proper education . . . and maybe, someday, she'll be able to afford a trip to visit her friends in Los Angeles.  We'll be waiting with open arms . . .

If there's one thing we'll take away from our travels -- despite the daily doom and gloom reports we see across mass media -- its that people are innately good.  We've witnessed it first-hand in countless places all over the world -- from the poor Honduran family who offered us a free meal when we ran out of cash, to the Albanian man who personally escorted us through the rural backroads and back on track when we were hopelessly lost;  above all else, THAT, is the magic of travel and the reason to leave your comfort zone and experience the world.  Go. Live. I promise you you'll return home better for it.

M & N