I'd like to begin today with on a series of blog entries about what I'm taking with me on the Johnny Appleseed Tour. As you may know, unless this is your first blog entry, I'm leaving in just over a week for ten months around the world. But it won't be a tourism type of trip. Since I'm hoping to provide technical advice and services as a member of Worlds Touch and as a Rotary Cultural Ambassador, I need to bring more than my Visa card, clothes appropriate to the season, and my latest copy of the Lonely Planet Guidebook to the region.
I already have a list, compiled by someone on one of my email communities, which I will share here, but it might also be useful to see what I have come up with myself.
My personal philosophy of travel baggage is: Light, light, light. A corollary, in terms of STUFF, electronic or otherwise is: Do I really need it?
This is TechSoup's list for an eRider, along with my notes:
1.
A laptop with at least 20GB hard drive, a CD burner, network card, and at least a Pentium III processor
I've got the laptop but it doesn't burn CDs. I'll grouch about my laptop in a separate post. Watch this space. I've also got an American Tourister laptop case that took quite a while to find. The old case I had was just too heavy. Several international flights convinced me that a very lightweight case was a necessity.
2.
A cell phone, and for those who cover multiple countries, either an individual Subscriber Information Module (SIM) card (which holds personal information and settings and can be used on multiple phones) or a phone with good roaming capability
JF has the phone for this trip. It's my daughter Natasha's Moroccan phone -- no photos, no videos, no flippy thing, no frills. AND the letters are in Arabic, which we all think makes the phone extra cool. When I get to Kathmandu, I'll buy a phone. Which brings up more travel philosophy: You don't have to take everything you MIGHT need. Most of what you need, you can buy along the way. This may cut down on the souvenir haul, but I'm opposed to Travel-as-Souvenir-Shopping-Trip anyway.
3.
An Internet connection, preferably high speed (cable, DSL, or wireless), or if not high-speed, then an unlimited dial-up and subsidy for the phone bill
I've decided at this point that I will rely on Internet cafes around the world for the internet connection. The internet subsidy will come out of Worlds Touch's VERY limited funds. Donate to the internet connection, anyone? Donate through PayPal and you will be forever appreciated!
4.
A team or community discussion list with archives
This is a great idea and I'll be looking into it. For now, though, the comments function on this blog will serve as our discussion list. Please do comment. I have been thinking, thanks to Deborah Elizabeth Finn about offering to set up community discussion lists for the organizations I meet along the way.
5.
Instant messaging software to stay in regular contact with other team members and managers
I'm on yahoo as travelertrish and on msn as [email protected]. Every internet cafe in the world has at least one of these installed, since one of the main functions of these places is community chat room for the young folks of the neighborhood. What I've found, over the past year of World Touch's life, is that building the habit of IMing in order to stay in contact, is one of my jobs as international eTechie. IM has the reputation, among upright mission-minded organization leaders, as being somewhat frivolous, something young people do when they should be studying. It's important to help them see its uses as a help desk and strategy tool when their staffers are in the field.
6.
Electrical plug adapters and a multi-plug power strip
To be bought, as needed, in The World. NOT to be lugged around in a backpack!
7.
A handheld PDA (such as a Palm handheld device) to take notes and keep track of appointments
I spent a lot of time and energy trying to find and compare and price one of these. My ancient Jornada, inherited from when my son started college in 2001, will NOT talk to my newer laptop. I have considered taking it and just using it as a notepad while I'm in the field. I considered forking over the money for a new one that WOULD talk to my laptop. I spent hours in various discussion groups (which invariably focused on MUCH newer equipment.) In the end, I decided that my pad and pen notebook, approximately 3x5 with about 200 pages, would serve just fine for the out-and-about times. Evenings, I can enter contact info, appointments, etc. into my laptop. It might be sort of cool to whip one of these out in discussion with, say, the local Rotary president, to enter the meeting times. But this boils down to a case of, "if you don't NEED it, don't buy it."
8.
Licensed software including Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Dreamweaver, and Quark XPress
Don't I wish. Because our 501c3 application is stalled somewhere in Kentucky, we are still waiting for the day when we can visit TechSoup and order a bunch of good software. I have Office on my laptop, the software that came with my digital camera (Zoombrowser Ex...problematic at best, but it's what I've got), and a dream that someday, I'll have Dreamweaver, which I use on my PC at home but don't have a "licensed copy" of. I know how to access the open source GIMP, and worked with it when I put together the road, the road. So I will probably go with that if I need "photoshopping" work.
9.
A multi-tool such as a Gerber or Leatherman and a small toolkit for quick disassembly and reassembly of hardware
In Nepal, I've found that the availability of local guys to do all the hardware stuff makes this part of the eRider work I might do irrelevant and redundant. And our job is to increase local capacity where it needs increasing, right? My guess is that the boys out there (as in, of the male gender) like to carry this sort of tool and do this sort of work. They built computers from baling wire and Lego boards when they were ten, and it makes them feel, well, masculine. I love making friends with the locals who do this sort of thing. They quite often increase MY capacity.
10.
Travel funds for bus, train, plane, and hotels while on the road
Check. I don't do hotels, I do homestays. Most of the travel funds for this particular trip will be donated by yours truly and her sabbatical-taking husband (who after all makes the money in our house.) In the future, though, we need active fund raisers doing their excellent job to fill the coffers for this part of the process.
11.
Access to small grants for small purchases of equipment including memory or software
See #10.
12.
A small hub and network cables to set up and share connectivity at training sessions
I doubt if I'm going to carry network cables around, even if I knew what to do with them. But I rely on the local talent to carry out this part of the job, and so far, they have not let me down. I do plan to build my capacity in this matter, however.
13.
A digital camera to document work
I'll do a blog entry about this item separately, as well as my digital recorder, both of which I consider absolutely essential to World's Touch's work.
14.
A Web site for posting information in the primary language for the organizaitons supported
As Gandhi said about Western Civilization, "I think this would be a good idea." I'm learning the primary language during the fall, thanks to the Rotary International Foundation. And I'll be in touch, while I'm on the road, with folks involved in converting English to their local languages. It's important to note, though, that many college and universities in the world operate in English and that many people consider learning English a number one priority in their desire to get jobs, support their families and increase their buying power. I support local languages and ALWAYS learn as much as possible to speak them, but I won't turn my back on English as long as it is THE language of commerce in the world. It may be a sign of World Domination of the English speaking world, but pretending it isn't important is adding another handicap in the Digital Divide.
15.
Access to a mentoring network or help from "experts" while troubleshooting problems and developing solutions
YES! I have spent the fall building relationships with experts and mentors. I've subscribed to six email communities. And I'm taking a long list of email addresses with me. I'll be writing you folks, be forewarned.
16.
A resource for discounted equipment and software for nonprofits -- think TechSoup Stock International
This is a great resource and I'll be looking into it.
17.
Business cards and brochures
Printed in Nepal in four-color glory! I'm exceendingly proud of these, and also what they cost my donors compared to what they'd have cost in America.
18.
Training, training, and more training
Check. 30 hours of university coursework, three years' experience as a tech consultant and web developer here in the states, and two database projects in Nepal under my belt-- all this has been excellent training. And I've given myself the GRADUATE level course in nonprofit eRiding over the past several months. I'm also hoping to take the 10-day course in GIS in Nepal while I'm there.
19.
Sufficient time to prove their worth and the impact of their support
As a Johnny Appleseed traveler/tech advisor, I'm hoping to sow the seeds for future tech planning and consulting work on this trip. I can't be a "true" eRider without at least a year of funding and leave from my life in America, but I can still be of service, share what I know. I can provide access to the mentors and trainers I know. I can provide web addresses to the online tools and free software I know. And I can start on the first, and most essential step in the process: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, without which, no technical project in the developing world goes ANYWHERE.
(http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articles/consultants/page1687.cfm)
I think I have a licensed copy of Dreamweaver that I have not used for a while; I took a class in it a couple of years back but never did anything with it. Let me check; if I have it I'll see what we need to get it to you, if you want it while on this trip.
Posted by: Kim Knapp | January 24, 2006 at 04:51 PM