Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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I’ll  be the first to admit that I was a strange child. I wore my underwear over my pajamas and took naps on the roof of my playhouse instead of my bed. I was also very influenced by movies. Since the age of three, I’ve been obsessed with the 1956 play-turned-film version of Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin. I knew (and still know) all the songs, dance choreography, and lines. It was my dream to fly, so I followed Peter’s instructions. I climbed on top of a chair, thought happy thoughts, and away I went. I realized the fairy dust I used wasn’t strong enough when my skull nailed the corner of our living room table. I cherish that scar…it reminds me of child-like faith and a “go after it” attitude.

Possibly the most embarrasing home movie in existence can be blamed on my connection to movies. I was two, and the event started with the 1986 low-budget Snow White musical. The evil queen had a beauty regiment  in which she bathed in fancy fragrances, oils, and bubbles. The final ingrediant was milk. Naturally, my response to watching this scene was to pour my entire cup of milk over my head. That led to a trip to the bathtub, where the madness continued. With my eyes closed, I laid down and clicked my heals together over and over again, repeating, “Dere’s no pace like home….dere’s no pace like home.” My mom filmed me for quite some time before I opened my eyes and realized the moment was being captured.

One of my favorite movies was called Toby Tyler. It’s an old Disney film about a boy who runs away from home and joins the circus. He then befriends a monkey named Mr. Snubbs. I blame this movie for my obsession with monkeys. When I was around eleven, my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her exactly what I wanted…a monkey. She said no. I cried for quite a while. I’ve ALWAYS wanted a monkey. When I thought of coming to Africa, seeing a monkey was a top priority. During a bus ride in Uganda, we saw some baboons on the side of the road. It was amazing, but my monkey experience got even better.

Our last day in Nairobi was one of the best days of my life. A few of us planned to visit a monkey park. It’s not even an attraction, it’s literally just a park that happens to have lots of monkeys that inhabit it. Loaded with a bag of peanuts and my camera, I was ready. The monkeys flocked to us when they saw that we had treats for them. They would jump on your shoulders and even try to reach into your pockets. They were so adorable. At one point I was feeding three monkeys at once, and a straggler missed out on the peanuts. He ruffled through the remnants of shavings in my hand and found nothing of substance. He then proceeded to bite my finger. My theory is that he was just trying to get a little taste of the peanuts. Or he could have just been ticked. Either way, it was worth it.

 
                                             
 

It seems like so many dreams are coming true thanks to the race. I’ve milked a cow, lived in  Africa, and now I’ve gotten to hang out with monkeys. Life is good.