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Windows 7

I just bought a new computer with the Windows 7 operating system pre-installed. I like it so far. As many critics have pointed out, Windows 7 is a much better OS than Windows Vista. Windows 7 runs faster than Vista and has some improved GUI features that enhance the user experience. The little touches count, and the layman can tell that Microsoft spent considerable time, effort, and money to make Windows more user-friendly. Gone is the bootup DOS screen, and instead of using ALT-Tab to scroll through open screens, Windows 7’s taskbar has a dynamic feature that allows you to see the Windows when the mouse pointer passes over icons. I do wish that Microsoft would consider replacing CTRL-ALT-DELETE in a future OS with some other easier to use method of bringing up the intro screen and make it easier to find certain settings it changed from previous OS such as the “Show Desktop” feature on the taskbar (now hidden to the far right). Despite these mild critiques, I’m impressed. As my contacts at Microsoft know, that’s not easy to do. Microsoft will be happy to know that at least one user prefers its latest operating system to Apple’s Snow Leopard OS, which left me feeling as if I were driving on the wrong side of the road.

Flat Stanley’s Adventure on the Zambezi River

Flat Stanley traveled half way around the world from his home in North Idaho to Zambia, a country in southern Africa. He joined us on an adventure this weekend on the lower Zambezi River, an area north of Victoria Falls. We had a memorable time staying at Zambezi Breezers, a camp located near Chirindu on the Zambian-Zimbabwean border.

Flat Stanley enjoyed his very first safari river boat cruise down the Zambezi River. Flanked on one side of the river by Zambia and the other by Zimbabwe, he cruised down the river and encountered beautiful terrain and exotic wildlife. He passed several islands as we navigated the river. Mountains rose in the distance on each side of the river valley. Subtropical plants and trees dotted the landscape, and long wild grasses covered the land except where the earth crumbled along the river bank, exposing the rich red soil.

During the river cruise, Flat Stanley saw all sorts of wild animals, from elephants that grazed along the river and crocodiles lounging on the river banks to hippos soaking themselves in the water like a chain of floating islands. Flat Stanley observed many types of birds, including eagles and cranes, and he even saw an impala in a distant meadow. His favorite moment was taking a photo with a young elephant watching our boat curiously from the river bank.

Flat Stanley saw storm clouds brewing in all directions, a common occurrence during the rainy season. He saw brilliant lightning flashes, heard bellowing thunder roar and surveyed the beautiful and volatile cloud formations painting the sky. He saw a couple of particularly dark storm clouds brewing not far from us. One of the storms barreled toward us quickly from the south. Although we had turned around and were heading back to our camp, we met the storm with our boat in the middle of the river. We battled fierce winds, hail, and lightning. We were soaking wet but made it back to the camp safely.

Flat Stanley survived but was discolored from our memorable experience. He enjoyed his adventure on the Zambezi River and will never forget it. It changed his life forever.

More About Zambia

Top Ten Things to See in Zambia	Zambian Critters	Zambian Trees in Bloom
Iguazu Falls vs. Victoria Falls	Lake Kariba	James Bond in Zambia
Boomslang Barry	Elvis in Africa	Flat Stanley’s Adventure on the Zambezi River
When I Saw a Lion	Other Articles

World Adventurers Magazine

Waiting and Waiting

One of the joys and frustrations of overseas life is waiting for mail to arrive. Receiving mail, especially packages, is usually a pleasant experience. It symbolizes a physical link to one’s home country and often contains items you’ve been waiting to receive. It can seem like Christmas at any given moment receiving that box or envelope you’ve waited for with great expectation. At the same time, the anticipation can be difficult. If you’re waiting for something you ordered awhile ago, you may experience frustration waiting a month or more for it to arrive. The moment it’s in your hands you might feel a rush of excitement, but the waiting is a grind.

Living overseas, experiencing the haphazard nature of the mail service, makes one appreciate the convenience and reliability of the U.S. Postal Service (or domestic postal service in many other countries, for that matter). While not perfect, it’s easy to forget how good it really is. When you’re overseas, unless you’re lucky to have access to a U.S. military post office (APO), you’re usually subjected to the following inconveniences:

Mail that never arrives or arrives months after mailing via the local postal service;
Mail that is pilfered and plundered;
Mail that arrives broken, battered, or damp; and
Mail that costs a fortune to send.

It’s a constant reminder that although living overseas may seem exciting and exotic, it also has its fair share of challenges that are particularly noticeable in little ways such as the mail.