On my way

"There's no limit to how much you'll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go."
— Dr. Seuss

I love this quote for many reasons. The easily assumed reasons are…number one; Dr. Seuss is amazing and number two; it involves zebras which also strike my fancy. Go further and Dr. Seuss lays out my aspirations and hopes in this new journey I am about to embark on.  I leave for Kenya in almost a week and I am so excited to learn and discover new things about the environment, the culture, and about myself both personally and professionally. I can’t wait to become fully engulfed in a completely new surrounding. Along with these feelings of excitement and anticipation, I am beginning to feel the nerves and anxiety that come with a large change like this. I know all of these mixed emotions are natural and that most of all I am going to have a remarkable experience.

These last few months have been busy getting ready for my departure date which is on Tuesday, August 16^th. Since school ended, I have been bouncing back and forth between Ashland and Portland working and spending a great amount of time with friends and family. Two of my very good friends got married this summer—Gloria Romike and LisaMarie Isaac—which I am so glad that I was able to be a part of. My family celebrated a big birthday with my mom—everyone came down to Ashland to visit for the weekend. We went rafting down the Klamath, walking around Ashland, and even enjoyed an amazing lunch at Callahan’s followed by a fancy limo ride around the area.

Besides spending time with family and friends I have been working as much as possible to continue saving/fundraising money for this coming year. I have been lucky and blessed enough to not only be able to work and earn money but also to have the support of many friends and family that donated. I am especially grateful for the huge support provided from my grandparents on both sides—without their help I am not sure that any of this would be possible for me. You all have been hugely helpful and supportive and for that I am very thankful.

So…August 16^th is the big day! My flight leaves out of Portland at 9:30am. I go from Portland to Seattle to Houston on the first day. I will arrive in Houston in the evening around 5:45. There is almost a full day layover in Houston but I am lucky enough to get to spend this time with my aunt, uncle, and cousin—all of which I have not seen in over ten years. I am very excited to see them! On Wednesday, the 17^th I leave from Houston at 4:20pm to London and then London to Nairobi. I land in Nairobi around 9:00pm their time. I will be spending the first few days and nights in Nairobi. Once Josphat lands, I will travel with him to the town that I will be living at—it is located a little more than twenty miles north of the city. I am sure that during the first week I am there it will take me a while to connect with everyone back home. I apologize but I will keep you all updated as soon as I can.

In the mean time before I leave I plan to continue spending as much time as possible with friends and family and continue riding this crazy rollercoaster of emotions in anticipation for my exciting adventure.

…Also, some of you have shown interest in having my new address. I am currently unsure of it but as soon as I know I will make it available. J