Things lived and seen.
The afternoon is probably my favorite time of day. I finish my time at the school by hanging out with the kids and teaching them songs, games, or just talking and telling stories. It’s quite literally the most rewarding and redeeming part of my work there. I relish and soak in every minute of that … More Picking Apart Pieces of Kenyan Culture
My feet are covered in dirt and my hair is officially not looking so hot. Let’s be honest, I’m dirty. Each morning after I wake up, I wash myself in a basin of hot water. So the good news is I don’t have any kind of funky body smells going on (also due to the … More Grace Isn’t Always In a Clean, Pretty Package
If you’ve read any of my past posts then you know how much attention I attract simply by having lighter skin than anyone else. I’ve gotten used to being pointed at and having people exclaim “mzungu, mzungu!” when they see me, but I haven’t gotten used to the attention it brings. I usually get one … More The Lone Mzungu at the Wedding
This is a post I wrote last night, but I fell asleep before I could send it. I attended my first seventh day Adventist church service today. I say today instead of this morning because it’s unlike any church service I’ve ever attended. It’s an all-day affair. We trekked across town to East Nairobi to … More Happy Sabbath
Great news. The bathroom has a door on it and the toilet has a seat. I moved in yesterday and had my first day on my own in Kibera (relatively speaking, considering Peter was with me all day). We’ve done a lot in the short time I’ve been here, but I have to say it’s … More Kate and Kibera (I know it’s cheesy)
I arrived in Kenya last night after a two hour flight delay to the sun setting over the nature reserve that surrounds the airport. I gazed down over the beautiful terrain with so much excitement and anticipation, and entered the airport without any feelings of hesitation. It wasn’t until after leaving the airport and hopping … More Reality Check: Beginning Kenya
Well, my last full day in Addis has come to an end and the feelings are bittersweet. I wished off a big group of country directors and coworkers this evening, and genuinely was sad to see them go. I’ve officially been invited to visit Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Congo with the promise of … More A Sweet, Caffeinated End to Ethiopia
Overwhelmingly good. That’s the short version of what I’ve been telling people when they ask how my day was. The truth is, the short version is bland and shares nothing. We got an early start this morning, meeting to leave at 8am, and made the 2 hour trek to Adama (also known as Nazaret) where … More Short Stories Are for the Unmoved
As the day comes to a end, I sit on the edge of my bed writing this and counting my blessings. In the short time that I’ve been here, I know I’ve already begun to be molded and shaped by the people I’ve been surrounded by. Coming to this conference has been one of the … More Lessons Learned
The power of a person’s story is one of the most greatly underrated tools for understanding in the entire world. We have formulas and theories and philosophies galore that try to explain the human condition. However, for some reason the general weight of words and the meaning they carry often is so easily cast aside … More The Power of Listening: A Story of South Sudan
The Transition Artist 