BonanzaBean7

ahhhhh.... what a wonderful weekend this has been. Yesterday we finished the drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway and we even had beautiful weather! We even got to eat our lunch outside on a picnic table!!! Unfortunately I didn't see much of it 'cause I got a little car sick, so slept most of the drive. However, what I did see was gorgeous and I was told I missed several really great overlooks. It's definitely a drive I would like to do again, but next time I'd take more than 2 days. It took us about 16 hours to drive the whole parkway, so that didn't leave much time to see much along the way. Even though I didn't get to see much of it (due to a rainy and foggy day the first half of ... read more

ugh... It's hot and humid here!!! I was not expecting it to be so humid. It's been a great trip to DC. Unfortunately we haven't had much time to explore other parts of the city than the mall. Driving from NYC wasn't too bad (after we found our way back onto the New Jersey Turnpike after getting lost a little bit). Oh, just so you all know... there are lots and lots of tolls from NYC to DC (about $15 bucks worth). We had half a day our first day and spent it walking around visiting many memorials, etc. We had dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant near the place we were staying (with a friend of Evy's). All in all a good day, but we were quite exhausted from all the walking (at it was ... read more

Yep, I'm back in Stockum. =0) I arrived on the 31st and brought in the New Year here at home with a group of friends. It's great to be back in Stockum. It almost feels like I never left, except Johanna, Franzi and Maike, my little cousins have all changed so much. They've grown up since I've been gone. I've been spending my time seeing old friends. Many of them are home for the holidays from various parts of Germany where they're going to school. It's been 3 years since I've seen most of them! That's waaay too long. Naja... that's not why I'm writing today. Today in Germany it's Der Tag Der Drei Königen (The Day of the Three Kings). In most of Germany the day is no longer observed, but today reminds me of ... read more

Hi Everyone, I'm back. It's been about a year since my last entry. So, here's a quick update. I spent the past year living in Brooklyn, New York serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Arab American Association of New York as a Development Associate, meaning I did proposal writing and other fundraising stuff (among various random tasks). It was an incredible year. I worked with amazing people, learned so much about development and the workings of a non-profit. I also very much enjoyed living in New York City. There's so much going on there. Unfortunately, the year quickly came to an end and I'm now getting ready to start graduate school at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. I'm quite excited about the program. I'll be getting my master's in Sustainable Development with a focus in Community ... read more

Just a quick note..... I jsut arrived in Mombasa this afternoon. =) It feels good to be back. Can't believe its less than a month shy of a year that I last arrived here. Katina and a couple of her friends picked me up at the airport. The frist thing i was reminded of when I stepped off the plane was the heat!!! it's so hot here, although it's been hotter. It's been great just walking around Old Town with her. I love being back. Katina and i are going out clubbing tonight. =) Can't wait to dance. Tomorrow I'll be going tomorrow I'll be going to see my host family. It will be great to see them again. I have to run now. I'll write more later. Miss you all! Ciao... read more

Hi Everyone, I’m back in Nairobi now. We left Rongo yesterday morning. I was sad to go. I had such a wonderful time in Rongo. Everyone was so nice. It was sad to say good-bye to Hosea’s family, (I stayed with them for the week) especially two of his brothers, Bobby and Freddy. Bobby is my age and is just a fun guy to hang out with. Because he’s my age mate he was my buddy for the week. Freddy is a musician and is a fun guy to spend time with. I have his cd. It’s really good. I’m going to make a page for him and his group on myspace when I’m back in the states. I’ll put the link up on this site when it’s ready, so keep an eye out for it. ... read more

Hi everyone, I'm in Rongo now. We drove from Nairobi on Wed. We're making a quick trip to Kisii today to do some banking, so we were able to come online. (It's about a half hour from Rongo.) Rongo doesn't have internet, most of it doesn't even have electricity. I'm having a good time here. It's very different. I don't have a lot of time to write, so I'll write in the details later. Hosea's family is very nice. We're now staying there. The day before yesterday I went with Agnes to her home in Awendo. Her family is also very very nice. The roads to get there were awful though and there were a couple times I thought the car would get stuck. It's been raining a lot, so everything is extremely muddy. At Agnes' ... read more