I’m in Tanzania, where I’ve been for just about 3 weeks now. Had an awesome time with the D-Lab team, and was really sad to bring them to the airport yesterday. I’m here for another 2.5 weeks to work on a project… slow starting, we’ll see how it goes. It’s kind of a shock being (mostly) alone after 3 weeks of near constant togetherness. We shared a tent almost the whole time (yes, 8 of us in a tent that turned out to not be especially waterproof), and now I have a room to myself. It’s so quiet. I miss everyone a lot already.

Well, photos and stories to come another time. Need to deal with some other stuff first..

and if that’s a bit out of context, here’s what’s going on in my life:

I work at D-Lab at MIT,

I’m leading a team of 6 undergrad students back to TZ (<3) during IAP,

and I’m staying a few weeks longer to work on an innovation center project.

Yesterday we had a design jam at D-Lab for the chlorine dispenser that I worked on in Kenya for 8 months. It was really strange to see the stand that I helped to redesign, that I knew whose hands had welded and painted and labeled, that had come from Kenya… in the conference room across from my office. It brought back a lot of memories.

The dispenser team will be in Boston in less than 2 weeks for meetings. I can’t wait to see them!

Kilimanjaro, TZ to Mombasa, Kenya

Mombasa to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa to Rome

Rome to DC

DC to Boston

(oh my!)

we just finished the first IDDS 2010 dance party! in the basement of our dorm. we danced to music from all over the world, got salsa lessons, and ended with savage garden. i’m having a lot of fun so far.. hike on some colorado mountains tomorrow morning! :D

I’ve been back home in NY for about a day now. I managed to stay up until 10:30 last night (aka 5:30am Kenya time), and it’s already later tonight.. in December my jet lag lasted for at least a week, and I’m trying to get over it faster this time. So far so good.

It’s strange, I can’t decide what place feels right at the moment. It just feels weird not to be in Africa.. to have that part of my life on a back burner.. but when I was in Africa I missed home, friends, family, other things (now that I’m back, I especially appreciate fast wireless internet and various food items!). But then I kind of made a new home and now I miss that, too…

I will be at IDDS in a week, and I figure that is probably the closest I can get to being back in Africa without being back.. so we’ll see how that goes. I’m really excited, nervous too :)

In the meantime, I am just vegging.. finished this season of Glee today, and working on Chuck, which I started watching a few weeks ago with my housemate. Also eating good food; wearing clothes other than the few things I had with me for the last 5+ months; and tomorrow hopefully answering emails that have been sitting in my drafts for weeks.

Yup, in Germany at the moment. Not in Africa any more. I don’t think my sister understands the culture shock that I am going through.

I’m staying with Clara & her boyfriend’s family in Cologne, and his friends are coming over soon for a belated birthday party to watch the World Cup game. We were in the city earlier and it was crazy. German flags and vuvuzelas galore. I take an early train back to Amsterdam tomorrow, and will be back in NY on Monday night! Wow.

It’s kind of funny how much I am updating this in my last days here, but I guess I just have a lot to say/share. At the moment I am waiting at the Kisumu Airport… my day consisted of packing, running errands, saying goodbyes & crying a little. I managed to say goodbye to almost everyone.. the last three were the hardest, though. As I made my way down the hallway I kept waving them away because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them. But it will be ok. It’s so strange though, it doesn’t feel like I am leaving. It’s like I can’t imagine not being in Africa. I’m sure I’ll feel differently once I am back and settled (although who knows when that will be), but at the moment, it’s just confusing.

what the what. my goodbye party is over. lots of people came, including some i had never met (that’s when you know there are more wazungu in busia than usual). i finally succeeded in opening bottles with other bottles (no opener needed!) (it hurts!). bastien broke a wine bottle in a funny spot when trying to demonstrate how i should open a bottle with a running shoe. we danced a bit. my friends gave me a new Wall of Love (ie photo collage) that is perfect in every way. they wrote nice things on it. i’m once again on the verge of tears. no mascara tomorrow. oh, and i haven’t started to pack yet.

On the most basic phone available here, I can save about 70 texts at a time. Being the pack rat that I am, I have kept some of my faves in my inbox. Below - some that are not too inappropriate ;)

• If ur here at 9 ******* get naked. Hurry up (false)
• U just got a raise, btw. :) (yay! the start of fun weekend trips..)
• What shall we bring you, a live fish or a live man? We miss you here… (when I had malaria and missed the coast trip, sad sana.)
• We’re at the top of the kenyatta conference building. We’re showing the city to the dispensaire. U want to join us? (it took me awhile to realize that this was the portable dispenser that I sent on the overnight bus to Nairobi..)
• Tesia has skippy and hellman’s… It’s like I’m in a parallel universe (Also extra virgin olive oil and expensive granola. Trippy.)
• I have been making a list on my phone of “modern african music”—we have to remember to study it carefully before going out next time. For example, how did we forget beep beep?!?!?!!!??? (<3. we’re listening to 3 versions of ‘waving flag’ at the moment.)
• It’s malaria! Just a spoonful of peanut butter makes the medicine go down…
• The goat will be slaughtered at 2, but you’re welcome to come whenever!
• ALERT! There is a green mamba in the trees over the gazebo! I AM TERRIFIED!
• We are fine but the matatu we were riding in just got into a high speed chase with the police! This is africa
• I feel like I should get her something since 3 jars of my pickles exploded in her bag. (funny: the gift also leaked)
• Hell’s gate? I thought you were working! (nope. :))
• Ok great see you soon sweety! (housemate love)
• You’re awesome. I don’t know what we’re going to do without you.

Picture from our hike through the gorge. According to our Maasai guide, some of Tomb Raider was filmed here, haha. It was a great hike though, slightly harrowing… like when he said, ‘this is called point of no return because once you get down into the gorge it’s hard to get out’… and then led us into it! (We got out.. eventually :))