Nathan and I just returned to London from a whirlwind 3+ week tour of the States. It was our first visit back since moving to the UK a year and a half ago. It was good to be back, visiting farflung friends and family members (although we didn't see nearly enough of them!), although Nathan and I both battled illnesses and other health issues the whole time we were there (not to mention, arctic-level winter weather!). We were reminded that the US is probably one of the worst places in the world (at least the developed world) to get sick, at least when you don't have a lot of expendable income. We sorely missed the NHS when we were in the US. Now we get to apply for new visas - fingers crossed that we get our passports back with shiny new visas in them within the estimated 5-6 week timeframe!
It's good to be home, though. I am currently battling jetlag and trying to finish writing essays before my new term starts up on Monday, but I'm enjoying being back in our flat. I stayed in 6 different places (thanks to wonderful loved ones) over the course of the past month, and it will be nice to be stationery once again - at least for a couple of months. The worst part about travelling across the world is adjusting to various time zones. N and I have both expressed in the past few weeks that we sort of wished the world were a disc and not a globe, so that we'd all be in the same time zone.
Yawn, I think it's time for a nap.
In all seriousness, I know it's been a while since I've written. We've been living in L-town for over 3 months now and I've finished my first term of grad school (but not all the work for it...just yet). I am still adjusting to life here. Some days I hate it, but most days I love it. I am busier than I've ever been, with my classes, two internships, studying two languages, and now being a long-distance board member of Bola Moyo (the org I worked with back in Portland and this summer in Malawi).
One of these days I will try to get around to posting pictures of our trip, as well as our life here in London. I swear!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Nathan's graduation day
Nathan graduated today! Here we are after the ceremony:
And here he is being silly with his friend Greg, trying to look as "Oxford!" as possible:
I am very proud of him. Congratulations Nathan!
And here he is being silly with his friend Greg, trying to look as "Oxford!" as possible:
I am very proud of him. Congratulations Nathan!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Changes, once again.
Wow, it's been forever!
Many apologies, once again.
I got back from my summer in Malawi and Kenya a couple weeks ago. Suffice to say it was one of the best summers of my life, full of hilarious, ridiculous challenges, developing new friendships, solidifying old ones, and renewing my commitment to working in Africa without a doubt. It was absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to go back as soon as possible.
And now I'm back in the UK. I have to admit that the first week or so of "reverse culture shock" was quite awful. I did not want to be here. I wanted to get on the first plane back TODAY, dammit. But that's faded a bit, and I'm refocusing my energies on being here with Nathan, specifically supporting him through the last couple weeks of his MBA program, finding a new place to live in London, and getting ready to start my own masters program.
Nathan graduates from Oxford a week from today. Unbelievable. It's gone by in a FLASH and I'm so proud of him.
And yesterday I found us a new flat in London! This is a huge relief and very exciting. A relief because I assumed I'd be spending the better part of September looking for a place, and now it's the 6th and it's already taken care of. And exciting because it's a much nicer place than I expected we'd be able to afford in London (with a bathtub! a washer/dryer! a dishwasher! All things we come to expect in most places in America but difficult to come by in most of the rest of the world, including the UK). It has two bedrooms, which means we'll be able to have an office/guestroom -- great since it will facilitate visitors staying with us more easily and often, and also great because Nathan will be working from home quite a bit in the coming year.
We're signing a one year lease. After the year is over and I've graduated, we may stay -- but who knows, we may wind up in a totally different country. Stay tuned!
Many apologies, once again.
I got back from my summer in Malawi and Kenya a couple weeks ago. Suffice to say it was one of the best summers of my life, full of hilarious, ridiculous challenges, developing new friendships, solidifying old ones, and renewing my commitment to working in Africa without a doubt. It was absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to go back as soon as possible.
And now I'm back in the UK. I have to admit that the first week or so of "reverse culture shock" was quite awful. I did not want to be here. I wanted to get on the first plane back TODAY, dammit. But that's faded a bit, and I'm refocusing my energies on being here with Nathan, specifically supporting him through the last couple weeks of his MBA program, finding a new place to live in London, and getting ready to start my own masters program.
Nathan graduates from Oxford a week from today. Unbelievable. It's gone by in a FLASH and I'm so proud of him.
And yesterday I found us a new flat in London! This is a huge relief and very exciting. A relief because I assumed I'd be spending the better part of September looking for a place, and now it's the 6th and it's already taken care of. And exciting because it's a much nicer place than I expected we'd be able to afford in London (with a bathtub! a washer/dryer! a dishwasher! All things we come to expect in most places in America but difficult to come by in most of the rest of the world, including the UK). It has two bedrooms, which means we'll be able to have an office/guestroom -- great since it will facilitate visitors staying with us more easily and often, and also great because Nathan will be working from home quite a bit in the coming year.
We're signing a one year lease. After the year is over and I've graduated, we may stay -- but who knows, we may wind up in a totally different country. Stay tuned!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Destruction and creation
I've been a bad blogger.
Or maybe it's just that I've stayed put. This blog has, from the very beginning, been all about movement. I've spent several lovely months in Oxford this spring, just sort of nesting and getting settled. I really love it here.
And so I've not written.
But now I'm getting ready to leave again, this time for the summer. On the 23rd I will fly from London to Lilongwe, Malawi. It is about a 15-hour trek. I plan to spend the summer in Malawi working with my favorite charity (as they call them here in the UK, instead of NGOs - but what a loaded term!). I interned with Bola Moyo my final year in Portland, as that is where they are administratively based, and have kept in good contact with the directors, Dustin and Cara, who have become close friends of mine. I visited them and their project site in Balaka, Malawi, this past December. I remember feeling very sad to leave Malawi after just 10 days, and felt in my heart that there was a lot of work to be done there - that I, specifically, had a lot of work to do there. So now I am going back for the summer to work with Bola Moyo, focusing on expanding the adult literacy program that was just started in January. Adult education and literacy are huge passions of mine and I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to it.
That's not to say I'm completely fearless. I am scared of leaving, even if it's just for the summer. I built a life here in Oxford these past few months, with a good job and some new friends, and I've attended university-related events such as lectures and conferences quite regularly. Oxford is a really wonderful place, and I'm happy that I'm living out my childhood dream of residing here. It is a city full of inspiring people, who leave to do work elsewhere and come back, and do it all again. It's nice to know that I live in a place with residents who don't find such a lifestyle impossible or intimidating. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in such pursuits.
So this has been a very good place for me - and now I'm leaving it. I will be away from Nathan again, and away from the new friends I've made. I worry about whether my friendships can weather the storm of distance. Yesterday I spent all day saying goodbye to my wonderful colleagues at the Oxford University Press. It's strange to think I'll never walk those halls again, and probably won't see most of those people ever again.
I contemplate the destruction and creation of identity when coming and going as I have in the past year or so. It's challenging as hell, and in certain moments I'm painfully aware of the sacrifices, but I can't imagine living my life any other way right now. It's what I'm called to do, and that feeling stays with me in the most difficult of moments.
Edit: Since I've had some people ask about the ease of communication in Malawi, phone will be the best way. I'll have a cell phone that I'll likely bring everywhere, and I just checked the new Skype rates and it's only 10 US cents per minute to call Malawi. So call me on Skype, people! This would make me very happy indeed.
Or maybe it's just that I've stayed put. This blog has, from the very beginning, been all about movement. I've spent several lovely months in Oxford this spring, just sort of nesting and getting settled. I really love it here.
And so I've not written.
But now I'm getting ready to leave again, this time for the summer. On the 23rd I will fly from London to Lilongwe, Malawi. It is about a 15-hour trek. I plan to spend the summer in Malawi working with my favorite charity (as they call them here in the UK, instead of NGOs - but what a loaded term!). I interned with Bola Moyo my final year in Portland, as that is where they are administratively based, and have kept in good contact with the directors, Dustin and Cara, who have become close friends of mine. I visited them and their project site in Balaka, Malawi, this past December. I remember feeling very sad to leave Malawi after just 10 days, and felt in my heart that there was a lot of work to be done there - that I, specifically, had a lot of work to do there. So now I am going back for the summer to work with Bola Moyo, focusing on expanding the adult literacy program that was just started in January. Adult education and literacy are huge passions of mine and I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to it.
That's not to say I'm completely fearless. I am scared of leaving, even if it's just for the summer. I built a life here in Oxford these past few months, with a good job and some new friends, and I've attended university-related events such as lectures and conferences quite regularly. Oxford is a really wonderful place, and I'm happy that I'm living out my childhood dream of residing here. It is a city full of inspiring people, who leave to do work elsewhere and come back, and do it all again. It's nice to know that I live in a place with residents who don't find such a lifestyle impossible or intimidating. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in such pursuits.
So this has been a very good place for me - and now I'm leaving it. I will be away from Nathan again, and away from the new friends I've made. I worry about whether my friendships can weather the storm of distance. Yesterday I spent all day saying goodbye to my wonderful colleagues at the Oxford University Press. It's strange to think I'll never walk those halls again, and probably won't see most of those people ever again.
I contemplate the destruction and creation of identity when coming and going as I have in the past year or so. It's challenging as hell, and in certain moments I'm painfully aware of the sacrifices, but I can't imagine living my life any other way right now. It's what I'm called to do, and that feeling stays with me in the most difficult of moments.
Edit: Since I've had some people ask about the ease of communication in Malawi, phone will be the best way. I'll have a cell phone that I'll likely bring everywhere, and I just checked the new Skype rates and it's only 10 US cents per minute to call Malawi. So call me on Skype, people! This would make me very happy indeed.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Something modest
So much has happened since I last posted in here, nearly two months ago.
Once I get out of the habit of writing, it's always difficult to start again. Now I feel I should write some type of massive, inspiring entry. For now I'll stick with something more modest.
Here's the brief update: I'm in England. I was never able to go back to Kenya, as the volunteer organisation shut down for 6 months, as of January 3rd (the date of my last post), due to security concerns. For a little while I desperately tried to find other ways to go back to Africa, but the Kenya debaucle emptied my/our bank account to such an extent that I finally had to accept that I had to stick around Oxford for a little while, make some money, and save up to go back.
Which is exactly what I've been doing the last few weeks. I'm a temp employee at Oxford University Press, and overall I like it. It's a good job for right now. I like having a daily grind; being unemployed for a month, without any external pressures structuring my day, was beginning to drive me batty.
(Bear with me as I head full-force into the mode of using British spelling.)
In the meanwhile I've applied and gotten into three grad schools. They're all here in England (well, London & Oxford to be exact) and I'll be making my decision in the next few days. Maybe I'll even announce it here. ;) They're all Masters programmes in Development Studies departments. I feel lucky and completely flabbergasted that I got into all the programmes; my first choice, in particular, was not a place I ever thought I would get into -- certainly not at this stage in my life, so I am grateful for the opportunity.
I'm still struggling to finish up some undergrad coursework (independent stuff), so that I can officially graduate at the end of spring term from PSU. What with working full-time as well, the next couple of months are going to be insanely busy.
Nathan is doing well overall, though this is his most difficult term of his whole programme and so I do not envy him right now. I'm getting a sneak peek into what MY programme is going to be like in the coming year, as both his and mine last just one year (as "taught programmes," not research degrees, usually do in the UK) and incredibly intense.
As you may or may not know, Kenya finally brokered a power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and his opponent Raila Odinga just yesterday, after two solid months of violence and strife. I plan to go back to Kenya this summer, finances permitting, but I know it will be different in ways I could never prepare myself for. I miss it every moment of every day, even though I appreciate my life here very much in Oxford with Nathan. I miss the smells, and the views of the sisal plantations as I rode in the matatus on the road to and from Mombasa, I miss the kids, I miss the village, and I miss my friends. I talk to someone from the village at least once a day in some way (usually by text message/SMS); I've really made an effort to stay connected to that part of my life. It is a great comfort to me.
I know many of you have been confused about where I am on the planet--sorry about that! I definitely want to keep this more updated; there is so much news I could share on a day to day level, but at this point I had to start again with the most general of updates.
Probably the easiest place for me to start is to post some more photos from my time in Kenya, from my brief but wonderful time in Malawi, and from my trip with Nathan to South Africa. But in the meantime here is a photo of the two of us in the huge, lovely park by our flat:
I miss all of you in the states and I look forward to our visit at the end of this year. I'm on Skype very frequently, so please feel free to find me on there. It's a great way to stay in touch.
Once I get out of the habit of writing, it's always difficult to start again. Now I feel I should write some type of massive, inspiring entry. For now I'll stick with something more modest.
Here's the brief update: I'm in England. I was never able to go back to Kenya, as the volunteer organisation shut down for 6 months, as of January 3rd (the date of my last post), due to security concerns. For a little while I desperately tried to find other ways to go back to Africa, but the Kenya debaucle emptied my/our bank account to such an extent that I finally had to accept that I had to stick around Oxford for a little while, make some money, and save up to go back.
Which is exactly what I've been doing the last few weeks. I'm a temp employee at Oxford University Press, and overall I like it. It's a good job for right now. I like having a daily grind; being unemployed for a month, without any external pressures structuring my day, was beginning to drive me batty.
(Bear with me as I head full-force into the mode of using British spelling.)
In the meanwhile I've applied and gotten into three grad schools. They're all here in England (well, London & Oxford to be exact) and I'll be making my decision in the next few days. Maybe I'll even announce it here. ;) They're all Masters programmes in Development Studies departments. I feel lucky and completely flabbergasted that I got into all the programmes; my first choice, in particular, was not a place I ever thought I would get into -- certainly not at this stage in my life, so I am grateful for the opportunity.
I'm still struggling to finish up some undergrad coursework (independent stuff), so that I can officially graduate at the end of spring term from PSU. What with working full-time as well, the next couple of months are going to be insanely busy.
Nathan is doing well overall, though this is his most difficult term of his whole programme and so I do not envy him right now. I'm getting a sneak peek into what MY programme is going to be like in the coming year, as both his and mine last just one year (as "taught programmes," not research degrees, usually do in the UK) and incredibly intense.
As you may or may not know, Kenya finally brokered a power-sharing deal between President Mwai Kibaki and his opponent Raila Odinga just yesterday, after two solid months of violence and strife. I plan to go back to Kenya this summer, finances permitting, but I know it will be different in ways I could never prepare myself for. I miss it every moment of every day, even though I appreciate my life here very much in Oxford with Nathan. I miss the smells, and the views of the sisal plantations as I rode in the matatus on the road to and from Mombasa, I miss the kids, I miss the village, and I miss my friends. I talk to someone from the village at least once a day in some way (usually by text message/SMS); I've really made an effort to stay connected to that part of my life. It is a great comfort to me.
I know many of you have been confused about where I am on the planet--sorry about that! I definitely want to keep this more updated; there is so much news I could share on a day to day level, but at this point I had to start again with the most general of updates.
Probably the easiest place for me to start is to post some more photos from my time in Kenya, from my brief but wonderful time in Malawi, and from my trip with Nathan to South Africa. But in the meantime here is a photo of the two of us in the huge, lovely park by our flat:
I miss all of you in the states and I look forward to our visit at the end of this year. I'm on Skype very frequently, so please feel free to find me on there. It's a great way to stay in touch.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Return to winterlands
I am unexpectedly back in Oxford with N.
As you may or may not know, Kenya had a presidential election on the 27th, the incumbent Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner -- but the results have been contested by his opponent, Raila Odinga, and since then various western observers have claimed that the vote was rigged. Violence has spread throughout the country, and although it is mostly in western Kenya (mainly the Rift Valley), it has also spread to eastern Kenya, such as Mombasa which is about an hour away from the village where I stay.
I was asked by my volunteer organization to delay my return, so I either had the choice to stay in South Africa indefinitely (which sounds rather nice, but I know almost no one and flights out of SA were fully booked for weeks after the first of January), or come back to England. So I am back in England until such a point where my organization tells me it is safe to return.
As you might imagine I have very mixed feelings about this, as it is nice to be with N for a bit longer, as well as enjoying amenities such as flushing toilets and hot showers (in fact I am afraid I have already started taking them for granted), but I am sad to be away from Kenya and the community I had grown to love. Plus it is freezing cold winter here! I have gotten used to the sun rising between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning, and here it is almost 8am and still hasn't really seemed to rise yet! I am cold all the time no matter what I do.
But I am beginning to remember why I enjoyed Oxford so much before I went to Kenya... today I am going to partake in an English tradition that I became ridiculously addicted to before I left - cream tea. Tea with cream, and scones with jam and clotted cream. It's so bad for you, it's wonderful.
Anyway, for the time being you can reach me on my UK mobile number: +44-7942-599-641, but I must forewarn you that N's college building has quite terrible reception and when you call you may receive a message that I am unavailable as a result. Keep trying! I'm 8 hours ahead of the west coast here, and am trying to keep an early schedule (early to bed, early to rise) so as to fully take advantage of these winter days and to ease my transition back into Kenya (which is GMT + 3) when (and hopefully not IF) I do return.
We took many photos in South Africa so I'll start posting soon (I've got a bit of free time here), not to mention all the amazing things I saw in Malawi! Unfortunately I left my laptop in Kenya, which has all of my Kenya photos on it... so those will have to wait for an indeterminate period before making themselves known to all of you.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2008!!!
Desirée
As you may or may not know, Kenya had a presidential election on the 27th, the incumbent Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner -- but the results have been contested by his opponent, Raila Odinga, and since then various western observers have claimed that the vote was rigged. Violence has spread throughout the country, and although it is mostly in western Kenya (mainly the Rift Valley), it has also spread to eastern Kenya, such as Mombasa which is about an hour away from the village where I stay.
I was asked by my volunteer organization to delay my return, so I either had the choice to stay in South Africa indefinitely (which sounds rather nice, but I know almost no one and flights out of SA were fully booked for weeks after the first of January), or come back to England. So I am back in England until such a point where my organization tells me it is safe to return.
As you might imagine I have very mixed feelings about this, as it is nice to be with N for a bit longer, as well as enjoying amenities such as flushing toilets and hot showers (in fact I am afraid I have already started taking them for granted), but I am sad to be away from Kenya and the community I had grown to love. Plus it is freezing cold winter here! I have gotten used to the sun rising between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning, and here it is almost 8am and still hasn't really seemed to rise yet! I am cold all the time no matter what I do.
But I am beginning to remember why I enjoyed Oxford so much before I went to Kenya... today I am going to partake in an English tradition that I became ridiculously addicted to before I left - cream tea. Tea with cream, and scones with jam and clotted cream. It's so bad for you, it's wonderful.
Anyway, for the time being you can reach me on my UK mobile number: +44-7942-599-641, but I must forewarn you that N's college building has quite terrible reception and when you call you may receive a message that I am unavailable as a result. Keep trying! I'm 8 hours ahead of the west coast here, and am trying to keep an early schedule (early to bed, early to rise) so as to fully take advantage of these winter days and to ease my transition back into Kenya (which is GMT + 3) when (and hopefully not IF) I do return.
We took many photos in South Africa so I'll start posting soon (I've got a bit of free time here), not to mention all the amazing things I saw in Malawi! Unfortunately I left my laptop in Kenya, which has all of my Kenya photos on it... so those will have to wait for an indeterminate period before making themselves known to all of you.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2008!!!
Desirée
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
A Moment in Malawi
(With all due apologies for not posting in forever and ever...)
After far too long, Desirée and I are together again, this time in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a long schlep to get here. I took a flight from London to Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg, and what with various buses and mix-ups in between, it took about 30 hours from leaving my doorstep to arriving at my hotel.
The Abu Dhabi airport, where I had a six hour layover, is a wonder to behold. It's surprisingly small (albeit not for long -- they're currently building a multi-billion-dollar addition, because in the UAE something doesn't even officially exist unless you've dropped a few billion on it), and feels like the inside of a magic mushroom crossed with a tokamak.
I thought that it would have been altogether improved by the addition of a large circuitous caterpillar smoking a hookah, but maybe that's just me.
Desirée, meanwhile, spent a week with some dear friends in Malawi, where she took the following amazing photo. There's a story behind this photo, but I'll let her tell it some other time.
After far too long, Desirée and I are together again, this time in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was a long schlep to get here. I took a flight from London to Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg, and what with various buses and mix-ups in between, it took about 30 hours from leaving my doorstep to arriving at my hotel.
The Abu Dhabi airport, where I had a six hour layover, is a wonder to behold. It's surprisingly small (albeit not for long -- they're currently building a multi-billion-dollar addition, because in the UAE something doesn't even officially exist unless you've dropped a few billion on it), and feels like the inside of a magic mushroom crossed with a tokamak.
I thought that it would have been altogether improved by the addition of a large circuitous caterpillar smoking a hookah, but maybe that's just me.
Desirée, meanwhile, spent a week with some dear friends in Malawi, where she took the following amazing photo. There's a story behind this photo, but I'll let her tell it some other time.
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