I am so thankful for the Wednesday morning assemblies at HOPAC. In a lot of ways, this is my “church” while I’m here, since I still don’t know enough Swahili to function well in the church I attend on Sunday mornings. I’m also thankful for two days of feeling well (until about an hour…

I’m thankful for the colors in Africa. The last few days have been full of brilliant colors from the sun shining in my windows each morning, to the last beams of light shining through the palms in the evening. I realize how much I love color. Its something I notice. The other day, as I…

Today I’m thankful for my youngest (and tallest) brother! Unfortunately, he was sleeping when I got to Facetime my family last night, but here’s a shout out to one of the most selfless, serving, gentle guys I know! I’m also thankful for being healthy again (I think). Last night was a bit rough. And as…

  One of the best things about living here is all the fresh fruits and vegetables. This pile of deliciousness cost me 5,800 Tsh, which is $3.61. And buying it is easy too! I don’t even have to pick out the best ones–Baraka does it for me! Baraka is one of about three guys who…

Today, I am thankful for sports and the way that they create community. Especially volleyball. For the last four years, everywhere I have gone, I’ve found friends through volleyball. Tanzania is no different. This afternoon, a group of volleyball players got together for volleyball and a meal — and just to enjoy each other’s company….

International Day! Wow. It was amazing. I took over 1,100 photos between 7:30 and 12:30 this morning. The colors were brilliant, the costumes striking, the traditional dances enchanting. I’ve also heard that the food was delicious, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to try any. I was too busy taking photos… and tracking down an extra…

After this week full of taking pictures for HOPAC’s Pamoja week, I suppose I ought to be grateful for my camera. And I am. But I’m more excited about my nice lens that made all these photos possible. And for the AWESOME students that dressed up and smiled and laughed together this week. Tomorrow is…

Today I’m thankful for the internet. I woke up this morning to a long e-mail from my mom. I got Snapchat and Facebook messages from friends this afternoon. I saw senior photos and pictures of a friend’s new baby on Facebook. I’m uploading photos from Pamoja Week now. Honestly, I can’t imagine moving halfway around…

Today was Decade Day for Pamoja Week at HOPAC. Again, there were some extremely creative and hilarious outfits! As I was thinking about this post earlier in the day, I was thinking of a number of things I’m thankful for: the weather, swimming, Truth Tuesdays, and others, but after a run-in with a bajaji that…

Today was a whirlwind of excitement. It was the first day of Pamoja Week (“togetherness” / spirit week) at HOPAC, and so almost everyone joined in on the fun by dressing in their craziest, most unfashionable clothing. Today alone, I took over 800 photos — over 400 of which I considered “worth keeping” after sorting…