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…
Notable November Notes: 5
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…
Notable November Notes: 4
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…
Notable November Notes: 3
I am thankful for music. Music at church, music at night from the bar behind my house, music blaring from the public busses on the streets. The fun thing about music here is that it comes in all flavors. Just yesterday, I heard a song by Sugarland. Justin Beiber and Celine Dion are popular here….
Notable November Notes: 2
Because its the second of November, I have two photos from this morning: For the last four years, volleyball has been a significant part of my life. When I said goodbye to my coaches, LJ Gebert, Will Robbins, and Dusty Sherman, earlier this summer, I wept with the insecurity of not knowing whether…
Notable November Notes: 1
As I was plotting the course of these “Notable November Notes,” I considered a number of ideas for the notes to accompany the photos, but what I settled on was a short comment on something I had to be grateful for that day. So for today… I am so thankful for comfort food: fresh…
Notable November Notes
Taking inspiration from the creative blogging of some fellow teachers at HOPAC, my plan for the entire month of November is to post once each day. My goal is that each post would contain a picture from the day and a short note. Be prepared for some Notable November Notes (wow, that was some pretty…
A Crazy Weekend
This weekend was insane! It started off Thursday afternoon as the Russell’s, a HOPAC family, graciously gave me a ride to the Mwenge bus stop where I was supposed to meet a van of cyclists from Dar en route to the Race to Matema mountain bike race in Mbeya. After arriving at Mwenge and waiting…
Questions of the Heart
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the…
Life in Dar
Since this week is midterm break, I have been enjoying the luxury of a relatively free schedule, filling it with cycling, paddleboarding, sleeping, reading, eating, and some photography. I’ve been attempting to capture a glimpse of what life in Dar looks like with my camera, and finding it quite difficult. Aside from the fact that…
Ride Fierce Racing 