What I learned in 2009...Kenya Week 13: Dec 27, 2009 -Jan 2, 2010

What I learned (and re-learned) in 2009:
o There is no place like home for the holidays.
o Celebrating New Years Eve with countless Italian priests (all over the age of 55), Kenyan Seminarians, and 3 other Americans can actually be a blast. As long as you dance the night away and don’t care who’s laughing.
o Poverty is without a doubt the most complicated and heartbreaking reality in the world.
o HIV is the most devastating tragedy in our world today. It is real and people are dying.
o Cold showers aren’t that bad if it’s warm outside.
o Writing a good letter takes a long time.
o Swimming in Lake Victoria isn’t as appealing as it sounds.
o There is no such thing as a childhood in Africa.
o Everyone should get to know their neighbors. They’ll be there for you when you need them.
o It’s the small things that count.
o Coffee with warm milk is the best start to the day.
o I talk too fast and I mumble.
o I love (and miss) great live music.
o Hard work is much more rewarding than figuring out the easy way out.
o Sometimes good things come to those who wait. But usually good things only come to those who are brave enough to go out there and work for it.
o There is something incredibly therapeutic about watching a sunset over a beautiful body of water. I think it is the closest we can come to experiencing infinity.
o Slow down.
o Language barriers can be one of the most frustrating obstacles. Curse you Tower of Babel.
o Good books are underrated.
o There is nothing more beautiful or priceless than a child.
o I love knowing I made someone smile. Especially if they are sick or in pain.
o Traveling is a priceless luxury.
o My education is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.
o The solution to America’s obesity problem is simple. Come spend a few months living like an African. Between dodging cars and donkeys while walking to the market, fetching (and carrying) your own water, washing your laundry by hand, grinding your own corn meal, and eating the same food every single day, you’ll shed those pounds in no time!
o Being a white person in rural Africa is kind of like being a celebrity: people watch your every move, everyone wants to be your friend, and most people want something from you. Believe me, its overrated.
o I’m a naïve 22 year old mzungu who has had everything she ever needed handed to her on a silver platter and who has no idea what suffering or pain really is.
o I love good conversation.
o I’m a very friendly person.
o I’m going to be a great medical doctor…eventually.
o I love living and working in the developing world.
o It’s not about what you have or where you are or what you are doing. It’s about who you are with.

What I am looking forward to in 2010:
o Removing Jiggers from 60+ people in Otati on Friday.
o Helping kids go to school that otherwise wouldn’t graduate because they can’t pay their school fees
o My sister and Casey getting married in February, Amy and Chase getting married in July
o Having visitors in April/May
o Jamie going to Tulane in August
o Moving back to New Orleans
o Starting Medical School
o Making a snowman
o Living simply and slowly
o Warm showers