Monday, May 24, 2010

TWO WEEKS!

So today marks two weeks until we leave! I'm starting to get a little nervous, but I'm really excited too :). I've been doing some more research into what I still need to get that I have to pack, and my list for the Mt. Kenya trek requires a few things that I honestly never thought I'd be buying.

Anyone have an extra headlamp? or gaiters? I am going to get my hiking boots today, and I'll look for that type of stuff at EMS and The North Face, I guess!

I have also been looking at the itinerary for the Mt. Kenya trek, and it looks really cool! One day we leave our camp at 3 am to trek for 3 hours, see the sun rise, and then start the trek back down. The last day is two hours through the rainforest!

I'll be sure to take lots of photos, and if I can post them here while I'm there, I definitely will! Also, Lia Santilli, another Fr. Smith Fellow, has a blog! It's talesofasummerdownunder.blogspot.com. Check it out!

Hopefully I'll post once more before I leave, but if not, see you in Kenya!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

DONE!

Done with Civ, Done with Classes, Done with sophomore year, HALFWAY DONE WITH COLLEGE?


Well, the important thing is that I finally have a month to focus on getting ready for Kenya. I picked up my check from Fr. Robb today and I'm mid-packing my room up, now I just need to head home, unpack, and start packing again.

Monday, May 3, 2010

It's getting closer...

Hi friends :).
I realize that creating this in February was a little excessive... but hey, I was excited. Now that I'm officially done with Civ (hooray!) and am three finals away from summer, I figured I'd update.

Flights are booked, travel plans are confirmed, and Patricia and I are ready to go! I don't know if I mentioned before that I'm traveling with Patricia Carroll, a PC rising senior. As we went through this whole process together, I was so happy to have her to figure things out with! I don't know what I would do without her.

We leave from JFK on June 7th, and arrive in Nairobi via Zurich on the 8th. Then we're off to hike Mt. Kenya for 4 days (eek!), then a short flight to Kisumu, where we'll be staying for the majority of our time. We'll be with the St. Martin de Porres community of Dominican Friars, and I have been in contact with them for a few months now- I can't wait to meet them! After our time in Kisumu is over, we'll be going back to Nairobi, staying with Steve Walsh, a PC alum for a night, and then leaving for a Masai Mara safari.

Needless to say, I'm really really REALLY excited. Now to get through these finals...
Penda,
Julia