Greensky Bluegrass: Windshield

Really enjoying this song by a great bluegrass band- driving bass line, slide guitar, big voice. Also recommend their album "Handguns".

Lake Malawi Trip Itinerary

Last year, Emily and I traveled to Lake Malawi from Zambia. I wanted to share a write-up Emily did of our itinerary for anyone who's interested in doing the same trip.

Day 1: Lusaka -> Chipata -> Lilongwe
- Bus from Lusaka to Chipata on Johabie (K150/pp). Buy the tickets a day in advance at Intercity.
- Take a taxi from Chipata to the border (shared taxis are K20/pp or K80 for the whole taxi).
- Border crossing is very easy and fast.
- Take a taxi from the border to Mchinji (2,000 MWK/pp).
- Take a minibus from Mchinji to Lilongwe (3,600 MWK/pp).
- We spent the night here: Mabuya Camp. Cheap backpackers that was fine for a transit night. We shared an A-frame that was $25/night.
- We had dinner at Latitude 13, a really nice/ fairly fancy place to have dinner that I would highly recommend! ($20-30/pp).
- We also bought all our groceries when getting in, so I would take the earliest Johabie bus at 5am to make sure you have enough time to cross the border, buy groceries, have dinner, etc. We arrived at Shoprite just as they were closing!

Day 2: Lilongwe -> Monkey Bay -> Cape Maclear -> Domwe Island
- We took the 7am AXA bus from Lilongwe to Monkey Bay. You don't need to buy tickets in advance. You do want to get there a bit early to ensure you get a seat, as they will fill it with standing customers as well. It is a big bus that acts more like a minibus, so a ride that should be ~3 hours took us 6-7 hours because it kept stopping. On the bright side, it was really cheap (I think equivalent to $2 pp). An alternative to this, especially if you're short on time, is to hire a private car, but expect to pay around $200.
- We then took a shared taxi from Monkey Bay to Cape Maclear. We weren't quite sure where to get off, there was a few false positives, so it's helpful to ask. Once we disembarked, someone waiting at the bus stop called us a taxi as there weren't any waiting around. It was roughly $10 pp when filled with 4 people. If you're planning to kayak out to the island you should try arrive in Cape Maclear at least 1 hour before sunset.

Day 2-5: Domwe Island
-We stayed at Domwe Island, which was amazing! We kayaked out to the island and had a tent platform that overlooked the water. You have to bring all your own groceries to cook, but they can catch fresh fish for you every night and they bake fresh bread in the morning. There's no electricity there, so they use solar lanterns at night (headlamps are also good to bring). There is an ice chest you can use to store perishables, and a gas stove to cook on. We brought our own tent but hired bedding and a mattress from them, since we were carrying all our groceries and luggage. Important to note that the island has little to no phone service, so try to coordinate everything you need to before you get there.
- Activities there included: hiking to the top of the island (really pretty views), catamaran cruise (highly recommend), kayaking, and snorkeling (not sure how good this would be in murky waters around the island).
- I think you should stay at least 2 full days here to make it worth it, 3 or 4 would be ideal. You probably don't need any more days than that.

Day 5-7: Malawi -> Lusaka
- Going back to Lusaka, I would recommend trying to go all the way to Chipata the first day, spend the night there (Dean's View is a good, cheap place to stay), then taking the Johabie bus back from Chipata to Lusaka the next day (good to purchase the tickets the night before when you arrive in Chipata).
- To get from Domwe Island back to Lilongwe is harder because the AXA bus leaves Monkey Bay too early for you to take the boat transfer from island and the taxi from Cape Maclear and make it. We planned on hiring a taxi from Cape Maclear (we made a plan with the taxi who brought us there when he originally dropped us off in Cape Maclear- phones don't work on the island!) and taking that taxi to Salima, the nearest town with minibuses to Lilongwe. Our taxi ended up needing to go back to Lilongwe anyway, so we got a good deal and took him the whole way. The drive took ~2.5 hours.

Ethiopia

This is a long overdue post I started while I was actually in Ethiopia in October.

From the sixth floor rooftop of my guesthouse in Addis Ababa (a skinny building that resembles a tower of jenga blocks), I can look out this strangely quiet part of the city. Except for infrequent hammering from the many construction sites around, some Ethiopian music playing from the numerous shops on the street, and a dove that has joined me on the roof, you would think everyone was still asleep.

Maybe it’s because it’s Sunday in, from what I can see, a very Christian country. Or maybe it’s the neighborhood I’m in; I know next to nothing about my relative location. But from where I’m sitting, you might call Addis a sleepy city.

My experiences around other parts of town, however, have shown me this is not an observation to be applied generally.  I’m here in Ethiopia on a partnerships building trip for work, the first conducted on my own. I’m holding meetings and field visits with Ethiopian microfinance institutions, and next week I’m visiting One Acre Fund’s program in Bahar Dar, a lake-side city in the north west.  My trip straddled a weekend, but lucky for me, I was connected to a friend of a friend living here in Addis. He and his roommate were exceedingly hospitable, and hanging out with them dramatically increased my ability to experience different parts of the city.

They also introduced me to Addis’s street café culture, which I sought out again today at what is apparently Ethiopia’s answer to Starbucks. I had a great meal and coffee, all for a few bucks. Everything is extremely cheap here, except taxis which are just moderately cheap. I get the sense you can eat pretty well in this city (Ethiopian food is excellent anyway) on a tight budget.

(Kaldi's: Starbucks rip-off in many ways, but nice coffee)

(All the Addis cabs were funny little French Peugeots or Russian Ladas)

Eating a dinner of take out shiro (so good), tibs and injera on the same roof tonight compels me to caveat my previous observation; this neighborhood can get loud when Manchester United is playing Chelsea. Another thing learned from being on the roof at night: the green hills surrounding Addis are fairly densely inhabited. I had no idea looking at them during the day, but at nights they glitter with lights.

I got out of the city to see a branch of one of the MFIs I was visiting. There was the usual congestion when trying to exit the city center, but suddenly we were at a tollbooth, and then driving on a beautiful new highway. Six lanes, freshly paved and painted, landscaping in the middle- and barely another car in sight. It’s a new toll road which had apparently opened just weeks before, and it was glorious. Funnily, despite the clear lane markings, you could still see drivers expecting each other to weave across the road in typical Addis fashion. On every over-take (picture three virtually empty lanes) there would be cautious honking and a quick burst of speed to pass.

(Fields of golden wheat)

(Kids running through teff, the grain used to make the Ethiopian staple bread injera)

Just a few hours outside the urban serpentine mess bursting at the seams, it was a totally different world. Fields of waving golden wheat, patchworked with green squares of teff or onions. No matter where out of the car window you stared it was an incredible, calming view.

Back in town, at the end of a day visiting a second MFI, the CEO was kindly dropping me off at my hotel when we were subjected to the power of Addis traffic congestion. The cause, when finally revealed, was a first in my experience: 2 lines of cars at a standstill, meeting head to head around a roundabout. But it wasn’t so bad, we had a great conversation and I learned all sorts of things about Ethiopia’s history (and faux-history). My favorite bit was how Addis is home to bubbling hot springs and was known as Finfinne for that reason. Menelik only became interested in the place, and eventually made it the seat of his empire, when his wife came down and wrote to him about it,calling it a new flower, which translates to Addis Ababa. One thing I really liked about Ethiopia is all the history around, both in physical form and in people’s minds. Of course there are many versions, but I loved how quick people were to talk about it. It’s a place I’d love to return to with more time and the chance to spend it exploring.

Last Day- 2014

This time last year I was home in Boston, celebrating the end of 2013 with friends, about to get snowed in for an extra week in the US thanks to the polar vortex. This year Emily and I are closing out 2014 in Cape Town (technically in Knysna) enjoying long hot days and the ocean. These two awesome trips bookend a very full, very fast year. Last half year in Zambia, re-visiting Namibia, deciding on a plan for the next two years, a wonderful trip up the west coast of the US, and, finally, moving to Kenya. I feel very lucky to have shared it all with family and friends new, old and very old. Hoping for more of the same in 2015.

I've included a few photos of our trip around South Africa below, more to come later. 

 (Dusk view from Chapman's Peak drive)

(Windy sunset on Lion's Head, Table Mountain behind draped in clouds)

(Colorful changing houses on Muizenburg Beach on boxing day)

(Devil's Peak, Table Mountain and Lion's Head)

(Sharing a glass of wine at a Stellenbosch Vineyard)

West Coast Whirlwind

Next time I have to move from somewhere, I’m definitely going to plan it to coincide with a trip. Nothing could've taken the sting out of leaving Zambia quite like 3 ambitious weeks jam-packed with travel, beauty and fantastic food. It’s much easier to pack your bags when you’re planning to do something fun with them.

In mid-August Emily and I boarded our flights from Lusaka, leaving KK International for the last time (as residents), and headed directly for San Francisco. From the minute we left the airport we shifted into high gear. We were there for Emily’s sister’s wedding, taking place just a few days later in Big Sur just south of the city. There was still preparing and arranging to do, but Tammy somehow found time to take us on a delicious oysters and wine tasting day trip. 

(Tomales Bay oysters)

The following day, the whole family convened to wrap up the loose ends, while I snuck off to hang out with my high school friend Brady in Berkeley. He’s blowing glass there and making some incredible pieces, and it was a huge treat to see his studio and the community he’s been living in for the past few years. Berkeley is a cool town, easy access to the city but with a residential feel and hills to hike right in the backyard. I rejoined the family the next day, meeting Emily’s parents for the first time in an apartment crammed with all types of flowers for the wedding décor. That night we had a big meal together then were on our way to Big Sur.

On the way down in the morning we stopped off in Monterey (for a Costco hotdog) and detoured along the beautiful 17-mile drive by the Pebble Beach golf course. There I got my first sight of California coast-line; the stark, saturated blue turquoise of the water bordered in bright white foam. In many places it made a strange, surreal sight, very different than east coast shores.

We arrived in Big Sur and checked into our place right along Highway 1, tucked into the towering green trees. That evening was the rehearsal dinner, held at Big Sur Bakery with courses of delicious home-style cooking, and a mountain of cookies for dessert.

The following day was the wedding. It was held at a really beautiful location: a small old library in a clearing ringed by tall redwoods. We got there early to help set up, and the decorations turned out fantastic. The wedding itself was a ton of fun. It was catered by a bbq food truck, had lots of good music and dancing, and sadly was over in a flash. This was the first wedding I’d been to for someone my age, and it really set the bar high.

(Centerpieces)

(An academic theme: riding to the library on a schoolbus)

(Dessert spread and lights)

After the wedding, Emily, her parents and I spent a fun few days exploring the parks within Big Sur and camping out in a small wood cabin. Endless beautiful coastline, waterfalls, even whales! Hard not to fall for this part of the country.

(Sunset at Pfieffer Beach)

(Surreal McWay Falls)

Back in San Francisco, after our days in the woods, Tammy took us around a city I’d only seen as a small child. We walked all over, from the stadium to the wharf to the bridge, hopping trolley cars and hitting up food and dessert places along the way. In a lot of ways it seems like a fake city, at least the parts I saw. So much man-made and natural beauty, and tons of happenings around every corner; I can easily see why it’s attracted so many friends like some big shiny beacon.  The highlight of our day and a half must’ve been the unbelievable Thai food we had at Kin Khao on our last night.

(Afternoon treat at Ghiradelli Square)

I would’ve been happy to end the trip there, our time in California was packed with good stuff, but this was just the halfway point. Back at the airport we caught our flight to Seattle for what was my first look at this much-loved northwesterly city. Our first stop, though, was a cabin belonging to the uncle of Jeff, a friend of ours from Zambia. He had kindly offered it to us and Emily’s friend from home for a weekend. It was less of the “cabin” we were picturing, having beautiful, homey furnishings instead of dank wooden rooms. Situated right on Puget Sound, it was the perfect place to relax and take in the natural beauty of Washington State. We did do a little work, digging up clams to eat for lunch and dinner one day.  It was a well-fed, well-relaxed weekend after our busy time in California.

(Walking in Washington woods)

(Fruits of our labor)

Over the ensuing week we trekked all over Seattle and I fell in love with a fantastic city. From Safeco Field to the Chilhuly Museum to the waterfront, there’s so much cool stuff to do. We lucked out with our timing and spent a day at the Bumbershoot music festival, where we saw The Head and the Heart, Kishi Bashi, Tom Robbins reading his books, and a live taping of the Moth podcast! Also, the Space Needle is just a downright awesome building. 

We ate so much good food, not even having time to fit it all in (so pressed for time that we had 2 lunches in one day!) After over a week of eating almost exclusively Chinese and Taiwanese food I’m still feeling the pangs of withdrawal. We had a great meal with my old college friend Breese and her new husband, which started with oysters, and ended in delectable lava cake, does it get any better? We also had a personal downtown tour from my friend Seth, co-study abroad mate in Senegal and current Seattle resident. Somehow I also found time in there to meet Deanne and Joseph, two of Emily's closest high school friends. I’m told I should take the fantastic weather we had with a grain of salt, but seriously, in what other American city can you see multiple mountain ranges and the ocean, right from downtown? I could continue raving but I think you get the point. Seattle is a great town (even the libraries are cool), and it was awesome to spend some quality time both in the city and in Emily’s hometown.

Goat Rodeo: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

This band makes me pre-nostalgic for the fall I'm about to leave (and just as it's getting going too). The song "Attaboy" is one of my all-time favorite songs, and Yo-Yo Ma's face of joy throughout the performance makes it even more fun to watch. 

Goodbyes, and What's Next

I’ve said goodbye to a lot people over my three years in Zambia, far more in both number and frequency than in any other period of my life. Anyone will tell you it’s the nature of life in that environment, especially if you stay more than a year in one place. Meeting cool new people is bittersweet in its natural time limits, and it’s easy to become cynical once you’ve said goodbye to a few cycles of friends.

It was surreal, then, when it was my turn to leave. While I never expected to stay in Zambia the rest of my life, the fact that I had tripled my time there after my initial one year stay had given my experience something of an endless feel. As these were my first real post-college jobs, and my first true home away from Boston, I also wasn’t accustomed to this process of leaving, which people do all the time all over the world. While it was on the horizon basically since 2014 arrived, it still crept up on me as I’m sure it does with most people. It felt like the time to departure was becoming exponentially shorter every time I checked.  But everything went on, just like it continues to do after you leave. Work, trips, errands, sports, I only started to feel the difference when normal meet-ups became “last time I’ll see you” affairs.

Everything wrapped up ok, which I’m thankful for. Had the chance to say goodbye to important people and places, including a lucky opportunity to see all the KF students in one place. I sold my car and my few immobile belongings, and packed my life into two suitcases with only a moderate amount of weight and space related stress. Emily and I had people over for one last party with friends, and I wrapped things up at FINCA. Then, it was time to look forward.

Forward is the grease that allows you to turn the wheels of leaving. And we were fortunate to have plenty to look forward to, both in the short and long term. Ahead of us, an action packed few weeks on the west coast of the US. Beyond that: a new adventure in a new location, the fruit of a long job search and much deliberation. Beginning mid-September, I started as an analyst on the Microfinance Partnerships Team at One Acre Fund. In October, I will move to Kenya, to a town near Kisumu in Western called Bungoma, where I will join Emily and be based for two years. 

I’m excited about this new opportunity, where I hope to expand my skills and experience within the field at a company known for its analytical, client-first approach to agricultural microfinance. It has built a strong reputation since being founded in 2006, providing small-scale farmers with access to timely, high-quality farming inputs on credit, with repayment schedules that meet their specific cash-constraints prior to the harvest season. I’m looking forward to the very new environment, in both where I’m working and where I’m living. It’s an exciting time and I’m sure I’ll have more stories to share about it soon. And I'm grateful for all the stories Zambia gave me over these last three years.

(Final weekend trip to Mulungushi Dam)