Around the World and Back Again

This July I left Kenya to pursue graduate school back in Boston. After 3 years there, and 6 years abroad in total, it feels like a major step. My excitement to learn new skills and grow through an MBA helps to maintain motivation and resolve, my belief that I will be back again soon helps to balance the difficulty of leaving, and returning home to Boston alongside Emily helps to smooth the transition. 

After 114 blog posts, that's at least one a month since the day I left, I'll no longer be adding material on a regular basis. I'm so glad to have this detailed record of the experience, where I can relive the discoveries, the trips, the music and the learning at a monthly or even weekly level. I'm also glad I was able to share all this with people I care about- it helped to maintain a feeling of connection and shared experience.

After these past 3 years of incredible work and exciting travel, I thought this map I made of all my flights during that time would be a fitting coda. Thanks for reading.

Quality Time in the US

Summer time in Boston. Is there a better place to be in summer, or a better season to be in Boston? Downtown, you can walk from the outdoor cafes of Newbury Street all the way to the waterfront grass in South Boston, and pass beautiful parks, historic plazas, and picturesque riverside views along the way. In Cambridge, the Red Line is better than any carnival ride, taking you from one fun, bustling square to the next. In the rural areas around my parents’ house there are enough rivers, forests, beaches and waterfront towns to keep you outside all 90 days of summer.

Since I went to Cape Town for Christmas, and visited home only briefly in the early fall, I was really looking forward to my summer visit this year. So different than my last trip, this one had the promise of little travel, and long, lazy weeks around Boston. The furthest I went was New York for a weekend, which was a great kickoff to the trip. I came down with my family (immediate and extended) for my cousin Katelin's wedding, the first of my cousins on that side to get married. To add to the excitement and to-do, Emily also came, the first opportunity for her to meet most of my wider family. The weekend was fantastic, the locations were beautiful, and it was great to spend so much time with my cousins. Katelin certainly set a high bar for the cousin brave enough to have the next wedding.

(Cousin time)

Rather than heading right back to Boston with my family, Emily and I spent an extra night in the city and managed to squeeze a lot into those 24 hours. We were able to spend some time with her friend Deanne, who happens to work in the Empire State Building and took us on a whirlwind tour. We also had an excellent Italian meal with Dylan, a friend from school, and his girlfriend. The next morning we caught the bus to Boston, which was a cheap and comfortable way to travel.

(Deanne and Emily and NYC)

Emily spent / survived the next jam-packed week with me, my family, and my friends. We spent plenty of time around the city, even finding some spots I’d never been to like the Mappariam. We went to a Red Sox game, a nice belated birthday gift, which was pleasantly surprising in both weather and team performance. We ate out in all the key areas (Chinatown, North End, Fort Point, Cambridge) and also had some nice dinners at home. Can you get more summery than clams and lobster (dunked in butter of course) out on the deck? We lucked out with timing and got to see my friend Sarah and her boyfriend in the midst of their bar exam studying. On one of Emily's final days there we gathered friends from all parts of our lives (from high school to Zambia) at Naco Taco, a great outdoor taco place in Central Square, and it couldn’t have been nicer.

(With Angus and Kira, friends from Zambia, at Naco Taco)

After Emily headed home to Seattle, I had a couple days to be lazy before getting back to work. Fortunately, I was able to spend about a week working remotely, which meant I still had evenings and weekends to spend quality time with friends and family. It was time well spent: another baseball game, my first cocktail party at a museum, making my own watch strap from scratch with my cousin, dinners with my sisters, and the list goes on. Much as it started, my trip ended in a flurry of activity, including seeing my friend Thom who was back in the US for our friend Hannah’s wedding after a year traveling South America, as well as seeing (a different) Hannah and HollyAnne, two friends from study abroad in Senegal who I hadn’t seen in years. As icing on the cake, that weekend was also July 4^th, which came together very nicely with old friends on the 3rd floor back porch of my friend’s place in Somerville, with a view of the (top half) of the fireworks and an amazing moonrise. Summer time in Boston…

(Watch strap making)

 (HollyAnne, Hannah and I)

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.

Power to the Twenty Somethings

We are lazy and have no real skills. We are pampered and entitled. We are idealist and unrealistic. These are things we heard about ourselves. No jobs, no opportunities. Even graduate degrees won’t find you work. No one is hiring fresh-faced liberal arts students holding a CV stacked with unpaid summer internships. These are things we heard about the world. The closer we came to graduation, the louder these observations seemed to echo. Pessimism abounded, and even in the promise of our degrees we could feel its weight.

Crossing the threshold, we faced our generation’s mal due siècle and dealt with it in our own ways. Though we were confident, we were not unshaken, and though we were privileged, we still dwelt on our disadvantages. In the first year we ran the gambit of occupations, from rockstars to interns to waiters to teachers. Some continued onto grad school while others traveled the world. For all of us, though, it was a year of discovery and exploration. Like standing on the platform at a bustling subway hub, there were many directions to choose from. Picking a track to travel down, one that would likely take you far from where you currently stood, was at times an overwhelming decision.  For many of us, myself included, it was a testing and often frustrating process.

Over one year has passed since I left for Zambia. When I came back this summer, I was bowled over by how everyone’s lives had settled and strengthened, like the cement in the foundation of a new home. Everywhere I visited, I was struck by how friends had established themselves, pursued remarkable endeavors, and built up impressive lives.

To name a few, but not come close to exhausting the list:

Traveling to Afghanistan to teach at the country’s only music school, bringing the strength of music to students who could truly use it.

My little sister, moving into her first apartment with a friend, cooking meals, going to work, berating me for eating all the snacks in her pantry.

Starting a business in the rough and tumble world of New York finance. Facing down setbacks, innovating and pushing forward, confident of success.

Moving across the country to pursue a passion for glassblowing; starting from scratch and paying dues. Becoming a stand-out artist producing incredible works.

Holding down a full-time job while earning a Master’s degree at night and still having time for a social life and camping on the weekends.

Building robots, getting published for work on smart wheelchairs, while at the same time turning an apartment into a welcoming and comfortable home

I really can’t impress enough how often I felt this way during my visit. Over and over I marveled at my friends’ lives with delight and a dash of envy. In each one I saw the evidence of a willingness to pursue dreams, to doggedly shrug off challenges, and to surround themselves with things that made them happy. I feel very proud of my friends, and twenty-somethings in general. In the direct sunlight of the real world, rather than withering, we have proven we can flourish.

 

(In America)

Home and Back Again

A little over 6 months after leaving for Zambia and I’m sitting in the exact same spot at the same airport gate in DC ready to head back. It all seems very neat and planned. Nearly three weeks at home was a perfect half-way marker; an opportunity to reflect and recollect. More than anything though, it was a chance to catch up with all the people I miss having in my life. Unsurprisingly, it was not the most relaxing vacation with all the running and driving around. Happily though, I managed to see almost everyone I intended to. Between a really nice open house my parents threw my first weekend back to a trip to New York (the only place that gave me culture shock) to an annual holiday party with old friends and much more, it was a very full and happy holidays. The only thing missing? Snow. A year without snow is a really strange thought.

While the plane rides have been long, and doing the trip twice within a month is certainly daunting, there have been many bright spots. Navigating the airport systems is becoming easier and that helps cut down on the stress that often comes with air travel. The airborne vistas have been particularly beautiful during these trips as well, from crackling thunderheads on the Joburg horizon to yellow orange dawn breaking like the yolk of an egg over DC to watching meteors flash and fizzle like flares around our plane high above the ocean.

There were many things I looked forward to about coming back home. I probably ate my weight in home cooked meals and holiday feasting and of course I had to get my fill of favorites like greasy pizza and good old American Chinese food. I definitely filled up on the holidays as well; I felt like I was on a crash course to catch up on the spirit from the minute I stepped off the plane. I never realized how much Christmas and the holidays permeate almost all aspects of our lives during those months. The inner warmth of it all certainly goes a long way toward redeeming the literal cold that I felt all the more sharply this time around.

There are, of course, many things I also look forward to about heading back. I look forward to replacing the pale white light of the weak winter sun with the rich gold radiance that lasts late into the evening. I am excited to see friends and run around outdoors and even to get back to work. I'm ready to switch sides of the road, eat off a braai and, most surprisingly, begin to sort out what the next year is going to bring. 

Departure

I was recently told a piece of advice that I imagine will prove pertinent throughout the coming year. To paraphrase, “if you find yourself disillusioned, remember that it was you who created the illusion in the first place.” Sitting here at Dulles International Airport in DC awaiting my flight to Dakar, I think it would be valuable to lay out some of the things I am expecting or anticipating from this experience. I do this mostly for my own benefit, as an opportunity for self-analysis further down the road. In the past, re-reading things I had written prior to significant life changes could be at times cringe-worthy, but also helpful in determining exactly how I had grown and what I had learned during those experiences. If I do find myself disillusioned at a future date, this will be a good reference point to figure out what illusions I may have carried in with me. 

The centerpiece of this experience will be my work at KF. Thanks to conscientious efforts by the founders of the organization I have a pretty clear idea of many of the projects I will be working on. I expect the largest of these to be creating a plan for the gap year experienced by all Zambian students who finish secondary school. The goal will be to find work experience and other activities for the students to help launch them into the next phase of their academic or professional careers. I also expect to spend a good deal of time structuring an alumni network for KF scholars. As the first class of scholars graduates this year, the organization must have a system in place to connect them both to each other and back to KF. Their experience and insight will be invaluable for future generations of scholars. Outside of these projects I imagine I will be spending time furthering the mentorship program already in place, participating in the application process, and tutoring students when they need help in school. I do hope to spend a good deal of time with the students, I’ve heard so much about their great personalities and dedication. I expect that becoming close with them will also provide a strong, tangible motivation for my work. This work experience will vary greatly from any I’ve had in the past. With a good deal responsibility and freedom to create one’s own schedule I definitely hope to hit the ground running and get into a good routine right away. 

Picturing my life outside of work is more difficult. As of now, I know next to nothing about Lusaka, not even where I’ll be living, so it’s hard to imagine what daily living will entail. But there are some things I can’t expect to know or even predict. As long as my mind is open I think many other things will fall into place. I just hope that as I move forward I will encounter enough good people to help fill the void left by the co-workers, family and friends in Boston. I recently asked a friend who’s moving to Texas to teach what her expectations were, and she answered “frankly, I have none.” While this was a good exercise and could prove informative down the road, I think I’ll follow her lead and keep myself open to all possibilities.