Plans are coming together as I prepare to move to Nairobi, Kenya in January. I will be working there again for six months as a volunteer with Made In The Streets, teaching classes, mentoring students and assisting with the goals of the organization as opportunities arise. Friday was the last day of my temp job. Many different aspects of preparations must come together before I leave, which is why I quit my job at this point. Plus, with the holidays upon us, part of the time I have off will be used spending time with friends and family. In other areas, I have begun the moving process and kind of the packing process as well. I do not need any shots this time because my immunizations are still valid from when I went to Kenya last year. I am working on editing some material for a book, which I am going to really focus on this week. I also need to give some serious thought to what resources I need to take to for my classes. So, I have a lot more to get done but I feel that I am in a good place in preparing considering I am only two days into my off time.
It is strange not to get up and go to work every day. I worked at the same assignment for eight months, so I became accustomed to seeing my co-workers 40+ hours every week. I will miss them and hope to keep in contact with them. It is always an interesting time when one chapter, if you will, of life ends. However, the chapter that is about to begin keeps me very excited as I look forward to the adventure and work that lies ahead.
I tend to suffer greatly from separation anxiety. I spend too much time thinking about who I am not with instead of just looking at the present and enjoying who I am with at the time. So, I am hoping that this time I will be much better able to focus on the excitement of getting to return to Kenya and spend time with the students, helping them learn so that they will be able to remain off the streets once they graduate from the MITS program. I am also extremely excited because most of the staff members (made up entirely of Kenyans) are the same as last year, so I am looking forward to getting to work side by side with them again. If you pray, please pray that God will enable me to think of the present and live today for the beauty it has to offer.
As this is the first official post, if you are unfamiliar with MITS, you can find out more at made-in-the-streets.org. The photo was taken last year in Nairobi with two of the students of MITS. Nancy is on the left and Brenda on the right.
