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!

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.

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