In the beginning...

I've just arrived.  Something like 29+ hours of travel and I'm still afloat--I think.  Two hours ago, opening the airplane window shade to an African sunrise reminded me much of a New Mexican one.  It brought me back to life.  When we touched ground I realized I was "back home", as Pastor Ohm put it.  It brought me such overwhelming joy to see the skyscraping mountains and rolling green hills.   I am in Cape Town.  

Soon enough we were racing down the streets, steering wheel on the right as I watched the students in their uniforms hurry into buses and early morning workers jaywalk their way into their respective jobs.  

Pastor Ohm and I were doing our planning, mixed in with philosophical thoughts about living life without having to worry about money and doing what is right for the sake of doing it.  Talking to him, it seems so concrete, the thoughts about making the right decisions and not having to worry.  I hope I don't forget it...ever. 

I'll be traveling to Mozambique on Monday and will most likely remain there for around 7-8 days.  I will be living with a family that lives in the city of Maputo who is working on several different projects.  While I'm there I will be following a doctor around who will show me the ropes of health in Maputo.  

If you're reading this and do not yet know what the heck I'm doing in South Africa/Mozambique, the purpose is to do health related research on what the most pressing health issues are.  This research will later go into depth in order to look at how to prevent diseases that are spread in the area by designing a curriculum to teach the community health education.  This will be based on what we see as rudimentary training, such as hygiene, sanitation, first aid, sex and gender education, maternal health, etc.  

The goal is to be able to design a curriculum in order to return to Maputo and teach it after I graduate, Inshallah. 

I'm getting ready to venture back into Khayelitsha, or the stomping grounds of my previous summer spent here in South Africa.  I will hopefully be reunited with old friends and what I feel is family.   Khayelitsha, or the largest township housing informal settlements outside of Cape Town, is where we built preschools/churches last summer, got to know many communities and was otherwise able to spend time with children singing, teaching, playing and dancing.  I can't wait to get back there.  For now, I must purchase my plane tickets to Maputo...ugh.

Well, I have to say, I'm terribly jet-lagged.  I stare at the computer screen and get drowsy thinking about the time I have ahead and the time I've just left behind.  Please stay tuned when the postings are most likely more live and less retrospective.  I mean, I'd like it better reading that, too.  

(Oh, yeah, HI MOM & DAD!! Look, I'm on the internet!!!)