Salaam aleikum Africa!

Days Left: 502
Goal #73: Go on a trip with my mom

So - this past October/November, my mom and our friend Annette made the trek across the big pond to visit Senegal and Morocco! The few weeks before our trip were quite stressful as we were in the middle of a government shutdown and my travel plans were completely in flux. Luckily the government reopened and I was able to travel to Dakar for work and then take vacation in Morocco as planned.

And boy was it a great trip! Here is a link to a photobook I made for my mom for Christmas, which is full of fun photos and stories.

Back in the classroom

Days left: 519
Goal #66: Volunteer at a school

Last year I volunteered with Reading Partners, tutoring a kindergartener for an hour every week. It was nice to be back in the classroom, but also reminded me that our school systems are still struggling and need a lot of support and transformation.  I'd like to do more to help, but I'm never quite sure where to plug in and how. What I do know is that every kid should have the opportunity to receive a high quality education in our wonderful country. And unfortunately, today, that is not the case. I am optimistic that things will improve in the future.

Be prepared

Days left: 528
Goal #68: Become a Certified First Responder

My goal in becoming a certified emergency responder is so that I will be prepared for any potential disaster and can help to the best of my ability. After being in Haiti during the earthquake, I know first hand the importance of disaster prepardness and being ready to respond.

My dear friend Leah and I signed up for a Certified Emergency Responder Class in DC and were unfortunately very disappointed with the class. While the content was good, the instructor was very unprofessional and inappropriate. He was so rude and immature that Leah and I actually left the class early and did not finish it. Honestly, he was being so crass about disaster prepardness that it became offensive to me and I couldn't sit in class and listen to him anymore. Nevertheless, while I'm not officially certified, I have the book of resources the class provided and feel more prepared than I did before.

Hut One! Hut Two!

Days left: 541
Goal #6: Join an intramural flag football team

This past fall I was on an intramural flag football team through my church where we played other local DC churches. I had such a blast! Discovered that I play a mean defense and even sacked a few QBs during our season :) Even though I was traveling a lot this fall, I got to play in a lot of games, including our semi-final match-up which we lost.

Will definitely be playing next year! Even went out and bought some cute lavender cleats for the occasion.

Many Hands Make the Load Lighter

Days Left: 582
Goal #24: Help a friend move from start to finish (first in last out)

I actually really enjoy helping people move. Moving myself is an entirely different story! But, for me, moving a friend is a rewarding experience and a strong reminder that "Men anpil Chay pa lou." This is one of my favorite Haitian Creole sayings, which means "many hands make the load lighter." The more people you have helping, the easier a task can be. And this was most certainly the case with my friends Hannah and John! There were about a dozen friends and family helping them move and we were done by noon. Such a success and I love their new home!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Days left: 632
Goal #81: Find a church in DC that I'd like to go to regularly.

To be completely honest, since January 12, 2010 I have had a hard time finding a place I'd like to call my church home and have had to be really intentional about finding one. I longed to find a place which as open and welcoming and full of people on a journey to better understand who Jesus is.

To my surprise, I found this community at an Anglican Church in Columbia Heights which uses a liturgical worship style. Church of the Advent, the church I have been attending, is a simple, no frills church, based on fundamental Christian principles and rooted in community. I've met so many quality and down to earth people at Church of the Advent and can't wait to get to know them better!

Another thing I found about the church after having gone for a few months is that it is actually a church plant from a Christian church in Rwanda who was seeking to help bring the Gospel to the USA.

Matthew 18:20
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

The big cleanse

Days Left: 651
Goal #99: Cleanse my entire apartment

On the 4th of July in 2011, Allie and I moved from NYC to DC together. After quite an ordeal with our moving "truck" and a massive tropical storm that hit us while unloading in DC, Allie and I were moved in (and with admittedly lots of stuff).

On the 4th of July in 2013, Allie moved out. She is starting a new adventure and in about a decade (*wink*) will be a doctor and taking care of her old sista'! I feel so blessed to have been able to live with her and will truly cherish our three years as roomies for my entire life. 

It's now the beginning of August, and I've since done a fairly massive apartment cleanse and reorg. There are still a few more touches I plan to make, but feel great about the newly organized closet spaces! I sold some stuff at a local consignment store, gave some goodies away to the Salvation Army, and then tossed the junk.

Here are some pics of the freshly cleansed place.