In one year, I…

 

…met many people at St. Jude’s. Said goodbye to some who were here when I arrived, greeted those who arrived after me and said goodbye to those who left before me.

 

…made friendships that I hope will endure as more than the occasional post on Facebook as well as ones of that sort.

 

…encouraged over 500 students to read more.

 

…arranged an author visit that inspired many student writers and illustrators.

 

…cooked lunch over an open fire in a hut where goats sleep at night.

 

…only visited Gentle Hands once (and that was my only plane trip all year as well).

 

…took many dala dalas and a few local buses but never took a piki piki.

 

…ate makande more than I would have liked and enjoyed ugali more than I would have thought (the pili pili made all the difference).

 

…received lots of praise for my brownies.

 

…took more screenshots (while creating library procedure documents) than I am likely to ever take in my life.

 

…realized you can wear the same clothes over and over and not be bothered by it.

 

…stayed connected in spite of limited bandwidth.

 

…barely blogged at all.

 

…learned lots about managing colleagues (and even more about myself as a manager).

 

…lived simply and didn’t acquire many new possessions.

 

…came to appreciate electricity, running hot and cold water, and indoor plumbing.

 

…didn’t catch malaria or typhoid and had no major illnesses or health issues.

 

…swapped the mold of Singapore for the dust of Arusha.

 

…learned just enough Swahili to greet people and make them think I spoke it more than I do.

 

What will the next year bring?