farewell, London

You've been a great town ♥ Tomorrow morning we're off to Africa, but we'll be back in August, for more movies and shopping and Guinness.

Oh yes.

home sweet hostel

and we're off

Headed to the airport in just a little bit, so I don't have time for a longer post. The next time I update we'll be in London ♥

family time

we've got our placements

I have to admit: my first reaction was Whaaaaaaa...? But the more that I think about it, the more excited I get. This is going to be a good summer.

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Dear Emily,

I know you have been eagerly awaiting your Volunteer Placement, and while I don’t have a description sheet for your placement, I will give you all of the information that I do have. I have asked the in-country staff for some more information, but haven’t yet heard back from them. Your placement will be the Juvenile Detention Center, and it is home and school to teenage and pre-teen boys. Often volunteers there in the past have worked with the boys on English skills, social skills (good manners, proper behavior while on trial, etc.) and have just played sports and games with them among other things. As we have discussed, your placement was determined based on the in-country staff's assessment of your Skills & Interests Survey, the availability of placements, and the needs of the local community at the time you will be on the program.

Cross-Cultural Solutions' Three-Part Program Design consists of Volunteer Work, Cultural & Learning Activities, and Free Time. You will be expected to go to your Volunteer Placement Monday - Friday and will be volunteering for about 4 hours each morning. Transportation will be provided to your placement and back to the Home-Base daily. There will be Cultural & Learning Activities scheduled on several afternoons. Some afternoons and all evenings & weekends are set aside for Free Time. We have found that this three-part model takes all aspects of your international experience into account and allows our volunteers to fully immerse themselves into the culture in a meaningful way.

As you prepare for your Volunteer Placement, it's important to remember to be patient with yourself! There will be cultural differences and a language barrier that may provide challenges along the way. Being open-minded, patient, flexible, and willing to face uncertainty are all keys to having a successful experience. Your professional skills may not be completely transferable, so I encourage you to be willing to be of service wherever support is needed.

“What stood out most, was the continual reminders from the in-country staff that our expectations may not be realized- but other expectations will likely occur. For the first several days, I felt mismatched at my placement, but by the closing of my program, I understood that just being with the children was much more important than any expectations of teaching I might have had.” - Sarah, Kilimanjaro Volunteer

two weeks until we hit the road

Like my brother's new guitar? It'll be much easier for traveling than a full sized acoustic, and that odd little body packs a surprisingly full sound.

I'm traveling lighter, too: I decided to get a compact digital camera rather than lug around my not-so-subtle DSLR. And by bringing my laptop, I hope to avoid the dreaded "it's been six months and I still haven't uploaded any photos" phenomenon.

It's been two years since my field school and I still haven't posted all of those yet.

We've done some preliminary packing and a whole lot of clothes shopping this week. Making a list, checking it twice, you know the deal. We've been shopping for my sister as well: she'll be spending two weeks in California while my brother and I are in Africa. So that sound you hear?

It's the rejoicing of two parents who will have the house all to themselves.

oh, life

It just keeps rolling along. Stephen and I are leaving in three weeks. I am mostly-kind-of-not-entirely ready for that. I've been a pretty busy little bee, and finding time to write hasn't been high on the To Do list.

Photography has been consuming much of my time and interest of late. I've found a treasure trove of inspiration in the work and words of Cynthia Graham. That inspiration guided me through one major milestone this past weekend: my first 'real' session. I went into it feeling both thrilled and terrified, and came out thinking I can do this. I want to do this.

(the session was actually for engagement photos,
but I just adore this photo of my friend and her son,
taken at the end of the day. Pure magic.)

we're celebrating

Hannah has finished the school year (and I'm not really sure who's more excited about it). We're both looking forward to a summer of fun and FREEDOM!

Just look at how gorgeous this girl is - and I get to be her big sister. How awesome is that?