A New Start in a Familiar Place

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." Douglas Adams

So for those of you who haven't heard the news, I am headed back to Africa.  No definite return date yet, but I will be in Nairobi sometime in January.  As you know, I took a job last January that moved me to Kenya to support their Sudan office.  This new opportunity as a Fundraising Officer with the Greater Horn of Africa Rainwater Partnership- Kenya Rainwater Association will bring me back to Kenya, a place I grew to love over the eight months I spent there this year.  

Don't get me wrong; it's not that I haven't loved my time back in Dallas catching up with friends and family and going to charity events and holiday parties, but I am very much looking forward to returning to Nairobi.  I know most of you think I'm crazy; why would I give up Tex Mex, culture, and First World living for a low paying job in Africa?  So to help you understand, here are just the top two of many reasons I decided not to stay Stateside: 1) Yes, there are a lot of issues that need to be worked on at home, but there are many people who are willing and enjoy working for nonprofits.  However, how many of those people want to move across the world to do it?  I think that those of us who are willing to do so should do everything we can to get over there and get working.  There's a lot to do and many, many people who need our help.  2) Nairobi is a great place to live (minus the pollution and crime; which, don't lie to yourself, is everywhere).  It is metropolitan and has the perks of big city living (sushi, anyone?) while being just a hop, skip, and a jump from "real" Africa.  I love being able to hop in the car and drive an hour or two away from town to experience nature and animals that many people will never get to see in their lifetime.

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