I am discontinuing this blog. My other two blogs keep me busy and I am in the process of starting a new personal blog but it won't make its appearance for awhile yet. Thank you for reading this blog and if you want to keep updated with my life please follow the following two blogs (the first one especially):

http://glimpsesofafrica.wordpress.com

http://journalisticjourney.wordpress.com

Change is NEEDED!

I think its time for this blog to be revamped. What do you think. Its looking inactive, boring, old...etc, etc. Since my life is in a state of excitment and change...shouldn't my blog reflect that as well? Well I think so. So yeah change is not only needed...its is coming.

Oh and be sure to check out www.glimpsesofafrica.wordpress.com (and www.journalisticjourney.wordpress.com) they have been a bit more active then this blog.

See you soon!

Off to a new country

For the few faithful followers of this very quiet blog…I'm off to Kampala, Uganda. My only other experience in Uganda was the thirty minutes I spent sitting in a plane on the runway in Entebbe. I can't remember exactly why the flight from Ethiopia to Malawi has a thirty minute stop in Entebbe but it did. Now at least I finally will get to walk on the ground in Uganda.

I leave tonight at 7 pm with 15 friends for a 16 hour bus ride. Once in Uganda we will be staying on the lake, spending five days of camp activities and five days doing mission work, then take another 16 hour bus ride back to Nairobi. I really looking forward to it. Please keep me in your prayers. I've been sick the past week…first stomach, possibly malaria, then a bad cold. I'm on the verge of recovery from everything but still not feeling 100%. Pray for my boyfriend too…he has a cold too.

I'll let you know how everything goes once I get back!

My Boyfriend

Here are a couple of pictures of my boyfriend. Isn't he cute? I think so and the soul behind those eyes is beautiful and so dedicated to God.


At work behind the sound booth

At play with the students at Kimuri Primary School

Forever

It's been forever. I'm sorry I've been so silent. It's not for lack of things to talk about or thinking about updating this blog. It's for lack of time because I have so much going on. I'm not going to try to go into all the details but here are a couple of the important things:

Nimo (that's me…at least that's what most of my friends call me) has a BOYFRIEND. (Picture coming soon…or check out my facebook albums, his pictures is the album cover for the last album I created). His name is William something something Mwaura (there is another funny Kikuyu name there in the something somethings that I can never remember). No one calls him William…he goes by Billy, Bill, Willie, Mbiro, or Mwaura. Personally, I prefer Mbiro (Mm-be-row). He is 25 years old, an intern at Nairobi chapel (my church) working in the youth department, he is a sound engineer, loves kids and youth, most importantly loves God will his whole heart, likes experimenting with funny recipes (kind of like a certain brother of mine used to), loves dancing, music, and having fun. There is so much I could say about him, but those are the basics. Oh and this is a very officially approved relationship…my parents, his parents, our pastors, and our friends.

Moving on to a different topic (since I could talk about the other one for hours). I spent last week traveling around Kenya. I visited Eldoret, Kitale, and Kisumu. I hadn't been to Kitale in six years, so it was very nice being there again. I was traveling with K-Krew and World Vision helping (meaning taking photos and doing whatever else I could) with the Amani Milele Concert Tour. World Vision funded a small tour to promote peace in Kenya (Amani Milele means Peace forever). They brought in a musician from Rwanda who experienced the genocide there and a girl from Kosovo who went through the war there. It was a very enjoyable and beneficial time (except that I got sick in Kisumu).

Next week I'm going to Uganda…FINALLY! I get to add a new country to my list of countries visited! I'm going with a group of 20 youth from my church. We will be going to a camp then doing missions work. We'll be out of Kenya for a total of 10 days. (and yes, Mbiro is going too!). I'm excited and I'm very grateful because God provided the needed money (I'm very grateful to those who helped God provide!). Now I just have to figure out the visa situation but hopefully that won't be a problem.

What else? There are so many things that I think I will just stop with the big things and leave the others for later.

Home again

Haven't written much on this blog lately. I've been busy keeping my two other blogs (a journalist journey and Glimpses of Africa) updated.

I'm home in Kenya, just incase you were wondering. I've been back for a week and two days and it feels like I never left. I didn't have any time to be jet lagged but picked up with work last Tuesday and have been going ever since.

So here's what's been up.

After I left NYC I went Atlanta to hang out with a "old" friend. Audri and I have been friends since we were 16 and went to Malawi with Teen Missions International. We had only seen each other ONCE since then and that was FIVE years ago. So I hung out at her house for a couple of days (see the pictures in the last post).

After that I spend a couple of days with my bro and fam in North Carolina. Got another article in our hometown newspaper and got paid for both of the articles they have published. Also got a chance to talk to the Junior High youth group at my home church and catch up with a few friends.

Then it was done to Alabama to hang out with my other bro and fam. We had a family birthday party (my mom is so cool, she sent presents for everyone, balloons etc). I had a couple of deep theological conversations with my big brothers…wow they know so much more than I do. Lots of fun, shopping, enjoying the HOT weather etc.

Then David and Gracie took me to the Atlanta Airport on June 12 and I started my LONG trip back to Kenya. My flight from Atlanta to Chicago was delayed and I started worrying since I only had an hour and 15 minutes originally. I was all set to get new tickets and work through all that and guess what…my flight out of Chicago to London was delayed too and I made it. Got to London later than planned and then I only had about an hour to wait for my flight to Nairobi. Now that's the way to fly.

On my flight from Chicago I sat with some students headed to Ghana for a few months to do mission work. We got to chat quite a bit. The flight from London to Nairobi was all about sleeping and when I got into Nairobi at 9:30pm I didn't feel too bad.

The next day was my mom's birthday and we all had a wonderful day together. Then to church on Sunday and lots of hugs from my friends. Monday hung out and then Tuesday I went to my very first press conference then out to a primary school where I'm now teaching writing once a week. Wednesday was all for writing and Thursday I headed out to the primary school to teacher. Friday I came down with a nasty cold and hung out in bed and did the same on Saturday. Yesterday or jana as we say in Kiswahili, I went to Club Xpressions…the youth service at our church and was very touched by the message on living a life of faith. Then in the evening I headed to a sleepover to say bye to a close friend who is headed back to her home in Switzerland on Wednesday.

Now this week means more work, looking for a house, writing and reporting, teaching and who knows what else. In case you hadn't noticed: I love my life!

Monday at the old schoolhouse with Audri

The old schoolhouse is a museum/theater/restaurant. Its very fun.


Some of the decor

Audri (and I) inside

Audri and I outside in the garden

A Sunday at the Lake with Audrianne

I did a little photo shoot for Audri...got some decent shots (at least in my opinion)

The lake/river was really pretty and there was fog rising off of it (cold water, hot air)


Check out this cute little boy who was there with his dad (he never stopped running)

I was there too and here are the pictures to prove it.

New blogs

I have two new blogs. During WJI is was suggested that we might want to keep our private and professional blogs separate. So I have started two "professional" blogs.

Glimpses of Africa is as the title suggests about Africa (well Kenya for the moment). There isn't much on it simply because I'm not in Africa right now and I don't really like to write about things from places when I'm not actually there to know that what I'm writing is truly true.

Since I write about other things besides Africa I decided to start a separate professional blog for all the other things I write. the journalistic journey already had a number of short articles that I have written but never published on it. I also hope to make it a guide for young journalist looking for advice on how to further their careers.

If you want a little bit deeper content than you find on this blog please check out one or both of my new blogs.

Life on the Planet Earth

Weird title…I know.

Life continues on. I'm in North Carolina after an amazing three weeks in NYC. I can't believe it flew by so fast. But that little section of my life is over and I'm left with top notch new friends, scattered all over the country and probably eventually all over the world. I also left with a wealth of new knowledge and skills to further my career plus about 30 books to read.

I can't say enough about WJI (World Journalism Institute). It was what I needed at that particular moment in my life. Being with young Americans who share the same passions, interested and for the most part beliefs that I do. People who believe journalism can be used to change the world and who what to take a stand for the Gospel in the world. Who believe that "being in the world but not of the world" is possible and means that we can't limit ourselves to the Christian sphere of things but must actually get out there and be IN the world….all the while staying close to God and not being off the world. It's a hard balance especially in a city like NYC, but with 18 friends to keep us on track, I think we all proved it is achievable.

Well I could go on and on about WJI but I'm not going to. There probably will be a few posts in the next few days about specific events that we went to etc but for now if you want to know something specific send me a question, I'll be happy to answer it.

After leaving WJI and NYC on Saturday I flew to Atlanta and spent two wonderful days with an old friend of mine. Audrianne and I went to Malawi together when we were 16. We became close friends and "twins" during our 8 weeks together and have stayed in random but fairly close contact ever since. I have only seen her one other time in 7 years, when she came to visit back in 2003. So 5 years and many stories later, we got to spend two days together. Two days in nowhere near enough time to catch up on 5 years of stories but we did our level best and stayed up until 4 one morning.

Now I'm in North Carolina at Gary and Cathy's hanging out with them and their girls. On Friday we will head to Alabama and I will spend the rest of my time at David and Gracie's. They will take me to the airport in one week. Yikes the time has flown.

That's all for now.

WJI Closing Dinner

After Dinner Picture Party

The dinner. Dr. Robert Case (top right) and Micheal Gerson (lower left)

The Paparazzi Gang

Some of my classmates from top right:
Regina, Thomas, James N,
Jess, Chris, Molly,
Ryan, Aubra, and James H

Another WJI Multimedia project

Here is another video project that I worked on at WJI. Check it out….its about homelessness

Project: Turning Comedy to Cash

This is a multimedia project that Ryan and I worked on. You know what...I think it turned out pretty well. Let me know what you think! Thanks Ryan for being such a great job partner and challenging me to do things I don't like to do. So yeah check this little 1:30 minute clip.

Something New

See if you can figure out what that something new is.

Memorial Day Bashing Around Town

On Memorial Day, Shasta and I went all over town. We started out heading from our Apartment towards Central Park. We headed to the Disney Store then American Girl Place. Lunch for me was a pretzel and ice cream from a vendor near Central Park. Then we took a subway back to the apartment, picked up our maps. Then we headed out on the subway to Coney Island. Coney Island was insane...so busy. The weather was beautiful too. Shasta and I went on the Cyclone...a 80 year old wooden rollercoaster. It was my first time on a rollercoaster...and hopefully my last. (My neck is killing me today). After a nice walk on the boardwalk, down to the beach, and into the water, we got Corn Dogs and Cotten Candy. Then we jumped back on the subway up to 8th street. Checked out the Washington Arch then wandered around Greenwich Village and Soho for a while. We had fries in Soho...how random. Then back to the apartment and a trip to Time Square to check out the Toys R Us store (I was looking for something for JED :). After that I went out with a couple of the guys to comedy club. Lots of fun but now its back to the classroom for four days.


Mom: Check it out...its the American Girl Place. Very fun.

American Girl Place, Disney Store, Coney Island Beach, Greenwich.

Toys R Us Times Square.

Sunday wanderings

First Baptist Church of Manhattan

Street Fair

From the Staten Island Ferry...the Statute of Liberty of course

Manhatten Skyline from the Ferry

Fleet Week Saturday

Visiting USS Kearsarge on a special Media Tour

Building views from the top of the Vogue Apartment Building

Photo shoot on top of the Vogue.
Molly, Aubra, Ryan, Chris and Myself

Friday, Memorial Day Weekend

Lower Manhattan Buildings

Ground Zero
(This left me speechless)

Doing a media project with Ryan. We interviewed guys selling Comedy Club tickets in Times Square.

Dinner out in some part of Manhattan

Ryan taking a pictures

Thomas taking pictures


Deana

A huge Sprite in an amazing glass

Central Park Collage

I tried again...maybe now you can see the pictures better

People in Central Park

Jessica and Shasta

A cool tunnel and Jess and Shasta

Shasta's and My Shadows

The Alice and Wonderland Sculpture

Central Park Adventures

Some random cool pictures from around Central Park

Central Park Carriages...as if it wasn't obvious

A pretty path

What a pretty window