New routines

This week I started my new job and began figuring out what my life is going to look like for the coming weeks and months.  I started doing things that will surely become routine but are new to me right now.  Things like commuting to work, making my lunch in the morning for the day, talking with coworkers and clients, figuring out what meetings I should schedule or be at- along with many more things.  It takes a while for routine to develop and feel normal or second nature.  In one of the books we use with the students in Uganda, The Art of Coming Home by Craig Storti, he talks about how figuring out new routines can be exhausting and one of the reasons "coming home" is hard.  Things we expect to be easy in our own culture are not always familiar right away.  For example, I've missed a few turns going to and from work the past week and had to back track, but soon enough I'll be able to do it without thinking.  Storti talks about how developing routines can be tiring and I am finding that is true!  There is so much information to take in with work and being in a new place that my memory capacity seems lower for the small things.

So, I am figuring it out slowly.  This week I figured out another major step in finding a place to live.  I'll be living in Wilmington, DE and found an apartment I am excited about.  I'll be moving in two weeks from now and I'm sure it will be a huge part of feeling settled in to a normal life and routine!

My new place!

When I drive home from work the city of Wilmington comes in to view as I come over a hill and I think that is a part of my daily life I will enjoy.  This is not the exact view below, but pretty close (I borrowed this picture from Wikipedia):

I am looking forward to getting to know a new area and becoming more familiar with my work.  I just need to remember that will take some time and be patient.  This week I am going to work on making my office feel more "mine" and start thinking about what I will need for moving.  Small steps!

Maine Top Ten

My time in Maine is wrapping up- right now I am in Bangor for an extra night due to a flight cancellation so thought I would post on Maine while still in Maine.  It has been a great few weeks- a mixture of fun, relaxation, lots of family and activity.  To summarize I thought I would do a top ten of my time in Maine to give a good over view of my time.  Here it goes (get ready for LOTS of pictures)...

#10 Cooking and eating outdoors.  Getting to have food cooked on an open fire and enjoy eating outdoors is always a treat in Maine.  A few examples below:

Rob works on the big pan breakfast ( a somewhat recently revived tradition)

S'mores- what's not to love?

Outdoor eating with lots of family

#9 Reading.  The past few weeks I read 4-5 books, a few recommendations would be Wild by Cheryl Strayed and Starting from Scratch by Susan Gilbert-Collins.

Despite lots of reading by everyone this is one of the only pictures of actual reading going on!

#8 Time with cousins and their kids.  I got to spend a lot more time with my wonderful cousins this year due to extended visiting and time of year.  Very grateful for them!

With Erika and baby Jordan at Little Raven

Evan and I paddle around the kids

Love them

#7 Brady's first summer in Maine.  It was great to see him experience different things and get to spend so much time together.

Walking with Brady and Mom

#6 Coastal Maine (especially lobster rolls).

Yes.

#5 Swimming.  

The most enthusiastic swimmer in the family

#4 Scenery and wildlife sitings.  Both the lake and ocean scenery is beautiful and this year we saw some great animals- eagles and their babies, many loons, seals and dolphins/ porpoises.

Harbor porpoises or striped dolphins?  It may remain a mystery but still a great siting.

#3  Hanging out at the cabin.  This could be reading, cooking, playing games, playing with kids or just resting.

#2 Going on adventures.  This involved various boat or day trips, with lots to explore.

Exploring St Croix island

  

Bethany and Aaron being great sports on a rainy day adventure to a foggy lighthouse

#1 Time with family.  I am excited to be closer to my family this coming year after living in Uganda and Maine was a good way to start it off.  It was the first time in years that all of us were able to be up there together so I am especially appreciative of that time!

So those are some highlights of the past weeks, with many more small moments to remember and many, many more pictures.  In the next few days I will have to get ready for the routine of work and start looking for a place to live.  All the vacation has made me feel more ready for settling in to a new life, I am looking forward to starting to put those pieces together.  Hopefully more to come on all that!

Coast to Coast

In the past 2 weeks I have seen the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.  A few weeks ago I was in California and two days ago I arrived at Prince Edward Island with my mom for a visit.  Yesterday and today we got to see some of the coastline- very different from the white sandy beaches of Santa Barbara!  Prince Edward Island is known for it's red sands, so we walked along some of the coast yesterday and today.  

Famous red sands

 Part of the visit to PEI is to visit some of the Anne of Green Gables sites which we also did yesterday.  For anyone who has read the books or watched the movies and loved them, there is lots to take in.   There is a Green Gables museum based on the actual house, lots of information on L.M. Montgomery, and the sites the books were based on.

The Green Gables house

It is also an incredibly beautiful island with lots of scenic driving, wildflowers, farms and ocean.

Scene from L.M. Montgomery's childhood home

Fans of the book will know the connection to Raspberry Cordial!

 Today it is raining more but we are still doing some activities along with some reading and relaxing.  Tomorrow we will drive back to Maine, about 5 hours from where we are staying in PEI- it is definitely out there!

When I arrived in Maine over the weekend I briefly got to see some extended family and will be having a longer visit with them the next few days.  So the last picture is to show some of the time I am excited for in the coming weeks- seeing more family and lots of cute kids!  I've come to Maine most summers of my life but rarely have gotten to spend up to 3 weeks here.  So I am glad for the extra time to visit with family and take a few more trips when I am anticipating working full-time again in a few weeks.  I think that knowing I have a job makes me more appreciative of all this travel time this summer. 

Meeting baby Will- so sweet!

The book

One thing I have been thinking about for a while was making a photo book about my experiences in Uganda.  I thought it would be a good way to show people my life there and something permanent for me to keep.  I started working on it earlier this year, using the Iphoto book option.  This worked well for me since I didn't have to upload any photos but could just use the ones that were already on my computer.  I worked on it on and off the past months and finished it in June, hoping to be able to take it with me on my travels.  

I got it the night I returned from California and am so pleased with it!  It is a big hardcover book with about 50 pages.  I decided to go with a pretty simple layout and minimal descriptions.  Here is the cover:

First page

I broke things down in to a few categories- friends, work, the university, trips, visitors and some of my favorite pictures.  While doing the book I ended up using a lot of photos visitors had taken since they were taking more pictures of everyday things.  I also used some student photos that I collected over time.  

Pictures of Zanzibar trip

I am excited to show my book to people so if you are seeing me soon expect to have to look at it!  It was good for me to sift through thousands of photos to put the book together, to think about all the past 4.5 years have contained.  There are so many small moments that don't have pictures but hopefully having a photo book will help me remember and others to be curious.

Tomorrow I am off to Maine for 3 weeks, so will post on that in August!

California continued

I got back late last night from my California visit.  On the trip back I was thinking I could write a whole blog post about the differences between domestic and international travel, but I won't go there right now!  Being back in Pennsylvania also makes me think about the differences between the two coasts, and how both are great in their own ways.  I definitely enjoyed getting to spend time near the ocean and appreciated all the fun and interesting things I got to do on the West Coast.

For the 2nd half of my time in California I stayed with my wonderful cousin, Kaitlin.  She showed me around some fun places and, of course, getting to catch up with her was the best part.

Wine tasting in SB

Hiking nearby

Last night in California- fish tacos and margaritas

I also got to see 3 Uganda related people which I loved- getting to share memories and catch up on life in the States.  I am realizing that there are going to be "Uganda people" everywhere- students, other former staff, and being in California made me realize I want to make an intentional effort to seek them out wherever I am.

Now I have a few days before making the trip to Maine- I am really doing the extremes of the US this summer!  Another blog post will probably be coming this week...  

The month between

This week I am in beautiful California visiting friends and family.  I have never lived in California but am grateful that some of my loved ones ended up here so I can visit Santa Barbara!  I am staying with my good friend, Audrey, who I met the first day of college and have stayed close with all these years.  Later I'll get to see my cousin, Kaitlin, some family friends and former USP interns.  Getting to be with Audrey has been such a blessing to talk about changes in our lives now, and look back on all the times we've shared together in the past.  During this time of transition it is helpful to have someone who has known you so long give perspective and ask questions.  I am really appreciating it!  I am also getting to know Audrey's daughter and hang out with her cool husband.  A few pictures of the visit so far:

Audrey and I on the Santa Barbara pier

In N Out- you should be jealous!

Zaidee showing me the flamingos at the zoo

Hike along the ocean

Beautiful scene

I am especially appreciating this time since I will be starting a new job the end of August.  I feel VERY blessed to have found a good job so quickly and still have some transition weeks.  (I probably won't be posting exact details about the job but if you are interested email me for more details.)  So this month I am getting to travel and see friends, go to Maine and prepare for this new stage in life.  I am hoping this will help me settle in as I see various people who have been a part of different aspects of my life- both in the States and Uganda.  I am also trying to be intentional about reflecting on Uganda and looking ahead- more on that later I think.  For now, I am glad for this week to enjoy relationships that are important to me and enjoy a beautiful place!

Transition month

Since leaving Uganda about a month ago my time has been filled with travel, people and adjustments.  Looking back over pictures from the month it is hard to believe I was still in Uganda a month ago!  It seems like a lot of time and events have passed since then.  A few pictures below will summarize some of what June has contained:

1) A trip to England to visit the Buttons in Gloucester and meet up with my parents in London.

With Abigail and Alex at Sudley Castle.

View of the city from the London Eye which I rode with my mom

2) Returning to the States and getting to see family and friends.

My very cute nephews

Family dinner the week I returned

 3) The USP reunion of all students and staff from the program's last 8 years, in Washington DC.

The Gordon crew at the reunion

Discussion group time- I am with a group of students on the left

 4) A visit from my friends Eddie and Lisa, who will be moving to Uganda next month (we are switching lives!).

Wonderful friends (and picture!)

Visiting Philadelphia

A few highlights have been:
Getting to see several friends (Rosie and Dan, Lisa and Eddie) who have made the transition from Africa and hearing about their experiences and insights.
Reconnecting with the USP staff and students as I officially finish my job, and feeling like many of those connections will be ongoing.
Traveling to big places like London and DC and also getting to be at friends homes and familiar places.
Enjoying the small luxuries of the States like smooth roads, take out food, good phone and internet connections and being a part of my own culture.

There are a lot more things I could say about my initial arrival back but may save some of those observations for a later post.  I have to admit, it is a bit harder than I thought to put down how I am feeling about this move but I am hopeful I will be able to articulate it more over time.

My last day in Uganda (in pictures)

Woke up to tea and checking email, getting ready for the day

One final load of laundry, I will not miss this funny little washer!

Walk up Monkey Hill for the last time

View from the top, Mukono town and area

Of course, saw some monkeys!

Final packing and cleaning up the house

Reading up on arriving in London in my guidebook

Had several visitors come by, Brendah helping me weigh my luggage!

Loading up in the USP van

Heading out from the house

On Jinja Rd, taking in some final Uganda road scenes  

Pizza dinner in Entebbe with Jordan, Vincent, Brendah and Jones

After checking in and going through immigration, getting a final fresh passion juice at the airport

Now I am in Amsterdam, getting ready to fly to England.  I am not quite processing that I have left Uganda and am not going back at the end of the summer.  For now, I am looking forward to seeing friends and my parents in England and feeling grateful for a good "last" day in Uganda.