Hello, hello! My past couple of weeks have been full of the normal routine, long days seeing patients at the clinic and restful evenings in the house or exploring the city. Since I don’t have too much to update you all on, I thought I would use this post to reflect on my experience as a whole thus far. With that, I have compiled a list of my top and bottom aspects of my time here, my “thorns” and “roses,” if you will.

Positives

1. Feeling like a part of the community and team: In my months here, I have become fairly recognized in the community around the clinic. Whether it’s the fact that the patients we see often know my name before I’ve introduced myself or before I know theirs or random instances of an Uber driver knowing me from a past ride or from the clinic, these small interactions have added up to make me feel so deeply welcomed into the community.
2. Cultural immersion and exchange (in more ways than one): Not only am I obviously immersed in Kenyan culture every day, I also have the privilege of working alongside long- and short-term volunteers from every corner of the world. I have literally worked with volunteers from every continent (except Antiartica, of course lol) in my time here. Not only has this afforded me a dense connection of international friends, it has also been interesting to see out work through the lens of multiple cultural backgrounds. Things are also never boring in the volunteer house when I might be living with someone from France one day and someone from Brazil the next!
3. Learning: Obviously, I have learned so much in my time here. Not only have I gained an immense amount of applicable medical knowledge, I have also gotten a firsthand look at how different medical systems function and how primary care, diagnosis and treatment differs from what I am accustomed to in the US. While I know that the skills I use here may not be the same skills I gain as I further my medical education, I will always carry the deep understanding of medical access and culturally sensitive care that I have gained here.
4. Access to nature: As I have spoken about before, Nairobi is a city built in a forest. It has been so refreshing and encouraging to know that, even when the city feels cramped and busy, I can easily escape into nature for a recharge. My favorite places to do so have been the Karura Forest, the Nairobi Arboretum, and simply sitting on my balcony overlooking a lake.

Negatives

1. Perception: Before coming here, I did not understand the full implications of moving somewhere where I am obviously a foreigner, an outsider. From being yelled at on the street or being singled out in social situations, there is a certain weariness that comes with being constantly perceived. While I must note that the perception is never malicious (actually quite the opposite) and this is something I accepted pretty quickly, it has been a big part of my experience here.
2. Always saying goodbye (and hello): As I stated earlier, I am always with people from many different countries and, with this, comes the drawback of feeling like I am always saying goodbye to people. Most of the other volunteers I work with stay from 2-6 weeks so, the volunteer house is a constant revolving door. It has often felt like I form great relationships with people just as they are preparing to leave, which speaks to the larger ethical concerns with short-term volunteering in general, but that’s a topic for another day.
3. Nairobi traffic and other small inconveniences: I can’t wrap up a conversation on the positives and negatives of my experience without mentioning the seemingly one-million small inconveniences that add up throughout my day. From spending two hours each day sitting in traffic to relying on unreliable ride shares and public transit to how difficult it is to do laundry here, there are always these small things at affect you when you’re living outside your convenient, normal lifestyle. With that being said, I am grateful for the ways that these inconsequential issues force me to live outside my comfort zone and acknowledge that this is something that everyone living internationally experiences.

It feels unnatural to end this on a negative note, but I know my descriptions of my time here would not be complete without mentioning that not everything is always positive all the time. And that’s okay, it’s expected, it’s part of the experience and doesn’t take away from how overwhelmingly positive and enriching my time here has been. I am excited for these next two months and am becoming more and more appreciative of this opportunity as my time remaining here grows shorter. Sending love from Nairobi!

I’ve officially reached the halfway point of my journey here in San Pedro, and I’m still in disbelief at how quickly time has flown. Week after week, I’ve confronted fears, stretched myself far beyond my comfort zone, and learned so much about this beautiful country I now call home. My community has grown tremendously over the past few weeks, and that growth has been such a deep source of joy for me. Even amidst the busyness and occasional tension at work, there has been an undeniable sense of peace and celebration in the air as the holiday season approaches.

Last week, we took the women of Mercy and their children to a baseball game for a staff bonding outing—and we had an amazing time. It felt good to relax, laugh, and unwind from the whirlwind of daily responsibilities.

Every other year, the missionaries who live in San Pedro—led by my boss and her husband—host a large Thanksgiving gathering. This year, my boss gave my coworkers and me the day off, and my roommate and I began the morning watching the Macy’s Day Parade. Although I never grew up celebrating Thanksgiving in The Bahamas, my time living in Nashville introduced me to this season of gratitude. This year, it felt especially meaningful. I found myself emotional as I reflected on how far I’ve come and how much further I hope to go. The only word that captures what this experience has been to me is everything. It has meant everything to have distractions stripped away so that I could focus entirely on the assignment God placed before me. I’ve had the privilege of being fully present and giving my best to the women of Mercy because I surrendered my yes. I don’t know if I’ll ever have another experience like this, but I do know that “grateful” doesn’t even begin to capture the depth of what I feel.

At the Thanksgiving lunch, everyone contributed a dish and the spread was incredible—so much delicious food and an array of desserts. Afterward, some of the group played flag football, which was hilarious to watch. Seeing my boss get tackled by her husband for her flag had all of us laughing from the comfort of our lawn chairs.

Now December is here, and we’re all counting down to our long-awaited break at Mercy. I’m excited to visit family and friends for the holidays. At the workshop, the women have already set up the Christmas tree with lights, ornaments, and photos of each person. We’re planning a Secret Santa gift exchange and a Christmas party, and those cheerful preparations are making these final weeks go by so quickly.

One thing I’m continuously learning is that good things come to those who wait—and that waiting must be anchored in gratitude. I won’t pretend it has always been easy, but sitting in the very experiences I once prayed for reminds me that the wait is always worth it.

Hola y feliz Acción de Gracias! 

This year was the first time I have ever been away from home for a holiday and, to be honest, there was a big part of me that was dreading it. Especially because I’m living in a country where the holiday doesn’t even exist. Knowing that my family would all be together, having traditions that I wouldn’t be able to participate in this time, made me feel homesick in a way that I haven’t felt yet since being here. It was hard to anticipate these things happening knowing that I wouldn’t be able to be there with them. Waking up on Thursday morning, I was already ready for the day to be over. 

But, that feeling quickly changed. I walked to work like a normal morning, because that’s what it was for everyone else. It was a weird feeling knowing today was an important day miles away, but it was like a secret that I was holding in. When I got to work, I got to my desk and opened my computer to work, and started talking to a coworker who asked me about Thanksgiving. We started chatting about what today meant to me, how I usually spend the day, and what my family is probably doing right now. Another one of my coworkers decided to order pastries (chipas, yum!) for everyone that felt like our own little Thanksgiving celebration. It was a small action that really meant the world to me. 

Then, some of my friends planned a friendsgiving for me and invited some of their friends to come and celebrate with us too. We cooked together that afternoon and made a traditional dish from Argentina (Pastel de Papa) that really just reminded me of an American Thanksgiving Casserole. We enjoyed a meal together, talked about all of my Thanksgiving traditions, all shared what we are thankful for, played games, and ate a lot of desert! It felt exactly how you would expect an international Thanksgiving celebration to feel: sentimental, nostalgic, but with a little different twist and lots of laughter. It was so special to experience this day in a new way with new people, and also be able to share an American tradition with all of my friends here, since usually it’s the other way around! 

Sitting around that table truly brought me so much thankfulness, and made me feel all of the Thanksgiving love, even from thousands of miles away. Sitting around a table with people I barely knew three months ago and some that I hadn’t even met yet, with people celebrating a holiday that doesn’t exist where they’re from, with people who intentionally took time to help me feel seen and loved, with people who never fail to bring a smile to my face even when I have a heavy heart, truly redefined the meaning of Thanksgiving for me. I truly am so thankful for the opportunity to be here, for all of the people who helped make it possible for me to be here, and for everyone who has welcomed me here with open arms. Estoy tan agradecida! 

With love, Sarah

Yassas and happy thanksgiving friends! As I am writing this my contribution to the little “friendsgiving” I am attending is simmering on the stove. Me and the one other American friend I have here are hosting a thanksgiving dinner for all of our international friends.

It doesn’t quite feel like a holiday, however. This is the first major holiday I have spent away from home. Even last year, when I was on my exchange program in Australia, I flew home the day before Thanksgiving and ate dinner with my family while so jet lagged I could barely keep my eyes open.

That being said, even though it doesn’t feel like a holiday, there are still many things I am grateful for. I am grateful for the Lumos Grant and the opportunity to be here. I am grateful for the beautiful community that surrounds me every day.  I am grateful for my health, that I can hike and climb and travel with ease. I am grateful to have a family that I dearly miss on this holiday.  And I am grateful for the friends I have here that are making sure Ella and I have a proper Thanksgiving even though they don’t normally celebrate.

Now that my holiday reflections are over... lets talk about what I’ve been up to these past couple of weeks.

Christmas Preparation

Screen prints

On December 5th, my NGO will be hosting a Christmas Bazaar, so the past two weeks have been filled with lots of preparation for the festivities. This includes screen printing dozens of bags, promoting on social media and in the NGO circle on Lesvos, and lots of fun workshops making the gifts.

In addition to this, we had a cute little Christmas tree decorating party at Safe Passage (and they made ornaments with everyone’s face on it).

Additionally, on the day of the Bazaar I will be leading a screen printing workshop, which I am nervous-excited for.

12 Mile Hike – Oh my!

Some of the hiking views

On Sunday I signed up for an 8am hike thinking it would be a nice morning walk. Plot twist... it was not. My nice morning walk turned out to be a 12-mile hike, mostly uphill, that spanned over 6 hours... yes I am not kidding.

Nevertheless, the views were beautiful, the company was beautiful, and I had some good laughs (and forced everyone to listen to The Climb by Miley Cyrus… oops).

Birthday Celebrations

In addition to this, my roommate celebrated her birthday this week, so the crew from Safe Passage took her to a taverna for dinner. We ordered wayyyyy too much food (as you do at a taverna) but it was a night of lovely conversation, lovely company, and incredible food.

And of course… here is the playlist

Nostalgia’s Lie by Sam Fender

Beep by Flipturn

Home Sweet Home by the Favors

Hello again! Another exciting couple of weeks have passed for me here in Nairobi. I feel like time is passing so quickly; sometimes it’s hard to believe that I have been here for nearly 4 months already!

On Friday of this past week, I had a slight break from the routine of the clinic and helped run health screenings for students at a local school. With the help of a community health specialist, some of the clinic staff and I did medical, dental, and vision checks on nearly 70 4–10-year-old students. I worked in our “triage” taking vitals and collecting basic information, like age, weight, and any medical complaints they may have had, on the students. This task certainly tested my ability to speak basic Swahili because a lot of the students, particularly the younger ones, were not fluent in English. Even though I was having the same basic conversation with all of them, asking questions pertaining to their name, age, and complaints, it was still a test of the Swahili medical and anatomical terminology I have picked up while being here. For example, remembering that if a kid said they had pain in their “tumbo” they meant their stomach or in their “kichwa” they were speaking of having a headache. Even though it was a challenge, I was grateful for it because I have had very few opportunities to practice my language acquisition over the past few months as, most adults know English and will switch to English when speaking directly to me. After going through triage with me, the kids were sent to the dentist for a basic dental exam, then the optometrist for a vision test, and finally to the doctor for a physical exam and to receive any vitamins or medication they may have needed. All in all, it took us around 4 hours to see all of the students and afterwards we shared a wonderful lunch of ugali and chicken prepared by the school cooks.

Otherwise, I also had the opportunity recently to visit a UCESCO project that I had never been to before, a cosmetology and technical school for young women in the community. The school teaches both the trade and business skills to empower these women to start their own small businesses after completion of the program. I got to visit on a day when they were learning how to crochet and knit and sat in on their lesson with them. I even got to join in on the lesson and flex my minimal crochet skills I picked up from my grandmother throughout my childhood. This was a good break from the routine, and I hope to visit the school again in my remaining time here.

While my free time activities have been a little limited over the past couple of weeks due to my first (and hopefully only, knock-on-wood) bout of illness, I have continued to explore both familiar and new parts of the city. In recent weeks, I went to a standup comedy show, took an official walking tour of the downtown business/government district, and went to Kenya’s railway museum. While the CBD (central business district) has become quite familiar to me and I have taken advantage of the cross-country rail system, I enjoyed learning about the history of each, particularly how colonization influenced the fairly recent development of Kenya’s government and the creation of Kenyan rail.

I am looking forward to much more excitement to come!

Triage at the school health screening day

Old trains at the Railway Museum

View of Nairobi from an observation deck in the CBD

During the past couple of weeks I have volunteered with the local  shelter and nursing home as part of an extension to the hospital and further connecting with the community.

Mary Open Doors is a shelter located in San Ignacio, Belize that specifically focuses on women and children affected by domestic violence. I was able to meet Mrs. Medina who manages the non-profit organization to have a conversation about what the biggest needs in the community are and how the shelter does outreach to people to supply those needs. Apart from providing temporary housing to families, Mary Open Doors also has a needs list for families in the Cayo district who are in need. The families who are included on the needs list range from elderly to illness to single mothers. When enough supplies are donated, the shelter also hosts a food bank for the community.

This week I was able to volunteer alongside Mrs. Medina and visit homes to deliver donations which included clothing, food, hygiene, and medication. With the income in Belize being equivalent to $2.50 USD an hour, food insecurity is at an all time high due to the low-income and high-cost of living because of inflation.  Clothing is difficult to find in countries as Belize as there are few stores that supply clothing and have limited selections. Many Belizeans have to travel outside the country to Mexico or Guatemala to find clothing that fits, there are also second- hand “American” clothing stands at the local markets which are imported in barrels overseas from the USA. Hygiene and medication are often times overlooked in Belize as not being necessary due to the high cost of food, priorities tend to overcome others. Given this, when delivering basic necessities, the families were extremely grateful to receive medications and supplies they would’ve otherwise not had.

We visited a single mother with 5 children that had previously had housing at Mary Open Doors but are now currently in housing sourced by the organization. The eldest daughter is pursuing welding and hopes to make it her lifelong career.

We visited an elderly woman who has become blind and whose husband has been struggling with cancer. When given the supplies she continued to thank God for knowing that she had a need.

We visited an elderly woman taking care of her 5 grandchildren after her daughter abandoned her children. They live in a house made of scrap metal and to my knowledge, the grandma is unemployed.

We also delivered supplies to the daughter of an ill elderly couple as she has began to act as a caretaker for them.

I also began volunteering at Octavia Waight which is a nursing home or “help age” as it is known in Belize. This center has 35 residents with many diagnoses, from Alzheimer’s, strokes, dementia, Parkinson’s, and many other neurological disorders. This week, I was able to meet the staff and discuss the needs of the facility. A few of the areas I let them know I could help in is bringing in home made deserts for snack time, organizing the thrift store they have for funding, and creating community with the residents as well as helping care for residents. Many of the residents’ family members live far away from Belize and are unable to visit them, so having people to look forward to seeing is essential at a center like this. The residents at this facility are mostly handicapped and need others facilitating them throughout the center as they are no longer able to, so helping do so would be a big help as well.

I can’t believe I am just a week away from marking three months of living in San Pedro. So much has been happening that sometimes it feels impossible to keep up. Ever since November, Christmas lights and decorations have filled the streets. It reminds me of home. Since Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated here in the DR, November feels like the official start to the holiday season, an invitation to prepare. The holidays aren’t here yet, but they’re approaching quickly, and it truly feels that way.

Work at Mercy has picked up significantly. I recently finished interviewing the women we serve and have now moved on to interviewing the leadership team—and I have even been interviewed myself. Having the opportunity to lead Mercy toward growth and accountability is something I never would have foreseen, yet I’m extremely grateful to have been trusted with such responsibility.

Last week, I revamped the workshop intake form due to the possibility of receiving a new woman.  Normally, Mercy doesn’t use intake forms, but when outreach was more frequent, the team would simply invite women on the street to church, and if they came, they were offered a day of work and paid a day’s wage. I felt strongly that structure and uniformity are necessary in professional spaces, and the intake form gives us essential insight before welcoming anyone in.

Outside of work, I made the intentional decision to make November a slower month for myself. I took a break from the gym and from coming home, only to jump right back into work. Instead, I’ve implemented moments of silence to recenter and regulate my nervous system after long days. It has been incredibly beneficial.

This past weekend I celebrated my coworker’s birthday in Bayahibe, about an hour from San Pedro, and we stayed at a resort. Being in a different environment gave me a sense of peace I didn’t realize I was missing in the busyness of city life. I never knew how much I valued spaces of quiet and tranquility until I no longer had them. Sitting by the pool, chatting with coworkers, sipping piña coladas, and watching the waves hit the shore was exactly what I needed.

I also went to the mall in the capital for the first time. My boss took me to the movies, and apparently, cinemas in the DR don’t play English versions until 9 p.m., so we watched Regretting You by Colleen Hoover in Spanish—and I was proud to be able to keep up confidently. Before the movie, we walked around the mall and grabbed  Starbucks drinks. We ended up being the only two people in the theatre, laughing loudly and making jokes throughout the film. It was simple, but it was special.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5: 22-23

Breathtaking view of the beach.

“if you like piña coladas”

friends turned family

anytime we go out of San Pedro, stopping for Starbucks is a MUST

Matcha cheesecake...this was so yum

the birthday girl ! Jen 🙂

Hola! 

I’m not going to lie, sitting here staring at a blank screen that soon needs to be filled with 500 words feels really daunting this week. The past couple weeks have been full of the big and little moments that come with living abroad. So, today I’m going to try something new. Back when I used to bring groups of volunteers to Mexico, it was really important to be able to share with each other the things we were experiencing, some people for the first time, and be able to connect as a team in those moments. Because of that, we would end every day by going around and answering three questions: What was a highlight? What was a low point? Who is someone that you want to give a shoutout to? It really is a great way to summarize how you experienced your day and be able to reflect on the good, while still acknowledging the hard or challenging things. So today, I’m going to share my high, low, and shoutout with you all from the last two weeks. 

What was a highlight? 

This week I was able to go and celebrate some of my friends here graduating from University and I had the best time! I learned that graduations here are celebrated a lot differently here than they are at home. Rather than having a formal graduation ceremony (walking across the stage, wearing a cap and gown, receiving a diploma) the University hosts all of the graduates and their families for a formal dinner and then they have a party afterwards for students and their friends. So, when they asked me to come and celebrate with them, it was an immediate “yes”! But, to be honest, once I got more details on exactly what this entailed, I wanted to look for every reason why I couldn’t go anymore. Turns out, these parties start at midnight, end at five o’clock in the morning, and take place on a weeknight. Needless to say, as someone who doesn’t usually enjoy leaving the house past 9pm, this was something that made me nervous, especially considering I had to work the next morning. But, even though it scared me, I chose to embrace this “you only live once” moment (& the late-night Argentinian culture) and go to support and celebrate my friends. Obviously, it turned out incredible and I had so much fun. So, it was a good reminder that, even if something scares me or I’m not sure how it’s going to all turn out (like going to work after not sleeping at all), it usually means I’m going to experience something amazing that I will remember forever. This was definitely one of those moments. 

What was a low point?

Somewhere between the changing seasons and a lot of business of life catching up with me, I caught the flu, which meant I spent almost all of last week in bed alone in my apartment. As someone who already doesn’t like being sick and unable to do anything, it was ten times worse to be sick 5,000 miles away from home. It made me feel homesick in a way I hadn’t experienced yet, which made it feel like a very long week. 

Who is someone that you want to give a shoutout to?

Truly, I can’t choose just one person, because I want to shout out every single person here who has made life abroad a little bit easier and a lot less lonely. The ones who come to check up on me with medicine and soup when I’m sick and can’t get out of bed, the coworkers who bring me a variety of pastries and make me try every single one of them so I can taste all of the traditional Argentine flavors, the friends of friends who barely know me but drive 25 minutes out of their way to make sure I get back home safe. As cheesy as it is, it really takes a village, and I am so thankful for mine. 

With love, Sarah

Moin!!!! Which is how you say hello in Northern Germany 🙂 My internship gave me a week off to visit some friends of mine from my exchange semester. A very needed week off, the past month I found that I put too much on my plate (interning full time, volunteering part time, and doing event photography pretty much every week) and could feel burn out creeping in. However, after this trip I am feeling refreshed, grateful, and excited to return to beautiful little Lesvos.

The trip was about 7 days total, with 4 days in the UK and 3 days in Germany. First stop, in the UK I went to Birmingham to visit my lovely friend Esme.  Here, she took me on the UK food tour, including my personal favorite, a classic fish and chips.  We also visited some lovely art museums and geology museums where I learned a lot about Anglo-Saxon history (the rock museum was my favorite though... featured below is my favorite rock). And, because I was travelling in November, I got to experience the UK culture... rain. (Not included in these photos is me joining the University of Birmingham jazz choir for a day.)

Me at the rock museum (I love rocks)

A proper fish and chips

Then it was off to Hamburg to visit Luisa!! On the agenda we had seeing the Old City of Hamburg, trying traditional German food, a Christmas market, and lots of long catch up chats while walking around the beautiful city (Hamburg is an incredibly underrated travel destination).

Some cute pictures from beautiful Hamburg... including a proper German Christmas Market!!!!

Me and Luisa in old city Hamburg

Sitting at the airport reflecting on the lovely past couple of days I’ve had, I feel so fulfilled. Not only to have such close friendships that span across the globe, but to have been able to see these friends again. I said goodbye to them nearly one year ago today, not knowing if or when I would see them. And one year later I finally got to visit their hometowns 🙂

Now, it is back to Lesvos. I am feeling rested and ready to get back to work. On the agenda this week we have: sending pitches to European universities to create a volunteer network, scheduling and capturing social media content for the next two weeks, collaborating with a photographer to refresh the website, organizing the timeline of the digital archive for my NGO, editing photos for a fundraising event I photographed recently, and, if I have time, screen printing hundreds of labels for the bags. Yes, I have a busy week ahead. But thank goodness it is work I enjoy!

Helllllooo friends! I’m saying hello in English today because, guess what, I went to an English speaking country! This post was written immediately before my flight (however... time got away from me so I am posting it now).

I was given a week off to visit some friends from my exchange semester, which is very needed because I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out as of late. However, as I’m sitting here at the airport waiting for my flight, I’m feeling emotional about leaving Lesvos, even if it is just for a week. Although I am very excited to see my friends (who I said goodbye to almost exactly one year ago) and get a break from the island, I’ve fallen so in love with Lesvos that it is hard to part with her.

Sitting in the taxi on the way to the airport, I was thinking about how anxious I was upon arriving on the island. I was anxious to hail a cab, anxious about making friends, and unsure of what my accommodation would look like. And here I am, 3 months later, easily grabbing a cab (and speaking a little Greek in the process!!!) after having a lovely lunch with my friends and saying goodbye to my incredible housemates (and my adorable little room with the most beautiful view).

There’s so many things I’ve grown to love about this place (although I feel that I am becoming repetitive in saying that). It’s crazy to me that I am currently living in a place where I can go for an evening swim anytime I am feeling stressed, walk up the hill and see the craziest view of all of Mytilene, and sit and enjoy my coffee under jasmine trees in the morning.

And of course, the people. One of my old housemates said it best, Lesvos is the only place where you can sit down to have a coffee at a cafe by yourself and by the time you leave 6 people will have pulled up a chair to sit there with you. I’ve found myself sitting at tables I never could’ve imagined myself at a year ago, where every person is from a different generation, religion, ethnicity, and walk of life.

On the plane ride to the UK I am listening to an album recommended to me by a retired couple from Wales that lived in the volunteer house with me for a month (they were absolutely lovely!!!). As a parting gift, they left a list of albums for me to listen to that they felt fit my music taste, so this is the soundtrack for my plane ride...

This Could Be Texas by English Teacher

The Surfing Magazines by The Surfing Magazines

Giggles with Tilly and Char at the hot springs

May have been my most gorgeous evening swim

The garden at Parea, a community center for refugees

The garden part 2