Category Stories

Our Book Editing Process for “I Am Joy”

The first week of February marked the beginning of the end (of the book, that is). Over 7 months later, it was complete by mid-February! The portion of my job that fell under “editor” had lapsed by this point, and…

A Second First Time in Africa

Over the past week I’ve been getting to know several Kenyan guides, shadowing them in their work, and laying groundwork for the film. Samson Mwangi is a tall and lanky rock climbing guide working for an adventure company in Nairobi.…

Touchdown in 24

In roughly 24 hours my plane will be landing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. What?! It feels like just a few weeks ago I joyfully (and slightly naively) agreed to oversee the development and implementation of Disciples’ Village’s microfinance initiative in August/September…there…

Phase One: Observing

I am someone who likes to be prepared. I do my research beforehand, I come in with a plan A, plan B, and sometimes even a plan C. So entering this next chapter in my life was no different. Before…

Un Jour normal/A Normal Day

Un Jour normal : Je me réveille à 7h 30 ou plus tôt. Nous avons dit que le petit-déjeuner se passe à 8h, mais il est vraiment à 8h 20, alors j’ai beaucoup de temps à faire ce dont j’ai besoin.…

Le Journal quotidien/The Daily Journal #2

Jour 5 – Au matin, nous sommes allés à Ndar Ndar pour boire du café, mais j’ai bu le jus de gingembre. C’était très fort. Nous sommes allés à la plage aujourd’hui. Pour moi, j’avais l’impression d’être dans un film.…

Setting up base in Nairobi!

I’m in Nairobi! After a brief detour in Switzerland and some truly awful traffic (Nairobi has the second worst in the world!) I made it to my base in Nairobi. Fortunately for me, this is my parent’s house in an…

An infinite potential to achieve your dreams

Madame Lu is born and raised in Shanghai in a tumultuous time. A time of political turmoil, Japanese occupation, and a Chinese civil war. Madame Lu has endured many hardships in her life, but the one thing she will always…

Ma Vie ici/My Life Here

Bonjour ! Ça c’est mon premier post au Sénégal. Ça va bien ici. Je suis arrivé lundi à Dakar à vingt heure. Je suis resté là un soir et le prochain jour je suis allé à Saint Louis. Je suis arrivé…

Le Journal quotidien/The Daily Journal #1

Jour 1 – Un voyage long, beaucoup de chèvres et de vaches dans la rue, nous avons été arrêter par la police 3 ou 4 fois. J’ai vu beaucoup de déchets dans la campagne et la ville. J’ai joué avec…