Pages in a Book: Thankful

Four weeks, seven flights, five cities, three continents, eights beds/futons/couches/mattresses, one wedding and sister-in-law, one almost full passport (no joke here!) and I am back in warm and sunny (well maybe not so sunny now—it’s the rainy season) Botswana. For those of you who are a bit confused about my whereabouts, particularly in the last month here is a visual recap:

And for those of you who keep asking about my life plan. I now I have one! I will be interning with Samaritan’s Purse in Uganda from February to July. Beyond excited, but most importantly feeling extremely thankful. Instead of wasting time with words I will post a few of my favorite photos from this past month and in the spirit of the season I’m thankful for:

Long time and short time friends who provided shelter for me during the past month. I feel incredibly blessed to say with confidence that every place I live I have met amazing, sincere, giving, fun, and loving friends. I’m thankful that these friends are not only generous but also continually inspire me and remind me to make a difference in the world. I look forward to the many new people in my next destination that I will meet.

My family who has yet to freak out about any of my plans, adventures, and ideas. I’m grateful for both my immediate, extended, and NEW family’s support in all of my endeavors.

I’m thankful for Korea and what it taught me about the beauty of community, about prejudice and racism, the wonderful people I met there and the deeper appreciation for my own country that I gained. And I’m thankful that after much stress I did in fact manage to get my hard earned money out of Korea.

In spite of my so called “homelessness” I’m thankful for the fact that I have not once been without food or shelter throughout this whole year. Nor have I worried about whether or not I would have food or water. This is something that most people in the world can’t say. Not only have I not gone a day without a full stomach, I have also been blessed to be able to have the luxury of eating some pretty tasty foods.

I’m thankful for TRAVEL! I know most people do have the opportunities I’ve been blessed with and probably never will. I hope I can share these experiences and help bring the world together in a small way.

I’m thankful for my health. I successfully ran a marathon this year, get to go mountain biking with the cows on a regular basis, and now can wake up to sunshine almost every day to go running, not to mention the many beautiful hikes I enjoyed in Korea.