1.

i've put off posting on this blog because the "first post" has such huge expectations. it has to epic. inspiring. humorous. after worry for weeks about how i was going to make this post just perfect, i've decided to give up. and tell you the story that let to the creation of this blog.

for about three years now i've been obsessed with going to Africa. people ask me why i want to go and honestly, i don't really know why. its not because i love little black children (although they are adorable) and it's not because i want to satisfy some guilt of living in a wealthy country. i have simply been interested in Africa and black people almost my entire life. i also love serving and helping people. these two loves have melded into going to Africa to help people. so searching began.

i started searching in earnest my sophomore year of college. i applied and was accepted to BYU field studies program to Ghana. a few weeks after acceptance i told them i would not be travelling with them. it just didn't feel right. the summer and fall of 2010 i kind of gave up on my dream of Africa, because i thought i'd be getting married soon. however, one day, while on Facebook (social networking isn't all bad), i saw an advertisement for HELP International. after checking out their website, i was hooked. i applied that weekend and was accepted within two weeks to go to Mbale Uganda from May 4 to August 24.

i am so thrilled for this opportunity! being able to help our brothers and sisters in Uganda is a dream come true! i hope to be able to change at least one person's life. i have made my motto for the trip (and for my life, really) the quote to the right. Ghandi- "Be the change you wish to see in the world." This blog will chronicle my adventures in Africa. I will be doing humanitarian aid. The great thing about HELP is that we choose our projects. They always do the basics- adobe ovens, farming, business development, orphanages, literacy. But we also can make our own individualized projects. I really want to do something with the health over there. I don't know how much of a change I can do by simply working in a hospital, so I am leaning toward health education or HIV/AIDS prevention and education.

I hope you will follow me on my journey to the other side of the earth