(DISCLAIMER: This one is really long. But it’s worth it.) Well, we started the final week (week-plus, really) of our trip with a bang: a five-day trek on the Milford Track. It’s one of the most popular and famous hikes in New Zealand and, because we don’t have any gear (again, I remind you of our … More Week 4: The End of Our Trip to New Zealand 😦
Well, we were ready to start our transition to the South Island this week after an awesome end to our time in the North Island. We headed out for a final breakfast in Wellington and then we went back to Zealandia because Jon wanted to see the sanctuary during the day. I worked at their … More Week 3: The Beginning of the South Island of New Zealand!
Ok. Week 2. (BRACE YOURSELVES: THIS IS A LONG POST. But super interesting, if I do say so myself, if I do say so myself, in the words of Jay-Z.) We were fully settled in New Zealand (now an 11-hour time difference with Malawi and an 18-hour time difference with the east coast), really enjoying … More Week 2: More of the North Island of New Zealand!
Well, we’re off!! We flew from Johannesburg to Sydney on Qantas Airways (a first time for us) and got in to Sydney late afternoon, the next day. (This was the furthest east we’d been and we were trying to figure out the time adjustment!) So, we got to our hotel – a super hipster hotel … More Post-Africa Trip: Week 1: Sydney, Australia & Auckland, New Zealand!!
Jon and I took advantage of having a weekend in South Africa to sneak away to Cape Town for a few days. The last few times we went to CT were with family (remember this, this and this?), which were super fun trips, but we thought we’d tackle some of the things on our list that … More Our Last Trip to Cape Town 😦
Well, another chapter has ended. Jon and I left Malawi on Sunday after a whirlwind few weeks of closing everything up. It was really hard to leave, especially knowing that we might not see some of the people we had to say good-bye to for a long time. Sucks. But, we tried to make the … More Tiwonana*, Malawi!
It was time for our last trip in Malawi – our last getaway in a country with lots of amazing places to explore. 😦 We debated if we wanted to go to Lake Malawi, to other nature reserves, to hike Mount Mulanje, etc. There were too many options!! But then we realized: we’d never been … More Our Trip to Tea Country – Satemwa Tea Plantation in Thyolo!
So, you might be wondering why I indicated that Jon and I went on our last safari… Well, if you didn’t already know, Jon and I are moving back to the U.S. in December! Jon has been away for two years and I’ve been away for almost two years. With that in mind, we’ve decided … More Our Last Safari 😢
A few weeks ago, Jon and I went to the wedding of one his colleague’s daughters! This was not Jon’s first Malawian wedding but it was mine. I’d been briefed beforehand on the customs, what to expect, etc. And I felt like I was prepared for the fun. Mostly*. Weddings in Malawi are full-day events. … More My First Malawian Wedding!
Since March, I’ve been volunteering at Baylor’s clinic, the Center of Excellence (COE), next door to a massive public hospital, Kamuzu Central Hospital. I was lucky to get this posting through Jon’s great colleagues at Baylor and I’m so glad to have this opportunity. (You may recall I had a really difficult time finding volunteer … More Volunteering at Baylor’s Clinic!
Naama Meets Nando 