Love this shot by Sarah Rhoads. The girl can do it all, if you have never seen her work, stop what you are doing and go there now.
image ©Sarah Rhoads | www.sarahrhoads.com
It feels like winter today in LA. I would love to spend the day cuddled up by the fire in this OnePiece…
In my eyes this kitchen is the perfect blend of rustic charm with a feminine touch. From The City Sage (see more by clicking the link)
This apartment=258 square feet of amazing design
In my opinion, lighting can make or break a room and right now I am in love with this rustic looking light fixture made from old canning jars.
Exeter Pendant | Pottery Barn
SAGAM, KENYA (written 2006)-When I decided to volunteer in Africa for 6 months I thought I would really make a difference, I thought I would expand my students’ knowledge tenfold. In reality, they were the ones that ended up enriching my life in a way I never thought possible.
Having never been abroad you may find it strange that for my first trip I landed in Kenya. To be honest it wasn’t really me that had this wacky idea to volunteer in Africa for 6 months. An old boyfriend came up with the idea and needless to say I needed some convincing. After some initial research and planning I quickly fell in love with the idea, maybe even more so than that old boyfriend. There is something about Africa; it has a very alluring quality. Within weeks we had booked our tickets and would be on our way to western Kenya as volunteer teachers.
As I sat on the plane I really thought that I was prepared for all that lay ahead. After a night’s sleep, our journey to our new home began with a ride in a matatu (a bus system that uses mini-vans) to the train station. From there we purchased “first-class” tickets on the overnight train to Kisumu. As I stepped on the train, I felt as if I had stepped back in time. From the looks of it, the cars had undergone little changes during the many years they had been in use. After arriving in Kisumu, we rode an hour in another matatu, this one crammed with not only people but farm animals as well, to the village. Now I must admit we had pretty westernized living conditions, a toilet to sit on, mattress to sleep on and water that we pumped into the house. It is questionable whether I would have made it 5 whole months without these luxuries.
My initial excitement for the start of school was squashed by the frustration of trying to understand one another. Yes, English is the official language of Kenya, but it is also the third language of my students and fellow teachers. I quickly learned that in order to communicate I would need to really listen for once and to slow down when I spoke the only language I have ever know (aside from gibberish). I also realized that teaching English is much harder than it seems and that I was better suited for teaching a more universal language, like Mathematics. It was through Math, and a little humor, that I really got to know and adore my 50+ students. They were equally as interested in me and my life as I was in theirs. Questions like “Do you really have machines that wash your clothes?” and knowledge that I knew how to play soccer (football), really got them laughing. In the end it all went by way too quickly, true there were days when I wanted nothing more than to be home, but when the time came to go home, it was bittersweet. At the school ceremony to bid us farewell, two of my students gave speeches expressing their gratitude. It was as they stood there, tears welling up their eyes and tears in mine, that I realized how much I had learned from them. They had welcomed me into their hearts and shown me what it means to be truly happy.
I will never forget my 5 months in that tiny village, and while I did not move any mountains, I like to think I gave my students something. If only a smile when they think about the blonde-haired muzungu (Kiswahili for white person) who taught them Algebra.
I have a bit of a thing for bikes. So much so that I have more bikes than I have pairs of heels. I personally see no problem with this, although a few of my more girly friends think it’s a bit odd. I tend to think they are the ones missing out.
I am also pretty confident that I could choose a man based on the bike he rides…
Guv’nor | Pashley Cycles
