Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go.

Around this time last year, I was preparing to leave for Kenya. Lately, I've been incredibly nostalgic about my experience there. Missing the people, and reflecting on how my time in Kenya changed me, how it influenced my thoughts on aid, and the world. And oh boy, how do I even begin to count the ways, to explain how working with the girls in Kibera, and living in Africa has changed me for the better? Well, I've got a start. Here are a couple thoughts on doing any kind of aid/volunteer work....

1. Take your experience home with you and do something with it. Chances are you'll be a drain on the community you worked with, and not as productive as you'd have liked to have been. So, take your experience home with you, and do something with the more accessible resources you have there.

While I was in Kibera, teaching photography to the Binti girls, Liz and I hatched this harebrained idea to create an outdoor, nighttime and illuminated "lightbox" exhibit using the girls' photography. Nine months of difficult, frustrating work later, I made it happen (it's my baby!). It was a huge success, and more people in the US now know 1) how amazing the Binti girls are but also that, 2) people living in poverty are strong, capable and talented.

2. Good Intentions are NOT enough. Can I say this enough? No, never. More than anything my experience with CFK, and my experience with Haiti-related relief work this past semester has taught me that good intentions in the aid world are not enough for affected communities. Right now the aid world is experiencing this tremendous overhaul, reminiscent of the corporate responsibility overhaul that's swept through the business world in the past decade. More and more people are exploring aid efforts, looking at issues such as program effectiveness, the role of "disaster porn" in donor campaigns, and how to give well when disaster hits.

That's what I've got for now. More later, perhaps?

I'm staying domestic this summer. Mostly, because I LOVE the 4th of July. I'm serious! Celebrating the 4th is not quite the same while in-flight to Thailand, or in Nairobi with a bunch of expats. I'll miss the excitement of travel but am eager to learn more at my disaster planning/management internship, and to live a well seasoned southern summer.

Will I update this blog this summer? Maybe. After all, the road isn't always an unpaved path in Malaysia, or a smoggy traffic filled road in downtown Nairobi. The road is also that secret bike path to Carrboro....