The earth spins about 1040 miles per hour. I often think I have made decisions about my life going faster than that. Seeing that fork in the road and instead of stopping to see what the signs read, I often picked a direction and kept moving forward. I thought I was moving forward most of the time. This could very well be the reason I took the long way, the scenic route, the road less traveled to get where I am today.

So where is here on my road right now? Right now I am a Phoenix native living in Boston working on my Master of Social Work degree employed by a local hospital for their psychiatric unit. I haven’t had to check in myself, but that can always change depending on my road ahead. This would be the best time to stop and read the signs before barreling through picking random directions. I am also working on a business that will change the world, but that mountain isn’t in front of me yet and it looks smaller in the distance than it appears to be.

The college has blessed me with an opportunity to visit Uganda for three weeks this summer. So many wonderful firsts will happen when I board that plane. The two big ones would be leaving the continental U.S. for the first time and the other being given the chance to interact with a culture so unique and different from anything I have experienced so far. I get excited thinking about it like a child with a birthday coming up.

We have been preparing for the trip since the 2015 fall semester. There were applications and acceptance letters, needles involved (I received three shots in two minutes), passports to be stamped, visas to be approved, and many other check list items. When each one was accomplished and checked off, I got more excited. I was taking the time to read the signs and pick the direction I was heading to next.

What will I be doing in Uganda? Besides being over stimulated, I am there to learn, observe, help, and have fun with the community. We have schools, hospitals, and clinics to visit. Each one will carry its own purpose and I will write about what I drew from the experience. The country has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world as well a high incidence of AIDS. I am bringing 100 brand new t-shirts to hand out and 2,000 condoms to give to clinics and hospitals while I am there. I will also bring my smile, hope, energy, and my sense of humor. (I get a discount on condoms now if you ever need to buy in bulk!)

In the upcoming blogs, I will go into more details about my preparation for this journey and provide information on the background of Uganda and the many issues the country faces. With the earth spinning as fast as it is, I hope to take the time and read all of the signs and pay attention to details while enjoying the journey. Using a little humor and a lot of love, I hope to share this unique adventure in the hopes that we will all learn from my road ahead.