My departure for Kenya (and whatever else I find)

I'm sitting in what is as close to home as I get:  A friends house in the woods of North Georgia a few yards away from the Bartram Trail.  In the late 1700's William Bartram set off to explore the southern colonies.  He documented his travels & is known as one of the earliest naturalists and historians in America. Growing up in this area I have hiked and explored most of the same trails, mountains, and forests they he wrote about.

Bartram is said to have fallen in love with travel and nature at an early age. Trips with his father, the Royal Botanist, opened his eyes. In his thirties, he left his home (what would be Philadelphia) and began his exploration of the south. He learned and wrote about the Cherokee, nature, and mans' relationship to our earth in a way that probably didn't agree with society at the time or his Quaker beliefs.

Much like Bartram I am taking off for an adventure and exploration of my own. I won't be exploring Appalachia on horseback, but I hope to find experiences as impressionable on me as nature was on him. This past fall I began to sell everything that I owned and prepare to pursue my passion: poverty.

A few years ago I was exposed to the images, faces, and facts of extreme poverty. Since then the burden of social injustice has pulled at my heart. I have read, studied, listened to lectures, followed documentaries, volunteered, taken short-term trips, and advocated around the issues of poverty. I am confident that extreme poverty is the greatest threat to domestic security & basic human rights around the world. That being said, the greatest thing that I can see myself doing now is joining the fight against poverty.

On Friday I fly out of Atlanta to begin my life in Africa. I will be living and volunteering in Nairobi, Kenya to support the work of The 1010 Project & the communities they partner with. This hasn't been an easy or quick decision, but I know that it is the right one. It is not just about social justice either. It is about me. It is about living a life of passion and purpose.  It's about chasing dreams, embracing adventure, and pushing past fear and doubt. It is about the things that so many of you have taught or instilled in me.

As I leave all of you an on my mind, & I ask that over the next few months you keep me in mind. There is a list of ways for you to support & encourage me HERE.