Home for awhile

Well some people were kind of sad that I hadn't posted any blogs since May, so there you go: that's what I had left in my journal. The blogs were getting a little negative so I was hesitant to post them, but I guess the good needs to be expressed as well as the bad. The reason I have nothing after June5th is basically because the malaria got me a few days after. I would tell the malaria story but I think it would scare some people. Let's just say I hope that never happens again. If you want to know the gory details, email me and I will tell the tale.

I am heading to Washington D.C. tomorrow for the Fulbright Orientation. I will be glad if they will shed some light on what the heck this whole thing entails. I know I get a nice chunk of money but I'm not sure what I can and can't do with it. I'm thinking of a Panasonic Toughbook because the "Big Red' laptop now has water damage to the screen and I'm afraid of what another 10 months is going to do to it. I doubt it'll survive. I am entirely stoked to be bringing my kayak this time around. I will feel a lot more mobile - that plus the motorcycle - you can't hold me back now!

I got some good photos and a video of pygmy hippos so I am pretty excited about that as well. Yay camera traps! I need some serious silica gel when I sample in August or else my cameras aren't going to do so well. Humidity is a very limiting factor there.

I am hoping to head back to Sierra Leone in the first week of August, so I should be around if anybody wants to hang out! I will see if I can hold a decent conversation these days....I lost 25 lbs this last 7 weeks and am a little nervous as to how much I am going to lose in the next 10 months. I don't want to lose my curves! Maybe a little reduction to the curves would be nice, but not crazy amounts! Then again, maybe the men would bug me less if "nyawoti" was a bit smaller.......

I'll keep y'all updated as much as possible.