Hi Folks, 

Can we all agree that time seems to be flying by at a ridiculous speed? I can't wrap my head around the fact that we are more than halfway through May, and I will be headed back to Uganda in only 4 weeks.

The last few weeks have been rough for me. A dear friend and coworker died suddenly and tragically, which has been very hard for all of us at work. She was such a lovely person, bringing a light into every room she entered, and it doesn't seem right that someone so young is no longer with us. I am working on getting my head back in the game and getting back to work at the tasks at hand.

Typically, once I have planned the dates for my trips, I put the flight on a "watchlist", which notifies me when the prices drop, when is the best time to book the flight, etc... Well, not surprisingly, the flights are a mess these days, with gas prices going through the roof, our current war, and flights being cancelled. The cheapest flights all go through the middle east, which I am not interested in, and the usual flights through Europe are fewer in number and twice the price. After a lot of conversations with Rachel, I ended up booking a round-trip ticket to Nairobi and will add a flight to Entebbe with one of the local airlines. This will extend my actual travel days; I'll be leaving sooner and staying longer than expected. On the upside, with extra days in Nairobi, I am hoping to meet with a couple of potential clients, and I might have the chance to return to Kisumu for a site visit with one of the clinics in the Community of Practice. 

I am starting to get supplies organized and thanks to a dear neighbor of mine, my yarn stash is out of control! I have also put together more knit kits, my neighbor made some bags out of the fabric I brought back from my last trip, and my garage is filling up with surgical towels. For anyone still interested in donating supplies, I could still use the following...

US 8 fixed circular needles, 16" (for hats)

US 11, 13 or 15 fixed circular needles, 24" or longer (for baby blankets)

I am still working (fighting??) with a website and logo designer for my business, and I am hopeful that it will be finished in time for my trip, so I can at least have my business cards handy. Of course, I will share the finished product with you all. 

I am looking forward to being back at the birth center. I miss the camaraderie of the midwives; the evening skies filled with stars and the sound of rolling thunder in the distance, even the roosters in the morning. I do not miss the scorpions, but that's a small price to pay. :) I am excited to meet the new group of midwives, and I love seeing the progress of the midwives I have trained before. I am hoping that I might have the chance to visit some nearby clinics, where many of our past trainees are now working. 

I am going to sign off and get ready for work. I always have heightened financial anxiety leading up to and returning from my trips. I am grateful for the funding, which now reimburses my flights and gives me a small stipend for some expenses, but 2 months away is still 2 months without income. Funding is also limited and I don't want to assume it will always be available. That's another reason why I am hoping my new business gains some traction. I know that eventually, I will find the travel too taxing to continue, but I truly can't imagine not being able to do this incredible work. 

Thanks for joining me, as usual! :)

Much love, Jo/MB