A FLIGHT TO KENYA! I HAVE A FLIGHT TO KENYA!!!

I actually have a flight to Kenya!

How weird, how weird to even mention the word "flight" these days.

After more than a year of waiting; after 6 months and more of delays; after tons of paperwork and emails; after lots of missed approvals; after plenty of lockdowns, restrictions, and solitude; after so much disillusion that things would actually start moving again; it's happening now!

I am actually travelling to Kenya!

I am ACTUALLY TRAVELLING TO KENYA!

Yay!

I received the booking confirmation as if it was a message delivered from another world. A world that with the pandemic we thought it was lost, forever.

I spent almost 3 hours fidgeting around the house, carried by an unexpected flow of energy pervading my blood vessels.

Then I had a sit-down, I opened the hard drive and went through some pics from last year's trip in Kenya. I took the afternoon "off" just to read my 2020 fieldnotes. I wanted to start "breathing" the vibe; to reconnect with a project that has been on hold for so long.

I feel so lucky.

I received so much support in the past months of tedium and humdrum. 

And I am receiving so much support now, when I can finally pack my stuff and go. Go on the field!

I feel so lucky because so many fellow anthropologists are still stuck with their work, and unsure of when and whether they will be able to travel again.

I feel so lucky because I am supported daily by my team in preparing logistics and plans. A great group of people always open to emotions, weakness, and venting!

I feel so lucky because I am supported daily by my friends and by my family, by their enthusiasm, by their encouragement, and not last by their material contributions.

I feel so lucky because I can share worries and panic and doubts with people surrounding me. Thanks for being there always 💓💓💓

I feel so lucky also because I know no one and nothing is now hindering my trip!

Sure, it won't be just "easy"; it won't be just "fun". It is going to be a pretty intense and extraordinary 6 months. Probably tiring, and challenging. But this is the life, or at least: the project I chose.

And be finally able to go is such a great boost-up that I feel like a shaken bottle of Prosecco!

And indeed, I am exploding: in tears of joy, excitement, and panicking altogether 😅🍾🎉

Langas, Eldoret city_February 2020