How it all began...

Who: Heather Willis
What: Sustainability/Community Development Project with NaiFIRRI
When: Summer 2011
Where: Jinja, Uganda
Why: thirst for knowledge that books cannot obtain

A humanitarian environmentalist trekking through the Ugandan plains in search of a deeper understanding of sustainability in practce and life at large.
Sure. That's what I'll call it. As I eat my leftovers from a styrofoam doggie-bag, I sit and concoct a catchy way to describe my conquest. Four months ago, 4:30 a.m I'm laying in my bed with my macbook propped atop my lap. Too many hours later... I finally think I've found my summer job. Environmental and Community Development in the fisheries department. Location: Uganda. Hell yeah! Like many college students, I was found browsing the internet for all and any internship opportunities during the summer. Preferably one that involved a pristine location on my standards, and plenty of room to learn. My mind had gone back and forth from choosing to go back to my coveted west coast city and doing the environmental internship thing yet again wth the surroundings of close friends and family. But something inside me longed for more.
Crutch. We all have or are succombed to being one at some point in our lives. I wanted an opportunity that left me completely devoid of that vernacular. Travelling to a place relatively unknown, working with people I've never met, living in a house, a city, and a culture that is virtually unfamiliar to me.
After many hours of research and applying, I finally received the opportunity to work and live with great people smack dab on the equator.
For those of you who don't know the schpeel, I will be working with Uganda's national fisheries department on sustainable and communitiy development projects. Predominantly focusing on the current aquaculture program implemented at Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in the whole continent of Africa; I will be located at the source of the Nile River in a city called Jinja. I will be living with a generous host family and will for the first time be a local rather than a visitor/tourist in such a foreign land.
My hopes with this blog are really quite simple: to share and document my life. From the failures to discoveries, I will lay it all on the table for you to see.
For those who know me well, know that I will by no means be safe. I will attempt to embrace this thing people call cautious. I cannot predict where life will take me, the situations I will be in, the people I will come across and the options I will be presented. I will however take everything with a grain of salt and remember my past and all that encompasses my being. All your prayers, positive thoughts, and good vibrations will be kept close to my heart througout my beautifule journey.
Love and peace to all. See you soon, but hopefully not soon enough.