The End.

The suspense was killing you, I’m sure.

The Jinna-Chicago Reunion has come and gone. I’ve spent most of my time, so far, reacquainting myself with the city’s world-class eats, sprinkled with just a few whining fits about the cold weather. It’s good to be back!

My last two weeks were spent traveling around Kenya with Travis. It was an incredible tour of the country, from a rainforest in the western province to a Swahili island on the east coast. And we took just about every mode of transportation available, including donkeys.

Hell’s Gate
We rode bikes through the park along a dirt road, alongside giraffes, zebras and buffalo. And by foot, we explored a winding gorge through the volcanic surroundings. But women beware: baboons attack lone females left briefly by their boyfriends at the picnic site. Don’t learn this the way hard, like I did.

Kakamega Rainforest
It was everything you’d expect a rainforest to be: lush, green, wild, humid, rainy. But a hailstorm?

Mombasa
It took 17 hours to get from Nairobi to Mombasa by train. But the time flew by as we were lulled to sleep by the rocking of the car and the tempo of the tracks.

Eventually, we made our way out of the city and to our cottage on the beach.

Lamu
No cars, just donkeys. We relished the Swahili culture, happy people, and island views. We even got used to the earsplitting calls to prayer at 5am.

We were living the dream in our beautiful Swahili house.

I’ve been asked if it’s weird to be back. So far, I’ve transitioned without any real "shock" to the system. I made some good friends, saw some amazing sites, and lived some incredible adventures over the past 9 months. So that chapter is closed and a new one begins. Anyone out there looking to hire? Job hunting during America’s historic financial meltdown... That could make for an interesting new blog, huh?