Sayonara.

I have no idea where these 7 months have gone and why I have had such severe writer's block.

Actually...I take that back. I do know where it has gone, and that would be school. Writer's block is also to be attributed to a massively packed schedule, difficult/demanding classes, and a complete lack to do anything and everything.

I have been kind of grumpy with these last couple semesters because being as smart as I am, left all of the classes I didn't want to take til the end. It was smart because with the way my health was behaving at the time these classes would have been unmanageable, but stupid because some days I have enough to do that I want to punch someone or something.

I have a lot of great things coming too. People have been asking me what is going on because after posting so much of my life on the world wide web and then taking a hiatus, I guess it seems like I dropped of the planet...or the digital planet that is.

Life has been going pretty alright and I am looking forward to some big events in my life.

Hard to believe that last time I posted I was longing for the day that I could go back to Africa. Somehow I was blessed enough to be accepted into the PEAT (program evaluation and assessment team) program at BYU to go to Malawi for 3 and half months this summer. I will be working with NuSkin to evaluate their SAFI (School for Agriculture and Family Independence) program and see how things are going for them. Basically it is one big research project designed to see what improvements the program and curriculum can make so that farmers in the area are able to bring better crop yield and nutrition to their families. I am so excited and have also learned very quickly that research is maybe not the area I would prefer to work in. All I can say is I am learning so much in the process with such a big learning curve, we the realization that maybe I would rather be the one being evaluated than evaluating.

I know what you are asking yourself...how in the world are you going to go with your health?! Well, lucky for me, I am doing MUCH better. That is why I am never online anymore, because for once you won't find me in my bed day in and day out with nothing to do but blog and surf the web - lame. I definitely have my days and we have had some events here and there, but I don't have a lingering heart condition that would be of any real danger to me. There are also some reasons why I would go to Malawi over many other places. For example, it is extremely rural so you don't have the same kinds of diseases that places like the slums of say, Nairobi would.

Never heard of Malawi? Well, see - that's because it is NEVER in the news. You won't find much conflict here and it is truly one of Africa's safest countries - another reason I feel good about the place. We also will be in a pretty controlled (for Africa) environment because NuSkin owns a very nice campus there with good lodging.  And finally, I am just going on prayers and faith because we all feel like it is the right thing to do.

Honestly, if I let my health control everything...I would be absolutely NO WHERE with little of what I have today.

I believe that the more I keep telling myself I can do, the better I will be. And maybe, just maybe, my body will keep up with my spirit and will to keep going. It's worked thus far despite how difficult it has been, and I have almost made it through graduation... a huge goal of mine. I know it is hard given my history, but the more people have faith in my ability to heal and make big steps like going across the world to remote area all Summer, the more I will be able to accomplish it. Ha ha.

I am making big progress like doing things like yoga every day, gaining greater stamina, more energy, and less sickness besides catching whatever BYU decides to throw around.

I am so excited to go and just keep living out my dream. My mom and I have a deal that I can go as long as she doesn't get any call from an African telling her that something went wrong. I feel great about that. And so does my doctor. Dr. Hwang knows his stuff, and if he says I'm clear...I have faith that there is no great concern.

So wish me luck blog-o-sphere. It's going to be an amazing summer!