I'm off!

May is going to be super crazy and super fun. On Monday, I'm flying out to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for work. (I work in democratic development in North Africa.) I haven't been in just about two years now so I'm so thrilled to be headed back. Photos are from my last trip in April 2013. I'm excited to hang out at the port de pêche, to drink camel milk, and to support our programs with political parties and civil society - this time with two more years of professional experience under my belt and slightly less rusty French. These work trips can be intense but are definitely a huge perk of my job.

I'll be in Nouakchott for about ten days, then I'll fly from Paris to Houston for a long weekend with the fam. (Luckily the climates of Mauritania and Texas are very similar so packing will be a cinch. I'm excited for some serious beach time.) Then I'll have about ten days in DC - long enough to check on my new backyard garden, run a 10k I am bound to be unprepared for, and get things in order at work before heading off for a ten-day adventure in Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. (I.e. more beach time. It's a tough life.) I'm so excited to explore a new-to-me part of the world and I think I'll definitely be ready for a vacation at that point.

So that's all to say, posting is going to be a bit irregular here for the next month - though I'll still try to get daily cards up on Wednesdays since I'll still be making daily cards. But I will hopefully be able to pop in occasionally with pictures and thoughts from my travels. I think it'll be a good chance to step back a bit and write a bit more off-the-cuff.

Here's to adventure!