New beginnings

Wow.

So much has happened since my last post back in May that it could take me hours to type it in this blog. My last blog involved me waiting for my plane trip to Kenya, Africa. And that was over four months ago!

Talking about the trip would take days in itself, but I will say this: it was truly eye-opening. I never dreamt I would ever get the opportunity to travel/study abroad, let alone report on a very important topic. Writing and reporting on HIV/AIDS in Africa was very awakening and rewarding.

To put it simply, it was life-changing.

To be able to go to a place and know you are welcome is, in itself, a great thing. Practically every Kenyan you encountered would happily greet you with "jambo!" meaning "hello!"

To be able to go to a place and know you're not alone in reporting stories was uplifting. Being with the other students helped.

And to be able to go to a place and know you are making a difference is remarkable.

I met some amazing people that I will never forget - Kenyan students, professors, and residents. Each has made impacts on me that will last forever. I have to say that the most important thing i learned from that trip was simple love and kindness. Sure, I learned a lot about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and how it has affected people over the years. I also learned about using different multimedia tools to report this information.

But you can't quite learn about love and compassion through a classroom. Going to Kenya seems far more fitting. It taught me what kindness is all about.

* * * *

Once I returned home from the trip, I immediately started working on my stories that were due that week. Being jet-lagged and tired didn't exactly help, but I managed anyways. Besides, I was eager to see people I hadn't seen in forever. I returned home that Monday afternoon (or Tuesday morning if I wanted to think in "Kenya time") and decided to see my boyfriend, Justin, that Friday.

I had no idea that I was about to encounter another life-changing event. When finishing up a hiking trip in a nearby park (around Dayton, OH), he did something I definitely didn't expect: he proposed in front of the park's water fall. It didn't seem real - was I dreaming? Was I even back in the U.S. yet?

Wow. Definitely didn't see that one coming!

Then again, I didn't know I'd meet someone who would change my life for the better. And he definitely has. Wedding plans have been in the works, so hopefully they will start to come together soon!

* * * *

And just to think this was only the beginning of my summer. I then interned at the Herald-Times newspaper in Bloomington, Indiana, and finished up my credit hours at IU. I had a lot of fun being a sports intern, reporting on events and writing interesting feature stories. But soon enough, it came to an end. With taking the Africa trip, I only had a couple months to intern there.

But it was well worth it. I loved writing features/profiles on sports figures and getting to know the Bloomington community. Plus, it never hurts building your portfolio.

When all was said and done, I moved back home to Mason, OH. And the job search continued. Just when I thought it would end for the time being, a simple phone call told me otherwise. At this point, I applied to several places - newspapers, both dailies and weeklies, around Cincinnati and Dayton area. After hearing that positions were either already filled or not available, it became discouraging.

I even went on some interviews. This was great experience despite not getting the positions. But when I heard back from Dayton Daily News - one of my interviews - I knew it could only be a good sign.

And it was. The web team was calling to inform me that I have received the position to be an online producer with Dayton Daily. Things suddenly turned from dreary to perfect. Not only did I have a job, but it wasn't too far away from Justin.

I guess you could say it was a nice end to a great summer!

And so far, I've liked working at Dayton Daily. I'm only in my second week and am still learning/training on some things, but the people are real nice and I love the atmosphere - very relaxed and casual. Always nice when you feel comfortable with people.

WELL, this might be the end of this blog post for now. I just wanted to update to have at least something in here from over four months ago!

Who ever thought summer 2010 would be the mark of so many exciting beginnings?