On my way home....

Hello all!

Well, this will be my final Malawi blog post. In my last blog, I updated you all on my latest. I am happy to say that most of those things were completed. I did as much as I could with Rotaract, I submitted my thesis, I worked on finishing up the school to school project, I gave a presentation at the MPH conference, and I assisted with some donations at my friend's school to build toilet blocks and offices. All in all it turned out to be a whirlwind experience.

Not just in terms of work...also in terms of the number of parties, dinners, and the like over the last few weeks! When you are leaving, the invites just seem to keep rolling. What amazed me was the number and diversity of people that I have met over the time that I have been in Malawi. For me, besides the service, study, and rotary opportunities, this was the best part.

Yes, I learned a lot about public health. Yes, I learned a lot about Rotary. And yes, I certainly saw new ways that service could fuse with your career interests. But, I think that my take home message is something that I repeated over and over again. People are the same no matter time nor place and the personal relationships that you make are the most valuable asset that you can take with you wherever you go. I really appreciate this experience for this fact and I look forward to the days when I will get to see my good friends and colleagues that I have made in Malawi again.

As I am sitting in the London airport right now (on wireless of course!), watching all of the beautiful people go by, reeking of spray on perfume from the duty free shop, and full of caffeine and all sorts of goodies that I've been eating to pass my layover time, I feel truly thankful for this experience. I am looking forward to seeing my family but also eager to get back to work. My time in Malawi really helped me solidify my career interests and I feel ready to do another study in Mozambique and to move forward with bigger projects in public health in the future.

Thank you all for your support, friendship, and good times! I can't wait to see you either at home or elsewhere!

I have to run to my flight, but I just wanted to close up this chapter of my life. More pictures will be coming from my final days, so stay tuned for those!

Sending you my last bits of warm energy fromt the warm heart of africa (although ok fine, now I am in London).....

Happy Holidays to All!
Aparna