coming to you from the hiz-zay...

Hi there. It's been a lot longer than I like between posts - but then again, there's been a LOT going on. So, here's the run down on the last week, leading up to my first morning waking up in my new house in the heart of hippy-ville, Berkeley CA.

Last Thursday I got an email from Rotary notifying me of my scholarship placement. I will be headed to the University of Nairobi, Kenya next September for a year of masters studies. I am incredibly excited, but it was a bit bittersweet as I had my heart set on a program in South Africa that would allow me to be near the village I worked in a few months ago. I definitely subscribe to the "everything happens for a reason" mentality, however, so I'm looking forward to how this twist in my expectations plays out. And Kenya? Glorious. I can't wait.

This past weekend the Frenchman visited (third time in a month and a half - it's almost like a normal relationship!) and we went to a wedding in Lake Tahoe. It was very fun to attempt to translate the American wedding tradition to a foreigner - apparently things are done quite differently in France. The best man was someone I had a brief fling with after I graduated from college and for the duration of the wedding I felt like a character in Sex and the City - the Frenchman on my arm and a number of awkward glances to and from the best man. I finally bucked up and said hello near the end of the wedding and enjoyed some banter back and forth. He complimented my cheekbones (random) and all was well.

Yesterday I had an early morning meeting, then drove to the Bay Area to start unloading. I'd been at my new place about an hour when I met my first neighbor, and received my first housewarming gift. This is how you know you're in Berkeley, when you've been gifted with a bottle of illegal moonshine before you've even got your bed in the door.

In the afternoon, I grabbed a brief nap, rested the calves (this is my fourth residence on the third floor) and got ready to interview for the closest thing to my dream job I have yet to encounter. It's in the realm of sustainability consulting, and I am really excited about the potential. I was terrified my moving-induced stupor would get the best of me, but I feel pretty confident about the meeting and I'm keeping my fingers crossed I get good news in the next few weeks.

The last sign I'd officially arrived in the Bay Area occurred when I was leaving the interview en route to the famous Tonga Room at the Fairfield Hotel in San Francisco. I passed a rally in support of the release of the Jenna 6 - and I knew I was home. Moonshine, opportunities and the freedom of speech - that's what my hometown is all about.