After the craziness of building prototypes, getting vaccinated, making lists, going to Target countless times, and packing, I am finally ready to leave for two months in Malawi! It is absolutely crazy to me that this adventure is ready to begin, but here it is! I left this morning for New York for a family event, but I won’t be heading to Malawi until Monday.

While I am in Malawi, I will be working with students at the Polytechnic on a few projects. Our main project will be repairing oxygen concentrators and developing more sustainable ways of doing so. We will also be receiving feedback on technologies designed by Rice students over the past year, scoping future projects for Rice 360, and working on small side projects that we will determine there.

As I was packing, I couldn’t help but wonder about the adventure I am about to embark on. I feel like there is a lot I don’t know. I don’t know what my day-to-day schedule will be or who the interns from the Poly are. I don’t know what our house will be like or how to say “Where’s the bathroom?” in Chichewa. But that’s what makes this exciting! I am usually the person who plans ahead. I am used to having most of my week planned out by Monday and I color code my calendar. The fact that I don’t know what’s coming is a huge part of the thrill. I will get to play it by ear and learn about Malawian culture while I work on our assigned projects.

A week from today, I will be completing my first full day in Malawi. The fact that it is so close is surreal, and it can’t get here fast enough.