A bundle of toys was flung on his back

 Greetings, 

Once again, I hope this warm, engaging 19th edition of my holiday form letter finds you well and deftly eludes the clutches of your overzealous spam filter. I realize this year’s edition is a bit behind schedule and I assure you the entire editorial team has been handed a severe dressing-down. With the traditional apologies out of the way, let’s get to the updates.

In April, I relocated from Cambridge, MA to North Carolina. (Thanks for the send off from the best bar in the world, Parlor Sports!) 

Getting on the board is one of this year’s proudest accomplishments.

Cal, me and one of the top 4 bartenders in the world, Nikki, taking a spin on the other side of the bar.

Dimagi sendoff gathering in Central Square.

I put all my stuff in storage and flew down to stay with my sister Lynn and brother-in-law Robbie for a little while, ‘just until I get my own place’. I have landed in their recently empty nest and they are taking great care of me. As such I am in no rush and am still freeloading, erm ‘house sitting’ for them at their place in Oak Island and the home they share with their cats, Cosmo and Venus, in Raleigh.

New Mailing Address:

CMFK

1421 Princess Anne Rd

Raleigh, NC 27607

It’s fun to be closer to family. My niece Kate is teaching dance in all venues from public elementary schools to the America Dance Festival. Baby Niece Lindy is a Junior at NC State, a regular on the dean’s list and the Wolfpack’s biggest fan.

Working remotely is the new normal long term for me. I am still working at Dimagi and we are very excited to have celebrated our 20th anniversary this year. I am still challenged and energized by working on public health programs in low resource settings all over the world.

 

If there wasn’t much work travel to report in 2020 and 2021, this year I made up for it with 3 separate trips to Cape Town (June, August and October), a trip to Senegal, and a trip to Ghana. (Extra special thanks to my dear colleagues Abdoul, Ismaïla, Adjo (and Adjo’s cousin!) who took extra special wonderful care of me when I had COVID in Senegal this October.)

Here’s me, Molly, Mary and Anita in Stellenbosch in June. 

Here’s the West Africa team in October.

Here’s some of the team enjoying a sunset harbor cruise in Cape Town.

I also was fortunate to have time off for an extended break in August and a Safari and beach trip with friends in Zanzibar. Holly, Steve, Jen, Emily & I saw the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro crater and spent a week at the best beach in the world in Paje Zanzibar. I was here last in 2013 and it was still just as beautiful. I think maybe the best tide pools in the world.

On Prisoner Island near Stone Town Zanzibar with Jen, Emily, Steve, & Holly. 

Jen, me, Steve, Emily & Holly on a vista over the Serengheti. We saw lions, elephants, hippos, zebras, warthogs, giraffes and everything else. It was staggeringly beautiful.

We covered a lot of dusty kilometers in this extended land rover with our driver and cook.

Me on the beach in Paje, Zanzibar. This is my happy place.

I visited my mom several times this year in Louisville, KY, and did a few side quests including a fun bourbon tour and some river kayaking:

Adam, Sharon, Kerry, Erin and me at the Willet at the end of a 2nd tour. We’re holding up incredibly well under the circumstances.

On the way to kayak

Same group cleaned up for brunch in downtown Louisville.

Mom & Me in July.

In fact, my most recent trip to Louisville ended earlier today. As a last minute edition as we go to press: I was able to join my mom and huge extended family for their annual Christmas Eve gathering hosted by my cousins Matt & Mary Randolph:

Aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and friends gathered on Christmas Eve

(Sure you received other Christmas letters, but did they include this year’s Christmas? And if not, can they even really call themselves Christmas letters at all???)

(I didn’t run much this year due to a foot injury so no race pics. Sorry, sweat fetishists.)

2023 is already shaping up to be a busy one. I have my travel visas for trips to Mozambique and Ethiopia already filed and that’s just for January. I also may eventually get my own place to live. Until then, you should come visit me at my sister’s beach house in Oak Island, NC. Wishing you health and purpose in 2023.

 Peace on earth,

~Courtney

@CourtneyMFK 

Outside of Cape Town in wine country in October

 

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Zanzibar Throwback Post

So, this is out of order (from August) , but I never told you about the cool old wooden doors in Stonetown.  These are on the fronts of most businesses and hotels.  They're only decorative now, but the story is that they were to discourage elephants from ramming in the doors.

Also, here's one of the saddest things I've seen all year.  I think you know how I feel about snickers bars.  They have been a major part of my survival this year when almost all the other foods I like are hard to find.  This is a photo of a *dedicated snicker's refrigerator* in the Dar Airport waiting area cafe.  Imagine my excitement upon seeing it (from a distance) and then my disappointment when up close I learn it contains 2 bounty bars and nothing else. Letdown central.  

You can see me taking the photo in the reflection of the empty fridge. That's my look of total disgust.

They are not kidding about Zanzibar: Part 2

(Sorry for the delay.  This is from early August.  We have not had much power, therefore internet in the village for the past few weeks...)

I cannot tell you how gorgeous the beaches of Eastern Zanzibar are and these photos really do not do it any justice.  I wanted to stay forever.  I asked about buying a house.  

View from my breakfast table

View from my front porch.  Amazing.

You know I am always into the fauna.  These little guys were all over the place I was staying.  They are adorable.

The beach on the east coast was so beautiful. The water was warm and clear.  I went for a lot of great swims.  Running on the beach was fun too. The seafood was delicious and I ate spicy octopus soup every meal I could. 

The weirdest thing, for me, having mostly gone to the beach in North Carolina was the tides.  High tide and low tide on Zanzibar were about half a mile away.  So at high tide, the ocean came almost to the steps of the place I was staying.  At low tide, standing on those steps you cannot even see the ocean.  You can go walking out on these sandy mud flats with some small tide pools for ages, walking toward the sea.  There were lots of sand dollars, star fish and sea anemones in along the way.  This leads to some funny images, because bars and restaurants that are beach front at high tide, are in the middle of a muddy wasteland at low tide.

Boats resting waiting for the tide to come back to them.

selfie on  a windy beach

my view from my seat on the tiny plane i flew in back to dar

They are not kidding about Zanzibar

Part 1: Stonetown

Sorry.  This is cliche.  I was ready for Zanz to be touristy and not all that it's cracked up to be and it so exceeded my expectations.  Really beautiful.  Really nice.  Stonetown is cute and quaint and has tiny twisty roads and fun shops.  Immeasurable stray cats and weird tall rangy chickens. 

View from the Ferry on the way in from Dar

The view from my hotel rooftop in Stonetown.

The view from my hotel rooftop + me

There are 'ruins' like this everywhere in Stonetown

And lots and lots and lots of stray cats

I think I would really get a kick out of the Zanzibar Weightlifting Association

S.U.Z. - I am looking up if they have any master's programs that interest me.

weird tall chicken

I love this location.  Final slave market site in Africa, Restaurant, Youth Hostile, Beauty Salon and Art Gallery.  Oh and Anglican Cathedral. Just that.  That's all.

More stray cats. Everywhere.

Stonetown was a fun, walkable little town with lots of cafes, restaurants and shops.  Bill Clinton happened to be in town with the CGI while I was there and I ended up having a sundowner drink on a fancy hotel rooftop right next to Chelsea.  You can get there on a 2 hour ferry (air conditioned) from Dar that has pretty views, or you can take a tiny, tiny plane (more on that in the next post).

Most of the 'roads' in Stonetown are too narrow for a car to pass and wind around in a labyrinthine fashion.  I enjoyed playing hide-and-seek with myself, getting lost and then getting back to my hotel again.  As you plan your visit, you don't really need more than 2 days in Stonetown because you need to get to the beautiful beach! (See next post)