Onward to Asia and Africa

As most of you know, I will be spending the next 7 months abroad. I will be seeing 4 countries, India, China, Zambia, and Kenya, which are places I have dreamed about visiting for so long! As my first post, I thought I would share a brief itinerary so you know why I am doing what I am doing.

Mumbai, India 01/14/12 – 01/29/12

For 2 weeks I will be visiting my friend Kim and doing research for Elephant Water, the water filtration project I am working on. I will be taking lots of photos and making lots of observations, traveling to rural areas, interviewing people, and meeting with non-profits. I also might have an opportunity to stay at a non-profit who takes in trafficked women and helps them develop skills to sustain themselves. These 2 weeks will be jam packed and hectic, but I am ready for it!

Tourism-wise, I am most looking forward to taking a yoga class, visiting a market, seeing or maybe even riding an elephant (my favorite animal), and visiting the Gandhi museum.

Shanghai, China 01/29/12 – end of June

After Mumbai, I'll be heading straight to Shanghai where I start an internship doing design research/design strategy. I'll be working for a company called CBi. They are the only Chinese based design research/strategy firm in China. I am most looking forward to learning how they conduct their research since Chinese culture is so different than American culture. I don't have a place to live yet and hopefully I'll find one soon. It's one of the last things I need to do.

Zambia and Kenya end of June – end of July

At the end of my internship, I will be leaving Shanghai to visit my family in Africa. My Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Dana moved to Zambia many years ago to serve as missionaries. We see them every 3-4 years and I've always enjoyed hearing about what their lives are like in Africa. This year, my youngest Cousin, Josh, will be graduating from high school in Kenya and my Dad and I plan to spend time with our family seeing where they have lived most of my life. We will spend the first part of the trip in Zambia (where my Aunt and Uncle are from) and then head straight to Kenya to see Josh's graduation. Afterwards we will all stay by the coast and just hang out.

I look forward to all of the adventures. I am sure there will be bumps along the road, but there will be good stories to share. I would love to hear what others will be up to. Email me when you have a chance:

erica.michie@gmail.com