*I have a camera. I like taking pictures. Here are some of photographs from my recent life stuff.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Kirby Kaptures: Burning Man/Life Afterwards #SuperLatePost
Category: pictures
From the @whatisKirbydoing Instagram: August 24, 2019 at 10:41AM
It’s been more than a year since I left the kingdom of #eSwatini and started this #RPCV life. I’m thankful for everyone who has been supportive in this journey. Shouts to Chris for this dope capture during the @bicyclespace City Explorers ride a few weeks ago.
Baltimore. Bikes. Bananas.
I like bikes. Riding them. Looking at them. Talking about them. Wrenching on them. Contemplating which one I’ll buy next. Some years back, I thought about the possibility of completing a century. For the uninitiated, that’s one hundred miles. On a bike. I put it off using every excuse I could think of. I’m not fit enough. I’ll never be fit enough. One hundred miles is so far. Too far. Thankfully, some friends held me accountable and asked repeatedly how training was going. It worked. I completed my first century in 2014.
This got me thinking. What else can I do? I set my sights on long day trips. I set goals to ride from DC to Annapolis, and from DC to Baltimore. While I made the roundtrip journey to Annapolis on a summer day in 2015, I still put off Baltimore. I used much of the same logic I had used prior. It’s too far. I’m not in the best shape. There’s no good route. The route isn’t safe. And it continued.
A co-worker told me about creating routes on Strava, a social fitness tracking site. The creating routes feature allows you to pick two or more points and get the most popular route between them. There are also options to minimize the route’s elevation and to plan the route manually. I looked into it. After exploring different routes to Charm City, I decided that I’d go all in. Baltimore or bust.
Last weekend, I made the trip. There were a few times during the 60+ miles that I questioned my decision making. But none of that was present as I saw the Baltimore skyline in the distance. My route was a nice mixture of trails, back roads, quiet residential streets, and slightly busier streets with wide shoulders. It took around five hours in total (just over four hours of actual moving time). After a delicious Baltimore lunch, I made my way to Penn Station to take the MARC train back to DC. My life and legs weren’t quite ready to ride 60+ miles back. It’s a nice day trip that I’d recommend to anyone considering the opportunity.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Kirby Kaptures: Catharsis on the Mall
*I have a camera. I like taking pictures. Here are some of photographs from my recent life stuff.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
From the @whatisKirbydoing Instagram: March 12, 2019 at 08:13PM
This past weekend, some #Black #RPCVs got together in #DC for the monthly happy hour. It was part of an overall great weekend. And #eSwatini was well represented. So much love! #MamaWeMadeIt #GoodTimes #Fun #PeaceCorps #Service #ForTheCulture #WeLookGood #Swaziland #G14Strong #G13Survivors
From the @whatisKirbydoing Instagram: January 31, 2019 at 11:14AM
I’ve been back in the US for just over two months. One of the things that I wanted to do upon my return was to attend #LoveBurn in Miami. Last weekend was epic. #RPCV #Readjustment #BurningMan #AfrikaBurn #Burner #AmericanLife
Monday in a Picture – It’s a Wrap
Today is the 31st day of December, which also means that it’s the 365th and last day of the year. As I think about the year that is passing and the one on the horizon, I’m reminded of the new year being a wonderful time for reflection. As I was listening to Culture Kings, which is one of my favorite podcasts, last week, Edgar (one of the hosts) mentioned an awesome reflective way to close out the year. He suggested that you make a list of everything that you’ve accomplished this year. Since January 1st. No matter how big or small. Write it down. He said that most people are amazed at the massive list that results when time is put into the effort. He spoke of how we tend to forget some (or many) of the things that we do accomplish. Or, we tend to downplay the things that we did accomplish in favor of dwelling on the marks that we missed. I decided to give this a try.
Some of the accomplishments on my list were:
– Survived in Victoria Falls after forgetting my debit card, and was only able to use my credit card and some cash on hand,
– Wrote a curriculum for Wikipedia Offline using Kiwix,
– Ran a 10k,
– Snorkeled in open water.
As I was writing my list, more and more things started to come up. Sure I might not have hit every target on my list. But I noticed that I accomplished a bit, often without realizing it. I invite you to make your own list and be amazed at yourself. The above picture of me with my host mother and sister was taken at the beginning of my last week in eSwatini.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Monday in a Picture – From PCV to Professional-To-Be
Since I’ve been back in Washington, DC, I’ve ramped up my job search. Days have been spent looking through job sites to match up my skill set and desires to job descriptions. On more fortunate days, I have exchanged emails with hiring managers or representatives from the offices in which I wish to work. Since I’ve returned to DC, I’ve had some face to face interviews. I have also been very fortunate to have networking and career planning opportunities with amazing people. The above photo was taken by Victoria after an interview last week.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Monday in a Picture – Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
One of the hottest tickets in town is to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It’s the newest of the institution’s museums, having opened its doors in 2016. While I heavily anticipated the opening, I started for service a few months before the grand opening. The internet and friends shared some of the hype and hoopla with the museum first opening. The long lines. The massive visitation numbers. The quality of the museum itself. The forethought put into its curation. I knew that I had to go. I thought that I’d just be able to walk up and get in. Passes are still needed to get in, as the museum is still drawing very high numbers of visitors.
One of the ways to get tickets is from the daily release of same day, timed passes (which are released around 0630 EST). The passes are free, and they are usually claimed within ten to fifteen minutes of release. I woke up early and tried to get passes for several days, but the internet decided it wasn’t my time. One day last week, I woke up a bit later and decided to check the website for passes. Lo and behold, there were some available. I successfully claimed a pass, got dressed, and had breakfast before excitedly biking down to the museum.
It was suggested that I start on the lowest level and work my way up. This allows for following the journey chronologically. The exhibit begins with history of African kingdoms and royalty, and includes snippets of everyday life for many West Africans whose descendants would be enslaved. Along the walls and in the background of the exhibit were the details of several slave ships that crossed the Atlantic. The museum does an amazing job of telling the story of the African journey to America including a highlight of a vessel carrying captured people that shipwrecked off the coast of South Africa. Walking through the levels allows one to walk through history with several artifacts on display. As I approached the end of the chronological history, I shed a few tears. There was something special about seeing parts of my life and childhood highlighted in a museum. Something special about hearing Tupac as the musical backdrop to the 1990s display.
For lunch, there is the Sweet Home Cafe. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s very tasty. I had the shrimp and grits, and it was delicious. Going up to the second floor, there was an exhibit on hip hop culture and an interactive experience with call and response stepping. I spent most of the day (> 5 hours) at the museum and didn’t get to see it all. I definitely plan to return once I get more passes. The above photos were taken during my day at the museum.
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
Monday in a Picture – An RPCV Goes Grocery Shopping
One of the things that we were warned about before finishing service in eSwatini was the overwhelming-ness of the grocery store. American grocery stores are filled with stuff. Some stuff is slightly different from other stuff. Sometimes, the differences are so slight that it’s difficult to tell why all of the stuff exists. With an abundance of options, it can be difficult to make a decision.
Then, there are the prices. Shortly after arriving in eSwatini, I walked through Swazi grocery stores converting everything into US dollars. Now that I’m back in DC, my mind readily converts everything into emalangeni. I’m sure I’ll break the habit eventually, but initially, the sticker shock is real.
Recently, I was walking through a local grocery store and thought, “why are there so many kinds of Oreos?” Cold brew coffee is a big thing now. As a less than occasional coffee drinker, I was perplexed by all of the bottled cold brew coffee on offer in the store. The above picture is of most of the yogurt options. So much choice!
Be kind to yourself.
Onward.
P.S. – I felt like Andy Rooney, on his closing 60 Minutes segment, as I walked through the grocery store. Many times, just wondering, “why?”.
P.P.S. – Walking through the grocery store pales in comparison to walking through Wal-Mart.
What is Kirby Doing?: Stories from life after Peace Corps eSwatini 