19 Years of Me!

Well, for those of you who may not have known this past Wednesday (October, 1) was my 19^th Birthday!

Although 19 is a boring age, I cannot believe that I will be able to tell people that I turned 19 while in Nairobi, Kenya. I have been incredibly blessed in these 19 years, and sometimes I stop myself and reflect on the fact that in 19 years, I graduated from a High School on the campus of a great University (University of Illinois), which I then left to attend another great University (American University), situated in what is arguably the world’s most powerful city. I’ve travelled all over the US, including spending time in Mississippi with Habitat for Humanity. I spent a month in Germany, at the age of 15. And now, turning 19, I am thousands of miles from (about a 24 hour journey) exploring a completely new culture while following my passion of public health and medicine.

I’ve had the opportunity of being involved in wonderful organizations, first with the Champaign-Urbana Health District, then the National Coalition for the Homeless, and most recently the National Institutes of Health. I’m now using the skills I’ve picked up at each at my newest internship, Makina Community Development Project in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Who would have thought the things I was learning in the summer after my sophomore year of high school would now be making another experience.

In these 19 years I’ve…

Left my childhood home in a town of 1300, and moving to a small city of 130,000 then moving to Washington, DC.

Broken my femur on Christmas Eve, had a bout of Lyme disease, and a nasty case of pneumonia.

Been blessed with the birth of two of the most important people to me: my nephew Aidan and niece Mila.

All I can say is “Thank You”. These 19 years have been truly incredible, and I still can’t believe that I was able to celebrate my 19^th birthday, while studying Public Health in Nairobi, Kenya. Incredible is the only word that fits to describe how I feel.

For my birthday, I was lucky enough to enjoy about 8 hours of class, but then was pleasantly surprised when I was summoned to a room, surprised by all my great friends here in Nairobi, then I was blindfolded and tossed into a taxi. My friends, some of whom I’ve only known for about a month now, had planned a surprise party and dinner at Fogo Gaucho a Brazilian steakhouse here in Nairobi (Fun fact: they serves crocodile!!). The food was delicious and the company of my friends was even better.

The night wouldn’t be complete without the waiters coming to the table and surprising me with a piece of delicious cheesecake and singing happy birthday to me. The best part was listening to about 10 Kenyans attempting to pronounce “Wyatt” in the Happy Birthday Song. They then sang “how old are you now” but didn’t seem to expect or desire a response – it’s the thought that counts though, right?

I cannot thank my friends, especially the lovely ladies who put together this evening (McKinnon, Bailey, Maddi, and Shreya!!!!), for making my 19^th birthday even more special then it already was. It truly was unforgettable and you all made it even better.

THANK YOU!

So here’s to another 19, then another after that, and another, and another, and another (puts me at over 100- I’ll take it).