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2020 – The year the world pressed pause

Posted on May 9, 2020. Last updated on May 9, 2020 by Taylor Keen 1 Comment

2020, it started out like any other year. The skies were filled with airplanes, airports were bustling, cruise ships were sailing, and the tourism industry was thriving. That is until what seems like, in a blink of the eye, the world pressed pause. In just a few short weeks, borders were closed, airports became ghost towns, stay-at-home orders were implemented, and shops and restaurants shuttered their doors. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the largest sporting event in the world,  were mere months away and had to be postponed until 2021. Many employees were forced to begin working from home and sadly, many were laid off.  Life as we knew it had come to a screeching halt. 

Like others from all around the world, this pause on travel, and life in general, changed how my 2020 would look. Four trips had already been planned and booked for this year, but as the situation continued to develop I saw the trips becoming less of a reality. In mid-March, my inbox began to fill up with the dreaded cancellation emails. The first cancellation was my trip to Egypt which was just a few days away. A few days later, the next set of emails arrived and my trip to South Africa and eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) was nixed. I was super excited for this trip and to get back to southern Africa. I had items on my bucket list I was going to cross off and I was also meeting up with friends from the Peace Corps in eSwatini for Bushfire Festival. In hindsight, it all worked out because soon after, all Peace Corps volunteers globally were unfortunately evacuated back to the US. Once again, a few days later I received confirmation that my other two trips that were planned were canceled. The final two trips were volunteering events. In August I was going to be at a World Rowing event in Bled, Slovenia, and in September I was going back to Linz-Ottensheim, Austria for another World Rowing event.

It will be interesting to see how this year has an effect not only on travel in the near future but also its long-term affect. While no one knows exactly how the industry and travel will be affected, many believe it will be drastically and permanently changed in the future. Hopefully, the changes are positive and we can take this brief pause to enjoy the simplicity and our current surroundings.

With travel out of the question currently, I have been keeping busy with classes. This semester is completely online which has its pros and cons. Stay-at-home and social distancing measures have begun to relax here in Germany which is nice. It's nice to occasionally get outside and enjoy the sunshine (aside from my allergies). In the coming weeks and months, hopefully, things continue to allow us to return to a more "normal" way of life and eventually travel around freely again. Until then, stay safe and healthy!

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Filed Under: Europe, Keen Traveling Tagged With: 2020 Olympics, Austria, Bushfire Festival, cancellation, Egypt, eSwatini, Germany, Solvenia, South Africa, Swaziland, tourism, Volunteer, World Rowing

Summer 2019 Update

Posted on July 31, 2019. Last updated on October 3, 2019 by Taylor Keen Leave a Comment

Dom zu MagdeburgWell, now that exams are finished and the first semester of graduate school is over, I have some time to give a brief update on my summer so far and my plans for the rest of the summer.

Budapest, Hungary & Vienna, Austria

Ruin BarIn May, I and three Brazilians from university went to Budapest and Vienna. It was rainy and cold in Budapest most of the time, but we still had a great time even though we went back to the hostel each day soaking wet. There is so much to see and do on both the Buda side as well as the Pest side. Scattered around the city you will find Ruin Bars which are old, run-down buildings that have been turned into bars. They are a must-see when you visit Budapest.

The weather in Vienna was much nicer which helped to highlight Vienna's beauty. While Budapest is beautiful in its own way (older, more run-down looking buildings), Vienna looked crisp and pristine. On the other hand, Budapest is much much cheaper than Vienna. I recommend visiting both cities when you're in Europe.

Budapest Pictures | Vienna Pictures

Ireland

DublinIn June, I took a short trip over to Ireland and Northern Ireland where I met up with some friends from the USA. I visited Dublin, Belfast, Londonderry, and all along the Causeway Coastal Route. It rained every day (at least for a little bit), but that didn't stop me from having a good time. Dublin and Belfast are both beautiful cities with a lot of history. In Belfast, we went to the Titanic Museum which was very interesting. However, where Ireland and Northern Ireland really stand out are in their nature and landscapes. Once you get outside of the cities into the countryside, there is an endless amount of beauty to take in. The drive along the North Atlantic Ocean on the Causeway Coastal Route from Belfast to Londonderry was amazing. Green pastures, hilly roads, cliffs, waterfalls, castles, Giant's Causeway, and sheep are just some of the things you will see.

Ireland Pictures | Northern Ireland Pictures

University

The first semester in Germany has come to an end. It has been interesting getting back into the school grind after being out for four years...especially in a foreign country. As mentioned in a previous post, there were some differences in the education systems between the USA and Germany which took some getting used to but, those have all been worked out now. Winter semester starts in October and will run through January with exams in February. 

Austria

The last week of August I am headed to Austria for a week to volunteer at the World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim (Linz). Here, the majority of the spots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be awarded to the National Olympic Committees (NOC's).

Home

After my time in Austria, I will fly back to the States for a couple of weeks for a wedding and to spend time with family and friends.

Germany

After my time in the US, I head back to Germany to prepare for the next semester and all of the fall and winter festivals and activities.

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Filed Under: Europe Tagged With: 2020 Olympics, Austria, Belfast, Budapest, Causeway Coastal Route, Dublin, Europe, exams, family, friends, Germany, Giant's Causeway, graduate school, Hungary, Ireland, Linz, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Olympics, Ottensheim, Ruin Bar, Titanic, United States, university, Vienna, Volunteer, wedding, World Rowing Championships

From Trainee to Volunteer: Swearing-in

Posted on September 6, 2018. Last updated on November 26, 2018 by Taylor Keen 1 Comment

Dan, Isa, and I at swearing-in ceremonyWow, it’s already September! In the states, summer is coming to an end and the kids are headed back to school. Here in Mozambique, the dry season (winter) is winding down and it’s beginning to get hotter. Where I’m living it’s been consistently 91º for the past week or so. It’s been nearly a month since my last blog post and so much has happened within that time. Since my last post, I have completed training, swore-in, and have been at site for almost a week now.

Phase 3

The first week of phase 3 consisted of more Portuguese and local lingua lessons, more technical and administration sessions, and quite a bit of homework. With swearing-in closely approaching, I decided it was finally time for a haircut. Shout out to my fellow cohort member Megan for doing a great job (she was the barber throughout training)! Up until phase 3, I hadn’t been sick but it finally caught up to me. The first weekend back I got sick and stayed in for a couple of days; luckily, it was nasty and raining those days. With any free time I had, I spent time with my friends that would soon be in different parts of the country. We watched movies, ate, laughed, baked cookies (shout out to Isa), and I even introduced them to Leg Wrestling (I was the champion of both right leg and left leg).

The final weeks of phase 3 had some pretty big events. On a Friday we had our final oral language exam which I thought went pretty bad. To my surprise, I improved from my first two exams. Later that same day, we had our homestay competition. The homestay competition consists of various household tasks that we should have learned during our training. There were two groups with three teams in each one. The tasks included: pounding and sifting peanuts, shaving a coconut, starting a charcoal fire, and washing an article of clothing by hand. The mães and host families really love this day and take great pride in seeing their “children” complete the activities. After lots of cheering, laughing, frustration, cut fingers, etc., the competition came to a close and we all gathered around for the results. Within my group, my team got first place. We were also individually graded and I received an 18/20. The following day we had our homestay celebration. The homestay celebration is a ceremony where all the host families, local officials, and Peace Corps staff come for a ceremony followed by eating, music, and dancing. It was a great day with family and friends where we showed our appreciation to our families and the community for hosting us for three months.

Swearing-in

Dan and I at swearing-in ceremony

After 13 long, challenging, stressful, and rewarding weeks, August 29th was the day we had all been waiting for. We packed our remaining items, said goodbye to our families who had graciously opened their doors to us for the past 13 weeks, and headed to the Ambassador’s house in Maputo to swear-in. In attendance at swearing-in were the 44 volunteers, Peace Corps staff, ambassadors, Ministry of Health officials, language professors, and many more. It was a beautiful ceremony filled with the singing of the national anthems of both Mozambique and the United States, many speeches, encouraging words, and optimism. After raising our right hands and repeating both the oath of the United States and the Peace Corps pledge, we officially became Peace Corps Volunteers! It was now time to exhale and relax, we made it. We took lots of pictures and ate a variety of delicious snacks and desserts.

After the ceremony, we all went to the hotel and checked into our rooms. As it was our last night together, everyone went out to dinner in various groups. I enjoyed a delicious BBQ Pulled Pork burger and a chicken burger at Txhapo Txhapo. We then went to the market again to meet up with others before heading back to the hotel. After 13 weeks, training had officially come to an end and the next two years were right in front of me.

Beginning of Service

Walking tacosThe following day after swearing-in, August 30th, I caught the 6:30 am flight north to Nampula. The 30th is also Dan’s birthday so the eight of us in Nampula celebrated his birthday in the city. The couple of days in the city consisted of: shopping a lot, eating a lot of pizza, cheeseburgers, and Chinese food, cooking “Walking Tacos” (tacos with Doritos because we couldn’t find taco shells), spaghetti, and chorizo, playing cards, laughing, and of course, a lot of sleeping.

I’ve now been at site several days now and there’s a lot to do. Every day thus far I’ve gone shopping for household necessities, cleaned, organized, and killed lots and lots of bugs. I’m hoping to be settled in within the next week or so and start setting my schedule and routine.

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Filed Under: Africa, Peace Corps Tagged With: Africa, food, friends, language, Malema, Maputo, Mozambique, Namaacha, Nampula, Peace Corps, swearing-in, Volunteer

Settling In

Posted on June 18, 2018. Last updated on November 26, 2018 by Taylor Keen 5 Comments

Sunset in NamaachaIt's a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning here in Mozambique. I started my day by cleaning my room and washing my clothes by hand...the new norm for the next two years. I also washed my shoes as Namaacha is very dusty and in just one short week, the white on my shoes had quickly become reddish brown. My clothes and shoes are currently drying in the warm Mozambican sun and light breeze.

For lunch, I'll go to Shoprite, a farmer's market/flea market type event on Wednesdays and Saturdays. My host mãe (mom) makes chicken, shima, rice, salad, etc. on these days and has a spot at Shoprite. My mae’s chicken is a favorite of Peace Corps Volunteers and staff because the chicken is to die for. I can tell it's Tuesday or Friday when I wake up and see galinhas (live chickens) in the backyard which will soon become the famous frango (cooked chicken). Wednesdays and Saturdays are busy days for my family as they awake early to make the 15-minute walk to Shoprite and don't arrive back home until after dark.Chickens in backyard

The last week has been filled with a lot of Portuguese lessons and introduction sessions on various topics. My Portuguese is improving each day, but it's still a work in progress. I'm still working on “forgetting” Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. Last night we had our first Ngoma session which is a cross-cultural exchange. Mozambicans share aspects of their culture with us and we share our American culture with them. Last night we had a local dance group, Estrela de Namaacha, teach us a local dance. After dancing we sampled various dishes such as matapa, mandioca, couve, etc.Moza

During the past week and a half the relationships of all the trainees have grown from strangers to family. We have also been welcomed into the Peace Corps family by other currently serving volunteers. While we all come from different parts of the US and have different backgrounds, we have more in common than we don't. Most importantly, we're all Peace Corps Volunteers. As we discussed this week, often times people don't understand why we chose to give up everything in the states and move across the world. However, between volunteers, we all have a mutual understanding and respect.

One of the things we've all come to realize is how accepting our host families are. From the moment we stepped off the busses last week, our families considered us part of their family; their filho (son), irmão (brother), etc. The families have such pride and joy from being able to host an American in their home. Without a doubt, it's no easy task so I'll always be thankful for my host mãe, siblings, and family.

Some accomplishments/successes from the first week:

  • Took first bucket bath
  • Learned to do laundry by hand
  • Made a coconut and a chocolate cake
  • Learned to make peanut butter
  • Taught my family the trick using your hands for multiplication by 9
  • Explained the game of baseball to my sister in Portuguese

It's time to enjoy this beautiful day so until next time, até logo (see you later)!

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Filed Under: Africa, Peace Corps Tagged With: Africa, dance, food, friends, Mozambique, Namaacha, Peace Corps, Portuguese, Volunteer

Little Sleep, Big Dreams

Posted on June 6, 2018. Last updated on March 21, 2019 by Taylor Keen Leave a Comment

Peace Corps Mozambique 30It's 4 am on June 3rd and after just three short hours of sleep, it's time to head to Detroit airport to leave for the Peace Corps. My mom and sister take me to Detroit and after saying goodbye I fly to Philadelphia to meet up with 44 other trainees for staging.

Upon arriving at Philadelphia airport I meet up with a fellow trainee and head to the hotel where our staging event is being held. The staging event is around five hours and involves completing various forms, icebreakers, scenarios, self-reflection and assessmemt, logistics, etc. After the sessions come to an end we all go out to dinner to celebrate our last night in the United States.

It's now 2 am on June 4th and after just one hour of sleep (4 hours total the last two days) we leave Philadelphia on buses to New York City to fly to Mozambique. Shortly after arriving at JFK we check in, proceed through TSA, and wait for our first leg to Johannesburg, South Africa. After 14+ hours stuck in a flying tube over the Atlantic ocean, we arrive in Johannesburg. Coincidentally, while on our layover we meet Nancy, a current Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) on her way back to Mozambique from a trip home to America. We proceed to bombard her with a wide range of questions to get her insight, tips, and recommendations. After a nice lunch at the airport, it's time for our final leg to Maputo, Mozambique.Current Peace Corps Mozambique volunteers

A short one hour plane ride and we finally arrive in Mozambique! We file through immigration and gather our checked bags (nearly 100 bags!). After exiting the restricted area, we're greeted by current volunteers and Peace Corps staff anxiously awaiting our arrival and cheering. All of our luggage is loaded onto a trailer and we pile in two busses as we make our way through beautiful and bustling Maputo to our hotel for two nights.Getting on bus at Maputo airport

We arrive to a beautiful hotel where we have a quick orientation and snacks. The main tasks for the night are to get vaccinated for various things (varies by person), complete a medical interview, and get malaria medication. After completing my medical interview with the medical officers, I enjoy a delicious dinner with the other trainees as well as current volunteers who share their insights and wisdom with us.

It's been a busy couple days with very little sleep. The next day and a half will be filled with more orientation sessions and medical tasks before we move to our training village on Thursday and move in with our host families who we will be living with for the next 10-12 weeks.

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Recent Posts

  • I Traveled to the Northernmost City in the World
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  • Summer 2019 Update
  • Germany: Likes, Dislikes, and Things to Get Used To

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2016 Olympics 2020 Olympics Africa Austria Brazil change Cloth Hall Costa Rica culture dance Egypt Europe family food friends German Germany graduate school Ireland Italy Kraków luggage Madrid Magdeburg Malema Maputo Mozambique Namaacha Nampula Olympics Panama Peace Corps Peru Portuguese restaurant Rio de Janeiro snow South Africa Spain United States university Volunteer Wawel Castle winter Zambezia

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Beautiful fall day in Dresden 🍂 . . . . . #dres Beautiful fall day in Dresden 🍂
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#dresdengram #dresden_fotografie #KeenTraveling #dresdengermany #OpeningEyesToTheWorld
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Filed Under: Africa, North America, Peace Corps Tagged With: airport, Johannesburg, Maputo, Mozambique, New York City, Philadelphia, PST, South Africa, staging, trainee, Volunteer

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