Beginning

Hey everyone.

My name is Daniel Nesbit.  I’m 17 years old and next fall I will enter my senior in high school.  This summer I’m taking a month from my summer vacation to journey to Malawi, a country in southeast Africa.  There, I’ll be working on various projects – ranging from helping my sister build incubators to aiding my mother with her instruction of physical therapy.  To say the least, I’ll be busy.

I named this blog The Orange Sky because one of my favorite songs: Orange Sky, performed by an artist named Alexi Murdoch.

Listen:

The song always struck a chord with me.  The singer expresses his dream of an orange sky, with his brother and sister standing by.  Family has always been important and influential to me. In the case of my adventure to Malawi, they are the reason why I am going.  Years ago my sister went to Malawi with my mother, and the following years my brother took a trip.  From their own experiences in Africa, my brother and sister have set their minds to impacting the world for the better using their outstanding education (brother recently graduated from Stanford and sister will be a junior at Rice University next fall).  They are an inspiration to me and no matter where they are on the globe, listening to the song connects me to them.

Not only that, but Murdoch sings that “my salvation lies in your love”.  I’m a strong believer that the well being of every person lies in the compassion and empathy of others.  I think our capacity to connect with others while we live our short time in this world is fundamental to our existence.

While Alexi Murdoch enchants his listeners to imagine an orange sky, I hope my own experiences in Malawi open my eyes to the discovery of my very own orange sky.

I’m almost done with my packing – Mom is a pro at the Africa trip and told me exactly what I need.  Plane takes off Sunday morning to New York, where my Mom and I will head straight to Johannesburg.  From there, one more plane ride to Malawi! Simply put, I cannot wait.

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