Designing a Place-Based Inquiry
Africa 2027 did not begin as a fully formed year-long project. It has taken shape through questions, route changes, practical decisions, false starts, and discoveries about what this inquiry might require.
This notebook documents that process as it unfolds—from defining the questions and choosing the places to confronting my assumptions about travel, observation, belonging, and the work itself.
The entries are drawn from my handwritten journal, Designing a Place-Based Inquiry, and preserve the uncertainty of building the project while I am still inside it.
This work is supported by readers who believe careful observation still matters. If you'd like to help sustain the writing and fieldwork behind it, Support the Africa Project.
REI and I became best friends before Iceland.
My clothing layer system works (thank you, AI, for the recommendations).
Oh my, there’s an embankment back there!
I imagined camping in Iceland would mean sitting outside in my chair, enjoying a drink, and relaxing beneath the stars.
Iceland was preparation for Africa 2027.
I drove my way around Iceland, camping, hiking, and exploring the famous Ring Road.
Towels, binoculars, note pad, oh my!
The purple tote is filling with things that aren’t clothes.
Dear Ms. Johnson,
When you’re planning a long-term stay like this, you start to think about what your days are going to entail.