The Journey Begins/Ends on my Birthday

They say that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. What about when you go 8000 miles? Well for me, that journey began by staying none other then Tableau Zen Master Peter Gilks who was gracious enough to let me stay with him just a few days after having his appendix out-get well soon Peter!

Since leaving out of JFK in New York City, I’ve made the long trip across the Atlantic ocean (15 hours!) to Johannesburg, South Africa. Somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, depending on what time zone you’re looking at, the clock struck midnight and I turned 32 years old - today is my birthday!

From there, my journeys continued north to Lusaka, Zambia just a short two hour plane ride away. From the moment I landed to this moment right now, Lusaka has been an experience. Starting with the fact that their airport has no gates (they roll the stairs out to the door of the plane), to having one of the best meals of my life earlier this evening with some amazingly enjoyable company, Lusaka has not disappointed.

Here's a video of each step in the journey:

By tomorrow afternoon our entire gang should be here and we will begin the task set before us to take the next steps for the eradication of malaria and furthering our partnership with PATH.

Many thanks -
Nelson

I'm heading to Africa

Anyone of us would love the opportunity to know that the work that we do day in and day out has an impact on the world. One of the distinct privilege that is offered to Tableau Zen Masters young and old, is the ability to participate in the Tableau Foundation's work across the globe. Many of you know about the opportunity that I had with Peter Gilks and John Mathis to take on the Ebola project last year. It was was a project that changed me, and changed the way that I see data.
This morning I am boarding a flight to Lusaka, Zambia to take the next step in the Foundation's current focus-eradication of Malaria in Zambia. As a partnership with the Gates Foundation and an organization called PATH.  I will be trying to write quick blog post each day to tell the story of what's going on and what we're doing to work with the team on the ground to bring the solution to life. Anya  A'Hearn and I will be joined by three members of the PATH team on a weeklong trip to the southern part of Zambia. We will be walking through the solutions created by Jonathan Drummey, Allan Walker, Alex Duke, and Anya that will help them see and understand their data in new ways.
We're about to take off! See you soon!

Nelson