About Me

Hello fellow adventurers and welcome to Prepare for Take-off!

My name is Jamila and I am a travel blogger. This blog stemmed from my love of traveling and immersing myself in different cultures around the world. After graduating from MIT in 2016 with a degree in chemical engineering (aka course 10), I decided to spend the summer in rural southern India in a village named Kuppam.  (Good luck finding that on the map!) I was primarily teaching high school chemistry and biology and working with my fellow instructors on curriculum development. India was the second country that I traveled to outside of the states. The first was Mexico, where I lived for a month teaching high school chemistry and biology as well. 

Living in India for 2 months taught me so much about myself both as an adult and a traveller. It not only taught me what it meant to be black and abroad but what it meant to be an American. I learned not to take for granted the privilege I was born with. I landed back in the US a more confident, independent, motivated individual ready to tackle this whole "adulting" thing. But while I recovered from the stomach bug that was Delhi belly...I never lost my travel bug. 

Prepare for Take-off! is a celebration of my travel adventures and (hopefully) a motivation for you to start yours!