Gearing Up: Part 1

I am at the point where I am trying to finish up last minute details before I start traveling. Though I am not leaving for Uganda just yet, I am crossing the country four times between now and July 12th.

The first time is to fly out and see my parents. The second is to drive across the US with Evan, his girlfriend and their stuff. Fortunately lovely lee will be coming with us! The third time will be to go back to California to the Village Enterprise headquarters for a week of training and meetings. The fourth will be back to DC for a layover on my way to Uganda. That's a lot of trips across the US in 3.5 weeks or so.

So in the meantime I am packing, washing, folding, packing, working etc... There is so much to do, and it is all so menial feeling. I have about 6 different accounts to close that auto-deduct payments from my accounts. I have to close bank accounts, square up my student loans, open new accounts, go to the doctor about 5 times, move my stuff. I keep hacking away at stuff but it doesn't seem to do anything. Ill get there.

Anyways that's all that's new now.

Peace

AJ

I am headed to Uganda

 I was officially offered the job with Village Enterprise on Sunday. I decided to accept the position, and sent in my signed offer letter the next day. So starting in July, for the next year, I will be the Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow for Village Enterprise in Uganda. 

I will be based in a town called Hoima in western Uganda, but I will also be traveling in the region. My travels will take me to another site in northern Uganda, and to the city of Kakamega in western Kenya (an 8 hr bus ride from Nairobi). I'm fortunate that a: I found a job in my field so soon after graduating b:that this job will allow me to travel and get paid and c: that it is something I am really interested in and d: I have friends and colleagues working in the region!

I would not move to Uganda/Kenya to just go. I think Village Enterprise is doing exciting work, and that they are increasingly recognized in the development world.  I think it's a strong step in the right direction for my carrier and will give me the chance to learn a great deal of technical monitoring and evaluation skill in the field.

Am I nervous? Yes. I am starting a new job in a new country that faces really unique challenges. I will be away from my girlfriend and my friends and family in a very long distance kind of way.

That being said I am also thrilled. I have long wanted to visit Kenya, and being in Rwanda in January drew my attention and care to East Africa in a much more tangible way.

I will know my official start dates by tomorrow. More to come on that ASAP.

Cheers!