I had no idea anyone still read this but according to my stats, people have looked at this seven times in the last week. By most standards, thats probably pretty pathetic, but since I hardly remember that I have this blog, I think that is pretty good. I have so much respect for the bloggers out there who manage to do this every day. Or multiple times a day. Or who manage to make money at this. Hats off, ladies and gents.
Anyhoo, I am back in l'Afrique, this time in Ethiopia. I will be in Addis for two days and then am going to Kobe refugee camp, closer to Somalia. I am working on a project with Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) and International Medical Corps (IMC) that is researching the existing programs (there are few) and the existing gaps (there are many) in reproductive health programming for adolescents in the camps. I am really just doing the training for our interviewers and then flying back in two weeks. It would be great to actually stay longer. It seems that now most of my time is spent flying back and forth. Fly in, do a training, fly back. I miss just staying in one place. Don't get me wrong, living abroad can be pretty rough since its far away from family and friends. But as I am sitting in the office here in Addis, I am envious of the expats who are living and working here. It is such a unique experience to get to live in a completely new environment. After awhile, feeling like you dont fit in gets old, but for a year or two, its great to have new adventures. Lately, I have been thinking that maybe I am ready to settle down in one place in the US (and by that I mean Seattle), but now that I am back in the field, that desire is slipping away. When you wake up to parrots and palm trees and Ethiopian coffee, it is pretty easy to imagine living here for a while. But until I finish my darn dissertation, living anywhere but Baltimore seems pretty improbable. So with that in mind, maybe I will take advantage of my half day here before leaving tomorrow and get to work on that...
Anyhoo, I am back in l'Afrique, this time in Ethiopia. I will be in Addis for two days and then am going to Kobe refugee camp, closer to Somalia. I am working on a project with Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) and International Medical Corps (IMC) that is researching the existing programs (there are few) and the existing gaps (there are many) in reproductive health programming for adolescents in the camps. I am really just doing the training for our interviewers and then flying back in two weeks. It would be great to actually stay longer. It seems that now most of my time is spent flying back and forth. Fly in, do a training, fly back. I miss just staying in one place. Don't get me wrong, living abroad can be pretty rough since its far away from family and friends. But as I am sitting in the office here in Addis, I am envious of the expats who are living and working here. It is such a unique experience to get to live in a completely new environment. After awhile, feeling like you dont fit in gets old, but for a year or two, its great to have new adventures. Lately, I have been thinking that maybe I am ready to settle down in one place in the US (and by that I mean Seattle), but now that I am back in the field, that desire is slipping away. When you wake up to parrots and palm trees and Ethiopian coffee, it is pretty easy to imagine living here for a while. But until I finish my darn dissertation, living anywhere but Baltimore seems pretty improbable. So with that in mind, maybe I will take advantage of my half day here before leaving tomorrow and get to work on that...
