Big news in 2009

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so first, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday season!!

So far, 2009 looks like it's going to be interesting for me! I've taken a job with my current employer in Ethiopia. I'll be the Program Officer and will be there for at least a year or two. The job entails monitoring programs (we fund NGOs to implement water/sanitation, health, food security, etc programs) and working with NGOs on proposal development as well as providing some technical support--so it will be great to use my MPH skills!

I'm hoping to eventually move to a similar job in Asia, but for now, this is great! I have a bunch of friends in the area as well as my sister in Tanzania so I'll have visitors and people to visit!! And I'm trying to talk people in the US into visiting me but so far that's been less successful!!

I'll be heading out in mid-February. It's kind of a domino system...so nothing can happen until I sign my actual contract (which starts on 2/2), then I get a invitation from the office in Ethiopia to live there, and THEN I can schedule my move date. It's such a process!! In the meantime, I'm trying to learn about taxes, find someone to rent my condo, organize my stuff, and buy fun things to take with me like a wii!

The sad thing is I've decided to give up my dog Lily. While I could take her with me, Ethiopians are in general petrified of dogs. And because of the housing shortage for US staff it looks like I'll be living in a hotel for a few months. So that's not a good combo. But then, even when I'm in my apartment or house, there wouldn't really be a place to walk her, or for her to play with other dogs, or swim (which is one of her most favorite things). So a doctor in my sister Sarah's practice is adopting her. She's super excited so that helps ease my worries. Lily will have a great Mom and Allison's son Evan, 12, is also really excited! So I'm taking her up there next weekend.....it's definitely sad, but for the best.

So I think this answers most of the questions I've been getting...but let me know if you have others!! Once I'm there I'll definitely be blogging more often so sign up for the feed!!

Later,
Jane