It has been some time since my last post and a lot has
changed in the past 2 years.
For those of you who do not know, I stayed in Burkina Faso
for a third year (yeeaaaa despite what I may have said in a previous post. WOMP)
during which I worked as a monitoring and evaluation consultant for a couple of
national ministries as well as the Peace Corps.
With this new role came a fancy “office”, a house in the “city” with
plumbing & electricity, as well as a decent number of both great and
terrifying stories. I presented work
directly to the minister of health, appeared on national television, and had a
wonderful learning experience. I also
got the opportunity to travel through Ghana again (story to come in another
post). At the end of my third year I was ready to return home and start grad
school… but the Peace Corps and fate called with a proposition. They wanted me to stay and offered me a
position as a salaried technical trainer.
After some reflection I took the position and moved to yet a larger “city”
where I lived with the country director in a building that can only be
described as a mansion. I stayed in the
pool house and enjoyed gourmet meals every night. I made more money as a short term consultant
than I had over the entire 3 years as a PCV. Life was good; I was and continue
to be incredibly humbled by the opportunity and am thankful for the adventure
that the job turned into.
After the expiration of this contract, I backpacked though
Morocco and Turkey where I had an absolutely exquisite experience. Turkey is by far my favorite country that I
have had the pleasure of visiting.
Parasailing, beach, sailing, caving, and a plethora of ancient
structures kept Kristine and I busy and in a state of constant astonishment.
After the travels, I returned home to the USA and suffered
my fair share of reverse culture shock moments.
I began grad school, moved to Minneapolis, and experienced a never
before seen side of America; The Midwest.
Braving snow, howling gust of wind, skiing uphill, and what often seems
like frozen personalities I made Minneapolis home. (SideNote- I’ve eaten more red meat,
potatoes, and corn in the past year than I have EVER in my life. What a cool experience)
I now find myself between the first and last year of school
with a rather nagging itch to explore India. After no less than 2 projects on
health care in India, I decided to go see for myself what the
Indian-subcontinent has to offer. And
dear read… if the first day is any indication… I am going to love it.
Read on as I share new stories and also reflect on older
experiences that I never wrote about here.
Cheers,
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