Monday, November 15, 2010

Lunch Break

As I sit at my desk in the CDC Zambia offices, trying to flesh out a much needed blog update, I realize how much has changed in the past year and how much time it'll take it get it all on the blog. I guess that's my fault though - I more or less stopped posting on purpose. Didn't see how I could accurately share what happens here with my friends and family back home. That, I realize now, is unfair. Everyone back home has been extremely supportive of me through out my service and you all deserve an update.

Its been a while, but the LEAD project was successfully developed and still stands today next to the Lusuntha Rural Health Center. 145 egg-laying chickens were transported from Chipata to Lundazi on September 1, 2010. The structure, while extremely delayed, was also finished recently and still houses about 140 chickens. I left the village on September 4, 2010 to start my new third year extension position here in Lusaka, so I am unfortunately unable to be apart of management. Currently, the new volunteer is working very hard to standardize a managerial system that will hopefully take the project into its integration phase where the funds will be finally used to help support widows and less-fortunate families to take care of orphans and vulnerable children. I would like to thank everyone for all their help and support from home - through the commitment of the current volunteer, this project promises to be a enormous benefit to the people and community of Lusuntha, Zambia. I promise to give a more in depth timeline to everyone when I come home to visit in December and January.

As I mentioned, I extended my service for a third year in a Peace Corps extension position. I was successfully placed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Zambia Office in the Global AIDS Program. I work with the Surveillance, Epidemiology, Evaluation and Monitoring Branch and support many HIV-related programs that range from rural behavioral assessments to trainings on basic epidemiology. I will also be working with Jhpiego (a John Hopkins associated organization) to help coordinate data collection and management for an assessment of their Male Circumcision Counseling Package which is given to all men that undergo the male circumcision surgery. I really like my new job and look forward to the coming year.

And the best part: I am coming home to the US in December! Since I stayed on with the Peace Corps for a third year, they are flying me home for five weeks for a home visit! I fly out on December 18, 2010 and fly back to Zambia on January 23, 2010. I am so excited to see all my friends and family - its been much too long and too far. I am planning to stay in Ventura till after the holidays so I can get some well-deserved R&R and time with my family. After that I am planning to head up to the Bay Area and Davis to see friends, TKE brothers and even my old academic advisor (need to figure out what I'll be doing after this). Then on January 14 or so, I will be flying to Atlanta to attend the wedding of two very close Peace Corps Volunteer friends. It'll be a packed trip - but I can already tell it's going to go by in a flash.

No comments: