Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Spring is here!

Finally spring. I wore spring clothes today and only got mildly chilly in the shade. I spent most of yesterday doing yardwork for my parents (now I have ugly blisters on my hands) and used the bbq to make dinner. Now I just have to clean all the leaves and junk out of my garden and I can start to get it ready to plant things. I am still deciding what to plant this year. Last year my squash and zuccinni both failed, but they would be so yummy if they grew this year. I will plant carrots, peas, beans and tomatoes. Maybe cucumber? Not quite the same as having lemon and avacado trees in the yard, but once the cherries start coming it will be pretty close!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Employed once again!

I got a phone call today from one of my old bosses from WV Canada and now I am working once again!! The phone call came sort of out of the blue and just as I was starting to get frustrated with my job search. I have been offered a temporary contract as the junior program officer in charge of the programming in Chad. It is only a two month contract but it may lead to something more later. For now it is money, more experience and more learning. And I get to do most of it from home since transport it an issue. I will still be working for my friend at the University of Waterloo, which is also mostly done from home, about 10 hours a week so I will be busy :)

So the pressue is off, I can feel like a productive member of society again but I will be going stir crazy in my house all day! The starbucks near my house has wireless so I can use that as my office once in a while:) Yahoo!!

Monday, April 07, 2008

Adjustments and tulips

Finally the snow is starting to melt! So exciting to see the grass and know that spring is here!! I've only had to deal with winter for three weeks, but I am ready for it to be over! I went to the Elmira Maple Syrup festival on saturday - the largest one day maple syrup festival in the world:) It was fun and I had a pickle on a stick. An annual tradition. yum.

So I've been home now for three weeks and am still adjusting. Live happens so quickly here, even when I don't have anything to do! I'm having trouble catching up. When I got home from South Africa the transition was a little traumatic, but this time it is a more subtle adjustment. Part of me wants to just re-adapt quickly and fit back into life here, while part of me really doesn't. It is confusing!

I have a part time job for the next month 0r so helping a friend who works at the university of Waterloo doing admin and stuff. At least it will keep me busy while I find another "real" job. :)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

catching up.

I've been home nearly two weeks now so now that jet lag is finally behind me and I am feeling more at home I figured it was time to post again. I got home last monday night, spent one day at home before heading to Mississauga for two days for a 'debrief' at the WV head office. It was exhausting since I was still on Rwandan time and very sleep deprived, but it was nice to spend time with the other interns and hear about their experiences.
Saturday I went over to Pam's place for dinner and found a surprise birthday/welcome home party. Funny thing was, I was the first person to arrive!! So I walked in the door and saw all the decorations and Pam standing there saying 'Surprise?' It was a good evening and it was fun to see my friends again. Didn't really get to talk with some of them, but that's ok.
I'm not sure what is next for me but I am feeling more and more that I won't be here in Canada for very long. I miss Rwanda, but more than that I am feeling like I don't fit here, that my 'calling' for lack of a better word, is somewhere else. It will be interesting to see what is next.