Adventures in Bujumbura

This week there were some World Vision staff from other Partnership offices in Burundi to do a baseline assessment. Today I got to tag along with a couple of them as they did a little sight seeing in Bujumbura. We went to the Musee Vivant which is a sad little zoo with Crocodiles, a leopard and a chimpanze. Then we went for a quick walk across the Congo border followed by a drive in the nature reserve outside of town, lunch on the beach. Here are few pictures of my day.

Juliet the crocodile

Beautiful Leopard in a tiny compound

Julio the Crocodile - ya, I though his name would be Romeo too.

He performed some impressive acrobatics and then wanted to be rewarded with food

Beach on Lake Tanganyika

We walked over the border in to the DRC

The river that marks the border between Burundi and the DRC

Watch crocodiles!

Pictures of hippos for my friends Ginny and Abby

I was going to take a video of the hippos for Ginny but then my battery died. Next time!

First Day of Work

Today was my first day of work at my new job. I spent the morning meeting everyone in the office. They were all very welcoming and were very glad to hear that my position was finally filled.

So what is my position you might ask. Good question! It is slightly different than what I was originally told it was but it will be an interesting learning experience for sure. My title is something like Resource Development Intern and my main role is to help with Grant acquisitions. So I will be working on project proposals and liaising with funding sources such as the Dutch and French Embassies, the EU, the European Commission and the World Bank. So.... no pressure! Part of my job is not much different from what I have done in the past. I have read and worked on a number of project and grant proposals in the past but I have never been the main author of any of them. Or even one of the main authors. It is a little intimidating but I feel like I am up to the challenge and can do this part of my job very well. The other part, interacting with the funding giants like the World Bank, this I am still a bit unsure about. Again, I am looking forward to the challenge but at the same time there is a lot of pressure. This is a small program with a small budget here in Burundi and any extra funding and grants would go a long way to making a difference in what can be done here. Unfortunately Burundi has been largely ignored by the donor community and many of those that had been working here are leaving, or have left. This puts organizations like mine in a difficult position. The need is great, but the resources are very few. Hopefully I can help....

I went out for lunch with three colleagues to a restaurant on the shore of Lake Tanganyika where we watched two young hippos playing in the shallow water.  Next time I will try to remember my camera. There was a short wall and a two lane road between us and the hippos but it was really cool to watch. The breeze off the lake was really refreshing and sitting in the garden of the restaurant it hit me. I’m back in Africa!! My job is going to be a challenge, I probably only remember four names of the 50 people I met this morning and my new city is still a complete mystery to me. But I’m living in Africa so as long as I get the occasional lunch with hippos I think I’ll be ok!

I'm here!

I have arrived in Burundi! Weird how you can plan for something and know that something is happening but it doesn't actually become real until you are walking off the airplane in a new country. So I'm finally and actually here! Unfortunately my bag did not make it, at least not yet. I am really hoping I get it tomorrow because Bujumbura is not exactly well known for its shopping. I guess I am lucky since this is the first time I've ever lost my bag in all my travels. I had a good trip but it was extremely long and although I did manage to sleep a little on one of my overnight flights I have only slept about 5 hours in the last 36 hours so I am going to sleep. Hopefully my bag will be here when I wake up in the morning!

The Best Laid Plans, or Welcome Back to my Blog

Things never go according to plan. At least, things don't go according to my plans.... It is a good thing that Someone Else has a different plan and it is always better than what I plan for myself. My plan for this summer was to hang out in Halifax, go to the beach, and to see more of the beautiful province of Nova Scotia before I moved back to Ontario at the end of August. Of course I would also be working on my thesis during all of this as well as working part time at Bath and Body Works, but mostly I was really looking forward to a chill summer in a city that I have come to really love. I thought I would take advantage of the student lifestyle for one more summer before seriously looking for work. That was my plan.

I got a phone call in early May, on a Monday afternoon, from a former coworker at World Vision Canada. He had heard about a position open at World Vision Burundi that he thought I would fit well with. They needed someone right away, would I be interested? After a very brief phone interview with the HR person in Burundi and a few negotiations about when I would start it was official. I had a 6 month contract as a Project Officer in a trainee position with World Vision Burundi. This was God's plan.

I am still working on letting go of some of my own plans for this summer. I already miss Halifax and the friends I left behind there. At the same time I am really excited about this new adventure. A new challenge, a new job, a new country. Of course I am nervous too - a new city, a new language, new people and all so very far away from home. I am confident though that my experiences in Rwanda will help make this transition easier, and I will only be a 6-8 hour bus ride away from Kigali. I am confident that my education and training will serve me well in my new job, and I am confident that I will get some good work on my thesis done as well. But above all, I am confident that this is the path that God has laid out for me, that this is the next 'dot' in the connect-the-dots picture that is my life.

I have taken this blog with me all my adventures over the past several years. It has gotten a bit of a face lift and I am looking forward to adding more to it over the next 6 months. I am blessed to have so many people who care about me and who are interested in what I will be doing. This blog is my way of connecting with all of you. I will use it to share stories and pictures of my life in Burundi, my thoughts about living and working there, and whatever else comes up. Because my faith is so closely linked to who I am and to how I see the world it will inevitably play a significant role in what is written on this blog. I recognize that not everyone who visits this blog will share my faith and it is not my intention to use this blog to preach at or to anyone. I hope that this blog can be taken in the spirit in which it is written and I welcome any discussion either in the comments section or through facebook or email.

Thank you for taking this adventure with me. I am excited to see where it takes me and to share some of it with you.