I can´t get the smile off my face...

Plans changed. I am not leaving Uganda for Copenhagen. I am staying in Africa a little longer.

Sort of a last minute thing. I am packing for 6 weeks in Uganda, preparing myself to return soon and get back to life in Copenhagen. But Monday night I got an offer I could not resist. Wednesday I signed the contract, and got myself a new job which is going to occupate me in Africa from September till December. Maybe longer. I hope. The job and duty station are almost too good, and I fear that if I talk about it too much they will take it from me and give it to someone who doesn't go bla bla bla on a blog.

I am 36 years next week. But no older to admit that I am feeling childishly, stupidly happy and very enthusiastic (had to go out with friends and drink a lot of wine to level it out). At the moment it is all a huge mix of getting a job offer (when all I got last month was rejections), the job itself, the fact that Copenhagen has been postponed (autumn and winther coming up), that I don´t have to write job applications for a while, or show up for interviews and pretend to know what is what.

Imagine, over the past two months I have been applying for jobs, done a few subsequent interviews (two with a slash of malaria) without results. I had periods of doubt regarding my own talents and experience and I tried to get on another track, out of the development business. I wanted to stay in Africa, but to get out of northern Uganda because of travelling all the time and not having a functional base in my life. I gave it a break, got malaria, sort of resigned, and left it to the destiny. Apparently, that worked.

I will be in Uganda till September 1st where my contract ends. I will do my best to meet all I have worked and socialised with. I will pack my belongings, my million kangas, kitenge and kikoyes. I will try to sort out how the resource centres in the north can spend the money I fundraised (in spite we could´t take cash out of the bank due to absence of signatories the last time I was around), I will write my final report and make it short.

And then I will leave Uganda for Tanzania.

Comments

[Janine]

Congratulations on the new job and new opportunity.

I can't wait to read "I have left Uganda for Tanzania" :0)

[Nina G]

Congratulations!!!
Can't wait to hear more about the job, location and your new life (again).

[The 27th Comrade]

Well, at least you do come back, get bitten by a million mosquitoes, and pack enough malaria to last you your stay elsewhere. :o)