Destination du jour
Eritrea. We've spent today recovering from our respective colds and chatting about Eritrea.
It sounds very safe and kinda boring; there's no malaria; the weather is lovely, the pollution is minimal, and they've got really good coffee. On the down side, there's no medical care to speak of, little in the way of internet connection (the virtual world becomes very, very important when you're sojourning in the developing world), and it looks as though the war with Ethiopia might be starting up again (which, however, would just earn me a ticket back to DC, which isn't such a bad outcome).
K probably wouldn't come with me -- which is not to say we'd be splitting up. He's been wanting to get back to the States to investigate career opportunities; I really don't want to be in Mumbai alone. But Asmara would be a safe and manageable place to live on my own for a while, and to either complete the two-year tour while K gets up and running (and then join him in the States and begin my new life as a lady of leisure/freelance writer), or for him to come join me in a pleasant, sleepy town if things don't work out in the States. Or for me to quit sooner than two years if his career really takes off.
There seem to be options, in any case, which is not something it feels as though we have a lot of here. It's also a pretty good job, at the same grade as my current one but with a lot more autonomy.
Putting in for the post would only buy me a small chance of actually getting it. The bureaucracy would almost certainly give first preference to someone already working in Africa, and I'm sure there are a lot of people in Lagos or Liberia for whom Asmara sounds like the golden ticket.
But, of course, if I do bid it, I have to be prepared to go, and, hence, all the discussion. We're leaning towards it. Standby for updates.
It sounds very safe and kinda boring; there's no malaria; the weather is lovely, the pollution is minimal, and they've got really good coffee. On the down side, there's no medical care to speak of, little in the way of internet connection (the virtual world becomes very, very important when you're sojourning in the developing world), and it looks as though the war with Ethiopia might be starting up again (which, however, would just earn me a ticket back to DC, which isn't such a bad outcome).
K probably wouldn't come with me -- which is not to say we'd be splitting up. He's been wanting to get back to the States to investigate career opportunities; I really don't want to be in Mumbai alone. But Asmara would be a safe and manageable place to live on my own for a while, and to either complete the two-year tour while K gets up and running (and then join him in the States and begin my new life as a lady of leisure/freelance writer), or for him to come join me in a pleasant, sleepy town if things don't work out in the States. Or for me to quit sooner than two years if his career really takes off.
There seem to be options, in any case, which is not something it feels as though we have a lot of here. It's also a pretty good job, at the same grade as my current one but with a lot more autonomy.
Putting in for the post would only buy me a small chance of actually getting it. The bureaucracy would almost certainly give first preference to someone already working in Africa, and I'm sure there are a lot of people in Lagos or Liberia for whom Asmara sounds like the golden ticket.
But, of course, if I do bid it, I have to be prepared to go, and, hence, all the discussion. We're leaning towards it. Standby for updates.
4 Comments:
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Anonymous said...
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- 4:49 PM
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Anonymous said...
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- 5:15 PM
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Anonymous said...
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- 1:38 PM
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esquiver said...
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- 7:47 AM
Post a CommentAbout ten to fifteen years ago, Christopher Hitchens wrote a lovely article about Eritrea for Vanity Fair. At least one war with Ethiopia has come and gone since then, so I don't know how much of the article would hold true, but if you can find it, it was a delight to read.
What about the cats? Where would they go?
Now Asmara is a place I could consider visiting, given its Italian heritage. Good luck if you decide to bid. -- The Italophile
PS Am interested in your views on the Thai situation if you care to opine.
Ryan: Can't find the Hitch piece; it appears to be too old. The only thing an online search reveals is some Judas scriptural question he got into it with, with some Asmaran Coptic priest. One thing that makes me think I'd probably get this job if I bid it: my boss would be the most recent ex-girlfriend of one of my ex-boyfriends, and we all know how my life orients to that kind of drama like a compass needle to north...
Anonymous: If K comes with me, so do both kitties, and we'll try not to acquire a vrai Abyssinian to complement our two echt Siamese. (Our Bombays got shipped to South Carolina, and, really, what could we have gotten in London? A moggy?) If K goes to the States, I imagine we'll take one each, and the cats have already made their preferences on that front clear.
Italophile: Glad to have you back, and you and the Soulful Boy are benvenuto to our casa anytime. Will opine shortly. Stand by.
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