November news

Time continues to fly by and I have never been in a place where days blur into weeks and weeks into months. It's hard to believe it's November already and I actually only have about 5 more weeks remaining in country. I don't miss home (sorry family) and I don't feel ready to leave yet. I think that's a good thing.

Some days are rough, discouraging and deflating. Today was one of those days. They happen. Most days are pretty positive. I wrestle with so many thoughts about my program and about how I am managing it as well as how it's designed and implemented. I see the potential there is but struggle to put the pieces together to make that future a reality. It's a tough jam to be in.

I'm amazed at how the little things can break me down so quickly. Something small and seemingly insignificant can just slam you. In the midst of the madness are some slivers of optimism. I stopped by one of our gardens and it looks great and beneficiaries are already harvesting some of the early cow peas. In a few weeks time they will transplant the spinach, onions, cabbage and other vegetables. Good progress is being made.

I've started to also manage a big irrigation project and it has been another ray of hope. We're running water through a pipe from a water source up in a mountain down into a reservoir where it will then flow into a few acres of vegetable plots. I've sat with the community members and they seem really excited and willing to participate. The local people are stereotypically very tough and hard to deal with but this bunch seems to disprove that. Tomorrow I am bringing my panga (machete) and I'm going to break a sweat and work along side the community. I think it goes a long, long way for a community to see the muzungu manager getting dirty and working with them, not just telling them to work or how to work. I'm looking forward to it and I think it will help me cope with the rough days.

Chocolate also helps and I received a great bunch of candy from home to help celebrate my recently passed birthday. Thanks friends for all your support. Stay tuned...