What have I been up to the past two weeks?

Glad you asked. Internet access has been iffy. the server at UNIVEN has been down soI've been using an internet cafe (which has it's own issues). I traveled to a town about 2 hours south in the next district. I worked with the other doctoral student on the project (who is also an officer in the provincial TB program) doing focus groups and interivews). We had to be flexible and work with unplanned obstacles (I did not have my translations for my interview guides, electricity was out at the village we visited for patient interviews). Overall I think it went well.

I wanted to go back this week, but will probably have to wait until next week (Thursday or Friday...I want to spend Tuesday following the elections back home).

Okay...what else? Mainly I've been working with project team members. I have not been taking a lot of pictures lately (though there are more I need to add to the wesite). I've started looking for housing back home (my realtor has been looking). It's kinda sad to know that I won't be living in my own house when I return...now I am once again at the mecy of landlord restrictions (mostly I'm concerned about being able to find something nice with enough room for me and Romeo).

That's it for now.

My vote is on it's way to America

I just got word that my ballot which I mailed to the embassy in S.A. (since my last mail to the US did not make it) has been received. Yay! I jumped through hoops in order to cast my ballot. In other news, we completed another interview today. I need to sort out the info I have so far and decide how to precede. Things are not going as planned because the funder has not yet made the promised funds available. We are doing the best we can...we just won't be able to do everything in the way we said we would. Ah...the challenges of international work (or any work with limited resources).

Answered Prayer

I would like to start this blog talkinga bout my journey to vote in the U.S. presidential election. It has been challenging. I had sent in a registration form for an absentee ballot mid to late August. I called the Harris county election office on October 2nd and was told they did not receive it. The representative emailed me another form and said I could email it back. Well, I could not edit the document and save it so I ended up faxing it. I went ahead and faxed my ballot as well. I am nervous about my vote counting. She said she would make an exception for me since I am in a rural area, don't have a car and can not get to the embassy in S.A. Still...that's iffy to me. I am in touch with Democrats Abroad and the prsesident in S.A. said I could end my ballot to him and he would hand deliver it to the embassy. That way I can guarantee they get a hard copy to count.

Okay, so that is one thing. the other challenging issue for me this weekend was that I left my keys in a taxi on saturday - something I had been dreading. Now, Thohoyandou is a small town, but there are hundreds of taxis. I had a feeling I left my keys in the taxi as soon as I closed the door but I kept going. When I got to the office my feeling as confirmed. So, I called my coworker and got the number for the office key and as able to get a copy at the locksmith. I planned to go back later and get a copy of my room key but the person over the guesthouses did not know the key number. So I said I'll go back anyway and see if I recognize my room key in the locksmith's stock of keys. Well, the locksmith was closed. So, I decide it's not the end of the world (I can still ge tin the house because someone else is at home)and I"ll go back home and look for a locksmith in Sibasa. As I am walking back to the taxi rank I pray for a miracle that I will see the taxi with my key - doesn't happen.

I call Cebisa, a friend who is also a neighbor, and told her the situation. She and another neighbor came over to try and help me find a key that matches my room key. Long story short - we did not find a similar key, we even had a hardstore owner to come with the keys he had in stock. Sunday I went to church with Cebisa and her family. We went back to the house and cooked and ate. It was a nice and relaxing sunday. On Monday the person who in charge of the guesthouses informed me that she was in Joburg and could not help me and directed me to someone in maintenace. So I wonder how more interesting this story can get. Well, my period starts. Darn. I construct a makeshift sanitary pad and head for campus. I get in a tax and the driver stares at me. I stare back at him and he reaches over and hands me my keys (hallalujuah!).

P.S. There are a lot of details I am not sharing. The main point is God answers prayer.