Now, at last, it can be told: We're moving to Africa!
Some of you longtime readers know my Songbird, singing_phoenix, works in global public health administration. You may also know she spent 2.5 years doing this work in Nairobi, Kenya from 2007-09, while Your Humble kept the home fires burning in the city that, at present, is once again demonstrating why its nickname is "HOT-lanta."
Well, guess what? She's taken another overseas job in the same field, this time in the capital of Africa's last absolute monarchy, Mbabane, Swaziland. And this time, I'm going with her. We leave on the 24th of June, less than two weeks away. The commitment is for two years (though we can leave after one without having to repay the moving costs, which are considerable). This means our many friends and family Stateside will likely not see much of either of us during that time; our flying back to visit as often as she did from Kenya is unlikely.
My plan is to stay busy by keeping my freelance business active, remotely providing freelance graphics services, to clients in the US and elsewhere; keeping house...and trying to keep my poor beloved 'Bird from working herself to death in her high-stress job (with next to no staff, unlike in Nairobi - it's a much smaller office). This has actually been in the works for 10 months or so now, but not entirely certain that I would be going until fairly recently. So after a decade and change of Peach State residency, we are finally saying goodbye (and good riddance!) to Jaw-jah. (And goodbye to the oppressive summer heat, as well; east Africa's seasons are diametrically opposite to those in the US, so it's winter there now.)
i will keep you all posted as to progress when I can; the next two weeks are going to be to "busy" as the Costa Concordia is to a toy sailboat... hopefully without such a dire fate. And this journal will still be maintained while I am abroad, as much as time, Swaziland's developing-nation comms infrastructure and the cost of home broadband allow. Wish us both luck; we're liable to need great heaping gobs of it.
Well, guess what? She's taken another overseas job in the same field, this time in the capital of Africa's last absolute monarchy, Mbabane, Swaziland. And this time, I'm going with her. We leave on the 24th of June, less than two weeks away. The commitment is for two years (though we can leave after one without having to repay the moving costs, which are considerable). This means our many friends and family Stateside will likely not see much of either of us during that time; our flying back to visit as often as she did from Kenya is unlikely.
My plan is to stay busy by keeping my freelance business active, remotely providing freelance graphics services, to clients in the US and elsewhere; keeping house...and trying to keep my poor beloved 'Bird from working herself to death in her high-stress job (with next to no staff, unlike in Nairobi - it's a much smaller office). This has actually been in the works for 10 months or so now, but not entirely certain that I would be going until fairly recently. So after a decade and change of Peach State residency, we are finally saying goodbye (and good riddance!) to Jaw-jah. (And goodbye to the oppressive summer heat, as well; east Africa's seasons are diametrically opposite to those in the US, so it's winter there now.)
i will keep you all posted as to progress when I can; the next two weeks are going to be to "busy" as the Costa Concordia is to a toy sailboat... hopefully without such a dire fate. And this journal will still be maintained while I am abroad, as much as time, Swaziland's developing-nation comms infrastructure and the cost of home broadband allow. Wish us both luck; we're liable to need great heaping gobs of it.