Good-bye Bethany!!!

August 24, 2007

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We are in prime COP mode, so the office has been crazy. Unfortunately, these last few weeks also mark the end of Bethany’s Fellowship in Malawi – my last confidant at the CDC. She has been so incredibly instrumental in my transition, both on a personal and a professional level. She’s been my ‘in’ to the community and the one I turn to when any work questions arise. Not to mention, the last link to institutional memory! Even though we’re in the process of hiring four new staff, it will be several months before anyone will be in-country. Regardless, Bethany will certainly be missed. Yet, I am excited for her as she begins this next phase of her life – finishing her PhD at Harvard’s School of Public Health.

These last few weeks also mark the beginning of my new paradigm shift. I’m coming to grips with the fact that Andy probably won’t be here for a while; and I have been told not to expect my container until October or November. Seeing that I can’t continue to keep my life on hold until my belongings or my husband arrive, I have been taking steps to feel ‘settled’ into my new house. I painted the walls last weekend! It’s amazing how a splash of color can truly transform a room. I went from hating my house to actually enjoying it! Here are a few photos of my sparsely decorated yet brilliantly colored home.

So the kitchen is “SIGNAL RED” (and that’s Elizabeth, my housekeeper/cook)! Lloyd, my gardener/painter, did a wonderful job, although he told me time and time again that red is not a color for a kitchen…and that I should’ve gone with yellow. The dining room is bright green (granted, I dislike the furniture immensely – it reminds me of little old ladies – sorry Gram).

And the living room is blue and grey. The house itself has so much potential…it really needs some artwork on the walls and some decent furniture. And don’t forget, I haven’t ‘shown’ you the three bedrooms, three bathrooms, the guest house AND the acre of beautifully landscaped property the house sits on. In time, everything will fall into place.

Please continue to keep in touch. I miss everyone…

OK…so I’m going to add a few more photos to the mix. Here’s the outside of my house:

My Garden (and this picture doesn’t begin to do it justice):

And Maurice – my favorite guard:

Much love,
Amy