Saturday, October 11, 2008

And the dream continues.

Hello Dear Reader-

It certainly has been a long time since I've posted anything...but I promise you'll understand why if you keep on reading. On July 18th, I took a United Airways flight from Jo'burg to Germany and Germany to Chicago and was met by my beaming father. I could not believe I was finally back home...on American soil...for good(?) Since being home, I've had the opportunity to travel from D.C. to New York, to Atlanta several times over, catching up with friends and family who kept me grounded and were eager to share in my two years serving in Peace Corps South Africa. I recounted stories, filled in the gaps that were evident and inevitable in this blog, and answered the daunting question: "So what next?"

So what next?

Starting in March, I began searching for jobs that would allow me to build on my Peace Corps experience: international public health/social equity/life abroad. In the end, I received two competing job offers. One offer was from a top medical school working in global HIV prevention programing. The position would be responsible for providing technical support to South African health care providers in the area of the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT). It would require 3 to 5 trips a year to South Africa. The second offer, of which I accepted, is to serve as the Program Coordinator for a prominent US-based university that implements PMTCT programs in Lesotho. I will be coordinating program planning and implementation activities for the university in Lesotho. Yes, this means that within a month I will be relocating to Maseru, Lesotho indefinitely! You heard it right, I just left and now I'm going back, not as a volunteer but as a paid employee! I am so excited!!!! This is what I've wanted to do and now I finally get a chance to do it!

Still living out my dreams!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your blog has been saved under my Favorites. Congratulations! Tell "Pickle and Sweet Potato", we said hi.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Danielle, I take it you handled that other piece of business we discussed over dinner.

MJ said...

I'd be interested in reading about that when the new blog s up and running.