Update

Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas! I feel strange saying merry Christmas when it is 90 and and humid. Somehow having to wear SPF 45 sunscreen does not make me think about Santa Claus...
Overall things here have been going well. I moved a few months back, am finishing up my MIMA project, getting started on a new one and traveling a bit. I also just posted some pictures that I have taken. I apologize for the slowness on this, but my camera wasn't working well and now has stopped working altogether. That means I have not taken very many pictures. However the ones I have taken are now on my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75253098@N00/

The last few weeks have been spent trying to finish up my project here at MIMA. The business plan is almost done, they have a new board which will be overseeing their work, and a few more internal policies and procedures which will hopefully help them as they grow. I feel a little guilty because in a way, the project created a lot more paperwork for the staff, but in the long run hopefully it will benefit the organization. It has been fun in a lot of ways, but it has also been a huge challenge to adjust to new working styles, and figure out how to best work with people who come from totally different backgrounds. I have learned a lot, but I am ready to move on. I'll still come in a day or two a week for the next two-three months, but for the most part I am finished.

I'll be starting a small research analysis project with a professor come January here in Mombasa. She is a medical anthropologist who focuses on reproductive health issues. The project I will be looking at involves analyzing a lot of data on a project for orphaned girls in Zimbabwe that used micro finance. It will be a lot of time in front of a computer, but I might be able to continue to the work when I return to the States in March.

In other news, I had to take a random trip to Tanzania and then Zambia this past week. I was told by immigration that after six months of being here in Kenya, I had to leave the country. I had heard rumors that I had to leave East Africa, so I went to double check and I was reassured, that no,I just had to leave Kenya. So my friend and I went to Tanzania, just 4 hours south, to see his family whom he had not seen in a long time. When I got to the border I was informed that I did in fact, have to leave East Africa. So, I spent what was my last official week of work traveling to Zambia and back with my friend Abdul. It took us six days and 48 hours on 8 different buses, but we made it ok. Tanzania is a beautiful country with lots of mountains and beautiful scenery. I wished that we had more time to explore and less time sitting on a bus.

So the office has closed for the year, and it looks like I will be staying in Mombasa for the Holidays. My Christmas plans involve eating some fresh fish with friends on Christmas Eve, then probably spending the day of with my good friend and her family while we cook food and watch some movies. I was thinking of going rafting or camping, but I decided to stay put. I mean, my apartment is on the ocean, so I sometimes lack motivation to leave.

Ok that is it for now. just wanted to say hi and I am thinking of and missing you all this holiday season.
Love,
Mary