Uganda

Well, as I've been alluding to I need to tell you all a bit about what the future will hold for me. At the conculsion of my week with Medair's training, I was presented with a position in Uganda as an Office Manager. I was a bit overwhelmed right then with the intensity of the week, but they asked me to come to their briefing the following week since I was planning to still be in the area. This allowed me to find out more about the position & what they were looking for. I then took a few days to think it through & talk it over with Natalie while we were in Italy - I had been so engrossed in Medair for two weeks that I wanted to be sure that someone who knows me well could hear all that I had processed through. It was great to talk it all out & get Natalie's perspective. Yesterday I called Medair & accepted the position! So, I'm heading to Uganda for a year contract around August 18th. Wow, it is finally here! I have a lot more to find out, but wanted to give you that update for now! Thanks for everyone's encouragement and prayers!

I'm in Ireland now for a few days & will head back to the US on Tuesday. Drop me a line & I'd love to catch up and/or talk with you before I head out of the US again!

Some promised pictures...

Camilla, Carlotta, & Luciano Pasini

Camilla, Natalie & I in Garda - we took a little boat tour

Our current stomping grounds, Vernazza in la Cinque Terre

Vernazza - view from the sea

Corniglia, one town over from Vernazza. We hiked between the two this morning.

Another view of Corniglia

On to Italy

My time in Switzerland came to an end on Thursday night as I took a train from Lausanne through the alps to Milan, Italy. The views along the way were breathtaking & I'll have some pictures to share with you soon!

My adventures truly began in the Milan train station where I got a bit too confident in my ability to understand what's going on around me without knowing the language at all! Though none of the platform signs were changing, I thought I was surely where I needed to be & that everyone else standing around me was also waiting for the train to Verona. After some help for a nice American bystander who spoke English, I found out that I actually had my back to the train I was supposed to get on & while we figured that out, the train had left! So, the next train didn't leave until 12:30 Friday morning and I arrived in Verona finally at 2:30 in the morning! I was met by a very tired Camilla & our ride back to Mantova was quite the adventure as well...Camilla's not the best at directions!

So Natalie & I spent Friday & Saturday with Camilla & her family enjoying Mantova & Lake Garda (more great pics to come). Now, Natalie & I have arrived in Vernazza, within the famous Cinque Terre - absolutely fabulous here! We love it, have already took a dip in the Mediterranean and are looking forward to a hike tomorrow & more beautiful vistas.

Hope everyone is well at home. I'll update more about Medair possibilities in the next week or so. See you all soon!