Here we go... again

So this is the new blog! I needed to be legit like Katy and Heather to stay in business. So here goes:

This week (16Aug10-22Aug10)… I am trying hard to think of something interesting but I just can’t come up with it right now. The brilliance of where I am is still vivid just a little corrupted by the magnitude of responsibility I am undertaking. There is so much to be done. And on the other hand it is very doable. So here I am stuck trying to figure out how to solve to inefficiencies of a fairly large and spread out research project on a Saturday night. It’s not so bad for now though. I can pretend that I am making a little headway in my mind. My uncle Bill really nailed it in an email he sent to me. The problem stems from a lack of specific ‘in the field’ direction. It is too easy to say that communication is the problem but I don’t think that I know a better way to describe it. Anyhow, I have a few ideas and will see what can be done starting Monday. For now I am going to enjoy the weekend and get some rest. You know that training really took it out of me, haha.

In other news, I heard gunshots the other day! A little alarmed we asked the guard what the commotion was to which he calmly replied that it was just the police… wait for it… directing traffic? We are definitely in Africa. I did get indoors quickly. Not sure if they know that those bullets have to obey gravity and will come back down somewhere.

Kahler and I got invited to a friendly, social game of touch rugby. Ronnel (a really great guy that we met through one of the interns) said that since we can football (soccer) we will do just fine. I think the joke is probably on us. I will let you know Monday evening… or whenever I get released from the hospital haha.

Looked around in a local newspaper classifieds today for vehicle and came across ads that boast “lady driven”. We were talking about what to make of that. I don’t know if it is supposed to mean that they were driven less aggressively or that they smell better. Either way I suppose it you have two extra words to put in your ad you should just throw in lady driven and see what happens.

Headed for a new church tomorrow. Not that the one that we went to before was not good just that it would be nice to go to one that is within walking distance. We will still go to the Bible study with Lyndie, Mike, Theresa and all of those folks as that is an absolutely phenomenal tie for us all.

Also, we were invited to Dr. Martha Conkling’s house this Monday. I am real excited! She has TV and a pool!  She is stationed at the IAVI site to write abstracts and publications. She has been in Zambia for four years or so and knows her way around very well. She graduated from Texas A&M SRPH with a DrPH (Doctor of Public Health) several years back and so is a kindred spirit for us here at the ZEHRP.

Got to talk to s few people today on Skype, wonderful as usual. All is very well, it’s the weekend!