Jina langu ni Amanda...mimi ni mwanafunzi

Fall is finally arriving and it's been a busy few last weeks of summer. Many of my oldest friends are expecting - here are some pictures from some recent baby showers. I can't wait to meet Fairley's little girl and Benjamin's little boy. They are set to arrive next month!

Can it really be fall? It feels like school started just yesterday but already my cohort and I are busy with literature reviews, conceptual models, logic models, Stata data analysis frustrations, papers, research....the list goes on. My second year of graduate school is starkly different than the first year. Classes are much more intense and I can see how we are building off our foundation courses from last year. Dare I say I really am becoming an advanced public health professional? It sure feels like I am on the right road!

Here are some fun shots of my public health friends and then some....

Today at lunch, my friends were talking about what they are thinking of doing next year. Some want to continue school - aiming for nursing degrees, other graduate programs and even PHD programs. I know I want to continue my education but I feel that I want more working knowledge under my belt before taking a beat to go back to school yet again. But what will I do after May? Stay at my wonderful company in North Carolina or move on to the unknown? Continue working for an NGO or embark employment under a donor or multilateral agency? I didn't have this question mark looming over my head after graduating from undergrad - I knew I was going to move to London and just figure it out there. It worked out fine but I can't just escape across the big pond for a "once in a lifetime" adventure at the age of 31. In all honesty, I don't want to go out and look for a new adventure - I want to settle into these comfortable shoes of my career that is global public health. I love it and it feels so good to know I love what I do (except maybe Stata).

This week some of my IntraHealth colleagues are in Kenya presenting the PNA results to the stakeholder groups. I am so envious. Not only do I want to be back in Kenya, I miss that team and I really like following thru on my work such as this awesome assessment. Soon I'll connect with my colleagues and hear about the next steps for the assessment!

Speaking of Kenya, let me introduce myself in Kiswahili.

Ninaitwa Amanda. Ninatoka Oxford, NC. Kwa sasa nina ka Chapel Hill, NC. Mimi mwanafunzi wa UNC-CH. Mama ni Linda. Sina kaka wala dada. Mbwa langu ni London. Ninasema Kiingereza, Kifaransa na Kiswahili (kidogo). Sisemi Kirusi! Ninakula chakula cha nafaka kwa chakula cha asubuhi na ninanywa kahawa. Kweli!

If you speak Kiswahili you'll probably laugh but if you don't, you'll think I'm one smart blogger! :)

Until next time....