What comes next

IITA and I have now broken up.

It's official: I sent an email to the staff listserv today to let my colleagues know that I'll be leaving at the end of the month. All the details had been finalized with the Officer-in-Charge, Dr Hailu Tefera, and my department head, Pheneas Ntawuruhunga, weeks ago, but my public announcement was today.

I'm not much thrilled at good-byes, not these kind anyway. I suppose that up until Tuesday I'll be greeting a steady stream of bemused well-wishers at my office door armed with as many questions as 'thank-you's.

What's next in store for me and EWB in Malawi is to be decided. My manager, Ka-hay Law, and I have made plans for me to meet with all the organizations in Malawi involved in value-chains facilitation in the first two weeks of April to suss out their directions and capabilities. After that, the two of us will sit down and sift out the best options from this list possibilities. While half-baked projects and organizations abound, I'm still confident in our ability to uncover a good opportunity.

So we'll see what comes next for me in Malawi.

Update on Mafayo Lungu

My boss is sick with malaria and things don't look good. What was a common case of malaria for Mafayo Lungu has now become a prolonged, and seemingly futile, battle to become healthy.

I've been chafing all week at my need to be in the office. I had an important meeting between my managers from EWB and IITA today and had to stay in Chitedze to attend it. But all the while I know that Mafayo Lungu--my real boss in a way--is sick and worse up north in Kasungu.

I'm headed up to visit him on Monday morning. It makes me sick to fathom the possibility of him dying while I dither in Lilongwe. I don't know if I've ever felt so anxious about another person before--