Now you get an idea of where I am settling or attempting to settle...
By the end of the first week of January 2013 I was in Amman (crossing the paths of Sandra and Jeremie) getting a short briefing from the MENA team and Maria Calivis and I started a 6 month assignment in Oman... It was a real gift because the job was very interesting and above all I was exposed to a very pretty progressive emerging country. I will always remember the small team that supported me during that stay, and more specifically Farasha and Silvia but indeed all the government project officers and programme/admin assistants were very friendly. During that stay we also went to Boston to remember what a Harvard commencement day looked like 25 years ago,attended the weddings of a very good friend of Mialy in Raleigh NC, and spent a few says in Paris where Haingonirina joined us for a week end. Back in Tana mid-July I had some quality family time until early September, enjoying the beach and sunny days in Mahajanga with Tantely, Safa'a, Tojo and Lalasoa. Then I restarted the cycle of UNICEF training workshops with almost 3 weeks in Bamako in September, two weeks in Ndjamena in October and in Dakar in November: Big opportunity to meet again with Francoise, Mamadou, Georges, Donatien, Aissa, Hamidou, Molli, Nanyalta, Paola, Thierno, Inoussa, Helena, Jean, Marie Reine, Anne Claire, Felicitee, Michka, and others... That was interrupted by a 3 week visit of Mialy in Sep-Oct allowing us to go for a week to Mahambo on the East coast of Madagascar.
Our grandson Taha Tantely is now 20 month old and is dictating several aspects of our life but it is always a pleasure having him around with his songs and cries as well as all the measures to be taken to avoid getting anything broken...
End November-early December gave us (Lalasoa and myself) an opportunity to spend one week between the Dordogne/Perigord and Gironde regions in France, learning how to prepare a terrine de foie gras (mainly Lalasoa, actually), visiting beautiful castles and valleys and tasting good food and excellent wines...
Our country is in a very bad shape and we really dont know where we go... It seems unlikely that our troubles will stop in 2014 unless our political leaders change their minds. We are looking for people who demonstrate integrity and honesty beyond competence and good communication skills! So far nobody has demonstrated any capacity to respond to the needs of the poorest of the poor... and people face more and more violence in their daily life. I could participate to the second round of the presidential and MP elections a week ago but no final result is yet available and we may face a "too close to call" situation (so far the 2 incumbents are at 51% - 49% in the preliminary and incomplete results) which is adding to the political uncertainty.
I have decided not to take up any more Temporary Assignment (6 months and +) because it is very disruptive for my settling at home. I still did not manage to get steady connections with friends and relatives and I am starting only to initiate some acitivities locally: HRBAP and RBM training in a private university and at the Institut national de sante publique et communautaire of MoH. I also discovered that there is a Malagasy Association on Evalution and will explore what could be done with them. And finally the big family project of enrolling our house in airbnb will start so that we continue to keep in touch with people coming from abroad... indeed with a special rate for friends!
Happy New Year 2014! I am more and more keen to welcome you in Antananarivo and give you an opportunity to discover our beautiful island.
Solofo
