Going to the Field!

Hello everyone!

Well, the time has finally come! After 3 months of being in Mozambique, I finally get to go to the field. It seems like its been a while and at first I was anxious to get started, but now I see that once again I've become acclimated to my city life. But, also, I see that there is a process that needs to be followed in order to get things done in partnership with the government, and this is important.

I want to think about it some more, but it is interesting to me that within big international organizations, things take forever because they work with the government. On the other hand, little projects with churches and NGOs get the quick wins because they can just do things really quickly. I guess lots of development people talk about this, but sometimes the right way actually takes longer. But, then if it takes long, is it efficient? If it is efficient, is it the right process and does it contribute to the bigger picture long term goals or is it just a piece of the puzzle.

I'm going to think about this a lot this week. I am truly excited to be doing this project. And whether I knew it or not, somehow I've landed into the field of development, albeit unintended, and as a result, need to think about what it means, how I understand it, and what my actual opinions are in the field. I've got my bag packed, an ipod full of french lessons so my french colleague can tolerate me and my americanisms, a book by my friend on amilcar cabral, william easterly's new book on development, and finally my newly found book by william finnegan on his personal experience and explanation of apartheid south africa.

As you can see, I'm planning lots of time for notes and reflection on this trip....

I'll be thinking of all of you and hope that you are safe, well, happy, and getting ready for the summer in the northern hemisphere!

Lots of love,
Aparna