So today is about over and tomorrow everything begins. Well, that is not entirely accurate.
By profession I am an Information Technology (IT) Manager and I have spent all of my IT career working in the non-profit sector, first in Honolulu, Hawaii and then later in New York working for the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) at Columbia University. Getting to Eldoret, Kenya really started in 2009, a few months after receiving my MS degree in Technology Management from Columbia. Through a lunchtime conversation with the former Chair of the Department, I was told of a potential opportunity in Kenya to help grow the IT group for a major public health project. Intrigued at the possibilities, I set about down the road that brought me here to Eldoret.*
* I should warn you now that I'm taking a cue from Joe Posnanski** and plan to lace my blog with various comments that are at best tangental but more likely off-topic leading to possible confusion for anyone reading this blog. You have been warned.
The point of this first diversion is to let you know that I will explain some of the details of my journey to Africa over time. So I will always have something to write about.
** If you're a sports fan and a fan of good writing, I encourage you to read Joe's Blog.
This conversation occurred sometime around April of 2009 and between then and now, I've made two trips to the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis and one short trip to Kenya in September 2009. In that time, I was introduced to the AMPATH project, got an initial taste of the operations and life in Kenya, and was eventually offered (and accepted) the position of Senior Manager of Global Information Technology* at the Regenstrief Institute, Inc.
* I laughed when I first heard the title. I thought it was a bit over the top, but later learned there is was a reason for the title. I'll explain later, stay tuned.
I was officially offered the position on April 1st, 2010 and officially started working for Regenstrief on June 21st, spending a week in Indianapolis before returning to New Jersey to wrap up everything and move. I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on July 13th and then in Eldoret on July 15th. Since getting here, I have settled into some temporary housing* and have had a chance to rest up. Things get really going tomorrow.
* We have commenced the process of looking for something more permanent and that has already been a fascinating 3 hour adventure.
The title of this post is "I Am Calling Today 'Day 0'" and given the time it has taken to get here, I am not sure when this African adventure started for me personally. Honestly, I could point to an number of different days, and a reasonable argument could be made for any of them. But since this is my life (and my blog post), I'm going to start here.
Tomorrow is officially my "Day 1" and over the next two years, I'll try to explain more in detail how I got here, what I want to accomplish, and how things go on a day-to-day basis. The posts will hopefully occur regularly. In the end, I hope to share my experiences working in different country, in a different culture and with all the constraints and opportunities that come with it.
To close this first post out on day 0, I want to say one thing. I really am looking forward to this opportunity, it will be a chance for me to grow as a professional, as a manager, and really as person. I know there is no way that I will leave this place unchanged.
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