Mark and I have been waiting and waiting to hear if the contract had been signed. I know he had been getting impatient and was tired of waiting to hear when this contract was ready. He has all these things he needs to do to set up in Jordan - offices, staff, housing.....nothing can be done until the contract is signed and ready to go. Every morning he wakes about 4:30 and goes to check his computer to see if the contract has been signed. He's stressed. I've been sick and he's worried about me. 2 things he can do nothing about but wait.
Yesterday morning while I was at work he called to tell me the contract had been signed. FINALLY!! What a relief. I could hear it in his voice....things can get moving. The contract officially starts November 1, 2009 and so he will head to Jordan then. He has worked it out that he will come home for Thanksgiving for about a week go back to Jordan after Thanksgiving then come home for Christmas. Making the return trip to Jordan after the holiday. It's real.....It's happening!!
This is different than the move to Bosnia. I am ready. Leaving the girls and mom remain the most difficult part of the process, but I am still ready.
I am hoping that I will be able to work until Thanksgiving. Then I will have to plan for the movers to come. I'm thinking air frieght and sea frieght will be sent the beginning of December. Then, when I arrive in Jan, the theory is my air frieght should be there and the sea frieght will arrive Feb or so. Then I can go to NY and spend some time with mom. Megan should be coming home for Christmas. I cannot wait to see her. Come January, I will be able to leave knowing that everything has been taken care of.....at least I hope it will have been.
I found my cross stitch pattern for another angel. I got everything I need so I have a project for Jordan. For some reason, I sew when I'm abroad. I am looking forward to that. It's easy to put together the stuff for the small things, it's another to plan for several years. What to bring? what to pack? I know they have everything there, but there's nothing like some of the comforts of home....including food stuffs. Peanut butter (Mark's favorite) is a must and something you can only get in the USA. I would love to be able to grow some herbs while I'm there. It's dessert!! and one of the most water poor countries on the planet.....that ought to be interesting.
There is more to come....much much more.......
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mark to leave soon!
The contract for Jordan is still not signed. We are hoping it will be signed very soon. When it is, Mark will be heading out as soon as next week! Makes everything seem so much sooner!
I told Sallie, my boss, that I was leaving and I seemed to take it harder than she did! It's very difficult to give up a job you like so much. I think who you work with is 95% of your job.
I told Sallie, my boss, that I was leaving and I seemed to take it harder than she did! It's very difficult to give up a job you like so much. I think who you work with is 95% of your job.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Finally got the word.....
It all started about a year ago......
Mark has been talking about going back overseas. He knows I've been content here in Virginia, but he was getting ready for a change; something more challenging. The traveling has been getting to him....he is getting older. In July of this year he literally travelled around the world! I had promised myself when we got married that I would follow this man wherever he wanted to go, within reason. I promised myself I would not get resentful as it has no place in my married life nor in my emotional life. We talked at length as to where would be a good place to live...depending on what projects were out there. I had expressed my concern for our moms and their age and their health. I wanted to be able to get home as quickly as possible and preferred to be within a few hours time difference. This led us to the conclusion that we would head to Central or South America.
October of last year there was chatter in the development community that Jordan was going to be putting together a project on government finacial systems and ecoonomic policy. It would be a large project - a real challenge. Mark would be perfect for the Chief of Party (COP) on this project. He had told DAI (the company he works for) that we had agreed that Central or South America was the prefered location and so he would have to convince me to go to Jordan. When I found out about this possible location I was concerned about the distance and the fact that it was the Middle East. Mark was going to do some preliminary work in Jordan in January of this year and I suggested I go with Mark to see if it was acceptable to me (could I live there? was is safe? would I have to wear a burka?) And so off to Jordan we went! It was WONDERFUL!!
Mark had to work but I got the opportunity to travel around. The DAI representative there set me up with a wonderful young Jordanian woman named Aida who happens to be a student at George Washington University. She was planning to take me to all the local tourist sights, but I wanted to see what it would be like to live there. I said, "take me to the grocery store". It was a beautiful, well stocked store with lots of vegetables, meats and spices. No pork! Oh, well. The mall was great - good shopping. She drove me around a very nice neighborhood where many ex-patriots live. It is a very white area...meaning the buildings are white, the sand is white, the streets are white....there are some trees there. It reminded me of the type of housing you might find in California. The Jordanians are warm and wonderful people. Many speak English. (Arabic looks and sounds like a very difficult language to learn!) As far as clothing goes, most women wear western clothing. It was only in the old town area that there were more women wearing burkas.
After having seen the way people live, Aida took me to "Bethany and Beyond" - the place where Jesus was baptized. That was soooooo coooool!! You could see Jerico from where we were. Then off to the Dead Sea where the mud truely does make your skin feel wonderful! On our last day there, Mark and I went to Petra. Simply a remarkable place. Attached is a link to see what Jordan is like.
http://na2.visitjordan.com/visitjordan-na/Movies/tabid/755/Default.aspx
We had agreed that we would go if he won the project. So we waited...and waited....and waited for the request for the proposal to come out. We thought it might come out April or May. It didn't come out til July! Meanwhile, Mark was writing the proposal. While he was away on a trip, the request for proposal came out. DAI finished writing the proposal and it went in at the end of August. Then we waited...and waited.... and waited til October 8th (Mark's birthday) and we found out that DAI was in the competative range, meaning there were
things that needed to be changed in the cost of the proposal. However, the other 2 companies that were also in the running were told that they lost the project.....which leaves just DAI. At this moment DAI is writing the changes that US Agency for International Development are requesting and we expect the contract to be signed soon.
Needless to say, Mark was very excited. He called me while I was working on the van. I was in the process of telling a lady that she probably has cancer and Mark is telling me that we are going to Jordan. What a mixed bag of emotions inside of me! I was very happy to hear the word had finally come. My anxiety as to our future was driving me crazy. Knowing what lies ahead gave me some peace.
Mark was given the daunting task of telling our mothers that we would be moving. Frankly, I was too scared to say anything to either of them. I hate the idea of hurting them and I know that neither of them want us to leave. They both took it pretty hard. My mom particularly. I'd do anything to prevent her from hurting, but I have no control over that. I'm sorry to do that to you, mom.
My daughters are happy. They see it as a new place to go. The holidays will be an issue, especially since Megan is currently living in China. We will do our best to keep the family together. We even talked about going to Italy for Christmas next year.....but that's next year.
What lies ahead?
Mark will go to Jordan the beginning of November with a few people to do some of the logistical set up - find an office, find a home, hire secretaries etc. He'll come home for Thanksgiving and will leave to assume his role as the Chief of this project right after Thanksgiving. I will follow him in January 2010. Melissa is currently living in a nice little Condo in Mclean, VA and working in an elementary school. Megan is teaching English in Hefei, China and is very content. Cara is waitressing and living here in Burke. I will be quiting my job of 3 years on the Family Health Connection. This has been the best job I've ever had and I will miss my co-workers and patients.
I don't know what I will do while I'm in Amman. I will try and make new friends, explore new worlds and "boldly go where no one has gone before!" LOL Well, maybe not!
Mark has been talking about going back overseas. He knows I've been content here in Virginia, but he was getting ready for a change; something more challenging. The traveling has been getting to him....he is getting older. In July of this year he literally travelled around the world! I had promised myself when we got married that I would follow this man wherever he wanted to go, within reason. I promised myself I would not get resentful as it has no place in my married life nor in my emotional life. We talked at length as to where would be a good place to live...depending on what projects were out there. I had expressed my concern for our moms and their age and their health. I wanted to be able to get home as quickly as possible and preferred to be within a few hours time difference. This led us to the conclusion that we would head to Central or South America.
October of last year there was chatter in the development community that Jordan was going to be putting together a project on government finacial systems and ecoonomic policy. It would be a large project - a real challenge. Mark would be perfect for the Chief of Party (COP) on this project. He had told DAI (the company he works for) that we had agreed that Central or South America was the prefered location and so he would have to convince me to go to Jordan. When I found out about this possible location I was concerned about the distance and the fact that it was the Middle East. Mark was going to do some preliminary work in Jordan in January of this year and I suggested I go with Mark to see if it was acceptable to me (could I live there? was is safe? would I have to wear a burka?) And so off to Jordan we went! It was WONDERFUL!!
Mark had to work but I got the opportunity to travel around. The DAI representative there set me up with a wonderful young Jordanian woman named Aida who happens to be a student at George Washington University. She was planning to take me to all the local tourist sights, but I wanted to see what it would be like to live there. I said, "take me to the grocery store". It was a beautiful, well stocked store with lots of vegetables, meats and spices. No pork! Oh, well. The mall was great - good shopping. She drove me around a very nice neighborhood where many ex-patriots live. It is a very white area...meaning the buildings are white, the sand is white, the streets are white....there are some trees there. It reminded me of the type of housing you might find in California. The Jordanians are warm and wonderful people. Many speak English. (Arabic looks and sounds like a very difficult language to learn!) As far as clothing goes, most women wear western clothing. It was only in the old town area that there were more women wearing burkas.
After having seen the way people live, Aida took me to "Bethany and Beyond" - the place where Jesus was baptized. That was soooooo coooool!! You could see Jerico from where we were. Then off to the Dead Sea where the mud truely does make your skin feel wonderful! On our last day there, Mark and I went to Petra. Simply a remarkable place. Attached is a link to see what Jordan is like.
http://na2.visitjordan.com/visitjordan-na/Movies/tabid/755/Default.aspx
We had agreed that we would go if he won the project. So we waited...and waited....and waited for the request for the proposal to come out. We thought it might come out April or May. It didn't come out til July! Meanwhile, Mark was writing the proposal. While he was away on a trip, the request for proposal came out. DAI finished writing the proposal and it went in at the end of August. Then we waited...and waited.... and waited til October 8th (Mark's birthday) and we found out that DAI was in the competative range, meaning there were
things that needed to be changed in the cost of the proposal. However, the other 2 companies that were also in the running were told that they lost the project.....which leaves just DAI. At this moment DAI is writing the changes that US Agency for International Development are requesting and we expect the contract to be signed soon.
Needless to say, Mark was very excited. He called me while I was working on the van. I was in the process of telling a lady that she probably has cancer and Mark is telling me that we are going to Jordan. What a mixed bag of emotions inside of me! I was very happy to hear the word had finally come. My anxiety as to our future was driving me crazy. Knowing what lies ahead gave me some peace.
Mark was given the daunting task of telling our mothers that we would be moving. Frankly, I was too scared to say anything to either of them. I hate the idea of hurting them and I know that neither of them want us to leave. They both took it pretty hard. My mom particularly. I'd do anything to prevent her from hurting, but I have no control over that. I'm sorry to do that to you, mom.
My daughters are happy. They see it as a new place to go. The holidays will be an issue, especially since Megan is currently living in China. We will do our best to keep the family together. We even talked about going to Italy for Christmas next year.....but that's next year.
What lies ahead?
Mark will go to Jordan the beginning of November with a few people to do some of the logistical set up - find an office, find a home, hire secretaries etc. He'll come home for Thanksgiving and will leave to assume his role as the Chief of this project right after Thanksgiving. I will follow him in January 2010. Melissa is currently living in a nice little Condo in Mclean, VA and working in an elementary school. Megan is teaching English in Hefei, China and is very content. Cara is waitressing and living here in Burke. I will be quiting my job of 3 years on the Family Health Connection. This has been the best job I've ever had and I will miss my co-workers and patients.
I don't know what I will do while I'm in Amman. I will try and make new friends, explore new worlds and "boldly go where no one has gone before!" LOL Well, maybe not!
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