No news is good news...

I haven't updated the blog because I don't really have a lot of news to share. I did receive the official "assignment notification" that we're going to Addis Ababa, and the training program my boss & HR person have tentatively worked out would have us arrive to post in early October. But don't take that to the bank - things could change.

I've started listening to some Amharic courses. It doesn't sound like any other language I know. Well of course not - it's a South Semitic, rather than an Indo-European language.

We still have lots of logistics to work out in the way of cars, schools, jobs, and so forth, as well as minor repairs to our house before we put it on the rental market. All in all, this is keeping us very busy.

I'll write another update when I have some news.

It's Addis!

Today during "Flag Day", we received our assignments and a flag of the country we're headed to. We're ecstatic that we received our first choice, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I didn't know much about Addis when we started the bidding process, and the more I learned about it, the more I was attracted to it. If you're curious, you might check out the Wikipedia entry, or if you have more time and want fuller details, the Ethiopia post report.

We think we will enjoy the climate, the opportunity to garden, the many cultural and historical attractions and the proximity to other interesting places in East Africa. We also found the excellent international schools and the job possibilities for Patricia attractive as well.

We still don't know exactly when we'll be leaving, but it's likely to be late August or early September. The tour will last approximately two years. Stay tuned.

Please write in with your comments, particularly if you have suggestions for what to see or do in Addis or the surrounding regions.