The past year flew by and this blog took a back burner. After meeting Miranda early 2012, I decided to move to Saudi Arabia to get a closer look at this relationship and there was (what at the time appeared) a great job opportunity with my company in Jeddah. After 4 years of working in South Sudan, a majority of the time in country, I was ready for a move and had been seeking an engineering opportunity with the company I was working for. I was very fortunate to have found this job in Saudi so that I could be near Miranda.
The past 10 months in Saudi was a mixed bag, Miranda and I grew closer and got engaged, obviously that is a good outcome, however, the job situation was less than ideal. It was a perfect storm of poor (or complete lack of) management and technical guidance on a very large engineering project. The frustrations dealing with re-active thinking/planning and poor technical fundamental knowledge challenged my professional and ethical foundation so I quickly started looking for my next move rather than compromise and stay.
Over the 10 months in Saudi, Miranda and I were able to experience snorkling in the Red Sea, took a trip to Madein Saleh which are ancient settlements and caves carved in rocks, an extension of Petra, Jordan. We took in the sites of the bustling old town Jeddah and Afghan souk. But most of the time was spent escaping the country in the seclusion of the compound she stayed at or a trip to Sri Lanka. Time flew by and as her school year comes to an end, so does our time in Saudi and my job in Jeddah.
During the past months I discovered the Common Sense podcast by Dan Carlin which is always thought provoking and outside the box thinking, presenting a third perspective to many political opinions. As our nations grows more and more polarized, more and more divided, less and less likely to compromise for the greater good, Dan's common sense needs to be heard and digested by more people. Also, the Motley Fool has provided me with financial investment ideas and entertaining reading on the world of investing and jumped at, to mention one, the 3D printing investing band wagon.
The next move is one that was a bit unexpected, yet is in the direction that I first set out for as an engineer. Prior to first moving to South Sudan, which at the time was just Sudan, my goal was to work in the developing world building critical infrastructure, and in Sudan we were essentially re-building a war torn nation. Specifically, my interest was in water - design and construction of water systems in emerging market context to provide safe, reliable and sustainable water to communities. I guess I have this image of me turning on a tap and out comes clean water for the first time, allowing the community close access to safe water and reducing the time needed to go fetch unclean water and the ill effects that come from that.
While there was an occasion when I got close to this goal, it isn't until now, that it might be realized as I accept a new job with a new company in a new country...Liberia. At first, Liberia didn't sound appealing, after all, the images I had were of child soldiers wearing wigs and high on drug totting ak47s in what may have been one of the worse civil wars in Africa. I had also just been in South Sudan and even though I'm not seeking a convenient and luxurious life, I am becoming fond a certain amenities After further research and thought, the opportunity became more appealing as I took time to remember why it was I set out for Africa in the first place. This opportunity provided me with the chance to have a leading role in a water supply project in a war torn country, to assist in rebuilding its water infrastructure and provide clean water, which leads to improved health and increased economic opportunities which leads to hope and realization of a better future. This is why I set out to Africa and now for the first time, it will be the primary focus of my job.
Water is everywhere, yet safe water is not readily available to a large part of the world. A simple and basic thing we often take for granted in the West, is a daily life or death senario in many parts of the world, such as Africa. As the worlds population grows and the fresh water sources are polluted or used up, innovative long-term solutions are required to ensure current and future generations have a reliable water supply. From an engineering stand point, this is an opportunity for endless work and a business line worth developing and investing in, particularly in the emerging market countries where the infrastructure is falling apart or non-existant and the need is great.
Once again it is time to pack the bags and move. Move back to Africa...
The past 10 months in Saudi was a mixed bag, Miranda and I grew closer and got engaged, obviously that is a good outcome, however, the job situation was less than ideal. It was a perfect storm of poor (or complete lack of) management and technical guidance on a very large engineering project. The frustrations dealing with re-active thinking/planning and poor technical fundamental knowledge challenged my professional and ethical foundation so I quickly started looking for my next move rather than compromise and stay.
Over the 10 months in Saudi, Miranda and I were able to experience snorkling in the Red Sea, took a trip to Madein Saleh which are ancient settlements and caves carved in rocks, an extension of Petra, Jordan. We took in the sites of the bustling old town Jeddah and Afghan souk. But most of the time was spent escaping the country in the seclusion of the compound she stayed at or a trip to Sri Lanka. Time flew by and as her school year comes to an end, so does our time in Saudi and my job in Jeddah.During the past months I discovered the Common Sense podcast by Dan Carlin which is always thought provoking and outside the box thinking, presenting a third perspective to many political opinions. As our nations grows more and more polarized, more and more divided, less and less likely to compromise for the greater good, Dan's common sense needs to be heard and digested by more people. Also, the Motley Fool has provided me with financial investment ideas and entertaining reading on the world of investing and jumped at, to mention one, the 3D printing investing band wagon.
The next move is one that was a bit unexpected, yet is in the direction that I first set out for as an engineer. Prior to first moving to South Sudan, which at the time was just Sudan, my goal was to work in the developing world building critical infrastructure, and in Sudan we were essentially re-building a war torn nation. Specifically, my interest was in water - design and construction of water systems in emerging market context to provide safe, reliable and sustainable water to communities. I guess I have this image of me turning on a tap and out comes clean water for the first time, allowing the community close access to safe water and reducing the time needed to go fetch unclean water and the ill effects that come from that.
While there was an occasion when I got close to this goal, it isn't until now, that it might be realized as I accept a new job with a new company in a new country...Liberia. At first, Liberia didn't sound appealing, after all, the images I had were of child soldiers wearing wigs and high on drug totting ak47s in what may have been one of the worse civil wars in Africa. I had also just been in South Sudan and even though I'm not seeking a convenient and luxurious life, I am becoming fond a certain amenities After further research and thought, the opportunity became more appealing as I took time to remember why it was I set out for Africa in the first place. This opportunity provided me with the chance to have a leading role in a water supply project in a war torn country, to assist in rebuilding its water infrastructure and provide clean water, which leads to improved health and increased economic opportunities which leads to hope and realization of a better future. This is why I set out to Africa and now for the first time, it will be the primary focus of my job. 
Once again it is time to pack the bags and move. Move back to Africa...
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