what am i doing in the south?

someone, who last updated her own blog october 15th (only two days later than i did), was complaining that i haven't updated in a while, so...i know i haven't been updating very frequently...and what with my recent move and all, you'd think there'd be a lot to blog about. there actually is...but i'm still processing, so i think that's why i've been holding off. and the reason i'm still processing is because things have been pretty busy...haven't had a chance to just sit and be quiet with my thoughts...

but i can still write about a few things....one or two other people have expressed a leetle interest in what i'm actually doing at the cdc, so i'll take that little bit of encouragement and run with it. i'm on the surveillance team in the global aids program...there's a lot that we do, but basically, we help other countries conduct surveillance on their hiv/aids epidemics. there's a wide range of things that entails...for instance, our team will conduct training workshops for in-country staff on different surveillance methods, ranging from how to sample from high-risk populations to how to utilize new hiv tests. those activities are more about capacity-building, but in some countries, they have very little resources, so our team will go in and do most of the work for them, from writing up surveillance protocols, training staff to implement the protocol, conducting data analysis and writing up the findings. so right now, i'm working on a few training modules and helping to organize an ethics consultation on surveillance methods in international settings. in a few weeks, i'm going to, get this...zanzibar (!!) for 3 weeks to help conduct a training workshop and then do some data analysis and writing. i'm actually as excited about being there as i am about actually getting to do some of the work.

so zanzibar is an island off the coast of tanzania, which is in east africa. based on what i found online, it looks amazing...beautiful beaches, lots of history. i also found out that one of the things to see there is livingstone's house (yes, dr. david livingstone), and a lot of missionaries and explorers stayed there as a starting point before entering africa. i thought that was interesting given that this will be my first time in africa...

other things i wanted to post about...since the cdc does a lot of international work, there are some pretty cool things that they make available for their employees:

- weekly spanish and french lessons on-site...so i'm brushing up on my spanish, but it's been a looong time.
- visa service...i give them my passport and the visa application, and they get me a visa for whatever country i'm going to within about a week. don't have to pay for it or haggle with any embassies...
- travel clinic...i make an appointment and tell them where i'm going, they give me the necessary vaccines, plus a kit with cipro, gi meds, mosquito repellent, malarial meds...the works. like a little gift bag, but one that could potentially save your life, or at least save you a world of pain and suffering.
- kinda nerdy, but they have lectures and seminars on-site all the time. and they offer short workshops and courses on everything from developing leadership skills to using software programs...kinda cool for the learner in me.

so overall, i'm finding the cdc to be a cool place to work. the work's interesting, my co-workers are really cool, and it's international...i feel very lucky to be here.