Friday, February 20, 2009

Greetings friends and family:
I am honored to be leaving soon on assignment with MSF (Medicines sans Frontieres) otherwise known as Doctors without Borders. I havn't left town yet and it has already been an entertaining journey.
After detailing my life story in the application, there were individual and group interviews, a one month "on call" status where I was prepared to leave within 48 hours, an aborted assignment to Kenya, a gazillion forms to fill out, and you will all be pleased to hear I have a clean arrest record from the CBI( Colorado Bureau of Investigation), not to mention I am on first name basis with the County Clerk and the Secretary of the State. Alas three weeks ago, I received the FINAL assignment to the war-torn, disease ridden area in former Soviet Union, a place I had never heard of. Abkhazia, a disputed territory in the Republic of Georgia will be home for the next 6 months.
I will be working in an area with the world's highest prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis providing hospital and home-based care, along with a team of nurses and social workers, to the most vulnerable Abkhazians, many of whom are displaced persons from the recent war last summer(occuring during the Olympics).
And so, I depart on March 1st with excitement, openness and intention to give my very best to folks who will teach me more than I will give, I am sure.
Thanks for joining me on this journey, I will share as much as I am able, with the constraints placed on all MSF humanitarian aid workers to be neutral, impartial and non-judgmental towards those whom we are serving, and respectful towards those in the host country.
My work and the world around me will no doubt shift daily, with surprises and challenges at every every doorstep. I intend to carry and use the wisdom, kindness, "smarts", and love that each of you have given me.
Whahoooooooo, I'm headin' out in 8 days.
PS - If I can figure out this blogging, you can too!!!! Enjoy!!!!!! Genie

10 comments:

  1. Been thinking about you today. I guess I'm doing my own inner count down with you. I'm happy you're getting to do this dream of yours. I'm also very gratified to see that you're blogging! It'll be such a great way to share stuff with us. love you to pieces. c

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  2. Prayers for an awesome adventure and for your safety...you go girl!
    Love, Janet

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  3. Dear Genie,

    Bon voyage! Have a safe and productive trip. This will be a great piece of "lifelong learning." I do admire you so much.

    Love,
    Dell

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  4. Dear Genie, Gragg and I are so proud and excited for you to begin on the wonderful and Blessed journey. We look forward to regularly receiving info from you on this Blog site and know that you are in our prayers, always. We Love You, Gragg and Pattye

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  5. go genie!
    looking forward to reading everything!
    love you,
    callie

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  6. Genie,

    Good luck!! I will look forward to your return and listening to all you have learned. You will have a unique experience. Janae, Maryn and I are enjoying 9 days together in CB. Ben joins us on Saturday. Lots of good snow and skiing.

    Regards, Mike

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  7. Hi Genie, Never have I been interested in blogging BUT, this will be too interesting to miss. So, Alan and I will join you on your journey, learn what we can, along with you. We send our love and prayers, dear woman. May those you treat be better for it, just as you grow along with them. What a great adventure. BE SAFE.

    Love, Deanne

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  8. Hello Genie,

    All here @ Co Access miss you and think of you each day. Your writings are beautiful, and as always, humility lies heavily as we in this country realize more each day how blessed (and spoiled)we are. I'm assured of your caution as I see the love of your family in these accts. Prayers, hope & beauty each day,
    Carrie

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  9. Hello Genie,
    We @ Co Access miss you. You tell such beautiful stories! While we wonder about your safety-unless one watches BBC or reads blogs from within, we really have no clue. Hoping the folks there are kind, I'm sure they are grateful for the care. I would ask you to be cautious, but the love of your family surrounds you, like a lake, so I know you are.
    Miss you, prayers, hope & beauty from above,
    Carrie

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