Africa vs. China

Two important conversations happen and while I have a clearer picture of the landscape I still sit waiting for further information.  I will say that both opportunities sound immensely interesting and I am anxious to learn more.  Ideally I would like to be able to make a decision in the next few weeks but that is far fetched and I realize that.

Suzhou is a beautiful city outside of Shanghai and I am told it is a two dollar hour long ride into the city on the water and from there the rest of China and Japan is wide open.  The flight to Tokyo is only an hour and Shanghai itself is big and diverse enough to be lost in every time you go.

The school itself appears to be an excellent supportive institution.  I spoke with a Canadian teacher there and she iterated to me the support she has received and all the high points and even included some low points of the job in Suzhou.  Health insurance is covered, the pay is enough for her to shop and eat out every night and travel and keep an apartment quite easily so it is not an issue given my minimalist approach to surroundings, there are no office hours just 18 hours of teaching for full-time work with paid overtime if necessary and the school provides a scooter to get around for transportation.

It was the most generous offer I had received from any school and I am impressed with the treatment of their teachers.  So while I had been leaning greatly toward Uganda (will get to it) this would be more than an apt consolation to the point that I would call it option 1B and not a consolation.

The Uganda Program for Cancer and Infectious Diseases (UPCID) is still my number one.  It’s a research center down in Uganda through Fred Hutch and is in its inception phase right now but a very exciting opportunity.

Job wise I would be there as a permanent employee and would report progress/information/issues etc back to the program manager in Seattle but the problem is that it wasn’t a position that was anticipated so the budget is being worked out to see if it can be funded.  I am hoping to hear more back in the next week or so.  I got the impression that it would be a 6-month assignment, which is completely understandable given the nature of the position (i.e. it needs to prove it’s worth and the candidate-me- would have to do the same).

The program sounds absolutely fantastic.  It’s a research program that will coincide with other studies ongoing regarding infectious diseases and I love the fact that I would be able to see some actual fruition to my labors.

Anyhow, the point is that I am excited and while my anxiety has been quelled a new anxiety has taken its place in that I want to know more now that I know more!!