Promotion....!!!zzzz...!!!

I am being told that lately I have not been as avid a blogger as certain readers would hope. Just as I was was about to argue to the contrary, it occurred to me that my last post was a couple weeks ago already. Realization countering retaliation, I write again.

The past couple weeks have been exhausting, but professionally challenging and exciting. I have been promoted to the position of Field Team Leader. Just like before I am based in Nairobi. I spend around 2 weeks in Nairobi and then head off to the field for 3-4 week circuit rides. Before, I was a caseworker. In that position, my main role in the field was to interview refugees; individuals, who had fled their home countries due to persecution, could not return because of feared continued persecution and could not remain in their host country because of lack of integration prospects, security risks, further persecution, etc. Through refugee testimony, I’d piece together their flight stories, persecution claims, and other application materials, which would in turn be adjudicated by Homeland Security. It was a fascinating position to be in, but eventually I got to the point where I wanted to impact refugees’ lives on a wider scale. As a Field Team Leader, I am responsible for the overall processing, security, management, interpreters, communication with the UN, IOM etc while my team is out in the field. The team changes each time we deploy from Nairobi. Sometimes there are as many as 25+ people on a team, other times there are 3 or 4. I’m only on my first circuit ride as an FTL, but so far things are going well. I’ve a strong team that gets along well and I am in a field location that I’ve always enjoyed working. Plus I hit the ground running so to speak in terms of my determination to lead a successful circuit ride. New FTL or not, I wanted to give my team my best. Hopefully that’s evident in the work I produce. :p