40 hours

In about 40 hours I'll be home, assuming Saturday's travel all goes well. Right now I'm wrapping up 2 weeks of a program evaluation process as part of a team of three. The lead evaluator is a guy who lives in Nicaragua and worked with MCC there in some way shape or form for about 12 years; prior to that he went to our church in the US and we know his family well. The other man on our team is the local counterpart, a seasoned veteran of NGO work and of the armed conflicts in this country. Our task has been to give feedback to the new country directors of MCC Guatemala/El Salvador on a few keys points, as well as a general assessment of the health of the program and team here.

It's been an absolutely fascinating process - and exhausting - and I've learned a ton. It might have made more sense for Terry to be here than me, given his expertise in evaluation, but I think I was a better (more balancing) fit for this particular evaluation team. I'm definitely ready to be home, though. I miss my family and my team in Bogotá.

Terry has been bravely holding down the fort with help from his parents; there was a lot going on this week including submitting a thick file of paperwork as we apply for Valerie's admission to a new school (for next year), trips to the dentist, canceled field trips due to rain, etc. etc. I have a sneaking suspicion he's going to be glad to see me on Saturday!