Tacos 'n' Trivia

The past week has been a flurry of activity at work. I’m shaking things up a bit in the office with good results and getting leads on possible NGO partnerships. Yesterday I had a very interesting and productive meeting with the Country Representative of UNICEF. UNICEF sees YAI as a potential partner to help support the development of youth groups, which is exciting for YAI because that is not only the kind of program we’d really like to develop but also because it gives us an established and well-funded partner. In addition, the Country Representative introduced me to several other relevant people around the UNICEF offices and she promised to include YAI in any future NGO consultations and meetings. Unfortunately, I came down from my “productive morning” high when someone informed me that UNICEF has the unfortunate reputation in Liberia of being very slow and unreliable. Hopefully I’ll be able to instill in the YAI staff the need for regular follow-up so we can develop this relationship into a true partnership.

My energy and progress at work has come at a bit of a cost though: I really don’t have any friends besides my colleagues and roommates. This week though, I met someone through work who invited me to a “Tacos and Trivia evening. While usually exhausted from my 10-12 hour workdays in my non-air-conditioned office, I made the effort to go out tonight and mingle a bit with some fellow expatriates. Also, I really can’t resist the combination of two of my favorite things in the whole world: Mexican food and Trivial Pursuit.