Exciting Hellos and Reluctant Goodbyes
But the time has come to say (reluctant) goodbyes to our old PD friends, as they begin to trickle back to their families and friends in the United States. The general sentiment has not been one of "out with the old and in with the new," but rather of somber thankfulness. Without the hard work of our 2008-2009 PDs, we would have been handed a very different Manna Project. And for that, we say thank you, and we hope that our mentors will pop in from time to time through guest blogs and (cross our fingers) maybe even a visit or two!
Now allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Jackie Weidman and Sarah Scott, the newest additions to the highly coveted administrator status on the MPIE Daily Life Blog. Our interests and programmatic involvement are extremely varied. With that in mind, we hope to offer you two different voices and perspectives on living and working in Ecuador by alternating blogs each day. Other than the addition of two voices to the blog, not a lot will be changed. We will still be including ample photos from the MannaCam, weekly guest blogs, and the occasional video.
In the spirit of new beginnings, here is the first interview of the 2009-2010 MPI season with none other than our very own Country Director, Bibi Al-Ebrahim. We couldn't be happier to be working under Bibi and we're confident that her passion and leadership will shape our programs and us, as individuals, in incredible ways throughout the next year.
Sarah and Jackie
A Final Farewell
Thank you all for tuning in this past year; it has been an awfully great privilege to be the online voice of the Manna Ecuador site. After 180 posts, it sure has been a prolific journey. I've loved your comments (yes, even yours Aravon), your emails, your encouragements and your suggestions. Thank you for checking up with us every once in a while and for playing a part in what MPIE has become.
There is more to say about what we've learned this year, but I'll save all of that for the monthly (or more aptly tri-monthly at this point) update sent sometime later this week. All I can really say is an exhaustive thank you. I'll be sure to pop in every now and then as a guest blogger, too :)
Signing out,
Holly
The Year in Photographs
Questions for Bibi
There hasn't been much about Bibi on here, so the opportunities to ask any number of questions really are endless! Curious about how she gets her hair to be that awesome? Or what her favorite place she's traveled to is? Or what the best part about getting her MPH from Tulane was? Now's your chance!
Please do not hesitate to send them in, the more the merrier.
Questions are due to me by Friday night at midnight. Submit them, per usual, either as a comment to the blog or directly to my email. Holland.c.ward at gmail dot com.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Holly