Happy New Year!

Happy New Years 2013 from Atlanta!



I can't believe I'm leaving in 14 days.  So much to do before then.  I celebrated NYE with Marisa in my neighborhood Adair Park: http://adairpark.com/

There was a sort of "around the world" NYE party, but we only made it to the last stop, which was at Stephanie Gobler's place-- the house just over my backyard fence.    It was great to be able to walk to a party and spend time with my amazing neighbors. I love this neighborhood!

Today Marisa and I went to my former co-worker, Judy Steven's house for a New Years day lunch: cornbread, sautéed spinach, black eyed peas, and mimosas... not a bad start to the new year. Ann Dellinger, one of my favorite co-workers, was there which was nice since it was probably the last time I will be able to see her in a non-work environment for a while:( We had a blast there and there was lots of southern story telling... Apparently Northern fairy tales begin with "Once a upon a time...", whereas Southern fairy tales begin with "You're not going to believe this sh*!" LOL.

This Saturday I'll have a going away party. I'm a little stressed because I love entertaining, but it's going to be hard in the middle of a move, etc. My neighbor, Eric Davis, is going to rock a paella dish for about 40 people, so I know it will be a success. 



Marisa made tamales as well, so we have a good start.  Still, there is a lot I need to do to prepare. Since this will be my last party in my house for at least 2 years--at a minimum-- I really want it to be a success.   I'm really started to get excited, but I'm sure Saturday night will be bittersweet as I know I will be leaving a place I've called home on and off since 1994...

 

What's On In Barbados

I am not sure if I'm going to have a personal cell phone in Barbados or not.   But, if I do, I'll definitely include the "What's On in Barbados" app.  I'm not sure how comprehensive it is, but it seems to be showcasing some cool events, such as the Atlantis Submarine Night Dive.


Here is the link:

http://www.barbados.org/whatsoninbarbados-mobile-apps.php

GPS Maps for Barbados

I wanted to pass along a potentially great website.  If you're going to be in Barbados long enough to use a GPS device, you can download a map, etc. for a Garmin Nuvi for free a the following site:

http://accu-nav.com/spaces/index.php/bajannav-store


I downloaded it on a micro SD car pretty easily. But, I'll have to wait until I get to Barbados to see how it functions.  

Oh yeah, my move date was finally set. I'm heading out January 14th, 2013!

 

 

T-minus one month

On Friday, December 7th I was in Miami for a meeting to discuss work activities in the Caribbean region.  During the meeting I received an email indicating that I had secured my last clearance and was now able to set my move date!  This week I can start contacting people and setting things in motion for my departure.   It is quite a relief to finally know that I'm leaving for sure.  Although I had hoped to be in Barbados by December, this time frame will work pretty well because things tend to slow down during the holiday season and I can be more relaxed while trying to tie up lose ends.   Of course, it also means I will have to try and rent my home in a three week period when people are likely traveling or occupied with holiday activities. 

While in Miami, I met several people that are living in Barbados; but working for different organizations.   Barbados is obviously a great spot for vacationing, so I was encouraged to hear how much these folks-- who are working full time and not vacationing--- enjoyed living in Barbados. We shared a common interest in running and they were talking about an upcoming 10/5k race they were participating in.   They also talked about catamaran rides and days at the beach.  Even though these individuals have been in Barbados for a while it sounds like they still take advantage of what it has to offer in their free time.   The down side is that they all mentioned how horrific the traffic was and that it dictated their work schedule...

I want to close this post by talking about my friend Karen.  We worked together 15 years ago when I was a young fellow and she was a mid-career subject matter expert in fetal alcohol syndrome research.  When I left the fellow position in 1999 our paths only crossed briefly in subsequent years; she began international work so we would have lunch every few years when we were both in Atlanta at the same time.  As it turns out, she was working in Barbados when I applied for the behavioral scientist, so I relied on her for advice about the position and living there.  Sadly, I will likely be moving to Barbados the first or second week of January and she will be leaving at the same time to take a position in Tanzania...   So, our ships will pass in the harbor yet again...  Thankfully, though, we were able to spend three days in Miami together this past week. I think we both forgot how much we liked each other and how much fun we had 15 years ago. While we always had a strong connection, over time the small stories and memories tend to fade. But they started to resurface in our evenings out together over dinner!  We had some good laughs thinking back about our work situation in the mid 90's and where we were with our lives.   Our shared time reinvigorated my feelings about working internationally and gave me more optimism that work can be a place that's fun again and where I'll build meaningful relationships.  

I'm signing off now, but will be commenting in then next few weeks about the moving process.  

Tip of the Day:  I just found out there is a potentially cool app called "What's On in Barbados". I haven't tried it yet, but it is supposed to list fun social activities. I hope it winds up being an easy to use app that centralizes social activities.  

Choices and Barbados

My name is Shane Diekman. For the next several years, this blog will provide stream of consciousness snapshots of my new adventure.  This adventure has no boundaries, but at its core is the tropical island of Barbados.

This past summer, at the ripe age of 41, I decided to leave a comfortable life, in a city I love (Atlanta), to explore something new, exciting, and unknown: to live and work overseas.  How I came to this decision point is a long story, but I believe it hinges on a shift in my mindset that said I must make my own happiness.  Like so many people, I was living my life under the assumption that if I worked hard and did a lot of the right things that my life would unfold as I had planned... and that happiness would follow.  I was an active participant in my life, for sure, but I didn't feel like I was its creator.  I also realized that no one else was going to take the time to figure out what was going to make me happy and deliver it to me in a nicely wrapped package.  I needed to define my own happiness and make it a reality. Like many things in life, this is pretty obvious.  And, like many things in life that are obvious to me, it doesn't mean that I necessarily internalized the information and took the necessary actions to make it happen:)  Sometimes it takes more than that. Some times it takes timing.

For me this revelation occurred last January (2012). As I grew more frustrated with aspects of my life, a loved one told me that I have more control in my life that I thought I really did.  She told me "we all have choices."  I countered that by saying that there are certain things I have to do achieve my goals and there were no other options.  But, I kept an open mind and promised myself that I'd work harder on making my own choices, no matter how difficult there were.  Even if it meant starting over.  As I reflected on the things that made me happy, the things that really excited me, I always came back to my enjoyment of traveling, new cultures, and work that made a difference for those most in need.  Along these lines, I started thinking about my how I could do more international work in my position as a behavioral scientist at CDC's Injury Center.  

The same week I had that discussion-- and opened my mind to choices-- a job announcement came across my desk.  It was CDC position for a lead behavioral scientist doing HIV/AIDS prevention work in Barbados. It really got my mind going.  As I read it I remembered that I had a former colleague who was working in the Barbados office.  Now I had a connection and resource.  Suddenly I was very interested.  

Of course, it was a lot to think about.   I had never done international work and I didn't have recent experience in HIV/AIDS.  But as I thought more about it, I got excited.  If a friend has told me they were picking up their bags and moving to Barbados I would have been super happy for them-- and a bit jealous.  Well, here I was with a the potential opportunity to do just that; and work the job described seemed to be very rewarding.   Wasn't that what I was looking for?  When I realized it was, the "choice" was not that hard.   From that day forward, and for the next 8 months, I pursued the dream of getting the job in Barbados. I was going to make my own happiness. 

The path from applying for the position to getting the position wasn't straight.  And it was a little bumpy.   But it was worth it.  In August I was offered the position and gladly accepted it.

As of today, I'm awaiting for my final clearance before I can officially move down to Barbados.   Over the next few weeks I will be posting my thoughts and feelings as I leave one phase of my life and start a new one.

Thanks for reading.