Quick Update!

Our second semesters are over! We have both completed our papers and I sat for my strategy test.  Today, Tera turned in the rough draft of her first chapter of her dissertation. I submitted my topic for my dissertation. Tera is far ahead of me in her thought process with her work but her due date is September while mine is January.

Tomorrow, we go to Armenia to do Tera’s field work for her dissertation.  I will let her tell you all about it as it is above my understanding but it involves understanding change in the Armenian educational system.  It will be great to get back to Gavar and see all our friends.  We miss Roza and Tatevik very much and they are giddy with anticipation of getting their hands on Anoush.  For the few weeks will be there, I am sure Anoush will not lack for attention.

Today, I am pleased to report I was offered a part time job.  I will be working with Happold Consulting in Bath.  It is a relatively young management consultancy but its parent company is the largest engineering consultancy in the world.  I will be a management consultant helping government agencies, businesses and not-for-profits make strategic improvements to the most pressing problems.  I will start in July and work through to at least January.  I am thankful as it will help offset the lagging dollar.  I am sure those of you in the US are feeling the pain of the weak dollar as much we are.  It will give me added experience in another cultural context outside of the US and Armenia which I hope will translate into further skill development.  They will send over the offer next week.  I have never had a “offer” for a part time job but I suspect from their comments that in January I could easily transition to a full time role should I wish to stay on.  It was an exciting end to a few weeks of absolute craziness!

In closing, I want to wish my friend Sean Connell a very happy wedding.  He will marry Tricia in Rhode Island on June 21st.  Tera and I really wanted to be there but it simply was not possible.  That is the only thing I regret with our current lifestyle which is we have missed some pretty important events in the lives of those we care about.  Sean, we look forward to seeing all the pictures!!