Back "home"

This update is way overdue. What happened was, we had a successful visa-run & holiday in Thailand, where we managed to get our Myanmar visa (70 days for me), our dollars in cash (including a year’s rent in advance) and a pretty bad sun-burn. Thailand was quite hectic – everything was harder than expected (if you think getting 5,000 dollars in Bangkok is easy, think again. And if you ever need to do it, ask me how). On top of that, the internet in our beautiful boutique hotel worked poorly (but I just loved our purple room!). So when we got back to a warm welcome in our temporary sub-rented apartment –a dinner of meat balls and potato salad made by our house-mate (YUM!) – I must say Yangon really felt like home.

Love in the sand 

Bangkok has some really beautifully designed stuff
(including our hotel room which this picture doesn't do honor to)

..and also a lot of bizarre stuff.

So I was behind on all my private and professional correspondences.

Professional aspects are looking good. I hope to go for a field trip later this week with the NGO who sponsored my visa, and on other news, I might start doing some actual (external consultancy) work with a great social enterprise founded by an American/Burmese couple we recently befriended. They train Myanmar youth how to start their own business and give them a loan to get it started. I’m normally quite critical about things, but I really just love what these guys are doing (and how). Also, they seem like really cool people.

Christmas was less festive and cozy than previous years (to say the least), but as Arne pointed out it was no worse than my first 26 christmases in this world. How quickly expectations change.

Hard liquor and sweets - my idea of a secret santa gift 

On January first we get the key to our new apartment – 2013 is going to be an interesting year.

3 anecdotes (#1)

1. In Yangon, we’re the funniest thing in the world. We’re funny when we’re sitting in the bus, we’re funny when we’re trying to stop a taxi, we’re funny when we order food. Young locals burst out into hearty laughter from just seeing us. Several times, every day.

Gotta love the selling line.

2. Myanmar rum is cheaper than Myanmar beer (per same bottle size).

3. In Bangkok, the answer you get is “yes”. Yes is the answer for “yes”, “I don’t know” and “no”. 

Personal experience: -"does this bus go to the airport?" -"yes". 

Finding a home

I spent the better part of the past few days in our room, hosting a special friend that came to visit again: food-poisoning. It wasn't really that bad but making no progress on anything for three days felt weird.

Today we finally went out to start apartment hunting. About 2 weeks ago I wrote to one of the recommended real estate agents, saying we're looking for something in the 500$ range. He answered and said that would be a stretch. So when I called today I upped to 600$, but that too was apparently a stretch. He explained that anything even semi-decent will cost at least 1,000, and offered to take us to see such a decent place today at 1pm, just to get a feel of the market. I said ok, but later realized it doesn't make sense: I don't want to see an expensive place. I want to see straight away the right place. I texted to say we won't be coming, and that worked like a charm: he immediately called back and invited us to see a place within our price range, one hour from now.

Looks like we found an apartment!!!

It's so nice! It's right in the middle of downtown and currently serves as a travel agency. It has one big space, high ceilings (with neons and spots), 2 bathrooms and a tiny bedroom. And a beautiful balcony looking out at 34th street..! Painted, airconditioned, hot-water, and if we want it furnished we can pay extra (but it's probably cheaper to just buy).

How very exciting!! We still need to seal the deal (agree, sign, pay deposit) - but it looks easy. If all goes as planned, we'll move in on the second week of January, after we finish our agreed sublet of a room in a shared apartment uptown.

So the apartment market is definitely quite easy. Looks like it could take as little as 1 day from first contact to signing.. Pictures will come as soon as I can take some..

Why this morning was a great morning

1. I had cheese on my toast for breakfast. But (more) seriously -
2. We went to see an apartment where we'd rent a room for 2 weeks, once we come back from our Bangkok visa run. The place looked great - big room with a balcony (!), equipped kitchen, washing machine, and a lovely german room-mate. Sealed the deal and looking forward to some normality.
3. I attended a P&G event. That might need explaining: P&G has recently contributed water purification sachets to Myanmar disaster readiness via World Vision, and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to be invited by the kind country director of World Vision Myanmar. The P&G-ness of it all made it feel like home; the demonstration of the sachet cleaning filthy lake water was really something, and I met a lot of really nice people who just wanted to be friendly and help me. I got a bunch of business cards from P&Gers and others.
4. I got a goodie bag with P&G products.
5. I talked with that same country director, who about 2 weeks ago planted a seed of a social enterprise idea in my head (a project he led several years ago in another country). I've been thinking about it ever since and wanted to ask for his opinion of me reapplying it in Myanmar. He was encouraging and enthusiastic.. and so am I.
6. As I walked out of the hotel, on this sunny (and somehow not humid) day, with beautiful grasssy lawns and silence around me, I had that feeling which I thought is only achievable in Geneva, that of, "oh how perfectly delightful life is!".
7. After a pleasant taxi-ride home, I got myself a delicious plate of Rice-Sleh from the nice lady downstairs. It's the second delicacy she served me this week, and I feel it's bringing us closer. Today she asked which country I'm from and showed me her daughter. I felt a bit bad paying so little for her yummy food, but I promised to be back.

So much work to be done!

Bit by bit - finding work (update)

So how is the work-seeking project going? I know, it looks like I've been trying to avoid the topic, distracting with pictures of rivers and pagodas. But actually, it's been going quite well. Nothing is moving fast, nothing is a sealed-deal, nothing is clear, but still, there's progress. After 2 weeks in Myanmar, and thanks to a really nice Australian guy I got to know here, yesterday I met with a local organization who's doing great work across the country, working with local communities and organizations to improve livelihoods; improving agricultural practices, encouraging small businesses, driving informal education and training, and everything else that's good. I hope to start working (voluntarily) with them very soon, on defining a very interesting (and broad!) 5-year project proposal, which should then be sponsored by a UN agency. At the same time, I'm getting a small income from some private-sector work I'm doing (we can call it "consulting"). Having some interesting work, a small income, and increasing contacts, I'd say I'm better off than I expected to be at this point.

Sunday afternoon in the park

After a few days of staying mostly in our room due to a sickness in the family (probably caused by food), we decided to take the afternoon off and visit Bogyoke park / Kandawgyi lake. Very green and full of hidden young couples, it was beautiful.

Loving welcome to the park

The overall feel of the park

The beautiful.. erm.. Arne says it's a "buffet restaurant". Better look it up.

Wedding photography; I learned yesterday that Myanmar weddings take 2 hours. First, the couple signs something, then they feed each other. Then there is a dinner where the couple goes between the tables and thanks the guests for coming. End of wedding.

Many many in-love couples in the park..






















(including us)

An adorable pineapple-shaped plant-thingie. How did we not think of that?

The always-majestic Shwedagon pagoda

Yellow flowers floating on the water

Beautiful wooden bridges all over..

Bye Parkie! Until the next time!
You were very nice (even though you ripped us off at the entrance for being foreigners).

Weekend out of town

After several quite successful days in Yangon, we decided to head out of town for the weekend, to see some of the nearby attractions. Since Myanmar is huge, and the public transport is bad, we didn’t go very far:  started in Bago, a pagoda-packed town, and then continued to the famous Buddhist pilgrimage site of the Golden Rock.

I was hoping to get some work done in between the sight-seeing, and in the past days have come to appreciate the importance of having a working infrastructure – a room, with a desk, with internet. A chilly room, preferably. It’s actually quite impossible to do anything otherwise.

So our tourism started with a wonderful train from Yangon – the bumpiest, slowest thing imaginable; but with all the windows open, the breeze and views compensated for the comfort. In Bago we rented a tri-shaw driver to take us around to see the temples – we thought this was the most socially/environmentally responsible way to go around. Until I saw our driver.

This kid was more or less my size, and I felt pretty bad for him (in the picture below, he's the one in the striped blue t-shirt). It was hot outside. He negotiated a pretty good price for his services, but still I asked myself – are we encouraging child labour?

No. Turns out he’s nearly my age, married with a baby.

The kids here are SO cute (sample in the above picture). They’re so friendly, always smiling, giggling, waving. They look happy even when they’re doing chores (carrying wood, sweeping floors, etc.).

Bago was nice, and temple-packed as promised. Still very few foreign tourists to be seen anywhere.

That tiny person is me.

Sunset over a water reservoir, as seen from a pagoda on a hill-top.

I realize that the concept of time here is rather different than that of the west. I bought a watch last week and it seems that fact that it loses about 15 minutes every other day makes it, comparably, a pretty good watch here. The vast majority of clocks here show the wrong time. I wonder why they would even have a clock then? 

Two wrongs most certainly don't make a right.

The trip to Golden Rock left a mixed impression. We wanted to hike part of the way but neither one of our 2 guidebooks nor the internet provided sufficient information on the paths, and the friendly locals, who either don’t understand us or don’t know the answer, just smile and reassure us we’re walking the right way (which we weren't). The rock itself was more of a tourist bazaar than a classic pilgrimage site, and not that impressive.

The Golden Rock. Major pilgrimage site, major cheap-looking tourist bazaar.

Among all the hand-made unnecessary souvenirs (=crap) we saw up there, this is by far the cutest - carved out of a coconut.

First impressions from Yangon

24 hours after landing, these are some of my first impressions from Yangon..

1) It's nice. It might be a huge city but it feels like a small town. Green, not too crowded, friendly people everywhere, and beautiful colorful (though dirty) colonial buildings lining the small streets.

2) It's safe, but not completely risk-free. We were cheated out of half the money we exchanged on our first day here. Myanmar is supposed to be an extremely safe place for tourists; nonetheless we were very careful;  nonetheless  we were cheated. I guess it was some hand trick by the kid-trader, since at the end of the day we realized we had the equivalent of $20 less than we thought (and no, you can't spend that much without noticing). Still, you can feel the safety in the air, and monks everywhere increase that sense.

3) Pleasant surprise: no bugs!! Well, more bugs than Geneva, less than Tel-Aviv. We did see some extraordinarily large moth-butterfly thingies, but other than that, no ants, bugs or mosquitoes in sight. Victory!

This animal looked more impressive, and slightly scary, in reality.

4) It's not that under-developed. On the one hand, the limited amount of tourists means you can't find a place to do your laundry by the kilo; but after visiting a market and a supermarket, it seems we can get pretty much anything here. Internet at our guesthouse works perfectly, and the guesthouse generally seems to be working just fine. No power-cuts observed yet.

After a 24-hour break from real life, it's time to get down to business. I've started contacting both professional and private contacts from my list, and hopefully we'll meet some of them already this week. The thought of getting a job here, and staying here for a while, is really exciting. And in the meantime, over our noodle-soup brunch this morning ($3 including water and tea) we looked at some day-trip options in the area: temples, towns, rivers and beaches, to be commenced soon!

First day in Yangon - pictures

First thing first: indulging in delicious street-food.

After a nap, the biggest attraction in town - Shwedagon pagoda. With it's 3,000 Kgs of gold, it is huge, beautiful, shiny, impressive; and at the same time quiet, clean, contemplative, inspiring.

Real hazards: 1) sidewalk holes. Keep your eyes on the ground! and 2) crossing roads. It's exciting to see a pedestrian crossing on the main road, but a green light doesn't necessarily mean cars aren't coming.

In between: hot, humid; friendly locals smiling and waving, approaching us to ask where we're from and practice their English; jetlag.

Last day in Geneva

I look in the mirror and it’s not good. I think that maybe the hot and humid climate will do me good. In just 24 hours.

20 minutes ago, on the bus, exhausted physically, nerves on their very last thread of existence, I thought to myself that even if I do come back to Geneva, even if I’m back in 3 months – It’s true, that a man can’t walk twice into the same river, because the river isn’t the same river and the man isn’t the same man. And Geneva is the worst of these rivers: it flows all the time, always changing.

The emotional farewells were the last straw this evening. Yes, I was tired, but I managed to play it cool until the first emotional farewell. I’m not made for that. A final farewell should be the same as any other farewell – I don’t think making it worse makes it any better. Am I right, or am I just cold? Past my bedtime, in a half-empty bar in Paquis, I guess I just ran out of energy.

But it was already earlier that it all started. It’s no fun being far away when big (good) things are happening to your loved ones, and it doesn’t feel good to be going even further away. Two beers and a good friend helped me get over the sadness of a long-distance phone-call.

I had a masterplan, to spend my last day in Geneva doing tourist things. I wanted to ride the mini-train, eat ice-cream in the old town, take a picture with the flower clock and eat the same spaghetti carbonara I had on my first day in Geneva. I didn’t do any of those things. Instead, I spent a good part of my last free half-day running errands, waiting for things, or wandering alone, bored in the cold.

And the morning was dedicated to cleaning: scrubbing, vacuuming, wiping, washing, dusting, arranging. After having given up on my rubber gloves already yesterday, I was surprised to see how quickly my hands get damaged. Start hurting. Are offended. Start asking me hard questions about my choices.

This day started early, and yesterday ended late. I guess it’s high time to end another day.

Written from Katia's guest bedroom, posted from Bangkok airport.

One week to go

I haven't written in a while because weird things were happening and I thought it would just stress me out to also put it in writing.
Two weeks ago, I was approached by an Indian start-up company with a really exciting job opportunity. Actually, it didn't look very exciting at first, but after some conversations with the CEO and others, I realized it would be a great learning opportunity for me in a very inspiring environment. I tried not to get too excited before having a confirmation about it, which worked for a while; but when finally I didn't get an offer I found myself disappointed and confused to go back to the original plan.

So here I am, back with the original plan. The flight to Yangon is booked for next Sunday; and so are the first three nights in the Beauty Land Hotel II (yes, there seem to be many businesses which are numbered this way; bizarre). I even bought a (random) Myanmar guidebook (in French) which seems ok - I was too late to order something in English so this one will just have to do.
Last night was our grand farewell party, and if the after-party mess is any indication, I can say it was a big success.

This level of drinking-fun-mess was spread equally around the house.

This week will be the big packing and moving week. We found a huge storage space not too far from here (about a one-hour drive) and later this week will rent a truck and borrow some of our stronger friends and try and take it all over in one go.

On a completely different topic, a final farewell from A's parents brought some more thoughts about our financial future and standards of living. We somehow found ourselves talking about pension savings, which I feel is a very privileged topic to be discussing - normally financial-planning-and-worrying in my circles revolve rather around getting through the next 2 months than enjoying life 40 years from now. It made me think about the shocking difference in various economies - even developed ones, and while looking around the internet I found a small optimistic data point  which I found interesting enough to share:
Among Germany's poorest 40% of the population, 4 out of 5 people are satisfied with their standard of living (source).
And that's it for now.

Prepare your visas!

Thanks to those of you who answered my previous poll about visiting me in Myanmar. Luckily for you it was anonymous, but I do expect at least 3 lucky visitors to knock on my (guesthouse) door during my stay there. That may not sound like much, but benchmarking to Geneva visits, it's not a bad number. Can't wait to show you around, take some pictures with monks, see some lakes.

Dream job / no dream job

So my consulting dream job fell through. After months of a stretched process, the answer came on Wednesday evening, but at that point it wasn't surprising enough to make it seriously disappointing. On the one hand, I sure wanted that job - fast track to knowing everything there is to know about management, while working on cool things with the smartest people and even getting a really nice paycheck. On the other hand, I'm not too disappointed that I get to go on my adventure, and that I'm not committing to this hectic 60-hour-workweek-away-from-home lifestyle. It's interesting how life develops, and at the end of the day, I feel happy with the way it's going.

The extraordinary opportunity from Haiti seems to have disappeared, since my contact person never got back to me. Actually, that job would fit in perfectly with the advice I got from my consulting interviewers: spend the next few years on learning, try and be a big fish in a small pond. I would love to be a big fish - not for the power, just for the learning opportunity - and I'd take even a tiny, muddy, puddle.

But I've come to realize there are so many exciting opportunities already in my baseline Myanmar plan, even though I keep getting distracted from it. This report from the Asian Development Bank about the transition and opportunities in Myanmar was one recent trigger to remind me how excited I am about this journey and how I'mm bubbling with ideas for what I might do there. This report was shared by an ex-colleague who's trying to get involved in the country and who I'm meeting this weekend to brainstorm ideas of what he might do and how I can help once I'm on the ground.

Yesterday I started packing - two big boxes of stuff to put in storage and two (much smaller) boxes of stuff to give away. Giving up stuff is such a challenging and cleansing task in these modern times!

Here, there and everywhere..

With our departure date not even one month away, this seems like the right time to be finalizing our flight arrangements, getting our visas, buying whatever last items we need, packing, etc.

Instead, I am ALL OVER THE PLACE. Still pursuing that local dream-job opportunity (Europe-based), I recently received an initial offer - practically out of the blue - for a very different but very aspirational position on the other side of the globe (west from here, this time).

This is quite confusing. It's a new skill for me to be able to be excited about THREE very different and completely-conflicting plans (though doing that for TWO different plans over the past few weeks certainly helped prepare me). Google must think I'm crazy with the breadth of the geography and sectors I've been searching over the past few days.

Pics: where will I be celebrating my 30th birthday?

                                      

Why we are all going to fail in having a great career

..and maybe why I'm going to Myanmar. A worthwhile and very personally-relevant TED talk by economics professor Larry Smith (15 min.)

"..you're afraid to pursue your passion, you're afraid to look ridiculous, you're afraid to try, you're afraid you may fail"

Three Updates

1. Looking in two
In the past few days the obvious probelm came up, that us two world explorers are looking for similar occupations in parallel; we each have different contacts and a different story, but in the end our needs are quite similar. Not only is this probably sub-optimal for our efforts, but might well lead to us finding ourselves in very different places in Myanmar (it's a big country+ transportation is poor = not an option). Since our contacts are after all - strangers, we probably shouldn't bother them with our complex dual-case.My idea would be to minimize email contacting, and try and have meetings upon arrival, which would allow for greater flexibility. Any ideas for strategies how to address this?


2. Photography project
A kind colleague suggested during our farewell coffee that I do some photography in Myanmar. We do own a pretty good camera and I do love taking pictures; I've been trying to look up ideas for a photography project I could do during our trip. I saw several ideas online: taking a daily picture, taking a picture for each letter of the alphabet, documenting something that interests me, etc. Ideally, I'd really like my project to reflect the country's development; to demonstrate the change happening over time (and I do expect that to be quite noticeable, even in a period of less than a year). Do let me know if you have any ideas!

It's probably going to be easy to get this kind of photos.

Update Oct 19:
My newest idea for the photography project is to put together a list of top-10 photos - either famous ones or photos of things I love in my current life. Then my project would be to find parallel photographs in Myanmar.

3. Progress
Following up on the promising lead I mentioned 1-2 posts ago: it has developed to a near-offer to undertake a small amount of work on the ground, which - while not exactly the kind of work I was looking for - could be a great learning opportunity for me, as well as an opportunity to get better integrated and fain a better understanding of the Myanmar landscape. How exciting! I didn't expect anything that concrete to come up at this stage, so even though it's quite small, it really makes me happy.

Baby Steps

Time is passing, and while normal life - working, travelling, laundry - is getting in the way of seriously sitting down and planning our departure, some slight progress can be seen in my networking efforts. I'm spreading the word that I'm going to Myanmar, trying to talk to everyone I can.. and just recently some potentially-interesting developments have arisen from a surprising direction. I'll keep you posted if it materializes into anything.

And yet in the back of my head (and in my shiny new google doc), our "to do" list is getting longer: entry visas, vaccinations, travel insurance, cancelling our local contracts (phones, insurance), and oh so much more. I'll try to remember to post that list when ever it seems complete - might be helpful for someone in the future.

I did spend yesterday evening checking out guesthouses in Yangon, after discovering last week that we will probably not be able to rent an apartment (legally; at least until we have an actual working contract). Prices have been going up steeply in the past year, so what we're planning to pay might buy us something like this:

Tripadvisor traveller photo of one of the highly recommended guesthouses in Yangon;
Somehow the smaller sized image makes it look a bit cosier.

Well, in all fairness, that was the most depressing picture I saw. The rest of that guesthouse actually looks quite nice and the included breakfast is supposed to be amazing (with freshly squeezed exotic-fruit-juice), but calling that room home for a few months, or even a year? shudder.

Yet excitement is certainly rising. I only have 2 more days at work, after which I can be completely free to look up all those things-that-require-lookup, start packing, read the recommended books (2 historical novels were recommended: my grandma gave me "The Glass Palace", a novel taking place in Mandalay in the days of British occupation, and a colleague recommended Orwell's "Burmese Days".) We'll also watch "The Lady", a recent Hollywood movie about Myanmar's NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Between these, I of course plan to enjoy a last taste of beautiful Swiss life.

Distractions

The last few weeks have been filled with distractions.

A 10-day home visit allowed me to focus on nothing else but seeing family, and friends, while doing a tiny bit of beautiful tourism.

I returned directly to a job interview, at 7.50 am the next day.
Let me explain: this is the only job I applied to in this part of the world, that might hold me back from going on my big adventure. It's been my dream-job for years. It's hard to say whether now is the best time or the worst time to get it - but honestly I'll grab it if I have the chance.

I completely flopped the interviews. After 3 of those and a written test, we got a lightning-quick casual lunch with some of the company's employees, which I tried to enjoy despite the feeling that they shouldn't be buying me lunch after my poor performance.

The feedback that came after lunch surprised me; they invited me for the next and final round of interviews. Exciting!

The next two weeks promise to be confusing: it's somewhat challenging to be excited at the same time by a move to volunteer in Burma and a corporate job in Geneva, but somehow I think I'll manage it.

If I do get an offer, I promised my beloved we'll still go - for a break of 3 months or so. He deserves it, and maybe so do I.

And to set matters straight - either way, I still plan to change the world; only now it's clear that I don't yet have sufficient tools to change the world. These tools, as I see it, can be developed through better management practices or through field experience - so regardless which of these 2 exciting paths I take, I feel I'm on track for my long-term plan.

Teach for Myanmar

We've agreed on a base option:
If indeed, as it seems now, we decide to go to Burma, but I can't find any professionally-substantial occupation, we will start as volunteer teachers (English or social sciences), and try and make conenctions and find opportunities on the ground.
Two organizations offer this volunteer experience; but only one of these, Teach for Myanmar, is actually based in Burma (the other is across the border in Thailand).
I'm excited about this plan, since it means I can have more focused efforts - on just one country, and have better clarity about the future.
The organization's website seems quite serious, and they require a form to be submitted, with information such as "why do you think you'd make a good teacher" and "what do you know about Myanmar". Annoyingly, they also require 2 references (I see where they're coming from, but when I'm applying for 10 things at once like I am now, it doesn't seem to make sense to make requests from my references for an unpaid position, before even screening my application).
This makes me happy. Burma looks like a really great place to be: safe, friendly, in the height of potential development. 

But I'm not giving up hope on a more substantial position through one of my contacts.. fingers crossed!

Meanwhile,..

In Switzerland,
life could hardly be any sweeter. This place has everything- is it really sensible to leave?

Inspiring sceneries

Hand-knitted diner advertising

The view just outside the office

"The muppet" - one of Switzerland's funkiest flowers

My beloved weekly regional produce

Crazy idea #1

Last week my beloved was once again browsing the used car section, when he came across an ad for this amazing old-school camper van.

A peak at the bed & kitchen

We'd been looking for just this for a while, and this one was even on sale for a very affordable price, and right down the road from us.


More importantly, for someone who grew up on an island, it turned out we could DRIVE to New-Delhi in only 96 hours. 96 hours! Inconceivable!

That's a comfortable 2 weeks vacation!!

Of course.. that would require passing through some tricky territories.. Iran, to mention one.

The re-routing we found, through Russia, China and Mongolia adds only about 50 hours, but appears to have some tricky elements of its own.

After an hour of enthusiasm, we decided we'll probably still fly to .. wherever it is.

And in the meantime, the owner never got back to us.. dilemma resolved, dream (of crossing the world by road, in more peaceful times) - remains.

Can I sleep while he drives?

 If the owner of this camper-van is reading this: please contact me. I promise we'll treat your car like family. Really.

Where to go?

One and a half years ago, I was an associate brand manager at Procter&Gamble's European headquarters in Geneva. I was marketing top quality hair color to Russia's value-driven ladies, and felt there might be more out there.
The IOMBA was my next step. The 1-year MBA focusing on International Organizations helped me learn a lot about the issues of poverty, of development, of International Organizations.
Now I'm ready to go to the field. Or at least.. I think I'm ready.
My internship contract at the World Economic Forum ends in 1 month, and after allowing some time for packing, farewells, and final fondues, I'm taking my best pal are heading.. well, somewhere.

So where can an ex-marketing gal and her medical-device-engineer-guy go make a small difference and a gain a big life and professional experience? we reviewed our options.

1. Burma. Apparently the hottest development spot on earth nowadays, the locals are known to be friendly, the scenery beautiful - not yet spoiled by the aid industry - and the opportunities huge. Cons: not much internet connection, dual country name confusing.
2. India, and most specifically - New Delhi. I got an offer in New Delhi, and after a few conversations with friends, we even managed to believe it could be a great experience. Cons: tough weather, extreme poverty, development is yesterday's news.
3. Africa (which is not in itself, a country). Africa seems so exotic and full of opportunities. Cons: where to go? Kenya? Ethiopia? urban or rural? and quite importantly - what about our safety?

So we started talking to everyone we know. Friends, colleagues, family. Even started a blog. Any thoughts?