Category Archives: unexpected adventures

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  what do I have in common with Julia Roberts? how being a dog owner is like being a celebrity

  Posted on September 25, 2012 by nikkimeredith in dogs, family, odds and sods, rituals, unexpected adventures.

  I have never been, nor will I ever be, a celebrity — not even for Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes.  But I maintain that having a dog shares some of the features of celebrityhood and if you walk around with two dogs, you’re on your way to being a super celebrity. When our dog Alice was […]

  Post Tagged with dog people, dog walking, dogsitting, everyone wants to talk about their dog, Golden Doodles, wanting to talk about dogs
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  the path not taken: a mother and her aid worker daughter

  Posted on August 22, 2012 by nikkimeredith in family, love of a mother, Mother-Daughter Relationships, odds and sods, unexpected adventures.

  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,  And sorry I could not travel both…  Robert Frost “Mom, please tell me….if it’s going to be too hard on you, I won’t go.” Caitlin and I were sitting outside at Emporio Rulli, our neighborhood Italian Bakery drinking tea on a shimmering fall day. She was scheduled to […]

  Post Tagged with darfur, humanitarian aid work, mother-daughter relationship, mother's worry, parents of adult children, road not taken
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  shitty in pink: lady aid worker conquers night time latrine visits

  Posted on August 18, 2012 by nikki in aid work, health and beauty, odds and sods, rituals, unexpected adventures.

  I have one key piece of advice for female aid workers on their way to Africa: once you get there, get a potty. This might even be more important than my earlier advice about underwear. Displaying your undies  in full view of your boss only happens once a week – the potty issue comes up […]

  Post Tagged with Africa aid worker, aid work, humanitarian aid, latrines, latrines at night, refugee camp, south sudan
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  love triangle in south sudan

  Posted on August 6, 2012 by nikki in aid work, unexpected adventures.

  Both of my translators were an hour late for my morning meeting with the 40 outreach workers. When Timoty and Anur  arrived – after I’d been desperately (and unsuccessfully) pantomiming a short message about which teams needed to fill out new HR forms for the past 45 minutes – I asked them where they had […]

  Post Tagged with aid work, cure for broken heart, love triangles, refugee camps, south sudan refugees, traditional healers in africa
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  first days in jamam refugee camp, south sudan: a photo essay

  Posted on August 5, 2012 by nikki in aid work, unexpected adventures.

  Stefanos, the Nigerian feeding center nurse in the forefront. Prominently displayed compound clothesline in background. Don’t look for my knickers. Haven’t tackled that project yet. 45 people, 2 “shower” cubicles, just to the right of the clotheslines. Make it quick.

  Post Tagged with aid worker compound, aid worker living conditions, jamam refugee camp, refugee camp, refugee camp living conditions, south sudan
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