Job

My vacation ended voluntarily this month. Now I brave the Bangkok commute for about an hour each way, taking sky train, motorcycle taxi, van, bus, or boat.

I’m the writer/editor for the CDC’s Global AIDS Program. Over here the CDC collaborates with the Thai Ministry of Public Health on preventing, caring for, and monitoring a handful of infectious diseases. Mostly the focus is on HIV, TB, and lately, bird flu. About 15 Americans and 150 Thais share an office.

Most of the day I’m at a computer, dealing with reports and scientific abstracts. In the background I hear the sounds of Thai language floating between cubicles. I teach informally, about things like participles and passives and plurals. In time they may add “records manager” to my title.

It’s one of the few times in my life when I haven’t worked in formal education. My contract lasts one year. For the moment this work is fun and social. I miss having kids around, but I don’t miss some of the silliness that happens in schools among adults.