to find a flat

We are on day three of apartment hunting and frustrated, but hopeful. We need to secure a place by tonight because we have nowhere to sleep tomorrow night!

I say we, because I will be rooming with another Canadian who is working for the UNDP. The cost of living here is so high, we really have no choice but to share with someone. Lucky for me, she is just lovely! I have not had a roomie for over 20 years, so it will be an adjustment for me, I hope I am as pleasant to live with as I imagine she is!

One can expect to pay Vancouver prices on the island of Hulhumale. We could only find one apartment on Villingili for a crazy figure, so avoided that. It will mean at least an hour commute to work from Hulhumale, but quality of life is higher there, and costs significantly less money than it would cost on the capital. On the capital of Male, you're looking at NYC prices. We found a classified system to use online called ibay. It is quite good, and recommended by locals as an honest system- I would recommend it to others coming here.

We will be just steps away from this incredible view. This is a fact of life here, these are the surroundings. I hope I will actually be able to concentrate on work with this just out the door!

First Impressions – 50 years of Independence

 Was glad to land early in the morning – the heat was already quite intense, but clear skies afforded incredible views of the archipelago – pure white beaches and shallow reefs holding beds of turquoise water and coral islands,  clear enough water to see the sea bottom from the sky. Too bad my camera was buried! (Quick tidbit: The Maldives consists of 26 natural atolls, or clusters of islands, comprising 1192 islands)

From the airport, on the mostly man-made island of Hulhumalé, I took a boat to Malé, the capital city and one of two cities in the country, then transferred to a taxi to get across island to the next ferry pier.

Malé really is a shore-to-shore city island, dense and tightly compacted with narrow brick-laid streets along with the intense traffic you’d expect in South Asia! Hold your breath and hang on... I then caught a second boat to the quiet little island of Villingili, where I am staying for this first week. This transit took a little over an hour and cost less than $3. Was interesting trying to navigate my girth of luggage through all this on my own (where's my habibi?!)… but I managed with a helpful hand here and there.

I happened to land on the 50^th Anniversary of Independence from the UK, (July 26, 1965) so the streets were shutting down for festivity, everything was covered in red, green and white ribbons and lights to match the flag, even the boats, trees and street signs. 

The Maldives’ President Yameen was in attendance and apparently had opened a special office this year to oversee the grand spectacle to mark the jubilee.  And for a little more interesting history, three years after Independence, in March 1968, there was a referendum which abolished a long-standing sultanate to establish the Republic in place today.

Preparations

In just a few hours I shall finally embark on an exciting journey. 27 hours from Seattle to Dubai, landing in my temporary new home, Malé, the capital of Maldives.

I am humbled to have the opportunity to work on the first comprehensive mapping of all UN projects in the country, complete with a scalable online map (if I can figure out the tech and sort the data). This will help visualize where there is overlap or gaps in project funding across UN agencies in order to analyze and then strive to harmonize and make future aid more effective. From this mapping illustration, there will be a clearer picture for me to help develop a new Resource Mobilization Strategy to work in alignment with the new UN Development Assistance Framework for the Maldives looking to 2016-2020.  It sounds ambitious for a 6-month stint. It is, and I'm going to be rather busy....

Bags are packed and weighed. I have an invitation letter handy to present at customs. I spent way too much money on some US currency (bad timing!). My remaining belongings are in storage and files in order. I've enjoyed some of my favorite foods that may be tricky to source, thanks to mom! And I've started booking apartment viewings for the day after I land. All set. Even though I've done this a few times before, I'm sure I've forgotten something! And I'm sure it will be fine.