Onward!

My definition of a great day is when you check your e-mail and the OSCE has sent you a message asking if you would be interested in participating in one of the upcoming election observation missions. And if so, would you prefer to be sent to Kazakhstan, Bosnia, Belarus, Ukraine, or Macedonia? While some might find this a nightmarish choice, I feel like I just won a Carribean cruise.

I'm lobbying for Ukraine as it's by far the most important election of the bunch, but it would mean that I'd miss Halloween AND our own presidential elections. While I could always vote absentee, I was hoping to be around for the celebration. My second choice is Bosnia, because I've been wanting to go there for ages, and I've got a thing for landmines. But as I told the recruiter, I'll go anywhere. It's only for a week, all the elections fall between October and November, and my job will pay for my time spent with the OSCE, so no need to take vacation time. Although I can always change my flight home and spend a few extra vacation days in Wintry Kiev or skip over to Croatia or... Ah. I love traveling. Especially when someone else is paying. Democracy rules.