Pre-Colombian travel time

Of course I meant to get in here earlier, air the place out and generally re-acquaint myself with this blog. But here I am: with less than a day before take-off and I am only just re-discovering how to add a new post.

Another trip! This time our project is centred in Bogotà, Colombia, where we will be working with the organization SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje = Colombia's National Training Service) on a project to develop training for artisanal gold miners. For the uninitiated, 'artisanal' miners are individuals, families and small groups who conduct very small-scale mining efforts. Many artisanal gold mining activities are marginally or downright illegal and for good reason since they can involve extensive use of mercury and other toxic chemicals, dangerous to human health and destructive to the environment. Not surprisingly, the Colombian government wants to change this. Artisanal gold mining can be done more safely without compromising productivity so that will be the focus of training. We Canadians won't be doing any direct training in the field -- that will be done by SENA trainers whose presence is not nearly so politically charged in sometimes-contested mining areas as that of Canadian nationals. We will be working at arms' length to train-the-trainers in learner analysis and curriculum development skills.

This trip marks the very beginning of the project: the 'inception mission' in which we meet our partners, sort out project details, and come up with a Project Implementation Plan. I have never been on an inception mission before so it will be different, attending meetings rather than delivering workshops all day and frantically developing or revising them every night in preparation for the following day's work.

Can you tell I'm excited??! Sure wish my Spanish was better...