I’ve been chatting with some friends of mine from my time at ECHO, prostate and we’ve been musing on how different it is to no longer be an intern on the farm.  From my time at ECHO, my friends have spread across the globe.  AI is in Mozambique, JB is finishing up in Tanzania, I’m in Thailand, EA left for the Democratic Republic of Congo today, MC is heading to Ethiopia next year, and DH is heading on a six month journey through Europe and then into French Africa to check out projects there.

Today, I was studying up on Zanthoxylem rhetsa, a tree native to northern Thailand which UHDP and Floresta are hoping to learn how to propagate in large numbers.  We’ve been studying it for the past 3 years, and I’ve inherited various research projects on the tree.  I had sent out some emails to past ECHO interns (and fellow co-workers) asking for their advice on how to approach some issues and realized, Hey!  I’m a true ECHO grad now!  In the field, getting my hands dirty and always learning.  It felt very satisfying.