What's going on?

Excited, anxious, hyperactive, indolent, enthusiastic, cautious, optimistic...

In just a few days' time, I'm setting off to spend 8 weeks in Cameroon in West Africa. No, it's not a holiday - I expect to work hard most of the time, and face some pressure to get results.

I first heard about this scheme a couple of years ago. "Wales for Africa" - the Welsh Assembly Government were putting money and effort into development work in sub-Saharan Africa, forging links between organisations, schools, and communities.

A branch of WAG had set up a project for Welsh public sector managers and leaders to do short-term work placements through VSO, an international volunteer organisation. The idea behind these "International Learning Opportunities" was that of shared learning. The people who went out to Africa would share their transferable or specialist expertise, helping to build the capacity of local people to develop in their own way, to achieve their own goals. Returning to Wales, they would bring their own learning back to benefit their home organisations and the public sector in general.

Great idea isn't it? WOW, I thought, wish I could do that! At the time, no way. But then last July my boss sent me an email. Public Service Management Wales was holding a drop-in event in Lampeter University to publicise this ILO scheme. Why not go along? So I did.

And now, many months later, here I am, getting ready to depart at last!