Well. It took a few days of phone calls, research and thinking, but after I realized Ethiopia wouldn't work for this trip, I decided to go with Haiti.

There are a few reasons for this, but primarily I think it'll be interesting to look at Canadian aid in two countries with totally different environments. In Tanzania, President Jakaya Kikwete has worked with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on making aid more accountable. Haiti, on the other hand, has had its share of political problems and Canada has looked at cutting back its commitment there. If I'm to examine Canada's aid effectiveness - an enormous proposition that makes me wonder why I so grandly pitched it - then these could be two extremes.

Canada has focused its maternal, newborn and child health programming in 10 countries. Any of them would make fascinating stories. Ethiopia, for example, has seen great results, in part because of the level of control its government exercises.

I only have two months away from my normal job to get this project done. I'll have all of my travel done within six weeks, which sounds like a substantial amount of time but doesn't feel like it when I look at my calendar. That includes a couple of days in NYC to do interviews at the UN, and leaves me two weeks to write and edit my work. Consider my nerves wracked.