I got to know EPOS in 1996 through short-term assignments in Uzbekistan and later India which turned out to be a lucky break for me. These assignments led to Dr. Gaertner offering me long-term employment with EPOS in 2000. Although I had to give up my academic career as a Social Anthropologist at the University of Heidelberg in the process of completing my habilitation, I have never regretted the change. The following years were challenging; working as team leader for 6 years in India; more than 2 years in Bangladesh (both GIZ projects); and in 2011, in Tajikistan (EU project), where I continued as short-term expert after retirement in 2012. I enjoyed my work and responsibilities as a project manager, and the successful implementation of new projects, involving team work and familiarization with new key areas; like Quality Management in Health und Health Information Systems. My knowledge of Hindi and the cultural background of the countries I worked in helped a lot, but perhaps even more important was the support received through EPOS HQ, and experiencing loyalty, solidarity and responsiveness by the management. For all this I am grateful to EPOS, especially to Dr. Gaertner, who provided valuable backup support and always took a deep interest in the progress and struggles of my work abroad. I wish EPOS the best of luck for the future.