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The first week on my own as the new boss went about as well as I could have hoped. Knowing this type of work as well as I do I set my expectations for the week incredibly low, so I was guaranteed to make it to the end of the week feeling pretty good about it all… and it didn’t disappoint. I met some people and made some decisions and organized some things and fixed a computer and encouraged some staff and watched and learned and asked a whole lot of questions. There is so much I want to do and so much I wish I could do and so many ideas and hopes and dreams, and I’m so grateful I get to do this.
I did realize something this week. Though I’ve spent most of my career in public health, and now have made the switch to social justice, while the subject is different, the problems that need solving are actually the same. My roommate works in education and in talking to her I see the exact same thing. Whether you’re in health or social justice or education or really any arena… though the arena is different, the obstacles are the same, across the developing world. There isn’t enough money, trained personnel, supplies, governmental support, or accountability, in any arena. There are lots of hospitals being built, so that the numbers related to access look good; a lower population per hospital number. But quality care is not available in those hospitals. There are lots of schools, everywhere, so that it looks like we have enough schools to cover the entire population, but the kids aren’t learning anything, and graduating without knowing how to read or write. There are orphanages opening to take kids off the street but their quality of life hasn’t actually improved. And these problems are so complex; there are so many components to them, they are so tangled up in each other and systemic issues and throw a war or an epidemic into the mix and there’s just no easy way to fix it all. If there was an answer, a path to follow, a simple set of instructions to make these things all better, it would have been instituted long ago; but instead of feeling overwhelmed by it all we decide to put on foot in front of the other, and step by step we do the next right thing, trying to make it a little better each day.
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I really like my apartment and my roommate is fantastic; it’s a little way off the busy roads and we have plenty of space. No matter what window you’re looking out of, you can see palm trees. I’ve gotten comfortable driving the thirty minutes each way to the office, and I’ve visited several different grocery stores to figure out where I can get various items at the best price possible. Food is surprisingly expensive here, so I’ve had to adjust my budget a bit and have already eaten quite a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I’m grateful for what I have and for the delicious local pineapples and papayas I enjoy on a regular basis. I visited a local fitness class that left me sore for days, I’ll definitely be going back. I went to the beach on Saturday, hosted a dinner party on Sunday, and am gradually getting to know people and make friends and feel like this place is starting to become my home.
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We’re just heading in to rainy season, and everyone is telling me how awful it is. Apparently this area sees upwards of three feet of rain per month during rainy season; most of the roads get flooded out, transportation is difficult, clothes never really dry, and general misery presides. I’m not really sure what to think of this. I’ve lived through a lot of rainy seasons in various countries but this seems like it will be the most intense. A lot of expats go home during this season, something to definitely keep in mind for next year! But the weather’s been fine so far, a mix of sun and clouds with occasional rains, the heat index (combination of temp and humidity) putting us in the upper nineties every day, which isn’t too bad if you have a fan. But in these days leading to rainy season I’m grateful for every day I can see blue skies peeking through the palm trees out my window.
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Today is a holiday here, Unification Day. I'm grateful for one extra day off to have enjoyed the weekend fully and still feel prepared to face the week and figure out what to focus my time and energy on in the days ahead. Overall, life is good. I have three or four other blog posts started about specific things, but I know some readers were anxious for a general update, so here you go. Thanks for following along this journey with me! A few photos:
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