Last Work Update

So, here's another work update. Most days for the past few weeks I feel like I am slammed with things to do. I am working more than 40 hours a week trying to get things done. There are a lot of little things that need to get done, and a few major projects to finish before I am ready to head back to the US.

Since the opening of the clinic, or maybe the week before that, I feel like things picked up pace a lot. I felt like I was running around a lot trying to get things accomplished. Compared to when I started here it was a lot busier. Yet I still have those moments of rest and down-time in the office when I have nothing left to do in that particular moment, or I am waiting on someone or something, to move forward.

I still have not adjusted to some of the more different ways things are done here. Meetings that do not start on time, or end on time, or simply run on for hours without accomplishing their intended objectives still annoy me. The formality of certain meetings is confusing as well. There are things that simply make no sense to me and even though people have tried to explain why they happen I don't fully comprehend the rationale behind them.

My last few weeks of work were very busy. There were so many things that I wanted to get done and not a lot of time to get things done. But I also had to be practical with my plans. I made a list of my priorities and what was most realistic to get done. From there I did my best.

One of my major concerns was the clinic. This is one my favorite project that I have worked on during my time here. It is a big accomplishment I believe and I am also concerned that it might not last when I leave. So, for the past few weeks I have been working on transitioning two of the people I trained to be the primary people running the clinic. When I left Nzara, I told Dr. Maad to look after "my baby" and I think he will.

Another project that was very important to me was finally getting together with the community leaders and religious leaders from Yambio. I met with them and spent 3 hours talking to them about different mental health issues. They asked different questions and talked about different problems the community faces. We also managed to discuss some maternal health stuff as well.

I finalized my education with the staff members. The last staff education was with the leadership team where we discussed stress management in the office. There is a lot of stress in the office and a lot of challenges that the staff face so it was important to me that we discuss those issues. The session was well attended and seemed well received so now I just hope that they are able to implement some of the suggestions that I recommended.

I finished my education with the maternity units, focusing on their role in maternal mental health. There are a lot of different things we could focus on but I tried to discuss things that were most relevant to them, like post-partum depression and psychosis. These are things they deal with every day. Each session the staff were engaged and asked lots of questions, which I like. The maternity unit has several really smart staff that I hope will be able to more successfully work with the patients who are also struggling with mental health.

I had lots of other projects and lots of busy days. It was good to be that busy and to finally have projects that I could focus on. When I first got here, I wrote about how much I was struggling to find work. Now, as I prepare to leave, I have lots of work. But I wrapped up my main projects, made ideas for future projects and some plans. I am in a good place with my work and happy with what I have done here.