**NOTE: this was composed awhile ago-due to a broken computer, a constant flow of visitors, and VACATION (WAHOO!), I have slacked in posting for waaaaay too long. More current posts will be coming soon...whatever soon means :))
Has it really been six months since I left the beautiful Bay Area?! It was JUST New Years, and Julie and Neal were visiting. Hey, speaking of: if you want a good time, come see me! I’ll let you clean up termites & cockroaches; share a bed with two other people; AND cause you to fry in the hot sun, whilst hungry and thirsty, as you search for me sans cell phone for hours on end (life is rough without that glorious little communication device…who knew??!)…Can you believe they actually want to come back (you guys are amazing!)??
From my first full January weekend (which was the Wall Graffiti Program described in one of my earlier blog posts), deadlines have demanded my attention-so much so, that I hardly even noticed it was St. Patrick’s Day; that is, until my co-worker came in wearing blinking shamrocks! The strange part, however, is that even the normally-mundane tasks of creating schedules and inventory lists have been abnormally fulfilling. I found myself at the office from 7 am until 11 pm last night feeling challenged and focused until probably the last hour (when the whining in my head started). The hours vary day-to-day (as does my attitude), but I have several projects going on right now and ALL of them excite me! [Here, again, my ADHD rears its ugly head: which to work on first?? Dr. G, I’ll have you know that all the prioritizing training is paying off (at least in one very important area…everything else is bound to fall into place any day now…yep, aaany day…)]
For those who are curious about the activities they are so generously supporting (other than the Wall Graffiti event and allowing mosquitoes to feast on me), the following is a brief recap of my first three-and-a-half months of 2009:
*Back in November we started running a three-day workshop for the victims of bonded labor rescued in the most recent operations to help with the transition into lives of freedom, aptly named “Freedom Trainings.” Since then, one of my projects has been to help create some, and continually refine the, curriculum and materials used during this workshop (for more on this subject, please read my blog post titled, “Let Freedom Ring”). We have already organized three “freedom trainings” in 2009, and foresee many more in the coming months, including one next week. We expect over 50 individuals at that training.
*Reports, reports, reports! Annual reports are due to government officials in each district. Since January, these have filled several nights of editing all of the documentation kept on families, as well as compiling statistical data. Also, starting in January, our office was selected to participate in a study to ensure our “aftercare” department is actually accomplishing what it says it is, and is actually helpful to the families we serve. All offices will have to participate in these monthly reports come July, but for now, just a few offices are helping create measurable indicators, that make sense to our American headquarters and donors, but that are appropriate for the type of work each office is focused on and culturally accurate. For our office, I have been given the role of point person/data collector. I don’t envy the committee in charge of creating this study: victims of forced prostitution require a very different aftercare response than victims of forced labor, and yet they must create indicators that do not create a ton of extra paperwork for the field offices but do allow our output to be evaluated objectively by onlookers. It’s been fascinating, despite the headaches.
*A second round of graduate-level social work students began, and I was able to help orient our newest addition to her internship. It’s been great to discuss her experiences and share my own tips over the weeks. We’re preparing curriculum now for a month-long intensive internship (called “Block Placement”) for final year MSW (Masters of Social Work) students from nearby colleges. The session I am currently helping prepare for, and will co-lead, is on PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
*Perhaps the biggest chunk of time, after the aftercare indicators pilot study and freedom training preparation, has been spent writing an initial project proposal for a partnership with another NGO that is near and dear to my heart; one that would provide a much needed service for the families we work with. It is a joint proposal, written for both organizations, with several deadlines. Thankfully, it is not in my hands at the moment, so I’ve had a few days to breathe.
Other than the Freedom Trainings, these tasks have kept me glued to my desk at the office, so it was a treat to make it back to a village this week. I was able to observe a children’s group led by our current student intern; visit with a young girl who had participated in the Wall Graffiti program as I shared pictures with her mother and grandfather from that weekend; and accompany a young burn victim and her ailing mother back to the city and its hospitals. My direct involvement ended that evening after settling them into their lodging for the night, but the news from the following day was extremely hopeful for both patients.
In February, I was able to take a few days off to travel. I rode the train to a neighboring state for a friend’s wedding; and took a few days off later in the month when Ben came to visit. He experienced the city for the first half of the week, while I worked; and THEN…flew us both to the infamous Taj Mahal. Easter was celebrated with a glorious feast shared by approximately twenty friends, both expats and nationals, following church (the sunrise service was avoided, as many churches start these services at 3 or 4 am!!! As fun as THAT sounds…I would prefer to actually be awake for the sermon). And there you have the main happenings of 2009 thus far.
May you all be enjoying the cherry blossoms and sweet smells of Spring...
