INHALE!!! HOLD!!! EXHALE!!!
INHALE!!! HOLD!!! EXHALE!!!
Oh the wonders of meditative breathing on the stressful soul. Works wonders, as long as you are not near Maputo harbour during low tide ;).
At this very moment, I am at Mundos (a popular, sometimes irritating expat pub restaurant), taking a much deserved break (with an extra long 4 day weekend). It is truly a chance to relax, breathe and take it all in, before the pace of life gets turned up another notch.
The project evaluation that had occupied the majority of my time and energy over the last month, along with a slew of other work related activities, came to an end on Wednesday of this week with a very important meeting involving ministers, ambassadors, the top UN representative in Mozambique and the head of the Police, among many others. I am pleased to say that it all went smoothly and was received very positively. The team that we contracted put together a high quality, not to mention lengthy (97 pages) report with over 15 recommendations that do not shy away from the controversial. However, it seemed to satisfy all parties involved and create a much needed space for positive and progressive dialogue. My project colleagues at the Police and I took a deep sigh of relief and satisfaction at the overall success of the mission, before I noted to all present "you know what this means right? Now we have to follow through on what was started, which means much more work to come." Aside from the obvious editing, translation, printing/ reproduction and distribution of the report; the much more important work of trying to address all the challenges and implement the recommendations included in it is what will now be the most important challenge in the remaining time i have here. Interestingly for me, there was a strong emphasis and general agreement that the position that I have occupied for the last 7 months should be continued, and its role expanded (whether that will mean that I continue to occupy this position for the years to come will depend on a number of factors that will not be fully clear until early next year I believe, so we will continue to wait and see).
October, will afford me little additional rest as the project on Legal Empowerment is schedule to conclude in the coming weeks, which when added to a number of other ongoing activities will surely mean additional long days and more meditative breathing exercises ;). However, it looks like October may end in an exciting fashion as I have been tapped to represent our Country Office at a conference on Armed Violence and Development in Nairobi Kenya. I still do not have the full details, but am very excited at the prospect of spending a week in Nairobi, and am discussing with Kat the possibility of having her join me there.
She is scheduled to depart this continent and return home at the end of November, but not before we take a couple of weeks off (most of November in fact) to go on a beaching road trip. I expect that the next couple of months will fly by much like August and September did, only this time with much less work related hair loss ;).
I can't wait to be taking deep breaths of fresh ocean air for a change....INHALE!!!HOLD........
INHALE!!! HOLD!!! EXHALE!!!
Oh the wonders of meditative breathing on the stressful soul. Works wonders, as long as you are not near Maputo harbour during low tide ;).
At this very moment, I am at Mundos (a popular, sometimes irritating expat pub restaurant), taking a much deserved break (with an extra long 4 day weekend). It is truly a chance to relax, breathe and take it all in, before the pace of life gets turned up another notch.
The project evaluation that had occupied the majority of my time and energy over the last month, along with a slew of other work related activities, came to an end on Wednesday of this week with a very important meeting involving ministers, ambassadors, the top UN representative in Mozambique and the head of the Police, among many others. I am pleased to say that it all went smoothly and was received very positively. The team that we contracted put together a high quality, not to mention lengthy (97 pages) report with over 15 recommendations that do not shy away from the controversial. However, it seemed to satisfy all parties involved and create a much needed space for positive and progressive dialogue. My project colleagues at the Police and I took a deep sigh of relief and satisfaction at the overall success of the mission, before I noted to all present "you know what this means right? Now we have to follow through on what was started, which means much more work to come." Aside from the obvious editing, translation, printing/ reproduction and distribution of the report; the much more important work of trying to address all the challenges and implement the recommendations included in it is what will now be the most important challenge in the remaining time i have here. Interestingly for me, there was a strong emphasis and general agreement that the position that I have occupied for the last 7 months should be continued, and its role expanded (whether that will mean that I continue to occupy this position for the years to come will depend on a number of factors that will not be fully clear until early next year I believe, so we will continue to wait and see).
October, will afford me little additional rest as the project on Legal Empowerment is schedule to conclude in the coming weeks, which when added to a number of other ongoing activities will surely mean additional long days and more meditative breathing exercises ;). However, it looks like October may end in an exciting fashion as I have been tapped to represent our Country Office at a conference on Armed Violence and Development in Nairobi Kenya. I still do not have the full details, but am very excited at the prospect of spending a week in Nairobi, and am discussing with Kat the possibility of having her join me there.
She is scheduled to depart this continent and return home at the end of November, but not before we take a couple of weeks off (most of November in fact) to go on a beaching road trip. I expect that the next couple of months will fly by much like August and September did, only this time with much less work related hair loss ;).
I can't wait to be taking deep breaths of fresh ocean air for a change....INHALE!!!HOLD........
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