Lusaka again

I guess I should start this post by explaining that I've decided to stay in Livingstone and not take the job in Lusaka. Despite leadership problems with my organisation I think I'm helping them to become a bit more professional, even if it is very slow progress. And Livingstone is a lovely place to live, and very nice for hosting all the visitors who are coming in the next few weeks!

I've spent the last 10 days in Lusaka though, at various VSO meetings. I'm on the Volunteer Committee and it's nice to have the chance to do what feels more like a normal job, helping to organise VSO Zambia's annual conference next month. Last week was also a callback workshop for all the volunteers who arrived in February, and it was really nice to see everyone again and hear how other people's placements are going.

As is the theme of my life, it felt like something of a holiday, being in a capital city and going to restaurants and bars that are more like London than Livingstone's tourist offerings. It was a real treat to see some live music, and eat Chinese food! Also nice to see the new boyfriend who is lovely if inconveniently located.

Spending the week with VSO made me a bit less cynical about the development industry than I've been of late, and it was good to have chance to think about how gender issues in particular could play a bigger part in all our work. So this week at least I'm feeling quite optimistic about work, and as I'm almost exactly 6 months in it suddenly feels like a year is an incredibly short amount of time to make any kind of impression. Most of my colleagues are away on workshops again this week (my favourite is one about longterm strategic planning, that we were given 2 days notice of) so progress is slow again, but I think I my be learning to accept that. This year will hopefully teach me some patience at least...