Potpourri

If this blog entry were a Jeopardy category, Alex would refer to it as 'Potpourri' because potpourri pretty well sums up how this week has been.

First, I ran into a bit of a SNAFU with immigration upon my arrival back in Botswana after my trip to Australia, so I have spent much of my week sorting that out. Next, the Mochudi Prevention Project has been moving full-steam ahead, so I spent some of my time getting updated on the progress and plans for the future. Finally, our CFO introduced me to the Executive Secretary of the Nurses Association of Botswana and I am now working on a project for the Southern African Network of Nurses and Midwives General Assembly Meeting. So, here are the ingredients in this week's potpourri 1, 2, 3.

1) When I landed in Gaborone last week, after spending time in Sydney, the immigration officer at the airport informed me that I did NOT have the proper documentation for my extended stay in Botswana. I showed her my exemption certificate that allowed me to work in Botswana until June 2011 and explained that I thought this was all that I needed. However, it seems that I was supposed to have obtained an exemption certificate for residency in addition to the one for work. Thankfully, the immigration officer gave me an 8-day stamp in my passport which gave me time to spend this week getting the proper documentation. Any 'foreigner' who has spent any time in the immigration office in Gaborone can empathize with the experiences I have had this week- getting conflicting information, waiting in lines when there seems to be an abundance of personnel wondering around behind the counter, and the sense of relief when someone finally helps you with your 'problem'. So, at this point, I have a temporary permit to wait for my official exemption certificate to be ready in 14 business days. By mid-November, I'll either be a legitimate worker and resident, or I'll be home in time for Thanksgiving.

2) In between trips to the immigration office, I had time to get updated on the progress of the Mochudi Prevention Project. We had our weekly conference call with the Boston constituency on Tuesday, and things are really moving forward. The clinic is still pretty slow because participants don't come to the clinic until after they have been visited in their homes by the home-based counselors. Two of the major challenges we are facing right now is a lack of space for our growing team to function and inadequate transportation to allow the home-based counselors to do their work as efficiently as possible. In most of my previous work experiences, I have known in advance EXACTLY how things were supposed to roll out and had all the resources available to ensure that things went according to 'the plan.' This project has been a little different in that we are continuing to make minor (and major) adjustments as we go along.

3) The final ingredient in this week's potpourri was a fortunate connection to the Executive Secretary for the Nurses Association of Botswana. Apparently my name came up in a social conversation and she thought I might be interested in helping with a few projects that are underway. She was right! I am working on one project for the Southern African Assembly of Nurses and Midwives, and with my supervisor at BHP's permission, I am hoping to work on a few other projects she has-- including analyzing survey data... my FAVORITE!

So, this has been a bit long-winded and I don't even have a good picture to go along with it! If you need an image, just close your eyes and imagine yourself getting passport-sized photos taken by a friendly, entrepreneurial Motswana who has set up shop outside the immigration office and before he takes the picture, he reaches out and helps you adjust your bra strap.