esterday we awoke and decided it was going to be a relaxing day. We tried to find an internet café, but most charge per MB. We had hoped to find one that gives you free internet if you buy a tea, but unfortunately that did not happen. Instead we sat for as long as we could in the Long Street Café, then walked back to the hostel and watched a movie.
T.I.A. This is Africa. It is simpler, laid-back, and life happens at a slow, s-l-o-w pace. It is a blessing and a burden. A blessing in that Brittany and I have had much extra leisure time that we didn’t expect that has allowed us to do the touristy stuff. A burden in that our work stuff is lagging. We are used to working long hours and at a fast pace. But we have been pushed back two weeks already because it was too rainy for people to come to the clinic, and now because it was too much to do in one day to meet the members AND do interviews. I must learn to sit back and breathe (a strange concept, I know) but so far I am much too anxious. Today we were supposed to interview the members so that we could prepare a menu for next week, and a presentation of the menu and dietary based guidelines for the following week. Now we will conduct the interviews next week, present the menu the following week, and introduce the dietary guidelines the following week. Unfortunately, because of the slow pace, we have had to improvise our quantitative measurements. Taking measurements would be useless if the members are not changing their diets until about 4 weeks. So, Brittany and I are administering a questionnaire at the beginning and end to note changes in diet and beliefs regarding food and weight (before and after the menu and presentations). Hopefully that will work. Only time will tell….
On another note, I finished the books I brought in the first few days, so I was excited to find a library at the hostel. I picked up a teenage fantasy adventure book and found a quote that I really liked.
“It may be that you never return to the places dearest to you. Nut how can that matter, if what you must do is here and now?”
2 comments:
Hi Sarah,
I'm working with DukeEngage as an Individual Projects Advisor: Hi! Thanks for all of your posts; it's great to read so many details about the area and the people and it sounds as though you're settling into a bit of a groove. Resetting your time, though, so that you run at a slower, laid-back, and simpler pace can be a challenge, but I hope you'll not only come to terms with it as the summer progresses but also find new ways of working in the world and with people that can combine productivity with good face-to-face time. Another DukeEngager blogging with us, Anna Afonso (check her out at DukeEngage's blog), also commented on different approaches to time; she felt that the busy schedule and hectic pace limited our ability to be involved with the people who made up our communities. This approach certainly doesn't help budget time when you've only one day to meet and interview members after two weeks of rain but it may offer another perspective on sitting back and breathing. You've improvised your quantitative measurements already; what other information or improvisations might emerge as a result? I look forward to reading more about your project! Take care, winter
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