"Learning to stand on my own two feet"

(for CDR, a trip down pisdmemory lane)

In an effort to present a balanced perspective of my time here I want
share a more upbeat post :) Many times when I'm moved to write it's
after something major happens- sharing the day-to-day seems like a bit
much and because of limited internet access I wait to post until I've
had time to sit with the personal/professional challenges and
successes that arise. However 'intense' my posts may sound, my intent
is to welcome the reader into my process; not dramatize a situation
but to express my inner monologue in a way that tells a story while
simultaneously helping me to work through different issues. Isolation
has taken on a new meaning since being here and sometimes my only
outlet for 'dialogue' and feedback is through this blog. This leads
me to the title of the post….

Two years ago I was in my second year at Public Allies. That year I
served in the office as a community service project coordinator
charged with the responsibility of planning and implementing three
service projects for 30 Allies, Fellows and staff. This was my first
real attempt at planning a big project from start to finish 'alone.'
While the projects came off as a success I struggled to get the first
project off the ground and in general seeing the whole picture of
project planning. I was surrounded by an incredibly supportive staff
and team of Allies that acted as a sounding board, offered
constructive advice, connected me with able people in the community to
assist, and most of all were there to tie up all of the loose ends I
was forgetting when it came down to the last minute before the service
days began. I was confident at connecting people, networking in the
community, asset based approaches and fostering ideas of my own or
others but I struggled immensely with the little things and when it
came down to the wire there were many gaps in my planning. I was
always putting the cart before horse and unaware of everything that
went into bringing an idea into a product. Luckily, my dudes came
through and the projects were implemented in a successful manner :)

Coming here I have been stripped of that very important support
system. Besides a few phone calls a month and some friends here who
are scattered across the country (all for which I am very grateful!!)
I'm in a position where I'm forced to grow in this way if I want to
see success in my efforts. I'm excited for this professional growth
and thankful for those who carried me to this point. While I have a
different kind of team here I definitely feel like an island most days
when it comes to the background work it takes to reach a point of
clear communication, mobilizing folks in the community, crossing
cultural boundaries, moving forward with solutions to problems, and
connecting all of the dots of this job. I suppose that comes from an
absence a job description, living in a new setting, adjusting to a new
culture etc but I'm definitely seeing where this kind of isolation is
forcing me to a new professional level and standing on my own to see a
process from start to finish.

The shift was most noticeable to me recently when I started sharing
the first steps of the Hostel School Project with potential partners.
Four months ago the Pastor of the Lutheran Church and my supervisor
Tate Ndadi approached me to help find mattresses for the Hostels where
the learners stay during the school term. Through further discussion
and research of the hostels I realized that there were more components
than just mattresses and it was going to take on a large scale project
involving wider community participation. I've spent the last few
months communicating with community members, mapping out the different
layers, setting the stage for the first steps of planning and finally
this week got a draft plan written down on paper. The two page
document created is for the sole purpose of inviting other parties to
join in our efforts. Whether this is the local, national or
international community we are now ready to start rounding up the
troops to take the necessary steps at implementing our project ideas!
I'm sure this is pretty vague to any of you who do not know many
details of the Hostel School project but I'm preparing more literature
that will be posted soon!! To be continued….