First day
in the office. What a day!
The ride to
the office was so beautiful. What a change from last night. The sun was out and
bright. People were out and about. Colors all over the place. Lush green trees
all around. If it were not for all the numerous NGO cars running around the
city like a ballet of white Ford pickup trucks with different NGO and IGO
labels on them, the city would feel just like any other city in terms of
security.
“Funny”
observation, but the office is located a few meters away from a little shop
making and selling wooden coffins. Not sure what to make of this as an omen for
my stay here or for the success of the project.
The whole
morning was spent meeting with the team. Not much to say about the office,
other than the fact that it looks like a rundown old mention occupied by bums
squatting around. Not because the staffs look like bums, but rather because of
how clueless they seem to be about the project they are working on. And that
includes even the director herself.
After my
time in Senegal, Mali and Morocco, I thought I had prepared myself for this,
but like I mentioned yesterday, I think this is thus far beyond imagination.
The meeting
with the staff all morning was my very first one ever. I mean the very first
one I was running as a supervisor. Yes the project has a local director, but
let’s be honest and realistic, I have the feeling that she will continue doing
what she has been doing thus far, stepping back from all sorts of
responsibilities and executions, and will complacently let me do all the work.
Which in a way is perhaps better for the project, at least at the beginning,
but my role is to accompany her in her tasks so as to help her acquire the
tools to become more efficient and effective at managing the project and her
team by the time I leave.
As much as
I had tried to prepare for this meeting, I felt like I could have done much
better, especially given the context of the project. Sister Flora was there at the table, but
barely spoke. I tried to give her room to speak and contribute, but no.
A few very
preoccupying topics came up during the meeting, such as the instability of not
only the electricity, but also of the generator, which both together, despite
regulators, have ruined the batteries of all the laptops…and that’s for those
who have laptops. I am just hoping that as the project goes along, we will need
to use laptops less and less, at least for the staff.
Getting a
SIM card and cash from a working ATM was off course more complicated than any
other countries I have been to, but it went relatively fast overall…just a bit
over an hour.
I am back
in the office as the staff is progressively going on their lunch break. I stay
in as I have work to do. When I finally go have lunch with the driver, and come
back to the office, by about 2:30pm, I find half the staff gone, and the other
half just hanging around, not doing anything. No electricity, no computer, no
work. (the generator is not supposed to run all day given how small it is, and
how fuel inefficient it is) The most enraging and frustrating part of it is
that Sister Flora tells me that it has been like that for more than a year now…and
you would think that she would have tried to fix this ridiculous solution. Nope…
My gut
tells me we need to cut the staff in half, and relocate to more reliable
offices in the city center where electricity is more constant.
Her absence
of concern and care for how this silliness is a huge constraint on the project
is just mesmerizing.
I suggest to
her that perhaps we should look for another place to work at. She agrees, and
then goes back to doing nothing. I insist. She agrees again and mentions a few
options to look at later. I agree and ask her when. Before she answers I tell
her let’s go now and not waste anymore time. I cant even understand how she didn’t
see how much of a priority this was.
We visit
two places belonging to the church that could work. No point in going back to the
office. She drops me off. It is still early in the afternoon so I get back to
work in my room.
The
cathedral being right next door, I could hear very clearly the locals
rehearsing beautiful songs probably for the visit of the pope supposed to
happen in November. So I took a break and sneak out through the back door to
sit in the back of the cathedral and watch the show. The inside of the cathedral
was quite impressive. Barely any fans compared to the one in Bamako, and barely
any decoration at all. Actually; no decoration at all. The entire ceiling was
made of wood. It is probably the hottest church/cathedral I have ever stepped
into. Strange.
Dinner was
yet another interesting African geopolitical conversation…well, I remained a
listener yet again as I don’t know much at all about such topics. But sitting
there got me closer to these expats, which helps quite much for my integration.
I have the
feeling that those 6 months to come will be a tremendous learning experience
for me, and I strongly hope that I will be able to make this project a success
and deliver what is expected of me.
No
meditation tonight either, I am way to tired.
Laila
Saida, as we say in Morocco…I miss it very much already…
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