Learning to let go
on Fiona Craven (Guyana), 01/Apr/2012 02:59, 34 days ago
Yesterday was my last official day of work. WooHoo you might think. But it’s more a case of BooHoo as I move another step closer to the end of my time here. Without a doubt, this has been the best year of my working life. Over the last 13 months I have gained years of experience: clinical experience gained working with fascinating patients, teaching experience coachingthe rehabilitation assistants, management experience overseeing speech and language therapy services nationally, media experience through being interviewed for TV, radio and writing press releases, experience in presentations and negotiating for funding with government ministries and international NGOs……… I am able to look back on a successful placement and feel proud of all that has been achieved, but I can also recognise that I have gained as much, if not more, than I have given.I say that this is my last official day of work, though in reality there are still some projects I will be working on over the next few weeks. As someone who finds it hard to let go, I am learning some valuable lessons in accepting that we can’t always do everything we might like to be able to. There are still so many projects I would love to support, so many colleagues I wish I had more time to spend with….but as one volunteer friend reminded me this week, I am not indisposable and I need to hand over to my local colleagues. VSO’sethos is one of working oneself out of a job, of making oneself redundant. While in theory I embrace that ethos, I am now finding that in practice it can be a more difficult thing to accept. Being fully committed to something, it can be with some reluctance that we hand it all over and accept thatit is time to move on.My final day saw my colleagues and I recording a TV programme on autism, followed by an afternoon at the ministry. We recently secured a grant of US$7,000 from an external funder for our school screenings project (that’s over 1.4 million Guyanese dollars!). In signing the endless paperwork for the cheques, I had to put down the amount of each purchase in words. After a morning in front of the camera, I gave the ministry staff a good giggle as I stood there frazzled and confused at how to convert $461,547.04 into words!! The fun and laughter with my colleagues I will miss. The bureaucracy at the ministry I will not!To all my wonderful colleagues, THANKYOU for helping to make this last year such an incredible experience…..Angie and Sharon at a workshop on DysphagiaIzana doing school screenings in Lethem, R#9Sharon and Kerianne in our old speech dept.Tawia doing school screenings in Fort Wellington, R#5Grace& I in a workshop with the Nurses Aids,Ptolmey-Reid Rehabilitation Centre, GeorgetownYonette from Port Mourant, R#6 on work placement attachment,The Palms, GeorgetownCall-back workshop for the new graduatesYulander working with a patientDruan& I doing school screenings in Annai, R#9A parent, Yulander& Grace watch as we record a TV programmein the new speech dept., GPHCShaine, Desia and Simone working togetherMarvel, Felicia and Charmaine in Bartica, R#7Candace, the only speech& language therapist in Guyana-  my wonderful colleague and friend.