Barrake jumen Ne bolo?/Quelle travaille est-ce que je fais?/What do I work on?

During my bad month, I tried to stay focused on my work instead of my problems. But, I really wanted everything to be about me. However, I made some head-way on my work here! I have been working with the local high school to create a "Career Day" for the top students. I would have liked to have invited all of the students, but after creating a budget, I found that it's not feasible. So, what me and the director have planned is to invite eight professionals from various fields of work, to talk to the students about how they became lawyers, doctors, radio personalities, NGO workers, etc. And I hope, that this day will also be a platform for some networking and possible summer-internships for the students in attendance!

I came up with this idea after I sat in on a biology class. There were only five students seated there that day, out of a total of eight who are registered. And half of the class are girls. I talked with the teacher afterward to find out why the number of students focused on the sciences is so miniscule compared to the others. He said, the students are scared, lazy and not motivated and last year, there were 10 biology students and only five of them passed the Bacculaurate (an equivalent to an American high school diploma). This really saddened me because I was a science major and I want to motivate more students to pursue it. Hence, i asked the director if he'd be open to hosting a "Career Day" and voila, we plan to host one on April 9th!

My other project is the construction of a school library. I've asked the Ministry of Education for help on this project and from talking with them, I see that this is going to be a huge undertaking. I have to host meetings, write budgets/timelines, find funding, find books, find librarians. But the biggest stressor is working with people, and not just people, but people who have no concept of time! And honestly, I'm more like a "Creative Director", than a "Manager", but Peace Corps has provided me with tools to help me do all of this (Do any of you have tips on management???) But, I find myself wondering, "Did I jump into this too soon?" Maybe, maybe not, but this library is needed and I'm going to try my very best to get it done. Even if it takes the rest of my time here to finish it, it will get done.

Both of these projects are really going to be a test of my management and communication skills. Y'all keep praying for me!