It seems a little surreal to me that I started this job almost a year and a half ago. I was fresh out of graduate school and ready to get started on my own project. I really didn't have any background on encephalitis but was very interested in this ground breaking study. Encephalitis and the causes of it really hadn't been looked at in Kenya. Everyone was focusing on malaria, TB and HIV.
I can't say it hasn't been challenging at times, but I think that every good job should be. There should be times where your knowledge base is pushed and you emerge as a better leader and more informed in the end. This project definitely saw those times as we struggled to get off the ground at Siaya and now as we try to expand to Mbagathi. But we're still pushing and we'll get there.
With only one more month in the office (technically two but with holidays and the weddings its going to cut that time in half!), I can only look back and be thankful for the opportunity. Its been such a blessing to be able to come back to a country I love and work for one of the world's leading public health organizations. You can't get much better for a first job!
It'll be sad to go at the end of the year but I know I am leaving the project in capable hands. I am excited to see the end results and wish I could work with the data myself. All the staff at the office have been amazing and are such dear friends. I can't imagine not seeing them on a daily basis. But every opportunity in life is a stepping stone and this one is only going to lead to bigger and better things!
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