continuing the communication and support post-placement

I was very happy to receive an email from the hospitality manager at my partner organization, thanking me for visiting him in the hospital before leaving Namibia, and letting me know he’s back to good health and work. He followed this up with a phone call to Mozambique, thanking me personally for my contributions to the organization, and telling me that I did a great job there. These words meant a lot to me, especially with some of the confusion and mixed feelings that occurred with the early ending of my placement.

He let me know that he’d like to call again to get my input and brainstorm some ideas for the tb program expansion, now that they’re getting ready to start the first six month research and development phase, developing new products to enhance the skills of the patients, and the marketability of items fabricated. I felt very happy and valued to be asked for my contributions at this stage, and am looking forward to the collaboration and support!

At the same time, I had the opportunity to ask for a reference from the organization, and I’ve received an extremely positive letter commending a healthy list of my accomplishments, while recommending me to future employers as a committed and valued member of any team.

This letter is more significant than one might imagine, as I’ve been struggling both emotionally and mentally for more than two months now, with other powers withholding that fundamental recognition from me. Hopefully this is the beginning of some closure (the lessons have already been learned on my side), so that I can start a new chapter once again filled with positivity. More to come..