My last days at Salem were busy assisting the staff to produce workplans and aims and objectives for each of the departments. This had been one of the major projects in my objectives - for each department to develop a workplan and associated budget for 2011.
Some people had more experience of this type of project than others and so 1 -1s were put in place for those who needed a bit of extra help. We had 2 workshops; one for the heads of departments and the Board, and one a week later for the rest of the staff. The result of which was that 'workplans' were the buzzword at Salem for my final days as much effort was being put into preparing their departments contribution ready for sign off by the Board on 16 December.
I hope the workplans are followed up in 2011 and are a useful tool for taking the organisation forward to a new level, after all the effort that was put into developing them.
At the all staff workshop I was very touched by how many people stood up at the end and thanked me for my contribution to Salem. It meant a lot to me and it was amazing that so many individuals felt they needed to stand up and publicly express their thanks. I have worked hard in many other organisations but I never felt that my efforts actually meant as much in the past. It is a very happy experience that will stay with me for a long time - hopefully forever.
I was lucky enough to share transport to Kampala on Friday as other staff from Salem also needed to go to Kampala.
On Saturday I was able to do some last minute shopping for gifts and Christmas presents to take back home. I was glad of the time to do this. it was strange to see the money dwindling down to my last few thousand Ugandan shillings.
My overnight flight home via Istanbul was largely uneventful although a bit bumpy in places and I managed to get a couple of hours sleep on the plane. The only thing with that is ending up all stiff from the odd postures you get into.
I was very pleased to see my husband and daughter waiting for me at Heathrow. They had brought me a warm jumper and boots to put on which were very welcome as the ground was still white in places from the snow. The temperature difference between Uganda and the UK was probably about 30 degrees.
We went straight home to a roast chicken dinner which was fab. When I weighed myself I was pleasantly surprised to see I had lost 1 1/2 stone from when I left. The diet of fresh fruit and veg (and rice and beans) obviously did me a lot of good.
I have to say I was not a real fan of the matoke (bananas) or posha but the other food was very good and tasty and I wasn't ill at all while I was there.
I am hoping to link in with the PONT organisation in south Wales on my return and maybe it will be possible for me to go back to Uganda again at some stage in the future. I found the placement very fulfilling and would love to meet up with the people that I had the pleasure of working with and meeting.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see a different side of life and maybe appreciate what we have in the west a little more.
