Guinea: Reflections on Week One

I arrived in Guinea just over a week ago, and as you may have noticed, I really enjoyed those first few days. Though I spent several hours from my comfy hotel bed doing some preliminary research, it was on Monday that the real work began! Research can often become a 24/7 hour job - there's always a new thought, another task, one more idea. Although I strive to meaningfully engage in both "work" and "life," putting overtime in for a time-bound project is often a necessity.

I woke up early Monday morning to grab breakfast and do some preliminary online research, and then spent a few hours on Monday trying to get in touch with someone from the Ethical Research Committee at the Ministry of Health in order to ensure I was taking the right steps to get local research approval. Through the help of my contact here, I was able to schedule a meeting for the next day. I, then, spent a couple of hours buying some items for my new apartment and getting my phone activated. Though these tasks could have been relatively quick in Boston, or my hometown in Michigan, I began to experience the local pace of life due to the first (of many) torrential downpours and back-to-back traffic everywhere we tried to go!

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
One thing I learned was that several vehicles like this were donated
during the Ebola outbreak, which has had an unintended consequence
of more vehicular congestion.

The traffic!

On Tuesday, I met with the Director of the Ethical Research Committee first thing in the morning and had my first experience inside of the Ministry of Health! I spent most of the afternoon moving into a nice and safe apartment that will serve as my home and office base for the summer. I squeezed in a couple more hours of work, and thankfully, was able to get internet to send some emails.

Outside of the Ministry of Health

The new home/office space is amazing!

Later in the week, I met up with a colleague from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about their Ebola-related surveillance work and life as a foreigner here in Guinea. I also started making contacts with some other local organizations whose interests may overlap with my own and tried to get more acquainted with my home for the next 7 weeks. Irregular internet left me feeling stranded at times, not knowing my way around (or many people) was a little isolating, and figuring out how to get around in the rain was also a challenge that I'm adjusting too.

It's pouring (and I've been warned that this is just a "sprinkle"
compared to July). 

What you may have already started to gather is that no two days, especially in these early stages, are alike. 

Though I can already share 10 different lessons learned, the most important one so far has been exactly what Dr. Farmer told me at our check-in before I left Boston: Be flexible. I have a plan, and lots of ideas, but it will ultimately take patience, listening, and flexibility to see what direction my work will take. Truth be told, I'm a little nervous about what kind of progress I'll make this summer but I'm really pushing myself to keep an open mind.