Field Work Reflections – August 27, 2019

We just got back from our in country field work! Our group spent three weeks in Sierra Leone working on a viable solution to malnutrition in children five and under. It was such an incredible and empowering experience and after much reflection, these are the things that I learned.

• The people in Sierra Leone are incredibly willing to work with you and help you in any way that they can, especially if they understand that you are trying to do something to help their people. In my opinion, their sense of community is generally much stronger than what we experience in the United States. Our group had plans to set up in front of the Wesleyan Church and I called the Reverend to confirm that there would be enough women and children in the age range that we need and he told me that he spent the whole morning walking around the villages spreading word of our event. This wasn’t the only case in which the people went above and beyond when helping us accomplish the goals our team had in place. It was just a breath of fresh air to see them so happy and willing to put their daily lives aside to help us because they knew that what we were doing was important. It’s not something you see in the United States all the time.
• I learned that it’s really important to not get stuck in your own ways during decision making processes and to listen to your team members and those who are around you because they have insightful and valuable things to contribute. I found that working on a project this closely, its hard to differentiate personal and professional decisions for the project and sometimes it’s easy to get narrow minded on what needs to get done and how it needs to be accomplished.
• I learned how to make decisions under stressful environments and that numerous back up plans are not just helpful, but necessary in order to get anything done in country. One of the issues our team fell into was that we had one plan because just assumed that everything would go accordingly. So when it did not, we didn’t have a backup plan and essentially the rest of the day was a waste because we did not account for anything going wrong. This is helpful because it keeps you looking ahead at all the potential roadblocks and tries to prevent you from having tunnel vision.

 

Professionally I grew a lot as well.

• I learned how to work in group settings better and how on projects like these, everyone has a common goal and thinks that their way is the best way. It’s easy to get caught up in being defensive over your own points rather than actually listening to someone else’s idea. Working in teams can be difficult but sometimes it’s not about being the person who has the great idea but it’s ultimately about how to get the project done the best.
• I learned how to make decisions in high stressful environments and being confident in my decision. I learned that sometimes the best decision won’t please everyone in the group but if you’re the person in charge and a choice has to be made in the split of a second, you have to be confident enough in your decision and be able to enforce it.
• I learned how to go with the flow. This is something that I have never really been good at, I’ve always needed to feel somewhat in control and like I knew what was going to happen and when. But what I quickly learned on this trip is that things hardly ever go according to plan and you have to be okay with things changing two, three, four, even a hundred times before something can get accomplished. I learned that if you get too stuck in the original plan than nothing will get done because you’ll never be able to move on to a new plan.This is something that can help me in all areas of my life.

 

The place that I felt I grew and learned the most though was personally.

• I learned how to be more confident in myself. I grew up in a sheltered environment and I never have done anything close to this before in my life. Being away in Sierra Leone having to deal with being sick, missing home, trying to accomplish the goals for your project, trying to work with your team members and being in such a high stress environment, you really learn what you’re capable of handling. I feel as though I became more independent as a person as a result of this trip.
• I also gained new perspectives on the world and how we often take things for granted in America. Coming back from this trip, I learned to appreciate even the small things that I normally would never recognize as a ‘luxury’ such as plumbing and fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Lastly, I feel as though I have become more humble on this trip. As a result of becoming more confident in myself and my abilities, I also know where my limits are and I have a greater understanding of what I am capable of handling and when to pass it off to someone who is more qualified than I am or just understands the situation better.