Three weeks in...

It’s three weeks today since I left the UK for Bangladesh. I’ve come out of the house for the first time in 2 days after a nasty bout of D&V that took me by surprise; I have a pretty cast-iron constitution having lived and worked away for so many years. As a friend said this week, one should never underestimate Bangladesh!

I have now moved out of the hotel and am living in an apartment in Banani, part of the diplomatic area of the city and considered safe for foreigners. I’m sharing with two other UN staff, though they are both away on leave so we are yet to meet. It’s fairly basic but the landlord has promised some more furniture (I’m not holding my breath!) and I’m slowly discovering how things work around the house. A maid comes in to clean 6 mornings a week and there are a couple of hotels next door which are good places to meet people for a coffee.

As this is my first job with the UN I have a lot to learn about the rules, processes and all the acronyms. Most of the forms have now been filled, I am officially on the payroll and in the pension scheme and I’m working my way through all the mandatory training and orientation papers. I’m slowly getting a handle on my role, which includes being acting Chief of Health when my boss is away. Thankfully there is a great national team around me. Next week we’ll have a team meeting to help me understand the priorities and work on our shared vision. This week it has been good to work with a visiting team from Sweden and India, focusing on high quality midwifery education. They are introducing a new quality assurance process with the midwife teachers to help them prepare for accreditation. I know the two Swedish midwives and count them among my friends and mentors, so it’s been great to reconnect.

Last weekend I attended an international church and enjoyed lunch out together. Sadly I had to miss the meeting today as I’m still feeling a bit fragile. I have also booked my first Bangla lesson. It’s early days, but so far so good. Stephen and I are planning a rendezvous in Istanbul in October.