The looongest Sunday

Staff Planning Retreat 830am to 5pm.

Yes, this was my Sunday. And of retreat nothing but the title.
Yes, it is absolutely necessary. Specially after the project with only 7 months of life has undergone so many changes.
We met all day to come up with a unified vision statement for the design center, to review every staff member's job description so we'd be clear on who's responsible for what, discuss plans from now to December, make a schedule of all our activities, have each department share their upcoming plans, etc.
I have to admit bluntly: I AM A VISUAL LEARNER. To sit down and listen to people plan and share from 8 to 5 is not my cup of tea. Yea, yea, very necessary. The irony of it all is that when my turn came to share, it was 5pm and we'd run out of time. I sat and waited and waited to get the space to share the design department's goals and plans, and the space never came. Go figure!
I'd been planning since Friday. Had everything written down, had decided on what to share. The day came and went and my chance never arrived.
I'm almost laughing.
Like I said before, it is a month. I have been here a month, and I feel it.
I've been frustrated this week from hearing the word 'failure' mentioned more than a couple of times, and my enthusiasm for the work I am doing got pinched like a needle to a balloon, because to hear members of the team feel the work we do will lead to nothing really desinflates my energy level.
But I gotta get it back. And I know it.
Surely tomorrow it will come back. Tomorrow and Tuesday I begin my elements of design classes to association members. Tomorrow will be to 3 associations, and Tuesday to 1.
Surely after these experiences I will be filled with air again as a balloon getting patched.
Moving on to share about my personal life, the time has come to make a move. I believe next week I will be moving to a new house. The CIPE compound house is comfortable enough. I have an internet connection in my room, Miss Nikidar cleans my room, does my laundry, even irons! Mohammed the cook has a home-made dinner every night(full of carbs, yet still counts), we have cable tv, a work-out room complete with a treadmill(my favorite-though haven't used it much). Yet, it is empty, lonely and the people in it are about to leave or spend most of their time in their office in front of a computer. And it is the only place I am at when not at work. Gets pretty lonely. Plus when we are together all we do is talk about work and Afghan issues, we mostly fill our heads with stress. Not a good recipe for people planning to live in this very isolated place for a year.
Cristina Grecu leaves in a week and half, she'll be coming back as a consultant but for short periods of time. Ralph is moving back to the US on October 10th as his wife is sick and will not do the year he had planned. Ryan, my boss, is going to Milan on the 16th and returning on October 10th. So it'd just be him and I on his return and that ain't a good combo either.
So, I found out about this house, 2 women live there, Khatdija and Nika, the 1st canadian(I think from Indian parents) and Nika from Iran. They both work for NGO's and will be here for another year.
They had been looking for a 3rd housemate so I think it's a match. The house is quite nice.
So I'm about 90 percent sure I'll be making the move as soon as Cristina from CIPE moves.
I know I need a space in Kabul that has nothing to do with work. It can get intoxicating. And a burn-out arrives much sooner than expected under such circumstances.
Anyways, as you can probably tell from this post today was more than a loooong day.
Can't wait for tomorrow when my real work begins. Real meaning the work I enjoy, the part I know I am good at.
This Wednesday or Thursday(depending on the Mullah in Saudi Arabia) Ramadan begins. This will be an interesting month.
Nobody eats or drinks during the day. People go home early(2pm) to begin preparing dinner as it's their only mean during the day.
Yes, yes...amidst looong Sundays I am definately living interesting times.