Sylvia's Journal

Today we completed the Organizational Learning workshop with plans and commitments to change some parts of the culture in the workplace, so that learning becomes a habit and everyone participates in the endeavor, high and low in the hierarchy.

Although for my Afghan colleagues the weekend had started, I had another meeting with Boston and after that attended our quarterly Global Staff Meeting which was on the subject of organizational learning; a carefully scripted technological masterpiece where people in all corners of the world, including Afghanistan, come together around a topic of relevance to all.

By the time I came home I was exhausted but relieved that I have successfully completed 2 of my four assignments. My two housemates have left for the US, leaving me a bit sad as we had such a great time together. But five from the last arrivals remain for another week (they will also leave before me) and one new one is scheduled to fly in today and two more tomorrow. I expect more stories.

Despite my tiredness I had one other task to complete: to seal and fill 50 small red envelops with gifts for Chinese New Year (Hong Pao). On each small envelop Judy had written a Chinese Happy New Year wish, including how to pronounce it. I will bring these to SOLA tomorrow to hand out to the students and staff; by doing this I am completing Judy’s class last week on Chinese New Year.