Decision made and time to reflect

It is two years around now since I made the decision to come to Sierra Leone as a VSO volunteer.  I'd been on the assessment day and selected in March 2011. Nine months on, in November 2011, I was beginning to give up hope of ever being offered a placement matching my skills.  There had been a couple which loosely fitted but nothing where I felt I could be put to best use.

I was, therefore, very excited to receive the placement specification for the position within the Directorate of Finance at the Ministry of Sanitation.  It was easy to see that my CV and the role matched but the bigger question was would I fit with Sierra Leone.

The joy of VSO is that you can contact current and former volunteers who can answer questions and give honest feedback.  Carole, Shona and Beth all shared their thoughts with me and from that the decision was made.  A great one it turns out.

Two years on and it's decision time again.  What to do in 2014?  I have a flight booked home for my Christmas trip to the US (leaving 15 December) and two choices have emerged: to come back in January to find more work and potentially renew my visa in March or to call it quits and leave Sierra Leone for my life back in London.

It's a hard one but I have decided.  December will herald the end of this adventure.  In 2014 I feel my adventures are to be had in London.  As I sit here I have no solid plan of what next.  Instead I am going to enjoy my final two weeks spending time at the beach to reflect on the changes that have occurred within me in these last 21 months.  From that reflection I hope to gain insights into what next.  I have so many options open to me and it will be a luxury to have the time to explore them.

I find looking at views like this helps me to find peace and take the time to ponder the future.

Sunset at Tokeh

Bureh

Dusk at Cockle Point