Packing up my room in Freetown 4 weeks ago, I felt a strange mix of emotions. I was ecstatic to move home for good after my one-year stint in Sierra Leone. After all, it meant getting back to a life of comforts (most importantly hot water!), but also meant leaving behind people and a fast-paced life of everyday excitement and challenges!

Looking back, I came in as a bumbling but slightly naïve 22-year-old, straight out of grad school, ready to take on the world. I now leave as an emboldened, pragmatic 23-year-old, who still wants to take on the world but with patience, sustained efforts and a hunger to learn more.

While reflecting, there were some takeaways that I thought might be interesting to share. Perhaps you went through similar things and can part advice or share experiences! Here it goes (in no particular order and certainly not exhaustive)….

• The burnout culture and mental health

In the field of international development, work hours and conditions can ironically contradict the noble intentions of the sector (this topic to be explored further in upcoming blog post!). Over an extended period, a lifestyle that revolved purely around work, deadlines and targets took a rough toll on me. For a brief period, I was perpetually stressed, physically exhausted and emotionally wobbly. Family, friends, an understanding boss and teammate all helped me through this phase. But it made me think a lot about why we put ourselves through this….

As millennials, we are socialized into believing that the capitalist society rewards the ‘best’. In this rather meaningless pursuit, we tend to overlook the red flags that our body sends and exacerbate the situation further through self-induced stressors! By subjecting ourselves to social, technological and economic pressures, we threaten not just to overwhelm ourselves but also our coping mechanisms. It’s time to start recognizing these stressors and talk about its impact on our everyday mental health openly, without judging others as ‘lazy’ or ‘unmotivated’!

• Dealing with ethical dilemmas and the ‘isms’

Nothing spells ethical dilemmas better than field work. As a young, economically and socially privileged outsider in a largely underprivileged society, I was faced with dilemmas on an everyday basis like:

• What should I do when a Sierra Leonean woman tells me that she underwent FGM (Female Genital Mutilation or FGM is a ritual that involves cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia) and defends the practice saying it’s her culture and foreigners don’t have the right to question it?
• How to convince a 10-year old girl who thinks that darker skin is ugly and fair skin is what makes a woman truly attractive?
• Or a man who tells me I shouldn’t hike because I won’t have the energy as a woman?
• How should I respond when someone comments about India’s cultural conservatism?

Initially, I was mortified at some comments and would passionately attempt to engage in a dialogue with everyone on the ‘isms’ (like racism, feminism etc.). However, I soon started to wonder if it was fair for me to impose my value propositions on someone who didn’t feel the same way, especially given the sensitive history of the region where white-supremacy and exploitation reigned. Are my largely western notions of social rights, gender roles, freedom and individual liberty truly universal when these countries continue to experience economic and social colonization on an everyday basis?

I didn’t seem to find any definitive answers and these thoughts only gave rise to more questions! But I realized that maybe I don’t need answers, and the first step to dealing with ‘isms’ is for us to question our worldview and engage with competing arguments with openness, empathy and critical thinking. At a time when bigotry, intolerance and fanaticism are plaguing the world, it seems more important than ever to get back to the basics and learn to question!

This may be the end of my stint in West Africa, but the experiences and exposure will last a lifetime. Until then, I am excited for where my next job takes me and hope to continue blogging on more policy issues!

Finally, here are some pictures from the beautiful country of Sierra Leone! 🙂

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