Company Retreat

So I wasn't entirely truthful when I said that it's been pretty low-key over the last couple weeks in Tanzania. We had a company retreat last week, which was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and bond (we now have staff in Dar es Salaam and Mbeya, so they don't interact with the Arusha staff very often).

The retreat was super-productive (read about it here). It was entirely in Kiswahili, which was helpful, since most of the employees wouldn't be able to express their opinions fully in English, but I was definitely struggling at a few times, and I think Jodie also had a few times where she didn't grasp the whole meaning, but it definitely helped to empower all the employees and Jodie and I definitely felt our Kiswahili improving throughout the retreat.

I did see some unfortunate behavior from a few of my colleagues, which I think is going to lead to me taking on a stronger HR role. It will be a slight challenge, but I know that we need to have healthy relationships within the team, so it will definitely be worthwhile. We also had a conversation on corruption and ethics, and I felt my hardline view being assaulted from a few sides, but I was actually really happy that the issues came out, and I didn't have to cede any ground.

Also, we made chapati burritos, which were amazing. The trick this time was that we found actual limes in the market for the guacamole (usually we use unripe lemons). Unfortunately, we had a few Masai employees who were less than thrilled about the fact that the menu for the whole conference (2.5 days) did not include any meat (most staff were a little disappointed, but Masais are known for being especially carnivorous). Well, lesson learned, I guess.