I think most fellows join Global Health Corps not just to make the world a better place, but to also make themselves better people. One indicator of this is that the fellowship year is designed to be one of growth, both personally and professionally. I know that I accepted my fellowship position because I believed it would be a great stepping stone into a career in global health and would also allow me to push myself in ways I’d never experienced living in my familiar bubble of home. I also felt that it would help me change into the person I wanted to be, allowing me to mature emotionally, in my career and in my relationships with myself and others.
In an attempt to document these changes, my co-fellow, Sruthi Chandrasekaran, and I decided we would take a photo of the two of us each day we’re at work together. We’re displaying the photos on the outside of my cube, adding a new batch each week. We officially began this project a few weeks ago and added an Instagram account recently. We hope that by next July we’ll be able to see some signs of the wisdom we intend to gain over our fellowship year creeping across our faces. I doubt the change will be as dramatic as the aging of American presidents during their terms in the White House (fingers crossed) but perhaps we’ll have a few more laugh lines or a knowing twinkle in our eyes by the time we snap our last photos in East Africa during our exit retreat next summer.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I can only imagine the hundreds of thousands of words these photos will represent by the end of our fellowship. We’re here in Washington, D.C. working with Marie Stopes International-US, a support office for Marie Stopes International (MSI). MSI is a family planning organization that boasts the mission “children by choice, not chance.”
Our first month and a half has been interesting, to say the least. It’s a period of transition for MSI-US, with the first office attrition taking place since the office opened five years ago. For the close knit staff, the changes are exciting but scary, and adding two fellows to the mix is undoubtedly an additional layer of work, change and adjustment for everyone. On top of these professional adjustments, Sruthi and I are also navigating a new city (she’s from India, I’m from Seattle), learning to co-exist with new roommates (which, in my case, include bed bugs…ew!) and learning about the culture of D.C., which is distinct and new to us both (hello, boat shoes and ubiquitous happy hours).
So far, the only noticeable change on our co-fellow photo wall since our first photos together at training is a teeny bit of hair growth. However, the wall serves as a daily reminder to appreciate why we’re here. Already the past several weeks have included tough times personally and professionally. I’ve already questioned why I made the decision to move across the country and leave my friends, family and boyfriend. I know there will be more tough times ahead, so keeping myself centered on my reasons I decided to work with GHC and MSI is important for me.
In a year, I may be disappointed when I scan our completed co-fellow photo wall and I fail to detect any profound physical changes in myself or Sruthi. But I doubt I will be disappointed in the personal growth that may not be evident in those photos. So I better wrap up this post and start working on the hashtag we’ll use for this project. #Self(ie)Development? #PhotoPersonalProgress? #GHCGrowth? Let me know if you’ve got suggestions.
If you’d like to track our growth through selfies, join us on Instagram at: @ Lisa.and.Sruthi.GHC