I finally wrapped the job! 12 months, 9 days and hundreds of pages of reports managed under three different Performance Management Plans and the change over of two heads of department. Likely not a record on a USAID project, but a personal record anyway.

The transition back to reality was intense. Work as usual intensified the final week that should have been spend handing work over to a replacement, prepping my staff and packing. It was all of these things as well as a weekly (19 pages) and monthly report (28 pages), punctuated with packing and goodbyes. The bright spot of the week was a colleague’s wife who had come to visit. She provided a sense of normalcy and strength – helped me pack, empty my room and take the huge leap forward into the next chapter of my life.

A day in Kabul was just enough time to catch up with old friends, repack the going-away booty into my second bag and add it to my already weighty shipment. The