Every day, August 6 creeps closer. I've
mostly worked out the logistics of the prego-vac. Checked in with the hospital,
doctor appointment confirmed for August 10. House found within commuting
distance of Main State, near a park for the boys, with space for mom and
mom-in-law to stay, and a manageable distance from selected hospital. Baby clothes
out and washed, necessary baby gear arranged to be borrowed on arrival.
Pre-departure medical check up for me scheduled. Pre-departure consultation
with Wm's school scheduled. Greg's flights booked. Initial grocery list
started. Not to mention a million and other one little things I've already done
and forgotten about.
But I really started stressing today when
I took 30 minutes to write down my "to do" list for the next 2.5
weeks. The highlights? Send a cable on child labor after final clearance received.
Draft cable on recent VIP's visit. Confirm details for a public speech by DCM
on Friday. Confirm details for event for Ambassador on Saturday. Put together a
starting draft schedule for a visiting speaker coming while I'm gone. Check if
I can start soliciting proposals for a small grant. Review proposals for a
different grant (with USAID), if the responses come in in time. Make sure to
meet with five different people, of course all located in different parts of
the city. Submit my reporting plan for the next 12 months. Etc. Etc. And So
On.
The fun thing is, reading the list, I
realized I really do like my job - even if the list stresses me out, since I
have very little time to finish it. None of the tasks seem tiresome, and I was
genuinely upset when I had to decline two invitations simply because I just
can't afford to be away from my desk and travel time in Manila traffic is a
major consideration when accepting any invitation.
My work to do list seems even more
overwhelming right now than my home to do list. Sometimes, being a simple visa
line officer has its advantages. After all, when waiting for Patch's impending
birth, the only question was when to start dialing down the number of visa
interviews scheduled for me and Greg, so our coworkers weren't caught off guard
with 240 extra in a day. This time around, I actually need to practice saying
"no" - something I've never been very good at!
1 comment:
Saying No. How does that happen? Once again, all my fault.
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