Work Perspectives
Finally, I’ve got around to writing another blog post, having just finished my correspondence course subject on the “Theology of Mission” (quite appropriate given Samoa’s missionary history). In this instalment, I’ll be discussing my initial impressions of work...

1. My Role
The main reason why I’m in Samoa is to work as a Hydrology Engineer. Two years ago, the Samoan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) established a Water Resources Division (WRD) to manage all of Samoa’s water resources. Their primary roles are to:
(1) monitor and assess the key surface and ground water sources;
(2) improve protected catchments and water quality through education and catchment management techniques; and
(3) formulate and enforce water-related policy and legislation.
I’ve been drafted in mainly to help with role (1), but also to build up the Division in general. It’s a pretty good deal for them: they get me for free, and can do with me what they like… within reason. In reality, I’m already working harder than most of the staff would feel comfortable with, and this is the most chilled-out I’ve been since I graduated. Keep in mind that this is a Government department in a Pacific Island – I never anticipated a particularly stressed out work environment!

2. Impressions
Having said that, compared to many other workplaces in Samoa, they’re a pretty keen and positive group. I’ve joined the team at a time when their day-to-day roles are now quite well defined, but there is still a lot of scope to try new things and develop in different directions. Any bad habits haven’t yet been deeply ingrained and they expect that I will be providing additional guidance and training.

Yet I am not the only one involved in this process. They seem to have a massive number of outside consultants involved in short-term activities. For half of my first two months, we were accompanied by international experts who provided specialised training. While this short-term training is usually very good, there may not be enough attention given to putting it into practice, meaning that much of the benefit is lost.

One of my most important roles is to ensure that the training isn’t wasted, and that any recommendations are implemented before the next “mission”. I’m also making sure that their flow and rainfall measurements are accurate, stored properly and backed up, which has been a problem in the past. I recently completed the first draft of a Data Management Manual, which details the processes that should be followed to ensure data integrity. It’s such a fundamental task, because everything else in the WRD depends on it.


3. Lightbulb Moment
Last week, I was involved in a “lightbulb moment”. A colleague was trying to understand groundwater and had only become more confused after speaking to the hydro-geology specialist from Holland. She had also just spoken to a Samoan expert and was really enthusiastic after learning from his experience, but still a little uncertain. When she spoke to me about how she understood a borehole to work, it became clear that she thought that Samoa was literally a floating island. I explained that we were standing on soil and rock, and that water was only found in the gaps between the particles. Suddenly the penny dropped and all this background learning became clear. It was really satisfying to be part of an epiphany moment like that. Hopefully there'll be more of those moments to come...