How Moving to Uganda Improved My Resume

As I've mentioned many times before, I wear a lot of different hats here in Uganda. For the most part, I love what I do although, to be honest, lately I am feeling incredibly overwhelemed. I no longer have a colleague in the library and without someone to help me, I am now responsible for a LOT of things. (More on that in a later post.) But yesterday as I was sweeping the library, it occurred to me how much my resume/CV has grown since I came to Uganda. I can add so many things for when I eventually start job hunting in the US again! ;-)

What do you think? I might include:

• Ability to troubleshoot the French versions of YahooMail, Facebook and Skype, without knowing any French
• Teach computer and library research skills by breaking all explanations down to very, very basic information [i.e. This is a program, this is a file, when you push the button on the mouse that is called clicking, this is called the internet it's a collection of a lot of websites, a website is where information lives...etc.]
• Clean gecko poop off tables, computers, books, floors
• Ability to improvise book repair, book processing and all other library functions with few materials and an almost non-existent budget
• Cataloged library's collection of books
• Can adopt an East African accent when necessary (which is all the time)
• Read students' minds when they say one word, such as 'internet' or 'book'
• Install and network public computers for students' use
• Chase chickens out of the library if necessary
• Implement the library's first integrated library system
• In wonderful shape from shifting hundreds of books
• Troubleshoot unstable wireless connections on multiple computers per day [i.e. restart the wireless router multiple times per day]
• Give the library daily dustings to clear the fine, red dust that seems to materialize out of thin air
• Understand the library as a whole institution after being responsible for most of the tasks needed to make it run

Ok, so, a mix of serious and silly. But it is kind of cool to see how many things I've done and what skills I've gained during the past year or so...some expected and some very unexpected. I suppose it's the unexpected that make life the most interesting. :)