Blog Post 3: Reflections of an 'outsider' at the end of a very long IDRP Journey
There was a point in time where I was really questioning if I would be making it to the end of my IDRP this year but here I am wrapping up my final blog and thoughts whilst finalising my conference presentation. This year has been extremely challenging for me personally and academically. The onset of Covid-19 brought with it the closure of university for face-to-face classes and my standing down from my job. I had planned on taking all my classes face-to-face this year as I've found that it is better way to stay accountable - both to myself, my peers and to my professors, however, life had other plans and classes continued on (albeit virtually) full steam ahead. The demands and stresses of this period took a toll on my IDRP project as I struggled with stress, focus and time management and I ended up opting to defer my enrolment until semester 2 due to these factors and the fact that a key WaterAid in Timor -Leste (WATL) staff member had to be recalled home to New Zealand, mean