At times, my LEAD training experience was a balancing act. I wrote a grant and worked on several manuscripts during this period. I am a junior faculty member, and I had to balance my desire to do LEAD with the pressures of new faculty. KwaZulu-Natal, often called KZN among South Africans, was a great place to strike that balance.
It was a Sunday evening, and I sent the final documents to my grant’s administrator. I wore a new dress to celebrate the completed task and headed to a Durban July event. The events over a few days were the talk of the town and brought South Africans from other regions to the area for a good time.
The landscape of KZN is strikingly beautiful. My rides to the Howard College Campus to meet with colleagues at the Centre for Rural Health were filled with breathtaking views. The rolling hills, the lush greenery, and the Indian Ocean all make up the landscape. It was good for my mental well-being and a welcomed balance to what is often a grueling academic life for junior faculty.
My time in KZN has ended for now. I have built long-term relationships and collaborations through this LEAD opportunity. I will continue to work with my mentor from the LEAD program, Professor Zamasomi P. Busisiswe Luvuno, and colleagues at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on a United Nations Population Funded project seeking to better understand teen pregnancy in South Africa. Additionally, I have been invited to contribute a chapter to a book focused on gender-based violence from a United States perspective. The LEAD training program has been fruitful, both professionally and personally.