Coming into the beginning of this week I had just run my fastest 10km (1:03.04); we roamed the streets of Marrakech; we had celebrated two birthdays in style and; the work we were completing for our client was still an absolutely fulfilling experience, which I was loving.

Now, due to my background in the social / not for profit side of things, I had been trying to give then internationalisation strategy a social lens. The easiest place to start was with the UN SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals), which just made sense. It fit with the direction the organisation wanted to go; where the country wanted to go and if done properly, would enable our client to lead the way for the sector as the privileged interlocutor for the Government of Morocco.

(here I am thinking, could it get any better than this)

Now here is the best bit! I spent the better part of that night, awake, thinking about how I could make that possible but, to no avail … the next morning, THE NEXT MORNING, we walk into the office and one of the staff members walk in with an email saying an agency of the United Nations would like to meet with the team and discuss an opportunity.

And THAT was it! Serendipity at its finest.

Then with all the excitement and work being done … I got sick.

My body was telling me I needed to slow down however something this time was different. I still felt as if my mind was sharp! Apart from the horrendous coughing, sneezing, wheezing, my mind still worked. I could think clearly, structure sentences and write with ease …

This was phenomenal!

So, putting things into context, it hit me like a tonne of bricks! Now I enjoy being social, and the team had been planning a trip to a hammam (group spa / massage) for a while (which I was excited for) but, it was a cold night, I knew where my health was, so I politely declined. Apart from the flood of tablets that were rushed to me, the explicit medicine schedule from my colleagues (whom I should really call my friends / family, because that is what it feels like), I was fully stocked, showered up and hopped into bed for a night of recovery. My team needed me better as we had a big week ahead.

The rest of the week saw us travel to the political centre of Morocco, Rabat where we met with Ministries to discuss the future; sat around the table with C-suite audiences of big multinational companies and; contributed to a new partnership which will see the UN working closer with Morocco.

Now the fun begins … have we learned enough … will we be able to add value to the organisation … will our work create the impact we think it will. Hopefully these questions will be answered over the next couple of weeks.