HPCA Conference in Durban

I am now at the HPCA annual conference in Durban. When I got on the airplane to fly to Kwa Zulu Natal I realized: I forgot my camera. I will just have to increase the quality of my words to attempt to capture all that I have seen and learnt here.
In a room of 450 hospice and palliative delegates from all types of end-of-life care around South Africa, I recognize the great knowledge and experience that surrounds me. As a young, relatively-inexperienced, human enthusiast I am fortunate to sit in this room and gain from all their wisdom. I have so much to learn, but this conference is a great introduction. It lets me better understand HPCA and network with all the best intentions. The practical skills I have already learnt are mainly applicable in end-of-life care, but are transferable to other issues I care deeply about – for example counseling of survivors of sexual assault.
It feels as if every couple of minutes I meet someone who will be a fantastic contact in evaluating the gender guidelines of HPCA. I have gotten much better, after just today, at walking up to someone and saying, “Hi, I’m Sarah, I’m here doing such-and-such, and I am introducing myself to you because I think you could be a great contact for such-and-such”. People have been so receptive, and I’ve already been invited to about 7 different cities and set up a number of crucial contacts.

Occasionally, I take a step back and wonder, when did I grow up and become someone that goes to professional conferences? In venues with ballrooms centered around ice sculptures? How did I become a part of an organization that receives a personalized video message from Desmond Tutu commending their work? I do not know, but recognize how fortunate I am to be a part of this group.

In my two days at this conference I have realized more about how much I have to learn, and how much I have already learnt. I am most definitely operating on a steep learning curve, and although it’s been a bit of an information overload, I have not grown tired of any of the sessions or topics. On the contrary, I’ve been attending all the sessions I can to get as much information as possible to inform and support my research here. I would be terribly sad to do HPCA a disservice by starting an evaluation of any kind before I really have a sense of the organization and its work.