Contract working

This is my first experience of working a fixed-term contract and with 7 months to go I am sensing some of the positive and negative aspects of it.
The positive side is that there is absolute clarity about our position. Our Rwandan accountant left his job without notice in May and it caused us untold grief which is still not entirely resolved. My month in the accounts office was the most stressful of my time here. Everyone knows that we will be finishing our work here at the end of June 2008.
The main negative is that the end is already in my mind and affects quite a lot of what I do. It’s not that I am counting the days, or anything like it, but there are already some longer-term plans in school-building which I know I will not see through. Our current diocesan strategic planning work also emphasises our short time left here. The best way to work, of course, is to act as if I am staying here for the duration, but there is always a certain reservation.
Ever since we came to Rwanda we have tried to avoid unduly influencing decisions which will affect things after we have left. We give our opinion, but it is more consultative than committed, because that’s how we see our role here. However, it’s a bit uncomfortable for us when we are used to being in things for the long term.
I don’t foresee a career in “interim management” or anything like it when I return to life in the UK, but then the future remains completely unknown.