One thing I'll miss, One thing I won't
Miss: Sitting as an activity to pass time. When we come into the Peace Corps we are told that we will have to learn how to sit...a lot. Americans just don't know how to sit and be absolutely idle. That's mostly because we consider idleness either sinful or wasteful. Time is money, and such and such. But here, that's where a lot of my community interaction/integration comes from. I spend hours and hours in the town plaza just chatting, seeing, and being seen. When I am not seen sitting for weeks (like Christmas vacation) people seriously notice I have been gone all because they don't see me camped out in the plaza.
I still have not entirely mastered the art of sitting. I find myself always getting restless and hearing the advice of PC Staff in my head: When you feel the urge to leave, stay 20 minutes longer. But, even if I haven't mastered it I definitely have grown to appreciate it. It's oddly comforting to have nothing to do but sit outside and chat. Sometimes you can have a miserable day and not want to leave the house, but PC training highly recommends getting out of the house as therapy...getting out in the community. Amazingly, this advice has worked numerous times for me. Sitting can be very therapeutic.
Won't miss: Development that just doesn't work. A couple of days ago, I was listening to a friend talk about the current sewing workshop she was participating in which was being sponsored by an NGO. She liked it and seemed to be learning a lot. Then, she started talking about the other workshops she had participated in- a rose-making workshop and a hammock-making workshop. She then started to talk about how she was part of group which had also recently requested a bread-making workshop. Talk about a clear failure of development. We usually think of failures in development being when we give money and people just squander it, but have you really ever thought about people squandering knowledge? I really hadn't. This woman is a perfect example of how you could teach her a thousand useful skills and she will still never put those skills to work and will never make it out of poverty. Granted, she is not the norm here. There are great examples of people here who really hone in on their entrepreneurial skills and do well. But, it does make you think: If you teach a man to fish but he still doesn't fish, what do you do?
I still have not entirely mastered the art of sitting. I find myself always getting restless and hearing the advice of PC Staff in my head: When you feel the urge to leave, stay 20 minutes longer. But, even if I haven't mastered it I definitely have grown to appreciate it. It's oddly comforting to have nothing to do but sit outside and chat. Sometimes you can have a miserable day and not want to leave the house, but PC training highly recommends getting out of the house as therapy...getting out in the community. Amazingly, this advice has worked numerous times for me. Sitting can be very therapeutic.
Won't miss: Development that just doesn't work. A couple of days ago, I was listening to a friend talk about the current sewing workshop she was participating in which was being sponsored by an NGO. She liked it and seemed to be learning a lot. Then, she started talking about the other workshops she had participated in- a rose-making workshop and a hammock-making workshop. She then started to talk about how she was part of group which had also recently requested a bread-making workshop. Talk about a clear failure of development. We usually think of failures in development being when we give money and people just squander it, but have you really ever thought about people squandering knowledge? I really hadn't. This woman is a perfect example of how you could teach her a thousand useful skills and she will still never put those skills to work and will never make it out of poverty. Granted, she is not the norm here. There are great examples of people here who really hone in on their entrepreneurial skills and do well. But, it does make you think: If you teach a man to fish but he still doesn't fish, what do you do?
Comments
I totally identify with what you said about adventure. People always ask me what islands I've visited in Greece, and especially in the first couple months here, I was like hey, my adventure is learning how to buy fruit at a Greek supermarket because that's what I need to know to live here.
Anyway, I remain inspired by you and happy to read such a down-to-earth account of Peace Corps life.