Catch Me If You Can: patience and flexibility

If there is one thing that I have learned in Peace Corps it is that one needs to have plenty of "patience and flexibility." Throw expectations out the door and learn to love being in the here and the now.

I am currently in Kasama at the Northern Provincial House which is essentially our base camp and headquarters in the Northern Province. Think of the provincial house as both a hostel as well as an office and in everyway a co-op. There is an actual office, there are bunk beds, individal storage lockers, full kitchen, as well as bike shop. It is also at the house that we get together with those in our province (some 32 people) and speak english and enjoy the wonders of electricity, running water, a full kitchen to bake cookies, and share a cold beer.

Turns out there was a change in plans and I was not able to get posted to my site today - we just had way too much stuff. It's amazing just how much stuff one has to buy for life in the village and not to mention the fact that "posting" is pretty much the only time a Land Cruiser will be going directly to your site. One must realize that I live 3km off the tarmac so stocking up on the big items is a must. I did splurge on a dutch oven as well as a wok... you know, for all the fried rice that I'll be making.

I know that getting the details on being a Peace Corps volunteer can be extremely daunting and frustrating. From what I can tell each Peace Corps volunteer gets a different experience, an experiencee all their own. You are pretty much on your own and it is what you do with your time that makes your experience. That said, the structure of Peace Corps provides you with the framework to do what NGOs call "capacity building" - to help people help themselves. Yes, I work for The Man.

Now that training is over and and I'm armed with a crash course in language, culture, and technical skills I will begin to make the transition to becoming a volunteer. For the next 3 months I will be in what Peace COrps calls "community entry" where all I am expected to do is live, or should I say learn to live in the village. It is during this time that I will have the opportunity to truly emerse myself in the culture and to become a part of the very communtiy that I will be living and working in. Much of my work is as much about making connections as it is about development.

I can only guess at when the next opportunity I will have to post will be. Until then, my thoughts go out to all my friends and family back in the states. I know that I may have not kept in contact and have been rather MIA with many of you, but be assured that that has not my intention but rather the opposite. I am well and have you in my thoughts often. Please feel free to write, e-mail, or even facebook.

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