- Eaten more beans and rice than I ever have in my entire life
- Gone to bed by 8pm most nights
- Had three-ish women´s group meetings
- Created and implemented a community survey
- Invited myself to a girls´ volleyball practice
- Subsequently hit two people in the head with a volleyball
- Given one charla (talk) to the women´s group, and one to patients at the health center
- Learned about many technical topics like childhood development, illnesses, pregnancy risks signs and factors, etc.
- Learned about the theories behind non-formal education, sustainable development, and facilitation
- Listened to way too much 80´s-90´s pop
- Tried to call home (I hate Claro)
- Cried
- Laughed
- Made friends
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The First Month
This month I have:
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Community Integration
Community integration is one of the foundations of Peace Corps, seeing as how two of the goals of PC is to learn about a culture and share your own. That can´t happen without a community accepting you. Also, you´re not going to get any work done if no one in the community trusts you. This is especially hard for someone who is shy and doesn´t talk a lot in English, let alone Spanish. Even though I´ve been trying to go out of my way to talk and meet more people, last night I walked into a room where my host mother, sister, and brother were all laughing, and as soon as they saw me, they stopped. I felt so...different. They didn´t do it to be mean, and they´ve been very kind to me. I´m just not part of their club.
So today, during a session in Masaya with the other health trainees, I volunteered to participate in a roleplay of community integration. I thought I should challenge myself. There were only five ¨volunteers¨ out of the fourty-four people there, everyone else roleplayed the community. We five were give no instructions other than to integrate, and we were given pamphlets on STD´s, condoms, and pregnancy. When we reentered the room, everyone else was formed into four groups who were talking amongst themselves.
I first went to a group of ¨campesinos¨ working a field, and asked if I could help. Someone gave me a hoe and I started to ¨help¨ them out, I tried engaging them in conversation, but most were laughing amongst themselves or listening to the other volunteer as he handed out the pamphlets about condoms. One community member told him it was offensive and refused to talk to him. Another community member mentioned that he had a sick son. I asked him if he had taken him to the health center. He told me he didn´t know where it was, so I offered to show him. Everyone was still giggling at the fact that we were just pretending, and then the bell range to switch groups.
The next group was gathered around a main person who was leading a discussion. I introduced myself to one person on the side, and asked what they were doing. She told me it was a bank meeting. Then I asked if I could sit in, she said yes, but to reach the only open seat I had to cross in front of the whole circle. Not the most graceful entrance, but it got everyone´s attention, so I introduced myself and asked if I could help or just learn about what they were doing. Someone asked if I could give then money. I said I could help raise some funds if they had ideas. Then someone suggested a bake sale, but they needed supplies, so someone else took out a loan for them. In everything I´ve been reading, this is the kind of help that is best, when you just mediate ideas from the community, but I´m not even sure if I did that. I didn´t feel very involved at all.
The next group was awful. Just awful. A classroom full of twelve-year olds gossiping and not paying attention at all. Plus the ¨teacher¨ was the man in charge of technical training, someone I should try to impress. He mentioned that they liked candy, which should have been my cue to pull out an imaginary bag of goodies, but I was too distracted by the maddness before me. Confidence might be an issue of mine as well. It got worse when another volunteer showed up and tried integrating as well. I´m not even sure I was able to tell them my name.
The last group was my best, I feel. It was a group of pregnant ladies, just the kind of group that I will be working with when I am an official volunteer. I started again by introducing myself to just one person, and asking if I could sit with her. Then I introduced myself to some of the other woman once I actually sat down and they notice me. At first they asked me a ton of questions: How many children do you have? Are you married? How old are you? Each time they were horrified with my answers, ´So old to not have children!´ So I tried to ask them the questions, like if this was their first child or if they went to the health center for check-ups. One woman said this was her first, but that she couldn´t go to the health center in her condition because it was so far away. She told me that she relied on the advice of the other, more experienced, woman. Went I asked another woman, she told me this was her sixth pregnancy, and that she helps the other women. I asked if we could meet sometime later to talk, saying that I had some information I would like to share with her. Then I handed her the pamphlet on pregnancy. She passed it to the next woman, who passed it to the next woman, who passed it to me. As she did she whispered, ´we´re supposed to be illiterate.´
´Then we´ll just talk later´ I said. Then the bell rang, the exercise was over, and we all returned to our seats.
The facilitators asked if anyone had any comments, and someone from the bank group congratulated the volunteer who figured out that they met once every two weeks, and organized to meet them again next time. And then I thought that I probably should have done that. Then someone from the pregnant ladies group called me out, saying I did the best, and another person commented on how I found the natural leader and organized to work with her, which was great.
I´m glad I got outside my bubble and volunteered. I learned to start small, and focus on questions...also to figure out meeting times. I feel more motivated to interact more and integrate myself more fully into this community. It was exhausting, but it was good to practice for the reality, which does not end at the ring of a bell.
So today, during a session in Masaya with the other health trainees, I volunteered to participate in a roleplay of community integration. I thought I should challenge myself. There were only five ¨volunteers¨ out of the fourty-four people there, everyone else roleplayed the community. We five were give no instructions other than to integrate, and we were given pamphlets on STD´s, condoms, and pregnancy. When we reentered the room, everyone else was formed into four groups who were talking amongst themselves.
I first went to a group of ¨campesinos¨ working a field, and asked if I could help. Someone gave me a hoe and I started to ¨help¨ them out, I tried engaging them in conversation, but most were laughing amongst themselves or listening to the other volunteer as he handed out the pamphlets about condoms. One community member told him it was offensive and refused to talk to him. Another community member mentioned that he had a sick son. I asked him if he had taken him to the health center. He told me he didn´t know where it was, so I offered to show him. Everyone was still giggling at the fact that we were just pretending, and then the bell range to switch groups.
The next group was gathered around a main person who was leading a discussion. I introduced myself to one person on the side, and asked what they were doing. She told me it was a bank meeting. Then I asked if I could sit in, she said yes, but to reach the only open seat I had to cross in front of the whole circle. Not the most graceful entrance, but it got everyone´s attention, so I introduced myself and asked if I could help or just learn about what they were doing. Someone asked if I could give then money. I said I could help raise some funds if they had ideas. Then someone suggested a bake sale, but they needed supplies, so someone else took out a loan for them. In everything I´ve been reading, this is the kind of help that is best, when you just mediate ideas from the community, but I´m not even sure if I did that. I didn´t feel very involved at all.
The next group was awful. Just awful. A classroom full of twelve-year olds gossiping and not paying attention at all. Plus the ¨teacher¨ was the man in charge of technical training, someone I should try to impress. He mentioned that they liked candy, which should have been my cue to pull out an imaginary bag of goodies, but I was too distracted by the maddness before me. Confidence might be an issue of mine as well. It got worse when another volunteer showed up and tried integrating as well. I´m not even sure I was able to tell them my name.
The last group was my best, I feel. It was a group of pregnant ladies, just the kind of group that I will be working with when I am an official volunteer. I started again by introducing myself to just one person, and asking if I could sit with her. Then I introduced myself to some of the other woman once I actually sat down and they notice me. At first they asked me a ton of questions: How many children do you have? Are you married? How old are you? Each time they were horrified with my answers, ´So old to not have children!´ So I tried to ask them the questions, like if this was their first child or if they went to the health center for check-ups. One woman said this was her first, but that she couldn´t go to the health center in her condition because it was so far away. She told me that she relied on the advice of the other, more experienced, woman. Went I asked another woman, she told me this was her sixth pregnancy, and that she helps the other women. I asked if we could meet sometime later to talk, saying that I had some information I would like to share with her. Then I handed her the pamphlet on pregnancy. She passed it to the next woman, who passed it to the next woman, who passed it to me. As she did she whispered, ´we´re supposed to be illiterate.´
´Then we´ll just talk later´ I said. Then the bell rang, the exercise was over, and we all returned to our seats.
The facilitators asked if anyone had any comments, and someone from the bank group congratulated the volunteer who figured out that they met once every two weeks, and organized to meet them again next time. And then I thought that I probably should have done that. Then someone from the pregnant ladies group called me out, saying I did the best, and another person commented on how I found the natural leader and organized to work with her, which was great.
I´m glad I got outside my bubble and volunteered. I learned to start small, and focus on questions...also to figure out meeting times. I feel more motivated to interact more and integrate myself more fully into this community. It was exhausting, but it was good to practice for the reality, which does not end at the ring of a bell.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
First Impressions
After delays in D.C. due to snow, I have finally arrived in Nicaragua. Instead of going to Granada as planned, our three day orientation retreat has been in Managua, in the Best Western situated directly across from the airport. I was actually in the first group to reach Nicaragua, since after the snow canceled our flight they had to scramble to get us on other flights, and splitting us up was easiest. We left the hotel in Arlington at 1:30am on Thursday and arrived the same day in Managua after detouring to Panama. The first eight of us arrive a day earlier than everyone else so we were able to go to Peace Corps headquarters, meet the Country Director, do our languange interviews, and recieve our first vaccines (typhoid and flu).
Since then all 44 of us have been busy learned about what it means to be a Peace Corps Trainee and what will happen during our three months of training. I just found out who my host family is, and I will be leaving tomorrow with three other trainees to the little town of Dolores, which is just outside of Jinotepe, another small town just fourty minutes outside of Managua. We are all Health trainees, but this is the first time in Nicaragua that the Peace Corps has split the groups so that one, called Health Lifestyles, will focus on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health, while my group, Maternal and Child Health, will be working in Casa Maternas and with children from ages 0-5 years. In previous years they have been combined, so I am excited to be in the pioneering group. Go Nica 55.
P.S. I just hit the spell check and everything (except Nicaragua) was highlighted, apparently it´s set to Spanish, so please excuse any typos my sun-soaked brain has missed.
Since then all 44 of us have been busy learned about what it means to be a Peace Corps Trainee and what will happen during our three months of training. I just found out who my host family is, and I will be leaving tomorrow with three other trainees to the little town of Dolores, which is just outside of Jinotepe, another small town just fourty minutes outside of Managua. We are all Health trainees, but this is the first time in Nicaragua that the Peace Corps has split the groups so that one, called Health Lifestyles, will focus on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health, while my group, Maternal and Child Health, will be working in Casa Maternas and with children from ages 0-5 years. In previous years they have been combined, so I am excited to be in the pioneering group. Go Nica 55.
P.S. I just hit the spell check and everything (except Nicaragua) was highlighted, apparently it´s set to Spanish, so please excuse any typos my sun-soaked brain has missed.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Packing
What constitutes a two-year supply of underwear? I sure hope it's as many pairs as I have since, apparently, Nicaraguan underwear of comparable quality to those in the U.S. can be quite expensive, so the Peace Corps suggests bringing a two-year supply.
Anyway, I've pretty much packed. I keep fluctuating between the horrified feeling that either I've packed too much or too little. I'm sure there will be things that I never use, and I'm sure I will discover things that I wish I would have brought, but right now I am feeling that Goldilocks "just right" feeling.
Besides normal things like toiletries and clothing (professional pants or knee-length skirts, blouses, no spaghetti straps, and practically everything made of cotton) I am bringing a few notable items:
Anyway, I've pretty much packed. I keep fluctuating between the horrified feeling that either I've packed too much or too little. I'm sure there will be things that I never use, and I'm sure I will discover things that I wish I would have brought, but right now I am feeling that Goldilocks "just right" feeling.
Besides normal things like toiletries and clothing (professional pants or knee-length skirts, blouses, no spaghetti straps, and practically everything made of cotton) I am bringing a few notable items:
- Swiss Army knife
- Travel iron
- Headlamp that my brother gave me...it's supposed to be useful for late-night trips to the latrine
- Gardening gloves
- Knitting supplies, I'm just bringing sock-weight yarn, my collection of DPNs, and the two Addi Turbos my aunt gave me, I figure I can make baby hats and booties since I'll be working with mothers and children
- Watercolors, brushes, and a journal
- Two double-size flat sheets
- A few thin books...I'm still trying to decide if I can fit my Sherlock Holmes anthology into my carry-on
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Boxing Day Blenders
Yesterday I spent what might be the last Christmas with my family for a few years, which is odd to say out-loud or type on the internet. It was wonderful to celebrate with my family, especially the annual Pajama Dinner Party followed by Mass, but since Christmas has come to mean more about presents than anything else it was especially... incongruous. I can't really think of any other way of describing it. Many of the things people gave me I can use while I'm down in Nicaragua, but many others will just weigh down my suitcase, sit around unused because I will have no earthly use for them, and then they'd probably grow mold in the humidity.
That's not to say they're not good gifts, they are just incongruous with the way my life will be for the coming two years. It's like when you're in high school and someone gives you a blender as a gift. You will never use the blender while at home because your parents probably already have a blender, but when you leave for college you suddenly realize that this blender is awesome because now you can make smoothies and other such things. But for a few years you have no use for that blender. I'm sure when I come back I will appreciate some of those blender gifts, but I will have to wait for twenty-seven months.
Really, I think the best gift this Christmas was spending time with friends and family. Happy Holidays everyone.
P.S. Please enjoy this vision of the aftermath with the family puppy looking to scavenge some tissue paper to shred.
That's not to say they're not good gifts, they are just incongruous with the way my life will be for the coming two years. It's like when you're in high school and someone gives you a blender as a gift. You will never use the blender while at home because your parents probably already have a blender, but when you leave for college you suddenly realize that this blender is awesome because now you can make smoothies and other such things. But for a few years you have no use for that blender. I'm sure when I come back I will appreciate some of those blender gifts, but I will have to wait for twenty-seven months.
Really, I think the best gift this Christmas was spending time with friends and family. Happy Holidays everyone.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you leave for the Peace Corps?
January 10 - I fly into D.C. for my staging in Arlington, which only lasts about a day. On January 12 I fly with the other volunteers to Nicaragua.What will you be doing?
My title is Community Health Promoter, so in partnership with the Ministry of Health I will be training community members to teach about prenatal health and childhood nutrition, as well as giving talks, and forming health programs.How long will you be gone?
27 months - 3 months of training, and 2 years at my assigned post.
Where will you be?
I don't know yet, I'll find out towards the end of my training, but it will likely be in the Northwest or the very Southwest of the country. My training will be somewhere outside of the capital, Managua.
Will you be close to other volunteers?
After my training I should be within, at most, a two hour bus ride of another volunteer.
Can you come back to visit?
Well, I do get some vacation days, but I would have to pay for my own flight. The only way the Peace Corps will pay for my flight back to the U.S. is if a member of my family dies, so lets not hope for that.
Can I come and visit you?
Sure! After my 3 months of training, and then after 3 months of adjusting to my new post, you can visit me wherever I am.
Do they pay you as a volunteer?
Not exactly, but I will receive a stipend to cover living expenses, and they have payed for my flights to Virginia and Managua, so I won't have to worry about money. Also, I can defer my student loans, even the interest. I'm really excited about that.
Will you have the internet/electricity/running water?
Yes, it may not always be reliable, but most towns have an internet cafe, and most of the houses have electricity, but the majority of it comes from hydropower, so during the dry season there may be power outages like in Quito. This is the same for running water - it's there, but I might have to conserve during the dry season.
Is it safe?
The Peace Corps is really careful about their volunteers' safety, which is really why my medical review was as intense as it was - they want to make sure that any potential health risks are addressed before I leave, and to be prepared if something does happen.
Nicaragua has experienced violence in the past, particularly when the CIA supported the Contra forces under Reagan's presidency, but there are Peace Corps employees whose jobs are to watch the political and social situation for unrest.
In one blog I read, the volunteer was evacuated from Guinea, and hearing about her experience was enlightening. Here is the link, and the rest of her entries are way more insightful than I could ever hope to be.
I'll also be living with a host family during my training, and then for the first six weeks after training, but I am thinking of staying with the family for the full two years as it is a safer option than living on my own.
Not-so-frequent questions, but ones that I have received at one time or another:
Peace Corps, so is that like the army?
...No.
Why are they sending you abroad? Don't we have enough problems here in the U.S.?
We do have problems here at home. That's why we have AmeriCorps.
You're going to Nigeria? Why are they sending you to Africa if you speak Spanish?
I'm going to Nicaragua, but they both start with "ni" and then end with "a" so I can understand the little mental hiccup. Perhaps I'll write about my own latest brain lapse in another post. Spoiler alert: it's a good one.
Everything and More
Welcome to my new blog, still bright and starry-eyed, unsuspecting of the chaotic tangle of words that is about to hit it in the face courtesy of my brain. Like so:
Back in June, after graduating with a B.A. from Willamette University, I applied to the Peace Corps. A little less than two weeks later, I interviewed with a PC recruiter, the same recruiter nominated me as a volunteer for a program in Central/South America working in Health Extension in July. The next step was the medical review.
I received the necessary paperwork in July, went to numerous doctors to be poked and prodded and stretched, and mailed it back in September. Then they sent it back asking for updated information, which I included then mailed back. Then they sent it back asking for more updated information, which I then faxed to them. Then they called and asked for more information, which I faxed back and in November (it was November by then) the Peace Corps officially invited me to volunteer in Nicaragua until March 2013.
This will tell of all my adventures. Or at least the ones I feel like sharing with the internet masses.
Back in June, after graduating with a B.A. from Willamette University, I applied to the Peace Corps. A little less than two weeks later, I interviewed with a PC recruiter, the same recruiter nominated me as a volunteer for a program in Central/South America working in Health Extension in July. The next step was the medical review.
I received the necessary paperwork in July, went to numerous doctors to be poked and prodded and stretched, and mailed it back in September. Then they sent it back asking for updated information, which I included then mailed back. Then they sent it back asking for more updated information, which I then faxed to them. Then they called and asked for more information, which I faxed back and in November (it was November by then) the Peace Corps officially invited me to volunteer in Nicaragua until March 2013.
This will tell of all my adventures. Or at least the ones I feel like sharing with the internet masses.
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