Peace Corps Thoughts

With swearing in just around the corner, I started reflecting on why I joined the Peace Corps, what I’ll be doing for the next two years, and why this is the right choice for me. I started my application in September of 2013, so I’ve been thinking about the moment I would swear in for over a year now. I first thought about joining the Peace Corps when I was in middle school, before I even really knew what it was. Then, in high school I decided there was no way I could ever join the Peace Corps. Two years was way too long and impossible, that was a big chunk of my young life to commit to something!

It wasn’t until the summer after my junior year of college that I really gave it some serious thought. That summer I did a humanitarian training course in Toronto complete with an intense simulation in the woods and a healthy dose fear. This course opened my eyes to the importance of global health and how connected it is to international relations. Most importantly, I was introduced to an incredible group of people from all over the world who were passionate and dedicated to humanitarianism. Many of them had experience working in the field in remote corners of the world. I even met an American who said he wished he had joined the Peace Corps when he was younger (Now that I know what I do, I just want to say that it’s never too late! Bots 15 has some kickass older people who have a wealth of experience to share while they’re here).

Anyway, that fall I sat down with a professor at my university who had done the Peace Corps in China to talk about his experience. He told me that Peace Corps is the only organization he could think of that gives you the chance to really be a part of a bottom-up development approach where you get to live and be with a community, and that’s exactly what I want to be a part of. I want to work and live with my community in Gobojango and learn everything I can about Botswana. Peace Corps calls it ‘peer-to-peer development focused on capacity building and sustainability’ and that’s what I’m going to strive for. So after all that thought, this Wednesday I’ll take my oath and swear in as a health volunteer for Botswana.

 

For my first three months at site I will be on lockdown, or as Peace Corps would prefer we refer to it as ‘community integration’. During that time, all I’m supposed to be doing is getting to know my community. I need to learn the ins and outs of my clinic, learn about the available resources in the village, and complete my community assessment. They don’t want us starting on projects until we actually know what’s going on in our villages. It will be very strange going from being around 70 other Americans constantly with a busy schedule to being alone in my new house with a fairly relaxed schedule. Most of me cannot wait, but a small part of me is worried about how I’ll handle the isolation. I know I’ll form bonds with people in my community, but that will also take some time. I just need to be patient and trust the process.

I was planning on buying a dongle yesterday so that I could have internet at my site, but when I went to the store they said they were out! There’s a chance they may have some next week, but if not, it may be a long while before I can post again. So until then, thank you for reading my blog and wish me luck with the big move! (I have no idea how I’m going to drag all my stuff to Gobojango)

Here are a few more pictures from my day to day life:

Some kids at culture day ran up to show us their awesome moves

These purple trees are in bloom all over Serowe right now and it's beautiful

This is my favourite dog in Serowe, we've named her Ladybug and she is the cutest