down to business

So, my only real problem with waiting so long between blog posts is how much I have to remember to catch up on!

First off, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has commented, written, responded, or otherwise made any contact with me. Your support has been instrumental in my survival here.

Our training center is just across the street from my house, which is very helpful for us, but frustrating because everybody wants to use our bathroom. After the first time the toilet got blocked up, I was able to convince the girls in the house to put their TP in a trash bucket. Most of the other PCTs have acquiesced to using the outhouse in the backyard.
We have all our classes and meals at the training center, which means we carry our chairs back and forth between the classrooms and the main room periodically. We have a nice courtyard in the middle with the classes and director offices encircling it. Our medical director travels all over the country because she is the Rwanda PCMO. (Peace Corp Medical Officer) We’re hoping that will mean that at some point she will stop at the post office in Kigali and bring us the mail…

Our schedule is set in large blocks of time with significant breaks in between. Breakfast at 7, a two hour block from 8-10, tea time for half an hour, a 90 minute block, then lunch for two and a half hours. Classes start again at 2:30 for an hour-fifteen, followed by a 15 minute break and then a final hour session. Oh yeah – dinner at 7. We alternate classes between language, tech (pedagogy), “safety and security”, medical, and culture training.

Language:
Kinyarwanda is a very complicated language to switch to from any Indo-European base. There are 16 noun classes that affect every prefix used in the sentence. There are multiple KR phrases that translate (or not, as the case may be) into a single English phrase, so we will often hear “you can say this or that – same thing”. Some things we want to learn how to say don’t exist – like son, daughter, or beautiful. You would say “my boy child” or “my girl child” and everything is degree of good. The dress you’re wearing is a good dress; the view from on top of this hill is a good view; you said that phrase ‘good’.

Language classes as the first block in the morning is tough because that’s 2 hours straight of pounding memorization. They are trying to teach us without using translation, so there is a lot of confusion as we start each new subject. We have 13 teachers, and they rotate the classes they teach almost every session. After the first week, they also switched up the classes to adjust for learning styles and speed. My pronunciation skill has placed me in a higher class, so we’ll see how that goes.

Tech (pedagogy):
Most of our sessions have had guest speakers and discuss the concepts of TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and teaching in general. Next week, the first group starts their “micro-teaching” – small lessons before they go to model school. I signed up with the third group as they only get 2 weeks of model school, and as I already have that year under my belt, I thought it might be better to let the non-teachers fill up the other groups.
Our first speakers were some volunteer teachers from World Teach International (I think?) and they have been here for about a year. It sounded like they didn’t have as much training as we are getting, but it was helpful to hear from other Americans who have been living in the area for a while. We also had some other PCVs talk to us, but they are technically health volunteers, so their experience will be different from ours as well. They each had different school experiences to share and had to balance this ‘extra’ teaching role with their health responsibilities. They came back during our cultural training session to help us be aware of standards and expectations they had come across that they felt we would be unaware of otherwise. (will discuss more in cultural topic)
We also heard form a current Rwandan university student, Jean Batiste. His education, like many others older than 10, was interrupted for a time because of the genocide. He is currently teaching secondary school and in university working towards his Bachelors. Rwanda government provided free education up through grade 6 in French until this year. The school year starting in 2010 will cover grades 1-9 as “basic education” which means there is no fee for classes, but materials, uniforms, and lunches still weigh heavily on many families. Also, all the classes will be taught in English. The government wants teachers to be proficient by 2012, and almost everyone we come across wants us to help teach them English so they can be progressive as well.

We have also focused a lot on gender equality issues. Even though 60% of the Parliament here is female, education is still vastly underrated for women. Part of the issue is that not only does a family have to pay for secondary education, but they lose an employee around the house. Within the classroom, girls are second-class citizens. They are not called on, and when they do try to speak, the boys ignore them and hold their own conversations. Ya’ll know I set the feminism movement back about 50 years, but there is something to be said for human equality. Our main plan is to inject some confidence into the girls and teach respect in the classroom.

Then we heard from Ken Franklin, a VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas – UK/Netherlands/other western Euro countries version of PC) who had been here for 3 years. He was very engaging, and shared some language stories we could all relate to; like when he thought he was asking for bread (umugati) , but was in fact asking for eight (umunani), loudly, for about 10 minutes. =) He gave us a great interactive lesson on how to dig up resources when there didn’t appear to be any around – and how to share that with the teachers in our schools. Also, how to slowly integrate learner centered lessons and group activities into our classrooms. Because of minimal resources and tradition, 99% of All classes are taught where the teacher either dictates a lesson to be copied, or writes it on the blackboard to be copied. And that’s it.

Following that very refreshing presentation, we helped John Simpson, who is on the British Council for REAP (Rwandan English Action Program), as a “brain-trust” to help him create some action plans for exposing the teachers to more English. They will have seminars and conferences during their large break (November-December) but will need to practice and learn more across the year as well if they are to reach the proficiency goal of 2012. Many of us discussed including English in their staff meetings, during meals at school, during content-area meetings (to focus on content language) and how we as PCVs could contribute by going over lesson plans with the teachers, observing lessons, and facilitating English clubs during the week.

Safety and Security:

We don’t really have a lot of these sessions – I think there’s only maybe one or two more during training. The one we had was about how we could be responsible for our possessions and not flashing around our money and what we have. I have a few great photos from a skit I was dragged into about ‘the foolish PCV’ out on the town. We stayed out too late, drank too much, and I brought all my valuables with me to play with. And I went back alone when I had left my phone in the bar… I don’t think our language teachers have had that much fun so far in training. And Oh the Drama! I was pretty much awesome. =)

That’s all.

Medical:
Well here’s the fun part. It’s definitely helpful to go over policies and procedures of what to do if you get sick or injured (or pregnant apparently) and who we can contact, etc. They do like to scare us a little about eating Anything, because it could be contaminated somehow. But the great part is the 3 or 4 extra shots we get to have over the course of our work. Rabies shots, flu shots, possible boosters for other stuffs.
Our med kits are pretty comprehensive: (I will refer to thing either by their commonly known brand name or use description – please note that most of these are NOT brand name) (which is fine)
- Tylenol
- Advil
- Triple antibiotic ointment
- Throat lozenges – two kinds – Sucrets!
- Caladryl cream / anti-itch cream
- Imodium pills
- Eye drops
- Rehydration salts
- Iodine water purification tablets
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Antacid
- Antihistamines
- Sinus decongestant
- Pepto-Bismol tablets
- Anti-fungal cream
- Antiseptic fluid
- Bleach solution to help purify water
- Medical tape
- Bandaids
- Butterfly closures
- Floss
- Ace bandage
- Gauze pads
- Rubber gloves
- Insect repellent
- Chapstick
- Safety whistle
- Bandage scissors
- Sunscreen
- Splinter tweezers
- Disposable thermometers
And most importantly -

- Condoms
Many kits have “Black Ice” brand. They’re made in Malaysia.
Just in cases…


Culture Training:
Things to be aware of in Rwanda –
- you must greet Everyone (especially if you have ever met them before), but you don’t have to say please
- and this isn’t a passing hello. Rwandans really care about conversation and showing that the person they are talking to is important to them. Be prepared to share your news and be sure to ask for theirs.
- no naked feet!
- Sit properly please. No lounging or sprawling or tucking your feet underneath you (Indian style) OR sitting on the ground.
- Smoking is to be confined to designated areas
- Stand when you are addressing a group
- Don’t smell the food
- No shoes in the sitting room
- In fact, nothing really personal in the sitting room
- No emotion in public (ie. crying)
- No eating in public / while moving
- Accept / offer some kind of refreshment when visiting / hosting
- Yawning – hungry
- Walk your visitors out the gate and down the road a bit.

All reasonable things, really. Rwanda is a very conservative, reserved culture. They can be very passionate, but there is a time and a place for everything here.

Other news:
We learned to do laundry in a bucket. Almost as fun as bathing from a bucket. If your hands are raw when you’re done, you’ve done it right. =) mine hurt from wringing by the time I finished. I’m interested to see how washing towels goes… Our kitchen staff were nice enough to wash our sheets for us though.

Middle of last week we met with the local authorities from our town. There are 3 mayors for our district: a head mayor, a jr mayor of economics/finance, and another jr mayor of civics/social issues. The head mayor was in Kigali, and the money mayor had taken time off for his wedding, so the social mayor came in from maternity leave (1 month!) to meet us. The chief of police and the head of migration also came. In Rwanda, meetings have a very different structure than America. Because greetings are so important, everyone needs to introduce themselves and share about what their role is. Our director introduced us and explained what Peace Corps was and why we were there, in French; introduced all the staff; then asked us PCVs to introduce ourselves. Most of us tried to do it in Kinyarwanda, a few did in French, and a few acknowledged that they weren’t ready and spoke in English still. Then the migration head and the police chief introduced themselves and welcomed us and said if we needed anything we were to avail ourselves of their service. Kate read a speech that she had shown me drafts of and I got to help edit – we needed one of our teachers to translate it, but I think the authorities really appreciated the effort that was shown.
Many meetings in Rwanda take hours because of greetings, introductions, and strict procedure, but I like a place with a sense of propriety and order.

Finally, we all met our “resource families” this week. These are like host families, only we don’t live with them. We had a ceremony where a representative from each family came to meet us at our school and then we all walked back to our respective houses. Some people have to walk 3-5 kilometers (those are the farthest away though). I didn’t measure it, but my family is about a 10-15 minute walk, so maybe a mile away, but that also includes uphill and through yards. My resource mom, Uwamwiza, teaches at the local elementary school, and specified in Social Studies. My resource dad, Gatabazi, is (I think) a factory worker who makes office furniture. They have 4 kids, Rusi (Lucy) 8, Fille 6 (boy), Shukuru 4 (boy), and Zipora 2 (girl). They also have 3 other girl staying with them, who I believe are genocide orphans. Marina is in secondary school, and teaches at the primary school with Uwamwiza. We are supposed to spend at least 4 hours a week with them, and so far I have seen them twice (totaling maybe 6 hours). Fortunately, our directors have scheduled time for visits into our schedules, and our weekends are usually free.

AHHH!! So much going on! So next time, I will try and tell you about our visit to the historical royal site and the art museum, and our visit to Butare (Huye) and the memorial center there. Thanks for reading!

3 days - 1 post

10 / 08-09 / 09

Muraho!

Hello from Rwanda!  I must say the trip over here had its ups and downs.  We flew on a 757 from JFK to Brussels and I did not sleep because the timing was all crazy.  Fortunately, the flight from Brussels to Kigali was bigger, and we were all seated near each other.

We landed to a very excited welcoming committee with posters and hugs and two busses for us and a truck for the luggage.  We drove through a dark night looking out the windows lit by thousands of tiny lights on the hillside.  We were housed at the Centre de St Francois Assisi.  A convent.  =)  Our first dinner was delicious.  We had a buffet of some kind of lentil soup, meat, green beans, beans, and a Rwandan passion fruit that reminds me of fig with a solid shell.

I crashed early, but we All slept until about 3:45 as our time clocks were unadjusted.  Most of us decided to give in and get around 6:30 and headed to breakfast.  They had GREAT coffee And tea, and a nice simple meal of bread and butter, scrambled eggs and onions. 

We all headed to the Peace Corps headquarters on our busses to meet our country director.  We received more shots, filled out immigration forms, and had our first opportunity to get online!  The American Embassy provided us with simosas, sandwiches, and drinks across the day. Many people went out to exchange money and buy phones, many more of us went back for an afternoon nap.  In the evening, we went to the CD’s house for a reception to meet the Health Volunteers that were already in the country.  Many of my fellow PCT’s started picking up on the language right away.  I am having a little more difficult time without seeing the words written down.  We were all excited to be eating mini pizzas, pigs in a blanket, quiche, and more simosas! 

10 / 10 / 09

This morning we visited the Kigali Genocide memorial.  There are many genocide memorials across Rwanda, but this is the largest and most visited site.  They have three sections to the grounds.  There are many mass graves where people can bring remains of family members they have found for a proper burial.  We started here and lay a bouquet and individual flowers in remembrance.  The second section was the history of their genocide, and education on other genocides around the world.  I really appreciated that they integrated international atrocities to help drive home the idea of “Never Again – Anywhere”.  The third section was a picture gallery of victims and personal stories of children who had been slain.  This place affected many volunteers and really made it a personal connection for them.

We went back to the PC headquarters for a debriefing afterwards.  We discussed the current Rwandan process of reconciliation.  There are levels of courts and justice that start with communities and grass roots trials.  Depending on the level of violence committed, the accused may move up in the court system and earn harsher consequences.  They start here to give the victims a sense of involvement in the justice and an opportunity for reconciliation within the community.  Because of the history, many people were displaced before the incidents of 1994, and many people have been displaced because of those incidents.  The current population is a blend of survivors, committers, and people who weren’t involved at all.  The President of Rwanda has called all citizens to renounce vengeance and strive for coexistence – to live in the understanding that “we are all Rwandan”. 

We were also encouraged not to be the first person to bring up the history to any nationals.  Rwanda has always been a reserved people, who will be friendly, but open up very slowly as you earn their trust.  It is not appropriate to ask if people are Hutu or Tutsi as the labels have been eliminated from any official process in country.  If you find out one is Tutsi or Hutu, you cannot assume that they are survivor or perpetrator.  Many people will want to share their stories, but we are not to investigate.

In the afternoon, a few girls went back into town and I finally got my phone!  It costs 180francs per minute to call from here to the US – which equates to just about $3.  But, it doesn’t use any minutes to receive calls.  =D   We all stopped at a cute café and I ordered Hot Cocoa.  I don’t think I’ve had cocoa in a long time.  This was also delicious.  I was also able to pick up a small bag so I can have a place to carry around phone, camera, ID, books, writing utensils, etc. because I often need all these things going fro one meeting place to another. 

Saturday evening was grand because we took the ipod and speakers over to Avery’s room and had a little party.  Jen, Bobby, Kevin, and Ian all came over and we played Indian poker betting candy, and invaluables like “the twinkle in Kevin’s eye”.

10 / 11 / 09

I was very appreciative to have Dad’s James sermon series from when he was at Edwards on my ipod.  I had my own church service in my bed, and may expand it next weekend (depending if anyone in the house is interested).  This morning we all packed up and drove 2 hours south to our training site.  I was able to take many pictures of the beautiful countryside on the journey.  Chris counted 27 “mazungu”s - which is the word for “foreigner” but more often ‘white man’ - called out at us, mostly by waving children. 

The neighborhood was highly intrigued as we pulled in with our vehicles and luggage.  We divided into 4 houses which are labeled by tasks: the Laundry house is the biggest, and farthest away from the center of town, the Language house is the smallest (oddly), the Tech house, and my house; the Kitchen house.  So far, all the meals have been here, but they are talking about having more meals at our school.  The children that gathered to watch us leave highly enjoyed Nicole’s knee-wiggle dance she learned as a camp councilor. 

When we got to our house, our rooming assignments were on the doors and we unloaded our luggage.  We have 8 girls, 2 boys, 2 female language trainers, 1 male language trainer, and 1 male driver in our house.  We have two bathrooms where you pour water from a bucket to flush the toilet, and use “jerry-cans” (?) to hold the “clean” water for bucket bathing and washing hands.  All the food is prepared in the backyard behind the avocado tree.  Our first afternoon here we got a dancing lesson, which was great because it prepared us for our evening!  We all had lunch and then explored the town center and open-air market. Sunday is definitely the best day to go because it is the least crowded.  Maggie and I found the internet café, but the connections are slow, and sometimes sketchy. 

In the evening, we gathered at our Technical Director’s house for a Welcome reception, and were treated with a traditional song and dance with costumes and props.  They had a sound system and played many of the American songs they enjoyed as well.  I was able to see the notebooks with the agendas for our training and I am excited to have a solid schedule ahead of us.  Training starts Tuesday, and we’re all ready to go!  =)

additional mailing info

Charissa Knighton
Peace Corps Trainee
P.O. Box 5657
Kigali, Rwanda


* Write "Par Avion" and "Air Mail" on envelopes and boxes. Letters and packages mailed by air from the U.S. take about two to six weeks to arrive.

* Number letters and packages, if sending more than one, for tracking purposes.

* Mail is less likely to be opened/stolen if you write the address in red ink. This is also true if it appears to contain religious material. So throw a "Sister" in front of my name, draw a couple crosses, or write a favorite Bible verse.

* Tape up packages, including the corners, so they can endure the trip. If you have stickers from church or from things you've donated to (St. Jude, Humane Society, etc.), put the stickers on the edges of the boxes that are taped shut - under the clear tape - so you can easily see if it's been cut open; this deters people from doing it, i.e. minimizes theft. You can also do this with the inside flaps of the boxes and with letters.

* Flat mail envelopes are better than boxes. Put everything in a baggie before putting it in the envelope. Boxes are welcome, but they increase the cost of transport and the risk of theft. I also have to pay a small fee when picking up packages.

* If you insure anything always say it's miscellaneous, and be general with customs declarations. Don't claim expensive contents.


thanks!

Pslams 27:14

Staging

Hey Y'all!

I am sitting in Philadelphia, my last night in the US, awaiting the joy of vaccinations and medication upon the morning and two 8 hour flights thereafter.  =)
We sat in a meeting for almost 7 hours today, which was just joyous.  I have learned of the restrictions I have on this blog, so if you would like some side updates with more details (probably some more genuine emotions) PLEASE email me at CTKnighton@gmail.com and I will send out mass emails that are more appropriate for private reading.
This blog will still be where most of my news and pictures get posted.

Speaking of news, here goes:

13 of the 35 members going to Rwanda were initially placed in different country, and extracted due to civil unrest.  They already have a year of experience under their belt, so it has been really nice to have them around for questions and tips.

When I arrived at my room (aroud midnight) last night, I discovered that my roommate was the same girl who was running the Yahoo and Facebook groups, and I had, in fact, been in contact with her for a while!  She's a blast. 
Many of the volunteers are vocalists, and we have been singing up and down town.  One kid has even trained in opera.  (very exciting)

so this morning was really chill - walked around about 2 miles looking for the CVS that was 3 blocks away.  I finally had a Phily cheesesteak sandwich and this cool open-air market that was, in fact, in a building. 

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

After lunch, roomie and I chilled for a bit, collected paperwork, and then went downstairs for processing.  we were, annoyingly early, and had to leave and come back.  annoying when you're uber-ready.  when we finally got going, I discovered my inclination to sass in situations of high stress is much stronger than my desire to be professional.  none of the other PCT's (trainee's) minded, but I think I confused one of the staff.  but my awesome roomie has my back.  =)

after the Long afternoon of paperwork, about 12 of us met for dinner in the lobby and walked around looking for food.  we found an high class Asian restaurant called Tazia's

http://lymichaelsrestaurant.com/default.aspx

delicious food.  still have some of the chicken in my room.  it was all like asain tapas - but not really dim sum.  ended up sharing / eating   Pan Tossed Calamari with Pepper- Coriander Seasoning ; salmon and cream cheese sushi; Vegetable Tempura; Chicken Roti; and General’s Chicken - Lightly Battered Chicken, Ginger Garlic Sauce. 

I have really enjoyed my last few moments on the phone with people.  I am also starting a, what I hope will be fairly consistent, reading regimen.  I am looking forward to adding a joint venture with Mom and Charlynn in about 11 days.  =D

ooh!  agenda!
6:00 wake up, roll out of bed, eat breakfast
6:45 get downstairs and checked out by
7:00 bus arrives and we all try to pile on with our luggage
7:20ish - leave for clinic
9ish - get shots
10:30ish - leave for JFK international airport
3:00  check in
5:50 - leave for Brussels!!!

we land in rwanda around 7 pm on Oct 8th.

ok, i think that's about it for now.
again, PLEASE email me for the additional information/thoughts I can't post here.

love you all!

 - Tenderness, put my heart to rest;
Your tenderness hits me to the bone.
Tenderness, when my head's a mess
Your tenderness keeps me coming home

Pre-Trip Low-Down

Welcome to my Rwanda Peace Corps blog!

This will be the main way to keep track of my adventures while I am gone. If you email me with personal questions or comments, I will try and get back to those as well, but most of the newsy-ness will be posted here.

I have taken a page from my friend Kevin who is currently in Panama and will start with an FAQ section.

FAQS

1. Where are you going?

I will be serving in Rwanda (see map on right hand side). Rwanda is a landlocked country, bordered by Uganda to the North, Tanzania to the East, Burundi to the South, and the Congo to the West. We will be staying away from the Congo... As one of my friends has stated " I didn't realize how small Rwanda was until I saw it on a shower curtain map!" Rwanda is, in fact, smaller in land area than Maryland. That's pretty small.

Weather - The high altitude of Rwanda provides the country with a tropical highland climate - this means an average daily temperature range of less than 4° F. Temperatures vary considerably from region to region because of the variations in altitude. At Kigali, on the central plateau, the average temperature is 70° F . So, logic says I will exists between 60 - 80° year-round, +/- 4° seasonally.

A long rainy season lasts from February to May and a short one from November through December. Rainfall is heaviest in the southwest and lightest in the east. At Gisovu, in the west, near Kibuye, annual rainfall averages 160 cm (63 in); at Gabiro, in the northeast, 78 cm (31 in); and at Butare, in the south, 115 cm (45 in).

No, I don't actually know where these places are yet...

I will receive ~3 months of intensive language, technical and cultural training near Kigali, the capital, with the other volunteers. We may be with host families, or we may be set up in a mass housing arrangement. During this time, I will most likely visit my placement site - which will probably be in a remote, rural area/village. But I won't know where it is, or what my housing will be until I get there.



2. When are you going?

I leave Oct 5 for Philadelphia for two days of "staging" (briefing on PC, logistics, and vaccinations) and then we depart for Rwanda with a stop over in Brussels. This means getting pumped full of shots, and then going on two 8-hour flights. joy. =)



3. What language do they speak?

I will be learning the local language of Kinyarwandan. The current Official European language is French (which I am hoping I will be able to brush up on and pick up more of while I am there). However, the government of Rwanda is trying to join the East African Countries Coalition, and in order to do so, they must be able to state English is an Official language. Therefore, I will be teaching 6-9th grade aged students ESL.



4. How long will you be there?

Peace Corps service is 27 months (3 months of training and two years of service). There are options to extend service for an additional year or more. I will probably not take that extra year...



5. What will you be doing?

My official assignment is "Teaching English as a Second Language”.

The government of Rwanda (GoR) is actively looking to the future, and it has requested the assistance of Peace Corps Volunteers to help carry out its Vision 2020 and decentralization plan, which strongly focuses on community development, health, and HIV/AIDS.

An initial group of 35 Volunteers will collaborate with other United States government partners to develop the capacity of local health centers and community based organizations to plan, coordinate, and deliver HIV/AIDS services. Volunteers will work with a variety of partners, including Rwandan administrative authorities, international organizations, and other private sector partners at the district, sector, and cell levels to carry out their development plans to strengthen their efforts in HIV education, prevention, and care activities. Volunteers will also work with partners to build the capacity of HIV/AIDS-focused nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and other associations by providing assistance in the areas of strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and project development. The long-term objective of the work undertaken by Volunteers is that people and families living with AIDS will have increased access to prevention, care, and treatment services, and that the care they have access to is comprehensive and provided by a strengthened network of governmental and civil service providers.

Now, I have no idea what that all means, but it sounds like a lot of work. And it’ll keep me busy when school isn’t in session. =)



6. What will your living conditions be like?

As stated in the first question I will most likely be placed in a rural community. Transportation will be limited but PC does provide volunteers with mountain bikes and helmets. I will most likely not have electricity, cell phone, internet, and running water in my "house" . I will have to shop and cook for myself. I will be able to travel to the capital or nearby "major city" to use internet cafes to update this blog and answer e-mail. This will be on a limited basis, but I’m hoping for every other week – once a month.



7. How do you contact me?

My mailing address, for training only, will be as follows:

Charissa Knighton
Peace Corps Trainee
P.O. Box 5657
Kigali, Rwanda


I will update later on where to send things as we progress.

Some advice from the country director:

"We recommend that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Custom fees can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), several services, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS operate in Rwanda. These services however, are very expensive, and can cost as much as $70 for a letter."


The mailing address is only good for my first three months of training. (Oct 8 – Dec 12th). I will let you know what my more permanent address for the next two years of service will be as soon as I know. The primary e-mail I will use is CTKnighton@gmail.com.

Letters, e-mails, and packages are welcome and much appreciated!! I really want to stay connected to everyone to the best of my abilities (thus, letters are probably better).



8. Why are you doing this?

Many of you have heard varying levels of detail regarding this. Since you are reading this, I am going to assume that you are genuinely interested and will give the full story.
**edited**  this is Mostly the whole story.  insignificant to me, but potentially problematic details have been ommitted.  no worries - you're not missing anything, I promise.  =)

When I (finally) completed school in the spring of 2008, I realized many things I had planned for and counted on my life had flipped around. I was no longer in the relationship I thought I would be, and my student teaching experience was so atrocious, I highly considered a career change.
When I went home on spring break, I was joking with my dad about applying to certain agencies, and he replied “I think you would be good in that field. You memorize easily and see patterns in everything, these are very good qualities for an analyst”. … really dad? Don’t you know a hoax when you hear one? In any case, now I felt obliged to look into what I would need to get into that kind of program. Surprise – I had all the abilities, and none of the qualifications. I started looking at office management classes that would get me in on the ground floor, and I could maneuver around from there.

I didn’t want to get too stuck on one idea in case it didn’t pan out, so I talked to a few people we knew in different services. I looked at teaching overseas on military bases, I looked at FBI (same deal – office management, ground floor), and finally, someone suggested that if I really wanted to work in government, I should look at the Peace Corps. This would get me passed most of the screenings, and provide international and career training that would be very appealing to many other branches of service.

The more I looked into the Peace Corps and what I would possibly doing, the more it fit my life. I have traveled many places around the world, but I would love to see so many more! I love helping people (all people!) with the concept of ‘see a need, fill a need’. I do enjoy teaching; I was just frustrated with the politics and gossip in the school I trained in. I love helping people find solutions to any problem.

Even though this is a long commitment, and I will miss you all very much! I feel that this is an opportunity to go have an adventure and change the world and grow up in the process. I truly feel that God opened doors that led me in this direction and I am excited to see what He has to teach me while I’m there.



9. Who else is going?

This is the first unit of Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) to go into Rwanda since 1993. There are 35 of us going, and many have connected already over Facebook. I will meet them in Philadelphia on Oct 6th for “Staging”, which really means paperwork and shots before throwing us onto the plane. We will all train together for the 3 months, but will be placed separately on our sites.

10. What have you been up to this summer?

My family moved to Colorado Springs, so, of course, I followed. I made a new bffffff (how many f’s do we add now? Anybody cool enough to know?) anyway, love Carrie. =) and I looked for an interim job since I didn’t know when I was leaving. For those of you who haven’t heard, I spent my summer at Aeropostale. Yes, the trendy clothing store for tweens and bros. Fortunately, I got to work in the back in the “Merchandise Flow” position. This means I got to open boxes, arranged clothes in the stock room, and organize papers. I loved it. =D In the mean time, I got involved with a great small group and met quite a few people who were getting ready to go off on adventures as well.

Finally, in case you haven’t heard, or seen my facebook profile picture, I also met Sean. Sean has been a God-send and a great supporter of mine. I will miss him very much.



11. Do you get to go home?

PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) get about 2 days a month off. You can save those days and take longer vacations. If you want to go home you need to pay your own way.

That said, DAD won’t let me come home. The theory is I should travel around Africa and Europe during my time off. My other friends who have been in the PC said they didn’t go home either, so I dunno, we’ll see what happens. This could be my chance to get to Paris. =D



12. Are you paid?

We are paid at the standard of living of those in Rwanda which is sufficient for food and transport.

13. How do you get funding for projects?

PC, other government agencies, and non-government organizations provide funding for small projects. Your community is also required to raise a percentage of a project.

14. What do you think you will most miss?

New music, people, seasons, easy food. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know. =)



Thanks for reading! I’m sure the others will be more reasonably sized, but I thought I’d get a good start on this.

Please share the link to this blog with anyone you think would be interested, but didn’t get it.