I’ve had a couple of conversations with both people here and
in the States and realized I should take a little time to back up and explain
some of the basics of my Peace Corps service.
Let me start with
“why are you doing Peace Corps?”
People often don’t think this question is nearly as loaded
as it is. Why did I just leave all of my comforts from home, why did I just
leave all of my friends, why am I away from my family for two years? I have the
typical selfless reasons: I have the ability to help others, so why not do
something? It’s my duty to serve in some form. Peace Corps helps teach and
empower youth around the world and that is what is going to help make the world
a better place. But as Peace Corps warns, and many people assume, you can’t
leave behind everything for 2 years and not have a selfish reasons as well,
when things are not going the way you want them, when your students are acting
out or project aren’t being completed, there needs to be something from your
heart keeping you going. I have wanted to do the Peace Corps since I was about
8 years old, and this is my chance to prove to myself that I can do it. I just graduated
college, and just ask my dad, every year I have a different dream job = I have
no idea what I want to do with my future, Peace Corps is a great opportunity to
take a break and find some direction while still doing something any employer
will like. Most important to me I suppose, I’ve always wanted to visit Africa
and there doesn’t really seem to be a much better way to do so. I mean, I’m not
just visiting; I’m living in Africa.
I’m not really sure if that explains exactly why I am doing
Peace Corps, but it is as close as I can get to explaining my inner thoughts
and feelings about being in Peace Corps, I honestly think just a lot of it was
a sporadic decision to apply and somehow I ended up following through.
What is going on in
Africa?
Right now I am not a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am currently a
Peace Corps Trainee. We are living all together in a village outside of Maputo
called Namaacha learning the language and how to teach our respective subjects.
In Barrio (Neighborhood) A & B are the Biology and Chemistry teachers. We
have teaching class together at the Biology Hub. About a 30-45 minute walk away
is the neighborhood where the Math and English teachers live, they have their
own teaching classes. While here, we live with host families to help learn the
customs and chores of Mozambique. Come December, following our swearing in, we
will all be split up around the country and sent to our sites where we will
begin teaching. That is when my actual 2-year commitment begins. Until then it
is just like being back in school. At least I have the friends and hang out
spots to match the college life so we can unwind after busy days.
We’ve been learning a lot, some of it things that are fairly
hard to deal with. Most recently we have been introduced to the corruption in
the school systems here and many of the difficulties of teaching science
here—technical heavy lectures, no labs, short classes, large classes—none of
which are the most conducive to learning Biology. But we’ve also been learning
a lot of Portuguese and have finally begun doing our practice teaching and
making lesson plans in Portuguese. Some days I feel like I am not learning
about Portuguese, but then I look at my Biology textbooks and my lesson plans
that I understand and I realize I’m starting to learn the language! We’ve also
been learning a lot about how to teach with limited resources and make the best
impact we possibly can in our short time here. Though we may feel sometimes we
aren’t making an impact of seeing any success, our country director said it
best: “We are planting the seeds of trees of shade we may not be able to sit
under.”
So here I am, living in Africa for 2-years, hopefully making
some impact, but at the very least I am able to live by example. I am able to
show up to class everyday and teach the best I can and make science as exciting
as it should be to every student, and be an example to the girls that being 22
and unmarried and educated and working is a perfectly great way to live and
should be part of their goals for empowerment.
I know I am in for quite the adventure, and hopefully my
adventure makes a little more sense now.
So no more procrastinating, I have a Bible Study to plan and
a lesson to practice and language exam tomorrow. Until next time…
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