*I thought I posted this last thursday, the 13th. Sorry!*
Hello Everyone!
I am writing this post from a hotel in Parakou. I’m here for
In Service Training. That means, incredibly enough, I have actually been a
Peace Corps volunteer for three months. That seems almost unbelievable to me.
Like so many things in life, I thought by the time I made it to in service
training I would have everything in life figured out, but there is so much to
learn!
That’s seems to be a good place to transition. In the last
two-weeks-and-some-change since I wrote a post, I have done a lot of learning.
As I may have mentioned, I was very much looking forward to
getting to use the Internet at the Kandi Workstation over Thanksgiving.
However, the Internet actually wasn’t working in the workstation that weekend.
So, while it was really nice to catch up with people and eat delicious food, I
spent the whole three day visit /not/ getting things done on the Internet. When
I got back to post, I was really discouraged about that. All in all, it’s been
over a month since I have been able to check my email. I felt frustrated and
discouraged, and just sort of out of steam. I felt out of control of being able
to get in touch with people. Being so close to the holidays didn’t make it any
easier to feel like I didn’t have the ability to communicate. My work kind of
went into low power. While I still did all the work that had already been
planned, like environmental club, but I wasn’t taking the initiative to get
people together for extra meetings and things like that.
When I was thinking about explaining to Baron, my homologue,
what had me in a funk, I realized how un-relatable my ‘first-world-third-world
problem’ was. It’s weird to remember that there really are no computers in my
town. The times when my neighbors have been on the computer are probably more
noteworthy than the times when computers have been inaccessible. That made me
realize, in ways that I haven’t really internalized before, how I really do
come from one of the richest countries in the world.
When ever anyone comments on my nice sandals, or motorcycle
helmet, or earrings, and jokingly ask if they can have it, I used to think,
“well, if you really do like [this thing] you probably could save up for it”.
While that is true, at the same time, any one of those things is also symbolic
of everything in my life that really is so out of reach for my neighbors. The
plane tickets and the technology and the communication and the conveniences of
first world life; I have to wonder if when they see any one of my nice things,
they partially see that whole life that I have access too.
So that whole revelation was sort of humbling, and it
started getting me in a better place. I did also benefit from the generosity of
Katrina, a neighboring volunteer who shared her Internet key with me one
morning. I still wasn’t able to check my email, but it was good to get a small
peak at the outside world. (That was also when I updated the blog the last
time.)
From there, I got thinking about Christmas. First I was
thinking a little about what would be challenging because I am away from home.
Then I got thinking about the religious/spiritual aspects of Christmas, which I
can still participate in, and in fact can bring new perspective to this year,
based on my new context. I got thinking about a line from the first chapter of
John, as it was translated in ‘The Message’. As it is explaining how God became
man and came to Earth, it says that God ‘moved into the neighborhood’. I am
getting to fulfill a dream in that, in my own smaller way, I am getting to
follow in God’s footsteps and move into the neighborhood with the people I
would like to help. That revelation kind of knocked me back. In a way, since
then, I think I have had a better attitude than I have had the first three
months. It’s still taken me some time to get momentum back with work, but it
really made a faith aspect click for me.
As a side note, the song ‘Away in a Manger’ says “no crying
he makes” but I have to think that Jesus was a fussy baby. I mean that is a
pretty huge transition o make. There is a lot to fuss about! But maybe I just
take a lower Christology than some people…
After all of that, the last couple days here in Parakou have
been so wonderful. The food is wonderful, and other people are preparing it for
us and cleaning up afterwards. There is running water and (when the power is
not cut) the hotel even has air conditioning. It’s so good to get to hear how
other people’s work is going, and just catch up and speak English. The break
has been really wonderful. In my opinion, the Peace Corps has a good supportive
structure to make these transitions through the different parts of service
easier.
This weekend I was at a voluntary training session here in
Parakou with Baron my homologue (or work partner). It was really great to
travel together and share in the class sessions. I think we bonded over hanging
out together outside of village, working together in the sessions, and even
times sharing in some humor about how we felt about certain lessons. It’s great
to get to bond a little bit. All things little by little!
In one final piece of news, I have purchased an Internet
key. It’s like a flash drive that I can buy phone credit for, and when you plug
it in to your computer, it will connect you to the Internet as cellphone
reception permits. I am hopeful that if I pace my laptop battery out well, I
may be able to update my blog weekly, and maybe even check my email. We will
see!
That’s all for now. Love you guys and I think of you all the
time. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. It still feels like it’s
still summer here, so that is a weird challenge. It doesn’t stop a person from
dreaming of sugarplums and future snowstorms though. I hope you all enjoy a
little the season!
With Love,
Lauren
