I've been wanting to write for some time about my actual work here as a volunteer. It's just hard to put into words the complex combination of progress, setbacks, pride, humility, frustration, and awe that inevitably result from Peace Corps work. On the one hand, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but on the other, I don't want to downplay something that is actually meaningful or impactful. I also hesitate to say when things aren't going well, because I don't want to discourage anyone who reads this.

Some of the moments here are incredible, like the (upcoming!) story about my health club students. But sometimes little successes can bring on the warm fuzzies in full force. Hearing someone say, "Wow, you can really speak Jula now!"  Seeing a friend become extremely animated and inspired while we debate a social issue together.  Finding out that my mentor, Oumar, feels like he learns something new from me whenever we're together.
Other times can feel downright useless. Since I'm being honest here, I'll admit that there are some days I shut my door and pretend I'm not here because I'm tired, sick, or just don't feel like speaking in another tongue. There are times when I really give myself a hard time for not doing enough, or talking to enough people, or going to the clinic enough. But nobody said the Peace Corps would be easy. They just said it would be worth it. There have been times when I've doubted even that. 

But more recently, I'm seeing my service as one long project rather than 800something days added up. I've taken stock, and I feel good about what I've accomplished even if I have had to spend some time on the bench from allergies, amoebas, and mild anemia.  I've been here almost a year and a half, and I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I've become an actual part of the community.  Of course I still stick out, but less like a sore thumb and more like the quirky nerd I've always been.  

I've often been asked what a typical day is like in my life as a PCV. Like I mentioned, you could pick two of my days at random and one would make me look like a saint, the other a sloth. So here is my best shot at a fair and honest depiction of a typical week walking in my dirty, Nike memory foam flip flops:

Sunday. Get up at 8 to wash the clothes.  Have instant coffee and a snack. Wash all morning. Stop to eat lunch once hands start hurting. Rinse whatever's still soapy and leave the rest for next time. Spend the rest of the day recovering from the exhaustion. Play scrabble by lantern light with Chad after dinner.


Monday. Be woken up by a neighbor knocking who wants to borrow my bike. Give her the bike, go back to sleep. Get up for real when she gets back from the market. Spend the next hour talking on the porch about her marriage prospects. Weave in discussion of family planning options and how to discuss it with her partner. Eat brunch. Call another volunteer about girls' camp preparations. Hang out at home until sunset, then go to a friend's house and drink cashew apple juice as we discuss the future of her business. Then head home for dinner and catching up on my favorite shows on the computer.


Tuesday. Have tea and pancakes. Bike 1km to the health clinic for a meeting with the new health staff. Explain what Peace Corps is and discuss plans for upcoming training activities. Stop by the school briefly during lunch time to ask the director a question about spring break. End up talking with a teacher for two hours about literacy rates, student motivation, and behavior change theory. Go home very hungry. Make plain noodles with parmesan (thanks, family) and then help my surrogate grandma sweep up the leaves in the courtyard. Try to learn some new guitar chords.

Wednesday. Wake up feeling motivated. Start cleaning the house. Get overwhelmed and give up. Start watching a movie instead. Get interrupted by a friend I haven't seen in a while. Sit on the porch together and discuss a possible budget for building a new pigpen for her family farm. Grab lunch once she leaves and fall asleep, overheated. Wake up confused, drink lots of water and talk for an hour with Chad about my new ideas. Eat dinner together and finally at least get all the dishes done. Well most.

Thursday. Grab coffee and a granola bar then head to a nearby town for a family reunion. Greet all of the important family members, including the eldest women who are in the ceremonial hut, complete with four disembodied bull heads. Proceed to being forced to eat oily rice with beef after insisting that we already ate, thank you. Smile to hide some mild gagging. Hand over the remaining beef chunk to Chad (the benefit of serving as a married couple). Drink copious amounts of water. Leave after a polite amount of time. Lend a friend our camera to record the rest of the event. Grab a semi-cold Coke and go home to finally finish that movie.

Friday. Eat. Bike to the school to remind the kids of the upcoming health club meeting. Stop by two houses where individuals do composting. Discuss an upcoming training opportunity in broken Jula then take their pictures for use in the composting publicity. Realize too late that I forgot to put on sunscreen. Go home. Eat. Go to bed early.

Saturday. Wake up in the middle of the night from mouse noises. Think of a great project idea and write it down. Have a bottle of water and go back to bed. Get up for real later and make sure everything is ready for health club. Have breakfast. Invite a friend to come help teach the kids. Bike to the school after lunch. Teach the basics of nutrition and play a sorting game based on favorite foods and a matching game with food and food groups. Discuss upcoming spring break activity plans. Then hand over the soccer ball and watch to make sure they don't hurt each other. Grab a Coke, almost cold this time, on the way home, and spend the evening drawing and maybe playing guitar and singing.




Note:  This is just an example to create a picture of what my personal experience is often like. Peace Corps service is very diverse, between volunteers, across sectors, and around the world. Some volunteers work 9 to 5 schedules. Some take every meal with their neighbors. Some fill clear job positions, and some, like me, create their jobs as they go along. There is not just one right way to be a volunteer. The key is that we try to live by consistent principles of development and respond to the real needs of our communities. Feel free to post any unanswered questions you may have as a family member, blog enthusiast, or future volunteer. I will be glad to post a FAQs entry some time soon.