From the Land of the Free to the Land of the Upright People: It takes a village, and that’s where I’m Going

Monday, December 22, 2008

It takes a village, and that’s where I’m Going

On Friay I was officially sword in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I have to say, it feels pretty good. I couldn’t help but get sentimental, because I’ve been wanting this for so long, and I’m finally here! The ceremony was great—the Ambassador came, the Country Director came, my host parents came, and the food was incredible.

But there’s still plenty to do before I leave! We just finished 6 days of training with our counterparts, our supervisors and collaborators in our villages for the next three years. It was difficult, and certainly very awkward (especially knowing as little French as I do…). It wasn’t hard for me just because the first question my counterpart asked in front of the group was “So WHY are there so many women here?”; it wasn’t just because he asked me why I didn’t have kids and why I didn’t want any (at my age here I should have at least 1 kid); but it was primarily because I felt so incapacitated to express myself and to make ad adequate and accurate impression of my counterpart. If he was as sexist as his comment appeared to me, then how could I stand up to myself alone in a village with a very limited capacity in French? It’s difficult to describe the thoughts and feelings that ran through me when this realization struck me—like an angry hopelessness. But the more time I spent with my counterpart, the more I realized he is (and I say this with great pleasure) shy and socially awkward. I learned over time that my counterpart is actually one of the more mild mannered counterparts in the bunch. I realize now that this situation is just as new to him as it is to me, and this is a transition we need to make together. Many of the counterparts (most are men) dominated discussions and activities, and many of the women volunteers (myself included) felt repressed, ignored, and completely unequal. In the states, if someone ever questioned my role as a woman, I wouldn't hestitate to stand up for myself with complete confidence. But here, with people who have lived with very different cultures, traditions, norms and practices, and with a very basic elementary capacity for French, it has been incredibly challenging and emotional being unable to express myself and my entitlement to respect. I can only hope I can overcome this challenge and bring understanding to my village about the role of women and their need for respect and equality.

That being said, I have learned many exciting things about my village. I live in the Chiefs compound, near the CSPS (the health clinic) the ecole (village school), and right across from a field of sugar cane. There is a very small marche (market) in my village, but only 500 m from my house is another village which has a massive marche, selling everything I need according to my counterpart. There’s plenty of mango, papaya, guava, palm wine, and a variety of fruit and veggies to eat. I CAN definitely get a dog. There is a waterfall 1K away from my village. EVERYONE speaks Jula, not French (except for my counterpart, who doesn’t speak Jula…so we’ll be learning together). And, more importantly, I’ve learned of some of the serious health issues that face my village—malnutrition, palu (malaria), STIs, and domicile births. I also know that, even though I am heading out to my village on the 26^th, I won’t be reaching my village until the 29^th, enabling me to buy plenty of things to furnish my house.

So it may be a little while until I update, but I will try my hardest to let you know how my first couple weeks go! I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season and a fantastic season. I’ll be thinking about you all!

And, as I know I’ve promised many a time, here are some pictures of some things I’ve seen in my past two months: