"So, What Are You Doing Over There Anyway?"

Being in the Peace Corps is like majoring in something your parents don’t understand “So, you’re majoring in what, philosophy?” “Wait, I don’t understand, I thought the point of you going to college was so you could get a job.” It’s one of those things that is hard to explain, especially when you don’t come from a wealthy background… “We left a poor country to give you opportunities, and now you’re running off to a poorer country?” Being considered one of the “smart ones” in the family also didn’t help for it begot a lot of questions about career path and money… “Wait, but diplomats don’t make that much money…” and “So you’re going to this other country, and then what, when are you going to start making money?”

It’s one of the most misunderstood paths one can take, for even those who are supportive - such as my parents - often don’t really understand what’s going on. So my father, like most other people, has just resorted to calling me crazy “She’s in Africa again, don’t ask me why, that’s what she likes, she’s crazy.”

I won’t deny that I’m crazy, anyone who knows me well can attest to that. But my being here is not a result of my craziness nor is it illogical - it actually makes perfect sense. The logic goes something like this: I want to be a development professional, becoming a development professional requires a lot of experience in development, Peace Corps is the premier place to get development experience because you get to do work on the ground and it is highly respected by development institutions, organizations, schools, and professionals. So yeah, it makes sense.

Peace Corps gives volunteers the opportunity to do real development work in the areas of education, health, agriculture/environment, and business among others. It’s a path that makes sense for those who like to rough it and get their hands dirty trying to solve real world problems. It’s rough and it’s not for everyone, but it is for me.

As an education volunteer I am doing many things, but my main goal is to help English teachers develop their English proficiency and teaching methodology (I’ll get to the problematic nature of teaching a colonial language in a different blog post, I promise) because English is the medium of instruction at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Students who do not understand English, therefore, have a slim chance of making it to university and escaping the depths of poverty.

On Monday I submitted an ambitious proposal to the director of my school with 14 projects I intend to accomplish in the next 4 months. The proposal is below:

                                    Proposal for Second Semester Projects

Below you will find a list of 14 projects that Jaynice Del Rosario, the Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Shone, will endeavor to accomplish with the Shone community from March – June 2014 (2006 E.C.)

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English Club: We propose to hold a formal English club on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11: 15 – 12:15 local time in the English Language Improvement Center at Shone Primary School Number 1. The English club will have a maximum of 40 students and will provide them with English language instruction that is effective, interesting, and fun. Students will begin by honing basic English skills and work their way up to reading more proficiently and speaking more fluently. All club lessons will employ activities that focus on the 4 language learning skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

English Language Improvement Center (ELIC): We propose to equip the English Language Improvement Center for the use of students and teachers alike. We aim to provide students with books, color paper, pens, markers, and a reading area. We will also have instructional materials for teachers including: books, color paper, markers, flip chart paper, chalk and other teaching aids. Teachers will be trained on how to use and reuse the materials to minimize waste.

Better World Books: We propose to get book donations for the student-reading area in the English Language Improvement Center.

English Day Lottery: We propose to revamp English Day with a twist called English Day Lottery. English Day Lottery is a program created by an Education Peace Corps Volunteer that consists of handing out mobile cards to students who make an effort to speak English on English day, putting all of the mobile cards in a bag at the end of the day, and having a lottery. The student whose number is chosen wins a prize.

World Wise Schools Pen Pal Program: We propose to have a pen pal program as part of our English club. English club members will write letters to peers in the United States and build friendships while simultaneously improving their English writing skills.

Homework Help/Tutoring Hour: We propose to help students who need help with any subject for one hour per shift every day.

English Shai Bunna Conversation Hour: We propose to hold an English conversation hour for teachers once a week over shai bunna. This allotted time will give teachers the opportunity to practice speaking English with each other while discussing interesting topics over shai bunna.

Project Design and Management Training (PDM): We propose to host a training session on Project Design and Management for school principals and woreda leaders.

Teacher Training on Organization and Planning (CPD): We propose to host a training session on organization and planning for all teachers in the cluster schools. The training will focus specifically on lesson planning, SMART objectives, lesson sequence, scaffolding, and preparing teaching aids. All participants who successfully complete the training will receive a certificate of completion and CPD credit.

Training on Presentation and Management (CPD): We propose to host a training session on presentation and management for all teachers in the cluster schools. The training will focus specifically on activating prior knowledge and experience, modeling, time management, group work, lesson adaptation, and feedback. All participants who successfully complete the training will receive a certificate of completion and CPD credit.

Training in Active Learning Methods (CPD): We propose to host a training session on active learning methods for all teachers in the cluster schools. The training will focus specifically on how teachers can teach in a student-centered manner where the students do the vast majority of the work. All participants who successfully complete the training will receive a certificate of completion and CPD credit.

Mini-Program for 1-4 Teachers: We propose to work with 1-4 teachers to create a small program that will address their needs. The program will endeavor to teach them both English and English teaching methodology.

Future Leaders of Ethiopia Team: We propose to work with young adults in the community to create a team of role models that will provide motivational workshops for Shone youth and inspire them to take their educations seriously.

Gender Programming: We propose to work with the girls’ club and the gender club at Shone Primary School Number 1. We propose to create programming that will help girls develop their self-confidence and find their voices.

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Wish me luck! 

Forgetting Other People's Children

One regular day as I was walking home in Shone from the internet café I ran into a three year old baby girl who was ecstatic to see me. We had never met before but seeing a foreigner clearly made her day. She called out to me and I walked over and crouched down to say hello. As I was admiring her innocence and the sheer joy on her precious face, I realized there was black crust all over her left ear and white liquid inside of it. She didn’t seem to be in pain, so I wasn’t too alarmed. I then walked over to the teenage girl watching her and in my broken Amharic managed to ask what was wrong with the child’s ear. She told me her ear was sick. I asked if her family had medicine for her and she said no. I asked if they had planned on taking her to the doctor and again the answer was no. I told her to take the child to the doctor and get medicine for her, she nodded, I waved goodbye and walked away.

That night I went home and couldn’t get the child off my mind. I proceeded to devise a plan to help her in the most discreet way possible. I spoke to my counterpart and we decided that I would give him money, he would get her the medicine, and no one would have to know it came from me, but I never saw her again.

This is not a novel occurrence here in Ethiopia. One of the poorest countries in the world, Ethiopia is replete with sick children who lack the resources and the attention from their families to get proper treatment for simple maladies. As a volunteer my job is to help Ethiopians help themselves by helping them acquire skills - giving them money and paying for medicine is not part of the deal. However, whenever I come across a defenseless child with a simple illness that could turn into something grave if left unattended, my heart aches. I struggle with the desire to do the human thing and help, and the knowledge that doing so could put me in a bad position in my town, for everyone will likely then expect me to do the same for them.

But my pain for other people’s children often feels like it’s mine alone. Life has taught me time and again that once people have their own children, everything else, including other people’s children, becomes secondary - that’s the reason I won’t be having children for a very long time.

My education has afforded me the opportunity to meet quite a few influential people with the power to make a difference who unapologetically chose not to for the sake of their children. I remember how it felt to have a Dominican woman in a high position of power at Wesleyan for the first time. I remember how hopeful the student of color community at WES felt about the change she would bring. We thought she would advocate for us, look out for our interests, and help us fight “the man” - WE WERE DEAD WRONG. When push came to shove and we were racially targeted, all we got from her was, “it happens everywhere and it’s going to continue to happen.” WTF? Really though?

Yes, really. While I cannot affirm that her lack of support was due to fear of losing her job and what that would mean for the future of her children, it was the only explanation that seemed to appease -“If she did it for her kids, who are we to blame her?”

I dare not blame her or anyone else for thinking about their own children first and choosing not to risk their livelihoods for the children of others. However, I would like to challenge all parents to consider the status quo they might be helping maintain in the world their children live in. If nothing else, then at least the act of having a child should be catalyst enough for you to stand up against the inequality, the poverty, the racism, the sexism, the sexual assault, and the homophobia that plagues the world we live in.  We don’t live in a vacuum and as long as that’s the case no child is immune, not even yours. So I’m taking my time, trying to make change the only way I know how, investing in the children of others who might be making the decisions that will someday affect my own, and building a better world for my unborn little monsters, for even if I fail, at least they will know that I tried.

Valentine’s Day 7000-Miles Apart: Tips For Peace Corps Volunteers On How To Make A Long Distance Relationship Work.

Realizing that Daniel was my person was like finally figuring out a math problem after staring at it for a long time. You know that “AHA” moment when it just clicks and you can’t fathom how you didn’t see it before? Yeah, just like that. He had been there since the 7^th grade, right in front of me – figuratively speaking – but it wasn’t until I was leaving for two years that we realized we fit together beautifully and fell in love… WTF? Really?

YES, REALLY! I guess that’s just how it goes, for like a tide love seems to come and ebb as it pleases leaving us at its peril without any regard for our plans. And plan it we did not. Daniel and I fell in love at work because we share a passion for thought, education, and making a difference. It’s not uncommon to hear us on the phone discussing Amy Chua’s latest Op-Ed, the problematic implications of cultural superiority in her new book, and why she’s under more fire than her husband who co-wrote the book (hint: it has something to do with her vagina). Yet we still laugh at stupid things and make fun of people who diss other people on social media all the while using “your” when they should be using “you’re” – get it together people!

In short, I found love in a hopeful and unexpected place (THANK YOU GEAR UP!) and to date it’s still the sweetest most fulfilling phenomenon I’ve come to know. Yet this Valentine’s Day, when lovers across the world are creating romantic memories, reminiscing about their beginning and dreaming of the future, I will spend it without him, longing to hold him, kiss him, and show him just how much I love him.

As I prepare to spend this coming Valentine’s day in longing I recall last year’s and am overcome by a sense of peace as I remember the beautiful rose, the Hershey’s kisses that spelled out Hi on my desk, the French card with the writing backwards symbolic of my backwardness and particularity, the Ethiopian food, and the connection that enveloped us so tightly we didn’t realize that after 3 hours we were the only ones left in the room.  It was by far the most romantic and meaningful Valentine’s Day I had ever experienced for his gestures let me know two things: that he paid close attention whenever I spoke for he knew the things I liked, and that he was invested in my dreams, even if it meant living 7000-miles apart for over two years.

Soon after that romantic evening I searched the Internet for anecdotal evidence that a long-distance Peace Corps relationship could work and found nothing.  I felt anxious and lost because I had no idea what we were in for and if we would thrive. At this juncture however, 7 months into my service, I can honestly say that we have fallen even deeper in love despite the distance. While every relationship is different and has its own set of specific dynamics, those of us in long-distance Peace Corps relationships experience many of the same things. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to provide some insights and advice for soon to be Peace Corps Volunteers that have recently decided to go on this special journey and assure them that they’re not crazy for choosing to stick it out.

YOUR PARTNER MUST BELIEVE IN YOUR WORK

Most people don’t understand what Peace Corps Volunteers do and I’m definitely not a fan of explaining it. However, it is essential that your partner understands your work, understands why you’re doing it, supports your work, and believes in your ability to carry it out. Volunteers with partners that are not invested in the work that they do often struggle with constantly having to validate their reasons for serving abroad as opposed to serving at home. They feel like they can’t complain after having a bad day or they risk being hit with “Why don’t you just come then?” If you’re going to commit to maintaining your relationship while in the Peace Corps make sure your partner is invested in your journey, otherwise he or she may add another unnecessary level of difficulty to an already challenging job.

COMMUNICATE YOUR LIMITATIONS CLEARLY

Communication is important in all relationships but it becomes particularly crucial when the partners are living in different cultural contexts with very different limitations. When you begin training to become a Peace Corps Volunteer you train for 10 hours a day from Monday to Friday, and then for 4 hours on Saturdays. That’s a total of 54 hours - 14 hours more than the usual American workweek.  Moreover if you consider the culture shock, the gastrointestinal problems, and the high level of anxiety many of us experience, you quickly realize that this makes for a very stressful environment that isn’t conducive to maintaining a stable relationship.  Lack of power, poor telephone network, and limited Internet access can further aggravate the situation and can potentially cause a good relationship to go sour.

To avoid this you must communicate your limitations clearly. You must explain in great detail the stresses of training, the limited access to communication, and anything else that is relevant. For example, during training I could hardly mail any letters because whenever I was free (during lunch and after the training sessions) the post office was always closed - Ethiopians go home for lunch and they close the post office early. In this event it was important that I communicated why I couldn’t respond to Daniel’s letters in a timely manner, and why that would be the case during the entirety of my training. Communicating previously unforeseen limitations is critical because your partner has no way of understanding your experience unless you paint it for him or her. If you don’t communicate, assumptions will inevitably be made and they can hurt your relationship.

LAY OUT THE EXPENSES AND EXPECTATIONS IN ADVANCE

Let’s face it, Peace Corps Volunteers are broke and they can’t afford much. That is definitely something to think about when deciding to maintain a long distance Peace Corps love. How much will communication cost per month? Will the person at home be able to pay for most of the communication costs? Should you bring a smart phone with you and get Viber so you can text for free? Will your partner visit? Will you come home at any point during the two years? Will you meet somewhere in between? How will you pay for it? It is best to figure out the answers to these questions in advance to avoid strife and unrealistic expectations. The more realistic your expectations, the more likely your relationship is to succeed.

EXPECT THAT YOUR PARTNER WILL CHANGE TOO

Many Peace Corps volunteers expect to change throughout their service and many often do. Sometimes the change is positive, sometimes not so much, it all depends on the person and the country he or she is in. However, since change is an integral part of this experience and we are constantly getting slapped by the most unconventional of challenges, we can easily forget that the world does not revolve around us and that others are growing and changing too. Just as you will change your partner will change. Change is a part of life and we can’t grow without it. PCVs can get caught up on wanting to find everything they left behind just as they left it for the sake of feeling stable and grounded, feelings that becomes foreign when you move to a community where you don’t know the language, don’t share the culture, and don’t have any family or friends. Leave room for change, make room for change, and relish in the beauty of change.

EXPLAIN THAT YOU WILL HAVE BAD DAYS BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU WANT TO GO HOME

I have shitty days. Let me rephrase that, I have A LOT of shitty days, but that doesn’t mean I want to go home. Yet I complain all the damn time and that’s O.K. My complaining is part of my adjustment and despite my many travels Ethiopia kicks my ass on a weekly basis. Just when I think things are starting to make sense, BOOM! I get slapped again. Daniel knows that, he knows it’s hard and he knows it often sucks but he’s supportive, extremely supportive. He knows that saying “I had an awful day and I’m sick of the administration at my school “ is not the same as saying, “I’m done, I feel unsafe and I need to go home.” Know that it will be HARD, explain that to your partner, and then let them know that you’ll just need to vent sometimes (or maybe all the time).

TRUST EACHOTHER

It goes without saying that there is no point in being in relationship with someone you don’t trust no matter the distance. However, trust issues come in different sizes and if it isn’t grave you may be able to figure it out before your departure. Nevertheless, if you have deep trust issues and cannot trust your partner, the distance is likely to aggrandize them. If you can’t trust your partner, it’s probably best to cut your losses before you board that plane.

This Peace Corps thing isn’t easy but being with the right person makes it all the more beautiful. Wishing all of those loving couples that are willing to make such a serious commitment all the luck in the world, for there is nothing this world is in more need of than love.

Public Breastfeeding Norms: A comparison between the U.S. and Ethiopia.

Developing nations should be both critical and authentic in their development approaches, for simply adopting the norms of more developed nations could come at the expense of their own progressive norms. A regard in which Ethiopia, one of the poorest nations in the world, is eons ahead of the United States, one of the richest nations in the world, is public breastfeeding. Women in Ethiopia enjoy the liberty of public breastfeeding without judgment while women in the United States still shy away in ambivalent shame. Despite trends that show that the more educated a population is the more developed and equitable its society, in this regard the U.S. falls short, for shaming women for breastfeeding their children in public is hardly equitable. This misguided practice is not only unfair to the women targeted but also to their children who might miss out on nutrition that is vital to their growth and development.

How can a nation funding programs in the developing world to promote gender equity shame its women for breastfeeding their children in public? Perhaps the answer to this question can be found by unpacking the over-sexualization of breasts coupled with the desire to subdue female sexuality in the United States. The United States is obsessed with breasts - they are everywhere. Breasts are particularly ubiquitous in popular culture – music videos, album covers, movies, art, etc. They are so sexualized that women with larger breasts are generally perceived as “sexier” than women with smaller breasts and people tend to have a hard time dissociating breasts with sex even when the relationship is between mother and child. However, while breasts are ubiquitously portrayed in pop culture it is solely for hetero-male enjoyment and the women who display them are generally regarded as “obscene,” “promiscuous,” or “slutty.” Therefore, by that logic, “decent” women do not show their breasts in public not even for the sake of their children. Those who do are met with uncomfortable gazes and remarks that shame them for performing one of the most natural acts that exist between a mother and her child.

In Ethiopia, one of the most religious and conservative countries in the world, breasts are not particularly sexualized and women can often be seen in public without a bra and with their nipples protruding through their shirts. While such an image might turn on heterosexual men in the United States, men in Ethiopia don’t seem to give those women a second glance. This is because breasts are perceived as primarily for feeding children and then as sexual organs. This means that a woman in Ethiopia can pull out her breast in any public place to feed her child without any hesitation or judgment and those who surround her don’t experience any discomfort.

The fact that a woman in Ethiopia has the freedom to breastfeed her child anywhere while a woman in the United States would have to think it through and perhaps find a private area raises many questions about the nature of development and our objectives. Is development linear? If not, then is it really possible to measure the consummate advancement of a country without considering such norms? Is it possible for a country to prosper economically and simultaneously flounder in specific social areas? While many questions are left unanswered one thing is true, that the freedoms afforded women are vastly different from society to society, and that at least in this regard, Ethiopia has one up on us.

What Kim K. and PCVs Have in Common.

I’ve never been sympathetic of celebrities, not even the ones I like - I’ll admit it. I’ve always perceived them as attention-needy, overpaid, vapid-brutes with an insatiable desire to be liked by everyone. If you know me then you probably know that I have no patience for people who desperately want to be liked by others – so annoying! Of all celebrities I find celebrities like Kim Kardashian (who doesn’t love to hate her?) who are famous for, well, being famous, most irritating. As if that wasn’t bad enough, we have to hear her complain about how hard her life is - “too much paparazzi! Not enough love! Wahh!” Put a lid on it rich girl. You’re rich, you’re popular  - we get it!

It wasn’t until I moved to Shone, Ethiopia that I finally began to feel Kim’s pain – what a shocker! Since I moved to Shone approximately 7 weeks ago I’ve been followed, harassed, grabbed, yelled for, and greeted by complete strangers. I’ve been forced to skip people at the local bank, have had many meals paid for, and never pay at the Internet cafe. At first it was kind of flattering that everyone thought I was such a big deal for doing, well, nothing. But as the weeks passed I began to miss my anonymity. I wanted to walk in peace and be left to my own thoughts. I wanted to walk and think about Daniel, get a coffee at a cafe, read a book and write him a letter – but I couldn’t. Everywhere I went I was met with questions about who I am, where I am from and why I am here. I couldn’t get a second to breathe and just be, like we human beings are meant to.

So, like any “celebrity” I looked for sanity amongst other “celebrities.” I got together with other PCVs and decompressed in a beautiful house while consuming delicious food. I laughed, played and laughed some more letting down my hair in a way I hadn’t been able to for months. It was all good and fine until I saw someone peeking in from the next house “oh my God they can see us” I thought, and I was terrified. I felt like a celebrity caught without make-up in her backyard by a paparazzo. It was frightening and all too telling for it revealed just how hard this integrating process is. Will they ever see me as one of them? Will I ever feel like one of them? Or will I have to endure local celebrity status for the entire duration of my service? I still don’t have the answers, but Kim I feel for you girl, I really do.

International Development: The What and the Why.

International Development: The What and the Why.

What is international development? If only I had an answer. The definition eludes me yet it is what I have decided to pursue… a career in something so hard to explain my dad chalks it up to “I don’t know what she’s doing; she’s crazy and she keeps going to Africa but we support her.” And maybe I am, but what’s wrong with a little crazy, or a lot of crazy for that matter if it manifests as a will to invest in people?

That’s the way I think about international development, as a long-term process of investing in people. Throughout history international development has been defined in myriad ways. Definitions have ranged anywhere from “a process of modernization in which society becomes industrialized and urbanized,“ to “how nations, governments and individuals organize themselves, use resources, improve their wellbeing and increase their range of choices.” (AVI; UNDP, 2000)

Up until the mid to late 1980’s international development was economy-centric. It was believed that if a country had a high enough Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP) then it was “developed” and its people generally enjoyed a dignified way of life that allowed them to meet more than just their basic needs. It wasn’t until 1990 when Amartya Sen and Mahbub ul Haq introduced us to the human development index that we began to dissociate GDP and GNP with the way that people were actually living. Sen and Haq made us aware of the reality of more than 1.2 billion people in the world by showing us that a country’s economic standing doesn’t tell us anything about its distribution of wealth, its access to education and the quality of its health care. 

The contributions of Sen and Haq, amongst others, helped the field evolve but it didn’t stop its critics. Critics of international development say it creates dependency i.e. dependency theory, that it’s a new form of colonialism i.e. neocolonialism and that it does more harm than good, e.g. http://matadornetwork.com/change/7-worst-international-aid-ideas/ - if only it were that simple.

The truth is, I believe, that most people involved in international development are well intended but ill informed, Aaron Ausland put it best:

The world is littered with community development projects gone wrong. More often than not the source of failure was an overemphasis on output and underemphasis on process. Take, for example, the ubiquitous latrine project. When project success is measured by output, most latrine projects are successful. After all, most such projects do, indeed, get latrines built. But if you go back in a few years and look for the outcomes that these latrines were supposed to generate – fewer diseases, cleaner water, ect. – there seem to be far more failures. In fact, most latrines that I’ve  seen in the developing world aren’t even used, at least not as latrines!

Part of the problem is that planners don’t map out logic models that take people and their incentives into account. Logic models are maps of interventions. They are intended to show a complete, coherent causal chain from inputs through activities to outputs, and then to short-, medium-and long-term outcomes. But often there are unexamined, yet critical, assumptions made about how people are going to behave-assumptions that create weak or broken links in the chain. For example, just because you estimate that 300 families need latrines doesn’t mean that 300 families will use them in the ways you intend them if you build them. You have to ask, “What would motivate this behavior?” (Ausland, 2005)

At the heart of what makes this work so challenging is that it is largely based on predicting and influencing human behavior, and if you’re human you know that merely knowing that something is good for you doesn’t necessarily make you do it.

Despite the uncertainty that characterizes the field I chose to become a development professional because I could feel the hunger of others, the pebbles under their bare feet and the shame brought on by their inability to read or write their own names. I chose it because I was a child with a dream who didn’t realize how fortunate she was that she had the “privilege” of dreaming. Have you ever considered that some children never dream? That some living conditions are so bleak that there is no room to even imagine a different existence? I believe dreaming is a human right, for if nothing else, one should be able to dream and get lost in the possibilities and the potential of one’s own life. So I am here essentially trying to help people cultivate their ability to dream – that’s how I choose to define it. 

Becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer

As I sit here amidst the candlelight, alone in a large dark compound, the protestant church blasting its music right outside, all I can think about is that I haven’t showered in almost two days. I haven’t showered since yesterday morning and for someone who normally showers twice a day this is as close to unbearable as it gets. Some people join the Peace Corps because they want a “legitimate” excuse not to shower, but I promise you I am not one of them. Yet the more time passes, the more I get used to life in Ethiopia - it is the human way. We, humans, adapt, period. We may have cognition and vivid memories of our pasts, but we have an incredible ability to adapt, to get over things, to grow.

So every time it gets close to unbearable I say to myself “Jay you’re growing, you’re growing.” I just hope all this growing doesn’t mean I’ll turn into another shower hating hippie with zero respect for other people’s nostrils – but one can only hope. I wanted to become a Peace Corps Volunteer for many reasons, some that I have forgotten and some that are no longer important. Over the years it became #1 on my exhaustive list of “Things I want to be when I grow up,” which has unabashedly included all of the following: composer, singer, Rihanna, business woman, journalist, news anchor, first female president of the Dominican Republic, lawyer, diplomat, professor, writer, Nobel Prize laureate, richest woman in the world and so on and so forth. Yet despite the large span of ubiquitously ego-satisfying titles I hoped to bear there remained one kernel of truth – I wanted to make a difference.

The desire to make a difference sparked before my age hit the double digits. Highly influenced by my grandfather Antonio Del Rosario, a man of God and service, and by my parents who made painstakingly bending their backs for others their religion, I wanted to be of service but I wasn’t sure how. Then in 2005 I got the opportunity to go to Mali for two weeks to assist in the building of an elementary school in a small village. I mixed cement for hours under the blazing West African sun, made cement blocks with my hands, and dug the foundation with a shovel I barely knew how to use. I worked so hard I broke down both physically and emotionally several times. It was one of the most trying experiences of my life and quite paradoxically also one of the most fulfilling; somehow I knew that experience would shape the rest of my life.

I enjoyed my time in Mali so much that I promised myself I would return to Sub-Saharan Africa someday to “help.” I was thinking about development but I had yet to be introduced to it as a concept. I kept my promise and studied abroad in Cameroon my junior year of college. I spent most of my time in Cameroon traveling and doing research. I studied Islam, education, gender inequality and development. I fell even deeper in love with my idea of Africa because Cameroon proved to be the perfect place to perpetuate all of my erroneous and highly romanticized notions of the continent as a whole. While there I met Peace Corps Volunteers and asked them tons of questions about what it was like to serve for 2 years. All of the feedback was positive, which is probably part of the reason 4 of the friends I went to Cameroon with and I are currently Peace Corps Volunteers serving Africa.

Although the journey to becoming a PCV took some time, I don’t think I have ever been more prepared for it. Not that I am particularly prepared, but I’m far more prepared than I ever have been. Interestingly enough, Ethiopia has proven to be nothing that I expected and so far has been the toughest country to both tackle and understand. Ethiopia was never colonized and it is apparent because it has kept so much of itself untouched by Western influence. Ethiopia has its own calendar, which has 13 months and is now in the year 2006. There are 12 hours in the Ethiopian day so figuring out the time is an obstacle course alone. Ethiopians eat with their hands and raw meat is a delicacy. One of the main dishes, “Kitfo,” is a raw meat dish served with a spicy red or green sauce. I am eager to try it but I am afraid my GI system isn’t quite ready for it. In short, as one of my friends explained, for the westerner “Ethiopia is more different than different.” Its authenticity is something that I appreciate in theory but has become hard to love in practice because it makes navigating it so much more difficult. When I came to the realization that after 3 months I hadn’t even begun to understand this historically rich, politically complex and extremely culturally diverse nation, all I could do was take a deep breath and remember… “Jay you’re growing, you’re growing.”