Reality Check!!!

November 18, 2010

The Portuguese language has this awesome word: "La". When someone wants to describe something that's far-way far away they say its "la". Its usually used in an exagerated manner..."Laaaa!!". Or "la la laaaa" usually coupled with a hand motion demonstrating just how far away it is.

Peace Corps service is about being flexible and remaining open minded. The moment you begin to focus on your expectations, and lose sight of the real reason why you chose to serve in the Peace Corps is the moment you begin to dread being a volunteer. It is important to always remember that a volunteer agrees to go whereever he or she is needed. Whereever that may be is out of his or her control. A successful Peace Corps Volunteer willingly accepts the assignment they are given, and adapts to the situation they are placed in...flexibility and adaptability are two qualities they look for in volunteers in the selection process.

So...site placements were today...

Let's start with the beginning of the day. I wasn't really nervous at all. I was actually the voice of reason. My fellow trainees were all worried about placements and where we would end up for the next 2 yrs. I, confident that I'd be place somewhere that I requested, assured everyone to be open minded, relax, and willing to accept what was to come. I spent the entire day relaxed. When it came time for site announcements, I rushed to the front, was the first person in the gym area where we received our envelopes, and took pictures of everything. My name was the second to be called, but I had to wait until everyone got their envelopes to open mine. We opened all of our envelopes at the same time...and there it was...

Mandimba, Niassa Province.

Where is that you ask? Its LAAAAAAAAA. The job description and site were the exact OPPOSITE of what I wanted. No large site. No site mate. No placement in the southern region. Nope...I'm headed to Niassa, the most remote, undeveloped province in Mozambique. Its WAY FAR north, on the other side of the country. I was sure we were on the same page....I thought my APCD knew exactly what I wanted....

She knew. But she obviously knows better.

Mandimba sits on the border with Malawi. There are currently 0 (yes, zero) Peace Corps Volunteers in the province. The 6 of us that are going are gonna pretty much be the trailblazers. I won't be completely alone, the other volunteers are all within 2-3 hrs of me. But since no one is there right now, I don't really know much about it. All I keep hearing is "oh...Niassa...that's far. But its beautiful!!". People keep saying they're going to visit. A lot of the current volunteers are saying they've been waiting for someone to be placed there so that they could visit. We'll see....

So anyway...there's always one person who cries on site placement day. I was wondering who that idiot would be...

Guess who it was?

I'm much better now. Most people have said that they weren't pleased with their placements, but eventually they came to love it. And some people have said they got what they thought they wanted, and then hated it. I will be working with and organization called "Estamos", which from my research, actually looks pretty cool. They even have a band that travels the country and has won all types of awards and had a CD that went gold. And apparently the founder of the organization even owns a discoteca...

So yeah...I guess it MIGHT be a perfect match...

If only it weren't so far away...