The world was buzzing. Every nation greatly anticipated the transfer of leadership. A beginning. A change. A hope.
Now the t-shirts with Obama's face make sense. Now the calls in the market encouraging me to "greet Obama" make me smile. A beginning. A change. A hope.
For right now the world loves Americans.
I joined the large crowd at a bar to watch the event. With 40 Peace Corps volunteers and a couple hundred people whose accents littered the globe, we were jammed butt to gut. When the announcer began I first wondered why they got the guy that announces wrestling events. I concluded that the world's viewing audience was in fact ready to rumble.
I "mall walked" my way through the room gathering the bits of conversations. But when the ceremony began the silence held a presence among wide-eyes, half-opened smiles and those rings of condensation on wood tables. The oaths, the speeches, the prayers...and the cello? Did you see how BIG that guy was smiling? His smile was the loudest at the bar.
Every so often the crowd erupted and the atmosphere was buzzed more than me.
As the announcer instructed the D.C. crowd to stand for the national anthem I remembered how my "enlightened intellect" in college forbade me from singing a song about war and borders. But right then I looked around at the faces of soul-searching volunteers employed and supported by Uncle Sam. A beginning. A change. A hope. At an Irish bar in an African capital.
If that doesnt send red-white-blue through your veins than you should check your pulse.
So I stood, with my fellow Americans, and we sang the Star-Spangled Banner. The English man next to me was infected with americanitis as he sang every word LOUDLY. At the conclusion with the cheers turning into another round of drinks, I turned to the Englishman and he said, "I bloody believe in America."
My Zamlish reply, "even me brother, even me."
________________________________________
I just finished a week of training that officially ended my 3 month community entry period. The training was detailed information of project planning and understanding budgets of grants/donation money. So basically a lot of stuff I dont understand and will try to minimize as much as possible in my service.
Im a farmer. Im a listener. Im a writer.
I work with the soil. With the people. With my mind.
For?
A beginning. A change. A hope.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Who's Who?
Volunteers seemed to be divided into two major groups. Public and Private. Sure there are the few exceptions, but I will get to them later.
Public are the PCVs that dream of political glory to come. This job is really a service to their home country and a stepping stone to tailored suits and that daunting publicity for those classified government officials.
Private PCVs are the idealistic spirits choosing to live in the moment and are often so dedicated to their cause that they neglect things like english and personal hygeine.
These major groups are further split into different programs. For Zambia, we have LIFE, RED, RAP and HAP.
LIFE (linking income, food and the environment) PCVs are true MacGyvers. The ones that stare at mud and actually know how to turn it into bricks and then a stove! And they do it too. The Public LIFE PCVs are tree hugger politically charged with the fervor that makes you just wanna lick the dew off leaves and chew bark for protein. The Private LIFE PCVs want to escape to Walden Pond and live like John the Baptist.
RED (rural education development) PCVs are what happens when Richard Simmons meets Diane Sawyer...really excited about the facts and making sure others are pumped up for the program. The Public RED PCVs live in disbelief that educator's dont emulate policy and arrange computer donations to a school (even though most only have solar panel energy). The Private RED PCVs are friends with students and patiently waiting to return to the US and write a thesis paper on those under-educated peoples of Africa.
RAP (rural aquqculture promotion) PCVs are what happens after the ugly red-headed stepchild served his fraternity as the athletic coordinator. They seem to have been rejected enough in their life to work hard at something everyone else takes for granted. Public RAP'ers are educated in animal biology and the nutritional benefits of adding fish to a diet. Private RAP'ers love those scaly critters and physical labor so of course they will dig pond holes for 2 years!
As for those HAP (hiv-aids project) PCVS, of which I am an awkward member...we are the only acronym that doesnt include a solution and instead just states the problem. I dont know if its general in that it envelops income, environment, education and fish OR if its specific in that we project to fight a particular disease. All I know is that HAP PCVs are a mixture of Oprah's humanitarian concerns and Chris Rock's crude sarcasm. Public HAP PCVs know the medicine, know policy and strive to change the clinical employees in this developing system. Private HAP PCVs know people and hate a disease that seperates families. But both find jokes to be the form of relief in a bitter "project".
To understand the group dynamic:
LIFE'ers can save your life but if they fail (surely your laziness is to blame) than REDs can give a quaint speech at your funeral right after HAP'ers make inappropiate jokes about dust biting so afterwards you can let off steam at a bar with those RAP'ers.
As for those exceptions I mentioned. They are category shifters. Either through maturity or the influence of good ole' Zambians, they changed from their initial entry category. So they carry the purpose of Privates with the plans of the Public. Consequently, these are the volunteers I most admire. Am I public or private? Well, its too early for me to be an exception. So now I will stay true to my name and continue my lweendo.
P.S. Technically there is CAHP. The other health program that is being merged with HAP later this year. Because HAP is the best. Or maybe its the worst. Well, the most fatal definitly.
Public are the PCVs that dream of political glory to come. This job is really a service to their home country and a stepping stone to tailored suits and that daunting publicity for those classified government officials.
Private PCVs are the idealistic spirits choosing to live in the moment and are often so dedicated to their cause that they neglect things like english and personal hygeine.
These major groups are further split into different programs. For Zambia, we have LIFE, RED, RAP and HAP.
LIFE (linking income, food and the environment) PCVs are true MacGyvers. The ones that stare at mud and actually know how to turn it into bricks and then a stove! And they do it too. The Public LIFE PCVs are tree hugger politically charged with the fervor that makes you just wanna lick the dew off leaves and chew bark for protein. The Private LIFE PCVs want to escape to Walden Pond and live like John the Baptist.
RED (rural education development) PCVs are what happens when Richard Simmons meets Diane Sawyer...really excited about the facts and making sure others are pumped up for the program. The Public RED PCVs live in disbelief that educator's dont emulate policy and arrange computer donations to a school (even though most only have solar panel energy). The Private RED PCVs are friends with students and patiently waiting to return to the US and write a thesis paper on those under-educated peoples of Africa.
RAP (rural aquqculture promotion) PCVs are what happens after the ugly red-headed stepchild served his fraternity as the athletic coordinator. They seem to have been rejected enough in their life to work hard at something everyone else takes for granted. Public RAP'ers are educated in animal biology and the nutritional benefits of adding fish to a diet. Private RAP'ers love those scaly critters and physical labor so of course they will dig pond holes for 2 years!
As for those HAP (hiv-aids project) PCVS, of which I am an awkward member...we are the only acronym that doesnt include a solution and instead just states the problem. I dont know if its general in that it envelops income, environment, education and fish OR if its specific in that we project to fight a particular disease. All I know is that HAP PCVs are a mixture of Oprah's humanitarian concerns and Chris Rock's crude sarcasm. Public HAP PCVs know the medicine, know policy and strive to change the clinical employees in this developing system. Private HAP PCVs know people and hate a disease that seperates families. But both find jokes to be the form of relief in a bitter "project".
To understand the group dynamic:
LIFE'ers can save your life but if they fail (surely your laziness is to blame) than REDs can give a quaint speech at your funeral right after HAP'ers make inappropiate jokes about dust biting so afterwards you can let off steam at a bar with those RAP'ers.
As for those exceptions I mentioned. They are category shifters. Either through maturity or the influence of good ole' Zambians, they changed from their initial entry category. So they carry the purpose of Privates with the plans of the Public. Consequently, these are the volunteers I most admire. Am I public or private? Well, its too early for me to be an exception. So now I will stay true to my name and continue my lweendo.
P.S. Technically there is CAHP. The other health program that is being merged with HAP later this year. Because HAP is the best. Or maybe its the worst. Well, the most fatal definitly.
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