Here are some quick highlights of the last few weeks that we've been away from the interwebs:
- Seeing our awesome site, where we plan to (half-jokingly) open a bed and breakfast in our HUGE new house
-Getting sweet Malian clothes made (more pictures to come)
- Cass's village having the only surviving vegetable garden at the end of homestay
- Celebrating Christmas and New Year's with 39 new friends!
- Learning Bambara
- My excursion to Bamako's med office after 12 hours of nonstop vomiting (fun!)
- Building a soak pit for graywater management
- Doing a lot of Trainee Directed Activities (TDAs) such as using our PACA tools, giving "animations" or little info sessions on moringa, etc. with these amazing people in my homestay village (from L-R, Annie, Andrew, Cameron, Elizabeth, me, Jordan, and Bevin)
- Enjoying the very cold weather while it lasts
- Getting excited for swear-in!
Due to the aforementioned illness I haven't taken my language test yet, but I'm hoping to swear in with everyone else. We'll see! Cass has kindly promised to boycott swear in if we can't do it together. Isn't that nice?
I also wrote a friend who wanted to know more about Peace Corps about why I chose to do it as someone with a Master's in Public Health who could probably get a different, less demanding, less "crazy" job. Here's what I thought was pertinent for those of you in MI or thinking that it might be really cool to do PC one day!
Why I Chose Peace Corps
First, it's a cheap, easy and respected way to get international experience. For me, getting my master's was a great first step, but no international employer is going to hire you without you essentially proving your salt abroad, at least in my field. Peace Corps is a nice solid 2-year chunk where you can get that experience, and in public health it's a "golden ticket" for all sorts of jobs. Several returned PCV friends of mine are doing amazing things now in their young careers--so while some people only see the dollar signs of our paltry paychecks, for me it's a great career move.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, the PC development philosophy is a lot different than most aid groups working in developing countries. We are here strictly as capacity builders. They actually discourage us from doing projects that require heavy external inputs (stuff like buildings, pumps, etc.). We are simply here to lend our expertise and be change agents, and that's really important to me--most aid groups have the opposite philosophy because it's more about getting donor money and proving what they've done. Often Peace Corps' work is less visible and tangible, but ultimately more important for creating social change.
Besides all of that, they really take care of you. I "parachuted in" to Ghana at the ripe old age of 19 with no idea what I was doing for an internship. I survived, but I wasn't productive at all. Here they ease you in to becoming culturally integrated and help you so much with everything from language to student loan stuff to medical issues. They're really great people and I feel like I have so much support to do what my community will ask of me. I'm also technically in the Master's International program at Emory still (even though my degree work is finished), so I have support back home too! It's really incredible. I love it so far, and Cass is here with me, so that is part of it--I've traveled so much without him it's an amazing change to have him here too!!
So there you are. Peace Corps is great! And hopefully that helps explain at least my motivations for becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer in a few short days! Cass can weigh in later too :)
We miss all of y'all and we hope you have a great start to your New Year!
Love from Mali,
Carolyn
I ADORED this post! So glad you guys are enjoying your time so greatly in Mali. Keep up the great enthusiasm and thanks for continuing to share your experience. I have officially "subscribed" to your blog, so keep the posts coming! - aw ni baara!
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