Finally done with Stage

Yes I am still alive! This last few weeks have been crazy for me as I have been finishing Stage (sounds like Sta-ag) and then swearing-in, going to post and now back in the big city for a day.

So the last week of Stage was really hectic as I didn’t pass my language exam and ended up doing 20 hours of language to catch up and take another test a day before I swore in. It happened, I passed and swore-in with my fellow, now I can say it, volunteers and I am officially on my own, kinda. So I left the day after I swore-in for my post with four other volunteers in a bush taxi with all of our stuff piled high on top. We were to make a big loop of the north province dropping everybody off with their stuff and I was to be second to last on that trip. The first few hours weren’t bad, dirt road, bumpy and scenic as much as the North can be scenic. We dropped off one and two and then the dirt just seemed to settle on everything, even my mood. The taxi broke down for a few minutes, trying to make it up a sand embankment after crossing a river and then decided to break down a few more times after that. I made it to my house in the afternoon, ran and got a key from my landlord’s son, kicked some random squatter out of my house, locked everything up got back in the taxi because my house has yet to be finished. I have been staying a few days with the Catholic nuns who hosted me during site visit and now I am in the big city to buy a bed so that at least I have something to sleep on. Village thus far isn’t bad. Everybody is glad to see that I came back and thought I abandoned the village, but translations can be deceiving.

I have my first official meeting with the health center staff next week to talk about my role in village. Right now I see two major challenges when it comes to that; 1) Everyone thinks I am a doctor or nurse of some sort (or possible a nun since I am around the mission a lot and got called sister yesterday), 2) People think I am there to bring money and answers to all their problems, when I am really just a facilitator/community development worker there to help them see the resources they already have or to help them locate resources outside the community. I have a lot of work ahead of me in terms of trying to furnish and empty cement block in the bush as well as opening up a new post and introducing the idea of Peace Corps to the village. Keep me in your thoughts, the next three months will be a challenge, but one that I am looking forward to facing.