My relative silence has been due to being busy at site, Mid-Service Training (MST), and "changes" all around. So let's start by talking about MST. Mid-Service Training (MST)is an event that all Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) go through once they've hit the year mark of service. The purpose of training is to get any updated information about service, talk with fellow volunteers (in a formalized forum instead of sending text messages back and forth) about successes and challenges experienced at site, and in my case, receive updated information about all things related to HIV. In reality, it's a great time to meet up with friends that you may not get a chance to see very often, plan vacations, and again, in my case, include my fellow PCV's in my new secondary project: an extended game of Monopoly (South African version).
When we first arrived, many of us started to talk about the challenges at site: idelness, projects not going well, supervisor woes, mid-year slump, etc. Once we had a chance to do that, our perceptive-thinking Country Director helped us, through a technique called "appreciative enquiry", to realize that the positive experiences during service and personal growth often far outweigh the day-to-day challenges of "development work". Once that exercise was complete, the overall tone of the conference seemed to change for the better. This is not to say that our challenges are not real and very frustrating at times, but we collectively came to the conclusion that the only thing we can change is our attitudes and the way we approach each situation. This type of understanding, in my opinion, is a major factor in Volunteers' decision to stay on the job past a year and continue to slowly and painstakingly push the boulder of change. [Insert the Peace Corps slogan: "The toughest job you'll ever love."]
To change the mood a little, I think the best part of MST was where Peace Corps chose to host us: The Honeymoon Lodge which is located in a township outside of Polokwane. Ah, the Honeymoon Lodge!
After returning from a week of romance (read: none at all) at the Honeymoon Lodge, where there were power outages the entire week and after sunset, we did everything by candle light, I went back into Pretoria for my Mid-Service medical appointment. It turns out that I've lost a couple of pounds (but I figured as much since many of the clothes I brought here don't fit as well) and I'm relatively normal in every other respect (I put the emphasis on "relatively"). My favorite part about medical was that I got my eyes checked. If you know me at all, and many of you don't, you'd know that I love changing my glasses. At home, I have glasses of all shapes, sizes, and colors, some of which boarder the very strange. The new ones are my attempt at being more subtle, yet maintaining the chic!
Since returning to Rustenburg, I've been thinking about all of the things (successes, challenges, etc.) we discussed at MST, and how the only thing I can do is change myself. I've been asking myself, "how can I improve my experience and attitude for the last nine to ten months of service?". Without going into many details, I, along with my APCD (Peace Corps supervisor) came up with a plan so that I can get more work and satisfaction out of my Peace Corps experience. Officially, I will no longer work full time at my organization. Ever since my site mate and I arrived, we were told that we were going to be very busy with a PEPFAR grant that would be coming in any day now and were cautioned not to get too caught up in secondary projects. Let's now fast forward to over a year later and the grant has still not come through. The new plan is that I work with several organizations to begin life skills/peer education groups for students and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). I plan on spending some time with my friend and fellow PCV, Charlene, who lives a couple of hours away from me, in an attempt to examine the life skills course that she's been running for a while. Additionally, by facilitating HIV courses through my organization, I've had several requests to prepare courses for outside agencies. I do not plan on totally leaving my current organization, however, I will make myself available when there is work to do. I will also remain in Rustenburg, where I've made friends and have adapted to the ins and outs. I believe that this new arrangement can potentially be the best of both worlds. I hope that it works out like I'm planning. Now that I'm leaving, you may be wondering if I'm also leaving my site mate along with my organization. In fact, she will be leaving as well (because of the same to similar issues I've had) and will be going to another organization in another province. I wish her well in all of her new endeavors.
So, now you can see that a lot has been going on! Although I've experienced many challenges at site, I have come out a much stronger person and have learned a great deal about myself. I also know that, when met by these challenges, it is important to have patience, be flexible, and creativity is key!
And in a completely unrelated story:
Saziso's niece pinching Twobob's bottom!
