Why?

Before I left the USA Peace Corps wanted a full medical checkup. So, I was going back and forth to the doctor’s office. It’s interesting that despite all my albinism, nystagmus, extra wisdom teeth, and ADHD my medical clearance only took a few weeks. Definitely NOT the norm for most Volunteers—it takes up to a year in many cases. Then again, I told them in my interview to put me on a plane and just let me go now.  I digress. In one of my doctor’s appointments the nurse who was about to give me a half-dozen shots asks me what this was all about. This was the conversation:

Nurse: “So, why do you need all these tests and shots?”

Tom: “Well, I’m applying to the Peace Corps.”

Nurse: Strange look and a raised eyebrow “You know they get sent to the middle of nowhere, right?”

Tom: “Yep, that’s what I want.”

Nurse: “Why?”

At this point I probably gave my awkward *shrug* that I do when I don’t want someone to talk to me anymore. I didn’t really think completely about the “Why?” I was content just knowing I was f’in leaving New Jersey and not facing another hard year of school interviews and being let down by a shitty job market (“shitty” is a Microsoft Word recognized word, by the way).

Here in Georgia I get asked this question a lot, too. “Why did you come here? We are poor and don’t have anything? Why would you leave a rich country like America and come to poor Georgia?” I mean or some variation of the question. I usually just say how great Georgia is, and how the people are so nice, and I just came to help. I usually just get a strange look and a shrug, then they get fed up with my poor language skills and switch back to the simple questions like: “Do you like to drink wine or tchatcha [jet fuel]?”

I haven’t focused enough on the “Why?” If you asked my older brother “Why?” he’d probably give you a spiel about protecting the things you love (maybe me?), protecting those who cannot protect themselves (me), and the strong defending the weak (me again). In a way, I joined Peace Corps with the same attitude, but after a few months in Georgia I realize I’m not protecting or serving anyone (quite literally the women try to do everything for me). I never thought too seriously about the three simple Peace Corps goals:

1) Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2) Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

3) Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Well, hell, I look at these goals and I actually feel pretty good. The first goal I touched on the lightest, in my opinion. I didn’t do as much in school as I would have liked, but between FLEX, my fitness center, and numerous smaller projects I feel pretty good. Goal 2 I really let fly, maybe to an extreme amount. My host mother loves to brag that she has had over 12 Americans, 1 Pole, 2 Chinese, 1 Ukrainian, 1 Iranian, and numerous other nationalities come through her house. I’ve certainly tried to show my host family, and all of Keda the diversity of America, and our values and beliefs. All of Keda knows I do my own laundry, clean my own room, and am an independent person mostly. Goal three I’ve tried to demonstrate as well as possible in my blog and in personal conversations with friends and family. It’s harder, but it makes me really excited to be a teacher and talk to my students about my experiences in Peace Corps, and about Georgia itself. Heck, maybe I’ll have a supra in one of my classes—don’t worry we’ll replace the wine/tchatcha with water or apple juice. But, the traditions in Georgia are centuries old, and deserve their place in a World History class alongside European, Chinese, or American history.

So, why did I do it? I did it for me. I did it for people I didn’t know. They didn’t NEED me, or even WANT me, but they [mostly] appreciated my presence and caring. I had a discussion with a Georgian guy the other day who was talking about China becoming the next world’s superpower and overtaking America. He added the one caveat, though. “Americans are coming to Georgia to help Georgians with little or no benefit to themselves (he’s talking about TLG and Peace Corps). Other countries are coming to Georgia to only make money.” I had this exact discussion with my friends in Tbilisi last weekend. Peace Corps is a resource drain on the American economy. Not just in the federal budget, but also in the working man hours all 8,000 Volunteers worldwide could contribute. Peace Corps is truly a selfless organization (not perfect), and all of us here gave up parts of ourselves and our time for other people we didn’t know.

I think that’s what really makes America special. We aren’t a perfect country, but there are thousands of us who will willingly put ourselves out there for the common good. I just hope that nurse out there is reading this (she isn’t)

This post is a little difficult to follow, but thanks for reading.