The End (Part 1)

Vasav was quite right. Just because I’m no longer a Volunteer does not mean I can stop writing in my blog. Oh, wait, that’s right, I haven’t written in my blog to TELL the blog-world that I finished my service on 19 June. Well, blog-world, I am officially a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV). A person can also call me a “newly unemployed person”. My apologies for not writing sooner. The month of June was pretty crazy for me. I had trainings to lead, guests coming, parents coming, saying goodbyes, packing, saying more goodbyes, and now I am a tourist in the country I’ve considered home for two-years. My parents and I have just finished the second day of a two-week tour of Georgia. After Georgia I will be in Turkey for a week. I will be back on U.S. soil on 4 July. Yes, that’s right, Independence Day.

I told people I’d write a more thought out and honest opinion of Peace Corps and working in Georgia. Here’s the long and the short of it. I loved it. It wasn’t easy, and I was certainly frustrated or angry sometimes, but I really enjoyed my two-years here. I think Peace Corps has done some wonderful and amazing things in Georgia, and I am really fond of the Peace Corps Staff in Georgia who were always helpful. There are few employers that I could go to with a problem that would work with me to solve the problem at hand, but still leave the problem IN my hand. Life is both simple and complicated in Peace Corps, and I disliked all the rules governing my whereabouts and not being able to take the night train by myself. Those aren’t big issues, and it’s all for safety reasons anyway, but we are all adults, right?

As for living in my town. It was hard at first. I felt uneasy at the beginning, but that’s normal with any new major change or stress. I adapted, and I felt like I was able to manage most situations in a constructive manner. I could have done some things differently, but I feel confident that I did the best I could with the information that I had at the time. I learned some things, and I’m proud of the things I accomplished. It’s impossible for me to mention the things I accomplished without referring to some of the HCNs (Host Country Nationals) who really put in their time and effort to help me. I won’t mention them by name, but I really could not have done it without all their guidance and help. We did some great work, and development here, but I also made some great lifelong friends. It was hard to say goodbye. Each supra we had the last week was more emotional than the last, and I found my Georgian to be too poor to really fully express my admiration for the people I’ve lived with and worked with in my town.

I’ll start by answering some questions I commonly get:

Q: Do you like Georgia?

A: Read above. I love Georgia. I think Georgia has a lot of amazing and wonderful people. I also think Georgia (as does every country) has a lot of issues that it needs to work out.

Q: What issues are those?

A: There are a bunch, but I think unemployment is the most pertinent and important right now. After that, I’d say gender issues.

Q: Do you like Georgian food?

A: I like when it’s made for real during supras or holidays. The day-to-day potatoes, eggs, and bread makes me go crazy. My host mother was always great about varying my diet so that was nice.

Q: Would you do Peace Corps again?

A: If I was 23 again I’d probably still go. I think I would have been a better Volunteer if I had waited a bit longer and gained some real experience first. Peace Corps Volunteers range in all ages, but I found the older Volunteers to be doing the larger projects. Age has a big place in Georgia, and I was still considered a “bitchi” (don’t pronounce it like the bad word, the “I” makes an “ee” sound) or “boy”, and therefore not taken as seriously as a 40-year old married man. It is still what you make of it yourself, and I did great things, but again, I think if I was a little older people would look at me differently. I doubt I’d do Peace Corps again right now, because unfortunately we just don’t make enough money, and it’s probably time for me to grow up. I’d definitely do it later in life with a willing spouse.

Q: Would you recommend Peace Corps to a friend?

A: Depends on the friend. Most of the Volunteers I know are great people. I am lucky I could spend the past two-years moaning, whining, but ultimately learning, working, and sharing ideas with them. Peace Corps Volunteers should have a particular set of skills, and some people just don’t have them. I’d tell my friends who have great skills that wish to share those skills with developing nations to definitely do it, because it’s an experience you won’t forget.