The Facts of [Peace Corps] Life

Two posts in two days! Eureka! I was talking to my ADHD sister, Cate, and we were just comparing notes on how unmotivated we could actually be. We discussed how sometimes we hyper-focus on things to an extreme for a week, and then we let it die down. In this case, I hyper-focused on my blog, and on the website I’m building for the Education Resource Center here in Keda. It’s a work in progress, and I don’t really have website building skills, but I’m slowly making my way up, and learning a little HTML while I’m at it. Then I also decided I didn’t like space too much, and I’m too obsessed with the color black. I like black, it’s true. It’s enigmatic and creates a sense of foreboding and mystery (in my opinion). I personally think this new layout is more my style. It’s a traveler’s layout, and it’s very Peace Corps in my opinion.

So, I was in Batumi last Friday after dropping my girlfriend at the airport. I was in a bit of a down mood, and I mostly just wanted to be alone for a bit. I went to a café in Batumi that another Peace Corp guy helps out at as his big project. It has cheap food, clean, welcoming atmosphere, wireless internet; a good place to sit and do work. Suddenly a stampede of new volunteers came in. I was already talking to one of the new guys (G11s), and mostly we were talking about nothing (actually I don’t remember what we talked about, I was trying to be introverted at this time), but he did bring up one thing: Our group (G10) were very negative about Peace Corps, Georgia, and our overall experience. Now first I just tried telling him that he needs to be here over winter and he needs to start working before telling us that.

The funny thing is, G10s thought the group before us, the G9s, were being too negative as well. Maybe we hung around G9s too long and picked up their negativity. Maybe after a year we just get upset and negative. Or, as I see it, it’s almost like a right of passage. Each volunteer has their own story, good or bad, and we complain and compare stories. Usually it’s not too serious, but after a year the negativity is more of hazing the new group than actually disliking Georgia or Peace Corps. We enjoy being the ones to say “Oh, you wait and see”. More than likely the G11s will do that to the G12s and so on and so forth. It’s like when I was in elementary school, and my older sister Mary would try picking on me by saying “you won’t make it in middle school”. Then as I was getting into high school she’d say “oh you’re going to have a hard time in high school”. It’s like we’re trying to be an older sibling to the G11s, while the G9s were the grandparents. Since the G9s were done, they didn’t care about all the negativity. It was nothing to them, just white noise as they went on to new things.

I wanted to write something like this before G11s got here. But, I never got around to it while I was cuddled in my sleeping bag with ice forming outside of it… It seems a bit late now, since they are well on their way to being competent and wise volunteers. I just think they should know that although we may complain, or we may get angry at certain things, we are all still here. We are still alive, and we haven’t left. If we REALLY hated it here we’d leave, there’s nothing stopping us, and we have a free Delta ticket home. Most of us actually like it here. Sure, work is hard, and sometimes I don’t think I’m doing much. But yesterday I was talking with my host sister. She mentioned how badly she wants to travel and find new things out in the world besides Georgia and Keda. She was in Ukraine for 1½ months and really learned and grew during that time. It was in that moment that I realized I had rubbed off on her. I have helped change her life (hopefully for the better), and have given her the knowledge and tools to build a life for herself. You can make a difference in Peace Corps, maybe not a huge one, but you can make a difference to people on a 1-1 level.

That’s not say it’s not always annoying. At one supra a man said “I want you to teach your language, but not your culture. Your culture is bad and Georgians don’t want it”. In the best Georgian I could, and in the nicest way possible I said “I’m sorry you think that, but I can’t teach my language without also teaching my culture, too. There are good and bad things about every culture, but what do you know about mine?” (the actual Georgian sounded more like “Sorry think I can’t teach language and culture. Cultrue is good, and your culture is good and bad, and my culture is good and bad. I must teach culture too.”) Now those things are annoying, really annoying. When you come somewhere and you feel like people don’t really care who you are or where you come from. When you tell them, “No, I’m done eating” and they think that means pile more food on your plate. Yep, that’s annoying, but the way of life. School can be hard, but it is possible to make a difference in people’s lives.

The same G11 later asked me “Hey Tom, is your Peace Corps experience the way you thought it’d be?” My only answer was, “No, but what is really? I knew I wasn’t going to truly understand everything, and I was ready for it”. But, I did make sure to tell him that I think the experience nonetheless is beneficial and good. I’d probably do it again, and I’d recommend it to others who are flexible and have a good sense of humor.

So, you’ll have good times, you’ll have bad times, but in the end I think everyone here will look back and be grateful they were here, no matter how big or small their accomplishments.

Alright, I’ve been sitting in the same chair for 2 hours and my back and butt hurt. Goodbye virtual world.