- Someone will always have it better.
As volunteers we are told, “You are expected to serve where you are placed.” This sounded easy back in the U.S. before coming here, not knowing what the options were. But once I got to my site, I was disappointed. I wanted something more exciting. Sites range from cities of 65,000+ people that have access to supermarkets, shops, restaurants, bars, etc., such as the site Corozal that is 15 minutes from me, to more rural sites where one has access to cows, chickens, and sheep… Some volunteers are right on the beach, some in the mountains, where volunteers hike up to a mountain village on the weekends to tutor kids in English, some next to a river, such as Sabanagrande where I did training that has a beautiful path to run by the river, and some in a deserted area. Some are in towns where they are the only ‘gringos’ locals have ever met, (me), and some are in cities flooded with tourism, in towns such as Mompos, Buritaca, and Puerto Colombia. The point is, another person’s site is always going to seem cooler/more ‘Peace Corps-ish /more efficient for work /a happier place. The grass is always greener on the other side.
The lesson I learned is that it’s not the cards that one is dealt with that matter, but how they are played. I can be placed in the “greatest Peace Corps site” or the “worst,” but depending on how I decide to spend my days, and what to make of them, is what really matters. My dearest Peace Corps friend, Jeff, is someone who has already learned this lesson and makes the most of his experience. He was placed in what he calls the desert with little access to the internet, running water, and electricity in Santa Lucia. The town is relatively poor compared to other Peace Corps sites, and he is the only gringo in town, yet he is happy and very well-known amongst locals. He has a good time and always finds a reason to smile. He doesn’t complain – and when people think of happy volunteers, he comes to mind. Jeff’s satisfaction doesn’t depend on his whereabouts, but rather his mentality and who he decides he is as a person. Thank you Peace Corps and Jeff for teaching me this.
I have decided to enjoy my fellow chickens and cows as a great company; they have turned out to be great listeners.
2. Life isn’t always going to work out as planned and it won’t always be easy
My classes and social life from college jaded me into thinking that the real world would always be organized and fun, that it would be as easy as working hard and building good relationships for life to work out. The presence of the structured college framework and easy-to-access friendships made life simple, but real-life seems to be way more complicated, especially in the Peace Corps. My local Colombian friendships aren’t facilitated through shared interests and living arrangements, nor is my work laid out in an organized and easy-to-follow fashion. Many of my local friends my age have family responsibilities, jobs, and kids. A lot of what I do is coming up with my own framework and plans and making sure to follow up on them. I go to work and decide what our teachers’ meeting is going to look like, and how we’re going to make English fun and teach it in the most effective way. Then, I go home and sit in front of my fan and decide how I am going to make the most of my experience. At night, I figure out what type of concoction I will make for dinner and how to convince somebody to go for a run with me. Peace Corps gives us a framework, but every site is different with its own challenges. Sometimes classes are canceled because the power goes out or it’s raining, and sometimes I’ll spend a month planning an exercise event that no one attends. I’ve learned to try my best, shrug my shoulders when something doesn’t work out, and move on by trying something new.
3. Mind management is more important than time management
I recently listened to a TedTalk that expressed the concept that “time management” is more like saying “mind management.” The harder task is dealing with our wandering, distracting, limiting minds rather than dealing with limited time in a day. In the Peace Corps, I have an abundant amount of free time, something I’ve been waiting to have for years. I have time to do all those things I’ve always wanted to do – learn to play the guitar, tackle a third language, write a book! But when it comes down to it, free time is like quicksand. It looks pretty from afar, but when you get too close, it sucks you in. Even though I have a lengthy list of goals to accomplish in my free time, I end up making more lists of how I will start these things the following day or just give up and attempt to make plans with locals to get out of my house. Basically, I learned that managing my mind and training myself to stay on task is more important to accomplish goals than the time I have available. My mind’s functioning capabilities are limited, so I have learned that it is also important to schedule resting time and break up focused work into segments.
4. Self-care is an essential part of one’s day / week / month
I used to think this expression was silly. I thought it was selfish and lazy – why do we need a reason or a cliché term as an excuse to take time out of our days to treat ourselves? However, from my time in the Peace Corps, I have learned the importance of this concept and how precious it can be. My sister-friend Nancy taught me that sometimes, we just need to take a few hours or night to ourselves and do things that relax us, things that we enjoy and that make us feel good. For me, this has been yoga sessions and Netflix binging of “Chicas de Cable.” For others, this may be canceling everything for the night and just blogging about whichever theme comes to mind or reading a good book, sitting outside and calling a loved family member, cooking a new meal while listening to music, watching a feel-good movie, or working on an art project. Everyone has different ways of doing this, but it usually means putting everything else away (especially work-related) and getting rid of distractions to focus on that one thing that makes you happy. Thanks, Nancy, for teaching me this.
5. The least you can do is try your best.
As mentioned above, things won’t always go as planned. Wake up, get dressed, leave the house, and do what you were sent here to do. This is what I repeat to myself most mornings. Sometimes it feels like the work I am doing here is not making much of an impact and that someone else would be better cut out for this position. When I enter the classroom with my partner English teacher and try to get the class’ attention and demonstrate classroom management techniques, but fail miserably, it makes me just want to give up. Nonetheless, I am already here – and there is a lot of interest in my community, not only to learn English but to create new friendships as well; the least I can do is try.
6. Relax, take it easy, and enjoy life.
After doing number 5 above, I learned that it is important to also allow myself to reap the rewards and have fun with my job. Sometimes I feel like all I do here is work – and I am a social person who is all about fun – but that is because I forget to let myself enjoy it. Costeños (what they call the people from the coast) are easygoing and laid back people in a culture that thrives on free-time and relaxation. They love to blast music and sit around in a circle doing nothing else but simply listening to throbbing tunes. It has taught me that it is okay to just sit back on a porch chair and do nothing all night except for watch people walk by, or go to a quinceañera and watch people dance and have a good time and… just enjoy the night by being there. Costeños don’t need much to have a good time, and neither should I. Good company is the best time of all.
A La Orden! 