August 6th, 2016 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps | No Comments »
As the Closing of Service conference approaches for all the volunteers including myself, who came to Cameroon exactly 22 months ago, I have mixed feelings about going to the conference. I am excited to look forward to seeing my family and friends at home in the States. I am sad that I will soon have to say good bye to my wonderful Cameroonian friends. I am proud to be able to see the work I have been able to accomplish in the past almost two years.
However, it is hard to know that about one-third of my cohort will not be there because they ended their service earlier than expected. They should be at the conference celebrating with us the hard work they have put in during their shorter service. Even if they were in Cameroon for only two months, they should still be recognized for their willingness take the courage to immerse in a challenging environment.
Peace Corps is not a competition. It’s not about who has the best survival skills and stay in their host country the longest. It’s not about pushing out those who struggle to adapt to a foreign environment. We join Peace Corps because we want to contribute to creating positive changes while facing adversity.
I am reaching close to end of the service not only because of my resilience and perseverance. I have also come so far because I have been so fortunate to have a great support system. My work partners, Ruth, Samuel, Veronica, Hilda, Richard, Dr. Alfred, Antonia, and Regina deserve a huge credit for their contribution to the success of my service. It was their determination, hard work and strong desires to make contributions to create an impact that made them great partners. They are the ones who mobilized persons with disabilities to come to the workshops. When I was feeling lost and lonely early on my service, Ruth, Samuel and Hilda held my hands and guided me by showing me how to navigate the city, how to shop and find the best places to eat, and live in the Cameroonian life. They introduced me to many warm and kind people. They invited me to their homes for Christmas. Ruth helped me shop for furniture and haul them to my home. She also treated me carrot soups when I was feeling sick. Hilda took me to a wedding so that I could see how it’s done in Cameroon. I could go on and on with many more examples of how their generosity helped shape my Peace Corps experience very positively. My family, which not only includes my parents and siblings but also my grandparents and relatives, have definitely made a difference throughout my service. If it weren’t for their care packages filled with American treats and phone calls or video chat, I would have struggled more. They helped me alleviate homesickness. My friends around the world are given credit too for taking the time to read my posts on Facebook and blog and listen to my feelings through private messages and offer me support through words of encouragement and kindness. At last, four Peace Corps volunteers in Cameroon, Alex, Jasmine, Lona and Shatianna, especially Alex who has been the greatest boyfriend and my rock, have been with me by my side all throughout the service. They listened to me through my teary and angry moment but also proud and happy moments. They offered wise advice and gave me hugs. If it weren’t for their visits to my home, phone calls, texting and chats on Facebook, I would have struggled more and felt lonely. They were the people who perfectly understood my current life because they were living in the same life too.
Almost all who ended their service earlier than expected were faced with circumstances that they could not control. Some were medically separated simply because of being born with genetic conditions that made it difficult for them to live in a different environment or because of bad luck in getting hit with bacteria and infections or because of simple misunderstandings with medical professionals. Some were forced to leave their post because of a small number of people posing security threats to volunteers. Some were unfortunately placed at a bad post where they had unmotivated work partners who would not support them. I do want to note though that Peace Corps did offer them new posts but they chose to end their service because they did not want to go through the move all over again and learn a new environment again. There is absolutely no shame in their decision. Some ended their service because they lacked a good support system to help them thrive in their work and integration in the community. It truly takes a village for a volunteer to succeed.
When I am at the conference, while I will recognize how far I have in the past two years, I will also be thinking about all the volunteers who are not in attendance.
