Today marks one week since my departure from the United States, and only now does it feel like leaving everything behind. It took a while for it to feel that way. The Peace Corps staging in Miami (Jan. 10) was a nice comforting entrance into the process, an orientation where I met all the volunteers and aligned more with the Peace Corps' vision. After that we made our way to Panama City, but we spent our first week in a former military base outside the capital. The retreat was a great way to get to know the volunteers and begin to learn about our purpose, but it wasn't much of an authentic experience. We've spent most of our time surrounded by English speakers who introduced themselves, explained their role, and gave several seminars about safety, the goals and objectives of the organization, and other logistical issues. Although I wanted to jump right in, I understand why it's done this way. Peace Corps is easing us in to the culture. Honestly, after my Argentina experience, I'm very glad that the Peace Corps has shown us the strong support system in place for volunteers. I'm well taken care of. That's for sure.
On Sunday the 15th we left the military base/ international organization hub (where the US Embassy is located) and headed for the interior. At that point, the two sectors of our training group (Teaching English and Community Environment Conservation) split to head to our respective training sites. There we have been placed with host families in the town where we will be for the nine weeks of training. In the morning we have Spanish classes, and in the afternoon we have our project-related classes, which for me is Teaching English. The topics of the afternoon classes vary, and most recently we worked on how to work effectively with Non-Native English Speaking Teachers (or NNESTs...lots of jargon involved in the Peace Corps). Hopefully, the classes will at least begin to prepare us for what's to come. Current volunteers have come to share anecdotes and advice, which is very insightful.
I live with a wonderful and young host family: the parents are around my age and they have an irresistibly cute 4 year-old son. I've already fallen in love with him, which was totally expected. I got lost on the way home from class one afternoon, which was also expected... But no matter how crazy it seems now, or how afraid I am of the uncertain future, I know that I'm not alone. I share in this experience with all my fellow volunteers (many of whom speak Spanish at a lower level than I do). The Peace Corps staff are here to support and assist me all throughout my training and service. And most importantly, I have friends and family at home who care about me very deeply.
No comments:
Post a Comment