Dear future PC Volunteer,
The fact
that you are reading this little booklet tells me a few things about you. First,
you are ready for the adventure of a lifetime- why else would you have signed
up to leave behind the conventional comforts of the developed world to dedicate
27 months of service in Nicaragua, a raw tropical beauty, yet possibly quite
unfamiliar to you. Second, you are determined- the application process, with
its interviews, medical reviews, and stacks-upon-stacks of paperwork, is not
for the weak-hearted, and you have successfully stuck it out. Third, you are a
qualified individual- you have been selected to join the Peace Corps family
because of your determination and positive attributes that you have displayed
throughout the application process, and since no one has the exact credentials
that you have, no one is ever going to be a Peace Corps volunteer just like you;
the possibilities of your service in Nicaragua are endless.
So, what
are the next steps from here? When I accepted my invitation and got a ton of
information, I began to feel overwhelmed thinking about my 27-month commitment.
Try not to in terms of your entire Peace Corps Service, but instead take it
month-by-month, or week-by-week. Depending of your departure date, you will
have months or weeks between now and your staging event- this time is best used
enjoying the luxuries of America and focusing on the relationships that you
have there, versus obsessing over the unknown. Nicaragua has an amazingly rich
history that you will learn and appreciate all the more once you have lived
here, no amount of research on Nicaragua’s past will replace what this country
will teach you through conversations with those who have lived it. Therefore,
for now, do a little reading, make sure you can find Nicaragua on a map, but
focus on preparing yourself to leave your home and the relationships and
rituals that are with it. Spend quality time with friends and family, for you
may not see them for the next couple years. Find time to do those little things
that you have always wanted to do, such as take that four hour drive to visit a
loved one, visit that new café on your street, or try out that new yoga class.
In my case, I started guitar lessons my last three months in America, and now,
I can bless Nicaraguan ears strumming my four cord repertoire. Once again, this
time should be focused on you and fortifying the relationships important to
you, so that when you leave, you won’t be leaving loved ones behind, but
bringing them with you on this adventure through emails, letters, phone calls,
or smoke-signals.
When your
staging date finally arrives, you will meet an amazing group of people who are
distinct from you in background and credentials, but similar to you in their motivation
to help others and thirst for adventure. Even though you do not know each other
well (yet!), these people will be one of your strongest support networks from
the moment you board that Managua-bound plane and beyond. Those first three
months of training will be focused on teaching you Spanish (don’t fret, you’ll
learn it!), preparing you to be a health educator and adapting you culturally
to Nicaragua. I remember being nervous before coming, thinking that my
background did not sufficiently qualify me to teach Nicaraguans about HIV or
other sexually transmitted diseases, the risks of adolescent pregnancy, or
other health topics. However, once you get here, you will meet our qualified
health program leaders (our bosses!), other PCVS, and Nicaraguan professionals that
will teach you about the health sector, all of the health topics, and dynamic
ways to teach each one. By the end of training, you will feel qualified and
ready to become a community health promoter and educator, wherever your site
may be!
Once you
become an official volunteer, your service is completely shaped by you. Some activities
I do as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Health Sector are: I co-teach classes
with Nicaraguan teachers to students about sexual and reproductive health, I
host soccer tournaments that have an educational component to promote healthy lifestyle
choices for youth, or I give training sessions volunteer community health
workers on health topics such as proper hand-washing, dental hygiene, dengue
prevention, or how to have a healthy pregnancy. Another project I have enjoyed
is surveying migrant coffee pickers in regards to their HIV knowledge and
condom use. I go to huge coffee farms (some as big as 500 acres!), where
thousands of coffee workers migrate from all over the country, and I one-on-one
assess their sexual health knowledge, and afterwards give sexual health
education and condom demonstrations to groups of workers. One of the beauties
of Peace Corps is that no one will ever have a service like yours. Whatever
your interests and abilities are, you can capitalize on them to enjoy your service
to the fullest and fulfill your potential!
Your 27
months will also consist of getting completely immersing yourself in another
culture and will be an invaluable experience that is unparalleled and
irreplaceable. You will learn Spanish, make new friends, and create a home for
yourself. In the meantime, I suggest you try not to make too many expectations.
Like I said, your experience will be totally unique to you, and in Peace Corps,
expectations function to close your mind to the numerous opportunities that
await you.
You are going to become part the
Peace Corps Nicaragua family, and we couldn’t be happier to have you! Each one
of us has our own special story and we are so excited to meet you and watch you
create yours.
Sincerely,
Helen Schafer
Nica 58 (2012-2014)
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