Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Still waiting, stewing, kinda ready, kinda not!

A tip of advice to all future PCV's, don't tell people around you that you are leaving for the corps outside of your family and closest friends until at least 2 weeks before you leave.  Otherwise you will be telling the same stories over and over and over about where you are going, giving a B.S. response as to what you will be doing (because I have no clue really!  something with teaching!), hearing from many people how they wish they could do what you are doing (annoying because in most cases they could be).  They will want to know a million detailed things about the country where you are going to serve even though you have probably never been to it.  You will find yourself reciting what you have read on other PCV's blogs, your slightly outdated PC Welcome book, Wikipedia or what you have heard from you recruiter or whomever else.  You will be praised as a great person for your sacrifice, even though you haven't done anything yet! Don’t get me wrong, part of my reason in doing the Peace Corps is to try to do some good in this world.  However, if my main intention was to do good things, I don’t have to travel across the world to start doing it!  I understand what people mean about the whole process and I thank them for their compliments and yes I do agree that the Peace Corps has great intentions and hopefully after I served my two years I will have had made a positive difference, I just don’t think what myself and however many other PCV’s are doing is that big of a sacrifice.  I think if more people thought that it wasn’t such a big deal or sacrifice, maybe we could get more people to do it!  

The past 3-4 weeks in Alaska has been the coldest I have ever experienced in the 4 years I have lived here.  We had 3 weeks of sub-zero temperatures, I think our high might have been like 4 degrees.  Yesterday the temp hit 22*!!!  22 felt like a freaking heat wave, not once did my nostril hairs freeze! Knowing that soon I will be in tropical temperatures has helped keep me warm, even though I know I will be bitching about the heat, humidity and hairy insects crawling everywhere around me  here shortly!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dave,

My name is Lindsay Kurth. I, too, am leaving for Guyana on Feb. 22! I'm just trying to find some people to connect with before I leave so I don't go into this adventure completely blind. I also noticed that you were born in (and did you live in?) Denver? I'm living in Fort Collins right now, but am originally from Georgia. I guess the humidity won't be that much of an issue for me then, huh? hahah.. Anyways, send me an email or find me on Facebook!
Lindsay.Kurth@comcast.net

..Ang.. said...

Oh dave... the first paragraph to this blog made me laugh out loud...

it's true. i tell the same dumb stories over and over with no real clue as to what i'll be doing.
:)

Can't wait to meet up!

Jessica said...

I think we all have been repeating the same conversation to people when they find out about the Peace Corps.. My conversation is usually:
"I'm going to Guyana"
"Oh I've always wanted to go to Africa, that should be cool!"
"Well yah it would.. But Guyana is in South America"
"Oh, well at least you will learn Spanish"
"Probably not, they speak English there"
"Oh"
And then they ask a bunch of questions like the ones you mentioned, most of which I do not have answer to! That's crazy that it has been so cold in Alaska. It was 65 and sunny in Portland today. My boyfriend is working up in Anchorage right now and freezing his ass off. I guess you can just close your eyes and pretend you're in Guyana dripping with sweat from the 90% humidity... Ooo I'm so excited! : )