The Good
Who do you picture (besides me) when you hear about Peace Corps volunteers? I had always pictured a bunch of 22 year old hippies who dressed in hemp clothing and talked about recycling (or something). The reality is much different. Basically, Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) are a really diverse group of people. There are 22 year olds, but only about 6 of the 44 in my group graduated in the last year. There are old volunteers and young volunteers and everyone in between. PCVs are also come from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds and are a wide variety of ethnicities.
We do, however, have a lot in common. For one, we are a very well-traveled group of people. Many of us have lived abroad before and almost everyone has traveled. Collectively, I think we’ve seen the majority of the world. We are also a well-educated and ambitious bunch of people. There are a surprising number of engineers in my group. And we have dreams, people. Big dreams. PCVs also tend to be idealistic do-gooders. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been talking to a fellow PCV and he/she says something like, "I just want to do MORE. I want to look back on my life and feel like I’ve done something meaningful." It’s weird to hear my thoughts coming out of someone else’s mouth. Lastly, PCVs are nerds. I mean hard core (corps?) nerds. I fit right in.
After training every day, we play volleyball and ultimate Frisbee. We do yoga. We jog. We play Bananagrams and Settlers and Hearts. We watch The Lion King. We have talent shows and trivia nights and dance parties. For someone like me, it’s a dream come true.
Training is long and intense, but usually informative and helpful. We learn about cultural norms and the politics, geography, climate, and monetary system of Uganda. We also learn what to expect when we get into the field physically, psychologically, emotionally and in every other way. We practice washing clothes by hand with a bar of soap. We watch (clothed) demonstrations of how to go to the bathroom in a pit latrine. We learn how to use a charcoal stove.
The Bad
There’s only one thing on my bad list so far. Mefloquine. It’s the Malaria prevention medication I opted to take. The problem is that I reacted badly to it. Very badly. I had horrible, vivid nightmares and woke myself up screaming. I felt restless and anxious for no reason. I just didn’t feel like myself. Rest assured (?) that these side effects are normal for this medication. After taking it, I found out that it has been "black boxed," that the military stopped using it, that the FDA says it shouldn’t be taken for more than 2 months, that, basically, it’s bad news. A PCV that’s been here awhile said that while on the drug, he vividly dreamt that he beat his mother to death. Another PCV woke up choking herself. A staff member came to check on me after I had fallen asleep one night, and it took me awhile to stop screaming when she woke me up. Yikes! Needless to say, I am off that medication! Never again, my friends. Never again.
The Ugly
Fun Fact: Did you know that Ugandans (and PCVs who live here) need to iron all of their clothes so that mango flies that get on the clothing while it’s drying don’t burrow into their skin?
Who do you picture (besides me) when you hear about Peace Corps volunteers? I had always pictured a bunch of 22 year old hippies who dressed in hemp clothing and talked about recycling (or something). The reality is much different. Basically, Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) are a really diverse group of people. There are 22 year olds, but only about 6 of the 44 in my group graduated in the last year. There are old volunteers and young volunteers and everyone in between. PCVs are also come from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds and are a wide variety of ethnicities.
We do, however, have a lot in common. For one, we are a very well-traveled group of people. Many of us have lived abroad before and almost everyone has traveled. Collectively, I think we’ve seen the majority of the world. We are also a well-educated and ambitious bunch of people. There are a surprising number of engineers in my group. And we have dreams, people. Big dreams. PCVs also tend to be idealistic do-gooders. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been talking to a fellow PCV and he/she says something like, "I just want to do MORE. I want to look back on my life and feel like I’ve done something meaningful." It’s weird to hear my thoughts coming out of someone else’s mouth. Lastly, PCVs are nerds. I mean hard core (corps?) nerds. I fit right in.
After training every day, we play volleyball and ultimate Frisbee. We do yoga. We jog. We play Bananagrams and Settlers and Hearts. We watch The Lion King. We have talent shows and trivia nights and dance parties. For someone like me, it’s a dream come true.
Training is long and intense, but usually informative and helpful. We learn about cultural norms and the politics, geography, climate, and monetary system of Uganda. We also learn what to expect when we get into the field physically, psychologically, emotionally and in every other way. We practice washing clothes by hand with a bar of soap. We watch (clothed) demonstrations of how to go to the bathroom in a pit latrine. We learn how to use a charcoal stove.
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| Johnson demonstrating how to take a bucket bath. |
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| Susan showing us how to use a charcoal stove. |
The Bad
There’s only one thing on my bad list so far. Mefloquine. It’s the Malaria prevention medication I opted to take. The problem is that I reacted badly to it. Very badly. I had horrible, vivid nightmares and woke myself up screaming. I felt restless and anxious for no reason. I just didn’t feel like myself. Rest assured (?) that these side effects are normal for this medication. After taking it, I found out that it has been "black boxed," that the military stopped using it, that the FDA says it shouldn’t be taken for more than 2 months, that, basically, it’s bad news. A PCV that’s been here awhile said that while on the drug, he vividly dreamt that he beat his mother to death. Another PCV woke up choking herself. A staff member came to check on me after I had fallen asleep one night, and it took me awhile to stop screaming when she woke me up. Yikes! Needless to say, I am off that medication! Never again, my friends. Never again.
The Ugly
Fun Fact: Did you know that Ugandans (and PCVs who live here) need to iron all of their clothes so that mango flies that get on the clothing while it’s drying don’t burrow into their skin?
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