Jamie's Closing Remarks

Hi to all our readers out there and I'll get right to it.

We've just come back to the states.

It was a VERY difficult decision and we made it carefully/rationally. I would like to indulge you all in the "whys" and "whatfors", so here's the story:

We applied for the PC in January of 2005, knowing it might take awhile to get placed, but not thinking it would take 2+ yrs. In 2005 I felt like I still had some time to spare as far as the job market goes. Now that I'm 27, and feeling the intense desire to go back to school for a job in the medical field, that spare time in the job market is rapidly decreasing, especially since I still have another degree to get. So there's one reason why we left.

When we were notified about the country/assignment we were nominated for originally we were very excited. Chris was going to work on water sanitation projects and I was going to be a health volunteer. And, the country we were going to was an English speaking country primarily. We much preferred these options, but as time went by we learned this original assignment got filled up and they frantically searched for somewhere to put us- hence, Burkina Faso. Although we tried to keep open minds in the beginning, neither of us were happy with the job assignments we were given and since we had been waiting for SO long to get an assignment we decided to tackle this one.

The fact that neither of us have taken a french class in 10 yrs. proved to be a very frustrating problem, more so for Chris since he was now expected to teach biology to kids who also use french as a second language. Not to mention the local dialect we also had to become familiar with. Therefore, we were expected to effectively learn 2 languages in 3 months before shipped off to our sites. I don't know if it is true for the entire PC (I have the distinct feeling each country is managed differently from the others), but the teaching styles used in Burkina did not work well for us. Yes, learning a new language is hard, especially in a small amount of time. We understand it takes time to learn and it's difficult, but going to a country with no foundation in the language they speak and then being taught like everything is a review session doesn't work and is not recommended by us. So if you happen to be someone who has been nominated to a country where you have to learn the languages from scratch, I would seriously consider your options because, you're constantly tired, in culture shock, and having to learn a myriad of other things at the same time you're learning language(s). It's not like taking language classes in the U.S.

We also weren't happy in the Burkinabe culture. Now that we've been there it's hard to believe anyone is, but there are those amazingly positive people who can turn any lemon into lemonade. I think the volunteers who stay in Burkina are these kind of people. We love the group of trainees we were with and in the end I realized I was staying for them. The only thing I was enjoying there were the other Americans and since we were all going to be split up in a months time anyway, all that happiness was going to go away. We would have been in a small village, by ourselves, without language fluency, with high expectations on our shoulders from the community we couldn't properly integrate with because of the language barrier and living in a culture we just weren't enjoying all the while doing jobs our hearts weren't into. That's a lot of negatives compared to positives.

When I thought of being a PCV, I wanted to make a larger impact than what would ultimately happen. They tell you in the beginning of training not to expect to make a big impact, which I found pretty disheartening, but understandable. I wasn't there for me mainly, I knew I would benefit for sure and I have, but I really was there to help people. However, the key ingredient to helping people is their desire to be helped. Because of the cultural standards of Burkina, my girl's empowerment assignment was going to be filled with frustration and little progress and because of the way the school systems are set up there, Chris's job wasn't going to be a glorious walk in the park either.

I want to make it clear that we didn't hate Burkina or it's people. Our host families and the Burkinabe PC staff were very generous people. They really cared about us and our well being, but when we thought of Africa and it's cultures we thought of, well, we thought of a Discovery Channel show. I guess I thought of Kenya for instance, which is far apart from Burkina in many ways, i.e. more wildlife and cleaner. So maybe our expectations are/were wrong or overly romantic. I can admit that.

It was hard to say good-bye to the close friends we made in our training group, of course. I will miss them tremendously. When you're going through shocking transition like we all went through when arriving in Burkina, it's hard not to bond with those around you going through the same things. They are a terrific group of intelligent, talented, driven, caring, and funny people. Honestly some of the coolest people I've ever met. I can't say enough about them and I wish them all the best in their continuing adventures which I plan to support from afar. (Watch for care packages guys!)

I am glad we at least attempted this Peace Corps journey, even though in some peoples eyes we failed. However, I don't see it that way, because I gained large amounts of valuable experience that has changed my life and views of the world. I also learned a great deal about myself, my abilities, and my desires for the rest of my days on this planet. If I had it all to do over again, I would. It truly is amazing the clarity you get when your normal life is completely stripped away and you're forced to view the world from a different angle.

In the end I'm glad to be back in the states where I don't have to filter my water and add bleach, where I don't have to use the restroom with critters scurrying under my feet, where there's a garbage can around every corner, running water and toilets, climate control, no donkeys or roosters waking me constantly throughout the night, variety in food and activities, and an incredible amount of opportunities for anyone lucky enough to be a U.S. citizen.

I think in later postings I will try to describe our experiences there to give you a better picture. We haven't had a lot of opportunity while in training to elaborate on our experiences and I think it's important- as long as people want to read it. I will be adding more pictures as well, so don't give up on this blog just yet!! There's still more that can be learned and told.

A Bientot for now...

*watch for Chris's closing remarks to come*