I apologize for not posting in more than a month, July was a little crazy and I will explain in my next post this week. New pictures to come!
Why were you drawn to serve in the Peace Corps?
By joining Peace Corps I felt I had the opportunity to represent the U.S. and show the global community that Americans care about those outside its borders. Many times the only impression other nations gain about the U.S. is through the media and entertainment industry, which is no where close to being representative of the entire U.S. nation. In addition, I wanted to learn more about development work and decide if that was the type of career I wanted to pursue.
What are your thoughts on the program?
Peace Corps has grown up a lot since President Kennedy inaugurated the program in 1961. We have goals set up by country and by each separate program within the country. The word “volunteer” I feel only applies to the part that we volunteer ourselves for at least 27 months of our life. Peace Corps service is not about living in a hut, reading a book in a hammock. We are working with the schools, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), government offices, health services, etc. We work, we don’t just “volunteer”. It is an opportunity cost to not be earning a living wage in the U.S., but the work experience we get while abroad is invaluable to our development as professionals and U.S. citizens. I think in the future Peace Corps will offer more valuable professional training to its volunteers, which will create a stronger program with greater impact.
What do you do on a daily basis & what is your mission?
I am a Small Business Advisor and Educator, so my primary assignment is teaching in 4 different high schools and advising small businesses in my city. Every day I either co-teach (with a Nicaraguan teacher) entrepreneurship classes to 4th year highschoolers (15-17 year olds) or I observe the classes already functioning on their own (taught by Nicaraguan teachers) that the PC volunteer before me had established. I have an amazing opportunity to work with both the public highschool and an NGO called Familia Padre Fabretto. The NGO has an after-school program which includes the entrepreneurship class, so in 3 of my schools the class is actually an extracurricular activity. I oversee about 500 students, and the goal is for each of them to organize themselves into groups, develop a product or service, and little by little write a business plan. At the end we have a competition to see who has the best business plan and who was the most creative. The biggest emphasis of the program is creativity and planning! Kids are not encouraged to be creative, so I am constantly pushing them to think above and beyond the norms. We promote business planning because many times businesses open in Nicaragua without the owners taking into account the variable and fixed costs, start up costs, an evaluation of the existing competition, and most importantly recognition of a potential market.
This is where the other half of our assignment comes into play: small business advising. Current businesses usually have little knowledge of basic business practices such as accounting, marketing, and price fixing. I currently advise two businesses and have three more interested in learning more about how to successfully run a business. I’m no business expert, but I can help small business owners realize their actual expenditures, create a basic accounting sheet, or identify prices of their competitors. One of my biggest challenges is showing business owners that they don’t begin to make a profit until they have covered all their costs. Most believe that once they sell something it means money in their pocket right away!
In addition, my assignment is travel intensive, so I have to travel 2.5 hours by bus to one of my schools and 3.5 hours to another. The buses only run a couple times a day to these towns, so I have to spend 2 nights a week away from my home base. Luckily my NGO provides housing for me when I am working up in the highland towns, so I have a home away from home.
Would you recommend it?
I recommend Peace Corps for someone who is ready for an adventure and willing to move anywhere in the world. If you want to gain experience in development and see how foreign aid works in developing countries, this job is for you! Be prepared to miss home sometimes, but usually one remembers that home will always be there to welcome you back. All PC volunteers have different reasons for serving, so talk to as many current or returned Peace Corps volunteers as possible to get a well-rounded idea of the experience.
What were you most surprised about?
I was surprised how much networking would be involved with other organizations, meaning I work with more gringos (foreigners from the U.S., Europe and Japan) than I ever expected! Every day I run into foreigners from NGOs, international aid organizations (World Food Program, UNICEF), foreign government organizations (USAID, JICA), and religious organizations. Last week alone I hung out with Japanese volunteers, Spaniard university students, and fellow PC volunteers. I am certain the networks I have created in Nicaragua will help me in future job searches, should I decide to continue working within the development community.
Also, I was surprised to live in a city of 23,000 people, which includes access to a bank, internet, and a grocery store. However, a city does not guarantee constant water or electricity! We usually have water from 5pm till 8am the next day and the power can go out for days at a time.
How have you been received by the local people?
Everyone in Nicaragua is always curious to know my story, where I’m from and what I’m doing here. Then after my story they will almost always share with me where their relatives live in the U.S. Sometimes they think I am from Spain, which is a great compliment to me because I’m obviously getting rid of my “gringo” accent. Nicaraguans are usually very giving people and will offer you a coffee with cookies, or invite you to come with them to visit their farms. However, there are some that see foreigners as nothing but banks, who are willing to hand out money or things. Even if I explain that I am a Peace Corps volunteer, they still don’t understand why I can’t give them anything. It’s a problem that all developing countries face. I’ve never received any anti-American sentiment, which I attribute to the fact that most Nicaraguans have family members who live in the US.
What do you miss most back in the USA?
I really miss my friends and family; going away has made me realize how much I love them and how much a support base they are for me. I know they are always there for me through phone calls, letters and emails, but nothing beats a family meal together or a cup of coffee and chatting to a good friend. If I had to say a “thing” I miss the most, it would be California wine! Syrah from Carneros in particular!
What is the single greatest lesson you have learned?
I am so thankful for the education I received in Loomis! After teaching in the Nicaraguan public school system where the teachers are paid poorly, the students don’t have textbooks, class is canceled for no reason, and where there is little opportunity for extracurricular activities (especially for girls), I can feel nothing but deep gratitude for my teachers, coaches and administrators.
What will you take with you at the conclusion of your stay?
Patience! I think I will be so much more patient and I will be much calmer when things do not go to plan. Just this weekend the bus broke down halfway through the 3 hour ride down the mountain and I had to wait 4 hours for the next bus to come. One just has to accept unfortunate occurrences and realize that it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on and it’s not worth being upset over the small things! Yes it was annoying that I had to wait for a couple extra hours, but I eventually arrived at my destination.
What are your plans after Peace Corps?
My future plans change every week and I haven’t quite nailed down what I’d really like to do. I finish in July 2010, so it would be great timing to start a graduate program. However, I don’t know what I want to study yet! I’ve thought about a Masters in International Development, but I’m not 100% sure. Some other ideas I’ve also considered are coming back and working in Washington, D.C., going abroad to France to study French, and the newest (and craziest) idea I have is opening a Central American Import store with a coworker who works with me at my NGO.
1 comment:
so proud of you katie!! i vote you enter a grad program in DC after coming to my church wedding next summer! ;-) yes? love you!!!
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