Peace Corps Volunteer, seen a lot of new things, and have had my fair
share of funny conversations that end in me laughing, smiling, and
say, "I'm sorry, I'm not yet fluent in Sakalava, but I'm still
learning. Everyday, haha." But, as opposed to sharing all these
stories (since they're too many), I thought I'd share how I got
through my first month. Plain and simple, it's pretty tough to make
the adjustment living at site. So, there's a few fun tips I'd like to
share...enjoy.
Jason's "How to Survive in a Foreign Country, Alone, with Minimal
Language Skills, and Lots of Other Stuff Going On Around You" Top 5
Tip List
1) Freak Out. Yep, you might not have predicted this on the list, but
you'll probably do this anyways, so why not attribute it to me. After
a year at site and you're happy settled, you can say, "I only freaked
out because that PCV for Madagascar Jason told me to do it."
2) Stop Freaking Out. Seriously, it's like that scene from Wayne's
World: "if you puke, he'll spew, and if he spews, I'll hurl"
(paraphrased, I'm not really great with quotes). Freaking out leads
to freaking out which leads to you guessed it, freaking out. Having a
panic attack is pretty common to new PCVs, the important thing is to
acknowledge when you're flipping your sh*t and chill.
3) Remind yourself everyday why you're there. People join the Peace
Corps for a lot of reasons. Mine included the desire for an
adventure, to see the world, understand a different culture, and
challenge myself in ways I didn't know I could. Yours might be out of
the pure desire to help others, to find yourself, or because you have
a boss who won't stop asking you for those TPS reports. Either way,
it is important to reinvigorate yourself with the same enthusiasm you
had when you applied.
4) Take care of your essentials. That means: just try to live.
Moving to a new city in the United States is hard. Moving to a new
city, errr village in the middle of nowhere in another country is
undoubtedly hard-er. You need the 5 S's: safety, sleep, sakafo
(food), shower (it's dirty out there), and Skype (i.e. friends that
don't mind paying 10 bucks so you can talk to them for a half-hour
about scorpions, rats, and rice). I've found that as long as I feel
safe, get a good night's sleep, feel full, stay clean, and know that
there are people at home who care about me, then I'm ok. Maybe your 5
S's will be different (and not even start with S), but know your
essentials.
5) Dance. Dance? Huh? So, everyone has their own go-to. You need a
go-to "reminds me of home" relaxation technique. Mine is to pump my
speakers, listen to some music, and dance. Because, let's face it,
you're alone and even if somebody sees you being silly, it'll never
get back to the States and the worst that'll happen is the native
people think that you're being attacked by a spirit or something. So,
dance away.
I really do have a lot more I'd like to add, but I'm no expert, not
just yet. I'm only a month into my time as a PCV, but as a fun
side-note...I just passed DAY 100 in the Peace Corps (training, etc.).
Oh, and in case you are interested in some of the stories from the
past month, ask me about: "Shit Happens" installation, how many people
are left from my dialect group, my first night bike ride, a
boxing/concert, a canoe ride to a "beach," my first bike ride to
Ambanja, a conversation about where people poop, the soccer field in
Siranana, and more...
Give me a call (261-32-844-9716) or send me an email (I get access
once/month).
Miss you guys,
Jason
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