didn't someone here join the peace corps?

[cork_soaker]

yeah, it took a year from the time i began the process until the day i left. that's pretty standard

[cork_soaker]

i suppose if your pet were some sort of small insect, that would be fine

[barden]

Originally Posted by cork_soaker

my job was small business development, working with local artisans to basically improve upon their living and economic situation. that can be done various ways-- finding better materials, teaching them better business skills, finding new markets, and so on. the thing is, you can't just drop in and start right in; you have to build a lot of trust, as the people don't really understand what you are doing there or why you'd want to volunteer your assistance. it's easy to come in very ambitiously with grand visions of development, wanting to really "make a difference", but the point, after all, is to be the facilitator, not the doer. until you understand the place-- the culture, the history, the systems, the hierarchies, and all of the relationships going on where you are, you can't really build anything lasting or of real value to the people there. my first year i had a lot of ideas fall flat because i hadn't taken the time to see what had been tried before, or to realize why they did or didn't do things a certain way. once i started taking the time to explore what was really going on and why, and gradually built relationships, i was able to implement some worthwhile stuff. i don't know how long the project i did will sustain and benefit the people there; it might have collapsed by now. ultimately, i think, it is about the relationships you form, and the degree by which you are able to empower others, introducing them to possibility and creative thinking.

cork soaker, what kind of relationships did you form when empowering others that leaves you completely ignorant on the current situation of the project you did, or if it even still exists?


ALSO: Toby, quarantine can easily take 3 months. So maybe you could send suzie ahead for her 3 month jail stint (it's not easy) and then settle in during that period? I think you can visit her in most places.

[ATS]

iw ould do the peace core if they let me go to afghanistan and hang out with drug dealers all day

[Trotskilicious]

that's the spirit

[cork_soaker]

Originally Posted by barden

cork soaker, what kind of relationships did you form when empowering others that leaves you completely ignorant on the current situation of the project you did, or if it even still exists?

i set it on fire

[Cool As Ice Cream]

that's the spirit