Thies, Senegal
Following two weeks in Gaborone for our in-service
training, I was lucky enough to be one of three Botswana volunteers to travel
to Senegal for an in-depth training on malaria interventions. The training was
a Peace Corps training, held at the PC Senegal training center. There were
volunteers from all over Africa, including Cameroon, Benin, Ghana, Malawi,
Uganda, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, as well as PC staff members from countries
who currently don’t have volunteers for various reasons (Kenya, Liberia,
Guinea).
It was really interesting to hear bits and pieces about
other volunteers’ experiences. But at times it was definitely frustrating. More
and more I am realizing there is a competitive culture among Peace Corps
volunteers to make it known how difficult your own experience is. While we were
in Senegal, I noticed this dynamic was extremely present…almost in a passive
aggressive way. I witnessed some volunteers putting down the service of others
in order to make their own seem more legitimate, maybe because they have to
suffer more or handle more hardships on a daily basis. However I also realized
early on how ridiculous this is…not having electricity or running water does
not make an individual a better Peace Corps volunteer. In fact, I think a good
argument could be made for the contrary. Hearing these undermining comments
being tossed around while with these other volunteers also made me question
individuals’ reasons and intentions as volunteers. Sure, I think it is safe to
say we are all hoping to get some sort of personal growth out of our
experiences, but it seemed to me that for some people, this was more of a
priority than helping their community grow. Regardless, after two weeks of this
dynamic and four weeks of being away from site, I was ready to return to
Botswana.
But aside from this competitive spirit that was
exhausting, the training was really fantastic. We were able to Skype with
individuals from incredibly important offices in the global fight against
malaria such as the CDC, PMI (President’s Malaria Initiative), Johns Hopkins,
and more. As you can guess, I was public health geeking out pretty much for the
entire two weeks. The training shed a lot of light for me on how PC trainings
should and could be conducted, as well as highlighting the ways in which our
training in Peace Corps Botswana could be improved (tips which we shared with
our own training staff). We also learned a lot about technical tools like
survey initiatives, doer/non-doer analysis and logical frameworks—all tools for
behavior change that can be applied in so many ways to the work we do in our
respective countries.
We also were able to spend a day at a beach while there,
which was glorious. It was the Atlantic Ocean, and if I turned my back on the
buildings along the beach and just looked out at the water, I swear it could
have been Delaware. It brought me so much comfort, more than I was expecting and
more than I thought I needed.
I only saw a very small part of Senegal, but I realized
how much I love Botswana. It was incredibly frustrating not having any way to
communicate with the people there. I don’t speak any French, and obviously know
nothing of the local language, so I had to rely on others I was with who could
communicate. I found it really debilitating not being able to communicate with
people directly, especially when trying to haggle down a price. Senegal also
has millions and millions more people living in it than Botswana, and it showed
in a lot of ways that was at times overwhelming. Returning to Botswana was
relieving. Being away had made me realize, without my knowing, that Botswana
has become familiar and comfortable. It has become my home.
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