Last night a cool breeze seemed foreign to skin accustomed only to the consistency of sweating. I wake up to soaked sheets, and continue to sleep only little. Though to me the heat seems less intense somehow than it was. Perhaps my mind has simply gotten used to it.
Dreams can be a revelry, but they seem more often a source of disquiet. Two nights ago I was eaten by a tiger while unspeakable things were going on in the room next to me. I was trying to fend the tiger off with a bag filled with laundry. This was, in the tiger’s opinion, a laughable attempt. Thus are my dreams weirder and weirder.
I seem to have touched nerves with my post on heat. People often think that life is hard as a Peace Corps volunteer, and I thank you for your concern, but the message to be gained from my posts is not that I am suffering, but rather that I am undergoing trials, which we all undergo every day of our lives. In fact in Peace Corps, as in life in general, there are good and bad days, and it is not so different that anywhere else. The hardest part, inevitably, is not lack of electricity (though the desire for cold water and a fan is near overpowering at times), but the strangeness of being a white person and the things that are associated with that. More flexible people will have an easier time with that.
Anyway, I have been doing a lot, holding seminars, planning other seminars, doing some small home renovations, and applying for extension positions. I am in a bit of a weird position because I am not actually done with my two years, but since I will have served a year and a half when these extension positions start, I am eligible to apply. In fact, because of the kidnappings, there are only a small number of people here who are considering extending, and so there are many open positions. It is a good opportunity for me, though it is far from sure that I will get either of the two positions I have applied for. One of these positions is with an international NGO working with a youth entreprise group program, which sounds great. The other is a volunteer regional representative, which would involve working as a liason between Peace Corps staff and volunteers to provide support to volunteers. This also would be very cool, and I think I could do a lot with the position, which has unused potential.
I am a planner, and so it can be difficult to keep my head in the present, but this is especially difficult in the few weeks leading up to uncommon events. In roughly two weeks I have a dearly awaited visitor, quickly followed by a week-long training and the arrival of a friend from the states. After that there is a training for volunteer trainers (if I am accepted), a weekend introduction to my site for new volunteers, and at some point, two weeks training the stagaires. By then it will be August, and if I am taking an extension position it will start then.
So a lot is happening in the next few months, and all of it is exciting. In fact, even the next three weeks are busy and exciting. I have three youth seminars to do, trainings and a kickoff for my business club, hopefully an Excel training at my Mayor’s office, and potentially a number of other small activities.
All of this means things are going well and quickly. Couple that with the idea that the hot season may end in a few weeks I am a bundle of anticipation.
