Training, training, training

 

The past couple of weeks have been full of classes and field visits.  My Lugbara language skills are slowly progressing; I learned a lot about water sanitation (at an individual level and for Uganda as a whole); and we started doing visits to organizations that work for HIV prevention.  It’s great to see community outreach programs – I’m so anxious to find out which organization or health center I’ll be working for!

I feel very fortunate to be in this training group for the Peace Corps.  Our country director has recently modified the training program and we are the one of first groups to:

·      Get assigned to a language region at the beginning of training.  Previous groups would learn the local language, then get their assignments and have to learn a new dialect all over again.  I feel I’ll be well prepared to integrate into the West Nile region.

·      Get trained by current Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).  We are the first group to get mentored by current PCVs – it’s a TREMENDOUS help!  They help prepare us for what it’s like in the field, what to expect at homestay, how to adjust to living on our own at site, where to buy things, how to cope with culture shock, etc.  I am extremely grateful for having them as a resource.

·      Go on field trips!  After talking to the PCVs, we found out that Peace Corps just started allowing field trips (e.g. to the HIV community organizations, etc.)  It’s so nice to get out of the classroom and do some outreach before going to site.  And the Peace Corps also set up a fun field trip for us – yesterday we went to botanical gardens and the zoo.  (The botanical gardens are very cool, but going to a zoo in Africa is just felt wrong.  Why not go on a safari???)

·      Find out our sites in Week 5 and go to visit in Week 6.  Previously, the Peace Corps announced the sites at the end of the 10-week training.  Now, they already know where we’ll be placed and have incorporated it into our immersion training.  It’s very exciting – we’re all counting down the days until our site visits.  (Only 7 more days!)

Some PCVs say that training is the hardest part of the Peace Corps experience.  I am definitely starting to feel the exhaustion – but I am not taking anything for granted.  I appreciate having the schedule made up for me and keeping me busy; I appreciate having my meals cooked for me; I appreciate my homestay family giving me hot water for my bucket baths!  And it’s great to be with 45 other Peace Corps Trainees.  I know I will miss them after we go to our sites.