In Flux

I’m still in the midst of Unbloggable EventsTM, but wanted to update everyone to say that I’m doing fine. These events have brought me into contact with several Volunteers from many African countries. After having spent so much time with my fellow Trainees (miss you all!), I was surprised to hear “How long have you been at your site?” several times a day. Once people found out that I hadn’t sworn in yet, they immediately responded with “NEWBIE!” I find this, like nassara (foreigner), to be somewhat less than endearing. However, I have met many nice Volunteers at different stages of their service. The 6-8 month groups talks about their sites and compares experiences constantly. By contrast, the 12-14 month Mid Service people are just excited to see each other and discuss gossip and movies. Those nearing the end of their service talk about next steps and what projects they have left to finish. I recently finished reading House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Lily Bart, the protagonist, constantly adapts her small talk to maintain a veneer of pleasant friendship in the society game of old New York. While I’m not hankering for a marriage proposal from an eccentric book collector (yet), I have noticed shifts in my own conversational habits. Having gotten so close to my training class and thus free to express my opinions, I find myself une fois de plus (yet again) restricted. In any case, I’m starved for neither social nor culinary opportunities. Hamburgers, Thai food, markets – but nothing like host country.