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Tag: peace corp

  • What’cha doin’?

    Julius teaching a class on irrigation scheduling.
    Julius teaching a class on irrigation scheduling.

    When people hear we volunteered for the Peace Corps, we are often asked what we’re going to do in Nepal. Our answer, “We aren’t exactly sure,” is usually met with a blank or puzzled look, followed by something like ‘Wow…what an adventure!’, or ‘That is a long way to go… especially when you don’t even know what you are doing.” Some people even go so far to comment, “So… if they are sending unprepared people over, who don’t even know what they’re doing, do you really think Peace Corps makes a difference?” Our response varies from person to person, but the definitive answer follows:

    The Peace Corps Nepal Volunteers all work under the umbrella of “Food Security”, putting most of their energy into projects that focus on improving agriculture, nutrition and hygiene in rural areas of Nepal. Malnutrition in Nepal is among the highest in the world. According to World Bank, over 40 percent of Nepali children under five are stunted (in some far western areas of Nepal, the percentage is over 60). Nutrient deficiencies are severe. In particular, 46 percent of children 6 months to 12 years, 35 percent of women of reproductive age and 48 percent of pregnant women are anemic. Malnutrition affects everyone there. It slows economic growth and perpetuates poverty through direct losses in productivity from poor physical status, and indirect losses from poor cognitive function, and increased health costs.

    “But won’t Peace Corps put you into a specific job with an actual ‘job description’ geared toward increasing food security?” Some volunteers do land in positions that have *some* predetermined parameters and tasks. But most Peace Corps Volunteers only receive general training for the sector they are assigned. (in our case, Stew: Agriculture, Vee: Health). In developing a plan (a job) for an individual volunteer, the mix of the background/skills of the volunteer, the needs of the community they are assigned to, and the capacity of the host population must be taken into account. Each community has unique needs that the volunteer has no way of comprehending without interacting and integrating within the culture and community. During the first year on-site, the volunteer looks for a project that they can successfully implement, that fulfills the needs of the community, and that is supported by local leaders and motivators willing to implement/take over/maintain after the Peace Corps Volunteer has finished service.

    Nepali farmers creating a vegetable seedling nursery

    Peace Corps Volunteers serve in their community for only two short years. The volunteer may be able to keep a project afloat with their own enthusiasm during the time they are on-site, but for the project to be sustainable after the volunteer leaves, the community must be committed to the project…..it must be THEIR project… invested in and owned by them. They must see the worth and be willing to push forward with the project far into the future.

    Peace Corps Volunteers can provide project research, train participants, assist in obtaining financing, and work alongside the host towns. But, the project must belong to the community. We as Peace Corps Volunteers have ideas, hopes, and confidence in our applicable skills before we are assigned to a post, but there is no way that we can know what the community members truly want and need to happen until we are integrated with our community.

    A Peace Corps project example: Julius, a current Nepal Peace Corps Volunteer, is working on an irrigation project for his host community. He came to Peace Corps with a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Engineering almost a year ago, but only recently started a project in his village to build an irrigation system for increased water access for higher vegetable production. By developing access to water during Nepal’s dry season, farmers in Julius’ host town will have the ability to use alternative farming methods and grow more vegetables year round, which will potentially improve the nutrient intake of the citizens. Also, with more varieties of crops, farmers will be able to sell more products and generate a higher income for their households. Julius didn’t just jump into this project when he first arrived at his post. The first few months he spent getting to know the town’s citizens, finding out how they farmed, and what would increase their crop production. Then he spent some time training the farmers in making seedling nurseries. He worked to become a part of the community. His work slowly resulted in being able to create a committed farmers project group. (who happen to be all female farmers) http://www.jdnepalilife.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-first-three-months-at-site-life-in_25.html

    Once the project was in motion, Julius needed to determine what actions, trainings and materials were needed to accomplish the project, as well as the time, energy, and money required. In addition… where would the materials come from? (No Home Depot down the street)…..where would the money come from? (a big portion of the money and labor is required to come from the community, but assistance must be gained from others also)…..and were there other volunteers or groups working on similar projects? (the more the merrier, so networking is required) http://www.jdnepalilife.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-low-cost-method-to-survey-landscape.html

    Now details are in place, time line has been created, and project grant proposal has been approved by Peace Corps. Next up: obtain the money and materials, coordinate the work plan with those willing to contribute, research the trainings and prepare lesson and direction plans(which must be translated and taught in Nepali).

    Interesting project process, yes? For those of you who would like to give Julius and this committed group of female farmers a hand with this project in order to improve lives in their Nepal community and create a ripple effect of more positive changes, consider donating a little cash to this worthy cause…..here: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=14-367-003

    Peace Corps Volunteer projects are a great place to donate. Especially if you want to ask questions of or have interactions with the people actually using your donation money. If you connect to a specific Peace Corps project through a volunteer’s blog or facebook page, you can usually see who is coordinating the project, plans for how the money will be used and often, how much money is needed for the project. Because of the information shared by most of the volunteers, you may even be able to watch the project in process on-line and see the results of your donation. Skip a couple mornings of Starbucks and send your money to Nepal……watch the results. Seriously…….a little bit here in the U.S. goes much further in Nepal. And they do need it. Let’s get it done. Please…

  • Carrington Migration Begins

    (C) James Hammond https://www.flickr.com/photos/jameshammond/
    (C) James Hammond,  https://www.flickr.com/photos/jameshammond/

    Last night we packed up Desi, his bed, brush, treats, catnip, etc…and moved him to his new temporary home here in Seattle. I spent last night with Des in his new digs and will spend one more night here while he is adapting.  Meanwhile, Stewart has been successfully ensuring Gus and HarLee have parental supervision to keep them from making prank calls and TPing the neighbors.

    Gus n HarLee
    Gus ‘n HarLee

    Monday afternoon, Stew and I will cat-herd Gus and Harlee to the car and head south to Oregon, where they will vacation and spa for two years with some lovely ladies. We’ll spend one night with the kids there to help them become accustomed to their new world, before we come back to Seattle for the final push.

    By August 1st, this branch of the Carringtons will find themselves depending on the ‘kindness of strangers’……..well….actually the kindness of friends and family. We will essentially be homeless until we arrive in Nepal on September 7th. Wagons Ho!!!!!

  • Collective Vees Have a 100 lb. Luggage Limit

     

    (C) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilker/

    I feel so self-absorbed right now. Even more than my last year spent seeing, hearing, talking, living graduate school every second of every day(and that was major self-absorption). Now this sorting, packing, and preparing has me focused on the past me…the current me….the future me…and all of her needs/wants…..me me me. What should I take that I won’t be able to get in Nepal? Is there anything I should buy here that will make my adjustment to a different climate, culture, comfort level….easier? Where will I sleep? How will I sleep? Will I sleep? Etc…etc…etc…The advice I get is very very helpful….sometimes too much so. I still remain confused.

    How much clothing should I take? The current volunteers say not to bring too much in the area of clothing….enough to keep you going between wash days. (and laundry is done by hand, so you don’t want too big of a pile of dirty laundry….less clothes…better) But, on the other hand, Nepalis are of smaller stature than an average sized American, so you might not be able to find clothing sizes that fit you….should probably have enough quality clothes that will last the two years. OR…..you could have family and friends send clothes to you…course…it costs an arm and a leg to ship to Nepal. Ah….and make sure your clothing choices are quick dry (as well as towels) The humidity here makes it really hard to dry anything. (At this moment, I’m looking at my plush cozy American towels and shaking my head)

    Electronic advice from ‘those who have gone before’: You’ll need your electronics for book reading, picture taking, music listening, and internet access or you’ll go insane. But….don’t bring so much electronic equipment that you look like the typical rich American or you’ll be pestered never endingly about giving things to the natives….wait….you’re going to receive a never ending amount of pestering because you are a rich American anyway….just try to keep your shit hidden. Oh….and all of your electronic stuff will die over here due to climate and unpredictable power surges, so don’t bring expensive stuff…but, do bring quality stuff that will be durable.

    And about food: Some of the Peace Corps volunteers in Nepal experience malnutrition issues while in country. Makes sense when you consider “Food Security” is the umbrella we are all working under over there. Lack of technology puts our American ‘eat local’ campaigns in a whole new ballpark, eh? Not much in the way of refrigeration in Nepal. And food is cooked over a fire. (Wood stoves were a recent project worked on by the current Nepal Peace Corps volunteers. Meals are cooked on open camp fires in the houses without cook stoves ….smoky smores, anyone?) So, should I use half of my luggage weight for dried food? Wait….can I dry food over there? Ummm…humidity is really really high, I don’t know what resources they have to dry food….I’m not confident of that. But, seriously, maybe I should be researching food preservation, right?? Or should I take a two year supply of nutritional supplements with me….will two years of nutritional supplements make it through customs? Even the crops that are growing have some major pest issues. A friend of ours serving in Nepal just this morning mentioned that over 200,000 monkeys have moved into his area and are decimating the corn crop. 200,000 monkeys? *shudder*

    I think my biggest current concern revolves around how I’m going to deal with the change in hygiene opportunities and what I can take to help me out in that area. I’m a little on the quirky side compared with most Americans in the area of hygiene. To the point of worrying that someone will notice the number of times I wash my hands and shower….and I dunno…turn me into the water conservation police? But, in Nepal, hygiene is not always easily accessible. Water can be limited and bucket showers are a strong possibility. I’m sure bucket showers get people clean, I’ll just have to learn how to do it correctly and….learn to shower with cold water and less often. (bucket showers involve wetting your body down, soaping it up, and pouring water over your body to rinse…. but, what happens if you use all your water for rinsing…and still have soap on you?) In Nepal, I’ve heard, bathing is done while clothed. While clothed? Huh?…..how is that even…? Never mind, I’ll figure it out when I get there. I’ve also been told I should consider leaving the toilet paper at home, cause it would have to be burned in Nepal after use…..and it really isn’t needed. Not needed? Huh?….how is that even…? Never mind, I’ll figure it out when I get there. Should I pack tons of baby wipes and containers of hand sanitizer? Soooo…..yeah….a different world ahead in the hygiene department.

    Different world altogether ahead. And to be totally honest, I don’t know which of my numerous “Vee personalities” will show up in Nepal…..trust me….they would all pack differently. And the collective Vees have a 100 lb. luggage limit. All about me me me….

  • Ekdam Raamro

    The cat stretches, and then curls up like an otter, covering his eyes.

    He has been watching us pack, warily, and with great trepidation.  He has tired himself out by running to and fro, on things and off, sticking his nose under hands and running amok.  His brother has also been watching us, although Gus is a bit more laid back, wide eyes in disbelief… we’re doing this again….not again…

    Their sister, however, is the most relaxed… or is providing the best counter to all the commotion and turmoil.  She has burrowed under the covers of the bed.  If not aware, then at least asleep or ignoring the chaos ensuing around her.

    We’ve entered the power phase.  Drastic things are happening.  DECISIONS are being made.  I remember…I purchased that portable brass plumb-bob for my field archaeology class…  We used it during the  remodel of the Portland cottage…  It looks cool…It has a lovely weight… It goes … away! *sobbing*  “Not the plumb-bob!”  … and so it goes.

    We are tired.  We are irritable.  I say this feels an extension of the reducing of our material life during the farm exodus two years ago, finishing what we started.  Vee says this cleansing is something different.  Something new. Something with a little more acute pain attached.

    100 pounds to each to carry.  A small square of space to keep things here for return in two and a half years.  The rest of your life … gone.

  • Deep in the Midst of Sorting and Packing

    packing

    Stewart and I have moved a lot…no seriously…..a lot. In the almost 18 years we’ve been together (What? 18 years? Seriously? No way! Those years zipped by), we’ve moved thirteen times. We’ve lived in four major urban areas including Denver, Tucson, Portland, and Seattle and in one rural area on the Olympic Peninsula (outside Port Townsend). Trust me…we know how to sort, pack and move. We got this.

    But, this sorting/packing experience is totally different from the others. An extremely small amount of our ‘stuff’ is going with us, a max of 100 lbs. each, to be exact. This time when we hold an item in our hand before sorting it into a toss/sell/keep category, we must determine 1. Will we need it in Nepal?, 2. Is it something that we cannot take with us, but cannot bear to let go of? (mostly family heirlooms) and 3. If we keep it, where will it stay until we return to the States?(no moving van or storage rental involved on this one…very very few items will be kept in nooks and crannies of family members’ homes)

    Stew said it feels as if we are preparing for death. Kinda gruesome…but, a true description of the emotions involved in this experience.

  • Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

    Home AgainBack from two weeks in Nashville. A good time spent in the company of my (Vee’s) family. My brothers and I are all direct communicators with a love of debate, competitive personalities and a huge amount of respect for each other. Add a skill for story-telling and just the perfect touch of insanity and those around us are in for some entertaining evenings. We stayed with my Mom and under the tutelage of my Step-father and Mother, Stewart learned the correct mixture of soil needed to grow tasty vegetables and how to fry up a mean mess of fried green tomatoes. We both attempted to eat a bit of meat, but our vegetarian stomachs were not happy with it and our vegetarian taste buds were shocked to realize that the flavor of today’s meat didn’t come close to the memory of meats eaten in bygone days. This experience led to the joint decision that we shall remain vegetarians during our stay in Nepal, unless abstaining from meat-eating causes our host family to be offended in some way. A leg of our flight home was delayed in Denver, resulting in a Sea-Tac arrival time later than the last bus between the airport and our apartment. So, Tues. night/Wed. morning, we had an interesting, very complicated trip through Seattle, by train, shuttle bus, and taxi cab…rubbing shoulders with the ‘night-walkers’ of the city. We got home around 2am. Interesting how…no matter where you’ve been or how long the trip….it is always wonderful to get home.

    We now move on to clearing our lives of material items. By the end of July, everything we still own will be very important to us and also be able to fit in a corner of Daughter Liz and her family’s garage.

    Peace Corps has implemented our Pre-Departure Plan. This week, we have received several e-mails from Washington DC and Nepal containing assignments with due dates. Nepali language skills must show some progress before September.

  • Living in Limbo….the busiest limbo evar

    Image

    Transitions, even good transitions are difficult. You’re floating in that limbo between what was and what will be for a while…..your conscious and subconscious tripping over each other at odd moments.

    The last few mornings, I’ve slowly eased into consciousness without an alarm, realizing that my unconscious self was hard at work…on some school project that’s finished, submitted and requires no further thought. “Let it go, already! My god, if you aren’t going to come up with some amazing intuitive brilliance to contribute toward the future, you could at least relax and think about lollipops and rainbows or some such shit.”

    Then the unknown future will hit me at strange times in peculiar ways, like when I’m reading the blog of one of my ‘University student Peace Corps’ compatriots, as she describes getting rid of everything she owns in anticipation of leaving the country next week…..and I realize I’m hyperventilating. “What the Hell? Get a grip! Pull yourself together!”

    Even the present is attacking me in this limbo land…..last night after giving the grandsons hugs and heading toward the car, my eyes started watering. “Oh fer Pete’s sake…..are ya gonna cry the rest of the summer? Man up! You got shit to get done!”

    We do have a lot to do……and very little time for whining and moping and daydreaming. The list is long and everything falls under four headings:

    1. To be done before our Nashville trip: Two weeks spent in Nashville with my Mom, during which Stew and I will also see my three brothers. All four of us live in different states, so it’s been…..I don’t know how long…..since we’ve all been in the same place at the same time.

    2. To be done before our lease is up: Our apartment lease is up July 31st. Everything we plan on keeping must be accounted for at that time (all else will be gone). We will be homeless between that date and September 5th when we fly to ‘Peace Corps Staging’.

    3. To be done before our coast to coast to coast trip: While we are homeless, we will be making the trek cross country to Boston and back. Our kittens will be living near Boston during the two years we are out of the country…..but, Peace Corps will be flying us out of Seattle in September. So, we will make a road trip to the East Coast and back to the West Coast in August……stopping along the way for photo ops of our favorite U.S. places…and favorite U.S. people (let us know if you’ve got time and would like us to stop by to see you, your location may be near our cross country path).

    4. To be done before staging: Peace Corps staging happens on September 5th, 2014. That is the day we meet(at an undisclosed location) with the rest of our group heading to Nepal…get a few extra immunizations…fill out forms….and all board a plane to Asia. All ‘I’s must be dotted and all‘t’s crossed. School stuff…..legal stuff….informational stuff….(all the stuff needed to be completed before we head into the wild blue yonder)

    Yeah…zero hour is fast approaching. Tons to get done! Focus!