Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Entering the (Nica) Real World

I have been in my permanent site for about two weeks, and overall it has been a refreshingly positive experience. My house is located across from the health center which makes the commute to work extremely convenient. When I reflect upon my journey from my apartment in India to my office, my situation here could not be a starker contrast. While I believe that India was an experience that rearranged the puzzle pieces of my mind into a new perspective, I believe this experience will allow me to revel in the joys of tranquility. My town is beautiful. Perhaps it is not the most aesthetically pleasing site according to Frommer’s or Lonely Planet, but when I walk the cobblestone streets and see the luscious hills in the distance, I have never felt so light. Lightness is a sentiment that had escaped me while in India.  With an enhanced spirit, I feel as if I can be quite productive in my service. My mind is clear and I have the momentum of desire to be proactive.

I have been surprisingly busy, and I am mostly enjoying the work style which I have molded for myself. I have been involved with a Dengue survey that my health center is implementing throughout my town. For the past few days I have gone around with an epidemiologist and nurse to evaluate whether certain houses are at risk for breeding Dengue ridden larvae. This involves collecting suspicious looking creatures and putting chemicals in standing water. I have also been visiting some of the outer rural communities to give talks in the schools on health topics ranging from hand washing to self-esteem. More importantly, I have been familiarizing myself with the different parts of my town and interacting with community members.  During training the Peace Corps emphasizes that the first three months in site should be dedicated to getting to know one’s environment and forming relationships. These initial steps will act as the foundation for the projects one hopes to implement throughout their service. However, for someone who is constantly bursting with creative energy, at times I find it hard to tone down my desires to jump ahead and start constructing my plans prematurely. Patience may be the most rigorous test of this experience, as time moves at a slower pace in both Nicaragua and in the world of development.

I find myself wavering in my views on success. Is it tangible? I feel highly accomplished after giving a 1.5 hour charla in front of a group of rowdy jovenes, however, I could care less about the quantity in which I give over the course of two years. What do numbers signify anyways? How can we measure if what I taught actually had any influence? I have quickly come to realize that there is so much to this experience that is completely immeasurable, and that is because every waking hour that I am in the presence of my community, whether it’s in front a large crowd in the health center or sitting with my family in front of the TV, judgments and opinions are being formed and knowledge is being transferred, inevitably both ways. The majority of my day cannot be represented in a graph or captured on a resume. However, the wisdom I gain through small moments over coffee on my front porch with a neighbor or a brief chat with my local vegetable vendor may be the most significant measures of success throughout my time in Nicaragua.