Monday, June 21, 2010

Pre-Assignment thoughts

Having now spent a semester at MIIS and still no word about my assignment my attitude has relaxed considerably.  Having meet and talked extensively with RSVP's, many of which served in Africa, I am much more calm and actually a little intrigued about the idea of serving in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Maybe it is my notions of what the continent is like, but most of the economic indicated point to Africa as needing the most work development wise.  My notions are also that, if I prove to myself that business development projects can be doing among the poorest of the worlds poor, they can done anywhere in the world.  So service in Africa all of sudden is taking on an element of challenge that would be liberating to me. It would also help be develop a more global repertoire.  Although I had originally planned to claim my expertise as specializing in Latin America (which is still where my current strength lies), this would expand my horizons as someone more international.  There is strength either way.  I am unfortunately still on the ropes about what is the best strategy and am unable to choice.  I have resolved myself for moment to take whatever assignment that the Peace Corps gives me with full enthusiasm.  It doesn't matter anymore where I go.  I can handle anything.  And whoever it is that it is in the most need to help, I will do whatever I can for them.

So from now on, everything will be present tense and updates on where I am and what the experience is like.  No more background information.  ETD is in T minus 3 months and counting.

Patching up the gaps.

Given the time that I don't have, I need to do something expadite this blog.  So I am going to skip through all that I wanted to write about for my travels in Mexico; 12 months and 6 days in Spain, Western Europe and Morocco; an internship in Baja California; an internship with the SBA-OIT, and finally through all the toil of my application process (which I am considering up loading to the pages section of this blog) which ultimately brings me to today.  What is today? June 21, 2010 and am virtually no closer to knowing where I am going or what I am doing in the Peace Corps than I was back in 2005 when the idea became a tangible goal.  The message below was received today.

"Hello,

Thank you for the updated information, and congratulations on the award! I have passed your file onto the Placement team for further assessment. Since your availability is not until mid-September, it may still be a month or so before you hear from Placement. You are welcome to contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns, or if you do not hear any news after one month.

Best,"

What are you thinking John?  I am thinking that at this point all options are still on the table.  When I received my nomination for Sub-Saharan Africa back in November, I was admittedly very disappointed.  Every effort that I had made for all of 5 years prior to that point in time was to ramp up my resume with more then enough experience in Spanish related items so that the Peace Corps would be stupid to consider sending me anywhere other then Latin America.  It would have been such a gross mis-allocation of assets, not to mention a waste of my time, that it would be inconceivable.  This was, as a good friend says, "another fuckin' growth opportunity".  The moral of this story was clear, the Peace Corps doesn't do "best fits" for anyone.  They operate on a "need" basis.  If you are qualified for a position, irrespective of what else you are qualified for, you could be the man for the job.    This was rather disheartening and my trust and opinion of the Peace Corps was badly shaken.  If I wasn't being sent to Spanish speaking country, we were now talking about the difference between hitting the ground running and spending the first six months to a year learning a new language with all social norms that go with it.  Everything would move slower.