Another Year Older

Another year older, does this mean I am wiser? I do not know how to measure wisdom, I do know I have developed a stronger sense of myself, who I am, what I believe, and what I want to represent as a person.
When first removed from New York and placed in Rwanda I though I would have trouble adjusting to the slower lifestyle, in the beginning this was difficult, however I have adjusted some, learning that life is more about relationships and less about speeding through a checklist. It was after reading Three Cups of Tea that I truly began to realize the importance of the interactions and the relationships I cultivate.

“…People in western civilization no longer have time for each other, they have no time together, they do not share the experience of time. This explains why Westerners are incapable of understanding the psychology of sitting. In villages all over the world sitting is an important social activity. Sitting is not a ‘waste of time’ not is it a manifestation of laziness. Sitting is having time together, time to cultivate social relations.”
-Andreas Fuglesang

Everything here is slower, starting a project, getting an answer, determining and solving a problem, but it is with the time that I learn who people are and they learn who I am.

I have recently started a new project through watercharity.org. Five of so weeks ago I met with a school in an outskirt village to make sure they understood the role CHF Higa Ubeho plays in conjunction with ADEPR and school fees. After sitting with the head master, teachers, and PTA I learned about some of the programs they have implemented and what they are doing to provide a better future for all the youth that attend the school- It was the first time a school told me they teach health education, the school teaches about menstrual cycles and what girls are to do so they do not miss school. After I met the 1,300 children that attend the primary school with no books, no running water, and no electricity, I decided I wanted to get further involved with this particular school. Something about the energy of the school and positive progressive thinking of the teachers hooked me immediately. The headmaster and one of the teachers were counselors at the Holiday Camp, together we began to discuss and brainstorm the problems they have and what they see as feasible solutions. On my part I submitted their unsafe and unhygienic water collection system to watercharity.org where it was then approved for $500 USD towards a new collection system (http://appropriateprojects.com/node/307). Yesterday, Pacifique and Innocent, the headmaster and teacher, walked 3 plus hours to the market in the district capital, where I live, to price materials before we sat to make a strict budget and a construction timeline, after out meeting they walked the 3 plus hours back home because mottos are too expensive on a teachers salary. Saturday they will return on foot to purchase the materials they can only acquire here Byumba and then construction will begin at the school on Monday. Although I took the initiative for this project I believe it was acceptable since I have the access to watercharity funds because I am a Peace Corps Volunteer. I have made sure that the school has taken ownership of the project to ensure they will respect the funds and the final outcome, it was the school that identified the problem and brainstormed additional possible solutions if I could not obtain the money for them. With access to water the children and teachers will be able to wash their hands to prevent disease and have water to drink to prevent dehydration. Children will receive a more complete education because they will be able to attend school more often, which leads to a better future. The fortitude and determination I see in Pacifique and Innocent to better the lives of the youth is something that will stay with me forever.

It is through the sitting, waiting, and lingering, that I have begun to build trust with people in my community. Dawdling my acquaintances, friends, and people I have made part of my daily routine are beginning to realize that I am a Peace Corps Volunteer, not a spy, they are accepting that I do not come with bags of money to solve their problems, I come with time to listen and it is through our collaboration of ideas to identify solutions to problems that they will get solved.

Wiser because another birthday has passed? I think the date is only a marker of time when it comes to wisdom. Patience, patience and self-realization, that is something I can more clearly measure and confidently say has developed this year. The art of sitting and friendships, getting to know one another, something deeply valued here, a skill I hope is transferable to America, something I want to wholeheartedly bring back with me.