Monday, July 1, 2013

what up North America.

I have not written a blog for a REALLY long time.I have about 5 months left here which I know is going to fly by. Soooo here is how I have been feeling for a while now...I am terrified to return to the US...jobs, friends, culture shock etc etc. I have actually been having nightmares (a lot) about coming back. As of now I am this dirty, showering once a week Peace Corps Volunteer, living in a tiny village, eating with my hands, speaking Swahili, completely integrated into a very conservative Muslim society, wear clothes that show my shoulders and knees??? Nooooo wayyyyy, cant do it. I am so accustomed living in a non structured environment, showing up for a meeting at 2pm which starts at 5pm,preparing a life skills lesson for school only to show up and realize school is on a random month break, buying a bus ticket to leave at 8am that actually gets moving around 1030, buses breaking down all the time in the middle of the bush. I am accustomed to and actually kind of in love with the way of life here. Can I come back and work a 9-5 desk job?? Noooooooooo. Will my friends and family understand me and all my jokes about Tanzania, the ppl and the language?
So, yep that is how I am feeling right about now. I am by no means writing this for sympathy, I just want you to know whats up with me these days.

In other news I spent the month of June working for a company called PSI (Populations Services International). PSI is a global health organization that works  to improve the health of people in the developing world by focusing on challenges of life. They focus on family planning, HIV and AIDS, barriers to maternal health, and the greatest threats to children under five, including malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition, also water safety.I spent the month traveling with a family planning team consisting of me, a reproductive health promoter, quality assurance supervisor and a driver ( yep! got to ride around in a private car for a month with a/c!!!!!). My job was to keep a journal about time management, activities done and relationships within the company as well as with the providers and patients. They are really promoting IUCD insertions for women looking for long term method of family planning. An IUCD is a small plastic device inserted into the uterus and can destroy sperm before they can reach the egg to fertilize it. The biggest pro tho this method is that and IUCD uses no medicine or hormones so you experience little to no side effects. I also sat through counseling sessions with the reproductive health promoter and patients, helped interview people to become village health care workers to teach their communities about family planning and went door to door in villages to monitor their work. It was an amazing month and I learned so much and really fell in love with the company and the people I worked. I came up with a few really good ideas for improvement.

.Right now I am in Dar writing my final report for the company and everything here is extra chaotic because Obama is arriving today. They picked 25 volunteers to meet him unfortunately my name was not drawn out of the hat. Tomorrow I am on my way to the coast to spend the 4th of Julyon a sandbar in the middle of the Indian Ocean with some other volunteers then It's back to the village.....and it will be Ramadan by the time I arrive. Should be interesting to see how my coping mechanisms from year will come into effect this year. If anything it will only make me a stronger person.
Until next time,
Love,
Maria