<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d14182483\x26blogName\x3dBurkina+What?\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLUE\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://wendpanga.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://wendpanga.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d5447582647833946772', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Senior Year

Every year, Burkina Faso gets two new groups of Peace Corps trainees. Each of these groups serves two years. So at any given time there are usually four groups of volunteers in-country, each of which arrived on a different date. Every once in a while, you'll hear a volunteer make an analogy to the set-up in high school where you have freshmen just arriving up through seniors who are on their way out.

At Burkina Faso High, I just became a big, bad senior.

The group of volunteers who arrived immediately before me have begun to trickle out of country. Some are heading back to the US for grad school, others to France to continue working abroad. Some seem to have their post-Burkina lives all planned out, others aren't thinking much past the next few weeks when they will be able to reconnect with family and friends they haven't seen since leaving the States. As for me, I'm starting to struggle with the tricks that time has been playing on me. In Burkina Faso, life moves at a pace that suggests you have all the time in the world. Rarely is anyone in a hurry. Rarely do things need to happen by a specific date and time. Case in point: Classes begin next month. But what is the date of the first day of school? If any of you actually know the answer, please let me know immediately so I can inform the students, the other teachers, and the school administration. When do classes start? They'll start when they start.

And little by little, this culture where meetings are scheduled for a particular day, but not time, and where important events are scheduled for a particular season, but not day, little by little this culture has chipped away at my obsessive need to know exactly what I'll be doing when, to know exactly where I'm expected to be and how long it will take me to get there. I'm more patient. Time is less important. "In America, you have watches. In Africa, we have time." We have all the time in the world.

But I don't have all the time in the world. Time has flown by and that which I have left is a very definite amount that will be gone in just a handful of months. I don't want to be sitting around my house in America in 9 months thinking to myself, "Man, I wish I had done this or that while I was in Africa. I wish I had visited this person or I wish I had hung out more with that person." In sports, people talk about "leaving it all on the court." If you gave it your absolute all, it's not possible to regret the level of your effort, regardless of the outcome of the game. I don't want to leave here thinking that I held something back.

Anything that I may have accomplished already in my service was possible because of all the help and support I received from you guys back home. I am so lucky in that I could go on for pages and pages talking about everyone who has found ways to let me know of their prayers and support. But as I wrap up this post, I wanted to thank a few people in particular who have been and continue to be a huge part of the reason I am still here feeling good about my work and about life. Thank you to Fr. Mike, for your constant support as a priest and as a friend. To Mr. and Mrs. Kotredes for feeding me and keeping my bookshelves stocked. To Dick Carroll and Aunt Judy, for your incredible generosity which will make such a positive difference in my village. To Awa, for sharing your experiences and perspective with me (and for the offer to cook for me when I return!). To Eitan, Jen, Erica, and Rob, for finding ways to get to me (or bring me to you) during these two years. To all of Tessa's friends who brought French books to her birthday party (and to Tessa for such a great idea!). And of course, to my folks and my brothers and sisters, for everything.

Sorry this post got a bit sappy. To balance that out: My birthday is next week, and I would like a big flat-screen TV, a very expensive stereo system, and a brand new car. If that doesn't work for you, I guess I will also accept a card in the mail and your continued prayers. In fact, I appreciate those things just as much as I would a new car. Although, if you were to pray for me AND give me a car, well then...

God bless,

josh

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have a happy birthday-month.

Thanks for sharing your experiences- enjoy them while you can!

A friend of the soul stealer.

11:34 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home