Saturday, December 24, 2011

Where do we go from here?

Everyone has been asking when I leave for Honduras...which of course requires a pretty long answer. The past week has been filled with some highs and lows, but with regards to leaving for Honduras it's been low low low. On Friday of last week I received a phone call from Peace Corps informing me that due to violence and instability in the region, Peace Corps would not be sending any more volunteers to Honduras for 2012. After a quick google search I discovered that the prospective volunteers leaving for Guatemala and El Salvador were also affected by the decision. According to the New York Times, that's almost 105 volunteers that now need to be placed elsewhere. Sometimes I wish I had an e-mail of some of these other volunteers so that we could share our thoughts/frustrations, hopes for the future. That sound cheesy, but it would be nice to talk to some other people in the same boat. This week the New York Times reported that not only was Peace Corps not sending any more people to Honduras, it was evacuating the country altogether. Come January, all 168 volunteers that are currently serving there will have to come home.

This of course speaks volumes about the rampant violence that is plaguing Central America and Mexico. I'm not an expert on the issue, and I'm sure there's no easy answer to ending it, but it is a very sad situation. Especially for a region that can never seem to escape violence.

So I'm closing the book on Honduras. Since I received my placement letter in August I've been learning a lot about the country; its history, culture, and politics. But now I'm getting excited all over again, that nervous excitement that I had all summer, waiting for my country placement. On Tuesday the placement office for Peace Corps called. Her initial question was about my priorities; Am I most tied to: my regional placement? my {work} assignment? or my departure time period?

I assumed that saying 'all of the above' wouldn't be a proper answer. So I mentioned that I was hoping for a Latin American country where I could use my Spanish. She was very blunt [not in the rude way, but in a way one can appreciate] and told me that not only was Latin America the most requested region, but given all of the recent events, I should probably not plan on going there. Which is fine, I'm very flexible, just eager to leave! So number two priority: departure date. It looks like, however, all of the programs through March are filled. Meaning the soonest I will be leaving now would be April. The rest of the conversation was pretty standard 'we don't know too much yet, we'll be in contact' stuff the Peace Corps is good at. It looks like I won't really know anything until mid-January.

Only one program leaves in April (at the end of April I should point out): Uganda. So...assuming I'm not going there I'm probably going to be around for quite a while. Which leads to another problem. WHAT ON EARTH am I going to do with myself? Come February I'm effectively unemployed. And Peace Corps has my passport [what's the status on that?! I'd like to know]. So...I'm thinking I need to find something to occupy my time. I've created a list:

1. I'm aching to go on a roadtrip. A fun, long, friend filled road trip. Of course the likelihood of this happening is very small. But I'm holding out hope.

2. I have a friend who lives in New York and I've thought about going to visit him [again]. Of course he's busy and has an actual life, plus New York's expensive. So...not sure if that's going to happen.

3. Find a Job. Just until I leave. Of course...not sure if that's going to happen.

Okay I'm three into my list and realizing how ridiculously pessimistic I'm being. In all honesty I'm holding out a lot of hope too. I'm hoping that I find out my country [sooner rather than later] and find enough awesome things to do this spring to hold my attention.

Only time will tell. I'll keep you updated.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Roadblocks

I found out on Friday I won't be going to Honduras in February.

A volunteer was injured {in some kind of violent incident}, and due to growing instability in the country the Peace Corps has decided to cancel the program for next year. Which is the second setback I've had during this whole process. I have very mixed feelings about all of this, number one being frustration. After the delay last year, finally receiving my invitation made it all seem like such a sure plan. Now things seem to be a little up in the air. Of course, I don't want to be in a situation that's deemed unsafe. It just goes to show how lucky we are in the United States (I'm not saying there isn't violent crime here, but it doesn't seem to dominate daily life like it does in many countries around the world).

At this point I don't know too much, the placement officer told me I should be getting a phone call on Monday or Tuesday to explore what my options are from here on out.