At the beginning of this week, I was in a city here in southern Morocco for a regional meeting with other Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and Peace Corps staff. We were discussing upcoming work projects on which we might collaborate over the next several months. I was glad that we had that regional meeting, since during the summer, I have had less work. I left the meeting looking forward to more work on the horizon.
I actually arrived in the city the day before the meeting started. On the day I arrived in the city, I was happy to go to a Bible study session with the group of expatriate Christians I had met there in that same city during Easter weekend.
Since Easter, at times I tried to return there for Bible study with that same group, but they weren't meeting when I was able to go there. On other occasions when I would've gone there for Bible study with them, I've had work commitments, and travel, including to the U.S., which have prevented me from returning for Bible study. Also, the Peace Corps expects us PCVs to spend the majority of our time in our sites, in our towns where we live. Consequently, from time to time, I had also felt that I should refrain from returning out of a need to spend enough time here in my town.
Thus while it's important to find support through community, it's also important to strike a balance while doing so. As I mentioned in my post last month entitled "Tips for PCVs and PCTs," it's important to find an appropriate balance between spending time with host country nationals, spending time with other citizens of the U.S., who are usually PCVs, and spending time alone.
We feed different parts of ourselves depending on whose company we happen to be sharing. As PCVs, it's important for us to spend enough time with host country nationals in our towns, since we are here largely to engage in cultural exchange. And we can, and hopefully do, find a sense of community in our own villages and towns. Of course, we feel a different sense of community when we spend time with other citizens of the U.S., who are usually PCVs. And each of us has our own particular need for time alone, in which we can recharge and reflect. The key is finding a balance between spending time with host country nationals, other PCVs and time alone. Having found a healthy and appropriate balance, one is far more likely to be successful as a PCV.
I actually arrived in the city the day before the meeting started. On the day I arrived in the city, I was happy to go to a Bible study session with the group of expatriate Christians I had met there in that same city during Easter weekend.
Since Easter, at times I tried to return there for Bible study with that same group, but they weren't meeting when I was able to go there. On other occasions when I would've gone there for Bible study with them, I've had work commitments, and travel, including to the U.S., which have prevented me from returning for Bible study. Also, the Peace Corps expects us PCVs to spend the majority of our time in our sites, in our towns where we live. Consequently, from time to time, I had also felt that I should refrain from returning out of a need to spend enough time here in my town.
Thus while it's important to find support through community, it's also important to strike a balance while doing so. As I mentioned in my post last month entitled "Tips for PCVs and PCTs," it's important to find an appropriate balance between spending time with host country nationals, spending time with other citizens of the U.S., who are usually PCVs, and spending time alone.
We feed different parts of ourselves depending on whose company we happen to be sharing. As PCVs, it's important for us to spend enough time with host country nationals in our towns, since we are here largely to engage in cultural exchange. And we can, and hopefully do, find a sense of community in our own villages and towns. Of course, we feel a different sense of community when we spend time with other citizens of the U.S., who are usually PCVs. And each of us has our own particular need for time alone, in which we can recharge and reflect. The key is finding a balance between spending time with host country nationals, other PCVs and time alone. Having found a healthy and appropriate balance, one is far more likely to be successful as a PCV.
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