TRAINING RECAP

a small training recap:

First - lower all expectations, then lower them again - and keep in mind this isn't always a bad thing. Every assumption you make will likely be wrong or twisted around at least a little bit. But you already know this if you've read up on some of the Peace Corps information such as the web site and "Great Adventures" book of essays from returned PCV's.

For all it's faults the one thing they did really well was transition the trainees into the new environment...

Step one, they bring us all together in a really nice Los Angeles hotel. This gives us an opportunity to meet the rest of the training group. There were 23 in mine. We all gather and do some "getting to know you" exercises - the typical kind any corporation might do. It was actually fun and helpful since we were all nervous and anxious to meet each other - and had only just recently left our friends and family. Then they spend the next day and half giving us some generalized basics of being a PCV - rules and regulations, expectations and so forth. It was pretty drab and made us all more anxious to get going. It also served, as the moderator kept pointing out, as one more good opportunity to change your mind. They even told us that up to that point we had cost the PC approximately $25,000 in total expenses - before we even left the country!! This figure included every possible expense that could be contributed to our application process (background checks, medical shit, administrative stuff, and so forth) and travel expenses up to that point. We were all pretty shocked. Didn't seem very efficient to me - but then again this IS the federal government.

During this time we, the training group, had a chance to all go out to dinner together by splitting into two groups. Here I learned that there were two other vegetarians, neither of which had any of the problems that I experienced with the Placement Office. We were all on our best behavior and got a chance to learn a bit more about each other over beer - the social lubrication of choice.

The next day we had a half session with the staging people before gathering all our shit for the airport where we were to endure 3 hours in LAX, a 14 hour flight to New Zealand, 5 hours in the Auckland International Airport, and another 3.5 hour flight into Port Vila - all without the supervision of the Peace Corps. In New Zealand an issue with lost luggage gave us a chance to help and support each other - we were a group of common interest, common goal strangers.

The next stage of the transition was a week in a motel in the most urban area of the country. We still got to be around each other, we had access to an American style supermarket, several restaurants nearby, and just a small walk to the Peace Corps office for our classroom sessions. Still very safe, very sheltered. In the evenings we would mingle with each other in the hotel common area which had a small wading pool. We would gather in small groups to venture out into the new land in search of dinner or kava. This gave us the safety of the group while letting us get accustomed to the sites, sounds and smells of our new country.

The third stage was the big move to the training village which was a small satellite island just off the north coast of the capital island. Here we were each partnered with our own host family. Again, we were still in easy reach of each other, would spend our days together, but got to learn the language and culture with our host families. Plus, they prepared our food for us - which freed us from the burden of cooking, while also getting us used to island food. The training village was choosed for it's close proximity to the main office (45 minutes) but also because most of the locals spoke English. This stage was 9 weeks with stage four in the middle.

Walkabout - stage four - after 6 weeks of language and culture training they send each of us off on our future site, which was chosen just days or weeks before. In my case they pretty much knew they wanted to send me to the coffee factory from day one, but others would be shuffled around as some trainees dropped out during training or different villages weren't prepared yet for a PCV. This was a great opportunity for the trainee to meet some of the key locals, see their house and determine any needs they might have before arriving the following month. It was also hoped that we would be able to ascertain what our villages might need in the way of projects. We could then take these questions and concerns back to our trainers and get things worked out over the course of the next 4 weeks.

The remainder of training was considered technical - we worked in groups based on our fields of either health, business, forestry, or marine protection. This is where the training sort of broke down a bit. While there was more focus on our specific fields, there was also a more laid back attitude towards training on both the part of the trainer and the trainee. Most of us, after getting a taste of our sites, just wanted to get there and get things going. Many of us where getting tired of the day long sessions and would some of us started coming to class late or missing entire sections of the day - I'm guilty of this and I don't feel the least bit bad for it either since there was not a single session that ever started on time in during the entire training course (except the medical officers sessions since she's a ball-buster). Plus, during this technical training time they would bring in current volunteers to lecture us on their experiences and "how things really are". Most of these sessions were helpful, but often the individual would be under prepared and/or not very engaging. Additionally, our language training ended before walkabout. I thought this to be a huge mistake since now our bislama skills were sliding and they weren't that great to begin with.

They say that training is a part of the Peace Corps experience that no volunteer would ever wish to repeat, but no once would ever wish to miss it either. I, for one, had an absolutely great time and loved the training experience, the training village, the host-family, the custom house, the local community, and even the training sessions by the sea.

Finally, after a big swearing-in ceremony, they gave us one more week in Vila in one of two hotels. Again we were able to spend time with the friends we made during training without the oversight of any host family. We could, for at least one week, live like Americans again. We bought wine and cheese and cooked dinners together and watched DVD's and soaked up every last bit of each others company before heading off to our different islands. Once gone we wouldn't see each other as a group until May 2007 - the next All-Volunteer conference.

So in retrospect I thought our training was kind of weak in some areas, but as far as making a nice, comfortable and reasonable transition they did a great and smart job. And now that I've had a chance to meet some volunteers from other organizations from around the world, I would have to say Peace Corps is the most comprehensive I've come across. I've met a guy from Japan, a Youth Ambassador from Australia, and I work with a French guy from an E.U./French aide organization called POPACA - none of them got nearly the level of training as a PCV, none of them make as much of a commitment to the community in terms of time or grassroots level as a PCV. This is not in any way to disparage these people or the organizations they work for, indeed they usually have the same goals as Peace Corps, but it does provide me a perspective on the training and integration program afforded to us that the others do not get. The Australian girl, for example, lived with a host family for 2 nights. TWO. We got 9 weeks. The French guy gets a truck to drive around, and lives in a house with a satellite dish, electricity and running water. He also gets paid a salary. Nothing wrong with any of this, but it's a testament to Peace Corps philosophy of integrating into the community, and truly understanding the culture , which you really can't do effectively without the level of training and support that Peace Corps provides along with the standard of living in the community you serve at the level of the community. And this key difference has played itself out very clearly, and very importantly in the coffee project that I'm about to take over. But that's another story for another post.

Sooo... what happens immediately after training?

I guess you could say Stage 5, or are we at Stage 6? either way the rule of thumb, as preached by Peace Corps, is to take an additional 3 months to get settled in, get yourself integrated and comfortable in your community, get your living area settled, identify project areas, indentify key people, and generally just "spell" and get acclimated.

In my case, I don't have a house yet so I still feel like I'm living out of a suitcase and can't get settled in that regard. And since my main project, the coffee factory, is currently operating, I can't really ignore that for 3 months. In fact, I've been getting involved in that organization since the day I arrived.

And in my spare time... Kava.

Here is a photo of the bungalow I'm living in. It's very basic, but the grounds are beautiful and the ocean is just a few yards away. This is similar to the size and style of the house they are preparing to build for me, except I'll have a tin roof with a rain catchment system.