"You just have to laugh...


... because you'll cry if you don't."
- fellow PCJ volunteers

One of the aspects I love about how my (higher) education coincides with my Peace Corps life lies in the aspect of incarnational living. The hours I spent reading stories and conducting case studies regarding cultural integration and needs assessment not only paid off during my semester abroad in Papua New Guinea, but continue to be a helpful tool I use in Peace Corps Africa/Jamaica. Though the motives of missions and the motives of capacity building are vastly different, the everyday living-among-the-locals life application is the same.

Ask any missionary or international aid worker (or even international tourist) for the best tool to carry into service. 

Go ahead. Come back and compare your answers. They probably replied with: flexibility.

Each time I thought I finally conquered being flexible, I am tested again.

Here's the most recent test:

My community, including the school, collects rain water for everyday use. Though we've been experiencing lots of rain recently, the school's storage tank needed to be filled. My faithful principal has been begging this water truck or that water truck to come fill it.

One finally came today. During classes, of course. And parked itself right outside of my classroom. I soon realized that there was no way I could out-talk the pump, or that my students would be able to focus.


 

So what did we do instead, you ask?

Had a photo shoot (complete with arm wrestling breaks).

Naturally.
 



 






Comments

Tamsen said…
Naturally! A photo shoot and arm-wrestling are the only options in a situation such as this. :)
bandofbrothers said…
I think what you are doing is awesome!

my inlaws were missionaries in Africa and definitely talked about the need for flexibility!