Got this in an email from an RPCV from Swaziland Kathy Gau - thought it was worth mentioning.
25 Tips for Peace Corps Volunteers
1) If you want to change the world, change yourself. You cannot effectively
contribute toward growth unless you are growing yourself. If you want to grow, drop
your ego. Learn to identify when your ego is in play and develop strategies to quell
it. Empowerment is the capacity to bear power responsibly. You cannot empower
another person. But you can empower yourself.
2) Use this experience to learn about yourself. This is the most important lesson. Try
to remember it.
3) Development is disruptive.
a) It implies changes in power relationships that result in uncertainty and lose. Few
people willingly give up power unless they can see there will be gain.
b) Most poor people cannot afford to change radically. It takes a huge amount of
energy (physical and emotional) for average rural folk to maintain daily life, let
alone try to break out of the poverty cycle.
4) Do not expect a smooth ride. Do not expect people to fall over their feet to listen to
you. Do not expect people to go out of their way to listen to you. Do not expect.
People had a life before you came. They will continue to have a life after you leave.
You are probably not a messiah. If you are, forgive me. If not, your two years is a
furrow in their field in a single agricultural year. Most of their years your furrow is
not there.
5) Appreciate the fact that you are one of many who will advocate change and then
leave. Why should people trust you before you have demonstrated results?
6) You will not see tangible, measurable results in 2 years anywhere close to what
you hope or expect. The saying that "what takes a day in USA takes a week in
Africa, what takes a week in USA takes a month in Africa, what takes a month in
USA takes 1 year in Africa" is close to true for reasons that you have no control over.
So after your first month on the job, when you are still in USA mode, write down
what you would like to achieve in 2 months time. This now becomes your 2 year
work goal. NOTE: You can achieve more than this if you move into "take charge
mode" but not through a capacity building approach. Also, in 2 years, you will
probably not move out of USA mode.
7) Don't want it more then they want it (or, don't show how bad you want it to work).
Find other ways to deal with your personal and professional frustrations regarding the
work ethic, the what could/should/can be in the face of serious problems. You are
but one step in a very long journey to address these problems. Concentrate on doing
your step well and having fun.
Written by Lyle Jaffe and Kathy Gau 2
8) There is no "us and them". Human beings are the same everywhere. Could you do
it if it were you in their shoes? Don’t think for a moment that because you live in a
hut and don’t make much money that you are in their shoes. In your life in the USA,
how much of your achievements to date really reflect on you? Or did you just make
good use of the opportunities provided you? For certain you did not need to build the
systems, government and schools associated with creating these opportunities.
Perhaps your great grandparents did, but not you.
9) It doesn’t matter how right you think you are, if you haven’t developed a working
relationship with someone, if you don’t approach your suggestion with the most
sincere humility, you will not convey your message effectively. Think: do you want
to be right or effective?
10) Learn how to yield effectively to win. Their life is not about your principles.
Neither is mine or anybody else’s. Try to understand why people do what they do
and then don’t judge. Work the problem with them, and your emotions with you.
11) What you experience is a sliver of time and space. Be careful not to generalize
beyond this.
12) Pay attention to the way you feel when you spend time judging. If it feels bad, if
you feel worse, then don’t do it. It isn’t pretty to watch people sit around doing the
“these people syndrome”. If you find yourself doing it, it’s a sure sign that you have
something to work out within yourself. Find it and work it out.
13) Do not think for a minute that your attitude towards people is unfelt. Everyone feels
when they are being put down. Make people feel that they have grown in your
presence.
14) Do not be the money volunteer. Personal interactions should be linked to building
genuine relationships, encouraging positive self-esteem and confidence.
15) Build open, sincere dialogue. Be sincere.
16) The basic logic associated with problem solving and analysis is weak. You may
need to catch people up on foundation skills, including sorting, sequencing, matching,
opposites, etc. In your personal time, this can be done in a fun way through puzzles,
chess, card games, etc. Just don't show people that this is a learning exercise or it
will come across as patronizing. The added benefit is that they may start to play these
same games with their children. You have no idea how much difference this can
make.
17) Over a 2 year period, your task is really teaching. Teaching is all about 1) finding
people's starting point and thereafter, 2) experimenting with teaching methods that
will walk people through the steps of awareness and skills development through
applied knowledge. It might take 3 steps or it might take 21 steps. There is nothing
Written by Lyle Jaffe and Kathy Gau 3
right or wrong about the number of steps so do not judge as this is the same as saying
"I have no hope that you can learn".
18) Introduce people to the process of problem solving and constantly
refer back to the process. Define the problem and its root causes (problemobjective
trees), turn the problem into SMART objectives, develop activities to reach
the objectives, break the activities into tasks, monitor, and adjust. Action –
Reflection – Action.
19) Understand that your frustration is about you. It is about a diminishing sense of
self-importance. Where else do your expectations regarding tangible achievements
within your own timeframe come from? As a teacher you may not be using
appropriate teaching methods. No one gets it right the first time or the second time.
Good teachers are forever experimenting with new methods and trying to match
proven methods with new students and situations. Everyone is more than capable of
being a good teacher, provided they are prepared to adjust to the student. You need to
constantly go back to the drawing board and revisit your starting point and your
methods until learning takes place (at times learning needs additional intervention
i.e.) to address emotional issues etc... but you will only know this if you first go
through the process of elimination phase).
20) Do not give up and do not give in. Unfortunately, the process of development can
not be shortened. Respect that those you work with drew the short straw, appreciate
that you did not. After you die, you can ask God about all this. For now, your
anguish, guilt and questions about this will just distract from the task at hand and are
really rather self indulging, if you think about it.
21) Keep a lot of irons in the fire i.e.) the secret of patience is to do something else in
the meantime.
22) Be a positive role model in your personal life, someone that young folk can aspire
to become like. Healthy living and all that, including "walking your talk" regarding
your sexual relationships.
23) Peace Corps is first and foremost a cultural exchange program. You will learn
more than you will give. Be prepared to change your understandings. You can only
balance the formula if you change both sides of the equation. This may not seem like
much but refer back to step 1. It may impact a co-worker a lot.
24) It takes five years to be a player at management level.
25) If you follow any of the above, you will be out of step with most of the
development world and timeframes. But at least you will grow and have fun.
It goes without saying that I did not do a single one of these things satisfactorily
during my original two-year time period - but I wish I had.
