Things are changing

March 9th 2010.

It’s funny how quickly things change. During the first few weeks when I would write in my blog, I think I did it as an escape. I was writing to friends and people who were of the same mindset. Now things are different. I feel normal , at home, comfortable. I feel as if I don’t even have to write here anymore, because this is normal life. Why would I write about my usual, mundane schedule? It has only been 5 weeks and I rarely ask myself why I am here anymore. Hopefully the feelings of being at ease continue after March 26th when we move into our permanent sites. If I have learned anything thus far… it’s that it is all about adapting. We can adapt to anything. I cringed when I first saw the house I am living in now. This past weekend we went away and I said out loud “I’m ready to go home”, and then I thought about what I had just said… home... And I was referring to my home stay family.
Al though our assignment is “Rural Health” we will be doing much more than that. Today in training we were learning about working with and starting local governments. Many of the towns we are moving to will have a local government already set up and some may have nothing. Some also may technically have a government established but it really does not do anything or even exist. That said our job will be to help organize and create substance within these administrations. We will not only be helping launch new governments but also teaching the locals how to correctly and honestly run the operation. More specifically we need to make sure they are following their bylaws and having fair elections and that they have and maintain a relationship with the provincial mayors. It’s interesting how life works. This time last year my biggest concerns were what I was doing for spring break and getting my journalism assignments completed. This year I’m helping institute local governments in Central America and encouraging sustainable change within them so they can better the communities in which they exist. What Will I be doing next year?