Please wish me luck!
on Mid Life Angst (Zambia), 23/Aug/2009 15:12, 34 days ago
Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}This is my last week of work before taking an extended leave from corporate life.I have been acceptedas avolunteer of VSOInternational for deploymentin theKalomo districtofZambia Africa.I hope to be able toleaveby the first week of October.This is the first time formost of my friends and family members tohear about this.For their benefit, and peace of mind,I am sharing my answers to some Frequently-Asked-Questions.Where in the world is Zambia?Once known as Rhodesia, this landlocked country is positioned in the Southern part ofAfrica, and bordered by the countries of Congo (boomlay-boomlay-boom),Botswana, Angola, Namibia,Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.English is the official language of Zambia but the Tonga dialect is spoken in Kalomo.Did you have a choice in your country of placementEarly on in the process, I did mention that I was interested in a placement in Africa but did not indicate a preference for a particular country. I was considered for assignments in Kenya, Gambia and Namibia. The Zambia placement eventually turned out to be the best fit for me in terms of skills required, timing, etc.What in the world is VSO International?VSO International isa UK-based international NGO that aims to fight global poverty by sendingvolunteers to sharetheir skills and experience with people in developing countries. More information can be found at theirwebsite.What will you be doing as a volunteer?The Kalomo districtis arural community with agriculture asits main source of livelihood.My placement is in line withKalomo’sIntegrated Development Planwhich aimsto promote economic and social progress whileutilizingfull community participation.Iwill beassignedas a“Resource Organizer ”forKalomo’sGender Governance and Citizen Participation Program.My job is to help the Kalomodistrict councilin the following areas:Developing training and livelihood programs for the residents,especiallywomen and childrenliving with HIV and AIDS.Increasingwomen and youth participation and leadership at strategic decision making levels.Enhancing the establishment and strengthening of decentralised district structures.Isn’t this a bit sudden? Have you thought about this carefully?Actually, it’s not.And, yes I have.As some of you may know,I had been searching for a similar opportunity for quite some time.UntilI found out about VSO,Ihad difficulty finding theright organization.Igot in touchwith VSO sometime in 2008.It took several months before I could be matched witha placement and then several months before I could be confirmed.I had originally signed-up for two years.Dueto budget cuts,the program was shortened to six months. I was given the option of backing-out but I decided to proceed.What do you hope to accomplish?When I was much younger,Ithought that I had it in me to save the world from all its various ills. Ihave been humbled by enoughexperiences to know that this is not possible.But–foolish or stubborn-I have enough idealism left in me to believe in the nobility of trying, regardless of what the end-results might be.I believe that a sincere and full-hearted attempt to do good can, by itself, be a victory.I want to try.I may not be able tosave the worldbut, in trying,I hope tofind my own salvation.And,ohyes,I reallydowant world peaceJHuh,whatareyou trying to save yourself from?In my efforts to managemy life over the past few years, my focus and span of interest havebecome very narrow.Paradoxically, whilemy life has become very orderly and well-planned -I find myself feelingdisconnected and underutilized.This is my attempt toun-fix the order and numbing certainty of my hours and days.I hope thatfrom the mess that iscreated, I couldopen myself up to new learnings and adventures.What am I saving myself from? Complacency. Stagnation.My own pettiness and small-mindedness. What-ifs, should-have, could-haves.A life of waiting for things to happen. A life of making commentary but taking no action.When this is over,hopefully I can bring backmore than just the experiencebut a fresh take on things and arenewed appreciation of who Iam and what I can accomplish .Remind us again, why exactly are you doing this?At the time that I waspraying for discernment on whether to proceed with my VSO application-my friend, Renee, unknowingly shared a prayer with me.I took this as a confirmationof my plans.Prayer of St. Francis DrakeDisturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore.Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possessWe have lost our thirstFor the waters of life;Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,To venture on wider seasWhere storms will show your mastery;Where losing sight of land,We shall find the stars.We ask You to push backThe horizons of our hopes;And to push into the futureIn strength, courage, hope, and loveSome old entries fromblogmay also help explain the thought process that has gone into this decision.While some of you may haveread these earlier posts, it may be interesting to revisit them knowing the full context behind these entries.I wrotethisentrywhen I was first considering applying to VSOI have also writtenabout other volunteers whose examples have inspired me.WyattSamWhatever. So, why do you have to volunteer so far away? Why not find volunteer work in the Philippines?Part of my motivation is to test for myself how far my good intentions can take meFor this experience, I want to go as far away from my comfort zone as possible and see how much I can accomplish without having to rely on all the easy short-cuts and ways-out that are available to me in the Philippines.But the Philippines will always be home. I can bring back this experiencewith me and hopefully findlocal volunteering or NGO opportunities that I can look into when I come back.What about your job? How will you support yourself during the placement and after coming back?I will be on sabbatical from my job at Gurango Software.My last day of work is August 28, 2009.I amexpected to resume my poston May 3, 2010.VSO will pay for air-travel.While in Zambia,basic housing facilities will be provided by the Kalomo district counciland I will be receiving a subsistenceallowance to cover food expenses.What about your health?Will you have access to medical facilities?I am going througha very thorough medical clearance procedure before departure.Thus far, I have had about 6 different vaccinations for everything from flu, rabies, hepatitis and pneumonia. I have my vaccinations for yellow fever, dysentery and malaria coming up.While in Zambia, there is aprivate medical clinic within 25 minutes drive from the placement andagovernment district level hospital is also available within 10 minutes drive fromthe placement.Is Zambia safe? What happens in case of emergencies?Zambia is said to beone of the most peaceful countries in Africa. If , for any reason, a decision is made to evacuate its volunteers, VSO, as a UK-headquartered international organization,calls onthe best available emergency services to get themto safer locations as soon as possible.How can we keep in touch with you while you are in Zambia?Mobile phone coverage throughout Zambia issupposed to be quite good .I willbring my local Globe SIM card. Ifyou are texting from a Philippine-based provider,you will be charged regular ratesand I will not be charged for receiving.I will surely be getting a local SIM card from which I will be sending messages.I will let you know the number.Atpresent, the office where I will be working doesnot have internet access. However, there are supposed to beseveralinternet cafe in central Kalomo .I will check that out. Please note that Zambia is 6 hours behind the Philippines.Iwill try to postgeneral updates on myfacebook pageor this blog.Private emails can be addressed totarcs@yahoo.com. I apologize in advance for any delays in response time.Where can we find other related info on VSO and Zambia:Pictures of Zambia-Experiences of other VolunteersTwo minute trailer for a documentary on VSO volunteers released last yearThe work done by VSO ZambiaK, bye.