lesson learned/thoughts

Ok I have no real good excuse so I won't even try.  You know, I've learned several things since joining the PC.  One of them is, yes of course, that I can live in a foreign country for 27 months and not only survive but gain a couple pounds and become Intermediate High in that language (that would be higher but I've not been holding up my end of the bargain).  We volunteers all came here with our own agendas but the idea was to help in any way we could.  The Corps encouraged us to think about big projects-would they be right for our communities?  Sometimes that answer is an emphatic "yes" and sometimes it's a "no."  For example, will it (say a weight room-not meaning to pick on weight rooms I just couldn't think of anything else this second) still be taken care of years down the road or even after the volunteer leaves?  Again sometimes the answer is yes.  Varshets has a weight room developed by a volunteer (before our group); used regularly, even by our group when we were there, and is in good shape.  But the corps also stressed the importance of focusing on what the community needs/wants and "it's not about us!"  Sometimes those 2 ideas overlap; I know several volunteers who have done awesome things for their communities in terms of "big", funded  projects and again I say that's great.  But sometimes it's not about that or the capacity for sustaining something after the volunteer leaves isn't possible.  (In both of these senerios) The focus on THE PROCESS in which something is done, going through the "action plan" with others in the community, becomes the main focus.  I'm saying this wrong; sustainability is always in the forefront, just sometimes the process becomes more important than the end result.  That's something that I've learned to be more conscious of: do I want this because I want it OR do I want it because it is what my community wants?  Believe me sometimes things can spiral and ideas can get out of control so fast and things "just happen" it's hard to slow down and analyze the "why's."  I think this is important in all aspects of life, not just for Peace Corps volunteers.  It's important to know WHY we are doing something instead of just doing it.  Thinking of my family as many of them are up in Northern IN today, a kind off send off for my cousin who is leaving for Argentina next month for 10 months to do dental-service work.  Grandma and Grandpa would be proud S (of course so am I but it's the grandparents I'm focusing on here)!  Love and hugs from me!