We're celebrating Thanksgiving today by...not finishing our journal entry. Sorry, now it's
11/30 or 12/1/02 (duh!)
And I just got back from our sleepover post-Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner went very well, and my stuffing actually worked. Of course, now I only know how to make stuffing Mozambican style, but I think I can adapt my knowledge :)
We made a ton of food, and I feel kinda bad making so much and having so much left over, regardless of whether it eventually got eaten. It just felt like we were flaunting our riches, and not really making very much of an effort to adapt - but at the same time, it was a nice way to celebrate a major holiday as we ate together with the entire staff including the kitchen staff.
I've started being able to deal with missing people - not necessarily miss them any less, but just find a place to put it. What I have more trouble with, however, is missing peoples' crises. I'm someone who likes to be available in times of need, and that's just not possible here. It defines many of my relationships, too, so I think that will change how my friendships evolve over the next couple years.
This next Friday, we find out our sites. The Saturday after (2 weeks from now), we get sworn in - hopefully all of us will make it! It would be great to have 36 of us all become volunteers at the same time - I really can't wait!
As much as I enjoy being in B---, it gets a little stifling. I'm not sure if that's just because of my host family, or it's the town in general, but most of us can't wait to leave.
There are two spots for English teachers here in B---. The word from the English teachers is that nobody really wants to go, but a couple people might be OK dealing with it. Hopefully, nobody will leave over site placement - it's pretty sensitive, and I know PC puts a pretty big effort into it. Our opinion doesn't count that much, but that's just because we don't know what we're really getting ourselves into. I wouldn't feel as good about it if I had total say over where I was going.
Plus, I came here to help people, no matter where that takes me.
I got a tape of the radio broadcast of my website. It came in a package with an artificial Xmas tree from my dad. Wow! It's already up in the house here, decorated. What a surprise!
Anyway, I heard the radio broadcast and the commentary was quite interesting. They referred to me as being very naive, and it's interesting to watch my naivete being lost over here.
I didn't quite know how to take that - for an American, I don't know that I'm naive to the rest of the world. I think I had a pretty good understanding, relatively speaking, of how the world works.
I suppose my idealism sometimes translates as being innocence - but I hold on to my idealism in the face of people who tell me I can't do certain things.
Of course, when I in fact discover that a certain thing cannot be done after all, I have a tendency to then tell other people they can't do it. So I'm not all idealist :) I'd like to fix that part of me.
Anyway, I think that I'm probably naive to the ways of the world from an Australian point of view, because Americans are so much more insular. So that's how I'm looking at it!
Peace
John
