A week before the BIG ADVENTURE BEGINS!!

So here is the blog I promised I would start so that anyone who was interestd in my journeys abroad could follow :-)

I leave for Arlington in 5 days and Zambia in 7 days!! Crazy how time is just flying...and there is still so much I have to do and pack! But I'm very excited!


The Peace Corps asks us to respond to some questions they post in our aspiration statement. I have attached mine so that you may get an idea of what I hope to accomplish during my two years.


MY ASPIRATION STATEMENT:

A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and whatever aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service:
The professional attributes I will bring to my role as a Community Health Development Peace Corps Volunteer are my strong work ethic, professional standard of dress and deportment, strong research skills regarding health content and community organizing processes (best practices), and my willingness to give and receive constructive feedback to improve personal and project performance. Above all this, I hope to build on my personal qualities of patience, flexibility and a sense of humor.

B. Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs:
To be productive and effective as a health volunteer, I will approach my job with a solid understanding of what is expected of me and commit to excellence in carrying out my responsibilities. To do this, I know I will need to form strong connections with staff at the rural health clinics and other community based programs, government officials, village leaders and, of course, adults and children in the community. I am a very easy going, social and collaborative person by nature, as well as being widely traveled (I lived overseas for many years), so I am comfortable in reaching out and mingling with people at all levels. I will naturally lend an active ear to the problems of parents and children in the community who are, after all, the intended beneficiaries of the good work we are supposed to be doing. I think the biggest challenge I will face is how to effectively manage differences amongst various players in how problems are perceived and addressed, especially when efforts and solutions seem inadequate. I will strive continually to improve my skills in communication and diplomacy; and seek guidance from committed local partners, other PC staff, volunteers, and counterparts whose work I respect.

C. Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background:
Being an American citizen of Indian heritage, adopted by Caucasian parents, and having spent the majority of my childhood growing up in various parts of the globe, I will continue to approach life overseas with an open mind, heart and, of course, a good sense of humor. I know that life in Zambia will be very different from the life I live now in America, and have lived in India, Egypt, Ghana and South Africa; but I think my unique background and experiences will make the transition easier for me than perhaps others. I am fully aware, however, that I will need to hone skills in adaptation and resilience. In order to be accepted in Zambian society, I will present myself as someone who is eager and willing to immerse myself in the culture by acquiring language skills and experiential knowledge about traditions and ways of life. In turn, I will project an openness and pleasure in sharing things about my own life and culture. I know that at times I will feel frustrated with differences in, for example, concepts of privacy, time, gender roles, pace of work and so on, but I have a fundamental trust in people’s inherent kindness and sensibilities concerning respectful attitudes and behavior—even when there are differences. I will always seek to be understanding and courteous in my dealings, even when outlooks significantly differ and conflicts arise.

D. The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community project:
During pre-service training, I hope to steep myself in information that will better my ability to serve as a productive volunteer. In addition to language training, which I know will be emphasized and I hope to master, I hope that health and organizational development training specific to the different sectors volunteers will be working in will take place. Of course, I expect that there will be many elements of training that have general and important application to all volunteers concerning their day to day lives (living in mud huts by themselves in Zambian villages!), personal health, safety, security and so on. In my case, I expect (hope!) to be introduced to health content, a profile of local needs and challenges of the communities regarding nutrition, sanitation, and diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, childhood illnesses), and effective strategies for progress in addressing them. I would like to end my pre-service training with a good basic knowledge base (in all areas!) on which I can build through my own personal initiative and the resources PC will provide down the road. I hope to receive whatever is most important to get me up and running as quickly as possible in settling in to my house, community and work assignment.

E. How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends:
My father served as a PCV in Nepal in the late 1960s, both my father and mother worked for PC, and have spent nearly 20 years living overseas, with my father working largely with CARE and Save The Children in program management and as a country director, and my mother working and volunteering with local NGOs. I have been deeply influenced by their service orientation and experiences, and hope to follow my father’s lead in pursuing an upper level position with an NGO, or even join the U.S. Foreign Service. Presently, I am following my mother’s lead at working for little but gaining invaluable grassroots experience and contributing the sum of my education, interests, skills and talents toward facilitating positive change at the local level. My father’s political science degree and experience growing up on a farm served him well in grassroots agriculture coop development work as a PCV in Nepal. My mother’s background in social work has likewise served her well in bringing value to health and child protection programs. I believe that my political science degree (with a minor in gender studies) has prepared me well for new immersions—now in health studies, and will enhance my understanding of health work within the context of complex social, political and government systems. My upbringing, past studies, new learning and commitment will, I believe, combine to make me an asset to the U.S. Peace Corps, and will guide me in my future plans for graduate school and a career in humanitarian work.


Well I hope to be in touch with many of you before I leave but if not, please please keep in touch and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers over the next two years!!


My address for the next three months while I'm training:
Sarita Fritzler, PCT
P.O. Box 50707
Lusaka, Zambia
AFRICA

Please write me, I promise I will write back to every letter I receive!! and send packages... :-)