“With a little ambition just what we could become here…”

Ok so the song this week is Jay Z but is on a tape (yes a tape) that I bought here and work out to in my house, and also describes a lot about how I’ve been feeling recently (more on that later). Ok so the update out here in Sierra Leone…

So we got back from the Christmas break and I had some resolutions (I will not call them New Year’s resolutions but like resolutions for the new term) including exercising regularly (overwhelmingly women gain weight in the Peace Corps because of the increase in carbs and I have sadly not been an exception), eating cereal (quite an expensive habit in Sierra Leone), more protein and fruit and less carbs if possible, and also focusing a lot more energy into my classes and making my classes run well instead of trying to do too many other programs that staff members and other community members weren’t super supportive of anyway. Some changes in the classroom that have actually made class way more effective: a larger focus on classwork with student aides to help correct others’ work, groupwork competitions when I finish a topic to review that topic, optional homework assignments that are more challenging then classwork with optional Saturday help sessions, and an increase in demonstrations and hands on activities whenever possible (this all obviously means slowing down but there is already no chance to finish the syllabus anyway, so might as well make them understand what we do cover). That’s all been working pretty well actually. We started (using all those techniques) doing ionic and covalent bonding in SS2 Chemistry and the students were actually really interested and really motivated. Also the SS1 students got the results from their exams and so have finally joined us at school this term. SS1 Chemistry is over 100 people, which is a challenge every time but has been going better than expected as of right now. Like I said before I’ve been focusing more on making my classes go as well as possible and not focusing on outside activities (which will be explained more below). I also started a school club to talk about Sierra Leone and the United States: similarities, differences, challenges and advantages of living in each country, and having pen pals with US students through the Peace Corps World Wise Schools program.

So that was the update at school until we went on strike about a week and a half ago. The Peace Corps is inherently a non political entity so we have to do our best to not look like we are taking sides, not talk about political things, and just try not to get involved (or even give anyone the option of mistakenly thinking we are involved). Because all teachers are striking I am also not teaching in order to preserve my relationship with my colleagues and my standing in the community. In a nutshell the teachers union has been negotiating with the government for an increase in teachers salaries since the school year started without any changes yet. It is not a country-wide strike and is isolated to Kenema district (where I am placed). I don’t have any idea how long the strike will last so I don’t know when I will be back to work at the school. For now I am just spending time with friends and neighbors, exercising, reading, and hanging out (and trying to get updates without seeming overly involved). So that’s the situation for now.

The other biggest development since IST (In Service Training) in December is just a change in the way I view my role out here. First I am way more accepting that this is my life, these are the challenges, these are my friends, and this is what is going on so I need to fully wrap my head around it and get going. Also I was thinking about my frustrations and trying to pinpoint exactly what it is about Sierra Leone that makes it more challenging fundamentally than being in the United States. Honestly for every ridiculous thing someone does here, there is an equivalent thing that people do in the United States that drives me equally crazy. So what are the big differences? I came up with a few things: 1) The extreme annoyance of people trying to marry you all the time and everything that comes with managing those situations, 2) Having to be culturally sensitive when I see things that I don’t agree with, and 3) Being looked to as a leader and as someone that is supposed to change or “fix” the situation here. It is a completely different task in life to be viewed as someone that has the means and ability and the mandate to fix the problems and to make positive changes in their community. Being in that role makes it so much easier to be extremely frustrated with people and all the ridiculousness of people that I know is just as bad in America as it is here. I feel like it must be similar to being a politician in the United States (at least a politician that is legitimately motivated to make positive changes). So that’s it: being a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa is a strange mix of being a politician and a celebrity.

Ok so finally on to the title of this entry and the biggest change really in life out here. After talking to other volunteers and just observing the culture that has formed here (and asking questions and trying to make observations about how it used to be before) you begin to see the challenges in Sierra Leone in a completely different light than you did before or than expected. I think most times when we (Westerners) think about developing countries, we think about places where people have motivation but lack opportunity. I think the problem here is actually more of the opposite. That’s not to say that I think there are as many opportunities here as in the United States, but the problem is much more so with the motivation. And honestly I think a lot of that comes down to the message sent to this country by the rest of the world. It is consistently a message of feeling sorry for the people here, talking about how poor everyone in the country is, and basically doing the opposite of empowering people by creating a system where their best option is to try to get aid instead of making their own way. I actually read in a West African guide book that according to the UN Human Development Index Sierra Leone is (or at least was at the time) the worst place on earth in which to live. I will agree that according to the standards that we are used to in the Western world there are many things (medical care, etc.) where Sierra Leone is not to the level of developed countries. But I don’t think it’s ever useful to phrase it in that way (and yes Sierra Leoneans have heard about that), and I don’t necessarily even think it’s true. Yes life has challenges here but there are challenges everywhere and the views presented also have resulted in a universal acceptance here that everything is perfect for everyone in America, poverty does not exist in America, and basically America is heaven and Sierra Leone is as far to the other side as you will find. The unfortunate outcome of all of that is an extreme “can’t do” attitude and just general low expectations in general for what anyone can hope to accomplish or can expect from other people. There are low expectations for teachers to perform well, for students to do well in class, for people to go through life with the integrity that is necessary to start combating corruption here…and the prevailing attitude is just acceptance of this situation.

I had a discussion with my class about the power of the low expectations in their lives (inspired by an R. Kelly song that says “Just because I am a ghetto child, I wont live down to your expectations"), and told them that from now on my own expectations for them in my class are being raised. I expect them to come on time (and don’t let them in late anymore), I expect them to be respectful (and don’t hesitate to take cell phones and kick people out of class if needed), I will challenge them academically more than anyone else here will and expect them to raise up to that challenge (with the understanding that I am available and here to help them get there), and I expect that some people actually will pass their end of Secondary School exams in my class (to give you an idea in Sierra Leone less than 4% of students passed the Chemistry exam last year…yes less than 4% in the entire country). A majority of the students have responded really well to the challenge and I think that is one of the reasons classes have been much improved this term (before the strike of course). I guess my goal as a Peace Corps Volunteer now in Sierra Leone is to try to show people that they themselves are capable of making positive changes in their own lives. Being a person devoted to motivating others in a place with really low motivation is definitely not an easy task or one where you see an outcome immediately (or ever), but at least now I have a clear understanding of the task and in my mind the goal of being here.

I had a discussion with some teachers at the other secondary school in my town that started as a comparison between living a city life and an agriculturally based village life. We were debating which type of life is better and why, and the challenges and advantages in each life (Blama is definitely in between the two and people can kind of live either life in Blama). After some discussion we decided that neither life is inherently better, and that both have pros and cons and that different people will likely prefer each life. It isn’t a perfect analogy but it led to a discussion comparing life in Sierra Leone to life in America, and I was trying to make a similar argument. I was trying to say that there were pros and cons to each, and that believe it or not there are things about life here and about the culture here that are fantastic and make it at times a better place to live (a radical idea when most people believe America is perfect and their past cultural life like the traditional religion is almost looked down upon), specifically talking about how friendly people are (I will never in my life here worry about being lost because you can ask anyone for help and most times they will even argue with each other over the best advice to give and then take you wherever you are going) and how much time you have to spend with friends, playing games, talking, watching films and football (soccer) games, listening and especially dancing, drinking palm wine, etc. At the end of that discussion we decided one of the worst things that has happened recently in Sierra Leone is the outside world telling them that they are poor and the life they live is something that is to be pitied, and everyone here accepting that view.

So that brings me back to the title: “With a little ambition just what we could become here…”

So I know it was kind of a heavy entry today, but it really has been great to understand so much more of why people act the way they do (not that I am anywhere near knowing everything about that) and how I can try to function inside that to promote positive changes out here.

Ke ta mia,
Konya