It has been way too long since
my last blog post, but I have a good excuse. G9 had its In-Service Training
(IST) so I was kept busy for a couple of weeks. It was wonderful getting to see
everyone after 3 months. We got to share experiences, the good, the bad, the
ugly.
On to my post for today, during
our time in Addis, my good friend and fellow PCV Delia met some expats. The
following week she was invited to a lunch they were attending and invited me to
go along with her. As soon as we arrived at the home, it felt like we had
stepped out of Ethiopia and entered America. The house and yard were beautiful.
They were having a barbecue for expats. Everyone was dressed so nice, in
clothes that I would never dare be seen wearing in Butajira. The food was
amazing. I had desert and wine!!! A lot of the people there worked for big
organizations, such as the UN, Save the Children, UNICEF, etc. There were
Americans, Italians, Germans, Mexicans, Columbians, and others. After a couple
hours with them though, both Delia and I got the sense that these people did
not step out of Addis very much, let alone their homes and workplaces. One girl
stated point blank that she had no desire to visit Ethiopia. These people drive
everywhere they go, so they never really step into Ethiopia. One couple lived
down the block and drove … yes, drove to the home where the barbecue was at. It
looked pretty ridiculous. If they do see anything of Ethiopia, they take their
nice cars and stay at expensive resorts, which is far from an accurate
depiction of the country. It became clear that mine and Delia’s experience in
Ethiopia and the ones of these expats was very different. You could almost say
we were living in two different countries. And it got me thinking. The majority
of these people work for some high profile organizations. They have positions
that really matter.They work in positions where they have the power to make a
difference, but they never step out of their little cocoon, so how can they
really be helping Ethiopia? They are the ones making big, important decisions,
decisions that will probably affect a lot of people, yet they can’t really tell
you anything about Ethiopians. Because even if they know Addis, I can tell you
that Addis is not Ethiopia. When Delia and I walked out of there I think we
were both shocked. That first week of IST I had been feeling a bit low. I was
questioning myself and what I was doing. It was one of my lower points in my
service thus far, but walking away from that barbecue I remember getting a
feeling of happiness. It’s hard sometimes. Well it’s hard a lot. But if I’m
going to live here I’d much rather do it at a similar standard than Ethiopians.
That lunch was just what I needed to boost my spirits and be happy with what I
am doing. (Let me be clear that not all of the expats that I described above
were like this. I am only speaking in general terms)
That afternoon that Delia and
I spent with the expats led perfectly to a discussion we had in one of our
sessions during our second week of IST with a PC staff member. Interesting fact
before I continue. I think it is important for people to get rid of any
misconceptions they may have about where the US stands when it comes to foreign
aid. I think many believe that the US spends too much money to help other
countries and should focus more on domestic issues. Well they are wrong. Fact
is, the US spends less than 1% on foreign aid! So if anything the US should be spending more.
Back to our session during
IST, the leader of our discussion started off by asking us how we felt about
international development. Had our feelings of international development
changed in the past 6 months? Had we become more cynical, less cynical? Was it
a career we wanted to continue after our service in the Peace Corps was over?
Did we think international development was helpful or hurtful in the end?
When I first got to Ethiopia,
my feelings on the Peace Corps were pretty neutral. I didn’t know exactly how I
felt about it. Over the past 6 months, I’ve come to believe in the Peace Corps
mission. The organization has grown on me and I feel that it is one of the best
development organizations out there. On the other hand, I have to be honest and
say that I’ve grown much more cynical of international development work in
general. At least at this point, 6 months into my service, this is where I
stand. Having lunch with all those foreigners validated my feelings. I feel
that the international community has created an environment in the Global South
where all people see when they see foreigners is money. They aren’t wrong for
thinking this. Every day I have Ethiopians who ask me for stuff. People here
always want me to give, give, give, because that is all they have ever seen
foreigners do. Ethiopians are always surprised at how long my stay is here
because they are used to only seeing foreigners here a few weeks or a couple
months at a time. I don’t want to dismiss all organizations however. I do think
some do very good and necessary work. But this discussion got all of us
thinking. One volunteer stated that if foreign aid stopped wouldn’t people be
forced to take care of themselves and figure out how to help their country on
their own? Another volunteer responded to this by saying that if Americans got
out of international development, another country would just step in and do it
so pulling out is not the answer. Over the years, international development
work as made some progress. There is still much work that needs to be fixed
within the system, but it is getting better. Also, yes the Peace Corps is a
great organization but does that mean that every organization should be doing
international development in the same way as Peace Corps? Is it really possible
to put all international aid workers on the field, living at this standard?
Would that solve any problems? I don’t think that is the answer either. The
Peace Corps model is great, but we also need those organizations that give
money, the ones that build the schools, the hospitals, etc. Without those
buildings we can’t do any work. Overall I can conclude that we can’t just do
nothing and pull out of international development. Does international development
work need improvement? Absolutely. I’m proud to be in the Peace Corps but I am
questioning whether or not I want to continue in this line of work when my service
comes to an end. These are my feelings after only 6 months in country. They are
not set in stone and will more than likely be changing throughout the next 20
months.
