... Begins with one step

I just got a glimpse of the shoes I’ll be filling as a PCV and it was monumental - in potential that is; nothing that big really happened. Last week, we did work with a “youth group,” aka random kids that live nearby, and while fun, not really productive. This week, we’re asked to work with an adult group on analyzing their needs and the community’s needs – as practice, mind you. But, can you say “scary”? We identified an organization a few weeks ago , the one that Karishma’s host sister is a member of. We attended their meeting/service once and we figured we’d go again, refresh them of our faces… and then request “a moment of their time.” We were warmly welcomed back. They sing a lot during their services and they encouraged us to sing – so I did. Yup, me, Sarah sang a song out loud, by herself (well, with a drum and long metal stick thing as an instrument), a song that no one knew, no one had the words to and one that the only part I remembered was the chorus. So I sang it twice, virtually alone except the ever-faithful Beth who helped out. Never done that before! After awhile, the leader introduced us again and then gave us the podium! I spoke about our training and mission in the Peace Corps and how we ID’ed the organization to practice with because we knew they were already involved in the community. What our training asked of us and what we wanted to do for our training village was to work with them to asses the community’s needs. I told them we didn’t want to just come in and say “We think you need this…” we wanted it to be something they identified. While I was talking, I saw several nods of understanding (and agreement?) and that was wonderful. They asked us questions and when the leader asked for hands of who would be interested and the numbers were small, she started talking about how our work and effort is important, that we left our country to come here and help so they should support that. Anyway, we had maybe 10 hands raised in the end, and they even decided to give us the time they’d usually meet on Saturdays! Wow that was… *insert some colorful adjective here.* To be initiating some community development (actually doing it!) and to have the community respond - granted, it’s just expressing an interest - was almost character-changing. “This is it,” I thought. “This is what I’ll be doing. I can do it.” It was just the teensiest of a step in a long line of steps, but I took it. Peace Corps here I come.