2/11/06

While avian flu is sweeping through Africa, another epidemic is hitting PCV's in Chad- quitting. Over the past almost two months, eight new PCV's, an average of one per week has decided to resign and go home, despite having been at their sites for no more than a few weeks, or maybe a month.

In Peace Corps jargon, a resignation is known as an 'ET,' an Early Termination- sounds drastic, like an execution, or something. To go off on a bit of a tangent here, like any government agency, Peace Corps is in love with acronyms. If you've ever been a volunteer, or even associated with Peace Corps, you can probably understand that leaving early is a long process- the PCV or PCT has to inform the CD or TM they want to ET- a HCN driver will bring the PCV/PCT to the office, where they'll meet with the CD, APCD, AO, & PCMO. They'll have to write their DOS before they can COS, collect their RA, and return to their HOR in the USA*. For a translation, see the end of this journal. Anyway, ET's are a common enough part of any Peace Corps program- to have almost half an entire group gone inside of two months of swearing-in is pretty extraordinary though.

Obviously, the spate of ET's has everyone guessing, and a little disturbed. The mail truck comes through the other day with Mamadou at the helm- as he sits in my hangar slurping a cup of extra-sweet green tea, he seems puzzled.

"What is it with this new group?" he asks. "Did they not know what they were getting into before they came?"

"I think it was hard for any of us to know what Chad would be like before we arrived," I say. "I think they had an idea, but it didn't really meet their expectations."

Actually, that's very possible- during the Peace Corps application process I remember hearing from former PCV's who had served all over the world, each of whom had some special nugget of wisdom they wanted to give me about what the Peace Corps experience would be like. The problem, though, is that volunteers who serve in Mongolia, Micronesia, or Moldova will have completely different experiences from one another, and all of these will of course be different from what someone going to Chad will experience. That's obvious enough, but it's even the case for neighboring countries with Peace Corps programs, like Niger or Cameroon, both of which have far larger programs and a 40+ year uninterrupted history with Peace Corps. I mean, Peace Corps Niger even has an official pagne, one of the printed fabrics people here use to make bubus, shirts, and dresses, with the 60's-esque Peace Corps logo and the Nigerien flag.

In a country like this, that is so challenging on so many levels, the lack of Peace Corps infrastructure and the difficulties that result can easily be the tipping point that drives a PCV to make that phone call to Country Director. In almost every other Peace Corps program, there is a network of volunteer gathering places throughout the country, 'transit houses' in Peace Corps parlance. Additionally, virtually every other country Peace Corps works in has some sort of organized transportation system, and at least some amount of basic infrastructure allowing PCV's to easily visit each other. Finally, practically every program has PCV's in such close proximity, often two or three per site, that traveling isn't even really necessary if you simply want to visit. Notice the 'virtually,' 'practically,' and 'almost'- it might be like that in other places, but here in Chad, non. With the recent ET's, my nearest neighbor is almost 90km away- even before, it was close to 50. Another of my colleagues is in the middle of a 200km + radius sans volontaires. With transit houses non-existent, infrastructure a joke, and isolation a regular part of your life, you can see why not everyone would want to stay.

Although I haven't done it (and have no plans to- I'm leaving in seven months anyway) and can't be 100% sure, the decision to ET is a huge one, which makes it surprising to me that those who have left gave it so little time. I remember when I first arrived in Gounou-Gaya, more than a year ago now. Honestly, it sucked- I didn't know anyone, and although my French wasn't bad, it definitely wasn't good either. Every time I went to the market I was stared at like I had three heads, and as far as I could tell, I'd changed my name to "Psst! Nasarra!" I thought about leaving, although never seriously enough to contact Peace Corps about it though. What a difference 16.5 months makes- my French is much better, although still not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, I have close friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and I hear a lot less 'nasarra,' and a lot more 'Nah-tahn-yel.' I'm still looked at like I have a third head at the market though, but I've learned to ignore it, mostly. Probably all the new volunteers who've ET'd so far would have a similar tale to tell in a year or 18 months, had they stayed. Several of the eight who have left have said they felt like they weren't accomplishing anything, to which my not-so-diplomatic response would be, 'No shit? What'd you expect in the first month and a half? Give it some time.'

People who have never been volunteers in a place like this, have a hard time understanding why it can be so tough, I think. I'm talking with Samuel and Andrew, two of Paul the missionary's sons, recently, and mention how so many PCV's have left in such a short time.

"What, were they expecting life here to be like it is in the US?" Samuel asks sarcastically.

"Naw, they're just tenderfoots," pipes in 15-year old Andrew. He's a big fan of Louis L'Amour Western novels, and 'cowboy-isms' are a regular feature of his speech.

I feel like snapping at them, but I don't. "It's not like that at all," I say firmly. "I don't think you can really understand," I continue, trying to be diplomatic.

"But we've been here eight years already," Samuel protests.

"Well, yeah," I reply, "but you've also been here with your whole family, in an almost Western house, living a life that's mostly insulated from reality here. The lives we lead as PCV's are very different, and a lot harder than you may realize. I'm the only volunteer you know, and I have it pretty easy here- I have you guys to talk with for one thing, and with a cell-phone and a reasonably nice Chadian house, my situation isn't all that bad."

I get the feeling Samuel and Andrew accept the value of what I'm saying, but don't really agree with it. Whatever. I can't really expect them to understand. As I said, my life is comfortable by the standards of Peace Corps Chad, and positively luxurious compared to your average Chadian, even though it'd be considered miserable almost anywhere else on Earth. It's taken a long time to reach that comfort zone though. While I respect the decision to that the eight (and counting) have made, I think it's too bad they didn't give it more of a chance.




* The Volunteer or Trainee has to inform the Training Manager or Country Director that they want to Early Terminate. A Host Country National driver will bring the Volunteer to the office, where they'll meet with the Country Director, Associate Peace Corps Director, Administrative Officer, and Peace Corps Medical Officer. They have to write a Description of Service before they can finish the Close of Service process, collect their Readjustment Allowance, and return to their Home of Record in the United States.

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