Rien à dire
I don´t have all that much to say really. This past week has been full of sorta interesting events. We had a workshop that I helped facilitate and "Close of Service¨conference in which we learned about all the joys and steps (both procedural and emotional) of re-entry. Boy it takes almost as many steps to leave as it does to get here. But as many of you know I'm not totally leaving since I'm transferring. However there were some interesting insights about re-entry to the states. For one thing they told us that no one would really care about our experience. A better way to put it, is that no one would have the patience or the interest in our experience they way we would want to explain it. It has been found that returned PCVs have gotten frustrated because the usual conversation goes like this.
Friend: So how was Africa?
PCV: Oh wow I don't know where to begin. It was a great experience...(pauses for thought)
Friend : (interjects) That's cool, so have you seen that new movie out yet?
So the point (and not that it is a reflection on people's character) is that not everyone is going to be willing to listen to long drawn out descriptions of your experience. Moreover there are going to be things that are impossible to explain since there are no close equivalents in the US. All this leads to frustration and inner angst, so they say. I don't know what to expect from my friends but either way I'm putting that off another year by staying put.
As for that conference that I helped facilitate, that was a new experience. So I've gotten quite comfortable with my french in my time here. I've taught business basics, how to use computers/internet, and organized and ran a summer camp among other things all in French. But this conference was the first time I was in front of a group of educated people (which means good french speakers) in a professional setting. So that meant that on top of the usual ills of public speaking there was an added element of speaking in a "foreign tongue." So I basically felt like a beginner once again. And don't even try to talk off of the top of your head about something you hadn't already thought though prior! That's just asking for disaster. Anyway, I more or less did a decent job, but learned alot about what I have to do to improve my french if I really want to pursue a career which uses the language that I have come to love speaking. Unfortunately I've plateaued for the moment because of the level and proficiency of the people I live and work with. Hopefully that will improve next year in Senegal when I'll be living in a bigger city...Inch Allah ;)
I don´t have all that much to say really. This past week has been full of sorta interesting events. We had a workshop that I helped facilitate and "Close of Service¨conference in which we learned about all the joys and steps (both procedural and emotional) of re-entry. Boy it takes almost as many steps to leave as it does to get here. But as many of you know I'm not totally leaving since I'm transferring. However there were some interesting insights about re-entry to the states. For one thing they told us that no one would really care about our experience. A better way to put it, is that no one would have the patience or the interest in our experience they way we would want to explain it. It has been found that returned PCVs have gotten frustrated because the usual conversation goes like this.
Friend: So how was Africa?
PCV: Oh wow I don't know where to begin. It was a great experience...(pauses for thought)
Friend : (interjects) That's cool, so have you seen that new movie out yet?
So the point (and not that it is a reflection on people's character) is that not everyone is going to be willing to listen to long drawn out descriptions of your experience. Moreover there are going to be things that are impossible to explain since there are no close equivalents in the US. All this leads to frustration and inner angst, so they say. I don't know what to expect from my friends but either way I'm putting that off another year by staying put.
As for that conference that I helped facilitate, that was a new experience. So I've gotten quite comfortable with my french in my time here. I've taught business basics, how to use computers/internet, and organized and ran a summer camp among other things all in French. But this conference was the first time I was in front of a group of educated people (which means good french speakers) in a professional setting. So that meant that on top of the usual ills of public speaking there was an added element of speaking in a "foreign tongue." So I basically felt like a beginner once again. And don't even try to talk off of the top of your head about something you hadn't already thought though prior! That's just asking for disaster. Anyway, I more or less did a decent job, but learned alot about what I have to do to improve my french if I really want to pursue a career which uses the language that I have come to love speaking. Unfortunately I've plateaued for the moment because of the level and proficiency of the people I live and work with. Hopefully that will improve next year in Senegal when I'll be living in a bigger city...Inch Allah ;)
posted by Ryan at 9/17/2005 08:31:00 AM
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