October 16, 2009 – Quiting the Peace Corps
Well, it is official. Two people from our group decided to quit. Both claimed it was because of their he
alth problem. It is only the 2nd week of the training, some people already think about leaving. Some PSTs predicate, by the end of the training, there will be at least four more people exiting.
For whatever reason these individuals decide to quit, I understand their decision. Not many people can be happy to live the kind of life here in Azerbaijan, especially those who are so used to the material world and the comfortable lifestyle back home. Here in Azerbaijan, most of the towns and villages are poor. Every where you see, there are broken buildings, unpaved roads, dirty alleys, dusty roads and ugly buses, not to mention smelly toilets and dreadful neighborhoods. There are no street lights; water has to be boiled for drinking, electricity is not reliable and taking a hot shower may require lot of effort. Most of the stores only carry minimum supplies. The luxury things do not exist here in this small town of Jorat or any town in Azerbaijan except in the Capital - Baku. Try not to get sick too because there is not even one hospital or clinic around here in town.
Some days, life can be very lonely here. When you miss your
family, friends and the loved one back home; it is quite difficult to carry on. In order to continue serving the Peace Corps, it requires not just a few simple adjustments as Peace Corps suggested, but a lot more. Whatever the dedication and commitment you have few months ago before leaving for Azerbaijan, consider to multiple 10, 20 or even 100 times more. If you are not happy now during the training, you are going to be even unhappier when the real Peace Corps life begins. For those PCTs who already thinking about leaving Peace Corps, I urge them to end their misery now. Peace Corps definitely is not for everyone.
Well, it is official. Two people from our group decided to quit. Both claimed it was because of their he
alth problem. It is only the 2nd week of the training, some people already think about leaving. Some PSTs predicate, by the end of the training, there will be at least four more people exiting.For whatever reason these individuals decide to quit, I understand their decision. Not many people can be happy to live the kind of life here in Azerbaijan, especially those who are so used to the material world and the comfortable lifestyle back home. Here in Azerbaijan, most of the towns and villages are poor. Every where you see, there are broken buildings, unpaved roads, dirty alleys, dusty roads and ugly buses, not to mention smelly toilets and dreadful neighborhoods. There are no street lights; water has to be boiled for drinking, electricity is not reliable and taking a hot shower may require lot of effort. Most of the stores only carry minimum supplies. The luxury things do not exist here in this small town of Jorat or any town in Azerbaijan except in the Capital - Baku. Try not to get sick too because there is not even one hospital or clinic around here in town.
Some days, life can be very lonely here. When you miss your
family, friends and the loved one back home; it is quite difficult to carry on. In order to continue serving the Peace Corps, it requires not just a few simple adjustments as Peace Corps suggested, but a lot more. Whatever the dedication and commitment you have few months ago before leaving for Azerbaijan, consider to multiple 10, 20 or even 100 times more. If you are not happy now during the training, you are going to be even unhappier when the real Peace Corps life begins. For those PCTs who already thinking about leaving Peace Corps, I urge them to end their misery now. Peace Corps definitely is not for everyone.
1 comment:
Chi -
Sounds hard, but you are still inspired! Keep up the good work! Do you have an email address to send to? Do you have a "home" address where packages can be sent?
Mickey says hi, too!
Love, Boss Linda
Post a Comment