Halfway Conference

Posted by Ian Jobe on 09/29/2007

Last week, all the volunteers who have been in Georgia for one year (myself included) gathered for a mid-service conference. After a year of Peace Corps service, we were treated to four days of meetings, language lessons and conference sessions. I'd be lying if I said that I've liked every second of every conference that I've ever had in Peace Corps but I will say that this was my favorite. We had very well presented relevant sessions, plus I got to enjoy time with my fellow volunteers and soak up the perks of our hotel.

The one presentation that stayed with me the most was about life after Peace Corps. Even though I still have eleven months left in my service, I can't help but think that far into the future. And, this is not in an anti-Peace Corps way at all. It's just that when you know the exact date when you'll start being unemployed again, you can't but wonder what will be after that. I used to be a radio DJ but I can't see going back to that when I'm done. So what then? Grad school is one option. I've already started studying for the GRE and if I chose to apply, I'll hopefully get in and start down the path towards a new career. Another is doing Peace Corps again. If I chose this route, I'd want a completely different country. Not that there's anything wrong with Georgia, I'd just want to challenge myself by going to a completely different region of the world. Of these two options, I'm leaning more towards Grad school but that doesn't mean anything. After all, if you had asked me three years ago what the probability of me joining Peace Corps was, I would have said 0%.

I couldn't be serious and reflective the whole time though, I was in a hotel in the mountains. Four days with a swimming pool, pool table, beautiful scenery and a JACUUZI were glorious. Before you say that this is cheating and not part of Peace Corps, it was only for four days. I was back in my small, unpaved road town in no time. After our sessions everyday was the time where we got to relax and take it all in. Now, I would have had fun at a place like this even if I was alone, but being with my fellow volunteers made it cooler. A lot of these people I see on a regular basis while others I never see. That's pretty much how it went, volunteers just hanging out with each other. The second night though, Peace Corps was kind enough to provide us with a little Karaoke for some entertainment. This was a really popular group activity with most volunteers (except for Jeff and Ryan, who are getting called out for being lame and not singing) going up and having a fun time singing their song for three minutes or so. I sang Pretty Fly for a White Guy by The Offspring and, I must say, I killed it (that means did a good job, just in case you're confused). Other great songs by volunteers were Like a Virgin, I Will Survive, and a little Prince, sung by our cool Country Director, Kathleen.

The rest of my free time was usually spent in one of two places: in the pool/jacuzzi/sauna or watching TV in my room. I love swimming and I took about an hour everyday there to take advantage of these things. Don't get me wrong, I'm no professional swimmer. Little time in the pool, sit in the Jacuzzi for a while, hop in the sauna to get a good sweat then jump in the pool for an invigorating change of temperature. Why the TV though? My host family has a TV that only gets two channels (both of which I have trouble understanding) and I really miss out on world news. I'm actually at the point where I'm getting excited to hear about anything in the rest of the world: Iraq, Presidential elections, Lindsay Lohan, sports scores and anything else I can get into my hands.

So here I am at the halfway point: worried about the future but looking forward to it; singing nine-year-old songs at Karaoke and getting excited over entertainment news because I'm so cut off from the outside world. But, do any of these things make me regret my decision to join Peace Corps? Not at all. Not having cheeseburgers, pizza and Chinese food make me regret joining Peace Corps. JUST KIDDING!

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This webpage expresses the views of Ian Jobe. It does not express the views of the United States Peace Corps.

Last updated Sep 29 2008